vvc rampage vol. 30 issue 6

RamPage November 19 2010 Volume 30 No 6

Victor Valley College

ldquoEducation is the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it todayrdquo Malcolm X

Womenrsquos Cross Country Team Wins Consecutive Conference Title

Victor Valley College womenrsquos cross country team won the second consecutive Foothill Conference Champi-onship on Friday October 27 The Championships took place in Ontario California where not only did the team get first place but Cheryl Eastwood was first out of all the ones that competed ldquoOur team tried really hard and we worked mentally That is what all the hard work comes down to we all wanted itrdquo said Eastwood It might be a little too early but the team is already thinking of next year Foothill Championships With the top four girls returning next sea-

son plus the new recruiters the team has high expectations ldquoWe should be fighting for the Foothill title next yearrdquo said Head Coach Kevin Barda The So Cal Championships took place in San Diego on Friday Nov 6 Having won on Oct 27 the team went with excitement and positive atti-tudes As a team they got seventh place and once again Eastwood came in first place for the team and 26th

place with the time of 2003

Continued in Cross on

page 4

as an individual runner out of 200 runners ldquoEveryday Cheryl runs fasterrdquo said Barda

Story by Brenda Requena Reporter

California State University and University of California workshops are being held by Lorena Dorn at the career center in building 55 to help students with their applica-tions that plan to transfer to Universities in the fall of 2011 The deadline for applica-tions is Nov 30 so Dorn has been busy helping the stu-dents who want to make sure

they are prepared to transfer next fall ldquoTypically students just want reassurance that the information they are listing on the application is correct such as what courses to list GPA and clarification on majorrdquo said Dorn The workshop provides students with a list of steps and timelines to get all the information needed for the applications They fill out their applications in the Ca-reer Center and ask Dorn for assistance when they come

across something they are unsure of Harry Lyles plans to trans-fer to Humboldt State Uni-versity or Cal State San Ber-nardino next fall He at-tended one of the workshops held on Nov 15 ldquoThe workshop is defi-nitely helpful If yoursquore con-fused or have questions it is the place to gordquo said Lyles Most of the applications are online and range between $50 and $60 The TAG sys-tem that Dorn helps students with is Transfer Admission Guarantee Itrsquos an online

system that flags schools that will most likely accept your major and current amount of credits Katrina Ortiz plans to transfer in the fall of 2011 to UC Davis or UC Berkley During her time at VVC she has noticed the effect of re-cent budget cuts on Univer-sityrsquos The budget cuts make the requirements to get into a CSU or UC

Continued in Transfer on Page 3

The Transfer Center Assists Students with Transfer Details Story by Aimee McMullen Reporter

Cross country girls all smiles after winning second consecutive conference title Photo courtesy of Kevin Barda

Academic Commons Hopeful For Renovations

Nov 19 2010 Page 2 RamPage Victor Valley College

Rich High Desert History in VVC Library

At Victor Valley College the local history collection is located in the special collec-tions room of the library Within the local history col-lection a person can read material and travel back in time to the history of the high desert There are old photographs maps newspapers oral his-tories transcribed and bound into books copies of VVC yearbooks since the college first started in 1961 and also scrapbooks and local history books The collection was started by VVC volunteer librarian Fran Elgin in the 1980rsquos It provides the college and the local community with inter-esting material about the history of the high desert Elgin began the local his-tory collection because of the many people who asked the school library about the his-tory of the high desert Elgin acquired resources from dif-ferent places to start the col-lection

In the old library which was located in the Academic Commons building the his-tory collection was in cramped quarters In 1997 when the new library was being built Elgin requested a

special room for the collec-tion During the 1970rsquos a local history teacher asked his students to go out into the community and interview elders for their class re-search The students then gathered quotes from these elderly citizens who had been locals since the early

1900rsquos The students taped their interviews and the tapes were later transferred into written works They are called ldquooral historiesrdquo These books are among the li-braryrsquos local history collec-

tion The materials in the col-lection cannot be checked out They can be looked at while there is a librarian pre-sent in the special collections room or the material can be copied Some of the books in the collection can also be found in library stacks down-stairs

Leslie Huiner is a full-time librarian and Department Chair who assists Elgin when she is not there Some of the people who use the VVCrsquos history col-lection are the Daily Press citizens from the community and students ldquoThe resources available in the local history room in the VVC library offer a wealth of valuable informa-tion Without which I would not have been able to com-plete a paper on local black history for Dr Comerrsquos class and the Mojave VI The arti-cles interviews and other resources offer students an opportunity for insight into the history and development of our Mojave Desertrdquo said VVC student Randy Briggs ldquoWell I think itrsquos impor-tant to know the history of the area in which you live and itrsquos a good way to en-courage original research A lot of the information that is in this room is not available anywhere elserdquo said Elgin The hours are Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm or by appointment the number is (760) 245-4271 extension 2262

Story by Tina Mora Reporter

The Academic Commons Building located on the up-per campus next to the li-brary is under-used Plans to remodel the building for other uses have been dis-cussed by The Facilities Committee The building houses tutoring services The Computer Information Sys-

tems Department which trains students in computer-related areas The Coopera-tive Education Program which allows students to earn college credits while work-ing The Upward Bound Pro-gram which helps eligible high school students prepare for postsecondary education Also within the AC building are the offices of the full-time Business teachers and of the Part-time Teachersrsquo Union

ldquoAfter the Advanced Tech-nology Center was con-structed and many depart-ments moved there the AC Building has been underuti-lized and itrsquos a shamerdquo said Chris Guinotte Cooperative Education Secretary ldquoThe building is poorly used and could be utilized better if remodeling is donerdquo said Paul Williams Dean of Humanities Arts amp Letters ldquoThe space could be used for Student Networking and

computer use but there are no set plans as to what is going to be done at the mo-mentrdquo Williams said ldquoThe Facilities Committee is currently reviewing sub-mittals by faculty for ideas as to how to use the spacerdquo said Chris Hylton a member of the Facilities Committee No specific plans have been made yet but officials hope to agree upon better use of the building in the future

Story by Juan Munguia Reporter

Local history collection achieved photo RamPage photo by Tina Mora


Writing Workshop in the Works

Victor Valley Collegersquos Writing Center in the Tech-nology Building began offer-ing writing workshops this semester with even more new services planned for Spring semester At the beginning of the semester the center began offering weekly workshops to help students improve their writing They have not been advertised around cam-pus much though because Writing Center Facilitator Patricia Wagner wants to test

out the workshops with a small group first The workshops run around 50 minutes each and focus on different topics each meeting Wagner begins by quickly reviewing previously covered material and shows a PowerPoint on that sessionrsquos lesson concluding with the students writing an example of what they have learned The workshops being offered right now are not exactly advanced mostly geared towards benefitting English 6 or 50 students but anyone is encouraged to participate if they need help regardless of what English course being taken or if they have been to any previous workshops

ldquoItrsquos been pretty exciting Irsquove been getting a lot of good feedbackrdquo said Wag-ner Next semester she plans to expand to 18 workshops from the current nine and to cover more advanced topics such as research methods MLAAPA formats and ac-tivepassive voices In addi-tion she hopes to be able to build lessons around what the students need help on and what English teachers are teaching But the workshops are use-less if students donrsquot know about them ldquoI didnrsquot even know where it wasrdquo said tutor Justeen Barrett who has now been tutoring students in the cen-ter for a year Wagner wants to spread word about the workshops and the Writing Center in general by having tutors go into classrooms to talk to the students directly This is how students Mary Lou Alvarez and Alicia Mashtalier dis-covered the Writing Center ldquoI find them helpfulrdquo said Mashtalier during her second visit ldquoThey know what theyrsquore talking aboutrdquo said Alvarez The workshops arenrsquot the only source of help that is offered at the Writing Center however There are tutors

present to answer any ques-tions students might have and while the center may get full the tutors like it that way ldquoI enjoy when people really need help Not when they come in with a closed mindrdquo said Barrett The Writing Center has the privilege of having several computers for students to use The tutors are even able to help with any formatting issues students may have ldquoNot only are they getting the research theyrsquore learning to use the computerrdquo said Edikan Akpabio a tutor for two years now And soon students may not even have to stop by the center to get answers The center hopes to start its launch of a whole new web-site created by Akpabio himself The new website will feature links to research databases downloadable hand-outs and workshop presentations and even offer a forum for tutors As the semester comes to an end the Writing Center is already looking towards spring With several new services to be offered to help students the center will be-come the ultimate stop for tips and advice to make any student a better writer

Story and Photo by Jimmy Garrido Reporter

Writing Center Facilitator Patricia Wagner leads the workshops and supervises the Center

Transfer from school a lot more demand-ing and making sure she has all she needs to transfer is very important ldquoThe workshop was really helpful It helped with the TAG process Lorenarsquos great she helped calculate my GPA and is always help-ful when I drop in to ask questionsrdquo said Ortiz Dorn hopes that by May 2011 they will have a Trans-

fer Celebration for all stu-dents who plan on transfer-ring in the 2011-2012 aca-demic school year There are three more work-shops on the 18th 19th and 22nd of November right be-fore the Nov 30 deadline for all CSU and UC application All are welcome to get infor-mation and can also visitwwwvvceduofficestransfer-center for more transferring activities that will be held

Once again the VVC RamPage would like to bring you our lat-est technology Scan the code to the right with your mobile de-vice and check out our issues straight from your phone

Tiffany Verduzco a team member ldquoThe team is doing well The girls help each other and the guys are running betterrdquo said assistant coach Melissa Hernandez ldquoKevin motivates us every-day he is the best coachrdquo said Eastwood The team is now waiting for the Nov 20 to go against the 28 teams from all over California and they hope to do well


Cross Country runner Kyle Gallagher stays focus while running to-wards a second conference title Photo by Kevin Barda

Womenrsquos Soccer Beats Chaffey

Victor Valley College womenrsquos soccer team de-feated Chaffey College 1-0 on Tuesday Nov 9 The game against Chaffey was the last one of the sea-son The players said they are proud of how they did this season and theyrsquore glad to have beaten Chaffey on the last game ldquoAbout the last fifteen min-utes I thought it was going to end in a 0-0 tierdquo said Brooke Drodge Drodge was the athlete of the game when in the last ten minutes she head-butted the ball after a corner kick by Sammy Lavoie winning the game

Captain Kellci Tessendorf said ldquoWe knew it could be a last game for us and we wanted more than anything to beat them at their home field Theyrsquore a good team I believe with only three losses their entire season not just conferencerdquo Coach Michael Bradbury was proud of how they played and said ldquothey played amazing They executed to perfectionrdquo The team did an overall well job this season All the girls put their heart into the game and everyone had a different passion for the game ldquoAnother year of success the ninth straight winning season and we have four sophomores leaving with scholarshipsrdquo said Coach Bradbury

Story by Yesenia Carrillo Reporter

Cross from Page 1 ldquoI donrsquot know how I do it I just run but the team is amazingrdquo said Eastwood The VVC women cross country team qualified for State Championships which are going to be on Nov 20th in Fresno California There will be 28 teams from state and the VVC women are working hard to place high in this competition ldquoItrsquos all just mentalrdquo said

After a close battle that went into overtime Victor Valley College womenrsquos basketball team lost their first game of the season against Oxnard College on Saturday Nov 13 final score of 61-67 ldquoIndividually I thought I did okay could have been better but itrsquos the beginning of the season and there are more games to come We played hard in spirits but lost focus we got another chance in overtime we just didnrsquot executerdquo said VVC player Bricarea Holden ldquoWersquove been together for four months and I could not be more proud of my girlsrdquo said Coach Michael Stewart The girls held their own throughout the game and pushed it into overtime Un-

fortunately they did not get the win that they wanted ldquoThe competition was okay They were not better than us they just wanted it more but we definitely played harderrdquo said Holden ldquoIt was a good game I could tell both teams wanted the win badly considering they were head to head the whole timerdquo said student Willie Hardeman The loss surely didnrsquot bring them down The girls are staying positive and with motivation from Coach Stewart they continue to have high hopes for the sea-son ldquoI expect us to be in the top four this season and to push to make playoffs Wersquore go-ing to compete in the pre-season which prepares us for Conference I try to play the best and our record will re-flect in Conferencerdquo said Stewart

Story by Alyshia Kelly Reporter

The end of the semester is quickly approaching and many students find themselves scrambling for a place to finish their projects or presentations meet in groups

and prepare for final exams The Communication Center is open

and ready to assist you in meeting your educational goals

The center is located in the PAC room 213 We are here five days a week and we invite you to stop

by to see the new work space available to all VVC students

mdash Jennifer Fowlie Director Communication Center

Lady Ramrsquos Basketball Loses First Game of the Season


The Upward Bound pro-gram helps eligible high school students throughout the High Desert prepare for college by providing hands on educational services Vic-tor Valley College has been involved with the Upward Bound Program since 2007 Since then numerous stu-dents have had the opportu-nity to advance in their edu-cation With the help of VVC staff high school students gain the knowledge and skills required to get a di-ploma and with continued help have a successful col-lege experience Elizabeth Duarte is the Program Coor-dinator of Upward Bound ldquoWe get fifty students en-rolled in the program every academic yearrdquo said Duarte Many of the services Up-ward Bound provides get the

students and the parents in-volved in the childrsquos educa-tion They offer academic advisement with A-G re-quirements As well as after- school tutoring at the stu-dentrsquos high school Students are taken on edu-cational field trips and cul-tural enrichment activities to gain knowledge and insight to put towards their college degree The program also offers a six week summer program in which students work on academics four days a week and go on field trips to universities and museums on Fridays ldquoThe goal of the Upward Bound program is to help high school students get a diploma and guide them into college with the goal to at-tain a bachelorrsquos degreerdquo said Duarte Recruitment to be in the program takes place in the spring at VVC High School students from Hesperia Sil-verado and Victor Valley

High School fill out an appli-cation and find out if they are eligible The program is en-tirely free to any students who want help and are moti-vated There are five eligibility requirements for students interested in being a part of the Upward Bound program The student must be at least 13 years old and 9th or 10th grade must be a US citizen or permanent resident of the US must be from a l o w - i n c o m e f a m i l y (according to Federal TRiO Program low-income levels) must be a first generation college student (neither par-ent has a bachelorrsquos degree) and must have a need for academic support ldquoItrsquos a great opportunity for students to be successful I wish this program was avail-able when I was youngrdquo said Sonia Lares Upward Bound Office Assistant To make sure students are prepared and understand

what awaits for them in col-lege Upward Bound has spring college tours in both northern or southern Califor-nia ldquoIn 2009 we took the stu-dents to San Francisco for 5 days we went to several universities as well as muse-ums We did the same thing this year except it was in San Diegordquo said Duarte The program is certainly an asset to the High Desert and the students who are im-pacted by it ldquoIt is necessary to expose students to different aspects of their education especially these ones who need it mostrdquo said Rose M Hultquist Program Coordi-nator Upward Bound Math amp Science For more information re-garding the Upward Bound program contact the program coordinator Elizabeth Duarte at ext 2398

News in Brief middot Ramrsquos textbook buyback will be held this Dec 13-17 The window will be open from 10 am to 6 pm on Monday and Tuesday from 9 am to 5 pm on Wednes-day and Thursday and from 9 am until 12 pm on Fri-day Picture IDrsquos are re-quired at the book buyback middot The play ldquoAnnierdquo will be showing at the High Desert Center for the Arts in Victor-ville on Nov 26 through the 28 and the following week-end from Dec 3 through the 5 Tickets are on sale now middot The Phi Theta Kappa Al-pha Phi Gamma Club will be having an opportunity draw-

ing on Dec 15 at 3 pm in the Student Activities Center The cost will be one dollar

for one ticket five dollars for six tickets and ten dollars for 13 tickets For more informa-tion call or text the Phi Theta Kappa Public Relations at (760) 983-8607

middot The Passport Travel Series will be returning in 2011 in

the VVC Performing Arts Center ldquoCruising The East-ern Mediterraneanrdquo will be shown on Jan 30 2011 ldquoPortugal and the Douro Valleyrdquo will be shown on

Feb 13 2011 ldquoJapanland A Year in Search of Wardquo will be shown on Mar 20 2011 ldquoThe Great Rocky Mountain Adventurerdquo will be shown on April 17 2011 And ldquoEast African Safarirdquo will be shown on May 15 2011 The audience will have a chance to meet the filmmakers dur-ing these events middot The last of the VVC Writ-ing Center workshops will be held on Nov 22

Upward Bound Program Aims High For K-12 Students

Ramrsquos textbook buyback will be held this Dec 13-17 The window will be open from 10 am to 6 pm on Monday and Tuesday from 9 am to 5 pm on Wednesday and

Thursday and from 9 am until 12 pm on Friday Picture IDrsquos are required at the book

buyback

Story by Reyna Arvizu Reporter


Paramedics Rescue Recycling

Much of the world is turn-ing trash into everyday treas-ures and commonly used items by recycling paper aluminum cans glass and plastic bottles ink cartridges cardboard etc However what many donrsquot know is that the cost of recy-cling many of the materials on the Victor Valley College campus comes at too high a price for VVC to be able to recycle ldquoSocially it would be a good thing for the college to do Economically it would not be a major revenue gen-erator for the collegerdquo said Maintenance and Operations

Story and Photo by Adreana Young News Editor

Director Chris Hylton about the collegersquos absent recy-cling program The amount of money it would cost the college to hire a full time recycling techni-cian and to recycle all the recyclables on campus would cost more money than it would bring in Therefore with the collegersquos budget limitations recycling isnrsquot a high priority according to Hylton However rather than let-ting the small profit that does come from recycling go to waste the Paramedics Pro-gram at VVC has voluntarily taken over the responsibility of recycling on campus The paramedic students gather the empty plastic bottles and aluminum cans from the fa-miliar blue bins around the

campus and take them to local recycling centers The paramedic students are divided into squads of five or

six Each squad is responsi-ble for the recycling in one area of the campus The money made off of recycling is spent on the Paramedic studentrsquos off-campus graduation the uni-forms they are required to wear and more of the pro-gramrsquos many expenses ldquoTheyrsquore using (recycling) as a fundraiserrdquo said the Director and Assistant Pro-fessor of the Paramedics Academy Scott Jones ldquoItrsquos a sole source of fundraisingrdquo said Jones ldquoThis is a good way for us to make money and give back to the school and itrsquos environmentally friendlyrdquo said Paramedicrsquos Class 14 President David Loomis Not only does the recycling provide the paramedics with money but it also provides them with an educational team building experience ldquoIt kind of is job training working with a team It works well with their train-ingrdquo said Jones

ldquoItrsquos one of the many things that brings us together as a classrdquo said Loomis Although there are many

benefits that come from recycling for both the campus and the para-medic students there are difficulties involved Many people on campus throw their unrecyclable trash into the recycling bins ldquoOne of the biggest problems we face is peo-ple just throw away trash in the designated recy-cling cansrdquo said Loomis ldquo I t rsquo s d i f f i c u l t hellip theyrsquove had people not using the recycling they throw trash in the bins so they have to sort through thatrdquo said Jones It takes time and money away from the

paramedics to have to pick through the trash that is thrown in their recycling bins Even though the money the paramedic students make off of recycling helps pay for their program and it pro-vides team building skills there is another reason they do it ndash to be green ldquoThere is definitely a lim-ited amount of resources on this planet and if collecting a bunch of bottles and cans can help ndash Irsquom all for thatrdquo said Loomis ldquoThey want the environ-ment to benefit from itrdquo said Jones about the paramedic students recycling program By allowing the paramedic students to do the recycling on campus it offers a cost free solution for the college to continue recycling and a beneficial fundraising oppor-tunity for the paramedic stu-dents all while making the world a little bit cleaner

Paramedics class 14 empty recycling bins around the campus

RamPage Victor Valley College Nov 19 2010 Page 7

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

When a sequel for a movie comes out there is usually a pretty large turn

out at the movies Everyone wants to know what happens next This continues to grow on to the third movie and so on and so forth On Friday Nov 19 the seventh chapter in the Harry Potter series was released at midnight to one of the largest crowds I have witnessed Five theaters were opened just for the movie and all of which were full This is only at one of the three theaters in the Victor Valley showing the film Surprisingly the movie did not break the box office re-cord for midnight showings It did pull in 24 million dol-lars which places it second on the list behind The Twi-light Sagarsquos Eclipse However Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 did break the record for most theaters open for a midnight showing with 3700 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the beginning of the end of the franchise and the turnout of fans dressed in their Harry Potter attire were ready to see their hero on the big screen once again I on the other hand had no idea what to expect because I have never read any of the books nor have I seen any of the movies When the movie started I was a little confused as you might expect but I quickly started to catch on and get caught up in the story Direc-tor David Yates takes us on

this adventure with beautiful imagery Everything was well done and once I got caught up I couldnrsquot take my eyes off the screen anticipat-ing the next scene The moviersquos premise is simple Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliff) Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) must set out to destroy the last of the Horcruxes the keys to Lord Voldemortrsquos (Ralph Fiennes) immortality before Voldemort finds Harry and kills him Along the way Harry discovers the old tale of the Deathly Hallows and must track down the secret to unlocking the story before his enemies find them first Fiennes is fantastic repris-ing his role as Voldemort Even though he is not in this movie a lot the scenes that feature him are superb

There are moments of great intensity as Harry is being hunted down by Dark Spirits and all of which are thrilling to the point where yoursquore on the edge of your seat One of the opening scenes is harry getting escorted to a safe house of sorts to stay away from Voldemort This is the window of opportunity for the Dark Spirits to actu-ally get their hand on Potter It takes us on a wild ride on land and through the air Its once the gang get their hands on one of the Hor-cruxes that the movie really picks up The relationship between Harry and Ron really starts to fade as the Horcruxe is making them angry The animosity continues to build and makes for great se-

quences between Ron and Harry With twists and turns throughout The Deathly Hallows is a winner Whether yoursquore a fan or not you can enjoy this movie and I recommend it highly One of the only problems I had with the movie is the way it ended What else can you expect form a part 1 but a cliff hanger This is Yatesrsquo third at-tempt with the franchise and will direct the last install-ment of the franchise The Deathly Hallows has made me a fan of the Harry Potter series and I look forward to seeing the previous movies along with the finale and the epic battle between Harry and Voldemort in The Deathly Hallows Part 2 which is set to be released in 2011

Review by Joseph Ciulla Managing Editor

Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter in Warner Bros Studios Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 Photo cour-tesy of Warner Bros Studios

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in Warner Bros Studios Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 Photo cour-tesy of Warner Bros Studios


Street Sweeper Social Club Performs at The Roxy Theater

T h e R o x y Theater is an awesome venue to see a live

show and Monday Nov 8 2010 with Street Sweeper Social Club and The Memo-rials was beyond amazing It was SSSC first appearance in their home town of Los An-geles and The Memorials first sold out show SSSC debuted in 2009 fea-turing ex Rage Against the MachineAudioslave guitar-ist Tom Morello and criti-cally acclaimed rapper from the The Coup Boots Riley The band has quickly gained success and stands by their mission which is ldquoTo feed the poor fight the power and rock the fuck outrdquo The show started out with the opening act Hollis

Hollis who was accompa-nied by Fishbone bassist John Norwood Fisher started off the show with a bang and

got the crowd excited for what was to come The Memorials played a phenomenal set that dis-played fantastic musicianship and music that is comparable to that of Rush with more of an edge on vocals Drummer

Thomas Pridgen took a page from The Doors Jim Morri-son by playing with his back to the audience but never the

less his connection with the audience was definitely in full swing The memorials look to have the potential to be a huge success in the fu-ture Street Sweeper Social Club was definitely the band that

everyone came to see Front man Riley said at the onset and continuously throughout the show ldquoStreet Sweeper Social Club is more than a band were a social clubrdquo The call and response Be-tween SSSC and the sold out crowd in ldquo100 Little Cursesrdquo raised the roof off of the Roxy From the opening number ldquoGhetto Blasterrdquo to the encore cover of LL Cool Jrsquos ldquoMama Said Knock You Outrdquo there was an ominously condensed version of what will be witnessed at much larger venues The Roxyrsquos intimately quaint quarters really al-lowed SSSC and concert goers to securely resonate an already secured connection Fans in the front were really fortunate to have been awarded the opportunity to get excellent photos and video footage but that was a small treat compared to be-ing in position to witness the guitar wizardry of Morello and the lyrical connection of Riley

Lead guitarist of Street Sweeper Social Club Tom Morello RamPage photo by Joseph Ciulla Managing Editor

Review by Roderick Gray Editor-in-Chief and Joseph Ciulla Managing Editor

McAdams works with the brilliant mdashbut kooky-- dead-

Morning Glory Wakes up Audiences with Quirky Humor

Morning Glory is as charming as it is relevant In nearly every scene it under-

cuts itself Becky (Rachel McAdams) an endearing young city girl who works as a low-end TV operator re-ceives a promotion becom-ing an executive producer of a low-end morning show the show is failing understaffed and with no budget

Review by Brandon Chiz Special Projects Editor

pan anchor Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton) In the first 20 minutes of her first day Becky fires Peckrsquos co-anchor much to the staffrsquos approval Then the young Executive Producer strong-arms the legendary but pom-pous Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) into working for her show Ford is hilarious He enun-ciates each punchline growl-ing like Clint-Eastwood when he says ldquoI will not do lsquofluffrsquordquo Ford and Keaton needed more scenes together as their opposite energies clash beautifully bouncing off one-liners each time they go on air It is McAdams who seems so disorganized

and thatrsquos what is so odd about this movie Roger Michell (ldquoNotting Hillrdquo ldquoChanging Lanesrdquo) usually knows how to create a movie with balance setting a tone and knowing his ac-torrsquos limits Morning Glory never settles in place as it jumps from comedy to ro-mantic-comedy to light-drama but it never finds its sweet spot to tell the story it could --which is greatly un-fortunate What McAdamsrsquo character does is tell a truth about the problems with daily infotain-ment television

Continued in Glory on page 9

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Campus Clubs Hope to Break Up the Monotony Nov 19 2010 Page 9 RamPage Victor Valley College

There are several clubs on campus and each has a sig-nificant impact on targeted and interested groups Hav-ing clubs available to stu-dents have been and will continue to be an advantage for students and the college as a whole Many students need more than just there routine going to classes to stay focused Involvement within a club(s) pushes students toward a greater success and cures possible boredom with school and classes To become a chartered club the potential club needs to complete and turn in the charter package to Chris Dustin ICC Senator of Asso-ciated Student Body who guides the club in completing this package Dustin along with other members of ASB cast a two thirds vote Once that club has been chartered they receive a $100 donation to get them started with their first event Even though there are many clubs on cam-pus several clubs have not been chartered because they havenrsquot been approved yet However these clubs are still allowed to meet but do

not have the approval of call-ing themselves an ASB club ldquoAmong the clubs that have been chartered the Ready Rams have been es-tablished for six years but the Ellos Club holds over 75 members with 40 committed members Ready Rams has almost the same amountrdquo said Joseph Robleto Presi-dent of Ellos Club Though each club put their hard work in for the students college and the community one of most notable clubs on campus happens to be the Ellos Club which is an aca-demic club that is highly involved with the commu-nity Networking with city officials to motivate people is among one of their effi-cient ways of community outreach Another prominent club is Campus Crusades for Christ who create awareness for the Christian movement Another way that clubs reach out to the students is by holding enjoyable events Broadway Performing Arts Club is putting on a big tal-ent show on Dec 10 2010 The same ticket purchased to attend the talent show will allow one to attend the fash-ion show given by the Ellos Club The chartered clubs have a lot of privileges and are not

limited to holding meetings off campus ldquoIrsquom not aware of any clubs currently held off cam-pus because of liabilities but clubs arenrsquot limited to being held off campusrdquo Robleto said Being recognized for all of their good deeds is merely impossible but people do notice the more memorable things accomplished This is why more student involve-ment is yearned for When students engage with school activities itrsquos not hard to raise money cure boredom and honor those who truly put forth an effort in serving the community ldquoVVC get up and do somethingrdquo said Robleto To see a list of clubs cur-rently available and inquire

on any upcoming events the ASB office is located on the second floor of the Student Activities Center Ellos Club is hoping to receive ldquoclub of the yearrdquo which is strictly an ASB vote Getting the word across to as many students as possible is vital Robleto is very en-thusiastic about his club but knows the sky is the limit so making the students more aware of whatrsquos going on is essential ldquoThis is an exciting inter-view for me because I know the information will be given to the students so that there will be more involvementrdquo said Robleto

Story by Wyketta Wilfong Reporter

From Glory on Page 8 P a s s i o n a t e l y c a r e e r minded Becky is completely disconnected from the world especially with men as she never takes a minute for her-self Even when Adam Ben-net (Patrick Wilson) starts to date Becky she still doesnrsquot stop work consuming herself with headlines and phone c a l l s

Itrsquos as if the movie is try-ing to tell us how her life is so chaotic that not even the audience can keep up with it Really itrsquos just the sub-plots that are filled with so much potential never gain momen-tum Which again is so un-fortunate With a few tweaks this movie could have switched from good to clas-sic


Kanye Westrsquos My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Every t ime Kanye West comes out with a new album it is destined for at least two things

Selling over one million cop-ies in the US alone and generating huge critical buzz Even when West isnrsquot put-ting out his music he seems to be in the headlines any-ways whether itrsquos interrupt-ing teenage girls during ac-ceptance speeches or saying that the former president is a racist But all that aside West has really created his master-piece with his new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy He found the per-fect mixture of everything he has done from his past works and the formula works He has taken his soulful lyricism form his last album 808rsquos and Heartbreak and mixed it with his big beats and flow from his first three albums This album is sure to be in competition for the best of the year consideration and I wouldnrsquot be shocked to see it come out on top Each song has such an epic feel to them all lasting longer than four minutes There are some songs that last upwards of six minutes yet will never have you feel-ing that you have been listen-ing that long It is so easy to become lost into this album It seems as if West is dar-ing other artists to be as original as he has been and has put forth a challenge to mainstream hip-hop artists My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is definitely a game changer

The album starts out with the hard hitting ldquoDark Fan-tasyrdquo The beginning features a short introduction form newcomer Niki Manaj and then kicks in to the chorus which asks ldquoCan we get much higherrdquo Once the beat drops you can feel that the album is going to be great West comes out harder than he has in awhile saying ldquoI fanta-size bout this back in Chicago Mercy mercy me tha t Murcielagordquo Once ldquoDark Fan-tasyrdquo ends he brings it down with the smooth song ldquoGorgeousrdquo which features a dis-torted blues guitar riff and a chorus by Kid Cudi Also on the track is former Wu-Tang clan member Raekwon ldquoIrsquom livinrsquo in that twenty first century doing something mean to it Do it better than anyone you ever seen do it Screams from the haters got a nice ring to it I guess every superhero need his theme musicrdquo Kanye belts out in his single ldquoPowerrdquo Kanyersquos ode to his superstardom and life thereafter The track fea-tures guest vocals by singer Dwele West used Dwele once before in his hit song ldquoFlashing Lightsrdquo from his album Graduation Next we are brought into an interlude for the newest single ldquoAll of the Lightsrdquo ldquoAll of the Lightsrdquo is clearly the best song on this album and features five multi-Grammy award winning re-cording artists among others The list of guests include Rhianna Alicia Keys Fer-gie The-Dream Ryan Les-lie Elton John Charlie Wil-son Kid Cudi John Legend Tony Williams and Elly

Jackson of La Roux The chorus of the song is basi-cally Kanyersquos rendition of Micheal Jacksonrsquos ldquoWe are the Worldrdquo they way he brought all of these musi-cians together Were five songs in now and West shows no intention of slowing down The next

song is the single ldquoMonsterrdquo featuring long time collabo-rator Jay-Z Guest verses also include Rick Ross Bon Iver and once again Niki Manaj This song is lyrically the hardest song on the al-bum not just from Kanye but from his fellow collabo-rators as well As we progress we reach yet another song featuring the work of Jay-Z Although usually Jay-Z and Kanye are strong together the next song comes up a bit short for me ldquoSo Appalledrdquo is proba-bly the low light of the album which is still hard to say con-sidering it beats anything you hear on modern radio today The songs meaning is basically that they are the best

in the game and they are ldquoAppalledrdquo at what rappers are doing these days Two songs later we get to ldquoRunawayrdquo Which is also the title of the feature length film that comes with the de-luxe edition of the CD ldquoRunawayrdquo is written from Westrsquos perception of himself

after the whole Taylor Swift drama a year ago ldquoLetrsquos have a toast for the douche bags letrsquos have a toast for the ass-holes letrsquos have a toast for the scumbags every one of them I knowrdquo West sings ldquoBaby I got a plan Runaway as fast as you canrdquo West con-tinues It seems as if he has realized the egotisti-cal maniac he has be-come When we get down to ldquoHell of a Liferdquo we start to hear more of a rock influence with a chorus that flows just like he ripped it out of the Black Sabbath song

ldquoIronmanrdquo Then he brings us back down again for an RampB jam with pianistsinger John Legend On the last full-length track ldquoLost in the Worldrdquo we hear west sing A Cap-pella With a little help from auto tune we can really feel his emotion Then the thun-derous beat kicks in and he chants ldquoIrsquom lost in the world Irsquom down my whole liferdquo An incredible ending for an incredible album


One of the five different covers for Kanye Westrsquos My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy This particular one has been banned from select stores and even iTunes Photo courtesy of Universal Music Group

Chiz Tracks (Best Songs)

Track 04 All The Lights Track 01 Dark Fantasy Track 02 Gorgeous

mdashBrandon Chiz Special Projects Editor


Seminar Educates on Importance of Saving Water Story by Reyna Arvizu Reporter ldquoGoing greenrdquo is a term used often these days and Victor Valley College has its very own going green team The ldquoGreen Technology Pathway Planning Teamrdquo is a group of students made up of various backgrounds and ideas coming together for the same purpose to help the environment and raise awareness about the need to conserve and manage our natural resources Neville Slade has been the Department Chair of the VVC Agriculture and Natu-ral Resources Department for 10 years Slade and his stu-dents worked very hard to put together this yearrsquos Lead-ership in Sustainable Devel-opment Seminar This was the first of many seminars to come ldquoWe are planning to have one every semester In the spring it will be about Habi-tat Restoration and Alterna-tive Energyrdquo said Slade ldquoAbout six months of work has gone into organizing this eventrdquo said Slade The seminar covered cru-cial topics such as Water Management Conservation a project to recharge our ground water supply and Geographic Information Sys-tems The seminar included several guest speakers from VVC the Mojave Water Agency and the Victor Val-ley Wastewater Reclamation Authority ldquoSustainable water man-agement means we live within our water budget balancing supply and de-mand over a long termrdquo said Kirby Brill General Man-ager of Mojave Water Agency The main components of the plan for water manage-

ment include understanding reclaiming protecting stor-ing importing and conserv-ing 25 percent of the city of Victorvillersquos water supply is imported and the rest comes from natural ground water ldquoThe real issue for us is not short-term disruptions but availability of long-term av-erage supplies that can be banked or stored in wet yearsrdquo said Brill The Leadership in Sustain-able Development Seminar drew the awareness for recycling and conserv-ing the natural re-sources that is in place now Once those re-sources run out it will be too late for any ac-tion ldquoWaste is only waste if you donrsquot use itrdquo said Logan Olds Gen-eral Manager of the Victor Valley Waste-water Reclamation Au-thority With more careers opening up in the field of environmental sci-ence students are en-couraged to do intern-ships and possibly make a career out of ldquogreen jobsrdquo ldquoThe green careers are very active up here in the desert they are expanding and grow-ing It is an exciting area for people to look for an opportunityrdquo said Slade Green jobs are not easily made known so research and persis-tence are necessary steps in finding avail-able jobs For the sake of the next generation there should be an awareness to conserve and take part in the effort to sus-tain the natural re-sources


Ram It Out Have you ever seen this sign on campus

According to one Victor Valley College campus police offi-cer the sign on the west side of building 21 lot 2 that reads ldquoParking lot full additional parkingrdquo is a temporary sign that helps parking in the beginning of the semester Hmmhellip That is strange because today is Nov 11 2010 most of the semester is over and the sign is still up On Oct 5 2010 I was given a parking ticket for parking in this area where the sign is clearly pointing to I talked to Chief Knight on Oct 5 about the ticket and informed him of the con-fusing sign and that I had pictures The Chiefrsquos response was ldquoStudents mess with signs and could have turned itrdquo I told him the sign was cemented to the ground and could not be turned and if it was it would have faced another direction The Chief told me I could bring my pictures the next day and I could use them as evidence for my appeal that I wrote on Oct 5 I informed him that I worked during the day and I am a night student so what time could I bring it ldquoYou could anytime tomorrowrdquo the Chief said The next day at 6 45 pm I turned my pictures in to the po-lice office Now in November I get my response dated on Oct 6 Mr Phillips The evidence pictures were brought in after Chief Knight had made a decision on your appeal Therefore they are not being considered at this point in the process I was later informed that I could go to court if I wanted to Like I have all this time being a full-time student and full-time employee They know Irsquom not going to go to court for a twenty dollar ticket I will spend more than that in my time and effort And at this point Irsquom not upset about the ticket Irsquom mad about being lied to for one and told that students will ldquomove signsrdquo I noticed they put a new big sign up stating ldquothis area is for faculty parkingrdquo but the other sign is still clearly there How much of our student money went in to this sign when the real problem is the misleading sign that now points directly at this new sign Has anyone even looked at this tem-porary sign How long do temporary signs stay up and who cements temporary signs to the ground Well Irsquom sure some-one will answer my questions ldquointelligentlyrdquo

mdashVVC student Wayne Phillips

Open Mic-Night Entertains with Musical Numbers

The Victor Valley College Ellos club hosted an open mic night Thursday Nov 18 outside of the Student Activi-ties Center From 5 pm until roughly 7 pm students were encouraged to step up to the mic and let their voices be heard in whatever manner they saw fit The President of Ellos Club Joe Robleto opened up the night by voicing a few of his admirable aspirations for the campus and welcomed all students to come down and let their voice be heard Following this introduc-tion the night was host to a variety of musical talent The first act of the night was singersongwriter Da-kota ldquoKodardquo Brooks who played a few excellent covers of popular songs including Jason Mrazs Geek in the Pink before being joined by rapper ldquoBluerdquo Vaughn Bush The duo go by the name ldquoCode Bluerdquo and while they had only met a month be-forehand they already had great chemistry on stage ldquoThis was our first official gig and well definitely be coming back next monthrdquo said Brooks Local student Michael Chacon happened to stumble upon the event while walking out of class one day ldquoI saw one of my fellow students screaming away on the keyboard I didnt even recognize him at firstrdquo Chacon said Chacon had seen the flyers on campus for this event and decided to perform a few original acoustic composi-tions himself that night

Following Chacon was the rap duo called ldquoThe Glychrdquo which was comprised of members ldquoHaze KRrdquo and ldquoYoung Slickrdquo Ater a very lively set The Glych went off stage to talk with a few of audience members and pass out a few demoes ldquoWere definitely coming back next month and are bringing more peoplerdquo said Haze Closing off the night was rapper Chris Brim (AKA ldquoLil Junerdquo) performing a personal rap that he wrote Even though this was Brimrsquos first performance on campus in his three plus years of experience rapping was more than enough to keep him from getting nervous ldquoAnyone who has the time should comerdquo said Brim Roughly 30 students came out that night to participate and watch the event includ-ing students Johnny Vong and Jerica Flores who li-vened up the event by danc-ing to the music With such a diverse group of students and performers attending the open mic night event was a strong step to the reach the Ellos clubs goal ldquoWe aim to break the nega-tive stigma that there isnt anything to do on campus and be pioneers in creating an active campusrdquo said Rob-leto

Find us on Facebook The VVC RamPage

Story by Zenin Murawski Reporter


Walking for a Cause Autism Speaks Story by Amber Schwartz Entertainment Editor One step could act as a nudge for change and an-other step could make a shift on the way to progress For Victor Valley College stu-dent Janel Williams the mother of an autistic son steps were being taken one foot at a time The ldquoAutism Speaksrdquo walk was held on Saturday Nov 13 at Angel Stadium in Ana-heim Calif The purpose of the walk was to raise awareness of the disorder autism and gain enough money through dona-tions in the effort to collect knowledge through research on the disorder The walk began at 10 am and partici-pants started their five-mile walk Williams had her own team named ldquoLaughs amp Gigglesrdquo and she had 45 people signed up to walk

some being her family mem-bers and co-workers Williamsrsquo two year-old son Blake was diagnosed with autism in September of this year and ever since Williams has been striving to gain and spread as much knowledge on the disorder as she can Not a lot of people are familiar with autism and do not know the challenges that come with raising an autistic child ldquoWhile being out in big crowds he gets anxious and nervous Itrsquos hard when I have two other children to raise Communication is tough too he doesnrsquot com-municaterdquo Williams said Sharlene Regla is the sister of Williams and was a mem-ber of the walk last Saturday Regla had a specific goal in mind while taking her steps in the walk ldquoMy personal goal is to support my sister and my loved ones I would espe-cially like to educate myself my family and other people about the fight not only for a

cure against autism but learn how to help others learn about autism and to eliminate the preconceived notions held by manyrdquo said Regla One preconceived notion according Williams is ldquoWhen people see children who are loud they automati-cally think lsquothatrsquos a bad kidrsquo but it could mean that they are autistic So the walk could spread knowledgerdquo Williams said Another woman who was a part of the walk was a co-worker of Williams and is the aunt of another autistic child had her own personal reasons for walking as well ldquoI would like to learn as much about it as possible meet with other parents that have been dealing with an autistic child and get their input on how to deal with certain situations just to have a better understanding of autism so that I can help my nephew as much as pos-siblerdquo Bunny Youmans said Both Regla and Youmans feel that Williams is a strong

individual with enough per-severance to accomplish her set goals on autism ldquoMy sister has always been the toughest one between us two and as always been my back bone my right hand or just plain supportive How I look at it now I think lsquohey itrsquos my turn to be tough for the both of usrsquordquo Regla said ldquoWe have many people at o u r j o b d o n a t i n g money asking questions and sharing their personal experi-ences about autism just be-cause Janel put up a banner in the officerdquo Youmans said ldquoHad she not brought the walk to our attention we might not have known about these things and our boys might have missed out on the joys of life that non autistic children experiencerdquo said Youmans Autism is becoming an epidemic For symptoms of autism or for more informa-t i o n v i s i t wwwautismspeaksorg

VVC Allied Health Lab Aids Nursing Students Story and Photo by Roscoe Esparza Reporter If a nursing student needs a quiet place to study or take tests then the Allied Health lab is the place for them The Allied Health lab is located in the upper campus within the relatively new Advanced Technology build-ing Its down the ESL hall-way (English as Second Lan-guage) inside Lab 143 The computer lab is a center for students to do various class work and test preparation There are no classes taught in the lab The Allied Health lab has been there since the Ad-

vanced Tech-nology build-ing was built Before the lab was moved to the Advanced T e c h n o l o g y building the lab was located inside the aca-demic com-mons It was much smaller when it was in that building The lab has 48 computers for students to work on These computers are high-end computers with 52 up-to-date applications specifically for the nursing students to use These applications range

from practice test applica-tions to areas specifically related to an aspect of nurs-ing ldquoOne thing that students use the lab for is taking prac-tice tests which helps pre-pare them for the real tests

and aids in the learning processrdquo said Diana Sisk Senior Instruc-tional Assistant There are four major tests that students take depending on what semester student they are In the tests are Nursing Process 1 Nursing Process 2 Nursing Process 3 and Nursing Process 4 ldquoWhats great is that

students get to look at their tests after theyve taken them and see what answers they got correct and incor-recthelliprdquo

Continued in Allied on Page 17

Senior Instructional Assistant Diana Sisk works in the Allied Health lab to assist nursing students


VVC Clubs Gear up for Thanksgiving Activities Story by Jennifer Tizzard Reporter Several Thanksgiving events occur this time of year at Victor Valley College that seem to bring out good will in all who are involved Col-orful flyers and donation boxes sprinkled throughout campus remind us all of how thankful we are for what we have and how easy it is to help our fellow VVC stu-dents have a joyous Thanks-giving celebration The Adults Who Are Re-e n t e r i n g E d u c a t i o n (AWARE) club is made of non-traditional VVC stu-dents who want to help each other through the difficulties of balancing family work and college life According to Christine Dorsey club president the AWARE club is having a food drive to benefit needy families from the surround-ing community Club mem-bers choose families they personally know which they believe need help putting the

traditional Thanksgiving food on their tables this year ldquoWe want to help 25 fami-lies this yearrdquo said Dorsey ldquoWe are blessed to be able to give especially this time of year We are students help-ing families in need which we are happy to dordquo This is the first year that the AWARE club has held this kind of food drive The club has collected donations of canned and other non-perishable food items from Oct 25 through Nov18 The club members themselves will also be contributing needed food such as hams and turkeys The food boxes will be given to each family as a surprise on Friday Nov19 Dorsey can be reached at (760) 245-4271 extension 2217 for more information The Campus Crusade for Christ club is a group of VVC students who fellow-ship with each other and serve the community to sup-port Christian values Ac-cording to Alexander Rico club president on Tuesday Nov 23 at 1130 am the CCC club will be having a

Thanksgiving luncheon at which members and other VVC students who wish to participate will have pizza and refreshments listen to a devotional and share testimo-nies ldquoIt gives us an opportunity to give thanks and share what we are thankful forrdquo said Rico People who wish to participate may contact the club at cccstudentvvcedu According to Rico the CCC club along with the Ready Rams club will be doing a service project on Wednesday Nov23 from 8 am to 5 pm at the Victor Valley Rescue Mission lo-cated at the First Baptist Church 16611 Tracy St Suite C Victorville They will be setting up serving food waiting tables doing crafts and cleaning up Ready Rams is a club of VVC students who like to do service for other VVC stu-dents and for their commu-nity according to Thomas Jimenez Ready Rams club president ldquoWe want to change the world little by littlerdquo said Jimenez

According to Sher i Schmoll Associated Student Body senator the Green Leif Project a socially and envi-ronmentally active group is hoping that the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas felt around campus will help with their Foster and Kinship programrsquos backpack drive ldquoThe reason we do back-packs is so that when chil-dren are made to leave in the middle of the night they have something of their own to take with themrdquo said Schmoll The Green Leif Project members in conjunction with ASB are asking people to donate new backpacks filled with at least a book toothbrush toothpaste and a blanket or stuffed animal Donators may choose to add other items as they like The backpacks go to foster youth from ages 2 through 18 and are being collected from now until Dec 19 in the ASB office More information can be found on Green Leif Pro-jectrsquos Facebook page

Ninth Annual Lights of Love Continues to Put Smiles on Childrenrsquos Faces

Story by Rebecca Rodriguez and Anna Vivar Reporters

The Lights of Love has been a tradition for the past nine years This yearrsquos event will be coordinated by the Associated Student Body council along with other clubs such as Ready Rams Cornerstone Christian Club Communica t ion Club AWARE Off Broadway Rams Bookstore Auxiliary Services Phi Theta Kappa

Honor Society and the Ellos Club The Lights of Love impacts Victor Valley College students be-cause all of the children participating have par-ents that are enrolled in VVC as low income andor are underprivi-leged ldquoThe children will be invited to the event on Dec 10 from 12 pm to 5 pm where they will have food games and crafts for the children to en-joyrdquo said Angela Perdomo Auxiliary Services Assistant

Altogether 214 children will receive gifts donated by secret Santas according to

Thomas Jimenez President of the Ready Rams Club 194 children have been sponsored so far Ricardo Cristobal was one of the many students who chose a light from the Lights of Love window ldquoI have three little brothers who have it all Itrsquos nice to know that I can share that with another childrdquo says Cristobal

Continued in Lights on page

15

Two children make ornaments for Lights of Love RamPage photo by Anna Vivar


From Lights on page 14 There are a few ways VVC students can participate in-this yearrsquos Lights of Love Students can sponsor a child by getting a light or buying tickets from the Ready Rams Club second annual Play Station 3 opportunity draw-ing The childrenrsquos names are displayed on the Auxiliary Services office window Gifts must be returned by December 3rd Ticket sales for the PS3 will start on Nov 1 and will conclude on Dec 2 with a drawing at 2 pm Tickets can be purchased at the Stu-dent Activities Center from 11am- 2pm For more information on Lights of Love and how to h e l p c o n t a c t readyramsclubyahoocom

Classic Romeo and Juliet is Put on by VVC Theatre Arts

The Shakespearian tragedy of Romeo and Juliet came to life at Victor Valley College it was directed by Claudia Basha and opening night was Nov 11 2010 This classic tragedy of two star crossed lovers was set in 15 century Sorona Italy 30 minutes before the start of the play an actor ran into the green room with a paper that read ldquoSold Outrdquo The room erupted into cheering and clapping The energy was high in the green room all the actors talked amongst themselves and prepared for opening night ldquoIt is a fantastic feel-ingrdquo said Basha as she walked around the green

room prior to the start of the play

ldquoIrsquove been preparing for this play for about a year and auditions were Sept 9 we had rehearsal three nights a week it was a large cast 27 in allrdquo said Basha Throughout the green room the actors talked as they applied their makeup and while they were doing

last minute arrangements to their wardrobe Shelia Ad-

ams was the make-up designer for Romeo and Juliet Adams has been the make-up de-signer for five other plays directed by Ba-sha ldquoThe biggest chal-lenge was dealing with the heat and the close-ness of the lights the actors might lose their make-uprdquo said Adams To work around this

problem Adams reapplied the make-up during intermis-sion But Adams was not alone Jewel Cartier aided Adams during the last week of rehearsal and for the nights of the shows How-ever all the actors were taught to do their own make-up

ldquoIt is an honor to work on such a classic playrdquo said Cartier when asked about her feelings toward this play Alexander Nigro was the sword fighting designer and trainer for the play as well as playing the character Ben-volio on stage ldquoEveryone was easy to work with they are great listenersrdquo said Nigro in re-gards to training his fellow cast members in sword fight-ing Nigro was a fencer and has done several workshops over time he has developed his own system of teaching others sword fighting Once the play began all the energy that was felt in the green room was transmitted to the audience

Continued in Romeo on Page 17

Administration of Justice Program Continues to Grow

The Administration of Jus-tice Program at Victor Val-ley College is a rapidly growing program in the High Desert The program is headed by Mr Ron Fields He is a full-time instructor at the college ldquoThe AJ Program prepares students in careers for law enforcement corrections and forensics at the city county state and federal levels Re-cently the AJ discipline has a tentative approved AS de-gree for transfer per Senate Bill 1440rdquo said Fields The AJ Program has two full-time instructors and 27 adjunct instructors Mr Mike Visser has been a full-time

instructor for the last 6 years He explained that enrollment has grown as well ldquoThe AJ program is grow-ing steadily Our mission is to prepare people for careers in corrections and law en-forcement The students learn valuable skills and knowledge that will make them successful officers Students learn academics as well as skills to defend them-selves Some campus police officers have taken courses here as wellrdquo said Visser ldquoState certification re-quires the student to take and complete AJ 64 correction academy once a semester and 174 hours upon graduation Then students are qualified to be hired as a correctional officer at the county or state level in private prisonsrdquo explained Visser

ldquoI thought the AJ classes at VVC were great for peo-ple who wanted to start their careers in the law enforce-ment fieldrdquo said Adalberto Vega student in PC 832 ldquoThe instructors taught us a lot of structure camaraderie and unity They prepared us to be the best officers that we could possibly be in what-ever field we chose to go intordquo said Don Standifer student in Law of Arrest ldquoThe AJ classes taught me discipline self-defense and legal knowledge that will help me in my new careerrdquo said Trainee SGT Matt Brillinger of the VVC Cor-rectional academy Anyone interested in pur-suing a career in law en-forcement corrections or forensics visit Victor Valley C o l l e g e o n l i n e a t wwwvvcedu

Story by Joyce Mayo Reporter

Photo courtesy of VVC Performing Arts Center

Story by Wanda Nowell Reporter


ldquoMicro-Miniaturerdquo Winter Session

Afro-Caribbean Religions An Introduction to their Historical Cultural and Sacred Traditions by Na-thaniel Samuel Murrell BL 2565 M87 2010 You Are Here A Portable History of the Universe by Christopher Potter QB 982 P68 2009 Googled The End of the World as We Know It by Ken Auletta HD 96968 U64 G6623 2009 isms Understanding Fashion by Mairi MacKenzie TT 504 M33 2010 Flow The Cultural Story of Menstruation by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim QP 263 S73 2009 Alice Neel Painted Truths by Jeremy Lewison et al ND 237 N43 A4 2010

List Compiled by Meghan Kennedy Reference Librarian

Desiree Pena a young and self-motivated woman graduated from Victor Val-ley College two years ago with an Associates of Arts degree Pena later moved to Los Angeles to attend Cal State Los Angeles She knew that her move to Los Angeles would be a great success because she was determined to do what she loved to do

which was journalism She also knew that LA would give her a better opportunity to reach for the stars Who would have ever imagined that she could work for Ac-cess Hollywood Pena encourages inspired journalists to go for what they really want even if it means putting their feet in a door that doesnrsquot quite bring interest Thus she stresses internships

Continued in Desiree on Page 17

Past RamPage Student Gives Guest Lecture to Current

Journalism Students Story by Wyketta Wilfong Reporter

The cancelation of the 2011 winter-intersession left many students unsure of how they would get the units needed to fin-ish certificates and get in a few more credits However there will be a few classes that students can still take Registration for the ldquomicro-miniaturerdquo winter session will begin the day classes start according to a campus-wide email sent out by Dr Mark Zacovic Vice President Instruction and Student Services

In the email sent by Dr Zacovic he stated this

ldquoHello All I want to make sure that everyone on campus is aware that VVC will have a VERY abbreviated winter 2011 Intersession We will be offering just 14 sections each related to either certificate completion pre-season athletics or the spring theatrical production The term begins on January 3 2011 and ends on February 12 2011 Registration will be online through Webadvisor beginning January 3rd All students will enroll using authorization codes provided by the instruc-torsrdquo

The list of classes that will be provided this winter interses-sion will be Allied Health (ALDH) bull ALDH 50 Paramedic Anatomy and Physiology

(4 units) bull ALDH 51 Paramedic Intro Ems (15 units) bull ALDH 56 Paramedic Clinical (3 units) Athletics (ATHL) bull ATHL 120P Preparation for Intercollegiate

Menrsquos Baseball (1 unit) bull ATHL 127P Preparation for Intercollegiate

Womenrsquos Softball (1 unit) bull ATHL 128P Preparation for Intercollegiate

Womenrsquos Tennis (05 units) bull ATHL 129P Preparation for Intercollegiate

Menrsquos Tennis (05 units) Biology (BIOL) bull BIOL 98 International Natural History (4 units) Physical Education Dance (PEDA) bull PEDA 176 Dance Rehearsal and Performance I

(2 units) -Students must audition Theatre Arts (TA) bull TA 109 Rehearsal and Performance Studio (2

units) -Students must audition bull TA 111 Technical Stage Production (3 units) bull TA 113 Stage Makeup (3 units) bull TA 115 Stagecraft (2 units) bull TA 120 Costuming for the Theater (2 units)

mdash Adreana Young News Editor


Epilepsy Past and Present

Epilepsy has been around for centuries having first been documented in Hippo-cratesrsquo On the Sacred Dis-ease circa 4th century BC Throughout history people with epilepsy have been con-sidered demonically pos-sessed to be witches or even put in insane asylums Im-migrants were denied entry through Ellis Island if they had seizures Some states had eugenics laws which prohibited marriage or forced sterilization on individuals with epilepsy In the late 1800searly 1900s epileptic colonies were formed to not only find better treatments but to be self-supporting and educa-tional for both the patients and doctors Craig Colony for Epileptics in Sonyea NY based on a similar colony in Bielefeld Germany was the second colony in the United States opening in 1896 For some people such as VAS who went into the printing trade and supported his mother after leaving Craig Colony this plan worked however most people being sent to the colonies were those whose seizures could not be successfully treated through the current medica-tions Even with new medications and treatments only 80 of individuals have full or par-tial control of their seizures Epilepsy is the third most common neurological disor-der behind Alzheimerrsquos and stroke Approximately 3 million people have epilepsy which is more people than Parkinsonrsquos disease multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy

combined but epilepsy lags in research funding In 2009 Newsweek reported epilepsy receiving $35 per patient compared to $129 for Alz-heimerrsquos and $280 for multi-ple sclerosis New medications and treat-ments are always being re-searched The most common treatment for epilepsy is medication Other treat-ments include the ketogenic diet brain surgery and the vagus nerve stimulator An individual can also make lifestyle changes as simple things like alcohol caffeine and lack of sleep can trigger a seizure With these treat-ments approximately 50 of people with epilepsy main-tain full control of their sei-zures while another 30 have significantly reduced seizures The remaining 20 though have no control over their epilepsy therefore research for new treatments and a cure continue Society and medicine have come a long way from the days of demonic possession and marriage bans Like Alfred Nobel Michelangelo and Lord Byron people with epilepsy including Danny Glover Sen Tony Coelho and Olympic hockey medal-ist Chanda Gunn continue to make contributions to our culture but according to the Epilepsy Foundation of America ldquothe leading non-medical problem confronting people with epilepsy is dis-crimination in education employment and social ac-ceptancerdquo Epilepsy remains one of the least understood chronic medical conditions so as we celebrate Epilepsy Awareness Month please take the time to educate yourself Take the Get Sei-zure Smart quiz at getsei-zuresmartorg

Story by Meghan Kennedy Contributing Writer

Romeo From Page 15 Mercutio played by student Nicholas Martinez made the audience laugh but he made the audience feel his death in the play All the actors brought the roles they played the Prince Escalus played by student Martin Gonzalez asserted attention and Juliet played by Erica Varela made the audience believe her romantic words that were spoken to Romeo who was played by Isaac Gomez The final bow came and every hand in the audience was clapping As the audi-ence passed Basha words of congratulations were con-stantly spoken ldquoThey are really a genuine group really no problems I would like to give a special thank you to Alex Nigro Shelia Adams for the make-up design she is amazing and all the members of the stage crewrdquo said Basha

Allied from page 13 ldquoIt really helps the students to learn from their mistakesrdquo said Sisk Students are consistently working in the lab through-out the day The number of students is also varying Sometimes there isnt a free seat and others there are many ldquoThe lab is very accessible and the hours have been im-proved uponrdquo said Cecilia Hercules nursing student at Victor Valley College ldquoIf I cant figure anything out the assistants are always willing to help and are good at what they dordquo said Aaron Jeffrey nursing student at VVC The lab opens at 8 am Monday through Thursday and 1245 pm on Fridays It closes at 530 pm every night

Desiree from page 16 ldquoThey are a good experi-encerdquo said Pena in a recent presentation to current jour-nalism students at VVC Even though she was not paid for the internships she worked hard as if she had a salary ldquoJournalists have to know a little bit of everythingrdquo said Pena So she never limited her-self on what she learned and accepted the situation as a doorway into success As a journalist one must go and obtain answers independ-ently It didnrsquot take her long to figure this out She would have had to stay at VVC for an extra year if she didnrsquot research on her own when she could graduate Volunteering for The Egyptian Theater for ap-proximately 10 hours per

week became another one of her roads to success ldquoYou never know where an interview or an opportunity will take you so just take itrdquo said Pena She also stresses that networking if very im-portant and has resulted in some of her most memorable interviews with celebrities Keeping in touch with her classmates has helped her along the way and she is very grateful that she didnrsquot burn any bridges because she never knew who she might have needed Pena is a great role model for motivated students in any field She displayed how to continue to improve even when things donrsquot seem so peachy Just get up and dust yourself off and try try again


Heard Around the Lake

ldquoIrsquove gained so much experience in my work study at the Child Development Center They provide mentors for students and it has been very rewarding for me in my career goalsrdquo

mdashRebeca Valla

ldquoThe tutors in the writing center have helped me develop new writing skills and its been rewarding to me because I have learned new things that I will be helpful to me after college with my future plansrdquo mdashAna Ramirez

ldquoIrsquom glad to be here to conquer my education It has been a blissrdquo mdashJackie Slom

ldquoIrsquove had great experiences at VVC Before I came here I didnrsquot write very well My English 50 class has helped me write really good essays Thanks VVCrdquo mdashAdam Aguilar

ldquoDescribe a rewarding experience you have had at VVC so farrdquo

Heard Around the Lake by Kelli McGurk And Racheal Rickman

GENERAL INFORMATION The RamPage is a newspaper published as an educational exercise and First Amendment Public Forum by students at Victor Valley College in Victorville Calif Issues come out approximately twice a month in the two full-length semesters generally each February March April May September October November and December for a total of 14 issues each calendar year The views expressed by the RamPage are not necessarily those of VVC its board of trustees its administration its faculty its staff its Associated Student Body Council or its students The RamPage welcomes press releases story ideas letters to the editor guest articles and guest editorials Submit proposed items to the on-campus mailbox of RamPage Adviser Judith Pfeffer mdash clearly marked as being submitted for publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395 or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773 VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges ADVERTISING The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to the RamPage is borne by the advertiser To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271 extension 2707 Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper

RAMPAGE STAFF

Editor-in-Chief Roderick Gray Managing Editor Joseph Ciulla News Editors Kelli McGurk Adreana Young Features Editors Lili Berni Jonathan Brown Sports Editors Shaun Canady Photo Editor and Cartoonist Evan Spears Entertainment Editors Racheal Rickman Amber Schwartz EditorialOpinion Editor Micah Raimo Special Projects Brandon Chiz AdviserInstructor Judith Pfeffer Reporters Reyna Arvizu Yesenia Carrillo Matthew Creek Roscoe

Esparza Jimmy Garrido Brittany Harter Alyshia Kelly Joyce Mayo Aimee McMullen Tina Mora Juan Munguia Zenin Murawski Wanda Nowell Andre Osborn Brenda Requena Rebecca Rodriguez Roseann Rodriguez Jennifer Tizzard Anna Vivar Wyketta Wilfong

AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Carl A Durheim III Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell Shirley Snell-Gonzalez PJ Teel Paul Williams

Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop

CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395 Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723 Email vvcrampagegmailcom or email Judith Pfeffer via GroupWise or at ______judithpfefferyahoocom Website httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage httpwwwmyspacecomVVCRampage

Comic Strip by Evan Spears Cartoonist



Academic Commons Hopeful For Renovations

Nov 19 2010 RamPage Victor Valley College

Rich High Desert History in VVC Library

At Victor Valley College the local history collection is located in the special collec-tions room of the library Within the local history col-lection a person can read material and travel back in time to the history of the high desert There are old photographs maps newspapers oral his-tories transcribed and bound into books copies of VVC yearbooks since the college first started in 1961 and also scrapbooks and local history books The collection was started by VVC volunteer librarian Fran Elgin in the 1980rsquos It provides the college and the local community with inter-esting material about the history of the high desert Elgin began the local his-tory collection because of the many people who asked the school library about the his-tory of the high desert Elgin acquired resources from dif-ferent places to start the col-lection

In the old library which was located in the Academic Commons building the his-tory collection was in cramped quarters In 1997 when the new library was being built Elgin requested a

special room for the collec-tion During the 1970rsquos a local history teacher asked his students to go out into the community and interview elders for their class re-search The students then gathered quotes from these elderly citizens who had been locals since the early

1900rsquos The students taped their interviews and the tapes were later transferred into written works They are called ldquooral historiesrdquo These books are among the li-braryrsquos local history collec-

tion The materials in the col-lection cannot be checked out They can be looked at while there is a librarian pre-sent in the special collections room or the material can be copied Some of the books in the collection can also be found in library stacks down-stairs

Leslie Huiner is a full-time librarian and Department Chair who assists Elgin when she is not there Some of the people who use the VVCrsquos history col-lection are the Daily Press citizens from the community and students ldquoThe resources available in the local history room in the VVC library offer a wealth of valuable informa-tion Without which I would not have been able to com-plete a paper on local black history for Dr Comerrsquos class and the Mojave VI The arti-cles interviews and other resources offer students an opportunity for insight into the history and development of our Mojave Desertrdquo said VVC student Randy Briggs ldquoWell I think itrsquos impor-tant to know the history of the area in which you live and itrsquos a good way to en-courage original research A lot of the information that is in this room is not available anywhere elserdquo said Elgin The hours are Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm or by appointment the number is (760) 245-4271 extension 2262

Story by Tina Mora Reporter

The Academic Commons Building located on the up-per campus next to the li-brary is under-used Plans to remodel the building for other uses have been dis-cussed by The Facilities Committee The building houses tutoring services The Computer Information Sys-

tems Department which trains students in computer-related areas The Coopera-tive Education Program which allows students to earn college credits while work-ing The Upward Bound Pro-gram which helps eligible high school students prepare for postsecondary education Also within the AC building are the offices of the full-time Business teachers and of the Part-time Teachersrsquo Union

ldquoAfter the Advanced Tech-nology Center was con-structed and many depart-ments moved there the AC Building has been underuti-lized and itrsquos a shamerdquo said Chris Guinotte Cooperative Education Secretary ldquoThe building is poorly used and could be utilized better if remodeling is donerdquo said Paul Williams Dean of Humanities Arts amp Letters ldquoThe space could be used for Student Networking and

computer use but there are no set plans as to what is going to be done at the mo-mentrdquo Williams said ldquoThe Facilities Committee is currently reviewing sub-mittals by faculty for ideas as to how to use the spacerdquo said Chris Hylton a member of the Facilities Committee No specific plans have been made yet but officials hope to agree upon better use of the building in the future

Story by Juan Munguia Reporter

Local history collection achieved photo RamPage photo by Tina Mora









Transfer from Page 1 school a lot more demand-ing and making sure she has all she needs to transfer is very important ldquoThe workshop was really helpful It helped with the TAG process Lorenarsquos great she helped calculate my GPA and is always help-ful when I drop in to ask questionsrdquo said Ortiz Dorn hopes that by May 2011 they will have a Trans-



































buyback






































































































15





















































mdashRebeca Valla







RAMPAGE STAFF

















Transfer from Page 1 school a lot more demand-ing and making sure she has all she needs to transfer is very important ldquoThe workshop was really helpful It helped with the TAG process Lorenarsquos great she helped calculate my GPA and is always help-ful when I drop in to ask questionsrdquo said Ortiz Dorn hopes that by May 2011 they will have a Trans-



































buyback






































































































15





















































mdashRebeca Valla







RAMPAGE STAFF









































buyback






































































































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mdashRebeca Valla







RAMPAGE STAFF













































































































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mdashRebeca Valla







RAMPAGE STAFF









RamPage Victor Valley College Nov 19 2010

























































































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RAMPAGE STAFF









Campus Clubs Hope to Break Up the Monotony Nov 19 2010 RamPage Victor Valley College



























































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mdashRebeca Valla







RAMPAGE STAFF




























































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RAMPAGE STAFF









vvc rampage vol. 30 issue 6

Documents

transfer details story

foothill title

lorena dorn

year foothill championships

cal championships

cheryl eastwood

career center

ontario california