Fall 2012 Issue 7

AMPAGENovember 28, 2012

Volume CXXIII Issue 7

The Student-Run Newspaper of Fresno City College

FR

EE

ASGappoints executive

board

l SEE ASG ON PAGE 2

BY TROY [email protected]

The Associated Student Government officially appointed a new executive board during its weekly meeting on Nov. 20.

The ASG senate approved the newly-appointed ASG Presi-dent Monique Reyna’s selection for the executive board.

Among Reyna’s nominees who were approved are Edward James as the new legislative vice president; Sen. Michael Olague as the executive vice president and Sen. Victoria Mosby as the interim president pro-tempore.

LVP James acts as the manager within ASG and works with scheduling and committee assignments. James also serves as ASG’s SSCCC Region V Del-egate.

“I wanted somebody that can take the friend aspect out of everything, and understand that this is a business,” said Reyna.

EVP Olague is now in charge of handling the ASG bud-get.

Interim PPT Mosby is the chair for the Inter-Club Council. Reyna did not explain why Mos-by was appointed as an interim. Some have speculated she may just be looking to help out for the remainder of the semester or until the organization finds someone to fill the position permanently.

The three executive board positions became vacant because the people who held them re-signed after the CCCSAA confer-ence scandal in October.

Sen. Rosalinda Barba is ASG’s new secretary, taking a position previously held by Presi-dent Reyna.

In another development, the senate accepted the resigna-tion of Sen. Alex O’Casey yes-terday. She is the seventh mem-ber of ASG to resign since the CCCSAA conference scandal last month.

It has been a rollercoaster semester for the ASG. It began with a controversial removal of a senator who made inflammatory statements on YouTube. Then came the mass exodus of ASG members including its president, LVP, EVP and PPT.

James Demaree, the ousted

Crime rate on campus risesBY MATTHEW ELLIOTT

[email protected]

l TWITTER.COM/PATH_OF_LOTUS

Photo by Paul Schlesinger. The Fresno City College Rams women’s volleyball team moves onto the CCCAA state champion-ships after defeating Sierra College 25-22, 17-25, 11-25, 26-24 and 15-13 last night. The championships take place from Dec. 1 to 2 at Fullerton College in Fullerton, Calif.

For a period of several weeks, the Fresno City College campus has experienced a spike in robberies, break-ins and thefts.

Throughout the entire year of 2011, there were 44 campus police reports related to vehicle thefts, burglaries or robberies. In 2010, crime data revealed a total of 24 reported incidents.

During the past 35 days alone, campus police have filed 31 reports in response to burglar alarms, vandalism, robberies, break-ins and thefts.

Among the more serious cases, the Fresno Bee reported that around 9 p.m. on Nov. 19, a female student was accosted in the school parking lot by two Bulldog gang members. After ob-taining her cell phone and threat-ening her, they promptly took her keys and sped away in her 1999 Toyota Corolla. Early the follow-ing morning, the 24-year-old and 25-year-old men were arrested and booked in county jail.

On Nov. 14 and Nov. 15, campus police officers filed re-ports on ten crimes: five petty thefts, three burglaries includ-ing two involving automobiles and two acts of vandalism, also known as “malicious mischief.”

Personal property includ-ing stolen and vandalized vehi-cles, the contents of vehicles, bi-cycles, the contents of backpacks and the personal belongings of various instructors were all sub-ject to the recent spike in criminal activity.

In what appears to be a co-ordinated effort to burglarize sev-eral FCC instructors, thieves used the same technique to scope out and break into two instructor of-fices as well as the gym. Someone spray painted the doorways with a red stripe and would return later in the night to smash windows and steal valuables.

Victims include Shana Mu-noz, English department chair and Dr. Bernard Navarro, Native American studies professor and sociology department chair.

Dr. Navarro’s office was broken into twice in as many days.

“They hit one window the first night and my other window last night,” the instructor said.

During their first run, bur-glars stole several of the Navar-ro’s sentimental indigenous ob-jects including a 60-year-old jar. The following night, thieves re-turned to steal his personal com-puter that contained more than 10 years of his work.

“I had some spiritual stuff

in (the office). They left that be-hind, thank God,” said Navarro. “I’m taking all that stuff home. Anything of value is gone.”

The campus police depart-ment has only 15 sworn peace officers to protect a campus of more than 30,000 enrolled stu-dents. The patrol grounds also include Ratcliff Stadium and Eu-less Park. There are too few night patrolmen to adequately protect the entire premises; nor are there enough cameras to effectively hold individuals accountable for their crimes.

Many outdoor lights are turned off throughout campus at night. Most of the locations af-fected by this recent crime spree were located these low or no light areas.

“I talked to the evening sergeant. I told him it’s just pitch blackness. If anybody goes snoop-ing around, they’re not going to be identified; they’re not going to be detected. Sure enough, they came back,” said Navarro. “They need to get people on campus out of here that don’t belong here.”

Student bicyclists are suf-fering a great deal more than usual in recent months as well. Many students rely on this form of transportation because they are too financially strapped to find al-ternative transportation. For this

reason, bicycle thefts can have a especially devastating impact on those living below the poverty line.

Tagging is also a growing problem on campus. Vandalism in unlocked and low traffic rest-rooms have frequently been re-ported.

There have also been at least two reports of forced sex-ual assault during the past three years.

Criminal activity near the campus is a serious concern as well. On Nov 21, a Fresno man was shot in the foot at an apart-ment complex located just north of the college. The man left a trail of blood as he walked south on Blackstone Ave., eventually col-lapsing in front of the Yale av-enue gas station. He was rushed to the hospital shortly thereafter.

On Sept 5, a homeless man allegedly stabbed a Fresno City College student repeatedly in her doorway. The slain student lived in an apartment complex 100 yards from campus grounds.

Students, staff and mem-bers of the public with any infor-mation regarding serious crimes should either dial 911 or contact the campus police immediately at 559-442-8201.

CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND

l SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 16

RampageStaff

Editor-in-ChiefJesse Franz

News EditorKaitlin Regan

Opinion EditorTroy Pope

Arts & Entertainment EditorMatthew Elliott

Sports EditorTomas Kassahun

Production ManagersTroy Pope

Ramiro Gudino

Print Photo EditorAbel Cortez

Online Photo EditorPaul Schlesinger

Graphics EditorJesse Franz

Online EditorsTroy Pope

Jesse Franz

Social Media DirectorOlga Verkhotina

IllustratorDale Holcomb

Copy ChiefTomas Kassahun

Copy EditorsSasha Bell

Pabel LopezDavid Thammavongsa

Olga Verkhotina

Business ManagerSydney Excinia

ReportersChad Armbruster

Patrick ForrestJere Kirkland

Mai LeeFrank Lopez

Daisy MartinezCox Odia

August PromnitzAkeem Spearman

Carl TurpinKayla Valenzuela

Faculty AdviserDr. Dympna Ugwu-Oju

[email protected]

Tip Line: 559.442.8262Fax: 559.265.5783

Twitter.com/FCCRampage

Facebook.com/FCCRampage

YouTube.com/rampagenews

Send Questions orLetters to the Editor to:

[email protected]

Fresno City CollegeC/O The Rampage

1101 E. University AveFresno, CA 93741

NEWS2

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:Fres

no City College

NOV 28 2012

11.28.2012 THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

Be heard! Submit a letter to the editor today! 300 words or less. [email protected] Views expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect those of the Rampage or its staff.

Leading up to the Thanksgiving hol-iday, members of the Electronics Systems Technology club tirelessly campaigned on behalf of a worthy cause. For the second year running, the organization collected cans on behalf of the homeless community.

This past Wednesday, a represen-tative from the Fresno Rescue Mission picked up the bounty of canned goods just in time for the holidays.

“Last year, we had a goal of 100 cans and got 300. This year we decided to up it a little bit to 300,” said EST Vice President David Lindsey. “The final number is 1555 cans, total. We raised five times our goal.”

Many students in EST themselves came from troubled backgrounds only to overcome adversity and uplift the poorest among us supplementing their dire needs.

“We’ve got a lot of community in-

volvement. Some of the teachers on cam-pus have collected cans for us. One teacher brought in 60 from her class; another one’s bringing in another 100 today,” said Lind-sey. “Patrick Smith is the coordinator for this. And he’s just done a really great job getting it together and getting everybody focused on bringing these in.”

Although Smith coordinated the drive, EST President Matthew Ford pro-vided a great deal of support as well.

“This is the first time that I’ve been involved in it,” said Smith. “We made some attempts at some businesses but didn’t get a very good response. But our club presi-dent did. He got Chicago Title in on board, and they donated over 250 cans. He also distributed a memo to his classes and got some people to cooperate.”

None of this would have taken place without the inspirational leadership of the

EST adviser, Martinez.“Mr. Martinez, our adviser, the first

thing he thought was, ‘Oh boy. We’re set-ting the bar high next year.’ And that’s fine because we want to continue to grow. As people become more involved with the club, they’ll become more involved with the community. We’ll be able to go ahead and help out.”

Through these student’s gracious deeds and thanks to the encouraging lead-ership of their adviser, the organization is building upon their strength and convic-tion.

“We have a really good adviser. He doesn’t tell us what we need to do. But the fact that he gives so much to us, it makes us in turn want to give back,” said Lindsey. “We’re becoming a very tight knit group of people. We’re really starting to grow.”

l CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FACES TRIALAssociated Student Government’s

apology to the student bodyTo Students, Faculty, Administra-

tion, and Staff,In striving to serve the student body

through advocacy efforts and representa-tion throughout California, the Associated Student Government of Fresno City Col-lege would like to formally apologize to its constituents for acts of misconduct that oc-

curred at the CCCSSA Conference on the weekend of October 19-21, 2012.

The Associated Student Govern-ment assumes responsibility and proper disciplinary actions have occurred. As the voice of the student body, members of the ASG are entrusted to lead with integ-rity and professionalism. It is our duty to

serve as liaisons for each student at Fresno City College. We will continue to repre-sent you to the best of our ability and ap-preciate your understanding and continued support.

Sincerely,The Associated Student Govern-

ment of Fresno City College

ASG senator had spoken out against now-former ASG President Nathan Alonzo. He drew attention with his outspoken criticism of the organization and its leadership.

“I am hereby stating that three peo-ple should either publically or individually apologize for their actions, or should re-sign,” Demaree said on YouTube.

Demaree didn’t know it then, but he would get his wish. However, the resigna-tions would have nothing to do with Dema-ree’s accusations.

After a long process, Demaree was removed from the senate by his peers on Sept. 25.

At the time, Demaree said he was shocked by the verdict. “I am absolutely stunned that people that acted like they were my friends, or people that had said in previous meetings to give me a chance, voted to have me removed,” Demaree said.

Even ASG Faculty Adviser Sean Henderson described the removal process of Demaree as “clunky.”

FIRE, a Philadelphia-based group that fights for free speech rights in higher education, said about the Demaree case, “Hopefully, the Fresno City College stu-dents and the students they elected to the Associated Student Government will ulti-

mately recognize the wisdom of protecting free speech, and the ASG will reinstate Demaree on appeal.”

Demaree filed an appeal which the ASG Constitution al-lows.

At yesterday’s ASG meeting, Ad-viser Henderson an-nounced that the ap-peals committee has reached a decision regarding Demaree, but the results will not be announced until Demaree has been informed. Hen-derson said the results will be mailed to Demaree.

The issue of the potential removal processes that was brought up by Sen. Hayes on Nov. 13 is currently on hold pending the verdict of the Demaree ap-peal. Reyna said that the issue is currently closed until the appeals committee makes a decision, and pending an ongoing investi-gation from Dr. Chris Villa’s office.

That means that the spring semester

could begin with additional removal pro-cesses of the accused members of ASG that haven’t resigned, if Sen. Hayes fulfills her declaration to seek their removal for their conduct at CCCSAA.

President Reyna, in the meantime, hopes for a fresh start next semester. “There is the whole thing of trying to mend or trying to reestablish ourselves with the students here on campus to let them know that we are serious and that we are here for them.”

l TWITTER.COM/DARKTROY

l TWITTER.COMPATH_OF_LOTUS

Electronic Systems Technology Club collects canned food

New ASG executive board

BY MATTHEW [email protected]

Photo by Paul Schlesinger. The ASG votes in Michael Olague as executive vice president on Nov. 20.

NEWS11.28.2012 3THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

Bookstore starts yearlong buybacks

l TWITTER.COM/VERKHOTINA

The Fresno City College Bookstore is implementing a new program which will make it easier for students to sell their used textbooks.

Mary Beth Wynn, an interim as-sistant bookstore manager at Fresno City College says that students can return their textbooks that they have purchased this semester, last semester or even a semester before and get cash for them.

“Usually we had buyback at the be-ginning of semester, at the end of the se-mester. But now it’s every day [as well],” said Wynn.

According to Wynn, the new every-day buyback program started in mid-Octo-ber this year but so far it has been in a test mode and not many students know about it

yet. The bookstore is planning on market-ing a new program after its beginning of the semester buy back in January of 2013.

To sell a textbook back students just have to come into the bookstore and ask whether their book qualifies.

“We have a list that we go off that we’re purchasing certain books,” said Wynn. “And so if that textbook is on the list, then we’ll purchase the book from the student. If it’s not on the list then basically we’re not using the book anymore.”

If the title and the edition of the book are still on the list of the books that the bookstore is planning on using next semester, students can get the wholesale price of it back. FCC Bookstore sales clerk Deborah Stovall says that the bookstore is constantly updating the list of the buyback eligible books according to what the text-book company wants.

According to Wynn, students cannot only sell back textbooks that they bought from the FCC bookstore but they could have been bought from other different stores as well. The only important criteria is that the bookstore would be able to resell it next semester and it’s in a good condi-tion.

“It needs to be, kinda gently used, because a student will buy that book again and they’ll need it,” said Wynn. “The pages have to be there, there can’t be anything tored out. There could be highlight in there but if it’s very damaged we won’t take it back.”

Both Wynn and Stovall say that the amount of money a student can get for their book varies depending on the book itself. But the most that students can get during an everyday buyback is a wholesale price.

“The publisher, the buyback com-

pany sets the wholesale price. That’s what we pay when we order from them,” said Stovall. “You get what we pay for it. What we get out of it is we don’t have to pay shipping for it to get here. But otherwise we’re giving you as much as we would give that company.”

The new buyback program is also available for students at Willow Interna-tional Center, Madera Center and Reedley College.

According to Wynn, the program is very convenient for students as they don’t have to look for a privately owned book-store to sell their books back. Now they can do it on campus and at any time.

Wynn said, “Instead of waiting till the end of the semester they can sell it when they want to.”

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FACES TRIALFresno City College students en-

rolled in Business Law and the Legal En-vironment (BA 18) class will hold a mock trial of Fisher v. University of Texas on Dec. 5 in the OAB-251.

The mock trial will explore if the interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause permits the Uni-versity of Texas’ use of race in undergradu-ate admissions.

“The decision in this case could very well change admission practices every-where similar to the Grutter v. Bollinger case did,” said Nancy Holland BA 18 in-structor and director of the mock trial.

In 1997, the Texas legislature en-acted a law requiring the University of Texas to admit all high school seniors who ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. The UT decided to modify its race-neutral admissions policy because it found differences between the racial and ethnic makeup of the university’s under-graduate population and the state’s popula-tion.

The new policy continued to admit all in-state students who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. For the remainder of the in-state freshmen class, however, the university would con-sider race as a factor in admission.

Abigail N. Fisher, a Caucasian fe-male, was not in the top 10 percent of her class when she applied for undergraduate admission to the UT in 2008. Therefore, she competed for admission with other

non-top 10 percent in-state applicants. The University of Texas didn’t grant Fisher admission.

Fisher filed a lawsuit against the university and other related defendants, claiming that the University of Texas’ use of race as a con-sideration in admis-sion was in violation of the equal protec-tion clause of the 14th Amendment and a violation of Title 42.

The university argued that its use of race was a narrowly tailored means of pursuing greater di-versity. The district court decided in fa-vor of the University of Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit af-firmed the district court’s decision. Fisher filed an ap-peal to the Supreme Court, appealing the appellate court’s de-cision.

Both Abigail Fisher and University of Texas teams will be represented by six

attorneys during FCC’s mock trial. The Fisher team will consist of Ashley Cable, Jalen Gibson, Ricardo Maudena, Ryan

Rios, Maricruz Ochoa and lead attorney Nathan Vieira.

The University of Texas will be represented by Kyle Alfhelm, Andrew Anderson, Thomas Diaz, Celerino Pen-aloza, Angela Ramos and lead attorney Maria Vargas.

“The groups actually get in touch with the actual council with Fisher and the actual council with the University of Texas,” said Holland. “So when they are finally ready to answer questions, we contact them.”

Justices for this mock Supreme Court are Elise Alvarez, Christopher Martinez, Noemi Rangel, Harpal Singh, Victoria Zarate and chief Justice Anneke Herrin.

“As they’re discussing cases, these justices can interrupt them at any time, so there will be a bit of a dialogue going on,” said Holland. “I liken it to the ‘Wizard of Oz’ when they go and meet the wizard, they don’t know what’s going to happen and they’re a little shaky in their boots but that’s what makes it so entertaining.”

The trial will be dedicated to Gayla Jurevich and David Racki. Jurevich re-cently took a position as director of the Workplace Learning Resource Center with Merced College while Racki will be retiring from FCC in May 2013 after 28 years of service.

The trial is a free event for all and sign language interpreters will be avail-able.

l TWITTER.COM/FORRESTP8

BY PATRICK [email protected]

BY OLGA [email protected]

BEYOND THE PRINT THERAMPAGEONLINE.COMBY KAYLA VALENZUELA

[email protected] DAISY MARTINEZ

[email protected] DAISY MARTINEZ

[email protected]

Why do we celebrate Christmas? For some it’s a religious holi-day. For others it’s a time to find the best deals on the latest gadgets.

Do you need ideas for ways to fill your winter break? Whether you’re looking for how to kick back or adven-ture, there are plenty of ways to spend your time off.

Ram Slam is hap-pening during finals week. The library will be open until 11 p.m. from Dec. 5 to Dec.11. Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Pho

to b

y Ja

cob

Win

dham

NEWS4 11.28.2012 THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

New ASG president commits to student advocacyQ: What made you want to

be a part of ASG?

A: In all honesty, it’s kind of a personal story. I had a

younger brother and he went to Reedley. He had a lot of issues with financial aid, got behind in his class and didn’t have tutors available. His teacher wasn’t one that was willing to work with him. My brother was really frustrated and just dropped school and about a year later, we ended up burying him. He passed away.

So, the neighborhood I come from isn’t the best, but I’m good with kids. I always have been, so all the little kids know me. I play with them; I tutor them, and I refuse to let that happen to anyone else. So, I started to think, ‘Ok, in order to make things happen, I have to be in a position where I can actually make things happen.’ I didn’t know what student government was, so I started asking around. I sat in one of the meetings, got an idea of how they worked and what they were about and then I did the application, and I was in.

Q: What have you learned while in ASG?

A: I’ve just learned that when you’re a part of groups, like

clubs, you guys are all different. Say it’s a club. Everybody’s different but they have the same common interest, whatever drives them to that club. ASG is somewhat the same but you have more diverse people and you guys have the common goals as far as wanting to help people but all different reasons and all different ways.

So here, I’ve just learned how to get along with people from different backgrounds and how to prioritize my time and organize myself a lot better, so that I

actually get things done. I’ve always been a people’s person, you know, like just get out there and meet people, but it helped me a little more as far as presentations go and speeches. Being a part of ASG, you have to interact with not only students but faculty and administrators and all of that. So it has kind of helped me in a professional sense.

Q: What are some of the strengths and

weaknesses of ASG?

A: I think the strongest thing about this ASG is

the people that are here. I am really blessed that those who have stayed are here. I think that we have a really strong team and I think the team being strong is going to be able to push this organization forward and get through what we really need to get through and make sure that we get things done. As far as the weakness, I’d say that our only weakness is numbers. You know, in order to get things accomplished, it’s a lot easier when you have more people. When you have fewer people, they are spreading themselves thin. You have to sit on more committees, you have to pick up a little more work to get things done, and at the same time, we’re students, so we still have our studies and classes and all of that. So I would say at the moment that’s kind of our biggest weakness.

Q: What happened to ASG recently? What is the plan

to correct its course?

A: I don’t really think I need to answer that because you

guys have basically posted it all on your newspaper. So I’m pretty sure you guys are all well informed as to what’s been going on. As far as what needs to be to correct it, some people have

made comments saying that they don’t feel that I am going to get anything done just because I have to clean up Nathan’s mess. I really don’t feel there’s much of a mess to clean up. It was something,

you know, something that really hit us hard, but at the same time, we’ve dealt with it. We’ve had recently, I believe, seven people resign and I think there was like, what, 10 people involved? That doesn’t leave much of a mess to clean up.

There is the whole thing of trying to mend or trying to reestablish ourselves with the students here on campus to let

them know that we are serious and that we are here for them. We have to reestablish ourselves with faculty and administrators and as far as correcting all of that, I think that as long as they see that

we get back to business and are taking care of what we need to take care of, I think that will. You know how they say that actions speak louder than words. I think that fits that perfectly.

Q: Did being appointed president shock you?

Why?

A: Yes. I had a feeling that I was going to get nominated,

but did I think that I was going

BY KAITLIN [email protected]

to be the only one they saw something in to nominate? No. Did I think that I was going to have a unanimous vote for me? No. And did I think I was going to get the whole standing ovation? Of course not. So I think that’s what really got me shocked. I knew some people believed in me, but I didn’t realize how much people believed in me.

Q: What are your plans for the ASG as its new

president?

A: We basically have a road map and that’s a calendar. That speaks for itself. We

already have a lot of things that we need to get done on top of that. I’m really hoping to get the designated smoking areas finalized. I know there are a lot of people from the senate who have a lot of great ideas that they want to do this coming semester, so it’s just developing those. We just want to make the campus overall what the ASG is about, which is making it easier for students.

I wasn’t here two years ago or three years ago, but I do know that ASG has somewhat of a bad rep with faculty members or administrators. I want to mend those bridges. I want ASG to be able to work well with not only students but faculty members and administrators and staff and everybody. And I know there’s this, and I don’t know why, but there’s this tension with the Rampage. I don’t know where that started, and I don’t even know why it is, but that’s another thing that I want to fix. You know, you guys are the ones that report to the students and we’re the ones that represent the students. I think that rather than working against each other, we would both benefit and the students would benefit if we learned to work with each other.

Photo by Paul Schlesinger. ASG President Monique Reyna.

Students want more technology, online optionsA majority of Fresno City

College students would like more technology in the instruction they receive at the college, accord-ing to the results of a technology survey conducted in the spring of 2012.

Seventy-seven percent of the students polled said they want their instructors to hold virtual office hours, and 63 percent said they would take a hybrid class with meetings that meet face-to-face half of the time and online the other half.

The survey also showed that 43 percent of FCC students were not aware that they could forward their SCCCD email to their personal emails.

“This is sponsored by the

l TWITTER.COM/K_C_REGAN

distance education committee, but the results will be used all over campus for different things,” said Lynn Badertscher, member of the committee.

Via email, 2,884 FCC stu-dents responded to the survey by the Distance Education commit-tee to gauge students’ use of tech-nology and improvements they want the college to implement.

Don Lopez, director of technology, said one of the goals of the survey is to “figure out what students wanted.” He added, “We know students want classes but in what method?”

Another goal of the survey, according to Badertscher, is to learn the technological habits of FCC students. As well as find out the needs of students enrolled in online classes and help them at-tain more success.

Faculty members also

completed a similar survey about technology and the way they use it in their online and face-to-face classes. There are plans to com-pare the results of the students’ survey and the faculty responses in an upcoming flex day work-shop.

“We’re taking those results and combining them with the students’ survey results and try-ing to match and make sure that our perceptions of why a student

takes an online class and what they need to succeed and then the perception of a faculty member as to why a student takes an online class and make sure they match,” Lopez said. “And if they’re not matching, why aren’t they match-ing and what can we do to make sure that our faculty members are trained appropriately?”

In response to a survey question asking for ways to im-prove distance education, FCC students listed online tutoring, online counseling, educational plans and more online classes.

Lopez said the request for online tutoring and counseling and educational planning are all things that students in face-to-face classes already take advan-tage of so it came as no surprise.

The survey was prepared by Lopez and Badertscher with revisions from other committee

BY PABEL [email protected]

members. It consisted of 31 ques-tions that ranged from broad and wide ranging topics such as age, gender and email accounts to spe-cialized questions about online classes, social media and internet usage on and off campus.

“We sent it out for the first time in the spring semester,” said Badertscher.

The committee has not decided about future surveys. “We’re all really pleased about getting this kind of information,” Badertscher said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see us doing more of it.”

Lopez also said he thinks this is the “beginning of a larger conversation about distance edu-cation and technology and our students and what they look like in the 21st century.”

“This is the beginning of a larger conversation about distance education.”

-Don LopezDirector of Technology

l TWITTER.COM/PABELLOPEZ

NEWS11.28.2012 5THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

It was not a transition psychology instructor Mary Ann Valentino expected to make anytime soon. But after 16 years as an instructor at Fresno City College and serving on various committees, Valentino has been thrust to the helm of one of the college’s most important bodies.

Valentino suddenly became president of the Academic Senate nine months early when Claudia Habib accepted the position of interim dean of instruction at Reedley College.

“I am always a bit surprised when people look to me to lead. I have always described myself as a reluctant leader,” Valentino said. “I hesitate because I am much more comfortable being a watcher and a worker.”

Even as a child growing up in Reedley, Calif. Valentino was first an observer. She says she was fascinated by people and would quietly sit and watch people interact. Because she was a good listener and seemed trustworthy, friends would divulge all kinds of very private information to her.

“I was amazed by the public versus private lives of people and the differences from person to person and family to family,” said Valentino.

Childhood was also a struggle for Valentino as she suffered from chronic, low-grade depression also known as dysthymic disorder.

“I was too young to be the container for other people’s problems,” said Valentino. “I carried this weight around with me and developed a negative thought pattern that clouded my view of the world and my future. I often felt a sense of helplessness and hopelessness.”

In high school, she hit a low point and made a decision to fight her way out of the depression. She found the courage to tell someone about her silent suffering and actively worked on challenging her negative thought patterns.

“I had a loving family, teachers who encouraged me, and friends who supported me. The positives in my life far

outweighed the negative; I had to find a way to shift my focus,” Valentino said. “My depression was such a part of who I was for such a long time that I cannot imagine who I would be today without having experienced it.”

Her experience ultimately fueled her compassion for others and her strong desire to instill hope in people. At the same time, Valentino was driven by her parents, who wanted her to have what they never had.

Her father had quit school when he was 16 years old to take care of his father and never returned to school. Valentino’s mother wanted to attend college to study psychology, but her parents did not believe women should study psychology.

“My parents made many sacrifices to make sure that I could devote myself to pursuing an advanced degree,” she said. “They did not want me to have to work and attend school at the same time, so they funded my education. This allowed me to focus on school and the volunteer work that I found personally rewarding.”

Coming out of high school in 1984, Valentino wasn’t emotionally ready to leave home to attend college, so she stayed with her parents and attended Reedley College. After one year, she transferred to San Diego State University to study psychology.

But as a first-generation college student, Valentino was met with some challenges.

“I remember feeling like the other students knew so much more than I did about how to navigate through college,” said Valentino.

After getting a bachelor’s degree in 1988, she moved back to Reedley where she got married and took some time off school to work as a case manager at Visalia Youth Services. There she worked with

severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents under the supervision of a psychologist. Meanwhile, her husband started an agriculture-related business and bought a small orange farm.

In 1999, Valentino decided to attend the California School of Professional Psychology in Fresno where she earned a doctorate degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in ecosystem child psychology. Before she graduated, however, her father died.

“It was his dream as much as it was mine to earn a Ph.D,” said Valentino.

While in graduate school, Valentino worked at the California Men’s Colony which is a medium security men’s prison, a local community mental health clinic with children and families referred through Child Protective Services and a valley juvenile hall.

After completing her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral internships at FCC, Valentino obtained a license to practice in

2001 and soon opened a private practice with a colleague. She became a Medi-Cal and Medi-Care provider and worked as a consultant for some of the skilled nursing facilities in the area and for the Saint Agnes Medical Center AIDS Project. Valentino continues to maintain a small private practice in Fresno.

As the Academic Senate president of FCC, Valentino hopes to use her background in clinical psychology to maintain perspective.

“This is a complex responsibility, because we are such a diverse group,” said Valentino. “We share a strong commitment to student learning and student success and a desire to enrich our community.”

She admits she can be hard-headed and idealistic, but she is also willing to step back and listen to others’ point of view.

“I want to listen to the faculty wisely and act as their voice in an honest and diligent manner,” said Valentino. “I want the faculty to be genuinely

confident in my ability to represent them and work collaboratively with administrators, classified staff, and students. We are all here because we believe that education can transform lives.”

Outside of work, Valentino enjoys reading novels, watching television series and movies.

“I especially like to watch a whole season of a series in a short period of time. Last summer I watched all six seasons of the Sopranos. There were some days that I stayed in my pajamas and watched all day,” said Valentino. “My husband and I like to watch the same movie over and over again until we know most of the dialogue by heart. Both of us are real home-bodies.”

Valentino also spends time in art museums and galleries.

“I can easily spend 15 minutes looking at an interesting piece of art. Family members don’t especially like to go with me because I linger too much,” she said.

Still much of her time is dedicated to work.

“It will take me literally years to read a novel because I have three or four or five work-related books constantly going at the same time and I am admittedly not a strong reader,” said Valentino. “I wish I had enough time and energy in the day to track my students more closely. Some students fail because they don’t believe in their ability to succeed. They need someone to encourage them.”

She jokes that she wants to die at her desk grading papers. But in the end, she wants to know that she contributed to her students’ ability to achieve their goals and FCC’s ability to fulfill the mission.

Valentino advises students to create a 3-5 year plan with lots of mini-goals along the way.

“Write out strategies to attain those goals. Identify positive role models to emulate. Update and revise your plan if necessary,” said Valentino. “Persevere; ask for help when you need it. And for goodness sake, do your homework.”

VALENTINO TAKES REIN OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE

Photo by Paul Schlesinger. Professor Maryann Valentino is the new Academic Senate president.

BY TOMAS [email protected]

l TWITTER.COM/THERAMPAGEGUY

DECEMBER12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Bike’pocalypse (RideNo.2) Fresnobikeparty.com 12/21/2012, 7:45 p.m.Free“Ride at your own risk” ride.Don’t forget your lights, people under 18 must wear a helmet.Showcasing: Christmas Tree Lane.Pitstop: ColdStone Creamery, FigGardenVillage.Meeting at Spokeasy, Tower District.

Love the Captive presents: Ugly Sweater Christmas Party 2012! A Toys for Tots benefit:12/22/2012 Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.$8 cover - $4 with toyRademacher, Ornery Ones, Niilo SmedsFULTON 55

Fulton 55 presents:Eva Scow’s Holiday Crescent Music Festival12/23/2012Doors: 6 p.m. / Show: 7 p.m. (event ends at 11 p.m.)$15 - $20

Diehardz Music presents Sweet Leaf’s Nightmare Before Christmas Show!!12/22/2012, 7:00 p.m. Doors at 7:30 p.m.$10 in advance.21 and over.The Babylon ClubChristmas Benefit to help the homeless of Fresno, Calif.Sweet Leaf (Black Sabbath/Ozzy Tribute Band).More bands TBA.

Holiday Concert - Clovis Community Band12/23/2012, 2:30 p.m.Free. Donations will be accepted at the door. Shaghoian Performing Arts Theater, Fresno, Calif.More info 559-447-1196.

The Story of Carbon12/17/2012, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.Free.The College of Science and Mathematics present and exhibition titled “The Story of Carbon.” Henry Madden Library, Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery, second floor, north, CSU Fresno. Contact information: College of Science and Mathematics 559-278-3936.

How to Train Your Dragon - Live12/19/2012, 7 – 9 p.m.Ticket prices vary.Save Mart Center.

Fresno Jewish Film Series: “Salsa Tel Aviv”12/22/2012, 7:00pmTickets are $8. As part of the will be shown at Temple Beth Israel, 6622 N. Maroa. More information is available by calling 439-9638.

Ram Slam12/5/2012-12/6/2012,12/10/2012-12/11/20127:30-11 p.m. Tutoring and computers availableFCC library.Coffee and Snacks provided.

282930

NOVEMBERRams Jams: Guitar Showcase11/29/2012, 7:30 p.m.$5 suggested donation at the doorFCC OAB Auditorium.Proceeds benefit the Fresno City Guitar Society.

Student Recital11/30/2012, 12 p.m.FreeFCC OAB Auditorium.The Student Recitals showcase FCC music students in chamber music performances.

Intermediate/Advanced Voice Recital11/30/2012, 7:30 p.m.FreeFCC OAB Auditorium.

City DanceFall Workshop11/30/2012 - 12/1/2012, 7:30 p.m.$14 general, $12 students/seniors/FCC staff, $8 group rate (10 or more).FCC Main Stage Theatre.A workshop dance production of exciting dance works choreographed by faculty and students.

TapeBy Stephen Belber11/30/2012 - 12/1/2012, 7:30 p.m.$14 general, $12 students/seniors/FCC staff, $8 Group (10 or more)FCC Studio 105 Theatre.“Fascinating and entertaining…a terrific play…Real talk, real characters, real situations—a real play.” —New York Post

Fresno Community Concert Band12/2/2012 3:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.$10 general, $5 children 12 and underShaghoian Concert Hall2770 E International AveFresno, Calif. 93730

Piano Recital12/3/2012, 7:30 p.m.Free.FCC Recital Hall (MS-132).

Jazz Composers’ Orchestra12/3/2012, 7:30 p.m.For tickets, call 559-266-9494.Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theatre1226 N Wishon AveFresno, Calif. 93728.

Brass & Percussion Winter Concert12/4/2012, 7:30 p.m.Free.FCC Main Stage Theatre.

FCC Concert BandWinter Concert12/5/2012, 7:30 p.m.$8 General, $6 Students/Seniors/FCC Staff.FCC Main Stage The-atre.

String Ensemble12/6/2012 5:00 p.m.Free.FCC Recital Hall (MS-132).

FCC Jazz Ensemble & Guests12/6/2012, 7:30 PM$8 General, $6 Students/Seniors/JazzFresno/FCC StaffFCC Main Stage Theatre

Choral Holiday Concert12/7/2012, 7:30 PM$8 General, $6 Students/Seniors/FCC StaffFCC Old Administration Building Auditorium

Concert for CarnegieBenefit concert for wind ensemble going to New York International Music Festival12/8/2012, 6:30 p.m.$50 VIP, $20 General.OAB Auditorium.

Opera Workshop:Music Pot Luck12/11/2012 7:30 p.m.Free.FCC Recital Hall (MS-132).

Downtown Ice RinkOpen every day through 11/21/2012 to 1/13/2013.Sunday - Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.Friday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.General admission $10.Children 12 and under $8.(includes parking validation and skate rental).

Christmas Tree Lane “Walk night”1/1/2013 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m., 1/11/2013 6:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.FreeVan Ness Boulevard be-tween Shields and Shaw Avenues(No Vehicles).

OPEN DURING ALL CALENDAR DAYS

Calendar design by David Thammavongsa

NEWS6 11.28.2012 THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM



Every now and then, an independent movie comes along that challenges our values and prejudices. Fox Searchlight has once again released such a film.

“The Sessions” is a true to life story of a man who suffered the ravages of Polio during the 1950s. The movie takes place in 1988 during his adult life as a writer in Berkley.

In order to survive, Mark O’Brian, played by John Hawkes, spends 20 hours per day living in a negative pressure ventilator or “iron lung.” An iron lung is a so-phisticated device that produces an unnatural environment that al-lows for severely debilitated bod-ies to breathe with less resistance in order to supply enough oxygen to survive.

During his four hours out-side of the ventilator, O’Brian spends his entire life receiving special care and travels every-where on a wheeled gurney. He cannot move on his own, bathe or turn his head. Although he can experience the sensation of touch, he has no motor control. Up to this point in his life, he has yet to engage in any sexual activity.

Through the advice of his catholic priest, played by William

H. Macy, O’Brian plans to lose his virginity through the assistance of Cheryl, a sex therapist played by Helen Hunt. Unlike prostitution, which is illegal in the state of Cal-ifornia, sex therapists are given strict guidelines and are profes-sionally trained to delve deep into the psyche of their patients while enhancing their sexual experi-ence. Sex therapists are limited to a maximum of six sessions.

The film does an excel-lent job of capturing the nature of female attraction. Much of the story’s resolution takes place through Cheryl’s challenges and her coming to terms with life choices.

This is done by highlight-ing the dismissively absurd at-tachment style and tact of the male lead. This allows audiences to focus solely toward the emo-tional attachments of the female roles. This storytelling style is well executed and well received.

This is a film that is intend-ed for mature and educated audi-ences only. As a romantic dram-edy, “The Sessions” is as worthy as date movies come. Couples would do well to attend a screen-ing.

Grade: A-

‘The Sessions’ is touching

Ph

oto

by

Dre

amW

orks

Stu

dio

‘LINCOLN’ IS

MIND-BLOWING“Lincoln” is a true-to-life portrayal of the

Abraham Lincoln during the final months of the American Civil War. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Daniel Day Louis as the 16th president.

The film follows Lincoln through three chapters of American history. Often times, these moments are drawn out through long periods of persuasion and discussion involving various gov-ernment officials. Although these scenes may come across as lengthy, the atmosphere of a Union in eminent crisis keeps the dialogue engaging.

Louis sets himself apart from previous actors who loosely embodied romanticized interpretations of Abraham Lincoln. In the past, those depicting the president commonly produced a deep and os-tentatious baritone; bellowing grandiose oratories to pronounce his extraordinary leadership faculties.

In contrast, Louis’ portrayal consists of higher vocal tones with a mild rasp. Although presidential and oftentimes intellectually striking,

his characterization of Lincoln steers clear of lofty idealism.

Daniel Day Louis’ expertly crafted rendition is consistent with his ethos as an actor. Louis no-toriously dedicates a considerable amount of time studying and rehearsing the essence of his roles. Lincoln is arguably his finest work.

The accuracy of this film warrants its incor-poration into high school curriculums. Those with extensive literary knowledge may realize that the passage of the thirteenth amendment and the nego-tiated terms of Southern surrender to the North are closely intertwined. However, most citizens have yet to comprehend exactly how the process trans-pired. “Lincoln” flawlessly connects these pivotal components of our collective history.

“Lincoln” is as astounding as it is important. Students and faculty would do well to broaden their understanding of this monumental period of our history by attending a screening and paying at-tention.

Grade: A



11.28.2012 7THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM A&E

A&E8 11.28.2012 THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

STUDENT SINGS TO HELP THOSE IN NEEDNineteen-year-old Fresno City Col-

lege student Richard High has spent years performing different styles of music. As a gifted musician, High has released five al-bums since his childhood. His experience also includes tenor work for the Clovis West Choral Choir.

On Dec. 9, High will perform a fun-draiser at the Hope Lutheran Church.

The upcoming hour-long concert is something of a tradition for the High fam-ily.

“It’s a concert that I hold every sin-gle Christmas season. We do this to benefit different charities,” said High. “Admission is free but donations are available at the door for the Red Cross, Children’s Hospi-tal and the Margery Mason Center.”

High’s father and health expert Da-vid High will also join the event to raise awareness about better nutrition.

“Well he talks about how to better your lives via nutrition. He’s the owner of Sunrise Health Foods,” said High. ”And so he talks about medicines that can benefit your life and how to stay healthy during the holiday season and for general wellness.”

In the spirit of the season, the pro-

gram’s pieces are appropriate for an atmo-sphere of this nature.

“I perform some Christmas music and I also perform some classical music. That’s what my repertoire is, mainly,” said High.

In addition to Richard and his fa-ther’s gestures to the community, a pianist is scheduled to share the stage.

“We have a special guest named Di-ana Curry,” said High. “She’s going to play the piano for us and she’s actually going to accompany me for some songs. She’s go-ing to play the piano while I sing.”

Students and faculty are encouraged to experience this holiday program and to donate to the charitable causes on hand.

“I want to make people feel good about the holidays,” said High. “And to come out of the concert with good spir-its, spreading good Christmas cheer and warmth.”

The Hope Lutheran Church is lo-cated on 364 E. Barstow Ave. For more in-formation about Richard High or to contact him, visit www.rickyhigh.com


l TWITTER.COM/PATH_OF_LOTUSPhoto by Abel Cortez. Fresno City College student Richard High, 19, will perform at a fundraiser at the Hope Lutheran Church on Dec. 9.

The Fresno City College music department is stag-ing “Concert for Carnegie” to support the Wind Ensem-ble’s participation at the New York International Music Festival.

The Wind Ensemble along with FCC Handbell Choir and music instructor Larry Honda will perform in the OAB Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 8.

Dr. Lawrence Sutherland, artistic director for the NYMF and former California State University, Fresno band director, will also join the benefit to guest-conduct a music piece.

The event will start with a special social hour at 6:30

p.m. The Handbell choir will also play during the social hour where the audience will get a chance to socialize, have drinks and snacks, and participate in a silent auction for items such as gift baskets. All of the proceeds from the auction will go toward the trip expenses.

“This is the first time I’ve done something like this,” said Dale Engstrom, brass and concert band instructor. “But I think it’s going to be a real special event.”

Engstrom said that the “Concert for Carnegie” will consist of two parts. The first half will have the music that Wind Ensemble may play during the New York Interna-tional Music Festival. The second half will have lighter holiday Christmas music.

Concert for Carnegie is a fundraising event to help

approximately 60 FCC students who are planning to par-ticipate in the New York festival. The group is invited to perform from April 7 to 11, 2013.

“This whole trip is going to cost about $100,000,” Engstrom said. “And I would say we’re not quite a quarter of the way there.”

The tickets for Concert for Carnegie are $20 for general admission and $50 for VIPs. VIP tickets will in-clude reserved seating and two drink tickets. For more in-formation, contact FCC box office at 559-442-8221.

BY OLGA [email protected]

l TWITTER.COM/VERKHOTINA

Benefit concert for Carnegie Hall tripPhoto by Paul Schlesinger. Fresno City College brass and concert band instructor Dale Engstrom prepares his students for the Carnegie Hall benefit concert in MS-135 on Nov. 21.

The Nutcracker returns to FresnoWith Thanksgiving and

Black Friday keeping everyone busy last week, something very exciting came to Fresno. The Sacramento Ballet thrilled Fresno audiences with its performance of an annual holiday tradition, “The Nutcracker.” The Sacramento Ballet featured 35 professional

ballet dancers and 125 local danc-ers.

This was the seventh year that the Sacramento company has traveled to Fresno entertain lo-cals. Children and adults came to the Saroyan Theatre in downtown Fresno to enjoy the show. Prices for tickets ranged from $56 to $86 per person.

The Nutcracker is a story about a toymaker who presents

four lifelike toys to a group of children. The nutcracker toy caught the eyes of a little girl named Clara who later saw the toy come to life.

Later that same night, Clara witnesses a battle between the evil Mouse King and the Nut-cracker. Clara distracts the Mouse King just long enough for the Nutcracker to defeat him. After his defeat, the Nutcracker turns

into a prince and takes Clara to the Land of Sweets.

Within The Nutcracker, there’s the beautiful Sugar Palm Fairy who ruled the beautiful Land of Sweets waiting for the return of the Nutcracker prince. Along with the Sugar Palm Fairy, there are the human size mice and the Gingerbread man soldiers, played by little ballerina dancers. After everyone began to disap-

pear including the Nutcracker, Clara woke up wondering if it was all a dream.

All in all, the show dis-played many talented ballerinas. There is nothing like seeing this story played live on stage. The Nutcracker has started the holi-day joy with great meaning of Christmas.

BY MAI [email protected]

l TWITTER.COM/FCCRAMPAGE

Cereal Trip is a restaurant in the Fulton Mall area that spe-cializes in cereal. Customers are allowed to choose the type of ce-real and milk and any additional toppings they may want.

The restaurant offers eight different milks for customers and their cereal; the list of milk includes coconut, almond, skim, soy, chocolate, whole, horchata and 2 percent. The restaurant is also an art gallery that showcases local artists.

The restaurant has a video game console set up in the corner

of the room for customers to play while they eat. The restaurant is decorated with pieces of art in-spired by video game and cereal. The tables have vintage cereal boxes as decorations.

Behind the cash register, a picture of Sonny the Cocoa Bird in some sort of demented wel-comes customers. Many flyers and papers announcing upcom-ing video game tournaments and art shows at the restaurant also sit next to the cash register.

The restaurant offers pre-mixed cereals including one called “Coconut Dream” which consists of Frosted Flakes with coconut milk and coconut flakes.

I ordered one of these mix-es offered by the restaurant. The S’mores mix I ordered is Golden grahams cereal, mini marsh-mallows, chocolate chips and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. I also added plain chocolate M&Ms to the mix and chose 2 percent milk.

At first, this seemed like a sure recipe for diabetes in a bowl but once I had the first spoonful I stopped worrying about all that and I was transported to a differ-ent time when I was young and cereal was more than a quick breakfast as I rushed to school.

As the cereal became sog-gy and the chocolate syrup turned the 2 percent milk into chocolate

milk the 10 oz. bowl became more and more delicious. The m&ms had lost their candy cov-ered shells and all that was left were small pieces of chocolate floating around in chocolate milk.

The restaurant had slow in-die music playing over the speak-ers which helped the relaxed am-bient in the place.

The only thing out of the ordinary was when the employee behind the counter pulled out his guitar and played along to the music coming from the sound system.

The place seems like a nice relaxing place for people to sit and study or just get a blast from

the past by eating cereal and play-ing Super Nintendo.

Cereal Trip also has sand-wiches, soups and drinks along with the cereal but the main draw here is the 28 cereals, eight milks, and 17 toppings.

Cereal Trip works because of its simplicity, there is nothing pretentious about simply walking into a place and ordering a bowl of cereal.

At $3 for a bowl the low price also helps one buy into the idea of driving down van ness, playing some video games and paying for cereal.



Cereal Trip is surreal

Instagram photos courtesy of Cereal Trip.

Jeffrey Sandersier leads the Fresno City College Community Orchestra on Nov. 27 in the OAB. The ochestra perfomed 19th and 20th century

music.

Photo by Ramiro Gudino

Community Orchestra

l TWITTER.COM/ISTENEFAS

11.28.2012 9THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM A&E

Aryanna ArredionAnthropology

“I say Korean food, their BBQ chicken is awesome.”

WRITTEN BY DAISY MARTINEZ & FRANK LOPEZ

PHOTOS BY PAUL SCHLESINGER

EXPAND FOOD OPTIONSON CAMPUS

Food choices on the Fresno City College campus are very slim. Right now our campus offers Taher, the food service in the cafeteria and the food cart near the main fountain and the Pacific Café next to the bookstore.

At least on paper, the situation is complicated. Right now, Even though Taher holds an exclusive contract with the college to provide food on campus, Pacific Café continues to operate because the eatery was already on campus and was grandfathered in even after Taher took over.

Many here in the Rampage think the food arrangement on campus is inadequate and unfair and not in the students’ best interests. Exclusive contracts limit our choices.

In 2014, the exclusive contract between Taher and FCC will expire and be up for renegotiation. The Rampage editorial board would like to put forth suggestions for additional or replacement food choices on the FCC campus.

News Editor Kaitlin Regan:

ChipoltleChipotle would be the perfect

alternative for campus dining for students due to the options and healthy choices. Because students need to make the best of every dime, they can be assured that Chipotle will provide them with a healthy bang for their buck. They can choose from many combinations of burritos, tacos and burrito bowls, students have a plethora of options before them.

Chipotle also supports family farmers and its ingredients contain no synthetic hormones. Its ties to the organic and local produce markets add revenue to the surrounding areas.

Online Photo Editor Paul Schlesinger:

Jimmy John’s I would love to see a Jimmy John’s

on our campus because the restaurant produces a quality sandwich at a fast

and efficient pace. This sandwich chain was started in 1983 in Illinois and caters to starving college students. Because of this, their prices are easy on the wallet. Sandwiches usually range from $5 to $6, while soda costs $1.60 or $1.75.

The menu is divided between sandwich types, which range from 8-inch subs to clubs. While there are sandwich combinations you can pick from the menu, you can customize these combinations anyway you like.

Arts & Entertainment Editor Matthew Elliott:

Pacific CaféSo long as Pacific Café makes

significant changes, their contract with the school should be renewed. First of all, they need to accept credit and debit cards. Electronic payments are now the definitive standard for transactions. Second, since January of last year, the location has consistently failed to reach the health department’s compliance guidelines. For at least seven instances in a row, the café has been cited with minor health code violations. Third, we suggest that Pacific Café borrows Taher’s diversity practices. If these three serious concerns can be addressed immediately, the business should stay.

Social Media Director Olga Verkhotina:

Pita Pit Pita Pit offers some good and healthy

options. Salads, pita wraps, sandwiches, freshly made smoothies and snacks sound like a nice change of pace from greasy hamburgers, French fries and soda.

Pita Pit has a wide variety of vegetables and can also saute them for you if you’d like. They also have many dressing options from Caesar and Ranch to spicy and BBQ sauces. Their Greek cucumber Tzatziki salad dressing is good and pretty light that many vegetarians may like.

The staff at Pita Pit is usually very friendly. They make your food right in front of you so you know what’s in it.

Sports Editor Tomas Kassahun:

Taj Mahal & Fasika In one of the most diverse campuses

in California, it would seem logical to have a vast array of cultural food available. Yet this is not the case at Fresno City College. Outside of Asian food, the college does not offer much else. Why not have mouth-watering Indian delicacies or Mediterranean sweetness? Or maybe even unique African dishes. This would fill the hungry appetite of college students and also expand the students’ appreciation of diversity.

Taj Mahal Indian restaurant, Fasika Ethiopian restaurant and Fresno’s Mediterranean Restaurant located on North Fresno Street, are a few choices that should be available on campus.

Opinion Editor Troy Pope:

Dog House Grill Dog House Grill seems like the

perfect fit for the Pacific Café area. The food selection seems to target college kids, and definitely focuses on meat. The location next to Save Mart Center features an outdoor patio where there is a large barbeque filled with meat.

The outdoor patio here on campus could accommodate the barbeque and attract a different clientele that currently patronizes Pacific Café. After a test, nothing seems more rewarding than a pulled-pork or steak sandwich. Dog House is the perfect for any college campus.

The VerdictAlthough it may seem like a pipe

dream to hope for change, or new additions, we cannot give up hope that the school will realize that new and different food options can only benefit the student body. We’re not insistent on removing Pacific Café or Taher, we just think adding variety to the available menus is warranted.

l TWITTER.COM/FCCRAMPAGE

CampusVoices

“What food choices would you like to see on campus?”

Yara ChavezBusiness

“Panda Express because Fresno State has one and it would be cool if we had one too.”

Jessica BenavidesLiberal Studies

“I’d like to see more Mexican food in the cafeteria.”

Edward Marcos Health

“We need a legit salad bar, like self-served salads.”

BY RAMPAGE EDITORIAL BOARD [email protected]

OPINION10 11.28.2012 THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

In 1977, George Lucas in-troduced “Star Wars” to the world. It was a work of art, that reignited a form of sci-ence fiction that hadn’t been

seen since “Star Trek” was canceled in 1969.

“A New Hope,” which was the first “Star Wars” film to grace American cine-ma, was labeled as “Episode 4,” and was a classic underdog story. It introduced characters such as, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. These characters quick-ly became household names.

Arguably, the best film in the series came next, “The Empire Strikes Back.” It introduced new household names like Yoda, Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett. It’s worth noting that Irvin Kershner di-rected “Empire,” and not George Lucas.

The film saw Vader bringing his powerful empire against Skywalker and his rebels, and quite readily out maneu-vered them.

The trilogy ended with “Return of the Jedi.” Although the film ends with the glorious defeat of the evil empire, it was also the beginning of George Lucas’ de-scent into madness.

That film had one fatal flaw. His name was Wicket. Wicket is an Ewok, and Ewoks moved “Star Wars” away from its gritty and violent atmosphere, and turned the rebels heroic struggle for independence and freedom into a kids movie.

Lucas’ descent progressed heav-ily as he released three abominations of “Star Wars’” former glory. Episodes One, Two and Three were Lucas’ vision of the franchise’s origin, and they were awful.

Besides the makeover Lucas gave to “Star Wars’” cherished backstory, he also introduced another fatal flaw into the prequel-trilogy that began with “The Phantom Menace”, Jar Jar Binks.

Binks was more childish than his Ewok predecessors, and far more obnox-ious and intrusive.

Lucas’ vision for the long-antic-ipated character of Anakin Skywalker, was a child who was way too “happy-go-lucky” to be a slave headed toward his inevitable destiny as a sith lord, aka dark jedi.

The film was full of silly one-liners from Skywalker and Binks that would set the tone of the garbage to come.

“Now this is podracing” makes

The horrendous endeav-or of creating another “Star Wars” trilogy would be akin to add-ing a few brush strokes

to Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel yet that is exactly what Disney plans to do.

Disney’s recent acquisition of Lu-casfilm, at a mere cost of $4 billion, is going to turn the “Star Wars” franchise into a cash cow that Disney is going to

milk dry with their soulless, decrepit hands.

M u c h like fairy tale princesses and Mickey Mouse memorabilia, it seems that Dis-ney excels at one thing: excessive marketing that inundates the populace with overpriced prod-ucts and attrac-tions.

The inevi-table exploita-tion of the fran-chise was made clear once it was

announced that another film is sched-uled to be released in 2015. Any true fan would realize that this is a terrible idea that could potentially undermine every-thing that George Lucas has created.

Lucas, the creator and pioneer of the “Star Wars” universe, has been re-duced to the role of executive producer instead of being at the direct forefront of the series.

Lucas might not be the best writer, but his visionary brilliance behind creat-ing “Star Wars” was part of its success.

Furthermore, the series itself be-comes more degenerative with each set of films that get released. This is evident by the release of the widely panned pre-quel trilogy which gave audiences famed characters such as Jar Jar Binks and a whiny twelve-year-old version of the once fearsome Darth Vader.

Should fans sit through another trilogy only to be disappointed by a film riddled with unnecessary plot additions devised to shoehorn segments into an al-ready completed tale?

every loyal fan of “Star Wars” want to vomit in disgust. Skywalker’s script was a failure on Lucas’ part who had 20 years to figure him out.

With the release of “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith,” Lu-cas seemed to go out of his way to screw up something that could have easily been classic filmmaking. The introduction of the clone wars, which had been a part of “Star Wars” history since Luke Skywalk-er first met Obi-Wan Kenobi, was struc-tured horribly and seemed last minute.

Both films had people hating Ana-kin Skywalker, not because he was evil, but because he was annoying and people were mad at George Lucas for ruining their childhood.

There is a ray of hope.Lucas isn’t dead and buried, but his

oversight of “Star Wars” is. Thankfully, Disney recently purchased Lucasarts for $4.1 billion, and announced the release of another trilogy starting with “Episode 7” in 2015.

In 1983, “Star Wars” ended on a high note with “Return of the Jedi,” de-spite the incursions of the Ewoks. Lu-cas took that glory and burned it to the ground with his re-imagined prequel tril-ogy.

The last memory we have of “Star Wars” is a woman dying while birthing Luke and Leia, because she “lost the will to live.” Lu-cas deserves to be slapped for punishing the world with his senile visions.

D i s -ney, however, is fresh off of “The Aveng-ers,” which was well construct-ed and made over $1.5 bil-lion worldwide.

Although we shouldn’t hope for an “ Av e n g e r s ” style film, we can hope for greatness.

Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt and Simon Kinberg have reportedly signed on to write screenplays for the new Disney-released “Star Wars” sequel trilogy.

Arndt is the screenwriter responsi-ble for “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Toy Story 3.”

Kinberg is hit and miss with his work; he wrote garbage like “Jumper”, but he also wrote “X-Men: First Class”, which is epic.

Kasdan alone gives fanboys a rea-son to cheer. Kasdan wrote “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”.

Disney has the resources, talent and ability to take on this fallen hero called “Star Wars.”

Disney has the challenge of liv-ing up to the original trilogy, but it has the advantage of building off a trilogy that only leaves room for improvement. Although it will be difficult, Disney can only do better than George Lucas.

Many have false hope with the induction of one of the writers for the praised Episode V as a part of the new-est film, but in actuality the success of Episode V was due mostly to Lucas’ USC film teacher Irvin Kershner who focused on character development. Much credit is somehow given to writer Lawrence Kas-den, a man who also wrote the poorly re-ceived films “The Bodyguard”, “Dream-catcher” and “Wyatt Earp”.

Some would present this as great news, but that silly notion is held by ‘fans’ only desperate for more films at whatever the cost. The storyline has been told and brought full circle.

The viewers have witnessed Lucas explain the rise and the fall of the Jedi Or-der. There is nothing else to see unless the studio wants to delve into the expanded universe outlined in the books.

Conversely, Disney can simply release an action film perverted of any storyline which would only further trivi-alize the series, especially since Disney is geared towards marketable products.

This is suitable for the current low standard of Hollywood though with its recent disgraces and rehashed abomina-tions.

The “Star Wars” series also hold a somewhat darker tone. A few even end with the villain prevailing over the hero. Disney has rarely tackled, as the company is quite adept at making kid-friendly films with tame action and comi-cal albeit juvenile undertones. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”,“Frankenweenie”, and “Brave” are prime examples. Even the overrated“Avengers” carried that tone with its corny humor, exaggerated CGI and laughable pacing.

Any direction that Disney decides to go will only appear to replicate the al-ready existing films. If the films go for-ward, which is what the company planned to do with the latest movie, there is a pos-sibility of featuring tales of the children of main characters.

This ridiculousness might have worked in the novels, but it will seem repetitive to the original trilogy once brought to screen.

Besides, the story of a young boy or girl who sets out on a journey is one that most have seen numerous times. It worked for the original series due to ex-traordinary special effects that were ahead of its time and also because the film was released in 1977.

Alternatively, perhaps fans of the franchise will be lucky enough to get a product much like the space film John Carter, another Disney creation that was not only vilified universally by critics but also led to the resignation of the Walt Dis-ney’s Chairman Rich Ross.

Maybe the second time’s the charm.The “Star Wars” universe was ac-

companied by an enriched story with memorable characters, layers of depth, impressive moments of action, occasional romances and messages that ring true in the minds of fans years after their release.

It is now a mere empty shell of its former self, but some fans desperately cling to that idea. The series once car-ried a widespread charm; a universal ap-peal that Disney will no doubt mold into numbingly mindless entertainment.

PRO CON


BY AKEEM [email protected]

Should Disney make additional Star Wars films?

l TWITTER.COM/DARKTROY l TWITTER.COM/ABREWERSPEARMAN

OPINION11.28.2012 11THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

THE ZEN GUIDE TO INSENSITIVITY:SECOND CLASS CITIZENS


Real concerns aboutsafety on campus

BY CHAD [email protected]

Equality has been a struggle for us since the birth of our nation. It seems that there is always at least one major group that has their rights looked down upon by the masses, and is excluded or punished in some way. They are demonized-minorities; second class citizens.

America declared its independence from King George’s England in 1776 be-cause the colonials didn’t share equal rep-resentation in their government; they had the will of the masses imposed on them through laws that they didn’t have a say in creating.

Even before that, colonials held Af-ricans as slaves, a practice that continued for generations and was a catalyst to the American Civil War.

African-Americans saw their rights limited by laws that maintained them at a “separate but equal” status, and were not permitted to take part in mainstream soci-ety until very recently in our history.

Now, we see the rights of a minority being curtailed again.

Gay-Americans do not hold equal rights in most of the United States, and many are bullied or even killed for being who they are.

Only in the last few years have some states created laws granting equal rights to gays. And only just this month, on Nov. 6, were laws put into place in some states by the voice of the majority and not a court or congress.

In most states in this country same-sex marriage is not recognized, and in some cases flat out illegal.

Some feel that civil unions are

enough to satisfy the group. These people clearly aren’t aware that a civil union is not the same thing as a marriage.

Can people in civil unions file joint tax returns with their partner? Sponsor their spouse for citizenship if they are from another country? Have their union recog-nized by all 50 states? Get into an ambu-lance if their partner is taken to a hospital? Adopt children?

Unfortunately, none of these ques-tions can be answered “yes” 100 percent of the time, or not at all in some cases. In fact, in most states the answer is simply “no.”

These rights, however, are entitled for any heterosexual couple that decides to sign a marriage certificate.

The right that they is given as a mat-ter of birth, is a right that is taken for grant-ed by many, and sought after by people whose only misfortune is in not denying who they are.

Yes, a gay person could get married if they’d just marry a member of the op-posite sex. Is that fair? All they’d have to do is ignore who they are and live a life of unhappiness. That’s OK, right?

Do the rights of gays diminish the rights of straights?

If two men or two women get mar-ried, does that mean you are no longer mar-ried? No.

If two men or two women fall in love with each other, does that mean you stop loving your significant other? No.

If a gay couple moves in next door to you, does that mean the manner in which you conduct yourself inside your home must change? No.

Mitt Romney and the Republican Party both believe that gays should not even be allowed to enter into civil unions. This type of rigid “right-wing” way of thinking is the reason for Romney’s defeat at the hands of President Barack Obama.

President Obama is the first sitting president to openly state that gays should be able to be married just like everyone else. The Democratice party subsequently did as well.

Problem solved right? There is now equality for everyone because Obama says he believes there should be? Wrong.

Although the president endorsed gay marriage, it is a far cry from legislation be-ing put it into practice.

Even California, which is a Demo-crat-controlled state, voted to support a ban on same-sex marriage in 2008. A vote that has been struck down by two courts as un-constitutional because it limits the rights of a particular group for no other reason than tradition. It is still being appealed by Prop-osition 8 supporters, and will likely end up before the Supreme Court.

One of Proposition 8’s chief sup-porters, David Blankenhorn, has even re-canted his position on the matter, realizing the ideal he was originally fighting for was, in fact, state-sanctioned discrimination.

“For me, the most important [thing] is the equal dignity of homosexual love,” said Blankenhorn, president of the New York-based Institute for American Val-ues. “I don’t believe that opposite-sex and same-sex relationships are the same, but I do believe, with growing numbers of Americans, that the time for denigrating

or stigmatizing same-sex relationships is over. Whatever one’s definition of mar-riage, legally recognizing gay and lesbian couples and their children is a victory for basic fairness.”

Despite Blankenhorn’s change of heart, it has not revolutionized the way people feel about gays. One person’s change of heart does is not reflective our our hateful-human nature, nor does it cor-rect the damage that was caused by his original hatred of people that are different than he is.

Although Blankenhorn changed his position on same-sex marriage rights, it does not change that gay marriage is not legal in California. It does not change the fact that gay marriage is outlawed in most states. It does not change the fact that un-less new federal legislation is passed sup-porting the rights of all Americans equally, same-sex couples will be forced to remain as they are; second class citizens.

l TWITTER.COM/DARKTROY

l TWITTER.COM/ARMBRUSTER_CHAD

See related video here.

As a concerned student at Fresno City College, I have noticed the lack of security on campus. I’m only in my first semester, but it has become apparent to me that FCC is not a safe place for students, staff and faculty.

Exterior cameras, security personnel, lighted walk-ways and parking lots as well as safeguarded restrooms seem to be lacking on campus.

In addition to the lack of cameras, none of the cur-rent cameras on campus align with the bike racks, leaving all bikes exposed with no protection.

Within the first month of the semester, I had a bike stolen from FCC. There was no recoverable video data of the incident. Administrative personnel said that more than 20 bikes a week were stolen from campus during the first month. To ensure that my bike would not get stolen again,

I purchased a U-lock. So far it has been left alone. Security on campus is more of a disposition rather

than a benefit. Patrolling officers are rarely seen outside of their vehicles.

Due to a lack of personnel, there is no one walking and patrolling around and through the buildings. The re-sponse time for emergency situations leaves something to be desired. There is no unified evacuation plan for students and staff.

The orange colored light bulbs in the light fixtures leave many dark spaces around campus. These areas of vulnerability expose students to risks and potential danger. Due to the poorly lit walkways at FCC, some students feel insecure walking to and from their classes and the parking lot at night. Parking lots are dimly lit leaving students and

staff susceptible to danger.Restrooms on campus are not monitored or pa-

trolled. During night classes, the restrooms are not secured

for personal safety. Some restrooms are in low traffic ar-eas on campus. This deficiency leaves students and staff defenseless whenever they use the restroom.

This campus needs more functioning security cam-eras, additional personnel for security patrols, better light-ing and protected entryways for restrooms. If the college takes all the necessary steps, it could lower the amount of crime and theft, and the safety of students, staff and fac-ulty would be dramatically improved.

OPINION12 11.28.2012 THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

Apple vs. Android, You Decide

Remember the reason for the season

BY COX [email protected]

BY KAITLIN [email protected]

The war between Apple iOS and Google Android has been going on for a long time now with Apple dominating the U.S. mar-ket in sales.

However, Android has been gaining ground recently. Accord-ing to global market research firm Nielsen, “Android finally edged out Apple in early 2012, nabbing approximately 48 percent market share.”

More fuel was added to the long burning fire when Apple ac-cused Samsung of copying some of its products and won the case.

Though it may seem like both devices operate on a similar platform, connecting their con-sumer as fast as possible with the most up to date technology, they are vastly different. For first time consumers of a smartphone, it is important to know the ins and outs of the latest mobile technol-ogy and what fits their needs spe-cifically.

According to an article by Katie Nielsen on “Toptenreviews.

com”. Apple is only going to continue to expand with its present fol-lowers staying loyal espe-cially with the demand of the recently re-leased iPhone 5.

Unfor-tunately for all the Apple fanatics out there, they only manu-facture one s m a r t p h o n e and that is the iPhone. There are three models available: the 4, 4s and the new iPhone 5. Each phone has a variety of stor-age configurations.

The iPhone is also known for its sleek and clean face but you will see pretty much the same

interface on every iPhone model. The iPhone 5 has 4G speeds and is arguably the fastest working phone on the market. It is much lighter than its predecessor the 4s.

Apple’s voice control

Siri is much crisper and detailed this time around. The iPhone 5 also has a much more improved pic-ture and video quality. But a common com-plaint about the new ad-ditions to the iPhone 5 is the new map, which has not been as reli-able since Apple’s split from Google Maps.

It has always been debated about which company provides a wider variety of apps than the other. They both have a massive selection of apps, but the bigger difference is how the applications are downloaded

on each system. According to the Toptenreviews.com article, every app sold through the Apple app store is fully controlled by the company itself while Android has several distribution channels.

Android unveiled their lat-est product, the Samsung Galaxy S3, back in May which boasted a 4.8 inch screen. They have also launched their own music ser-vice, matching themselves head to head with Apple.

I can proudly say that I am an addict of Apple. I have been a consumer of the iPhone since Steve Jobs introduced the original iPhone. I recently purchased the new iPhone 5 and in my opinion, it is the best phone ever assem-bled. I love how light and thin the phone is and now that it has 4G accessibility, it is a much faster phone than ever before. I really cannot go anywhere without it and I assure you cannot go wrong with this purchase.

l TWITTER.COM/COXTHAONE

The holiday season kicked off with a bang on Fri-day. The notorious Black Friday had customers waiting in line for days just to be a part of the “Christmas Deals”. It is at this point that we must ask ourselves: Where have we gone wrong?

Consumerism thrives on the holiday season because of the gift giving obligations that we embrace. Why? What has made money and gifts so important to this society?

In Dr. Seuss’s “How The Grinch Stole Christ-mas” the Grinch believes that the meaning of Christmas lies in the gifts that line the underside of every tree. Much to the Grinch’s dismay, Christmas came even after he at-tempted to steal it from Whoville.

“It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags!” said the Grinch.

Now, what can we learn from a children’s book? We can learn that there are more important things than presents, deals and gadgets. It is about being with those we love and cherish. That is what matters throughout the season.

Also, Christmas itself has become a gift-a-thon for those who don’t celebrate it as a religion. It has lost its meaning in general. As we decorate our homes and con-sume all that we can, there is more to be thought about.

What about those who have nothing and no one for the holidays? It is easy to turn away from such an un-pleasant reality but why do we ignore the less fortunate? The argument can be made donations to shelters and the Salvation Army supplement the difference but that is not entirely true.

There are still far too many people going without food and shelter for the holidays while the rest of us are warm and complaining about how we do not have an iPad. To those that volunteer at shelters and to those that donate, I offer my applause. As a society we need to stand up to-gether to face poverty and what better time to do so than during the holidays?

If we can come together to boost mere donations throughout the season, we can come together to take on the issue as a whole. It is time to end the superficial understanding of Christmas, for those that celebrate it, and the holidays for others.

When doing your holiday shopping this year I urge you to consider those less fortunate. I urge you to take on an air of responsibility for bettering one per-son’s life a day. Whether you make a donation, sit down and talk to the less fortunate or volunteer, a difference is being made.

Organize groups of friends and family to help

spread the cheer. Make your activity one that defines what it means to celebrate Christmas in the truest sense. Share that feeling not just with those around you but also those without the means that you have.

As students we don’t have much but we do have our minds. We can get creative about ways to help others and I know that we can make a difference this year. Extend your heart and hands to those around you to realize what the Grinch did. Christmas doesn’t come in a bag.

l TWITTER.COM/K_C_REGAN

OPINION11.28.2012 13THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

SPORTS14 11.28.2012 THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

Sergeant First Class Tommy Ramirez 559-994-6358 NATIONALGUARD.com • 1-800-GO-GUARD

PAY OFF YOUR EDUCATION

Tuition costs shouldn’t stop you from reaching your goals in life. By joining the Army National Guard, you’ll receive the money you need to help pay for college as well as the skills and training you need to get the career you want. If you’re looking to get through college, with the Army National Guard, you can!

AMS-02_5.933x5_Ramirez.indd 1 2/21/12 9:25 AM

A match that began with promise ended up sour for the Fresno City College women’s soccer team. The Rams faced the Sierra College Wolverines in the

third round of the Northern Cali-fornia Regional playoffs and took the lead in the 19th minute when Sara Reed found sophomore midfielder Emily Hinson for the score.

Energized by the goal, the Rams stepped up their defense and held Sierra College scoreless

for the rest of the half.But then came the second

half and it was the Wolverines’ turn to celebrate.

In the 51st minute, FCC keeper Jasmine Cordova blocked the shot but Miani Mahannah found the rebound and scored the header to tie the game at 1-1.

Mahannah didn’t stop there. In the 81st minute she received the ball from Caroline Stromick to score her second goal of the game and give Sierra a 2-1 lead.

With the home crowd urg-ing them on, the Rams were awarded a corner in stoppage time. But the cross fell harmlessly into the hands of the keeper and the Wolverines stormed the field in celebration of their trip to the state championship.

“We kept battling and we were hoping to get one in but it didn’t quite work out,” said fresh-man forward Jenna Thomason. “We did well on defense but a couple slipped in.”

Thomason led the Rams this season with 17 goals and 13 assists.

“It was a pleasure to work with all the sophomores and the freshmen this year. I can’t wait till next year,” she said.

The key for Sierra College was to put more pressure on the Rams.

“At halftime we talked about putting them under more pressure,” said Sierra College head coach Jason Gantt. “We started putting more pressure up high and both goals came from putting pressure.”

The Wolverines defense also did its job in the second half.

”Our defense was unreal,” said Gantt. “Our back four won the game for us.”

Mahannah was impressed with how her team never gave up.

“We knew that once they scored, it wasn’t the end of it,” said Mahannah. “At the begin-ning of the game, I wasn’t happy because we got excited with ev-ery chance we got but towards the end we kept our composure and we started working togeth-er.“

In addition to Mahannah’s two goals, Sierra College took advantage of a strong perfor-mance from the midfielders.

“We came out flat and gave them too much space but we were going to keep fighting and win,” said midfielder Giuliani Grana. ”The game plan was to pressure them and just know that they are beatable.“

Though it was a tough loss for the Rams, head coach Oliver Germond had a lot to be proud of.

“We lost nine of our start-ers from last year. We didn’t know what to expect,” said Ger-mond. “ We started the season 1-3 so to get this far and be the No.1 seed is a great achieve-ment. I’m proud of what we have done.”

Fresno City College men’s soccer team suffered a loss by way of penalty kicks in the second round of the Northern California Regional playoffs.

The Rams’ were trailing Cabrillo College by one goal at 90 minutes before Eligio Morales took the game into overtime with a 93rd minute injury time equalizer. The teams played an additional 30 minutes but they could not be separated.

Fresno, seeded No.5 in the northern region, were expected to go through into the next round, but Cabrillo College, seeded No. 13, had already caused an upset when they defeated No. 4 ranked Santa Rosa in the previous round.

Cabrillo College started off brightly, but they were re-stricted to two early shots from distance, neither of them trou-bled the Rams’ goalkeeper.

Fresno took a while lon-ger to settle, but started to cre-ate a few chances. Duce Bell headed over from a corner kick and Morales shot wide within the first ten minutes.

The first half was a tight game, the best chances for both teams came from set pieces. Cabrillo had free kicks in dangerous positions but twice the Rams’ wall did its job and blocked shots. Adrian Plascencia delivered some

dangerous corners, but the Rams just couldn’t direct the ball into the goal.

The Rams created plen-ty of chances to go ahead in the second half, but it was Cabril-lo who took the lead against the run of play. The ball was passed infield from the left and the Cabrillo attacker scuffed a shot which fell into the path of a teammate on the right who drove the ball hard and low underneath the goalkeeper.

Frustrations grew, but the Rams’ didn’t give up. Even at one goal down so late in the game, goalkeeper Cesar Her-nandez was confident there would be a goal to celebrate.

“We always had faith in our attackers,” he said.

In stoppage time, Mo-rales skipped past defenders on the right and shot the ball at near post, to beat the Cabrillo goalkeeper and take the game into overtime.

The Rams had chances to score near the end of over-time, but the game would be decided on what Paolo Car-bone, head coach of Cabrillo described as “a lottery.” Car-bone was proud of how his team reacted.

“Getting scored against in the last minute, most other teams would put their heads down…they found an extra motivation to stick together as a group and go to penalty kicks and win,” he said.

Eric Solberg, head coach for the Rams was disappointed with the game.

“We didn’t play well, we never got going,” he said. “I thought it was one of our worst games of the year in terms of what was at stake and our energy level.”

Bell agreed. “We had no energy at all….we just weren’t ready to play,” he said.

Cesar Hernandez felt that the Rams were not focusing on Cabrillo.

“We weren’t living in the moment,” he said. “We were looking past them.”

Hernandez will be return-ing as a sophomore next season and he aims to improve on his first season. He plans on “not tak-ing teams for granted” when the Rams go into games believing they will win.

James Bitter, Rams de-fender, felt there was room for improvement.

“We played fine, but you can’t play fine in the playoffs,” he said. “You have to play a lot better than that.”

Solberg has to look to next season now.

“We’ve got to bring the guys back, recruit some more and keep trying to grow,” he said. “As far as this season goes, it was a solid year, nothing more than that.”

Rams come up short in a thrillerBY CARL [email protected]

Women’s soccer season ends against Sierral TWITTER.COM/UKCARL54

l TWITTER.COM/THERAMPAGEGUY

BY TOMAS [email protected]

Photo by Abel Cortez. FCC goalkeeper Cesar Hernandez looks on as Cabrillo College celebrates a win and a trip to the championship.

SPORTS11.28.2012 15THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

Rams come up short in a thriller

Transferring?finish school Your WaY!

800.NAT.UNIV | getinfo.nu.edu/transfer

NATIoNAl UNIVersITy®

© 2

012

Nat

iona

l Uni

vers

ity 1

0591

» streamlined admissions

» no enrollment fee

» flexible scheduling

» a unique one-course-per-month format

» scholarship programs

At National University, we know you can’t sit in class all day or lock yourself in a library. You want to finish your degree and move on into a new career. National University makes that possible.

The UniversiTy of valUes

FresNo CAMPUs20 E. River Park Place West559.256.4900

ScoreboardEvent ScoreFootball State Center Bowl

Butte College-31FCC-17

WrestlingState Dual Meet Championship

FCC - 34Mount San Antonio - 12

Men’s BasketballPalomarTournament

FCC 59Miramar- 57

Women’s Basketball@Merced Nov.17

Santa Rosa-76FCC-70

CROSS COUNTRY TEAM FINISHES STRONGThe Fresno City College cross

country team capped off their season with a solid performance at the Califor-nia Community College Cross Country Championships on Nov. 17.

Matt Airlola from American River finished first place overall in the men’s four mile race while Katie Castro from De Anza took first place in the women’s race.

Orange Coast took first place overall in team scores for the women’s teams with a time of 1:34:52 and in the men’s race American River College placed first in team scores with a time of 1:43:31.

For the Rams, the men took 14th place overall in the meet highlighted by a 10th place finish from sophomore run-ner Germay Tesfai, who set a personal record and earned All-American honors while fighting a cold.

“I got really sick before. I felt a little discouraged, but by race day I felt better and I was aiming for top 14 which would earn me All-American honors. I ended up taking tenth place and over-came my sickness,” said Tesfai.

Freshman Marty Rowell finished with a personal record time of 21:23 and Juan Navia finished with a time of 24:04:29, Ben Cabrera finished close after with a time of 22:05:65, freshman Scott Ramirez finished with a time of 23:42:63, freshman Garret Sons finished with a 23:53 time and sophomore Martin Ramirez finished with a time of 23:33.

Tesfai was very pleased with the teams overall performance and their in-dividual personal records.

“Most of the guys PR’d so we all did great as a whole. I knew if I was

BY COX [email protected]

l TWITTER.COM/COXTHAONE

feeling good with one mile to go, that I could smash my personal record, I was very happy,” said Tesfai.

With Tesfai’s career at Fresno City College now over, he is looking forward to his future at a higher level.

“I want to continue my career as a student athlete at the university level and reach my full potential,” said Tesfai.

In the women’s race, the Rams placed 26th in overall standings with runners Sandra Navarro and Megan Ger-brandt finishing with an identical time of 20:54, freshman Nora Cantor finished with a time of 21:13, Rebeckah Madison finished with a time of 22:14 and Kayla Burnett capped of a solid afternoon with a time of 26:50.

Cross country head coach Gary Bluth was very happy with the team’s overall performance this year.

“I was very happy with our re-sults, the fact that both teams qualified for the state championships and almost all of the kids ran lifetime bests at the meet,” said Bluth. “The key factor was Germay Tesfai not only ran his fastest time on the course by 25 seconds, but he placed tenth overall which kept him ranked No. 2 in the north and earned him All-American honors.”

Bluth was very proud of his team’s endurance and dedication throughout the season.

“The only thing you can ask for is for an athlete to do their best,” said Bluth. “When they do that regardless of what place they come in, you have to be happy with their results, and they com-peted extremely well.”

Photo by Brendan Raley. Sophomore runner Germay Tesfai earned All-American honors in his last race at FCC.

SPORTS16 11.28.2012 THERAMPAGEONLINE.COM

FontsBerthold Akzidenz Grotesk (Regular, Extra Bold Condensed, Medium Extended), Times (Regular)

ImagesANG logo CALIFORNIA blue.eps (26.4%), 110627-F-RC891-946 -240 maxD.jpg (CMYK; 199 ppi; 150.59%)

Inks Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS 7411 C

Job: 11999 CA ANG MP Fresno City College 10x7.5 1

ScaleTrimBleedLive

Built AtOutput At

1” = 1”10” w x 7.5” h 10” w x 7.5” h10” w x 7.5” h 10” w x 7.5” h10” w x 7.5” h 10” w x 7.5” h

100%100%

SPECS

None

Fresno City College

NOTES

PUBLICATIONS

ADCWACGD

ChristinaRosser NoneJess

TEAM FONTS & IMAGES

NoneFrom Steve’s MacPro11999 ANG MP Fresno City College 10x7.5.indd By Steve Karr / Jess Buchanan Printed At:

Round:

Client

Date/Time

ANG

8-7-2012 5:30 PM

As a member of the Air National Guard, you’ll develop the advanced skills you need to compete in today’s economy. And because you serve part-time, you can use your abilities to get ahead in your civilian career. All while receiving generous benefits and the chance to serve your community and country with pride.

MAINTAIN

AIRCRAFT.SUPERCHARGE YOUR CAREER.

GoANG.com/CA 1-800-TO-GO-ANG

T:10”

T:7.5”

The Fresno City College women’s Volleyball defeated Sierra in five games on Tues-day night to advance to the state championships.

Fresno City College came into the match with a re-cord of 25-1 while the Sierra Wolverines had a record of 23-6.

“That’s an amazing team on the other side. We knew that coming in,” said Schulte about the Sierra wolverines.

FCC won the first game by the score of 25-22 but lost the second and third games. This was the first time in the playoffs that the volleyball team had lost a game.

The Rams faced elimina-tion in the fourth set but were able to hold off the Wolverines and win the game by the score of 26-24. The final game had the entire crowd in the gym on their feet as FCC pulled out the victory with a score of 15-13.

“It was exactly what we expected it to be. We came into practice saying it could be three (sets), it could be five (sets),” said Schulte.

FCC relied heavily on freshman Morgan Dose who had 15 kills and Sophomore Courtney Thacker who had

50 assists in the game. Mcken-zie Buchanan finished the game with 22 digs.

This concludes a three game stretch for the Rams in which they hosted playoff teams as the No. 1 seed. The Rams first playoff game came against Dia-blo Valley.

Though the Rams felt they underestimated their opponent in that match, they still came away with a victory in three games.

After the game against Di-ablo Valley, FCC player Court-ney Thacker said “this game was not our best. We were kind of slow. I think because they were seeded No.16 and we were No.1, we came in kind of slow.”

Thacker finished with 17 assists against Diablo Valley.

Central Valley Conference MVP Toni Murphy thought the team needed a “better mindset” after their first playoff game.

She said the team needed “more talking, covering more and just being aggressive on the court.”

The second round saw the Rams come in more prepared than the week before and take on the Gavilan Rams in a game that ended in three sets but was a constant battle throughout.

The scores of the three games were 25-16, 25-23 and 25-23.

Sophomore Toni Murphy

had ten kills and ten digs while Madison Rhinehart had 8 kills and 6 digs.

Following the Saturday night game against Gavilan, Shulte said “We didn’t do a whole lot in particular but we talked about the way we played on Tuesday, which wasn’t go-ing to be enough to get where we want to be in the end. I don’t think we played as crisp and clean as we could have but it was definitely an improvement over Tuesday.”

Following the Gavilan game, Schulte said “In playoff time you always have to expect them (the games) to be close, for sure, so to be done in three is a good sign for us so we can go home and rest up.”

The Rams will now move on to the state championships at Chabot College in Fullerton.

This is a return to the state championship for Schulte, who last took the Rams to the state championship in 2008.

Schulte said the team is ready to face any opponent.

“We’re ready for it. We’re looking forward to it,” said Schulte.

“We deserve the shot. We’ve earned the opportunity to be there and I’m expecting good stuff from us when we get there.”


SCHULTE LEADS RAMS BACK TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Photo by Paul Schlesinger. Fresno City College volleyball out-side hitter Toni Murphy #6 tries to toss the ball over Sierra College Wolverines setter Madi Macauley #1 during their game last night.


Documents

Fall 2012 Issue 7