The Mesa PressVolume 55, Issue 6 The Independent Student Publication of San Diego Mesa Collegev v May 8, 2012

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NEWS

OPINION

FEATURES

SPORTS

Mesa swim, dive finishes on top Page 8

Foodies talking about Gossip GrillPage 5

Hologram brings back TupacPage 2

Finals get easier with study tipsPage 6

Lauren J. Mapp/Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Takeda/Contributing Photographer

Photo courtesy of Google Images

Nicholas Santiago/Photo Editor

President Luster takes time to reflect on her first yearRASHAD MUHAMMADStaff Writer

Mesa to build through summer Page 7

Nicholas Santiago/Photo Editor

San Diego Community College District, which includes San Diego Mesa, City and Miramar, will have a limited sum-

mer school session for those enrolled in certain programs, like nursing, that require classes to be taken over summer.

Summer school for the general population of students will not occur and students who wish to continue their education over summer are encouraged to look off campus to another college.

Colleges around the county are offer-ing summer classes with both online and on campus sessions. These colleges include Mira Costa, Palomar, Cuayamaca, Grossmont and Southwestern. There is more information re-garding registration dates and unit costs on each college website.

If attending summer school at another col-lege is not an option, than attempting to join the work force is a sound alternative.

The Mesa College Career Center is an ideal place to begin. It is located in MV-20 and has all the information one needs to begin their path towards a career.

They offer career workshops, which in-clude resume writing and how to use your de-gree to get a job. The Career Center also offers employment listings, interview help and career counseling designed to help students make an easy transition to the workforce.

A happy employee enjoys their job and glassdoor.com compiled a list of the 50 best places to work at which was voted on by over

Dr. Pamela T. Luster has been president of San Diego Mesa College since July 2011. Luster earned a B.A. and M.A.

in speech pathology and audiology at San Jose State University, and an Ed.D. at Field-ing Graduate University. On April 27, Luster talked to The Mesa Press about her influences, what it’s like to be in a position of power, and Mesa’s future.

The Mesa Press: Anything students should know before we officially get started?

Pamela Luster: Yeah, follow me on Twitter (@SDMesaPrez)! I’d like it if more students would tell me what they want to know. That helps me help them more than they realize.

MP: When you became president of Mesa, what topped your agenda?

PL: Most people will tell that you really have to understand the culture of a place be-fore you go in and start changing things, so I would say my No. 1 thing was to not come in and change anything right away. I chose to do this because it’s not fair to you or the people that have come here and built this wonderful institution. So I didn’t come here and imme-diately want to change things, other than park-ing, before I was aware of what was going on at Mesa. But after being here for some time, I found that getting your message out there is not an easy task when you consider the enor-mity of the campus. One thing that I wanted to do after I got here was to bolster our college foundation so that we could start raising pri-vate funds to augment those things we could no longer do with the state funds. So I’ve spent a lot of time with our college foundation trying to get them situated so that we could start do-ing more fundraising.

MP: How do you feel you’ve done so far as Mesa president?

PL: Now that it’s almost May, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. There are some days that I feel like I’m still just walking through the door and I’m just beginning to learn. When I first came in and laid out my goals, I had a very ambitious list of things that I thought I could do. But I later realized that I just needed to hang on for the ride and really just experi-ence everything as Mesa is and not just change everything right away. So I would say that I’ve been a good observer and listener.

MP: What’s your take on California’s fi-nancial crisis and how it affects Mesa?

PL: My take on that is that California is sort of deadlocked in this ideological battle over what’s important. Social services think they’re important, higher ed thinks it’s impor

where I work and what I do and what this building consists of,” Dolores Barbour said.

Her son Makiely Barbour was excited to come to the campus.

“I like seeing my mom at work and miss-ing school,” Makiely Barbour said.

What Dolores Barbour hopes her sons got out of the experience was that they really do need a good education to get a good paying job and that work is not all fun and games, and that work is necessary.

Roa and Esguerra believe that Take Your Son or Daughter to Work will help promote community college.

San Diego Mesa College hosted Take Your Son or Daughter to Work Day on April 26. Outreach Coordinator Gen-

evieve Esguerra and Pattee Roa from Mesa College’s Transfer Center organized the event.

This is Esguerra’s and Roa’s fourth year organizing the day together. This year, 26 kids joined their parents at work, the largest num-ber they have ever had.

The children’s day started with a welcom-ing in the morning were the kids were able to purchase food items with vouchers given to them.

Esguerra and Roa coordinated with the Associated Student Government so that they’d get time with the kids where they set-up crafts, which include posters, a balloon popping game and puppets.

After lunch they visited the animal tech-nology facilities, the drama program and culi-nary arts department.

“The last couple years they’ve been talk-ing a lot about seeing animals so we were for-tunate to get animal health on board to help us out with the tour,” Roa said.

The children were able to see a lot of what goes on campus and where their parents works.

“It’s important for them to see their par-

ents work on the campus, kind of get a feel of campus life and the different departments that are here at Mesa,” Roa said.

“They get an idea of the entire campus and not just the office their parents work at,” Esguerra added. “It helps promote community college.”

Dolores Barbour works on the first floor of the LRC at the circulation desk. Barbour brought her three sons to work with her, Ray, 10; Makiely, 13; and Sam, 13.

“They love coming here and each year they have maybe one thing different that they are interested in seeing. They need to know

Summer classes, internships, jobs now availableCURTIS MANLAPIGStaff Writer

Teachers bring kids to campus for annual eventANNA REYNOLDSOpinion Editor

See President, Page 7 See Summer Classes, Page 6

San Diego Mesa College’s Outreach Program organized Take Your Son or Daughter to Work on the Associated Students quad area on April 26. Nicholas Santiago/Photo Editor

Dr. Pamela T. LusterPhoto courtesy of Mesa Communication Services

The Mesa PressOpinion Page 2 May 8, 2012

This publication is produced as a journal-ism workshop for aspiring journalists. All ma-terials, including the opinions expressed here-in, are the sole responsibility of the authors and should not be interpreted to be those of the San Diego Community College District. Submis-sions may be made to the address below.

To submit a letter to the editor, please in-clude your name (unsigned letters or letters signed with aliases will not be printed), age, major/profession, college attending (if not Mesa) and e-mail address. Submit your letters to the address below or by e-mail.

The Mesa Press Founded in 1966

7250 Mesa College DriveSan Diego, CA 92111Phone: (619)388-2630Fax: (619)388-2835

www.mesapress.commesa.press@gmail.comtwitter.com/themesapress

StaffSerapio AlvarezNguyen DoJay GarciaDana C. GriffithCarlos GuerreroNoah N. JohnsonCurtis ManlapigAshley MannRashad MuhammadNicole Perez-HallCarolina Solis

Information

Editor-in-ChiefLauren J. Mapp

Sports EditorJeff Ott

Photo EditorNicholas Santiago

Advertising ManagerJustin Wells

News EditorJoe Vilayrath

Features EditorJoe Llorin

Opinion EditorAnnamarie Reynolds

The Word: What are your plans for next semester?

“To pursue a BS in Sociology at UCSD.”

“Play Water Polo, take more Math and Science classes.”

“Join the Marines.” “I plan on taking more classes, because of all the cutbacks ev-eryone is trying to get into all the classes they need.”

Cory Delgado, 23 Psychology

Jim Altman, 33 Sociology

Anthony Salvatore, 20 Engineering

Raquel Avila, 25 Psychology

Ben Street, 20 Communications

“Probably going to DeVry.”

Staff Editorial:Death Penalty shouldn’t be repealed, but amended

Hologram artist puts on soulless performanceJOE LLORINFeatures Editor

Advising ProfessorChristy Scannell

On Nov. 6 California voters will have the chance to vote on a new measure that will repeal the death

penalty. The death penalty was reinstated in

1976 and has since executed 13 prisoners. The measure, dubbed the SAFE Califor-nia Act (Savings, Accountability, and Full Enforcement), would repeal of the death penalty and convert the sentences of the 725 inmates already on Death Row to life in prison without possibility of parole, which would then be considered capital punishment.

This however may cause a backlash from the families of the victims; of which may feel they’re being robbed of justice.

Supporters for the repeal, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, ar-gue that the rarely used death penalty is poorly constructed and is not worth the cost of maintaining. By ridding of the death penalty, California will be able save an estimate of over $100 million from not having to maintain the death penalty and from layoffs of defense attorneys and prosecutors specializing in death penalty cases. The money would then be used to solve unsolved crimes and rape cases.

A price cannot be placed on justice. To take away that closure from the griev-ing families of the victims would be a grave injustice to morality. By abolishing the death penalty the integrity of the jus-tice system is damaged.

The problem lies with the process of how the death penalty is carried out. Through lengthily trivial appeals by law-

yers, the process is effectively stalled, in-creasing the cost of the procedure. While the process is delayed, the state is losing money and there’s no progression to be made with the case.

Appeals generally give time for the defense to gather up sufficient evidence to overturn a decision. In this sense, ap-peals are necessary to save those that are innocent from being sentenced to death. But this system can be abused with exten-sive appeals being granted– so extensive that the inmates will likely die of natural causes than by execution.

Keep in mind that these aren’t regular inmates. They’re far worse than just mur-ders. These are ruthless criminals capable of unfathomable monstrous acts. To give these loathsome curs another opportunity to cause havoc is dangerously irrespon-sible.

A change needs to be made in the whole appeals process. Either shorten the lengths or grant them only on an over-whelming reasonable ground. Something needs to be done so that this system won’t be abuse and the state won’t lose money.

Additionally, in 2006 a federal judge ceased executions until new develop-ments are made to the death chamber at San Quentin Prison and to delivering the lethal injections, as the previous method was deemed inhuman.

It’s understood that the country is in an economic crisis and finding ways to cut cost can be troublesome, but to let live those responsible of heinous and irrecon-cilable crimes is not the solution.

When a holographic Princess Leia Organa first appeared in the

original “Star Wars” in 1977, it was groundbreaking. 35 years lat-er, this same technique was used to revive one of hip-hop’s best from the great beyond- “Maka-veli” himself, Tupac Shakur.

At this year’s Coachella Mu-sic Festival, when the icon rose mystically from the stage, look-ing as if he hadn’t aged a day, still complete with the signature “thug life” tattoo across his abdomen, the crowd grew silent as there before them stood the legendary Tupac in all his glory-except in holographic form.

He gave a nod to his old

friends Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and welcomed himself to Coach-ella (where he was never able to perform; the venue was created 3 years after his death) before performing his hit “Hail Mary.” After the short introduction, he was joined onstage by Snoop as they performed “2 of Amerikka’s Most Wanted” before practically dissipating at the end of the per-formance.

Aside from a few giveaways that Tupac was indeed a holo-gram, including him “sliding” during his performance and his feet being transparent, the holo-gram looked almost too real. So how was it done?

“There’s an overhead pro-jector that sort of reflects down onto basically a tilted piece of glass that’s sort of on the stage

floor. That reflects the reflection onto a Mylar sort of screen, and it projects in this sort of 3-D kind of thing where it allows the other performers to sort of walk in front of Tupac and basically interact [with] him,” MTV News’ James Montgomery said.

Contrary to belief, this tech-nology isn’t at all relatively new. The same idea is used by the Go-rillaz, a band who demonstrated this technique during their famed performance with Madonna at the 2006 Grammy Awards. This technique is also used in Japan, through popular animated charac-ters like Len Kagamine and Hat-sune Miku. Backed by a band of real musicians, these holographic characters sing and dance in front of crowds of people as they gyrate and fist pump with glow sticks to

high pitched techno and J-Pop. Dr. Dre, the mastermind

behind using the hologram at Coachella, is already planning to bring the hologram of Tupac on tour with him and Snoop Dogg. Although die-hard fans would love nothing more than to see the original Death Row Records crew reunited, music lovers can agree that it is only unethical to toy with the idea of “reviving” someone for the main purpose of making more money.

Now that this holographic fe-ver has hit the United States, ex-pect bands and promoters to take advantage of this technique as a way to “revitalize” tours, venues and events in the future. Those who complain about the incom-petence that today’s music brings would embrace the fact that their

favorite artists of the past are only a holographic remake away.

It would be undoubtedly incredible to see collaborations between acts that never had the chance to do so because of time constraints. It would be a treat for both fans and artists to see the original Beatles performing with Coldplay, or Jimi Hendrix playing alongside the Red Hot Chili Pep-pers. The now trending hologram technique wouldn’t be limited to just music. One can only imagine what the future of entertainment will look like.

Despite the endless possi-bilities, fans of music can agree that it is insensitive to erase the legendary statuses of artists who have left the world by bringing them back for the sole purposes of entertainment.

The Mesa PressMay 8, 2012 Opinion/Features page 3

New sex discrimination law assures transgender rightsDANA C. GRIFFITHStaff Writer

CISPA is the Patriot Act for the InternetNGUYEN DOStaff Writer

Women deserve equalitySERAPIO ALVAREZ Staff Writer

Ever since the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote, they have been progress-

ing up the system of power. Women have been traveling and collapsing most if not all male dominant jobs and positions for more than a decade. Yet we still have those few women who leave themselves in that region of sorrow. They allow themselves to be verbally abused among other severe retributions.

Why you might ask? They allow them-selves to believe that women as a whole are still inferior to the male dominance. The achievements become incoherent to the ear that does not wish to comprehend.

How can they be so ignorant to the fact that women have done so much to gain their position in today’s society? Now we have women owning businesses, leading corporations, joining the military and even running for president. This was unheard of just a few years ago.

It used to be a law that if a woman was married she would not directly inherit an inheritance but her husband would. Wom-en were treated so much worse back then that if compared to then and now they have multiple accomplishments and achieve-ments that have taken them out of that cat-egory of “inferior” to men.

Don’t misunderstand that sexists and female-prejudice men are gone, they still exist in this world, but that shouldn’t be enough to control the thoughts and goals of a woman. Women have been through years of struggle and are now increasingly emotionally, mentally and physically em-powered.

In the event that a man is indeed mis-treating a woman (in any environment) in any way, they have the power not only to report them but also prosecute them. Why should any woman be a victim of a dying sexist corruption?

The proper authorities and laws are now in play, some only composed for women to be more comfortable in Ameri-ca’s society, such as the right to vote.

CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Shar-ing and Protection Act, was passed in the House of Representatives on

April 26th, 2012. This bill is an amend-ment of the National Security Act of 1947; CISPA adds provisions to the Act that would define “cyber threat intelligence” as ““information in the possession of an ele-ment of the intelligence community direct-ly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity”. The bill was introduced into the House of Representatives on Nov. 30th, 2011 by Mike Rogers (R-MI).

Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union criticize CISPA for being too broad – the restrictions on gov-ernment surveillance power are inadequate enough to the point where information usu-ally cannot be initially shared with govern-

ment intelligence agencies can be released with hardly any effort. Companies such as Facebook or Twitter can intercept your messages and send them to the govern-ment and as long as it’s done for the sake of “cybersecurity”, the companies can’t be prosecuted.

“The Obama administration opposes CISPA. The president has called for com-prehensive cybersecurity legislation. There is absolutely a need for comprehensive cybersecurity legislation”, said Alec Ross, Senior Advisor for the Innovation to Secre-tary of State Hillary Clinton.

Despite the announcement, the chanc-es of a veto may be slim. Medical mari-juana dispensaries continue to be raided although Obama claimed that once he was in office, medical marijuana would not lon-ger be a target for the Drug Enforcement Administration. With this track record, one may want to keep an eye out for another prime example of hypocrisy.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled on April 24 that discrimination based on change

of sex or transgender status is considered sex discrimination in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).

This decision clarifies federal discrim-ination law in regard to people who iden-tify as transgender. This ruling was made by the EEOC after a California woman, Mia Macy, 39, filed a complaint with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when they denied her a job she had been promised after she informed them that she was intending to legally change her sex from male to female.

The EEOC found that her complaints had been erroneously split into two claims by the Bureau of ATF. Her complaint with the Bureau was alleging she discriminat-ed against based on sex, gender identity and sex stereotyping because of her sex change, they stated they would process her claim of sex discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and EEOC regulations and separately deal with her gender identity/sex stereotyping under the Bureau’s own adjudication process. She then appealed to the EEOC.

The fact that this government agency was so quick to deny this person a job be-cause of her non-traditional gender identi-fication is just a testament to our lack of justice in large organizations like the Bu-reau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Considering that she was al-ready viewed as a capable candidate for the job and had been promised a position, it seems foolish to then revoke that prom-ise because of her gender identity. She had the exact same qualifications, capabilities and references but they couldn’t see past the fact that she didn’t identify herself as a man. This wasn’t about being a man or being a woman. She was discriminated against because she was transitioning from one gender to another. This decision made by the EEOC is a step toward equality for all people, something so often spoken about in America.

The EEOC made this ruling in regard to a government sector, but the EEOC’s de-cision is applicable to the private sector as well. If you have been denied or fired from a job for sex discrimination, gender iden-tity, sex stereotyping, or any other form of discrimination, visit http://www.eeoc.gov or call the EEOC’s LA district office at 1-800-699-4000.

‘Sound of My Voice’ a hard film to followLAUREN J. MAPPEditor-in-Chief

Mystery, intrigue and more than a hint of wrong doing infiltrate the trailer, but screenwriter and ac-

tor Brit Marling’s newest film “Sound of My Voice” will disappoint anyone hoping for the next big psychological thriller.

Directed by Zal Batmanglij and writ-ten by Marling and Batmanglij, the film gives into the pretentious cliché that is the indie film genre today. A film like this that leaves you with questions is perfectly ad-equate if it sufficiently resolves the plot in the end- think “Donnie Darko” or “Incep-tion.”

“Sound of My Voice,” most unfortu-nately, leaves the movie goer with an un-clear view of what actually happened dur-ing the film.

As Peter Aitken (played by Christo-pher Denham) and his girlfriend Lorna Mi-chaelson (played by Nicole Vicius) drive down a residential street in Los Angeles at the beginning of the film, they are read-ing an eerie list of instructions that involve pulling into an unknown garage late at night.

Peter and Lorna are then escorted out of their car, into the house and to two separate bathrooms where they shower and scrub down in a fashion reminiscent

of Ethan Hawke as Vincent Freeman in the 1997 film “Gattaca,” minus the incinerator. They are then dressed in hospital robes, blindfolded, led into a van and driven to an unknown location with two other passen-gers, Lam and Christine (played by Alvin Lam and Constance Wu, respectively).

After being led down the stairs of a second, more sterile home, the quartet is locked into the basement, where they meet Klaus (played by Richard Wharton). A secret, bizarre handshake takes place be-tween Peter and Klaus, and the new mem-bers are welcomed to Maggie (played by Marling)’s cult.

Maggie, who all the members have prepared for on the outside and come to worship, is a beautiful, young and obvious-ly sick woman. She woke up one morning face-down in a bathtub with no recollection of who she was, other than her name.

As she struggled to survive on the streets of Los Angeles, she began to re-member the details of her life, but this newfound information deeply frightened her. She now knew where she was from, and that place was the year 2054.

“Sound of my Voice” continues on by trying to get the audience to figure out whether or not Maggie is a fake. Overall, the film’s premise was a great idea, but it failed in its execution. It was more confus

Movie Review

Photo courtesy of Google Images

See Sound, Page 6

Peter Aitken (played by Christopher Denham) is on the edge of an emotional breakdown as Maggie (played by Brit Marling) pries into his tumultuous past. Photo courtesy of Google Images

The Mesa Pressfeatures page 4 May 8, 2012

JAY GARCIAStaff Writer

Summer readings to keep students busy

1. “The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity” Non-fictionBy: Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy

Time Magazine editors and presidential historians Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy bring a fresh look at politics by giving readers what they’d like, the gossip about our past presidents. This elite club focuses on the exclusive relationships among our present day presidents and their back-room deals, rescue missions, secret alli-ances and enduring rivalries.

You’ll be reading the origins of how Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover established this complicated place where members’ experiences in the Oval Office are eter-nal. Some of the captivating secrets are how Ike quietly helped Ronald Reagan win his first race in 1966, as well as the pact between the Bush’s and the rivalry between Bill Clinton and current president Barack Obama.

2. “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” Non-fictionBy: Susan Cain

Mesa College students have seen them around cam-pus, we know someone who is “quiet” and prefers read-ing instead of partying. They prefer to listen and not talk and time and time again innovate and create wondrous contributions to the human race they dread self-promo-tion. One-third of the people we know are introverts. We do however owe introverts a salute of gratitude since it was them after all who invented the personal computer.

What most readers don’t expect is being introduced to successful introverts - from your typical smart allic to the adrenaline pumping public speaker who “recharges” in solitude after his talks. There are also record-break-ing managers. Finally, this book is of invaluable advice on everything from how to negotiate the pros and cons about introvert-extrovert relationships and being able to empower a introverted child so they distinguish when to use “pretend extravert.”

This extraordinary book has the power to perma-nently change how we see introverts and, equally impor-tant, how introverts see themselves.

3. “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” Horror & SuspenseBy: Random Riggs

Riggs does a wonderful job combining haunting vintage photos of children that are anything but normal with fiction. Adding a sense of realism, we open with 16-year-old Jacob who, after experiencing a tragic fam-ily accident, ends up in a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he stumbles upon Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

Being the curious teenager he explorers the spooky bedrooms and hallways that make it quite evident the children were more then peculiar, they might’ve even been volatile. It seems that there may have been a point where they might’ve been quarantined on this deserted island and with good reason. Although it does seem high-ly unlikely, the children might still be alive hiding within the shadows of the house.

4. “Imagine: How Creativity Works” Non-fictionBy: Jonah Lehrer

Many argue that you can’t teach creativity, but New York Times best-selling author of “How We Decide” brings a revolutionary new way of how the creative pro-cess works. Jonah Lehrer demonstrates that it’s not a gift you’re born with, but a distinct thought process that all of us can learn to utilize on a daily basis.

Lehrer unveils how vital it is to embrace the rut, day dream productively and adopt an outsider’s perspec-tive by traveling. Followed by ways students can make neighborhoods more engaging, our companies more re-sponsive to feedback and how our schools can learn to be more efficient.

“Imagine” reveals the secrets behind Pixar’s suc-cess and how their offices are shaped in a way that might spark the next big idea, Bob Dylan’s writing habits and the drug addictions of poets. Digging deep into the in-ventiveness of the human mind it’s an essential role in our increasingly complex world.

The Mesa PressMay 8, 2012 features page 5

LAUREN J. MAPPEditor-in-Chief

Gossip Grill leaves patrons talking for days

Gossip Grill is a trashy late night sleaze fes- wait no, that’s the tele-vision series “Gossip Girl.” Gos-

sip Grill (located at 1440 University Ave.) is a fun, upbeat and reasonably priced res-taurant in Hillcrest.

Part of the same restaurant group that started San Diego Urban Mo’s and Baja Betty’s, Gossip Grill offers a great vibe with a new and unique menu. Artwork – such as the Mona Lisa spinoff with a mus-tache and multiple versions of Marilyn Monroe – adorn the walls, and if you’re celebrating a birthday you’ll be the lucky recipient of a suggestive balloon creation.

Happy hour specials at Gossip Grill in-clude a two-for-one drink special, done in a unique way. Instead of having to buy and indulge in both drinks in one sitting, you can save your drink token for the second drink until the next time you’re there for happy hour. No more compromising driv-ing safety in order to get a deal on booze.

It is hard to find something that is better than pizza, but flatbreads succeed in this goal. Gossip Grill’s Italian Stal-lion flatbread offers diners the traditional flavors that customers know and love, but the Bleu Buffalo Chicken flatbread takes it up a notch with a punch from the buffalo

sauce and jalapeno relish. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Any run-of-the-mill cook can build a salad on a bed of mixed greens, romaine or spinach - all of which are played out, un-less you’re honestly trying to eat healthily while dining out. Good luck with that.

If you’re not a dietary masochist who wants to eat some bland lettuce while your friends consume pizza and beer, then the choice for you is the soba noodle and chicken salad. Tossed with shiitake mush-rooms, carrots, snap peas, peanuts, sprouts and sesame-ginger dressing, this salad is packed with flavor and innovation.

With one of the sexiest recipes in San Diego, Gossip Grill’s truffle mac and cheese makes the perfect accompaniment to any meal. The words rich, gooey and or-gasmic don’t even begin to describe how delicious the mac smells, and that’s before you put it in your mouth.

If you’re going through a mental checklist of how great the menu at Gossip Grill sounds and looking to see where they fall short, then here it is: noisiness. Well, it’s a bar that just so happens to serve some pretty killer food, so ever-so-shockingly it’s bound to be a wee bit noisy. Solution? Don’t bring your 80-year-old grandmother.

Gossip Grill’s buffalo bleu chicken flatbread pizza (above) and Ahi wonton appetizer (below) are great options to share with friends or hog to yourself.

Photos by Lauren J. Mapp, Editor-in-Chief

Mesa College students to exhibit their fashionCARLOS GUERREROStaff Writer

Head to the ‘East Side’ for a ‘Quick Fix’ during breakCAROLINA SOLISStaff Writer

Making preparations is not the only thing these young designers are worrying about, as they steer

closer toward the 31st Annual Golden Scis-sors Fashion Show and Awards. The San Diego Mesa College Fashion Department will host this event on Friday, May 11.

This annual event will take place at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina on Harbor Island. It will showcase the works of many young designers from the fashion program. There is an estimate of over 200 pieces to be featured with each designer showcasing three to five garments. The fashion show will be comprised of four categories: eve-ning, sports, fantasy, and the collections class. The collections class will feature work each designer has created within his or her own collection.

With fashion comes inspiration. 22-year-old fashion student Gustavo Vil-lalobos was inspired by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey for her style and musicality. Some of his pieces have in-corporated Del Ray’s sense of fashion: the American Flag and its familiar colors- red, white and blue.

The fashion program recently had open calls for anyone over the age of 16 willing to model in the event. Many Mesa College students will be be participating in the runway show.

Tickets in advance will cost $15 for students while general attendance tickets will cost $20. Cost for tickets at the door will be $25. Cost for the reception, auction and show altogether will be $50.

A library display advertises the Golden Scissors Fashion Show and Awards.Carlos Guerrero/Staff Photographer

With the spring semester wind-ing down, brace yourself for the warm summer ahead with some

cool, refreshing drinks. Mixologist David Kinsey of Craft and

Commerce in Little Italy recommends two popular drinks for the upcoming San Di-ego summer: the East Side Rickey and the Quick Fix.

East Side Rickey is composed of mud-dle mint, cucumber, simple syrup, gin and a dash of lime juice all put together with a quick shake. Then strain into a highball glass and top with soda. Garnish with mint and cucumber.

“The Rickey is a little time consum-

Recipe: East Side Rickey • 1 ounce fresh lime juice• 3/4 ounce simple syrup• 2 ounces gin• Mint and cucumber• Soda water

ing to do with the muddling etc, but it is nice light and refreshing. If you don’t like cucumber, you can drop it and, with just mint, it would be a Southside Rickey,” Kinsey said.

In comparison to the time consuming East Side Rickey, the Quick Fix is a faster drinking option for when you want a quick cool down.

Build the Quick Fix in a glass, give it a quick swirl and dump the mixture into a separate glass filled with crushed ice. Gar-nish with a mint sprig.

“The Quick Fix is quick and easy to make and is light and refreshing. It is also a great way to get people to drink Pisco out-side of the eponymous Pisco Sour,” Kinsey said.

Recipe: Quick Fix • 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice• 1 ounce fresh grapefruit

juice• 1 ounce St. Germain• 1 ounce Pisco

Photos courtesy of Google Images

East Side Rickey Quick Fix

The Mesa PressNews/Features Page 6 May 8, 2012

Calif. constituents will vote on primary electionsJAY GARCIAStaff Writer

California’s Presidential Primary Elections will take place on June 5th

where voters will be voting for two new propositions, U,S. Sen-ate and a Republican candidate for president. Polls will be open from 7a.m. to 8p.m.

Some things that San Diego Mesa College students might not be aware of are the new proposi-tions that will have a profound ef-fect in the future.

Proposition 28 reduces the total amount of time a person may serve in the state legislature from 14 years to 12 years. There are arguments in favor and against Prop 28. A recently discovered loophole allows politicians to serve up to nearly 17 years by filling partial term vacancies that doesn’t get counted as part of their limit. Prop 28 reduces the lifetime limit to 12 years and closes the loophole by imposing

a strict limit based on the number of years served in the Legislature, not on the number of terms.

The Los Angeles Times on Dec. 30, 2009 reported, “Two months after state lawmakers exempted a football stadium proposed for the City of Indus-try from environmental laws, the sports venue developer has contributed $300,000 to a ballot measure that would allow future legislators to stay in one office longer.”

Proposition 29 imposes ad-ditional $1 per pack tax on ciga-rettes and an equivalent tax in-crease on other tobacco products. Revenues fund research for can-cer and tobacco-related diseases. The state’s cigarette excise tax is currently 87 cents per pack.

If passed this proposition would take effect in October 2012. The total state excise tax, therefore, would be $1.87 per pack. The measure also creates a

one-time “floor tax” on the major-ity of cigarettes that are stored by business at the time the new ex-cise tax is levied.

60 percent of the tax money would be spent on cancer and tobacco-attributed Disease Re-search, 15 percent will pay for fa-cilities and equipment to support research, 20 percent will fund tobacco education and cessation, 3 percent to help police stop to-bacco smuggling and enforce tobacco laws and no more than 2 percent will be spent on costs to administer Prop 29, including the costs associated with collect-ing and distributing Prop 29 tax revenue.

According to the California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, in 2009 this tax was increased by 62 cents per pack (to a total of $1.01 per pack) to help fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides subsi-dized health insurance coverage

Thursday, April 19• Annoying/Threatening Phone

Calls: Occurred at MV27 Counseling. Student was very angry, very threaten-ing over the phone. They do not have his name, only a call back number.

Monday, April 23• Verbal Disturbance: Occurred at

Q100. Reporting Party received threats of battery from fellow student, White Female Adult, 20. Reporting Party was in tap class Saturday 4/21/2012, asked White Female Adult to be quiet while instructor was talking. White Female Adult approached Reporting Party stated “Don’t you ever disrespect me like that again or I’ll slap you in the face” or words to that effect.

• Disturbance: Occurred at MV27 Counseling waiting room. 20-30 year old Black Male Adult 190 lbs.

Wednesday, April 25• Suspicious Vehicle: Occurred at

12:24am. Vehicle driving around Mesa College circle for the past two hours.

• Intrusion Alarm: Occurred at S205 at 12:33pm and H122 at 12:41pm. Un-known causes.

• Door Assist: Occurred at L503. In-structor has key but key is not working.

Thursday, April 26• Disturbance: Occurred at G Bldg

outside women’s restroom• Door assist: Occurred at S206.

Instructor arrived at classroom and dis-covered she left her keys at home. Class begins shortly.

• Flag Down: Occurred at PS1 Level 1 Fix it ticket.

Friday, April 27• Illegal Parking: Vehicle parked be-

hind LRC in loading area since morning. (Reported at 2:46pm)

• Door Assist: 2:09pm at K303 Stu-dent left waller and briefcase in the room.

• Door Assist: 6:55pm at P Bldg Dis-trict employee.

Saturday, April 28• Intrusion Alarm: Occurred at L101.• Trouble Signal: Officer initiated

Crime ReportCrime report compiled by Carolina SolisFor April 19 to May 2

activity at H Bldg. Recieved 2 trouble zone, only 1 restoral.

Sunday, April 29• Pedestrian Stop: Officer initiated

activity at Lot 2 making contact with 2.• Pedestrian Stop: Officer initiated

activity at L Bldg.Monday, April 30• Citizen Contact: Subject wants to

make complaint about officers on cam-pus. Reporting Party said he always has issues with them. Would like a call back from SGT. Subject hung up and refused to give his name. Left message on Reporting Party’s vm in case it was disconnected.

• Illegal Parking: Bicycle secured to a pole outside of K213. Facilities having difficulty passing with their carts.

• Citizen Contact: Occurred at Q100. Citizen wants to talk with an officer to get some direction Re: Civil issue with class-mate who is trying to make him pay for repairs to her broken computer.

• Hit and Run Non Injury Report: Occurred at Q100 Vehicle hit by another. She has photo evidence of the other ve-hicle. She moved her vehicle and does not know where it occurred.

Tuesday, May 1• Intrusion alarm: Occurred at H117

unknown cause.• Placard Check: Officer initiated at

H lot overflow.• Sick/Injured Person: Person was

heading up the ramp to the K Bldg, didn’t see ramp end and fell.

• Sick/Injured Person: Occurred at Lot 1. Person fell on fingers while skate-boarding.

• Person Down: 19 year old male fell at B101 in class, eyes fluttering UNK seizure.

Wednesday, May 2• Vehicle Lock Out: Vehicle parked

still running.• Intrusion Alarm: Occurred at S205.• Vehicle Lock Out: Occurred at PS1

Level 3.• Found Property: Occurred at H109-

111 Lost wallet and Driver’s License.

to children in low-income fami-lies.

Following the new proposed propositions voters also vote for a new U.S. Senate to run in the general election in November. Voters have many candidates to chose from: Republicans - Orly Taitz, Elizabeth Emken, Robert Lauten, Dan Hughes, Dirk Al-len Konopik, Rogelio Gloria, and Al Ramirez. Democrats - Mike Strimling, Diane Feinstein and Colleen Shea Fernald and for the Peace and Freedom Party, Mar-sha Feinland

The primary election for the GOP will also dictate which can-didate will be that much closer to the presidency, which will either be Mitt Romney or Ron Paul.

Students are able to vote in different ways.Voters can go to their local precinct to vote or vote-by-mail.

To vote-by-mail, voters must apply to their county elections of-

fice for a vote-by-mail ballot at least seven days before Election Day. Voters’ request must include include their printed name and the address, where they want to receive their vote-by-mail form, signature, and the name and date of the election in which they want to vote-by-mail. Once ther ballot is completed students many mail in their ballot, return it in person to any polling place, authorize a legally allowable third party to return it on their behalf.

In any case, the vote-by-mail ballot must be received by the time polls close at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Late-arriving vote-by-mail ballots cannot be counted.

May 21 is the last day to reg-ister to vote. If students would like more detailed information about candidates and proposi-tions please feel free to call 800-345-VOTE (8683) or visit www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov.

Continued from page 1Summer Classes

250,000 employees. Student friendly jobs that crack the list include Apple, Costco and Star-bucks.

Another source for job and internship information is to go online to jobconnect.sddcd.edu.

There are many categories to choose from that have informa-tion on any particular job and how to prepare and obtain jobs.

For more information on summer school and or the Career Center, go to sdmesa.edu.

With finals coming up students are finding ways to cope with

stressing on essays, projects, and any extra work they can do to end the semester right. Studying can be hard especially when you have a job. Its hard to stay focused on one thing when there are so many things going on around you, but with the right mindset you can manage all of whats on your plate and be ready to wiz through fi-nals.

Provided by the bridging lab, here are some tips on how to study:

Always check your an-swers with whatever you are doing, refer back to your books

and do any practice questions or tests.

Ask questions. If you are con-fused on anything asking ques-tions is always the smart choice. Don’t count on yourself to try and guess on a difficult question.

Compare with other peers around you. This does not mean cheat, but see if you got the same answer or something similar. You never know you may have a dif-ferent ways of approaching the problem.

Don’t over stress yourself. The more you stress the more you wont want to study for what-ever it is you have in front of you. Manage your time and work. Set things aside and study one subject at a time.

Study in a place that you feel most comfortable in and has the

Studying tips for students to get through spring finalsNICOLE PEREZStaff Writer

least distractions possible. It can be hard to focus when other peo-ple are talking around you.

Take advantage of the re-sources around you. Mesa pro-vides tutoring centers for stu-dents, a library full of books and references, and professors with lab hours who are there to help.

Use online resources as well. There are websites that can help you step by step to solve prob-lems, write essays without giving you the answers and plagiarizing.

When finals are all over you should go and reward your-self for all the hard work and studying. Finals week is a long week of tests and essays, but in the end when you get the grade you deserve you will feel great about all the hard work you put in.

Mesa College Student, Stephanie Doan, sets up a study session in one of the LRC study rooms on the second floor in preparation for finals week. Nicholas Santiago/Photo Editor

ing and frustrating than it was incisive and poignant. Worst of all, it leaves the audience ask-ing themselves, “WTF?,” which was apparently the intention all along.

“’WTF?’ Like, ‘what the

…?’ was sort of how we felt, and it’s kind of like you’re always leaning forward a bit. You’re just like wait, what is happening in this movie? And it keeps draw-ing you in,” Marling said about the script in a recent Fox Enter-

tainment Group conference call.Though she is correct in the

fact that the audience was con-stantly leaning forward in an-ticipation for a dramatic event, the long wished for event never showed up for the party.

Continued from page 3Sound

The Mesa Press News Page 7May 8, 2012

Scheduled construction to be completed in AugustDANA GRIFFITHStaff Writer

San Diego Community College District hired McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. to build a Math &

Sciences building in front of the Learn-ing Resource Center at San Diego Mesa College. The project completion date for the building is August 2013, and Mc-Carthy is on schedule and under budget. McCarthy is the 10th largest builder in the nation.

“The dollar value of the project is around $88 million...the original budget for project was $92 million...we’re run-ning, give or take, a few million [dollars] under budget.” Ross Malik, Senior Proj-ect Manager for McCarthy said.

The building is meant to last 100 years or more. It will be 200,000 square feet, four stories, and will be made out of glass, and precast(a durable building material) It will include details such as a few amphitheater style lecture rooms, approximately 60 fume hoods, ter-razzo flooring, purified water systems throughout the building, a green house and astronomy area on the roof, lab

benches with bamboo veneers, epoxy counter tops, localized piping systems for lab gases, and more.

This will be the second time in SDCCD’s recent history that a build-ing will be completed on time and on budget, the first being the Allied Health building, which was also built and man-aged by McCarthy’s team. Although the scheduled completion date is August 2013, details of when students will be allowed to use to facility were unclear, according to Ross Malik.

“I personally have done a few jobs at UCSD for their research department....this job will be on caliber with those buildings,” Malik said. All of this is be-ing achieved under budget and on time, but also with very little lay-down space for the 100 plus construction workers to work with.

“Conservatively, I would project that they would probably start uti-lizing the building spring of ‘14 but that’s not really my place to say,” Ma-lik said.

Mesa gets rid of grace parking periodNOAH N. JOHNSONStaff Writer

San Diego Mesa College is going to remove the two-week grace park-ing period starting the fall semester.

Mesa College students will now have to obtain a valid parking pass prior to the start of the semester.

Previously, students were given a two-week grace parking period to help ac-commodate new and returning students in getting situated with the campus and class schedules, as well as to get a parking pass. Within these two weeks, students were able to park on campus without the need of a parking pass. But students will no longer have this privilege.

Students will be citied if found in vio-lation of the new parking regulations. The average price of a ticket is $60, depending on the degree and the amount time the of-fense has occurred. Campus police will be heavily monitoring student parking start-ing next semester.

A student-parking pass is required to park in designated lots across campus. Parking passes can be purchased online at https://studentweb.sdccd.edu/reg-e or at the Q-100 building for $35.

“It was suggested by the United Stu-dents Council,” Parking Officer Marita Leon said.

The United Students Council is a extra curricular activity for students that want to exceed more while being in the hours out-side of school. They made the decision to take away the two-week grace period for student parking at Mesa College.

There are some students that think the dismissal of the two-week parking grace period is unfair.

“Considering how many students pop-ulate the school they should have more op-tions for us as far as parking goes because lack of parking causes students to be late and effects their school work,” Mesa Col-lege student Jessica Viggs said.

Students are still unaware of the re-moval of the two-week grace parking pe-riod.

“We eliminated two week parking pe-riod because people that would never buy a parking pass that are just crashing classes would take up all the parking and the cause of this is not to collect revenue, it is to ben-efit the students who are taking classes and attending them,” Officer Debra Picou said.

Picou suggest that on the first day of class, students should get a one-day park-ing pass, which can be purchased from the machine in any parking lot of Mesa Col-lege, because spending a dollar for a day parking pass is a lot easier than having to pay off a parking ticket.

tant and prisons think they’re im-portant. When I think of it from a global perspective, we have “ide-ology lock” at this point, and peo-ple are either on the right or the left. That happens in a communi-ty college too where we’re saying we’re turning away students that we could educate and get into the workforce, which would help the economy but instead we are being cut. I don’t think it is a Republi-can, Democratic, Independent, or Libertarian issue. It is an issue of equitable access for students to be able to get into college. I don’t think the increase of fees is fair and I don’t think that the current budget conflict is fair to students.

MP: How does it feel to be in a position of power?

PL: The feeling changes from time to time.

MP: Does it change you?PL: I hope it never changes

me. It affects me from time to time because I don’t want people to treat me any differently. But it’s really scary sometimes to be in a position of power because when you look at the enormity or the physicality of the campus here where there are 24,000 stu-dents and hundreds of faculty members, you sometimes are a little scared because you don’t want to let people down. So I pre-fer for people to not put me on a pedestal.

MP: Is your biggest fear let-ting everyone down?

PL: I wouldn’t say it’s my biggest fear but it is something I think about. There are times when I wake up and I think to myself, “How is it that they are letting me be the president of a college?” I put my pants on just like every-one else does.

MP: It’s Women’s History Month. Who is the most influen-tial woman in your life?

PL: She is no longer with me, but my grandmother is the most influential person in my life.

She actually earned her degree in social work from the University of Oregon in the 1920s. She prac-tically raised me after my mom passed away in an accident when I was an infant. She was a really, really big part of my life. She and my grandfather really instilled in me the value of education, the im-portance of giving back to your community, and really just being a person of character. So in the back of my mind I always think “What would Grandma do?”

MP: What did she teach you?

PL: She really taught me how to deal with disappoint-ment. It’s not a subject that many people talk about a whole lot. But we certainly all have disappoint-ments in our lives. Just the whole idea that life isn’t perfect and the way you deal with disappoint-ment says more about you then how you handle things when ev-erything is great.

MP: Who is someone who has influenced you with whom you don’t have a personal rela-tionship?

PL: I have a real affinity to Sojourner Truth. I don’t know how to describe it other than we’re both tall. To be as inspira-tional as she was in the time she was in is just so compelling. It’s hard as president because you’re supposed to be respectful of all politics, but I’m definitely (also) a fan of Obama. I think that there are many things that he has faced in his presidency; I’m sure we all could all do things a little better. I think Michelle Obama is an amaz-ing individual. There are some days that I think she could just as easily be president (laughs). But I think the things she is doing with nutrition and childhood obesity are cool.

MP: Does it matter to you being a woman in a position such as yours?

PL: It does matter to me and not because of gender, per se. I think it is important in higher ed-ucation or in just leadership roles

that there are people who look like other people. When there are representatives of different groups in these roles, and they see people that look like them, people feel like they can be a president of a college or president of the U.S., or a teacher, or a fireman.

MP: What are your best qualities or character traits that make you qualified for the Mesa presidency?

PL: In terms of a character trait, I feel like I have tremendous integrity. I don’t mean that I’m perfect in any way, but I’m very careful to be authentic about the way that I interact with people. And when people come away from an interaction with me, I always reflect on how that went. So I would say that I don’t self-obsess a lot but I do self-assess. . . . My leadership is based on build-ing trust and being truthful with-out being hurtful.

MP: What are some things you like to do for fun?

PL: I’m pretty boring actu-ally (laughs), only because this job is more than a job. It’s really a big part of my life. But I love to go to the beach. I like to walk on the beach and swim in the ocean when it’s warm enough. I have a dog so I like to walk my dog in the canyon over at Balboa Park. I’m an avid reader so I’ll read just about anything put in front of me.

MP: What is your favorite book?

PL: I’ve read thousands! But probably “The Kite Runner” be-cause I think it shifted my think-ing so dramatically on the world. It tackled all of these precon-ceived notions people have about people who aren’t Western.

MP: If the educational field wasn’t an option, what would you be doing?

PL: I would be an exotic plant gardener on Kauai - or a sportscaster.

MP: Oh, really? What’s your favorite sport?

PL: It depends on whether it’s pro or college. For profes-

sional sports it’s football and my favorite team is…the Raiders (laughs). As you can imagine, that answer doesn’t always go over so well with Charger fans. But I like a lot of different sports. Boxing is probably the only sport I don’t watch and probably because I can’t stand to watch people cream each other.

MP: In your opinion, what makes a good teacher?

PL: Well, first they have to be well versed in their field and stay up to date. They also have to engage their students on a number of different levels and also respect the experience the student brings to the classroom and not just assume that they are an empty vessel waiting for you to fill them with your knowledge. On the other hand they also need to hold their students responsible and not just make the assumption that the students will just soak up whatever you throw at them. I think there is a mutual opportu-nity in a classroom for students to feel empowered and take re-sponsibility for their learning and then a faculty member tak-ing them on that pathway. I think that is when good teaching really happens.

MP: What are some things

you’d like to see changed at Mesa?

PL: Well, parking is one thing. When you think of Mesa and its geographical location (sur-rounded by canyons), it’s hard to figure out more places for people to park. We are working on some things right now but based on the number of current and incoming students, it’s tough but we are desperately trying to make the parking situation much better. I would also like to give the stu-dents more access electronically like putting the syllabi online and things like that, but parking is an issue I really want to tackle.

MP: What do you envision for Mesa and what do Mesa stu-dents have to look forward to?

PL: I think the future for Mesa is incredibly bright and the students who come here and take full advantage of the “Mesa ex-perience” are destined to be suc-cessful. Students will be able to use the student service building in the fall. Just imagine a build-ing where everything you need is right there. Financial aid, coun-seling, admissions, even a café shop will all be in the same place. When we find more opportunities for our students to be successful, students are going to feel it.

Dr. Pamela Luster dances to the “Electric Slide” with Chancellor Constance M. Carroll during the 2012 San Diego Mesa College Scholarship Gala on Friday, April 27. Photo Courtesy of Mesa Communication Services

Continued from page 1President

The Mesa PressSports Page 8 May 8, 2012

San Diego Mesa College’s Swim and Dive team won their third straight Pacific Coast Athletic Conference

Championship. The team also won the dual meet title for the fourth time in five years.

Named Coach of the year seven times, Mesa College Coach Jim Fegan has formed not just a winning culture, which every team and coach strives for, he has also made a championship season an expecta-tion for his team. Even though this team is composed of mostly freshman coach Fe-gan was able to get the team to buy into his philosophy and produce another team of champions.

While Coach Fegan deserves high praise for having his team headed in the right direction, it is the athletes in the wa-ter that had went ahead and continued to dominate like Mesa College has done in the past.

Led by freshmen Alina Duran and Di-ana Carreon at PCAC dual meet against Southwestern College the Olympians had scored a total of 214 points, almost five

times more than Southwestern. The high point total had earned the Olympians the title with Duran winning the 1000m free and 500m free while Carreon won the 50m free.

The dual meet was just a warm-up for Mesa College though. They went on to win the conference championship over Palo-mar, Grossmont, and Southwestern col-leges. That was not the only good news for Mesa though, Freshman Michelle Mcdon-ald was named diver of the year after win-ning the 1-meter and 3-meter dive events.

Six members of the swim team were all conference event champions; Danielle Carey, Duran, Jordan LaHaie, McDonald, Giselle Suarez, and Alisha Weaver.

Weaver, a sophomore named the PCAC Women’s Athlete of the week in February, had earned herself a spot at the State Championships at East L.A. College. “The season was challenging after all the time and effort I put on…[the] completion was most intense at conference and state,” Weaver said.

At state Weaver had placed fourth in the 100m breaststroke and seventh in the 50m.

Swim, Dive 3-peat as conference champsJUSTIN WELLSStaff Writer

In what already is a stellar coaching staff, The Mesa Track and Field team brought another decorated coach. San

Diego local and Olympic Gold Medalist Monique Henderson joined the Track and Field coaching staff as an assistant sprint coach.

Henderson graduated from Morse High School locally in San Diego in 2001. While attending Morse, she was a deco-rated track and field athlete and was 4-time California State Champion in the 400 me-ter dash.

Her remarkable career in high school earned her three San Diego High School records in the 100, 200 and 400 meter rac-es. Her time in the 400 meter dash earned

her the State and National record but the national record has since been broken.

After high school she attended Uni-versity of California-Los Angeles where she continued to excel.

In 2008 though, all her hard work paid off. Henderson qaulified for the Beijing Olympics in the 400 meter dash and the 4x400 relay. She won both of her races and became a 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist.

Henderson has since retired from the sport and looks to teach her experiences to the many aspiring athletes looking to take a path much like hers.

In addition to her Olympic experi-ence, Head Coach Renee Ross competed in three U.S. Olympic Trials. Distance Coach

Olympic Gold Medalist brings experience to MesaJEFF OTTSports Editor

As May 19 gets closer, sports around the Mesa College Cam-pus are coming to a finish if not

finished already. So you might be asking, what happened? Did we go to the play-offs? Did we win a championship?

Men’s tennis Head Coach Michael Hootner has brought a tradition of winning to the program and the 2012 season was no exception. Mesa clinched its fourth straight Pacific Coast Athletic Conference title on March 22. Coach Hootner and many of his players headed into the playoffs with high hopes as their season ends May 11.

Now if you didn’t know, Coach Hoot-ner also coaches the Women’s Basketball team here at Mesa. Hootner and his Lady Olympians had a remarkable season and finished 20-7 on the season and and a per-fect 12-0 in conference play. This season brought a 2012 Pacific Coast Athletic Con-ference Title, their first in 10 years. The Lady Olympians made the playoffs, but later lost in the second round.

2012 seems to be the year for Mesa sports. Head Coach Jaclyn Guidi and her

Conference championships aplenty for OlympiansJEFF OTTSports Editor

Monique Henderson, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, joined the Track and Field coaching staff at Mesa. Photo Courtesy of Robert Austin

Tom Hunt has a wealth of expe-rience being a 7-time NCAA All-American and compet-ed in 4 U.S. Olympic Trials. Throws Coach Jarred Rome is a current U.S. Olympic Ath-lete competing in the discus. Look out for him in London.

softball team also had a successful season finishing 24-7 according to sdmesa.edu. This record earned them first place in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference and their first conference title in 25 years. Playoffs began May 5 and continue through May 11.

For all you envious swimmers out there, Mesa’s Women’s swim and dive team took home the 2012 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference dual meet title, and the overall conference title. Mesa’s own Michelle McDonald was named Diver of the year.

This was also was a memorable one for the baseball team here at Mesa. The Olympian’s baseball team finished 20-15 for the season which was good enough for a Conference Title; their first since 2007. Playoffs began May 5.

Head Coach Renee Ross brought an-other Foothill Conference Championship. The Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams competed at high levels and took home the conference title. Southern Cali-fornia Championships began on May 5 and continue on May 12 here at Mesa.

Want to write for the Mesa Press?

Join us in the fall.

Find out how by emailing: mesa.press@gmail.com

A sports wrap-up