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The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010
Citation preview
THE RANGERYOU
GROW,GIRL
Women’s HistoryWeek explores
realities, illusions
A forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926 Single copies free
Vol. 84, Issue 16 Feb. 26, 2010
CENTRAL PARKING SURVEY 5
NAME THE PORTAL 7
INTV SEEKS PROGRAMMING 17
2 • Feb. 26, 2010 The Ranger
Chancellor: Dr. Bruce H. Leslie201 W. Sheridan, Bldg. B, San Antonio, TX 78204-1429Work: 485-0020 Fax: 208-8149E-mail: [email protected]
District 1: Dr. Bernard Weiner929 Manor Drive, Ste. 7, San Antonio, TX 78228 Work: 735-9151 E-mail: [email protected]
District 2: Denver McClendon3811 Willowwood Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78219 Work: 281-9141 E-mail: [email protected]
District 3: Anna U. Bustamante511 Ware Blvd., San Antonio TX 78221Work: 882-1603 Fax: 927-4557E-mail: [email protected]
District 4: Marcelo S. Casillas115 Wainwright, San Antonio, TX 78211Home: 922-6815 Fax: 923-3167 E-mail: [email protected]
District 5: Roberto Zárate4103 Buffalo Bayou, San Antonio, TX 78251E-mail: [email protected]
District 6: Dr. Gene Sprague14722 Iron Horse Way,Helotes, TX 78023Work: 567-5544 Fax: 520-9185E-mail: [email protected]
District 7: Blakely Latham Fernandez755 E. Mulberry, Suite 200,San Antonio, TX 78212Phone: 244-8879E-mail: [email protected]
District 8: Gary Beitzel15403 Forest Mist, San Antonio, TX 78232Home: 496-5857 E-mail: [email protected]
District 9: James A. Rindfuss109 Laburnum, San Antonio, TX 78209Home: 828-4630 Work: 375-2555 Home Fax: 832-8292 Office Fax: 375-0301 E-mail: [email protected]
Officials
San Antonio College, Dr. Robert E. Zeigler486-0959, [email protected]
Northeast Lakeview College, Dr. Eric Reno486-5484, [email protected]
Northwest Vista College, Dr. Jacqueline Claunch486-4900, [email protected]
Palo Alto College, Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzman486-3960, [email protected]
St. Philip’s College, Dr. Adena W. Loston486-2900, [email protected]
Presidents
Guest Viewpoints:
Faculty, staff, students and
community members are wel-
come to contribute guest view-
points of up to 450 words.
Writers should focus on cam-
pus or current events in a critical,
persuasive or interpretative style.
All viewpoints must be pub-
lished with a photo portrait of
the writer.
Letters Policy:
The Ranger invites readers
to share views by writing letters
to the editor. Space limitations
force the paper to limit letters
to two double-spaced, typewrit-
ten pages. Letters will be edited
for spelling, style, grammar, libel
and length. Editors reserve the
right to deny publication of any
letter.
Letters should be mailed
to The Ranger, Department of
Media Communications, San
Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro
Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-4299.
Letters also may be brought
to the newspaper office in Room
212 of Loftin Student Center,
e-mailed to sac-ranger@alamo.
edu or faxed to 486-1789.
Letters must be signed and
must include the writer’s print-
ed name, classification, major,
Social Security number and tele-
phone number.
For more information, call
486-1773.
Single Copy Policy:
Members of the Alamo
Community College District
community are permitted one
free copy per issue because of
high production costs.
Where available, additional
copies may be purchased with
prior approval for 50 cents each
by contacting The Ranger busi-
ness office.
Newspaper theft is a crime.
Those who violate the single
copy rule may be subject to civil
and criminal prosecution and
subject to college discipline.
Editor
Laura Garcia
Managing Editor
Zahra Farah
News Editor
Vanessa M. Sanchez
Calendar Editor
Riley Stephens
Photographers
Tyler K. Cleveland, Rennie Murrell, Alison Wadley
Photo Team
Scott Aranda, Scott J. Bajeck, Jennifer Charo,
Sharon Hensley, Sarah Janes, James Lazo,
Marisa N. Montano, Julysa Sosa, Robert Stofa
Illustrator
Juan Carlos Campos
Staff Writers
Ximena Victoria Alvarez, Jacob Beltran,
Michelle E. Gaitan, Joshua Sanchez Guerrero,
Steffany Gutierrez, John P. Kline,
Mary Lerma, Alexandria Maxwell,
Melody Mendoza, Celeste J. Nentwig,
Victoria G. Ortiz, Amanda M. Rios,
Brandy A. Santos, Tamara Sayles,
Michelle L. Tymrak, Reagan White
Production Manager
Jason B. Hogan
Web Editor
D.A. James
Circulation
Destiny Mata
©2010 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-4299. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The Ranger, the student newspaper at San Antonio College, is a laboratory project of the journalism classes in the Department of Media Communications, published Fridays except during sum-mer, holidays and examinations. News contributions accepted by telephone (486-1773), by fax (486-1789), by e-mail ([email protected]) or at the editorial office (Room 212 Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available upon request by phone (486-1765) or as a download at www.theranger.org. The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press, the Texas Community College Journalism Association and the Associated Press.
The RangeR
The Ranger • Vol. 84, Issue 16 Feb. 26, 2010 • 3
Online @ theranger.org
People slideshow
And the crowd roared
Associate vice chancellor explains adjunct faculty not getting paid
Armstrong’s pay never left college’s budget despite transfers
Complete Blotter
Go to www.theranger.org
for news and information.
A forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926The RangeR
www.theranger.org
2 Policies and officials
4 BlotterWorker injuredBy Laura GarciaPhoto by Rennie Murrell
5 NewsChancellor says faculty admits to liesBy Laura Garcia
District investigates centralized parkingBy Brandy A. Santos
6 People
15 Calendar
7 PALS renaming contest By Melody Mendoza
NLC credits transfer?By Celeste J. Nentwig
8 Q&A with HR chiefBy Laura Garcia
9 Rental textbooks soonBy Laura Garcia
10 Speaker says everyone goes to probateBy Jacob Beltran
An alternative tospring breakBy Steffany Gutierrez
11 Loston explains Title 3 job jeopardyBy Zahra Farah
16 Columnist discusses aftermath of Sept. 11By Riley Stephens
Photo by Julysa Sosa
17 Armstrong moves to media services from alumni relationsBy Celeste J. NentwigPhoto by Rennie Murrell
20 Fault line shapes city landscapeBy Victoria G. Ortiz
21 Local perseveres to Haiti adoptionBy Ximena Victoria Alvarez
Photo by Sharon Hensley
22 Young Leaders Conference By Steffany Gutierrez
District alert system test postponedBy Vanessa M. Sanchez
23 Castillo worked on behalf of students, staffBy Vanessa M. Sanchez
Project WORTH teams Big Brothers Big SistersBy Steffany Gutierrez
12 PremierePioneers made historyin new spheresBy Celeste J. NentwigCover illustrated by Juan Carlos Campos
14 Prospective writers page through adviceBy Riley StephensPhoto by Tyler K. Cleveland
18 Editorials Move fitness centerKeep VP hereFix Banner nowCartoon
4 • Feb. 26, 2010 The RangerBlotter
SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE
Feb. 14 – An individual reported
burglary of vehicle at Park Place.
No suspects.
An individual reported burglary of
vehicle at Park Place. No suspects.
Feb. 15 – An individual reported
eggs were thrown at her vehicle.
No further information available.
Feb. 16 – An individual reported
being struck by a vehicle while
walking from Lot 17. Vehicle
did not stop to render aid. EMS
refused.
Feb. 20 – An individual reported
theft of a bicycle, no suspects
located.
ST. PHILIP’S COLLEGE
Feb. 18 – An individual reported
being advised by a staff member
that his public affection with
other subject on campus were not
appropriate. Campus administra-
tion advised.
An individual reported damage to
district property. No further infor-
mation.
PALO ALTO COLLEGE
Feb. 12 – An individual reported
a small child playing in a car with
the window down. Everything
found to be OK.
Feb. 18 – An officer request to
stand by while facilities cut a
locker in the women’s locker area.
No further information.
NORTHWEST VISTA COLLEGE
Feb. 16 – An individual reported
lost district property. No further
action taken.
Feb. 17 – An individual reported
a disturbance in the parking area.
No further incident.
An individual reported a hit-and-
run incident. One witness present.
No further information.
NORTHEAST LAKEVIEW
COLLEGE
Feb. 18 – An individual reported
damage to district property. No
further action taken.
Feb. 19 – An individual reported
suspicious activity in men’s rest-
room. Subject located.
BY LAURA GARCIA
A construction worker fell
into a 20-foot deep pit near Nail
Technical Center shortly before 8
a.m. Wednesday.
The injured worker was trans-
ported to Brooke Army Medical
Center after city EMS and the San
Antonio Fire Department rescued
him from the pit.
The injured man is employed
by a Vaughn Construction subcon-
tractor. Lt. Juan Velez Jr. of SAFD
told The Ranger that after initial
examination, he believes the man
may have a broken leg and facial or
head injuries.
At about 11 a.m., John Strybos,
associate vice chancellor of facili-
ties, confirmed the incident but
didn’t have any information on his
current condition.
College public relations
released a statement through
PALS, student e-mail notifying stu-
dents of the incident.
The statement said the area
“poses absolutely no risk to stu-
dents or employees of the college”
because it is sealed off with fences.
Sgt. Ben Peña of the district
department of public safety did not
have any details on the case.
Vaughn Construction did not
return calls.
Contractor transported to BAMC after accidentRennie Murrell
District police along with San Antonio Fire Department emergency response teams exit
Nail Wednesday with an unidentifi ed construction worker who fell into an open pit.
The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010 • 5
By Brandy a. SantoS
Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam
Inc. was scheduled to begin work
today on a districtwide parking
survey to assess the value of com-
bined oversight of parking and
traffic throughout the district.
In its regular January meet-
ing, the district board of trust-
ees approved hiring the College
Station consultants for $60,000.
Civil Engineer Justin Reeves
said the firm will start by devel-
oping clear goals of the work that
needs to be performed, such as
collecting field data on current
cost, fine-collection, permit rates,
ticket revenues and site plans.
During field collection, the firm
will conduct on-site interviews
to determine traffic flow, areas of
concern and other intangibles that
are unique to each of the colleges
and sites.
Once the team completes its
survey, the data will be used as a
baseline to determine the durabil-
ity of ground parking versus garage
parking.
Reeves said the firm will pres-
ent parking scenarios to trustees.
According to the proposal pre-
sented to the board, the company
will present anticipated costs for
roughly 10-15 employees, office
space, transportation, technology
and ongoing maintenance for a
combined district parking and traf-
fic office.
Lockwood, Andrews &
Newnam, Inc., has 30 years experi-
ence in working with colleges to
improve parking.
Reeves said the landlocked
state of this college will challenge
the firm to develop a plan that is
unique to this campus.
The consultant’s proposed park-
ing and transportation service unit
will be in charge of ordering and
distribution of permits and issuing
parking and traffic citations.
Moving those tasks to another
office is intended to free campus
police to attend to more pressing
matters.
Reeves could not provide a
timeline for the project nor could
he address potential costs.
District investigates centralized parking, traffic office
By Laura Garcia
Faculty members are liars. Or at least that’s
what Chancellor Bruce Leslie indicated during
a Super Senate meeting Monday.
Faculty Senate presidents from all five col-
leges were present during the 1:30 p.m. meet-
ing with the chancellor when they questioned
why it took so long for him to respond to their
September vote-of-no-confidence statements.
Because there were so many lies and mis-
representations was his reply. Leslie confirmed
Wednesday night in a telephone interview that
he made it clear to senate leaders that the
documents they had produced were full of
falsehoods and lies. “They admitted it that they
made it up. A series of untruths. The documents
that they produced were all false,” Leslie said.
Leslie wrote his own statement to the San
Antonio Express-News and distributed it dis-
trictwide in December more than two months
after the Sept. 15 board meeting in which
Faculty Senate leaders of the four accredited
colleges in the district read statements on the
overwhelming votes of no confidence and the
objections to the chancellor’s leadership.
Leslie told The Ranger that if you do a side-
by-side of his response and their statements,
you’ll see the truths in what he wrote.
Jeff Hunt, Faculty Senate president here,
said, “I’m disappointed that the chancellor
would use a tactic like character assassination
of the faculty leadership.” He said the senate
was meticulous in choosing what to charge the
chancellor with and only included items that
could be backed up with instances and facts.
“The facts are all on paper,” Hunt said, add-
ing the chancellor has his own perspective, but
the senate focuses on reality.
Dr. Mary-Ellen Jacobs, Palo Alto College’s senate
president, said, “That is so wrong. That is absolute-
ly incorrect. I’m heart sick. This is a misrepresenta-
tion of our conversation on Monday.”
George Johnson III, St. Philip’s College’s sen-
ate president, said of Monday’s meeting that the
chancellor basically said he felt there were a lot
of points raised in the vote-of-no-confidence
statements that were incorrect.
“His sentiments haven’t changed. We still
feel the same way,” Johnson said.
Paul Martinez, Northwest Vista College
Faculty Senate president, said, “That’s not true.
We never said that. We never admitted that
there were lies and misrepresentations in the
statements.”
Northwest Vista faculty’s statement, present-
ed Sept. 15, compared administrators’ leadership
in developmental studies as worthy of a Dilbert
cartoon — unworkable and demonstrating a
complete lack of understanding of the task.
This college’s balloting drew 75 percent of
eligible full-time, tenure-track faculty, of which
97 percent voted no confidence in Leslie.
Northwest Vista yielded a 96 percent vote of
no confidence out of the 85 percent of tenured
faculty who voted. At St. Philip’s, 70 percent of
eligible faculty voted with 91 percent voting for
no confidence and called for his resignation.
Furthermore, Palo Alto’s faculty, with 91 percent
participation, voted 99 percent no confidence.
Jacobs, Johnson, Martinez and Hunt said they
still stand by the statements presented in the no-
confidence vote.
In a telephone interview Thursday Debbie
Martinez, administrative assistant to the chancel-
lor, was working on the minutes at press time and
said there was nothing in the agenda about that.
She said if it was said, it might have been a discus-
sion and she didn’t hear it.
At the Sept. 15 board meeting, trustees respond-
ed to the no-confidence vote by approving a new
three-year contract for the chancellor.
Mark Sadler, Northeast Lakeview College’s sen-
ate president, didn’t return calls for comment but
was present Monday during the meeting.
Chancellor questions faculty’s honesty
Dr. Mary-Ellen JacobsJeff Hunt Paul MartinezGeorge Johnson III
6 • Feb. 26, 2010 The RangerPeople
Pool power: Biology sophomore Alysson Klein from Brazil swims the butterfly stroke Feb. 19 in the pool in Candler. The pool is open from 1 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Monday,
Wednesday and Friday and 3 p.m.-4:15 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Klein swims for about two hours every day he can.
Tyler K. Cleveland
Poetry night: English sophomore Granston Loomis performs “Your
Cheatin’ Heart” by Hank Williams Feb. 19 at the Cheshyre Cheese
Club Open Mic Night in Loftin. The next open mic night is March 26.
Brandy A. Santos
Dietary needs: Nutritionist Tracy West of the San Antonio Food Bank uses a
Bill Miller’s BBQ cup as a visual aid during a wellness lecture on Wednesday
in Loftin. West explained that a large sweet tea contains 26 sugar packets.
Julysa Sosa
Dental needs: Daniel Breeden, distance education Web master, talks with dental assisting
sophomores Raquel Rasmussen and Margaret DeLeon at the third annual SAC Dental Fest
in the foyer of the nursing and allied health complex Wednesday.
Rennie Murrell
The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010 • 7
By Melody Mendoza
Project Phoenix, charged with implementing
the new Banner system, is not only replacing
the student information system, but also chang-
ing PALS, the students’ personalized access to
learning and services accounts.
The new Web-based portal calls for a new
name; that’s where students come in.
“The contest is a good way to get the mes-
sage out to students,” Roger Castro, district
director of information technology services,
said.
“This portal belongs to the students and fac-
ulty, so this gives them more ownership.”
Castro said the new portal is going to bring
the Alamo Colleges together.
Banner is the $6 million software program
that will integrate the Alamo College’s SIS into
a unified system.
Registration for fall 2010 will go through the
new Banner system, Castro said.
Registration begins in mid-April and Banner
will be ready beginning in April.
Also, PALS will be changing to a single point
of access available in fall 2010.
There are many benefits to this new portal.
Students concurrently enrolled in more than
one district college will be able to register in
one sitting, view and pay a single bill, and view
class schedules.
Students will have 24/7 access to all of their
academic information instead of the limited
hours currently available.
Students will be able to get into their
accounts late Saturday night or early Sunday
morning, Castro said.
Castro said the district doesn’t anticipate
any problems with the portal, but there may be
some confusion with registration.
The current PALS portal system will handle
registration for Maymester and summer ses-
sions, but students should be prepared to regis-
ter for fall semester through Banner.
The help desk is getting the correct infor-
mation about the portal so they can navigate
students, Castro said.
Affiliates of the Alamo Colleges are invited
to submit an entry in a Name the Portal Contest
by Monday.
Mail entries to dst-portalcontest@alamo.
edu by midnight.
Include name, address, phone number and
e-mail.
“We’ve gotten well over 100 entries already,”
Castro said.
The winner will receive a Flip Mino HD
Camcorder with FlipShare software and will be
notified no later than April 15.
For more information or to see contest rules,
visit www.alamo.edu/portalcontest.
District to launch new student portal for fall semester
NLC credits transfer to UTSA, not health centersBy Celeste J. nentwig
When Northeast Lakeview College was
denied an application for accreditation last
summer, a question of the transferability of
their credits began to be a concern for students
registered at the district’s newest college.
While UTSA has agreed to accept transfer
credit, other institutions, particularly health-
related and medical schools, are not willing to
take Northeast Lakeview credits.
The University of Texas at San Antonio and
the Alamo Community College District came
to an understanding in which the university
will accept credits from the college as long as
Northeast Lakeview seeks accreditation.
“We have not denied any credits from
any Northeast Lakeview College student,” Dr.
George Norton, assistant vice president of stu-
dent affairs at UTSA, said.
This does not hold true for Texas A&M and
the University of Texas Health Science Center,
nor for the Texas Chiropractic College and other
health career-related institutions, Dr. Beth
Lewis, vice president of academic affairs at
Northeast Lakeview, said.
Lewis said those schools have additional
accreditation boards that will not allow them
to accept credits from an unaccredited school.
She said these students will be accommo-
dated by the college if they plan to transfer to a
medical school or other related institution.
“We will transfer credits to one of the other
district colleges for these students so they may
be accepted to these schools,” Lewis said.
President Robert Zeigler and Vice President
Jessica Howard did not know how this would
work and referred questions to Lewis.
Lorraine Wright, processing manager at UT
Health Science Center, said the center will not
accept coursework from unaccredited institu-
tions and students must submit all transcripts.
“Whatever is on that transcript is what we
go by, not someone’s interpretation,” she said.
Wright said students can appeal the refusal
to accept their courses from Northeast Lakeview
on a course-by-course basis.
They need a letter from the institution,
course description, syllabus and the transcript
submitted to the appropriates dean, she said.
For more information call 486-5401.
Project Phoenix is sponsoring a Name the Portal Contest for all affiliates of the Alamo Colleges, especially students. The
district director of information technology services said it will help students take ownership.
Courtesy photo
Monday is the deadline for the Name the Portal contest.
8 • Feb. 26, 2010 The Ranger
By Laura Garcia
They’re working on it.
This was the answer heard most
frequently by college faculty when
they met with Linda Boyer-Owens,
associate vice chancellor of human
resources for a Q-and-A session
Wednesday.
Faculty Senate members gath-
ered in the nursing and allied
health center with a collection of
questions submitted by faculty
from throughout the college.
Boyer-Owens began the session
by introducing herself and explain-
ing that she started working in the
district in April 2009 and that many
of the items on the senate’s list of
questions were already on human
resources to-do list.
Dr. Dawn Elmore-McCrary,
vice chairperson of the senate and
English professor, said the most
universal question was in regard
to the confusing hard-to-read pay-
checks.
“I think it’s very confusing,”
Boyer-Owens said.
She agreed with
this and the HR/
Payroll/Banner proj-
ect team added this
to their short list to
be fixed.
“‘They’re working
on it’ is a very dis-
satisfying answer,”
said Carlos Corona,
math and computer
science instructor.
Boyer-Owens encouraged fac-
ulty to e-mail her with questions
and said she would do her best to
give a timeline of when they could
expect changes or updates.
Several faculty members shared
their experiences of not being able
to reach anyone in human resourc-
es by phone or e-mail.
“I just can’t believe that every-
one’s out on the same day,” English
Chair Alex Bernal said.
Senate mem-
bers noted that they
would e-mail human
resources employees
and would never get a
response. They would
have to make several
calls for action to be
taken on obtaining
personnel files.
Boyer-Owens said she had done
test calls to ensure her employees
were responsive in the past and
said she would do that again.
Senate members agreed a
rotary call system would be more
efficient than the current alpha-
betized sections designated to rep-
resentatives. That way if someone
calls, the caller could get an answer
right away.
HR: We’re working on fixing it
Linda Boyer-Owens, associate vice chancellor
of human resources, discusses faculty pay
Wednesday with Linda Lowman, secretary of
Faculty Senate, in nursing and allied health.
Scott Aranda
www.theranger.orgGo online to read fullversion of this story.
The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010 • 9
By Laura Garcia
The board joins federal and state legislators
in the fight against expensive textbooks.
Tuesday trustees unanimously voted in
favor of extending the district’s bookstore con-
tract with Follett Higher Education Group Inc.
for two years during the regular monthly board
meeting at Killen Center.
The extension would be for March 1 through
Feb. 28, 2012, and includes an amendment with
the option of rental textbooks and e-books this
fall for students.
Alan Stratman, vice president of marketing
and sales for the Follett group, said this district
would probably be the first community college
to put ink to this deal.
He explained that this was a new model for
their company but has so far been successful.
District 9 trustee James Rindfuss said a rent-
al program would be largely dependent on
faculty and asked the Follett representatives to
report to the board about the level of faculty
commitment.
Faculty Senate President Jeff Hunt came to
the podium and said he agreed with Rindfuss
specifically because faculty should have no
more than two textbooks per course and not all
faculty members do that.
Hunt noted that Follett representatives have
been helpful trying to get the word out about
the changing textbook laws.
These include House Bill 1096, which states
that there must be a notice available to students
that informs them that they are not obligated
to buy textbooks through a university-affiliated
bookstore.
A new state law, HB 2504, requires universi-
ties to provide public, online access to course
information and be no more than three-clicks
from the college home page.
Beginning this fall, instructors need to post
their syllabuses and student evaluations along
with required or recommended reading mate-
rial.
The textbook provision of the federal Higher
Education Opportunity Act requires publishers
to provide the net price at which the publisher
would make the material available to the cam-
pus bookstore, copyright dates of the three
previous editions, if any, with a description of
substantial revisions, whether it is available in
any other format, including paperback, and the
price of that material.
Also required is the publication of ISBN
number or International Standard Book
Number of the textbook material in course
schedules.
If this information is not available they must
post “to be determined.”
This federal mandate goes into effect July 1.
The faculty deadline for book adoptions is
March 15 for summer and April 15 for fall.
Amy Turpin, San Antonio College Bookstore
manager, sent a list of policies for the rental
program that included these terms.
The rental policy includes the guarantee that
a textbook is at least half off the price of the new
textbook.
Renters need to be at least 18 years old,
with a valid credit card, an e-mail address and
a driver’s license or state ID. Students also can
use a debit card that bears the logo of a major
credit card company.
Books are due after finals by the return date
on the receipt, and a sticker will be placed on
the textbook as a reminder. The bookstore will
also send e-mails to remind students of the
date.
Should a renter not return a textbook by that
date, the bookstore will charge the rest of the
cost of the book to their credit card along with
a processing fee.
Not all textbooks will be available under the
rental program, but Follett officials assured the
board it will offer as many as possible. E-books
account for less than 2 percent of the 2,600 titles
offered in the bookstore.
Before the vote, Dr. Robert Aguero, vice
chancellor for academic success, estimated the
students in the district would save $882,073 by
using rentals.
All trustees were present except Dr. Bernard
Weiner, District 1; Anna Bustamante, District 3;
Marcelo Casillas, District 4; and Gary Beitzel,
District 8.
In other news, the citizens-to-be-heard
section of the meeting included a full-time
adjunct journalism instructor with suggestions
on improving efficiency in payroll and fair treat-
ment of adjunct faculty members.
Jerry Townsend, who teaches five courses
in the media communications department,
made the point that adjuncts should not be
paid more than six weeks after the start of a
semester.
He said it is unequal and unfair that nonad-
junct faculty get paid on Jan. 15 while adjuncts
are paid their first check on Feb. 12, if at all.
Townsend told the board of another full-time
adjunct in the department who experienced his
health insurance being canceled because he
hadn’t received pay. Another lecturer previously
went an entire semester before she was paid.
While Townsend said some of the issues
were in the process of being resolved, he hoped
the board would make equitable and timely pay
for all employees a priority.
Marketing Vice President Alan Stratman and District Manager Elizabeth Gray of Follett Higher Education Group answer
questions at the board meeting Tuesday. The Textbook Expense Reduction Action Plan requires book rentals and elec-
tronic books as an option for students.
Board opens possibility of rental textbooksJulysa Sosa
10 • Feb. 26, 2010 The Ranger
By JacoB Beltran
Barbara “Barbie” Scharf-Zeldes,
a probate court lawyer, described
various aspects of her job and
the Bexar County court system
at the Criminal Justice Student
Association meeting Wednesday.
Scharf-Zeldes discussed ways
probate courts deal with docu-
ments such as wills, trusts, guard-
ianships and powers of attorney.
“I really wish these topics were
taught in your last year of high
school because (probate court) is
the one place, I promise, everyone
is going to end up,” Scharf-Zeldes
said Wednesday.
Power of attorney is a docu-
ment allowing someone to make
decisions for someone else while
they are incapacitated. The legal
designation takes effect as soon as
it is signed, she said.
Along with designation of
guardianship, Scharf-Zeldes dis-
cussed some of the issues that
arise when dealing with child sup-
port and child custody.
Officer elections also were held
during the organization’s second
meeting of the semester.
Criminal justice sophomore
Crystal Casias, who previously was
the group’s secretary, was elected
president.
The Criminal Justice Student
Association is selling polo shirts for
the group for $20 each.
For more information, call
Tiffany Cox, criminal justice pro-
gram coordinator, at 486-0835.
Welcome to probate courtBy Steffany Gutierrez
Habitat For Humanity is seek-
ing volunteers to help build a
home for a needy family during
spring break.
Volunteers can sign up for one
to four days. The deadline to sign
up is March 12.
A home will be built March
17-20 in the vicinity of Palo Alto
College.
A typical construction day fol-
lows this schedule:
• 7:45 a.m. — Sign-in.
Volunteers must sign-in each
day and complete a waiver of
liability each year. Volunteers are
then introduced to the house lead-
er who will direct work for the day.
• 8 a.m. — Safety first.
As safety is a priority, the house
leader will brief on safety issues
that might arise. No one under the
age of 14 is allowed on site.
• 3:30 p.m. — Clean up.
The workday ends after the
site is clean and tools have been
stowed.
Lunch will be provided for all
volunteers on Saturday and for
scheduled groups on Friday.
Volunteers are asked to wear
comfortable clothes appropri-
ate for the work and weather, and
clothing they don’t mind getting
stained, ripped or damaged.
Closed-toed shoes are required.
No sandals are allowed. Sunscreen
and water bottles are recommend-
ed on site. All tools necessary will
be provided.
For more information and to
sign up, e-mail Justin Storrs in the
service learning office at jstorrs@
alamo.edu or call 486-0760.
An alternative to spring breakSpeaker says everyone will go to probate court,
sooner or later.
The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010 • 11
By Zahra Farah
Employees at St. Philip’s College paid by
grant funds or “soft money” cannot reapply for
their jobs if the positions are absorbed in the
college budget and paid with “hard money,” the
president said Wednesday at a pubic session in
the Heritage Room.
The meeting for faculty, staff and employees
funded with grant money was to clarify con-
cerns about those employees losing jobs and
being unable to apply for their positions if the
college budgets for their positions.
Currently, 80 full-time and 58 part-time
employees are paid with Title 3 grant money
at St. Philip’s and Southwest Campus. SPC is
receiving $5,746, 256 in Title 3 money and
$1,655,250 from the College Cost Reduction
and Access Act money. The total grant funds
St. Philip’s received for fiscal year 2009 was
$7,401,506.
The district’s focus on accreditation issues,
which began in June, has focused attention on
St. Philip’s reliance on Title 3 funds.
“I have been given the charge by the chancel-
lor (Bruce Leslie) to give him a plan on what we
are going to be doing with Title 3,” Loston said.
“One of the things Dr. Leslie said is no monies
would be given to St. Philip’s College, so we have
to do it with the operation budget we have.
“The opportunity is to move poor business
operations off of soft money to hard money,”
Loston said.
Loston said she knows employees are frus-
trated, but district policy currently requires
open positions to be advertised internally.
Grant-funded employees are considered
external, meaning if their positions move to
hard money, they cannot apply for the position.
“I’m not devaluing your services. I’m not
devaluing your contributions,” Loston said.
After the meeting, Ruth Dalrymple, vice
president of academic affairs, said that employ-
ees who apply for grant money positions fill
out a Benefited Employment Acknowledgement
form. This form explains the person recognizes
they are being recommended for employment
in a benefited position, which is funded by
either soft money or revenue-generated funds.
Also, the district or employee could terminate
their employment at any time.
Loston used a PowerPoint presentation to
explain how St. Philip’s relies on Title 3 funds,
which were first given to the college because of
its historically black college status even though
46 percent of students are Hispanic. The grant
money can be used for all students attending a
historic black college.
“Even though demographics have changed,
we still are historically black,” she said.
Title 3 funds are supposed to go into activi-
ties such as student services, educational equip-
ment acquisition, facility construction and fac-
ulty and staff development.
SPC received its first Title 3 grant in 1987.
Since then programs, which were supposed to
be under hard money, slowly in the course of 23
years moved to soft money, she explained.
“We have essentially improved areas in
educational support funded with Title 3 grant
money,” Loston said. “Is that normal? No.”
Title 3 funding now goes into nine specific
programs at SPC — freshmen center, welcome
center academic support, instruction innova-
tion, center for math and science, instructional
technologies, research and college develop-
ment, campus construction and project admin-
istration.
The freshmen center, which would ideally be
funded from the college budget, impacts 2,900
students per semester and consists of honors,
book loan and laptop loan program with 24 full-
time staff and three part-time staff at an annual
cost of $922,721.
The welcome center impacts 45,134 stu-
dents annually and costs $304,711 and employs
six full-time staff and two part-time.
Academic support’s current funding is
$527,606 and consists of three full-time staff
and 31 part-time.
The instruction innovation program costs
$388,379 and employs six full-time staff and
one part-time.
Instructional technologies program, which
advises the college on technology services,
employs 30 full-time staff and 15 part-time staff
with funding of $1,666,169.
The center for math and science houses
eight full-time staff and six part-time staff, at a
cost of $847,830. Research and college develop-
ment costs $161,819 and hires three full-time
staffers. Campus construction’s current funding
is $805,611, and project administration’s current
funding is $121, 410.
Loston said the move from soft money posi-
tions going into hard money is not going to
happen over night. They are going to have to
go through every position and look at what’s
funded out of Title 3.
“Let me say this, it is kind of painful, but if
you’re on soft money, I would encourage you
not to anchor your future to soft money. There
is no other way to say it,” Loston said.
In Q-and-A session with Loston and admin-
istration, Loston asked for attendees to not
personalize questions, but to generalize them.
Rusty Boyd, information technology train-
ing center network/training specialist, asked if
the board considered the past criteria coming
from an April 5, 2001, memo to all employ-
ees from then-Chancellor Robert Ramsay, that
specified the district’s intent to provide internal
and transfer opportunities to Title 3 employees
from Budget Object Codes 12 and 14, regardless
of the funding source.
Loston said the chancellor and the board
were not aware of that, and she would bring it
to Leslie’s attention.
SPC soft money employees worry jobs in jeopardy
Sean Nighbert, professor and chair of English and speech at St. Philip’s, questions President Adena Williams Loston
about the ethics of hiring for the Title 3 grant Wednesday in the Heritage Room at St. Philip’s.
Tyler K. Cleveland
12 • The Ranger PremierePremiere
Reality or Illusion?
Juan Carlos Campos
Premiere Feb. 26, 2010 • 13Premiere
By Celeste J. NeNtwig
A four-day Women’s History Week celebra-
tion begins Monday with speakers, femi-
nists and films on the theme “Different
Spheres: Reality or Illusion.”
The theme was chosen by
Co-Chairs Eileen Oliver and
Robert Gomez.
This is the 20th year the col-
lege will celebrate Women’s
History Week, and 30th
nationally.
The theme questions
whether the boundaries
between genders are natural
or constructed, according to
www.accd.edu/sac/vat/arthis-
tory/arts1303.women.htm.
State Sen. Letitia Van de Putte
will deliver the first presentation
on “Women in Leadership” at 10
a.m.–10:50 a.m. Monday in the craft
room in Loftin.
At 9:25 a.m. Tuesday in Room 120 of
the visual arts center, Elizabeth de la Portilla
presents “Night to His Day: the Construction
of the Feminine in the Work of 20th Century
Feminists.”
The Women Make Movies Web site at
www.wmm.com describes the film as “a pow-
erful and inspirational videotape showing
how survivors of domestic violence are work-
ing to change the way the system treats bat-
tered women in search of justice and safety.”
At 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, the film “In My
Father’s Home” will be shown. Filmmaker
Fatima Jebli Ouazzani investigates Islamic
marriage customs and the constraints her
culture and society place on women.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday in the auditorium
of McAllister Fine Arts Center, Dr. Robert
McElvaine will present the keynote, “The
Distance Origins of (Mis)Understanding of
the Sexes.”
McElvaine, Elizabeth Chisholm Millsaps
College professor of arts and letters, is the
author of “Eve’s Seed: Biology, the Sexes, and
the Course of History.”
His topic is “Different Spheres: Reality or
Illusion?”
Historic female characters in cinema will
be honored at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the the-
ater in McCreless Hall.
Richard Reed, associate professor of
anthropology at Trinity University, will be
presenting “From Alpha Male to Nurturing
Father: How Childbirth Affects Dads.”
Reed said, “Many characteristics of the
contemporary dad conflict with our stereo-
types of American masculinity.”
Directly after this lecture, there will be
another film, “Visitors of the Night,” about
the Mosou tribe in southwest China.
Female tribe members are polyandrous,
meaning they take multiple husbands.
On Thursday, the celebration concludes
with an awards ceremony, two lectures and
a film.
Women of Vision Awards ceremony will
be at 9:25 a.m. in Room 120 of the visual arts
center.
Two faculty or staff members will be hon-
ored for encouraging and promoting sensi-
tivity and awareness of the issues that relate
to women.
A presentation, “On Whose Shoulders We
Stand: Women’s Vision, Power and Action in
San Antonio” with Dr. Antonia Castaneda will
close the ceremony.
At 10:50 a.m. Thursday, Gayl Newton,
a life and professional coach and editor of
ignite-She, a local women’s GLBT maga-
zine, will present “Recovering the Stories
of Female Pioneers: How Their Lives Can
Inspire Us Today.”
For more information about the activi-
ties, call Oliver at 486-0577.
Women’s History Events
Monday
Lecture: Women in Leadership with State
Sen. Leticia Van de Putte 10 a.m. in Room 120
of visual arts.
Tuesday
Lecture: “Night to His Day: The Construction
of the Feminine in the Work of 20th Century
Feminists” 9:25 a.m. in Room 120 of visual arts.
Events continue through the week.
Film: “Voices Heard, Sisters Unseen” 10:50
a.m. in Room 120 of visual arts.
Film: “In My Father’s House” 12:15 p.m. in
Room 120 of visual arts.
Lecture: Dr. Robert McElvane discus-
sion “The Distant Origins of Our (Mis)
Understanding of the Sexes” 7 p.m. in the audi-
torium at McAllister.
Wednesday
Lecture: “From Alpha Male to Nurturing
Father: How Childbirth Affects Dads,” by
Richard Reed, 11 a.m. in Room 120 of visual
arts.
Film: “Visitors of the Night” noon in Room
120 of visual arts.
Thursday
Awards: Women of Vision Awards and “On
Whose Shoulders We Stand: Chicana/Latina
Visions, Power and Action in San Antonio” with
Dr. Antonia Castaneda in Room 120 of visual
arts.
Lecture: “Recovering the Stories of Female
Pioneers: How Their Lives Can Inspire Us
Today” with Gayl Newton 10:50 a.m. in Room
120 of visual arts.
Film: “Uphill All the Way” introduced by
Nathan and Michelle Hunt 12:15 p.m. in Room
120 of visual arts.
For more information on Women’s History
Month events, call 486-0577.
Reality or Illusion?Pioneers made history in new spheres, old beliefs
14 • Feb. 26, 2010 The Ranger
By Reagan White
Aspiring college writers were advised Feb. 18
not to write another “Twilight.”
“Publishers are not buying vampire stories
anymore,” said H. Christine Lindbloom, guest
speaker at “From Writing to Meeting the Editor:
A Panel Discussion for Writers,” sponsored by the
Cheshyre Cheese Club.
Lindbloom, a professional development edi-
tor at Complete That Manuscript and a former
editor at Penguin and Knopf, was joined by, Lisa
Carroll-Lee, a fiction writing teacher, and Jen
Knox, author of “Musical Chairs” and tutor at this
college’s writing center.
Fifteen novice writers gathered in McCreless
theater as the speakers sat cross-legged on the
edge of the stage and spoke for two hours about
their experiences in the book industry.
Knox discussed the writing process and
becoming an author. “I remember when I first
started writing, already thinking about publish-
ing,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘It might take me a
few years, but I’m going to be writing for the New
Yorker.’ But I kind of sobered up very quickly.
Because it’s very romantic, the idea of publica-
tion, but it’s a long road and it’s not an easy road.”
Carroll-Lee shared with the audience the
Amherst writers and artists method as a way of
combating writer’s block. “What the AWA meth-
od will help you do is put aside the analytic side
of your mind while you allow these crazy wild
images to run free on your paper, and then later
you can control them,” she said.
She gave the audience an example of a writ-
ing prompt designed to draw out ideas for future
projects. “It’s a really delicious feeling to have
more ideas that you possibly have time to turn
into stories,” she said. “For the rest of your life,
you’ll never feel worried or empty again.”
Lindbloom, an experienced editor, shared
her insights into the business of publishing and
warned writers to be careful when choosing a
publisher. “You should own all the layouts and
design. You should not ever, ever have to submit
your own layout. You should get a style sheet.
They should offer marketing classes. They should
have press releases,” she said.
She added that writers should have an intel-
lectual property lawyer look at their contracts to
ensure they do not lose the rights to their work.
“Before you send anything anywhere, get it
copyrighted. It’s the best 35 bucks you’ll ever
spend on anything,” she said.
Lindbloom also shared insights about what
type of work publishers are looking to buy.
“Publishers are buying more character-driven
books because they’re easier to translate to the
screen,” she said. “That’s where publishers are
making 75 percent of their money now.”
Lindbloom said that when it comes to new
authors, publishers are looking for works about
65,000 words long. “They cannot make money
on anything that is 80,000 words long,” she said.
“Anything less than 50,000 words, they’re not
going to publish it because they can’t sell some-
thing that small.”
She also said changes in technology and the
economy have hurt the industry and writers who
want to publish more complicated material.
Premiere
Experts advise prospective writersProfessional development editor Christine Lindbloom speaks to a small audience at the writers panel Feb. 18.
Tyler K. Cleveland
Meet the KSYM DJsWhat is your DJ and real name?
Dallas and Dallas Williams
What’s the name of your show and
what time does it air?
The Nightlife 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Monday
What kind of music is played on your
show?
R&B, hip-hop,
soul, anything
groovy
What is the fun-
niest thing that has
happened while on
air?
So far I’ve only
had one show.
What got you
interested in radio?
I love music, I love people and I love
to talk.
What underground or local band do
you enjoy listening to?
Bad Rabbits, Brittany Bosco and
Hydra Melody.
What would people be surprised to
know about you?
I plan to get a bachelor’s degree in
finance.
What is your favorite thing about
being on air?
Being on air allows me to share fan-
tastic music that you wouldn’t hear on
other radio stations. I like being the “go-
to person” for new and exciting music.
What has been your favorite moment
so far from your show?
Receiving phone calls is always nice.
What new CD will listeners hear on
your show and what’s so good about it?
Blank Tapes was a studio owned by
Bob Blank. The studio was home to art-
ists of every genre, and the birthplace of
some of the most infectious disco tracks.
“The Blank Generation: Blank Tapes NYC
1971-1985,” released by Strut Records,
is a compilation of some of Blank’s best
work, including Gladys Knight on the
track “It’s a Better than Good Time.”
One of the best tracks on the album
is “Itchin for Love (M+M mix)” by Mikki;
it has a heavy bass line, smooth vocals
and a feeling that just makes you want
to dance.
Dallas Williams
Feb. 26, 2010 • 15The Ranger Calendar
Today
SAC Deadline: Last day to apply for
graduation in the admissions and records
office. The final deadline to apply to walk the
stage is March 26. Apply in counseling or
individual departments.
SAC Event: Annual Africa Read-in 10:50
a.m. in the Craft Room of Loftin. English
faculty read their favorite essays,
and students read from Zora
Neal Hurston’s work. Call
486-0661.
SAC Concert: Choral
concert 1 p.m. in the audi-
torium of McAllister. Call
486-0494.
Saturday
SAC Volunteer: San Antonio Food Bank
looking for volunteers 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Free T-shirt to wear on site. Call Stephanie
Kimball, 486-0763.
SAC Event: Racquetball tourney benefit-
ing kinesiology scholarships 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
at racquetball courts in Candler. $5. Call
486-0125.
SAC Field Trip: Astronomy Club star
party and potluck dinner 5 p.m. at
Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park
Road 31. Call 486-0063.
Sunday
SAC Festival: Irish Heritage Day 12
p.m.–5 p.m. in Loftin. Call 946-0294.
Monday
SAC Event: Tennis tourney-singles 1
p.m.–2 p.m. south of Candler. Call 486-
0125.
Tuesday
SAC Lecture: United Methodist
Student Movement Hot Potato 12:15 p.m.
Methodist Student Center, 102 Belknap.
Call 733-1441.
SAC Event: Combat
Veterans’ Readjustment
Workshop, faculty and
administrators assist
returning veterans 2
p.m.-3:30 p.m. in
Rooms 612-613 of
Moody. Call Sylvia De
Leon, 486-0192.
SAC Event: Representatives from
Americorps, NCC Americorps VISTA will
present “How a Way of Service Can
Change Your Life” 3 p.m. Rm 226 of
McCreless. Call 486-0494.
SAC Concert: Latin jazz combo 7:30
p.m. in the auditorium of McAllister. Call
486-0494.
Concert: Faculty recital 7:30 p.m. in
Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, Trinity University.
Call 999-8212.
March 4
SAC Event: Tennis tourney-doubles 1
p.m.-2 p.m. south of Candler. Call 486-0125.
SAC Concert: Alumni reunion concert
7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of McAllister.
Call 486-0494.
March 5
SAC Event: Virtual reality gaming 1
p.m.-3 p.m. in the Cyber Café of Loftin.
Call 486-0125.
March 10
SAC Event: Casino Day
sponsored by student
life,10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the
Fiesta Room of Loftin.
Call 486-0125.
March 12
Performace: Ides of
Texas Playfest 8 p.m.-
10 p.m. at the Overtime Theater, 1414
S. Alamo, Suite 103. Continues through
March 27. Call 557-7562 or visit http://
theovertimetheater.net.
March 13
Event: Dyeing O’ the River Green and St.
Patrick’s Day Parade, river dyeing at 2
p.m. and parade at 3 p.m. Call 227-4262
or visit www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com.
March 15
SAC Closing: College closed for
spring break. Continues through March
21. Administrative offices closed March
18-21.
March 17
SAC Event: Community job fair 1:30
p.m.-4 p.m. Empowerment Center, 703
Howard Call 486-0455 or visit www.
alamo.edu/sac/wc.
March 19
SAC Concert: Faculty recital 7:30 p.m. in
the auditorium of McAllister. Call 486-0494.
March 22
SAC Deadline: Flex
2 census date. Last
day to drop without a
recorded grade of W.
March 23
SAC Concert:
Faculty recital 7:30
p.m. in the auditorium
of McAllister. Call 486-0494.
March 31
SAC Event: Psychic Fair 10 a.m.-1
p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call
486-0125.
Calendar Legend
SAC: San Antonio CollegeNVC: Northwest Vista CollegeSPC: St. Philip’s CollegeSWC: South West CampusPAC: Palo Alto CollegeNLC: Northeast Lakeview College
For coverage call 486-1773 or e-mail [email protected] two weeks in advance.
www.theranger.orgComplete calendar online.
By AmAndA m. Rios
Students may learn about
careers in financial services at a
seminar from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursday in the Fiesta Room of
Loftin Student Center.
Speakers will discuss the skills
needed for careers in the finan-
cial services industries. Among the
careers that may be discussed are
banking, insurance, investments
and related fields, Maria F. Davis,
associate professor and coordina-
tor of the finance and financial
services program in the business
department, said Tuesday.
The event is planned in col-
laboration with the career ser-
vices center. Scheduled times and
speakers include:
• 10 a.m., Dawna Mitchell, vice
president of Morgan Keegan and
Co. Inc., will discuss financial secu-
rity and investments;
• 11 a.m., David Wallis, man-
agement partner of ILIT manage-
ment group, a fourth-generation
banker, will speak about the bank-
ing industry; and
• 12:30 p.m., Laura Piemont,
Allstate Insurance representative,
will discuss insurance and invest-
ments.
The seminar is open to stu-
dents interested in majoring in
finance and financial services.
For more information, call
Davis at 486-0191 or the career
services center at 486-0135.
Financial services career seminar Thursday
16 • Feb. 26, 2010 The Ranger
By Riley StephenS
“It was a traumatic experience
seeing other peoples’ fears, but it
also was exhilarating to report on
what was going on,” Cary Clack,
San Antonio Express-News colum-
nist, said Tuesday, recalling writ-
ing columns from New York in the
aftermath of 9/11.
He spoke to about 50 Travis
Early College High School dual
credit communication students
as well as journalism faculty
and students in Longwith Radio,
Television and Film Building.
The event was sponsored by
the college chapter of the Society
of Professional Journalists during
Black History Month.
“I remember going into work
on Sept. 11, 2001, and being told to
pack my bag because I was head-
ing to New York that same day,”
Clack said. “I remember interview-
ing families who were waiting on
information about their loved
ones.”
He said none of them received
good news.
Clack said he grew up in a fam-
ily that received three newspapers
a day.
“We got the Express in the
morning, the Evening News in the
afternoon and the San Antonio
Light in the afternoon.”
He said the newspaper busi-
ness has changed since then.
“It’s a much different day. I
know that many journalists don’t
even read the newspaper as much
as they should, but still I’m very
proud to be able to call myself a
newspaperman. And I may appre-
ciate it more because it took me
longer than most people to get
into. I didn’t get my foot in the door
until I was in my 30s,” Clack said.
Clack attended this college
for three semesters. He graduat-
ed from St. Mary’s University in
1985 with a degree in political sci-
ence. His first published article as
a journalist was an opinion piece
for the Express-News in January
1983 encouraging the adoption of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a
national holiday.
“I’m proud to be a part of a
profession that I believe is the fore-
front of recording some of the most
important of things, like how we
treat one another,” Clack said.
Clack also signed copies of his
book, “Clowns and Rats Scare Me,”
a compilation of 84 of some 2,000
columns he has written for the
Express-News.
Local columnist discusses aftermath of Sept. 11Julysa Sosa
Columnist Cary Clack of the San Antonio
Express-News answers questions from
the audience Tuesday in Longwith dur-
ing an event sponsored by the Society of
Professional Journalists.
The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010 • 17
By Celeste J. NeNtwig
Kathryn Armstrong, coordina-
tor of special projects, has been
reassigned from the alumni rela-
tions office to the media services
department.
In her place, the college has
hired a full-time director of insti-
tutional advancement and a part-
time alumni relations coordinator.
“The association was taken
over by part-time employee
Emily Kahanek,” President Robert
Zeigler said. He said the move was
prompted by budget concerns.
Kahanek was employed at
H-E-B Grocery Co. for 13 years,
seven of those as senior public
relations coordinator.
She planned the Christmas Tree
Lighting at Alamo Plaza, as well as
the annual Feast of Sharing, which
raised an average of $12,000-13,000.
She said, “I attended a couple
of classes at SAC during the ’90s,
and I am excited to be a part of an
alumni association that is just get-
ting off the ground.”
“She will take the current proj-
ects and expand on them, and
develop more long-
term goals,” Zeigler
said.
The alumni fund-
raisers that were pre-
viously planned by
Armstrong, such as a
recycling fundraiser
and the SAC coffee
blend, are still being
researched and considered.
Regarding the department
change, Armstrong said, “I strug-
gled with letting the alumni asso-
ciation go because I had worked
to get it up and running, but I’m
pleased to be in this new position
as it is a wonderful opportunity.”
Kahanek said the association
plans to continue offering insur-
ance benefits and the Savings Plus
program. “We are also trying to get
benefits from local and national
merchants,” she said.
Pamela Tyler, coordinator of
donor relations in the district’s
office of institutional advancement
for five years, was hired as the col-
lege’s full-time director of institu-
tional advancement.
“We are looking into something
exciting to offer alumni, to intrigue
and inspire people to join,” she said.
Kahanek will be working closely
with Tyler, who spent two years
fundraising for all five colleges.
Tyler said, “We don’t want to
change too much but enhance
what’s there and find what works.”
Kahanek and Tyler also will
be working with Susan Espinoza,
director of resource and college
development, in the college and
grants development office.
Tyler said the departments are
separate here, but at most institu-
tions of higher education, they are
the same and should be married.
Dr. Alice Johnson, dean of learn-
ing resources, said, “Armstrong and
her supervisor, Barbara Knotts,
chair of media services, will be
working with public television sta-
tion inTV,” the City of San Antonio’s
educational access channel.
As program man-
ager, Armstrong will
work with the city and
Knotts to find and
schedule events and
shows, such as gradu-
ation ceremonies,
campus events and
performances.
The station is
available on cable channels 98 with
Time Warner Cable Co., 21 with
Grande Communications Co., and
99 with AT&T U-verse.
The district just received
$100,000 from the city for
new equipment and supplies,
Armstrong said. She said her job
now is to find the programming
that will work best for this station.
For more information regard-
ing the alumni association, call
Kahanek at 486-0743, and for inTV,
call Armstrong at 486-0904.
Armstrong moves to media services from alumni relations
Kathryn Armstrong
www.theranger.orgGo online to read story about Armstrong’s pay.
Rennie Murrell
The Ranger 18 • Feb. 26, 2010 Editorial
Juan Carlos Campos
A fitness center in Loftin Student Center is a horrible idea. Loftin is already crammed with performances, students studying, eating, dancing and playing video games. By adding a fitness center, it will turn into a circus.
Student life is supposed to try to serve the needs of all students, but putting a workout center in the caf-eteria doesn’t come close. Imagine sweaty students after a workout while everyone else is trying to eat.
Loftin is also the setting for live performances and lectures. It’s bad enough those events have to compete with the midway sounds coming from the video arcade and pool hall at the north end of the cafeteria.
Now add the sounds of a gym. And where are these body builders
supposed to change and shower?
Also, a fitness room will require a monitor — can you say liability? — for the 12 hours a day student life envi-sions the center being available. That’s 1 1/2 jobs actually.
And won’t the monitor need to be able to maintain the machines and have some training to be able to advise students (more liability) on their use?
The equipment quote is $106,000, but student life is trying to work out a better deal. Planning this fitness center started more than a year ago — probably about the time the idea of adding boxing did — but there are so many questions still unanswered.
Who even asked for this? We hope it isn’t just a private club house for cheerleaders, dancers, athletes or oth-ers with an unhealthy obsession with body image.
Students should use Candler Physical Education Center facilities instead. How about using some of the funding from the student activity fee to support open hours in the gym we already have?
Originally walled to house coin-operated entertainment, the room could still be used for that or a comfy study area where students can relax. A monitor is still required so why not move Bailey’s Café in there where stu-dents might be able to get a little quiet and the computers wouldn’t have to be disconnected, unplugged, stored and set back up every single day.
An extension of Bailey’s Café would offer additional computer access. Too many of our students do not have access at home. Studying and learning are student activities, too.
Cafeteria, workout center gross mix
In the Feb. 19 Ranger, in “National Engineers Week builds to signing,”
the Puentes grant was incorrectly identified. It is a Title 5 grant.
Also, in “CSI team leader thrilled to be at Pat Booker site,“ Dr. Lina Silva
did not decline to comment.
Correction and Clarifications
Feb. 26, 2010 • 19 The Ranger Opinion
When adjunct faculty do not receive paychecks on time, it says a lot about what the district is doing to make Banner run smoothly.
More should have been done.It is great that supplemental checks
were distributed, but it does not seem that the district did enough to react swiftly and proactively.
Waiting in long lines is unacceptable, unnecessary and nonproductive, not to mention what it does for morale.
And if this is the way Banner is going to run for adjunct faculty, imagine how the student module will work?
Should students fear not receiving financial aid?
Get it fixed and make sure before the student module of Banner is imple-mented next fall, that it is complete and ready to go so we don’t have lines of angry students who won’t be as polite or as patient as our employees have been.
Fix Banner nowThe college should not pay for a
part-time vice president. Dr. Robert Vela, vice president of
student affairs, is transferring to the new center for student information.
He will spend as many as four days a week more than 16 miles away monitoring that facility. So when will he deal with student affairs?
It must be exciting to be part of an emerging new entity, but, if dis-trict wants our VP, then they should pay his salary.
There’s no doubt that the center will need management, but there are vice chancellors and assistant vice chancellors who could run this sort of project. Why can’t district administrators handle this?
The almost 22,000-student body needs their go-to guy, not to men-tion the faculty and staff who report
to Vela.There is no dean under Vela. He is
in charge of overseeing student life, the assessment center, admissions and records, disability support ser-vices, enrollment management, counseling and the empowerment center. There is no way he can over-see these departments effectively in just one day a week.
This is a bad idea.District thinks of consolidation,
efficiency and cost-saving mea-sures and leaves its students high-and-dry in the process.
The college is already strained financially, and paying for some-one who won’t be available to us is unreasonable.
You wouldn’t pay a Northwest Vista College adjunct’s salary from our budget would you?
Wait, that’s already happening.
Keep VP here, or you pay him
20 • Feb. 26, 2010 The Ranger
Fault line shapes San Antonio landscapeBy Victoria G. ortiz
Earthquakes may not elicit
much interest in this part of the
world, but this college sits on an
active fault line.
Evidence of the Balcones Fault
Zone is seen along Dewey Place
in the change in elevation from
McCreless Hall, which sits below
street level, to McAllister Fine Arts
Center, which sits well above street
level.
Devastation from the earth-
quake that rocked Haiti Jan. 12
is not likely to ever threaten San
Antonio, but the Balcones fault line
gets attention periodically.
The Balcones Fault Zone was
created when erosion caused the
rocky layer atop what is now the
Edwards Plateau to slide down
toward the coastal plains. With a
lighter load, the Earth’s crust actu-
ally experienced uplift much like a
cupcake rises in an oven, geology
Lecturer Dwight Juran said.
This uplift produced the
cracked layers of rock referred to as
the Balcones Fault Zone and creat-
ed the Edwards Aquifer, which col-
lects precipitation underground.
The University of Texas Institute
for Geophysics reports that there
have been three historic earth-
quakes that have been felt over all
or at least in a significant portion
of West Texas. The institute credits
low damage to the relatively low
population.
The first, Aug. 16, 1931, struck
with a magnitude of 6.0 near
Valentine, halfway between Marfa
and Van Horn. The second, Jan. 2,
1992, shook the Texas-New Mexico
border near Andrews and Hobbs
with a magnitude of 4.6.
The third was in the evening
of April 14, 1995, near Alpine with
a magnitude of 5.7. That quake
prompted an evacuation of
the campus after reports of the
building shaking came from the
fourth floor of Moody. The college
remained closed the next day for
an engineering inspection.
According to that week’s Ranger,
most students were unaware of the
tremors. The students who felt the
quake were on upper floors.
For more information, visit
www.edwardsaquifer.org or the UT
Institute for Geophysics at www.
ig.utexas.edu.
The Balcones Fault Zone at Dewey Place between McCreless and McAllister shows a
change in elevation. See full story online.
Scott Aranda
The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010 • 21
By Ximena Victoria alVarez
Cheryl Oechsle was born and
raised in Haiti by missionary par-
ents. When she was 15, her family
returned to the United States to
make a home in Illinois.
She married Jarrell Oechsle
and became mother of three chil-
dren, Judah, 14, Obadiah, 16, and
Kristian, 18.
After having three kids, the cou-
ple decided they were not going to
have more children, but one day
maternity called.
The Oechsles opted to adopt.
She did not want to adopt just
any child. Cheryl Oechsle want-
ed to adopt an infant from her
beloved Haiti.
Cheryl Oechsle worried about
the children of her former home
in the wake of Jan. 12th’s devastat-
ing earthquake because government
corruption may hinder recovery and
adoptions. “They are so greedy,”
she said. “They won’t let anyone
have them, but they won’t take care
of them.”
Before she and her husband
started the adoption process, she
spoke to her children and got their
approval. Cheryl Oechsle said the
couple painted the worst-case
scenario for their
children. If she and
her husband passed
away, the children
would be responsible
for the adopted child.
Knowing this, they
still weren’t against
it and decided to
contact Stephanie
Huband, a missionary
friend.
“We contacted a missionary
friend of ours that at the time was
in Haiti, but because we already
had children, we did not qualify
(for an infant),” Cheryl Oechsle
said.
“We had put an application
for HOLT International adoption
agency but after this we had to put
it on hold,” Cheryl Oechsle said.
The Oechsles wanted a baby
girl; however, they only qualified
for a 6- or 8-year-old, twins or a
child with special needs. Instead
they applied through Methodist
Mission Home.
Huband told them about a
baby boy with spina bifida who
was coming to the United States
for surgery and look-
ing for a family.
Spina bifida is a
birth defect in which
the back bone and the
spinal canal do not
close before birth.
The mother of the
infant was an illiterate
unwed teen mother;
the agency assumed
she was 16; however, different
papers had different ages on them,
Cheryl Oechsle said.
The unwed teen had gone to a
clinic near her village and was told
that the only way her baby would
survive was for him to be sent to
the United States for surgery.
So she walked two days to the
city of Pestel and gave her baby to
Huband.
Immediately after the Oechsle
family was notified, they started
the medical visa process and
planned to travel to Indiana to
meet their new son.
The Methodist Mission was
able to get the Haitian baby into
this country, but sponsorship was
still a problem.
Fortunately,
the organiza-
tion Mending
Kids, for which
actor Mel
Gibson serves
as spokesman,
was able to get
surgeon ser-
vices donated
from surgeons at the University of
California in Los Angeles.
Dr. Jorge Lazareff, the surgeon
who separated Guatemalan twins
conjoined at the head in a 23-hour
surgery in 2002, operated on the
Haitian baby, but Mending Kids
requires a child to be returned to
its home country once stable.
“The staff from Mending Kids
personally took our son back, and
we had to start the adoption pro-
cess all over again to get him back
here,” Cheryl Oechsle said.
When unwed teens in Haiti
have a child, it is customary for the
grandparents to raise the child as
their own. His grandparents had
five other children to care for, but
because the baby’s mother begged
so much to let
her keep him,
the grandpar-
ents finally
agreed.
But the
burden was too
great; within
two months,
the mother
realized she
couldn’t take care of her infant son
nor pay for his medical expenses. A
follow-up surgery was urgent.
Once more, the teen mother set
out walking, this time three or four
days to the city of Puerto Principe
where she found Huband.
Huband immediately called the
Oechsle family and asked if they
were still interested. “We really
think God called us,” she said.
Local perseveres to Haiti adoption
Steven, 23 months old, was adopted from Haiti by Jarrell and Cheryl Oechsle.
Sharon Hensley
“… because we already had children, we did not qualify” (for an infant).
Cheryl Oechsle, adoptive parent Log on to
www.theranger.orgfor the full story.
22 • Feb. 26, 2010 News The Ranger
By Steffany Gutierrez
Scholarship opportunities, col-
lege recruiters and the Alamo Colleges
Mobile Go Center are just a few of the
things high school students will find at
the Young Leaders Conference.
The conference is a free one-day
event for high school juniors and
seniors from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday
at Palo Alto College’s Performing Arts
Center, 1400 Villaret.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. and
breakfast will be available at that time.
Mayor Julian Castro and state Rep.
Joaquin Castro will be keynote speakers.
The conference will feature sessions
addressing college financing, college
careers, volunteerism, student involve-
ment, technology, time management
and student success.
It will also include two workshops
designed for parents such as “What
Parents Should Know About FAFSA”
and “Money Management.”
To be considered for one of 10
$1,000 scholarships provided by the
Alamo Community College District
Office of Institutional Advancement
and Foundation Board, applications
were due Sunday.
Late registration is possible by call-
ing 485-0790. Applicants must also sub-
mit a typed essay on educational goals.
To be eligible, applicants must be
a high school senior with a GPA of 2.5,
submit a high school transcript and two
letters of recommendation. Scholarships
are for the 2010–11 academic year.
Requirements also include attend-
ing the entire Feb. 27 conference and
enrolling in a minimum of six credit
hours by fall 2010.
For more information, visit
w w w . a c c d . e d u / d i s t r i c t / s l i /
announcements/082409b.htm or call
Alamo Colleges Student Leadership
Institute at 485-0790.
2010 ACCD Young Leaders ConferenceBy VaneSSa M. Sanchez
The district planned to test its emergency notification system
today, but Dr. Tom Cleary, vice chancellor for planning, perfor-
mance and information systems, said the test was moved to
mid-March because personnel in the IT department are busy.
Still, people are encouraged to register or update their
contact information.
In case of an emergency, everyone will be notified via
e-mail, phone, voice mails or text messages, that is, if their
information is updated.
Sgt. Ben Peña of the district’s police department said it is
important for the district to have an emergency notification
system because it allows them to notify anyone about a cam-
pus emergency. Peña said this is an important system to keep
people safe and out of harm’s way.
Students, faculty and staff can leave their home, office and
cell phone numbers to receive calls and text messages in case
of an emergency. The system also sends texts to any text-based
device, including TTY and TDD for the hearing impaired.
To update information, click on “Emergency Contact
Information View/Update” under the “Personal Information”
tab after logging in to student services at the district’s Web
page, alamo.edu.
Alert system test postponed
The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010 • 23
By Vanessa M. sanchez
Gil Castillo, former associate director of stu-
dent activities, died Saturday.
While the cause of death was unknown,
an autopsy is pending, Ruben Flores, dean of
evening, weekend and distance education, said
Monday.
Castillo’s brother called Flores Monday
morning to notify him of the death, saying he
believed his brother died of natural causes,
Flores said.
Castillo was 53. Arrangements were still
pending Thursday. Flores said he would notify
The Ranger as updates are available.
Castillo began his career at this college
March 15, 1985, and resigned Feb. 17, 2009.
Before working with student activities, he
worked for Flores processing adjunct faculty
applications for about 15 years until he went to
work for the student activities office, Flores said.
Flores said Castillo was such a good worker
that he was promoted twice in five years.
One promotion moved
Castillo into a position as a com-
munity liaison working with sur-
rounding high schools.
Castillo was one of the first
people to advocate the creation
of Staff Council, saying that
because faculty and administra-
tors had their own forums, staff
needed one, too, Flores said.
Castillo also was involved with
TACHE, the Texas Association of
Chicanos in Higher Education.
He was president of the organiza-
tion’s San Antonio chapter and later headed the
state group.
Flores said other association presidents held
doctorates, but because Castillo was a staff
member at this college, his presidency was
significant.
Adolph Lopez, director of the assessment
center, is a member of TACHE and a friend of
Castillo.
Lopez said Castillo was a
hard worker who advocated on
behalf of students, injustice and
Chicanos.
Lopez said he had known
Castillo to be effective in getting
faculty and students involved in
various events. He said Castillo
helped organize Hispanic
Heritage Month and always tried
to get students involved in clubs
and organizations campuswide.
Belinda Saldaña, former
association president, provided
a statement on behalf of TACHE Tuesday, say-
ing, “We express our condolences to the fam-
ily and friends of Gil Castillo. He was the state
president in 1994 and an active member of our
local chapter. He will be deeply missed.”
Castillo worked on behalf of students, staffRosary and memorial are set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Mission Park South, 1700 S.E. Military Drive.
Gil Castillo
Project WORTH teams with Big Brothers Big Sisters
By steffany Gutierrez
Project WORTH and Big Brothers Big Sisters
held an information session to recruit volun-
teers.
The event, made possible in part by the
service learning department, took place in the
United Methodist Student Center.
Project WORTH, the city of San Antonio’s
teen pregnancy prevention program, and Big
Brothers Big Sisters paired up to recruit volun-
teers and mentors to work together with three
middle schools in San Antonio: Tafolla Middle
School, 1303 W. Durango Blvd., Mark Twain
Middle School, 2411 San Pedro Ave., and Davis
Middle School, 4702 E. Houston St.
Project WORTH focuses on emphasizing
youth development and abstinence and help-
ing teens avoid risky behavior and postpone
pregnancy.
Big Brothers Big Sisters, the oldest and larg-
est youth organization in the United States, also
focuses on developing positive relationships
and impacting the lives of young people by
mentoring them.
Their mission is to help children reach their
potential through professionally supported,
one-to-one relationships.
Their vision is successful mentoring rela-
tionships for all children who need and want
them, contributing to brighter futures, better
schools and stronger communities for all.
Among the students present, foreign lan-
guage major Belen De Leon listened attentively
and said she was “interested in mentoring and
helping kids and teens.”
The volunteer opportunities available with
Big Brothers Big Sisters and Project WORTH
are many.
There is a community-based program in
which volunteers visit a little brother or sister
about once a week and participate in commu-
nity activities.
In the school-based program, volunteers
visit a school once a week.
There also is a volunteer program for high
school students.
Project WORTH’s program manager Mario
Martinez, and outreach and recruitment
Coordinator Barbie Leal-Hallam, spoke about
the importance of becoming a volunteer for
community organizations in contributing to the
healthy development of teens and are reward-
ing experiences for the volunteers or mentors
and members served.
Volunteers serve as a positive role model for
younger students, encouraging them to stay
in school, avoid negative behavior and work
toward a better life.
In addition, according to the speakers, vol-
unteering and mentoring is great in that it
“demonstrates people and time management
skills, and looks good on job résumés.”
For more information on Big Brothers Big
Sisters, call Leal-Hallam at 225-6332, Ext. 131,
or visit www.bigmentor.org.
For information on Project WORTH, call
Martinez at 207-8850.
For service learning volunteer opportuni-
ties, call Audrey Grams at 486-0763.
Volunteers, mentors to work on helping local teenspostpone pregnancy.
24 • Feb. 26, 2010 The Ranger
Top left, American sign language sophomore April Lopez
browses the silent auction with her husband Eddie, Feb.
20. The auction raised more than $6,000 for the Rea and
Barbara Hinrich’s Scholarship Fund.
Top right, lab technician David Raymond lunges at
interpreting sophomore Amy Calvet (left) during a Jerry
Springer spoof Feb. 20,
during the fourth annual
American Sign Language
Talent Show in McAllister.
Performing as the opposite
sex, Calvet told Raymond he
was breaking up with her.
Left, the audience cheers
Feb. 20 following a dance to
Sonny and Cher’s “I’ve Got
You Babe” by Blanca Zamarripa and lab Director David
Solis during the fourth annual American Sign Language
Talent Show in McAllister. Applause in sign language
involves silently waving your hands in the air.
Photos by Tyler K. Cleveland
www.theranger.org
Go online for the story.
American sign language sophomore Ariel Johnson signs “this sucks” Feb. 20 while performing the skit “It’s a Hard Knock Life” from “Annie” during the American Sign Language Talent Show and Silent Auction in McAllister Feb. 20.
Interpreting graduate Sharon Zarb-Cousin signs to Mercy Me’s “I Can Only Imagine” during the American Sign Language Talent Show Feb. 20 in McAllister.
And thecrowd Roared