the mountaineer

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 www.mountiewire.com Volume 74 Issue 2

MountaineerA First Amendment Newspaper of the Mt. San Antonio College Journalism Program

“I’VE BEEN CALLED A FAGGOT BY SEVERAL STUDENTS ON CAMPUS.”

YOUTH IN CRISIS

Pg. 2

Pg. 4

Anti-gay bullying leads to three more suicides

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WHY YOUR VOTE MATTERS Brown,Whitman clash on immigration, education, budget

Mt. SAC women’s volleyball spike down the competition Pg. 15

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 20102Bullies target students for being di!erent

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In the last month, bullying has resulted in the death of three students in the nation. On Sept. 19 a single mother found her 13-year-old son unconscious, according to an Oct. 2, Time.com article.

Seth Walsh, a student at Jacobsen Middle School in Tehachapi, Calif., had tried to hang himself after being bullied once again.

For more than a week Walsh was put on life support, he did not make it. He will be remembered as a “teen who loved Pokémon, adored French fries, and had an obsession with disco music,” reported the Time.com article.

A few days following the death of Seth Walsh, a second 13-year-old boy, Asher Brown of Texas, took a gun to his head.

“The parents of Asher Brown, an eighth-grader who committed suicide last Thursday, say that their son killed himself in response to relentless antigay bullying at his Houston school,” reported an advocate.com article on Sept. 28. “Their 13-year-old son [shot] himself in the head.”

With the distress of these recent suicides, parents have become alarmed and saddened by bullying at their children’s schools.

“I’m very sad about these cases, as a human being and as a parent,” said Betsy Lawlor, professor of anthropology. “But I have more to say about this as parent. I have two boys and both of them have experienced bullying in the playground and both have told me about it. And both were very reluctant to tell teachers because they did not want to be seen as a snitch.”

Lawlor also said that bullying should not be part of childhood. For her, bullying is one sided and should not be tolerated.

“Rough and tumble play is part of childhood. Learning how to disagree and argue is part of childhood. But bullying is one sided. There’s an aggressor and a victim, and I don’t think that should be part of childhood,” Lawlor said.

Bullying extends from confrontational harassment to the immense world of the Internet.

Cyber bullying is a growing trend as the Internet generation expands.

“I just feel that kids are always going to pick on somebody or something that’s different no matter what… Kids nowadays have a lot more technology-based things. [They] are seeing a lot more things than we did when we were their age,” said Michael Saucedo, 20, broadcast major.

According to the Pew Research Center, who

conducted their most recent bullying report in 2007, reported that “about one third, or 32 percent, of all teenagers who use the Internet say they have been targets [of bullying]… receiving threatening messages; having their private e-mails or text messages forwarded without consent; having an embarrassing picture posted without permission; or having rumors about them spread online.”

On Sept. 22, cyber bullying became a topic for discussion as Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University in the state of New Jersey, jumped from the Washington Bridge into the Hudson River.

According to a Sept. 29 New York Times article, Clementi has been the latest American teen victim to suicide. Clementi was known as a talented 18 year old violinist, and now, as a victim of cyber bullying.

According to a 2008 survey, made by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses. Clementi’s story begins three days before his suicide jump.

On Sept. 19, his roommate, Dharun Ravi, posted on Twitter the following message: “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay,” reported the New York Times on Sept. 29. “That night, the authorities say, the Rutgers University student who sent the message used a camera in his dormitory room to stream the roommate’s intimate encounter live on the Internet.”

The recent suicides have sparked mixed emotions among students on campus.

“It hits a personal note for me because I’ve been in that situation before because during my senior year in high school I had prepared to do the same. I wish I can say to them everything gets better even if it doesn’t seem like it now,” said Albert Serna, 21, journalism major and vice president for LAMBDA.

Lillian Moreno, 25, nursing major agreed that the issue of suicide is horrible but that the bullying is unimaginable. “I can’t believe what happened to that kid in Rutgers. It’s unbelievable that there are people out there who are so cruel. The problem is all the hatred that is everywhere.”

But bullying extends beyond the issue of gender and sexuality. So why are individuals bullied?

“Some young people are bullied for no particular reason, but sometimes it’s because they are different in some way - perhaps it’s the color of their skin, the way they talk, their size or their name. Sometimes young people are bullied because they look like they won’t stand

up for themselves,” responds a website that promotes against bullying to a set of questions on its webpage.

In coming to the U.S. from Peru, Mariana Neyra, 18, fashion design major, found herself being bullied because of the way she spoke. Her accent became a target for bullies.

“Well, I’m from Peru and at the beginning I didn’t know how to speak English and I was bullied because of my accent,” Neyra said. “That was middle school… At the beginning I felt less of myself, I tried to ignore it as much as I could. And I put all my effort in trying to learn English and study, and after I proved them all wrong.”

In speaking about her experiences, Neyra expressed the idea that being bullied is very detrimental to the health of a person, or child. “For the person who is being bullied…their self-esteem goes down and…they get to a point where they might hurt themselves, they can’t take a lot of pressure. It takes courage to actually speak up. For myself it was hard to actually confront those people… there’s always hope, you just have to be strong,” said Neyra.

Strength can become difficult for some, once they become the target of verbal abuse on campus.

“I’ve been called a faggot by several students on campus. I’ve been told I’m going to hell. Normally I ignore the confrontation, when I hear them say fag or faggot. But when the protesters come out they [students] are a lot more vocal and they feel they can say whatever the heck they want,” said Serna.

Serna said he finds blind hatred the most difficult thing to understand, “I can understand if someone hated me if they know me and don’t like me. But not knowing me and hating me because I love another man, I don’t understand that kind of hatred.”

According to the National School Climate Survey in 2009, nine out of 10 LGBT high school students experienced harassment at school, three out of five felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation, and one out of three skipped a day of school because they felt unsafe.”

Julie Perez, 18, undecided major, said she believes that if the issue of bullying on campuses were taken seriously less students would feel the need to take their own life.

“I almost committed suicide last year because high school was hell for anyone different. If my school or teachers stopped my bullies maybe I wouldn’t have gotten to that point.”

In memory of the recent deaths on Oct. 20 their is a campaign to wear purple in representation of the LGBT flag that stands for spirit.

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A funeral was held on Sept. 27 for Jesus “Jesse” Cruz, the 20-year-old athlete who collapsed and died after a wrestling match in the annual Mt. SAC duals.

Cruz was a wrestler at Rio Hondo college during the duals. He was put to rest at the Covina Hills cemetery. The mass was held at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Chino Hills. More than 200 people attended including, family, athletes, and friends who knew Cruz.

“I will always remember his hard work, when he first started, and of course his smile,” said former high school coach, Elias Flores.

A memorial was also held on Sept. 27 in the Northview High School gym in West Covina.The gym was decorated with many memories of Cruz. More than 1,000 people attended the memorial.

Flores said, “I thought of how Jesse was,

and thought of how I am with my child. Smile every day, say ‘I love you.’ With my son being so far away, I need to stay in contact, because you never know.”

!Cruz impacted many lives including his family, friends, and his wrestling family. “When I first met Jesse, he was super shy, he would never stop smiling, like that’s how he was known for, his smile,” Indiria Castro, 20, a student at Citrus College and friend of Cruz’s said.

!Family and friends said that Cruz was a happy person, the type of guy who always said hello to everyone, even if he didn’t know them.

A former girlfriend of Cruz’s, Maria Henriquez, 21, a student at Lindenwood University, said that Cruz was always happy.

“In every picture Jesse is in, he is smiling, ever since he was a little boy, and I told my mom there is a meaning behind it, because he was always smiling, and today is nice, and shining, and maybe he is looking down on us,” Henriquez said.!!!!!!!!!

Memorial service for Rio Hondo wrestler

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3TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2010

STAFF

The Mountaineer is a college newspaper published by the students in journalism classes at Mt. San Antonio College. The views expressed in this newspaper do not reflect the views of the adviser, administration or the Board of Trustees of the Mt. SAC district. The Mountaineer is a First Amendment publication. Phone: 909-594-5611 ext. 6123 FAX: 909-468-4106 Building 26-D, Room 3220

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% Every year, there are tragic stories about young athletes who died suddenly while playing sports. KTLA.com reported, “According to the Centers for Disease Control, every year between one and three out of every 100,000 young athletes suffer sudden death due to cardiac problems that had never been diagnosed.” The Herald of Rock Hill reported on Aug. 13 in South Carolina that 18-year-old Lewisville High School running back, Brian Colvin, died dur-ing a football game from a condition that affects the muscle of the heart. Chester County Deputy Coroner Tommy Williams said the condition would not have shown up during a physical exami-nation. He said Colvin was in excellent shape. Jesse Cruz, a 20-year-old wrestler from Rio Hondo College, died last month after collapsing during a match at Mt. SAC. With the unexpected deaths, it raises the question, do student athletes get thorough health screenings before they par-ticipate in sports? Steve Handy, Citrus College head athletic trainer, said, “Yes, we do screenings before athletes play sports; we check blood pressure, orthopedic

pressure, and heartbeat.” Handy has 24 years of athletic training experience. He worked the 1984 Olympics as a trainer for track and field events. Handy said that community college students are not required to submit blood or urine tests. “We have approximately 350 athletes and to do blood test will be out of budget.” Handy added that twice a year a college will host a meeting site for all junior college athletic trainers to discuss health screens. According to Commission on Athletics Bylaw 3, the student athlete will complete the Pre-Participation Screening Exam prior to any practices or any intercollegiate competitions. This screening shall be performed by a licensed physi-cian or other qualified medical personnel who are under the supervision of a licensed medical physi-cian. The exam shall include: medical examination, orthopedic examination and review of history/pa-perwork screen. The student athlete health form should provide a medical history designed to detect con-ditions that will determine an athlete’s fitness to engage in sports. In no way is the review of history to be misconstrued as a complete health physical examination.

Health screens for today's college athlete

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Budget cuts. Nobody likes those words, especially students that are trying to transfer to a four-year university or graduate with their desired degree and start their career.

California residents has seen their state budget cuts affect more than just the labor workforce but students, community colleges, and universities as well. These schools have had to cut course offerings, raise tuition fees, parking fees, institute hiring freezes, and schedule furlough days.

Mt. SAC has been cutting courses for the past two years the same way: summer by 50 percent, fall and spring by five percent, and winter by 25 percent. It has affected students on campus trying to add their general education requirement classes in order to continue on their educational plan to transfer to their four-year of choice.

Rebecca Olaguez, 20, pre-med and biology major said, “Yes, classes have been a pain to get into a couple of semesters, several were always full and a lot of classes were cut this semester and offered only at certain times.”

So far it has taken Olaguez three years to complete her general education requirements and has had to balance her school schedule with her work schedule having to make certain adjustments to fit both needs.

“I had to come to school four days a week instead of my usual two days. I was forced to go on-call [at work] because I couldn’t work my full time hours,” Olaguez said of the necessary adjustments made due to classes being only available on certain days and hours. Olaguez will be applying to Cal State San Bernardino, UC Riverside, as well as some private universities this month and next month.

Cal Poly student Amanda Mattox, 22, English major, began attending Cal Poly in Sept. of 2006 after graduating high school. Mattox plans on graduating from Cal Poly in the spring of 2011, totaling five years for her intended major and educational plan. “I fortunately have added all of the classes that I have needed,” Mattox said. “There is a limited selection of classes, so I do not get the privilege of choosing when and what classes I want to take for a particular quarter,” explaining that her school schedule had fluctuated throughout the times of the day and days of the week.

Other students struggle to add the classes they need in order to stay on track for graduation but sometime some are not available or coincide with other courses a student is already taking.

Even students who are not trying to transfer out are being affected by the budget cuts. Students in the certificate program are having difficulty obtaining their certificate due to class reductions.

Justin Zych, 23, accounting certificate program, has faced issues trying to get the needed courses to fulfill his certification for accounting and then move onto his major courses.

“There have been hardly any sections for some of the courses I need for my certificate program, some courses didn’t even have a single section to register for,” Zych said.

Unfortunately limited course offerings or course cancellations are not the only issues students are faced with each semester.

Financial aid is a huge problem in the community colleges and universities. Although some people may believe it is cheap to attend a community college, sometimes it just is not cheap enough for some to manage.

According to an article on Sept. 30 in the Whittier Daily News, “the state is not funding Cal Grants, which offer up to $1,551 per student to help pay for fees and other expenses like textbooks, transportation, housing, and child care.”

Lisa Camacho, 22, liberal studies major, has been attending Mt.SAC since June 2006 and this is the first semester that she has missed. “I haven’t had any problems trying to get the classes I need, but I am having problems getting my financial aid. I had to skip this semester because my financial aid didn’t come in and I didn’t have the money to pay for my books,” Camacho said.

Some community colleges are using their own money to cover Cal Grant payments to students, but not all community colleges can afford to do so.

In addition to these measures taken by the community colleges in an effort to conserve costs, Cal Poly has switched paying systems.

Mattox said, “According to the Cal Poly Pomona’s website, credit card transactions are costly. Thus, credit card payments are processed through CASHNet, which charges students a 2.9 percent convenience charge for registration and tuition [payments].”

Every school must make do with what they can until a new budget is formed and is in favor of schools and their students.

Budget cuts obstruct student progress

See Athetics Pg. 14

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 20104Mid-Term Elections: Both parties counting on high turnout

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On Nov. 2, in the state of California, Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman will challenge each other as they seek to take control of Sacramento and replace the two-term Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Jerry Brown is a former governor of California, winning elections in 1974 and reelection in 1978. According to jerrybrown.org, as a former governor for the state Brown created 1.9 million jobs, eliminated capital gains, transformed California into the “co-generation” leader of solar and wind energy and reformed taxes.

He is also defined as an environmentalist, funded higher education, “including community colleges,” and fought crime. In a random survey conducted of 100 Mt. SAC students, 41 percent support Brown for governor.

In contrast, his opponent, Meg Whitman only received 16 percent support. According to megwhitman.com, she is the former CEO of eBay and was ranked as one of the most powerful woman in business in 2004 and 2005 by Fortune magazine.

Whitman has served as an executive for various companies, with no political career. On March 2, the Sacramento Bee newspaper reported that Whitman had not voted in 28 years.

As potential leaders of the state, both candidates face one main issue: the state-wide economic crisis which targets issues of education, jobs, and the environment, among others.

According to an Oct. 1 SFGate.com news article, “California’s Legislature is notorious for missing its budget deadline, but this year it surpassed itself with the longest fiscal [block] in the state’s history.”

The article also reported that in regards to the mid-term elections, Propositions 22, 25 and 26 on the California ballot seek to challenge the state budget. “The measure [Proposition 25] is one of three spawned by the state’s fiscal crisis on this November’s ballot.

Propositions 22 and 26 would change ways state and local governments obtain revenue. Proposition 25, however, is the broadest reaching of the three, [seeking to put an end to the

stalemates by allowing the Legislature to pass a budget by a simple majority vote, instead of the current two-thirds threshold],” reports the SFGate.com article.

Some students agreed that the economic crisis and jobs are key issues that the elected candidate will face as he or she enters office.

“The most important issue for these elections is providing jobs for California [residents], bringing jobs back to the state instead of taking them abroad,” said Jonathan Payne, 19, aerospace engineering major.

He added, “My opinion is [that] Meg Whitman… is, I wouldn’t say double sided, [she is] two faced in the aspect that she’s saying she’ll bring jobs back to America but then fires her housekeeper. My opinion on both [candidates] is that they have a habit of bickering back and forth between each other, instead of talking about the issues and working to fix them.”

But a question voters face is, which party will resolve the problems and the ongoing crisis in the state?

According to a Sept. 25 article, The L.A. Times reported that this Nov. 2, voters will cause a “dramatic” modification of those running the government. “With Republicans poised for a big win Nov. 2, the country has begun a dramatic shift away from President Obama and his center-left policies,”

reported The L.A. Times. But as political powers change,

some said that this shift might not make a difference.

“Given enough time, I think that Democrats will most likely be losing power because people want change,” Payne said. “And the only way to get this, is to remove Democrats and see what the Republicans can do. Even if Republicans were to take power, it wouldn’t make much difference. It’s not who is in power, but what they do with that power.”

As the shift in power seems more definite, some fear that with Republicans in power, our education may face drastic changes. They said that education alone could become one of the worst of all times.

Laura Gonzalez, educational advisor of Upward Bound, said she is concerned about a Republican majority.

“ I am convinced that if the Republicans are in power, our education system will become one of the worst of its time and our economy will spiral downwards, it’ll turn into a massive federal sweat shop," Gonzalez said. "I’m not for Democrats, just definitely not for Republicans, anything but Republican,” said.

The battle is not only between Democrats and Republicans, the unexpected popularity of a new political party has also given much to talk about. According to

an International Business Times article, “a specter is stalking the U.S. electoral landscape.”

The article refers to the Tea Party, While there is only one established Tea Party member in the state of California, Chuck Devore for U.S. senate, there are over a dozen of these third party candidates in the nation.

“I think that the Tea Party has only done one thing, and that is create a commotion in what are political affairs,” said Keyri Navas, 22, Spanish major. “I don’t think they are a force to be worried about when it comes to the elections. They are a crowd of stupid people ready to cause disorder.

She added that the Democrats are cleaning up Bush's mess.

"Although change is slow with Democrats, we must realize where the Bush era left us… in a pile of shit,” Navas said.

The PropositionsAmong the controversial

issues this voting season is the legalization of marijuana in the state. The California Official Voter Information Guide states that Proposition 19 “legalizes marijuana under California but not federal law.

It permits local governments to regulate and tax commercial production, distribution, and sale of marijuana.” According to an article by Hawaii News Daily, about half of California voters are in support of the legalization of marijuana in the state.

In a random sample survey conducted on the Mt. SAC campus, 54 percent of students said yes to the legalization of marijuana; 36 pecent of students surveyed reject the proposition; and 10 percent are still undecided. So what does proposition 19 mean for Californians?

Under Proposition 19, people 21 years or older would be allowed to “possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use.” It would allow local governments to “regulate and tax commercial production, distribution, and sale of marijuana to people 21 years or older.”

The law would also prohibit people from having marijuana on school campuses, not be allowed to use in public, or smoke it in the presence of children.

CA Gubernatorial Race

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10

20

30

40

50Undecided Jerry Brown

Third Party

Meg Whitman

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Prop 22

24%

38%

38%

38% Yes - 38% No - 24% Undecided

Prop 23


17%

23%

60%

Prop 21


12%

34%54%

Prop 19


54%

10%

36%

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See Election Preview Pg. 13

100 randomly selected students were surveyed on the Mt. SAC campus.


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Californians have done it. Pot is on its way to be legal, and I couldn’t be more excited for a change of this magnitude to be taking place in my generation. Or could I?

I may be stoned, or maybe I’m just not ‘cool’ anymore, but am I the only one who is questioning what’s going to happen once the sticky-icky is a store bought commodity?

If you completely skipped the previous pages to read this article you may disagree with me. People who know me well, know that I cater to a very liberal agenda, and I don’t consider myself much of a weed-Nazi. Smoke until you choke, I could care less.

However, what California voters have the power to do on Nov. 2 will change the way America thinks.

My biggest problem with Proposition 19 is that everyone [including myself] is banking on pot to bring us out of recession. I’ve written numerous articles on the theoretical weed-fueled economy, and it may work, but in order to bring the U.S. economy out of recession completely, California would have to put together some corporate ‘canna-business’ to bring in the big bucks.

With legalization, the decline in price-per-ounce becomes the ultimate catalyst when trying to generate funds that will bring our heads above water. If prices go down, how will California

manage to generate one fourth of the profit it sees on the black market with general prices?

The black market will expand out of the state giving the nation access to cheap, legal California bud. Something tells me that federal juggernauts are ready to trump local and state regulations and crackdown on the profit squeez.

But even that will not happen. If it becomes legal, people will grow it; why would you buy it, if you could grow it? Sure, you could buy it from the store, but it will be taxed and what good American likes paying taxes? Not me.

Prop. 19 has received millions of dollars from high profile backers. Co-Founder of Facebook Dustin Moskovitz donated $50,000, CEO of Men’s Wearhouse George A. Zimmer, Snoop Dogg, and several other high profile citizens donated generous sums in order to see this to The Capital.

Now, weeks before this goes to the polls, Gov. Schwarzenegger has lessened the punishment, and increased the amount of marijuana Californian’s can posses to up to an ounce. For those who thought that legal pot would be the end-all-be-all solution to America’s economic woes, maybe point the spear at people controlling welfare, those federal juggernauts burning money on fossil fuels, not to mention the millions

spent on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.Will things be different after Nov. 2? It

all depends on how it goes at the booths. I’m not saying vote ‘no’, but I’m not in favor of California’s twisted drug regulations, the capital punishment for non-violent drug offenders, and the basic stereotype that is associated with cannabis culture. I’m ready for a change, I’m confident most people are. But does California need to legalize pot to achieve it?

Does California need Proposition 19?

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Tea Partiers: The brainless leading the blind,-(.*%/*0#(1.*2%8,$,9#$9&'(#)%*

If you haven’t heard, there is a new circus in town. Known as the Tea Party, the Tea Patriots, or the American Tea Party movement, it is a group of idiots whose conservative views are leading the politically blind. Many of the organizers, leaders, and members of the Tea Party should reminisce on this popular 1939 line, “If I only had a brain.”

In the cast of circus freaks we find Alaskan beauty pageant queens, bigots, racists, witches, and sometimes even the well-off, rich, conservative Christian neighbor. And among all these, you find their ringmaster, Glenn Beck.

On June 18, Beck aired an invitation to all Tea Patriots to restore honor at the Lincoln Memorial.

“On 8/28 I’m asking you to come, August 28, it’s a Saturday, to the Lincoln memorial. It is the anniversary of the I’ve, ‘I Have a Dream’ speech from Martin Luther King,” he said. “And, what an appropriate day... now I think it was divine providence… His dream has been so corrupted. Judge a man by the content of his character; character doesn’t even matter anymore in this country. It’s time we pick the dream back up and finish the job.”

I don’t know if he or I should be embarrassed for him. First, he mistakenly began to announce the title of King’s speech. And second, from what I recall, the civil rights movement was not because of character issues. A black man, child, woman was not criticized, but criminalized for the color of their skin. He was enslaved by his “superior,” the white man, and was well below the social ladder. As we know it, racism is still an issue in our country.

As we rethink of the images of the

civil rights movement, images are always a prominent factor in transmitting messages. Among many of the images of this party, you find the portrait of Barack Obama defaced. Reproduced images place Obama as Hitler, label him as a socialist, and accuse him of praying on the “stupid,” or naïve as the poster puts it.

Recurring messages say, “Obama’s Plan, White Slavery,” “Don’t Blame me, I voted for Sarah,” “Cap congress and trade Obama back to Kenya,” “Quiet, faggot! Your kind belongs at the back of the bus.”

As the American people begin to gather their signs and walk down the roads, we can only hope they will find sanity somewhere along the way.

But as they slowly seep into office and begin to have control, it is only before The Tea Party becomes the new Republican party.

First, some would like to see Palin as president of the United States in 2012. The country would then be run by controlling Christians who want to shove beliefs down people’s throats, and undermine the civil liberties of the American citizens. As I watched footage of the rally to restore honor, many had joined the rally to pray under God, under D.C., to take back America, to restore freedom, because the White House is becoming more communist. If we were living under communism, the country would be under complete surveillance of the government.

But who is responsible for letting these people voice their opinions? Democrats are. Where is the extremist, liberal party for Democrats? Where is the liberal party that wants to restore honor, and peace, freedom, and restructure the government? It is nowhere in sight. It is our own fault that the Tea Party has made a great commotion and somehow managed to gain some control of the !"#$%&'$&()*&+),$",-$.)

Voters must be informed and decide

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 20106

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The diet of a college student is far from fine dining. It is cheap, greasy, salty, disgusting, but to the college student, it is essential.

Between paying for books and tuition, there is not much room in the student budget for food.

That is when they turn to fast food joints, ramen, and greasy snacks.

“If I’m going to bring something healthy it’d be an apple,” said Melissa Orellana, 19, communications major. “I bring a lot of junk food though like Fruit Rollups or other snacks. If I buy something on campus it’d be the chocolate muffins that they sell at the stores.”

Zephram Wolf, 17, undecided major, does not have much time for food. “I eat ramen, sandwiches, stuff like that,” he said. “I don’t mind not eating, I’m pretty good at going through the day solely on adrenaline, as long as I eat once sometime in the day.”

The Express Stop is one of the major convenience stores on campus that students regularly buy their food and snacks from.

The largest place on campus for students to eat is the school cafeteria, which offers a wider variety of food choices for students in a hurry.

It also provides a place for students to sit down and interact with one another in between classes.

“I’m a music student taking jazz so I’m always going place to place,” said Ivan Perez, 19, music education major. “I get the food from the cafeteria, Carl’s Jr, or the Taco Nazo across the street. Anything that’s quick because we don’t have time as students.”

Money plays a large factor towards students buying junk food to eat rather than something that is good for them.

“I probably just eat chips or whatever, cheap snacks,” said Jessica Lucero, 19, sociology major. “I eat less now because I don’t have any money.”

Some students, however, try their best to eat healthy even on a tight budget or when they are

short on time. A healthy diet is essential

when it comes to studies. “In between classes, I would

eat things like cookies, grapes, or oranges,” said Pamela Solache, 19, psychology major. “It’s just that there’s no time to eat healthy so you grab whatever. I think students can eat healthier if they wanted to though. It’s their bodies and their choice.”

Students, like Nathalie Lopez, 19, criminal justice major, believe that simple things such as fruits are more than plenty to help a student study.

“I eat grapes and bananas but they’d have to be fresh. I have to eat healthy stuff because it gets my head bobbing,” said Lopez.

Although Lopez practices a healthy diet, she notices that it is not a common practice among the students at Mt. SAC.

“I work for the Common Grounds. A lot of the students eat the PB & J [peanut butter and jelly] and all the other sandwiches that we put out,” said Lopez.

“A lot of them are eating fast food because they don’t have time to go to class. Some of the customers try to eat healthy, but then they would order something non fat and just load it with whipped cream,” she added.

Sometimes food from school can even be too expensive.

Some students either buy something small on campus or even pack food before they leave for class.

“I usually eat french fries, and that’s pretty much it,” said Cynthia Castaneda, 18, marine biology major.

It comes down to student preferences towards buying food on campus, or bringing food from home.

“It’s hard to eat healthy because you have classes and there aren’t many breaks in between. But if you want to eat healthy you could always bring food from home,” said Castaneda.

When balancing full course loads, part-time jobs, and other extracurricular activities, sometimes healthiness is not number one on a student’s list of priorities when it comes to eating.

The college student diet:Cheap and fast eating for the student on the run

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After filming a commercial for Aquafina and pursuing a career as a firefighter in Mt. SAC’s fire program, is it any wonder Alfonso Murillo, 21, walks with a jaunt in his step and a smile on his face? On Dec. 20, 2009 the idea of walking almost became a distant memory after a tragic car accident held Murillo’s future in the balance.

Murillo started Mt. SAC in the summer of ’07. He had been an active member of the school’s football team and took part in the two years they won state championships and nationals. The accident took place before soccer tryouts, for which Murillo had been training vigorously.

“I was probably in the best shape of my life. I was getting my fire classes done, excited for that. I was very involved in church and stuff. [My] family and everyone’s very close and life was just going good,” he said.

The accident took place on the morning of Murillo’s birthday at around 3 a.m. Murillo and his friends started a small celebration of their own the night before.

“So all this was going on and it was my birthday and my friends and I were celebrating and I got a little out of hand and they had to drive me home,” he said.

Murillo and three other friends then headed out to his home in Pomona in an early 2000 Nissan Maxima.

While heading down 9th st., where it meets the 71 freeway, Murillo was lying down in the backseat on the passenger’s side when the vehicle was hit.

“We had the green light, as the police report says, we had the green light and there’s a wall that you can’t even see a Suburban over and it’s too big to see across. We were in a Maxima, the dude was driving a big truck and he ran a red light and he just completely totaled our car,” Murillo said.

The driver of the other vehicle hit the Maxima on Murillo’s side.

“It was completely smashed, the firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to get me and my two other friends out,” he said.

One of Murillo’s friends managed to escape the vehicle.

“He said that I was screaming in agonizing pain, I was screaming for God, I was screaming ‘forgive us’ and he saw my friend die, he saw my other friend in pain as well.” Murillo added that his house was “just a couple houses down.”

Murillo said that his friend tried to flag

down cars but no one would stop.“He tried to stop cars and no one would

help him. Right now he’s still emotionally traumatized,” Murillo said.

Murillo remembers opening his eyes thinking he was under a tree outside of his friend’s house and the car horn blaring continuously.

“Then I noticed smoke and broken stuff. I wanted to get up but I couldn’t, that’s when I realized something bad happened, that’s when I felt the pain, but then I blacked out. I woke up again to a firefighter over me, like a flash of light then the firefighter looks over at his companion and says ‘He’s alive,’ and again I didn’t know where I was. I was like ‘What are you talking about?’ Then I felt the pain, and then I fell asleep again.”

Murillo and another passenger were transported by helicopter to UCLA Medical Center.

Murillo’s injuries were severe. He broke a level one disc in his lower back, which left him paralyzed from that point downward. He also shattered his left femur, cracked his right hip, a few ribs and his chest, tore two rotator cuffs in his left shoulder, ripped a bicep tendon in his left arm and lost his left kidney.

Murillo underwent four surgeries, two on his back, one on his left leg and one on his left shoulder.

Joshua Oseguera, youth pastor at the church Rios De Agua Viva has known Murillo for two years. Oseguera’s wife had received word that her friends had been involved in an accident on the weekend it happened. He then received word the following Tuesday that Murillo had also been involved in an accident over the weekend. After reviewing the details the pastor realized that the accidents he had heard about were one in the same.

“Obviously he was someone close to me so that’s when I really felt the impact of it and we all went to the hospital that night I found out. Alfonso was just laying there,” he said.

He added, “We went to go talk to him, he was all bandaged up, it was very bad. He was drifting in and out of consciousness. We prayed for him with a couple of the young people from church.”

Murillo was in the ICU for a month and a half to two months, and was then moved to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center for a month.

“I was on the wheelchair before anything, then I moved to crutches when I healed enough, my doctor and therapist gave me the ok,” he said.

Therapy was also difficult for Murillo and it took a strong mindset to push him through the

rigors of stretching and strengthening.“Therapy was painful. I always came in with

the attitude that each day I will get better so I had to suck it up. All the tears and pains had to be taken in as a sacrifice for my goal,” he said. “When the therapist would try to get me to do weights, or leg extensions, or curls or something like that. I could not lift a finger, I could not do anything. I could barely flex my muscles so in my mind I’m like, ‘I can barely flex a muscle, how am I going to stand? How am I going to kick?’ I couldn’t kick the wind if I wanted to. So to me I was like ‘I’m going to need a miracle.’”

However Murillo did not go through this hard time alone. He received emotional and spiritual support from friends and family.

Murillo’s cousin Yesica Garcia, 20, found out about the car accident the day it happened. “We were actually planning on having a celebration for his birthday and it just took us all by shock. We didn’t know how to think, we were so worried and we all came together,” she said.

Garcia went to visit her cousin the following day, unsure and terrified of the news her and her family were about to receive.

“I was scared he wasn’t going to make it at all. We were scared that he wasn’t going to be able to walk and we knew how much that meant to him especially because I knew he wanted to start his career as a firefighter.”

Garcia stayed with Murillo for a couple of weeks during his stay in the hospital.

“She was such a huge support. After my mom and father, it’s her who helped me emotionally through it,” Murillo said.

Murillo’s youth pastor said that the young man’s time in rehab started rough.

“At first he was very depressed in there, nobody could visit him but his family.”

Oseguera exchanged text messages with Murillo throughout Murillo’s stay at the rehabilitation clinic and after a while the pastor began to receive positivity from him.

“He started giving words of advice to me and I took those texts, I read them to the church, I told them, ‘Our brother’s going through some trials and tribulations, but we’re going to pray for him and God is going to help him out.’ And that was the process of healing.”

After a month of physical therapy Murillo’s stay in rehab paid off in an enormous way.

“They would give me therapy and try and help my muscles get rebooted and stuff, but nothing really helped and then after, just so

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Student paralyzed by car accident walks againCredits recovery to family, friends, faith

See Murillo Pg. 12


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His passion for education and his natural role as a leader have made Mt. SAC President, Dr. John Nixon, an accomplished professor, a great friend to many, but most of all a caring educator.

However, after a dedicated 35-year career in education, Nixon will retire at the end of the 2010-11 school year.

Catering to a student body of approximately 60,000, and a faculty and staff of over 1,000, Nixon has made it his primary effort to see through adversity during a recession.

He maintained the college’s outstanding academic and athletic programs, while continuing to progress the quality of education produced and the credibility Mt. SAC has earned.

Student Trustee Patrick Martinez, 25, public policy major, has worked closely with Nixon as senator pro-temp and as student trustee on several committees including the president’s advisory committee.

Martinez said working with Nixon was an inspiring and educational experience. Martinez, who is soon to undertake the task as a student leader, thanked Nixon for giving him advice and

pointing him in the right direction.“I got to deal with a lot of neat issues that

were taking place on the campus,” Martinez said. “We worked on the budget together, as a student representative we have to be fiscally responsible with our budget. This year I’ve been able to deal and work with President Nixon on that, so it’s been pretty cool.”

Martinez added that Nixon’s leadership abilities motivated him to welcome challenges head on. He also said that he could see why the Mt. SAC administration, students and faculty carry a high amount of respect and support for Nixon.

“It’s been really exciting. I feel really fortunate to be in the position that I’m in and to interact with President Nixon, because he really is amazing,” he said. “He is a good representative of a leader, it’s a lot easier to lead a group of people when you’re willing to dive in head first and he really does a great job for that. It’s going to be really tough to fill his shoes.”

Long time friend and colleague, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Stephen Runnebohm has known Nixon for over 20 years, and their involvement in education together has created a well-rounded friendship.

According to Runnebohm, Nixon’s noteworthy character and steadfast integrity comes from his sincerity, and willingness to

listen to others.“I think the thing that separates John from

many people is that he is a very, very honest and down-to-earth guy.”

Runnebohm said that his experiences with Nixon have shown that his truthful and caring perspective is not compromised when dealing with crucial situations.

“John will tell you what he thinks. He’ll tell you in a way that respects your integrity and your dignity. But at the same time if it’s a hard message to deliver, he will deliver it.”

Runnebohm credits Mt. SAC’s excellent reputation to Nixon’s methods of leading and management, along with his genuine character, because he cannot recall a time when staff, faculty and administrators have worked so closely in unison as they do now.

Nixon’s ability to listen to all components of the college has gained him trust and support

“You always know that when you talk with John, and he tells you something that it’s real and it comes from his heart,” Runnebohm added. Looking back on his career, Nixon said his 35 years in education started as a child, and maintains the value of lessons learned.

“It began in education at the age of five, and I’ve never really left,” he said with a laugh. “But actually I started teaching in public education in 1976 at Ocean View High school in Huntington Beach.”

As a professor of English and English as second language, he has taught at several campuses across Southern California including, University of California Irvine, Santiago Canyon College, and the University of Southern California, where he received his doctorate in English.

In 1980, Nixon received a faculty position at Santa Ana College, and went on to become vice president.

His time at Mt. SAC began in 2004 as vice president of instruction. He held this position until July 2007 when he stepped in as interim president.

Nixon was appointed by the Board of Trustees as president/chief executive officer of Mt. SAC in Feb. of 2008.

The decision to retire is the culmination of a successful 35-year career, and an agreement shared by Mr. and Mrs. Nixon.

“This is about my 35th year in the business, my wife retired last December, and we actually had an agreement, that we were going to retire together,” he said. “But I love Mt. SAC, I love my work and I convinced my wife that I should do one more year.”

Nixon also credited the Board of Trustees for encouraging him to stay for one year. The couple plans to reside on the central coast of California and travel with their family.

“We [my wife and I] have built a home in Cambria, California and we will be moving there more permanently,” he said. “We have two children, our daughter, and her husband and our granddaughter who live in Santa Barbara and our son who lives in San Francisco. So we hope to be able to spend some more time and travel with them.”

Although Nixon is leaving, he is proud of the accomplishments the college has achieved have happened during his time at Mt. SAC. He also said, “Those accomplishments aren’t just the work of the president.” He added that accomplishments such as the passage of the bond measure in 2008 were only made possible from strong community relationships and efforts from everyone involved with Mt. SAC.

Lastly, Nixon commented on being able to admire the accomplishments of students who achieve success each year. It is a constant reminder of why he has spent his life as an educator.

“Those five or six weeks at the end of a school year are probably my favorite,” he said. “Because I’m able to attend a number of different ceremonies honoring the different accomplishment of students, but all of those ceremonies remind me why I’ve spent 35 years in this business.”

Several Mt. SAC professors and faculty

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See Nixon Pg. 12


©2009. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved.

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For more information, visit goarmy.com/rotc/startstrong.

PREPARE TODAY TO LEAD FOR A LIFETIME.

ABSTRACT RETROSPECTIVE!"#$%&'"()$"*"+,-.&/!"#"$"$%&'()"

The Joachim Hiller Retrospective opened Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. in the art gallery. The Hiller exhibit is described as abstract forms of nature as observed by Hiller.

His art pieces vary from two dimensional paintings to three demensional textual pieces. Some of his art is not only

influenced by nature, but includes the stars in the nightsky as well as the human form.

This retrospective will be displayed in the art gallery until Nov. 11, which will then continue its exhibition to New York’s Chelsea Art Museum in December.

Visit the gallery Tues. through Thurs. from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. or Tuesday from 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

A look back into art over a span of 40 years..

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Alcoholism, mistaken identity, and Cyrano de Bergerac all rolled into one can only mean the wild play, “Moon over Buffalo.” The play is set in the 1950s and revolves around eight characters and events that involve a company of actors and the romance and misunderstandings that they must navigate through in an attempt to impress a Hollywood film director. “Moon over Buffalo” is set to open Fri., Oct. 15 at Sophia B. Clarke Theater.

“Moon over Buffalo” was written by Ken Ludwig and is being directed by adjunct professor of theater, Tacey Adams. “Moon over Buffalo” is not only Adams’ directorial debut for Mt. SAC, but it is also her first semester teaching at Mt. SAC since directing professionally in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida.

Adams said her decision to direct “Moon over Buffalo” for Mt. SAC was because of actress and singer, Carol Burnett’s involvement in the original production of the play. Adams also said she enjoyed the characters and their comedic situations.

“I can’t say that there’s a message of any sort: it’s just fun,” Adams said. “It’s crazy and there are eight fun characters in an unusual situation and it would be a total break from the seriousness of everyday life.”

Danielle Diaz, 26, theater major, also enjoys working with Adams because of her directness and focus. Diaz said that other directors she has worked with in the past have been too nice and says that Adams is very thorough on direction.

“She’s great, I love her,” Diaz said. “She definitely lets you know what she wants in a very truthful, honest attitude. I really enjoy her

and her telling us exactly how she wants it.”Mike Johnson, 61, a continuing education

student, said the best part of the play is the comical nature of the dialogue and physical comedy.

“It is going to be the funniest, [from] beginning to end, the funniest show I’ve ever been involved in,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of very sharp [and] witty dialogue, there’s an element of slapstick, physical comedy, mistaken identities...all of those things coming together to make it so much fun to do.”

Slapstick comedy is a physical comedy that involves violent action that can be humorous, dynamic, and sometimes set in absurd situations.

Johnson, who plays the character George, said that some of his favorite scenes involve silliness through slapstick comedy.

The character of George demands a lot of physical comedy in his later scenes because of his character’s alcoholic tendencies and states of undress.

Johnson, who has appeared in over 17 plays at Mt. SAC, said that Adams has been more than adequate because of her attention to detail.

Johnson also said that the play is going to be great because of Adams, her direction, and the uplifting nature of the play.

“As tough as things have been, with the impact of the economy on the universities, businesses and people’s lives, I can’t think of any better therapy than two hours of really good laughs,” Johnson said. “You don’t have to have a laugh track to make it funny: we’re counting on the audience for that.”

“Moon over Buffalo” will be showing from Oct. 15 through Oct. 17. For tickets visit the website www.4tix.org, or theater box office.

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“The only way I express myself is through art,” said Anita Tsang, 23, undecided major. For Tsang, art is not just painting on a canvas, it is the most personal thing she can do. It is the best way to express thoughts, feelings, and her life experiences.

Tsang said, “I’m not a big talker, I don’t tell everybody my problems. I’m not the type of person that will sit down and tell you what happened, so I just paint it through my art.”

Tsang has been doing art for as long as she can remember. “I started painting when I was a little kid and also just drew for fun. And then my mom enrolled me in art classes as well,” Tsang said. Her main medium of art is the use of acrylic paint as well as some pencil sketching.

Tsang’s art focuses on two main parts: her feelings and nature. Her art is extremely personal and emotional as she sheds light on her past experiences such as struggles with addiction. She also conveys her thoughts and feelings bluntly in order to showcase what she has gone through with hopes that the viewer understands or learns something from the message.

Tsang said, “Most of the stuff is pretty dark actually. It’s either like a whole compilation of different images that create one feeling or emotion, or I try to paint something that has a strong message. Sometimes it’s kind of blunt, but I just hope that through my life experience and what I learned from it; hopefully they can learn from it as well.”

However, just because her art is considered to be dark does not mean that she is a dark person. She considers herself optimistic, but

admits that there is a dark side to everyone. “To be a good person, you have to admit that you have a dark side. So that’s why I like to paint and bring out my anger and my dark side through painting instead of taking it out on other people,” Tsang said.

When it comes to the nature part of her art, it too is a very personal issue for her and she incorporates trees, vines, and plants into a lot of her work.

Tsang said, “I like to paint a lot of nature because I’m kind of an environmentalist and I want to send a message to people that we really

need to preserve a lot of nature. Everything is being killed and everybody is in denial about what’s happening to the earth and I want to teach people to take care of the earth.”

She still continues to paint today as she mainly uses it as a stress-reliever. Even though she does not have much extra time, she utilizes that time to work on her art and relieve stress. Tsang said, “I feel like it’s the only thing that relaxes me. I used to write in a journal but now I don’t really have time to write so the only way to get all my frustrations and feelings out is painting.”

Preview: Ken Ludwig’s “Moon Over Bu!alo”

Therapy for her soul

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International Students face adversity !"#$%&&%'()$*'!"#$%&"#$"'()*+%$,'

Adjusting to a new life in the United States for international students or F-1 students, as they are sometimes referred to, can be challenging.

According to Patricia Montoya, assistant director of admissions and records, international student’s approximate yearly expenses are $18,614.

Montoya said there are approximately 430 international students on campus.

The expenses include tuition at $214 per unit and the standard enrollment fee for regular students at $26 per unit.

Food, housing, and medical insurance, are also among what is listed on the F-1 student requirements.

Montoya, who is also the primary designated school official to international students, explained the process they must go through to obtain a student visa.

“Once they have completed all the admissions requirements they will be sent an I-20 form, which indicates that the student has met all of the requirements for an F-1 student visa in order to enter the U.S. The student will need to apply for their non-immigrant visa at their nearest embassy or consulate.”

Montoya said that this visa is not guaranteed and the embassy has the final say whether to issue it or not.

Students must also meet requirements for admissions as both a Mt. SAC and international student, and attend as full-time students.

They are also required to have a sponsor or parent who supports them financially and submit bank statements as proof of financial status, along with high school transcripts.

Finally, they must meet required scores for the test of English as a Foreign Language and take a Tuberculosis skin test.

Montoya recognizes the issues that international students go through.

“Issues can range from adjusting to life away from home and family, the American Education System, or housing. Additionally students will often lose their sponsor or their families are no longer able to support their studies due to the economy in their country,” she said.

According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association published in 2007, international students may eventually deal with depression caused by acculturative stress.

According to the study, acculturative stress is a “stress reaction in response to life events,” in this case, when adapting to a new culture and “psychosocial stressors resulting from unfamiliarity with new customs and social norms.”

Rockerfeller Lam, 19, business major and

alternate Inter-Club Council representative for the International Student Club said, “As an international student I was also overcome with a time of depression. I had to deal with changes such as the way of education, people, culture, and most of all, the language itself.”

To read 20 to 30 pages in a textbook may seem easy for some but it would take Wendy Li, 20, business major and president of the ISC, hours to read a mere five pages because she found English a challenge.

“The ISC tries to provide a supportive environment for students. I don’t want them to go through what I went through alone,” Li said.

Montoya said the support staff in admissions, counseling, and health services can provide help for international students.

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To paint a portrait of Latinos or Hispanics in America would mean to define the importance of the largest minority in the United States.

“Hispanics are the largest and youngest minority group in the United States,” reported the Pew Hispanic Center. “1-in-5 school children are Hispanic. 1-in-4 newborns are Hispanic. Never before in this country’s history has a minority ethnic group made up so large a share of the youngest Americans. By force of numbers alone, the kinds of adults these young Latinos become will help shape the kind of society America becomes in the 21st century.”

As Latinos become a growing power in America, politicians are out to grab their attention. In a report released by americasvoiceonline.org, in the past decade Latino voters have become a political power and have made a greater impact that any other race group in America.

With a population of 36,756,666, as reported by the Pew Hispanic

Center in 2008, California has the largest number of Latino residents.

“As Latinos, and a majority in this country, politicians know they cannot win an election without this minority,” said Keyri Navas, 22, Spanish major. “We are becoming a strong force, Republicans and Democrats know that and they want our attention.”

But Republicans have not had much luck among the Latino community.

“The [Republican] party has not succeeded among Latinos and looks poised to do even worse in the years to come,” Ray Suarez, an American broadcaster, said in an article for his website race-talk.org. “The Republican portion of the Latino vote has declined in three straight national elections, after peaking briefly at 44 percent in 2000, when Texas Governor George W. Bush didn’t do as badly.”

But there is a new social issue as November mid-term elections arrive in California.

With the growing issue of immigration, Spanish media has stood behind immigrants in this country. For example, Univision, which according to The Museum of Broadcast Communication “[is] the

largest Spanish language television network in the United States,” sponsors a pro-immigration section on its Webpage. But in the past few weeks, Univision has aired campaign propaganda for the Republican candidate, Meg Whitman.

In an online article on March 27 for The Los Angeles Times, Meg Whitman publicly expressed her opposition against immigration. She wrote, “I am 100 percent opposed to granting amnesty to immigrants who entered the country illegally. [Amnesty] is the wrong policy for California, it is the wrong policy for America.” Meg Whitman also opposes sanctuary cities (cities that protect immigrants) like San Francisco, supports a strong e-verify system, and would like to deny access to higher education to undocumented students, because she feels that the system is rewarding immigrants.

So why is Univision airing her ads?

“I realize that Univision is a for-profit business. They are not looking out for the people they service, they are not interested in the betterment of the Latino community nor that of California, but interested in the highest bidder

for their air time,” said Laura Gonzalez, educational adviser for Upward Bound, a program designed to assist low-income student with college preparation.

Some said there is a sense of hypocrisy within the network.

“I think there’s almost two faces being painted, because of the sense that Univision is sending two kind of messages. But if we look at the bigger picture, and you know what the person stands for, in this example, anti-immigrant Meg Whitman, this seems like a slap across the face coming from Univision,” said Elmer Rodriguez, student services outreach specialist.

As Univision continues to air Whitman’s ads, some students are discontent.

“I feel that Univision has turned its back on its viewers,” said Navas. “It is sad to hear Univision’s name being used in her ads, because we all know she is not a supporter of the immigrant community. Univision should be embarrassed of their actions.”

Navas said he hopes that Latino voters will realize whom they are voting for. “I hope Latinos think twice before casting a vote for this woman.”

Latinos in America: Influencing the political arena

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members have voiced their well wishes for Nixon into his retirement.

Runnebohm, who has been at Mt. SAC for 23-years, said he wishes his friend well into the future, and nothing but the best.

“We will miss him. I deeply appreciate his leadership style, he will always have a home at Mt. SAC. I wish him Godspeed and good luck.”

Gary Enke, Dean of the English department, said that he has enjoyed working under Nixon

and hopes he will enjoy his retirement. “Well, definitely I’m sorry to see John

retire,” he said. “I think he’s been an excellent president and I hope he enjoys his time off from working.”

Enke added that Nixon’s love for English and student press has made a lasting impression on him, and that it was a pleasure working with him.

“I have really appreciated his professionalism, his kindness, and his integrity,” Enke said.

Toni Albertson, professor of journalism and

adviser of student media, said that Nixon has been a loyal friend to the journalism program.

“I have worked at colleges where presidents are not supportive of the free press. Dr. Nixon has always gone to bat for our program and has made it clear to the students that he trusts and respects them as journalists,” Albertson said. “I, along with my students, am going to miss him.”

Nixon was honored in 2007 with the coveted First Amendment Award from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges, an award given to an administrator who goes above and beyond to support the student free press.

much crying myself to sleep at night, like praying every single night. I was going through Hell really and like after so much, I don’t know, a miracle happened: God gave me the magic touch and I stood up,” he said.

The day Murillo started walking he was filled with doubt and worry.

“The day I started walking, my therapist asked if I wanted to try to get up I said ‘I don’t know.’ I was scared I couldn’t, but I kept telling myself ‘in the name of Jesus Christ, I will walk again’ and said to myself after that if I believe it, it will be true, and we were in the hallway my grandmother was there, and my uncle and two aunts. I stood up. As bad as it hurt and as unstable as I was, I did not fall and I took my first steps and my family cried, and so did I,” Murillo said.

“The first thing I said was ‘Oh my God! Thank you!’ Then I looked at my therapist. She almost cried and I told her, ‘Wow you’re shorter than me?’” he added.

Murillo’s mother and father picked him up from rehab. It was overwhelming for him to re-enter the outside world. After seeing nothing but four walls for three months, birds, traffic, people and of course his home and his own bed, were welcomed changes.

“Oh my God, it was an amazing feeling. Finally feeling like I can leave my hell and breathe in a new life I was given by God,” he said.

Murillo said that the only issue regarding long-term damage is his nerves.

“I get anxious some times and sometimes I feel like I have to go to the restroom when I really don’t. It’s weird; it’s pretty much my nerves. Everything else I see, in time, will get better because I’ve been getting faster, I’ve been getting stronger and knowing myself, how stubborn I am, I’m going to get back to where I was if not better.”

Murillo is also no longer focusing on sports. “My priority now is firefighting because I really love helping people,” he said.

Besides striving to be a firefighter, model, actor, and author, Murillo also is back in the

game as a student at Mt. SAC.Erica Ledezma, supervisor of the WIN

program, the academic support program for student athletes, has known Murillo to be polite, positive and hardworking. “He came to me because he wanted to come back to school, out of everything, out of his recovery, everything, he knew he wanted to come back to school.

Ledezma said that Murillo utilizes the tutoring center even though he is not a participating athlete and that she sees him about three hours a week.

“For him to do everything they said wasn’t possible and then to know that his priority is to come back to school, and get an education and be a role model so that one day he can be a leader, he can tell his story, it’s just really inspirational for me, it really is,” she added.

Murillo credits his recovery and his motivation to the support of his friends and family and most of all his faith in God.

“The closer I am to God the further I’ll go. If I wasn’t close to God, I’m pretty sure I’d be dead right now, but through him, miracles happen.”

Con’t from Murillo Pg. 7

Con’t from Nixon Pg. 8

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2010 13

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“Health screenings are required before you participate in athletics; it’s done before the season starts,” said Bill Ito, Mt. SAC athletic trainer.

According to Ito, Mt. SAC’s physical checks your height, weight, orthopedic examination, muscles, range of motion and health history questionnaire.

When asked about doing drug tests for enhancers before a game, Ito said, “The test are cost prohibited, we don’t have money available. COA does not implement it and that is community colleges all across California.”

Ito said that it will cost approximately $150 per athlete for blood and urine test.

Some student athletes said that health screenings should be taken seriously.

“Health screenings are definitely needed, they can detect serious illness,” Bryan Joe, 23, Mt. SAC football player, said. “I don’t like that people can take enhancers, and I think it should be screened somehow.”

Michael Chaves, a 20-year-old Mt. SAC soccer player, said that karma will affect athletes who take drug enhancers.

“I feel that it’s cheating for people that use it, so it comes back to get you," Chaves said.

Diane Stankevitz, East Los Angeles College head athletic trainer and former Mt. SAC trainer said it has to do with a lack of money.

“If we had the funding, we should definitely test for drug enhancers,” she said. "Athletes should know better and be responsible adults to no take drug enhancers.”

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“I think that to legalize marijuana is the best thing for California,” said Navas “Why not tax it? Why not bring in money for our lo-cal governments and once and for all do some-thing that could help aid the economic crisis in the state. I support it, because regardless of whether or not it is legal, people will always continue to produce it, sell it, and smoke it.”

Following marijuana, state pollution control is also an issue of importance. Under Proposition 23, the state of California would suspend the CA Assembly Bill 32, and would not require reports or reduction on the green-house gas emission that cause global warn-ing, until the unemployment drops under 5.5 percent or less for the year.

“[Proposition 23] really is a prop that is paid for by two oil companies, an oil refinery corporation in Kansas, and a philanthropist, who have been pumping a lot of the money into the campaign,” said Katherine Sanchez, 32 , environmental biology and botany ma-jor. “So when you really look at the aspect of things and how much companies have already invested because they know AB 32 is going into effect into our green economy in Califor-nia, it outweighs what the state is trying to do… and these companies want to keep things the way they are because it gives them profit, but not our state.”

Concerned that pollution may continue in the state of California, the random survey conducted on the Mt. SAC campus reported that 60 percent of students oppose this law, while 23 percent were undecided and 17 per-cent support it.

In addition to Propositions 19 and 23, the Mt. SAC campus was surveyed with regards to two other propositions, 21 and 22. According to Proposition 21, the law “establishes [an] $18 annual vehicle license surcharge to help fund state parks and wildlife programs. [It also] grants surcharged vehicles free admission to all state parks.”

The proponents of Proposition 21 include the state park system and state wildlife conservation agencies. The state itself has 278 state parks, “of which 246 are operated and maintained by the California Department of Parks and Recreation [DPR] and 32 by local entities,” according to the official voter guide.

The student random survey concluded that 54 percent support Proposition 21, 34 percent reject it and 12 percent are undecided.

As for Proposition 22, “[This would] prohibit the state from borrowing or taking funds used for transportation, redevelopment, or local government projects and services,” says the official voter guide.

This proposes that the state government would not be allowed to take funds which have been assigned to local governments and other services, as designated by taxpayers and voters.

Tied at 38 percent, those random students surveyed are divided in favor and against Proposition 22.

““People need to understand that is their duty to vote. If they don’t vote, they should not be complaining. It is important that we begin to take responsibility for our silence,” Navas said.

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If I could give all athletes worldwide a little bit if advice, it would be to take into consideration that as long as they are athletes they will be under the microscope. What I mean by that is; they will constantly be scrutinized both on and off the field.

Athletes are being covered by the media in a way that they have never been before, as high-profile celebrities. Who’s to blame for all of this? I choose to blame gossip blogs like perezhilton.com and tmz.com. You can read stories daily about athletes such as golfer Tiger Woods, baseball player Alex Rodriguez, and soccer star David Beckham to name a few.

There is something about reading a story about Paris Hilton’s recent drug arrest shortly followed by details of NFL star Braylon Edwards’ recent DWI charge that just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Popularity of these athletes has grown so much that tmz.com decided to add an entire section of their Web site dedicated to covering just sports gossip.

This fascination with athlete’s personal lives has actually spilled over into the sports media itself. I know too much about which athlete is dating a supermodel, musician, or actress/actor and I don’t even keep up with these gossip blogs. I find this out by watching sports programs on TV and listening to sports talk radio where these types of things are also being discussed, it’s ridiculous.

Athletes need to realize that this interest will never go away and the decisions they make, the actions they take, and the way they carry themselves can affect their lives forever.

This also extends to college athletes, even here at Mt. SAC. You make one bad decision and you can lose potential scholarships, the ability to play the sport you love, or even worse, by making your school pay for your actions. Reggie Bush was once a star football player at USC, however an investigation began with suspicion that Bush had been receiving gifts in violation of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) policy. As a result, Bush voluntarily forfeited the single most prestigious individual award in college football, The Heisman Trophy. However, USC paid the ultimate price by receiving four years probation, a ban from bowl games in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and losing a total of 30 scholarships over three years. The entire football program has been affected and will be affected for years to come; a huge price to pay over one person’s actions.


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The Mt. SAC women’s water polo team looks for a strong second half of the season as they travel to face Cerritos on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 4:15 p.m. in Cerritos.

Cerritos is ranked No. 1 in South Coast Conference play with an overall record of (11-1, 4-0) in conference.

Mounties team captain and leading scorer Samantha De La Cerda said the team is optimistic of their chances against the Falcons.

“They are a good team, but we’re a good team too,” she said. “We should just forget about the first few games. Our coach always tells us that once a game is over let’s make that our worst game and move on from there.”

De La Cerda said the physical aspect is not the issue but their mentality would be the deciding factor of where the team goes from here.

“If we’re positive I think we could give them a run for their money,” she said.

Freshman Melissa Pryor believes that they can match-up with any opponent they take on.

“We work harder than any other team out there.” Pryor said. “We have all the skills-we just have to put them together.”

Pryor also leads the team in assists and steals.

Head Coach Chris Jackson knows that

the team are not exactly favored in the game but will do their best to pull off the upset.

“We are definitely the underdogs. We’ve got nothing to lose so we’re going to go out there and they are going to have to bring their A-game,” he said. “We’re a young team so it’ll be quite the feat if we pull that off.”

The team is relatively young with only two returning sophomore players on the roster. Many are still getting the hang of playing competitively at a college level.

Jackson believes that the team’s youth has been the most problematic thing that the team has had thus far.

“It’s a building year ... it’s been tough to lose games but we’re seeing some good improvement. I’m asking girls to play positions that they didn’t play in high school so we’re trying to develop those skills,” he said. “The girls are very eager to learn, it’s a fun group to coach, and they work hard ... so I definitely think we’ll see some improvement throughout the season.”

Jackson is looking for the team to improve individually as well as a team in the areas of ball handling, protecting the ball, overall team defense, and confidence in the offense. The team is also looking to improve on being more confident at the beginning of games, as the team has fallen behind early in many of their losses.

The Mounties are currently 5-10 overall, 2-3 in conference with wins over Pasadena City College and El Camino.

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Another chapter will be added to a storybook rivalry between two of the arguably best soccer programs in California.

The Mt. SAC Mounties and the Cerritos Falcons will face each other today at the Mt. SAC soccer field for an early-season matchup—a match in which both teams will be meeting for the first time this season.

The Mounties are coming off winning the state and national championship last season, a title that was previously held by Cerritos in 2008.

The last time both teams played was during a critical post-season match last year, with the winner going to the state championship tournament.

During that match, the Falcons took a 1-0 lead midway in the second-half giving them the advantage, but in the last 15 minutes of the game, Mt. SAC scored two quick goals to come from behind and winning 2-1, advancing them to the state championships.

Despite the loss, Falcons head coach Benny Artiaga said the game was eye-pleasing to the fans and was a type of game where momentum shifted back and forth with either team waiting

for the other to make a mistake.“We made two careless mistakes in the back

and they were right there to capitalize on them,” he said.

In 2008, Cerritos had beaten Mt. SAC four times—one of those games for the state championship.

Former Cerritos player Alex Munoz said beating the Mounties was a difficult task but beating them the fourth time was the toughest of all.

“It was a real physical game and we approached that year with a mentality that nothing less than a state championship was what we would accept,” he said.

Mounties head coach Juan Sanchez knows the high-level soccer that’s played when both teams meet.

“I think it has always been a healthy competition for both programs,” Sanchez said. “We always have the utmost respect for each other—I think the one thing we both benefitted from these matches is that it’s prepared us for the state title games and other regular season games too.”

Currently, the Mounties are the top-ranked team in the state despite an uncharacteristic tie 2-2 in their first conference match against a much lower-seeded East Los Angeles College on Sept. 28.

However, the Mounties bounced back with

an impressive 2-0 win over No. 12 El Camino on Oct. 1 to keep them at the top despite the tie in their conference record.

With only six sophomores comprised on the roster, Sanchez knows that his large group of freshmen are going through a learning process this season.

“We expect some hiccups along the way but we’ve been blessed to have the record that we have,” Sanchez said. “We haven’t put our A-game together yet and we think that’s a good sign because hopefully the best is yet to come for us.”

Sanchez also said a set starting unit has not been established yet due to the youth and inconsistency of the players.

“It’s a dilemma,” he said. “Despite the players being young this is what we as a coaching staff face developing these players—but it’s fun because that’s what we love to do, we teach them.”

In 2008, Sanchez had only four sophomores and 18 freshmen representing the team—a familar situation to what he has this year going into today’s contest.

“The team is very similar to the team in 2008 but I see a little more talent showing this year based on the wins we’ve attained,” he said. “We’re still not playing our best soccer but so far we’ve shown some results.”

The game time for today’s match is at 4:00 p.m.


Men’s soccer vs. CerritosThe saga continues with rivals

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At about the halfway point into the season, the Mt. SAC women’s volleyball team stands strong with a 6-5 overall record, going into the conference portion of the schedule.

As of Sept. 28, the women’s volleyball team ranks 20th in the State Community College Women’s Volleyball Top 25 rankings and No. 12 in the regional rankings. The team is coming off a tough loss to 3rd ranked Pasadena which they lost in 5 sets (22-25, 16-25, 25-11, 25-8, 25-8).

“We proved to ourselves that we were very strong in our performance against Pasadena, they’re a top five team in the state, but we couldn’t sustain the type of performance we

had in the last three sets that we had in the first two sets,” said Maria Dennis, Mt. SAC volleyball head coach.

The team has been battling injuries throughout the season, which has forced them to juggle their lineups on a game-to-game basis.

The Mounties field a very versatile team with consistent strong play from the middle and excellent play from the setters. The team has veteran leadership as they consist of seven sophomores who have been through the rigors of a season.

“The benefit of having a veteran team is that the they know what they want. This gives the team a solid foundation in character and I don’t need to push them so hard because they’re always focused,” Dennis said.

Dennis wishes to see the team continue working on their mental toughness and consistency as the season progresses.

“We’re in great shape as long as everyone is healthy, the girls have been improving every week. We must continue playing hard and we must maintain our focus and intensity throughout the game. Consistency is what we need to improve on the most as we pursue our goals as a team,” she said.

In the second half of the season, the team prepares for a key stretch as the next 13 games are against conference opponents. Key games include matches against El Camino (ranked 5th) and a rematch against Pasadena (ranked 3rd). Cerritos and Long Beach are also teams that have played tough against the Mounties in the past.

“There is a lot of room for improvement ... we have great depth when everyone is strong and healthy. We’re strong enough to finish on top of conference ... it matters how much the girls want it but we are very capable. I want to go into the playoffs ranked higher than the past and get a better draw,” Dennis said.

Mounties hopeful for second half


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