e student publication of the San Jacinto College DistrictVol. 23, No. 6 February 18, 2013

SAN JACINTO TIMES

Aaron PrestonStaff Writer

A policy requiring all firstyear students to take a Learn-ing Framework course was im-plemented by San JacintoCollege last semester in an at-tempt to encourage students todevelop effective study habits.

The three-hour course iscross-referenced as EDUC1300 and PSYC 1300, and isrequired to complete a certifi-cate or an associate degree.However, for most 4-year uni-versities, the course will nottransfer.

“Being a transfer university, Idon’t know where this coursewould fit in our degree plan,”University of Houston ClearLake Coordinator of AcademicTransfer Advising Alvin John-son, Jr. said. “We want stu-dents to bring in courseworkthat will help them out.”

Though the course will nottransfer due to limited space inUHCL degree plans, Johnsonnoted he would still recom-mend the class.

“I would not personally dis-courage students from takingthe course,” Johnson said. “Iunderstand the value of thecourse.”

Learning Framework, now inits second semester at SJC, istaught at several communitycolleges in Texas, and is seenas a great foundation course byprofessors.

“I’m excited about teaching

this course, and value the con-tents,” San Jacinto College Ed-ucation Professor LaToyaGilmore said. “I think it has alot of tools and strategies thatwill help students academi-cally.”

EDUC 1300/PSYC 1300 isviewed as a course, costingstudents $269, and $392 for in-district and out-of-district stu-dents, respectively.

The course takes as muchtime as other academic classes,

and professors of the coursefeel that the course has a lot ofvalue.

“I find it interesting (that theclass will not transfer), but theinformation is still useful,”Gilmore said. “I still feel that

there is information in thecourse that is beneficial.”

Students who are currentlyenrolled, or were required totake the class last fall, seemedsurprised to find out the classthey were mandated to take

wouldn’t transfer. “I feel like it’s not fair for stu-

dents to have to pay so muchfor something like this,” fresh-man Eric Martinez said.

See Transfer on Page 4.

SJC course aims for student success

Aaron Preston San Jacinto TimesFreshman Eric Esqueda learns effective study tips in the EDUC/PSYC 1300 class that is now required at San Jacinto College.

Chris VillegasDepartment Editor

Mass shootings at Sandy HookElementary, in Conn., and LoneStar College- North Harris, inHouston, raised concerns aboutstudent safety. To prevent a tragicincident from happening here, SanJacinto College held a town hallmeeting on Jan. 24 to discussplans to stop school violence andwhat to do incase an activeshooter was in the building.

The safety town hall meetingwas hosted by Harris CountySheriff, Adrian Garcia. SheriffGarcia and participating depart-ment heads from Houston areaschool districts came together toform a council. The council ismeant to facilitate communicationbetween police department andschools in the event of a tragedy.

In an attempt to prepare studentsin the event of a school shooting,the council showed an activeshooter video. The video show-cased the appropriate steps to fol-low if an active shooter were to

enter into a school. The first tip is to run. Try to

evacuate with others within rea-son. Do not let someone hold heor she back if it is going to putsomeone in danger.

Second tip is to hide. Leave be-longings and seek safe ground.The goal is to act quickly and qui-etly keep undetected from theshooter. Once in a safe place lockthe door and silence any elec-tronic device that could becomecostly. Furthermore, keep hiddenbehind large objects and call 911.

Lastly, when there is no otheroption left, a student has to fight.Improvise anything that can be-come a weapon. Most importantlycommit to taking down theshooter.

The Sheriff’s department formeda high-risk swat team in April, andis designed to handle schoolshootings as well as medical situ-ations with a critical plan in place.

Another step the council hastaken to help get the public in-volved is forming the HCSO webapp.

The app is designed to allow thepublic to anonymously submittips about suspicious activity.Since the app’s launch, HarrisCounty Sheriff’s department hasstopped two-dozen people.

The council suggests that stu-dents, teachers, and parentsshould become more alert to theirsurroundings.

Moreover, the department is ona hiring freeze, leaving themspread thin over the district. If thepublic is more engaged they canbe a tremendous help for the de-partment.

“I feel the department andschools are taking baby steps inthe right direction for schoolsafety,” San Jacinto StudentKevin Rodriguez said.

According to the council andSheriff Garcia, the best way topositively move forward is withbetter communication.

In closing thoughts, the councilmembers all agreed that people inthe community should stay atten-tive and address situations withcaution.

Sheriff Garcia gives educators

campus shooting survival tips

Obama’s message to nation: ‘Let ’s get this done’Naama GoutiStaff Writer

Tension and thrill filled the airon Feb. 12 in Washington, D.C. asPresident Obama delivered theState of the Union Address.

Paul Irving introduced ourleader using eight words thatbegan the event, “Mr. Speaker, the

President of the United States.”Tuesday’s speech addressed the

convocation with topics coveringpublic and congressional supporton issues such as deficit reduction,gun control, and education re-form.

“Fifty-one years ago, John F.Kennedy declared to this Cham-ber that ‘the Constitution makes

us not rivals for power but part-ners for progress.’ It is my task toreport the State of the Union,”Obama said.

“To improve it is the task of usall.”

The newly inaugurated Obamaemphasized the persistentprogress his administration hasmade over the last year.

“Together, we have clearedaway the rubble of crisis,” Obamasaid.

“And, can say with renewedconfidence that the state of ourunion is stronger.”

Obama said that current dis-agreements between the parties ondeficit reduction could have gru-eling consequences if bipartisan-

ship is not reached. Instead he offered an approach

that included reforms to the taxand health care systems, as well asjob creation.

“Some in this Congress haveproposed preventing only the de-fense cuts by making even biggercuts to things like education andjob training, Medicare and Social

Security benefits. That idea iseven worse,” Obama said.

“On Medicare, I’m prepared toenact reforms…Now is our bestchance for… tax reformthat…helps bring down thedeficit.” Obama said in order for any of

See Obama on Page 4

Annette Moore San Jacinto TimesSHOW ME THE MONEY: Read about a scholarship opportunity waiting for hard work-ing San Jac students on page 4.

Opinion/CommentaryFebruary 18, 2013 San Jacinto Times Page 2

The San Jacinto Times is publishedfive times a semester by the journalismstudents at San Jacinto College Central,8060 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, TX77505. Opinions expressed herein are those of

the writer and not necessarily those ofthe staff, its adviser, the administrationor the Board of Regents.The Times encourages letters to the

editor. Letters must be in good taste, ac-curate, free from libel, malice or personalcontroversy. Letters must be limited to200 words in length. Letters submitted

without the author’s signature will not beaccepted. The staff reserves the right toedit the letters for accuracy without alter-ing the general meaning.Letters can be e-mailed to Hellen.Pa-

padacos@sjcd.edu. Letters must includename and phone number for verification.The digital edition of the Times is avail-

able at http://issuu.com/sanjacintotimes.Advertising space is available for $5.00

per column inch. Special rates are avail-able. For news tips and information onadvertising, contact the Times at 281-478-2752.

PRODUCTION MANAGERSara Quintana

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFLeif HaymanSan Jacinto

TimesSan Jacinto College Student Publications

DEPARTMENT EDITORSCaty Christy

Monica Davila

Asher Minx

Chris Villegas

STAFF WRITERSFlor Barrero

Amanda BeardJonathan ChapaNaama GoutiKeili Harrison

Jeannette JimenezJason McNeelyAlex Moore

Annette MooreJoseph PayneVanessa PiñaAaron Preston

Angelica RodriguezChristopher Rodriguez

Rebeca ValdezElton Wilson

ADVISER Hellen Papadacos

CIRCULATION MANAGERChristian O’Connor

PAGE DESIGNERSSara Quintana

Christopher Shelton

Asher MinxDepartment Editor

Among the many divisive discus-sions facing the United States, fromhealthcare to gun control, one of themost popular arguing tactics is tochallenge the constitutionality of agiven plan or policy. The laws ourfounders laid out have been a stick-ing point for centuries, with oppos-ing political parties sometimesexpressing significantly differentideas about their implementation.These stem from a schism in as-sumptions regarding the constitu-tion’s functional purpose, which wesee reflected in both the left andright’s broader agendas.

As articulated by Obama in hissecond inaugural address, many

progressives view the constitutionas a nuanced document that must beinterpreted in the context of currenttimes. Modern conservatism holdsto a more absolute view, that therights of citizens and their govern-ments are fully expressed in self-ex-planatory rhetoric and should beapplied to any given era as theywere applied originally.

So, where does the truth fall? Wecan agree to recognize that the coreof the constitution is not flexible--protecting the citizenry and main-taining the union are bottom lines,not antiquities. Though these typesof debates may exhaust both sides,progressives must never becomelazy and begin thinking of the doc-ument as a mere formality. Manyarticles therein--the bill of rights,for example--contain explicit provi-sions that must be respected. Wecan all agree on that point.Nevertheless, deferring to the con-

stitution as some clear-cut arbiterfor every new debate is a copout. AsLincoln said "...no organic law canever be framed with a provisionspecifically applicable to everyquestion which may occur in prac-tical administration. No foresightcan anticipate nor any document ofreasonable length contain express

provisions for all possible ques-tions."

We were promised a right to beararms, but not expressly told whatthose arms could be. In an age offighter jets and mortar launchers,it's clear the current gun control de-bate is not over whether the Ameri-can people should still be allowedweapons but over what limitationsare reasonable. This was not an ur-gent question in the founders' time,and neither were birth control pills,climate change, or health insurance.

Our understanding of moralityevolves over time. As such, we'venever had a perfect law of gover-nance. The above Lincoln quotewas originally stated in an argumentagainst an old clause saying slaveswho escape their state will be re-turned to their owner. We at onepoint had an amendment prohibit-ing the buying or selling of alcohol.From the beginning, our foundingdocument has been a product of de-bate and compromise. In our jour-ney for justice, we've found itnecessary not only to discard fool-ish relics but to add new amend-ments protecting the rights ofgroups victimized and disenfran-chised by institutional discrimina-tion.

So, yes, we have to respect thefiner points of the constitution.More importantly--for the good ofall Americans--we must respect itsspirit, the Declaration of Indepen-dence's spirit, and the principles thatguided their drafting.

Look at the outrage over WallStreet, the growing demand formarriage equality (a faction ofridiculed advocates who have risento become the majority), the back-lash against proposals like SOPAand the chilling effect they wouldhave had online.

Look at slavery, our historicaltreatment of women, our treatmentof the poor.

Look at the past and the present,the first Americans and the latest.Compare and contrast and try to saywe’re in any way less true to theDeclaration of Independence orConstitution than the old men whodrafted them. This is not a genera-tion that says “but” after “all menare created equal,” or “exceptwomen” after guaranteeing a rightto privacy.This is America.

Minx Thinks: Today’s generation is more American than its founders

ADVERTISINGSara Quintana

If the Shoe Fits : “Useless” is in the eye of the degree holder

Caty ChristyDepartment Editor

It’s about time to start applying for graduation.But what’s next? After graduation everyonestarts trying to get a career going.

Studies by Forbes, MSN, and others haveshown that not all degree plans are createdequal. It’s obvious that a person’s annual in-come depends largely on his or her field ofstudy, but lately some of the most popular de-gree plans are coming up short.

Majors such as Graphic Design, English Lit-erature And Language, Audio Engineering, andeven Journalism, which is my degree plan, arelooked at as useless college majors.

The problem students are pointing out is thatthese majors won’t make a good living aftergraduation. There is also the possibility of onlyfinding a low paying job in the field.

However, that point may be desirable in theGraphic Design and Audio Engineering fields.It is perfectly possible to get your start in theseindustries, and some others, just by getting cof-fee for someone important. Eventually, you

make your way up the ladder, and if you’re goodenough at what you do the end result is a reallygood job.

The problem with an English Literature andLanguage Degree is that everyone thinks theonly possible career choice is to become anEnglish teacher. That is not true. With this de-gree under your belt you can get any job as aCopy Editor for any firm that pouts out somesort of newsletter or magazine. It is also verypossible to return to college later and expand onan English degree.

As for Journalism, well, that’s obvious; printis dying out. Most newspapers are steadily tran-sitioning into online, live-feed web pages. It’sthe truth. But Magazines aren’t exactly goingout of style any time soon, and with the rightreferences you can start off small and, again,work your way up. Not to mention the fact thata Journalism degree opens up pretty much anyPublic Relations job you want. Partner that withCommunications and you become an asset.

The thing about getting a job with one ofthese “useless college majors” is that you’ve gotto be ambitious and take risks. These fieldsaren’t for the feint-hearted. They’ve all gotcrazy hours and crazy competition.

However, the point is that you should do whatmakes you happy. Then you will never work aday in your life. Besides, one day technologywill fail, and then where would we be withoutnewspapers?

Leif Hayman Editor-in-chief

Like a meteor falling fromthe heavens, Aaron Swartz litup the night sky and burnedup in an instant.

On Jan. 11 Aaron Swartz,age 26, hung himself. He wasfacing up to 35 years in prisonand a maximum fine of $1million. He is best known asthe co-founder of the socialmedia website Reddit. Whenhe was 14 years old, Swartzcreated RSS protocol for re-ceiving updates about newcontent posted on a givenwebsite. Fighting on the fore-front of the struggle for openaccess to information, Swartzwas an unsung Internet pio-neer and revolutionary.

Between September 2010and January 2011, the Depart-ment of Justice alleged thatSwartz downloaded over 4million articles from an aca-demic database called JSTORand broke into a networkingcloset at the Massachusetts In-stitute of Technology to gainaccess to the school's com-puter network. He was in-dicted on felony chargesunder the Computer Fraudand Abuse Act.

Swartz had a gift for pro-gramming. Unsatisfied withcomputers, he shifted hisfocus to societies and peopleby changing his major to soci-ology. He had a vision that allpeople could access the mas-sive electronic knowledgedatabases around the worldwithout monetary or legal re-strictions.

Before going after academicarticles on JSTOR, Swartzwas investigated by the FBIfor downloading and posting

public domain federal courtdocuments on public.re-source.org. The database thatholds the documents, PACER,could only be accessed for afee. Swartz wrote a programhe could install on librarycomputers to make free trialaccounts on PACER anddownload the documents tohis cloud storage.

As an organizer, Swartzhelped to rally thousands ofpeople to sign petitions, ulti-mately stopping legislationthat would throttle and restrictInternet access.

In the days following hisdeath, the DOJ dismissed thecase and JSTOR releasedaround 4.5 million articleswithout restrictions to access.Swartz's parents blame theirson’s death on the refusal ofthe government to drop thecharges against him. His attor-ney warned prosecutors thathe was a suicide risk, but theirresponse was that he shouldbe put in jail.As retaliation, the hacker col-

lective known as Anonymoushacked into the websites ofMIT, the DOJ, and the UnitedStates Sentencing Commis-sion. At one point, by enteringa code posted by Anonymous,the hacked ussc.gov home-page turned into the arcadegame “Asteroids.”

Two weeks after Swartz'sdeath, the hacking campaigncame to a climax. Hackersseized ussc.gov and posted avideo demanding reform tothe copyright and computercrime laws. The group re-leased an encrypted file theyclaim contains documentsstolen from various govern-ment websites. They havethreatened to release the keyto decrypt the file's contents if

the laws are not changed.In recent years, the Internet

has become a war zone. Withthe rise of Anonymous andWikiLeaks, the battle to ac-cess information and protect itis fierce. The government hasbeen on both sides of thefight.At one point the government

stepped in to preserve thepublic's unfettered access andstop Internet service providersfrom throttling traffic to spe-cific websites. More recently,the government seems to befocusing on copyright in-fringement, whistle-blowers,and hackers. Not Chinese mil-itary spies, but American citi-zens who reload websites overand over again as a form ofprotest.Today, we are witnessing the

biggest consolidation of infor-mation in human history, theconsolidation of all collectivehuman knowledge. As gov-ernments and corporations in-creasingly turn their focus todealing with and protectingthis knowledge from per-ceived threats, the imperativeto preserve and distribute thatinformation for all humanityto access is paramount. AaronSwartz and those arrested forhacking are not enemies ofprogress they are its champi-ons.

If there are such things asreason and free will, it is es-sential for their preservationthat the public has access touncensored and unedited in-formation. Knowledge is apowerful equalizer and it mustbe maintained for the benefitof all humanity and the detri-ment of oppression.

In Memory of Aaron Swartz,RIP.

Technological visionariespave way for future

Artwork by Chris Gaviria

Artwork by Chris Gaviria

Lifestyle & EntertainmentFebruary 18, 2013 San Jacinto Times Page 3

AArree yyoouu SSaann JJaacc’’ss nneexxttAArree yyoouu SSaann JJaacc’’ss nneexxttFFaasshhiioonn IIccoonn oonn ccaammppuuss??FFaasshhiioonn IIccoonn oonn ccaammppuuss??

VVOOTTEE FFOORR YYOOUURR FFAAVVOORRIITTEE!!VVOOTTEE FFOORR YYOOUURR FFAAVVOORRIITTEE!!www.facebook.com/SanJacintoTimes

• Every week students will be randomly selected for the Fashion Icon contest.

• Pictures of the selected students will be submitted to the San Jacinto Times Facebook page.

• Like us on Facebookand vote for your favorite.

• The two students with the most “likes” will be featuredin the San Jacinto Times newspaper.

• The contest will be featuredin each issue.

• The last issue will feature the top winner for the semester.

• The final winner will receive a prize.

• Voting begins once the photos are posted on our Facebook page.

• Voting ends Monday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. for the upcomingissue.

Selena finally cured of the fever

Who didn’t spend this Valentine’s Day to-gether? That’s right… Selena Gomez andJustin Bieber (wait who is that again?Everyone seems to have forgotten thiskid since he was not even nominated fora Grammy…tear… oh that’s right, Gram-mys are only for people who makemusic… makes sense. ) Even thoughbreaking up can be hard to do, not forSelena as she was seen at a Grammy’safter party having a blast while the Biebsspent his night… well bored.

Taylor + break up = Grammy

Who’s never ever getting back together?Taylor Swift and all her future boyfriendsthat’s who! It might not be the greatestthing to do, to write and sing about yourex’s but to open up the Grammys doingit? That’s incredibly cool! Taylor Swift didit again, she opened with “We are NeverGetting Back Together” at the 55th An-nual Grammy Awards, giving all her fu-ture boyfriends a heads up to not messwith her, as she declared in her perform-ance, “Then he calls me up and is like, ‘Istill love you’ and I’m like ‘sorry, I’mbusy opening up the Grammys’.”

Katy and John sitting in a tree

Speaking of Taylor’s ex’s , John Mayer(Famous for inspiring Taylor’s Dear Johnsong) and Katy Perry are dating, how ro-mantic… No, really, it is romantic. Shejust got a divorce, and he just finishedyet another relationship… like a weekago, what more could we ask for? Thistime he actually admitted his feelingssaying his relationship doesn’t feel likehe’s in a celebrity relationship. It feelsmore human…awww? Whatever thatmeans, but they’re happy!

- Vanessa PiŃa

Bold Jeans Make Spring StatementAngelica RodriguezStaff Writer

What is trending? The real question is what was trendinglast summer and remains in style throughout the winter?Colorful jeans! Almost every fashionista dresses in black,gray, and blue.But still, addingcolored jeans toyour attire makesa bold difference.The main colorsthat are in styleduring the coldweather are mintgreen, melonpink, and yellow.Wearing one ofthese coloredjeans and a darkshirt makes youin style! Whenwearing thesecolors it can get alittle confusing totry and match upthe shoes or beltand wearing thesame black flatswith everything,just will not work.Try wearing nudecolors; nude col-ors work well be-cause they help tone down the brightness of the jeansgiving it a warm balance for the proper season. Add cutegold jewelry and you will be out the door ready for yourday in no time!

Alanna GarciaAge: 20Major: EnglishCentral Campus

“One man’s stylemust not be therule of another.” - Jane Austen

Kaitlyn ConnerAge: 18Major: Business South Campus

“Stop wearingyour wishbonewhere your back-bone ought to be.” - Elizabeth Gilbert

San Jac’s Fashion Icon Contest:Cycle One Winners

Central Campus Theatre DepartmentStaging Audience Favorite

Showtimes: Feb. 20, 21, 22 & 23, Curtain: 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 24, Curtain: 2:30 p.m.General Admission: $15, ticket price bought two days in advance $13.Reservations: 281-476-1828.Box office hours: 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. Monday- Friday.Box office opens Feb. 18.Order your tickets online with a credit card.Website: arts.sanjac.edu/theatre-central

Angelica Rodriguez San Jacinto TimesA wide array of pretty colors work for spring.

Angelica Rodriguez San Jacinto TimesPair colors and neutrals with gold jewelry for a

big impact.

The Scoop

Fashion Fun!Photo Credit: Naama Gouti San Jacinto Times

From the CoverFebruary 18, 2013 San Jacinto Times Page 4

Annette MooreStaff Writer

San Jacinto College offers ascholarship to minorities onall three campuses. Thescholarship requires recipi-ents to be full-time students,have a GPA of 2.5 or higher,and to major in biochemistry,biology, chemistry, computerscience engineering, engi-neering technology, math, orscience.

The college awards 5 schol-arships each semester and theavailable funding from the Na-tional Science Foundation(NSF) determines how muchmoney each student will beawarded.

The scholarship is the LouisStokes Alliances for MinorityParticipation Program, alsoknown as the LSAMP Pro-gram. Christopher Wild, pro-fessor of chemistry and

coordinator of the LSAMPscholarship program for theCentral campus, helps tochoose the winners for the se-mester.

Wild sought the coordinatorposition because he taught atan inner city school and wit-nessed the difficulties faced bythe students from populationsthat were underrepresented inthe sciences and math.

"I hope my involvement in

the program will in some smallway inspire a student to be-come a scientist," Wild said.

He was acknowledged for hisachievement and continuededucation to student successduring the 2011 school year.

The LSAMP program aimsto help students find their pathin science, technology, engi-neering, and math. The fundshelp students focus on theirstudies without the burden of

financial difficulty. This is thecollege's 14th year in awardingstudents with LSAMP scholar-ships.

Daniel Rodriguez won theLSAMP scholarship for the2012-2013 academic year. Ro-driguez is attending Centralcampus and is currently en-rolled as a full-time student. Aprofessor recommended himfor his excellent grades andwork ethic. He was awarded

$700 and a mentor of hischoice.

"It has helped me a lot be-cause I am married, a full-timestudent, and I have a lot ofbills I need to worry about,"Rodriguez said. He added thatthe scholarship helped himfocus on his studies and mak-ing good grades.

Interested students shouldcontact Christopher Wild at281-476-1501 ext. 1688

“Especially because I cameto San Jac to save money,and now I’m finding out thatI’m actually kind of wastingit.” A high school AdvancementVia Individual Determina-tion (AVID) instructor, whowished to remain anony-mous, said the class seemsto be a college level AVIDprogram; a course offeredin several states nationwideto prepare students for col-lege level studying, and isviewed as a strategy forclosing the achievement gapto make the college dreamaccessible to all students. “The class seems to besomewhat of an oxy-moron,” the source said. “I feel as though studentsknow that when they get tocollege, they should alreadyknow that studying is a key

to success, and studentsshould not be paying tolearn what they spent thelast 12 years of their livesdoing.” Students who participatedin their high school AVIDprogram share a similarfeeling. “EDUC 1300 didn’treally help me,” freshmanLaKeisha Harrison said. “It’s really the work load ofmy AVID class, and onlyreiterated study habits I hadalready learned.” The main goal of AVID isto increase the number ofstudents who enroll in four-year universities, and putfocus on students who fallin the academic middle50% of their peers. Other community collegesoffer a similar coursearound Texas. Lone Star College Systemand Lee College in Bay-town are among the col-leges that offer, but do notrequire the course.

these things to matter we mustensure that American childrenare being given the best possi-ble education. “I propose working with statesto make high-quality preschoolavailable to every child inAmerica,” Obama said.“Countries like Germany focuson graduating their high schoolstudents with the equivalent ofa technical degree from one ofour community colleges…weneed to give every Americanstudent opportunities like this.”Obama went further to coverthe topic of higher education.“I ask Congress to change the

Higher Education Act, so thataffordability and value are in-cluded in determining whichcolleges receive certain typesof federal aid,” Obama said.“My administration will re-lease a new ‘College Score-card’ where you can get themost bang for your educationalbuck.”

Obama also covered topicssuch as immigration reform,gun control, as well as bringingthe troops home. Obama ended the night ad-

dressing all citizens in Amer-ica, making a clear statementto what he sees for our nation’sfuture. “We are citizens,” Obama said.

“It remains the task of us all, ascitizens of these United States,to be the authors of the nextgreat chapter in our Americanstory.”

ObamaContinued from Page 1

TransferContinued from Page 1

MCT CampusThe president outlined his second term agenda during the State of the Union address.

Minority students benefit from science scholarship

Around CampusFebruary 18, 2013 San Jacinto Times Page 5

8 DAYS A WEEK8 DAYS A WEEK

Monday, February 18• SOS Brigade Anime Club Meeting, 3 p.m., S10.112

• Mixed Martial Arts Meeting, 8:30 p.m., S21.120

Tuesday, February 19• Jabali Afrika Performance, 11:30 a.m., Student

Center Atrium

• Student Bible Fellowship, 12 p.m., S6.196

• SGA Meeting, 2:30 p.m., S11.228

• Game Enterprises Guild Meeting, 3 p.m., S8.1062

• ESOL Meeting, 4 p.m., S7.138

Wednesday, February 20• GSA Meeting, 2:30 p.m., S9.250

• EDG Meeting, 3 p.m., S13.274

• NTHS Meeting, 3 p.m., S13.212

• SOS Brigade Anime Club Meeting, 3 p.m., S10.112• Writer’s Block Meeting, 3 p.m., S9.214

• Geo Jac’s Meeting, 5:30 p.m., S7.148

Thursday, February 21 • SVA Meeting, 2:30 p.m., S8.2066

• Game Enterprises Guild Meeting, 3 p.m., S8.1062

• Writer’s Block Open Mic Night, 6 p.m., Student

Center Atrium

Friday, February 22• Mixed Martial Arts Meeting, 9 a.m., S21.105

Saturday, February 23• No Scheduled Activities

Sunday, February 24• No Scheduled Activities

Monday, February 18• Logos Meeting, 11:30 a.m., C14.212 A/B

Tuesday, February 19• TSEA Meeting, 1 p.m., C20.261

• NSCS Meeting, 3 p.m., C1.233

Wednesday, February 20• Jabali Afrika Performance, 11:30 a.m., Student

Center Lounge A

• Anime Society Meeting, 1 p.m., C15.215

Thursday, February 21 • WEBB Historical Society Meeting, 7:30 a.m.,

C2.224

• Phi Theta Kappa Meeting, 11 a.m., C1.230

Friday, February 22• SGA Meeting, 11:30 a.m., C1.155

Saturday, February 23• No Scheduled Activities

Sunday, February 24• No Scheduled Activities

Monday, February 18• Jabali Afrika Performance, 11 a.m., N12.200

• UHCL Transfer Recruiter, 2 p.m., ILC Lobby

• Robotics Club Meeting, 3 p.m., N7.261

Tuesday, February 19• UHCL Open House, 7:30 a.m., N12.112

• UH Transfer Recruiter, 9:30 a.m., ILC Lobby

• FYE Workshop, 11 a.m., N6.108

• Rotaract Club Meeting, 1 p.m., N12.215

• WEBB Society Meeting, 1:15 p.m., N7.108

Wednesday, February 20• 5th Annual African American Read-In, 11:30 a.m.,

N12.200

Thursday, February 21 • Men of Honor Meeting, 11 a.m., N12.112

• Anime Club Meeting, 2 p.m., N9.133

• PTK Meeting, 4:30 p.m., N13.208

Friday, February 22• Bird Watching, 8 a.m., Courtyard Fountain

• Math & Engineering Club Meeting, 10 a.m., N8.251

• Science Club Meeting, 12 p.m., N8.201

• Robotics Club Meeting, 1 p.m., N2.219

Saturday, February 23• Cosmetology Spa Day Fundraiser, 7:30 a.m.,

N10.200

Sunday, February 24• No Scheduled Activities

North

South

Central

8 DAYS A WEEK8 DAYS A WEEK

Monday, February 25• Philosophy Club Meeting, 3 p.m., S7.102

• SOS Brigade Anime Club Meeting, 3 p.m., S10.112

• Mixed Martial Arts Meeting, 8:30 p.m., S21.120

Tuesday, February 26• Student Bible Fellowship, 12 p.m., S6.196

• Game Enterprises Guild Meeting, 3 p.m., S8.1062

• ESOL Meeting, 4 p.m., S7.138

Wednesday, February 27• GSA Meeting, 2:30 p.m., S9.250

• Coyote Future Teacher’s Club Meeting, 3 p.m.,

S7.102

• EDG Meeting, 3 p.m., S13.274

• SOS Brigade Anime Club Meeting, 3 p.m., S10.112

• Writer’s Block Meeting, 3 p.m., S9.214

• Geo Jac’s Meeting, 5:30 p.m., S7.148

Thursday, February 28 • College Community Day - No Classes

Friday, March 1• Mixed Martial Arts Meeting, 9 a.m., S21.105

• PTK Meeting, 1 p.m., S8.2028

Saturday, March 2• Geo Jac’s Fundraiser - Off Campus

Sunday, March 3• No Scheduled Activities

Monday, February 25• Desi Valentine Performance, 11:30 a.m., Student

Center Raven Café

• Logos Meeting, 11:30 a.m., C14.212 A/B

Tuesday, February 26• National Society of Collegiate Scholars Meeting,

3 p.m., C1.233

Wednesday, February 27• Anime Society Meeting, 1 p.m., C15.215

Thursday, February 28 • College Community Day - No Classes

Friday, March 1• SGA Meeting, 11:30 a.m., C1.155

Saturday, March 2• No Scheduled Activities

Sunday, March 3• No Scheduled Activities

Monday, February 25• Rec Sports Sign-Up, 9 a.m., Student Center

Lobby

• DeVry Transfer Recruiter, 2 p.m., Student

Center Lobby

Tuesday, February 26• Rec Sports Sign-Up, 9 a.m., Student Center

Lobby

• University of Houston Transfer Recruiter,

9:30 a.m., ILC Lobby

Wednesday, February 27• Rec Sports Sign-Up, 9 a.m., Student Center

Lobby

• Culinary Club Crawfish Boil, 11 a.m., N12.112

• PTK College Completion Committee, 11 a.m.,

Student Center Lobby

• Men of Honor Meeting, 12 p.m., N6.108

• PTK College Completion Committee, 4:30 p.m.,

ILC Lobby

• English Department Presents Special Event with

Author Justin Cronin, TBA, N12.200

Thursday, February 28 • College Community Day - No Classes

Friday, March 1• Math & Engineering Club Meeting, 10 a.m., N8.251

• Fine Arts Friday Free Concert, 12 p.m., N1.103

• Science Club Meeting, 12 p.m., N8.201

• Robotics Club Meeting, 1 p.m., N2.219

Saturday, March 2• No Scheduled Activities

Sunday, March 3• No Scheduled Activities

North

South

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Joe PayneStaff Writer

A new and improved Mathand Engineering Clubemerged during the spring se-mester with a brand new cropof students led by advisersJennifer May and Ron Mar-tinets. Formerly known as the MathClub, the Math and Engineer-ing Club has only beenaround in its current forma-tion for a couple of years. Now in its second year, Pro-fessor May says the club “stillfeels new” because of thededication demonstrated byall the new students. The club is open to all stu-

dents, but may prove mosthelpful to those strugglingwith decisions about their fu-ture. According to Professor May,they are exposed to manyareas of engineering throughdifferent channels. One op-

portunity the club presents tostudents is the chance to talkone-on-one with guest speak-ers. Both Professor May andthe Club’s president JohnMarta estimate that over 100people show up for guest pre-sentations. After becoming president,

Marta realized he had a lot ofwork ahead of him. “It [theclub] had not been maintainedvery well,” he said and addedthat it was like building fromthe ground up.As one of the older club

members, Mata tries to men-tor his constituents. “I try toencourage people to makegoals so they don’t fall intothe trap of just doing basics,”he said. The club is also participatingin activities that lend assis-tance to other organizations,inside and outside the San Jaccommunity. They will be helping the Ro-botics Club during an upcom-

ing competition, as well assponsoring Engineering Dayin November. During this event, engineersfrom all over the nation cometo promote themselves andtheir clubs. When Marta leaves after this

semester, he wants leave be-hind a “template and structurewith more tools” so the nextpresident will not have to startfrom scratch. According to Professor May,the club members also like tohave fun. “The students areextremely competitive abouteverything,” she said. Club activities include “Gin-gerneering,” a competition forbuilding the best gingerbreadhouse, as well as other con-tests such as building a life-size shuffleboard, and makingdifferent products out of dryspaghetti and marshmallows. The club welcomes all stu-

dents and does not require amembership fee.

New management brings Mathand Engineering Club back to life

Deadline looming for new Government requirement

Jeannette JimenezStaff Writer

Curriculum changes are coming to San Jac-into College. Government 2301 and 2302will no longer be offered at San Jac, but gov-ernment classes are not completely goingaway.“I know initially the assumption was thatstudents had to hurry up and take their gov-ernment courses before it went away,” In-terim Academic Dean Stephen Lopez said.“But, no, that’s not the case”. In the fall of 2013, Government 2301 and2302 will change to Federal Government2305 and State Government 2306. Studentsthat have not completed Government 2302by the end of summer 2013, will not receivecredit for Government 2301.“Government 2301 may count as an elec-tive depending on what school you transferto, but it will not count as a credit for yourgovernment component,” government pro-fessor Angelina Cavallo said. Students en-rolled in Government 2301 should take 2302in the summer. As the name change indicates, students willbe learning about federal government one se-mester and state government the second se-

mester, whereas before it was two whole se-mesters of United States and Texas govern-ment combined. “I’m excited about the change,” ProfessorCavallo said. “I love teaching government.It’s good for students because they’re goingto be able to go into more depth with an en-tire semester dedicated to federal governmentand a semester dedicated to the state ofTexas”. Freshman students at San Jacinto are not af-fected by this change. New students register-ing for the first time in Fall 2012 were notable to sign up for government 2301 and2302. Although San Jacinto has heavily advertisedthe change, there is an alternative. For stu-dents that are taking 2302 now, but haven’ttaken 2301, Government 2107 is another op-tion. It is a one credit hour class, but accord-ing to Dean Lopez, it is the equivalent of anindependent study course.This course combines both federal and stateconstitution. Since it is only one credit hour,it will have to be taken with Government2305 for a student to complete his or hergovernment hours. If students do not choosethis option, they will have to start all overwith 2305 and 2306 in the fall.

Jason McNeelyStaff Writer

New curriculum requirements will take ef-fect Fall 2014 as a result of the Texas HigherEducation Coordinating Board allowing stu-dents take some initiative to reduce the num-ber of elective courses that do not transfer toany major universities. The core curriculum gives students a widerrange of classes they can take to receive therequired credit for their degree. Students un-certain about their degree path will have theopportunity to explore a wider inventory ofcourses. According to the Coordinating Board, theold Core requirements led students to takingtoo many electives that did not transfer to amajor university. One of the major revisionsto the core curriculum includes eliminatingthe Physical Education requirement. The Coordinating Board is combiningcourses such as: language, philosophy, andculture into one requirement. Students nolonger have to take all three classes under thenew policy; they will be allowed to take onlyone to still get the required credit. This isdone to save students time and money by im-proving credit transferability. “The state doesn’t want students to take

classes that wouldn’t transfer anyway,” In-terim Academic Dean Stephen Lopez said.“The administration is trying to ‘streamline’students in receiving their degree in a timelymanner, and make sure everything will bene-fit the student.”On the other hand, San Jac now requires theEDUC/PYSC 1300 class that teaches stu-dents to manage their college careers. Thenew core curriculum only requires a total of42 Scheduled Contact Hours (SCH) differingfrom the current 48 SCH. There will be six core objectives offered butonly three to four of them will be mapped toeach component area. Colleges will submit proposed Core Cur-riculum to the Coordinating Board by No-vember 2013. From September 2013 toFebruary 2014 the Coordinating board willreview each college’s core curriculum thatwill be enforced across Texas for the incom-ing freshmen fall of 2014.“I believe if it’s not going to your careerthan it’s not necessary,” third-year studentMatt Hamilton said. “I didn’t mind taking theclasses, but it definitely could’ve been easierto replace them with something towards mymajor.”Attempts to get in contact with members ofthe Athletic Department went unanswered.

Physical Education strikes out:gym classes axed from core curriculum

Sports & FitnessFebruary 18, 2013 San Jacinto Times Page 6

Christopher RodriguezStaff Writer

At the corner of Fairmont and Cun-ningham resides a plot of land that hasbelonged to San Jacinto since the1960s. The healthy greens will draw apasserby’s attention and the hazardswill have them wishing for a mulligan.The land is home to the San JacintoGolf Course. The San Jacinto Golf Course is a par36, nine hole course open to anyonewishing to have a fun time while on abudget. The course has undergone sev-eral changes over the years includingchanges in management. The new faceof the Golf Shop is Neil Hickman, amember of the Professional Golf Asso-ciation who replaced Terry Miller whenhe retired. According to Neil, he plans to bring anew feel to the golf course by provid-ing better services and new practices

that have never been exercised on thiscourse.Hilda Boyce, director of Auxiliary

Services hired Neil Hickman so thegolf course will operate efficiently andfollow best practices. Boyce indicatedthat Neil brings a unique skill-set thatno one else has brought to this golfcourse in the past. “He's a PGA member, he's aware andbeen trained on certain aspects that wehave never had on this course," Boycesaid. "We want to make the golf coursewhat it can be and what it should be.We have a really good golf course thatnot many people knew about, but whatwe need to do is make it so that every-body knows about it and bring in moreplay."Hickman believes he was hired to pro-mote the game of golf.“I don't believe the game of golf hasbeen promoted to the fullest here andthe marketing of more junior golfers,lady golfers, and beginners. This is a

great beginning golf course and that'sone of things I believe we can improveon so we can get players out here tostay open," Hickman said. "Once I getgoing, I hopefully want to do juniorand adult clinics and maybe leagueplay.” Hickman hopes to get the com-munity more involved at the golfcourse by doing this. “I think this golf course has a uniquepoint on entering new golfers, its onlynine holes walking. That's where I seethe potential in this golf course," Hick-man said. Hickman hopes to see these changeswithin the year. The San Jac Golf Course offers all-day unlimited play so where visitorspay once and stay as long as they want.The course does not have a set tee-timeso golfers can tee off at their convince,whereas other golf courses have a settee time where players have to tee offat that time. Even though the course isnine holes players can play it twice to

make it a full 18hole course, or playfrom blue tees towhite tees. If play-ers are playing fromthe blue tees it is2,954 yards andfrom the white teesit is 2,666 yards. Itis a different golfcourse dependingon the way it isplayed."The longest holewe have out here isa regulation parnine which is 146yards and in tourstandards is aboutaverage,” Hickmansaid. “The fairwaysare wide and aren'tjammed up to eachother where a lot ofshort courses are," "If you played thiscourse 20 years ago,

it's not even the same golf course,”Hickman said. “The whole thing hasbeen reshaped, even some of the holeshave been redesigned in a sense thatthey've moved them around. Now,there are elevated tees to USGA stan-dards, all the greens have been re-shaped and drains have been doneproperly."The course is convenient for students,

faculty, and members of the commu-nity because of its location and afford-ability. Visitors can rent clubs if they do nothave a set. Currently, the fee is $12 for regularsand $10 for seniors on weekdays and$15 for regulars and $13 for seniors onweekends and is open daylight untildark.

San Jac green offers local golfers a putting dream

Christopher Rodriguez San Jacinto TimesA player clears the path for his putt on the San Jacinto College Golf Course.

Christopher Rodriguez San Jacinto TimesA golfer on the San Jac Golf Course concentrates before taking his swing.