Blog PostThe most interest-ing student blogposts of the week.Page 6.

OpinionOpposing viewpointson the validity ofcuts to educationPage 2.

Next WeekAn in-depth lookinto drug use and itseffects

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San Jacinto Timeswwwwww..ssaannjjaacciinnttoottiimmeess..ccoomm

BY ASHLEY ALLYNSan Jacinto Times

Texas High Schools are anticipating of a drastic drop in state funding next school year. The state is nowled to make decisions when it comes to 2011-2012 budgets. How will these budget cuts affect highschools? Just recently several budget cuts are already being approved. The results of the cuts are leadingto reductions, one after another.Already the second week of March, The HISD Board of Education has approved several budget cuts thatwill affect funding that each HISD school receives. Resulting from these cuts, each individual school willhave to determine how to reduce their own campus budgets. Included in this is the possibility of teacherand support staff layoffs, cuts to equipment, supplies, non-core subject areas and special programs. HISDis required by state law to notify the teachers by April 18 if they are being eliminated from their positions.HISD Board of Trustees voted to decrease the amount of money given to each high school by $275 perstudent. Due to this cut in per-student spending, this would bring HISD $58.4 million closer to closing a$171 million budget gap, caused by state budget cuts. HISD used an example of a school with 1,200 stu-dents, would have $345,000 less to spend, which is equal to an average salary of 6.5 teachers.

A few reductions that were already approved for HISD by the board are: First, reducing the amount ofextra money given to schools with large numbers of students from low-income homes by $60 per student.This is a result of federal funding cuts to programs for poor children. Secondly, approval of a timeline andprocess for gathering public input concerning the possible closure and consolidations of Grimes, Love,McDade and Rhoads elementary schools. Closing those schools would save nearly $1.7 million. Lastly,amending the ASPIRE Award performance pay model to eliminate the attendance bonus and restrict thecampus-based financial incentives to schools that achieve state rankings of “exemplary” or “recognized”without the benefit of the Texas Projection Model. In addition, employees with low value added resultswould now be ineligible for any financial award. These changes will save HISD about $4.6 million. Withall of this HISD still faces a funding gap of $64.8 million.Budget cuts can affect high school students as fewer dual credit and higher-level courses will be avail-able. This leads to the effect on another independent school district. CCISD will experience plannedincreases to its budget next year, which adds about $2.9 million to the deficit.

SEE HIGH SCHOOL page 6

Texas High schools not immune to looming money hatchet

Colleges face budget slashing

BY CRISTOPHER RODRIGUEZ San Jacinto Times

The State of Texas has a released its proposed budget for the 2012 fiscal year, which includes significantcuts to higher education. The projected budget is $21.1 billion, which is a 7.6 percent drop from the 2010-11 year. The budget also proposes cuts in the areas of financial aid and Pell grants. The 2012 first budget draft had even planned to completely close four community college campusesaround Texas. Those colleges were the only higher education available for miles for the citizens in thosesmall rural areas. The four colleges that were placed on the chopping block were Ranger, BrazosportCollege in Lake Jackson, Frank Phillips in Borger and Odessa College. Although the fates of these col-leges are still up in the air and are hundreds of miles away, we here at San Jac will feel the aftershocks. Students will begin seeing the effects soon. Class sizes will increase and the amount of courses offeredwill decrease. “No money for classes means less courses available, and some of those courses help roundout a student’s education,” said Mr. Patrizio Amezcua, a Government professor at San Jacinto North. “Students getting a higher education is the most important thing,” said Amezcua, who attended San

Jacinto College himself. “Students’ tuition will rise and it will become increasingly difficult to get adequate financial aid, whichcould be a problem for a lot of first-generation students,”Amezcua said.There is a 41% cut to Texas grants -- $675.8 million in general revenue funds. This means that the num-ber of grants will drop from 87,000 to 27,000 next year. A lot of teachers and students around Texas have voiced opposition to the proposed budget for many rea-sons. They have gone to Austin in protest to be heard. The voices were not only being represented in Austinbut also here at San Jacinto. Amezcua and students from all three campuses went in front of the SanJacinto’s delegation and pleaded their case. Details of San Jac’s future have not been laid out yet. The stu-dent body will see the effects along with some of the faculty. With rising enrollment it will be difficult to

see teachers being let go. The Texas Legislature has decided to reform the State’s education system because it is one of the state’sbiggest expenses.

SEE BUDGET page 6

Legislature’s proposed funding could cause deep, personal cutsGraphic by Chris Shelton/San Jacinto Times

MCT Campus

Impending cuts will most certainly affect availability of funds to future students

April 4, 2011San Jacinto Times • Page 2

Opinion/commentary

The San Jacinto Times is published week-ly by the journalism students at San JacintoCollege Central, 8060 Spencer Highway,Pasadena, TX 77505.Opinions expressed herein are those of

the writer and not necessarily those of thestaff, its adviser, the administration or theBoard of Regents.The Times encourages letters to the editor.

Letters must be in good taste, accurate, freefrom libel, malice or personal controversy.Letters must be limited to 200 words inlength. Letters submitted without theauthor’s signature will not be accepted.

The staff reserves the right to edit the let-ters for accuracy without altering the gener-al meaning.Letters can be e-mailed to

fred.faour@sjcd.edu. Letters must includename and phone number for verification.The online edition of the Times is available

at www.sanjacintotimes.com.

Advertising space is available for $5.00per column inch. Special rates are avail-able. For news tips and information onadvertising, contact the Times at 281-478-2752.

ASSISTANT EDITORSAmanda Rae Sowa, Joseph Eng

ADVISERFred Faour

EDITORMaria Chavez

San Jacinto Times

San Jacinto College Student Publications

MANAGING EDITORMichael Deats

CONTRIBUTING EDITORHarrison Lee

DESIGN/WEB EDITORChris Shelton

CIRCULATIONCristal Calvillo

ADVERTISINGSara Quintana

An open debate: The State’s budget crisis

It’s simple: Pay more taxes Don’t give up on studentsBy MICHAEL DEATSSan Jacinto Times

The price of gasoline is rising, the cost of every-day commodities will soon follow, and the UnitedStates is finding it harder to procure a means forpaying for everything the people want. It was notalways like this though. A few centuries ago thethought of spending money that we did not havewould have seemed ludicrous, but not anymore.In todays world the government has to cut spend-

ing on several key programs that are vital for thisnations growth, just to insure its survival. Almostevery state has to cut back as the growing market iscosting the government more then they are making.In comparison the government is like a family.In the later 1920’s the families were spending

money they didn’t have on commodities that werenot essential. In the late 2000’s it happened againwith every family wanting to own a house and sign-ing away their futures on subprime and adjustablerate mortgages.Two painfully memorable moments when theUnited States Dollar, once considered the mightiestin the world, showed how little it cared for human-ity. Now people are in an outrage over the govern-ment trying to respect this cruel thing by budgetingit properly. Running jokes, about china owning halfof America, are played out, and I have no desire tosee it repeated. But at what cost are states trying to

save their budgets and moderate their spending.Schools and social programs are already “tighten-ing their belts.” Electives are being cut, arts andcrafts are becoming extra curricular activities, andteachers are either being asked to retire or they arebeing let go.These are bad times. Remorseless times. What arethe options? Pretend we are a 1920’s family on therise and spend away our lives, or cut the fat andbuild a stronger foundation for a greater America.Unfortunately the first option isn’t a sane one,since it would be a repetition of the past. The wis-est course however would be the budget cuts. It is asad ordeal, inspirational teachers that helped shapethe people we are today losing their jobs. But likein any budget-cutting scenario, things only seembad during the restructuring.Most people can remember a time in their lifewhen mom or dad had to cut back on groceries orInternet and premium television just to make endsmeet, when diets were instituted, not for health, butbecause the grocery bill was too large. These timespass, and for the government there is not a choice.If America is to survive and prosper then the peo-ple in charge must figure out a feasible financialcrises exit strategy and implement it. And unfortu-nately spending money that does not exist is not theanswer.If people are so opposed to budget cuts they canoffer to pay higher taxes.

By JANNETTE MARINSan Jacinto Times

How would you feel if your school tuitionincreased by a high percentage and you could nolonger continue your education? Wouldn’t you feelhopeless? Not knowing which road to take? BySeptember 2011 Texas budget plan will cut $1.7billion from higher education. This is devastatingnews to many students and teachers. I strongly dis-agree on what is going to happen. Can you imaginehow many students’ success will be affected? Itseems that it is going to be harder for future collegestudents to attend school, especially to those that donot receive any financial help. I predict that manystudents will drop out of from school if the econo-my becomes worse.Candie Guevara, a stay-at-home mom, says, “ I’mnot in school anymore, but I do plan to return fiveyears from now when my kids are in school. If theyare doing this now I cannot imagine the budget cutsin 2016. It is probably going to affect me in a waythat I won’t want to continue getting my degree orcertification. I believe that is why so many peoplehave begun to start their own business from home.They figure why go to college and waste moneytaking classes, when they can teach themselves andstart their own small business from home?”According to star-telegram.com future college stu-dents won’t be able to tap into state financial aidunder spending cuts proposed in a $156.4 billionplan that also would shutter four community col-leges.Colleges including the University of Texas,University of North Texas, and Texas Woman’sUniversity would see funding cuts. This act cancause faculty and school staff to become unem-ployed and would become difficult to educationalgraduates to find a job. The State aims to makevery deep cuts by cutting financial aid to future col-lege students and elimination some programs. Thiswill definitely hurt students and think twice aboutgoing to school, which is a bad decision becausethey’re education won’t be there. That actuallyworries me a lot, I have a sister that is soon to grad-uate from high school and she is going to need theextra money to help her get through college andwhat if there are no programs or financial aid avail-able for her? Then she would have to work doubleto pay her way through school and my parentswould have to give her thousands of dollars everytime per semester. Most likely that will cause finan-

cial problems in the family. So the cause for thataffect is very bad for both sides, parents and daugh-ter have to work double to raise money for schooland she will have less time to focus on her studiesbecause of the long hours being put into her job.Another negative way that can affect students isthat some will want to get loans, but why put yourself through a deep student loan debt? RoyceWalker, adjunct professor in communications dis-cuses "This is a very difficult time for everyone ineducation - students, faculty and administrators.There is no easy answer to the financial situationthat San Jacinto College and other college and uni-versities find themselves in at this time. With theloss of revenue, the college will be forced to makesome financial decisions that will be difficult for allinvolved."Last month, Governor Rick Perry ordered StateUniversities to propose cuts totaling 10 percent oftheir state funding for the two-year cycle that willbegin in September 2011. According to Facebook,many people strongly disagree with his decision.Here are some posts regarding this situation; JoePadilla says, “thanks for making Texas dumb!Education should be the last thing to ever cut!” andDustin Loyd said, “worst mistake of a public officecareer!” Also according to Star-Telegram.com,education officials said they would have to maxi-mize dollars without affecting academic programs.Erma Johnson Hadley, chancellor at TarrantCounty College said, “The college district is con-sidering increased class sizes to keep costs down.Cutting instructors is not on the table becauseenrollment keeps growing.” Wrong, wrong, wrong!With the high budget cut and higher tuition, there isno way the class sizes will grow. There would beless and less students attending college in the nextfew years. For example Rey Garcia, President ofthe Texas Association of Community College said,“If the State’s not going to pay for the cost ofenrollment growth, we may not be able to grow,and we may have to abandon the State’s goal ofmore access to higher education.”

Feeling more worried about your future educa-tion? I am. Something has to be done; otherwisechaos is going to occur with students, teachers, andstaff. This impact is going to affect many and nowit is the time to have a plan B ready, but no matterwhat, education is what will get us through, there-fore we must not give up no matter what life throwsat us.MCT Campus

By CHRIS SHELTONSan Jacinto Times

In eighth grade physics class everyone learnedIsaac Newton’s three laws of motion. Newton’sThird Law states that for every action there is anequal and opposite reaction. This law can be used topreach responsibility and relay the message thatactions have consequences. If a person participatesin actions that break the law he should expect ajudge on the opposite side of the law to assign himan amount of time equal to the heinousness of thecrime.The same logic should be applied to budgetswhether private or public.Texas Legislators have a Quixotic zeal to balance

the budget no matter the dire consequences. Theyare not weighing the negative implications of cut-ting education and other social programs.Mississippi should serve as a cautionary tale of theadverse effects that draconian budget cuts have onthe most vulnerable Americans.I know what you are thinking; how do budget cutsin Mississippi affect us in Texas?The budget cuts in Mississippi are the precursor tothe ones proposed in Texas. Both have constitu-tional amendments that require a balanced budget

each year and both have promised to balance thebudget without raising taxes. Strapped for cashsince 2004 Mississippi has been slicing funding foreducation and social welfare programs ever since.According to the Mississippi Adequate EducationProgram (MAEP), since 2004 Mississippi schoolshave been underfunded by 620 million dollars.Mississippi Governor, Haley Barbour, has pro-posed even deeper cuts in his 2012 budget includ-ing three percent of funding from colleges and fourand a half percent from schools K-12.What effects have these cuts had on Mississippi?Mississippi is now the poorest state in the nation.

Forbes Magazine recently created a list of "BestStates for Business and Careers." Not surprisinglyMississippi ranked forty-eighth out of fifty.According to Motherjones.com “ Last year, [inMississippi] high school graduates, on average,scored so low on the ACT standardized test thatthey failed to meet the minimum score to be con-sidered ready for college.” Mississippi also rankedforty-eighth out of fifty in percent of persons twen-ty five or older with a Bachelor’s Degree in 2008according to the Census Bureau.But at least they balanced the budget without rais-ing taxes on the wealthy right.To be fair, Texas ranked seventh on Forbes "Best

States for Business and Careers" list and Texasranks higher than Mississippi in almost all econom-ic and educational statistics. So I am not suggestingthat Texas is headed down a slippery slope tobecoming the poorest state in the nation. What I amsuggesting is that the effects on the Texas economy,present and future, will be swift and noticeable.Less scholarships and grants mean fewer opportu-nities for students who really need them. Texas cur-rently ranks thirtieth in percent of persons twentyfive or older with bachelor’s degrees and that rankwill surely climb. This will lead to a less educatedworkforce less able to compete in the future.The amount of K-12 teachers and college profes-sors lost will hurt students and teachers. This meanslarger class sizes, less one on one time and a moregeneric teaching style that will not personally con-nect with each student. A San Jacinto College pro-fessor told me “professors are most worried aboutthe effect on the quality of education that thesebudgetary decisions will have on students.” Theprofessor never once mentioned concern about jobsecurity or job security for colleagues; showing realconcern about the priorities of the State when legis-lators sacrifice the long term advances for shortterm plateaus.It makes me cringe to think that talented teachers

will be sliced from the budget as if they were anexcess stapler. According to the Huffington Post byfive billion dollars in proposed cuts will “shutterfour community colleges and generally eliminatefinancial aid for incoming freshmen and new stu-dents. The Texas Grants scholarship programwould drop by more than 70,000 students over thenext two years.”

Margaret Shelton is a frustrated former teacher,counselor, and principal. “I do not know why peo-ple are surprised because Rick Perry and the wholelegislature ran on cutting and balancing the budg-et.” Shelton dedicated her life to educating childrenwith special needs. She is now very concerned withthe stance the state has taken on education.

In President Obama’s most recent State of theUnion address he referred to teachers as “nationbuilders” and spoke of how imperative it was to“win the future.” Any person with a brain, regard-less of political affiliation, realizes how importanteducation is to success. How can we, as a country,“win the future” without putting forth the sacri-fices? Maybe it will take an apple falling on thehead of the Legislature to restore common sense toTexas.

Texas lawmakers should learn to spell M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i

April 4, 2011San Jacinto Times • Page 3Around campus

8 DAYS A WEEK8 DAYS A WEEK

Monday, April 4• Psi Beta Meeting, 1 p.m., Room 1101

• SGA Meeting, 3 p.m., Room 4202

• Tennis Club Meeting, 3:30 p.m., Tennis Courts

• Mixed Martial Arts Club Meeting, 8:30 p.m., Gym

Tuesday, April 5• Gaming Guild Meeting, 3:30 p.m., Room 2141

• Art Club Meeting, 5:30 p.m., SFAB 113

• Writer’s Block Meeting, 6 p.m., Room 3200

Wednesday, April 6• Student Bible Fellowship, 11:30 a.m., Game Room

• WEBB Society Meeting, 2:30 p.m., Room 1131

Thursday, April 7• Phi Beta Lambda, 2:30 p.m., Room 2208

• Student Veterans Association Meeting, 3:30 p.m.,

Student Center (Top of Stairs)

• Gaming Guild Meeting, 3:30 p.m., Room 2141

• Breakfast Club Meeting, 4:30 p.m., South Cafe

Friday, April 8• No Scheduled Activities

Saturday, April 9• No Scheduled Activities

Monday, April 11• Psi Beta Meeting, 1 p.m., Room 1101

• SGA Meeting, 3 p.m., Room 4202

• Tennis Club Meeting, 3:30 p.m., Tennis Courts

• Mixed Martial Arts Club Meeting, 8:30 p.m., Gym

Monday, April 4• SGA Collecting Old Cell Phones and Accessories

to be Recycled (M-F), 8 a.m., CSTC 100

• Prepare the Way Meeting, 11:30 a.m., CSTC 210A/B

• SIFE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., CSTC Raven Cafe

Tuesday, April 5• Grant Terry-Musical Performance, 11:30 a.m.,

CSTC Raven Cafe

• TSEA Meeting, 1 p.m., CSCI 243

• BSM Bible Study, 1 p.m., BSM Building

• VYNE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., CSTC 210A/B

• GSA Meeting, 2:30 p.m., CADM 204

• Philosophy Club Logic Study Group, 2:30 p.m.,

CADM W106

• Philosophy Club Meeting, 4 p.m., CADM W106

• Indoor Soccer (w/Student ID), 6 p.m., Gym 100

Wednesday, April 6• BSM Free Lunch, 11:30 a.m., BSM Building

• BSM Bible Study, 1 p.m., BSM Building

• VYNE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., CSTC 210A/B

• Anime Society Meeting, 2 p.m., CADM W112

• WEBB Historical Society Meeting, 2:30 p.m.,

Professor Turner’s Classroom

• Philosophy Club Meeting, 3:30 p.m., CADM W106

• Indoor Soccer (w/Student ID), 6 p.m., Gym 100

• BSM Soul Cafe, 11 a.m., BSM Building

• ASID Board Meeting, 11:30 a.m., Interior Design

Building Room 215

• Philosophy Club Meeting, 2:30 p.m., CADM W106

• Racquetball Sign Up, 6 p.m., Gym 110

Friday, April 8• Sociology/Anthropology Club Meeting, 12:45 p.m.,

CADM W124

Saturday, April 9• Gaming Society Meeting, 12 p.m., CSTC 210A/B

Monday, April 11• Prepare the Way Meeting, 11:30 a.m., CSTC 210A/B

• SIFE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., CSTC Raven Cafe

Monday, April 4• Art Exhibit by Jeff McGee, 9 a.m., Galleria del

Norte

• Anime Club Meeting, 12 p.m., NTEC A1025

Tuesday, April 5• Art Exhibit by Jeff McGee, 9 a.m., Galleria del

Norte

• Rotaract Club Meeting, 1 p.m., NSTC S215

Wednesday, April 6• Art Exhibit by Jeff McGee, 9 a.m., Galleria del

Norte

Thursday, April 7• Art Exhibit by Jeff McGee, 9 a.m., Galleria del

Norte

Friday, April 8• Art Exhibit by Jeff McGee, 9 a.m., Galleria del

Norte

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

Saturday, April 9• No Scheduled Activities

Monday, April 11• Art Exhibit by Jeff McGee, 9 a.m., Galleria del

Norte

N o r t h

S o u t h

C e n t r a l

EspanolEspanol

Lunes, Abril 4•Junta de Psi Beta, 1 p.m., cuarto 1101•Junta de SGA, 3 p.m., Cuarto 4202

Martes, Abril 5•Junta del club de arte, 3:30 p.m.,cuarto 2141•Junta del gremio de juegos, 3:30p.m., Room 2141

Miércoles, Abril 6•Junta de la sociedad WEBB, 2:30 p.m.,cuarto 1131

Jueves, Abril 7•Junta de Phi Beta Lambda, 2:30 p.m.,cuarto 2208•Junta de la associacion de estudi-antes veteranos, 3:30 p.m., StudentCenter

Lunes, Abril 11•Junta de Psi Beta, 1 p.m., Room 1101•Junta de SGA, 3 p.m., cuarto 4202•Junta del club de Tenis, 3:30 p.m.,Tennis Courts

Lunes, Abril 4•Junta de Prepara el Camino, 11:30a.m., CSTC 210 A/B•Junta de SIFE, 1:30 p.m, CSTC RavenCafe•Junta del club de Tenis, 3:30 p.m.,Tennis Courts•Junta del club de artes marcialesmixtas, 8:30 p.m., Gym

Martes, Abril 5•Presentacion musical de Grant Terry,11:30 a.m, CSTC Raven Cafe•Junta de TSEA, 1 p.m., CSCI 243•Estudio de biblia de parte de BSM, 1p.m., edificio de BSM•Junta de VYNE, 1:30 p.m., CSTC 210A/B

Miércoles, Abril 6•Lonche gratis de parte de BSM, 11:30a.m., edificio de BSM•Estudio de biblia de parte de BSM, 1p.m., edificio de BSM

Jueves, Abril 7•Cafe del alma de parte de BSM, 11a.m., edificio de BSM•Junta de ASID, 11:30 a.m., InteriorDesign Building cuarto 215

Viernes, Abril 8•Junta del club de sociolo-gia/antropologia, 12:45 p.m., CADMW124

Sabado, Abril 9•Junta de la sociedad de juegos, 12p.m., CSTC 210 A/B

Lunes, Abril 4•Exhibicion de arte por Jeff McGee, 9a.m, Galleria Del Norte•Junta del club de anime, 12 p.m.,NTEC A1025

Martes, Abril 5•Exhibicion de arte por Jeff McGee, 9a.m., Galleria del Norte•Junta del club Rotarct, 1 p.m, NBCBC1038

Miércoles, Abril 6•Exhibicion de arte por Jeff McGee, 9a.m., Galleria del Norte

Jueves, Abril 7•Exhibicion de arte por Jeff Mcgee, 9a.m., Galleria del Norte

Viernes, Abril 8•Exhibicion de arte por Jeff Mcgee, 9a.m., Galleria del Norte

N o r t e

S u r

C e n t r a l

Fun can be inexpensive

By AMANDA RAE SOWASan Jacinto Times

If the best things in life are free, then why are wespending a whole days pay on a movie with snacksat the theatre?Nowadays, it seems the media, your parents, sig-nificant others and everyone else with an opinion istelling you to 'save, save, save'. Generally speak-ing, they are right.Saving is a great way to give yourself a firm foun-dation on which to stand and build your life's grandvision.There is one fundamental problem: saving isabsolutely no fun.Everything costs money. However, there are waysto keep your fun levels high and your expenditureslow.Some are pretty obvious, but if you are willing touse a little bit of imagination, you can find somediamonds in the rough.If you are an outdoorsy kind of person, go to thepark, take a nature hike, have a picnic, or have aBBQ with friends while playing outdoor gamessuch as Frisbee.I know Galveston isn’t the cleanest of waters, buttake advantage of living so close and go the beach.You can go fishing or camping. Even go horsebackriding or go for a bike ride along the seawall!Take it back to when you were a kid, and go playwith sidewalk chalk, go decorate your friend’sdriveways when they aren’t home and make themwonder who graffitied their house!Get a group of friends together and have a scarymovie night. With the options of Internet streaming,RedBox, and Netflix, it’s nearly free to get moviesthese days.Grab some good old board or card games andhave fun like you did before video games were theonly source of entertainment. While you all aretogether, be a little creative and make a funnyYoutube video!For just a small amount of cash go bowling, orice-skating, Go to the dog track and have fun bet-ting on the Greyhounds!If you haven’t gotten a chance in a while, godowntown to visit the many museums that Houstonhas to offer. There are a lot of good art and scienceexhibits to check out, also if you have children, ornieces and nephews take them to the children’smuseum. It will be exciting for them, and you willprobibilty end up having more fun than the kids!The Houston Zoo is also a great place to have funon a budget. Go and take pictures of all the animals,and challenge yourself to learn facts about each ofthem.If your friends are at work, and you find yourselfbored alone, there are still ways to have fun on thecheap. You can start a new book and go to the parkor beach to read it. Head to your local library andgrab something new that you normally wouldn’tread about.Pick up a few magazines that you usually don’tget a chance to read and catch up on your hobbiesor celebrity gossip.If you like to write, you should start a diary orjournal. Having something in writing of how yourlife was in your 20s will be fun to look back on inyour 40s.

Blogs are the new ways to express yourself on theweb, many people have the same interests as you,so write about it. You can open up to a new varietyof people if you start a blog, and reading other peo-ples blogs can be interesting for you as well.Start writing poetry. See how creative you can getwriting your own poetry, and see if you can get yourfriends involved. Having weekly book meetings orpoetry readings can be a lot of fun.Maybe you want to start writing to a pen pale. Weall have friends or family that have moved away, ormaybe it’s just been too hard to keep in contact withfriends since high school. You can write to themevery week. Plus who doesn’t love getting mail thataren’t bills. It can be something to look forward toevery week.If you are into music, there are a lot of local placesto hear live bands. Besides going to big named con-certs downtown, you can open yourself up to localmusic, and maybe get a new appreciation to thelocal talent that you never would of listened tobefore.Get on iTunes and make some new playlists foryou or your friends. You can make a good CD for afriend for their birthday or just because it’s aTuesday. There are always new songs coming outdaily, and this is a great gift for someone who does-n’t have the time to hear all the new jams that youthink they would like.Maybe you would like to start giving back to yourcommunity, you could volunteer at local homelessshelters, or even walk dogs at a pet shelter.Community centers are always having events thatthey need volunteers for, and who knows, maybeyou can meet new friends.Join a local gym and start working out. Gymshave many fun excerise classes, including, kickboxing, yoga, dance, Zumba or marshal arts. Youcould join a club, either here at school or at an artstudio near you. You can find others who have thesame interest in hobbies as you.If you enjoy cooking, take a cooking class, orwatch cooking shows on TV and the Internet, youcan impress your family with your new recipes.Experiment in the kitchen and design your own spe-cialty smoothies or new kinds of cookies. Even tryto decorate your own cakes for friends.In this fast-paced world, it can be overwhelmingwith all the responsibilities that come with work,relationships and finical issues. If you open youreyes, the best things in life can be free.Spending time with your family is free, and youonly have so long to enjoy their company. Go spendan afternoon with your grandparents and talk tothem. Ask them what it was like growing up forthem; get a sense of where you and your familycome from.Heck, think about what life was like for them 30years ago, and make yourself a time capsule. Put allthe things in it that describe your life now, and buryit somewhere that you can revisit in 30 years whenyou have kids of your own.

There are many things that we need to use ourhard earned money for right now, so step back andthink about all the fun that you can have alone orwith friends without spending anything. Takeadvantage of things you ‘do’ have and not try to justbuy your happiness.

MCT Campus

Horseback riding and going to the beach are cheap ways to have a fun time.

Pick up to the very endBy ADRIAN REQUENASan Jacinto Times

Well it’s past midway into thesemester and nearing the end. It’shard to believe that we only havea month and week left of school.For some, it’s starting to wear usout, and it always feels likeeverything is rushed towards theend. There is no time for laziness,so start perking up.This may be trouble for some-one who lacks the motivation topass their classes. Yes, it tires usout, but it must be done or elseone might fail their classes andend up all wasting their money.Every now and then we get hitwith a case of the lazy bones and

it’s somewhat hard to get out ofthat rut. Just don’t let it get thebest of you.A good way to give oneself apick me up is to go out for a briskwalk to get those juices flowing.Working and studying at schoolis surprisingly effective at gettingones’ concentration focused onthe work at hand as opposed tostudying at home where there aremany distractions. This one maybe the most important; get a goodnight’s sleep. It may seem sim-ple, but most people lose track oftime after they have or haven’tdone their work to do somethingmore entertaining and end up los-ing sleep over it.

Once one has set themselves inthe right conditions to studyeffectively, it’s time to beat thoseexams to the ground. Some peo-ple seem to have a good responseto flash cards, some rewrite thenotes, or then there’s the classicskim through and hope for thebest. Whatever one studies, justget that information in your nog-gin. Try to study throughout theweek not the day before.

After that good week of study-ing one will be happy to find thatthey know the answers to theexam with a scrunching grin.Study hard, well not hard, butadequately and one should be allright.

April 4, 2011San Jacinto Times • Page 4Music/Sports

By MATT ADAMIAKSan Jacinto Times

AAPPRR 44The Big Easy – The Mighty Orq!Rudyard’s – Deep Dark RobotWarehouse Live – Scissor Sisters

AAPPRR 55The Big Easy – Howard and ArtFitzgerald’s – The Damnwells, w/ Harper Blynn, + Howard Jennings; Johnny FalstaffMango’s – Texas Dub w/ BMC (Swisha House)House of Blues – CamilaWalters on Washington – Rotting Christ w/ Melechesh, Hate, Abigail Williams +Lecherous Nocturne

AAPPRR 66The Big Easy – Big & Easy Blues JamFitzgerald’s - Robert Ellis & The BoysHouse of Blues – GusterMango’s – Labretta SuedeVerizon Wireless Theater – Dierks BentleyWarehouse Live – Duran Duran

AAPPRR 77The Big Easy – Luther and the HealersFitzgerald’s – The BooksHouse of Blues – All Time Low + Yellowcard; Brother of Pearl + The ReliquesMango’s – Dead Rabbits w/ Sawyer Family, Viva La Rox + Yellow EchoNumbers – Dipset w/ Jim Jones, Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, Ill Liad + NosapriseRudyard’s – The Governor’s ChairWarehouse Live – B L A C K I E

AAPPRR 88Arena Theater – George Clinton & Parliament FunkadelicThe Big Easy – Eric Demmer and the Sax DawgsFitzgerald’s – The Pains of Being Pure at heart w/ Twin Shadow + The Watermarks;Warpaint w/ PVT + The Family BandHouse of Blues – Chingo BlingMango’s – Dickey Hands w/ Mission vs. Madness, Shut Up Sydney + The BlackPharaophsRudyard’s – Fired for Waling + Bald Eagle BurgerScout Bar – The SpazmaticsToyota Center – Lady GagaWarehouse Live – Grupo Fantasma w/ DJ Chicken George

AAPPRR 99The Big Easy – J.P SoarsFitzgerald’s – Eyes Burn Electric w/ Electric Touch + The Vettes; Glassnost + MotelAvivNumber’s – Three 6 MafiaRudyard’s – Metal Maiden (Iron Maiden tribute) + Alter EgoScout Bar – Thin White DukesWalters on Washington - Texas Massacre (go to www.4215washington.com for details)Warehouse Live – Metavenge, Radio One, Violent Copilot, Passive Aggressive, Ethreal,Souls of Agony

AAPPRR 1100The Big Easy – Zydeco DotsFitzgerald’s – Bobby LongNumbers – Metal Zone Jam: Fallacy, Souls of Agony, Necrofaith, Mercenary X,Melovine, The Hectic, Wide Open Throttle, Crank Case, Silenced Within,Forever Falls, CernWarehouse Live – This Name’s Temporary, CrossbellForTheBlind, Woodpecker &Guests

Weekly concert calenderBy Matt AdamiakSan Jac Times

The Viking Gods have truly blessed metalheadsthis spring with the release of Amon Amarth’shighly anticipated eighth studio album, SurturRising. This Swedish Metal behemoth, whosecareer began nearly two decades ago, has provenitself a worthy force to be reckoned with and hastoured all over the globe spreading tales of pillag-ing and the pre-Christian world of Viking mytholo-gy. With such monster album releases as WithOden on Our Side and Twilight of the ThunderGod, Amon Amarth is the epitome of Viking Metal.

Amon Amarth is like a fine wine whichseems to improve with age. Surtur Rising continuesthis trend and is nothing short of mind-blowing.Every single track on the album is an absolute joyto listen to. The galloping riffs, reminiscent ofbands like Iron Maiden, give a powerful sense ofcharging into battle while the belly growls of leadvocalist, Johan Hegg, add to the Viking imagery.

It is difficult to point out any tracks thatstand out above the rest only because they are allequally on par with each other. It’s almost as if you

were listening to a greatest hits album. However,one track stands out for being unexpected; thattrack is a cover of Aerials by System Of A Down.Although the band is covering a different genreentirely, they still find a way to make the song theirown. While lacking the melodic vocals that origi-nally gave life to the SOAD version, I still foundmyself enjoying this different flavor of the 90’srock classic, especially during the beefed up choruswhich really got my adrenaline pumping.

The only thing that this album suffers fromis the stigma of being a new album. I believe oncethat initial shock is over, critics will regard SurturRising as a true masterpiece of heavy metal bril-liance. If there ever was a living breathingDethklok, it would most certainly be AmonAmarth.

Grade: A+

Other Album Ratings:

Cavalera Conspiracy – Blunt Force Trauma: C

Blackguard – Firefight: C+

Amon Amarth: Surtur RisingAlbum Reviews

(All records as ofMarch 31)

BASEBALL Record: 22-9, 10-3 in

Region IV playUpdate: Regular sea-

son ends May 4.National tournamentends June 4.

MEN’S BASKETBALL Record: 29-4Update: Season over;

Lost to Lamar State-PortArthur 72-67 in theRegion XIV Tournament.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLRecord: 9-22Update: Season

ended on March 4.

SOCCERRecord: 16-4 last sea-

son.Update: Season

begins in Fall.

SOFTBALLRecord: 21-11Update: Regular sea-

son ends April 27;national tournamentends May 21.

VOLLEYBALLRecord: Finished last

season 29-10, secondnationally.Update: New season

begins in the Fall.

The SportsReportLockout reigns, fans share pain

By HARRISON LEESan Jacinto Times

Here’s what we’re going to remember about the NFLlockout: All the other stuff. It won’t be the legal wran-gling or maybe even the common-sense aspect; we’ll lookback on all this and fondly remember DeMaurice Smith’sAdjustment Bureau hats and Adrian Peterson’s slaverycomparisons. Let it never be said that professional athletes have anoverly good sense of timing off the field, but this mighttake the proverbial cake. Of course, there are genuine legal issues centering onthe complex areas of contracts, labor and various mediatorts, but that can’t really change the fact that this is real-ly badly timed. But hey, it is what it is, and we all seem-ingly have to make sense of it. Though, that’s a prettytough task when the leading voices of this lovely littlelockout belong to those who should stick to the gameitself. With all the less than wonderful events in the world,sport is supposed to be one of the ultimate escapes, so isit any wonder that now, tragedy of tragedies, ESPN can beas draining as CNN? Aren’t we a little better than this?Probably not, but we can at least pretend.In my Heart of Hearts, I’m sure both sides have actualgrievances, but that doesn’t mean that this should benegotiated via Twitter for the benefit [amusement] of thepublic. The bulk of we, the adoring populous, have nounderstanding of how a Pro Sport works, and this isn’thelped along by such gems as “This [the lockout] is aboutthe fans”, from Kevin Mawae.Huh? I’m perplexed. I thought it was about the rookiepay scale, the CBA and the looming specter of an 18game season? What did I do? Of course, it’s either that forthe players, or insult everyone else’s intelligence.“The players want to play, we’re not striking. We decer-tified because we want to get back to playing football.”Said Tony Richardson. So, it’s not a strike, you’re just not

doing what you get paid to do. Makes sense. Though, I’mduly impressed you think decertifying will magicallymake you not a Union. I may be a few years away from acorner office with a nice law firm, but if members of aUnion are suing on behalf of other members of a Union…that means what? I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic or overly callus,it’s just hard for me to side with a group when their“Master Plan” to win is have kids [read: pawns] boycott

the NFL draft out of “solidarity” to a group they have noallegiance with. A helpful hint to maybe getting the pub-lic on your side might be to remember that the bulk of usdon’t make millions a year for a game, thus we the Publichave very little patience when you all cry foul and pover-ty. I will admit, my family and our values could easily beclassified as a Crown example of “Corporatocracy,” but atleast we’re not trying to ruin the NFL draft.

SPORTS COMMENTARY

MCT Campus

It might be a while before we see Matt Schaub and the Texans on the field again.

April 4, 2011San Jacinto Times • Page 5

Entertainment/Etc.

By PAULETTE VARGASand MICHAEL DEATSSan Jacinto Times

Blue Jeans. Blue Camouflage Tank. Blue ear-rings. Blue lips stained from the blueberry fla-vored snow cone. And a blue ambient sur-rounds Jessica during her first Raven Day.Former SJC Central student Jessica Adair,

experiences an accident while “walking on air”said Student Life Coordinator Assistant Angie.

On Wednesday, Mar. 30 at approximately11:15a.m. SJC Police Officer, G. A. James,was called to the scene.Adair explains the accident, step-by-step, as

she attempts to complete the inflatable obstaclecourse. She completes the first challenge,climbing over the wall, trying to land on bothfeet; she falls on her right ankle.As the ankle swells on the outside, wrapped

with ice, Adair bursts out “[it] hurts like crap”.

With a probably twisted ankle, Adair says shewill never be going on one of those thingsagain.Adair, accompanied by a friend, waits for the

paramedics to take her to the hospital; heradvice is to be careful when attempting theobstacle course.On a later note Raven Day was a huge success

with students participating in the events, fromcar bashing to free snow cones.Two professional spray paint artists did

miniature landscape arts of immaculate quality,with the cans flying in the air as they shook,scraped, and molded their art into somethingmany students will enjoy for years to come.In the background Brett Mann cruised around

on a unicycle to many peoples delight. By theend of the event attendees were thoroughlyentertained by the festivities provide by the stu-dent organizations. A special thank you goesout to all the organizers, including; the Studentlife organization and all the various clubs.

Raven Day excitement

All photos by Michael Deats/San Jacinto Times

April 4, 2011San Jacinto Times • Page 6Just For Fun

BUDGETContinued from page 1

Totaling 156.4 billion in education alone. “ They are cutting frombare bones,” stated Mr. Amezcua. When Governor Rick Perry waselected he promised not to raise taxes. To keep his promise he has tofind different ways to balance the State budget. The cutting into edu-

cation has been a growing trend in recent years. The fact of the mat-ter is that higher education is extremely important and without it therewill be negative impacts.

Although most colleges will try to defer the budget cuts, and spreadthem evenly. The students and the community will surely feel theaffects. Community colleges play a major role in local communitiesand local cities. “Community Colleges are an important fixture in ourcommunity,” said Mr. Amezcua. Cutting classes and financial aid will

only hinder student’s future. Fewer students will attend and the stu-dents who are attending will be a less prepared for the workforce andless attractive to hiring employers.

The proposed budget is being polished out, but the fact is that therewill be cuts, and students, and faculties around Texas will be affected.Many students will be awaiting their next year’s future, which nowlies in the hands of the Texas legislature. Only time will show whataffects may come.

HIGH SCHOOLContinued from page 1

Those increases include bond payments, fuel and salary increases,health insurance premiums, reduced interest revenue, the cost ofopening a new school, a new data system, and the colleges of studyredesign at the high school. CCISD projected a $27 million shortfallover the next five years to simply keep up with inflation and to meetthe needs of 38,500 students. This $27 million shortfall does notinclude pay increases for its 5,000 employees.The first level of reduction for PISD is already in progress based on

a $21 million reduction in state funding. First, reduce Central Officestaff including the reorganization of Curriculum and Instruction andSpecial Programs and the elimination of 6 administrative positions aswell as the Associate Superintendent for Facilities position. Second,reorganize Alternative Education (Guidance Center and the Summit)for a loss of 11 positions. Third, at the secondary level, teachers willteach an additional class and have increased class sizes, a reduction of86 teaching positions. Fourth, increase student/teacher ratio at elemen-tary and middle schools-a reduction of 66 positions. Fifth, eliminatean average of one aide position from each campus. Sixth, close smallbilingual enrollment programs. Seventh, reduce the number of dyslex-ia teachers on theSecondary level. Eighth, reduce maintenance, operations and trans-

portation staff. Lastly, the ninth is to reduce police staff by five posi-tions and crossing guards by ten. A hiring freeze has been implement-ed across the district. A 60-day moratorium has been placed on allpositions to save 2 months of salary. The Chief of Police position hasalso been left vacant at this time to save money. If a teacher leavesfrom this point on in the school year, a full-time sub will be used. Allvacated positions will be carefully reviewed and filled only if neces-sary.These are just a few of the new or soon to be affects for high schoolsacross Texas. The true aspects that this state budget cut will have willtruly been seen as time progresses. From job loss to increase of classsizes will make high schools take a turn, will it be for the worst? Timewill tell.

Cobra Meet excites car enthusiastsPhoto by Will Stewart/San Jacinto Times

WILL STEWARTSan Jacinto Times

On a very sunny day on a small racetrack in San Marcos,a large group people arrive with their trailers in tow to inparticipate the Texas Cobra Meet. Tons of lightweight,high performance Cobra kit cars zoomed around the trackas pedestrians watched in the distance. For one day inMarch there was no nuclear crisis in Japan, there was no

economical decline or potential for a double dip recession,no deaths, no crimes, just a community of car fans livingout their dreams. For a day on a tiny little racetrack in SanMarcos there was peace, even when a shiny sports carspun off the side of the track into a cloud of dust. At theend of the day, the sun sets and the cars are packed intotheir trailers with their engines hot, a few more scratchesthan they had before they arrived, and another memorythat will last forever.

cutline here

Photo by Will Stewart/San Jacinto Times

cutline here.

Education makesworld of difference

COMMENTARY

By ADRIAN REQUENASan Jacinto Times

A situation that may cause the hopes,dreams, and desires of most students tocome to an end. It has been said that theremay be budget cuts in school funding.This not only affects the students, but theteachers and faculty staff as well. Will thiscause a domino effect of down fall causingmany to remain jobless? The future does-n’t seem too bright from here. The game oflife could surely take a turn for the worst.It simply doesn’t make since people needmoney to live and pay for school; whydestroy anyone’s chances of education?The effects could vary; many teacherscould become unemployed and unable tofind any more teaching jobs slowly run-ning out of money not paying the bills allbecause their class happened get cut. Canyou imaging losing your job over some-thing completely out of your own powerunable to prevent it? Higher schooltuitions can cause uproar with people pay-ing from their pockets. This could verywell ruin student scholarships causingmany students to not be able to pay fortheir books, supplies, and classes. Theywill never be able to achieve their dreamsat this rate.Cutting the funding from schools seemslike the worst thing anyone can do to soci-ety. It’s almost like taking education away.With no education how will the world berun? No education would cause a genera-tion of dumbed down people in a point in

time. People say children are our future,but focusing to preserve and improve thepresent is what would help make childrengrow into becoming better people. Weneed education to get better money; weneed the money nurture the children bet-ter; we need the children for the future; it’slike one big cycle if one thing is pulled outthe rest is doomed.One way you could look at this is as ifyou’re playing a really bad game ofMonopoly. If the game started with lowcash, missing second die; and loss of someproperty cards. You would have to be verylucky to be successful in this game. Yourun out of money then land on chance, payeach player $50, suddenly you are forcedto cut the properties you own selling therest to the other players. Surely this isn’tfun and your weekly pay of $200.00 pass-ing go doesn’t help by much at all. Lowcash repented the money a normal studentwould have, missing die represented howslowly one would excel, and lost propertycards was the unfairness of never beingable to have any success.

Education it pretty much what makes ourworld go round. Some people are smarterthan others and can innovate a betterfuture, some people are more helpful thanothers to keep us present people sane, andsome are more creative to entertain causeexcitement as well as wonder. Everyone isdifferent in his or her own way, but educa-tion is what taps out our natural talents toshare with the world.

April 4, 2011San Jacinto Times • Page 7Just For Fun

April 4, 2011San Jacinto Times • Page 8