With a new wave of students flooding the Orange Coast Col-lege campus, the staff has been forced to adjust to dramatic increases in the use of campus resources. The Coast Book-store, Counseling department and Library have all seen an increase in usage and overall traffic.

“It was like the perfect storm of students. And we (OCC counseling staff) have been really overwhelmed,” Steven Goetz, a Coast counselor, said about recent increase in his department.

According to Goetz, the counseling office opens at 8 a.m. on Monday and the staff is booked with appointments for the whole week by 10 a.m. This is also the first semester

in which students can book appointments online. Signs are posted throughout Watson Hall warning students of a shortage in staff and an increase in wait time.

“This year is the most dif-ficult I’ve seen in my 21 years (at OCC),” Goetz said. “You try to serve with cheerfulness, but it gets hard.”

In addition to the large crowds and lines, Goetz commented on the diversity of new students and their backgrounds.

“I’ve seen people in mort-gage banking, construction trade, architecture and even attorneys, strange enough, who’ve come back to school to be retrained,” he said.

Along with seeking counsel-ing, students have been visiting the library in large numbers. In the first week of the fall semes-ter, the library saw a 37 percent increase in visitation compared to fall 2008, as shown by re-corded gate counts.

“With the budget reductions we’ve sustained a 50 percent decline in hourly student and staff assistants. This has re-

sulted in longer wait times and impacted the internal functions of the library. The back office staff has had to assist in public services,” Sheri Sterner, dean of the Library division, said.

Reserve checkouts, which include instructor and class texts, went up by 27 percent in the first nine weeks of this semester according to Sterner’s calculations. She attributes some of this increase to the fact that individuals no longer have the funds to buy their own text-books and are forced to use the ones the library has on hand.

“With the economy being poor and tuition increasing, the cost of books is escalating and it’s more attractive for stu-dents to use our (the library‘s) resources,” she said.

Although traffic has increased during this semester, librarian John Dale remains positive about the situation.

“We’re (library staff) answer-ing the call,” he said. “The lines may be a little bit longer but we’re still helping students get what they need and their assign-ments finished.”

Despite the fact that students are using reserve textbooks, the Coast bookstore has seen a rise in textbooks sales, according to store director Ryland Metz-inger. Metzinger credits a large majority of the increase to the textbook rental program that was implemented this fall.

“I’ve been here for four years and this year we had more students calling and coming in the store than previous fall semesters,” he said.

The Orange Coast College Financial Aid office has been forced close its doors to ap-pointments on Mondays and Fridays due to an overwhelm-ing increase in applicants for aid.

So far in the 2009-2010 term, which runs from July 1 through June 30, they have seen a 63

percent increase in applicants, according to the office direc-tor’s calculations.

“With the economy you have a whole group of students in crisis. They have nowhere to go except to come to school and receive financial aid,” Melissa Moser, Financial Aid office director, said.

These two days each week are put aside for processing paperwork and getting students their money faster, Moser said. With less time to see students face-to-face the department has created new methods to answer questions.

Every two weeks, financial aid orientation is held in the

conference rooms of Watson Hall. The orientation covers general information about how to apply and receive financial aid. According to financial aid specialists Katherine Mara-sigan and Vincent Ngo, there are up to 30 or 40 students in attendance at times.

“We (financial aid staff) would love to hold each and ev-eryone of their (student’s) hands but we’re so short staffed,” Ngo said.

Online communication has also become a way for students to check their file status without booking an appointment.

Campus Safety has used surveil-lance video to identify the suspect that is allegedly responsible for the recurring bicycle thefts on the Orange Coast College campus this semester.

According to Chief of Campus Safety John Farmer, the suspect is a male OCC student who has stolen between 15 and 18 bicycles this semester and has yet to be detained by Campus Safety.

Farmer said that the suspect could be selling them on Craigslist for quick cash.

According to Farmer, the male student cuts the locks with a hand held tool, stores the lock in his backpack and quickly transports the bike off campus.

“I strongly suggest using kryp-tonite locks, which are also called U locks,” Farmer said. “They are not as quick and simple to cut through.”

Campus Safety has enhanced the photograph they have of the suspect and has distributed it to all its officers. However, because the suspect has no distinguishing features, Campus Safety is not planning to release his picture to the public, according to Farmer.

There have been two addi-tional thefts since the suspect’s identification, both occurring on Nov. 3 between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. outside of the Literature and Languages and Library buildings, according to Farmer.

Farmer suggests that students practice basic bike locking tech-niques, such as locking the frame instead of the front wheel and avoid using coil locks, which seem to be easily removed.

Farmer urges anyone who may have information about these thefts to contact Campus Safety as soon as possible.

“If you see anything suspi-cious, please call Campus Safety right away,” Farmer said. “If you wait even 15 minutes it can be too late.”

Orange Coast College’s wom-en’s basketball player Nani Ke-niepp will remember May 16, 2009 for the rest of her life.

On that day, Keniepp was driv-ing on the Route 73 toll road in Or-ange County when a drunk driver,

who was going the wrong way on the freeway, hit her head-on.

“It was terrifying, my truck end-ed up rolling like three times and the airbag deployed and pushed my arm out the window and my hand got crushed,” she said. “I was in so much shock I wasn’t even aware of my wrist until I realized I couldn’t feel my hand and looked at it and saw all the blood.”

Since the accident, Keniepp has gone through two surgeries to repair the tendons that were damaged as well as receiving a

skin graft. Keniepp is now getting back her

stamina and strength in her hand to play basketball for the upcoming fall season for Coast.

“It was supposed to be a six month recovery and I pulled it out in four so it’s all about getting back in game shape right now,” she said. “And aside from my passing, which is a little weaker and dribbling with my left, which can be uncomfortable, I don’t have any problems and I’m ex-cited and looking forward to the

season.”Keniepp also had minor bumps,

bruises and cuts from the accident but none of them required exten-sive surgeries.

“To see that car coming and hit-ting it, all told it could have been a lot worse for me and it wasn’t,” Keniepp said.

ONLINE

INSIDE Aid office staff is overwhelmedStudent financial aid applicants increases by 63 percent at Orange Coast.

Bicycle thief caught on tape

BY HANNAH FRY AND CRISTINA RAMOSSTAFF WRITER

BY KIRSTIE MAUROSTAFF WRITER

Coast Report now has a Twitter account. You can follow us at twitter.com/CoastReport. Also follow the OCC sports blog @OccSports and the music blog @occmusicpirate.

Tweet, Tweet

Roughing it on the pitch

Women’s basketball player returns from near fatal crashKeniepp is coming back to the court after two surgeries. BY KYLE SLADESTAFF WRITER

A male student may be behind the thefts of 15 to 18 rides.

World renowned architect leaves legacy on Coastcampus facilities.See Page 3

Salvaging art antiquity

Friday’s soccer game at Coast results in multiple injured players.See Page 5

World renowned artist’s paintings will be displayed one last time at OCC before being put away.See Page 6

Alex Grey gives rare showing

COAST REPORTCovering Orange Coast College since 1948

Costa Mesa, California

Volume 64, No. 10 November 11, 2009 www.coastreportonline.com

See AID Page 2

Photo by Kevin Warn

Nani Keniepp

LIFE AT NIGHTSee what goes bump in the night when students and faculty leave the Orange Coast College campus. See Page 10.

Photo by Kevin Warn

A sign on a desk in the Financial Aid Center alerts students that budget cuts have forced closures.

Facilities bombarded by OCC studentsLibrary experiences a 37 percent increase in the beginning of the fall semester.BY KIRSTIE MAUROSTAFF WRITER

Send a letter to the editors at coastreport@yahoo.com for comments or suggestions.

Have an opinion?

Vist us for exclusive articles, videos, photos and blogs.

SPORTS

DISTRACTIONS

FEATURES

THIS ISSUE

Go to CoastReportOnline.com to read a feature on the

women’s basketball team.

File Photo

Orange Coast College’s Library is one of the many buildings on campus experiencing large influx.

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“Up to 90 percent of the ques-tions that students have can be answered on our website in regards to their file and general informa-tion,” Marasigan said.

The Financial Aid website can be accessed through orangecoast-college.edu. Also there are pay-ment drop boxes placed on the first floor and fourth floor of Watson Hall for documents and paperwork to be deposited.

If students do need to book an appointment at the Financial Aid office, they are advised to book weeks in advance.

“The time to get an appoint-ment with us may have increased but students get their money a lot faster this way,” Ngo said.

During the Financial Aid of-fice closed hours, personnel is still available on the first floor of Watson Hall. Even with the large

increase in activity, Moser encour-ages all students in need to apply for aid.

“Students need to apply for finan-

cial aid, especially if their financial situation has changed,” she said.

FAFSA and CalGrant GPA verification forms for the 2010-

2011 award year will be available on www.fafsa.ed.gov in January and the deadline for completion is March 2.

The sign came out of nowhereA male student crashed his

Toyota Camry into the Or-ange Coast College Recycling Center sign on Adams Avenue Nov. 2.

The driver reported that he turned east on Adams Avenue and lost control of his vehicle. The Costa Mesa Police Depart-ment arrived first to the scene.

Nobody was reported injured and the driver’s vehicle had damages to the passenger’s side of the car.

The Recycling Center sign received damages but no esti-mate of damages has been made yet, according to John Farmer, chief of campus safety.

Five minute discount

A staff member walked away from his office in the men’s locker room and reported $200 stolen on Nov. 2 between 10: 40 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

The staff member said his wal-let was allegedly removed from his backpack and saw that $200 was missing.

An Orange Coast College of-ficer was dispatched to the scene, no suspects have been reported.

A blanket and a goodbye

A male student was reported to have been trespassing on the

second floor of Watson Hall in the men’s restroom on Nov. 3 at 3 a.m.

A custodian reported there was a male hiding in a stall in the men’s restroom. An Orange Coast College officer reported to the scene.

According to Farmer, the of-ficer said the alleged trespasser said he initially did not want to come out of the stall and wanted to be left alone. He eventually came out.

After the suspect left the stall he became uncooperative and began to walk away from the officers, Farmer said. He was asked to identify himself but refused. The officers asked him to cooperate but if he continued to refuse to identify himself they would need to call the Costa Mesa Police Department.

The intruder wrote down his student identification number on a piece of paper. He then threw his California driver’s license at the officers who proceeded to call the Costa Mesa Police Department, Farmer said.

When the police arrived the student admitted to being home-less and supplied his current OCC schedule. Costa Mesa police informed him he could not stay on campus.

The intruder was given an emergency blanket and left on foot.

The student will be referred to the dean of students.

2 CAMPUS NOVEMBER 11, 2009

CRIMEBLOTTER

TAKE THE SHOT

—The Crime Blotter was compiled by Cristina Ramos from Campus Safety reports.

CON_coast_ad_final_OL.indd 1 10/6/09 5:23:11 PM

Get InvolvedStudent Government

Apply forVice President ofCommunications

Applications due Nov 18 @ 5:00 p.m.Applications due Nov 18 @ 5:00 p.m.Interviews held Nov 25, 2009

Applications available in the ASOCC Office(Located in the Student Center)

Questions? Call 714.432.5185

AID: Coast has seen a 63 percent increase in financial aid applicants this year.

Illustration courtesy of Orange Coast College

Financial Aid Center, located on the fouth floor of Watson Hall, is overwhelmed with students.

Staff Development has an-nounced the nominees for the 2009-2010 Coast Colleagues of the Year.

Voting for the nominees be-gan Monday and will continue through 3 p.m. on Nov. 16.

The full-time faculty nominees include assistant Spanish pro-fessor Denise Cabanel-Bleuer; astronomy professor Nick Con-topoulos; instructor of social and behavioral sciences Randell Drew; professor of counseling services Alex Guillen; associate professor Bill McClure; and asso-ciate professor Robin O’Connor.

The part-time faculty nominees

include ecology professor Jan Go-errissen, history professor Denis Jana and counselor Caryn Plum.

The staff nominees include of-fice coordinator for Counseling Leticia Arroyo; Library Division office coordinator Renza Bricca; equipment room manager Chas-tity Duro; Instructional Food Service cafeteria steward Cynthia Erger; and senior clerk typist for Math and Sciences/Technology Clara Fitzgerald.

Office coordinator for the tech-nology division Shawny Dutro; instructional associate Neil Hong; instructional program assistant Karen Kao; division/area office coordinator for Consumer and Health Sciences Margie Kopack; and EPOS/CARE specialist Jen-

nifer LaBounty are also nomi-nated.

In addition, Instructional Food Service cafeteria steward Jen-nifer Menchaca; instructional designer Joe Milunas; Allied Health Program assistant Jane McLaughlin; Division/Area of-fice coordinator for Mathematics and Sciences Thuy Nguyen; Dan Pegausch of Maintenance and Operations Receiving; and lab coordinator George Peters are nominated as staff members of the year.

Additional staff nominees in-clude Division/Area office coor-dinator for Business, Computing and Career Services Shirley Radford; publications coordina-tor Mary Roda; Division/Area

office coordinator for Literature and Languages Betty Rodriguez; office coordinator for the Honors Program Teresa Scarbrough; staff specialist Rita Schulte; staff assistant Lynnette Stiles; and information systems technician Michael Wong.

Absentee ballots will be avail-able in the Staff Development Of-fice, division offices and Watson Hall for the duration of the voting period.

A list of the nominees and cop-ies of the supporting documenta-tion will be available for review in division offices, the Academic Senate, the Staff Development Office and online on the Recogni-tion Committee page of the OCC Portal.

Voting underway for faculty, staff honorsBY HANNAH FRYSTAFF WRITER

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3NOVEMBER 11, 2009 FEATURES

There are thousands of parking stalls on campus and each day they are packed with students. This week

the Coast Report found out a little bit more about ...

Kim Lam

PARKING LOT DIARIES

BY SYLVIA DANGSTAFF WRITER

Orange Coast College’s Kim Lam has lots of reasons to be proud.

The 26-year-old recently received her associate degree in liberal studies, is on her way to Cal State Long Beach in the fall, became engaged in April and is the mother of 5-year-old twin girls.

On top of that, she has been sober for two-and-a-half years, following an eight-year addic-tion to methamphetamine.

Lam, a psychology major, said she fell into the addiction because of an unhealthy and destructive first marriage.

“My mom always says I was a really good kid,” Lam said. “In high school I got good grades. It’s just that life turned sour and things happen.”

When enough was enough, Lam said she checked herself into voluntary rehab for a year. She spoke highly of her experi-ence there, which included two- to three-hour daily meetings with a therapist and drug testing administered every other day.

“You learn how to live your life again without drugs (in rehab),” she said. “After rehab is done—that’s the hard part.

What do you do with yourself now?”

Her next step was enrolling in OCC and beginning her life again.

“There are a lot of great teachers here (at OCC),” Lam said. “If you take the time with them, they’ll take the time with you.”

She added it is difficult to juggle school and twins but she wants a better life for them so she does what she has to do.

When she is not at school or studying, Lam said she likes to save money by cooking at home. Her favorite cuisines are Italian and Cambodian. She also spends time with her friends and family and occa-sionally goes to a club or bar.

Although engaged for seven months now, Lam is in no rush to the altar.

“We’re getting married in 2011,” she said, “when we have enough money.”

She said she hopes for the wedding to be an intimate affair with only a small number of close friends and family.

Lam’s future goal is to get into counseling or to take the LSATs and go into law.

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Salvaging art antiquity

While Orange Coast College has undergone several transfor-mations since it was founded in 1948, many individuals on campus are now attempting to pay homage to the history of the college and the architect that designed many of its original buildings, Richard Neutra.

According to English profes-sor Geoffrey Bellah, Neutra had a specific vision for Coast campus. His architectural vision was based upon his philosophy of dissolving the artificial bar-rier between the inside and the outside.

“Neutra thought that we had separated ourselves from nature and biology,” Bellah said. “He felt that the further society sepa-rated from nature, the sicker our society would become.”

Austrian born Neutra, who also invented the sliding glass door that is featured in most modern homes, and his partner Alexander were hired in the late 1940s to transform the former military base into the college known as OCC.

Some of the buildings that Neutra designed include the media graphics building, the Business Education buildings, the Music building, the Science buildings including the plan-etarium and also the Robert B. Moore Theatre.

Rich Pagel, vice president of administrative services, said he feels that it is important to rec-ognize the history of the campus and appreciate the way in which it was designed.

“If there is a way to recognize the history of these buildings, it absolutely should be done,”

Dean of Literature and Language Michael Mandelkern said.

Bellah added Neutra’s vi-sion can be seen in many of the original buildings on campus. The Business Education and Science buildings have staggered walls, which not only protect classrooms from the elements but also allow a breeze to flow directly into the rooms.

These buildings also feature large opening windows in the rear of the classrooms that allow natural light to fill the space.

However, many of Neutra’s original designs have been al-tered over the years. One such transformation was the speech art center, which is now called the Robert B. Moore Theatre.

When Coast first opened, the outside of the now Robert B. Moore Theatre was partially en-closed by translucent fiberglass panels. These panels were de-

signed as a place to retreat in the middle of a concert or congregate before a performance began.

“The panels were probably removed because the vegetation underneath the fiberglass began to rot out, causing a potential safety hazard,” Pagel said.

Several of the other Neutra buildings have been altered or modernized over the years. Bel-lah said most of the work done was unnecessary and took away from Neutra’s designs.

Bellah points to the vending machines outside of the Robert B. Moore Theatre and the air conditioners that are now on the roofs of the Business Education and Science buildings to illus-trate his point.

“It’s the original Neutra build-ings on campus that need to be protected and respected, and they definitely should be recognized,” Bellah said. “There are so many

interesting things about him and his contributions to archi-tecture.”

When Neutra was commis-sioned to design the football stadium for Coast, he had abso-lutely no concept of the game. Being European born and raised, Neutra had never seen American football and was surprised by the brutality of the game. Bel-lah said that this is probably the reason the stadium resembles the sunken feel of the ancient Roman Colosseum.

“There are not many campuses in this country that can point to a world famous architect having planned and designed some of their original buildings,” Bellah said. “This history could bring great attention to our campus.”

Go to the Coastreportonline.com for a related slideshow. Click on the multimedia button and go to Making Neutra New.

World renowned architect leaves legacy on Coast campus facilities.BY HANNAH FRYSTAFF WRITER

Neutra’s 1956 new age sculpture depicts an atom outside of the science buildings on campus.Photo by Kevin Warn

Orange Coast College kicked off the holiday season by provid-ing a way for all students to expe-rience the spirit of giving through its 25th annual Angel Tree drive on Monday.

“I feel like I will be making a dif-ference in someone’s Christmas. I

think that’s the best part,” said Rachael Brown, the 18-year-old chair of the Angel Tree Drive.

To participate, students need to take a tag from one of the fully decorated Angel Trees which will be set up at the Library, Starbucks, Watson Hall, the Student Center, the Clark Computing Center and other places around campus.

Tags show the name, age and gender of the person receiving the gift. It is up to the participant to choose, buy, and drop off the un-wrapped present at the gift deposit boxes, which will be located next to the Angel Trees through Dec. 11. Gifts can also be brought to

the Associated Students and Col-lege Life Office in OCC’s Student Center.

“Stay away from gift cards, second hand items, stuffed ani-mals, and anything that promotes violence,” said Jade Chiu, vice president of college life. “But puzzles, coloring kits, books and toys which promote creativity and expression are always welcome.”

She also advises buyers to pay attention to the safety precautions on toys as well as overall age sug-gestions that can be found on the outer packaging. For seniors, blan-kets, slippers or scarves are always safe and sure gifts, however it is

up to the buyer to be innovative and decide on the gift they choose to donate.

“The main goal of the Angel Program is to help children and seniors receive attention and care through gift donations in the spirit of the holidays,” said Stephen Y. Tamanaha, director of EOPS.

Specifically it helps seniors involved in a range organizations, as well as children under 18, also from organizations. More specif-ics on the different organizations will be available through handout flyers. The process of putting up trees on Coast campus started Tuesday.

“Staff that are full time and have been at OCC for a longer have come to look forward to this event,” Chiu, who participated last year.

It is especially exciting for the children because they get to attend a holiday party to conclude the Angel Tree Drive. Kids can enjoy the Children Center as it will be all decorated with wreathes and candy canes, and enjoy games and activities. Santa will be there, as well as the fire department, to entertain the kids and show them the fire trucks.

The party will take on Dec. 2 during the morning hours.

“Normally, there are around 1,200 gifts needed, as well as donated, per year,” said Mike Mor-vice, staff assistant at ASOCC.

There are also other opportuni-ties to help.

“If anyone would like to help more personally in addition to the donations, the ASOCC office is looking for volunteers to help collect and coordinate the gifts,” Tamanaha said.

There are also many other jobs such as restocking the trees and picking up the gifts that students at OCC can help with. For more information about the Angel Tree project call (714) 432-5727.

4 FEATURES NOVEMBER 11, 2009

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Coast instructors featured around the world

Half way across the globe, Orange Coast College instruc-tors Tom and Lisa Dowling are showcasing their artistic talents with an exhibit in Rome.

The couple’s artwork – a series of photographs taken in Rome -- is exhibited at the gallery Stamperai del Tevere through Nov. 26.

The Dowling’s exhibi t , “Ritorna a Roma” or “Return to Rome,” displays the couple’s photographs taken of the city’s Baroque Churches, unique por-tals, passages and street graffiti.

“For a big-city American, experiencing Rome is a lesson in humility,” Tom Dowling said about Rome in comparison to Los Angeles. “Rome is like no other.”

In the fall and winter of 2006, the Dowlings lived in Rome and studied the culture of the city and met the two owners of Stamperai del Tevere, Alessandra Fornaci

and Frank Martinangel.From there, Fornaci and Mar-

tinangel came to California in 2008 and became artists in resi-dence at the Cal State Fullerton

and OCC.They performed workshops at

Coast for art students and spoke in Italian language and interna-tional business classes.

“This really was the best sab-batical experience, and it all came about through network-ing,” Tom Dowling said.

Tom Dowling is also the au-

thor of several published art-books, three of which examine and display his artwork currently on display in Rome.

Tom Dowling has had several

exhibitions spanning the last 30 years. In 2009 alone, eight exhibitions have been held in Tom Dowling’s honor, includ-ing “Information Age” here on Coast’s campus.

The 15 large-scale photos from the “Ritorna a Roma” exhibit were featured in the Coast library during the 2008 school year.

But the couple hasn’t attended the Roman show.

“We have not been able to get away from school,” Tom Dowling said. “But people are buying photographs and it has been successful.”

Tom Dowling is quick to not take all the artistic credit in the family.

According to Tom Dowling, his wife Lisa is an exceptional writer and poet, and also con-tributes to their exhibition with her photography.

“She has great image making skills,” Tom Dowling said.

Tom and Lisa Dowling’s son, Colin, is also a family artist. He works as a tattoo artist at Gold Rush Tattoo in Costa Mesa.

The Dowlings are grateful for the opportunity to showcase their talent in such rare form.

“This makes us international artists,” Tom Dowling said.

OCC art professors have the privilege of sharing their artwork in Italy. BY DREW WILSONSTAFF WRITER

Tom and Lisa Dowling’s exhibit, “Ritorno a Roma,”is currently on display at the gallery Stamperai del Tevere in Rome.

Photo courtesy of Tom Dowling

Charity drive kindles spirits for 25 yearsCoast helps families in need for the holidays with decorative trees.BY MARIE BURKHARTSTAFF WRITER

The weather was perfect at the Orange Coast College Soccer Complex but the health of the Pirates men’s soccer team against Santa Ana College on Friday was not.

According to head coach Laird Hayes, Coast did not have nine players on its roster due to injuries and illness. Santa Ana, the No.1 ranked team in the Or-ange Empire Conference, took advantage of the situation as the Dons defeated the Pirates, 4-2, at home.

“We’ve been hit with injuries like never before,” Hayes said.

Santa Ana was also hit with injuries in the contest. The Dons goalkeeper Felipe Miranda col-lided with Coast’s Luis Guerrero

near the start of the game. Miranda was ambulanced off

the field in a stretcher with a po-tential head injury.

After the injury delay, the Pirates (8-9-2, 5-5-2 in OEC) opened up the scoring when Denny Perdomo passed a ball to Omid Kazemi in the 14th minute.

But the Dons (11-4-4, 9-1-2) quickly responded back with a goal just two minutes later when Marco Ramirez scored on a header past Coast’s goalkeeper Zakre

Silva. However, Mi-

randa wasn’t the only player to be taken out of the

game Friday. Dons’ defender Henry Escalante

slid into Coast’s Perdomo and it led to a dislocated shoulder for Perdomo, knocking him out of the game.

“(We’re) surprised it at least wasn’t a yellow,” Hayes said. “It was a pretty bad foul in our opinion.”

Santa Ana’s Ramirez scored the team’s second goal in the contest and Adrian Negrete kicked what

ended up being the game winner in the 75th minute.

Coast’s Adrian Buonanoce scored the Pirates’ other goal, as-sisted by Shun Katashima. Goal-

keeper Silva added five saves.The Pirates play its final regular

season game Friday at Riverside Community College starting at 3 p.m.

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ONLINE.COM TO SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

5SPORTSNOVEMBER 11, 2009

PIRATES OF THE WEEKEach week the Coast Report will highlight

two student athletes who have distinguished themselves among their peers.

BRYAN PALI

Photos courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout

Orange Coast College’s water polo player Brittany Daniels doesn’t believe do-ing a ritual before a match helps her game.

“Oh no I try to stay away from that,” Daniels said of superstitions. “Because when you do things like that and keep doing it, when it doesn’t work, you feel bad for yourself.”

Daniels is this week’s Pi-rate of the Week for scoring two goals against Saddle-back College and three goals against the No. 1 seeded Golden West College at the Orange Empire Conference women’s water polo cham-pionships.

Daniels added the game against Golden West was one of her most memorable and draining moment at Coast.

“It was really exciting,” Daniels said of beating the cross-town rivals. “We just went home after that and just slept.”

The 18-year-old fresh-man hopes to transfer to UC Santa Barbara or San Diego State.

Orange Coast College’s football player Bryan Pali played quarterback when he was in high school. Now the 19-year-old freshman is on the other side of the ball and his job is to tackle the quarterback.

“I like playing defense better,” said the 205 pound defensive lineman. “I like hitting people opposed to getting hit as the quarter-back.”

Pali is this week’s Pirate of the Week for compiling nine tackles (six solo) and 1.0 sack against Palomar College Saturday.

But Pali doesn’t want to take all the credit for his success.

“This year is not about this player did that or that player did this,” he said. “All I can ask from my teammates is that they give it all they got.”

In addition to football, Pali enjoys playing basket-ball and golf. He said his No. 1 school is Oregon Uni-versity but he’s just looking for free education when he transfers out of Coast.

BRITTANY DANIELS

By Tony Lee

MON–FRI • 3PM–6PM & SUN–WED • 10PM–CLOSEAND MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

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“Because…I want to finish what I started.”

What’s Your Reason?Program pending final approval from CSU Chancellor’s Office

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Lorinda Owens5.67 in. x 5 in.Orange Coast CollegePub Date: 11/11/09

CRD_BALAISOCC_Ad_W10.indd 1 10/22/09 3:33 PM

Orange Coast College salutes our

VeteransYou proudly served us.

We proudlyserve you.

Learn more about Veterans services at OCC. Call 714-432-0202 ext. 26645, or click orangecoastcollege.edu

We’ll help you get there.™

Roughing it on the pitchFriday’s soccer game at Coast results in multiple injured players.BY CHARLES VAUGHNSTAFF WRITER

Coast football loses third straight

Orange Coast College’s football team lost its third straight game Saturday against Palomar College as the Comets defeated the Pirates at LeBard Stadium 41-9.

The Comets (8-2, 4-2 in the National Division) opened up the scoring with an eight-play drive totaling 52 yards on an Orenzo Davis’s six-yard run and the Pi-rates (5-4, 1-4) countered back

with a 42-yard Lucas Vandeman field goal.

After trailing 21-3 at halftime, Coast quarterback Kyle Manning opened up the second half by throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Chris Reinhanifam to tighten the gap but those were the last points put up by OCC.

“We played hard and it was a battle but our offense didn’t capi-talize. We had the chances but we didn’t execute,” said linebacker Jimmy Keating, who finished the game with six tackles.

Keating added that the Comets left a bitter taste in their mouth and the team would make a note of how the loss tastes and move on.

Despite allowing 41 points,

Coast’s defense forced four turn-overs (fumbled recovered by Eric Homec and interceptions from Eric Wiersma, Keahi Raikes and Tommy Gatewood) and added a sack by Bryan Pali, who also led Coast with nine tackles, four solo, in the contest.

However, Comets quarterback Nate Ong had the last laugh as he completed 21-of-34 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns against OCC’s secondary.

Assistant defensive back coach Kent Nerhus said he was not too displeased with the team’s per-formance and acknowledged the Comets’ performance.

“Hats, off to the other team,” he said. “They earned their vic-tory.”

The Comets also held Ray Hol-ley, the No. 1 runner in the South-ern California Football Associa-tion, to just 47 yards on 24 carries – his third consecutive game of rushing for under 100 yards.

Coast fullback Brandon Allen said he felt disappointed in the team’s performance, even though they gave it all they had.

“We played with heart but in the end it just didn’t happen,” Allen said.

Comets quarterback Manning finished the game completing 13-of-38 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

The Pirates will hope to regroup Saturday when they close out the season by traveling to Long Beach City College. The game starts at 6 p.m.

The Pirates are held under 200 offensive yards and allow over 440 in the loss.BY KATE REGANSTAFF WRITER

OCC’s Luis Guerrero (right) collides with Santa Ana’s goalkeeper Felipe Miranda Friday at the OCC Soccer Complex.

Photo by Kevin Warn

LOOKING FOR “IT’S ME, TONY LEE” SPORTS COLUMN?

GO TO OCCSPORTS.BLOGSPOT.COM

FOR THE ARTICLE.

Photo courtesy of alexgrey.com

“Net of Being” by Alex Grey. Grey’s work will be on display from Saturday to Dec. 18 in a rare exhibition in the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion at Orange Coast College.

6 DISTRACTIONS NOVEMBER 11, 2009

Campus Events

For information on most campus events

call (714) 432-5880 or toll free at

(888) 622-5376.

Theatre

Art“The Art of Alex Grey”

Nov. 14 through Dec. 18: Exhibition of the works of artist Alex Grey. In the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion. Pub-lic and student reception Nov. 14 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Exhibition sponsored by Hurley.

“Holiday Ceramic Sale” Dec. 4 & 5: Sale of ceramic works. Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Dec.5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In Art Center 113.

“10 or Less Festival,”Nov. 13-15: OCC Repertory’s Student Directed festival of very short plays. For mature audiences. Nov. 13 & 14 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 15 at 2:30 and 7 p.m. in the Drama Lab Studio Theatre. Tickets are $5 advance, $7 at the door.

“The Comedy Pirates and The OCC Project,” Nov. 21: Comedy improv show from the OCC improv team and an original play based on overheard conver-sations on campus. Show begins at 8 p.m. In the Drama Lab Studio Theatre. Tickets $5 advance, $7 at the door.

“An Old-Fashioned Christmas Melodrama and Ice Cream Social,” Dec. 4-6 & Dec. 11-13: Annual holiday melodrama and sing-a-long. Fun for the whole family. In the Drama Lab Studio Theatre. Dec. 4 & 11 at 7 p.m. Dec. 5, 6, 12, & 13 at 2:30 & 7 p.m. Adult tickets $10 advance, $11 at the door. Child, student and senior tickets $5 advance, $6 at the door.

Music“OCC Symphony: Four

Seasons,” Nov. 14: Vival-di’s “Four Seasons,” Bach’s “Double Violin Concerto,” and Brandenburg’s “Concerto Number Four” will be per-formed. Directed by Ricardo Soto. Doors at 8 p.m. In the Robert B. Moore Theatre. Tickets $10.

“A Casual Evening of Music Theatre,” Nov. 20: Selections of musical theatre pieces will be performed. Directed by Ricardo Soto and Beth Hansen. Begins 8 p.m. In Fine Arts 119. Free admission

“Seventh Annual Christ-mas Concert,” Dec. 12: OCC Wind Ensemble per-forms holiday favorites. Di-rected by Dana Wheaton. Begins at 6:30 p.m. At the OCC Student Center. Free admission

Photo Exhibit“Photos by John Upton,”

now through Nov. 23: Pho-tos taken by John Upton are on display. In the Art Center Gallery. Admission is free.

Coast to perform romantic, baroque

The Orange Coast College Sym-phony will offer its second perfor-mance of the semester Saturday.

The orchestra will play the winter and spring movements of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” Bach’s “Double Violin Concerto” and Brandenburg’s “Concerto Number Four.”

Conductor Ricardo Soto said that selections from “The Four Seasons” were chosen to juxtapose the grandeur of the symphony’s last performance, Rachmaninoff’s “Third Piano Concerto.”

“I thought it would be a nice contrast to do a small baroque con-certo,” Soto said. “Students need to be exposed to big romantic and then smaller baroque style.”

Bach’s Double Violin Concerto will feature a father and son duet by violinists Sam Yoon and son Andy Yoon. Sam Yoon is the symphony’s concertmaster. Soto said that he much prefers the Bach piece to the

Vivaldi.“Bach is very intellectual. The

way he puts things together is very smart. It holds together really, re-ally well,” Soto said. “The way he manipulates motives, and the way he constructs — he’s a real con-structualist. He’s really into form and I’m really into form.”

Soto isn’t the only one who pre-fers the Double Violin Concerto. Music major Sara Rosas, 18, enjoys the concerto, not so much because of Bach, but because of Sam Yoon’s performance.

“(Yoon) is a beast on violin,” Rosas, said. “The audience can ex-pect absolute violin deliciousness. I told my parents, ‘if you don’t want to show up to the first one, that’s fine, but you have to show up to the second one. This one’s going to be good.’”

Rosas plays viola in the sym-phony. Though this is her first semester in OCC’s symphony, she has played many instruments and in many organizations.

She has played in Bakersfield

Youth Symphony Orchestra, Or-ange County Junior Orchestra and Irvine Classical Players.

She has played viola for eight years. She also plays violin, bass clarinet and is learning piano. Out of all her instruments, Rosas prefers the viola.

“It has a really rich sound to it compared to the violin,” she said.

Rosas said that she loves playing in the symphony.

“I love the connection of every-one in the orchestra. It’s not just, ‘Oh you play viola.’ You’re a part of something,” Rosas said.

According to Rosas, the practices

for this performance are another example of this connection.

“It’s a team effort. Everybody works with everybody,” Rosas said. “The thing about music is that when there’s music, everyone’s united. Everybody has common ground.”

Another connection seems to be between Soto and his musicians.

“Oh, I love him,” Rosas said. “I met him in honor orchestra. In three days we were like family. It’s a great friendship that we’ve got.”

Rosas said that she is very much looking forward to Saturday and that she dreads nothing about it.

“I love the excitement of play-

ing a concert and having all these people watching you. I’m so glad I get to play in it,” she said.

Soto is also looking forward to the performance and feels the audience should as well.

“(The audience can expect) a spectacular evening and a varied program of baroque music,” he said. “They can expect to be wowed.”

The Four Seasons will take place on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Robert B. Moore Theatre. Tickets are on sale now in the Bursar’s Office or at occtickets.com. Ad-mission is $10.

Alex Grey gives rare showingThe psychedelic world of Alex

Grey’s art is soon to explode onto the walls of Orange Coast College for a limited time before it disap-pears into storage.

The exhibit, which will run from Saturday to Dec. 18, will be the only time in two years world renowned artist Alex Grey’s work will be on display before being put away.

According to Andrea Harris, di-rector of the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion, Grey had a museum in Manhattan that closed in January, and is in the midst of opening a space in upstate New York.

She said when the new space

opens, the work will be a perma-nent installation and will never travel again.

In addition to seeing this work, students will have the opportunity to meet and learn from Grey on Saturday during the public recep-tion of the exhibit.

Grey will introduce and explain the various themes and inspira-tions of his art.

Grey’s work contains various themes in each piece, according to Harris. Grey explores human physiology, psychology, religious beliefs and the spiritual essence of people, Harris said.

Among the works displayed at the exhibit are seven of 21 works titled “Sacred Mirrors” which were created over a 10 year period,

according to Harris.The “Sacred Mirrors” is a col-

lection of paintings portraying the mind, body and soul as they relate to human physiology, psychology and belief systems, according to Harris.

Each “Mirror” is surrounded by a custom-built 5- by 10.5-foot frame created by Alex Grey and his wife Allyson.

The “Sacred Mirrors” pieces on display include 15-foot paintings and a collection of self portraits by Grey created over the last 40 years.

One piece, titled “Theologue,” depicts the energy and chakra emanating from a person medi-tating.

Harris believes Grey’s work is

so expansive in scope, that people from all departments on campus will benefit and be moved by the exhibit.

“This work is serious, psycho-logical, intense, life altering art,” Harris said

Harris has worked for a year to bring this show to the Coast campus with the help of her friend and former colleague Greg Escalante at Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, where she worked for 10 years before coming to Coast last year.

Escalante is also inspired by Grey’s art and hopes it will inspire students.

“He makes me believe in Godli-ness, extra dimensions, spirituality,

a sub conscious world that is often ignored but is real and maybe more valid that society wants to give credit for,” Escalante said.

He said the quality of this show will place the Frank M. Doyle Art Pavilion to the center of Southern California’s art world.

Escalante said he thinks the exhibit is equal in magnitude to shows taking place at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Ange-les or the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

The exhibit will run from Sat-urday to Dec. 18 in the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion. A fundraiser for the program will take place on Nov. 20 with musical acts and an auction for a painting Grey will create live during the event.

BY LUCAS VOCOSDISTRACTIONS EDITOR

BY TAYLOR HAMBYSTAFF WRITER

File Photo

Orange Coast College instructor Ricardo Soto conducts the Coast symphony.

Dance“Studio Hour,” Dec. 9:

OCC Dance Department hosts an informal presenta-tion of classroom material and works in progress. Studio Hour shows the department’s wide range of dance styles in-cluding jazz, modern, ballet, tap, Middle Eastern, African, Indian, Latin, swing and flamenco. In the Robert B. Moore Theatre. Begins at 7 p.m. Free admission.

7DISTRACTIONSNOVEMBER 11, 2009

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Conveyor belt sushi is surprise delightConveyor belt sushi bars

seem to have a taboo attached to them. Apparently you’re not supposed to grab sushi from the belt and instead order directly from the chef. But then, what’s the point?

Half the fun of going to a conveyor belt sushi bar is getting sushi off of the belt.

Kura Sushi is one of these conveyor belt sushi bars, and I always get my sushi off the belt.

It wasn’t the first time I’ve been to Kura. It’s becoming my go-to place for good, cheap sushi and I decided to go with two of my friends for lunch.

My favorite roll at Kura has to be the Godzilla roll. Contrary to what the name may imply, the Godzilla roll is just a simple California roll that is deep fried and topped off with spicy sauce and eel sauce.

Kura was able to take some-thing as bland and boring as a California roll and turn it into something so much better. It has a pleasant crunchy exterior and packs one hell of a punch when it

comes to the spice department. My friends and I love the

Godzilla roll so much that we tend to eat every plate that’s on the conveyor belt.

Coming in a close second is the candy roll. Like the Godzilla roll, it’s essentially a California roll that Kura was able to make better by having it topped with salmon and cream cheese.

At first it seemed like some-thing that would taste completely horrible but I was surprised how well the cream cheese worked with the fresh salmon.

I also had a spicy salmon roll topped with smelt egg. While initially eating the roll it didn’t have any indication of spiciness but its aftertaste put aside my doubts.

I also had tasted the tuna nigiri fresh and it’s something I recommend for anyone eating at Kura.

The crunchy roll was a hit or a miss with my friends. While one my friends loved it, another found that it was on the bland side.

Personally, the Crunchy rolls at Kura can be a hit or a miss with me as well, but on average they’re far from being bland,

especially when drizzled with eel sauce.

I recommend Kura Sushi for anyone who’s in the mood for good sushi and wanting to try

something different. The wait staff was friendly and accom-modating and will make your experience one to remember.

Kura Sushi is at 212 E. 17th

Street, Costa Mesa.It is open 11:30 a.m. to 10

p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and

noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.Sushi prices range from $1.25

to $3.25.For further information call

Kura at (949) 631-3200.

BY ANDY NGUYENVIEWS EDITOR

Photo by Andy Nguyen

Kura Sushi offers sushi travelling through the restaurant on conveyor belts.

Pirates ready to laughAttendees to the Comedy Pirates

show on Nov. 21 are advised to leave their inhibitions at the door and keep an open mind.

The 50 minute improv- comedy show is hosted by the Orange Coast College Theater department and will take place at 8 p.m. in the drama lab.

“Come with a positive attitude. Have an open mind and don’t get offended,” Bryan Bretts, one of the student direc-tors, said about the show.

Bretts and Binh Nguyen are two of the students directors for the show and also the creators of the Coast Improv Comedy Club. They were both mem-bers of the University High School Comedy Sports team which inspired

them to perform and compete in im-prov- comedy.

“I wasn’t into the whole drama deal, but once I did improv I was like, ‘This thing is really fricken hilarious and it’s fun,’” Nguyen said.

Improvisational comedy is free form and requires the performers to make up dialogue and situations as they go along, according to website comedians.about.com. Situations may also be created by suggestions from audience members.

“It’s a lot like the show ‘Whose Line is It Anyway?’” Bretts said.

The Comedy Pirates performers include beginners to improvisational comedy and for them this will be a learning experience, the student di-rectors said. Admission to the show is free.

The Orange Coast Wind Ensemble led the Robert B. Moore Theatre audience through a celebration of the sea Sunday. Assistant music professor Dana Wheaton led the ensemble through music celebrat-ing our watery world in a concert titled “Music of the Sea.”

Photo by Peter Bicknell

SWEPT UP IN MUSIC BYKIRSTIE MAURO

STAFF WRITER

VIEWS8 NOVEMBER 11, 2009

Patrick Blankenship29, microbiology

Nicolas Kabrer23, French

Tamara Hajjar25, journalism

Ellen Rose23, nursing

Emily Lund19, environmental science

“This is what happens when sarcasm becomes a tattoo. It’s from the movie,

‘Big Trouble Little China.’”

“I’m basically a Disney encyclopedia.” “It’s the symbol for Cancer, my sign. I like that it works as a conversation

starter.”

“It’s the Egyptian eye of protection. It wards off ill thoughts and evil

intentions.”

“My nephews are a part of me and each color of the fish represents their

birthstone color.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Moment in the chair, lifetime on the skinI had always

said that the day I turned 18 would be the day I got my first tat-too. Well, it took me 406 days longer than I initially planned, but this week I fi-nally got one.

On Dia de los Muertos, I walked into All Hollow’s Ink in down-town Fullerton with a picture of what I wanted.

I was assigned to this guy named Trón, who looked like your basic greaser tattoo artist; white shirt, Levi’s, black slicked-back hair and Sailor Jerry style tattoos on his arms. He had a formidable mustache. He didn’t seem terribly nice, or interested in talking to a girl getting her first tattoo.

I’m sure he noticed I didn’t have any visible tattoos and figured he could get away with charging what he pleased for my three inch tattoo. He quoted me a high price for a 20 minute tattoo. I realized the kid was totally trying to rip me off, so I called him out. He dropped the price.

I waited around for Trón to get ready. He called me over to his station, and we sat down. I put my arm on a cushioned table deal,

where he cleaned and shaved my wrist. He then applied a sort of temporary tattoo of the design I wanted.

After that dried, he took out his tattoo gun, which looked like an airbrush gun. He then began to go over the first M of the temporary

tattoo.Sometimes, I see people ad-

mire other people’s tattoos. One question I hear the most is, “did it hurt?” The answer is yes.

It felt like getting blood drawn a thousand times, and I hate getting my blood drawn. Certain parts hurt

worse than others, like the middle of my wrist.

I enjoyed watching him apply the ink. It was kind of cool to see the ink seep into my skin. After every letter, he would stop, and wipe off any excess, which gave the tattoo a purple haze.

I tried to talk to him, but that didn’t really go anywhere. I found out he lived in Ontario, he had been tattooing for eight years, and worked at All Hollow’s Ink for five months.

The whole process wasn’t very long. When it was over, I was excited, but it didn’t feel like the coolest thing in the world, like I had imagined it would for so long.

Afterwards, it didn’t hurt — it just had a light stinging feeling. It just felt bruised the day after.

My first tattoo experience taught me a few things.

First, research your artists, and make an appointment. I think I would have had a better time if

I had gone with an artist a friend had recommended and not just been assigned to an artist

Second, know your prices. See what people charge per hour, and how much other people spent. Tattoos aren’t cheap, but know when someone is trying to rip you off.

Third, think before you ink. Yeah, it might be cool to have something on your body, but is it something you’re going to love forever?

It’s been three days since I got the tattoo done, and I am overall glad I did it. I find myself looking at it frequently. I also am begin-ning to consider what my next piece might be.

Taylor HambyStaff Writer

Photos by Wes Dickson

This staff writer chose “memento mori” as a tattoo to serve as a reminder of her own mortality.

Tough times making transferring even more stressfulWith budget

cuts in place, intersession vanished and countless oth-er obstacles, the fall 2010 transfer appli-cation dead-line seems too c lose a t 30 days away.

The dead-line for applications to a CSU transfer school for next fall is Nov. 30. The process is fairly simple, you pick a few schools you like and submit an applica-tion online.

The application process used to be just that simple. This week I applied to every school in Cali-fornia that offered journalism, communications or a media stud-ies program. I was very excited

about this defining moment of my life until I had to pay $55 per

application I submitted.Cal State Long Beach and Ful-

lerton are both impacted — that means the bachelor programs I

want to take are full and there is practically zero chance of get-ting in either school. I applied to both anyway and hope a spot may open.

I still need to complete interme-diate algebra and college algebra in order to transfer. Of course I finished all the other transfer re-quirements before embarking on the math adventure. Oops.

Winter intersession has been cancelled at OCC and there are very few options available for me. I could take intermediate algebra in spring and hope that summer session doesn’t receive the ax, but at the rapid rate OCC is hacking and slashing available sections I don’t want to risk it.

But, Long Beach is offering winter intersession without re-quiring formal admission. I knew something would come along to save me from this dilemma.

Wait, reading the fine print, does that say $237 per unit? I can’t afford $1,000 for a four unit winter class.

That hefty price tag doesn’t even include registration fees. Thank you CSULB for trying to take advantage of suffering stu-dents in these desperate times.

I have tirelessly attended OCC while working a full time job, and here I am suddenly stuck because of budget cuts and lack of neces-sary intersessions.

Luckily there are a few South-ern California community col-leges that are still offering winter intersession, and even more state-wide offering online classes.

I was able to enroll in an on-line winter intersession for my intermediate algebra class for only $26 a unit and can’t wait to find out where I get accepted to in the fall.

Mike WhiteStaff Writer

Photo courtesy of Google

Cal State Long Beach’s winter intersession prices are just ridiculous.

Working in food service does not actually make me less of a personAs an em-

ployee of one of the world’s largest food service cor-p o r a t i o n s , I have been thoroughly trained in the delicate art of customer ser-vice.

But as a firm believer in self preservation, I have found it very difficult to hold my tongue from verbally assault-ing those customers who, day in and day out, wish to question my intelligence because of my em-ployment in food service.

You may have gathered this already, but these two variables tend to result in quite an internal conflict.

Do I continue to sacrifice my dignity to these self-absorbed elit-ists? Or do I lash out and express

my contempt?Needless to say, I always

choose the former – hence I still have a job.

I think it’s safe to say many college students share the same position as I do in working in the food service industry, or at least in retail. And I’m sure that of those students, most have dealt with those wonderful customers who love to treat them as less than human.

I don’t mean to stereotype, but most of these valued customers tend to be middle aged business-men and women who can’t take two minutes to put whoever it is on the other end of their Blue-tooth headset on hold.

That characteristic alone should shine light on their depth of character.

And I’m not sure if it’s that I’m serving these people food or if it’s that my apron makes me look silly, but they can never

seem to comprehend that I am a human being and not just some kind of food service robot.

They assume that because I am currently employed at a restaurant, I have forsaken education and the pursuit of a so-called socially acceptable career.

So why do I continue to tol-erate these pompous jerks? Because I know it’s temporary. I know that this job is only a bridge to bigger and better things. I know that I am pursu-ing a career that I love and that is obviously more than they have.

I also know that I will not turn out to be like them because of my experience and my disdain for their undeserved superior attitudes.

So next time you decide to dine out, remember that your server is human too.

He or she exists outside of their job and should not be subjected to belittlement. Should you?

Michael SlobomStaff Writer

Photo courtesy of Google

Although rude customers make attempts to belittle employees, this writer rolls with the punches and tolerate their abuses.

I t ’s been a little over a year since B a r a c k O b a m a was elected President of t he Un i t ed States , and s t i l l peop le insist that he’s not a natural-born Ameri-can citizen.

Tracing all the way back to the beginning of his presiden-tial campaign, these “birthers” claim that Obama was never born in the U.S. and was in fact born in Kenya and has conned his way into the office of president.

It has to be one of the most idiotic things I have ever heard,

even during the campaign Obama produced a copy of his certification of live birth.

Snopes.com, a website ded-icated to debunking urban legends, myths and rumors, provided proof of Obama’s American birth by showing Obama’s birth announcements published in the Aug. 4, 1961 editions of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Advertiser.

But these birthers remain steadfast in their claims and say that the evidence are all forger-ies. A few birthers went as far as to file lawsuits challenging the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency and birth.

In Orange County, there was a similar lawsuit filed by Laguna Niguel attorney, Orly Taitz, which was recently dismissed by the federal court citing that

only Congress has the power to remove a sitting president.

According to the Orange

County Register, Taitz plans to file an appeal and argued that even if Obama was born in the

U.S., he’s not considered a natu-ral-born citizen because his fa-ther was a native Kenyan or that he abandoned his citizenship when he lived in Indonesia.

However, I do believe that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that any person born in the U.S. is automatically a citizen. And, it doesn’t matter if your father is from Kenya or not.

But I guess these birthers are going to disregard the Consti-tution and ignore the fact that even if Obama wasn’t a citizen of the U.S. and covered it up, there would be no way in hell he could run for office.

I’m sure that the vetting pro-cess Obama went through as a senator and then president would’ve caught that.

9VIEWSNOVEMBER 11, 2009

Andy NguyenViews Editor

Andrew Vasco20, film

Nick Chambers24, English/history

Casey Serra20, English

Caitlin Funk19, international politics

Corey Toston29, accounting

“The whole tattoo says ‘Bold as Love.’ It has sentimental family value and is a

drawing by Brandon Boyde.”

“It’s the end result of greed—prison.” “I don’t know why I got this ta�oo” “I looked up to my aunt, who was a teacher in Cairo, Egypt. I got her name

in Egyptian symbols.”

“I’m fluent in French and I am excited to study abroad next semester.”

Which of your tattoos is your favorite?

Coast Report

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OPENeditor in chief

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Andy Nguyenviews editor

Peter Bicknellphoto editor

Kevin Warnonline editor

Cathy Werblinfaculty adviser

Alicia Lopezeditorial assistant

Staff WritersWendy ArandaMarie BurkhartMatthew ChavezSylvia DangHannah FryClaire GonzalezTaylor HambyKirsten MauroMegan RandallKate ReganWill SharpeMichael SlobomKyle SladeCharles VaughnMike WhiteDrew WilsonEszter Zimanyi

PhotographersPeter BicknellKevin WarnMelissa LeeJulie SadowskiKady Tucker

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Articles, comments and editorials are those of staff members and editors and do not reflect the views of Orange Coast College, its administration or student government or the Coast Com-munity College District.California law states that college journalists are assured the same First Amendment rights as profes-sional journalists. Their work can-not be subjected to prior restraint and the law prohibits college officials from disciplining a student for activities related to speech or press related endeavors. Coast Report welcomes letters from readers. Guest Commentaries are the views of the writer and don’t reflect the views of the Coast Report, OCC or the district. Letters must be signed and are subject to editing for taste, length or libel. Letters are limited to 350 words. Advertising claims are those of the advertisers and do not constitute endorsement by the newspaper. Coast Report reserves the right to reject any advertising for any rea-son. The newspaper is not liable for return of unsolicited materials.

EDITORIAL

Veterans first, squabble later

As veterans end their time in service they look forward to the prospect of a college education, as they very well should.

Because of their dedicated service, they should be given every consideration from prior-ity registration to being placed ahead of the petition line.

Recently the decision to build a veteran’s center at Orange Coast College was scrapped as a result of a tech-nicality.

The campus bookstore, man-aged by Follet, along with the bookstore committee allo-cated $75,000 of its $300,000 renovation consideration fund for the establishment of a veteran’s center.

Unfortunately, apparently the right people didn’t approve the funding in the right order. There is also a question about what the money was meant to pay for, who the money belongs to and therefore who has the right to give it away. Is it Follet’s money to allocate or is it the Associated Students of OCC?

These questions resulted in the launching of an investiga-tion. Some are concerned about what precedent will be set if the bookstore committee is allowed to bypass the Student Government of OCC.

But the real problem is what

was lost in the bureaucratic fog of war—the veteran’s center. At the time of publication the establishment of the center has been taken off the docket.

The goal should be to get this project in motion. Men and women who have served in the military are no strang-ers to the policy of hurry up and wait, but why continue to subject them to that fate in academia.

If the deal needs to be re-tooled then get on with it. It is ridiculous to put everything on hold so committees can file memorandums and launch investigations.

We need to stop and realize what is important here: pro-viding these heroes who put everything on the line for less than the salary of a full-time McDonald’s employee and provide them the facilities and services they deserve.

One of the seven core values of the U.S. Army is selfless-ness. This is often a foreign word on this campus—anyone who was looking for a parking space on the first day of school knows this all too well.

So instead of spinning the wheels with all these inter-de-partmental squabbles, adapt a selfless attitude and come back to the table and figure out how to make this veteran’s center happen.

Tech is killing our kids’ imaginations

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with dinosaurs. I re-member taking paintbrushes with me to the p l a y g r o u n d and sitting in the dirt look-ing for fossils.

I w o u l d spend days digging holes and brushing aside the sand, convinced that, one day, I would find the complete skel-eton of a T-Rex and be the most celebrated 4 year old in town.

When I wasn’t excavating my neighborhood playground, I journeyed through the “for-est” of trees across the street, which at the time seemed very expansive. I built forts out of pillows and cardboard boxes and searched for secret passage-ways to other worlds.

I never felt like I needed the latest toys or gadgets to have fun. I entertained myself with whatever was around. Although I did ask every Christmas for Santa to bring me one of those life-size Barbie Jeeps to drive, I didn’t feel like my childhood was worse for not having one.

My family didn’t own a com-puter until I was about 11. I didn’t own a cell phone until I was 13, and even then, I was only allowed to use it in emer-gencies. I got my first iPod when

I was a junior in high school, and I was half-way through my freshman year of college before I bought my own laptop.

My brother, who is five years younger than I am, had a com-pletely different childhood ex-perience. He got his first video game console—a Nintendo 64—when he was 5. He got a cell phone when he was 7, received his iPod a year before I bought mine and is constantly asking for new electronics.

He is a slave to social net-working websites, video and computer games, television and texting. In fact, he spent most of his summer vacation alone and indoors doing the aforemen-tioned activities.

Advances in technology are exciting, sure, but they have completely changed the way human beings interact with each other.

Ten years ago, I would walk to my friends’ houses and ask if

they wanted to play outside. Today, when I ask my brother

why he doesn’t go out with his friends, he shrugs and says there is nothing to do.

Suddenly, sitting in the dirt with a paintbrush and a dream of finding dinosaurs doesn’t seem so fun when Kingdom Hearts is beckoning to be played.

It seems like allowing young children to go high-tech makes them a bit socially retarded, for lack of a better word, and my brother isn’t the only example of a kid lost to technology.

I babysit often, and it’s rare that I meet a kid who actually has an interest in playing with me. Instead I end up sitting next to whomever I’m babysit-ting while he or she plays Club Penguin and ignores me. I guess that makes my job easier, but sometimes I think it would be nice to whip out the Legos and build something, play hide-and-seek or have a pillow fight.

It’s like the increase in vir-tual realities has caused kids to forget how to use their imagina-tions, and to me, that’s a really sad thing.

Maybe video games and the In-ternet are more interesting wastes of time than stuffed animals, but what are these kids going to do next time there’s a blackout in Southern California?

I know where I’m going: out to the playground with my paintbrushes.

EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Eszter ZimanyiStaff Writer

Photo courtesy of Google

Birthers still grasping at imaginary straws

Photo courtesy of Google

These Obama birthers are just a bunch of paranoid, right-wing conspiracy theorists who can’t accept that they lost.

Bookstore investi-gation clarification

Thanks for the articles re-garding the Associated Stu-dents of Orange Coast Col-lege’s “ownership” of the campus bookstore and i ts claims to revenues from Star-bucks sales.

These issues matter greatly because, contrary to past histo-ry, the questions were recently raised by the Coast Commu-nity College District board -- perhaps at the prompting of two Orange Coast College

students. But it means we may finally get to the truth.

I wr i te to c lar i fy three points

First, that notwithstanding the Nov. 4 headline “Book-store under investigation,” as far as I know, no question has been raised about that day to day operations of our campus bookstore, the competency of its management and personnel or the practices of the operator, Follett.

To me, we have a clean, beau-tiful, fair, responsive store we can all be proud of.

Second, the “bookstore”

issue trustees Patterson and Prinsky placed on the Oct. 21 district board agenda was not about the bookstore’s curious 2008 name change (from the Associated Students to the OCC bookstore) or whether college administration attempt-ed to divert $75,000 contractu-ally earmarked for possible bookstore renovations under the Follett contract to build out an administration office in Watson Hall.

Rather, the issue is how, why, who knew and how much it cost for the bookstore remodel this past summer – after a substan-

tial remodel just a year earlier. While it’s a board question,

it’s also vital to students be-cause, I believe, it’s our store and it affects student body revenues.

Most important to me, I want to emphasize and credit the ut-terly invaluable role played in prompting a full audit of many student body funds questions played my friend and col-league, OCC art student Helen Hawthorne.

Helen is a retired, career banker, who has served and giv-en leadership in virtually every aspect of the field; operations,

trusts, construction finance, audit, takeovers and restructur-ing and yes, investigations into financial wrongdoing.

Helen has worked days, nights and weekends, and under discouraging circumstances, for four years to help the stu-dent body and student govern-ment learn how to protect and wisely allocate its revenues and savings.

She’s an inspiration to all who believe in public service.

Lynne Riddlestudent and vice president of fiscal affairs

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Life at NightIt can be a quiet and sometimes other-worldly experience when the lights go off at Orange Coast College. Take away the students, the faculty and the din of daily campus life, and the property becomes an eerily silent gentle giant made of bricks and stucco. Alone on a deserted campus, the buildings wait in peaceful salute for another hectic day. Photographer Kevin Warn spent a hushed Sunday evening examining the solitude with his camera.

Photos by Kevin Warn