the advocate 9-18
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The Contra Costa College's student newspaper.TRANSCRIPT
C M Y K C M Y K
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B
C M Y K C M Y K
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B
THE STUDENT VOICE OF CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE, SAN PABLO, CALIF.SINCE 19508 PAGES, ONE COPY FREE
VOL. 101, NO. 3WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2013
ACCENTADVOCATE.COM
Family, friends
showcomfort,
love,respect
CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE
Enlightenment — Author Tawan Perry lends his advice to high school and college students during the United Negro College Fund’s Empower Me Tour in the Gymnasium on Saturday. Perry gave his consulting expertise on what is neccessary to complete after the SAT’s.
Repair station provides aid
Addition to college encourages alternative transportation
Drama investigates duality of drug life
Season five of ‘Breaking Bad’ keeps viewers on the edge of their seats
campus beat page 5scene page 6
SHOWING COMPASSION
Supporting familyQING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE
A sign of respect — Kathy Ramos (right), Joey Camacho’s grandmother, thanks a friend for sup-port during the fundraiser for Joey Camacho at the Moose Lodge in San Pablo on Saturday.
By Rodney WoodsonASSOCIATE EDITOR
SAN PABLO — On June 21 the 3-year-old son of Student Life Coordinator Kelly Ramos and former ASU President Joseph Camacho was diagnosed with leukemia — a cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues.
To help pay for little Joey Camacho’s hospital expenses that are not covered by the parents’ medical insurance, a fundraiser was held at the Moose Lodge in San Pablo on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
“I had just finished my doctorate program and the family was about to go on vacation to (Cabo San Lucas),” grandfather of Camacho, adminis-tration of justice department Chairperson Rick
Ramos said fighting tears. “I came home and my wife was distraught — she then told me that Joey had leukemia.”
Ramos, and other family members attest to getting ready for the international trip when it was discovered that the 3-year-old middle child of Joseph Camacho and Kelly Ramos had a fever and a stomachache.
Two faces were missing at the beginning of the event — Kelly Ramos and Joseph Camacho — who were at home with their son who could not attend because of a low white-blood cell count due to his chemotherapy treatments.
After about an hour, Camacho made it to the event.
“Something was wrong but (Joey) couldn’t verbalize exactly what it was,” Camacho said
in briefFamily,
friends and supporters showed sup-port at the Moose Lodge in San Pablo.
The fundraiser was in support of Joey Camacho who has leuke-mia.
SEE SUPPORT: Page 3
ASU plansfundingallocation$5 activity fee put intoplace, raises large sum
By Brian BoyleSTAFF WRITER
With an ambitious plan to benefit students of all sorts, the Associated Students Union looks to improve campus life with the student activity fee.
Every semester, a $5 student activity fee is collected from each student. At the beginning of each semester students can waive the fee. To do so, one needs to go to the ASU Office located in AA-109, and fill out a waiver form.
That form must then be delivered to the Cashier’s Office.
The final chance to waive the fee was on Aug. 27, but next semester students wishing to waive the fee need to repeat the process during the first two weeks of the term. Failure to pay or waive this fee will prevent students from registering for classes.
Last year, the ASU was left with a $35,000 surplus from the fee. This year the ASU has multiple programs in place to use the majority of their funding generated by the student activ-ity fee.
“We want to have a surplus every semester,” SEE FUNDS: Page 3
InSite mailsystem tobe updated
By Jared AmdahlOPINION EDITOR
Students, staff and faculty at Contra Costa College are in the midst of a district-wide email system change. The switch is in hopes of making InSite mail, offered to every student and staffer through the InSite Portal, more user-friendly.
“In general all the college’s email is host-ed through Microsoft,” Technology Systems Manager James Eyestone said. “We’re just mov-ing from one Microsoft product to another.”
The college is currently switching from Microsoft Live@edu to Microsoft Office 365.
The new software will make InSite mail faster and should be easier for faculty and students to understand, Eyestone said.
“Microsoft has had several different email SEE INSITE: Page 3
Tour emphasizes student success
By Christian UrrutiaPHOTO EDITOR
Paying for a child’s education can be a common stressor among parents, but the United Negro College Fund’s Empower Me Tour held in the Gymnasium on Saturday argues a different point.
“What we’re trying to commu-
nicate is that as difficult as it may seem, there is information out there that will help you fund and pursue your education,” Paulette Jackson, UNCF vice president of develop-ment, said.
“We help to bring them into a position where they can do just that,” Jackson said.
Sponsored primarily by Wells Fargo, the Empower Me Tour hopes to provide fiscal awareness, per-sonal responsibility and academic readiness for higher education to young audiences and parents alike.
Contra Costa College served as the first location for the nationwide tour now in its sixth year.
Nonprofit hostsnationwide eventin Gymnasium
SEE TOUR: Page 3
Condori
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2013 VOL. 101, NO. 3
EditorialLeaderswanted
Apathetic students lack campus involvement t would seem that students who attend community colleges are no longer interested in becoming
involved to promote change.Students today idly sit by while their
futures are messed with by none other than — the man.
California legislation over the past decade has had a habit of cutting the budget for education, with little opposi-tion from those directly being affected — the students.
The community college system in California currently has more than 2.3 million students enrolled at 112 cam-puses.
Less than 7,000 of those students are here at Contra Costa College.
Despite the potential that a couple million students possess, only 4,000 students from community colleges gathered to march on the Capitol in Sacramento during last spring’s March in March event.
With money being cut from educa-tion, now is a time for students to col-laborate and participate in events that can better a student’s future.
Within a 30-year period, tuition at community colleges in California has gone from being free to $46 per unit.
This, in part, is due to students not having the support needed to stand in opposition and stop the state from rais-ing the fee.
And it will continue to increase, which is an unfortunate truth.
What could have created such a strong sense of apathy among the community college student population? Perhaps it is the student population itself.
Strong leaders are needed to direct and facilitate the needs and desires of the student body.
A leader with a strong voice is some-thing the students of California do not seem to have.
Things are too set up for students in today’s age. Sign up for classes and show up are the bare minimums of a student’s responsibilities. And the bare minimum rarely evokes change.
Many of the younger students enrolled at community colleges are too glued to their smart phones or engaged in social media life to take the time to realize they can actually have a voice in their education.
It is almost as if some are zombies, worried more about Instagram follow-ers than their future.
Back in 1968, if students protested it more than likely ended in a police riot.
Perhaps students feel like it is a waste of time to stray too far away from the paths set up for them by legislators and college administrators.
With the new matriculation process, colleges no longer encourage involve-ment in anything that doesn’t involve an ed plan or completion rates.
Or perhaps, students no longer care.
I
“I help (Contra Costa College’s) garden by taking care of plants and clearing out weeds.”
Elijah ToumouaMCHS
CampusComment
How involved are you in campus life?
“I’m in Yoga Club and Psychology Club.”
Ryan Roospsychology
“I play football so I guess I’m involved. But other than that, I’m not involved at all. I haven’t seen anything I’d be interested in.”
Elliott Dupreesociology
“I take a music class because I enjoy it, but work prohibits me from joining anything else.”
George Davisculinary arts
“I’m involved in the Yoga Club and talk-ing to advisers about taking trips for medita-tion.”
Brittany Johnsonpsychology
“I work at the Early Learning Center and I’m involved in pro-grams like CalWorks and EOPS that benefit students.”
Christina Nancechild development
HEATHER WALLIN AND JAMAH BUTLER / THE ADVOCATE
Controversial dance given bad publicity
Dancing
lthough the form of dancing known as
“twerking” has received recent negative feedback in the media, it shouldn’t be something frowned upon by society.
Just because there is now a name for a certain way a woman dances doesn’t change the fact that the style has been around for years.
Twerking is a form of dancing where a woman thrusts her hips back and forth creating a shaking or wobbling of the buttocks.
Although no one really knows where the name came from or where the dance started, in 2013 the word “twerking” made it into the Oxford dictionary.
It just so happens that the American population did not take notice until twerking became popular outside of the urban community.
And what people don’t know, and don’t under-stand, can sometimes make them upset, confused and outraged. There are con-sequences that can occur if this dance is taken out of its norm. At Scripps Ranch High school in San Diego, students in a multimedia class decided to make a twerk video on campus dur-ing school hours.
The video went viral and fell into the dean’s hands and all students involved were suspended and the seniors involved were unable to walk the stage for graduation.
So let’s say that this inci-dent happened in a more urban high school? Would the students have the same consequences as those stu-
dents who went to Scripps Ranch High School?
More than likely not as students in a more urban set-ting normally do not face the same conse-quences as those at places like SRHS.
Many artists in the hip-hop industry have made songs about it and gave people great music to dance to, which encourages many clubs and special events to create a “twerk wall.”
Twerking caught everyone’s atten-tion recently when pop sensation Miley Cyrus showed the world her version of twerking at the MTV Video Music Awards.
It caught the attention of so many people that it became a huge controversy. There were those who sup-ported her movement and others who believed that she was on drugs. Twerking is not only a fun way to express oneself, but also a good way to exercise and shed unwant-ed pounds.
Since it is used in many different exercise classes, such as Zumba and jazzer-cise, it is a good form of car-dio and muscle toning.
Twerking can appear when you hear the beat, rhythm
and vibration of a favorite song that gives a person an urge that cannot be resisted and requires no choice but to jump up and run to the dance floor to drop it and pop it hard.
A way to show confi-dence and love for your body is twerking in front of the mirror. It emphasizes that big behinds are not to be
ashamed of. It is very sexual
and explicit and can be a fun way to spice up your relationship with your partner. But twerking is an adult type of behavior and should not be performed just any-where.
It bothers me that individuals would upload their twerking videos in areas in which it should not be expressed.
I came across a few videos of twerk-
ing gone wrong, which led to many disasters — like the woman who fell onto candles and set herself on fire while twerking.
Although there are plenty of benefits from twerking, it should only be done during appropriate times.
Twerking should not be expressed in grocery stores, at kids’ birthday parties or at work or school.
Janae Harris is a staff photographer for The Advocate. Contact her at [email protected].
LORENZO MOROTTI / THE ADVOCATE
janaeharris
A
THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 20132 OPINION
It emphasizesthatbigbehindsare notto beashamedof.
Quotable“If people are informed
they will do the right thing. It’s when they are not
informed that they become hostages to prejudice.”
Charlayne Hunter-Gaultjournalist
1989
George Morineditor-in-chief
Rodney Woodsonassociate editor
Jared Amdahlopinion editor
Mike Thomassports editor
Veronica Santosspotlight editor
Qing HuangChristian Urrutia
photo editors
Lorenzo Morottieditorial cartoonist
Paul DeBoltfaculty adviser
Staff writersJesse Armenta
Jeffery BakerBrian Boyle
Jose JimenezRyan MargasonHeather WallinJamah Butler
Evelyn VasquezStephen Son
Cody McFarlandMarci Suela
Staff photographersJanae Harris
Camelia Dillard
Staff illustratorsJoel Ode
HonorsACP National Newspaper
Pacemaker Award1990, 1994, 1997,1998,
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008,
2009, 2011
CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award
1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000
JACC Pacesetter Award1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Member
Associated Collegiate Press
California Newspaper Publishers Association
Journalism Association of Community Colleges
How to reach usPhone: 510.235.7800
ext. 4315 Fax: 510.235.NEWS
Email: [email protected]
Editorial policyColumns and editorial
cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and
artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect
the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which
is made up of student editors.
Associated Collegiate Press
The Gymnasium featured an interactive tour zone of informational tables consisting of the Gates Millennium Scholars program, Richmond Police Activites League, the Richmond branch of the NAACP and numerous others.
Tish Norman, founder of a consulting com-pany named Transforming Leaders Now, start-ed the day off by saying, “The best of the best has convened for you guys today.”
Norman said, “For parents this is a custom-ized conference to meet student goals because of the wide gambit of options available out there. This helps them to successfully pursue higher education.”
A selection of 13 workshops based on prepa-rations for college and financial stability were held for students around the campus, after the opening speech.
Arjean Hayes, a Middle College High School sophomore, said that the speakers who stood out in one particular workshop were helpful by showing men what to wear in a business set-ting.
“A lot of the time young men don’t know how to dress or even tie a tie,” Hayes said.
After attending the workshops, Mitchell Baker, a senior at Hercules High School, said the event helped students have a mindset to rep-resent themselves at both school and work.
It also helps to ensure job placement in
a competitive market after graduation, Baker said.
Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Tammeil Gilkerson said, “I feel this was really significant to the college and community and solidifies what we have been doing here and how we’re helping students.”
Vicki Ferguson, interim dean of student ser-vices echoed Gilkerson’s sentiments.
“To hold an event by a nationally recog-nized organization is such a huge statement and shows that this is a special place to learn for the community,” Ferguson said.
Matriculation Services Coordinator Kenyetta Tribble contacted Denise Miles, vice president and national partnerships manager for Wells Fargo, about hosting the event at CCC.
Tribble who had attended a prior Empower Me Tour event said, the UNCF had reservations about hosting it again in the Bay Area after San Francisco State had a low turnout of 150 attend-ees, the previous year.
But after receiving the go ahead from college President Denise Noldon, the event ended up having 742 registered attendees not including persons who registered the day of the event.
Miles said that CCC is a premier area due to its vibrant youth and the diversity surrounding the campus.
The event is not only focused on African-American students, but all minorities who wish
to pursue the same educational goals, he said. “I don’t think any other place could have
served as the kickoff location for the tour other than here,” Miles said.
The concluding panel’s session, “Keepin’ it Real,” included a small group of celebrities discussing their respective career successes and struggles followed by a question and answer session.
One of the panelists, record executive Amir Windom, said, “We got to where we are because someone invested in us, so this is just our way of paying it forward.”
SPIRIT
Annual festivalcomes to town
The 5th Annual Spirit and Soul Festival and Fundraiser will be at Harbour Way and Macdonald Avenue in Richmond on Saturday.
The event will include rhythm and blues pop sensation Club Nouveau, as well as other artists.
An outdoor marketplace, local artisans, food vendors, wine tast-ing, and raffles will be a part of the event.
The community and students are welcome to attend the free event which will run from 1 to 5 p.m.
For more information, contact organizers at 510-236-4049 or visit the website at www.richmond-mainstreet.org.
Newsline
Saturday, Sept. 7: No reports were taken on this
date.
Sunday, Sept. 8: No reports were taken on this
date.
Monday, Sept. 9: Graffiti was located on the
Baseball Field’s fence that runs along Castro Road.
Tuesday, Sept. 10: A student reported an unknown
suspect scratched his vehicle with an unknown object.
Wednesday, Sept. 11: A student reported her vehicle
was vandalized with an unknown sharp pointed object.
An instructor reported she believes someone tampered with her office door.
Thursday, Sept. 12: No reports were taken on this
date.
Friday, Sept. 13: No reports were taken on this
date.
— George Morin
CrimeWatch
Funds | Fee brings in possibility of supportCAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2013 l THE ADVOCATE 3
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WORKSHOP
Learn to avoidplagiarism
An Avoid Plagiarism with NoodleTools workshop will be hosted in the Library on Sept. 25.
NoodleTools is an online cita-tion and note card system that can help students organize their citations.
Students will learn how to pre-vent accidental plagiarism by stay-ing organized with NoodleTools.
The workshop will focus on how to keep track of resources and notes, as well as keeping citations in a correct form.
Students are welcome to attend the workshop for free.
For more information, contact the Library front desk at 510-235-7800, ext. 4318.
ASU
Student unionto hold meeting
The Associated Students Union’s weekly meeting is today from 2 to 4 p.m. in AA-145.
The ASU will discuss topics ranging from how the student activity fee funds will be spent on campus clubs and campus events.
Non-ASU members are wel-come to attend the meetings and voice their opinions directly to the ASU.
For more information, contact the ASU at 510-235-7800, ext. 4243.
ASU Director of External Affairs Kirsten Kwon said.
The ASU is continuing its partnership with Single Stop to offer students the Emergency Transportation Fund. Single Stop is a student financial assistance program, with a representa-tive in the Student Services Center. Through Single Stop, the ASU will offer $7,000 worth of bus passes and gas cards to students in need of financial help.
ASU President Ysrael Condori said, “We (the ASU) are also talking to Wal-Mart to try to offer Wal-Mart gift cards through Single Stop.” Condori is speaking with the local Wal-Mart manager to receive the cards at a dis-counted rate.
Student clubs and depart-ments can also seek to ben-efit from the fee. The ASU has set up a grant system known as the Grant For Support where clubs and departments can request up to $3,500, a limit that is new to this semester, from the ASU each semester.
The grant is meant to help support student activities on campus. Any club or department can go to AA-109 and pick up a grant applica-tion, which must then be resubmitted to the ASU. This semester’s deadline for the grant was Sept. 17, though there will be a second chance to apply on Nov. 15.
In order to receive the grant, applicants must state explicitly what the money is to be used for. Applicants must also explain what benefit stu-dents will receive from the event or program the money will be used for. The ASU president will then add the request to the ASU’s next meeting agenda, where the ASU members decide if the
request will be approved or denied.Last semester, only six clubs and depart-
ments took advantage of the support grant. The ASU gave the physical education department $4,607.47 to purchase new treadmills for the Fitness Center. The ASU also donated $4,500 to the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society (AGS) last year.
According to Kwon, this donation helped the AGS attend their spring conference in Los Angeles.
“It (the support grant) lowered the cost from more than $200 per person to just $20 per per-
son, which was just the bus fare,” Kwon said. She is also the AGS vice president.
Students will also reap the benefits from the stu-dent activity fee in the form of textbook rentals. Though they had planned to donate $15,000 to the Bookstore to make textbook rentals
cheaper for students, the ASU was only able to donate $5,000.
“There was an issue with the payment at the beginning of the semester. We plan to roll over the extra and donate $20,000 next semester,” Condori said.
This semester’s donation added a number of history sections to the list of books avail-able for rental, while also decreasing their price. When explaining why they chose history texts, Condori said, “We looked at the most expensive texts and tried to make them cheaper. Next semester we will look at the most expen-sive books and class sections with the highest enrollment numbers to decide what books to make cheaper, we’re really going to look at the data.”
Scholarships are also being offered through
the ASU. There are scholarships being offered for Middle College High School students as well as Contra Costa College students.
There are two $1,000 scholarships being offered to MCHS students with a minimum 3.0 GPA. There are also an additional two $500 scholarships being offered to MCHS students with a minimum 2.0 GPA. To apply, students need to go to CCC’s website and fill out the application. These scholarships are being offered for the spring semester.
The website fails to list or explain the schol-arships being offered for regular college stu-dents. Anyone interested in more information regarding scholarships for non-MCHS students should seek out the ASU Board in its office, AA-109.
The student activity fee will also be used to host ASU events on campus. Constitution Day began Tuesday and will continue today. This event is a celebration of the signing of the United States Constitution. The ASU will also host a fall festival in October. More ASU-spon-sored events will be announced as time draws closer to their planned dates.
The ASU is actively seeking students inter-ested in participating in student government. Joining the ASU will allow students to voice their opinions on what should be done with the student activity fee.
“It’s a great opportunity to develop leader-ship and skills necessary in every work envi-ronment,” Condori said about joining the ASU. “The student body needs more responsible leaders that will represent them at the college and district level.”
Non-ASU members can also attend their meetings and voice their opinions on what is done with student activity fee. The ASU meets from 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays in AA-145.
FROM: Page 1
Support | Fundraiser a success
Tour | Empowering workshop hits campus FROM: Page 1
about the discovery of his son’s illness. “His mood was changed and he seemed a little irritated. We took quite a few trips to the doctor before (they) figured out what it was.”
The brainchild of a few members of the fam-ily, the fundraiser drew more than 100 family and friends of the Camachos’ and the Ramos’, mem-bers of the community — including Rick Ramos’ former professor and current Governing Board Trustee John Marquez.
“As a parent, grandparent and great grandparent — when trag-edies occur in your family it is important for the community to show support and become aware that (the tragedy) could happen to them (too),” Marquez said as he entered the Moose Lodge.
“When (tragedies) happen, sometimes you have to get help from family and friends.”
Upon entering the venue Marquez handed over a donation — a check worth $500 and said, “I will donate more if there is a need.”
To entertain the supporters, Rick Ramos’ Good Time System (GTS) Band performed. Family and friends dined on a roasted hog, tri-tip, as well as two
of Joey’s favorites — pizza and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Other than donations, the family also gained finan-cial support by way of a silent auction. Items such as 49ers and Raiders sports memorabilia were up for grabs to the highest bidder.
Also up for auction were Star Wars, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley memorabilia.
Items such as Starbucks and Oakland A’s gift baskets, baseball cards and bottles of wine were raffled off to those who bought raffle tickets.
“Kelly and Joe’s friends got this together,” Joey’s grandmother Kathy Ramos said. “I’m so grateful for the support of their friends.”
Although people gathered on the basis of a family tragedy, smiles
graced the faces of many of the attendees. Many stated they felt positive of the situation because of Joey’s prognosis.
Rick Ramos said his grandson is expected to make a full recovery within a three and a half year period if all goes well.
“One of (the family) goals is to have this (vacation to Mexico) after his 6th birthday,” he said. “We’re very hopeful it’s going to happen.”
“One of (the family) goals is to have this
(vacation to Mexico) after his 6th birthday. We’re very hopeful it’s
going to happen.”
Rick Ramos,Joey Camacho’s grandfather
“What we’re trying to commu-nicate is that as difficult as it
may seem there is information out there that will help you
fund and pursue your educa-tion. We help to bring them
into a position where they can do just that.”
Paulette Jackson,UNCF vice president of development
InSitesolutions, and we believe that there will be an improvement by making this switch,” he said. “When we moved to the newer mail product, we noticed better integration, bet-ter user experiences and I think the easier we make the systems the more likely people will be to use it.”
Faculty and staff email accounts made the change of systems during the summer of 2013, but the stu-dent email system had to wait.
Technology systems assistant Mark Williams said, “We have essentially just moved from a locally-hosted server to a cloud-based system.”
With the email system now operated from a cloud rather than a local system, users of Office 365 can now access certain types of files, documents and calendars from anywhere.
District officials currently do not have a date when the student emails will be completely integrat-ed into the new system, Eyestone said.
Before the migration to Office 365 had been placed underway, all emails associated with CCC were hosted through Live@edu through InSite Portal.
But during the summer of 2012, Microsoft had announced that users of Live@edu would be upgraded to the new product, Microsoft Office 365, for free.
“We just finished the switch for faculty and staff, and now we’ll be doing student emails next,” Eyestone said. “As of right now it’s somewhat on hold, so I don’t believe it has been communicated to the students just yet.”
With no set plan for finish-ing the migration, students have not been notified that their email accounts could soon be affected.
FROM: Page 1
FROM: Page 1Attentive gaze — Administra-tion of justice department Chairperson Rick Ramos looks on as people arrive during the fundraiser to support his grandson Joey Camacho at the Moose Lodge in San Pablo on Saturday.
QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE
“We want to have a surplus every semes-
ter.”
Kirsten Kwon,ASU director of external affairs
“It’s really safe,” Condori said, “but we don’t want to be liable.”
On hand both days will be a DJ playing music in the quad.
There are currently 20 active clubs including the Yoga Club, Guitar Club and Sisterhood of the Traveling Laptops. Clubs are enticed to participate in the event for funding awarded for most recruited mem-bers and best table presentation.
There are four inactive clubs await-ing new members. The Black Student Union, Chess Club, Tae Kwon Do Club, and Toastmasters Club all need reacti-vation.
Students can form a new club by having
at least five members, a college staff or fac-ulty member as an adviser, and by complet-ing an application for a new campus club.
The adviser will then send off the com-pleted application and a meeting will be arranged with the Inter-Club Council, which governs campus clubs.
THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 20134 CAMPUS BEAT
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PLEASANT HILL I BERKELEY I SAN JOSE
ADVERTISEMENT
In cheer — Performers
sing and march down
San Pablo Dam Road during The
Stroll, an annual com-munity event
held in El Sobrante on
Sunday.QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE
QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE
A family tra-dition — A performer and his son ride his horse down San Pablo Dam Road during The Stroll in El Sobrante on Sunday.
Crowd amassesfor annual ‘Stroll’ in El Sobrante
By Lorenzo MorottiEDITORIAL CARTOONIST
EL SOBRANTE — Thousands of people from many cities across the East Bay strolled up and down El Sobrante’s historic San Pablo Dam Road last Sunday.
The usually-busy road running though El Sobrante was closed to automotive traffic from early in the morning until 5 p.m.
The Stroll is an annual community event organized by the cities’ Chamber of Commerce to encourage residents to become more involved with local businesses and each other.
This year marks The Strolls’ 20th consecutive year.
“El Sobrante needs The Stroll. It reminds us that there is living, chang-ing community around us everyday,” Nancy Northern, a local hat ven-dor, said.
Residents of El Sobrante and neighboring cities flowed carefreely in between two rows of par-allel tents set up along the sidewalks on the clear and sunny day.
The Stroll replaces the droning sound of bustling traffic with meaningful conver-sation among neighbors. Noxious fumes blasted from tailpipes were instead sweet aromas inviting attendees of The Stroll to a wide variety of food trucks and tents.
The parade that was led by local high school marching bands attracted the most attention around noon, an hour after the event began.
Aside from food and music, there were also many vintage cars on display.
“Cars are my hobby, and if I can share
my hard work with others, it makes me feel good,” Ed Santos, owner of a cherry red 1937 Ford Roadster, said.
While cars may have been a hit among the older crowd, local bicycle shop The Peddler attracted most of the younger demo-graphic.
Immediately after the parade, volunteers working with The Peddler helped set up a ramp for local BMX bikers to put on a show for spectators.
Veteran BMX rider Nick Noble stole the show by performing a backflip multiple times during the session, leaving on-lookers in awe.
The Stroll has become a tradition in this small unincorporated area nestled between the urban sprawl that is Richmond and the gradual expanse of golden slopes cascad-
ing into Wildcat Canyon Regional Park.
“I was at the very first stroll 20 years ago. A lot has changed, but for the better,” Danny Roay, a member of the local chapter of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club, said. “It’s great to be out here and check every-thing out. You don’t get to see this many people getting along that often.”
People welcomed the change of pace — usual-ly the street is a constant stream of commuters chugging along on route to far away jobs.
Organizations such as Citizens for a Greener El Sobrante had a booth spread-ing awareness of local transportation and aesthetic issues that have plagued the area for decades.
“Such a large event allows us to pitch our project ideas to passing residents in the com-munity,” Martha Gribsy, a volunteer with Citizens for a Greener El Sobrante, said. “These projects would change their daily lives for the better.
“El Sobrante is changing and we need to change with it.”
Community convenesfor 20th anniversary
Event to introduce clubs to students
By Heather WallinSTAFF WRITER
Club Rush will introduce students to the extracurricular possibilities on campus this week. The event began Tuesday and will continue today in the quad from noon until 2 p.m.
The Associated Students Union spon-sored event will provide fun attractions to excite students, including complimentary ice cream — that is if they are one of the first 200 students to speak to club representatives. ASU President Ysreal Condori proposed the new dessert incentive to get students inter-acting with clubs.
On Tuesday students were invited to put their knowledge to the test with a trivia game. Small prizes were given to the winners of the contest.
A sumo suit set will be provided today. Students will be asked to sign a consent form before their match.
“Such a large event allows us to pitch our project ideas to pass-ing residents in the community. These
projects would change their daily lives for the better. El Sobrante is changing and we need
to change with it.”
Martha Gribsy,volunteer
Student governmentoversees ‘Club Rush’
“It’s really safe, but we
don’t want to be liable”
Ysreal Condori,ASU president
CAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2013 l THE ADVOCATE 5
ADVERTISEMENT
IN UNISONNew jazzvocalistsadded toensembleJAZZ-ology draws innew talented members
By Veronica SantosSCENE EDITOR
JAZZ-ology, the most exclusive of the three jazz vocal groups in the music depart-ment, has been assembled with some new members for the 2013-14 school year.
Every year students are invited by music professor Stephanie Austin to audition to become part of the vocal ensemble. This year, members include Lucia Perez (lead soprano), Selenne Ruiz (second soprano), Stephanie Rios (alto), Eben Miller (tenor) and William Sims (bass).
JAZZ-ology was formed in the fall of 2011 by Dr. Austin to give students a chance to work at a commercial level in the music industry. After only two years, they have been chosen as national finalists in the Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey in the spring of 2013. They are also Reno Jazz Festival category award winners.
Vocal music major and second soprano Ruiz, who will be joining the ensemble for the first time, is excited to see how the group develops and works together. Auditions were held on Aug. 19, 20 and 21, each day with a different process.
“(The most rigorous part of the auditions) I think, was having all that pressure to sing in front of people and compete with other vocal-ists,” Ruiz said.
Invitations are sent to students who have achieved strong musicianship skills: vocal control and agility, demonstration of the jazz style, professionalism and how well they per-form, Austin said.
On the first day of auditions the students
came in for a rehearsal as a group. The second day was also a rehearsal but with an interview process.
“She asked us how we handle stress and if we’re up to the challenge,” Rios said. The third day of auditions included a review of the song assigned and a performance of the chosen solo piece. Each member is also required to schedule one gig per semester for the entire group, as well as fundraise.
“You need to have balls. You need to leave all of your personal issues and worries and come in as a professional,” Rios said.
Ruiz said their experience in JAZZ-ology would give them a “taste” of the pro-fessional world. They will learn what will be expected of them outside of school and what to expect during performances.
“It’s always a blast working with Dr. Austin. She motivates you. She doesn’t add
any more pressure. You have to add pressure on yourself (to do well),” Ruiz said.
As a former member of the ensemble, biological science major Daniel Hernandez said the hardest part of being in JAZZ-ology was the music charts and performing while making it look effortless.
JAZZ-ology is currently working on two
pieces, “Cruisin’ for a Bluesin’” and “Signs of Spring.” The group’s first performance will be at the Cuesta College Jazz Festival in San Luis Obispo in November. They are scheduled to record an album next spring in which the backing tracks (piano, bass and drums) will be recorded in the music depart-ment’s Studio E-13, department chairper-son and Academic Senate President Wayne Organ said.
Austin said this year’s group will con-tinue as strong performers and represent the college well. They have already been chosen to be featured performers in a state commu-nity college league convention.
Former JAZZ-ology member Jessica Neihus said, “It was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the art of vocal jazz. I was also able to connect with many talented individuals along the way.”
CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE
Practice time — JAZZ-ology members Stephanie Rios (left) and William Sims hone their vocal talents in preparation for upcoming events in M-116 on Sept. 9. The group held auditions to gain new talent for their jazz ensemble.
“You need to have balls. You need to leave all of your per-sonal issues and worries and come in as a professional.”
Stephanie Rios,JAZZ-ology member
Bicycle repair station promotes sustainability
By Lorenzo MorottiEDITORIAL CARTOONIST
A small bike repair station has been installed in Lot 9 to attract students and faculty to a zero-emission transportation alterna-tive, while construction and por-table classrooms diminish parking volume on campus.
Engulfed by the rumble of jack-hammers and dump trucks, it may have been hard to notice build-ing maintenance worker Aaron McCoy installing the free-to-use bike repair station on Sept. 5.
The bike station, adjacent to Police Services, is discreetly tucked away between the green bike lockers and the current con-struction zone.
“The bike station was built in hopes of encouraging people to start biking to class instead of driving,” Building and Grounds Manager Bruce King said. “Parking will become a premium during construction.”
Losing Lot 9 for the next three years, the campus will see an influx of panicked students and staff scrambling for a parking spot before class.
The cost of the overall proj-ect proposed by the Sustainability Committee was roughly $850, King said.
The walk-up bike stand is a metal pole about 4 feet tall. Two
metal prongs that curve outward allow students to rest their bikes either by the top tube of the bicycle frame or their seats.
The prongs are covered in thick plastic that protects the frame from scratches and other damage.
Fastened by metal cables, the tools connected to the bike repair station are limited to small repairs only. Tethered to the stand are two bike levers for removing tires, one short flat-head screwdriver, two Phillips-head screwdrivers, one short and one extended, one adjust-able wrench, one double-sided 15- and 13-centimeter wrench, and one Allen wrench key set.
This is the first step taken by the Sustainability Committee to reduce automotive congestion on and around campus and, like most first steps, has a few kinks that still need to be worked out.
Major tools that were over-looked by Buildings and Grounds include a chain tool required to repair a broken chain and the even more necessary tire pump.
Snapped chains and flat tires are malfunctions that can easily be fixed if the proper tools were avail-able at the bike repair station.
“Transportation is a huge issue here at Contra Costa College,” stu-dent and Sustainability Committee member Marîa Nuñez said as she conducted a transportation survey on campus.
The survey contains questions
asking students their primary mode of getting to campus.
Current survey results show that more students than not drive themselves to campus.
“The Sustainability Committee hopes to change that (the major-ity of students drive to campus),” Nuñez said. “Students are very excited with our plans to revital-ize the campus through improving mobility.”
The bike repair station is an essential step in the committee’s pursuit of reducing emissions and promoting healthy lifestyles, she said.
“I believe the bike repair station is beneficial for the campus, but we can do more,” Sustainability Committee member and geol-ogy professor Christopher Johnson said.
“Many campuses throughout the state are actually paying students to ride their bicycle to class instead of driving,” he said. “Stanford, being one of those schools, pays $300 per student.”
The committee must observe other campuses’ sustainability efforts across California in order to gauge what can be done to improve CCC’s campus, he said.
Other ways the Sustainability Committee is intending to reduce waste and congestion on campus is by proposing AC Transit bus cards and carpooling options for students, Johnson said.
CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE
Green convenience — The newly installed bicycle repair sta-tion has been placed in Lot 9 adjacent to Police Services in hopes of encouraging students and college employees to con-sider environmentaly-friendly transportation alternatives.
‘Breaking Bad’ show comes to a close
Series enters its final cook
THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 20136 SCENE
TRAGEDY RE-IMAGINED
SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE
Business is booming — (left) Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and Walter White (Bryan Cranston) relax after a long day of cooking methamphetamine under the guise of their bug bombing venture in season five of the AMC critically-aclaimed series “Breaking Bad.”
By Jeff BakerSTAFF WRITER
Willy Wonka once said, “The sus-pense is terrible… I hope it will last.”
“Breaking Bad” fans everywhere would resound: “Us too.”
On Sept. 29, AMC’s “Breaking Bad” will close the final chapter of its critically acclaimed cornucopia of characters and storyline.
There are just two episodes left in one of the greatest final seasons ever for a TV series.
With nearly 50 television award wins and more than 150 nomina-tions, “Breaking Bad” is now on a short list with dramas like “The Sopranos,” “The Wire” and “Mad Men” in the “Greatest TV Drama of All Time” debate.
Ten years ago you may have known AMC (if you were aware of it at all) as American Movie Classics, or as the network that showed old 1940s movies and not much else.
Now, along with the critically acclaimed “Mad Men” and cult legend “Walking Dead,” “Breaking Bad” has helped make AMC a heavyweight cable network, both in television ratings and critical acclaim.
“Breaking Bad” has effectively quadrupled its audience with 5.9 million viewers for this season’s premiere, as opposed to 1.4 million viewers for the season one finale in 2008.
In short, the show is about high school chemistry teacher Walter White Sr. (Bryan Cranston).
He initially has two simple goals: to get treatment for the lung cancer with which he was diagnosed in the first episode, and to leave financial security for his family as he is likely has but a year to live.
Unfortunately, he will never be able to do these things on his teacher’s sal-ary, a satirical comment on the meager salary of school teachers.
So the mild mannered instructor decides, desperately, that he will use his chemistry expertise to cook meth-amphetamine.
He collaborates with a flunky-turned-drug-dealer Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and lives life on the razor’s edge under his drug-kingpin alias, Heisenberg.
That was where we started nearly six years ago in season one.
Now, the remaining questions in the series are fewer, but they seem more important than ever.
Let the suspense lurk.Loyal fans can rely on sustained
drama and perhaps a heart arrhythmia
every Sunday night thanks to show creator Vince Gilligan and his crew.
This season has been no exception. It appears that the show runners
have forgone the subtlety and nuance of previous years (which built rich, multi-faceted characters) in favor of a no holds barred death match for this final season.
If you don’t watch, see the quick summaries below.
If you do watch regularly, try watching it standing up for maximum devastation.
What you need to know for the final cook: two weeks is too little time to catch up on the whole series, but you can catch the first five seasons
now on Netflix, Blu-ray and DVD. Here are some broad strokes of what you may have missed:
Walter White: Stopped teaching the youth of Albuquerque in favor of slinging meth with his junkie dropout student, Jesse Pinkman in season one. He has shown mor-alistic judgment of vary-ing decency throughout. In his world as the meth kingpin, Heisenberg, the well-being of others must at times be compromised for the good of himself and his loved ones.
It is not clear-cut as to when he “broke bad.” It could have been when he told a meth addict to “stay out of his territory” outside of a Home Depot
in season two. Maybe it was when he had Jesse kill Gale, the lab assistant, in the end of season three so that Walter and Jesse could be the only expert chemists in Gustavo Fring’s lab.
Certainly it had to be before he organized the murders of 10 jailed drug connections in order to keep them from snitching to the DEA in season five.
One theme is clear: the show’s directors desired and succeeded in creating a Mr. Nice Guy who slowly but surely transforms into the devil’s henchman. Threatening forces, after all, can come from an unknown and unsafe place and threaten what we hold dearest. But as Heisenberg says, he is “the one who knocks.”
Gustavo Fring: Owner of the fic-titious “Pollos Hermanos” chicken restaurant. Also doubles as the master-mind boss of Walt and Jesse.
Skyler White: Walter’s wife. The first two seasons largely dealt with Walt hiding the Heisenberg alter-ego completely from her. She separated from Walt upon finding out he was a drug lord and had a steamy affair with her boss, Ted Beneke (Christopher Cousins).
Once she reconciled with Walt in
season three, and accepted him for who he was, she became as unscru-pulous a criminal as he. No half-mea-sures, right?
Skyler concocted a story where Walt’s drug money came from gam-bling winnings and duped her sister (Marie) and brother in-law (Hank). She also developed a money-launder-ing scheme involving the car wash Walt previously worked at for supple-mentary income back in season one. Skyler has been tough, grounded and intelligent, but the relationship with Walt has now come full circle.
She has most recently buckled under the pressure of being with the evil Heisenberg in the last episode and chased him out of the house with a large kitch-en knife.
Jesse Pinkman: Walter’s unlikely prodigy. Despite flunking Walt’s high school class, Jesse has an unmatched affinity for making meth. He has a long history of drug problems and at many points has been closer to Walt than Walt’s own family.
He has been the hero to save the day like when he orchestrated an escape for himself and Gus Fring’s crew out of Mexico in a shootout. He has also thoroughly screwed entire operations, like when he allowed the meth RV to die in the middle of the desert, nearly leaving himself and Walter dead.
There has been a love and hate relationship between Walt and Jesse. He is almost a designated son, not the biological one or even the one Walt asked for but the intimacy between these two characters is unmatched in the series.
An episode this season, entitled “Rabid Dog” covered Jesse’s emo-tional breakdown and disenchantment with “the business.” He threw millions away in stacks of dollar bills through-out the streets of Albuquerque and behaved like a stupefied mute when confronted. But Jesse is not just an unpredictable rabid dog; he is also an orphaned dog with little family. Many times he has only wanted the approval of Mr. White.
But this season, Jesse’s patience for Walt’s full-measure enforcement has grown thin. The last straw was when Jesse suspected that Walt poisoned his girlfriend’s son, Brock. Jesse did the unthinkable by joining Hank to, in his words, finally bring Walter to justice because he “always gets away with it.”
Moreover, we were last left with a shootout in the middle of the desert: Jesse, Hank and Hank’s right hand, “Gomie,” finally trapping Walt/Heisenberg to serve justice. But in typical fashion, Walt had a trick up his
sleeve in the form of those neo-Nazi’s who put the hit out on ten prison men for Walt.
This brings us to… DEA agent Hank Schrader: Married to Skyler’s sister, Marie. Also happens to be a high ranking Albuquerque police offi-cer and has worked with the DEA. He has been tracking down the infamous Heisenberg for the past four seasons. At the end of last season, he finally discovered that Heisenberg is his long-time buddy and brother-in-law, Walter.
Now, family is out the window. It has been Hank versus Walter this
season and even the sisters have been estranged and are sticking by their men. In the last episode, Walt’s hired neo-Nazis wound up doling the justice to Hank. In a twist, Walt tried
to stop it, citing “he’s family,” but the hired guns already had their orders.
Marie: She loves the color violet and is extremely supportive of hus-band Hank. Early on in the series, she was a minor character who had a klep-tomania problem, likely a manifesta-tion of marital problems with Hank, who was initially written as kind of a chauvinistic pig.
It turns out Hank was only con-sumed by justice and putting an end to the drug lord Heisenberg and his supernatural meth. She was rightfully devastated upon hearing the news that Walt escaped Hank’s arrest and that the tables were turned on her husband.
Walt Jr. aka Flynn: The apple of his parents’ eyes. The young actor, who plays Walt Jr., RJ Mitte, has minor cerebral palsy and went into acting to educate viewers on the condition. He is usually seen eating breakfast foods for some reason, but when inserted into a scene or given extended lines, always comes through.
He was the last remaining character to discover his father is Heisenberg. It crushed him, but Skyler had to tell him per an agreement with Marie once Hank had Walt captured. Flynn is also the most inherently good character, and the only one not consumed with destroying others.
Vince Gilligan has been quoted saying he never thought the show would last more than three seasons, a sentiment I shared, not because the show was not of quality, but because of the subject matter of a dying cancer patient as main character.
In any event, one thing is clear, the series, unlike many others, has the absolute faith of its audience that all loose ends will be tied. In many ways, this is a farewell to a golden age of television.
tvreview
“Breaking Bad”
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean NorrisNetwork: AMCTime slot: Sundays, 8 p.m.Genre: Drama
Now,the remainingquestionsin theseriesare fewer,but theyseemmoreimportantthan
ever.
focused against every team no matter who they are,” Solis said.
While their efforts were not fruitful, the Roadrunners did match CCC in shots on goal at 6-6 in the first half.
Though the Comets’ execution left some-thing to be desired, they had higher percent-age shots than Butte.
At 41:30, the Comets’ point leader and center-forward freshman Brian Randall secured an insurance goal for the Comets.
Creating his own room, he controlled the ball from near midfield and got the Butte
goalkeeper off his feet with a shot attempt.
Randall’s immediate follow-up kick put the Comets ahead 2-0.
“I find the gap and attack at a high pace. Whether I find the open man or I take the shot
(myself) it’s all done quickly,” Randall said postgame. “I was able to body (the goal-keeper) off and poke it around him.”
The second half offered a number of Comet scoring opportunities that were either off by a hair or fell completely flat.
In the second half, CCC outshot Butte 9-3 but missed many makeable shots, mostly in a stretch at the beginning of the second half.
A missed penalty kick by Comet fresh-man midfielder Roberto Calixto at 78:00, fol-
lowed by a crossbar ricochet miss by Comet sophomore left wing Bobby Gonzalez, and lastly a goal-allowed by Comet keeper Gustavo Rojas summed up the not-so-pretty victory.
“Gustavo said the ball took a bad hop off his toe and off the grass on that goal,” coach Zeller said.
“(In a win like this) defense is so impor-tant,” sophomore midfielder Romario Pena said.
“Coach is always telling us how defense wins championships and it was a key today. At times when we couldn’t control the ball our defense stepped up.”
Zeller said, “We didn’t get the goals we should have — the penalty kick and other missed opportunities by the net.”
He said finishing runs for solid strikes has been a pivotal part of practice and will need to continue to be for the team to improve.
SPORTS WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2013 l THE ADVOCATE 7
BREAKING AWAY
Back
line
crumbles
in
second
half
QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE
Out of reach — Comet outside hitters Rebecca Gehlen (left) and Jessica Neville attempt to block a hit by Corsairs outside hit-ter Linda Williams during their game against the College of the Redwoods in the Gymnasium on Sept. 12.
ScoreBoardComets 2 Roadrunners 1
Next game: Friday vs. Feather River College, 2 p.m.
Follow this game live at twitter.com/accentadvocate
QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE
Quick footing — Comet forward Brian Randall (left) drives the ball past Butte College midfielder Ryan Campbell during their game against the Roadrunners on the Soccer Field on Sept. 10. The Comets were victorious, 2-1.
Win leaves much to be desiredBy Jeff Baker
STAFF [email protected]
In the words of Contra Costa College men’s soccer coach Rudy Zeller to his team, “It was a working man’s win.”
No, the game was not pretty, but it was another ‘W’ in the standings, all the same. CCC defeated the Butte College Roadrunners 2-1 on Sept. 10 on the Soccer Field improving to 3-1 overall on the sea-son. Butte fell to 0-4 overall.
It well could have been a runaway victory, but turned out to be a very close contest.
“We could have beat-en this team with a lot more ease,” coach Zeller said. “We didn’t play pretty and we’ve got some things to work on.”
In the first half of play, neither team was able to get the advantage until a goal by Comet sophomore left center-forward Marcos Solis putting them on the board at about 21:00.
CCC looked a bit rusty going into this game after its big win against the previ-ously unbeaten American River College squad on Sept. 6.
“We need to work on finishing and stay
Cometsfizzle in closingminutes
By Mike ThomasSPORTS EDITOR
The football team rallied on its final drive, but came up short and lost to De Anza College 27-21 in Cupertino on Saturday. Coming into the game the Dons (2-0) were ranked No. 8 and Contra Costa College (1-1)
No. 23 in the state.CCC plans to
pick it up when it hosts Gavilan College at Comet Stadium Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Comets had possession of the ball with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the score tied 21-
21. De Anza defensive end Austin Bengal
intercepted Comet sophomore quarterback Malik Watson and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown, making the score 27-21. Don kicker Shawn Henner missed the point after touchdown.
The Comets had an opportunity to win the game. Starting with the ball on its 6-yard line, the squad marched down the field to the Dons’ 2-yard line where the drive stalled.
Comet coach Alonzo Carter said on the last play of the game the Comets did not pick up the De Anza blitz well, causing an incomplete pass to Comet sophomore run-ning back Davonte Sapp-Lynch.
“We got down to the two-yard line and came close but fell short,” Carter said. “We had our chances to win that game.”
Watson agreed.“We were competing, executing plays. It
was just toward the end (De Anza) had more points then we did,” Watson said.
As of right now the Comets are ranked fifth in the state in passing yards with 615.
In their first two games the Comets have been 7-for-11 on trips to the red zone. Carter and the football team want that stat to improve in the next game. Watson said that is something he and CCC can improve on as a unit.
“I believe every time we get the ball we should score,” he said. “Whether it’s once or five times — we should score every time.”
Offensive flop puts pressure on defense
Lack of consistency leaves squad with another loss
By Mike ThomasSPORTS EDITOR
The women’s soccer team struggled offensively and lost 3-2 to Skyline College (1-1) Sept. 10 on the soccer field. Trojan forward Iris Clavel scored the game-winning goal with eight min-utes left in the game.
The Comets next game will be against Feather River College on Friday at home at 4 p.m.
The Comets (0-2) were ahead 2-1
in the first half, but Skyline midfielder Ileana Moncada netted a goal to tie the score, ending the half. With so many scoring opportunities, women’s soccer coach Nikki Ferguson said the squad should have been up 5-1 in the first half. He said he does not have an answer to why his team is missing so many chances to score.
“We had five chances to score (a goal),” he said about the offensive strug-gle. “We totally dominated the game but at the end of the day we have to put the ball in the net to win the game.”
Comet defender Elise Monterrosa said, “We played as hard as we could but we just couldn’t finish.”
Contra Costas College’s two goals came by sophomore midfielder Laura Hurtado, and right now she is the only player on the team who has scored goals in the team’s first two games of the season. The Trojans first goal is what fueled her into scoring more goals and bringing the Comets back into the game.
“I was energized and I had an urgen-cy to score,” Hurtado said. “We were
one down and we needed to get pressure on (Skyline).”
The Trojans had 14 shots at goal to CCC’s 12. CCC keep-er Jasmine Escobar had three saves, while Skyline keeper Jessyca Morales had eight saves.
ScoreBoardTrojans 3 Comets 2
Next game: Friday vs. Feather River College, 4 p.m.
By Jose JimenezSTAFF WRITER
Contra Costa College’s women’s volleyball team hosted its first home game of the season against College of the Redwoods on Sept. 12.
CCC (0-2) trailed in every period of the game and lost each set, 16-25, 25-27 and 17-25.
“(It was) nerve wracking for the first home game,” CCC out-side hitter Paula Sanchez said.
Nerve wracking or not, College of the Redwoods (2-0) was not intimidated by the home crowd and simply dominated the Comets for three straight sets of play.
The second period was close because of a ferocious come-back led by sophomore Jessica Neville.
Down 16-23 in the second set, the Comets rallied late to tie the score 23-23.
Neville scored four straight points to cap off a comeback that fell short.
“I just want to play,” Neville said. “This is only the beginning
and we have to be consistent.”After having to call back-
to-back time outs in the third set, consistency is exactly what coach Zachary Shrieve looks to improve.
“We have got to recognize what the opposing teams are doing with their hands, their techniques, and we need to antic-ipate,” Shrieve said.
“We learned some great things in our scrimmage games against some top teams, but lost against
Skyline and again here tonight against Redwoods.”The Comets next volleyball game is a road match
against Cañada College at 6 p.m. today.
Corsairs dominate court for three-set victory
“We could have beaten this team with a lot
more ease.”
Rudy Zeller,soccer coach
“We have got to recognize what the opposing teams are doing with their hands, their techniques, and
we need to anticipate.”
Zachary Shrieve,volleyball coach
ScoreBoardCorsairs def.Comets 16-25, 25-27, 17-25
Next game: Friday vs. Cañada College, 6 p.m.
Follow this game live at twitter.com/accentadvocate
ScoreBoardDons 27 Comets 21
Next game: Saturday vs. Gavilan College, 3 p.m.
Last season by the numbersOverall record
7-10-3
Conference record7-2-3
Conference finishsecond
Record thus far4-2-0
ScheduleAug. 27 vs. Skyline College2-1 L
Aug. 31 at Shasta College4-3 W
Sept. 6 vs. American River College1-0 W
Sept. 10 vs. Butte College2-1 W
Sept. 13 at Fresno City College4-1 L
Sept. 16 at Chabot College4-2 W
Sept. 20 vs. Feather River College2 p.m.
Sept. 27 at Napa Valley College4 p.m.
Oct. 1 vs. Merritt College 4 p.m.
Oct. 4 at College of Marin4 p.m.
Oct. 8 vs. Yuba College4 p.m.
Oct. 11 vs. Santa Rosa Junior College4 p.m.
Oct. 15 vs. Napa Valley College4 p.m.
Oct. 18 vs. Merritt College4 p.m.
Oct. 22 vs. College of Marin4 p.m.
Oct. 25 at Yuba College4 p.m.
Oct. 29 BYE
Nov. 1 at Napa Valley College3 p.m.
Nov. 5 at Merritt College3 p.m.
Nov. 8 at College of Marin3 p.m.
Nov. 12 vs. Yuba College3 p.m.
Soccer squad starts preseason strong with new blood
Key players
Solis
Forward
Roster00 Max Sonnier keeper freshman2 Bobby Gonzalez defender freshman3 Enri Refunjol defender freshman4 Erick Medrano midfielder freshman5 Brad Alman defender freshman5 Zarel Avila forward freshman6 Klebber Machado defender freshman7 Romario Pena midfielder sophomore8 Dominic Serrano midfielder freshman9 Pedro Rodriguez forward freshman10 Marcos Solis forward sophomore11 Brian Randall forward freshman14 Davis Okonkwo forward freshman15 Max Lovelle-Vado defender freshman 16 Travis Watson defender freshman17 Lorran Santos midfielder freshman 18 Gio Guerro midfielder freshman 19 Cristian Garibay midfielder freshman20 Antonio Garibay forward freshman21 Sam Mendez defender sophomore22 Carlos Rivas defender freshman23 Juan Pablo Guiterrez midfielder sophomore24 Roberto Calixto midfielder freshman25 Rafael Vega defender freshman28 Alexander Mikano defender sophomore29 Luis Raymundo defender freshman30 Gurjeet Singh defender sophomore35 Gustavo Rojas keeper sophomore
By Jeff BakerSTAFF WRITER
Last year was a season of turmoil for the men’s soccer team. It started the season 0-8 before surging to finish 7-2-3 in the Bay Valley Conference and 7-10-3 overall.
The Comets know they have their work cut out for them if they want to improve on their previous, uneven sea-son.
“It’s all about the team effect now,” men’s soccer coach Rudy Zeller said following a Contra Costa College victo-ry against American River College on Sept. 6.
Truly, teamwork is the central theme here early in this soc-cer season and look-ing ahead.
But the Comets now have 21 fresh-men on their 28-man roster, and of the seven sophomores, several are transfer students and first-time CCC players.
“It’s my first year with the team. I think there are only about five returnees from last year; I transferred from Colorado,” Comet freshman for-ward Bobby Gonzalez said.
“I do feel that every practice and game we are gelling and clicking more — getting used to each others’ strengths and weaknesses, we’re progressing,” Gonzalez said.
Sophomore keeper Gustavo Rojas agreed.
“It’s getting tough in the heat, but the communication is coming along with this team. We’re practicing hard and finding out which places we need to be in and when,” Rojas said.
The Comets are 4-2 as of right now with freshman forward Brian Randall and sophomore midfielder Marcos Solis leading the squad in points.
But while coach Zeller certainly
appreciates these top performers, he has recently been singing the praises of a multitude of players, and he thinks this is one of the most talented teams he has coached.
“There (isn’t a star on the team). The star is the whole team. Lorran Santos and Randall and all of them have been work-ing so hard,” Zeller said.
Maybe the Comets are improving not only because of more familiarity with each other, but something else — hard work.
The team is looking sharp after every practice and game, but squad members
know they have a long way to go before they can win another BVC title, which has not happened since 2005.
Gonzalez said they are getting better and more up to speed every week.
He is sure Zeller will put much focus on the team’s strate-gies and tactics.
“There are some defensive changes, changes in the mid-field,” Zeller said about how he is tweaking his team this season.
“It’s not new for-mations or schemes, but a personnel change. We’re seeing
what each player can do in different posi-tions. Today I had Brad, Luis and Travis in the middle and I couldn’t have scripted it better. They are playing organized and confident on defense.”
New day – new team. The personnel changes every year, but
this season more so than ever. Former first team all-BVC midfielder,
Carlos Lozano, for example, is no longer on the squad and neither is freshman standout defender Mason Quintero.
But there is a bounty of new talent eager to carry the team back to glory.
The Comets won their game on the road against Chabot College, 4-2 on Monday and host Feather River College at 2 p.m. on Friday on the Soccer Field.
21 freshmen, 7 sophomores revitalize team with depth, quickness on offense, defense
Pena
Rojas
KeeperMidfielder
“It’s not new forma-tions or schemes but a personnel change. We’re seeing what each player can do
in different positions. Today I had Brad,
Luis, and Travis in the middle and I couldn’t have scripted it better. They are playing orga-nized and confident on
defense.”
Rudy Zeller,Comet men’s soccer coach
At a glanceHead coach: Rudy Zeller (16th season)
Key returners: Marcos Solis, forward; Gustavo Rojas, keeper; Romario Pena, midfielder
Key losses: Omar Arellano, forward; Mason Quintero, defender; Carlos Lozano, defender; Juan Carlos Vargas, midfielder
Key newcomers: Brian Randall, forward; Brad Alman, defender; Pedro Rodriguez, forward
Randall
Forward
Men’s soccer preview | 2013Men’s soccer preview
THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 20138 SPORTS