By Diana ReyesOPINION EDITOR

After discovering 685 pages of police reports and 28 DVDs full with evidence, attorneys decided to take a closer look at the case of the 16-year-old Richmond High School gang rape vic-tim, leaving prosecutors no choice but to prolong the time needed to research the case.

The six suspects appeared before a judge last week dur-ing the preliminary hearing, where for purposes of the hearing, the three minors were separated from the three adults and were arraigned to appear in court on Dec. 1.

Judge Claire M. Maier said the defendants will be joined for the next prelimi-nary hearing where each has been arraigned to enter a plea.

Prior to last week’s hear-ing, Smith had entered a plea of not guilty. Due to the new amendment complaint, how-ever, he withdrew his plea in order for his attorney to review the case, prosecutor Dara Cashman said.

“(This is) a significant case, and there is a lot of evidence,” she said. “But it will take a long time.”

Among those accused are 15-year-old Cody Ray Smith, 16-year-old Ari Morales, 17-year-old Marcelles Peter, 18-year-old Jose Carlos Montano, 19-year-old Manuel Ortega and 21-year-old Elvis Torrentes, who was arrested on a search warrant and was charged with pen-etration of an incapable per-son and if convicted, could face up to 26 years is prison.

The six defendants are facing charges in connection with the rape of the 16-year-old Richmond High School student outside of her home-coming dance on Oct. 24.

By Holly PabloEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Crushing the possibili-ties of permanent paralysis presented two months ago, Comet defensive back Wali Wright is regaining complete movement and feeling of his limbs since relocation to Kentfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Hospital in Marin County.

“Wali has feeling in his toes, his knees and feet. He can move all that on his own,” mother Piola Wright said. “Plus, he can move his hands, and the doctors said that his spine is waking up.”

Among the positive prog-noses, the 25-year-old foot-ball player is now able to speak.

Answering the call

‘Modern Warfare’ returns with fervor

Community connection Fireside Chat looks at solidarity options

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 WEEKLY STUDENT VOICE OF CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE, SAN PABLO, CALIF.SINCE 19508 PAGES, ONE COPY FREE

VOL. 93, NO. 10WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 2009

ACCENTADVOCATE.COM

Good startComets begin

season 2-1

scene page 8◆ sports page 7◆ campus beat page 5◆

Wright nearing recovery

Cutbacks imminent

HOOPIN’ TO HELP

Comet player able to move limbs, speak

Charity

sports

event

raises

money

for

youth

groups

in local

area

■ SEE WRIGHT: Page 4

ISAAC THOMAS / THE ADVOCATE

Laying out — San Quentin State Prison Department of Corrections officer Chris Rapacon makes a layup against Richmond firefighter Anthony Woodard in a charity basketball game held at the Richmond Police Activities League gym Thursday.

WrightThe 25-year-old defensive back is slow-ly regaining feeling in his limbs and is now able to speak after incurring serious inju-ries after he collided with a player in Contra Costa College’s season opener at home on Sept. 5

Rape case sees delayNew evidence sets hearing date to Dec. 1

By Cassandra JunielSPOTLIGHT EDITOR

He used basketball to help Richmond before, and once again, has stepped up to the plate to help Richmond heal.

Hearing the news of an Oct. 24 inci-dent where a 16-year-old Richmond High School (RHS) student was gang raped, burglarized and beaten caused coach Ken Carter, along with Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) representa-tives, to take action with a plan to host a charity basketball game to raise money and support safety programs at RHS.

“Coach Carter came up with the idea of the charity game after being inter-

viewed about the Oct. 24 incident. He wanted to do something to bring the community together and raise awareness of safety for kids and first made contact with Mr. Larry Lewis, executive director of RPAL about a charity game,” RPAL Athletic Director Carl Foster said. “From this, contact was made to the fire and police departments, San Quentin offi-cials and others to form the teams and the event.”

Carter is the former coach for RHS, from 1997–2002, and made news when he locked out his undefeated varsity bas-ketball team, in an effort to push them toward improving their grades, in accor-dance with the student athlete contract

MCHS semester rally raises spirit, funds

CRYSTAL JOY BIS / THE ADVOCATE

Sing a simple song — Middle College High School senior Janit Saechao belts out a soulful tune to an attentive audience at the MCHS pep rally held in the Amphitheatre Friday. The event raised funds for each graduating class.

By Lamar JamesNEWS EDITOR

Cheering and enthusiastic screams could be heard throughout the campus, as fresh-men, sophomores, juniors and seniors proved their pride through spirited shouting.

These booming cries were only part of the festivities going on in the Amphitheatre and Student Dining Room on Friday, as the Middle College High School (MCHS) pep rally also included various games, dance performances and other colorful activities.

“Most of the time it is all work and no play for these students,” MCHS Principal

Hattie Smith said. “The kids can become so wrapped up in their studies, that they can become dull. So this is just an event to loosen them up and give them some time away from their academia.”

Those in attendance were entertained by belly dancers, singers, hip-hop dancers and pianists and played games such as musical chairs, fear of food (where contestants eat weird foods) and a relay race.

Additionally, the rally gave the oppor-tunity for MCHS students to raise money by selling different foods of their graduat-ing class choice. Seniors sold tamales and horchata; juniors pushed pizza, chicken and Kool-Aid; sophomores pitched pad thai and Tampico; and freshman offered enchiladas.

MCHS students Chris Clausen and Eddie Horalek served as masters of ceremonies,

High schoolers step‘away from academia’

■ SEE CHARITY: Page 4

By Holly PabloEDTIOR-IN-CHIEF

With spring registration nearing, it is cru-cial for students to be mindful of a 10 percent reduction in course section offerings and limited access to services as they plan to construct their schedules.

At a time when students are returning to college because of the poor job market, more than 4,000 instructional hours were cut from the final spring schedule, Senior Dean of Instruction Donna Floyd said.

In addition to the increased competition for seats, a 55 percent reduction in categorical fund-ing this year has reduced accessibility to student services, such as reductions in the counseling department’s office hours.

“The tricky thing here is that not only is access to college classes affected, but students will have a harder time trying to see a counselor,” Floyd

■ SEE COURSES: Page 4

■ SEE RALLY: Page 4

■ SEE RAPE: Page 4

Spring course sections reduced by 10 percent

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 2009 ● VOL. 93, NO. 10

EditorialAbilities doubted

Students’ achievements disprove bad reputation

hen asked where one attends college, the answer “Contra Costa College” is often received

with lukewarm enthusiasm.The first thought that flashes in many

people’s mind is Richmond’s infamous crime rate and subsequently, possible presumptions that the college’s loca-tion is proof-evident of an unproductive student body and lower-than-average achievement rates.

But while outsiders discount the value of the college and the people it serves, the students, faculty and staff know that the joke is actually on these non-believ-ers who question CCC’s abilities.

While it is true that living in Richmond does not always present a pretty picnic, students are constantly beating the odds by using positive energies to fuel the college’s award-winning programs and organizations.

With some of the best programs in the state, if not the nation, this premier community college is breeding strong, well-educated student leaders — not criminals.

Seven members of the ASU, includ-ing President Kristina Bautista, Vice President of Clubs Henry Parker and Senator Jasmyn Oliver, attended the National Conference on Student Leadership.

They participated in the Certified Student Leader (CSL) program, which features extensive training through workshops and a final examination. As a result of their high scores, they were granted CSL credentials on Oct. 25.

The Speech and Debate Team won three gold medals and one finalist award at an advanced tournament held at UC Berkeley on Oct. 30.

Despite the fact that the team was considered an underdog in comparison with their four-year public and private university competitors, it left as a unit of champions.

The National Public Radio (NPR) recognized the nursing program as one of premier and highly competitive desti-nations for those pursuing such a field.

On Nov. 5, NPR reporter Elaine Korry was on site interviewing professors and students about the program.

These outstanding achievements within just the past month may mention only three successful groups, but they are merely a few of the many found throughout the campus.

Each day, students’ drive, motivation and willingness to learn overshadows the violence of the community.

It shows that the college is equipping its students with the proper tools neces-sary to reach their goals and address the problems in the community.

Regardless of the student’s objective, whether it is to earn a certificate, asso-ciate degree or transfer to a four-year university, the time spent at CCC is surely worth every second.

W

“It would affect the students a lot, espe-cially the new students, because you need somebody to help you decide what classes (to) get.”

Chareisha Gordonpsychology

CampusComment

How will the college be affected by fewer personal student services?

“I think they should still have face-to-face (interaction), because sometimes the Internet doesn’t answer all of your questions.”

Courtnii Hickspsychology

“I wouldn’t know, because I don’t go to the Student Services Center.”

Changez ShalmaniMCHS

“I think it’s better (to have) face-to-face (interaction), because online is not as explan-atory than in person.”

Rishard WilliamsMCHS

“People are not going to know what to do on WebAdvisor. You won’t get as much informa-tion from the computer than you would in per-son.”

Wyatt Keithengineering

“It should be good, because a lot of people don’t have the time to come to the school due to transportation.”

Juan Ponceautomotive services

Quotable“The press has a responsi-bility not only to report the

truth, but to do so with a sense of accountability and

decorum.”

Daniel T. arap MoiPresident of Kenya,

1997

Holly Pabloeditor-in-chief

Sam Attal

associate editor

Asia Camagongassociate editor

Alec Surmaniassociate editor

Cassandra Junielspotlight editor

Diana Reyesopinion editor

Dariush Azmoudehsports editor

Lamar Jamesnews editor

Brent Baintoscene editor

Jack Andersonspecial projects editor

Isaac Thomasphoto editor

Erik Verduzcoassistant photo editor

Paul DeBoltfaculty adviser

Staff writersNatalie Estrada

Anthony FarrChad Garcia

Malcolm LastraJon Pinlac

Kristina PlazaAlexandra Waite

Staff photographersCrystal Joy BisGeorge Morin

Adam OliverDesmond Sylva

Brian YoungRoman Young

Staff illustratorsJames Heck

Cody McFarlandJoel Ode

HonorsACP National Newspaper

Pacemaker Award1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008,

2009

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

Member

Associated Collegiate Press

California Newspaper Publishers Association

Journalism Association of Community Colleges

How to reach usPhone: 510.235.7800

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E-mail: advocate@contracosta.edu

or letters.advocate@gmail.com

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.

MALCOLM LASTRA AND DESMOND SILVA / THE ADVOCATE

‘Abundance of choice’ clouds focus, direction

■ Life

am what some psycholo-gists might call a maxi-

mizer.This term, while hardly

meaning what it seems, describes a hard-wired logic for decision-making in which one always aims to make the best possible choice.

Now, I am not saying that I am a perfectionist, and this is not always a bad thing. But when applied to one’s future and livelihood, this tendency can bring about extreme uncertainty, stress and inevitable regret.

In a world where thou-sands of companies may compete in producing a single, similar product, we in America are at no lack of options. Although many may benefit from this abundance of choice, others may suffer.

Faced with a slew of deci-sions, maximizers may clam up and be troubled by mak-ing any decision at all.

While I cannot say I am a maximizer in terms of consumerism, there is no better way of classifying my decision-making on a broader scale. What college will I transfer to, what career route I will take, where I will live and what will I write a column on next are all ques-tions that stump me beyond reason.

They do more than just worry and trouble me; they can often send me into an unconscious, involuntary state of paralysis.

Not physical paralysis of course, but a feeling of com-plete and total ambivalence that makes every decision seem infinitely crucial and even unsolvable.

When it comes to educa-tion, most people I know seem to have one or two courses of study in mind that they are content with pursu-ing, but not me.

Science, photography, writing, psychology and anthropology, among oth-ers, all pull me in mutually exclusive directions. I could spend my entire life study-ing each of these fields and others while putting myself in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt just to avoid a potentially regrettable deci-sion. But that is not realistic.

Reality comes in the form of an economic concept called opportunity cost.

We cannot judge the qual-ity of any given option with-out taking into consideration that of the alternatives. The opportunity cost of a deci-sion is the cost of passing up the next “best” option and losing what other opportuni-ties might have granted.

When making one deci-sion, one is indirectly turn-ing down a huge number of other possibilities that could very well have been just as satisfying.

Being a maximizer and knowing this, the idea of making a final decision can be a hard one to stomach. And considering the loss and regret inextricably linked with opportunity cost, having more alternatives can only

mean more dissatisfaction with one’s final decision.

Being a helpless procras-tinator, I often avoid making decisions and instead walk aimlessly without direction just for the comfort. This undoubtedly only places me further from where I ought to be, but my innate opposi-tion to decisive action can be very difficult to shake off. Coupled with my abhor-rence for uncertainty, this tyranny of choice leaves me withdrawn from my future and constantly dodging what causes me the most stress and worry.

This does not at all mean that life would be better off with our choices seriously limited, but that being torn in multiple directions in many aspects of life can be extremely confusing and det-rimental to progress. Maybe this is only a temporary, intermediate stage between childhood and “self-actual-ization,” or maybe it is per-manent and something I will just have to get used to.

While I still favor the idea that it may be just a tempo-rary setback, I have to accept the possibility that it is not. I guess all one can really do in battling this tyranny of choice is step back, analyze the decision fully, know one’s self and one’s goals, and make the best possible decision without looking back or regretting it for a second.

Adam Oliver is a staff photographer of The Advocate. Contact him at aoliver.advocate@gmail.com.

CODY MCFARLAND/ THE ADVOCATE

adamoliver

I

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 20092 OPINION

Life journey finds spiritual tranquility

FORUM WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE 3

ur sense of self-identity begs for meaning. We

want nothing more than to find a purpose and feel impor-tant, to believe that we are doing more than just existing.Anthropology has taught me that all recorded human civi-lizations have had some con-ception of our bodies housing a spirit.

While human processes are learned, the tendencies of animals are instinctual and required for survival. Animals have no realization of self and thus no sense of spirituality, meaning their lives are based solely on survival, with death as the imminent outcome.

This thought, when con-templated and internalized by humans, is truly depressing: the self-identity we all pos-sess is merely a product of our advanced, yet finite minds that die and decompose just like the rest of our bodies.

Being human warrants that one day you will die, as death marks the very end of the life process. Death, however, is interpreted differently world-wide and is seen as both an end and a beginning.

To certain religious groups, death marks your passage into eternity, where your soul is taken away to a heaven or a nirvana, and you spend forev-er in harmony with whatever higher power you believe in.

Some choose to believe they will be reincarnated, while others think that after death there is noth-ing – you merely cease to exist. Regardless of what you believe, you believe it because it provides comfort through answers in the form of religion or science.

The truth is that no one knows for sure what happens after death, and while we have a million answers to that question, not one of them is certain or based on fact. This uncertainty affects how we as humans act while alive.

Fear of the unknown and the uncertainty behind death leave us longing for answers we do not have. We try hard to induce favorable outcomes we may or may not see.

I find that death is merely an end and life is its means. It is a process we all live and learn from, one that we should not take for granted by focusing more on the afterlife than our day-to-day lives.

Being human only means having a genetic identity. It is within our personhood that we define ourselves by our thoughts, morals and ideolo-gies.

Our biological composition is designed to deteriorate and eventually shut down, with the impending result of death.

So, in the sense of being human, death acts only as an end. It is the end to the lon-gest process we undergo: life.

Like any other process, there is a result. While we speculate what that result might be, we will not know for sure until we have gotten there. The most we can do until then is find peace and solidarity in ourselves and embrace the unknown.

It’s not as scary as you may think.

If I die and it just so hap-pens that I have a spirit to remain eternally, great. But if I die and simply cease to exist, at least I have the com-fort of knowing that I was. That is truly enough for me.

Cody McFarland is a staff illustrator for The Advocate. Contact him at cmcfarland.advocate@gmail.com.

codymcfarland

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■ Existence

Fighting failure

By Alec SurmaniASSOCIATE EDITOR

rying to teach others new skills or concepts and have those people learn on their own can

often trap you in a Catch-22.If you help them too much, they

will not fully comprehend what it takes to actually grasp certain skills or concepts. Yet, if you force them to fig-ure it out entirely by themselves, they are more likely to repeatedly fail and possibly become discouraged. And even if they do succeed without help, you cannot always be sure that they understand that success and linking the right reasons to its cause.

This dilemma has been the subject of numerous recent studies, conducted in order to determine whether success is more valuable than failure during the learning process or vice versa.

Earl K. Miller, professor of neuro-science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and university colleagues Mark Histed and Anitha Pasupathy published a July study in the scientific journal Neuron about how a person’s brain registers greater activity in response to doing some-thing right, rather than doing some-thing wrong.

In the study, monkeys looked at two alternating images on a computer screen. For one picture, the primate was rewarded when it shifted its gaze to the right. As for the other picture, it was supposed to look left. The ani-mals used trial and error to figure out which images cued which movements.

This triggered different reactions in the prefrontal cortex and basal gan-glia, which are extensively connected with each other and with the rest of the brain and are thought to help people learn abstract associations by generating brief neural signals when a response is correct or incorrect.

When the monkeys chose the right picture, cells became more finely tuned to what the animal was learn-ing. If they did not look in the right direction, there was little or no change in the brain — nor was there any improvement in behavior.

The MIT researchers believed that since the signals sent after successes were so robust and filled with so much information that perhaps the classic belief of learning best from one’s mistakes may not hold the same value as it once did.

Similarly, a study performed last year by developmental psychologist Eveline Crone and her colleagues from the Leiden Brain and Cognition Lab indicates that lessons taught through failure may provide even less benefit to children younger than 12.

Conquering fear of missteps key to life successes

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better retention rates when asked to repeat the pairs later.

The results provided evidence for the previously beloved, now-maligned “learn through mistakes” approach in a manner not often considered in the quandary of how to teach or learn.

Success and failure, while both pivotal components of the growth process, may not be the main area of interest.

Personal drive and confidence in one’s ability to eventually get the hang of it are perhaps the most important goals. Additionally, these goals are not rewards waiting at the end of the rainbow, but continually helpful mind-sets that accompany one throughout the journey, which makes the entire process both more enjoyable and more beneficial for one’s development.

Next time you do not know a term, for instance, perhaps trying to figure out its meaning through root words before compulsively running it through an online dictionary will instill a greater sense of self-worth and motivation. Also, you may end up being correct, consequently increasing your chances of replicating such suc-cess in the future.

Since there is no shame in being wrong, sometimes the best choice is to just go for it, even if you do not know exactly what you are doing.

If you really want to grow, you will find some way to do so.

Contact Alec Surmani at asurmani.advocate@gmail.com.

Crone discovered that since exam-ining what a person does wrong requires much more analysis due to its complexity, as opposed to the simple statements conveyed in actions carried our correctly, most young children learn better from the rewards of posi-tive reinforcement than the punish-ments of negative reinforcement.

Together, this research paints a pos-itive landscape for instruction, albeit a possibly idealist one.

Of course, most people would rather teach and learn from happier experiences found in the absence of disappointment. But when actions and information as complicated as those often necessary in adulthood must be understood, how are you supposed to help people succeed, especially if they have little experience in the area?

UCLA professors Nate Kornell, Matthew Hays and Robert Bjork may have a way to address such a problem.

In their study published last month in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, the educators required students to remember pairs of “weak associates,” words that are loosely related such as “star-night” or “fac-tory-plant.” One group was given both words of the pair and asked to memorize and recall them later. The first word would be given to students in the second group, however, and they would try to guess the associated word.

Although those in the latter divi-sion often failed to guess the correct words, when they were eventually told the whole pair, the students showed

■ Passion

Uncertainty draws inspirationcame across an old fortune not too long ago stating,

“Do it because you love it.”It’s such a powerful state-

ment that seems so easy to comprehend at first glance, but sometimes is not very clear to carry through.

It is funny how I picked this fortune cookie hidden inside a purse stagnating in my closet for quite some time now.

I have been thinking a lot recently about how I have been avoiding things I love doing. And a lot of them are purely circumstantial.

My excuses: the timing may not be right, I lack the proper tools, I’m not with the right person, I’m too self-conscious or my shyness is getting the best of me. Or I am just plain scared.

Sometimes I wonder why we should be scared of anything, especially when it comes to manifesting our dreams.

I hate to put myself in situ-ations where I whine about my struggles, because I know

there is always a way out of everything.

My mind is just so preoc-cupied that it is hard for me to see out. We are intended to fail, obligated to fail, and destined to feel pain.

Mistakes are life lessons to experience. It is all in rising above this where we find out true character.

Being afraid is such a pointless emotion.

Sometimes, I also wish this emotion was inevitable, and that I could snap myself out of it. Instead, the feeling of excitement and vulnerabil-ity would just rush into my veins.

It is always so difficult to get into that positive mental-ity, but when I do I make sure that I will be taking advan-tage of it.

One thing I used to be unsure of was if it was “OK” to be head over heels in love with fashion.

It is not just simply about shopping, knowing world-wide designers or inspect-ing different garments and saying, “Oh hey, that looks great.”

I am talking about appre-ciating and having such a strong passion for the many different silhouettes, cuts, fabrics, colors and designs of everything. One just has to be open to anything and every-thing that is going on.

I was skeptical if caring about my style and getting a natural euphoria for new apparel was something I just happened to like. But now, I have realized my spe-cialty and my strong desire to become a “somebody” in the industry.

Not only do I have a genu-ine love for beauty, but I am also a young woman who finds herself always getting a natural high for new things, styling ensembles together

and feeling confident with my choices.

If something really makes me feel ultimately passionate, to the point where my knees shake with chills running down my spine, and I start second guessing myself, it is probably crucial to my health. Might as well do it. And thank myself later.

I am amazed at the things, feelings and outcomes and so much more can come into effect from just one sudden epiphany.

My eyes have opened to realize what life is really all about, and while that might sound superficial since I am a young woman with so much more growing up to do, I find that fact to be very much more true.

It is new and scary, but I love it. And I am doing it. I am going to make the utmost out of it.

Kristina Plaza is a staff writer for The Advocate. Contact her at kplaza.advocate@gmail.com.

kristinaplaza

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JOEL ODE/THE ADVOCATE

“All the suspects are in the same posture,” Cashman said. “The last guy who was arrested didn’t face enhancement, but he is now charged.”

All six defendants are facing slightly different charges including various counts of rape, including rape by a foreign object in concert and enhance-ment of personally committing sexual penetration by force, assault causing great bodily injury, rape in concert and enhancement for personally inflict-ing great bodily injury.

In addition, Morales and Ortega were both charged with second-degree robbery.

The three juveniles were also charged as adults based on the severity of the crime.

“A case wouldn’t be charged if there wasn’t enough evidence,” Cashman said. “In order to be charged with a crime, you have to actually take place in the offense.”

In addition, DNA evidence was provided last week to prosecutors in order to confirm charges and aid the process of the investigation, she said.

Contact Diana Reyes at dreyes.advocate@gmail.com.

said. “The lines are already long and if students wait, the lines will be incredibly longer.”

The hourly instructional cuts are tied to the C-contract budget, which funds all adjunct faculty, including many part-time staffers in the coun-seling department, and the overtime of full-time professors.

In order to offset the reduced accessibility to personnel, students should utilize methods of automated registration, such as online resources and the district telephone registration system, Floyd said.

If possible, students should not rely on face-to-face interactions when registering for classes, Vice President Carol Maga said.

“People that regularly (register) through the Web site WebAdvisor are going to get quicker service,” Maga said. “(Students) have to be a little more independent and patient when (they) need extra help.”

In addition to making counsel-ing appointments early and mapping an educational plan, it is extremely important for continuing students to pay attention to their registration dates and enroll in classes as soon as they are permitted, Maga said.

Registration opens for EOPS, Disabled Students Programs and Services and CalWORKs Monday. Priority registration for returning continuing students is by appoint-ment on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 and contin-ues through Dec. 11. Noncontinuing and concurrent enrollment students may register from Dec. 14-20.

“I’m prepared to pick my sched-ule,” nursing major Ariana Espen said. “But even though people have priority dates, there’s still not enough room to accommodate every student here.”

Compared to fall 2008, the col-lege has experienced an 8.9 percent growth in enrollment, Maga said. Generally, the college has been serv-

ing more students than it can afford, she said.

CCC is responsible for 20 per-cent of the district’s budget, which was reduced from 34,000 to 29,000, Floyd said.

The colleges’ revenues are based on their number of full-time equiva-lent students (FTES), or every 15 units enrolled. This academic year, CCC’s goal is to serve 6,273 FTES.

“We don’t want to cut (sections) too low, because we might not meet our goal,” Floyd said. “But if we go over, we are serving more students than we are getting money for, so we’re not in a growth mode, (but) we’re trying to maintain.”

Floyd said that in identifying sec-tions, division deans worked with department chairs and indicated the amount of hours that could be cut in efforts to make equitable reductions across the board.

Emphasis was also placed on retaining courses needed for trans-ferring, vocational certifications or associate degrees, Floyd said.

“We didn’t want to eliminate courses students need to satisfy requirements,” she said. “Spring is a huge time for graduation.”

Originating from the approxi-mately $2 million reduced from CCC’s budget for the 2009-10 aca-demic year since July, Maga said that these decisions were necessary to balance financial deficits.

Espen said the situation is dis-couraging.

“It makes me think, ‘Do I have to wait another semester here to take this class?’” she said.

Contact Holly Pablo at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com.

missing few chances to make their fellow class-mates laugh.

Horalek that although they are housed at a col-lege, MCHS students are really high school kids trying to enjoy their teenage years and have as much fun in high school as possible.

Erica Rodriguez, also an MCHS student, said the event was well organized.

“We have such a small school, and everyone knows one another,” she said. “So it is so much fun when we all come together as one and cel-ebrate.”

She said that MCHS students do not have the usual high school experience, and the rally just gets them closer to that experience.

“The rally is a good way to get us connected

and share a high school experience we would get if we went to a regular high school,” Rodriguez said.

Steve Hoffman, MCHS history instructor, said he too enjoyed attending the event.

“We get to see so much talent. To think some of my students who are so quiet in class are out here screaming and some performing, it is great to get to know a different side of them and get to see their talents,” Hoffman said. “I am happy to see these students having fun and expressing themselves through dance and music. This is just

to show how important music and art are needed in the schools.

MCHS student Briana Partee said she enjoyed all of the dancers and was happy to see some of her friends either performing in the rally or par-ticipating in games.

Partee said the event is important, because it gives her a chance to be a high school kid without some of the pressure she faces in college.

Contact Lamar James at ljames.advocate@gmail.com.

they signed.Approximately 150 spectators

watched Carter and others partici-pate in Thursday’s charity basket-ball game at the RPAL gym on Macdonald Avenue. RFD took on RPAL, with the latter group winning by a final score of 85-79.

“I am satisfied with the outcome of the evening. People were enthusiastic and engaged,” Carter said. “This is one of the ways that you give back to the commu-nity.”

The charity game raised approximate-ly $1,025 and they expect continued donations to come over time, Foster said.

“Carter will present everything received to the school at one time,” he said.

RPAL is a nonprofit organization, formed in 1982, to provide a positive alternative to the streets for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18.

As a result of the gang rape inci-dent, some parents are reiterating safety measures to their children.

“We talk more as a family since the incident happened. I am talking to my daughter about making wise choices and that it is okay to say ‘no,’” Contra Costa College nursing student Monica Huerta said.

To address this and other safety issues, a panel discussion was held prior to the game for parents and kids to learn ways to combat safety challenges within the schools and in the local community.

Roughly 50 individuals listened and responded to ideas brought out by the panel, including Carter.

“We must vow not to allow our children to be poor. If we do not

produce a great product (in them), we get nothing in return,” he said. “We are all family and must keep our kids emotionally, physically and spiritually fit by investing in them, now.”

To give an example of the results of investing in kids, Carter intro-duced his former student, Wayne

Oliver, who was a part of the “lock out” team from RHS and whose life was turned around significantly.

Oliver transferred from Pinole Valley High School with 52 F’s on record, to become an honor roll student in the first semester at RHS.

As a result of the panel discussion, sev-eral adults made com-mitments to help men-tor young people in the community.

“All should leave here saying they are going to make a difference,” panelist and RPD Lt. Mike Butler said.

Ed Valdivia of RFD said the bas-ketball game was successful in its mission, exciting and good enter-tainment for the community, enjoyed even by its players.

“It is great to see the Richmond community come out to support this effort over this tragic event,” Valdivia said. “Some good things may come out of a bad situation. People are sharing love, and events like this bring people together.”

A message of safety was the key focus of the evening and the effort made toward that goal was achieved, thanks to one person stepping out of the box with the desire to help a city heal, he said.

Contact Cassandra Juniel at cjuniel.advocate@gmail.com.

“He said he wants to come back to (Contra Costa College) and take classes,” Comet football coach Dave Johnson said. “I’m happy to see that he’s moving his legs.”

The 25-year-old player incurred serious injuries when he collided hel-met-to-helmet with a Los Medanos College running back at CCC’s sea-son opener at home on Sept. 5.

Wright suffered two fractures in his neck and a swollen spinal cord, leading to paralysis of his limbs from the neck down.

He was initially treated at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he underwent surgery to secure the fractures on Sept. 7 and a tracheotomy performed on Sept. 10.

Johnson said the tracheotomy

tube and its concomitant accessories have been removed.

Wright is receiving assistance breathing through a respirator, Piola Wright said.

On Sept. 20, doc-tors informed his mother that Wright was able to move his shoulders and because of his improvements, he was moved to the rehabilitation facility on Sept. 28 and is currently being treated by Dr. Alex Barchuk.

Approximately 25 of his team-mates, Johnson and athletic trainer Brian Powelson visited Wright on the afternoon of Nov. 2.

For many, it was the first time they saw their colleague since the injury occurred, as regulations in

the intensive care unit at John Muir Medical Center restricted the amount

of visitors.“(The team)

signed a football, and we framed his jersey and gave them to him,” linebacker Marcelo Magdaleno-Medina said. “It put a smile on his face. It seems like his spirits

are up.”Also, the team members have

worn stickers of the number “26” on the back of their helmets since his injury and have dedicated their entire season to him, Magdaleno-Medina said.

Since the majority of Wright’s family resides in Southern California, Piola Wright told The Advocate in

October that she was trying to relo-cate her son to a rehabilitation site in Artesia so he could be closer to home.

Their facility of interest was unable to approve the request, how-ever, as there are not any available openings at the moment.

“There’s been a change of plans,” Piola Wright said. “He will be stay-ing in Kentfield, plus they have the best facility for him.”

Johnson said that when he last saw Wright, he told him not to worry about life right now.

“I told him to listen to the doctors (and) don’t try to rush,” Johnson said. “Take all the time in the world to get better.”

Contact Holly Pablo at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com.

Newsline

Tuesday, Nov. 10Unknown suspects broke

into a victim’s vehicle while it was parked on campus.

A staff member reported the theft of her purse on campus.

Wednesday, Nov. 11Victim reported the theft

of her vehicle from campus.

— Isaac Thomas

CrimeWatch

Wright | Defensive back’s spine ‘waking up’■ FROM: Page 1

accenta d v o c a t e

TwitterReceive breaking news and updates by following The Advocate’s Twitter account, AccentAdvocate.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

“It is great to see the Richmond

community come out to support this

effort over this tragic event. Some good things may

come out of a bad situation.”

Ed Valdivia,Richmond firefighter

■ BSU

Students host slam event

The Black Student Union (BSU) will be hosting a slam event in the Fireside Room on Dec. 3 from 5-8 p.m.

The free event will include scheduled perfor-mances of dance, poetry, rapping and singing and will also have food for sale.

For more information, contact BSU President Lonnie Ross at 510-685-9211.

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 20094 CAMPUS BEAT

Charity | Supports■ FROM: Page 1

Courses | Decreased■ FROM: Page 1

Rape | Stalled■ FROM: Page 1

Rally | Food, fun, games in great abundance

“I’m happy to see that Wright is

moving his legs.”

Dave Johnson,Comet football coach

ADVERTISEMENT

■ FROM: Page 1

CorrectionIn the article “Contract

averts district strike” on page 4 of the Nov. 11, 2009 issue, it read that the bal-lots were being recounted on Tuesday.

It should have read that the ballots are being recount-ed on Nov. 10.

In the article “Tragedy demands exhuming of posi-tivity” on page 2 of the Nov. 11, 2009 issue of The Advocate, it read, “To help in the healing, Carter is sponsoring a charity basket-ball game on behalf of the victim.”

It should have read, “To help in the healing, Carter is sponsoring a charity basket-ball game to raise money to support safety programs at Richmond High School.”

The Advocate regrets the errors.

■ DRAMA

Improvisation to hit Knox

The drama department will be hosting “It’s My Line,” a free event show-casing student-performed comedy, improvisation and stand-up on Dec. 3 and 4 from 7:30-9 p.m. in the Knox Center.

For more information, contact 510-235-7800, ext. 4373.

■ SPEECH

Media night to entertain

The Speech and Debate Team will be hosting a night of speech presentations and competitions in the Knox Center Thursday from 7-9 p.m.

The event will cost $7 and help raise funds for an upcoming national event.

■ FINANCES

Budget forum to inform

Student Trustee Christina Cannon and Vice Chancellor of Finance Kindred Murillo will be hosting a budget forum in LA-100 on Nov. 19 at noon.

The event will discuss the current budget crisis and how it is affecting students.

By Diana Reyes and Cody McFarland

STAFF WRITERS

More community connection is what the majority of the students who attended “The Solution,” the second Fireside Chat of the semes-ter, demanded Thursday.

The ASU held the event to dis-cuss solutions to problems in the community and on campus.

La Raza stud-ies Program C o o r d i n a t o r Agustin Palacios assembled a work group, also known as the Outreach Group, where the discussion’s subject mat-ter assessed the importance of knowing that crime within ethnicity is a product of the system.

Student Lisa Reyes who previ-ously worked for the West Contra Costa Unified School District par-ticipated in Palacios’ work group. She said students need to be more encouraged to create a change in

order to progress.“We can’t hold them back,”

Reyes said. “They need to be involved. They’re being mis-placed.”

Palacios agreed that youth should be more incorporated into task groups.

Students concurred that a single group among the campus should exist without having to categorize by race, such as the Black Student Union and La Raza studies, in order to integrate ethnic groups.

In addition, they deliberated about situations where teachers are not always concerned about their

students, hence the number of stu-dent dropouts.

“Some teach-ers don’t care about the students, which is why there are so many drop-outs,” Reyes said. “Teachers are cruel and down-grade students,

and their self-esteem is already down. They don’t need an adult looking down on them.”

Reyes and Palacios believe the youth are “crying out for help,” but there is no reasonable adult to aid them.

Outreach and Scholarship Coordinator Jimmy Cox also par-

took in one of the work groups, which focused on the ways to make a living for the family.

It discussed retraining drug dealers to use their business talents they once used on the streets to become lawful businessmen with taxable employments.

“We’re talking about under-the-table entrepreneurs,” Cox said. “The people out on the streets are making a doggone living doing what they’re doing (selling illegal substances).”

He said many of them are not high school graduates, yet they are responsible for bringing in millions

of dollars.The students in the work group

agreed that if drug dealers pos-sess the intelligence to “stand on a corner” and evade all the prob-lems that come along with such a dangerous profession, that same business model could be brought to the college in order to be taught the right business skills and there-fore utilize it for more productive purposes.

Lts. Mark Foisie and James Creekmore of the San Pablo Police Department took charge in the vig-ilant students group, whose empha-sis was on juvenile violence and

crimes.It addressed issues and measure-

ments related to the college, includ-ing safety and self-awareness.

ASU Senator Jasmyn Oliver recognized education as the ulti-mate solution and spoke on how members of society must be edu-cated first before they can teach others.

“You have to start with yourself,” Oliver said. “You must improve yourself before you can improve the community.”

Contact them at letters.advocate@gmail.com.

Chat inspires improvement

Accreditation review awaits settlement

“You must improve yourself before you

can improve the com-munity”

Jasmyn Oliver,Associated Student Union senator

ASU event seeks community effort

CAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE 5

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Making a point — ASU Senator Jasmyn Oliver speaks to students about having the strength within themselves to better the community at “The Solution,” the second Fireside Chat meeting in the Fireside Room Nov. 12. The group discussed issues on campus and in the local area.

ADVERTISEMENT Ballot recount leaves proposal unresolved

By Alec SurmaniASSOCIATE EDITOR

After more than two years of dealing with the effects of the cash-for-grades scandal, Diablo Valley College administrators prepare to breathe a sigh of relief as they inch closer to redemption.

Keeping in line with what DVC offi-cials are calling the “year of assessment,” accreditation officials visited the Pleasant Hill campus, a sister-college to Contra Costa College, on Thursday and Friday, looking for signs that the college is making the changes recommended to it in 2007 and 2008.

Although the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) will not make its final decision until January, if the organization finds DVC’s progress since it was deemed with the lowest pos-

sible rating of “show cause” earlier this year satisfactory, the college will regain full accreditation.

“People here are feeling like we really worked hard on the rec-ommendations,” DVC President Judy Walters said. “But we’ll have to wait until January.”

The college detailed its work in addressing these recommendations in an Oct. 15 report that it sent to the ACCJC.

According to the report, which can be read at www.dvc.edu, the college was issued seven recommenda-tions and two notices on eligibility requirements. They collectively concerned issues such as collegewide plan-ning, curriculum and program review, tech-nology planning, decision-making roles and communication.

More than 100 college employees worked

on the report, Dr. Walters said.Accreditation liaison officer Ted Wieden

said work groups were assigned to each recommendation to better focus on each

required task.Additionally, in an effort

to further display DVC’s progress, Wieden said the college will be putting together another follow-up report that would include all of its work up through the semester, which it will send to the ACCJC prior to its January meeting.

Wieden said actions like this are key to achieving the commission’s expectations of constant evolution.

“The accrediting commission and the standards really don’t want anyone to say you are done. Because you’re never really done,” he said. “It’s something you’re always working on because one of the standards is continuous improvement.”

He said that even if a college is achieving particular goals well, the question arises: “How can you do them better?”

Thus, in addition to the numerous com-mittees set up and other changes made to coincide with the ACCJC’s immediate con-cerns, Wieden said DVC is also addressing less urgent issues, unrelated to the “show cause” branding, suggested to it last fall.

A new technology plan was approved by the district in May, and more than 85 percent of DVC’s courses have established their student learning outcomes (SLOs), which detail what skills and concepts professors expect students to have grasped by the end of a course, Wieden said.

Walters said DVC’s actions to address all of the recommendations, as well as the ACCJC’s eventual decision, will only give further rationalization for what she already believes — that DVC provides quality edu-cation and services to all of its students.

Contact Alec Surmani at asurmani.advocate@gmail.com.

By Holly PabloEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

After what appeared to be the closing of contract negotiations, ballot recounts reversed the United Teachers of Richmond’s (UTR) initial results approving the West County school district’s pro-posed tentative agreement.

Middle College High School (MCHS) history instructor Steve Hoffman said that initial ballot counts indicated that the kinder-garten through 12th (K-12) grade teachers approved the West Contra Costa Unified School District’s (WCCUSD) tentative agreement 698-689 on Nov. 5.

The slim margin and the process in which the votes were counted, Hoffman said, led union members to demand a recount. The recount on Nov. 10 deter-mined that there were 671 votes of approval and 705 votes against, a difference of 34 votes, he said.

Eric Reed, MCHS math teacher and UTR member present during initial counts, said the math turned out to be wrong.

“Now, whether we’re going to strike or not, we don’t know,” he said.

Reed explained the count-

ing process.Each counter was desig-

nated a school. After tallying the members’ votes, a sec-ond person double counted for accuracy. Subsequently, the election committee chair compiled the final count and forwarded the results to UTR President Pixie Hayward-Schickele, he said.

Hayward-Schickele alleg-edly proceeded to spend 10 minutes behind closed doors after the individual tallies were calculated and upon exit, refused members’ requests to release the total results, Hoffman said.

“The union members are pretty upset with the leader-ship,” Reed said. “Members were not satisfied, because (the counting process) did not reflect a democracy.”

Hayward-Schickele could not be reached for comment by press time Monday.

WCCUSD spokesman Marin Trujillo said that the district is waiting to hear back from the union’s lead-ership.

“What (the district) wants to do is go back to the table and continue the conver-sation,” Trujillo said. “We know this is a very hard contract, because these are difficult financial times for everybody.”

The California Legislature slashed $5.3 billion of the K-12 education statewide for the 2009-10 academic year.

The proposed three-year contract attempts to balance the WCCUSD’s budget,

which is projected to include revenues of $251 million and expenditures exceeding $270 million if nothing changes, Trujillo said.

The proposed change that has raised the most concern within members is health benefits.

Currently, the tenta-tive contract states that the employee must pay for his or her spouse and depen-dents’ health care, whereas previously it was complete-ly covered through district funding.

“If you’re single, your health benefits are covered,” Hoffman said. “It’s really hit-ting teachers with family the hardest. It proposes a $4,000-$5,000 pay cut a year.”

Tensions between UTR and WCCUSD escalated in August and September, when failure to come to an agreement led the union’s members to overwhelmingly approve a strike. In prepara-tion, the district held train-ings for substitute teachers.

After returning to the bargaining table Oct. 20-21, the groups reached the tenta-tive agreement that has now failed, but “getting everyone to agree is always a hard thing,” Trujillo said.

Reed said that hopefully an agreement is met before January, when the proposed health benefit changes would take effect.

Contact Holly Pablo at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com.

DVC final assessment anticipates full credit

Votes prolongstrife betweenunion, district

“The accrediting commission and the

standards don’t want anyone to say you are done. Because you’re never really done.”

Ted Wieden,accreditation liaison officer

By Asia CamagongASSOCIATE EDITOR

With an upgraded coaching staff and group of competitors, the Speech and Debate Team is bringing more to the table, with the medals to prove it.

The group took home three gold medals and a finalist award at the annual advanced-only UC Berkeley Tournament held on Oct. 30, leaving with much more than just tan-gible success.

The event, which featured other teams from schools such as UC Berkeley, University of the Pacific, San Francisco State and the University of Oregon, has motivated the

team for upcoming tournaments pending in the spring, team coach Rachel Dwiggins-Beeler said.

“(The win) made us more confident,” she said. “It’s nice to be recognized by other schools that we have a strong team.”

As an advanced-only tournament, the top three competitors of the team were selected to attend.

Competitor Mahak Hassan, who won two gold medals for her program oral interpre-tation and dramatic interpretation perfor-mances, said the competition contributed to the motivation of the group.

“When you win, you have the drive to win more. When you lose, you are more motivated,” she said. “No matter what the outcome, (we’re) still driven.”

Initially attending the competition solely to provide team members with a valued learn-ing experience, the coaches were “shocked”

with the amount of wins, but found it to be a “pleasant surprise,” team coach and Director of Forensics Julie LaBrincha said.

“This shows not only other schools, but our school, that we can do anything if we set our minds to it,” she said.

The wins were not only unexpected, but also had a chance of being nonexistent.

With a lack of funds, the team was unable to participate in the competition, LaBrincha said.

A chance to compete, however, approached the CCC team a week prior at the Santa Rosa Junior College tournament, when a group from Solano Community College recognized its skill and offered to pay its registration fees, LaBrincha said.

“(It was) an impulse decision to go to the tournament, but we did well,” she said. “We have such a good reputation in the forensic community.”

With the amount of success, LaBrincha said the team is currently at a skill level unlike before.

“This is the strongest team we’ve had in a couple of years,” LaBrincha said.

Dwiggins-Beeler said, with new and returning speech team members, the group has a better mix of students of different back-grounds, ages and personal experiences.

“(We had) a good team in the past, (but this time there’s) a sense of diversity and a lot of potential for stories,” Dwiggins-Beeler said. “(There’s) more representation for CCC.”

Members of the team will present their award-winning pieces at the upcoming Speech, Drama and Media Night in the Knox Center Thursday at 7 p.m.

Contact Asia Camagong at acamagong.advocate@gmail.com.

ISAAC THOMAS / THE ADVOCATE

Sparkling — Student Epheann English (right) acts out a scene from the play, “Sparkle,” with co-star Allena Alasade at the Black Repertory Theatre in Berkeley Friday. English also exhibits a strong passion for singing and dancing.

Advanced team takes home gold

QUADRUPLE THREAT

Tournament boosts confidence, ambition

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 20096 CAMPUS BEAT

By Lamar JamesNEWS EDITOR

Those in the entertainment industry are all familiar with the rare triple threat — a young starlet who can sing, dance and act.

Yet, it is even less common to find a quadruple threat, someone with four amaz-ing talents that they exhibit with passion and dedication.

Contra Costa College student Epheann English, however, has earned such a label, gaining attention for her talents as a singer, songwriter, actress and musician.

English, who was born on the Southside of Chicago, attributes her love of music to the thriving arts scene in her home city.

She said that even her name, bestowed upon her by her father Joe Louis English, holds ties to her passion.

“My name is from Ephesians, a book of the Bible. It means God has given you fruit in the land of the suffering,” English said. “And that really resonates with me, especially with all of the hardship that I have faced. But at the end there is always a posi-tive outcome.”

Throughout her high school years, English sang and acted in various productions and events, which helped foster her love for the two passions.

“I was in many plays in high school. I had a love of being on stage,” she said. “But after I got a little older and had children, I focused more on them and their dreams. I lost track of my dreams.”

After hearing a radio announcement that the Black Repertory Theatre was staging “Sparkle” at its location in Berkeley, how-ever, English began the rediscovering of her early loves.

A movie about three sisters following their dreams to become singers by perform-ing around night clubs in Harlem, and the adversities they faced on the way to stardom, seemed perfect for the young starlet.

Previously, English had appeared on “The Arsenio Hall Show” and “Martin” with Martin Lawrence, performed with Wynton Marsalis and participated in shows at differ-ent venues around California.

Yet, her newest venture, “Sparkle,” is very important to her, because she has been focusing and helping everyone recently, and performing in this play was a way to help her recapture a love for the stage, she said.

“When I heard the announcement on the radio I got really excited and thought to myself that I should do it,” English said. “When I first got to the audition, the director did not pay much attention to me.”

She said that it was just her and the direc-tor in the auditorium, where she sang “Tell Me Something Good” by Chaka Khan.

“He really liked it,” English said. “He then told me to sing ‘Giving Him Something He Can Feel,’ which is a title song in the play.”

After that, the director told English that she had made the cut and asked her what part she was considering. Although she did not know at the time, English went home to watch the movie and immediately fell in love with the character Sista.

The next day, she came back and told the director that she wanted to play Sista, the eldest sister, with the sassy attitude and strik-ing good looks.

CCC student Albertha Henry, who is also performing in the play alongside English, said English is a great leader.

“(She) is always willing to help others in need,” Henry said. “With all the work she is doing with the play, the turnout should be really good.”

Sean Vaughn Scott, director of the play, said English is a real teacher’s teacher when it comes to music, and with all the big names that she has worked with, she brings experi-ence to the cast.

“She is a very positive influence and keeps a really upbeat and positive attitude about everything, which is really helpful when things can become stressful,” he said.

Contact Lamar James at ljames.advocate@gmail.com.

By Kristina PlazaSTAFF WRITER

Tips about easy, everyday actions one can take to make a real difference, from finding a safe sun-screen to choosing fish low in mer-cury, were offered in an informa-tive assembly Friday in PS-132.

Sarah Janssen, a staffer in the health department of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), shared facts and news on making healthy decisions for oneself, one’s home and the planet

at the event, catered toward Center for Science Excellence (CSE) stu-dents.

NRDC, known as one of the nation’s most effective environ-mental organizations, works to solve the most pressing environ-mental issues faced today, from global warming and removing toxic chemicals out of the environ-ment, to helping China go green.

“Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemi-cal found in the lining of food cans, including cans of infant formula,” Janssen said, “has been linked to a wide range of potentially seri-

ous health effects including repro-ductive abnormalities, behavioral changes, cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease.”

BPA is a big concern for con-sumers because of its widespread occurrence in food and drink, she said.

It is also used to make poly-carbonate plastic, which is used in some water bottles.

“I really think we have to be more careful about what we eat nowadays,” student attendee Joseph Reid said. “It’s quite interesting to see everything that affects our life

has consequences.”There have been at least five

new scientific studies published that support previous research findings and continue to raise con-cern about the toxic effects of BPA and the vulnerability of infants and children to this chemical, Janssen said.

A recent study indicates that a body takes longer to break down BPA than scientists previously thought, and food is not the major source of exposure to BPA, she said. This also suggests that people are more highly exposed than they

were previously.Other studies have indicated that

infants have the highest exposure to BPA, as premature infants have 10 times higher levels of the chemical in their bodies than adults, Janssen said.

An Nguyen, a chemical engi-neering major, thought the discus-sion was very helpful. Learning about the toxic contained in food really opened his eyes to health issues, Nguyen said.

Contact Kristina Plaza at kpla-za.advocate@gmail.com.

By Alexandra WaiteSTAFF WRITER

Continuing their award-winning spell after the National College Media Convention in Austin, Texas, The Advocate staff bagged 33 awards at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) NorCal Conference held at San Jose State on Nov. 7.

The conference is a one-day event normally held at the university each fall semester.

Twenty-five students, along with journalism department Chairman Paul DeBolt, attended the confer-ence, participating in competitions and attending workshops covering many aspects of journalism. Among

the awards presented to The Advocate was General Excellence Newspaper, Online Journalism General Excellence and the Enterprise Story/Series award.

“(Winning awards) is great, but we don’t work hard to win awards,” current Editor-in-Chief Holly Pablo said. “Our main goal is to deliver the news, inform and educate the cam-pus and people in the community.”

Pablo won first place in the News Story on-the-spot competition. She said she was surprised to win after only being on staff for one year and competing last year and not placing.

Competitions at the conference included mail-in, bring-in, and on-the-spot, which were all based on students’ writing, photography, illus-trating, design and editing skills.

“You don’t put out a paper to win awards, but it’s nice to see that hap-pen. It shows something about the staff,” DeBolt said.

He said this semester was a tran-sition semester for the publication, meaning several old staff members transferred and new students arrived in their place.

“It’s been kind of fun to see the new people learn the skills,” DeBolt said. “There are a lot of talented people on staff.”

The staff won 10 first place awards, 10 second place, five third place, one fourth place and three honorable mentions, in addition to four general excellent awards.

First-semester staff writer Malcolm Lastra said he learned a lot at the convention.

“The conference was very infor-mative,” he said. “I went to the sports workshops, and I plan to use some of those skills.”

Scene Editor Brent Bainto said competing in the on-the-spot com-petitions was a learning experience in itself.

“Even though some of us didn’t place, it was beneficial by testing our skills and seeing how they measure up,” Bainto said.

He said these conferences are important for people serious about being a journalist, whether it be for a job or on a college newspaper.

2008-09 Editor-in-Chief Justin Morrison came along with the staff and took home seven of the awards.

“It’s good to know that after I leave the legacy of the Advocate will continue,” Morrison said. “It creates a program that allows students to continue to do well year after year.”

DeBolt said that overall, the con-ference was just a fun day.

“We got to hang out together outside of the newsroom. It was enjoyable to get to know the people,” he said.

Contact Alexandra Waite at awaite.advocate@gmail.com.

Young starlet shines throughout art scene

Staff continues winning tradition

Environmental chemical raises health concerns

Conference builds abilities, bonds

Winning waysThe Advocate stu-dent newspaper staff brought home a total of 33 awards from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) one-day NorCal Conference held at San Jose State on Nov. 7, including:

- General Excellence Newspaper- Online Journalism General Excellence- Enterprise Story/Series- First place on-the-spot News Story (Holly Pablo)- First place on-the-spot Editorial Cartoon (Cody McFarland)

Women’s basketball Contra Costa College

V S.

College of Marin

When: Today, 4 p.m.Where: GymnasiumRecords: CCC 2-1 overall, 0-0 in the BVC. Marin 3-1 overall, 0-0 in the BVC.

Background: The women’s basketball team looks to begin play in the Bay Valley Conference against College of Marin. The match will pin last year’s BVC co-champion, the Comets, against the Mariners, who placed last in the BVC. Marin only had four wins last season, but it already has a 3-1 record this year. In last year’s meeting between the two teams, the Comets won both games, 77-50 and 80-56. —Dariush Azmoudeh

Contra Costa College

College of Marin

By Dariush AzmoudehSPORTS EDITOR

Nikki Ferguson complet-ed his first season coach-ing the women’s soccer team with high hopes, despite a 7-0 loss to Los Medanos College Friday at home.

The blowout loss showed the difficulty that the Comets (1-13-0 overall, 1-9-0 in the Bay Valley Conference) had with the Mustangs’ (10-9-1 overall, 6-4-0 in the BVC) offense. The experience and aggressiveness of the Mustang team was a wall in the Comets’ path to the goal.

“I felt like we tried our

best. They’ve got more experience than us,” mid-fielder Dorothy Briseno. “You can tell that they have been together for a while. They know all their moves, and they are more aggres-sive than us.”

Contra Costa College’s offense was rendered useless against the LMC defense.

A lack of communica-tion between the midfielders

and forwards prevented the Comets from getting the ball up the field, leaving them without any shots on goal.

The Mus-tangs got on the scoreboard nine minutes

into the game with a free kick by midfielder Laura Martinez. LMC would net its second goal on a cor-ner kick in the 22nd minute by midfielder Guadalupe Sepulveda, who received the cross from midfielder Daisy Sornia. Sornia would get her

goal four minutes later to give the Mustangs a three-goal lead at the half.

The Mustangs had 18 shots throughout the game, dividing nine per half.

“(LMC is) a good team, a physical team, and at the end of the day that’s all that mat-tered,” Ferguson said.

The first half was mainly a showdown between the Mustangs’ offense and the Comets’ defense.

The only time that the Comets got the ball into their opponent’s box was 29 minutes into the game on a free kick into the box. But despite several attempts to try to get a shot in, the Mustangs rejected the ball from the box.

“We did our best. It was our last game; we wanted to give it our all,” Comet defender Claudia Garcia said. “We maintained our happiness. We kept our heads up high to end the season.”

In the second half, the Comets would lose forward Lorhany Silva due to an

ankle injury from a foul.Within a minute into the

second half, Mustang for-ward Maria Acosta found a way to dribble past the Comets’ defense to extend the LMC lead. And within five minutes, the Mustangs scored twice more to put them ahead 6-0, scoring their seventh and final goal on the 71st minute.

“(The Comets) didn’t

quit, they continued to play, even when (the Mustangs) were the better team,” Ferguson said.

He said that the real work starts now, during the offsea-son, so the team can remain fit and gain better soccer technique for next season.

Despite the loss, Ferguson was optimistic of how the year went.

“We’re a young pro-

gram, we started from scratch, we’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us,” he said. “Overall, I’m happy with our season. It says a lot about the team. It was a very demanding season. Some would say it was failure, I say it was a success.”

Contact Dariush Azmoudeh at dazmoudeh.advocate@gmail.com.

In a close and even match-up, the men’s soccer team fell late in the second half to College of Marin and missed the playoffs in a 1-0 defeat at Marin on Nov. 10.

Contra Costa College (10-7-4 overall, 6-4-2 in the Bay Valley Conference) lost to the Mariners (8-8-4 overall, 8-3-1 in the BVC) for the third time this sea-son, dashing any hopes for a postseason run.

“It was a tough match-up. They (Marin) have been tough (for us) all year,” Comet coach Rudy Zeller said.

Marin was able to score in the 90th minute of the game by taking advantage of the lack of Comet defensive players, nailing a fast shot from the corner of the field and between the goalposts.

“I decided to substitute some of my defensive play-ers for offensive players to give us a better chance in scoring,” Zeller said. “We created plenty of scoring opportunities, but we just couldn’t capitalize.”

As a result, the Comets were not able to extend their season into the playoffs.

“We lost some games that we should have won in the beginning of the season,” Zeller said. “(Those losses) came back to haunt us later in the season.”

CCC proved to be a tough team this season as it beat top-quality teams such as Santa Rosa Junior College.

“We had a good season as a whole,” he said. “It’s just disappointing that we didn’t make the playoffs.”

— Malcolm Lastra

Box scoresWomen’s soccer (Nov. 13)

Los Medanos,Contra CostaLos Medanos 3 4 — 7Contra Costa 0 0 — 0

First half1, LMC, Martinez 17, 9th minute.2, LMC, Sepulveda 9 (Sornia), 22nd

minute.3, LMC, Sornia 19, 26th minute.

Second half4, LMC, Acosta 11, 46th minute.5, LMC, Alfaro 21, 49th minute.6, LMC, Sornia 19, 51st minute.7, LMC, Sepulveda 9 (Sornia), 71st

minute.

Yellow cardsNo yellow cards.

Individual statisticsGoals — LMC — Martinez, Sepulveda 2,

Sornia 2, Acosta, Alfaro. — CCC — none.Assists — LMC — Sornia 2. — CCC

— none.Shots on goal — LMC — 9. — CCC

— 0.Saves — LMC — Hernandez 0. — CCC

— Aguilera 2.Record — LMC — 10-9-1 overall, 6-

4-0 in BVC. — CCC — 1-13-0 overall, 1-9-0 in BVC.

ScheduleWomen’s basketball

vs. Marin, today 4 p.m.at Solano, Dec. 22 5:30 p.m.at Los Medanos, Jan. 6 5:30 p.m.

vs. Laney, Jan. 11 5:30 p.m.at Mendocino, Jan. 13 5:30 p.m.vs. Merritt, Jan. 15 5:30 p.m.at Napa Valley, Jan. 20 5:30 p.m.at Yuba, Jan. 22 5:30 p.m.vs. Solano, Jan. 25 5:30 p.m.at Marin, Jan. 27 5:30 p.m.vs. Los Medanos, Jan. 29 5:30 p.m.

Men’s basketballvs. Canada, today 8 p.m.vs. Reedley, Dec. 5 6 p.m.at Solano, Dec. 22 7:30 p.m.vs. Marin, Dec. 29 5:30 p.m.at Los Medanos, Jan. 6 7:30 p.m.vs. Alameda, Jan. 11 7:30 p.m.at Mendocino Jan. 13 7:30 p.m.vs. Merritt, Jan. 15 7:30 p.m.at Napa Valley, Jan. 20 7:30 p.m.at Yuba, Jan. 22 7:30 p.m.vs. Solano Jan. 25 7:30 p.m.at Marin, Jan. 27 7:30 p.m.vs. Los Medanos, Jan. 29 7:30 p.m.

StandingsMen’s soccerBay Valley Conference Overall W L T W L TYuba College 8 2 2 12 5 2College of Marin 8 3 1 8 8 4Contra Costa College 6 4 2 10 7 4Merritt College 5 6 1 8 12 1Napa Valley College 0 12 0 1 16 2

Women’s soccerBay Valley Conference Overall W L T W L TSolano Community College 10 0 0 17 2 2Yuba College 7 3 0 11 7 2Los Medanos College 6 4 0 10 9 1Mendocino College 5 5 0 11 8 2Contra Costa College 1 9 0 1 13 0College of Marin 1 9 0 1 12 0

Team ends year with high hopes

Game of the Week

Contra Costa College

ScoreBoardMustangs 7Comets 0

Season over: 1-13-0 overall,1-9-0 in BVC

SportShortLoss ends playoff dreams, 10-win season not enough

Coach sees bright future despite loss

Comets welcome season with victories

SPORTS WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE 7

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Foot race — Comet forward Jessica Miller (left) tries to keep up with her defender in the Comets’ 7-0 loss to Los Medanos College at home Friday.

By Sam AttalASSOCIATE EDITOR

OAKLAND — A lack of team effort and strategic pass-ing led the women’s volleyball team to lose to Laney College in Oakland Thursday in straight sets, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22.

Contra Costa College (1-12 overall, 1-11 in the Bay Valley Conference) had difficulty cover-ing the whole court, leaving easy targets for the Eagles (4-14 over-all, 3-10 in the BVC) to strike and take the match in three sets.

“We couldn’t run a single play, because our passing wasn’t there,” sophomore middle hitter Emily Hansen said. “We weren’t aggressive.”

The Comets played their last game of the season against College of Marin (5-11 over-all, 5-7 in the BVC) at home Tuesday after press time.

Compared to most of the season, where the Comets displayed minimal effort at the beginning of games and became more aggressive toward the end, the first set went well for the Comets as they matched many of Laney’s points and made several kills. The defense could not respond to several of

the Eagles’ quick spikes and tips, however, which helped Laney win the set.

“(After) losing their first

game, it dampened their mood,” Comet coach Azure’D Nunley said.

Straight into the beginning of the second set of the game, the Comets began playing sloppily on offense and defense.

“When the intensity went down, we started becoming dis-oriented,” freshman middle hitter LaShara Johnson said. “It was a roller coaster (ride).”

As the Comets began to miss the ball, players began to crowd around their teammates, antici-pating strong hits from the Laney offense. The lack of coverage made tipping the ball into empty spots a game-winning strategy for Laney.

“We had a hard time trusting each other in this game,” Hansen said.

During much of the second set, the Comets lacked block-ing attempts, which were made by Johnson and middle blocker Efaraima Danao during most

of the season. For much of the game, the two players were found huddled around other freshmen players who would hit the ball over the net instead of passing it around.

After losing the second set, the Comets received a wake-up call. The team opened up the third set with strong cover-age and fast spikes, throwing off much of the Eagles’ offense and defense.

For the majority of the set, the Comets held the lead until a gap was left uncovered for the Eagles to attack. Soon after, CCC turned back to covering the court in chunks without any attempt to pass. The Eagles won the final set on a series of spikes and tips.

“We should have played together from beginning to end,” Johnson said.

Contact Sam Attal at sattal.advocate@gmail.com.

Squad falls in three-set defeat

ScoreBoardEagles def. Comets 25-21, 25-19, 25-22

Season over: 1-12 overall,1-11 in the BVC

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Hit ’em high — Comet middle blocker Efaraima Danao goes up to spike the ball against Laney College in Oakland Thursday.

Lack of effort impedes victory

By Dariush AzmoudehSPORTS EDITOR

The women’s basketball team opened up its season with two wins and a loss at the Sierra College Summit tournament in Rocklin this past weekend.

Contra Costa College (2-1 overall) opened play on Friday with a 61-55 loss to Cerritos College (1-2 over-all).

The team later gained two wins, however, with victo-ries over Las Positas College (0-2 overall) 80-59 Saturday and Shasta College (1-1 overall) 68-67 on Sunday.

The tournament was dou-ble elimination and included host Sierra College, Shasta College, Cerritos College, LPC, Lassen Community

College, City College of San Francisco and Fullerton College. Tournament winner Fullerton College defeated San Francisco 82-76 in the finals Sunday.

CCC begins conference play this afternoon against College of Marin (3-1 over-all) in the Gymnasium at 4 p.m.

The first game of the tournament began with a 14-point first half.

“We dug a hole in the first half. We got behind,”

coach Paul DeBolt said.He said that the team

needs more of its players to step up and play harder, but despite that, he liked the overall effort of the team.

“We had a chance to win, but we missed a lot of shots,” DeBolt said.

CCC was able to rebound with a convincing win over LPC Saturday, anchored by a commanding 45-13 lead at halftime.

“They weren’t a match for us,” DeBolt said. “It was

one of those games where they weren’t up to our cali-ber.”

In the last game against Shasta College Sunday, the Comets fought hard down to the final seconds.

Although they led throughout most of the game, the Comets allowed the Knights to come back because of defensive break-downs and hot Shasta shoot-ing in the final five minutes of the game.

With the game tied at 65,

Comet guard Alana Aquino was able to sink a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left in the game to put CCC ahead.

An ensuing 2-pointer was not enough to put the Knights ahead, as the Comets took the single-point victory.

“Hopefully the team will continue to grow and improve during the pre-season,” DeBolt said.

Contact Dariush Azmoudeh at dazmoudeh.advocate@gmail.com.

Second-year players bring back talent

By Joel OdeSTAFF ILLUSTRATOR

Hype about a game doesn’t always mean it’s a great game, or even a good game for that matter. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” which is thought to be the most anticipated game of the year, does not disappoint, though it could have been better.

The game plays much like the first one, and if anything, smoother.

Nothing negative can be said about the gameplay, as it is essentially ideal for a first-person shooter.

Levels begin like they do in the first installment, with briefing of your next mission as well as what character you will be playing as.

The new feature that stands out the most is an arcade-style game mode called “Spec. Ops,” where you complete mini missions either by your-self or with friends over the Internet.

This gives the game a lot of replayability even if you do not have an Internet connection.

You encounter two people who helped you in the first “Modern Warfare” campaign who even now

continue to go on missions with you and assist you in completing objectives. Being mentored by the previous characters you have played as gives it a nostalgic feel, which makes the characters feel more real, since if you played the first you can recall previous interactions.

Something that the first “Modern Warfare” lacked was a bigger variety of guns.

The arsenal at your hands in its sequel has more than doubled in size.

In the online mode, you get to use even more impressive firepower. Depending on how many kills you

perform without dying, for instance, you can take con-trol of a machine gun in a plane high above the map and begin firing down upon enemies.

Yet, the main attraction to this game, as with most of the previous titles, is the multiplayer feature.

There are endless hours of enjoyment to be had by hooking up with your friends and battling other groups of friends in a variety of differ-ent maps, including the tops

of skyscrapers and desert aircraft graveyards.

The original “Modern Warfare” was innovative enough to not need some kind of interesting outland-ish element to make you interested.

“Call of Duty: World at War” was not, however, and that is why it had the Nazi Zombies feature, where you battled infinite onslaughts of undead versions of the very German soldiers you had been fighting in the main campaign.

After getting a taste of such a serious game giving you something so silly, it feels like it should be a standard. “Modern Warfare 2,” however, lacks a particular edge, which makes it feel like some-thing was definitely left out.

All in all, this is a good game with more content and features than the original, though the original seems to stand stronger since it was a new con-cept at the time.

Big fans of the first install-ment will most likely enjoy this game to the fullest. But for the casual fan this game may not be worth owning.

Contact Joel Ode at jode.advocate@gmail.com.

Newreleases:Boyz II Men: “Love”

Norah Jones: “The Fall”

50 Cent: “Before I Self Destruct”

John Mayer: “Battle Studies”

Leona Lewis: “Echo”

By Natalie EstradaSTAFF WRITER

In an effort to raise funds for the upcoming National Championships in New Orleans, the Speech and Debate Team will be hosting Speech, Drama and Media Night in the Knox Center Friday at 7 p.m.

Speech professors Rachel Dwiggins-Beeler and Julie LaBrincha invite all students and community members to

join them in the showcase to enjoy the many talents of everyone who will be performing.

“There are three good reasons you should attend this event,” LaBrincha said. “One, it will be very interesting. Two, (to) come out and support the speech department. And lastly, they will be recruiting.”

The event includes many themes that range from speeches to drama scenes.

It will not just be a showcase of students’ skills, however, as the event will also serve as a way to get students interested in the many facets of speech, LaBrincha said.

She said speech is not just debating,

but is also a way of expressing the way one feels and learning the different tech-niques of communicating ideas that are on one’s mind.

Students will recite speeches on their own, and others will express how they feel about any topic in the world or just about common life, LaBrincha said.

“It’s just a range of speeches that do not just help you with your classes, but on the way you talk and present your-self,” she said.

LaBrincha and Dwiggins-Beeler said the Speech and Debate Team will gather four of its students to conduct a 2 vs. 2 competition on a surprising topic where the audience will be included in the

process of choosing the winner.This will be an opportunity to see

and hear all the students’ opinions on the different topics talked about, LaBrincha said.

She said that for many students, it is the first time they are performing in this event, and it is a way to challenge themselves.

Student Joaquin Carranva, one of the participants in the 2 vs. 2 competi-tion, said the competition is important, because in order “to be better, you have to compete against the best.”

Contact Natalie Estrada at nes-trada.advocate@gmail.com.

Newreleases:“Star Trek” (PG-13)

“Bruno” (R)

“Humpday” (R)

“Is Anybody There?” (PG-13)

“It’s Always Sunny in Phila-delphia: It’s a Very Sunny Christmas” (NR)

Games

CDs

DVDs

Movies

This week:“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (PG-13)

“The Blind Side” (PG-13)

“Planet 51” (PG)

“Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” (R)

Unleashed

Editor’s note: This column lists popular new (and upcoming) releases for the week.

Newreleases:“Assassin’s Creed II” (PS3/XBOX360 – M)

“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” (WII – E)

“Left 4 Dead 2” (XBOX360 – M)

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 20098 SCENE

Media night showcase to entertain

‘Modern’ war rages on with latest game

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Local delight — Customer Natalie Verduzco enjoys a seafood dish during her first visit to Angel’s Restaurant, located at 12569 San Pablo Ave., on Oct. 25.

“Call of Duty:

Modern Warfare

2”

★★★★★Studio: Infinity WardGenre: First-per-son shooterMSRP: $59.99

gamereview

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DARIUSH AZMOUDEH / THE ADVOCATE

By Lamar JamesNEWS EDITOR

When time is on a short leash and I am running to class late, sometimes breakfast can be skipped all together, leaving me fatigued.

But a local restaurant has saved me the troubles of missing breakfast and run-ning late, acting as a new angel in my life.

Angel’s Restaurant, located at 12469 San Pablo Ave., incorporates traditional Mexican food with American touches, creating a bicultural mix of flavors.

Maria Weaver and her four daughters have brought a family love of cooking, and a generosity for the love of people, to the wholesome family-orientated restaurant, properly named Angel’s after Weaver’s young-est daughter.

Specializing in breakfast foods, guests can choose from an array of items.

Choices range from simple omelet plates served with hash browns or country potatoes and toast, to favor-ite Mexican dishes, such as chorizo, two scrambled eggs served with rice, beans, and tortillas. The restaurant also offers huevos rancheros, three eggs over easy in a mild tomato sauce served with rice, beans and tortillas.

When visiting Angel’s, guests will feel an at-home-like atmosphere, and

the food will not fail to deliver.Service is quick, and the prices are

reasonable.You can chat about the events of

the day while waiting for your food, or get an update on the news, with televisions installed all around the restaurant.

Although Angel’s specialized in breakfast items, the restaurant does serve lunch items, such as hamburg-

ers, cheeseburgers and double bacon cheeseburgers.

Burritos, tacos and sopes are also hot items on the menu.

Food is all prepared while you are waiting and fresh ingredients are always a focus, making Angel’s feel like your mother’s kitchen instead of a restaurant.

The soul of the owner is invested immensely in the preparation of the food and how well guests will be taking care of.

Getting a touch of authentic Mexican and conventional American food is only one call or just over two miles away, and a celestial visit to Angel’s will not disappoint you or your stomach.

The food will nourish your soul and make you at home, all at the same time. It will be something to long for

Angel’s has something for every-one, and if you wish to find out what they have for you, just give the superb taste of this Richmond eatery a try.

Contact Lamar James at ljames.advocate@gmail.com.

Restaurant nurses breakfast cravings

Bicultural cuisine satisfies hunger pang

“Angel’s

Restaurant”

★★★★★Cuisine: American and MexicanWhere: RichmondPrice Range: $5-$15

foodreview

Speech department promotes students