MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014 ◆ VOLUME 61, ISSUE 2

FEATURED STORIES THECHAPARRAL.NETScan this code with your mobiledevice to visit The Chaparral onlineat: http://thechaparral.net One on one with

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CULTURE, PG. 7

AffordableHealth Care

College of the Desert studentsshare their thoughts and insight onthe new healthcare laws

OPINION, PG. 2

Opinion 2

Features 3Campus 4LifeLocal 5

Current 6Affairs

Culture 7

Sports 8

Future Physician Leaders offersopportunities for COD students

Summer 2014 brings many op-portunities for students involved inthe medical field. The Future Physi-cian Leaders (FPL) program hasscheduled a seven-week course inPalm Desert for College of the Desert(COD) students who are interestedin learning more about their futurecareers in the medical field.

The FPL program will be heldat the University of California River-side Extension in Palm Desert, locatedon 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive andCook Street.

The program consists of three

major topics, Leadership, CommunityService, and Physician Shadowing.The Leadership lecture focuses onleadership skills, educating studentsabout professionalism, communityhealth asperity, and empowerment.The Community Service lecture en-courages students to interact andform a team discussing a topics suchas childhood obesity, and developa campaign.

The Physician Shadowing lectureis limited and will be competitive.It will be held at Eisenhower MedicalCenter in Rancho Mirage at the DesertRegional Medical Center in PalmSprings, and other local clinic sites.

Alejandro Espinoza, coordinatorof the Coachella Valley FPL, said

“Students will have the opportunityto experience and learn more aboutthe medical field.”

In the program, students arerequired to spend 20 hours or morea week. To apply students must bein high school, or enrolled in a collegeor a medical school.

There is no requirement fee toapply. The deadline is April 13. Stu-dents will be notified if accepted onApril 28. Once students are acceptedorientation will be held on June 18and 19. The program officially startsJune 23, and ends August 8, 2014.The application is online at:

http://fpl.ucr.edu For more information call:

BY CZARINA GREANEY

FEATURES EDITOR

College of the Desert's Indio campus now in service

The new College of the Desert(COD) Indio campus opened for thefirst time on February 24. The ribboncutting for the East Valley Collegewas on Friday February 28, at 1 p.m.

College courses that COD hasbeen offering at the old campus inIndio, will now be taught in the col-lege’s new building, with classroomsdesigned specifically for educationalpurposes. The architectural design

of the building consist of three-stories.The new campus is located at 45524Oasis Street in Indio, Ca.

Over 3,000 students are expectedto enroll annually, each pursuingcareers in academic programs. CODis offering over 60 course sectionsin 24 different subjects at the Indiofacility.

English as a Second Language(ESL) will also be offered at the IndioCampus. COD is offering coursesin Adult Basic Education there aswell.

The new structure has 14 class-

rooms each with a 44 student capacity.Most of the basic services that areoffered at the Palm Desert campuswill be available at the Indio facility.Services including counseling, as-sessment testing, math and englishtutoring, and an academic skill cen-ter.

Beginning this semester, all ve-hicles parked on the new Indiocampus are required to display aCOD parking permit. Permits are$20 for each semester.

To better serve students in theeastern valley, COD is now offering

an associate degree program at theIndio Campus. Students who areprepared to take college-level englishand math courses will be offered atwo-year package going towards anAA in liberal arts, that will also satisfythe California State University (CSU)transfer requirements.

All classes are Monday throughThursday lasting 12 weeks and beganon February 24.

The construction money for thenew campus, comes from the measureB bond. In 2004, voters overwhelm-ingly approved the bond measure

that authorized COD to use $346.5million tax dollars towards the con-struction on the Indio campus.

Voters also agreed to fund arenovation of COD’s buildings andinfrastructure. This has resulted innew facilities, and established per-manent campuses throughout theCoachella Valley.

By law, the bond capital mayonly be used for acquisitions of land,construction, new equipment, andfurnishing.

No bond money may be usedtowards COD employees’ salaries.

LUIS MEDINA

CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

LENIN SILVA/THE CHAPARRALThe College of the Desert Indio campus, located at 45524 Oasis Street in Indio, CA 92201, welcomed it’s first students ever on February 24, 2014

(760)-347-1111

COD's History Association iskicking off the semester by hostinga book fair at Barnes and Noble (BN)on March 15 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The History Association madetheir debut as a club on campus lastFall and participated in this semester'sClub Rush.

Members of the club will be sit-uated at the entrance of Barnes andNoble on March 15, where they willbe promoting their fund raiser byhanding shoppers a code as theyenter the store. The code will haveto then be presented at the cash reg-

ister when making a purchase. Thiscode can be used with every trans-action, including books, and the BNcafe and music.

"We are raising funds in orderto organize events such as museumvisits, San Pascual Battlefield, andThe Desert Adventure Tour," saidclub president, Rebecca Grantham,who is also a Barnes and Noble em-ployee. "I know how beneficial thesefundraisers can be, so I thought thiswould be a good idea," addedGrantham.

Don't forget to visit Barnes andNoble this upcoming Saturday March15, at the Westfield Mall in PalmDesert, and help The History Asso-ciation raise funds!

BY PAOLA FERNANDEZ

COPY EDITOR

History Association to host bookfair at Barnes and Noble

According to a report by TheUnited States Department of Labor(DOL) published on March 14, 2013,there are several myths about raisingminimum wage. For example, theyspeculate that about 20 percent ofthose who would benefit from a fed-eral minimum wage increase areteenagers, and 60 percent of themare women.

The cost of living has drasticallyincreased since 2007, yet the minimumwage has remained stagnant. AsPresident Obama makes his moveto raise the minimum wage for federalcontract workers, this change couldimpact the lives of as many as 10million U.S. workers.

As a single mom, a full timeemployee, and a college student, Iknow far too well how hard and al-most impossible it is to live off of a

thousand dollars a month. If I werenot receiving financial aid I wouldhave to work an additional two orthree jobs just to meet my living ex-penses.

In 2007, I started working fora popular hotel chain, earning ninedollars an hour with the promise ofa raise the following year contingenton my performance. I helped bringthis hotel from number 10 in customerservice up to number 1. I receiveda 25 cent raise and worked for thatsame company for another four yearswithout ever receiving another raise.Additionally, I only missed threesick days. I couldn't afford to be sick,and I couldn't afford health insurance.Our employer did not allow sickdays with pay.

I believed if I worked hardenough for this company in time Iwould receive a livable wage, it neverhappened. As I watched the increasein their profits rise and still no mentionof a raise, I knew something had to

give. I am lucky enough to be ableto return to college, yet I know thereare many minimum wage workerswho don't have this opportunityavailable to them.

Corporations such as Walmartand McDonalds and many otherhuge companies should be ashamedof themselves, as they squeeze hugeprofits out of their employees. Moms,dads, senior citizens, college students,and, yes, teenagers are living inpoverty. Many of their CEO's aredriving luxury cars, and buying sev-eral luxurious homes while theycontinue to argue against raisingminimum wage.

When over 10 million peopleare living in poverty in the UnitedStates, and with gas prices fluctuatingbetween $3.30 and $4.50 a gallon,and with the average worker makinganywhere from $7.75- $10.10 an hour,it is time to raise the minimum wageto a wage that people can live on!

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFLenin Silva

Ivan Valenzuela

PRODUCTION MANAGERJonathan Moreno

COPY EDITORSPaola Fernandez

Jasmine HernandezAvery Wood

SECTION EDITORSOpinion - Tina Munoz

Features - Czarina GreaneyCurrent Affairs - Avery Wood

Campus Life - Luis MedinaLocal - Jasmine HernandezCulture - Tiffany Contreras

Sports - Trevor Millman

ADVERTISING MANAGERAndrea Zimmerman

PHOTOGRAPHYSarah Waters

FACULTY ADVISORTed Grofer

Let your voice be heard!Write to your newspaper!

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Office: Room 4, South Annex

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WEBSITE: www.thechaparral.netEMAIL: chaparral@collegeofthedesert.edu

The Chaparral will be published six times this semester. All editori-als are strictly the opinions of the editorial board, and do notnecessarily reflect any opinions held by The Chaparral staff or Col-lege of Desert. Editorials are subject to review by the editorialboard.

Letters to the editor are printed in the order they are received withspace and deadline considerations, and may be assigned to futurepublications.

Students are invited to submit any original and appropriate creativematerials to the editorial board of The Chaparral. Materials may besent to the following address: Editor, The Chaparral, College of theDesert, 43-500 Monterey Ave, Palm Desert, Ca, 92260.

All letters must include a phone number for verification. The Chap-arral reserves the right to edit for libel and/or length as needed.

2 MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014Opinion

How do you take care of yourhealth? Surprisingly, many Americansdon't have an answer to that questionand many more don't even knowwhat questions they should be askingto get informed. In this day and age,it isn't difficult to get health insurance;under the Affordable Care Act, evenlow-income families can get the cov-erage they need. Whether you'reunder the age of 26 and still covered

by your parents' medical insurance,or you think you're not in need ofcoverage because you're invincibleand never going to land yourself inthe hospital; it is still in your benefitto see what the Affordable Care Actcould mean to you.

So what exactly is the AffordableCare Act? "I dont know much aboutit other than that it was just passed,and everyone has to have insurancenow." said Claudia Duda. "I thinkit's a good thing?"

On March 23, 2010, PresidentObama signed the Affordable Care

Act, a law which puts in place com-prehensive health insurance reformsmeant to roll out over the next fouryears and beyond. The goal behindthe reforms is that every Americancan now get the proper medical in-surance they need for a reasonableprice they can afford. Although tech-nically, everyone does have to haveinsurance now or be penalized witha fine that can be calculated one oftwo ways. You'll pay whichever ofthese amounts is higher; either 1%of your yearly household income,with the maximum penalty for this

being the national average yearlypremium for a bronze plan; or $95per person ($47.50 per child under18), with the maximum penalty perfamily using this method at $285 forthe year, and you're still not covered.Individuals choosing to opt out ofcoverage and just pay the fines willstill be held responsible for any med-ical expenses they encounter. Worththe risk? Some say so. "Personally,I'd say just deal with the fines." said26 year-old Nick James. "On my in-come, I really cant afford health

insurance."Though not everyone agrees,

"Its Obamacare. Everybody is ableto have insurance, no matter theirincome." said COD student, JacquelynKay Hermosilla. "I think its a goodthing. I know a lot of people thinkit's a bad thing but now I have in-surance and everyone in my housedoes." When asked her opinion onthe fines that will be applied to in-dividuals who do not seek someform of medical coverage; "Personally," Jacquelyn responded. "I would sayjust get the insurance."

Student’s insights and opinions on the Affordable Care Act

SARAH WATERS/THE CHAPARRALNick James, 26, "Personally I’d say to just deal withthe fines. On my income I really can't afford healthinsurance"

SARAH WATERS/THE CHAPARRALClaudia Duda, 19. "I don't know much about it otherthan it was just passed, and everyone has to haveinsurance now. it seems like a good thing? My momhas never had insurance and she really needs tostart seeing a doctor. It would be great if she couldget insurance at a low rate"

SARAH WATERS/THE CHAPARRALHouston Sherrod, 19. "I heard that they’re loweringthe age on Medical, and the whole transition hasbeen sloppy.. A lot of people have been left withoutinsurance recently. Republican or Democrat, it's allgoing downhill. Thankfully, I'm on my dad's planuntil I'm 25"

BY SARAH WATERS

STAFF CONTRIBUTOR

The trials of minimum wageBY ANDREA ZIMMERMAN

STAFF CONTRIBUTOR

Could banned ingredients becontributing to the higher mortalityrate and disease rates here in theU.S.?

According to nutritionist andauthor Mira Calton, "For numerous,suspicious and disturbing reasonsthe U.S. has allowed foods that arebanned in many other developedcountries into our food supply."

According to a report releasedby the Institute of Medicine and theNational research council "Americansare sicker and die younger than otherpeople in wealthy nations." As statedin this report, more than two-thirdsof the United State's citizens are over-weight, thirty-three percent beingobese. Thirty-two percent of childrenare either obese or overweight. Amer-ica's biggest cause of premature deathis linked to seventy-percent of heartdisease and eight percent diabetes.Forty-one percent of Americans areprojected to get cancer in their life-time.

As Calton did a six-year expe-dition that took her to 100 countrieson seven continents she came across13 ingredients that are forbidden bygovernments outside the U.S. ac-cording to an article written inHealthy Living-Yahooshine. The ar-ticle is "Banned Ingredients that arestill legal in the U.S.," Calton stronglysuggest in this article that if you seeany of the following ingredientslisted on the nutrient label don't buythe product. The list includes ingre-dients blue1, blue 2, yellow 5, andyellow 6. They are found in cake,candy, macaroni and cheese, medi-cines, sport drinks and soda. Thesesame ingredients are used to sealand coat industrial floors and arealso used in head lice shampoos tokill lice. Sounds yummy.

Then there is Olestra (Olean).

This ingredient is found in fat-freepotato chips and was banned in TheUnited Kingdom and Canada. Thisproduct is known to rob us of micro-nutrients as stated by Calton.

Next ingredient to stay awayfrom, Calton suggests, is brominatedvegetable oil (BVO). This ingredientis found in sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas. According to Caltonthis ingredient competes with iodineor receptor sites in the body and theelevated level may lead to thyroidissues, such as hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease and cancer. BVOmain ingredients is bromine whichis considered a poisonous chemical.This ingredient has been linked tomajor organ system damage, birthdefects, growth problems, schizo-phrenia, and hearing loss.

So who will finally tell the truthabout what Americans are really eat-ing? We as a society must challengethe U.S. food industry to not usebanned ingredients that other coun-tries have acknowledged are harmfuland cause health issues and prematuredeath. As college students, we areconstantly educating our minds toearn our degrees, isn't it time we ed-ucate ourselves in what we are reallyeating?

What is the use of having a de-gree, if we become too sick or dieprematurely because of health issuescaused by what we are eating? Maybeit is time to inform ourselves aboutwhat we are eating and start usingour voices to demand that food com-panies be honest about whatingredients they are using and howharmful many of them are. The FDAshould take a look at those ingredientsthat have been banned in other coun-tries. For more information aboutthese dangerous ingredients checkout the website:

http://100daysofrealfood.com

BY ANDREA ZIMMERMAN

STAFF CONTRIBUTOR

What are Americansreally eating?

The Zimmerman Telegram

The Palm Springs Air Museumhas been named one of the world’s14 Best Aviation Museums by CNNTravel. The Museum is a non-profiteducational institution, home to oneof the largest collections of flyableWorld War II aircrafts. A museumwith “no ropes” as CNN Travel putsit.

The Museum opened on Vet-eran’s Day, November 11, 1996 withapproximately 5,000 visitors fillingthe 50,000 sq. ft. facility. It all beganwith the collective imaginations ofCharlie Mayer, Bill Byrne, Pete Madi-son, and Dr. Mort Gubin. As thestory goes, Mayer and Byrne wereoutside talking in late 1993, when aP-51 flew above them. They instinc-tively asked the question “Why nothave an air museum featuring WorldWar II warbirds, right here in PalmSprings?”

Madison, a former P-38 pilotwho was later pulled in on the projectcontacted his friend Robert Pond,who was known as an active collectorand rebuilder of warbirds along withclassic cars. The idea was broughtto the Palm Springs City Council,who fully backed it, and the orga-nizational certificate was datedJanuary 5, 1994. Ten acres of landwere acquired and constructionbegan on February 15, 1996, and asthey say, ‘the rest is history.’

The museum consists of 27 fly-able warbirds, a classic car collection,a B-17 bomber, the Buddy RogersTheater, flight simulators, a “KoolKids” Activity Center, a WWII Ed-ucational Resource Library, pilotshop, a Java Joe’s coffee shop andthe Our Freedom Fighter Cafe.

“Out of 300 museums in theUnited States, we were chosen. Beingthe smallest on the list and the onlynon-government owned as well, it’spretty exciting,” said Fred Bell, Man-aging Director.

Above the door of the entrancesits a half scale model of the WrightBrothers' very first plane. Directlyacross is a mural of the Battle of Mid-way, hand painted by Stan Stokes,the in-house artist. According toDell Morgan, a volunteer, Stokesworked on the piece in midsummer1996, before the doors of the museumwere even put in.

In the Phillips Hangar sits a B-17 (B- Bomber, 17--17th new bomberdesigned and manufactured specif-ically for the U.S. Army Air Force)high altitude long range bomber,from the collection of Robert Pond.The bomber itself is open to tourswhich are given by veterans. The

bomber was used by the Air Corpsand Navy as well as the British RoyalAir Force, but notably in the Pacific,helping to secure New Guinea. Itsgreatest victory was when it wasflown over Europe with Nazi Ger-many as its target, bombing anythingand everything connected with theGermans. "We are a living historymuseum, and it's not uncommonfor visitors to speak to someone whoflew one of our aircraft in eitherKorea or Vietnam," Bell continued.

"We love to bring in temporaryexhibits...our fleet of aircraft is notstatic, and there are no ropes to pre-vent visitors from getting up close,"says managing director Fred Bell.

The Cravens Hangar holdseverything from the war in the pacific,warship row, including the USS TheSullivans to the USS Rasher, BobHope memorabilia, surrender doc-uments, and a breakdown of PearlHarbor events. The European Hangaralso features equipment used in thewar in Europe, Women at War, FlyingTigers, combat cameramen, WWIImedals, and the limousine that wasbuilt for the Japanese Consulate inSan Francisco.

The Fairchild Aircraft, a UnitedStates Air Force combat cargo unitalso known as The Flying Boxcarsits in between the European andPacific hangars. It saw extensiveaction in the Korean war, as a troopand equipment transport. Needinga crew of 5, but with a holding ca-pacity of 62 troops or 35 stretchers,the Fairchild was a force to be reck-oned with, having a maximum speedof 296 mph.

The museum is also linked tothe Library of Congress with inter-views with veterans of war. An 8,700volume library, consisting of movies,journals, books, magazines, maps,and every Life magazine ever printed,including an 800-volume collectionof books devoted to the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations duringWorld War II. Flight simulators arealso in the library, where Bob Andrade,a flying tigers historian, will coachvisitors on how to work the simu-lators.

The Museum in general is opento cameras and even pets are welcomeas long as they are on a leash. A stor-age room holds several wheelchairsas well as walkers. “We know themuseum is quite a walk, so we pro-vide anything you might need tohelp you get around easier” saidMorgan. The gift shop is full of mer-chandise, from pilot wear to a bulletkey chain.

The Museum is open 7 days aweek from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Folk-artist Leonard Knightpassed away on Monday, February10 at the age of 82. Knight is knownfor his colorful creation named Sal-vation Mountain. The work of artis located in Niland, California about74 miles east of COD. The mountainrepresents Knight's dedication anddevotion to promote his love forChrist.

He lived on the site in his truckand worked on the mountain fromthe early 80’s until he was no longerable to, due to diabetes and old age.His declining health had forced himto become a resident at a convalescenthome. The mountain was maintainedby volunteers in order to preservehis life's work. The volunteers mixhay and clay, re-paint the mountain

and keep the installation clean.Knight was born on November

1, 1931 in Shelburne Falls, Vermont,where he lived on a family farm. Atthe age of 20, he was drafted intothe U.S. Army. Upon his dischargefrom the Army, he returned to Ver-mont and started to work in a seriesof different jobs that included paintingcars and teaching guitar.

In 1967, while visiting his sisterin San Diego, Knight’s life waschanged when he found himself re-peating the Sinner Prayer, a prayerused by individuals seeking a rela-tionship with God through JesusChrist. He accepted Jesus Christ intohis life and would ultimately livehis life serving Jesus. From that dayon, he has exhibited his love forChrist.

Knight began to spread the"message of God" through his useof a hot air balloon. He made his

own hot air balloon with the message“God is Love.” Eventually the balloonbecame too much for him to man-age.

The base of the 50 ft mountainis painted with a depiction of theSea of Galilee and the mountain isfull of vibrant colors with the message“God is love” and the Sinner Prayeris at the center. Knight created adobefilled structures without having anyprior knowledge or formal trainingin painting. It is estimated that over100,000 gallons of paint have beenused on the mountain.

Knight passed away at EldoradoCare Center in El Cajon, California.His life and his art work has been afixture in the folk-art community.Tourists from around the world havevisited Niland to view his work. Sal-vation Mountain will continue tospread Knight’s love for God.

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014 Features 3

BY JONATHAN MORENO

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Salvation Mountain creator passes away Palm Springs Air Museum ranks amongthe best

TINA MUNOZ/THE CHAPARRALDC-3 aircraft was the first commercial airliner to make air travelaffordable for average Americans

BY TINA MUNOZ

OPINION EDITOR

DENNIS EBACHER/CONJURE-PHOTOGRAPHYLeonard Knight, at Salvation Mountain. He worked on his creation since the early 80’s

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014Campus Life4Study abroad in London this Fall 2014 Construction on campus

Thanks to a $346.5 million bondmeasure, College of the Desert iscurrently implementing a $372 million"Facilities Master Plan," which en-compasses the essential infrastructurefor a campus wide renovation.

A new 22,700-square- foot Ap-plied Sciences building will includefour classrooms, Computer-AidedDrafting and Design (CAD) lab,Heating Ventilation and Air Condi-tioning (HVAC) lab, outdoor HVACand Construction Technology labs,faculty offices, and an outdoor court-yard. John Jaramillo, Dean of theSchool of Applied Sciences and Busi-ness, noted that, “the labs will bestate-of-the-art, and will provide ourstudents the best possible learningenvironment.” This project bringstogether the Agriculture, ConstructionScience, Natural Resources, and Hor-ticulture departments that arecurrently scattered throughout thecampus. James Matson, principal ofHGA, an integrated architecture, en-gineering and planning firm, saidthat “The Applied Sciences Complexpromotes hands-on learning and ca-reer training through a series ofindoor and outdoor learning envi-ronments. The outdoor horticulturearea, for instance, is an active learninglab where horticulture students grow,maintain, and study different varietiesof agricultural plants. Likewise, theHVAC labs offer students real-worldtraining and technical skills devel-

opment in mechanical-systems repairand maintenance, preparing themto go directly from the classroom tojobs in the community.”

Athletic Facilities scheduled forcompletion in the Summer of 2015,are to include a new gymnasium,team rooms, res trooms,shower/locker rooms, and mainte-nance rooms for the PhysicalEducation and Athletic Programs,along with minor renovation to theinitial structure of the athletic facilitiesto accommodate a weight trainingarea, multipurpose rooms, and facultyoffices, and new tennis courts. JuanFulgham, is excited about the newAthletic Facilities. “It's supposed tobe made of glass,” commented Ful-gham. Harvest Smith also commentedon the new athletic facilities, saying,“I think it's going to be nice; I justwish I could have played there. Toobad I’m transferring at the end ofthe semester.”

The Visual Arts Building, an$8,475,000 project which began Spring2013, is now complete and will beopening Fall 2014. The new spaceis set to include modern lab andclassroom spaces, with room for 2Ddrawing and painting, 3D sculpture,printmaking, photography (digitaland print), and ceramics classes.Maribel Ramirez, a Liberal Artsmajor, has great expectations whenit comes to the new Visual Arts build-ing. She is “hoping for a clean facilitywith a lot of space,” and goes on tosay that, “the new buildings givesme a sense that they finally careabout the arts.”

TINA MUNOZ/THE CHAPARRALThe Visual Arts building will be open in Fall 2014

BY TINA MUNOZ

OPINION EDITOR

Missionaries come to COD

College of the Desert (COD)students will have the opportunityto study in London in Fall 2014. Ina meeting on Tuesday, February 18,those interested in studying abroadwere provided with informationabout the program.

Lynn Jamison, the study abroadspecialist at Citrus College conductedthe meeting and answered questions.A PowerPoint presentation was dis-played pointing out key facts aboutthe semester in London.

The study abroad program part-ners with different colleges whichmake up the Southern CaliforniaFoothills Consortium with the Amer-ican Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS)packaging the program. In order fora student to enroll into the program,they will need to have a minimum2.5 GPA in at least 12 units of previouscollege level course work.

Jennifer Julian, the InternationalEducation Program Assistant says

that studying abroad is “an invaluableexperience for anyone.” Julian addsthat it is “good to see other cultures...there is more to the world than Amer-ica.” The program fee is $6,745 fora shared homestay which includesbreakfast Monday-Friday with kitchenprivileges. To stay in a shared apart-ment, the fee is $7,695. In the sharedapartment option, AIFS does it's bestto partner students with the rightroommate. A tube and bus pass,medical insurance, social and culturalactivities are included in the fees.There are also optional tours to Scot-land, Paris, Burges and Brussels,Belgium.

Students are welcomed to applyfor financial aid and scholarships.Financial aid would be receivedthrough Citrus College and theschool's code is 001166 when applyingon www.fafsa.ed.gov. There are twoscholarships students can apply for:the Benjamin A. Gilman InternationalScholarship and the AIFS AmbassadorScholarship. Many students are se-lected for the Gilman scholarshipand the award is about $4000-5000.

There are six winners that will beselected for the AIFS scholarship.Those who have over 72 units willnot be able to receive financial aidfrom Citrus College.

Classes are held at the Universityof London Union Building. Studentsenroll in 12 units and must take theBritish Life and Culture course. Mostof the classes are CSU/UC transfer-able and the credit comes throughCitrus College. Those enrolled willnot be in classes with British studentsbut instead with students in thestudy abroad program. Students in-terested in participating in theprogram have to submit a LondonProgram Application with an initialpayment of $450 no later than June13. The deadline to withdraw fromthe program will be June 11.

Classes begin on September 8and the program ends on November14. There is the option of stayingtwo more weeks after the program.Formore information contact JenniferJulian at (760) 776-7270 or jjulian@col-legeofthedesert.edu

BY JONATHAN MORENO

PRODUCTION MANAGER

A young group of non-denom-inational Christian missionariesmoved to Palm Desert at the begin-ning of this year with their primarygoal to bring the international campusministry LIFE on Campus to Collegeof the Desert. The group moved fromRiverside in January.

“I was raised believing that theBible and organized religion were acomplete waste of time”, says 20year-old Monique Villa. “But if itwasn’t for the group of eight peoplethat gave up everything to start thisministry in Riverside, I would havenever known the truth about these

things. In my closed-mindedness Iwas miserable, but after the Bibleand God were explained to me in away that made sense I felt like mylife was given meaning. I want tobring that same clarification to theyoung people here in the Valley.”

The mission statement of LIFEon Campus is Matthew 28:18-20, inwhich Jesus commands his disciplesto go and make disciples of all nations.The group meets for open Bible dis-cussions at the Alumni Park onCampus on Mondays, Wednesdays,and Thursday at 11 a.m. and Tuesdayat 12:30 p.m. The discussions arenot limited to Christians, but are foranyone who is interested.

BY ASHLEIGH FRIENDS

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

SARAH WATERS/THE CHAPARRALLIFE on Campus group meeting at Alumni Park

IMAGE COURTESY OF COLLEGE OF THE DESERTStudents have opportunity to study and travel major in cities in the study abroad program

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden(IWTG) opens its gates to welcomethe public to this years BNP ParibasOpen showing off numerous newamenities.

The BNP Paribas Open beginsMarch 3-16, but on Feb. 24 the IWTGheld a premiere tour to show off thenewly added features and expansions.Guests should also be pleased tofind newly finished stadiums, restau-rants, and shopping areas now addedto layout of the world renowned

tennis facility. Free public wifi anda newly launched mobile app arenow available to enhance guests ex-perience for the BNP Paribas Open2014 activities.

Tournament goers can easilyfind their way around the facility,keep an eye on match informationon schedules and scores. Anotherfeature, the app allows guests to dowhich they wouldn't have been ableto do in previous years is live stream-ing of up to four broadcast courts.Up to the second news, blogs andsocial media content can also foundwithin the BNP Paribas Open app.

"The BNP Paribas Open app is

going to enhance the fan experienceon-site and beyond,” said SteveSimon, Tournament Director. “Werecognize that by providing site-wide, reliable and free Wi-Fi we candeliver a way for people to consumethe event through their mobile de-vices, and also share that experiencethrough social media channels tofriends, family and more.”

In addition to having the abilityto live stream through the mobileapp, one other way to live streamthe tournaments at the IWTG is Ten-nisTV.com, the official live streamingwebsite.

Indio may now officially becalled one of the best communitiesfor young families to live. An annualsurvey conducted by the financialservices websi tehttp://Nerdwallet.com (Nerdwallet)highlighted the city of Indio amongits list of family friendly communi-ties.

In the top 20 “Best Cities foryoung families in California,” Nerd-wallet used data from surveyspertinent to the U.S. Census Bureauand http://Greatschools.org in orderto rank cities state wide in descendingorder based on average academicweight of each school in the cities,monthly homeowner costs, homevalue, and household income. Witha score of 52.45, the highest being66.76, the City of Indio was rankednumber 17. Not only were questionson the city's public schooling andaffordability taken into consideration,but also the recent and projectedgrowth of the city overall.

Nerdwallet, in regards to it'sselection process, relates that thegrowth of income is a valuable aspectin the listing of top cities, and Indio

has shown itself to have the secondhighest change in income in that sta-tistical division. The raise in incomewas estimated to be about a 50% in-crease between the years 1999-2011.Higher income and overall growth,along with cultural and recreationalactivities, was a leading factor as towhy the city was placed on the top20 list for young families in Califor-nia.

Events and community activitiessuch as the annual Coachella ValleyMusic and Arts Festival, The NationalDate Festival, and The InternationalTamale Festival, provide special ex-periences for families and youngadults that other cities throughoutCalifornia and the nation might nothave the capacity to offer. The recent“Art in the Square” festival is a perfectexample of how the city of Indio en-courages it's citizens, surroundingcommunities, and people across thenation, to get involved and participatein creative endeavors that make adifference in other peoples lives, es-pecially the younger generations.

Congratulations to the city ofIndio for its recognition and for rep-resenting the Coachella Valley insuch a positive way.

Local 5MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

A month-long art exhibition atCollege of the Desert will focus onlocal landscapes captured by threeSouthern California photographers.

“Desertscapes: Outliers” willshowcase photographs of theCoachella Valley landscape by BillBrewer, Victory-Tischler Blue, andJeff Alu. The exhibit will be open forviewing in the Marks Art Center on

the College of the Desert campusfrom March 10 through April 10,Monday through Thursday, from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be no chargefor admission to the exhibit.

According to Krystal Glasman,gallery assistant at the Marks ArtCenter, the exhibition is open to thepublic and free to attend. “We tryto make our exhibitions interestingto all different kinds of people.”Glasman said.

This event is part of a yearlycollaboration in the Coachella Valley

called Desertscapes, which celebrateslocal art with many events and ex-hibitions, all of which highlight artinspired by the local landscapes. TheDesertscapes group, according totheir website, desertscapes.net, in-cludes local organizations. They arethe city of Palm Desert, the city ofPalm Springs, the Walter N. MarksCenter for the Arts, the CoachellaValley Art Center, the Palm SpringsArt Museum, the Historical Societyof Palm Desert, and many others.

COD Marks Art Center presents

"Desertscapes: Outliers"

KRYSTAL GLASMAN/ MARKS ART CENTERPhoto titled “Headless Palms” soon to be displayed at the Marks Center

BY MICHAELA ZIEGLER-GREER

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

Indio ranked in the top 20

best communities for young

families

BY JASMINE HERNANDEZ

LOCAL EDITOR

Indian Wells Tennis Garden receives an upgradeBY JASMINE HERNANDEZ

LOCAL EDITOR

IMAGE COURTESY OF PALM SPRINGS LIFEDowntown Indio at dusk on Miles Avenue and Towne Street

Mexican drug lord Joaquin “ElChapo” Guzman was arrested onFebruary 21st for drug involvementafter being hunted for thirteen years.

Guzman was the leader of amajor drug cartel that suppliedheroin, cocaine, and methamphet-amine around the world. He waspreviously arrested on similar chargesand was serving a twenty-year prisonsentence when he escaped havingserved only seven years.

The charges against him by theMexican courts are cocaine traffickingand organized crime, along withother charges as a result of his prisonescape. The authorities consider hisarrest a major opportunity to gaininformation on the formidable Sinaloadrug cartel.

There are many requests fromthe United States for Guzman to beextradited, as his cartel is the largest

supplier of drugs to the United States,but Mexico has been clear that theywant full access to the informationthat he is capable of providing andwill likely put him in a Mexicanprison. Despite this, it is acknowl-edged that Mexico has the right torequire Guzman to stand trial andserve his sentence there before beingextradited to the United States.

Many people argue that Guzmanshould be extradited because theUnited States has been more effectiveat convincing convicts to give theminformation, offering visas to theirfamily members or freezing theirassets. In addition, it is feared thathe will escape again. Mexican au-thorities insist that there is no chanceof that happening.

While many people hope thatthis will mean the end of the Sinaloacartel, it is a possibility that the arrestwill cause conflict between membersof the cartel who are capable ofleading its fight for power.

Ukrainian president VictorYanukovych was ousted by parlia-ment and a warrant for his arresthas been issued by Ukrainian au-thorities.

Yanukovych has fled since hewas impeached, but according toCNN, Yanukovych gave a speechsaying, “I do not plan to leave thecountry. I don’t plan to resign. I amthe legitimate President.”

The former president was oustedafter violent revolts broke out in thenation’s capital, Kiev. The protestsbegan peacefully, when Yanukovychdeclined to sign a trade agreementwith the EU, favoring his alliancewith Russia. Many citizens wantedto open a path to joining the EU,and protested in favor of the tradeagreement. Though there was initiallyno violence, Yanukovych passedanti-protesting laws, inciting moreprotests and causing police to attackcivilians. The violence escalatedquickly until some media outletsspeculated that it might lead to acivil war.

After he fled, Yanukovych’s ex-travagant home was opened to thepublic. Though he made only $25,000a year, Yanukovych used tax-payer

money to built the $75,000,000 homethat Fox has dubbed a “monumentto corruption.” The home includedimported pieces such as Lebanesecedar doors, priced at $64,000 each,and a statue of a wild boar pricedat $115,000. Citizens are calling forhis home to become a hospital or asanitorium.

A trove of documents showinghis extravagant spending thatYanukovych had tried to destroywas found in a lake, as well. Diversand volunteers retrieved the docu-ments and laid them out to dry.These documents included receiptsand invoices for millions of dollarsfor the décor in his house and someshady transactions, including a“bribe” according to CNN.

Oleksandr Turchynov, a Baptistminister, filmmaker, and metallurgist,has been named Ukraine’s temporarypresident until the elections in Maywhen Yulia Tymoshenko will run.Tymoshenko was in prison for 2years for embezzlement, but somepeople think the conviction wasbacked by Yanukovych for politicalgain. She has a loyal following, butnot everyone wants her as a leaderbecause of her history of corruption,and citizens have said that they wantsomeone new.

AVERY WOOD

CURRENT AFFAIRS EDITOR

There are suspicions that therevolts in Syria are leaving the gov-ernment vulnerable to Al Qaedainfiltration.

The violence in Syria continueswith no end in sight, and Al Qaedagroups are likely organizing amongthe rebel forces. Though most sourcesmaintain that there is no proof thatAl Qaeda is involved in the fighting,Syrian media has been reportingthat each bomb attack was by a sui-cide bomber. According to the NewYork Times, there was a video onYouTube of a group of rebels callingthemselves The Free Syrian Armyand making statements while bran-dishing weapons. The group says,“We are now forming suicide cellsto make jihad in the name of god,”with the flags of the Al Qaeda or-ganization in the background.

Furthermore, the United Stateshas accused Iran of assisting themembers of Al Qaeda move intoSyria. The United States Treasurysays that the Al Qaeda membershave been using Iran as a transitpoint to move their Sunni extremistforces into Syria. They also mentionthat this tactic has been used to moveAl Qaeda forces into Pakistan andAfghanistan as well. The head AlQaeda facilitator there is Yasin al

Suri and the United States Treasuryhas found that he has been operatingfrom Iran with the government’sknowledge and permission since2005.

The uprisings in Syria are whatcaused President Obama to meetwith King Abdullah of Jordan inRancho Mirage. The king of Jordanwanted Obama to assist Syrian rebelswith weapons in order to ease thestrain on his country caused by the600,000 Syrian refugees that had fledto Jordan. Obama declined to sendweapons, as it would be impossibleto ensure that no members of terroristorganizations were supplied withthe weapons.

According to the New YorkTimes, Al Qaeda is likely taking thisopportunity to dismantle the seculargovernment in Syria. A low level AlQaeda operative, Abu Thuha, gavea statement saying, “Our big hopeis to form a Syrian-Iraqi Islamic statefor all Muslims, and then announceour war against Iran and Israel, andfree Palestine.”

The conflict in Syria began inApril 2011 when 15 students putgraffiti on a wall expressing anti-government sentiments. Thegovernment responded by arrestingand torturing them. There were ini-tially peaceful protests advocatingthe release of the students, but thegovernment attacked these protestorsand later, the funerals of the fallen

protestors. The government continuedattacking, kidnapping, raping, andmurdering protestors and their familymembers, including children, andleaving bodies on the side of theroad, according the Washington Post.

There was also proof that chem-ical weapons were used, but thegovernment denies responsibility,saying that it was the rebels whoused them.

The Obama Administration hadintended to hit Syria with missilesto assert its authority and the authorityof its allies and to say that chemicalweapons are never to be used, butthe Syrian government gave up theirchemical weapons soon after thethreat. Obama has encouraged adiplomatic end to the fighting, sug-gesting that the Syrian governmentnegotiate with the rebels, but thegovernment shows no interest inany negotiation and it is unclearwhether there is an organized rebelforce with which to negotiate.

Over 100,000 people have beenkilled in the conflict and PresidentBashar al Assad refuses to resign.According to the Washington Post,Assad was likely trying to reproducehis father's success in stifling uprisingsin the February 1982 Hama Massacre,in which former president Hafez alAssad killed thousands of civilians.

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014Current AffairsSyria vulnerable to infultration by Al Qaeda

AP PHOTOA Syrian soldier investigates the scene of an explosion in Damascus, Syria

AVERY WOOD

CURRENT AFFAIRS EDITOR

Ukraine’s presidentousted and on the run

AP PHOTOA woman wrapped in the Ukrainian flag

Mexican drug lordJoaquin “El Chapo”Guzman captured

AP PHOTOJoaquin Guzman being arrested by Mexican authorities

AVERY WOOD

CURRENT AFFAIRS EDITOR

6Revolts in Syria are likely to continue

With a number one ranking inFine Arts and Fine Craft, the awardwinning La Quinta Arts Festival ishosting its 32nd annual event witha lineup that includes Steve Madaio& Friends, Milton Merlos, OscarReynolds/ Karumanta Music, andDiosGracias VoceDans Theater.

Steve Madaio & Friends haverecorded with Janis Joplin, playedtwo world tours with the RollingStones, and recorded and touredwith many legendary acts: StevieWonder, John Lennon, Bob Dylan,and Madonna, among many others.Madaio will be promoting his newlyreleased record Slices Friday, March7 until Sunday, March 9 as one ofthe first performers of the festival.

In addition to Madaio & Friends,Milton Merlos Jr. will take the stage

from Thursday, March 6 until Sunday,March 9, where he will showcasehis talent and love for the SpanishFlamenco guitar.

Following Merlos, Bolivia bornOscar Reynolds will perform culturalsongs from several of his records.Reynolds grew a passion for Bolivianmusic when he first began playingin Bolivia, and has since been honoredwith numerous awards from the Bo-livian government. He has workedwith many renowned Bolivian andPeruvian artists and has releasedeight full-length albums under hisown record label – Karumanta Music,which means “We have come faraway” in Quechua. He will performhis ethnic, acoustic music Thursday,March 6 until Sunday, March 9.

The fiesta will also feature aperformance by DiosGracias Vo-ceDans Theater, which is an orchestraof dancers and singers who projecttheir talents according to the music.

This entertainment will take placeFriday, March 6 until Sunday, March9.

The festival is held at the LaQuinta Civic Center Park from March6 until March 9. Adult single daytickets are $12; multi day tickets are$15; and children under 12 years oldare free.

The basis of the affair is not onlyto put on a memorable show, butalso to bring awareness to a festivecharity. The La Quinta Arts Foun-dation is partnered with PremierSponsor the City of La Quinta, whichassists the non-profit charity in raisingmoney for its Promoting & Culti-vating the Arts.

By attending this festival, allproceeds will benefit this charityand help those who are seeking ed-ucation in art.

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014 Culture 7

JM Couture is back to presenthis ninth annual Fashion Week onEl Paseo in Palm Springs. Designersfrom Project Runway and FIDM–Michael Costello, Helen Castillo,Katie Chick, Uli Herzner, and IrinaShabayeva - will showcase theirnewest designs, collections, and ideasbetween aspiring designers.

The festivity will begin Sunday,March 16 with a Style and BeautyBash, where makeup and hair artistsfrom 30 different salons and spaswill come together to help designersand models prepare for the weeklong event. According to the El PaseoFashion Week website, the bash in-cludes hair styling and cutting,makeup application, spray tanning,nail polishing, brow shaping, andmassaging. Admission is free to thegeneral public, but $30 to those whoplan to partake in the beauty activ-ities.

Following the Beauty Bash, De-signer Le Chien will showcase aCelebration of Dogs & Fashion showto benefit the Humane Society of theDesert organization. He will display

dogs in fashion costumes as the “fa-mous dogs of Hollywood.”

Thereafter, FIDM designers willplatform a Little Black Dress Cocktailpremise show with the newest cre-ations that they have designed.Following, on March 19, MichaelCostello and Project Runway de-signers will host a meet and greetfor all aspiring designers and styliststo gather before their fashion showon March 20.

The entire festivity will end withDesigner of the Week, Zang Toi. Toiwill host the final fashion show witha White Night theme to celebratethe culmination of all of the shows,designs, and styles that were dis-played within the week.

Fashion Week El Paseo will takeplace between El Paseo and ShadowMountain on Larkspur Lane in PalmDesert. Ticket prices vary upon eachdesigner’s day of showcase. For moreinformation, visit www.fashion-weekelpaseo.com or call (760)831-0219.

This gala is a celebratory occasionthat recognizes the art of fashion inways that go beyond the runway.Come out and learn while havingfun!

BY TIFFANY CONTRERAS

CULTURE EDITOR

College of the Desert’s ProfessorGloria Rodriguez amazes with herculture and experience as she sharesher life experiences.

Raised in Cathedral City, Ro-driguez’s parents encouraged herto continue her education after highschool and recognize the limitlessopportunities. “My parents grew upvery poor in Mexico and didn’t havean education, “ explains Rodriguez.“So they always encouraged mybrother, sister, and me to go to collegeand to take advantage of being herein America, where we could takeup the opportunity of education.”

Their support encouraged Ro-driguez to attend the University ofSouthern California after graduatingfrom Cathedral City High School,where she challenged herself to dou-ble major in Broadcast Journalismand Political Science. While at USC,she wrote for her school’s newspaperThe Daily Trojan and took severalpolitical science courses to betterunderstand news stories. “I took alot of classes in world politics andU.S. politics just to make sure that,as a journalist, I would fully under-

stand the stories that I would cover,”she explains as to why she chose tomajor in Political Science.

Rodriguez graduated USC withtwo Bachelors degrees in BroadcastJournalism and Political Science withan internship to follow up.

With help from the NationalAssociation of Hispanic Journalists- who specialize in recognizing andhelping Hispanics in the news in-dustry - Rodriguez received her firstsummer internship as a sports re-porter with The New York Times,where she put her knowledge ofboth degrees to use.

Remembering her parents’ ad-vice of living in a limitless countryand the importance of education,she went on to earn her Masters de-gree in Broadcast Journalism atColumbia University, while main-taining her internship at The NewYork Times. In addition to writingand reporting for the Times, she alsowrote for The Boston Globe, The St.Paul Pioneer Press, and The DesertSun.

Following a fatal emergency,she returned to her Coachella Valleyhometown, but still received success.“I actually came back because mymother passed away very suddenly,”she explains. “I was in Arkansas. Iworked there for about a month

when my mother passed away. Ireally wanted to come here to beclose to my father, and luckily I gotthe job at KMIR.”

In the course of two years, Ro-driguez has spent her time as amorning anchor and had the privilegeof covering the Humana Challenge,which allowed her to interviewformer President Bill Clinton. More-over, she spent four years as aweekend reporter, where she hadthe opportunity to cover former Pres-ident Gerald Ford’s death and funeral,as well as interview former CaliforniaGovernor Arnold Schwarzenegger.Although she stays busy with herwork, she still makes time to honorher mother - who passed away of asudden heart attack.

Rodriguez is a part of the GoRed for Women association, whosegoal is to encourage individuals toimprove their lifestyles by beingstroke and cardiovascular diseasefree.

In all of her endeavors, Ro-driguez continues her successfuljourney and strives to influenceothers to pursue their educationalcareer, and she does so while teachingat COD.

TIFFANY CONTRERAS / THE CHAPARRALCulture Editor Tiffany Contreras with Professor Gloria Rodriguez after hearing words of educa-tional advice

Fashion Week El Paseo to

dress Palm Springs

BY TIFFANY CONTRERAS

CULTURE EDITOR

COD’s Professor Gloria Rodriguez:

behind the scenes

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.FASHIONWEEKELPASEO.COMModels display designers’ neweset creations during last year’sFashion Week

La Quinta Arts Festival’s phenomenal artists

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.LQAF.COMDiosGracias VoceDans Theater is set to showcase a vocal, dance performance

BY TIFFANY CONTRERAS

CULTURE EDITOR

8MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014 Sports

Have you ever walked into afitness center and been bewilderedby the objects being used? Asidefrom dumbbells, people are throwingbig orbs and swinging handled objectsaround like luggage. It may be nerve-wracking to step foot in a fitnesscenter, especially if the equipmentseems more suited to a circus thana gym. But fear not! These objectsare actually quite easy to use andcan provide a creative and fun wayto improve your fitness.

Why use special equipment?According to the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention’s 2008 Phys-ical Activity Guidelines for Americans,adults should aim for 2.5 hours ofmoderate aerobic activity, plus twosessions of muscle-strengthening ac-tivities, per week. Things like theBOSU ball, the medicine ball, resist-ance bands, and kettlebells are allgreat examples of fun and differentexercise equipment.

Dr. Davis Smith, an internist at

Trinity College in Hartford, Con-necticut, explains, “These modernpieces of equipment provide a varietyof low-impact exercise options thatare easily scalable in intensity. Theyallow access to beginners and theopportunity for increased complexitywith strength and skill development.”Plus, she notes, “They tend to bemuch more interesting and fun thansimple weight lifting or using a tread-mill or elliptical.”

The next time you exercise, tryout some of these pieces of equipmentand see if one suits your goals andinterests. Maria B., a graduate studentat Ashford University online, enjoysthe psychological benefits of usingnew equipment. It prevents boredomand keeps her motivated.

If you’re unsure how to performa specific move, make sure to checkin with a professional staff memberat the gym. Many offer equipmentorientations. You can also watchvideo demonstrations for ideas andto practice your form. You’ll be akettlebell swinging pro in no time!

BY ELIZA SHIRAZI

STUDENT HEALTH 101

AP PHOTO/FRANK FRANKLIN IIAmericans are recomended to work out at least 4.5hrs a week

That thing at the gym?

What it is and how to work it?

2014 Winter Olympics overview

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympicsheld in Russia have come and gone.Russia celebrated 17 days of sport-driven global unity in Sochi with abeautiful closing ceremony for theOlympic games. With the most ex-pensive Olympics to date, they passthe torch on to the next host city,Pyeongchang in South Korea. “Russiadelivered all of what it had promised.”said the head of the InternationalOlympic Committee.

A group of 700 dancers formedthe five Olympic rings Sunday nightduring the closing ceremony at FishtStadium, but delayed forming thefifth ring in a humorous nod to apyrotechnic malfunction during theopening ceremony. With a nod toRussia's Olympic past and 900 chil-dren carrying small flames, a giantbear extinguished the flame of the

Sochi Games. The 26-foot bear sheda single tear down from his left eyeafter blowing out a cauldron insideFischt Olympic Stadium, markingthe symbolic end of the 17-day games.The bear's breath was followed bythe giant Olympic torch overlookingthe coastal cluster of arenas beingextinguished.

The host country, Russia, walkedaway with 13 gold medals and 33overall medals as the victor of thegames, while the United States camein 2nd in total medals won with 28,followed by Norway in 3rd with 26overall medals. Team USA’s mostprominent American Olympians—Shaun White, Bode Miller, ShaniDavis—won a total of one bronzemedal between them. The Americanswon no medals in speed skating forthe first time since 1984 and no in-dividual figure skating medals forthe first time since 1936. The men’shockey team were outscored 6-0 inthe rounds that determined winning

a medal.The Canadians swept Hockey

Gold with both men’s and women’staking the gold in dramatic fashion.The Canadian women’s team beatthe U.S. in overtime to take homethe gold, as the men’s team beat outNorway in the gold medal game bya victory of 5-0. The United Stateswalked away with a gold medal infigure skating for the very first timein U.S. history thanks to pairs teamCharlie White and Meryl Davis, whohave been skating together since theage of 7.

All in all it was an amazingspectacle of the world's greatest ath-letes. People are waiting to see anOlympics in the United States, thelast games being the 2002 Wintergames in Salt Lake City, Utah. Thereare hopes of the U.S. bidding for the2022 games and receiving the torchto host the Olympics on U.S. soil.

BY TREVOR MILLMAN

SPORTS EDITOR

AP PHOTO/IVAN SEKRETAREVPerformers create the Olympic rings during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics,Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia

Missouri college football seniordefensive end Michael Sam hasopenly announced that he is gay. Ifhe gets drafted in the May 2014 NFLdraft, which according to some ex-perts' opinion he is a 1st round draftpick hands down, he will becomethe first openly gay player in thehistory of the NFL.

Sam announced that he in-formed his coaches and teammatesback in August of last year and theyhave been nothing but supportive.He decided to speak out after playingin the College Senior Bowl, he saidit seemed many players knew hissexual orientation and he didn’t

want anyone to create controversyor leak anything to the press. “Noone else should tell my story butme,” Sam said.

Michael Sam is seeing a lot ofsupport, including President BarackObama and First Lady MichelleObama. First Lady Michelle Obamasent out a tweet showing her supportsaying, “You are an inspiration toall of us, we couldn't be prouder ofyour courage both on and off thefield.” President Obama had morethoughts on Sam’s decision saying,"I really like the fact that Michaeldid it before the draft," PresidentObama said. "Because his attitudewas, 'You know what? I know whoI am. I know I can play great footballand judge me on the merits.”

The question remains the same,

is the NFL ready for a gay athlete?The situation including former MiamiDolphins offensive linemen, RichieIncognito, harassing fellow teammateJonathan Martin last year, and allthe racial and gay slurs towards aplayer who was not gay, marks thequestion: How would teammatesactually treat an openly gay playerin the same locker room as them?Would they be open and non-judge-mental towards a gay man or wouldthey give him grief and hazing.Whatever team Sam ends up on willpossibly be the new media frenzyof the NFL. Only time will tell howMichael Sam is received. "I just wishyou guys would see me as MichaelSam the football player not MichaelSam the gay football player,” saidSam.

Is the NFL ready for Michael Sam?

TREVOR MILLMAN

SPORTS EDITOR

IMAGE COURTESY OF NBCNEWS.COMMichael Sam celebrating with Missouri fans. Sam could be first openly gay player in the NFL

March

Wed Mar 5 *San Bernardino Valley San Bernardino 2:30 PM Sat Mar 8 Cypress Cypress 1 PM

Wed Mar 12 *Chaffey Rancho Cucamonga 3 PM Fri Mar 14 *Rio Hondo Palm Desert 3 PM Sat Mar 15 Grossmont vs Desert Palm Desert 11 AM Sat Mar 15 Grossmont vs Santa Ana Palm Desert 1 PM Sat Mar 15 Desert vs Santa Ana Palm Desert 3 PM Fri Mar 21 *San Bernardino Valley Palm Desert 3 PM Wed Mar 26 *Victor Valley (DH) Palm Desert 1 & 3 PM Fri Mar 28 *Chaffey Palm Desert 3 PM

April

Wed Apr 2 *Rio Hondo Whittier 3 PM Fri Apr 4 *Barstow Palm Desert 3 PM Sat Apr 5 Fullerton & Los Angeles Valley Fullerton 1 & 3 PM Wed Apr 9 *San Bernardino Valley San Bernardino 3 PM Fri Apr 11 *Victor Valley Victor Valley 3 PM Sat Apr 12 Citrus & Santiago Canyon Glendora 1 & 3 PM Wed Apr 16 *Chaffey Rancho Cucamonga 3 PM Fri Apr 18 *Rio Hondo Palm Desert 3 PM *Foothill Conference

College of the Desertsoftball schedule