The Oak Leaf Newspaper, Issue 3: Oct. 8, 2012

thE oak leaf • october 8, 2012

2

Study abroad in ItalyPAGE 4

Sports

news

Editors-in-Chief:Houston SmothermonIsabel Baskerville

Section Editors:Drew Sheets, News EditorSpencer Harris, Sports Editor Cassidy Mila, A&E EditorAndrew McQuiddy, Features EditorIsabel Baskerville, Opinion EditorIsabel Baskerville, Copy EditorErik Ramirez, Photo Editor

Staff :Sean Dougherty, Alex Pratt, Deborah San Angelo, Nathan Quast, Peter Njoroge, Jimmy Merrill, Jenna Burkman, William Rohrs, Thomas De Alba, Domanique Crawford, Jose Gutierrez, Nadav Soroker and John Fox

SRJC women’s volleyball team uses bonding as a

winning strategyPAGE 7

Arts & Entertainment

Center Spread

Trouble in Mind reviewPAGE 13

Advertising: Manager: Nicole HoeyAssistant: Alex Campbell707-527-4254

Art Direction:Daniel Barba Almeida, Courtesy of DBDesign

Brand Managment:Keshia Knight, Courtesy of SavageMediaCA

Staff :

Web Manager: Brooks BlairCirculation Manager: Danielle Foged

ContactNewsroom: 707-527-4401

Anne Belden, Adviser: 707-527-4867 [email protected]

EMAIL: [email protected] @[email protected]

LETTERS TO THE EDITORSend letters to [email protected] or to the Oak Leaf offi ce. They should include your fi rst and last name and be limited to 300 words. Letter may be edited for style, length, clarity and taste. Libelous or obscene letters will not be printed.

Editorial do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of the students, staff , faculty or administration.

News

Fall harvestTABLE of CONTENTs

Join the Oak Leaf Newspaper online for

breaking news at:

www.theoakleafnews.com

www.facebook.com/oakleafnews

www.twitter.com/sroakleaf

www.youtube.com/oakleafnews

opinion

Transfer woesPAGE 14

A popular festival showcasing fresh produce grown by agriculture and viticulture students

A large turn out and beautiful weather kept Shone Farm’s Fall Harvest Festival bustling until closing time Saturday.

The friendly and helpful staff is composed mostly of students from the Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture programs, passionate about the farm and the outcome of their hard work. Phillip Tenret, a student who usually works in the Shone Farm’s timber forest, happily shared his knowledge of the farm as a tour guide for the day.

“It’s wonderful what a farm manned mostly by students can off er. That so many diff erent programs with unique goals can come together on this 365 acre farm and be successful is really something,” Tenret said. “Having to learn everything to be a tour guide, I was amazed and now I’m seeing during my tours that our visitors are sharing those same feelings of amazement.”

The staff kept the children excited and interested with activities. The hay ride tours showed everyone how a sustainable farm can be developed and maintained, while allowing children to

enjoy the tour and listen with open ears. To keep the hands-on experience going the children handled produce in fun, captivating ways such as the Tomato Slingshot, a huge hit. With a couple hay bale targets and a moving human target, the station was out of its organic ammunition well before the day’s end.

The main attraction was of course the fresh, organic produce. While the farm stand was always busy, the farm plots were constantly fl owing with foot traffi c as many people chose the “Pick it Yourself” option for gathering produce.

With a handful of tomatoes left on the vines and few pumpkins in the patch, the edible attractions were almost completely bare by the end of day. Most popular was the strawberry patch.

The wine tasting showcased SRJC’s viticulture program and attracted the older age group for Shone. The crowded cafeteria was a focal point of the festival with the wine tasting stand and the kitchen pumping out grass-fed Shone Farm beef burgers. Janice Naumann, a Healdsburg resident, loved the wine produced by SRJC students.

“I could not have been more impressed. If I had not known where it came from I could easily have believed it was sold at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. The reds and whites were impressive,” Naumann said. “The only knock on the wine was the rosé which was some what watery. I was looking for a little more sweetness, instead it was a bit mild.”

Bryanna Nethery, a volunteer, said Shone Farm provides farm stands at both SRJC and Sonoma State and sells its veggies to the SSU Cafeteria. “Why nothing like that is being done at our own campus is mind-boggling,” she said.

Brooks Blair / Oak Leaf

The Fall Harvest Festival at Shone Farm showcases the SRJC’s Viticulture program as well as having a popular “Pick it Yourself” pro-duce sale, the child acclaimed Tomato Slingshot and a kitchen that was cooking up grass-fed Shone Farm beef burgers.

Cassidy Milla

A&E Editor

SRJC star athlete profi lesPAGE 8


3

The California Community College Board of Governors unanimously elected Dr. Brice W. Harris as the 15th chancellor of the largest community college system in the country on Sept. 27.

Harris is the former president of Fresno City College and 16-year chancellor of the Los Rios district, where he led bond measures to improve facilities and increase the number of supported students. He is now tasked with leading the Board of Governors by providing leadership, advocacy and support to California’s 112 community colleges.

Harris will have to navigate the best course to lead the colleges through these tough financial times.

“He will ably represent community colleges in state government, and I predict great progress for California community colleges under his leadership,” said former chancellor Jack Scott, who retired in September.

“The California Community Colleges have helped educate generations of citizens, and these colleges are even more important to the future of our great state,” Harris said. “Serving as the system chancellor at this time is very exciting.”

The new chancellor will officially take the helm Nov. 6.

The trial for the March 15 rape at the SRJC Quinn Swim Center has been moved to Oct. 9. Suspect Marco DeAnda-Vargas will be held to answer charges of rape by fear or force, sodomy by use of force, sexual penetration against the victim’s will, possessing stolen property valued at $400 and possession of burglary tools.

The trial is set for 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 1 of the Sonoma Superior Court in Santa Rosa.

The SRJC libraries are offering two Bias Buster workshops to advise students about making informed decisions on 2012 elections. Learn what information to watch for and how to sort through politicians’ claims.

The workshops will include an interactive guide to help you make decisions based on facts. The guide will be available to all throughout the rest of the election season.

The first workshop will be held on the Santa Rosa campus at the Doyle Library on Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 1-2 p.m.

The second will be on the Petaluma campus in the Mahoney Library on Wednesday, Oct. 10, also from 1-2 p.m.

The Great California Shakeout, the largest earthquake drill in California history, will be conducted at 10:18 a.m. Oct. 18.

The Shakeout is designed to prepare Californians for major earthquake events while showing proper procedure during quakes. Currently, 8.7 million people have signed up.

The SRJC District has already signed up to participate in the drill, but students can sign up individually at:

www.shakeout.org/california/register

For students in need of a friendly boost to keep them happy through the day, the Santa Rosa Junior College Classified Senate is introducing a Secret Pal program.

The program is designed to pair applicants together without knowing who their “pal” is. The two can then leave notes of encouragement, small gifts or pictures in order to raise each other’s spirits.

All Secret Pals will be revealed to each other at the end of the semester.

Photo courtesy of the Chancellor’s Office

New California Community College Chancel-lor Dr. Brice W. Harris will take office Nov. 6 as head of the largest community college system in the U.S.

news

William Rohrs

Staff Writer

New Briefs

art gallery named after former president The SRJC Board of Trustees announced Sept. 11 that Prop 30, the Schools and Public Safety Protection Act, passed with unanimous support from the board.

Proposition 30 would temporarily put a 0.25 percent increase on the state sales tax. The 0.25 percent increase would also get put on individuals making over $250,000 and households making $500,000 a year. The funding will go to K-12 schools and community colleges. The schools should see a $548.5 million increase in the 2012-13 year and restore student service programs.

“At SRJC, we have had to reduce our course sections by close to 25% in the last three years. The employees have agreed to take wage reductions in the last two years to help with the budget challenges,” according to the Oct. 2 SRJC press release.

The California Community College System had to make several cuts, while at the same time taking on the largest high school graduating classes in California history. The community colleges had to turn away around 130,000 students in a single year, and reduce course sections from 5 to 15 percent annually. The new funding will help community colleges maintain their goals of providing quality education for more than two million Californians every year.

harris to head california community colleges

Rape case update

Bias buster workshops

Secret pal program

the great california shakeout

A large crowd gathered Sept. 24 to see Dr. Robert F. Agrella former SRJC president, give a speech and cut the red ribbon for the Art Gallery named after him.

The newly dedicated Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery is on the first floor of the Frank P. Doyle Library.

The cutting of the ribbon came after speeches from the current president Dr. Frank Chong, Gallery Director Professor Renata Breth, Terry Lindley, and Agrella himself.

The gallery dedication was attended by many of the SRJC faculty, members of the local community and Agrella’s family and friends.

Smell proof pound-size bags for dried flowers and medicinal

herbs. Available in hydroponics stores or online:

www.moonbags.net

Nadav Soroker / Oak Leaf

Former SRJC President Dr. Robert F. Agrella and his wife Kim prepare to cut the ribbon at the SRJC Art Gallery dedication ceremony. After 22 years in office, the gal-lery will be named after the former president.

Nadav Soroker

Staff Writer

Board endorses prop. 30


4

news

Florence, Italy, the Study Abroad program’s destination for Spring 2013, is a city full of rich history and culture for students to experience, according to SRJC English Professor Bob Duxbury, who is going on the trip.

Duxbury has been holding a series of informational meetings at noon in Doyle library for students interested in going on the trip. Duxbury held the attention of the group and gave encouragement for participating in the program.

The program lends students from SRJC and three other community colleges the opportunity to study and live in another country and learn the culture. According to Duxbury, Italian lifestyle offers a different perspective and studying in Florence will provide insight into a student’s view of their own culture.

“The purpose of life there is to enjoy life. Now, you have to work to get to life, whereas over here we say the purpose of life is work and then to buy stuff. It’s a different kind of culture,” Duxbury said.

Students who participated in past Study Abroad trips say their experiences with the program were very positive. SRJC student Shelby Pope participated in the Study Abroad program in Spring 2010 when the destination was also Florence.

“Studying abroad gave me a chance to have my own exciting college adventures, but even better

ones since I was in Italy, not in a dorm shared with three other people. It was such an amazing opportunity to go to Italy—it’s unlike anywhere else I’ve traveled,” Pope said.

The instructor also joked about another well-known aspect of Italian life, saying, “Nobody I know doesn’t like Italian food. Certainly, having Italian food in Italy is absolutely fantastic.”

Pope couldn’t agree more. “The food was incredible. I had gelato every single day of my trip and got to try what’s considered the best pizza in the world in Naples.”

Other features of the program include cooking classes, soccer matches, walking tours and day trips to Siena and Pisa. For the studying portion of the program, students will be able to choose from a range of courses being offered from the four participating colleges, including psychology, history, art, English and humanities classes.

The approximate cost of the program is $7,700, not including airfare and any additional fees. To off put some of the expenses,

financial aid is available through the program’s website along with a number of scholarships. The Gilman Scholarship, for example, awards up to $5,000.

“The benefits of the program well outweigh the costs,” Pope said.

“It’s worth working two jobs one semester to save up the money, and there is financial aid available. You’ll have an amazing time, and all the

clichés about study abroad ‘changing your life’ are true,” she said.

Duxbury added that reaching out to relatives could help raise the money for the program. “There’s a reason they are called grand-parents.”

For more information go to: www.santarosa.edu/sa

study abroad in italy: destination florence, italy for spring 2013

Anna Hecht

Contributing Writer

Photo courtesy of SRJC Study Abroad program.

SRJC’s Study Abroad students Liz Bottler and Shelby Pope take a break from their studies in Italy, 2010. In the back-ground is what’s left of the Roman Coliseum, an eliptical amphitheatere in the center of Rome.

Supervisor Mike McGuire stopped by SRJC Sept. 26 to discuss his plans for the future of Sonoma County and express support for student participation and political leadership.

McGuire started the discussion by giving a short speech on his history, describing how his mother struggled to raise him by herself in Alexander Valley. He credited his grandmother for contributing to his upbringing and teaching him the importance of family values at a young age.

He began his discussion on politics by informing the audience about the lack of state and local funding for education. McGuire supports Prop. 30, which could save community colleges across California from having to slash their budgets again in 2013. He said that if Californians don’t pass the proposition, it “will show where our priorities aren’t.“

McGuire said he wasn’t sure how he would vote on Proposition 37, which would mandate labeling for all products sold in California containing

genetically modified organisms.The discussion quickly turned to

county priorities as the supervisor reminded the audience about the current financial reality. The county has already cut 650 positions and $100 million off a $1.2 billion budget, and will need to continue making cuts.

The board is launching a plan to create new jobs. Under the plan, the board intends to expand local businesses by streamlining the county’s permit process and drawing in more companies.

There are plans to lengthen the runway at the Sonoma County Airport to lure in flights from United Airlines and allow for better access to the county for tourism.

Also, the SMART train is moving its main station to Airport Boulevard. The idea is to provide better accessibility to the airport for residents and tourists. The station is expected to create 100 living-wage jobs.

McGuire saved the best news for last, revealing that the cost of expanding highway 101 is $100 million less than anticipated. The extra money will be used to build

more roads and overpasses. Although McGuire supports

legalizing and regulating marijuana, he said growers who act outside

of law in this county are a problem. This is one reason why the board will expand the law enforcement budget in 2013.

county to continue cuts, expand law enforcement budgetDrew Sheets

News Editor

Drew Sheets / Oak Leaf

Supervisor Mike McGuire discusses his personal journey as well as state and local politics at SRJC.


5

Amid the tumultuous climate of California’s education sector, Santa Rosa Junior College is working on its own personalized campus-wide vision and strategy for the future of the school, a “strategic plan.”

The adoption of this initiative is a result of ever-changing internal and external influences affecting community colleges throughout the state.

State mandates, such as those coming from the California community college chancellor’s Student Success Task Force, are pushing toward changing the mission of the community college system. This involves shifting funds, changing registration priority and focusing more on traditional and basic skills.

These new mandates, along with the uncertainty of school funding (depending on whether or not Prop 30 passes), is forcing SRJC to asses how it is going to maintain a productive establishment despite varying conditions.

“We’re trying to figure out what programs are meeting the needs of the students, and how we can preserve those, and also how we can make sure

that we’re stable and have enough resources to serve those students,” said Jessica Jones, president of SRJC’s Associated Students.

Strategic planning will involve looking at what others are doing and what the best practices are across the state; whether it’s in student services, facilities or academic affairs. It would also involve looking at what internal changes SRJC is facing from it’s pool of retiring teachers and administrators, to the return of the Doyle scholarship, and personalizing an all-inclusive, large-scale cohesive plan for the future of the school.

So far, strategic planning at SRJC is still in the early stages of it’s conception. The junior college has created a “Strategic Planning Task Force,” headed by co-chairs President Frank Chong and faculty member Terry Shell. This planning committee is made up of about twenty members, including administrators, faculty and students. The task force has been working on developing the plan and is beginning its two-year drafting stage.

In a recent press release, the task force said it, “assures that there will be many opportunities for [students] to participate, review, comment, and engage in this critical effort,” and to, “Please be patient for a few more weeks while we finalize the process.”

news

PAY OFF YOUR EDUCATIONTuition costs shouldn’t stop you from reaching your goals in life. By joining the Army National Guard, you’ll receive the money you need to help pay for college as well as the skills and training you need to get the career you want. If you’re looking to get through college, with the Army National Guard, you can!

Sergeant First Class James Pera 707-772-7889NATIONALGUARD.com • 1-800-GO-GUARD

AMS-02_6x7_Pera.indd 1 8/27/12 2:39 PM

Strategic planning hopes to preserve student future

Brooks Blair

Web Editor

Police have recovered two ‘90s model Hondas stolen from SJRC in the month of September.

Three other Hondas were stolen from Sonoma State University in September, leading police to believe the thefts may be connected, according to SRJC District Police Sgt. Rob Brownlee. These thefts are part of a total of thirteen that have occurred in the last three weeks throughout the county.

All the cars taken were Honda Civics and Accords from the ‘90-‘98 model years. Police think this is because they are a particularly easy model to steal and their ubiquity makes them easy to find and hard to recognize.

The SRJC students’ cars were taken from the Don Zumwalt Parking

Pavillion Sept. 6 and the Bech Annex parking lot Sept. 11 respectively. Santa Rosa Police Department officers found one of the cars while the other victim found their car parked near Safeway on Mendocino Avenue Oct. 3 and notified the Police. Neither car had any real damage beyond disrupted interiors.

Sgt. Brownlee said police had to fill out recovery paperwork to get the recovered Hondas off the stolen vehicle list, otherwise the owner could have been pulled over at gunpoint.

The SRJC Police Department has been working with the Sonoma County Auto-Theft task force leading the investigation as well as increasing the number of patrols they have in the parking areas. They also recommend students take basic precautions like making sure they lock their cars and keep valuables out of sight.

Car thieves target hondas

Erik Ramirez / Oakleaf

Because they are so common, Honda Civics and Accords are often targeted by car thiefs. Thirteen have been stolen throughout Sonoma County in the last three weeks.

Nadav Soroker

Staff Writer

SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong recently selected Matthew McCaffrey as the new chief of police. McCaffrey’s appointment is pending approval by the SRJC Board of Trustees.

McCaffrey has 29 years of experience under his belt at the Sonoma County Sherriff’s Office, where he was the Captain of the field service and special services sections. He said he took the position at SRJC because he was coming to the end of his career with the Sheriff’s Office, and the position allows him to stay in Santa Rosa and work in a unique setting where people really care about the place they work. He is excited to dive into his new position.

“This is an amazing and really unique opportunity,” McCaffrey said. “I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated people at the junior college police department and

getting to know JC staff and students.”Former SRJC Police Chief Christopher

Wilkinson resigned in February of 2011, after a hostile work environment complaint had been filed. Police sources said they felt that under Chief Wilkinson, they were operating in a “climate of fear.”

Chief McCaffrey said that before making changes to the department, one of his priorities would be getting feedback from staff about where they think the department has been and where it is going. He said changes will not be made without their feedback and buy in.

McCaffrey has three high school age daughters. He said he hopes they will go to SRJC but that ultimately he will support their choices.

“I’m delighted to announce that Matt McCaffrey agreed to join SRJC as the new police chief. I look forward to him leading one of the best public safety programs at community colleges statewide,” Chong said.

McCaffrey studied criminal justice at SRJC in 1980. He earned advanced, supervisor and management certificates from the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training of California and graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. in 2008.

“He’s great,” SRJC District Police Office Joe Richards said. “He’s got 30 years of experience with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s office. He’s done just about everything you can do in law enforcement so everyone’s excited to have him aboard. I think he’s going to do a lot of good things for the police department and the JC community as a whole.”

Sgt. Rob Brownlee agreed. “I’m hopeful for the future of the department,” he said. “What I’m seeing is encouraging.”

Drew Sheets / Oak Leaf

Thirty year veteran with the Sheriff’s Department, Mathew McCaffrey was selected as Chief of SRJC Police Depart-ment.

Mathew Mccaffrey, new police chiefThomas De Alba

Staff Writer

6

Transferring?finish school Your WaY!

»��streamlined admissions�

»��no enrollment fee�

»��flexible scheduling��»��a unique one-course-per-month format�»��scholarship programs�

At�National�University,�we�know�you�can’t�sit�in�class�all�day�or�lock�yourself�in�a�library—you’ve�got�work,�family,�and�friends.�You’re�transferring�because�you�want�to�finish�your�degree�and�move�on�into�a�new�career.�National�University�makes�that�possible.

800.NAT.UNIV �|��getinfo.nu.edu/transfer

NATIoNAl UNIVersITy®

© 2

012

Nat

iona

l Uni

vers

ity 1

0591

The UniversiTy of valUes

sAN jose CAMPUs3031�Tisch�Way,�100�Plaza�East408.236.1100

DESIGNED TO ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

RSVP FOR AN INFORMATION SESSION TODAY!


7

sports

SoccerMen’s

Oct. 9 vs. Contra Costa at 2 p.m.

Women’s

Oct. 9 vs. Diablo Valley at 4 p.m.

Water PoloMen’s

Oct. 17 vs. Delta at 5 p.m.

Women’s

Oct. 10 vs. Sac City at 3:30 p.m.

Cross Country

Oct. 12 Pat Ryan Invitational at

Spring Lake at 2 p.m.

FootballOct. 20, “CLO CLASSIC” SRJC vs.

Foothill at 7 p.m.

WrestlingOct. 20 vs. NorCal Dulas in Haehl

Pavillion at 10 a.m..

Bear Cubs Sports

Upcoming home games

Team bonding is much more than practice drills and competition on the court for the SRJC women’s volleyball team. This team of eight freshmen and six returning players bonds off the court in the comfort of their homes through dinner parties and group circle appreciation.

With an 8-2 record, the team is expected to have a lot more room to grow as a whole. Players think the two losses are due to a lack of team chemistry.

“The other teams had more experience together playing higher level teams. We are a young team and we have a lot of developing to do throughout the season,” said team captain Kristyn Casalino.

“We are coming along well as a

team; most of us were able to work out together during the off season and we immediately came together to be friends,” Casalino said.

A few players joined the squad at the last minute, but the majority knew they wanted to be there from the beginning of the summer.

The players are dedicating their extra time to team bonding events, which gives them an opportunity to understand each other on and off the court. The team met several times at coach Kelly Wood’s home where the team shared more about themselves outside the realm of volleyball.

The girls get together to talk about their short and long term goals, their volleyball dreams and then refl ect on each person. They understanding each other on a deeper level will help their performance and desire to win.

“We bond in practice and our coach really encourages us to support other sports teams, which brings us together,” Captain Morgan Foley said.

The team recently met up for a

group breakfast, coordinated by the players through a mass text. “We are a family after all. We spend more time together than we do with our actual families,” said co-captain Brianna Adviento.

The team set a goal to take fi rst place in state as they continue the season. The players hope to go up against LA Pierce, a team they see as their biggest competition. The volleyball team has the skill to defeat its Southern California rivals and players are working together to pull all the small stitches together to achieve that.

“We are looking forward to the day we can beat them because we already know what to expect,” Aviento said.

Foley couldn’t agree more. “[Pierce] will not go undefeated this season,” she said.

srjc women’s volleyball team uses bonding as win strategyBrittany Jones

Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of SRJC Women’s Volleyball

Two volleyball players face off over the net.

The 2012 season for the SRJC wrestling team is already proving to be one of the toughest players have faced, but they are up for the challenge.

This year the team has lost Vinny Fausone and Colin Hart, two of the seasoned veterans who helped teach and lead the team. “However in their place we have a lot of fresh meat with lots of potential,“ said wrestler Andrew Wolocatiuk.

Their season started out a little slower then they would have liked with two fourth-place fi nishes and only a handful of podiums.

“We’re really sticking to our fundamentals and striving to make an all-around team,” Woloctiuk said.

Fans should keep an eye out for the Borges brothers, Blake and Von, who have been making quite an impression at the tournaments so far. Also, Andres Torres will be making his way down the weight classes from 133’s to 125 by the end of the season. And in the heavy’s Bud Guinn will dominate the rest of the season.

With a new wave of wrestlers all bringing their own strengths to the table, this season is sure to be one with accomplishments and surprises.

The team will compete in the Northern California Duals at 10 a.m. Oct. 20 in SRJC’s Haehl Pavilion.

Fresh players work on building up the wrestling teamErik Ramirez

Photo Editor

photos courtesy of John Sachs

SRJC Men’s Wrestling team competes in the

Shasta Tournament and Golden Eagle Invi-tational. Blake Borges

took second place in the 149 pound divi-sion. Greg Robinson

placed fi fth followed by Ashton Morales in

sixth place, in the 174 pound division.

Transferring?finish school Your WaY!

»��streamlined admissions�

»��no enrollment fee�

»��flexible scheduling��»��a unique one-course-per-month format�»��scholarship programs�

At�National�University,�we�know�you�can’t�sit�in�class�all�day�or�lock�yourself�in�a�library—you’ve�got�work,�family,�and�friends.�You’re�transferring�because�you�want�to�finish�your�degree�and�move�on�into�a�new�career.�National�University�makes�that�possible.

800.NAT.UNIV �|��getinfo.nu.edu/transfer

NATIoNAl UNIVersITy®

© 2

012

Nat

iona

l Uni

vers

ity 1

0591

The UniversiTy of valUes

sAN jose CAMPUs3031�Tisch�Way,�100�Plaza�East408.236.1100

DESIGNED TO ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

RSVP FOR AN INFORMATION SESSION TODAY!


8

Santa Rosa Junior College features some of the best teams in the state with unmatched talent from any competitor. We have all-conference athletes, Most Valuable Player selection and Coaches of the Year winners. Here are four of the top athletes at SRJC and one outstanding coach. With talent like this, colleges all over California should watchout

for SRJC Athletics!

- The Oak Leaf

There is definitely no mistaking SRJC student Mike Tuaua when he walks around campus. The 6-foot, 3 inch, 260-pound freshman with a mane of reddish-brown hair, thick eyebrows and a warm Samoan smile is one the Bear Cubs’ best football players this season.

At an early age, Tuaua knew sports was something he wanted to pursue. But unlike most kids, Tuaua never had the experience of playing Pop Warner football.

“I couldn’t play sports at an earlier age because I am the second oldest child, and I had younger siblings to look out for,” Tuaua said. “I also went to church on Sundays and this made football hard to fit into my schedule.”

It was at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park where Tuaua’s football career ultimately began. He received First-Team All League his junior and senior year for both tight end and defensive end. When his school visited an annual Reno football camp, Tuaua got All-Camp tight end his junior year and All-Camp defensive end his senior year. By playing both offense and defense, Tuaua demonstrated his dominance on both sides of the ball. To mark his final high school accomplishments, he led his team to the North Coast Section Division II Championship game against Concord High School at the Oakland Coliseum, after which Tuaua received the award for Defensive Player of the Year.

After high school, Tuaua decided to attend SRJC and continue playing football. However, his career was brought to a halt during his first game against College of the Siskiyous, when Tuaua broke his leg, causing him to sit out for the rest of the season. He received a medical exemption for the season, giving him four years of college eligibility.

Tuaua was able to look at the injury in a positive way. “For me it was kind of a blessing that I broke my leg because it gave me a chance to really focus on school,” he said. “I was able to knock some of my core classes that I needed to take, out of the way.”

By the spring, Tuaua could participate in practice and learned how to juggle both school and football at the same time. “It definitely can be a

struggle sometimes, but I learned how to adapt,” he said.

Tuaua represents Bear Cub football not just on the field, but on campus as well. “He is a student athlete, he doesn’t miss anything and he’s on time,” said head coach Keith Simons. “He’s the kind of guy that we need to have in our program.”

Ever since he has been a part of the football program, it is easy to see Tuaua’s growth as player. This year, Tuaua has to take on another responsibility as one of the Bear Cubs’ defensive captains. With this title, he must demonstrate leadership, while also being a role model for his teammates.

Being a dominant force on the field wouldn’t hurt either. So far this season in the Nor Cal Conference, Tuaua is ranked third overall in sacks (five) and ranked fourth overall in tackles per game (7.6). “He’s one of those players who works hard, practices hard and plays hard,” Simons said. “He’s the kind of guy where you can watch our defense for four plays and say, ‘Wow, who’s number 55?’”

Although it is Tuaua’s first year playing at SRJC, he already has Division I schools talking to him. Most recently, Texas Christian University has shown interest in the young defensive end. Tuaua plans to finish his second year as a Bear Cub and there is no doubt that more schools will be contacting him.

The Bear Cubs are half way through their season with a record of 2-3, and Tuaua hopes to get his team back on the right track. “We definitely still have a shot at making it to state,” Tuaua said. “We need to work together as a team, focus, play hard and keep believing in each other because anything is possible.”

The Bear Cubs’ first conference game is in Oroville against 5-0 Butte College at 1 p.m. Oct. 13. The next home game is The Clo Classic against Foothill at 7 p.m. Oct. 20.

Jenna Burkman

Staff Writer

Keshia Knight

Business Manager

Even a broken leg can’t slow down SRJC Football Star

SRJC Polar Bears’ RookiesPat vrba and jacob pavsek bring new blood to the ice

Jose Rodriguez / Oak Leaf

Mike Tuaua is a dominant force on the field as well as a model student and team leader.

Photo courtesy of SRJC HockeyPat Vrba a new goalie at the SRJC has only let by one goal while at Snoopy’s.

Photo courtesy of SRJC Hockey

Jacob Pavsek is one of the two new goal-ies fitting right in with the Polar Bears.

The SRJC Polar Bears hockey team is a relatively new club, but any true fan of the team could tell you any one of the players’ names just by the way he moves on the ice.

It’s the little things that separate them. Like the way Alexi Kulikouskiy flies down the ice with grace and determination or the angle of Cam Davis’ stick as he barrels a shot into the net. Each player has their own signature move that boisterous Polar Bears love to cheer for.

But in matches this season, as the momentum of the game heads down towards the home end of the ice, a whisper of worry echoes amongst the crowd: hidden behind the masks of the Polar Bears goalies lies two rookies fans have yet to learn to love.

Meet Jacob Pavsek and Pat Vrba. Young players with the heart and talent of any seasoned player on the team.

At the end of last season, both Jacob Fitzpatrick and Danny Roy left and the Polar Bears were left without a goalie. But luckily, Vrba’s brother played for SRJC and teammates Sam and Cam Davis recruited Pat to play.

“The Davis Bros got me some goalie gear and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity,” Vrba said.

For Pavsek, it was a little more

competitive. He’s been playing hockey for awhile and said he wanted to see “how far he could take hockey and that trying out for the JC would be a great start to see if I could actually play on a college team.”

No matter how they found their way to SRJC, the two young goalies are fitting in with team and look like naturals on the ice. There may have been a few first season jitters in the beginning, but those are long gone.

“At first it was a little hard. Only because I didn’t know what to expect,” Pavsek said. “But after I had my first practice I felt comfortable around everyone.”

You hear the term “rookie” and for any sports fan a concerned feeling takes over your body. Pavsek and Vrba may be freshmen but they never let the pressure of the game get to them.

“Personally I like the pressure. It’s when I preform the best,” Vrba said.

Splitting time between Pavsek and Vrba in the net has worked out for SRJC. In two games at Snoopy’s , Vrba has only allowed one goal while Pavsek, who has seen more ice time at home, has let eight slip by.

There are still plenty of games left in the season and both players are fired up, ready to help their team in any way. For them it’s more than being just another SRJC athlete, it’s about being part of one of the top hockey clubs in the state and enjoying the support of a team and fan base dedicated to each other.

Polar Bears fans take note: the new kids on the ice are ready to play hard and they aren’t satisfied until they skate away with a win.

Santa Rosa Junior College features some of the best teams in the state with unmatched talent from any competitor. We have all-conference athletes, Most Valuable Player selection and Coaches of the Year winners. Here are five of the top athletes at SRJC and one outstanding coach. With talent like this, colleges all over California should watch out for

SRJC Athletics!

- The Oak Leaf


9

Santa Rosa Junior College features some of the best teams in the state with unmatched talent from any competitor. We have all-conference athletes, Most Valuable Player selection and Coaches of the Year winners. Here are four of the top athletes at SRJC and one outstanding coach. With talent like this, colleges all over California should watchout

for SRJC Athletics!

- The Oak Leaf

Andrew McQuiddy

Features Editor

Jimmy Merrill

Staff Writer

David Wellman moved up from assistant to head coach of the SRJC Cross Country teams this year, surrounding himself with promising talent.

Talent like Zekaryas Mebrahtu, lead runner for the Men’s team. Mebratu ranked 28th out of 162 entrants at the Crystal Springs meet, Sept. 28, averaging 5:24 per mile for a total time of 22:42.53. Last year, he helped Piner High School’s cross country team achieve third in the state. He credits his middle school physical education teacher for encouraging him to race.

Coach Wellman’s motivation springs from different sources.

“I ran in high school and college,” Wellman, 26, said. “I used it as a great escape from school and work. I really enjoyed that aspect and wanted to share it with everybody else. I saw that at the community college level you have this opportunity to use [racing] as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.”

Wellman views cross country and track as sports accessible to those with drive and ability, willing to work hard to improve. “By coaching athletes here and teaching them how to enjoy and improve their running,” Wellman said, “they can get themselves to four-year universities that they probably wouldn’t have been able to because of grades or money.”

Outstanding racers dominate the Women’s Cross Country team too, with a pair of Rincon Valley Christian High School graduates. Undefeated Rincon Valley placed first in its league in 2011 and second overall in the Coastal Mountain Conference.

RVC running coach Nate Koch recruited both Atalie Halpin and Michelle Kelley from the soccer team. “When I was little, I ran a lot,” Kelley said, who ran a 7:28 mile at Crystal Springs, for a 22:02.44 total. “And I played soccer. My strong point in soccer was my running, so might as well keep going with that.”

Halpin raced in competitions for

the first time last year. “I always played soccer in high school,” Halpin said, “but I ran a couple meets during soccer season for the cross country team, just because they needed extra runners.”

Her fleet feet, and fate, led to choosing cross country as her sole athletic focus. “I injured my knee, so the twisting in soccer was really hard on it. I just decided to keep with cross country this year,” Halpin said.

“The great thing about track and cross country,” Wellman said, “is that no matter what: your time is your time is your time. You’re compared with everybody just by time. If you improve your time, it’s easier to get recruited. A coach from across the country doesn’t have to come and see you run, they just look on a list and see the time you had. This guy’s good enough, does he have the grades? Okay, let’s get him in.”

Both the men’s and women’s teams compete at every meet. “We travel as a team,” Halpin said. “Usually we race, then the boys race right after us. They just do an extra mile.” Men’s competitive cross country runs four miles, while Women’s cross country stretches 3.1 miles.

“I think it’s ridiculous that they’re different mileage,” Wellman said. “The duration that they’re running is about the same – a good women’s time is in the 20’s [20 minutes], a good men’s time is in the 20’s. Which just makes it easy for the coaches to figure it out.”

Wellman began coaching at his alma mater. “My first coaching job was at Maria Carillo High School, where I was track coach. Then last year, I was assistant coach doing just distances under [SRJC Cross Country Coach] Jerry Noble. When he left, I took over.”

Racing the half-mile and the mile

New Head Coach brings experience and enthusiasm to cross country team

Morgan Foley keeps volleyball team competetive

Photo courtesy of David Wellman

SRJC Cross Country Head Coach first coached at Maria Carillo High School.

in college, Wellman earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Kinesiology at Chico State, specializing in sport and exercise psychology. In his senior year, he finished ninth nationally in Division 2.

“Before that, I was a jumper and sprinter in high school and kind of melded into a mid-distance runner. I found I was better at those things,” Wellman said. “I still love watching people sprint, high jump and pole vault. I’m still fascinated by all the field events and the technical side. My knowledge and background is more in the distances and middle distances, but I still enjoy learning more about the technical events.”

Wellman also enjoys his Vocational Skills Coach day job in the College to Career program, part of the Disability Resources Department at SRJC. “We help students with intellectual disabilities get certificates and build skills so that they can get careers in the community,” Wellman said. “And they’re not careers like working at Taco Bell. They’re real careers, technical careers and administrative careers.”

Students on sports teams also get extra attention. “At the JC there’s an academic counselor specifically for athletics,” Wellman said. “So in that regard, they do get more support. I wouldn’t say they get a ‘pass’. You have to have a 2.0 just to compete [on a team]. It’s an external motivator to push them to get a grade they might not normally strive for.”

SRJC Women are currently sixth in the NorCal rankings, with Men’s Cross Country at 13th. League competitor American River College is third and first, respectively.

“I think ARC is definitely our top rival from last year,” Kelley said, adding that Sacramento City College emerged as a new threat this year.

“Right now, Hartnell and Modesto are some of the top-ranked teams in the North, but ARC is our nemesis,” Halpin said. She smiled broadly, noting the teams’ history fires up the SRJC Women every time the rivals meet. “Coach Wellman always tells us to catch the ARC girls and not to let them beat us.”

A hot, crowded and hectic weight room is where Morgan Foley and her teammates gather for more conditioning after a long day of practice. Wearing a tie dyed shirt and lime green Nikes, Morgan steps outside to get away from the loud noise.

Foley started playing volleyball when she was in seventh grade, but played other sports while attending Mariposa High School before focusing on volleyball.

“I played volleyball, basketball and softball, also a couple side sports, but during school it was those three,” Foley said. Once Foley graduated she knew that she wanted to focus on only one sport. “I chose it [volleyball] because softball was my last sport in high school and I think I was burnt out on it, so I chose volleyball.”

Though Foley is in her third year at Santa Rosa Junior College, she’s still considered a freshman athletically. This was not exactly the way Foley envisioned her path at SRJC. She tried out for the volleyball team her first year, but ultimately ended up redshirting. A set back to some, but Foley used it as an opportunity to improve and develop her skills.

“I would practice with the team every day like I do now. I just wasn’t playing games,” Foley said.

She continued to work hard throughout the remainder of the season, eyeing the following year as an opportunity to make the team. However, Foley caught a

terrible break by tearing her ACL during the first week of practice in the 2011 season. An injury of any kind is damaging for an athlete, but tearing an ACL can end a career. Foley was determined not to let this injury stop her from achieving her goals.

She was unable to be physical on the court, so she sat on the sidelines right next to her head coach Kelly Wood.

“I got really close to my coach because I was always sitting on the sidelines. So I got to know her better and really wanted

to play for her,” Foley said.She also knew how good

SRJC’s volleyball program was and wanted to be apart of a team with such a winning reputation. “The team has always been really good, so I wanted to play for a team that good.”

Foley had the motivation to return for 2012; now it was a matter of recovering

from a torn ACL and coming back stronger. Foley turned her physical therapist, SRJC athletic trainer Guy Mohr, for help in making a full recovery. “I conditioned on my own and with my physical therapist,” Foley said. “He helped me out a lot, emotionally too.”

Foley now feels like she is in better physical shape than she was before the injury. “I got back this year and I was in as good as shape, if not better than a lot of the girls.”

Foley’s road to recovery was over after she was named one of the captains of the 2012 SRJC volleyball team. Her hard work had paid off after missing the last two years.

Foley has new responsibilities as

captain and her teammates look to her as one of the team’s leaders. “I make sure everyone feels comfortable on the team and also just kind of carry them on the court because a lot of times I’ll be the only captain on the whole time,” she said. “Just make the girls feel like I’m their leader I guess and have them respect me.”

“She makes sure we are not slacking off,” freshman Kiana Cassidy said. “She keeps us competitive because she is so competitive and she is always hustling out there. I feel like when she hustles, we are motivated to hustle more.”

Sophomore Briana Adviento echoed Cassidy’s view of Foley, “She is a very passionate player. She plays every play.”

Foley now has peers looking at her as an inspiration, but she had her own inspirations in the volleyball realm. “Of course the USA volleyball team,” Foley said. “But my sister is really the only person I’ve ever looked up to in volleyball.”

This will be Foley’s final year at SRJC as she is transferring to a four-year college next year. She is still on the fence as to whether she will continue in volleyball because she is a kinesiology major and may want that to be her sole focus.

“I’m going to Fresno State next year, so I don’t know if I want to play volleyball because my academics are really important to me,” Foley said. “I chose that school because of the academics. So I don’t know, we’ll see what happens.”

Until then, Foley continues to lead SRJC volleyball this year and will continue to build on a 10-2 record. Foley and the SRJC Bear Cubs will travel to Rocklin to face conference foe Sierra College at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 10.

"Sh e keeps us com petitive because sh e is so com petitive

an d sh e is always h ustli ng out th ere.

I feel li ke wh en sh e h ustles, we are

motivated to h ustle mo re."

"The great thing about track and cross country,"

Wellman said, "is that no matter what:

your time is your time is your time.

You're compared with everybody just by

time."

Santa Rosa Junior College features some of the best teams in the state with unmatched talent from any competitor. We have all-conference athletes, Most Valuable Player selection and Coaches of the Year winners. Here are five of the top athletes at SRJC and one outstanding coach. With talent like this, colleges all over California should watch out for

SRJC Athletics!

- The Oak Leaf


10

After beginning the season with three wins in as many games, the SRJC Polar Bears hockey team lost two straight matches to Colorado hockey clubs and are now 3-2 overall.

The Polar Bears took their undefeated record to Colorado Sept. 28-29 to face both the Colorado University Buff s and Colorado State University. SRJC was prepared for intense, 1-goal games but intent on pulling out a victory or two.

On Sept. 28 SRJC suff ered a devastating loss to the Buff s, who the Polar Bears knocked out of the playoff s in the 2011-2012 season. The Polar Bears started out strong with forward Josiah Nikkel scoring two goals within the fi rst minutes, although the Buff s gave SRJC plenty of opportunities to pad the Polar Bears’ lead.

They began to struggle and quickly fell behind 8-3. By the end of the second

period, goalie Jacob Pavsek had allowed nine goals, the most he’s given up in a Polar Bears uniform.

The Polar Bears nearly came back to tie it in the third period, but several players failed to score the tying goal despite several chances in the last few minutes of the game. SRJC lost to the CU Buff s, 9-8.

SRJC was determined to return to winning form the next day against Colorado State, but the Polar Bears did not fare any better. Colorado State scored fi rst and so began an intense, physical battle. SRJC managed to score, with goals by David Horton and Jackson Joyce, but Colorado pushed harder. At the end of the game it was Colorado State 4, SRJC 3.

Despite a terrible road trip, the Polar Bears are content with the losses.

“Overall we did amazing and those close games will help our rankings in the ACHA,” said forward John Hutton.

The Polar Bears will play UC Davis Oct. 13 at Snoopy’s Home Ice. The puck drops at 8:30 p.m.

sports

2012-2013 Home Schedule

w w w . s a n t a r o s a h o c k e y . c o m

SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE

ICE HOCKEY

Alex

i Kul

ikou

skiy

ADMISSION IS FREE!

Sept. 14 UC Berkeley 8:30pmSept. 15 San Jose State 8:30pmSept. 22 Sacramento State 8:30pmOct. 13 UC Davis 8:30pmOct. 20 Santa Clara U. 8:30pmNov. 2 Fresno State 8:30pmNov. 3 Fresno State 8:30pmNov. 8 Metro State Denver 6:30pmNov. 9 Fresno State 5:30pmNov. 10 Northern Arizona U. 5:30pmDec. 14 San Jose State 8:30pmJan. 11 UC Santa Barbara 8:30pmJan. 18 UC San Diego 8:30pmJan. 19 Santa Clara U. 8:30pmJan. 26 Stanford 8:30pm

All home games are played at: Snoopy’s Home Ice 1667 West Steele Lane Santa Rosa

after two close losses in coloradothe SRJC hockey team remains determined to improve SRJC judo club

Keshia Knight

Business Manager

Photo Courtesy of SRJC Hockey

SRJC Polar Bears sit on the bench and wait for their turn to get on the ice at a recent game.

The boisterous SRJC Judo Club members meet Friday evenings in the wrestling room as the orange glow of sunset fi lls the room.

The club’s instructor is Destinee Tartuff e, a friendly woman who laughs and jokes easily with the club members. Tartuff e has been an active practitioner of Judo for 12 years and an instructor at the JC since fall 2007.

When asked why she feels Judo is so important Tartuff e said, “I really feel people need to get that mind-body connection.”

The 10-20 mostly SRJC student members show up to practice and exercise outside of their n ormal class time. The Judo club also hosts high school students and community members as part of its outreach eff orts.

The club meetings are a place where members can come to work on their techniques in a less formal setting than the normal SRJC classes or prepare themselves for competition.

The students attend two to three competitions a year, mostly in the East Bay and San Francisco. They will attend the Hanabi Classic: 47th Annual Albany Judo Tournament Oct. 21 and the CCSF Invitational Dec. 2. Both of these tournaments are free and open to spectators.

“It’s probably my favorite part of Judo to get in there and compete,“ said member Nathan Dunn. “For three

to fi ve minutes, you aren’t afraid of dying.”

Dunn added, “It’s humbling, judo in and of itself is really good for the ego.” He explained that in Judo you really learn your place and your skill level, where you are and where you are going.

Member Kelsey Claybrook was very excited as he talked about the Judo community. He said he meets amazing people from all around the world at competitions and clinics who are very dedicated and passionate.

Polar bears come home Nadav Soroker

Staff Writer

Nadav Soroker / Oak Leaf

Kelsey Claybrook practices the O Goshi throw at a Friday evening Judo Club meeting.

Every Wednesday, sports fans can listen to the Oak Leaf Sports Report on 967 BOB FM at 10:30 a.m. and Y100.9 at 11:30 a.m.

The Sports Report covers all the recent SRJC sports news from the past week.

Host Sean Dougherty goes over the team standings for the season, scores from recent games and interesting tidbits about the world of Bear Cubs sports.

The sports report can also be viewed online at http://www.theoakleafnews.com

Dimitri Nazarian / Oak Leaf

Sean Dougherty hosts the Oak Leaf Sports Report every Wednesday morning.

Sports Report

Grappling, Throwing and camaraderie


11

sports Opinion

Giants poised and ready to go back to the top

A Bay Area Postseason the San Francisco Giants and The Oakland A’s won the

West; now it’s time for October baseball. Both teams dominated down the stretch, but do they

have what it takes to make it to the Fall Classic?

Oakland a’s en route for 6th consecutive winAs a San Francisco native I have a

natural Giants bias. I can rant on and on about how I love them and think they are the best simply due to the proximity of the city and where I live. But my bias is not why the Giants will head to the World Series and win it all.

It’s the pitching. Pitching is what keeps the Giants in

the game, even when the bats are waning. Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum each had morea than 190 strikeouts this year. Ryan Vogelsong is a soldier who can give you at least six solid innings of pitching. And in the last month Barry Zito showed his grit, posting a 2.35 ERA, winning fi ve games and losing none. He is not quite the Zito who won a Cy Young award, but his resurgence gives us a chance to win.

As long as the guys on the mound have control and keep the ball around the plate, the Giants will win the game.

It’s the hitting.Giants aren’t a power team, but they

do the small things right.Buster Posey has carried the team

until now, but he’ll need help. He won the NL Batting Title and will most likely win comeback performance of the year. Coming off of a broken leg, no one expected Posey to post more than 100 RBI’s (103) with 24 home runs and bat .336. But he did and it’s made the diff erence.

Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro need to continue getting on base for Posey and Hunter Pence to get them home.

If the Giants are patient and get into deep counts, the team will be set. Just like in 2010 when we rallied the best with two outs.

It’s Bruce Bochy.The most pivotal piece of the Giants’

success is Bruce Bochy. The Giants’ manager knows the game and has a championship under his belt already.

Everything was in place at the beginning of this year, then Brian Wilson got hurt. But the Giants managed. Melky Cabrera was caught juicing, and still Bochy put a winning group of guys out there day in, day out. With the division locked up and the playoff s under way, the performance and match-ups will refl ect solely on the back of Bochy. But if he doesn’t win manager of the year, there is something seriously wrong with baseball.

We have the ability to play with and out-perform any team in the playoff s. Hot gloves and bats as well as an experienced manager at the helm and already experienced young players are a deadly combination that can send the Giants back to the top and with a second World Series in only three years.

-Dimitri Nazarian

There should be no debate whether American League Triple Crown winner and Detroit Tiger Miguel Cabrera should be awarded the AL MVP, but many voters have publicly said he will not.

Within Major League Baseball’s 143-year-history only 15 players including Cabrera led their respected league in batting average, home runs and RBIs. Only fi ve players have ever won a Major League Triple Crown title leading all of baseball in all three categories which Cabrera almost achieved if it were not for San Francisco Giant and National League MVP nominee Buster Posey batting .336.

According to ESPN.com’s senior baseball writer and MVP voter Tim Kurkjian, if Cabrera wins the Triple Crown title then rookie sensation and

Los Angeles Angel Mike Trout should win the League’s MVP. Kurkjian argues Trout’s all-around game is more impressive then Cabrera’s, suggesting Trout’s defensive capabilities and base running awareness should be enough to place him above Cabrera in the MVP race.

What Kurkjian stated was correct. Trout is more capable then Cabrera defensively and possesses more ability to run the bases, however Cabrera crushes Trout in almost every batting statistic. Trout hit 35 home runs, earned 99 RBI and compiled a .306 batting average. Cabrera fi nished with nine more homers, 40 more RBI and his batting average was 24 points higher.

There’s no question Trout put together a captivating 2012 season compiling statistics that would rival Mickey Mantle but it has been 45 years since the last Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski did it for the Boston Red Sox. Many experts proclaimed the award unachievable with

today’s commanding pitching.Cabrera hit 44 home runs, drove in

139 RBI and produced a .330 batting average. For any hitter to manufacture those types of overwhelming numbers during an era when pitching is dominate throughout baseball is an achievement in itself. For example, the last pitchers to win the award were Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw last year.

Most baseball fans are intrigued and excited about power hitters smashing balls over outfi eld walls, but the days of Barry Bonds cracking out 73 homers during a season are over. Between 1998-2006 steroid era, 47,863 home runs left Major League ballparks, which averages to 5,982 per season. Since 2006, only 28,976 homers were driven out averaging to 4,139 per year.

That’s why what Cabrera has accomplished is remarkable. He has manhandled pitching staff s throughout the season although pitchers are more

Cabrera expected to be American league triple crown winner, but not MVpSpencer Harris

Sports Editor

Associated Press

Potential Triple Crown Winner Miguel Cabrera waves his hat to the crowd.

Winning championships is all about team chemistry and peaking when it matters most. Certainly, the Oakland Athletics are doing just that—winning the fi nal six games of the season, sweeping the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers on route to win the American League West for the sixth time in franchise history.

The Athletics spent only one day in sole possession of fi rst place this season: the fi nal day. As exciting as that was, Oakland still has magic up its sleeves.

During the preseason, the A’s were expected to fi nish last in their division and at the end of June the team was trailing the Rangers by 13 games. But somehow, with a line-up full of no-name players and a pitching staff loaded with untested rookies, the A’s battled their way into the second overall seed in the AL and fi rst place in the West with an overall record of 94-68.

The number one reason the A’s are in the position they are is their laid back mentality and the match-ups set by manager Bob Melvin. Melvin has convinced the players that every game is winnable as long as they play together with a purpose. Whether it was changing the line-up on a day-to-day basis, moving pitchers in and out of the starting rotation or calling up rookies from Triple A, Melvin has made all the right choices this year.

The A’s young pitching staff fi nished the season ranked second in the AL in ERA, runs allowed, home runs allowed and innings pitched. They are arguably the most complete pitching staff in the playoff s. The starting pitching should carry the off ense late into games. The only missing piece to the A’s pitching dominance is a legitimate closer. Ryan Cook began the year as the closer earning a spot on the All-Star team for

his eff orts, but he lost the job soon after. Grant Balfour has since taken over the role and faced his own struggles.

The off ense may be unheard of but has proven to be clutch when necessary. The team’s batting average is a meager .238 and A’s hitters set an AL record with 1,387 strikeouts. However, the A’s have the most walk-off wins this season with 15 and fi nished sixth in the AL with 195 home runs. If the pitching can buckle down and keep the score close, the off ense should be able to perform some late inning magic with the long ball.

On Sept. 24, the Rangers possessed the best record in AL with a fi ve-game lead in AL West. During the next nine games, the A’s would create a playoff atmosphere within the clubhouse and fi ght their way into the playoff s for the fi rst time since 2006. It’s this kind of clubhouse camaraderie that will give the A’s the edge in the post-season.

-Spencer Harris


12

art & Entertainment

Oct. 5

Trouble in Mind

SRJC Theatre Department

Newman Auditorium

Oct. 5 – 14 / $10-15

Oct. 15

Resumé Writing

Career Services

John M. Jacobs Hall, PC 116 on the Petaluma Campus

2-3 p.m. / Free

Oct. 16

Career Center Orientation

Career Services

Career Center, Bertolini Student Center, 3rd floor

1:30-3 p.m. / Free

Oct. 17

Octoberfest

SRJC Choirs Fall Concert

Burbank Auditorium

7:30 p.m. / $5-10

Oct. 18

Dia de los Muertos Opening Reception

SRJC Museum

Bussman Hall

Exhibit showing from Oct. 15- Nov. 8

Reception 3-5 p.m. / Free

Oct. 19

Trust

Student Theatre Guild

Student Activity Center, Bertolini Student Center

Oct. 19-21 / $5-10

Oct. 20

Clo’s Classic football game and carnival

Between Zumwalt Parking Pavilion and Bailey Field

Carnival at 5 p.m. / Kickoff at 7 p.m.

$4-10

In the know

Hotel Transylvania

The Dia De Los Muertos Altar Exhibit returns to the SRJC Museum as a collaboration of three departments: English as a Second Language, Social Sciences and the museum itself.

The exhibit takes place Oct. 15 to Nov. 8. A Day of the Dead celebration will take place Nov. 1 at noon. It will include a community procession to the museum lead by the Aztec dance group Danza Coyolxauqui of Santa Rosa. The museum will host activities and opportunities for learning and interaction.

One of the goals of this year’s exhibit is to educate the public on the significance of Dia De Los Muertos. “People have many misconceptions about the Day of the Dead,” said Museum Curator Christine Vasquez.

For Pre-Columbian People of the Americas, this period of recognizing their departed commenced several weeks before the modern synchronized Catholic and Native All Souls and All Saints days, which lands on the Gregorian calendar date of Nov. 1-2.

Mictlantecuhtli, the Lord of the place of Death, was venerated throughout this time of the year in Pre-Columbian times.

ESL Instructor Raquel Rasor said

Day of the Dead Celebrations are a contrast to the contemporary U.S. Memorial Day when fallen soldiers are memorialized. “The significance of Memorial Day has been lost in the hearts of some and has become a weekend shopping spree,” Rasor said.

Rasor does not want to see this celebration turn into a Cinco de Mayo-type event, which beer companies use as a marketing tool

Social Sciences Instructor Laura Larque will give a lecture on the chronological, historical and modern day adaptation of Dia De Los Muertos from 1:30-3:00 p.m. Oct. 18 at Bertollini Hall.

Larque said some native tribes of the Americas such as the Hopis and Navajos don’t embrace death as Meso-American cultures do.

“In Mexico people go to the cemetery on Nov. 1 and 2 to clean the deceased’s tomb, bring food, decorate and spend the day and evening with their deceased,” Larque said.

Rasor thinks education about Dia De Los Muertos is important. “This is not Halloween,” Rasor said.

The opening reception will take place from 3-5 p.m. Oct. 18 at the museum. On Oct. 23 from 3:30-5 p.m. the museum will hold a workshop on papel picado and sugar skull decoration.

dia de los muertos alive at the srjc museum Luis Gutierrez

Staff Writer

Luis Gutierrez / Oak Leaf

The SRJC Museum in Bussman Hall will soon host an exhibit on Dia De Los Muertos Oct. 15 to Nov. 8.

It’s October and the season of ghouls, ghosts and goblins is upon us. For now the list of movies that fit the bill is short, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. The animated picture “Hotel Transylvania” offers all the cute creepiness needed to keep the kids’ attention, and plenty of under-the-breath adult humor and innuendos.

The story of a young girl whose over-protective father, Dracula (Adam Sandler), keeps her isolated in his hotel for monsters because after the passing of his late wife he believes all humans hate monsters and would like to see them dead at the end of a pitchfork. His sense of security is destroyed when his hotel’s first human guest walks through the door.

The movie is perfect for kids. It’s cute and full of lighthearted jokes, potty humor and the creepiness that’s expected from a Halloween movie. The mindless zombies that compile the staff of the hotel are a main source of ridiculous physical humor, and the shrunken heads that hang off every room door as a substitute for “Do Not Disturb” signs are a main source of sarcastic, chop-busting dialogue.

Teens dragged along with the family will most likely find themselves trying not to smile, and enjoy the scenes in which the love interest of Dracula’s daughter Mavis (Selena

Gomez) and the human, Jonathan (Andy Samberg) is in full effect. There is a rave scene when the hotel celebrates Mavis’ birthday, and their teenage feelings as well as the perfect portrayal of rave goers made me chuckle more than once. The scene culminates with a rap performed by Samberg’s character that is unmistakably his music group “The Lonely Island” making an appearance.

Most of the comedy that I identified with came from Dracula and his friends. In true Sandler fashion, he had all of his buddies from other movies play his character’s friends.

Kevin James plays Frankenstein, Steve Buscemi is the Werewolf, David Spade plays the Invisible Man, Jon Lovitz plays the cook Quasimodo and Ceelo Green is the Mummy. Together the ensemble is the main source for adult humor and ridiculousness.

As for the overall quality of the film, I haven’t seen a family movie that I enjoyed this much in a long time. The surreal creepiness and the off-the-wall humor made it feel like “A Nightmare Before Christmas” meets

“Big Daddy.” The only knock on it is that the opening is a little weak. They set the plot and setting in less than five minutes, which felt a bit rushed. But soon I forgot my criticisms and started to really enjoy the movie. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone looking for a laugh or to get into the Halloween spirit.

-Cassidy Mila, A&E Editor

A halloween monster comedy for the whole family

Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Hotel Transylvania is a lighthearted Halloween flick.


13

art & Entertainment

You are Here

Practicing and enlightened Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh unites what is most spiritual with what’s practical and bridges this gap with a compelling how-to narrative on becoming present and happy in his book “You are Here.”

Hanh became a monk at 16 and was at the forefront for maintaining peace in his homeland, Vietnam, while the war raged on in the early ‘60s.

He stresses that compassion is the basis of living a happy, healthy life and without it, there’s no attaining it. He uses examples with real people and their shortcomings throughout life to better portray a realistic picture of the suffering that we’re all so fond of. Hanh translates the fundamental meaning of Pali words, sacred texts in Therevada Buddhism, in a context any reader can understand. The words describe varying emotions, states of mind-body interaction and the many afflictions that arise with it.

Hanh’s short read will delight you, leave you in awe and most importantly translate what is considered sacred to what’s life-changing. “A feeling or a

perception is very real, but you cannot find anything permanent in it. You cannot detect a permanent presence in anything whatsoever. You will never find anywhere a self, or a soul, that lasts,” Hanh writes.

Hanh writes for the thirsty spiritual reader, as well as for the unknowingly lost one. His emphasis expressing how one can be happy, in the moment, and free of false perceptions is beyond recognition and deserves people’s time.

Amid the never-ending complexities and up and downs of life, Hanh’s spiritual and realistic advice on meditation, living in the moment and acknowledging universal truths will leave you empty. This emptiness will then be filled with his deeply empowering wisdom on being happy.

“You are Here” is perhaps the most practical book on spiritual wisdom that you will ever pick up. The book can be read cover-to-cover in about two hours. Thich Nhat Hanh’s words will grab you emotionally, steer you physically and ground you in a truth that is, in essence, infallible.

- Peter Njoroge, Staff Writer

Brooks Blair / Oak Leaf

A practical, easy to read book on spiritual wisdom by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Employees - Part-Time Accounts Bookkeeper and Representatives Payable/Receivable:

Good communication and

organizational skills.

Send resume to: [email protected]

compassion and buddhism for the common man

Trouble in mind is a gem with a few flaws

Photo Courtesy of SRJC Theatre Department

Tia Starr in “Trouble in Mind” performing her role as the mammy, a stereotypical role for African American women during the Civil Rights Era.

SRJC’s 2012 theatre season opened this weekend with Alice Childress’s “Trouble in Mind”, an obscure play about racial tensions in the 1950s both in society and the specific area of theatre acting. Early on, the acting seemed stiff but warmed up in the first minutes of the opening act. The quality of the acting and singing carried the play’s strong messages, although the staging suffered in the cramped Newman Auditorium.

The production begins with actor Ernie Shoemaker sharing her experience of living in Texas during the time when blacks faced terrible consequences for challenging the limits set on them by whites. Her story brings a unique perspective to the play.

Director John Shillington also added a prologue to give the audience a detailed historical understanding of the play’s setting. While informative, the choice to contrive a classroom lecture atmosphere seemed unnecessary.

The characters arrive at the first rehearsal for a new play intended to help reverse racial intolerance by using black actors as protagonists. Wiletta Mayer, played by understudy Tia Starr, is excited to have a lead role after a long career of mammy parts. However, as the rehearsal gets under way, she realizes her part is yet another caricature designed for white audiences’ expectations. Her challenges against the play’s sleazy director Al Manners (Ronald Fisher) quickly builds tension

between the members of the racially mixed cast.

The actors’ speaking patterns felt slightly off at the beginning of the play. The initial interactions between individual actors on stage didn’t feel like natural conversations. The lines felt like more of a call and response than a dialogue. As additional characters made their appearances on stage, the quality of the delivery improved.

The friendship between Starr and Millie Davis (Angela Monique) was apparent from their first good-natured ribbing about each others’ roles playing maids and nannies. Sheldon Forrester (Lawrence Edwards) had a striking change in mannerisms - while content to be a yes-man in Fisher’s presence, he shows his inner fears about Starr’s protests after the white members leave the set.

Three monologues by Edwards, Starr and Fisher overpower the stage in the second act. The powerful messages in the speeches suffer from a dearth of reaction in the cast, made even more striking by their animated performances outside the monologues. For the duration of the speeches, the rest of the cast simply sit or stand around stage in an unnatural semicircle.

The singing was a major highlight. Starr’s heartfelt solo in the first act gives voice to her character’s frustrations. Other songs had actors sing offstage in a spiritual style. The final chorus of “I Got a Song to Sing” showed the characters’

hope for the future.The limitations of the smaller

Newman Auditorium caused problems with the staging. Fisher particularly spends a great deal of time off stage between sections of the audience. Even in his first appearance, he gives most of his lines standing in the dark, not stepping onto the stage until very late into his dialogue. The other issue involves Fisher’s assistant, Eddie Fenton (Trey Saulter). Saulter sits under a distractingly bright light at extreme stage right, calling attention to a corner of the stage devoid of action for most of the play.

Aside from these staging issues and a briefly wooden start, the Theatre Department picked a gem of a play to kick off their season and performed it well.

“Trouble in Mind” is recommended for audiences ages 14 and above. The play is at 8 p.m. Oct. 11, 12, and 13; and at 2 p.m. Oct. 13 and 14 in Newman Auditorium. Tickets cost $10-$15 and are available at the door, at the Box Office (phone 707-527-434) or online at www.santarosa.edu/theatrearts.

- Nathan Quast, Staff Writer


14

Isabel Baskerville

Co-Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL: Obama needs to get tough on romneyTransfer Woes

OPINION

I’m an almost 24-year-old high school drop out with a GED and chronic procrastination. My education has become an almost comic series of mishaps and uncertainties.

I am torn between finishing school sometime soon and taking extra time to do the classes and get the grades that will let me transfer into one of my dream schools. I could go with SSU or another California State school; that would get me to a university within the next year and a half or so. I could also kick my ass to get into computer science at UC Davis in maybe two years or computer science engineering in two and a half to three.

I hate those lucky bastards who had motivation and a goal for their life in high school. Especially the jerks that go to awesome schools like Caltech. I would consider murder if it would get me into a school like that. In 2012 Caltech had 214 undergraduate transfer applicants and accepted five of them.

Yeah, it’s not looking too hot for me. There’s even more pressure than before for students to choose their majors and transfer out as quickly as possible. Pressures not only from our school, but often from family as well.

My big brother graduated from UC Berkeley. That overachieving butthead just raised the family expectations tenfold.

I get to the point where the last thing I want to do is school because all I can focus on is the potential for failure. Instead of focusing on how much I love the subject matter, I’m stressing about whether I can transfer soon enough to get my family off my back. I wind up dreading going to classes about subjects I love. I put off homework because just thinking about it gives me anxiety attacks.

I really want to relax. I want to go to classes and focus on how awesome normal force is. I want to be amazed at the way I can find velocity and acceleration with a couple quick derivations. I want to look at a math problem and enjoy solving the puzzle, not stress about how my family will react next time they ask when I’ll be transferring (next family gathering, every damn time).

College should be about exploring our interests, learning about how the world works. I shouldn’t have to fight back panic when I think about my favorite subjects.

Calculus is awesome! Physics is like calculus super-charged and extra fun. But I’m so stressed about expectations that I get migraines in the lab. Every time. I’ve tried taking Physics 40 twice now, and I get the most ridiculous head aches.

I’m going to keep trying though. Next semester I’ll get back on the horse. Newton’s Laws will be my bitches.

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) strike was marked by rampant accusations of dishonesty and selfishness from both the mayor’s office and union leadership.

This walkout, the first of its kind in Chicago in 25 years, was the latest battle in the ongoing engagement between politicians and public employees over the use of dwindling public budgets.

Among Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed education “reforms” was a proposal to evaluate teachers based on students’ performance on standardized tests, along with a proposal to pay teachers based on merit.

Taken to their logical extremes, these regulations could be seen as an effort to decrease pay for educators working in places with traditionally low standardized testing scores, such as inner-city areas. However, studies show that Socio-Economic Status (SES) is the leading predictor of standardized test scores. Add the threat of school closures and it seems hardly surprising that teachers would demand some changes to Emanuel’s

plans.The worst part of this circus is that

teachers would not be the only ones to fall victim to municipal penny-pinching; students would be forced

to commute longer and study in more crowded classrooms if these plans go through.

Meanwhile their teachers, now paid on commission, would be forced to emphasize mind-numbing test materials guaranteed to make any student lose interest in learning for its own sake. Not only would quality suffer, but so would motivation.

At a time when budgets are shrinking for education, politicians are turning to the flawed quantification of success measured by a numerical score. When they’re not too busy calling teachers lazy and entitled, that is. Using the grades the students earned on the SAT, STAR or some other clever acronym, politicians like Emanuel can handily categorize the performance of educators. These teachers become the scapegoats for lackluster results. This is the same as refusing to give firefighters water, then blaming them when a building burns down and calling them lazy.

Although the war of attrition between the CTU and Mayor Emanuel

took on an air of personal insult, especially following the mayor’s request for an injunction against the strikers on the grounds that their walkout was illegal, it was only one of many struggles over public education budgets.

With cuts in state funding causing tuitions at public universities to creep ever higher, choking off more and more students’ access to degrees like kudzu vines, it appears that those in charge of public spending have abandoned education at all levels.

While Mayor Emanuel has couched his recent proposals as a personal crusade for reform, I have to disagree with his word choice. His plans, which allow for adjustments in teachers’ wages and fewer jobs to pay for, would give him room to weasel out of denying funding to other areas of the budget while at the same time avoiding official cuts to education spending.

This is an escape plan, not a crusade and it uses thousands of faculty and students as human shields for light-hearted legislators, their shoulders unburdened with moral principles or accountability to their constituents.

Bertrand Johnson

Contributing Writer

Chicago educational legislation an escape routenew educational plan a sly dodge around budget cuts

The first presidential debate of 2012 between President Barack Obama and the Republican challenger Governor Mitt Romney was held on Wednesday evening and to everyone’s shock the wealthy Mormon businessman ended up looking like the wise professor.

From the starting bell through the five rounds of debate the president struggled to give clear, concise and confident responses to Romney’s attacks, questions and proposals, let alone the highly intelligent responses delivered with unrivaled charisma we all grew accustomed to in 2008.

In 2008, then one-time Senator Barack Obama ran a campaign on transparency, peace, fiscal responsibility and an open book policy. He wasn’t afraid to jump on Vice President Candidate Sarah Palin for her statement, “Drill Baby Drill,” but he didn’t make a peep on Wednesday when the governor mentioned his plan

to develop the Keystone Pipeline to run through the heart of America. The debate wasn’t about the environment, but when Romney says he plans to get us energy independent and turn the economy around by creating jobs with the Keystone Pipeline, Obama could’ve easily pointed out some basic scientific research proving that would be a bad idea. He could’ve used climate change to magnify the difference between the two parties many Americans currently fail to see.

Time and again Obama failed to stare down corporate America and stick up for the environment. Romney’s plan excluded investment in clean energy; Obama said nothing. When Romney went over the top by criticizing Obama for his investments in Solyndra and other renewable energy companies, Obama stared at his shoes and didn’t make a peep about the new energy success stories.

Obama could’ve pointed out that the five too-big-to-fail banks were bailed with Romney’s blessing and that the Federal Reserve works outside of his authority, meaning that it will bail itself out regardless of what anyone says, including Romney. Obama could have backed his Fed Chairman and made the argument for continued bailouts. If he was interested in being my president, he might have tried to convince me that Romney’s idea of allowing these corporations to fail would be a bad thing.

Debates have proven to have a minimal effect on the outcome of elections and historically the challenger usually wins the first debate, but if Obama doesn’t stop playing defense and start leveling with us, he’s got a real shot at losing the presidency to an admitted plutocrat.


15

Cartoon by Deborah San AnGELO

Deborah San Angelo

Staff Writer

featuresOPINION

Student on the Street

Which Bay Area Baseball team will go farther in the 2012 postseason: The Oakland A’s or the San Francisco Giants

and why?

“Giants. I have always been a fan so I am going to root for them.”

Danny Mcrae

Deshawn Eure

“I am just a die-hard A’s fan and I think their hitting and pitching is exactly where it needs to be right now.”

1

23

4

5 6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

22

22

22

22

27

19

DREAM TEAM

Nina Mendia Jillian Mahon Herman Valencia

Mikey Rodriguez Rosa Ayala Michelle Kelley

“A’s because they are better than the Giants.”

“Neither, the Yankees are going to take it.”

“A’s will go further, because they appear to be the more consistent team.”

“The Giants because they are a better team right now.”

“I follow what my sister follows, so the Giants.”

“I think A’s, just because.”

Sports Boredom

It’s Sunday afternoon and I hear the sound of a game going on behind me. It’s like a foreign language. But I’m not in a foreign country, I’m safe at home with friends. Some of them are in the living room, watching a football game, getting excited and talking jargon. What am I missing?

If I understood football, I might be okay, but nothing can make me understand why some people care so much about it. They’re zealous, devoted and I don’t even want to put in the effort to learn the game. The rules seem complicated, but I like the uniforms. I enjoy watching the players knock each other around, especially in the mud on a rainy day.

Some of us were born without the sports gene. We walk around at Super Bowl parties with blank looks on our faces. We watch passion pour out from the fans like sweat does from the players. We’re sure there’s something we’re missing.

I can see how invigorating it is to root for your team and see them win. It’s having something you believe in and stand for. But for me, it’s background noise. I don’t understand why sports have the impact they do. It’s watching the movements of a ball. Billions of screaming people watch a ball get thrown, caught and kicked.

Somehow, I’m able to maintain my composure through this. Then I’m bored. I wonder if it’s boredom that makes baseball players just stand around, scratch their balls and spit.

It’s not that I dislike sports, but I have a hard time watching them. Where’s all the war-like fervor coming from? There’s something very primal about a sport, like survival of the fittest. There’s a camaraderie built in a team sport and self-reliance in an individual sport. Mental and physical toughness take root as members of a team become invested in one another. It makes them take charge of themselves as individuals, knowing that it will strengthen the team.

Occasionally, I’ll watch soccer. Maybe even the whole game if it’s aired in Italian, a language I’m trying to learn. It’s easy to understand what’s happening on the field and there’s always action. But if I had to root for a team, I’d have to go with the team with the most attractive uniforms.

In high school, I faked my enthusiasm at football games. Faking enthusiasm is exhausting. If I was a cheerleader, I would have died of acute fatigue.

Most players say they’re in it more for the fun than the victory and I believe them. Athletes are fortunate to love playing a sport. But what about the rest of us nerds, geeks, artsy types and assorted athletic flunkies? Are we missing out?

The rest of us have to find alternative ways to achieve similar results. There are many ways to be part of a team. Besides developing a positive body image and self-esteem, athletes get comfortable with the idea of winning and losing. So, when those highs and lows in life occur, they’re not so unnerved by them.

People who love sports seem happy. At least it looks that way to me. Although I’m not paying much attention to the game in the living room, loud happiness particles are being generated around me.

There’s a positive buzz in the room with lively eruptions. A sport is a social event: the noise, drinks, random food and laughter and, finally, there’s no substitute for hanging out with friends.

16

*FREE Reproductive Health Care for Students!

3317 Chanate Road Suite 2CSanta Rosa, CA 95404

707.537.1171

Pregnancy Tests, All Birth Control Options,

HIV Testing, Annual Exams, Emergency Contraception,

Men’s Services, Breast and Cervical Cancer Screenings,

STI Testing/Treatment and Much More!

*Call to see if you qualify

Drop-in or make an Appointment Today!

www.cawhs.org

Caring counselors available to answer all your questions.

Women’sHealthSpecialists

FREEBirth

Control

to learn more!

scan barcode

K e n w o o d P r e s s • P h o n e 7 0 7 - 8 3 3 - 5 1 5 5 • F a x 7 0 7 - 8 3 3 - 5 1 7 5

Please proof carefully, especially contact information (telephone, fax, email, website, address, etc.)Thank you for your business!

Vote for an experienced educator

re-electalex Bantis

for Board MemberSonoma county office of education, area 1

experienceteacher, program coordinator, Guidance counselor,

School Board Member, advocate for Youth

The Oak Leaf Newspaper, Issue 3: Oct. 8, 2012

Documents

Transcript of The Oak Leaf Newspaper, Issue 3: Oct. 8, 2012