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Student suspendedfor Oppenheimer incident

Two aggressors and three vic-

tims were involved in a Sept. 26

verbal altercation at Oppenheimer

Academic Center, Dr. Robert Vela,

vice president of academic and

student success, confirmed Oct.

25.

Ultimately, one aggressor faced

probation and the other was sus-

pended, Vela said.

“It just seemed bigger than it

was because it was a mob of peo-

ple,” he said.

The Ranger reported Sept.

26 that four to 15 students were

involved in the incident on the first

floor of the building that required

the attention of about 10 Alamo

College police officers, including

Chief Don Adams.

Vela said the student who was

suspended was already on proba-

tion for threatening a student a few

days before the altercation.

“It wasn’t just a one-time

thing,” he said.

Vela would not specify details

on the altercation, and The Ranger

has not yet received a copy of the

police report.

Faith Duarte

By ALMA LINDA MANZANARESamanzanares6@student.alamo.edu

Students can download MyAlamo,

a free mobile app that includes a

directory, emergency contact infor-

mation and news feeds, off the App

Store for iOS operating system and

Google Play for Android operating

system.

Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancel-

lor for planning, performance and

information systems,

reported to district

trustees at Tuesday’s

regular monthly meet-

ing that Phase 1 of

MyAlamo is complete;

however, the app is

not available on the

Blackberry AppWorld

because Blackberry is

the “minority of the

market.”

“If you have a

Blackberry, I encour-

age you to trade that

in for an Android or an

iPhone,” Cleary said.

Phase 1 of MyAlamo features a

directory of faculty, staff and students;

a detailed course directory with times

and locations; college catalogs; feeds

with district news ; video feeds; emer-

gency contact information; links to

the college’s websites; and links to the

district’s Facebook and Twitter.

Cleary said the district partnered

with Blackboard, the company that

created the learning management

system the district has adopted, to

create the app at a cost of $66,000.

“We think this will payoff 100

times over,” he said.

Cleary said in spring 2011, infor-

mation technology services surveyed

1,638 students representing the five

colleges.

He said 78 percent of students who

responded owned a mobile device

capable of mobile

apps. “I’d imagine

that number is closer

to 90 percent today,”

Cleary said.

He said MyAlamo

is part of the BYOD,

bring your own

device, which lever-

ages the technology

that students already

have. MyAlamo

brings applications

and processes to stu-

dents on their devic-

es, he said.

Cleary said 48 per-

cent of students surveyed wanted a

course catalog available on the app;

45 percent wanted college and office

operating hours; 48 percent wanted

announcements; 39 percent wanted

a directory; and 42 percent wanted

news and events. “So we’ve done it,”

he said. “It gets us out of the hardware

business and into the software and

delivery business.”

Cleary said Phase 2 of MyAlamo,

which he hopes to implement by the

end of the spring semester, includes

access to secure information and

services including a student’s class

schedule, registration, financial aid

information, academic progress

information, course instruction,

grades and transcript information.

He said the generation coming

into college is a mobile generation

that grew up with interacting, com-

municating and doing business

through the Internet and mobile

devices.

“These devices go with them so

they’ll never not know information

that they need to know,” Cleary said.

He said a cost has not been deter-

mined for Phase 2 because he is not

sure if the district will need to engage

another vendor.

“I’d love to have students see their

grades at the end of the spring term

and be able to start registering online

through their mobile apps, and pay

and look at transcripts and courses

for the summer term,” he said. “I want

all the students to be online rather

than in line.”

Possibilities for a Phase 3 of

MyAlamo are limitless, Cleary said.

For example, Cleary said if there

is a laundry facility at the Tobin Lofts,

a public-private partnership at this

college that has a residential develop-

ment for students, faculty and staff,

an app could be made to tell students

when a machine is not being used.

He said parking could also be

monitored using an app to tell stu-

dents where an available parking spot

is located.

“It’s endless with this,” Cleary said.

By FAITH DUARTEfduarte3@student.alamo.edu

Piper Professor nominee Hoan Duong received

an employment letter Oct. 29 to allow him to contin-

ue teaching in the U.S., the president of this college’s

chapter of the American Association of University

Professors announced during the citizens-to-be-

heard portion of Tuesday’s board meeting.

“His ability to remain teaching at SAC for the

next few years will ensure that our math depart-

ment can continue its tradition of engaging and

preparing students for graduation and

successful transfer to four-year colleges,”

Librarian Celita DeArmond said during

the presentation.

The delay in getting the letter signed

by a district official had attracted the

attention of Faculty Senate, the AAUP

chapter and the San Antonio College

Faculty Legal Action Association, which

had planned to speak to the board on

Duong’s behalf.

The letter is required for the Canadian citizen

to maintain a Trade NAFTA visa, a special status for

professionals that allows Canadian and Mexican

citizens to live in the United States. Without this

verification, his employment for the spring would

have been in jeopardy.

Duong, who has taught in the math department

since 1998, requested a letter in September and said

he learned in early October that although it was

submitted to the district by college President Robert

Zeigler, a district representative had not signed it.

Duong said it seemed as if the district was stalling.

The college AAUP chapter, faculty legal asso-

ciation and the college’s Faculty Senate became

involved after hearing about Duong’s situation from

math Professor Gerald Busald Oct. 3 in a closed

meeting of Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate created a resolution dated Oct.

22 in support of Duong, who is one of four nomi-

nees for Piper Professor from this college. The

nominee chosen by peers to represent this college

will compete statewide for one of 10 $5,000 awards

for teaching excellence.

According to the resolution, the district has

no policy regarding the employment of

noncitizens.

Busald, vice president of the Faculty

Legal Action Association, said Thursday

the organization was prepared to provide

legal support for Duong if the situation

was not resolved before the board meet-

ing. “We were prepared to have our attor-

ney at the meeting, so we were prepared

if it came down to a battle,” he said.

DeArmond said an email describing Duong’s

situation was sent Oct. 28 to the Alamo Colleges

board of trustees and Zeigler.

“Let’s just say movement happened all of a sud-

den,” she said after the presentation.

“I think there was some kind of confusion as

to what kind of visa he needed to be on,” she said

after the presentation. “It just seemed there wasn’t

enough effort to understand the situation before

the big ‘no’ happened.”

Linda Boyer-Owens, associate vice chancellor of

human resources, declined to comment Thursday

on reasons for the delay but said she signed the let-

ter of employment Duong received Oct. 29.

“We’re pleased that it worked out the way it did,

and we’re pleased that everybody is pleased,” she

told The Ranger Thursday.

About 10 faculty members, including Busald,

and one student stood with DeArmond during the

presentation to show support for the professor.

“He (Duong) has a high level of involvement

within our academic community, is an excellent

professor, and is well-respected by his students and

colleagues,” DeArmond said during the meeting.

Math Chair Said Fariabi said Duong is an asset

to the department that has seen its full-time fac-

ulty decline in recent years from a high of 62 to 31

this semester. “I’m so happy that we could have

him in the department because he’s been helping

the department and the students in any way he

can,” Fariabi said Wednesday. Duong teaches math

and computer science courses, which “makes him

unique in that sense,” Fariabi said.

This semester, Duong teaches MATH 0303,

Intermediate Algebra; MATH 1314, College Algebra;

MATH 2413, Calculus 1; MATH 2314, Calculus

2; MATH 2318, Linear Algebra; and COSC 1315,

Fundamentals of Programming.

Fariabi said the district would have given Duong

until the end of the semester to submit a letter of

employment and would have allowed him to teach

for the remainder of the semester. “We had a plan

to assign his (spring 2013) classes to somebody

else, but I’m glad it didn’t go that far,” Fariabi said.

Duong did not attend the board meeting

because he was teaching his 6 p.m. Calculus 2 class.

“They said from now on there would be no

problems, and I hope this is (just) a misunder-

standing,” Duong said Wednesday.

Officials delay letter of employment

District launches mobile appMyAlamo features a directory, catalog and emergency information.

Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancellor for planning, performance, and information systems, presents MyAlamo, the district’s new mobile phone app, to the board of trustees during a regular board meeting Tuesday. David Torres

MyAlamo, the district’s app for mobile phones Riley Stephens

Vol. 87 Issue 7 • Nov. 5, 2012

Spring registration begins Nov. 12

Time-ticketing registration for

spring begins Nov. 12-13 for stu-

dents who have completed 46 or

more hours, Nov. 14 for students

with more than 31 hours, Nov. 15

for students with more than 16

hours and Nov. 16 for students

with more than one credit hour.

Open registration begins Nov. 19.

Registration ends Jan. 11 for

16-week and Flex 1, Jan. 25 for

Start 2 and March 13 for Flex 2.

Classes begin Jan. 22 for

16-week and Flex 1, Feb. 4 for Start

2 and March 25 for Flex 2.

For more information, visit

http://www.alamo.edu/calen-

dars/ or call admissions at 210-

486-0200.

Alma Linda ManzanaresHoan Duong

Single copies free • 210-486-1773 theranger.org Vol. 87 Issue 7 • Nov. 5, 2012

People Nov. 5, 20122 • The Ranger

Education freshman Sierra Solano applies makeup to communications sopho-more Rene Orozco during a Psychology Club and GALA meeting Wednesday in the craft room of Loftin. The clubs hosted a costume party and potluck meal for Halloween instead of their regular meeting. Monica Correa

Students play cards Oct. 19 during an event for Deaf Awareness Week in the basement of Nail. The American Sign Language and interpreter training department sponsors monthly game nights. Sergio Ramirez

www.theranger.org/people

Julio Castillo and his son, Julio Castillo Jr., chat with comic artist Eroll See while he draws his own character, Dead Boll, during Women of Wonder Day Oct. 21 at Heroes and Fantasies Store, 4923 N.W. Loop 410. The event’s proceed-ings go to the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter of San Antonio for Domestic Violence Awarness Month. Gloria Fernandez De Clements

Philosophy sophomore Terrell Stewart takes a survey provided by Maura Callahan, Student Government Association Commissioner and speech communication sophomore, during Sweet Treats Wednesday in the mall. Bags of candy were given as a reward for completing the survey. Vincent Reyna

Crime prevention officer Shane Isbell of campus police registers bicycles of business freshman Julien Rivera and teaching sophomore Levon Minter Oct. 25 in the mall. Registration can help in the recovery of stolen bicycles. Monica Correa

International studies sophomore Matthew Rodriguez plays music using the sound engine from a Game Boy Oct. 29 in tryouts for SAC’s Got Talent in Loftin. The talent show will be 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Vincent Reyna

Voice Instructors Becky Walker and Madeline Elizondo perform during “Twilight Tones,” an annual Halloween fun-draising performance for the music program Oct. 25 in McAllister. The total money raised was $587. David Torres

By REBECCA SALINASrsalinas191@student.alamo.edu

The Alamo Colleges will make the

6.4 percent contribution to the Teacher

Retirement System for adjunct fac-

ulty teaching more than 7.4 semester

hours in the spring.

A TRS rule, announced

by Chancellor Bruce

Leslie on Sept. 26, limited

adjunct teaching hours to

7.4 before both the adjunct

and the district would have

to contribute 6.4 percent of

compensation.

President Robert

Zeigler sent an email

later that day saying three

options are to hire more adjuncts,

keep faculty teaching 7.5 hours or

more with justification or cut classes.

Zeigler said Wednesday that the

district will pay the contribution and

“will not make changes.”

Jerry Townsend, Adjunct Faculty

Council chair and media communica-

tions adjunct, said he was informed

of the decision at Tuesday’s regular

board of trustees meeting.

Townsend planned to speak dur-

ing the citizens-to-be heard section of

the meeting to let trustees know of the

rule’s disadvantages for adjuncts.

Zeigler said the decision was made

about a month ago when Leslie sent

an email to faculty Sept. 26.

There is currently no policy

addressing the rule after the spring

semester, and Zeigler does not know if

there will be one.

Townsend said he wants to get the

message out and “calm people down.”

He said adjuncts who teach a cou-

ple of classes might not always check

their ACES email so they

might not know.

He also said he wants

to “correct the dam-

aged morale” that might

have been caused if

adjuncts were limited to

fewer classes. Previously,

adjuncts could teach up to

12 units.

He said he thinks the

contribution adjuncts will

have to make will connect them to the

college.

“It bonds them to the college

and district by letting them buy in,”

Townsend said.

On the other hand, Zeigler said

some adjuncts are not pleased

because their compensation will be

smaller.

Zeigler said he does not know how

much the contribution made by the

district will cost.

He said if adjuncts’ schedules have

been limited in the spring because of

the rule, the college administration

will address earlier issue.

An earlier decision that limited

adjunct teaching loads was made

because the district had to stay within

budgeted labor costs, Zeigler said.

By CRISTINA CARREONsac-ranger@alamo.edu

Some universities that were

once easier for students to get into

are now getting more competitive.

This was one vital bit of infor-

mation students who asked learned

at the college’s transfer fair Oct. 29

that brought representatives of 38

colleges and universities to Loftin

Student Center.

For instance, the University of

Texas at San Antonio required a

grade-point average of 2.0 for 2012-

2013, but requires a 2.25 GPA for

transfers for 2013-2014. Our Lady

of the Lake University requires a

minimum GPA of 2.0.

Texas A&M International

University at Laredo requires dif-

ferent GPAs for different programs.

Also universities allow their

schools and colleges to determine

the minimum GPA they will accept.

Participants at the transfer fair

included major universities such

as the University of Texas at Austin,

Texas A&M University and Texas

State University-San Marcos; local

institutions such as UTSA, OLLU,

the University of the Incarnate

Word and St. Mary’s University.

Smaller colleges, such as Cottey

College for Women, also participat-

ed. Cottey College is a liberal arts

and sciences institution in Nevada,

Mo., with about 350 students.

College enrollment representa-

tives at the fair encouraged stu-

dents to be aware of which uni-

versities offer the most extensive

programs in their field and what

requirements are necessary for

transfer.

University representatives point-

ed out pitfalls for transfer students

to avoid.

“Some mistakes students make

are not taking enough prerequi-

sites before applying or sending

an incomplete application,” Dora

Turner, recruitment coordinator

and preadmission adviser for the

University of Texas Medical Branch

at Galveston, said. “Also, students

need to meet the minimum GPA

requirement when applying to

transfer.”

Universities such as St. Mary’s

University and UT-Austin have a

flat tuition rate with extra costs

depending on the major.

“If your major requires more

labs, it will cost more in tuition,”

Belinda Celis, regional director for

UT-Austin, said.

Other universities’ tuition is

based on semester hours.

Class sizes vary at UT-Austin,

which has 50,000 enrolled students

but a ratio of 18 students to one

professor. Some colleges don’t have

admissions deadlines.

Schreiner University in Kerrville

offers a “rolling admissions” policy,

which does not have a set deadline

for transfer applicants.

This college’s transfer center on

the first floor of Moody Learning

Center offers degree plans, trans-

fer guides, catalogs and admissions

and scholarship information.

For more information, visit the

transfer center’s website at alamo.

edu./main.aspx?id=5671 or call

210-486-0864.

NewsNov. 5, 2012 The Ranger • 3

District will pay 6.4 percent for retirement for adjuncts

Transfer fair shows need to research

www.theranger.org

Liberal arts sophomore Angela Polendo talks to Cheryl Hollenshead, associate director of transfer admissions at St. Mary’s University. Monica Correa

Jerry Townsend

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By PATRICIA MCGLAMORYsac-ranger@alamo.edu

Distance education classes are becoming a

more popular way to take college courses.

Students can take online classes anywhere,

any time, Usha Venkat, director of information

and communication technologies, said Oct. 29.

“It is also very flexible, in a sense that the

students will be able to complete these assign-

ments and they are not tied to a specific time-

frame,” she said.

Nov. 5-9 is National Distance Learning Week,

and the office of technology services is sponsor-

ing events for students and faculty to see what

this college has to offer with distance learning.

“Right now technology is used in both, our

face-to-face teachers as well as our distance

education teachers,” Venkat said.

Distance education is growing not only for

exclusively online classes, but also for face-to-

face classes being supplemented with online

coursework.

In fall 2010, this college offered 377 Internet

course sections, with an enrollment of 2,911

students.

In fall 2011, the college offered 364 online

course sections, with 3,513 students enrolled.

And this semester shows 373 online course

sections, with 3,859 students enrolled.

This growth shows nearly a 33 percent

increase in online enrollment in the last two

years.

Distance learning options can be enrolling

in an online course, hybrid/blended course,

web-enhanced course, telecourse or an interac-

tive video conferencing course, according to the

distance learning site for this college.

Online courses are 100 percent Internet

delivered. Hybrid/blended courses are face-

to-face classes, meeting on scheduled class

days, combined with online assignments.

Web-enhanced courses are delivered face-to-

face with online assignments. Telecourses are

video-based, but face-to-face meetings may

be required. Interactive video conferencing is

an interactive video and audio conferencing

system used to connect remote classrooms at

scheduled times and locations.

A virtual distance learning panel will be

presented 10 a.m.-10:50 a.m. Wednesday. For

logon access instructions, go to http://alamo.

edu/sac/DistanceLearning.

Psychology Professor Pamela Hill, mortuary

science Professor Francisco E. Solis and librar-

ian Celita DeArmond will compose the panel.

Hill will speak about the Online Learning

Institute and ways teachers can use online open

content to supplement their teaching materials.

Solis will take “another spin” in teaching

face-to-face classes, Venkat said.

He records his face-to-face classes and

makes it available on the Internet.

Venkat uses this example as a form of dis-

tance learning to show that if a student misses

a class because of an emergency or getting tied

up at work, they can still catch up.

DeArmond will speak on humanizing tech-

nology and ways technology can be used to

reach students.

A technology showcase forum and reception

are 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Thursday in Room 120 of the

visual arts center.

A distance learning booth will be in the mall

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday.

For more information, call 210-486-0030 or

go to http://alamo.edu/sac/DistanceLearning.

News Nov. 5, 20124 • The Ranger

Three events scheduled for National Distance Learning Week

By DAVID ESPINOZAsac-ranger@alamo.edu

Student development Professor Suzanna Borawski starts her

class with a game of blackout bingo.

The idea is fairly straightforward: Find a student who’s done

one of several activities listed on the game sheet and fill in their

name on the space. This is done until the whole sheet is filled

out. No one wins or loses, and the class begins a few minutes

later. This may seem like a trivial activity for a college course,

but this is a class that values interaction and helping others to

achieve a mutual goal.

This is SDEV 0370, Foundations for College Learning. This is

one of three courses offered by student development to give stu-

dents skills to be successful in completing a degree plan.

The others are SDEV 0170, College Success, and SDEV 0171,

Strategies for Success. All new Alamo College students are

put into either SDEV 0370 or SDEV 0170, depending on their

Accuplacer scores. Students who need remedial courses are put

into SDEV 0370, a 16-week course. If the student’s SAT scores

are higher, those scores will replace the Accuplacer. The rest of

the students are put into the eight-week SDEV 0170. This course

previously was a two-day eight-hour orientation course.

Students with a GPA below 2.0 for two or more semesters are

required to sign up for SDEV 0171. Transfer students with at least

15 credit hours do not have to take any of these courses.

The student success center, which houses student develop-

ment courses, estimates a total of 3,300 students are enrolled

in student development courses. Borawski starts her lecture

discussing the human brain and how it works. Humans are born

with 100 billion neurons in the brain, Borawski said.

As the five senses take in the world around people, synapses,

or branches called dendrites branch out connecting neurons to

each other, forming a network.

By exercising the brain through repetition, the neural net-

work is strengthened. Eventually, previous problems such as dif-

ficult math problems become easier to solve because the neural

network has been trained to deal with them.

These “branches,” however, must constantly be worked

through repetition or the network will weaken over time.

Borawski also emphasized the importance of prior knowl-

edge to be used as a basis for the neural network to build on a

strong prior knowledge of math becomes the building blocks of

more advanced courses.

The second is quality of processing or how students study

material, and the third is quantity of processing or how frequent-

ly students work the brain over the same material.

The brain naturally retains what is most important to its

owner so students need to believe what they are learning is

important. Cramming information is not advised because it uses

the working memory instead of long-term memory. Working

memory is limited when compared to long term. Exams normal-

ly contain too much material for the working memory to handle.

Self-esteem also plays a crucial role in studying. Work in a

particular subject becomes easier after small successes.

Religious studies freshman Frank Mangeniello, a student in

SDEV 0370, has felt the effects of the course in just a few short

weeks. “I’m putting together ways of studying, repeating prob-

lems over and over. In the past I would cram my studies. The

class is teaching me what works best for me. It’s more than just

learning math. You feel the support,” he said.

Students looking for more information, can visit the student

success center or call 210-486-0370.

Student development classes train the brain to learn

Student development Professor Suzanna Borawski tells students they will have a class party after a test Oct. 18, during her SDEV 0370, Foundations for College Learning, class in the student success center. Riley Stephens

www.theranger.org

3%of all services are abortion services 105% increase in male clients

from 2000 to 2010.

34%of all health services are contraceptive.

3/4 of clients receive services

to prevent unintended pregnancies.

6 million+activists, supporters, and donors.

76%of clients at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.

900,000 clients served by Planned Parenthood-supported partners in 10 developing countries.

8 in 1

0 clients are age 20 and older.

96 years providing women, men,and young people

with the education, information,and services needed to make responsible choices about sex and reproduction.

584,000of unintended pregnancies averted by contraceptive services each year.

estim

ated

num

ber

By LUCIA ESPINOsac-ranger@alamo.edu

During the Clothesline Project,

the Non-Traditional Student Club

raised awareness for domestic vio-

lence by sharing their experience as

victims.

Roxana Avendano, American

Sign Language sophomore and club

president, and business sophomore

Angela Polendo, shared their experi-

ences as victims of domestic violence

in interviews Oct. 10.

“I didn’t want my son to be like his

dad, and I definitely didn’t want my

daughter to be like me,” Avendano

said.

During one of the times she was

being abused, Avendano realized her

children were more likely to fall into a

similar situation.

She said the thought was all she

needed to stop the abuse and act

against her husband.

“That day, for the first time, I

fought back,” Avendano said. “I

called 911. When I was talking to the

operator he grabbed the phone line

cables and ripped them off the wall.”

The operator was able to trace

the call and police officers were dis-

patched to the residence.

Her husband was arrested and

charged with assault, along with

obstruction of a 911 call, Avendano

said.

Avendano said she had separated

from her husband twice before but

decided to give him another chance

hoping he would change, and then

they could finally be the happy family

they were pretending to be.

“The first day back at home, he

was lovely and kind, but the next day

the abuse continued. I tried marriage

counseling and help from church,

but nothing worked,” Avendano said.

After years of trying to help her

husband change, Avendano said she

realized the abuse would not stop if

her husband did not want it to.

She said at the beginning of the

abuse, she thought it was normal

and nothing else but a way of life, the

same thought Polendo had.

Polendo said ever since she was 8

years old, she was afraid to wake up

and find her mom dead from abuse.

She said she was well aware of the

abuse her mother and other women

in her family went through, which

was why she thought abuse was nor-

mal.

Her mother was the first in her

family to break the cycle of domestic

violence, and after that, everyone in

her family decided to follow her foot-

steps, Polendo said.

“Her strength finally broke the

cycle for my family,” Polendo said.

During the time she was trying

to help her mom get out of domestic

violence, Polendo said, “I realized I

was a verbal abuser myself.”

“The victims are not just the ones

getting abused, but also everyone

around them,” Polendo said.

After 25 years of domestic vio-

lence, she was diagnosed with major

depression, generalized anxiety dis-

order and post-traumatic stress dis-

order, Polendo said.

Avendano’s and Polendo’s experi-

ences were reflected in some mes-

sages written on white shirts Oct. 22.

in the mall.

The project is called the

Clothesline Project, and it allows par-

ticipants to write encouraging mes-

sages for and in memory of domestic

violence victims.

“Love should not hurt,” “After the

first strike … act,” “Domestic violence

hurts everyone” and “Be strong” were

among the messages written by stu-

dents.

Club members gave information

about where to get help and how

to help others who might be going

through domestic violence.

The office of student life provid-

ed small gift bags with candies and

chocolates, along with a domestic

violence awareness button for every-

one who designed a shirt.

All 26 shirts created, along with

some from previous years, were hung

on a clothesline and walked by stu-

dents and staff from the empower-

ment center to Loftin Student Center

Oct. 23.

“The violence stops here” and

“Say no to domestic violence,” were

shouted along the way.

This year, the club is also sponsor-

ing a Hopeline for the first time.

The Hopeline is a project created

by Verizon Wireless, where anyone

can donate old cell phones to give

to domestic violence victims, said

Melissa Flores Valencia, a Seguir

Adelante counselor.

This cell phone drive is to pro-

mote safety, security and freedom

for victims, according to the Verizon

Wireless website.

Cell phones can be dropped off at

the empowerment center, Room 312

of the nursing and allied health com-

plex, Room 214 of the early child-

hood studies building or Room 150

of Loftin Student Center until Nov. 9.

Polendo and Avendano said they

want others to know that abuse

should not happen at all and even if

it is just verbal, it is still abuse.

“I want other women to know

there is life outside of domestic vio-

lence,” Avendano said.

“It ends with you,” Polendo said.

For more information call the

empowerment center at 210-486-

0455 or visit the center on 703 Howard

St. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

By EDGAR GARCIAsac-ranger@alamo.edu

Professor Tom Willome in the

visual arts program said this year

he selected a total of 65 pieces of

digital art produced by students

for an exhibit in the visual arts

center.

This is the first time he and

the fine arts faculty decided to

focus on digital art, he said.

“Students like to see their

work being exhibited, and we

are also sharing them on our

Facebook page, which is getting

around 700 organic looks (per

post) from the public, he said.

Willome explained the art-

work in the gallery has been

produced by students who have

taken ARTS 2348, Digital Art 1,

and ARTS 2349, Digital Art 2, in

the past three years as well as

students who are currently tak-

ing the courses.

The exhibit showcases a vari-

ety of colors, patterns and tex-

tures.

“On an annual basis, we

select the best work that we

accumulate from our students,”

Willome said.

After receiving nearly 1,000

entries, Willome selected his top

65 art pieces.

“I eliminated any work that

has been exhibited before … I

made my selection based on

quality and picked pieces that

complement each other as a

whole,” he explained.

The artwork will be on dis-

play on the first and second

floors of the center, which is

open to the public 7 a.m.-7:30

p.m. weekdays until Dec. 12.

For more information, call

Willome at 210-486-1043.

NewsNov. 5, 2012 The Ranger • 5

Students share experiences to spread awareness

Digital art students showcase works

By EDGAR GARCIAsac-ranger@alamo.edu

Education sophomore Kathryn

Ramirez is proud of her victory in the

annual president’s holiday card design

contest.

Ramirez described the moment she

received a call from project coordinator

Robin Collett Oct. 7 as a shocking experi-

ence for which she has still not recovered.

“My eyes turned so big, and my mouth

dropped to the floor,” Ramirez said Oct. 26

in a telephone interview.

The winner of the $500 scholarship

said she decided to create four cards for

the contest, but she had a feeling that one,

which included three snowmen on the

cover, was her strongest entry.

“I had to go back and redo my card

because the original version wasn’t accept-

able because I had the snowmen reading

The Ranger, which I was told had nothing

to do with the contest,” Ramirez said.

The winner edited the card by remov-

ing the newspaper out of the hands of the

snowmen and instead drew books in their

hands.

“I decided to put snowmen on the

cover to make it seem like students read-

ing,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez described the experience as “a

little stressful, but overall worth the stress.”

“Three days before the deadline, a stu-

dent in one of my classes told me about

the contest,” Ramirez explained.

The winner also will be introduced at

the president’s holiday gathering on Dec.

7, where she will receive a scholarship

from President Robert Zeigler.

“I am very excited about meeting the

president,” Ramirez said.

“And the money, I will use it for my next

semester in spring.”

The contest was judged by Zeigler; Dr.

Robert Vela, vice president of academ-

ic and student success; and Vanessa C.

Torres, public relations officer.

Collett said that among the 12 entries,

Ramirez and another student were the

only ones who submitted hand-drawn

cards.

“The judges liked her entry because it

was very different from the ones we have

had in the past years,” Collett said.

Student wins $500 scholarship

“It ends with me” was the theme for this year’s clothes-line project.

Holiday card design was redrawn to remove The Ranger.65 pieces are exhibited in visual arts center.

Non-Traditional Student Club members join for a clothesline walk for Domestic Violence Awareness Month Oct. 23 north of Oppenheimer. Club members walked from the empowerment center to Loftin. Sergio Ramirez

www.theranger.org

Places 9 by Inessa Bicknell

Nov. 5, 20126 • The Ranger Editorial

Your last chance to vote is from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday on Election Day.

Research who and what will be on the ballot and find the location of your precinct.

Positions on the ballot include U.S. and state senators and representatives, judges, constables, school district trustees, and, of

course, the president and vice president.San Antonio voters also will

decide whether to approve a sales tax increase that will fund Pre-K 4 SA, a program that would provide education for local 4-year-olds by serving 22,400 children over eight years.

Let your voice be heard.

Make sure to vote

Watch accessibility

Pre-K nod obvious

President Robert Zeigler reorganized the college administration by returning to a vice president model that combines two positions into one.

Dr. Robert Vela, formerly vice president of student affairs, was named vice president of academic and student success Oct. 23.

The combined vice president position was in effect from 1995–2009, when Dr. Jessica Howard was hired as executive vice president but agreed to become vice president of aca-demic affairs and Vela was promoted from dean to vice president of student affairs.

Vela assumed the academic vice presi-dent’s duties temporarily in addition to his regular duties when Howard left June 29 to become president of Portland Community College’s Southeast Campus.

With about 26,000 students enrolled, this college has the largest population among

the five colleges in the district and one of the leanest executive teams.

Zeigler said Oct. 23 that the college exec-utive team recommended the combined model because they believe it would help them function more effectively as a team.

He said it also would avoid confusion because academic and student issues are merging and often overlap.

Initiatives to improve student academic performance, such as MyMap, involve both student affairs and academic affairs.

So Zeigler’s reasoning makes sense.But the bottom line is will Vela still have

the time to invest in students with all of his additional responsibilities?

Zeigler said he plans a review in six months.We hope Vela will be able to continue mak-

ing time for students while juggling so many duties.

One week before the Nov. 6 general elec-tion and after much deliberation, the Alamo Colleges board of trustees finally passed a resolution supporting prekindergarten edu-cation, an issue some people would have already considered a given.

The resolution steers clear of endorsing Major Julian Castro’s Pre-K 4 SA initiative, an issue that bounced between a commit-tee and the board until outside legal counsel watered down the wording.

The initiative, which would require a one-eighth of a cent sales tax increase, strives to improve prekindergarten education for local 4-year olds.

Lawyer money spent on the microscopic

edit of the resolution’s wording could have gone to something else.

Though the resolution does not endorse the initiative, events throughout the district show otherwise.

The mayor spoke at a press conference for the initiative Sept. 21 a the early childhood center and hosted forums Oct. 16 at Palo Alto and Oct. 26 at this college.

Two prominent district administrators — Dr. Adena Loston, president of St. Philip’s College and former PAC President Ana “Cha” Guzman — were part of the task force that created the initiative.

Why bother spending time and money on a resolution that confirms the obvious?

Juan Carlos Campos

www.theranger.org/opinion

©2012 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-4299. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.The Ranger news outlets, which serve the Alamo Community College District, are laboratory projects of journalism class-es in the Department of Media Communications at San Antonio College. The Ranger is published Mondays except during summer, holidays and examinations.The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger.org.News contributions accepted by telephone (210-486-1773), by fax (210-486-9292), by email (sac-rang-er@alamo.edu) or at the editorial office (Room 212 of Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available upon request by phone (210-486-1765) or as a download at www.therang-er.org.The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Community College Journalism Association.

Guest Viewpoints: Faculty, staff, students and com-munity members are welcome to contribute guest viewpoints of up to 450 words.Writers should focus on campus or current events in a critical, per-suasive or interpretative style. All viewpoints must be published with a photo portrait of the writer.

Letters Policy: The Ranger invites readers to share views by writing letters to the editor. Space limitations force the paper to limit letters to two double-spaced, typewritten pages. Letters will be edited for spelling, style, grammar, libel and length. Editors reserve the right to deny publication of any letter. Letters should be mailed to The Ranger, Department of Media Communications, San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-4299.Letters also may be brought to the newspaper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student Center, emailed to sac-ranger@alamo.edu or faxed to 210-486-9292.Letters must be signed and must include the printed name and tele-phone number. Students should include classification, major, cam-pus and Banner ID. Employees should include title and telephone number. For more information, call 210-486-1773.Single Copy Policy: Members of the Alamo Community College District community are permitted one free copy per issue because of high production costs.Where available, additional cop-ies may be purchased with prior approval for 50 cents each by con-tacting The Ranger business office. Newspaper theft is a crime. Those who violate the single- copy rule may be subject to civil and crimi-nal prosecution and subject to college discipline.

Editor Alma Linda Manzanares

Managing EditorRebecca Salinas

Calendar EditorJennifer Coronado

Photo EditorRiley Stephens

Photographers Monica Correa, Vincent Reyna

Photo TeamGloria Fernandez De ClementsJovan Ibarra, Sergio Ramirez, David Torres, Carolina Vela

Multimedia EditorIngrid Wilgen

Illustrator

Juan Carlos Campos

Production ManagerMandy Derfler

Production AssistantJason Hogan

Staff WritersCristina Carreon, Jennifer Charo

Angelo Thomas Dixon, Chelsea Driskell Lucia Espino, David Espinoza, Carlos Ferrand

Edgar Garcia, Kirk Hanes, Jennifer Luna, Beau McCarter, Patricia McGlamory

Adam Meza, Ivie Okungbowa, Osita Omesiete Diana Palomo, Felipe Perez Jr.

Janeka Porter, Christina Quintanilla, Amanda Rios Paula Christine Schuler, Nicole West

Web Editor Faith Duarte

CirculationDawn Mayen

For more information, call

210-335-8683 or visit elections.bexar.org.

By NICOLE A. WESTsac-ranger@alamo.edu

Nancy G. Brinker made a promise to

her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she

would do everything to end breast can-

cer, Samantha Huizar, program coor-

dinator for the San Antonio Susan G.

Komen for the Cure foundation, said

Monday in Loftin Student Center.

In 1982, Susan G. Komen for the

Cure was launched as a global breast

cancer movement.

The office of student life invited

Huizar to speak on “Join the Promise:

Imagine Life Without Breast Cancer.”

Six students attended the presentation

in the health promotions office.

The San Antonio affiliate started in

1997 with six women who shared a

vision for local breast health, Huizar

said.

The six women had breast cancer,

and only three survived. They were ded-

icated to the memory of their friend,

Karen Wood, who died from breast can-

cer.

In 1998, San Antonio had its first

Komen Race for the Cure, which raised

$35,000 for research.

The 15th annual Race for the Cure

on May 12 had 24,000 participants

including 13,000 survivors and raised

more than $1 million, Huizar said. The

next local race is April 6.

According to the Susan G. Komen

for the Cure San Antonio website, 75

percent of the funds support local non-

profit programs that provide breast

cancer screening, treatment and edu-

cation about the disease.

The remaining 25 percent goes to

the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grants

program for research and scientific pro-

grams around the world.

When someone goes through breast

cancer, family and friends go through it

as well, Huizar said.

Breast cancer is a disease in which

cells in the breast tissue divide and

grow without normal control, Huizar

said.

“There are 2.6 million breast cancer

survivors in the United States today,”

Huizar said.

In the U.S., about 10 percent of diag-

noses are because of inherit gene muta-

tion, yet 85 percent of diagnoses have

no family history of breast cancer.

She said women and men should:

• Know your risk by researching fam-

ily history.

• Get screened. People should ask

their doctor which screening tests are

right for them.

• Know what is normal to you.

People should know how their breasts

look to them; any changes should be

reported to their doctor.

• Make healthy lifestyle choices,”

such as breast feeding, limiting alco-

hol consumption and maintaining a

healthy weight.

One in eight women will have to

battle breast cancer, Huizar said.

“Remember, men can get breast

cancer, too,” Huizar said.

According to the Susan G. Komen

for the Cure website, 2,190 new cases of

breast cancer will occur in men in 2012

and 410 of those will die.

For more information, visit www.

komensanantonio.org.

HealthNov. 5, 2012 The Ranger • 7

Breast cancer affects loved ones

By CARLOS FERRANDsac-ranger@alamo.edu

Studying and being pre-

pared are two keys to success

in testing. The same is true with

preventing the spread of HIV.

Peer Educators hosted free

HIV testing Oct. 25-26 by Hope

Action Care, a nonprofit com-

munity-based organization.

With a simple swab of the

gums, students were able to get

results in 20 minutes.

More than 45 students were

tested over the two days.

Hope Action Care has test-

ed at this college before, but

the most they tested in a single

day was 10, said program man-

ager Danielle Leal.

“The most we have ever got

in a community college was

32, so it was a really successful

event for SAC,” she said.

Testing is important as the

HIV rate is increasing among

those 18-25 years of age.

“More people are engaging

in higher risk activities and not

knowing what they’re putting

themselves at risk for,” she said.

High-risk activities include

sharing drug needles or having

unprotected sex.

Along with testing, having

an open and honest conversa-

tion with your partner is vital,

Leal said.

“Have the conversation,”

she said.

Students should not be

scared to get tested because

they are nervous about the

results, Leal said.

“Just because there is a posi-

tive test result doesn’t mean it’s

the end of anything. People can

live healthy with HIV, and it

happens all the time,” she said.

Hope Action Care also pro-

vided condoms, lubricants and

information.

“Being protected is the

most important thing … and

right now being unprotected is

the most dangerous thing you

can do for your future,” social

work sophomore Stephanie

Trujillo said.

45 students get HIV tests

Samantha Huizar, program coordinator for Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure, talks about breast cancer prevention and treatment Monday in Loftin. Monica Correa

www.theranger.org

Peer Educators Michael Lozano, radiology sophomore, and Jesus Interiano, music business sopho-more, tell Melissa Padilla, inter-preter training sophomore, that it’s important to get tested for HIV. Alma Linda Manzanares

GoANG.com/TX 1-800-TO-GO-ANGTalk to a recruiter today to learn more.

THIS ROAD TO

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employers value, while receiving generous benefits and wearing

our country’s uniform with pride.

By INGRID WILGENicobham@student.alamo.edu

It almost didn’t happen.

On Oct. 25, the college’s Olympic-style USA

Boxing event was canceled after the suspension

of USA Boxing by the Amateur International

Boxing Association.

Later that day, the suspension was lifted, and

the campus event was rescheduled for 11:30 a.m.

Oct. 26 in the mall.

Then rain poured from the heavens cancel-

ing the event once again. The Olympic-style

event was washed away and replaced by eight

sparring matches in Loftin Student Center, con-

sisting of three one-minute matches.

Because of its size and sogginess, the official

boxing ring could not be moved indoors and

the event lost its sanction, which would allow

boxers to move up in their division. Instead of a

boxing ring, open folding chairs took the place of

roped ring boundaries. Official judges conduct-

ing the sparring did not declare winners or los-

ers. Instead, they raised the arms of both fighters

in victory at the end of each match.

Some students from this college were paired

with their teammates while others fought boxers

from Team Alcoser. Boxing coach Hector Ramos

said the matches allowed student boxers to get

the butterflies out of their system. He said the

forum gave the team an opportunity to demon-

strate their skills and gain

experience.

Ramos said, “Next

time it will be in the ring

with a bigger crowd.”

Nursing sophomore Maria Altamirano

sparred with Team Alcoser boxer Jenelle Leal.

Altamirano said she was a little disappointed

in not being able to box in the sanctioned event.

She said it was a life lesson because things

can change unexpectedly. Altamirano said the

matches were nice because the team was still

able to do something.

Music sophomore

Luis Martinez said the

sparring matches were

more intense than the

bouts in the spring semester because of the

frustration of all the cancellations. He said the

team trained for five intense weeks to prepare

for the event.

Everyone was “bummed out” because ama-

teur boxing had been suspended, Martinez said.

Although the ban was lifted Oct. 25, the

weather took away any chance to hold the sanc-

tioned event Oct. 26. “We just wanted to fight,”

Martinez said. “We gave it our best today.”

Student activities specialist Carrie Hernandez

said the next Olympic style boxing event will be

in the spring.

Sports Nov. 5, 20128 • The Ranger

Rain allows fists to fly in the Fiesta RoomSparring matches reflected the frustration of student boxers over event cancellation.

Liberal arts freshman Sean-Robert Engleka dodges a punch from criminal justice sophomore Kevin Orozco during a sparring match Oct. 26 in Loftin.

www.theranger.org

Criminal justice freshman Nadya Cano punches criminal justice freshman Diana Vallejo during a match Oct. 26 in the Fiesta Room. Photos by Monica Correa

Graduates of Texas Community Colleges Receive:

The Online University for Texas.

Learn more at texas.wgu.edu/ranger or call 1.877.214.7011.

Finish to Go Further with WGU TexasOnce you’ve finished your associate’s degree, go further with an accredited, online bachelor’s degree in business, IT, education, or health professions (including nursing) from WGU Texas.

As an online, competency-based, nonprofit university, we offer you the freedom to accelerate your degree based on your skills and knowledge, affordable tuition, and unparalleled flexibility to log in and learn anytime, anywhere your life takes you.

WGUT-SACC-Ranger_Oct2012_10x3625.indd 1 10/3/12 9:13 AM

Welder Eric Garcia and kinesiology sophomore Dustin Southichack set up the boxing ring for the Olympic-style boxing event Oct. 26 in the mall. Thunderstorms rained out the event, which was replaced with indoor sparring matches.

Right, Mercy Preston, emergency health services freshman, punches chemistry sophomore Katherine Bouldin, sending her into the chairs.

View the video at theranger.org.�