District fallsinto ‘basic aid’

College of San Mateo • www.sanmatean.com

San MateanTHE

Volume 176, Number 5 April 16, 2012

Bulldogsvictorious intrack and field

CSM’s Mark Hurley slides into third base during a 5-1 victory, Saturday April 8, over Chabot College at CSM. The victory was the Bulldog’s 12th in a row to improve their record to conference-best 22-7.

Photo by Alexis Madayag of The San Matean

See page 6

Variedreasons foracademicprobation

See page 5

The district has predicted their revenue will pass the state’s limit, placing it into basic aid status for the 2012 to 2013 budget.

When a school district’s funds from the property taxes of its county and student fees exceed the state revenue limits it moves into basic aid status.

If a district is basic aid, it does not have to share in the state education fund deficits.

“We will be basic aid next year,” said Kathy Blackwood, Interim Executive Vice Chancellor. “That’s our interpretation. I’m not sure who will decide though.”

The county council agrees that the district is basic aid, according to Blackwood.

The district, along with San Jose Evergreen and West Kern, will be joining Marin, Maricosta and South Orange counties in being the only districts on basic aid.

Next year, the district projects it will get $98 million from property taxes and student fees. The state

Jeffrey GonzalezThe San Matean

will give a revenue limit of $100 million, but take away $3 million to pay into the deficit factor. This puts the district one million dollars above the state’s budget and into basic aid status.

California legislature is trying to pass a few tax initiatives to increase sales and income taxes, money which would go to the education system.

If the tax initiatives do not pass, California community colleges would have to make a 6.1 percent reduction in their workload, which equals between $260 to $300 mil-lion of the 2012 to 2013 budget.

Since the district will be basic aid, it will not have to take part in the possible $300 million cut to the California community college budget.

Even on basic aid, the district will be running an $8 million deficit.

“We will still have to make cuts; we have to balance the budget,” said Blackwood. “It just won’t be as bad since we don’t have to make the statewide cuts.”

See “Budget” on page 7

Garden removal delayed

District plans to replace a garden with a parking lot were delayed Tuesday when a superior court judge ruled an environmental impact report was needed.

The district claimed that its addendum, a 140 page docu-ment written by environmental scientists, for the 2006 initial construction plan, contains everything an EIR would re-

quire. The judge did not agree, said Bar-

bara Christensen, Director of Com-munity and Government Relations.

The ruling is a preliminary deci-sion by Judge Clifford Cretan of the Redwood City Superior Court.

A new EIR would take a lot time and would be very expensive, said Christensen.The addendum the district used in place of an new EIR cost $20,000. It is possible that the district could reach the same results through an EIR that it reached in its addendum.

“The addendum the district refers to is not adequate enough to be a study of environmental impact,” said Susan Brandt Hawley. “It’s a cursory review compared to a real EIR.”

The on going dispute between the district and a student group trying to prevent the demolition of the CSM garden began last spring.Former CSM student Shawn Kann started the Friends of CSM Garden group to try and stop the demolition of Building 20 and the surrounding garden.

Friends of the CSM Garden took the district to court over the matter in the summer of 2011 and con-tinued the litigation until Cretan’s

recent decision.“They can’t permanently keep us

from tearing the building down,” said Christensen. “All they can do is have us do the EIR.”

EIRs are very different than the addendum provided by the district, according to Brandt Halwey.

The Friends of the CSM Garden argued in court that the district did not follow proper California envi-ronmental laws and procedures.

“The new EIR is not some wishy washy study,” said Hawley.

EIR do not analyze impacts of construction projects, but they also require that alternatives be researched.

If the EIR states that there are feasible alternatives to tearing down environmental landscapes, the district is legally bound to choose the alternative, said Hawley.

The board decided during closed session of the March 28 board of trustees meeting that it will appeal the decision.

Jeffrey GonzalezThe San Matean

See page 6

Students and facultydiscussviral media

Science professor Matt Leddy stands in the garden observing thefoliage. The garden is home to many species of rare plants.

California state universities limit spring admission

The California State University system declared that it is limiting enrollment for the spring 2013 semester March 20, potentially halting transfer for CSM students.

CSUs will only accept a selection of students for the spring semester of 2013. This enrollment restriction which be limited to eight out of 23 CSU campuses.

However, students who complete

the Senate Bill 1440 Associates for Transfer degree will have priority to transfer into the spring semester.

“We will accommodate any transfer student who has an SB 1440 transfer degree to one of the eight campuses if you complete the transfer,” said Erik Fallis, Media Relations Manager for CSUs.

The eight campuses that will potentially accept transfer students are San Francisco State University, Cal State East Bay, Sonoma State University, CSU Channel Islands, Chico State University, Cal State

Fullerton, CSU Los Angeles and CSU San Bernadino.

There has been a 35 percent, or about $1 billion cut to the CSU budget in the current academic year, according to Fallis.

Students who enroll in the CSU system for the spring semester usu-ally total about 16,000.

“If we tried to serve every student with that budget, we would be serv-ing students with less resources,” said Fallis.

Students who are unable to com-plete the SB 1440 transfer degree

will have to look to other options for transfer into the spring 2013 semester.

“I will have to start looking for options out of state,” said student Eddy Top.

The CSM Transfer Center is advising students on how to plan for CSU enrollment changes.

In order to cope with the enroll-ment changes, students can spread out their schedules in order to max out on units.

Looking into other schools be-sides California Sate Universities is

another option said Mike Mitchell, CSM Transfer Center Program Services Coordinator.

Included in those are Univer-sites of California and private univirsites.

SB 1440 is still being integrated at most California Community Colleges.

While still being intergrsted it may not accommodate every major.

“I will be forced to private univer-sities most of which I can’t afford being a working class individual,” said student Nick Vasquez.

Yasmine Mahmoud andCarlos MesquitaThe San Matean

Bulldogs slide to victory vs Chabot

Photo by David Sharpe of The San Matean

BarbaraChristensen

NewsPage 2 • The SAN MATEAN April 16, 2012

Campus Blotter Wednesday, March 7, 8:25 a.m –– Officers responded to call at the San Mateo Athletic club because a man had passed out. The San Mateo Police Department and ambulance were called and responded to the scene.

Thursday, March 8, 12:25 a.m. –– A student injury was reported to Public Safety, and the student was taken to the Health Center on campus.

Thursday, March 15, 11:00 a.m. –– A student reported that her laptop went missing from her backpack.

Friday, March 16, 12:25 p.m. –– A student reported his iPhone was possibly stolen from his backpack in the men’s locker room.

Monday, March 19, 7:00 p.m. –– A student reported that his wallet was lost or possibly stolen.

Wednesday, March 21, 7:30 a.m. –– A student reported an argument between multiple students out near Lot 3.

Thursday, March 22, 7:30 a.m. –– A student reported that his iPhone and wallet were stolen from his back-pack from a locked locker in Building 5.

Monday, March 26, 12:00 p.m. –– A student reported that another student was having a seizure in the Col-lege Center. SMFD and an ambulance responded to the scene.

Thursday, March 29, 5:20 p.m –– A student reported her gold earrings were missing from her jacket pocket. She thought they could have been stolen, but was unsure.

Friday, March 30, 11:59 a.m. –– A San Mateo Athletic Club member had a seizure in Building 5. The San Mateo Police Department and an ambulance were called.

Monday April 9, 11:00 a.m –– A student reported his iPhone was stolen from a table top in Building 18.

This information was provided by Brian Tupper, Chief of CSM Public Safety.

— Ariana AnderbergThe San Matean

CSM aligned with SB 1440

CSM is offering students new programs available for Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees for transfer to CSUs as part of a program requirements for California beginning fall 2012.

The Student Transfer Achieve-ment Reform Act, also known as SB 1440, was signed into legislation Sept. 29, 2010 by California Senator Alex Padilla. This bill has enabled students in these programs to achieve AA-T or AS-T degrees and transfer in junior standing to CSUs.

“With this bill, California aims to meet President Obama’s ambitious goal of increasing the number of students who complete community college, while also dramatically increasing the num-ber of students who will success-fully transfer and earn bachelor’s

Amanda LennonThe San Matean

would have more resources avail-able to help them transfer to a CSU,” said student Dave Brenner, 24.

CSM already has had Math, Communications, and Sociology AA and AS transfers — cited as AA-T or AS-T in CSM’s school catalog — under this program since fall 2011. Administration of justice, geology, kinesiology, psychology and studio arts will be added to CSM curriculum for AA-T and AS-T programs in fall 2012.

“Students with these AA-T are suppose to have some level of prior-ity in the CSU system, so if a student leaves with one of these they are guaranteed a spot at a CSU,” said Marsha Ramezane, CSM Dean of Counseling.

“Associate Degree’s for Transfer, required as of fall 2011 we had to begin to offer these specific de-grees. One of the major intentions for CSM has been to facilitate transfers.”

degrees. I am confident that SB 1440 will play a major role in real-izing President Obama’s goal,” said Senator Padilla, in a press release. “SB 1440 will fundamentally change higher education in California. SB 1440 will better align our higher edu-cation system, saving students time, money and freeing up state resources to serve more students,” he said.

Students receive this degree after completing 60 transferable units that include IGETC or CSU GE Breadth pattern and 18 units in a major area of emphasis. This bill will also prohibit students from repeating courses that are similar to the courses completed as part of the associate degree for transfer at the community col-lege. This will shorten their degree completion time and reduce costs for students, CSUs and community colleges.

“I think it’s great they have these programs at CSM. A major benefit is that a first generation college student

CorreCtion In an article titled “New Trustee Elected” in the March 19 issue of The San Matean, it was incorrectly re-ported that Canada did not have a student trustee nominee last year. The Canada candidate was the runner up to then student trustee Barry Jointer, her name was Hermila Hernandez. She chose not to accept the position after Jointer resigned and Skyline candidate Patiane Gladstone became student trustee for 2011to 2012. The San Matean regrets the errors.

Budget Planning Committee MeetingMonday, April 16, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.Bldg. 10, Room 401

ASCSM Spring Election Candidate RegistrationMarch 20 through April 26, 2012All Day EventBldg. 17, Room 112

Complimentary Cosmetology Services DayFree services offered in CosmetologyWednesday, April 18, 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m.Bldg. 5, Second Floor Lobby

CSM Blood Drive Blood Centers of the PacificWednesday, April 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.DaVinci Lot 3, Bloodmobile

Financial Aid Awareness DayWednesday, April 18, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.College Center Plaza

Veterans Resource Opportunity Center Lecture and Film SeriesTuskegee Airmen: Then and NowThursday, April 19, 1 to 3 p.m.Bldg. 17, Room 112

Do We Need Art? Lecture and art exhibition featuring Professor Mohsen JanatpourFriday, April 20, 7:30 to 9 p.m.Building 3

Electrical Power Systems and InstrumentationProgram OrientationSaturday, April 21, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.Bldg. 5, Room 202

SPORTS

CSM Baseball vs. West Valley CollegeTuesday, April 17, 2:30 p.m.CSM Baseball Field CSM Softball vs. MissionTuesday, April 17, 3:00 p.m.Mission College CSM Swimming –– Coast Conference ChampionshipThursday, April 19, 10 a.m.Bldg.5, Swimming Pool

— Compiled by Kasia PierogCorrespondent for The San Matean

Campus BriefsIf there is an event that readers would like listed in Campus Briefs, please submit it to The San Matean at Bldg. 10, Room 180, or sanmatean@smccd.edu, or call 574-6330. Submissions should be typed neatly.

by Kenneth La

District student trustee elected

The Associated Students of College of San Mateo held a meeting Friday, April 13 at CSM to elect the next student trustee for the district.

Seven members of the student dis-trict council from CSM, Cañada Col-lege and Skyline College, along with the current student trustee, voted to

nominate one candidate after interviewing each of the three.

CSM student senator Bailey Girard, 19 political science major, was nominated. He ran against

Kenneth LaThe San Matean

Cañada student Jay Police Rojas and Patiane Gladstone of Skyline College.

After the nomination, CSM stu-dent president Paige Kupperberg expressed support for Girard.

“I felt he could represent us,” said Kupperberg.

The candidates were required to answer six rigorous questions before the voting took place.

The questions ranged from asking about what the nominee has done in expressing student needs and what strengths they possess for the position.

During the interview, Girard ex-plained his qualifications by stating his future plans, including passing a tax initiative supported by the col-lege board.

“I feel good, I want to make a good impact,” said Girard. “I try to ask people individually, anything I can do to help.”

Girard has been a CSM student for four semesters.

He has been involved with the senate for 3 semesters and has been senator for one year. “I wasn’t sure how the other candidates were involved,” said Girard “I though Patty (Gladstone) would be right there with me.”

The new position will allow Girard to take his standings to the district level.

“I believe because of my age, I represent students that are like me,” said Girard. “The majority of us want to transfer and we are working together.”

Bailey Girard

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NewsApril 16, 2012 The SAN MATEAN • Page 3

At only 19 years of age, former CSM student Megan Ryan set a life-changing goal: to ride her bicycle across the country.

Ryan will start her 3,800 mile trip on May 27. Her starting line will be in Virginia. She will then travel through ten states and end in Oregon.

“I had heard of people running marathons or other things, but never anything as extreme as traveling across the entire country on human power,” said Ryan.

Ryan will ride as part of Bike and Build, a nonprofit organization that puts together cross-country trips to garner attention and raise funds for organized affordable housing.

“Not only are Bike & Build Participants learning to fundraise,

or to work for an extended period training for their trips, but they are also learning how to devote themselves to making a change,” said Ryan.

The nonprofit has donated $3,387,200 dollars to housing groups so far. $605,000 were donated by the nonprofit in the summer of 2011.

Ryan is a former student of the middle college program at CSM and currently attends University of San Francisco as an Environmental Science and Education major. She hopes to be involved in outdoor programs for special needs youth in the future, said Ryan.

One of dangers of her trip will be sharing the road with the cars on the highway travelling at higher speeds. “In 3,800 miles we will be passed by probably a hundred thousand cars and countless other

dangers which could hurt us. We are going to need to put an amount of our safety in the hands of Ameri-cans literally from coast to coast,” said Ryan.

Another challenge she will en-counter on her trip will be at the Trail Ridge Pass, which is located in Colorado at 12,000 ft. of elevation.

One of Ryan’s former CSM middle college classmates, Carlie Jones, 19, said she believes Ryan can take on anything.”Out of all my friends she is the most capable and motivated so I think she will enjoy

herself,” said Jones.Ryan works at USF’s bike repair

stand. This has helped her learn more about her bike in another level. She is also taking a bike maintenance class.

Raising money for her trip has been her biggest challenge in get-ting ready for the Bike and Build journey. Every rider must raise a minimum of $4,500 prior to the departure of their trip. The most helpful thing she has learned so far is talking about her trip to others wherever she goes, said Ryan.

“I try to be involved in as many things as possible in my local bike community so I can meet people who are passionate about cycling and hopefully my trip,” said Ryan.

Manuel OrbegozoThe San Matean

Bike ride takes girl from coast to coastBesides getting “gnarly” leg

muscles, Ryan said she hopes to realize how much difference a per-son can make in the world and how to push herself beyond her limits.

“I am learning how to raise money for a great cause, how to network, and how to monitor my own progress. These are skills which are setting me up for success in anything that I do,” said Ryan.

Visit Ryan’s blog at whyisme-ganpedaling.wordpress.com to get insight about her trip and also instructions on how to donate.

Cañada searches for new president

A selection committee is continu-ing a search for a new president to represent Cañada College after President Thomas Mohr left last spring.

James Keller, an administrator from the district office, stepped in as interim president in July 2011.

Keller has served as executive vice chancellor at the district and has spent more than 35 years work-ing in education.

David Clay, Vice Chair of the Selection Committee, announced on April 10 that the committee needs to remain searching for the right person.

“After a very thorough delib-eration, the committee determined that there was not a strong pool of candidates to recommend for fur-ther interviews and consideration,” said Clay.

Chancellor Ron Galatolo and Vice Chancellor Harry Joel created the search committee and made sure a collective of district administra-tors, Cañada College faculty, staff and students were included on the committee.

The process has been similar to when the presidents were hired at Skyline and CSM.

The college received about 30 resumes from candidates. The screening committee reviewed all the resumes and selected six for in-terviews. One candidate withdrew from consideration and five were interviewed over three days during the spring break. As a result, the committee has determined that the search for a president be extended and the process reopened for further consideration.

District and committee members were contacted regarding the hiring process and asked what criteria was used in determining if an applicant is well suited for the position. Mem-bers declined to comment.

“The problem that the proceed-ings of the hiring committee are to be kept confidential,” said Clay in an email sent to the San Matean.

The committee will reopen the search process and extend the in-terview deadline until August 2012 at which time a further review of candidates will be conducted. They anticipate having a new president by the middle of the fall term. Keller will remain as interim president .

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Megan Ryan is setting off to bike accross the country in order to raise money for charity.Photo illustration by Jeffrey Gonzalez of The San Matean

sports April 16, 2012Page 4 • The SAN MATEAN

CSM track enjoys ‘lucky 13’One certainly will not find any

superstitious members of the CSM track and field team for Friday the thirteenth was anything but unlucky for the Bulldogs on their home track. The day yielded multiple

first place finishes for CSM, with Nikki Ui-kilifi out of Mills High School fin-ishing first in the wom-

en’s shot put with a throw of 40 feet 6 inches and the javelin with a throw of 103 feet 8 inches, and setting a personal high in the discus with a throw of 144 feet 3 inches.

In the men’s throws, CSM dominated the competition first

place finishes in the shot put and the javelin.

Evan McDaniel won the shot put with a throw of 53 feet 5 inches, ahead of teammate and second place finisher Josh Uikilifi (50 feet 11 inches).

Zeke Edward won the men’s javelin with a throw of 164 feet 4 inches, ahead of fellow Bulldog An-thony Capitulo (152 feet 8 inches).

Alejandra Marin finished first in the Women’s 1500 meter with a time of 5:15:87 and Roman Skov-ronski finished first in the men’s 400 meter hurdles with a time of 54.91 seconds, exactly one second short of his personal best.

“I’m happy with first, even if I didn’t run my best time,” said Skovronski, “But there’s always room for improvement.”

Skovronski, Keith Richardson, Damian Ross and Aaron Criswell combined for first place in the men’s

4x100 meter relay.In addition to CSM’s first place finishes, Hamza Fakhri finished second in the men’s 1500 meter run and the men’s 5000 meter run with times of 4:27:40 and 16:22:21 respectively.

In addition to the student-athletes competing, the CSM Lucky 13 track meet attracted olympic gold-medal winning discus thrower, Stephanie Brown Trafton.Brown Trafton’s longest throw of the day was 202 feet 8 inches, almost 15 feet shy of her all time best (set at CSM in 2009), but still good for 1first place in the women’s discus throw.

Joining her as world class women discus throwers to throw at CSM Friday, were Jere Summers, Sum-mer Pierson and UC Berkeley’s Kelechi Onyanwu who finished with throws of 186 feet 6 inches, 186 feet 5 inches and 182 feet 3 inches, respectively.

Brown Trafton, Summers, Pier-

son and Onyanwu are all in the top 20 women’s discus throwers in the United States.

“The wind made it a little dif-ficult, it has to be just right,” said Brown Trafton.

“I know it sounds cliche, but you have to get it and adjust when you don’t.”

In addition to Brown Trafton, other notable track stars to perform at CSM include Travis Williams, OJ Simpson and fellow gold-medal winner Lee Evans.

“Because of the facilities we have, we are able to accommodate (competition)” said CSM Sports and Information Director Fred Baer, “Some of the best interna-tional throwers have come through here since the new facilities have opened.”

Brown Trafton confirmed Baer’s assessments following her perfor-mance Friday.

“It’s a great place to throw,” she said, “On a good day it’s one of the best places to throw in the world”

Brown Trafton also said that the relative proximity of CSM to her home in the Sacramento area was an added bonus.

“This is probably the best within driving distance,” she said, “I love it here.”

Brown Trafton said she plans on returning to CSM for the 2012 USA Track and Field Pacific Association Championship, which will be held memorial day weekend.

Baer, who serves as the Women’s Track and Field Chair of USA Track and Field Pacific Association, cred-its the help of CSM Track and Field head coach Joe Magnon and former CSM head coach Bob Rush for the success of the program.

“I don’t know why it’s all landed it San Mateo,” said Baer, “but it has.”

Shaun CarmodyThe San Matean

From top counter clockwise: Runners compete in the men’s 100 meter dash at the Lucky 13 meet at CSM Friday; Nikki Uikilifi of CSM throws in the women’s discus competition; Alejandra Marin of CSM runs in the women’s 1500 meter; Nico Leidkte throws in the men’s shotput; Runners race in the men’s 4x100 relay; CSM’s Aaron Criswell hands off the baton to teammate Roman Skovronsk in the men’s 4x100 relay; Jere Summer prepares to throw in the women’s discus competition; Olympian Stephanie Brown Trafton throws in the women’s discus competition; Tyrone Jones of Fresno City College competes in the men’s 100 meter hurdles. — Photos by David Sharpe The San Matean

Stephanie Brown Trafton

The SAN MATEAN • Page 5sportsApril 16, 2012

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From top counter clockwise: Runners compete in the men’s 100 meter dash at the Lucky 13 meet at CSM Friday; Nikki Uikilifi of CSM throws in the women’s discus competition; Alejandra Marin of CSM runs in the women’s 1500 meter; Nico Leidkte throws in the men’s shotput; Runners race in the men’s 4x100 relay; CSM’s Aaron Criswell hands off the baton to teammate Roman Skovronsk in the men’s 4x100 relay; Jere Summer prepares to throw in the women’s discus competition; Olympian Stephanie Brown Trafton throws in the women’s discus competition; Tyrone Jones of Fresno City College competes in the men’s 100 meter hurdles. — Photos by David Sharpe The San Matean

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Campus LifeApril 16, 2012 Pages 6 • The SAN MATEAN

Viral media infects campusViral media is everywhere: on

Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and in e-mails from friends. They are those funny cat pictures with cap-tions, videos of Charlie biting his brother’s finger and photos of CSM professors and students..

They are even on TV with a shirtless Terry Crews bellowing about the power of deodorant. It’s called viral media and it’s rapidly growing as a culture.

The idea of viral media can be traced back to Memetic theory. In his book, “The Selfish Gene”, Richard Dawkins created the theory of memes, which are ideas rapidly spread in a culture through word of mouth and other interactions, similar to the spread of a virus.

With the rise of the internet, “memes” have become a standard of pop culture.

It isn’t all just Chuck Testa mak-ing lifelike dead animals and Bear Grylls drinking his own urine, though. Viral media can also be a serious way to make money.

For example, The Gregory Broth-ers have made a fortune making music out of popular viral videos through autotuning. Their song based off of the famous “Double Rainbow” video has over 29 mil-lion views on Youtube and is very popular on Apple’s iTunes store.

And for those who wish to learn more about this type of media, there is knowyourmeme.com, which cat-egorizes and researches examples and the origins of memes.

According to a survey done on campus, students are no strangers to viral media.

Of 100 random people surveyed, 72 percent sid they pay attention to viral media.

In terms of where CSM students are consuming their Viral Media, 39.20 percent said Facebook, 36.36 percent said Youtube, 9.66 percent said Twitter, and 14.77 percent said they found it on other sites.

“It’s got its ups and downs,” said Zorin Carlos on the subject of internet memes.

“Information spreads a lot quicker,” said student Niko Larot.

“Smaller companies who use viral media can be successful and don’t need to put a lot into produc-tion with viral media, which I like.”

Viral media is important to modern culture, said digital media professor Sam Sanchez.

“It opens up a line of communi-cation between strangers,” he said. “So that can’t be bad.” Pie chart showing how students view viral media on the internet

Erasmo MartinezThe San Matean

The beginning of a semester starts and a workload is given to a student. An unpredictable set of problems can present themselves. Work counters studying and a test falls on the next day. A family emer-gency presents itself and homework is disregarded. The semester ends, and a failing grade is earned.

An anonymous student found himself dealing with similar prob-lems that can be thrown in some-one’s direction.

“I was busy and ended up skip-ping class,” he said. “I had work, family and drama. Pretty much life.”

Although a student can run into things out of their control, it does not mean the end of their college education. Dean of Counseling, Marsha Ramezane, works with students to maintain enrollment at CSM. The college is an open access institution, she said.

“You can enroll as long as you have a G.E.D.,” she said. “But to stay enrolled, students need to maintain a 2.0 G.P.A. and complete more than 50 percent of the credits they attempt.”

If a student cannot meet these standards, then they will fall into

academic probation one. With-draws, drops or incomplete are possible gateways to a probation status.Student Dakota Sample, 19, in among students in the first tier of probation. He failed a whole semester and was notified through his WebSMART account. Unable to obtain books and working, he said, caused him to fail. This semester is proving to be another struggle for him.

“I might have to drop a couple of classes,” he said. “If not, all of them.”

After the first probation, a second one can be obtained, then causing the student to have a dismissal sta-tus.Counselors work to assist each student in earning decent grades so they do not lose their enrollment.

“We have workshops for these students,“ said Ramezane. “Often the students are in a hole. They go

through the workshops and meet with a counselor one on one.”

Instead of dropping school after ending up in dismissal status, the anonymous student is now attend-ing these workshops.

In the workshop students are given strategies on staying in high academic standings.

“They provide information on how to get back on track,” the anonymous student said. “I think

it’s working a little bit. It’s a way to get me back.”

The workshops work as a sign to remind students of their choices said Roger Perez-Vaughan, a program services coordinator and teacher for the workshops.

“Most (students) seem generally appreciative of (the workshops),” Perez-Vaughan said. “Not many are aware of the provided help and services.”

Another anonymous student took advantage of help given to him through an academic petition guid-ing him through the steps needed to enroll back into the college. On top of having no job, he was unable to qualify for financial aid. He was not going to class, got dismissal and had to repeat his courses.

“They made me a plan,” he said. “I worked from it and was able to get back.”

A main problem facing these students is time management, said Ramezane.

She explained a student can find themselves in a hole or think col-lege is high school all over again.

There’s also a trend of register-ing for too many classes a student can handle.

“(A student) said my education is not a race: it’s something I need to pace through,” said Ramezane.

In the Mix By Ian Mitchell and Greg Marshall

Infographic by Ryan Patron of The San Matean

Ryan Patron andVicky Diaz

The San Matean

Graphic describing tiers of academic probation. Students go through all three tiers before dismissal.Infographic by Ryan Patron of The San Matean

The journey through academic probation

Campus Life/opiNioN/NewsApril 16, 2012 The SAN MATEAN • Page 7

Continued from Page 1Budget

The state issues requirements that districts must fulfill to serve a certain amount of students each year called Full-Time Equivalent Students.

FTES are state determined amounts of students the state will fund. When on basic aid, the district will not have that number.

“We have to ask what number of students we will serve. What

students will we serve?” said Blackwood.

A community needs a survey to be conducted by the district to determine which courses serve the most community members and should be kept.

Reductions to course sections will also take into account suggestions by the Student Success Task Force, a committee commissioned by the state chancellor to draft recommen-dations to promote student success

in community colleges. Cuts usually call for the input

of department deans as well. “We’ve gone through these exer-cises several times,” said Charlene Frontiera, the dean of the math and science department.

The deans will work together with faculty members and look at enrollment in their departments. They look for the weaknesses in courses and courses that have a history of low enrollment to make

suggestions for reductions.Departments look into a com-

bination of factors that go beyond enrollment rates, said Frontiera.

Some classes for example are prerequisites for higher classes that go towards certain high demand majors such as science oriented majors.

“If we need to tighten our belt, I meet with faculty and we try to strengthen weak courses,” said Frontiera. “ It does happen, sadly,

often since California has hit the skids.”

The district budgeted for mid year cuts in the 2009 to 2010 and 2010 to 2011 years.

The cuts did not happen so the allocated money went to the district reserves, which are now being used to lessen big cuts to the budget. “We’re not rich, but we’re smart,” said Blackwood.

There will be a main revision of the budget released on May 10.

Continued from Page 8Discussion

is taking all the classes to do so.But one of the classes DGME 101: Writing Across the Media is offered at the same time as the newswrit-ing class. If the administration has said that DGME 101 is redundant with newswriting, why does one need to take both to earn a production

certificate?Some of the classes do not transfer to California State Universities or to the University of California system for students’ majors. For example DGME 101 and DGME 102 which are required to receive a certificate through the DGME department, do not transfer in journalism to San Francisco State or San Jose State University.

DGME classes seem completely independent from each other, almost like they are competing. The Program Improvement and Viability report was designed to combine classes and improve enrollment, but it does not seem to be working.If the classes were correlated with each other somehow or combined so that there are fewer discrepan-

cies, The San Matean believes enrollment would improve.The San Matean thinks the DGME department needs to have a meeting of all DGME faculty, some students, and their dean to figure out how to improve enrollment all around. The paper is in the process of organizing this meeting.It is up to the DGME faculty to im-prove their situation, said Carranza.

He is willing to attend a meeting with DGME faculty, but they need to speak up and take action, he said.The San Matean will continue to investigate this issue.The San Matean will continue to publish its newspaper and website under the current Digital Media Program. The latest updates can be found on our website, www.sanmatean.com.

Rising costs hinder studentsFaced with limited financial aid

funds and overwhelming tuition hikes, students who turn to work can find struggle in trying to rec-oncile part-time employment with a full-time course load.

Over a thousand independent and dependent students seek financial aid through the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid each year, according to the CSM Office of Financial Aid. Of those students

hundreds do not receive enough reward money to fully pay for their classes or to pay for their books, supplies and other school related expenses.

The average cost to of living for CSM independent and dependent students is about $14,736, and with the rising costs of living expenses, students that do not receive enough money to fully pay for classes find themselves in difficult situations.

The maximum income that a student can earn a year before a student becomes ineligible is

about $16,425, not including their parents’ annual salary these limits are set by the California Federal Student Aid Department.

Students that used to qualify, but no longer qualify because of their financial status, cannot afford to take in less hours at their jobs and have to cut back in order to continue to afford the rising tuition and cost of living.

“I work as a receptionist at an office and I get paid at the end of every month and I’m in debt from using my credit card, paying for

books and school,” said student Clarissa Calimabas, 19. “I’ve had to give up some things that I’d normally do, I’m a caffeine addict and I love getting coffee. I can’t have it everyday, so I have to get it every week and shopping I definitely have to give up in order to pay for school.”

Other students that have to pay expenses other than school related cost have to take money from their tight checks to pay for supplies.

“If I want to (continue to go to school) I have to work,” said student

Jose Miranda, 19. “But the money I usually get (from FAFSA) would go to my mom.”

Although the overall cost of liv-ing continues to rise, the amount of financial aid funds allotted to students has yet to meet the needs of these people.

“Financial aid is here to help students attend classes so if cost are rising, then it would be nice if financial aid could continue to provide the same amount of help,” said Eric Utsumi, a CSM financial aid technician.

Dom EllisThe San Matean

opiNioN & pubLiC forum The SAN MATEAN • Page 8April 16, 2012

Back Talkby Ian Mitchell and Vicky Diaz

Angela Wong, 33, Nurse Assistant, Belmont

“I think the police should be in charge. You can’t know a crime just by your instinct.”

Ian Savage, 24, Criminal Justice, Menlo Park

“I don’t believe, in our society, we can have vigilantes. That’s why we have a court system.”

Frederick Gaines, 48, Ethnic Studies, San Francisco

“Vigilantes have not done justice in American history...They have never served us well.”

Phoenix O’rourke, 22, San Mateo, Police Academy

“I don’t think anyone should take the law into their own hands unless necessary.”

Ana Davila, 20, Criminal Justice, Redwood City

“No, that’s why we have law enforcement. Normal people don’t have the experience.”

Maria Ladana, 22, San Mateo, Computer Science

“When I think of them I think of heroic people. You can be one as long as you’re doing good.”

Do you feel vigilantes are necessary for society?

The San MaTean is a First Amendment newspaper published bi-weekly during the academic year by the DGME 260, 261, 265 and 270 students at College of San Mateo as a medium for campus communication and laboratory for classes. Opinions, letters and commentary reflect only the opinion of the writer, and not necessarily the opinion of The San MaTean. Letters to the Editor and opinion articles are welcome, although they may be edited for style, space, content and libel. Mail or deliver letters to Building 10, Room 180, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo, CA 94402. Telephone: 650-574-6330. E-mail: sanmatean@smccd.edu. All letters must be signed and accompanied by phone numbers or addresses to verify authorship. Names may be withheld upon request. Advertising that conforms to San Mateo County Community College District regulations is welcome. The San MaTean reserves the right to refuse advertising. Single copies are free —additional copies 25 cents each.

the saN mateaN is printed thanks to a generous donation of printing services by the San Francisco Newspaper Company

and Todd A. Vogt, President and Publisher.

CollegeMember ofCalifornia

NewspaperPublishers

Association

Member ofJournalism

Association of Com-munity

Colleges

Founded in 1928

San MateanTHE

California College

Media As-sociation

• ExcEllEncE in Journalism, sociEty of ProfEssional Journalists, norcal, 2011

• GEnEral ExcEllEncE, nEwsPaPEr, Jacc norcal, 2011• GEnEral ExcEllEncE, wEbsitE, Jacc norcal, 2011

advisEr: Ed Remitz

advErtisinG: Melissa Berger(415) 359-2721

mberger@sfexaminer.com

ryan PattErson

oNLiNe editor

shaun carmody

sports editor

ariana andErbErG

soCiaL media editor

varsha ranJit

maNagiNg editor

KEnnEth la

Copy editor

Erasmo martinEz

Campus Life editor

JEffrEy GonzalEz

photo editor

Kayla fiGard

exeCutive editor

yasminE mahmoud

editor

John sErvatius

seNior staff writer

staff:Monica Airo, Larisse Borelli, Vicky Diaz, Dom Ellis,

Tamara Gomez, Amanda Lennon, Erin Mahlstedt, Barbara Martin, Greg Marshall, Alexis Mayadag, Carlos Mesquita, Ian Mitchell, Manuel Orbegozo, Ryan Patron, Angela Peterson, Alex Pulisci

Students at junior colleges usually commute to school, attend class and maybe lab hours and afterward go to work or return home. There can be little sense of community, or a deep connection to the campus that he or she attends. When others are not aware of their surroundings, it can be easy to ignore signs that others are in danger to themselves or to others.

In light of the mass murder at Oikos University in Oakland, there have been theories on why the shooter, One Goh, set out on his spree at what is reported to be such a close-knit school, but the key to under-standing is being aware of the mental health of others.

Students can be responsible for many burdens in addition to school. Some students work more than one job, have family commitments that obstruct their studies and mounting stress levels.

That student could be your classmate, a co-worker or a friend. Stress is not unique, especially at junior colleges where students who do not have the same advantages as their counterpart at a four-year institu-tion struggle with outside commitments. This does not mean one should shrug off any complaints their friends make. Pay close attention and remain sensitive to their struggles. It is not always 100 percent apparent how much of an effect these responsibilities can have on students. If a friend needs shoulder to cry on, one should be that friend and should not take their stress at face value.

By no means does this mean that every overstressed student is liable to shoot up a school, it simply means that everyone needs a little caring and support.

editorialConsider environment

First Amendment updAte

Pursuing discussion The San Matean is continuing with First Amendment updates, report-ing on an ongoing dispute with the administration regarding the future of its newspaper and website.The San Matean met with James Carranza, Academic Senate President, about the restructuring of the Digital Media program, but because he was not there at the time the program was restructured, he was unable to answer some of the questions completely.However, talking with Carranza gave the paper some ideas on how to improve our situation and possibly prevent the elimination of the jour-nalism program.The administration has said that they could cut the journalism program at any time because of its low enrollment. But Carranza shared the enroll-ment numbers of the entire DGME department, which collectively has low enrollment. If the whole department’s enrollment numbers are low after the program was restructured, what was the point of restructuring?The San Matean talked with several DGME students and found that there are discrepancies between classes. One student wants to get a production certificate through CSM and she

spin CyCle

Paltry entertainment

See “Discussion” on page 7

The entertainment industry has devalued art by delivering overproduced material in hope of making more profit. Movies drawing excitement for summer are mostly superhero blockbusters. Films similar to The God-father or Old Yeller are not popular releases. Not only are films following these trends, but so are other forms of entertainment like music and books. All of these are starting points for new ideas, but instead of creating art they have been exploited into heartless profit.

Films have lost their original edge. The movie, E.T. for example, had a modern feel The entertainment in-dustry has devalued art by delivering overproduced material in hope of making more profit. Movies drawing excitement for summer are mostly superhero blockbusters. Films similar to The Godfather or Old Yeller are not popular releases. Not only are films following these trends, but so are other forms of entertainment like music and books.

Obviously, films evolved into more complex storytelling, but they do not have that same sense of emotion. When the Transformers films were released, the recreation of a bond between a boy and alien made no con-nection with the audience. Instead, we get a boy teaming with an alien robot to save the world from more alien robots. The connection is lost in a two hour film containing military, explosions and supermodels peak-ing an audience’s interest.Few films are produced breaking the trend of super heroes, big parties and digital chipmunks.That extra push to amaze with a good script and less eye candy is dwindling away.

At the time I’m writing this, the number one song on the Billboard Top 100 is “We Are Young” by the “indie pop rock” band Fun. The songs recalls a night in a bar and numerous times the words “tonight, we are young” are repeated.

A music video featuring the band has a drummer, bass and guitar player and keyboardist. The result: four minutes and 13 seconds of overproduced and flawless sounds. Too good to be true. To solidify the selling point Janelle Monae, an R&B artist, sings on the track and the music video is shot in slow motion.Led Zep-pelin, a band from the seventies, was able to hit the Billboard Top 100 without any music videos and using instruments recorded live with little production, while Fun’s song describes friends getting as “high as the empire state.”

Literature seems have taken a hit as well. No longer are people raving about new books.I’ve rarely heard about a book from the past few years being recommended. Reading Harry Potter is a good idea but there’s no point when all the books have been made into films alongside another Batman film. They were both once original ideas in a different media, but now they are recycled ideas we have already seen and draw attention to because they are familiar.

For now, art is just purely an entertainment business. — Erasmo Martinez

The San Matean