By Holly PabloEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Thousands of students, parents and educators across the state rallied for equal access to education in a historic Day of Action protest Thursday that they say is just the beginning of a much-needed social movement.

In the Bay Area, rallies were held throughout the day at various schools and city halls, with UC Berkeley, Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland and San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza as the main gathering points.

Demonstrators from all sectors of public education — pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, community col-leges, California State University and University of California — assembled throughout the state as early as 7 a.m.

California, a powerful state with one of the largest economies in the world, was once considered the flag-ship of education, Sen. Leland Yee told The Advocate at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza rally on Thursday.

Today, an unprecedented state bud-get deficit of more than $20 billion has dwindled school funding to a ranking

of 48th in the nation, Yee said.Students are facing rising tuition

costs, larger class size maxes, reduc-tions in core support services and even fewer course sections to choose from at a time when demand for classes is higher than ever.

Over the past two years, more than $17 billion was cut from education funding, according to the California Teachers Association, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent proposal for 2010-11 looks to continue the trend.

“We must understand that this is a form of violence on behalf of the administrators and the state,” UC Berkeley student Rafael Cardenas said during a speech in Oakland. “We have to understand who these cuts will affect the most, and we all know that it’s going to affect the communities of color and the working class folks here and all over the Bay Area.”

“Our leadership has failed us: state leaders, school leaders, business lead-ers, people who are trying to privatize education,” said Marika Goodrich, a Cal student who was arrested Feb. 25 following a dance party in support of the Day of Action.

The party was interrupted by police officials after campus buildings and a Subway business were vandalized.

“They’ve given us no alternative but to fight because they’re not fighting for

us,” Goodrich said.“Fund Brain Cells, Not Jail Cells.”

“Terminate the Terminator.” “Education is a Right, Not a Privilege.” Phrases such as these were common on the pro-testers’ homemade T-shirts, oversized banners and picket signs that called for unity among people.

Attendees shared their thoughts with the audience. Together, they yelled chants. They danced. They sang and rapped. They filled the entire Civic Center square and surrounding streets.

“We want the social, economic and political change that the state has

By Lamar JamesNEWS EDITOR

To make information more readily available to current and prospective stu-dents who are considering it as a stepping stone in their educational endeavors, the college has given its Web site a makeover.

The new www.contracos-ta.edu, which is scheduled to make its debut on March 19, has been changed so that students can better navigate the site and get the informa-tion they need fast and easy.

“Our new Web site will make it easier for students to find the resources they need,” Vice President Carol Maga said. “Because the current Web site is out of date, it is harder to navigate

Production failsto engage audience

C M Y K C M Y K

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

C M Y K C M Y K

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

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

VOL. 94, NO. 16WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010

ACCENTADVOCATE.COM

TrampledSquad crushedby Laney, 13-1

scene page 6◆ sports page 7◆

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Strength in numbers — UC Berkeley students Rocio Hernandez (front left) and Maria Jimenez (front right) march down Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley as part of a statewide rally for education Thursday. The group of more than 1,000 protesters traveled five miles from Cal to Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, chanting for an end to California’s budget cuts.

Launch held back 18 days after set date

Marching onwardBay Area residents join protest efforts

focus page 8◆

‘Wiz’ play lacks depth

■ SEE PROTEST: Page 3

Lackingactivism

No Contra Costa College stu-dents par-ticipated in Thursday’s rally. The elected stu-dent voice of the col-lege, the Associated Students Union, has failed its duties to engage students in fighting for education.

page 2

editorial

TAKING A STAND

Day of Action unifies Fight for educationspreads statewide

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Stop the violence — Richmond resident Lucas Robles prays during the “Proclaim God’s Peace Over Our City” rally Saturday. Residents formed a chain around blocks surrounding New Gethsemane Church of God in Richmond, where two teenage brothers were shot and injured during a Sunday service on Feb 14.

Operation Richmond aims to proclaim peace

Web site remodel delayed

in brief

✔ Online debut set for March 19

✔ Project took over 18 months and was aided by the ASU in the form of student feedback

✔ Emphasis was placed on making informa-tion easily accessible for visitors

✔ Fulfills recom-mendations given by an accredita-tion team in 2009

Debt hits $2 million

By Asia CamagongASSOCIATE EDITOR

Facing a $2.2 million budget deficit for the 2010-11 academic year, the discussion of possible staff and faculty layoffs and a decline in student services and programs is under way, college officials say.

As a new district allocation model awaits implementation in July, the college is prepar-ing to gain more control over its state funds to better address the blows of the budget crisis.

Yet, with looming state reductions tar-geting higher education, more control does not guarantee that Contra Costa College is safe from enforcing drastic changes such as employee layoffs to reduce its spend-ing, Director of Business Services Mariles Magalong said.

By Cassandra JunielSPOTLIGHT EDITOR

RICHMOND — Thousands of city res-idents joined together at the Civic Center here Saturday to “Proclaim God’s Peace Over Our City,” including people of all ages, and different cultures and walks of life.

Key events for the day included 210 prayer circles at various intersections throughout the city, a march from Civic Center to the New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ and a rally.

“Although we had hoped that the num-ber of participants would be larger, we feel the day was a huge success,” volunteer Morris LeGrande said. “We did achieve what we wanted to achieve, which was the citizens and the faith-based community coming together in unity.”

Operation Richmond, a conglomerate of more than 80 churches around the Bay Area, organized the events and launched

a massive outreach program combat-ing crime and taking action. The efforts were started in reaction to the shooting of two youths inside Richmond’s New Gethsemane church during service time.

Three males in black hooded sweatshirts entered the church on Feb. 14, walked out-side and immediately came back in and shot two brothers in front of approximately 100 parishioners, Richmond police offi-cials said.

The victims survived their gunshot wounds and there have been no arrests in the case.

Mike Bigbee, a member of the church, was inside of the church at the time of the shooting.

“I’m involved in a ministry that gives away brown bags of food every Wednesday. I was putting away food and all of a sud-den when I came out, I saw two guys walk-ing in and then leaving out of the church,” Bigbee said. “Then, one came back and started shooting.”

Allocation remodeled, talks of layoffs begin

■ SEE RICHMOND: Page 3

■ SEE ALLOCATION: Page 3

■ SEE WEB SITE: Page 3

“Our leadership has failed us: state leaders, school leaders, business leaders, people who are trying to privatize edu-cation. They’ve given

us no alternative but to fight, because they’re not

fighting for us.”

Marika Goodrich,UC Berkeley student

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 ● VOL. 94, NO. 16

EditorialLeaders absent

ASU’s no show at rally encourages more apathy

housands of students, parents and workers joined a Day of Action mass rally to defend equal access

to public education at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza on Thursday.

As the speakers on the main platform engaged attendees by acknowledging the participating Bay Area schools through roll-call cheers, representatives from Contra Costa College were nowhere to be found.

The main purpose of the demon-stration was to show Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state’s legis-lators that we will no longer tolerate California’s oppressive budget cuts and capitalistic approach to education.

Apparently, CCC students were either unaware of the assembly, or they simply did not care enough to join the fight. Perhaps it was a combination of both.

Regardless of each student’s indi-vidual reasons, however, the Associated Students Union failed to take responsi-bility for spreading the message.

It is not a surprise that none of our students showed up, considering the fact that none of its leadership did.

As elected leaders, the ASU’s Executive Board is looked upon as the primary student voice of the college. As office holders, they are obligated to address the concerns of the students to the public’s best interest.

But how useful can the voice of stu-dent government be when it is soft-spo-ken or silent?

The lengths at which the Executive Board advocates for student activism reflect the values of our campus.

Sadly, there seems to be a major lack of enthusiasm.

On multiple occasions, members of the ASU told The Advocate that their group was not participating in Thursday’s rally. Yet, it never occurred to them that maybe fellow scholars not affiliated with student government knew little about the march.

“What march?” mathematics major Justin Lim said. “I might’ve gone, if I had known about it.”

Across the district, a rally was held at sister college Diablo Valley, which attracted hundreds of students.

While the ASU has a Fireside Chat and rally scheduled for March 18 as a prelude to a protest at the state Capitol on March 22, there still have not been any notable efforts on their part to pub-licize it.

There is no excuse for the ASU skip-ping out on the Civic Center Plaza pro-test, especially since the local rally was accessible by public transportation and of equal importance to the upcoming Sacramento demonstration.

Students have a right to know about these events.

But we cannot expect them to follow, when student government fails to lead the way.

T

CampusComment

Do you plan on participating in the March 22 rally for education?

“Yes, I do plan on going, because I feel it is very important for us to be actively involved with our education.”

Maria Rubiopolitical science

Quotable“Opinions expressed by

our employees, students, faculty and administrators don’t have to be politic or polite, however personally

offended we might be.”

Mark R. Hamilton, presidentUniversity of Alaska,

2001

Holly Pabloeditor-in-chief

Sam Attal

associate editor

Asia Camagongassociate editor

Alec Surmaniassociate editor

Cassandra Junielspotlight editor

Diana ReyesLauren Shiraishi

opinion editors

Dariush AzmoudehMalcolm Lastra

sports editors

Lamar Jamesnews editor

Brent Baintosocial media editor

Erik Verduzcophoto editor

Paul DeBoltfaculty adviser

Staff writersLissette Alvarez

Mairat AssefaAlison Calais

Tristin CooperTanisha Frazier

Hilberth Diaz IbarraCassidy GoodingMarjorie RiformoAlexandra Waite

Luis Zuniga

Staff photographersKevin Chourarath

George MorinJoe Phutiyotin

Raul ReyesRicardo Sanchez

Christian SotoMichael Sue

Desmond SylvaRoman Young

Staff illustratorsJames Heck

Cody McFarlandJoel Ode

HonorsACP National Newspaper

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

2009

CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award

1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000

JACC Pacesetter Award1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Member

Associated Collegiate Press

California Newspaper Publishers Association

Journalism Association of Community Colleges

How to reach usPhone: 510.235.7800

ext. 4315 Fax: 510.235.NEWS

E-mail: advocate@contracosta.edu

or letters.advocate@gmail.com

Editorial policyColumns and editorial

cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and

artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the

Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

LAMAR JAMES / THE ADVOCATE

Caffeine dependency parallels addiction

■ Coffee

hree years ago, I would have been able to say I

did not need coffee to func-tion or get through stressful situations.

Those days are just a dis-tant memory.

My addiction to coffee did not start until my junior year in high school when classes became more stressful.

Once waking up in the morning to walk to school proved burdensome, coffee became the perfect solution to guarantee attentiveness throughout the day.

The problem only wors-ened my senior year after pil-ing on Advanced Placement classes, dedicating time to extracurricular activities and dealing with new struggles at home.

The addiction evolved from small bottles of light coffee to strong, home-brewed coffee, which at least alleviated the financial strain at the time.

Never would I anticipate becoming as dependent on the stimulant as I currently am.

At this point, it seems that coffee is the necessary elixir of life.

In the case of waking up and not having any coffee, my demeanor would be simi-lar to that of a zombie, mop-ing around with eyes half closed and mumbling words faintly.

Without consuming the requisite amount of coffee, my personality is unchar-acteristically irritable and grouchy.

Coffee is often a discovery students do not abuse until they enter college.

Faced with a new and usu-ally stressful environment, coffee appears to be the answer to accomplishing all of one’s hard tasks without the body giving out from exhaustion.

As it turns out, the effects of caffeine make com-pleting those tasks even harder.

According to a study by research-ers at Duke Medical Center, caf-feine taken in the morning has effects on the body that persist until bedtime and ampli-fies stress consistently throughout the day.

Also, caf-feine increas-es blood pressure and heart rate, which is intensified during higher levels of stress during the day.

Whenever people would compare me to a drug addict,

I would roll my eyes, assum-ing it was an outlandish anal-ogy.

After spending a few days without the substance during the recent winter break and experiencing withdrawals resulting in major headaches, however, the connection to a substance abuser seemed reasonable.

Roland Griffiths, a profes-sor of behavioral biology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., explains in an article from National Geographic that regular caf-feine consumers may use it more to stave off withdrawal symptoms than to simply enjoy the drink.

Of course, other well-known negative effects of coffee include yellowed teeth and increased urination, but more serious side effects include insomnia and the breakdown of tissues around the skeletal muscle.

Avid coffee drinkers can preach about the benefits the drink holds, as I used to, but there is no denying the nega-tive aspect.

What reversed my per-ception on the subject was the realization that I cannot operate productively without the drug, no matter the level of dedication put in.

I may not be able to quit cold turkey, but I have already begun the process of tapering off caffeine one day at a time.

Alexandra Waite is a staff writer for The Advocate. Contact her at awaite.advocate@gmail.com.

CODY MCFARLAND/ THE ADVOCATE

alexandrawaite

T

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 20102 OPINION

“No, I don’t. I don’t live close enough to make it. I barely even know about it.”

Alyx Fuhrimanundecided

“Yes, I am going. If we don’t stand up for our needs, they will never be met. Our voice is power, and closed mouths don’t get fed.”

Nicholas Chinearly childhood education

“I would like to go, since art is my major, and seeing that it is the first thing to be cut from school, I feel we have to do something to stop the cuts.”

Naomi Castrographic design

“No, but I want to be there. I would have to miss class, and I am not trying to do that.”

Maurice Chiltonundecided

“I don’t know yet. I have to clear my schedule so that I could go.”

Darryl Andrewsbusiness management

Avid coffee

drinkers

can preach

about the

benefits

the drink

holds, as

I used to,

but there

is no

denying

the

negative

aspect.

been lacking for a long time now,” San Francisco State student Ricardo Guido said. “We’re standing up to Sacramento and this fight today is a perfect picture of that democracy.”

Taking it to the streetsFollowing a rally at Cal’s Sather

Gate in the morning, more than 1,000 people took over Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley around 12:30 p.m. during a five-mile march to the Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.

“This protest, which includes all sectors of education, shows we’re all connected.” Cal student Ashoka Finley said. ”It was the next step to come together statewide.”

As the crowd navigated the street, participants danced to “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley and the Cal marching band’s drumbeats.

Those waiting in traffic for the crowd to pass honked their horns in support and residents and business owners watched and joined the stu-dents parading down the street.

“This paints a really huge picture, and I’m completely behind it,” Anaka Brown of Sami African Imports said. “We need to hold the state account-able for this educational crisis. And with these students’ mobility and collaborative efforts, I feel like we have a chance.”

After joining hundreds of people at the Frank Ogawa Plaza, includ-ing participants from the Peralta Community College District and the Oakland Unified School District, students spoke about how the budget cuts mean more than just money and why young people need support to continue this ongoing protest.

“We have to realize that (the cuts are) going to also segregate our com-munities. We all know through histo-ry of changes around the world that the changes will come in the hands of the youth,” Cardenas said. “As teachers, as parents, as community members, as friends, we must sup-

port the youth that are joining this movement, and we must continue to together fight for what is ours.”

Transcending political spectrumsProtesters in the tens of thousands

crowded Civic Center Plaza at 5 p.m. in what was touted by speakers as supposedly the largest statewide action in the history of California.

Throughout the evening, students of all ages, faculty, staff and city workers spoke on a main platform about uniting to save education.

“The federal gov-ernment has money for wars, and they’re bailing out the banks,” said Jabari Shaw, vice president of the Black Student Union at Laney College. “What about our bailout? Bail out education.”

The cutbacks on education and reduc-tions of city employ-ment opportunities do not make any sense, Shaw said, because a more educated population means less crimes of pov-erty happening on the streets.

“Education is the first step in transforming what’s going on in this world,” he said. “The state spends $60,000 a year for one prisoner. With that kind of money, they could be sending us all to the most elite universities.”

Two of the ways discussed to gen-erate revenue for education was for voters to urge that the two-thirds vote to approve a state bill be overturned to a majority ruling and that large corporations be taxed for oil.

Assembly Bill 656, written by Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torico (D-Fremont), would mean $2 billion a year for public educa-tion if taxes for oil extraction were approved, they said.

Among the crowd, City College of San Francisco student Napier

Bulanan said that her plans of trans-ferring to a four-year have been delayed for another year since CCSF cut over 20 percent of its course offerings, including its entire sum-mer session.

At the state college level, it does not get any better.

Guido said that because more than half of the course section offer-ings for his environmental sciences major at San Francisco State were cut, he was only able to get one class this semester.

The prospect of graduating on time is no longer possible for many students, he said, because so many core classes were cut.

“We’re waiting in limbo, close to gradu-ating but we simply can’t,” Guido said.

At Chabot Elementary School in Oakland, Michelle Gorthy was one of several Parent-Teacher

Association members who paid $400 each to fund basic school supplies.

Gorthy, a speech communication professor at San Francisco State, said that although she was finan-cially able to contribute for her two daughters, not all families are able to do so.

“An end to this crisis is not in sight and nowhere to be found right now,” she said. “But we’re fighting together, beyond race and class.”

Bulanan agreed.“It’s nice being able to see people

from all different sides of the politi-cal spectrum not fighting each other, but instead, fighting together for a cause.”

Unwarranted alienationWhile the demonstrations geared

to follow the Satyagraha philosophy of nonviolent resistance, there were some protesters who strayed from

the pack.Oakland Police Department offi-

cer and spokesperson Jeff Thomason said that about 150-180 people left the Frank Ogawa Plaza at 5 p.m. and took over Interstate 880 and 980.

They entered the freeway near 11th Street during rush hour and disrupted the flow of traffic for more than an hour, Thomason said, which forced the county sheriff department to detain the suspects.

Of the 149 people who were arrested, 10 were juveniles and cited with release to their legal guardians, he said. The adults were cited and booked into county jails, Thomason said.

One juvenile attempted to flee arrest by jumping from the freeway overpass onto a tree. He missed his target, Thomason said, and was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

“Everyone has the freedom of speech, and we want to make sure that everyone has a right to their opinion,” Thomason said. “But when people go up on the freeway in a dangerous manner and try to disrupt everyone’s lives to a standstill, we have to take action.”

Officer Samson Chan, spokes-man for the San Francisco Police Department, said that Civic Center Plaza was generally peaceful.

“As with many protests in the past, there were minor problems, but usually, it’s caused by people who are not there to support the protest itself, but rather just to join a crowd,” Chan said. “It never got out of hand.”

Cal student Mark Ryan said that protesters must realize that while it may seem exciting to occupy public spaces, it is not an effective way to engage and invite the public to join the cause.

“It just ends up alienating peo-ple,” Ryan said.

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

Newsline

Wednesday, Feb. 24An unlicensed driver

backed into a parked vehicle in the parking annex.

Thursday, Feb. 25An officer conducted a

traffic stop on a hostile stu-dent and gave the student a conduct referral.

Friday, Feb. 26A suspect was seen steal-

ing two books from the cam-pus Bookstore.

Monday, March 1An officer responded to a

traffic accident.

Tuesday, March 2An officer responded to

two medical reports.Vandalism was reported.

— Alexandra Waite

CrimeWatch

Protest | Changes in the ‘hands of the youth’■ FROM: Page 1

accenta d v o c a t e

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

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

■ CSE

Event shows‘Food’ flick

The Center For Science Excellence is hosting a show-ing of “Food Inc.,” a docu-mentary by Robert Kenner about corporate farming in the United States.

The event will be held on Friday from 2-3:30 p.m. in the PS-132.

For more information, contact Dr. Setiati Sidharta at 510-235-7800, ext. 4527.

CAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE 3

Web site | Easier to useand find information on there.”

She said the college has worked hard to make sure that the site will be able to help students find the sources they need on campus.

“The current Web site is difficult to use, not well organized and not user-friendly,” Maga said. “We are hoping that the new Web site will be the opposite of all three.”

The changes are also in response to recommendations made by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges in a follow-up report they issued last year to a visit made in 2008.

In development for more than 18 months, the site’s remodeling was aided by the ASU in the form of student feedback, Maga said.

Student Carlos Ortiz said the current Web site is a little bit “hazy.”

“It seems all packed together like some-

body just threw it on a page and said, ‘Here is the CCC Web site,’” Ortiz said. “I feel we are long overdue for a new one.”

Though it was originally slated to launch on March 1, the project was delayed, Maga said. “We just weren’t ready yet,” Maga said. “We still needed some time to work out the kinks and for some instructors to finish their program guide information.”

Community and educational partnership liaison Michele Jackson said the college wants the Web site to appeal to current and prospective students’ best interests.

“We want this Web site to be the portal to all students,” she said. “I just hope this new project gives people a better idea on what the campus is like and insight to the programs we offer here.”

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

■ FROM: Page 1This is because the even-

tual funding will not pro-vide “100 percent support,” district interim Director of Fiscal Services Judy Breza said.

“With the funding declin-ing at the state and expendi-tures continuing to increase, (there is) a backwards budget picture at CCC,” she said.

While further state reduc-tions have not yet been fac-tored in, CCC will need to reduce its college budget over a five-year period, said Kindred Murillo, vice chan-cellor of districtwide admin-istrative services.

Magalong said, “We are not immune from what’s going on in the world. (These cuts) will change the face of higher education.”

Recommended by the Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, the new allocation model emulates Senate Bill 361, a state funding formu-la where money is divided among the colleges based on the number of full-time equivalent students (FTES) they generate. The FTES system, where one FTES is equal to every 15 units taken at a college, is how the dis-trict is funded.

Implementation of SB 361 is expected to give the colleges more autonomy with their funds, college Vice President Carol Maga said.

Historically, however, CCC has received more money from the district than it generates in FTES to fund additional services for its students, Maga said.

“We served a student population with more col-lege preparatory needs,” she said. “It took more work to help our students succeed.”

Despite granting the col-lege autonomy to regulate itself, the new allocation model consequently provides CCC with fewer funds, caus-ing more demands for reduc-tions in expenditures.

“It’s a loss to us (and) a loss of recognition that we are a different college to our sister colleges,” Maga said.

To deal with the “sub-stantial change,” she said potential cuts in all areas of the college are being deliber-ated.

On top of cutbacks to the class schedule and student services such as counseling, tutoring and mentoring, the college may have to begin

reducing staff and faculty, Maga said.

Magalong said, “If you do the math, there’s nowhere else to cut. There is no way that the reductions can be done without affecting peo-ple.”

Often seen as a last resort in efforts to reduce the entire college budget, the act may be unavoidable, Maga said.

“The last thing you want to do is reduce humans, but (it looks like) we have to do that as well,” she said.

Murillo said district efforts have tried to allevi-ate the sudden severity of the reductions to the college, such as the shift of $830,000 in FTES from Diablo Valley College to CCC.

In return, once the dis-trict experiences economic growth, DVC will receive a chance to get the money back.

“(DVC is) helping out their sister college, but they also have the opportunity to be made whole eventually,” she said.

Magalong said the district has given CCC $1.7 million in one-time reserve funds.

“The problem is for next year, (because) we spent down our reserves,” Murillo said. “We’re not going to really be able to do much backfill.”

Though these changes attempt to ease the impact of the district cutback in funds, state budget reductions expected in the next year may deal another blow to community colleges, Murillo said.

Breza said, “It’s an eco-nomic situation that the entire state is faced with and community colleges are just one component of that puzzle.”

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

After police officials concluded their investigation that afternoon, the church continued with their service.

The occurrence of the shooting prompted action, which began the outreach efforts as directed by the visionary of the project, Bishop J.W. Macklin, who is the presiding bishop over the Church of God In Christ, Inc. and pastor of Glad Tidings Church in Hayward.

“It was an unfortunate incident that occurred at New Gethsemane. I am the bishop within this denomi-nation responsible for this church. I saw the church, as well as the city ready to move to action against such crimes,” Macklin said.

“Everything was in place. We are continuing to carry out the vision,” he said.

The outreach efforts began on Feb. 28 with more than 1,000 individuals hang-ing “Never Again” banners on houses of worship and reaching out by visiting 10,000 homes where litera-ture and Bibles were distrib-uted and prayer was offered, Macklin said.

Various vendors were on hand Saturday, in sup-port of the efforts, advertis-ing and distributing material that related to helping young adults physically, mentally and spiritually.

One such vendor rep-resented the Child Care Council.

“We have to start with the kids when they are young so

that they will have a good head on them. This all affects their behavior when they grow up,” referral counselor Amy Cheng said.

Representatives were also on hand from Contra Costa College, highlighting educa-tion as a necessary factor for the youth.

“The more education to kids, the less crime and the more employment. I think they go hand-in-hand,” Scholarship and Outreach Coordinator Jimmy Cox said.

Highlights of the day included the marching of more than 2,500 individuals from Civic Center to New Gethsemane Church, located at 21st and Roosevelt Street.

Following the police officials who cleared the roads for the marchers were Macklin, the pastor of the church, clergymen and sup-porters.

“I am happy about what God is doing. People are so excited about what is going on,” New Gethsemane Pastor Archie Levias said.

Right before the march, city officials and Macklin addressed attendees and provided direction for the marchers.

“We’re on a journey to peace,” Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin said. “We are working to reduce vio-lence in many ways, but it is important for many to spread the message of peace.”

Once everyone arrived at the church, a “human-hand chain” was formed by every-

one holding hands, stand-ing outward, as though to exemplify “we won’t leave you out.”

The chain encircled the church, as well as three blocks.

Prayer was spoken for Richmond neighborhoods, residents and general peace in the city.

“It’s all peaceful, and this march was incredibly posi-tive. This is what it is going to take to bring peace back to Richmond,” Chief of Police Chris Magnus said. “People of all walks of life are all here, and I’m impressed with what I see.”

One marcher made an extraordinary effort to par-ticipate.

“I’m proud to march today. I was shot at the age of 16 years near my spine, was once in a wheelchair and am now on these partial crutch-es,” supporter Darron Knight said. “God has turned my life around from being with the gang bangers.”

The day concluded with the rally at Civic Center with singers, testimonies and a brief message from Rev. Kevin Hall of St. John Baptist Church of Richmond.

“Christ is the answer,” Hall said. “There is a great need for parents to teach children to respect God, respect the church, respect their elders and authority and lastly, themselves.”

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

Allocation■ FROM: Page 1

Richmond | Praying circle■ FROM: Page 1

■ CAMPUS LIFE

Films honor great women

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the ASU is hosting Lunafest, a film fes-tival about women, from 7-10 p.m. in the Knox Center Saturday.

Tickets are $10 each. Proceeds will benefit the Student Life Center and the American Cancer Society.

The public is encouraged to attend.

For ticket information, contact Jennifer Ounjian at 510-235-7800, ext. 4407.

■ FUNDRAISERS

Gospel Choirseeks robes

The Contra Costa College Gospel Choir is raising money to purchase new robes.

A fundraiser will be held Friday at the Hilltop Community Church, located at 311 Shane Drive.

Tickets to see the group perform are $10.

For more information, contact Mrs. D. Hunter at 510-235-7800, ext. 1183.

■ ASU

Chat to raiseawareness

In preparation for a state-wide march at the Capitol on March 22, the ASU is hosting a Fireside Chat and Amphitheatre rally from noon to 2 p.m. on March 18.

The event will educate the public about California’s budget crisis and present ways in which students can join in the fight against the privatization of public edu-cation.

For more information, contact the Student Life Center at 510-235-7800, ext. 4407.

“An end to this crisis is not in sight and

nowhere to be found right now.”

Michelle Gorthy,San Francisco State speech

communication professor

“If you do the math, there’s nowhere else

to cut. There is no way that the reductions can

be done without affecting people.”

Mariles Magalong,director of business services

By Lamar JamesNEWS EDITOR

In an effort to make the campus more secure, the col-lege has made lock changes to eight of its 22 buildings.

The new locks, which can be found on the Liberal Arts and Applied Arts buildings, Student Services Center, and five other structures on cam-pus, will receive the new Schlage system that func-tions through card access rather than hard keys.

“This is a great advantage for the college,” Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said. “This system is much easier to work, and it eliminates the stress of hard keys.”

He said that with hard keys, if somebody loses one it puts the college at risk, because if there is a miss-ing key to one of the build-ings, anyone could find it and have access to the col-lege. With the new system, however, hard keys could be

eliminated all together.“With the new key card

access, we can shut down the card from the main control and stop access for that card so it cannot be used,” King said. “Then we can just order that person another card and reprogram it for them.”

He said that with hard keys, they would have to get another key made and hope nobody finds the lost one.

“It really makes the cam-pus safer and more secure from any threats that may arise,” King said. “Even in the event of a emergency, we can lock all the doors from the main control and give access to emergency personnel or qualified fac-ulty and staff who has been approved.”

Vice President Carol Maga said the switch to key card access was made to improve security on campus.

“(The college is) trying to have all buildings equipped with the new system,” she said

Senior Parking Officer Vidal Garcia said the locks are also being changed, because it helps Police Services track who is com-ing in and out of buildings and who has access to build-

ings at particular times.“Right now, we have

selected people — deans, other qualified staff and faculty and building moni-tors — who have key cards,” Garcia said. “So in the event of an emergency, they will be able to open doors for people and have access to the buildings.” He said this program is good, because if he is ever absent, then offi-cials from sister campuses Diablo Valley College and Los Medanos College can control the key card access from their main control.

“It interlinks all three campuses, giving access to those who need it and strip-ping access from those who don’t, making the campus more secure,” Garcia said.

With this new system, Police Services can check who went into a building, what time they came in, and what time they left all from the swipe of a card, he said.

This could be helpful in a situation in which there was a crime, Garcia said, so the switch to key card access is a crime prevention tool.

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

By Alexandra WaiteSTAFF WRITER

Expanding the boundaries of the com-puter technology department, a group of stu-dents and a professor are working together to create the most powerful laptop in the world.

On top of achieving that feat, the group wants to create a Guinness World Record

category for the Contra Costa College group to be the first to hold the title.

“I think under any definition it will be the most powerful laptop ever made,” computer science professor Tom Murphy said. “Doing this is the chance of a lifetime.”

The laptop, named “LittleAl,” is scheduled for completion some-time this month, in time for Murphy to present at a conference, he said.

LittleAl will have four high-speed quad-core processors inside an aluminum case, which will be the skin of the laptop.

Murphy said the lap-top’s name comes from the chemical element, Aluminum, in which the computer’s case is made.

The case resembles

the silver briefcases used by spies in mov-ies.

“I needed something to be very eye-catch-ing in an educational way,” Murphy said.

Where most high-performance laptops have no more than four gigabytes of memory to run multiple applications simultaneously, Murphy anticipates LittleAl to have 128 gigabytes.

Intel, a manufacturer of computer chips, has donated many of the parts to the group,

such as processors and blade servers, Murphy said.

“I have basically no budget here at Contra Costa (College), so it’s nice to be getting donations,” he said.

One of the problems the group is facing is trying to make parts work with limited space and power, Murphy said.

While it can be placed on the lap like other conventional laptops, it would be clunky and uncomfortable for the user, he said.

The project gained momentum at the beginning of the spring semester when Murphy began to mention his undertaking during his computer technology classes. The idea of the laptop captured the interest of some of his students who joined the project shortly after.

“I thought this was a great opportunity to learn new things and could open doors at a university,” computer technology major Jesus Garcia said. “Murphy has years of knowledge, and I am trying to take advan-tage of that.”

Although Murphy is currently awaiting an approval from Guinness World Records for the induction of the category of “most

powerful laptop,” some students see the proj-ect more as an educational opportunity.

“I just want to be in the project, because it’s something I wouldn’t experience any-where else,” said Matt Choa, student in charge of the power and electrical aspects of LittleAl.

Murphy said that while education is abso-lutely important, experience is usually the far more important idea, and that is what they will receive from being a part of the project.

“People will walk away with experience for a resume,” he said. “They can demon-strate they really know what they’re doing and get hired.”

So far, the group has accomplished get-ting the software to work, but now they must figure out how to fit the processors inside the case without it burning with heat, student Alejandro Ramirez Escallenas said.

After presenting LittleAl at a conference this month, Murphy plans to use the laptop as a teaching mechanism for his classes.

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

Techies attempt record

Assessment measures student learning

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 20104 CAMPUS BEAT

CHRISTIAN SOTO / THE ADVOCATE

Building history — Students Edward Thang (left) and Hasani Groce work on the motherboard of their laptop, “LittleAl,” in CTC-113 Monday. The construction is only a fraction of their project to build a record-breaking powerful laptop.

By Lauren ShiraishiOPINION EDITOR

With the development of Student Learning Outcomes, or SLOs, instructors are able to nail down exactly what they expect students to know by the end of a course.

One of the recommenda-tions given by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) to all three of the campuses within the district was to develop a timeline for SLOs.

By 2012, every class and pro-gram on campus will have to complete the assessment process and summarize its results, SLO

Coordinator and economics profes-sor Wendy Williams said.

“(The ACCJC) wants us to analyze what we need to do bet-ter, whether it’s changing lectures, assignments or the emphasis (of a certain course),” she said.

The first step of the assessment process is to develop SLOs for every individual class, Williams said.

Then, each department must write exact statements of where they are in the assessment process, College Instruction Committee Coordinator Jason Berner said.

Vice President Carol Maga said that most of the departments have been making progress.

According to a form regarding SLOs on the college Web site, the form is divided into three parts.

In the first two columns, instruc-tors must fill out intended course outcomes and how outcomes will

be assessed.The final col-

umn, assessment criteria, deter-mines how the success of the outcome will be measured, Berner said.

Each outcome identifies some-thing specific relating to a par-ticular course, he said.

For example, in an English class, an outcome can be whether a stu-dent can write a satisfactory thesis or not. The assessment method, or data, can include writing samples, such as final exams.

If at least 75 percent of the stu-dents are able to write an adequate thesis, the outcome has been suc-cessful.

“There are a variety of ways to measure whether students are learning, and SLOs is one of them,” Maga said.

All programs, from academic courses to EOPS, are required to fill out SLO forms, she said. Each department

determines what the outcomes are and how they will be accom-plished.

SLOs are a component of what is known as the program review process, which each department undergoes every two to four years, Berner said.

The collected data from the SLOs will be put into the overall

program review report, he said.During the program review pro-

cess, instructors can request for resources, such as money to hire more tutors, update software pro-grams or more videos for supple-mental information to better help them accomplish their outcomes, Williams said.

Once the program reviews have been submitted, the information from them is given to those in charge of allocation.

Williams said faculty who have gone through the process of devel-oping their SLOs felt it was “a lot of work” but in the end proved helpful by letting them know what they needed to improve in order to most effectively teach their stu-dents.

Contact Lauren Shiraishi at lshiraishi.advocate@gmail.com.

Group aims to create ‘most powerful laptop’

“I thought this was a great opportunity to learn new

things and could open doors at a university.

(Tom) Murphy has years of knowledge, and I am trying to take advantage of that.”

Jesus Garcia,computer technology major

ADVERTISEMENT

Key access upgraded

MurphyComputer science pro-fessor Tom Murphy is assisting a team of stu-dents in the construction of a powerful laptop called “LittleAl.” The group hopes to create a Guinness World Record and be the first to hold the title.

Program review identifies success

“There are a variety of ways to measure

whether students are learning, and (Student Learning Outcomes)

are one of them.”

Carol Maga,vice president

Lock system eyes seceurity with changes

By Lamar JamesNEWS EDITOR

A standing room-only crowd joined history professor Manu Ampim in LA-100 Thursday for a W.E.B. Du Bois lecture series event on the inaccuracy with which the media portray the life of King Tutankhamen, popularly known as King Tut.

The seminar focused on his true genealogy and the De Young Museum exhibit by archeologist Zahi Hawass claiming to have newfound DNA.

“This is modern-day fraud,” Ampim said. “People are taking it as far as distorting images to say they know what King Tut looks like. This is all speculation. You cannot present evidence if it has not been proven yet.”

Ampim said that saying they know who King Tut’s parents were is just guesswork.

They release data that says one thing at this moment in time, Ampim said, then release data at another point in time that is completely dif-ferent information, and as a scholar one just cannot do that.

“This is not forensic science, but this is forensic art,” he said. “For them to have made a bust of King Tut and say this is what he looks like is just an assumption. Although this is helpful, it does not depict an accurate image of the king.”

To totally denounce the African

features of King Tut and whiten his skin is not an accurate portrayal of who he was said, Ampim said.

“And to disassociate Egypt from Africa and make it a part of the Middle East is also a way to distort facts,” he said.

Ampim said the work that they are doing is very useful, but one must include all the elements to make the work complete and truthful.

Student Mario Hill said the event went really well.

“It was very informative,” Hill said. “I learned some things that I didn’t know and learned about the inaccuracy of history the media (dish) out.”

Hill said that Ampim did the fieldwork and the research shows that he is very creditable, knows what he is talking about and could be a trusted source.

“It seems as if he just wants to get the correct information out (so) that the masses will know the correct history, and that is that King Tut was an African king,” Hill said. “Because we don’t, as the masses, go out and find the correct information, we hold the information that we get from the mainstream media as the God’s hon-est truth, but the masses must reach for more, and continue to seek the truth.”

Student Rachel Reaux said Ampim really “knows his stuff.”

“He is very confident in the infor-mation he presented and has primary sources, because he has done the research,” Reaux said.

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

Talk unravels King Tut storySeminar corrects inaccurate history

CAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE 5

Annual blood drive draws fewer donors

LAMAR JAMES / THE ADVOCATE

That’s a wrap — History professor Manu Ampim answers questions about the historical mis-conceptions caused by the media about the life of King Tutankhamen at a lecture conducted in LA-100 Thursday. Attendants were given a more accurate image of the deceased king.

By Lissette AlvarezSTAFF WRITER

Blood donations were signifi-cantly lower then expected during the Blood Centers of the Pacific (BCP) and ASU annual blood drive held in the Recreation Room on March 3.

Last semester, the BCP received donations from 27 people, said Hope Duden, phlebotomist who has worked with the organization for 10 years.

This semester, the BCP only received 21 donations.

Former ASU Vice President of Clubs Henry Parker said, “Part of the reason why the turnout was so low (was) because it was underpro-

moted. More students would have attended if they had been reminded enough.”

Originally, the event was sup-posed to end at 4 p.m.

Instead, the organization ended it at 1 p.m., which left little time for students who could not make it in the morning or afternoon, Parker said.

Registered nurse and former Contra Costa College student Elaine Caccam, who helped coor-dinate the blood drive, said another one of the main reasons why the turnout was lower was because of the strict requirements for blood donors.

During the blood drive, the BCP would have the community donors answer the 55-question form.

If they did not meet the height, weight or other health require-ments, their blood donation would not be considered. The question-naire was designed to be selective, Caccam said.

Nursing major Maria Castillo, who was a prospective first-time donor at the event, was not able to donate blood because she had received a recent tattoo, which made her an undesirable candidate. Yet, she does plan on donating blood in the near future.

Sometimes potential donors would come completely unpre-pared to the blood drive, Caccam said.

“We’ve had donors come in without eating a full meal or didn’t drink enough water,” she said.

During the drive, Duden would check to see how big the donor’s vein was. If the vein was too small, then the BCP could not draw blood from the donor.

“Sometimes students who show up with small veins didn’t drink enough water,” Duden said. “Drinking water increases the size of the vein.”

Caccam said the economy was another reason why the turnout was so low.

She said people are losing medi-cal coverage, which is why hos-pitals do not require too much blood.

The people who actually meet all the requirements for a blood dona-tion choose not to donate, Caccam said, because they are either too

busy with work or are too afraid of needles.

“Sixty to 65 percent can donate blood, but only 40 percent to 45 percent of them actually donate,” Caccam said.

Donor technician Phillip Martin said it is really disappointing how only 5 percent of our community is willing to donate blood, and out of that 5 percent, some will not be able to donate.

The blood that was received from CCC students, however, will be going to local hospitals and will be donated to people who have got-ten into car accidents or are cancer patients, Duden said.

Contact Lissette Alvarez at lal-varez.advocate@gmail.com.

By Marjorie RiformoSTAFF WRITER

Responding to the rela-tionships being destroyed by violence and affecting the community in many ways, 44 students came together in the Fireside Room on March 3 to hear the representatives of “Relationships on Violence” share their thoughts, experi-ence and advice on the sub-ject.

Relationship violence, also known as domestic vio-lence or battery by a person in an intimate relationship, is a way of gaining power and control over the other person.

It may involve a combi-nation of physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse.

Richmond City Council candidate Jovanka Beckles believes in raising conscious-ness about the topic.

She said that if people continue to stay with their minds closed, then their intellect will not be able to expand.

At the event, Beckles pointed out the signs of domestic violence and how to avoid the chance of becoming a victim.

“Anything that doesn’t feel good, any sense of jeal-ousy, aggressive actions or hurtful words are evident to violence,” she said.

Many students said that there are not enough pro-grams in the community to receive help and solutions to put an end to the violence.

Olajuwon Thornton, a member of the Richmond Youth Academy, stressed the importance of such pro-grams.

“We need to get back to the roots and build programs that will allow our youth to vent,” he said, “and work with them to understand that there is a better way to deal with the situation.”

Violence comes in many forms throughout society: such as youth on youth; par-ents toward children; chil-dren toward elderly; spousal abuse; corporate violence that affects a whole com-munity; and music that per-petrates prejudice toward women.

Richmond City Council member Rhonda H. Harris inspired listeners with words of advice on how to gain the respect many seek. She explained that mutual agree-ment is needed in every rela-tionship.

“Violence plus violence equals more violence,” Harris said.

Domestic violence is a common threat to the gen-eral public and continues

to become a challenge to the youth with no voice or source of guidance, she said.

A total of 5,058 victims ages 10-24 years old are murdered each month in the U.S. due to violence, and it is the second leading cause of death, Harris said.

“If you can change the way you think, then you can change the way you live your life,” she said.

Charity Edmondson, a two-time victim and survivor of abuse, said that it takes the

heart and the strength of a warrior to stop violence.

“We all have that inside of us, to ask for help and to surround ourselves with positive and helpful groups of people,” Edmondson said. “It’s very important to love yourself, to forgive yourself, to love all others and have the strength to ask for help.”

Contact Marjorie Riformo at mriformo.advocate@gmail.com.

By Alison CalaisSTAFF WRITER

Pencils in hand and minds racing, several students raced to finish a 20-question mul-tiple choice test as part of the second round of the Math Competition held Friday in H-7.

Contestants were given an hour to complete the exam sent from the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC), which covered subjects ranging from begin-ning algebra and calculus to differential equations and grew progressively harder.

“I was only able to answer seven questions,” mathemat-ics major Justin Lim said. “I’d need a whole day to fig-ure the rest of the test out.”

Lim, who took first place in last fall’s competition, was the only student to answer more correct questions than the contest’s organizer and leader, mathematics depart-ment Chairwoman Sue Van Hattum, who has been teach-ing the subject for more than 20 years.

Winners and high scores are to be announced today.

The first round of the test was held last fall and weeded out many students who were not up to par, as the num-ber of entries dropped from around 40 in the fall to just 12 this spring, Van Hattum said.

Incentives for those

skilled with numbers includ-ed a $100 prize for first place and extra credit from math teachers.

The problems proved harder than most anticipated, with two students walking out early.

“The questions were practical, but you need time to think about them,” math-ematics major Brian Sunga said. “You need to sleep on it, eat it, breathe it.”

Van Hattum has been organizing the contest for the last nine years.

It takes place in two parts, with scores added up and the best combined score taking first prize. Second and third place winners are awarded a $50 prize each.

“The main goal for me to get the students to have fun with math,” Van Hattum said.

She believes in this ideal wholly, as she is currently on sabbatical working on a book called “Playing with Math.”

The book will delve into ideas about having fun with math, such as Math Circles, the growing phenomenon for enthusiastic math stu-dents across the country that employs the Socratic Method to challenge students in more free-thinking ways than math usually allows, Van Hattum said.

Contact Alison Calais at acalais.advocate@gmail.com.

Chat inspectsrelationships

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Love is respect — Richmond City Council candi-date Jovanka Beckles discusses the harsh reality of domestic violence at the seminar “Relationships on Violence” held in the Fireside Room on March 3.

Calculators aim to succeed, win

Forum offers battery, abuse resolutions

By Brent BaintoSOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

During the pinnacle of ’90s to early 2000s, when Bay Area punk was typified by bands such as Rancid and NOFX, one group’s past stood definitive in the darkness that was their dissemina-tion.

One particular release from the once gothic-influenced AFI (A Fire Inside) instilled the bearing in their preceding prevalence of hopelessness.

“The Art of Drowning” remarkably unleashed the iniqui-tous torments of affection as well as AFI’s general antipathy toward human existence and interaction.

Vocalist Davey Havok howled his sorrow with the relentless melodic cadence and anthemic reinforcement from his fellow band members.

When taking a listen to “Drowning” in its entirety for the first time in nearly five years, it was evidently striking how lyrically powerful and driven the

album was intended to be.AFI’s refusal to see past mis-

ery is almost akin to the likes of dismal poet Edgar Allen Poe.

Even Havok’s quietly exclaimed quote from the track “The Despair Factor,” which

is a paid hom-age to Winona Ryder’s dia-logue in the film “Beetlejuice,” is a nicely placed confection.

“My whole life is a dark room. One, big, dark room,” furthermore takes listeners into depths of an audio requiem.

“Drowning” pontificated an envisioned temporal life as an everlasting purgatorial walk through cemetery grounds.

It is utterly saddening to see the absence of that vision in their current comparable image in a now broader spectrum of contem-porary showcase “rock.”

Most new fans are almost completely unaware of AFI’s aggressive poetic roots and how their widely expressed martyrdom inspired latter punk and hardcore bands of the early 2000s

Bands like Avenged Sevenfold

and Bleeding Through mirrored not only elegiac similarities, but also adopted AFI’s inclination to sport jet-black attire and make-up.

Nevertheless, “Drowning” is a milestone in musical cryptic exhi-bition. It was what differed and defined AFI’s existence, no mat-

ter how ridiculed they were for their emotional outreach against just straightforward and pre-dominantly counter-political punk bands of that generation.

Contact Brent Bainto at bbainto.advocate@gmail.com.

By Asia CamagongASSOCIATE EDITOR

It starts with a craving for a burrito. On second thought, Thai noodles sound even better. Though that sushi isn’t looking too bad either. Then again, perhaps now is the time to finally try some Jamaican jerk chicken.

Such a thought pattern illustrates not only the indecisiveness of a hungry customer, but also a small portion of what can be found on the menus at the Emerybay Public Market in Emeryville.

Nestled at 5959 Shellmound Street, the

Public Market features 21 food vendors offering a vast array of options rep-resenting cultures that can be found all throughout the Bay Area.

While most may have heard of dinner and a movie, the Public Market provides the subtle luxury of dinner and a book, as it is located right beside Borders Books.

Open Monday through Saturday until 9 p.m. and closing at 8 p.m. on Sundays, the venue is the ideal spot for a family out-ing, after-school hangout, date with the significant other or just a place to eat when one is in the mood for something different.

From the moment cus-tomers walk in, they are given the chance to sam-ple break-fast, lunch or din-ner from Asia, the Caribbean, India, Mexico and the Middle East.

Beating the size of most fast-food chain restaurants, the deluxe food court waves goodbye to McDonald’s and sets its sight on Mediterranean. Or Vietnamese. Or Italian.

It offers food not found in a paper bag and cer-tainly without a Ronald McDonald, Jack, Wendy or Burger King in sight.

Minutes upon arrival, customers realize they have walked into the world’s kitchen compacted into a single building.

The sounds of pots banging, grills frying and blenders mixing gives off an immediate cozy feeling.

Quick and efficient, the vendors begin food prepa-ration as soon as the order is placed.

Equipped with free outside parking, a kids play area and indoor chair massage specialists, the environment embodies

carefree enjoyment.While the price ranges

may vary, one should bring around $8-$15 to account for the average cost of a meal and drink.

Yet, depending on the food vendor, not all meals are worth the money.

With so many options available, it is possible one may pay more for less portions.

Such is the additive price to pay, however, when accepting the chal-lenge of diversifying one-self for the sake of a curi-ous appetite.

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

By Alexandra WaiteSTAFF WRITER

The fast-paced disposition, vibrancy and thunderous effects of last weekend’s production of “The Wiz” provided stimulation, but did not clearly execute the plot of the play.

Directed by drama department Chairman Clay David, the Knox Center production differs from the original play, which was a ’70s musical based on the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz.”

This time, however, Dorothy resides in Richmond, Calif. and rides a magical BART train along the Richmond yellow line.

The play begins as Dorothy receives the award for 2010’s Most Outstanding Student in the East Bay at the Oakland Civic Center.

A lusty BART information officer named Janet sits in her office at the side of the stage and narrates from there on.

While returning home from the MacArthur BART station with her Aunt Em, a Richmond Kaiser nurse, Dorothy’s train manages to get swooped away in a colorful tornado surrounded by neon-col-ored munchkins resembling little clowns.

As soon as Dorothy enters Oz, the costumes become wonderfully vivacious, from the colors to the obvious attention to detail in the fabric.

The Tin Man and his robot dog Text were two examples of the great care put into costume design, with silver apparel so magnificently shiny and sparkly it nearly blinded the audience.

David’s rendition of the musi-cal retains much from Charles Small and William F. Brown’s 1970s version, aside from changes in dialogue and music.

A lack of energy persisted in the singing and choreography from the beginning of the play up until the Tin Man and robot dog’s

number, where hip-hop influenced dance moves erupted out of the cast and an auto-tuned style rap riled the crowd.

Although Dorothy, played by young actress Alexis Woodson, struggled at times to hit high notes in her solos, she had an endearing char-

acteristic of innocence that made her vocals delightful.

But it was the wannabe-gang-ster Lion, troubled with “schizo-phrenias” from his mother, who stole the show.

Dawaun K. King truly immersed himself in the character with his loud, ferocious growls, yet maintained an apprehensive demeanor while skillfully playing off the other characters.

The unexpected use of pyro-technics blew away the the-ater-filled audience. Each time

the fireworks or strobe lights blasted from the stage was craftily planned to shock the crowd, most notably with the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West.

As astounding as the visual effects were, they did not help to execute the plot of the production. The duration of the play was only

an hour, which proved too short to translate any sort of message.

Making the play longer to enhance the plot would have made it an overall better theater-going experience.

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

‘Wiz’ rendition has murky plot

Newreleases:“Capitalism: A Love Story” (R)

“Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire” (R)

“Planet 51” (PG)

“Old Dogs” (PG)

Games

CDs

DVDs

Movies

This week:“Green Zone” (R)

“Our Family Wedding” (PG-13)

“Remember Me” (PG-13)

“She’s Out of My League” (R)

Newreleases:Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: “The Brutalist Bricks”

Before Their Eyes: “Untouch-able”

Gorillaz: “Plastic Beach”

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo”

Broken Bells: “Broken Bells”

Liars: “Sister-world”

Josh Rouse: “El Turista”

Unleashed

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

Newreleases:“Final Fantasy XIII” (PS3/XBOX360 – T)

“Mega Man 10” (PS3 – M)

“Calling” (WII – T)

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 20106 SCENE

Multiple food option venue satisfies

Swift delivery loses story development

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

No more tears — The Cowardly Lion (one from left) cries while talking to Dorothy (center) and the rest of the characters about his lack of cour-age during “The Wiz,” held in the Knox Center Thursday.

“The Wiz”

★★★★★Venue: Knox CenterDirected by: Clay DavidOpen until: Closed

playreview

“Emerybay

Public Market”

★★★★★Location: 5959 Shellmound St.in EmeryvillePrice Range: $8-$15

venuereview

LostTreasure

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

One big dark room — AFI vocalist Davey Havok (front) leads his macabre ensemble, (from left to right) guitarist Jade Puget, drummer Adam Carson and bassist Hunter Burgan, through emotional depths.

Gothic-punk album pinnacle of genre

By Malcolm LastraSPORTS EDITOR

A true definition of a stu-dent-athlete is a hard worker who gives it all on the field and in the classroom.

Only a select few of peo-ple are able to accomplish this feat, as it takes dedi-cation and concentration to master both.

Comet sophomore out-fielder Javan Williams rep-resents the meaning of being a complete student-athlete.

The 20-year old Fairfield native began playing sports at the age of 5, having played Little League baseball for the Fairfield Yankees and basketball for an Amateur Athletic Union traveling team for two years.

Williams stuck with baseball throughout high school, however, and played all four years at Rodriguez High School in Fairfield.

“I always was around the sport of baseball, so I sup-ported Javan to have a love for the game,” Williams’ father Peter said.

After transferring from Skyline College last season as a freshman, Williams led the Comets with 20 RBIs and three home runs and finished second on the team with a .333 batting average.

Currently, Williams is one of CCC’s leaders as co-captain and is second on the team in batting average with an improved .349 batting average and one home run.

“He’s a valuable player for the team, displaying lots

of talent and natural abil-ity for the sport, as he runs good, swings the bat good and has a good arm,” base-ball coach Marvin Webb said. “He could be a real good D-1 player, and he has the ability to be a pro player in the (majors).”

As co-captain, Javan tries to help his team by leading through example with his work ethic.

“He’s a catalyst for this team,” sophomore outfielder Ronnie Arnold said. “He’s a hard worker, as he goes all out on the field and does everything to push the team forward.”

Off the field, Williams was described by teammates as a laid back type of person who enjoys having fun.

“I like hanging out with friends and family, talking to girls, going to the mov-ies and watching sports,” he said.

Outside of sports, Williams has a musical background.

He played both the piano and keyboard, while also playing the drums at his church, taking after his father who produces music and plays the bass.

“I’m a big music person,” Williams said. “If I wasn’t playing baseball, I would definitely be involved with music.”

As a student, Williams has always been able to han-dle the endeavors of keeping good grades while playing sports, as his parents raised him to have a hard working mentality not only on the field but also in the class-room.

“Education to us was more important than sports,” Peter said. “We encouraged Javan to always study and

accomplish things in life.”Freshman first base-

man Ronald Morris said Williams does not just work hard on the field, but also in the classroom.

“He is what you call a student-athlete because he does well at both,” Morris said.

Williams displayed his hard work in the classroom last semester, earning a 4.0

grade point average while taking classes such as math-ematics and sociology.

“Javan is an excellent student. He participates and was always very engaging in the lectures,” social sci-ences department Chairman J. Vern Cromartie said. “I think the key to student suc-cess is the ability to have the attitude and the aptitude of being a good student, and

Javan displays both.”Williams said his parents

always told him to maintain good grades.

“I knew that it costs to have fun, and you always have to work before you play,” he said.

Contact Malcolm Lastra at mlastra.advocate@gmail.com.

Softball Contra Costa College

V S.

Yuba College

When: Thursday, 1 p.m.Where: Softball fieldRecords: CCC 2-8 overall, 0-0 in the BVC. Yuba 3-3 overall, 0-0 in the BVC.

Background: The softball team looks to swing back into action when they face the 49ers in their first home confer-ence games. The Comets were to play their first home conference game against Los Medanos College Thursday, but the game was canceled when the field was deemed unfit for playing condition. Each team comes off of several nonconference losses, as the Comets had a 19-5 loss to San Joaquin Delta College on Saturday and Yuba College fell to Santa Rosa College 7-4. The Comets’ only wins this year came in the second games of their two home double-headers. — Dariush Azmoudeh

Box scoresBaseball (March 6)

Laney College Contra Costa College AB R H RBI AB R H RBINavarro if 5 0 1 2 Fredzess-Lucas ss 4 0 1 0Gans of 4 1 1 0 Schwartz cf 3 0 1 0Alcantar of 6 2 2 0 Bell 3b 4 0 0 0Sotolongo c 4 1 0 0 Williams rf 4 1 2 0Taylor of 6 2 2 4 Morris 1b 4 0 2 0Garcia if 5 4 4 2 Hogan lf 4 0 2 2Bernstine if 3 1 3 3 Drew 2b 2 0 1 0A. Gonzalez if 3 1 0 0 Barahana c 3 0 0 0Dunn if 4 1 1 1 Arnold dh 3 0 0 0Bride if 1 0 1 0 Tramble ph 2 0 1 0J. Gonzalez c 0 0 0 0Brikovich of 0 0 0 0

Totals 41 13 15 12 33 1 10 2

Laney College 000 501 340 - 13Contra Costa College 000 001 000 - 1

IP H R ER BB SOContra Costa CollegeTramble (L) 7.0 12 9 9 1 5Estrada 1.0 5 3 3 1 0Solano 1.0 0 0 0 2 0

Laney CollegeHufford (W) 6.0 8 1 1 0 2Cooper 1.0 1 0 0 0 3Lara 1.0 0 0 0 0 0Acosta 1.0 1 0 0 0 0

ScheduleBaseball

vs. Marin, Thursday 2:30 p.m.vs. Napa, Saturday 1 p.m.

at Solano, Tuesday 2:30 p.m. vs. Los Medanos, March 18 2:30 p.m.vs. Mendocino, March 20 1 p.m.at Laney, March 23 2:30 p.m.vs. Yuba, March 25 2:30 p.m.at Marin, March 27 1 p.m.at Napa Valley, March 30 2:30 p.m.vs. Solano, April 1 2:30 p.m.

Softballvs. Yuba, Thursday 1 p.m. (DH) vs. Mendocino, Tuesday 1 p.m. (DH) at Napa Valley, March 18 1 p.m. (DH) vs. Marin, March 23 1 p.m. (DH) at Los Medanos, March 30 1 p.m. (DH) vs. Solano, April 1 1 p.m. (DH)at Yuba, April 6 1 p.m. (DH)

StandingsBaseballBay Valley Conference Bay Valley Overall W L W L Mendocino College 2 0 7 4Laney College 2 0 8 5 Yuba College 2 0 5 7Solano Community College 1 1 5 9 College of Marin 1 1 3 10 Los Medanos College 0 2 8 5 Napa Valley College 0 2 7 6Contra Costa College 0 2 3 10

SoftballBay Valley Conference Bay Valley Overall W L W L T Solano Community College 2 0 5 4 Los Medanos College 0 0 3 2 Yuba College 0 0 3 3Mendocino College 0 0 4 6 1Contra Costa College 0 0 2 8Napa Valley College 0 0 1 7College of Marin 0 2 0 4

Outfielderembodies hard work

Game of the Week Contra Costa College

Sophomore athlete leads other Comets

SPORTS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE 7

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Ready for anything — Sophomore outfielder Javan Williams serves as a co-captain and role model for his teammates through his dedication and hard work. He is currently batting .349 and has already hit one home run.

hat would you do if you were

going to face for the first time the man who had an affair with your woman?

That was the case when soccer player Wayne Bridge faced his former teammate John Terry in the match between Chelsea and Manchester City on Feb. 27.

In the past month, one of the biggest scan-dals in England was the rumor and confirmation that the fiancé of Bridge, Vannessa Perroncel, had an affair with Chelsea’s captain, Terry.

On game day, as tradition dictates, at the beginning of each game, the visitors come to shake hands with the home team.

The expected moment had come when Terry and Bridge were going to meet, and all the speculations were right.

Bridge refused to shake hands with Terry.

Now comes the ques-tion: who had worse sportsmanship?

Is it Bridge for refus-ing to shake hands? Or Terry for having an affair with his former teammate’s fiancé?

As a soccer player, I find myself in a very uncomfortable position thinking about it and wondering what I would do if I found myself in the same situation.

Personally, I believe they are both wrong.

Terry’s actions were very wrong. He is a married man. He has children. And he slept with the fiancé of his teammate. Some argue that all this happened off the field, however, and should not reflect on his sportsmanship.

What I have learned as a soccer player is that you are responsible for your actions on and off the field, and as a soccer player you are required to have excellent behav-ior no matter what you are doing.

As a captain, Terry should be behaving in a way that would bring his team together not divide it. Bridge was wrong when he did not shake Terry’s hand.

As a good player, he should have taken the higher road and been a good sport.

If you put yourself in Bridge’s shoes, how-ever, you can see why he did not shake Terry’s hand and probably did not even want to come face-to-face with his now ex-fiancé’s lover.

All scandals have repercussions, and this one is no exception.

Terry was stripped of his captaincy and Bridge renounced his position on England’s national team. Ultimately, this may affect England’s chances of winning the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

This should be a les-son to all athletes on the importance of good sportsmanship on and off the pitch.

Hilberth Ibarra is a staff writer for The Advocate. Contact him at hibarra.advocate@gmail.com.

hilberthibarra

Good spirit necessary at all timesW

Absent hitting, defense hurt team

ENDLESS EFFORT

By Tristin CooperSTAFF WRITER

Lack of hitting, pitching and defense buried the baseball team into a hole that result-ed in a 13-1 home loss to Laney College Saturday afternoon.

The Comets (3-10 overall, 0-2 in the Bay Valley Conference) made minor mis-takes and gave up too many hits, includ-ing two home runs in the eighth inning, giving the Eagles (8-5 overall, 2-0 in the Bay Valley Conference) a comfortable lead to close the game.

“We need to improve our pitch-ing,” Comet coach Marvin Webb

said. “We won’t win if we don’t have the mental attitude to work hard. To prepare for next game, we’re going to get out there and practice harder.”

Contra Costa College will look to rebound from Saturday’s loss in conference play against the College of Marin (5-7, 2-0 in the Bay Valley Conference) at home Thursday at

2:30 p.m.“We just need

to cut down on our errors,” Comet out-fielder Javan Williams said. “We need to put the ball in play and get some hits.”

With both teams playing well in the first three innings, the fourth inning proved to be the turning point

of the game, as Laney began to pile up hits.

The Comets could not keep with the Eagles’ pace, as they struggled to get on base or score runs.

In the fourth inning, Laney was able to get on the board with a two-RBI double, hit by infielder Deante Bernstine, bringing home catcher Niko Sotolongo and infield-er Xzavier Garcia.

After infielder Alberto Gonzalez was walked, Williams made an error that let infielder John Dunn get on base and Bernstine score.

Also in the inning, Eagle infielder Nick Navarro hit a two-RBI double of his own, bringing Gonzalez and Dunn home.

The Comets’ highlights of the inning were infielder Ronald Morris and Williams’ base hits, but they were unable to capitalize, as they left both runners on base to end the inning down 5-0.

“We were unable to follow our game plan today, which was pitch well and play good defense,” coach Webb said.

After a scoreless fifth inning for both teams, CCC was able to get its only run with outfielder Donnie Hagan’s RBI basehit to bring home

Williams, who also had a double and a stolen base earlier in the sixth inning.

That was the only scored run for the Comets, however, the Eagles began to roll again.

Laney scored three runs in the seventh inning, as outfielders Abel Alcantar and Garcia were able to bring runs home.

CCC was still unable to generate any strong offense, defense or pitch-ing in the inning.

In the eighth inning, Laney con-tinued to pile on the runs, as out-fielder Brandon Traylor and Garcia hit back-to-back home runs.

The Comets were again unable to add runs to the board, as their eighth inning was over after an Eagles’ double play.

The ninth inning was short, as both teams were done after four bat-ters, leaving the score 13-1 to end the game.

Contact Tristin Cooper at tcoo-per.advocate@gmail.com.

ScoreBoardLaney 13 Comets 1

Next game: Thursday at Marin, 2:30 p.m.

Eagles embarrass home squad, 13-1

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 20108 FOCUS

Day ofACTION

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Young voices — Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School students protest on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on the Day of Action protests Thursday. The recent budget cuts not only affect colleges, but all levels of public education.

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Taking to the streets — UC Berkeley students hoist a flag over a billboard in support above Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley during the Day of Action protest Thursday.

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Demanding change — UC Berkeley student Luis Reyes speaks out against cuts at the blockade of Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way in Berkeley Thursday. The blockade was in part with the state’s Day of Action protests.

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Speaking out — Thousands gather at Civic Center in San Francisco Thursday to take part in the nationwide Day of Action to protest for better education and to stop cuts to California’s educational system. Slogans like “More education,

less administration,” “Fund students, not war” and “Educate to liberate” filled the city in the form of bright picket signs and fervent chants, coalescing into a single message aimed at funneling more resources into public schools.

CHRISTIAN SOTO / THE ADVOCATE

Cry for help — Booker T. Washington Elementary School students came out and demonstrated their opposition to budget cuts to the public education sys-tem in front of the San Francisco City Hall Thursday.