Tensions on campus were raised once City College students were informed this semester about the 40 percent budget cut in education.

City College students Ruth Welland, president of Voices of Hope Club, and Lincoln Scott, vice president of Voices of Hope Club, took matters into their own hands and rose to the occasion by speaking to the campus. Both students are part of the disabled services and represented the voices of who opposed the cuts.

Welland and Scott both agreed that the cuts were “unfair,” especially to students who are striving for a great education.

“I wouldn’t be able to afford school books,” said [read more...]

Brice Harris will retire as chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District on Aug. 31 after 16 years. On April 25, Harris sat down for a conversation with the Express in the LRCCD Chancellor’s Office at the district office and discussed—among other topics—his 41 years as an educator and administrator. Harris also discussed such topics as his retirement, the financial crisis, its consequences for the Los Rios district, and his advice to students in a time of “retrenchment.”

EXPRESS: What early educational experiences influenced your decision to pursue a career in education and administration?

Brice Harris: I grew up in [read more...]

The votes have been tallied, and City College has officially filled the top Student Associated Council positions for the 2012-2013 academic year.

On April 17 and 19 students across all City College campuses, including West Sacramento and Davis, voted to elect officers for the Student Senate, the Clubs and Events Board (CAEB), and Los Rios Community College District Student Trustee, according to Student Leadership and Development coordinator Kimberlee Beyrer.

Beyrer said the City College Student Senate had four positions to fill. The new elected officers are:

President: Taylor Valmores

Vice President: Husham Haroun

Secretary of Sustainability: Michael Viscuso

Senator: William [read more...]

MF Doom, Talib Kweli, CL Smooth, Mos Def and Common are all some of the greatest hip-hop lyricists, and one day Alberto Rocha hopes he can be included on that list.

Twenty-two-year-old Rocha is a full-time college student at City College, part-time worker and an aspiring hip-hop artist. Rocha is half of the hip-hop duo Primitive Instruments, which also consists of his cousin, 20-year-old Marco Gonzales. Together the two hip-hop emcees are known by their stage names, Retrospek and MG.

Rocha says they formed the group because of their love for hip-hop and the avenue of expression it has allowed [read more...]

The room is cold. Cluttered. Simple. No computer on the desk, no phone on the wall. The only glimpse of life in the tiny office is the many plaques and pictures of triumphant athletes that hang on the otherwise bare, quiet white-washed walls.

Plain? Sure, these walls may seem plain to an onlooker, just like the old man himself. No trophies tell tales of his own achievements, no glory given to himself. However, once you look closer the walls share a fascinating story of a City College legend.

Bob Lanza, 74, has been with City College for 42 years. As a physical education instructor and coach of the women’s and [read more...]

“There’s no business like show business.” Those words. You’ve heard them everywhere, all the time. You’ve heard them spoken in movies and uttered during a quick passing backstage of a play. But most people don’t cling to and live by them every day the way that  Lauryn Gardner, a two-year City College student does.

One recent morning, Gardner jumps out of her hot pink bedsheets, startling her cat Hollywood, throws on a Disneyland sweatshirt and ties a ribbon in her hair. The frazzled blonde frantically sprints out the door after packing her dance bag, school bag, lunch bag and anything [read more...]

When it comes to art, patience and luck can go a long way and for Sandy Follett, 54, a photography major who attends both City College and Cosumnes River College, those principles meant capturing a breathtaking moment in time with a photograph that is on display in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C., through January 2013.

Follett’s photo was chosen as one of 48 winners from 21,000 entries in Windland Smith International Awards landscape photography competition. It was taken at one of Yosemite National Park’s best-known scenic spots—Tunnel View—with Yosemite valley and Bridal Veil waterfall in the distance, and a prominent rainbow shining through a mist at the tail-endof a rainfall. [read more...]

Carole Bodnar plays many roles: a proud mother and wife, a hardworking nurse, a studio art enthusiast and a world traveler. Amid her changing life, there is something she will always be doing—learning.

The 63-year-old Bodnar is no stranger to a classroom. Graduating with a nursing degree more than 30 years ago, Bodnar now attends City College to study a true passion of hers: studio art. Bodnar retired from nursing last year and is now an attendant for the Kondos Art Gallery on campus through a work-study program.

Bodnar believes City College is a good place to learn and get [read more...]

Honor. Courage. Commitment. These are the core values instilled in Marines from the moment they set foot on the yellow footprints at a Marine Corps recruit depot until the time they take off their uniform for the last time. When they raised their right hand and swore to defend the U.S. Constitution, they knew it would come with great sacrifice. Family, school and personal freedoms take a backseat to mission accomplishment.

Nobody is more familiar with these sacrifices than Cpl. Mike Wong, 24, a former City College student who returned in February from a six-and-a-half month deployment to Afghanistan.

In 2008, with America still engaged in two wars—Iraq and Afghanistan—Wong heard his call to serve. Despite [read more...]