Sac City Express » Campus

Operation ID

Jason Van Sandt — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:38:55 +0000

City College police issue property registration stickers to students who register their laptops, cameras, bicycles and other personal items. Photo by Jason Van Sandt | Jasonv1977@gmail.com

With the spring semester starting and students returning to school with new laptops, cameras and tablet computers, campus police note that it doesn’t take much for a student to become a victim of theft on the City College campus.
“It is common for there to be one to five reported thefts per day at City College,” said Los Rios Police Officer Tanya Racki.

One possible way to combat campus theft, according to the Los Rios Police Department, is Operation ID, a free property registration program for students, faculty and staff at City College that began last fall.

With thefts on campus so commonplace, Racki and the Los Rios Police Department designed Operation I.D. to help educate people about the dangers of theft on campus as well as provide a safe place for students to keep property identification.

“The chance of recovering [your] property is much higher if the serial number is known,” Racki said.

According to Los Rios Police Sgt. Mike Olson, it doesn’t take long for students to become victims of theft. Most thefts occur when students leave their property unattended while they go to the bathroom, leave to grab a drink or their attention is drawn away from their belongings for a minute or two.

“Students need to be proactive against crime,” Racki said.

The best way for people to ensure the police department has the correct serial numbers is to register their valuables with Los Rios police before becoming victims, or keep the proper information tucked away in a safe place that can be accessed at a later date.

“If law enforcement has the serial number for stolen property, it can be entered into a national database system accessible to all law enforcement agencies,” Racki said.

The process of registering valuables takes less than 20 minutes, Racki said, and all necessary information to register is typically located on the valuable items.

People registering their belongings need to know the manufacturer of the item, the model number and the serial number, according to Operation ID instructions. They need to present a photo ID, and bring their property to the City College police department during normal business hours (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to register the item with Los Rios Police.

“Bicycles are also a target [of criminals] on campus because the cable locks can be easily and quickly cut off,” Racki said.

The Los Rios police department highly recommends that people who ride bicycles to school also register their bikes and use a metal U-lock to secure their bikes.

“Students should stop using cable and chain locks,” said Olson. “We have never had a bike stolen that uses a metal U-lock. They are always cables or chains, which are easily cut.”

According to Racki, most students find themselves as victims of theft when they leave their property unattended—most commonly in the Learning Resource Center, cafeteria and computer labs. However, thefts can occur anywhere on campus.

According to Racki, students should refrain from bringing valuables to campus that aren’t needed, and if they need to bring valuables, then never leave them unattended. Cars should always be left with windows rolled up and doors locked.

Suspicious behavior should be immediately reported to campus police, Racki said.

A hop, skip and jump away

Serina Martin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:57:39 +0000

Photo By Jason Van Sandt

The City College Davis Outreach Center, the first community college facility on a University of California campus, has opened its doors in West Village to approximately 2,400 Los Rios Community College students this semester, according to City College Davis Center Dean Don Palm.

“We’ve added some chairs to classrooms where they’ve been needed, so some classes are pressing the limits, but overall, we seemed to fit into the building pretty well,” Palm said.

“That is not to say that students got all the classes they’d planned for. Our waitlists were about as long as they were last year at this time, and it remains a real concern that we are turning students away from classes that they need in order to make progress.
But that is a state budget issue, one that is affecting students at all community colleges across California.”

Addressing attendees of the Davis Center’s dedication ceremony Jan. 11, Palm said the center would not have been possible without the cooperation of a large number of UC Davis and City College administrators, city council members and community members, many of whom were recognized at the dedication ceremony.

“It’s a great building, but it’s the people that really make it,” Palm said. “You have to know that there are some really important people here who have been here for a long time.”

However, Palm said, he couldn’t remember exactly how long ago plans for the new Davis Center began.

“It is hard to put a specific date on the first conversations. The first note I found in a file dates to 1999.”

City College President Dr. Kathryn Jeffery said planning for the Davis Center began before she accepted her position as
president of City College.

“I got to come in on this when all the excitement was happening. All the hard work had already occurred when I arrived on the scene in 2008,” Jeffery said during the dedication ceremony. “And so in the last four years we had a chance to move this project forward to the point where we are here today dedicating this facility.”

The location of the new facility is expected to aid students in transitioning from community college to a university setting and encourage them to meet their educational goals.

“Because of its location in West Village, the Davis Center will certainly play a role in advancing academic success and student achievement and further promote the transfer of [City College] students aspiring to achieve a four-year degree,” said Jeffery.

The center cost approximately $7.4 million to build and was funded by local bonds approved in 2002, according to Palm.

The building meets standards for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED, program Palm said. That means it was “designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality,” according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s website.

According to Palm, the foundation of the Davis Center project was built on the development of West Village as a planned community, which commits a percentage of the land to public education, and it is committed to sustainable energy as a “zero net energy” community.

“[West Village] offered a great location for an educational center… and it is part of UC Davis,” he said.

University of California Davis Chancellor Dr. Linda Katehi said UC Davis has been committed to working with City College on the Davis Center building. She believes that the center will strengthen the connection between community colleges and the University of California.

“It is a big day for Sacramento City College and for our campus because it reflects the tremendous effort and the work that has been put together by a team of people who are totally devoted to higher education in the state of California and, of course, to the master plan and the idea of the very specific connection between community college and the University of California,” said Katehi.

“This building really shows the commitment of this idea and the hard work of many people who came together to make it happen.”

No projected course cuts for spring 2012

Daniel Wilson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:01:05 +0000

It’s the time of year when City College students are focused on both final exams and signing up for classes for the upcoming semester. Often, this task is met with disappointment when classes that students need are no longer being offered by the school.

Budget cuts, among other reasons, usually lead to courses being cut from the schedule but according to Mary Turner, director and manager of instructional services at City College, this year’s goal was to build the class schedule around the budget as opposed to letting the budget dictate the schedule.

“We’re not going to be able to offer everything students want, but we’re really trying to go about it in a very logical way to try to have the offerings there,” Turner said.

“In fact, because we reduced [fall 2011] so much, a little bit more than we really had to, spring 2012 is going to have more classes in the schedule than usual.”

According to Turner, the new strategy focuses less on cutting courses and more on how to make courses available. The strategy includes working more closely with the other campuses in the district, spreading out classes throughout the week or putting them on semester rotation, and reducing class size.

“The reductions that we have done have been a result of the challenging budget throughout the state,” Turner said. “We have maintained full-time faculty, we’ve maintained as many of our adjunct faculty as we possibly can but certainly when there’s reductions in the number of classes, there’s going to be reductions in the number of faculty.”

The schedule is decided based on the previous year’s budget and Turner said that’s an advantage that the Los Rios district schools have over other colleges.

Last year’s budget cuts came suddenly and Turner said the district had to react accordingly. She added that the quick action was something that all California’s colleges had to make and that City College was fortunate not to lose even more than it did.

Many students agree that this new strategy is certainly better, even if it means having to go to other campuses in the district to complete coursework. One student said he’s been doing that anyway and he is happy as long as he can continue to take the classes he needs.

“I’m fine with it,” said liberal studies major Mark Tuller. “I’m always trying to take a class [at City College], but they never have it, so I’ve had to take a few classes at America River College.”

Another student said it may be better to cut less popular courses if it means more opportunities in other areas for students.

“I think the schedule they have going on now is working out well,” said graphics communications major Alejandro Argumedo.

“Maybe cut out a tiny budget so that way we can put it towards new clubs and making clubs better.”

Still, even with this new strategy, scheduling may continue to be a challenge because the state’s budget can be particularly unpredictable. Turner said it requires a new outlook for the future.

“We’ve been in a growth mode for so long that this is a situation that is so different,” Turner said. “Because our revenues come directly from the state, we’re just going to have to think differently.”

Professor leads discussion about homophobia on college campuses

Saralyn Adkins — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:32:29 +0000

Dr. Gayle Pitman, City College Psychology professor discusses homophobia and heterosexism. Photo by Jason Van Sandt

The phenomenon of homophobia and heterosexism in today’s society was examined Dec. 1 at the City College Cultural Awareness Center.

City College Psychology professor Gayle Pitman, who hosted the lecture, defined the hallmarks of homophobia, and discussed the adverse effects of heterosexism, or the assumption that an individual is heterosexual.

Pitman began the lecture by turning the tables and asking three heterosexual volunteers questions that many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer LGBTQ students face on a regular basis, such as, “What do you think caused your heterosexuality?” And,“Is it possible that your heterosexuality is just a phase that you might grow out of?”

Psychology major Tighearnan Lee says he encounters homophobia every day.

“A lot of people that already know about homophobia and heterosexism came as a refresher,” said Lee, 25. “It’s kind of hard to get people that aren’t interested in it to listen to the lecture.”

The lecture, which drew a crowd of about 30, even prompted some debate among attendees as to whether or not one’s disagreement with a person’s sexuality constitutes homophobia.

Pitman emphasized the importance and prevalence of covert, or passive-aggressive, homophobia, as opposed to the more overt, riotous, sign-waving variety. While blatant acts of intolerance do their fair share of damage to the psyche, Pitman stressed the ways in which the silent anonymous disapproval of an especially cruel bathroom stall can be equally harmful.

Pitman said she feels that homophobia is a legitimate issue at City College, and feels that as a campus there is much we could be doing to resolve the inadvertent tensions that result from covert homophobia.

City College students listen in as Dr. Gayle Pitman discusses homophobia and heterosexism. Photo by Jason Van Sandt

“We’re beginning to offer Safe Space trainings for administrators, faculty, and staff so we can all become more knowledgeable about LGBTQ issues,” Pitman said. “Homophobia on college campuses correlates significantly with academic, social, and mental health difficulties among LGBTQ students, so improving the campus climate can have a powerful impact on student success.”

There are also similar lectures in the works, said Assessment Supervisor Sherri Goldberg.

“We are currently working on a LGBT campus climate survey that we hope to get out to the campus early next semester,” said Goldberg. “It will help us get a better idea of how safe, both emotionally and physically, LGBT students and staff feel at SCC.”

Vice President of the Queer Straight Alliance Melony Ford felt that the lecture was helpful in beginning a dialogue on homophobia between students of different backgrounds.

“It’s stuff we covered in her class earlier in the semester, but to have a group discussion on it definitely made it interesting,” said Ford, 22.

And that, according to Pitman, is precisely what City College needs.

“If we’re going to address those instances of homophobia, we need to create a climate where we can have honest conversations about these forms of discrimination,” said Pitman.

Channeling the music of Django Reinhardt

Antionette Gayfield — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:50:34 +0000

Jazz lovers are in for a treat.

City College music professors Bob Wrenn and Rob Knable, along with friends, will be putting on a jazz concert at noon Dec. 6 in the Cultural Awareness Center.

They will play songs by the legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Wrenn is a fiddle player, while Knable plays the clarinet.

Reinhardt (1910-1953) was a pioneering jazz guitarist who is remembered for having invented a new style of jazz guitar technique sometimes called hot jazz guitar. Hot jazz guitar is now a living musical tradition within the French gypsy culture and has gained widespread appeal.

Reinhardt co-founded the band Quintette du Hot club de France with violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Among many, his most popular songs are “Minor Swing,” “Daphne,” “Belleville,” “Djangology,” “Swing 42,” and “Nuages”.

World Aids day Dec. 1 in the quad noon-1 p.m.

Nicole Head — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:39:44 +0000

The 23-annual World AIDS day is approaching Dec. 1 from noon-1 p.m at the four cement tables and gazebo in the Quad.

City College Health Services RN Jeffery Christian said Heath Services has been fortunate enough to partner with several community-based organizations to bring health education and awareness of HIV and AIDS to the campus.

Christian said City College student Loreen Willenberg organized the entire event.

“She has done a fantastic job and has been a pleasure to work with,” said Christian.

The event will begin with opening comments from Christian and Willenberg then proceed with guest speakers, a live musical performance.

noon-12:15 p.m. Welcome/Opening comments & introductions (Christian and Willenberg)
12:15 p.m. – 12:16 p.m. Moment of Silence
12:16 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Youth speaker
12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Beatrice Hogg – Excerpt reading from her essay
“Unanswered Questions”
12:30 p.m. – 12:40 p.m. Musical Performance by Malikah “MoMo” Jones, guitar
(original composition by Corey Barker)
12:40 p.m. – 1 p.m. – The “Die-In” with student interactions at tables

For more information, contact Jeffery Christian at 558-2368 or e-mail him at christj@scc.losrios.edu

SAFFE lobbies for safety along busy Freeport

Sara Schmunk — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:17:50 +0000

Pedestrians, bicycles, county workers, delivery trucks and commuter traffic share Freeport Boulevard as shown at 11:00 am on Wednesday, Nov 30. Photo by Kate Paloy

Students and faculty who are concerned about bike and pedestrian safety along Freeport Boulevard will have the opportunity to voice their opinions Dec. 1 at C.K. McClatchy High School.

The City of Sacramento is hosting a community meeting to solicit public opinion on the possible redesigning of a stretch of Freeport Boulevard at 5:30 p.m. at the neighboring high school to City College. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria at 3066 Freeport Blvd.

The group Safety Along Freeport For Everyone will be there. SAFFE, founded about a year and a half ago, is a neighborhood group that has been lobbying the city’s Department of Transportation to redesign Freeport Boulevard, according to David Hagerty, City College professor of Human Career Development.

“[SAFFE's] mission is to see the stretch from Sutterville Road to Vallejo Road converted into a complete street,” Hagerty said.

Hagerty defines a complete street as one which “includes bike lanes and better access for pedestrians and the disabled.”. The plan favored by SAFFE would include three traffic lanes, one each direction and a center turn lane, and bike lanes on both sides of the street with parking on one side, Hagerty said.

For more information on SAFFE and the Dec. 1 meeting, go to http://saffesacramento.org/

Campus newspaper wins 12 awards for excellence

Amy Wong — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:27:18 +0000

City College’s own student-run newspaper, the Express and saccityexpress.com, took home general excellence awards for both the print and online papers at the 2011 Northern California Conference of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges held Nov. 12 at Sacramento State University.

“We’re very proud of the students of the Express for their great work that resulted in 12 awards in the JACC mail-in competition,” said Journalism Department Chair Jan Haag.

Journalism, photography and graphic design students produce the Express newspaper.

In addition to the general excellence awards, the Express also garnered three first-place awards for a student-designed advertisement by Casey Mar; inside page layout won by Maggie Phillips, design editor of the Express this semester; and illustration won by Sam Almaguer.

The paper also brought home awards in news writing, front page layout and video journalism, among others (see below).

The Express newspapers are advised by faculty Jan Haag, Dianne Heimer, Rachel Leibrock and Randy Allen.

Awards won by the Express:

The Express: General Excellence (online newspaper)

The Express: General Excellence (print newspaper)

First Place: Student-designed Advertisement: Casey Mar

First Place: Inside Page Layout: Maggie Phillips

First Place: Illustration: Sam Almaguer

Second Place: News Writing: Jamie Santiago

Second Place: Front Page Layout: Patrick Higgins, Maggie Phillips and Jan Young

Third Place: Sports Feature Photo: Jesse Charlton

Third Place: Video Journalism: Cyrette Smith and Ian McDonald

Fourth Place: Video Journalism: La Tisha Clayton

Honorable Mention: Photo Illustration: Patrick Higgins and Jesse Charlton

Honorable Mention: News Photo: Kimberly Washington

Honors Club seeks coats Nov. 30-Dec. 1

Bianca Botello — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:45:19 +0000

The Honors Club is hosting a coat drive from 11:00 am to 2 pm in the Quad on Nov. 30 - Dec. 1 for Making A Difference Homeless Outreach. Photo by Kate Paloy

With winter just around the corner, the Honors Club will host a coat drive Nov. 30-Dec. 1 to collect coats for Making A Difference Homeless Outreach for the cold season.

The Honors Club is asking for donations of any coats, hats and other winter apparel, and will accept clothing in all sizes, including baby sizes. The drive will take place 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on campus at the gazebo located next to the café in the campus Quad.

Members of the Honors Club are making hats to donate for this cause.

“We have members of the club knitting hats right now for the coat drive,” said Honors Club member Tara Block.

In the midst of the holiday season, Honors Club President Jeff Nakata said he and his fellow club members are hoping to give back to the community. They also encourage other clubs to get involved in the holiday spirit.

“We are trying to get other clubs to have drives like this,” said Nakata.

Other clubs on campus will be present at the drive collecting toys for programs, including Toys for Tots, and collecting other items such as canned foods and school supplies for a variety of organizations.

For more information about the coat drive, contact Anna Joy at 558-2615 or email her at joya@scc.losrios.edu

District limits the number of course repetitions for students

Jason Van Sandt — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:54:30 +0000

Beginning in the summer 2012 term at all Los Rios community colleges, a newly adopted policy states that the total number of times a student can repeat a course will be reduced to only three course repetitions, regardless of notation.

“The change in [repetition] policy was prompted by changes in the State of California’s Title 5 regulations and affects all community colleges,” said Susie Williams, Vice Chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District.

According to City College’s Admissions and Records Supervisor Kim Goff, currently students can repeat a course up to seven times; four times with a “W” notation when a student withdraws from a class, and three times with a graded notation.

“The [Board of trustees] doesn’t want to fund failure anymore,” Goff said.

According to Goff, there are few repercussions for students who drop classes, which allows them to take advantage of financial aid and other benefits that are awarded based on attendance.

“The changes were implemented not to save money but to increase student success,” Williams said.

According to Goff, California spent over $100 million (when? Over what period?) on students who fail to complete courses they are enrolled in. The new policy changes will give students more incentives to complete and succeed in course they are enrolled in.

There are exceptions to these new regulations, Goff said. Students with extenuating circumstances—a death in the immediate family, military orders, or a serious illness—may appeal and take a course a fourth time.

There will continue to be classes that are marked as repeatable in the new course catalogs, such as physical education and theater arts, according to Goff.

“The goal is to [inform] the students before the [college] is forced to tell them they can’t repeat a class,” Goff said.

With these new policy changes comes new ways of keeping students informed and on track to succeed in college, she added. Students will receive an email on the second time they enroll in a course and an email accompanied by a phone call on their third enrollment in a course. With every repeat course enrollment a student must meet with a counselor.