Sac City Express » Sacramento City College

Oh, Snap! Picture Of the Day-1/17/12

Online Staff — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:18:11 +0000

A line of City College students wrap around Hughes Stadium to buy parking decals as others hurry to class. Students with other business such as purchasing books, paying registration fees fill the campus entrance on Jan 17 as 2012 Spring semester begins. Photo by Evan E. Duran

Oh, Snap! Picture Of the Day-1/16/12

Online Staff — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:37:50 +0000

City College is closed on Jan 16, 2012 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Spring semester started Saturday, January 14 and will resume on Tuesday, January 17. See scc.losrios.edu for more information. Photo by Kate Paloy

State champ to scholar

Aidan Fitzsimon — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:38:22 +0000

City College sophmore Zach Bartley, No. 85, in the North Gym

Forward Zach Bartley, a sophomore on the men’s basketball team for City College, is averaging eight points per game and has totaled 33 rebounds through the first four games, playing in the undefeated start the Panthers men’s basketball team is off to.

“I try to get rebounds, that’s how a lot of my points come. I’m kind of like the garbage man on the court,” Zach Bartley, English major says. “Any time there’s a missed shot I crash the boards hard.”

Bartley brings a lot of experience to the team.

After gray-shirting a year at Sierra College, Bartley arrived at City College for the 2009-2010 season and for personal reasons red-shirted last year, as a red-shirt title, Bartley did not play in games that year thus preserving a year of college eligibility.

Now, he’s back and has returned this season with resurgence.

“What you see is what you get with Zach,” Head Coach Andrew Jones said. “He’s focused in practice. He’s matured a lot in the year that he took off.”

Bartley says he is very proud of his team and the start they’re off to. But, he adds, he’s also not content,.

“We’re 4-0 so far this year, so I definitely think it was a good idea to come back,” Bartley said. “I expect to keep it rolling, but we have a lot of games to go, so we can’t get too cocky.”

Bartley says he wants a title for his school and that he hopes to get a scholarship to help him pay for school.

“My goal is to win a state championship and also to earn a scholarship to play basketball at a four-year college next year,” Bartley said.

While Bartley stands at 6-foot-7, and makes for an intimidating presence on the court as a top scorer, he is soft spoken yet deliberate with his words.

Bartley also says he enjoys the simple things, like playing video games and watching movies, but places hanging out with his family above all of his hobbies.

Bartley’s teammates say they appreciate him just as much off the court as they do on the court.

“He’s got a great personality,” teammate Israel King, kinesiology major says. “[Zach] is just a great guy. I like to hang out with him off the court and outside of basketball, and we have a great friendship.”

Jones says he thinks Bartley has a bright future ahead of him in basketball.

“I think Zach can play at a high Division II level.” Jones said. “His freshman year he went for 25 [points] against Solano, and it was in a losing effort, but he was the best player on the floor that night…The two free throws he hit against Cosumnes River with 7.5 seconds to go, those were huge clutch free throws.”

Aside from shooting clutch free throws in search of potential scholarship opportunities, Bartley says he also dedicates his athletic efforts to his father.

“I’m playing for my father, because he’s in Afghanistan right now fighting in the air force, and he will be gone for a year. All this stuff I’m doing is for my dad,” Bartley said.

Reuse, recycle, and reconsider

Salvatore Faro — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:05:02 +0000

With the changing climate and increasing global population, it has come to the point where we as Americans should start and need to reduce the negative effects we have on the environment.

In 2010, cleanair.org reported that the average American office worker used about 500 disposable cups per year. If a small group of just 10 office workers chose to use reusable glasses at work that would cut the use of disposable cups by 5,000. California is the highest populous state in the country with a state population of just over 37 million, according to 2010.census.gov. If every office within our own state had reusable glasses in their break rooms, the positive effects would be tremendous. If society as a whole made a strong effort to use reusable canteens and bags, rather than plastic bottles and bags, the benefits would be astonishing.

But the repercussions of disposable cups, bottles, bags, and containers go much further than the landfills that they are poured into. The energy and money spent disposing of the plastics is an unnecessary expense.

Last year, California alone, spent $25 million dollars sending plastic bags to landfills, with an additional $8.5 million dollars to remove the trash and litter from streets, according to cleanair.org. The state could certainly use the savings with California’s current budget deficit soaring at $20.7 billion dollars in 2011 to 2012, according to lao.ca.gov.

Despite the fiscal advantages of reusable products, the biggest returns come environmentally. America alone uses approximately 1 billion shopping bags per year, creating an absorbent amount of 300,000 tons of plastic waste, stated clearnair.org. Unfortunately for the environment, plastic waste does not completely decompose. Instead, plastics break down into smaller and smaller particles that can pollute the surrounding ground soils, water, and animals.

On a more positive note, there are several easy and cost-effective substitutes for plastic containers.

Within companies and offices, where paper cups are most common, the use of glass and ceramic cups can be encouraged. It would save money in the long run and help businesses with fewer purchases of paper cups, while simultaneously helping to lessen trash impact on the environment.

For the daily shopper and citizen, reusable totes made from recycled material provide a healthier alternative when shopping at the grocery store. The small investment to buy the reusable bags will go a long way to helping our world. Rather than buying a bottle of water, reusable plastic or metal canteens can be used for a beverage on the go.

Most Americans tend to use plastic bags when shopping because it is what we are accustomed to. Plastic and paper bags have been provided to us for years, which dragged us into the bad habit of constantly using and relying on them. Leaving reusable bags in the car at all times is a helpful way to change that habit.

If we wait and keep putting this issue to the back of our minds it may reach a point where it is too late to reverse these detrimental side effects. Whether it is convenience or just something we are used to, it makes no difference. Putting forth the extra effort to use reusable bags and bottles will benefit our health, environment, and businesses for future generations to come.

Wide receiver thrives on teamwork

Aidan Fitzsimon — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:48:47 +0000

City College wide receiver Byron Riggs has spent the last two fall semesters bolting from the line down the field, then leaping to tremendous heights to make big time catches. The rest of the week?

City College wide receiver Byron Riggs No. 16 catches a pass surrounded by Fresno's defense for a gain of five yards at Hughes Stadium. Richard Hanna | rhanna68@gmail.com

Good luck finding him.

Riggs is known around the team for his ability to make big time catches.

Quarterback Dominic Carmazzi, 21, remembered a particular play, against Sierra College.

“I had a 40-yard touchdown pass to him. He went up and got it and it was a great play on his part,” Carmazzi said.

At 6-foot-3-inches and weighing 185 pounds, Riggs’s teammates describe him as fast with great length and fantastic hands.

“He’s all hands, no body. He catches the ball with his hands [and] not [with] his body,” said wide receiver Rico Herring, 20, criminal justice major, of Riggs’ greatest strength as an athlete.

Riggs, 22, business finance major, juggles a full-time class schedule, plays on the football team, and has a job.

“He’s a hard worker. He holds down a job [and] he goes to school full time,” Head Coach Dannie Walker said. “[Riggs] plays football full time, and is a good student athlete.”

While Riggs is busy with the team and his personal life, he says he tries to make time for other hobbies.

“Outside football I really like drawing and art,“ Riggs said. “My creative side, I like exploring that.”

Riggs said he plans on transferring to a four-year college after the spring semester, and said he hopes to continue with his football career.

This year, Riggs has had 15 catches for 145 yards and one touchdown. But it’s not just his talent on the field that sets him apart—Riggs’ teammates say they enjoy his personality, too.

“Byron’s real laid back. He likes to joke around a lot,” Carmazzi said. “I see him joking with the receivers. He keeps it light.”

While Riggs may keep it light with teammates, he says he doesn’t want to let down on the football field.

“The teamwork [and] the camaraderie that comes with the game, that’s what I like doing.” Riggs said. “My greatest weakness is just the fear of letting my team down.”

Kondos Art Gallery hosts ‘Birdhouses’ art show

Zack Schmitz — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 01:51:14 +0000

More than 60 pieces of work are on display at the City College art gallery, representing artists from all over California, including some City College faculty and staff. Photo by Zack Schmitz

The saying “for the birds” takes on a whole new meaning at the current Kondos Art Gallery second annual “Birdhouses” show, which opened on Nov. 10. More than 60 pieces of work are on display at the City College art gallery, representing artists from all over California, including some City College faculty and staff.

“People requested that we do it again, because everyone loved last year’s show so much,” said Suzanne Adan, a curator of the Kondos Art Gallery and adjunct art professor at City College.

Eric S. Wood, one of the shows artists and a former art professor at City College, says that within the first 10 minutes of the doors being opened, five birdhouses had already been sold.

Colors were striking and materials were imaginative. Birdhouses were ornately made from wire, plastic, ceramic, polished metal and even spray insulation. Some stood alone; others were hanging from the ceiling or mounted on a wall.

After just two hours, 22 birdhouses had been sold bringing in $9,000 and out of that money every artist that sells a piece receives 50 percent of the sale, according to Stevens.

“These artists give so much to the local art community,” said adjunct art professor Michael Stevens, the other curator and director of the Kondos Art Gallery. “We believe in paying the artists before anything.”

The birdhouses show acts as a fundraiser for the Kondos Art Gallery because the funds received from the show often help pay for the gallery’s operating costs, as well as some student scholarships.

With a mailing list of around 500 people, the cost of printing and mailing out show announcements alone costs thousands of dollars, Stevens said.

The exhibit will be on display Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. until Dec. 8. Pay the Kondos Art Gallery a visit before it’s all bye, bye birdie.

For more information check out the calendar of events: http://www.scc.losrios.edu/Calendar_of_Events/Birdhouses_1110-120811.htm or this informational link: http://web.scc.losrios.edu/art/gallery

Jodi Travasaro shares how to get a state job

Kevin Clements — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 01:35:50 +0000

City College students and faculty listen to 19 year state employee veteran Jodi Travasaro in LRC room 105 on how to get a state job. Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

With jobs in scarce supply, students need all the help they can get.

On Nov. 8 Jodi Travasaro a statewide learning and performance officer, held an event at City College to educate students and staff on how to find state jobs. Her two-hour lecture was full of tips and advice on how to “think professionally,” Travasaro said repeatedly.

Travasaro started her lecture by asking everyone to create a professional atmosphere, hoping one day it would soon become a familiar feeling.

“I was proud about the turn out,” said Poonam Kelkar, coordinator and job services student personnel assistant (SPA). “Students can learn a lot from Travasaro because of her experience in the workforce.”

Travasaro told her own personal story of how she was able to obtain a state job. She described the steps she took and the mistakes she made.

“It’s all a game for the best and the brightest to win and standout,” Travasaro said.

Travasaro emphasizes standing out and being able to outshine others. Her six simple steps for getting hired at a state job were the following:

1. Log onto SPB.CA.GOV register and complete the application

2. Get on a list

3. Search for job openings

4. Apply and take exams

5. Go to a hiring interview

6. Accept the position

Travasaro said that these steps were the steps she herself took to obtain a state job and that the website is used by all California Departments looking for employees.

“I put the event together because I wanted to give students tools and resources,” Kelkar said. “I hope everyone walked away with more knowledge than they came in with.”

Travasaro also said getting a foot in the door is very vital.

“Know what your applying for but don’t be afraid to accept a job you’re not happy with,” Travasaro said.

Some more crucial steps that will ultimately help people find jobs in the state department, Travasaro believes, are knowing what you’re talking about, being professional, selling yourself to the companies and being positive at all times.

“The jobs are yours. You just need to go get them,” Travasaro said.

For more information about state jobs, go to http://spb.ca.gov/index.htm?e=1.

Student body elects new members of SAC

Nicole Head — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:03:23 +0000

Taylor Valmores won as president of the Clubs and Events Board and Kevin Kayhanian won as president of the Student Senate Oct. 18-19 in the Student Associated Council election.

According to faculty coordinator of Student Leadership and Development Kimberlee Beyrer, a total of 446 students voted in the election. The newly elected officers will begin their work under the new Student Associated Council effective Nov. 1, 2011.

“A big thank you to all of the staff and volunteers that helped our students exercise their right to vote,” said Beyrer. “Thanks to all of you, the election ran smoothly.”

There are now three branches of the Associated Student Council, said Beyrer. They are the Clubs and Events board, Student Senate, and the senators. Fourteen positions have been filled.

Other election winners for the Clubs and Events board were Vice President Swayze Cofield and Secretary Ymani Wade.

Student Senate winners were Vice President EloHim Cofield, Treasurer LaDonya Reed, Secretary Debra Jackson-Dixon and President Pro-Tem Derek Bacon. Other officers elected were Secretary of Legislative Affairs Angela Miller, Secretary of Sustainability Michael Viscuso and Secretary of Technology Husham Haroun.

The Senators are Jeannette Carpenter, Deborah Fortinberry, Olivia Gover, Frank-Ikera Jones, Sean Thompson and Alejandra Tovar.

Local filmmaker tries to make a name for himself in the Sacramento Region

Tony Wallin — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 04:34:27 +0000

Sac Film Festival winner Don Carlos (lower right corner) films some new material with theater arts student Alhaqq Darden (center) on campus. Tony Wallin|wallintony@yahoo.com

Don Carlos Sanders, 38, is a multi-talented man who is well on his way to becoming a well-known filmmaker, even beyond Sacramento. He has only been involved in film for three years and has already won three awards in the 2011 Sacramento Film Festival.

The City College student won an award Aug. 21, for his first film, “Envy”, which he directed, filmed, wrote music, stared in and wrote himself.

The mismanagement of money inspired the short film “Envy.”It is about a corrupt senator who has a picture-perfect life. The senator’s family starts to unravel when his wife grows suspicious of his corrupt activities. She becomes so convinced that he plans to kill her that she turns the tables, and hires a hit man to kill him.

“I got the idea from another film I was making for the film festival,” Sanders says, “I took the same characters from the original clip and switched them around.”

He won awards for his second film, “The Break-up” and his third film “The Watering Hole,” in October at the Sacramento Film Festival. Sanders took writing and acting credit for the films.

Sanders, who is called Anakin Skywalker by his team, also has his own TV show called MegaDon TV, where he does sports announcing.

“In a nut shell, this guy is going places,” says fellow Sacramento film-maker Chris Currier.

Sanders has seen a life full of hardships, as he puts it, but his experience has made him wise beyond his years. He was born in San Francisco, and now has many roles he plays beyond entertaining and acting, such as, father. He has two sons and a daughter: Lorante, Michael and Pam.

His started his career as a rap/hip hop artist in the group called The African Identity, which he toured with in several Midwest states, such as, Texas and Oklahoma, and also various European countries, including Italy, France and Greece. He has worked with artists, such as, Shock G, Del the Funky Homosapian, the Bigga Figga, and many more and has also collaborated on an array of CD compilations with Straight Gutta records. He also has a record that has gone gold, before leaving the business, Sanders says.

“I got tired of the (rap/hip-hop) business,” Sanders says, “I was fed up with putting in all this work and not seeing a dime for it. I needed something lucrative, you know? I needed something to feed the family and also wanted something I could put my name towards.”

After taking a 10-year “family break” from everything, including the rap/hip-hop business, tragedy struck in Sanders life. He says his youngest son Lorante, got shot by an Oakland transit officer and was suspected of having a weapon and drugs on him. Later, while Sanders was in the hospital he says he had a hand-held video recording device and filmed the results of his son’s tests, and as he suspected, there were no drugs in his system.

“Out of the tragedy, as sad as it is to say, I found my calling card,” Sanders says.

Sanders says the event really changed him and influenced him to begin a film career.

“After college and my degree is achieved, I plan on having my own production company. I’m going to call it MegaDon and we’re going to focus on all areas of multimedia, film, photo, acting, screen-play, and music, just everything you can think of,” Sanders says.

Three clubs put on Halloween show

Kayla Nick-Kearney — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:18:40 +0000

Leaders of three clubs, Talent, United Elements and Choreography join forces in the Student Center sharing ideas for the raising of money. Tony Wallin|wallintony@yahoo.com

October sees many transformations: people transform into their costumes, the weather transforms constantly from hot to cold to hot, and three clubs on campus transform into one “Thriller” dancing conglomerate.

The Talent Club, United Elements Club and Choreography Club are working together to put on a Halloween show on Oct. 26.

“We’re working pretty much to bring all our clubs together to network and to get more out into the public. Together we have a more diverse opportunity to express our talents,” says Brandon Jackson Choreography Club president.

The Talent Club embodies members that dance, sing and write poetry. The United Elements Club covers everything from poetry, dance, music and spoken-word. The Choreography Club focuses more on dance.

“We’re an all talent club, everything from the step and the dance to singing, musicians, spoken word and photography,” says Samantha Hernandez, Talent Club secretary. “We are creating our own atmosphere.”

The Halloween show will take place in the Student Center from 5 – 9 p.m. Tickets are being sold at $3 pre-sale and $5 at the door.

The Talent CAP club has been putting on events, such as a rummage sale recently, to help them raise funds for their club.

“We try to create events for the campus so we can share our talents and eventually once we can get enough practice then we can hold events in community for other people,” Hernandez says. Students join the clubs for many reasons beyond talent.

Melissa Taanpirhk of the United Elements and Talent Club says she joined so she would have asocial experience during her first year at City College. She writes poetry and represents the club in Inter-Club Council, where clubs are informed of events on campus.

Another member of the Talent Club, Lincoln Scott, who spoke on the anti-bullying event Oct. 12, performed one of his original spoken word pieces. He says he joined the club to work off stress.

“I knew RJ (Lisundra, president of United Elements Club) and at a meeting he asked everyone to showcase their art, and mine came out as poetry,” Scott says. “I find it’s a positive outlet.”

For more information about the event, email united8elements@gmail.com or scc.talentclub@gmail.com