Sac City Express » stephanie rodriguez

City College journalism program recognized

Lovelle Harris — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:50:33 +0000

Express newspaper editor in chief Stephanie Rodriguez’s news article covering last semester’s recall of the Associated Student Government president won No. 1 in the state April 8-10 for excellence in reporting.

“I could not believe it,” Rodriguez said. “I was so excited, I didn’t know what to say. I think I smiled that whole day.”

The Journalism Association of Community College awarded the achievements of the editorial and design elements of saccityexpress.com, Mainline and the Express publications with an additional 17 awards at its annual conference in Los Angeles.

According to graphic communication professor and Express design adviser Don Button, more than 100 California community college journalism programs participated.

“And the fact that we received honorable mention in seven out of 10 to 12 design awards, and that our current editor in chief won No. 1 news story in the entire state, I mean it speaks for itself,” Button said.

Last semester, the Express underwent a facelift that may have contributed to some of the success at the award ceremony, according to Button.

“We went to tabloid, so we are no longer in a broadsheet format of old-style newspapers, so it has a really fresh, modern look,” Button said. “Most of our design entries came from the fall [semester] when we had gone to tabloid, in fact maybe all of them did, so it was the tabloid that really kind of had an impact.”

The JACC awards validate the talent of many students as they transition out of City College and into the professional world.

“Some of the students that won awards for last year’s awards are out there working right now, a few of them are still here, but a couple of them — Charles Henderson and Lori Llanillo — are out there working in the real world doing design now on the job and they’re our top two GCOM students.”

One of the students to receive honorable mention in the student-designed advertisement category expressed surprised after winning for her Halloween-inspired ad.

“I thought it was fantastic,” said Express design editor Casey Mar. “It was really exciting because I had no idea that they even submitted my ad in the first place. Also I am not that kind of designer. I’m a layout girl. I can do creative stuff with layout but when it comes to actually conceptualizing things and doing it that way, I don’t tend to step into that arena very often, so it was very flattering.”

With the business of journalism going the way of the Internet, the Express appears poised for future.

“Saccityxpress.com won general excellence as the No. 1 award for community college online journalism and it was their first semester, their first semester!” Button said “And they won best in the state, so that’s huge.”

Student survey randomly hits classrooms

Stephanie Rodriguez — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:07:38 +0000

A survey encouraging students to share how actively engaged they are when it comes to their education will randomly hit City College classrooms beginning late March and continue throughout the month of April.

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement, or CCSSE, will be administered for the second time since 2008, when City College’s Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness office began its first of three surveys. More than 585 institutions across the country and Canada have conducted the survey to give educators a better idea in aiding student success.

“The more we understand about our students’ behaviors and attitudes, the better we can respond,” PRIE research analyst Anne Danenberg said. “We can help students be more successful to the educational process with continuous improvements in our programs on campus.”

Participating classrooms are chosen at random by the CCSSE program located at the University of Texas at Austin. Not all classrooms on campus will be asked to fill out the survey. According to Danenberg, only 10 percent of City College classes will be surveyed, but the scientific system randomly selects a diverse amount of classrooms to successfully survey the college.

“[CCSSEE] provides concrete data for student success and our goals are centered on that,” said PRIE’s Rose Fassett, administrative assistant. “All responses will be confidential.”

The PRIE office hopes to gain knowledge to assess student experiences on campus with faculty and the use of college support services. The surveys will also show how the Counseling Department Assessment Center helps students or if there are areas needed for improvement.

According to PRIE Dean Marybeth Buechner, the 2008 survey results showed that full-time students scored higher on levels of engagement compared to part-time students and “76 percent of students spend between one and 10 hours per week preparing for class.”

Buechner said the student engagement surveys also help them understand the daily lives of students. The 2008 results showed that 46 percent of students list working full-time as a likely reason to withdraw from class.

The results will be uploaded to the City College Web site under the “Inside SCC” tab by the end of summer.

“[CCSSE] is not a measure of motivation, but it relates to the motivation of students,” Buechner said. “Even though [students] think they are working hard, if they are spending less than two hours a week studying, that’s not entirely realistic.”

Staying cold- and flu-free on a budget

Stephanie Rodriguez — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:34:18 +0000

The last couple months of the fall semester bring not only colder temperatures, but also cold and flu season.

Listen to tips from City College students on how to stay healthy during finals week.

Staying Cold and flu free on a budget by Stephanie Rodriguez

Things they lost in the fire

Stephanie Rodriguez — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:23:36 +0000

Alexandria Fishback and her dog Lando. Photos courtesy Alexandra Fishback

Driving back home to Auburn from San Diego, City College dental hygiene major Alexandria Fishback received a call that would change her life forever.

“I got a phone call from my mom saying there was a fire by our house and my grandpa and my dog were evacuated,” Fishback casually explained. “My grandpa called my grandma and said that the house was gone … burned down.”

Fishback, who lived with her grandparents, unfortunately lost her home to the Aug. 30 fire in Auburn, now thought to be the result of arson. Dozens of homes were lost. Pictures show a vehicle completely charred in what was once a garage, layers of ash surround a heavily burned dishwasher and a spot where a home once sat is now an empty concrete foundation.

“The day after it happened, I was here [at City College],” Fishback said. “I found that going to school helped me not think about what had happened, just going to school kept me motivated.”

Dressed in navy blue scrubs and white Crocs, Fishback blends in among all the hopeful dental hygiene students.

“It’s been hard,” Fishback said. “Hygiene school is a tough program anyways.”

Not having a house, a car or clothes made it even more difficult.

“Anything that comforts you is completely gone,” she said. “It’s just made a hard program even harder.”

Once the dental hygiene faculty heard about Fishback’s situation, they joined together and donated school supplies and even money to help her buy new scrubs. They also contacted the City College Foundation to see what could be done to help Fishback continue her education this semester.

Fishback's grandparent's house after the fires.

The foundation provides scholarships and mini-grants to students, faculty, and programs on campus through the Annual Fund. When a student’s situation is dire, the foundation’s Student Emergency Fund can help provide essentials needed to help keep students in school.

“We were able to pay for her textbooks and other things that she had lost in the fire,” Mary Leland, executive director of the City College Foundation said. “The Student Emergency Fund is very focused on specific needs that have to be fairly dramatic because of a limited pull from the Annual Fund. It’s important that we continue to build our Annual Fund and I hope we can get students to give back while they’re here.”

The money that makes up the Annual Fund is a combination of donations and brick sales. According to Leland, every cent of the Annual Fund goes out to the students and last year, the foundation was able to give away $113,000 to students.

“The foundation had stuff for me in a day or two, it was really fast,” Fishback explained. “I didn’t even realize they had emergency funds for anything like this. My faculty really helped me out and all the people at the foundation, it was a really pleasant surprise to see everyone band together to try to help me get back on my feet.”

Fishback cleans friend Rebecca Mudd's teeth at the City College dental office.

Fishback is in her last year in the dental hygiene program along with friend, Yulonda Dodd, who gives Fishback a ride to and from school.

“She‘s just one of my really good friends. When this happened to her I just wanted to be there for her in any way that I could,” said Dodd, 31. “I pick her up, take her home and help her run her errands. I just want her to get through the program and finish since we’re almost done.”

Since the fire, Fishback’s grandparents have been renting a house about a mile away from the house that was lost.

“Last year, I had gone to the foundation to try to find a scholarship for dental hygiene students and I met Mary Leland and then this year they were able to help me,” Fishback explained. “Once I graduate and start working, I would love to participate in some of their funds to help other people because they have helped me so much.”

ASG President Steve Macias reinstated

Stephanie Rodriguez — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:38:27 +0000

Express file photo Allison Valenzuela

Associated Student Government President Steve Macias has been reinstated in full, following a failed recall attempt and a suspension approved by his fellow ASG members.

More than 600 students voted in the two-day recall election held on Oct. 27 and 28 and more than half voted to remove Macias and ASG Student Affairs Commissioner Monica Guzman from office, according to ASG Vice President Debby Dixon.

The election was declared null and void by City College on Nov. 2, however, due to a violation of an open-meeting law called The Brown Act under California Government Code Section 54954.2 which states:

“The agenda shall specify the time and location of the regular meeting and shall be posted in a location that is freely accessible to members of the public.”

The violation concerned the ASG’s failure to appropriately post the agenda for the special meeting that led to a vote to hold the recall election, ASG Vice President Debby Dixon admitted.

“I messed up the students’ voice,” Dixon said. “I forgot to put the time on the agenda set for the special meeting — just that technicality.”

The same day Macias survived the recall election results he was also suspended and stripped of his duties as president, according to City College Public Information Officer Amanda Hamilton.

“In the absence of his participation as president, the ASG Senate voted to suspend his duties indefinitely so that ASG activities can continue,” Hamilton said.

As quickly as Nov. 5, the suspension of Macias was overruled and he was reinstated in full, according to ASG Commissioner of Public Relations Justin Turner.

“A couple of the members of the ASG have began the process of impeachment,” Turner said. “President Steve Macias has broken constitutional bylaws such as … not being present at meetings, even prior to the recall.”

According to Hamilton, an application form to impeach Macias was submitted to the ASG Judicial Branch on Nov. 2.

As far as Guzman’s position as Student Affairs Commissioner, she has been officially voted out by the ASG board because of unexcused absences, according to Turner.

Guzman is being replaced with former Public Relations Commissioner Richard Martinez, who was nominated and accepted by the board.

“We have no idea where she is,” Turner said. “She had too many unexcused absences before the recall election hit. We just removed her and appointed someone new.”

SCC weekly police log highlights: Oct. 8-14

Stephanie Rodriguez — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:21:34 +0000

Vehicle Accident:

A non-injury vehicle accident was reported to campus police on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Laptop Theft:

A laptop was reported stolen from a student’s backpack on Tuesday, Oct. 6 in the auditorium. There were no witnesses.

Cited Driver:

A driver stopped for a traffic violation was found to be driving with a suspended license on Panther Parkway, Thursday, Oct. 8. The driver was cited and the vehicle was towed.

Keeping the Peace:

Around noon on Thursday Oct. 8, a verbal conflict between students erupted by the South Gymnasium causing campus police to respond to mediate and keep the peace.

Multiple Bicycle Thefts:

On Thursday, Oct. 8 near the Cosmetology Department on campus, a bicycle was reported stolen around 12:28 p.m. Campus police gathered information from the student, who also filed a report with the Sacramento Police Department. Another bicycle was reported stolen later that night around 8:47 p.m. Another bicycle was stolen from a bike rack just south of Rodda South on Monday, Oct. 12 between 9 a.m and 11 a.m. The bike was locked up.

Disturbing the Peace:

A fight broke out on the City College campus on Thursday, Oct. 8. Campus police responded and released participating student(s) to the Sacramento Police Department.

Stolen Tote Bag:

On Monday, Oct. 12, an unidentified person stole a City College student’s tote bag containing personal items at the City Café.

Assault at the City Café:

On the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 13, a student at the City Café refused to identify himself to peace officers on campus. The student then fought and assaulted peace officers when being escorted from the café area, the student was later booked into Sacramento County Jail.

Hit and Run:

Monday, Oct. 12, in the City College parking structure, an unidentified driver struck another student’s vehicle, damaging the right, rear bumper. The unidentified driver left the scene without giving proper contact information.