Pantos in “Wonderland” pg.06

Makin’ it rain pg.04

Below Par pg.10

SERVING THE SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE COMMUNITY SINCE 1922 Volume 96 Issue 6 November 27, 2012

2 11.27.12  •  OPINION  •  SAC  CITY  EXPRESS

Editorial: Shoving for savings A shove to the ribs, a crushing

boot on the feet and a swinging shopping bag to the head as you

maneuver through the line of yelling people. You may have been shopping Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving, or you were training for the TV game show “Wipeout.” If you didn’t plan on aggressive wrestling; perhaps this type of shopping was not for you.

Black Friday could easily be tagged as the most dangerous shop-ping day of the year. On this day, sleep-deprived people are baited with historically low prices on a limited amount of much-wanted mer-chandise found in a building maxed to capacity with fellow shoppers. Forgive the inability to utter “thank you” for keeping a store open when holidays are traditionally meant for people to be off work. Target, Toys'R'Us, Banana Republic, and Raleys are just a few of the retailers who were doing business some part of Thanksgiving Day.

The nauseating news of Walmart employee Jdimytai Damour being trampled by shopping crowds after being caught in the store entranceway in 2008 is what it took to implement security and order. You’ve prob-ably heard of more recent stories of injured shoppers, such as the fight in Roseville Galleria. Even security car-ries death on its hands according to the recent event in Lithonia, Georgia when Walmart security killed a sus-pected shoplifter. Bringing sale items out on pallets and allowing snarling earthlings to practice survival of the fittest fuels greed. Damour didn’t have a chance.

Walmart did not close for Thanksgiving again this year but instead stayed open 24 hours, as they did last year. The news the retailer would be open on Thanksgiving Day was stunning—but only for a mo-ment. The biggest day of shopping is Black Friday, dubbed for its ability to attract enough shoppers to move retailers’ financial books out of the red and into the black. Long lines of consumers, starting as early as midnight, will wait to shop. Mid-night? Midnight is for lovers and star watchers, not shopping.

Jamal Johnson, a Walmart em-ployee who spoke of past Black Fri-days, says people line up throughout the day. Some folks had camped out in tents and lost their place in line.

“They were fighting for positions in line,” said the 21-year-old. “Nowa-days it’s a lot safer because they make you line up and create certain lines to get what you want.”

So what are people shopping for? Is it the last loaf of bread or the only toilet paper in town? Consumers must be shopping for items that will double in value by next year, so it is actually an investment, right? The transforma-tion of regular people into aggressive battlers for material goods because of cost must have a logical reason. Actu-ally, some of the technologically based items for sale are destined to drop in price, some within the year, like com-puters and iPads.

Walmart patron Luz Stumbo, 62, says she went last year with her son and daughter-in-law with the mind-set of being a helping grandma. She thought she could hold a place in line.

“I didn’t like it,” said Stumbo. “It brought out a really ugly side of me. People were digging boxes before it was time.”

Stumbo felt an unfairness about it all and found herself peeking and standing next to pallets, too. Then the anger came out when people cut in front of her family. Thinking back, she says, those reactions seemed right. Today, not so much. Walmart employee Julie Williams, 51, worked Thanksgiving Day, and said Walmart was open 24 hours because they didn’t want people getting hurt. When asked about the lack of holiday celebration, she said she liked the pay.

If a holiday is defined as any day exempt from work, then families have been creating their own holidays to fit their work schedules for years. If a holiday is a day fixed by law when ordinary business is suspended (and is exempt from tax) to commemorate an event or a person. Some retailers have lost theirs.

Have we lost ours?Perhaps we could have a holiday

of civility, titled Damour’s Day, and serve turkey.

Views published in the Express do not reflect those of the Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees, the Associate Student Government, City College Journalism department, administration, student body or faculty, unless otherwise stated.

Let the Express know what you think. Letters should be 300 words or less. Please include contact information. No anonymous letters will be printed. The Express reserves the right to edit or reject any article, advertisement or illustration deemed inappropriate, including letters to the editor.

MembershipsJournalism Association of Community CollegesCalifornia Newspaper Publishers Association

ContactSacramento City College3835 Freeport Blvd.Sacramento, CA 95822-1386Phone: 916.558.2561 / 2562Fax: 916.558.2282email: express@scc.losrios.edusaccityexpress.com

Editor in ChiefJason Van Sandt Online Managing Editor Daniel Wilson

News EditorsAngelo Mabalot

Sports EditorsSteven Senn

Arts&Entertainment EditorWendy Aguilar

Photo EditorsTony Wallin- PrintEvan E. Duran- Online

Multimedia EditorL.T. Clayton

Web ManagerKate Paloy

Social Media OnlineJoseph Hall

Design EditorMatt Matteucci

Assistant Design EditorVivian Liu

Ad ManagerDustin Druecker

PhotographersThomas FrobergRichard Hannah Callib Heard Kelvin Sanders

WritersTeri BarthCherene BriggsAaron JacksonTrevon JohnsonMichael JonesJessica RineYvonne SantyAlex SchildgenJose D. VillanuevaDiane WadeLatrice WattsNaomi Williams

Page DesignersDavid AngsteadLamere CarterCerberna CrenshawDa'Meah JohnsonBrent KennedyAngelo MabalotElaine RomeroNicki Winstead

AdvisorsRandy AllenDianne HeimerRachel LeibrockKate Murphy

Cover Design: Matt Matteucci

Cover Photo: Kate Murphy

“I was speeding to do Black Friday

shopping and I got pulled over and got a ticket, but I still went shopping.”

“I was with friends camping outside Walmart and saw people fighting people what wanted to cut the line, and I saw a little boy get trampled when the doors opened.”

“We went Black Friday shopping and there was a woman with three children and

she had the children pushing carts filled

with stuff, one of the carts flipped over

and the kid was buried in stuff.”

“I was at Macy's. Two ladies were fighting over the last sweater on the rack and one of the ladies overpowered the other and started chock-ing her in a headlock and trying to rip the sweater out of her hands.”

What was your craziest holiday shopping experience?

• J.D. Villanueva Photographer • villanuevaexpress@gmail.com

Ali Shafiq, 21 Criminal Justice

Kai DeGregorio, 18 English

CITYTALK

Chris Bailey, 21

Social Work

Devonna Sissinglath, 21

Child Development

SAC CITY EXPRESS • NEWS • 11.27.12 3

• Jessica Rine Staff Writer• jessicarineexpress@gmail.com

Studying the opposition’s weaknesses. Running technical drills. Hours upon hours of strategy sessions. Practice,

practice, practice. This isn’t a game. Members of the Los

Rios debate team work around the clock to prepare for tournaments. And they play to win.

The work has paid off. Last season, Los Rios finished third in its region, first in California, and ranked second among com-munity colleges in the nation, according to debate team coach Jared Anderson. While the team is composed mostly of City Col-lege students, Anderson said that all stu-dents from the Los Rios district are eligible to debate under the Los Rios umbrella.

The team has high hopes to maintain or improve upon those rankings this year.

“The mantra on our team is ‘leave nothing to chance,’” said communication major Sara Beth Brooks, 27. “We walk in there prepared with a plan.”

This is Brooks’ second year on the debate team, making her a senior member. She and her partner, political science major Sharaya Souza, 23, kicked the year off right, making it to the final round in their division in the first tournament of the year at San Francisco State University.

“At least keep our winning records open,” Souza said of her goals this season. “At minimum I want to at least break past semi-finals.”

Anderson believes that being a com-munity college has some disadvantages. While most debaters from four-year univer-sities have been debating since high school, most members of the Los Rios' team are

learning debate for the first time. This year has brought 10 new debaters to the team, and Anderson doesn’t see this as a fallback.

“We have a whole crew of brand new people that are learning it [debate], and learning it very fast,” said Anderson. “They work really hard and have been immedi-ately successful.”

Los Rios, while enjoying success in the debate community, has to deal with the constant change of team members. Most university debaters in the varsity divisions

have four years of debate under their belt with the same team members. The team can change drastically from year to year because of factors like transferring, needing to get a job or not getting into the classes they need, said Anderson.

“I get returning students who have life experience, financial challenges,” said Anderson. “But these aren’t reasons to lower my expectations of success. These are obstacles to overcome.”

Anderson makes his debate team do

the work to win. Without the resources and budget of the four-year university competi-tors, Anderson works with what he has and strives to create a team culture based on preparation, research, healthy competition and teamwork.

“Other schools have graduate school assistants helping with research and coach-ing,” said Anderson. “We don’t have those resources. It’s an uphill battle, but it’s one that we fight.”

Anderson debated for the Los Rios debate team back in the mid-’90s before transferring to Cal Poly. Coaching the team since 2007, Anderson realizes the challeng-es of coaching a community college team, but also sees the potential to win.

“The expectations I set are not the same as other community colleges set for their teams,” said Anderson. “I will not accept the challenges we have. They are merely obstacles. I don’t accept that we are only a community college and can’t compete.”

Anderson works hard to create a team culture among his debaters. The students do their research as a team, and they win and lose as a team.

“We are focused more heavily on the team aspect than other schools might be,” said Anderson. “Which I think really con-tributes to the success.”

That success comes from the dedica-tion of the debaters like Brooks and Souza. When asked what she does to prepare for tournaments, Brooks chuckles.

“I eat lots of chocolate,” said Brooks. The other part is mostly research. An-

derson said Brooks will do more research in her two years of debate then she will in graduate school.

“What separates us is the dedication to the pursuit of winning,” said Brooks. “We have a reputation of being sticks in the mud because in between tournaments we work.”

The dedication to walking into a tour-nament knowing their arguments, having studied the opposition and preparing a plan has made the Los Rios Debate Team a force to be reckoned with.

“We want to continue to represent Los Rios in an incredible way in the debate community,” said Brooks. “We have a name. People know who we are. They are going to have to work to beat us.”

Arguing for the win Debate team works hard to earn its place

The Los Rios debate team finished first in California last season and ranked second among community colleges in the entire nation. The team is (beginning with first row left to right):Aninda Chowdhury, Mohamed Umbashi, Natalie Lenhart, Noreen Javed, Shay Souza, Rebecca Silva, Meng Vue, Michael Edwards, Jared Anderson, Sara Beth Brooks, Olivia Gover

Kate Paloy | katepaloy.express@gmail.com

"It’s an uphill battle, but it’s one that we fight,"

–Jared Anderson,Los Rios Debate Coach

4 11.27.12  •  NEWS  •  SAC  CITY  EXPRESS

• Angelo Mabalot News Editor • acmabalot@gmail.com

The numbers were fresh in Robert Martinelli’s mind from recently brief-ing the City College budget commit-

tee. The vice president of Administration had been juggling seven-figure numbers from the California Legislative Analyst’s office, from the current shortfall of $1.9 billion to a surplus of $9 billion expected by the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

The change would happen slowly, but Californian voters had made the right decision for the state, and more specifically, for educa-tion, with the passage of Proposition 30.

“We made the move from here to here,” said Martinelli, turning the pages of the Los Rios 2012-2013 Adopted Budget-book from the worst-case scenario budget page to the better-case budget.

The Los Rios district’s “XYZ” budget represented three scenarios: worst (X), if Proposition 30 failed and there was ad-ditional $264 million cuts from commu-nity colleges; better (Y), if Proposition 30 passed and the state would use the $210 million in additional fundings to buy down built-up deferrals; and best (Z), where the $210 million from Proposition 30’s passage could be used for growth in the community college system.

Martinelli explained that the district started the 2012-2013 fiscal year in July with the X budget, but Proposition 30’s pas-sage allowed the Y budget to be adopted.

“[Proposition 30’s passage] certainly will not bring the system back to pre-recession levels, but it does get the state’s commitment to higher education, and specifically to community colleges, headed in the right direction,” said Brice Harris, the recently appointed Chancellor of California Community Colleges on a Nov. 7 confer-ence call with the news media.

According to Susie Williams, associate vice chancellor of Communications for the Los Rios Community College district, only $50 million of the propostion’s $210 million for the state will be used to provide restored access to students, while the remaining $160 million will be used to pay fund-ing deferrals that have built over the past four years. Williams said that the Los Rios district has seen $60 million in deferred

payments for 2011-2012 fiscal year. The Los Rios district’s share of the $50

million is $2 million, according to Williams. With an alleviated rather than cut bud-

get, Harris believes more class sections will be available for students and expects 20,000 more students to enroll statewide.

“Over the last four years we’ve seen nearly a half million students turned away from this system, and the success from Prop. 30 will put an end to that and will help us restore that,” Harris said.

Instructors would also benefit, as cu-mulative cuts of classified staff between the 2009-2010 to 2013-2014 fiscal years at City College would reduce from 56 under the X budget to 24 in the current Y budget sce-nario, according to Martinelli. In addition, the City College staff won’t experience a 6 percent pay cut, as planned if Proposition 30 had not passed.

During the Nov. 7 media call, Contra Costa Community College district Chancel-lor Helen Benjamin outlined her district’s immediate plan for the spring 2013 se-mester to add more classes. The Los Rios district has decided to maintain its current class schedule, according to Mary Turner, vice president of instruction.

“For us, [a conservative plan] would have been a [better] place than if the propo-sition hadn’t passed because you would have seen us pulling courses out of our schedule that would have been equivalent to our entire summer school,” Turner said.

Turner explained that the Los Rios dis-trict’s budget philosophy is to plan the budget according to the previous year to maintain financial stability during budgetary crisis.

“That doesn’t mean that if the good news continues to get better that we couldn’t potentially add classes, but for our

initial planning we’re going to stay level,” Turner said.

Harris said the funding is also expected to drive the Student Success Task Force en-dorsed by the Board of Governors last year, in which important services are made more accessible for students to ensure success and improve workforce preparedness.

According to the California Commu-nity Colleges Chancellor’s Office website, the California Community Colleges are the largest provider of workforce training in the state and the nation.

“If you have an associate’s degree, you’re going to be a higher wage earner throughout your lifetime,” said Turner. “You’re more likely to go on to complete your bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and you’ll have increased wages. So hopefully students have gotten that message that edu-cation is important to them.”

Positive numbersProp. 30’s passage guides budget in the right direction

Vice President of Administration, Robert Martinelli, holds the 2012-2013 Adopted Budget for Los Rios Community College District. The district followed a worst-case scenario budget, but with the passing of Proposition 30 will allow additional fundings to buy down built-up deferrals in the state.

Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

SAC CITY EXPRESS • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • 11.27.12 5

• Yvonne Santy Staff Writer • ysanty1@gmail.com

I was 17 when I realized my peers were selling their souls to MySpace. As a graduating senior, I found it ridiculous

that most my yearbook classmates were logged into their MySpace accounts as they worked on assignments in class.

The number of “friends” attested to their popularity and a personalized profile with flashy icons and colorful backgrounds became another outlet for visual creativity.My classmates were shocked to learn I did not have a MySpace account I maintained. It was just a distracting fad. As graduation day approached, I realized MySpace could be the next best thing to seeing my friends every day.

I was leaving high school, after all, and couldn’t imagine losing touch with certain people. So, I signed up for an account.Over the course of seven years, the allure of MySpace dwindled as my frustration with social media grew. While I had fun “pimp-ing out” my profile every day with various HTML codes, I found it annoying that com-ments from friends were mostly random advertisements. Guys in their teens to their mid-40’s would send messages like, “Hey, sexy” and “What’s up, cutie?” How did this alternative avenue of communication become a billboard and meat market?

When my friends signed up for Face-book accounts I envisioned a similar frus-tration with social media. People just found a new way to “holler” by joining a differ-ent online network, and a new way to stay at the top with technology. Though I was reluctant to sign up for a Facebook account, I decided it would benefit my professional network, since Facebook seemed more appealing to working professionals. Plus, it seemed more of my family members joined

Facebook than those that had a MySpace.Facebook replaced MySpace, and

Twitter became the new black. Along came Tumblr, and Instagram, and next thing you know blogging, picture sharing and short “tweets” became the most popular way to keep up with the world. It is the trend and overstressed importance of social network-ing that robs relationships of their face value. Accounting major, Roberto Alcaraz, says Facebook diminishes direct com-munication between people. “[Facebook] eliminates [peoples’] face-to-face contact with each other,” says Alcaraz. “If you’re talking to someone on Facebook, you have no reason to go out of the house and meet up with them.”

Alcaraz meets up with City College student Alberto Navarro to play cards in the cafe where Navarro says he uses Facebook to keep in touch with his family in Mexico.Navarro says he does not spend more than 10 minutes a days on it.

Navarro says too much Facebook is not healthy.

“People need to go out and have fun with real human beings,” says Navarro.

For some students, having fun with family members is not an option.

Andrew Lim, a 24-year-old undeclared major at City College, says he uses Face-book to keep in touch with his family in the Philippines and to schedule meetings with old friends. He uses Twitter for business

opportunities, gaming and for his comic book networks. While some students take advantage of technology to keep in touch with family and friends, others overuse it. Take for example, that one cousin you may have, or that one friend you know, who uses social media as a way to gossip without actually speaking to anyone. How lame is that?

I’m not complaining about social media but reminding students it’s just another tool we can use for conve-nience. It is also something that we can

easily obsess over if we forget about the people in the world we like to spend time

with. For those of us who use Facebook because we got sick of MySpace, we should probably remember, it’s just a network. Whether we use it for professional or per-sonal connections is up to us.

Searching for a connection Social media decreases human interaction

It is the trend and overstressed impor-tance of social networking that robs relationships of their face value.

Yvonne Santy is a writer for the

Express, focusing on pop culture in

and around the City College campus.

A RTS & ENTERTAINMENT

• Aisha Shah Staff Writer • aisha1257@hotmail.com

On Nov. 16 the City College theater featured “Alice in Wonderland: A British Panto,” a production that

took the audience completely by surprise with its wonderful satire and absurdity, and hilarious dialogue. Director Luther Hanson and writer Christine Nicholson create a British panto production that is anything but an ordinary play.

The British panto style in “Alice in Wonderland” encourages audience-inter-action either through clever scenes that require audience participation, or simply shouting out a command during key points of the play.

Nicholson's “Alice in Wonderland” gives audience members a chance to view a new form of theater not widely practiced in the United States, all for the price of an admission ticket.

A little after 8 p.m. the auditorium lights dimmed down, fog poured out of an unseen chamber on stage and the show began with the most fabulous character —none other than the Dame herself.

The Dame—or Madame Loretta Fey played by Bradly Moates—was portrayed as a middle-aged man in drag, and costume director Nicole Sivell designed the Dame's garb spectacularly well.

Dressed in a bright purple, polka-dot suit, bubble-gum pink hair with an enor-

mously large flower perched on her head, the Dame started the show off by addressing the audience, and observed how they were gathered in the auditorium for the sake of a joke.

The Dame and the White Rabbit served as comic relief, delivering witty jokes and comical lines that caused the audience to crack up and shout rambunctious remarks for an encore.

Some scenes involved the Dame di-rectly asking the audience for help against the tyranny of the Red Queen and her continuous threats to cut off the character's heads. These requests sometimes involved the audience shouting out a particular line during key moment in the play, a warning

or an activity where the Dame will ask for volunteers from the audience.

One skit that was particularly interest-ing to partake in came after the show’s 15-minute intermission. The activity here involved participation from everyone in the audience and happend when the Red Queen made her appearance on stage. The crowd was very rambunctious during interactive moments, and without giving away this pivotal scene, be warned that it’s something most will not have already experienced before in traditional American theater.

The production also depicted several familiar scenes such as Alice's plunge down the rabbit hole and the tea party with the Mad Hatter. The play also introduced

"Alice in the Wonderland: A British Panto"Play impresses with unique direction

the audience to new characters such as the Nutcracker Prince and Clarida from Disney's “Brave” that all tie easily into the plot.

Original characters such as the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are featured here with more of a urbanized and cartoon-ish persona.

Nicholson's Tweedle Dee and Dum are known in this production as ‘Froghead Long Horn’ and ‘Beevis Carpehead and might be more familiar to some as the notorious MTV cartoon couple, “Beevis and Butthead.”

One thing about the production that clearly stood out were the actor’s perfor-mances.

The cast mirrored the storylines’ satire, such as the Mad Hatter's quirky trademark jump and jittery movements, and the Red Queen throwing pepper into

her wailing baby's face whilst screaming, “more pepper!”

Although the production is a satirical parody of the original “Alice in Wonder-land,” the script and songs also had moments where they appeared a bit too childish and cheerful considering that the play supposed-ly takes place in a strange, dark, wonderland, not a cheerful and cartoonish Disneyland. However, several scenes were set up so that the backdrop and the lighting created a very bright and inviting environment.

Alice, played by Ashley Olson, per-formed her part exceedingly well, delivering her lines with much enthusiasm and convic-tion—unlike the original version of Alice who was usually depicted as quite reserved and cautious.

Alice explained this difference not far into the play, remarking to the Nutcracker

Prince that the original Alice was “much more annoying and witchy.”

With a last cheerful farewell song delivered by the entire cast, “Alice in Wonderland: A British Panto” concluded brilliantly, and over-the-top as expected. This unique play is a production that no one should miss.

“Alice in Wonderland: A British Panto” runs until Dec. 16. Friday and Saturday showings start at 8 p.m. with on Saturday showing on Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. Sunday showings start at 2 p.m.

General admission is $15. Students, seniors, military, SARTA, ADA and chil-dren 6 and up are $12. Kids under 5 are free. Purchase tickets at the City Theater Box Office or at the City Theater website at citytheatre.net

6 11.27.12  •  ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT  •  SAC  CITY  EXPRESS

Jason Van Sandt | jvansandt1977.com Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

1. "Card #2"- Kayla Willett

2. Mushroom prop

3. "Franken Mousie"- Julianna

Hess

4. "Cheshire Cat"- Lora Gon-

zales

5. "White Rabbit and Alice"-

Tyson Wheeler and Ashley

Olsen

6. "Red King and Dutchess"-

Eddie Voice and Lori Ann

DeLappe-Grondon

7. "Caterpillar"- Jes Gonzales

8. "Alice"- Ashley Olsen

9. "Mad Hatter"- Anthony M.

Person

10. "The Red Queen"-Theresa

Vann Stribling

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

  SAC  CITY  EXPRESS  •  ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT  •  11.27.12    7

A RTS & ENTERTAINMENT

8 11.27.12  •  PROFILES  •  SAC  CITY  EXPRESS

• Mike Blanchard Guest Writer •mikeblanchard200@gmail.com

The bar is dark and you can hear the clink of glasses and laughter. But only just. There is a jazz combo on

stage and they are swinging through a Duke Ellington tune. The horn player is softly blowing and the smoky sound transports the listeners back in time.

The bass player is wrapped around his instrument like it was a woman. His left hand is caressing her neck and his right is wrapped around her waist. His head is bowed and his eyes are closed as he reaches out with his senses to feel the song and the mood of the other players.

Every note is perfect; every bar pushes the listener further into the mist.

Bassist Gerry Pineda has been playing music since he was 9 and at the age of 57 is regarded by his peers as one of the best musicians in town. He has given private lessons for over 20 years, and since 2009 has taught at City College. In that time he has introduced hundreds of students to the transcendent joys of playing music.

Pineda, who plays in at least eight bands, is a slim, dark fellow with long quiet fingers and a wicked sense of humor. He can be found most nights holding down the bottom end in clubs all over town. You can often spy him telling jokes to the drummer between songs. There may not be a happier guy around.

Born in the Philippines as the son of an aerospace engineer, Pineda’s family moved to the U.S. in the late ’50s. Their arrival coincided with the explosion of rock ‘n’ roll and the youth culture movement in America.

“What really got me into music seri-ously was Elvis,” says Pineda. “Listening to Elvis on the radio, you knew you wanted to sound like that.”

Throughout the ’60s his family moved every year as his dad followed military contract work. Music turned out to be some-thing he could count on wherever he was.

“My brother Greg and I decided we wanted to play guitar, right around 9 or 10,” Pineda says. “Greg was a great guitar player and great older brother. We got guitars and just started playing.”

“We got this big idea that we were going to be in a band,” Pineda says. “My

brother looked at me and said, ‘You’re play-ing bass.’”

He laughs. “It was like a demotion, but he was my older brother. He could beat me up.”

Pineda says he started out with an old Teisco Del Rey guitar, with the B and E strings taken off, tuned down a step.

When he was 18, Pineda heard a Stanley Turrentine record with Ron Carter on the bass and decided he wanted to learn how to play like that. He found an old Kay upright bass in a pawnshop in Inglewood and dove into jazz.

After graduating from high school he went on to study music at Loyola Mary-

mount University for two years before moving to Sacramento and continuing his studies at American River College and Sacramento State University. It took him a while but in 2009, Pineda graduated from CSUS with a master’s degree in music performance.

“I avoided going back to school for years because I thought it would be hard,” says Pineda. “But it was the most fun. I’m really glad I did it.”

That same year, City College music professor Kurt Shiflet recommended Pineda to fill the slot created when instructor Gabe Nelson left the music department to tour with the band Cake.

“Gerry is just an awesome bass player,” says Shiflet. ‘He is perfect for the job. We have a faculty group. Gerry wrote a couple of songs for it. One of them is very hard. So I will have to practice. I’ve known him since we went to [American River Col-lege] together. We even played in a band together.”

Pineda teaches Popular Electric Bass Styles, which is a lab and a lecture and is part of the Popular Music Ensemble class.

Eric Vasquez, 20, is one of Pineda’s former students. He enjoyed Pineda’s class so much he has taken it twice.

“He is cool, chill, mellow,” says Vasquez. “He makes funny jokes once in a while.”

Pulling out his bass to show what he has learned, Vasquez begins thumping out a riff with his thumb and plucking the high notes with his fingers. He’s got it down. Vasquez peers out from his hoodie, looking out of the corner of his eye with a grin.

“He taught me how to play that,” he says.

Life of the JazzmanMusic professor Gerry Pineda is a versatile musician and teacher

Adjunct professor Gerry Pineda is the definition of a rambling musician. He teaches college music classes, has private lessons for those learning bass, plays in a live karaoke band, and at 57, stills plays gig in and around the Sacramento area.

Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

“Listening to Elvis on the radio, you knew you wanted to sound like that.”

–Gerry Pineda,Music Professor

SAC CITY EXPRESS • FEATURES • 11.27.12 9

• Michael Jones Staff Writer •Jonesmichaelx333@gmail.com

The City College Learning Resource Center staffs many professionals to help students seeking to strengthen

their academic scores. However, the LRC also needs some help accommodating the wealth of students who occupy all three floors reading, writing, studying and using library resources for academic use.

Various students work in the City Col-lege LRC everyday and help their fellow classmates with library services, as well as help keep the place running.

Comprised of three floors, numerous computer stations, thousands of books and several employees, the LRC is a bevy of activity.

Sandra Warmington, the reference coordinator for the LRC, points to the high amount of library equipment, such as three extra copy machines on the second floor, as just one example for the necessity of extra help.

“The librarians are going to need help with those copy machines, otherwise we would just spend all our time with those copy machines, instead of helping students do research,” says Warmington.

The student employees in the LRC work in different sections doing myriad tasks. Johni Quinn-Berry, 59, is a business administration major and is employed as part of a work-study program offered to her through a financial aid grant.

“In addition to financial aid, you have the option to work for additional funds,” says Quinn-Berry.

The work-study students began work-ing at the City College LRC in fall 2012, says Warmington.

Quinn-Berry started at the circula-tion desk on the second floor, checking out books. But now, she says she performs all kinds of tasks, from helping students at the computer stations to shelving returned books.

“You name it, I do it,” says Quinn-Berry.

Despite the additional manpower, things don’t always run smoothly, says Quinn-Berry.

“I think in the first two weeks of school, we had, like, three [copiers] down at once,” she says.

Another group of student employees in the LRC are “library-funded student work-ers,” who are not on work-study, according

to Warmington. Like the work-study em-ployees, they do many miscellaneous and important tasks such as shelving books.

“There are lots of chores that need to be done to keep the library running,” says Warmington.

Below all of this is the Information Desk on the first floor where employees like 20-year-old undecided major Adolfo

Velasquez are usually the first people that incoming personnel see. Like the students at the circulation desk on the second floor, students working here are supervised by Yolanda Escobar, the lead library media technology assistant.

“I like everything about this job,” says Velasquez. “I’m able to do my homework and get things done.”

Velasquez says he likes communicating with others and helping them out. Part of his job is directing students to where they need to go.

Warmington says that the student ambassadors, another category of student workers, have been very helpful.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have them,” says Warmington.

Student ambassadors are a group of students selected to represent the school and inform potential students about the services

and programs that City College presents for the student body.

The ambassadors help students in the computer lab learn to use programs neces-sary for classes, like Desire2Learn and Microsoft Office, says Warmington.

“They’re a bright group,” she says.Any department can request student

ambassadors, says Warmington. She de-scribes them as the “feet on the ground” to help the students.

Student workers operate on differ-ent floors and complete different, diverse tasks in order to aid fellow students and Warmington says they have been vital to the operational efficiency.

“We couldn’t survive [without the stu-dent workers]… [well,] we could, but there would be less resources for our students,” says Warmington.

Students to the rescue in new programWorkers help out in the Learning Resource Center as librarians

Johni Quinn-Berry, a student in the work study program, helps a student with the copying machine.

Tony Wallin | wallintony@yahoo.com

Photo credit goes here News Gothic Mt Regular size 6pt Leading 7pt

"You name it, I do it,"

–Johni Quinn-BerryStudent worker

10 11.27.12  •  SPORTS  •  SAC  CITY  EXPRESS

• Latrice Watts Staff Writer• Watts_Latrice@yahoo.com

City College golfer Riley Sexton broke her legs at age 13, an accident that not only changed her life but also got

her into playing golf. At 13, Sexton was riding behind her

dad on a quad-runner off-road vehicle when a dog chased along side her and bit her front tire. This caused the quad to flip over and land on top of her legs, breaking both of them.

Sexton’s leg injuries forced her to re-think her goals. She initially wanted to be a volleyball star, but after the accident Sexton instead turned her interests to golf, a sport with much less impact on her legs.

Now 19, Sexton, undecided major, ex-cels at the sport; she was named California Community College Athletic Association’s 2011 Big 8 conference MVP. She continues to post low scores in tournament play.

Sexton says she enjoys golf because it makes her think.

“Golf is a mental sport,” said Sexton. “And that’s why I love it.”

Head coach Tim Kiernan says Sexton is focused, competitive and a team player. He says that her strength is her power.

“This is the beginning of her ca-reer and she has a lot more to grow to be greater,” said Kiernan.

When she’s not practicing at school, Sexton works with a professional swing coach. The sessions, Sexton says, are help-ing her to become a better golfer, but she also has other parts of her game she hopes to master.

“Putting is what is key to being suc-cessful,” she said.

Sexton’s teammate, 18 year-old fresh-man Lauren Dahl, calls Sexton the No.1 golfer on the team.

“Riley plays very well and I feel she will continue to play better as the season continues,” said Dahl. “Her competitive nature drives me as an athlete as well, and we all have to keep up with her”.

“I have no doubt that Riley [Sexton] will go pro because she is very dedicated and an amazing athlete,” she added.

Sexton was born in Pittsburg, a small Bay Area town 40 minutes away from Sac-ramento. She has a big family: two brothers

and three sisters, all of whom she calls her support system. The golfer says her family motivates her to succeed, especially her dad, who before the accident, wouldn’t let her take up golf because she was already playing too many other sports, a decision she says he would later regret.

“My dad is extremely supportive and the main person pushing me to practice to be better and [to] succeed,” said Sexton.

Sexton says her main focus is school and golf, but she also runs a business with

her mom breeding miniature Australian shepherds. She plans to pursue a career in professional golf and attend a four-year university, and says that her education is very important to her. One day she hopes to settle down and have a family.

“I hope to have a family but don't know how big,” she said. “I will decide when I get to that point in my life.”

Sexton says she practices to be the best, but doesn’t feel as though she’s met that goal yet, and until that is reached she won’t be satisfied. Golf is a stressful sport, she says, but even though frustration made her hate it for two years, there was also some-thing about it she couldn’t get enough of.

“Golf is a love/hate relationship,” she said. “And I’m addicted.”

Her big breakTragedy helps City College golfer Riley Sexton find her passion

Kate Paloy | katepaloy.express@gmail.com

“Golf is a love/hate relationship, and I’m addicted.”

–Riley SextonCity College golfer

Riley Sexton is one of the best golfers at City College.

SAC CITY EXPRESS • SPORTS • 11.27.12 11

• Cherene Briggs Staff Writer • Cherenebriggs@gmail.com

Take a moment, and visualize what you think of when you hear the word cheerleader. More than likely, one

thinks of a girl in a cheerleading outfit, complete with a short skirt and pom poms to match, who is shouting out short, encouraging words while kicking one leg up in the air.

Now, close your eyes and visualize this: 6-foot, 2-inch Marquise Ross, 20, a City College freshman who is double ma-joring in early childhood development and psychology, on the field at half-time—the only male cheerleader on the squad, smiling, energetic, his head held high.

Ross may not fit the typical image of a cheerleader but he says he’s more than secure in his role.

“It’s not my business to worry about what other people think of me,” says Ross. “If you don’t like it, bye.”

On the field, Ross is game-ready in his cheerleading uniform which consists of a pair of City College sweat pants, a City

College shirt that reads “Panthers” in gold, and black shoes, “usually Jordans,” he says while laughing and making a face as if any other shoe would be utterly ridiculous.

Ross’ mother, Marsena Smith, a 37-year old certified nursing assistant, says raising Ross was sometimes challenging and complicated. As a single mom working 12-hour long graveyard shifts to support her only child, she says she knew how impor-tant it was for her to be a good parent.

“Marquise was very independent, he had to be,” she says. “At the age of 5, [Ross] was getting up in the morning by himself, fixing himself a bowl of cereal,

dressing himself, and getting himself off to school.”

Smith said she believes firmly in the old adage ‘actions speak louder than words’ and worked just as hard as being a parent as she did at her job. The two of them were a team, she says and she taught Ross the value of working hard by giving him chores around the house. By the time Ross was 5, for example, he knew how to mop the bathroom floor without any help.

“Marquise has always been very reasonable and actually stepped up and did chores by himself,” Smith says.

Ross says his mother has been support-ive in everything that he does and that she was his mother first and then his best friend.

When he told his mother that he was going to be trying out for the cheerleading team, he says, she responded, “It’s always good to try something new, go for it.”

Ross’ supervisor Krystal Berry, owner of Forever Friends Early Learning Center, has known Ross for four years and praises his attitude.

“He is really non-judgmental,” she says. “I can tell him anything and he will listen.”

Berry, unlike Ross’ mom, says she was a little shocked about his decision to cheer, but supported him nonetheless. And, she adds, all doubt faded after she took her 12-year-old son to one of his games.

“As soon as I saw him, I said, ‘That is so Marquise’,” she says.

Berry is now one of Ross’ biggest fans and says she couldn’t imagine the squad without him.

“I always encouraged him to follow his dreams,” she says. “I don’t know what he is going to be in the end, but I know he is going to be somebody.”

Ross says he considers himself funny and goofy, loud and proud, and easygoing.

“I’m a gentle giant really,” said Ross, with a grin.

Ross’ teammate, Rajania Morgan, 19, has been his best friend for six years and according to Ross, the reason why he is cheering today. Ross says once a month the two are able to pull a “best friend card,” and so when she asked him to try out for the team he couldn’t say no.

“I wanted Marquise to cheer because he was always supportive of me cheering and

attended every practice, every game, and every event,” says the business management major. “He already participated like he was a team member.”

When Ross is not going to school, working full time with kids of all ages, or cheering, he says he loves to dance, cook and play video games.

“I will play for hours if I could,” he says.

For now Ross says he is cheering for

fun, but is open to whatever the future holds. While he was nervous when he first began cheering, he says he has mastered the sport and is just as good as any of his female counterparts, and would recommend for more males to try out.

“You only have one life to live, so go for everything you want to do, but if you decide to cheer, you have to be ready to work,” he says, adding, “I am definitely proud of myself.”

Cheerleader Marquise Ross performs a heel stretch on the football field.

“It’s not my business to worry about what other people think of me.”

–Marquise RossCity College cheerleader

J.D. Villanueva | villanuevaexpress@gmail.com

Don't let the outside fool youCity College's lone male cheerleader sounds off

three- month plan.

Need a car—and a break on your first payment? You can get a SAFE Auto Loan with a rate as low as 2.99% APR.1 Plus, we offer 90 Day-No Pay,2 which is exactly what it sounds like: You don’t pay for 90 days. So what are you waiting for? Get a financial partner who can keep it all SAFE.

(800) SEE-SAFE safecu.org

Your first payment’s on the

1 Annual Percentage Rate (APR) accurate as of 11/1/12. Rates may vary and are based on credit history, term, loan-to-value (LTV), and amount financed. Rates, terms, and conditions subject to change.

2 Interest begins accruing upon loan disbursal. Some restrictions apply.

transfer to the university of san francisco in

sacraMento

Community College partnership program (Daytime)BA in PsychologyBS in Business AdministrationBA in Communications

Degree Completion (eVening)BS in Management

sChool of management graDuatePublic Administration (with optional Health Services Administration Concentration)

sChool of eDuCation graDuateSingle or Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (with Master of Arts in Teaching option Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, MFT)

for more information

www.usfca.edu/sacramentosacramentocampus@usfca.edu

f facebook.com/usfsacramento

l twitter.com/usfsacramento

CHANGE THE WORLD FROM HERE

The Express is on the lookout for writers, photographers and designers for the print and online publications. Come join the Express staff for Spring 2013.

REGISTER THIS SPRING FOR:JOURNALISM 402 College Newspaper Production MW 3-4:20 JOURNALISM 406 Online Production MW 3-4:20GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION 319 Print and Multimedia Publication and Design MW 4-6:30

DO YOU LOVE ASKING PEOPLE ABOUT THEMSELVES? DO YOU LIKE SHARING STORIES? DO YOU WANT TO GAIN HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE THAT WILL ENHANCE YOUR SKILLS SET?

MORE EXPRESS CONTENT & MEDIA:

BE ON THE INSIDE SCOOP!