A former Cosumnes River College student, the 45-year-old spends his time in lock-up improving his vocabulary through books like “Verbal Advantage” and learning about the African American experience in Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man.” On his breaks from literature, he digs into his math textbooks.

“It is imperative that I stay in college and get as much knowledge that I can in order to have a decent shot at life,” Williams wrote in a letter to communication studies professor Christine Wagner.

Wagner, who saw Williams as a student of “hope and promise” when he attended her introduction to public speaking course in the fall 2012 semester, corresponds with him regularly through letters, and when she is able, mails him books and learning materials.

“We could do more to serve our students if we knew them better,” Wagner said.

Williams said that before he decided to attend college, “struggle” was a word that encompassed his development. He grew up in Oakland, an environment that provided more dangers than opportunities to progress. Alcohol consumption became an overwhelming coping mechanism for many years as Williams tried to hold a job with minimal qualifications.

“I began to accept that I would die as an alcoholic,” Williams said. “But I didn’t want to be remembered that way. Everything I had tried didn’t work out, and so I decided that that I would have a better chance at life If I had an education.”

He moved to Sacramento and enrolled in a carpentry pre-apprenticeship program at CRC for the fall 2011 semester. There he was mentored by lead faculty of construction Ryan Connally, who said Williams thrived in all of his courses.

By summer 2012, Williams earned both available scholarships awarded to building trade students at CRC, one from the Building Industry Association of Northern California Women’s Council and the other endowed by the American Building Supply Foundation.

“I think he kind of used the structure of school to give structure to his life,” Connally said. “A lot of other students just come here to be here sometimes and they put forth the minimum effort. He was very disciplined. I wish I could package that and give it to everyone, but I can’t. “

Wagner referred to Williams as someone who had just awoken from a coma when describing his devout appreciation for learning and fresh perspective of the academic landscape. Wagner also remembers Williams always meeting her after class to discuss the material post-lecture and visiting her office often for clarification.

“I guess I just like teaching that kind of student, where they’re in the moment and they just want to learn,” Wagner said.

That year, Williams claimed to only have “picked up the bottle twice.” But, an outstanding warrant for a DUI a year prior would have law enforcement searching for him at home and on campus.

“I think our whole society gambles on the edge of the brink with alcohol,” Connally said. “It’s such an undeniable part of our social fabric. I’d warn people to be aware of that underbelly that seems to be so popular in our culture. It can have long lasting impacts on people who’ve spent years trying to get their life together.”

After a semester of perfect attendance, Williams missed class on the day his final speech was scheduled to be presented. Unable to enroll into courses for Spring 2013, Connally and Wagner advised that he turn himself in. On January 23, Williams checked into the Sacramento County Jail to serve his sentence.

“Although it could be seen at a setback that he had to go, in his mind it was a success that he chose it, it didn’t choose him,” Connally said. “Now that he’s there, with foresight and planning, and with all of his accolades that he’d built, it’s got to seem like the light at the end of tunnel must be close.”

Wagner allowed him to make up his final speech in the visiting quarters of the county jail. Speaking through the telephone behind the glass, he delivered a speech reflecting on his life up to the arrest.

“You could just tell he was someone of experience,” Wagner said. “Someone who had a couple of rough patches in his life that were tougher than giving a speech.”

Williams was recently transferred from the Sacramento County Jail to Rio Cosumnes. On May 14, he will meet with a judge who will decide whether or not he will be granted admission into a residential treatment program for alcoholism in the Bay Area. His defense consists of an outstanding academic performance, several accolades, and the support of his professors.

“He’s a perfect example of the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’,” said Connally. “You can look at him and make any kind of assumptions you want, when in reality he was a very mature, level headed and respectful leader among his peers.”

In a letter to professor Wagner, Williams said he intends to return to the classroom to return to the classroom to finish his pursuit of a degree after his sentence has been served.

“ I’m a strong believer that if I stay in college my life will get better,” Williams wrote.

*Story Updated 5/18/2013: Error in year in picture caption. Change of title from “Letters from Bruceville jail” to “Former student continues education from behind bars”.*

Recipients of over 100 scholarships totaling $51,000 were acknowledged with the support of their donors, faculty and parents, said Executive Director of College Advancement Kenneth Cooper.

“Every year, our foundation helps to attract resources in support of students reaching their educational career goals here,” Cooper said.

The evening opened with a keynote by CRC president Deborah Travis, who recognized the event’s contributors and congratulated the award winners.

“These awards are well deserved, and we hope that it will provide at least a portion of the resources that you need to continue your educational journey,” Travis told students.

The Oliver J. Durand Award, named after the college’s first president and the highest honor scholarship available to students, was endowed to ASCRC president Christina Alvarado in an announcement by Travis and campus life coordinator Winnie Moore LaNier.

“It has definitely been a dream come true and I am proud to have contributed so much of my free time to this campus that has treated me so well,” Alvarado said.

CRC athlete and James Clark Memorial Scholarship recipient Orion Kidd was called to the stage to represent fellow students in a speech chronicling his struggle to maintain financial stability and academic progress.

“Nothing comes easy, but through hard work and a bit of faith, anything in this world is obtainable,” Kidd said.

Concluding the talks, radio and television production professor and donor Robert Snowden announced the names of the award recipients.

Music major 22-year-old Juan Gonzales received two scholarships, the John W. Landis Music Scholarship and the Sharp Lewis Visual and Performing Arts Award.

“I felt accomplished that I was able to stand out from all the applicants that were as qualified as me, or better,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales’ father, John, was also in attendance.

“I’m just overwhelmed,” he said. “I’m proud of him.”

Music major Tony Dunns said his acknowledgment of the Emeriti Veteran’s scholarship has motivated him to continue his academic goals.

“Having been out of school for 20 years and coming back, it’s a blessing for me,” Dunns said. “There were times when I wanted to give up the first couple semesters. I’ve been encouraged to press on.”

With the 2012-2013 scholarship season over, Cooper said that the application process will begin again in early January of next year.

“It’s a vital resource for students and we’re looking to offer more scholarships for students next season,” Cooper said.

For more information on the application, available scholarships, or volunteer opportunities, visit the CRC Foundation’s website at http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Community/Foundation.htm.

Frazee is a psychology professor at Cosumnes River College, and has been teaching at CRC since the fall 2009.

It was his experience teaching neuropsychology at Brooklyn College that led him to become a full time teacher. Frazee filled in for a teacher who had lyme disease. On the first day teaching the class, Frazee had an “aha” moment, and knew that he would be teaching for the rest of his life.

After applying for a position at several community colleges, Frazee secured a job at CRC. Despite his extensive education, Frazee chose to teach at the community college level, citing the class environment as motivation to do so.

“Community colleges allow professors to focus on pedagogy and teaching and becoming excellent in the craft of delivering material messages to students,” Frazee said.

Frazee teaches biological psychology, introductory statistics for the behavioral sciences, and human sexuality. The varied courses pose different challenges, but Frazee finds joy in teaching all of the subjects.

The statistics class presents difficulties for students, often bringing in poor test scores after the first two exams. However, Frazee takes pride in encouraging students to commit to the course, and put in the work to pass the final.

“When I asked him to come to office hours, when I asked him to show up and do more work, when I asked him to study in a group, he did all of those things. This [test] I graded last night, he got minus two on the entire exam,” Frazee said about a student who struggled with the course initially.

Human sexuality creates a different environment for Frazee to teach in. “Students have misinformation about it, yet they’re totally interested in it.”

Frazee is faced with the challenge of taking down the misinformation about human sexuality, while teaching his students to be “skeptical about things that they’re told, and how to use academic rigor to understand things about their personal lives that can benefit them in the future.”

Frazee never talks about his personal experiences in his class so as to model the attitude he wants to impart upon the students. He wants them to treat sex as a sacred act between two people, something that is private.

Students in Frazee’s class appreciate the way that he approaches a topic as sensitive as human sexuality. “He touches on something that most people don’t know of, or are afraid to talk about, and he approaches it in a way that is tactful,” said Reilly Selk, a 20-year-old student with an undeclared major.

Due to the controversial nature of the class, Frazee has faced opposition, not from students, but from fellow staff members.

“It’s disheartening, and somewhat confusing,” Frazee said. “I’m glad that it’s me that’s experiencing it, because I’ll use that as motivation and a challenge, because not only is it my goal to educate my students, but also some of my colleagues.”

In spite of discouragement from other faculty members, Frazee plans to stay loyal to CRC. Comparing the school to a relationship with a partner, the pros outweigh the cons for Frazee.

“Whenever you get in a relationship with a person, you have your pros, and your cons,” Frazee said. “But I’m committed to the relationship with the college. I’m not going to divorce it; I’m going to teach here until I’m too senile to find the building.”

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Family, friends, students and faculty gathered in BS 129 to share the published poetry, short stories and photographs while a handful of students took to the lecture floor and read their work to the audience.

“It’s a celebration of students, all of their work, all of their creativity and the energy that they bring to the classroom that culminates in them being published,” said English professor David Weinshilboum.

Weinshilboum called himself the “front man” of the journal but gave credit to his many colleagues who helped pull it all together.

“We have an editorial board made up of many members of not just the English department but members of the campus community,” Weinshilboum said. “Students, faculty, we had a librarian this year, all just pitching in saying ‘hey, we want to print out a really great product that celebrates creativity.’”

Some students had multiple works published in this issue of the journal, including Gospel Cruz, a 21-year-old small business and entrepreneurship major. This is the first time that her work has been published.

“I’m quite honored to be considered worthy enough to be put in the journal,” Cruz said. “I was kind of surprised to have a couple of my pieces and one of my photographs published, it feels good.”

There were a few students in attendance that were required to attend as a part of their creative writing class.

“Everybody did very well,” said Cole Martin, a 22-year-old English major. “I was a little jealous of Gospel because I submitted a bunch of pieces that weren’t published but she had three stories.”

Some of the pieces published were inspired by the life experiences of the author, which created some moving moments for those in attendance.

Eugene Le, 24, a bio science major, wrote a short story titled “Scarred for Life.” In it he wrote about his experience with a brain injury after being involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Le suggested that people “wear helmets” in an effort to avoid any serious injury such as that which he suffered.

College president Deborah Travis and vice president of instruction and student learning Whitney Yamamura were in attendance, showing their support to the students and faculty that put together the seventh publication of the CRJ.

Ginny McReynolds, dean of humanities and social sciences spoke to the audience before the student readings began to commend Weinshilboum and his efforts.

“Despite Heather’s good ideas and everybody’s work this would not have happened without David Weinshilboum,” McReynolds said.

Ultimately it was the work of the students involved that made the CRJ a success.

“I’m really so grateful for all of you for participating, this is what education at CRC is all about really, giving students the opportunity to work together on something that is a tangible product,” McReynolds said. “Every time this comes out I go home in awe of the writing that I’ve read and heard.”

In return, the workers teach Hutcheson and her students Spanish. The class time is divided into 30 minutes per language.

“When I was on sabbatical last semester in Mexico I was immersed in speaking Spanish,” Hutcheson said. “When I returned I really wanted to continue learning Spanish and I figured if I was going to continue doing it I might as well find people with whom I can share English and other people who would be willing to come with me.”

On Feb. 6 Hutcheson approached a group of undocumented workers in front of the Home Depot on Florin road and suggested the educational exchange.

“So I came out here one day and asked if they wanted to have classes and they said yes,” Hutcheson said. “They couldn’t really believe I was going to come back but I did and every time I’ve had a few students with me and we’ve had an opportunity to meet new people and learn a little about another language.”

Daniel Ramirez, a 42-year-old migrant worker said that he likes that the class has helped him be more outgoing and he enjoys helping the students learn Spanish.

“My little son reads to me in English and I help him in mathematics,” Ramirez said.

“I think this is another example of a very dynamic learning environment where we’ve had some very powerful conversations about peoples goals, dreams and lives,” Hutcheson said.  “ We’ve had conversations where its a little more superficial and not in depth, it varies and I think there’s a lot to learn.”

Annalise Burney, a 24-year-old business administration major, came through word of mouth by professor Hutcheson and admits to needing a little extra credit. “I’m actually glad that I came out here,  it’s really interesting. I feel like I’m having fun instead of doing something for homework.”

At the end of class professor Hutcheson gives the migrant workers english homework and they give her and her students homework in Spanish.

Gonzalo Rivas, a 70-year-old migrant worker, shared some wisdom with the group.

“A winner never quits and a quitter never wins,” Rivas said.“If you know where you’re going there is room in the world for you. If you don’t know where you’re going everywhere you go is going to be full.”

Tinder, an application available on iPhones, allows users to swipe through photos of local singles and either like or dislike the person based only on their photo and perhaps a few very scant details. If both individuals like one another’s photos they then can message each other.

On the surface, many people’s first reaction is no doubt shock at such an application and the implications of shallowness it thrives on.

Let’s just get honest for a moment though. This is nothing new if one really thinks about it, when viewing our society as a whole.

Beauty pageants for the young and old, movies full of only the perceived prettiest people, shows where people undergo makeovers just to look better and slews of dating shows that are called reality but again are full of only what society considers the prettiest people. Those are just the tip of the iceberg, really.

No matter how much it’s fought or denied our society is based upon the looks of others and that “good” looks will get you further in life.

That being said this app should not be ignored or celebrated just because of the ingrained ideals of beauty in our society.

In a world that is turning more and more to technology to satisfy its needs, the idea that people will use their phones to decide if they should even bother to speak to someone just based on whether their looks are up to a perceived par is disturbing on various levels.

While I don’t consider myself an unattractive person, I’m quite average in my looks and would never be considered what Hollywood or most of society considers really handsome or attractive.

I’m quite alright with that fact, believe it or not. I am me and I’m happy with the person I see in the mirror. There are many others out there, though that are not as okay with themselves because of superficial decision making that Tinder helps perpetuate.

The saddest fact is that there is no real disguise to the fact that Tinder is all about looks. In fact, they even removed the X that one pressed before dislike and now allow users to just flick the picture of a person aside if they are not attracted to them, as if they are nothing at all to dismiss.

While Tinder might seem like a harmless game and be seen as just akin to something like HotorNot.com, it is just another piece of tinder added to the already roaring fire that is consuming our society piece by piece as we become so enamored by looks that nothing else matters.

Maybe if I swipe my screen, I can forget I learned about this app and find something more attractive to read about.

The university professor asked students in class to stomp on the word “Jesus” while the high school teacher stomped on the American flag three times in one day for different classes, to teach the idea that it was just a symbolic piece of cloth.

At first glance, many would assume these are issues of freedom of speech, the time tested right given to citizens by the Constitution. There might be such a case, but that is not the argument here.

Arguing over the idea of such freedoms is an argument as old as the Constitution and there are few new points.

There is a greater argument that calls for an idea that seems to be forgotten in this day and age, your speech might be free but there are always consequences.

Whether they had the right to express whatever idea they were trying to express with their actions is irrelevant. They had that right, but for every action there are reactions.

In a digital age that encourages people to say anything that pops into their mind at any moment, the idea of accountability has slipped away.

An old adage about the freedom of speech speaks about not yelling fire in a crowded theater. Clearly the reason for this is that there are consequences for yelling such a thing. It might be your right to say it, but the consequences that come from it could be dangerous.

While they didn’t deserve to lose their jobs, they should have thought of the backlash of their stunts. When one rocks the boat, they face the chance of it tipping over.

Their actions brought a backlash that involved death threats and accusations brought down upon the institutions they worked for. In the case of the Florida professor, racially motivated slurs were also levied.

Death threats, racial slurs and hurling insults at the schools they worked for or the men themselves is deplorable. Yet in the age that we live in, rational people know that once something that is seen as unsavory in the eyes of the public gets out, the flood of anger begins.

“Be careful what you say and do” is advise that needs to be followed in all walks of life. There are actions that right away are known to cause controversy.

Standing up for what one feels is right has been beneficial to society in the long run as many that stood up over time have brought great change to the world.

One thing that they all had in common was that they were prepared for the consequences that came from those actions. That has been forgotten this time.

Speak and act freely, but remember there are always consequences, whether positive or negative, that will ensue.

For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

The drugstore chain CVS wants employees to share how much they weigh or the have to pay up.

CVS is finding a cheaper route to give employees health insurance.To keep the cost of health insurance low, workers have to give up not only their weight but also their height, body fat and other personal information for health insurance purposes, according to the Fox News website.

This is just completely disrespectful.

That’s like employers asking women if they are on birth control or even asking a person what their sexual preference is.

If a person doesn’t want to tell others how much they weigh, they shouldn’t be fined 600 dollars annually for keeping their personal business to themselves.

That is just plain wrong and cheap.

With Obamacare rearing its head in the wake of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act which will be completely enforced by 2014, employers can’t punish their employees for wanting to keep certain parts of their personal life to themselves just to help their employers save a dollar.

The weight of a person has nothing to do with performing the duties of the job, nor is the other information that CVS is requiring their employees to give up.

How I see it is the company has become angry due to the mandatory health insurance clause that has been embedded that all Americans receive Obama Care and they making the employees pay up so they won’t have too.

What is the real reason for the management to take their power and disrespect their employees?

The guidelines of the health insurance plan is against the law, according to CBS San Francisco.

Employees must also be tobacco free or they must enroll in an addiction program.

Since when did cigarettes become the new cocaine or heroin to make you go through an addiction program?

There are many people in the world that smoke, so to tell a person you cant do something that isn’t against the law isn’t going to go smoothly with anyone.

Forcing a person to go to addiction counseling is going to make a person quit.

CVS needs to go back to the drawing table and find another way to save money and give their employees the health insurance that is needed.

All I see in this company’s future are some angry employees and bruised up managers.

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What typically follows such tragedies is a slew of conspiracy theories.

The 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, 2012’s Sandy Hook Elementary shooting and the recent Boston Marathon bombing are all examples of terrible events that have spawned conspiracy theories.

Unfortunately, these are only a tiny fraction of terrible happenings in the U.S., and most tragedies can be linked to some sort of proposed conspiracy.

Many people see the U.S. government as one of the easiest parties to blame such disasters on. With seemingly endless power, the U.S. government is an easy scapegoat.

Often times, the phrase “inside job” will show up when discussing conspiracy theories.

With a past history of the U.S. government factually being involved in inside jobs in some situations, such as the Watergate scandal, it’s easy to see why tragedies are the first target of conspiracy theorists.

However, unlike such past events, the claims made by most conspiracy theorists are anything but factual.

Conspiracy theorists will often ignore any obvious proof of the persons responsible and will instead search for evidence that doesn’t really exist to implicate parties not truly responsible.

9/11 is a perfect example. Despite photographic, video and eyewitness proof that planes were responsible, there were many claims that missiles, fired of course by the government, were to blame.

A more recent example, the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Conn. has seen responses claiming that it was staged and committed by the government in order to promote stronger gun control.

Larry Pierce, one of the people championing the Newtown conspiracy theories, stated that the attacks were “a false flag attack, someone who wants to bring in gun control.”

In other words, a party in favor of restricting gun ownership to reduce gun-related fatalities staged a scenario in which innocent adults and children were murdered.

Such claims are groundless and even more so senseless. No legitimate evidence is presented as proof and the claims are left to the crevices of the communities that ignorantly deny any evidence.

Furthermore, the harm that conspiracy theories pose doesn’t stop at baseless delusion.
People readily jump on the opportunity to come up with some conspiracy theory in every disaster situation. For those related to victims involved in such terrible disasters, a conspiracy theory is the last thing they want to hear.

Imagine being the parent of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Now imagine someone claiming the government killed your child in an effort to promote gun control while you’re still mourning.

For those who experience such terrible situations, the conspiracy theories are brought right to their homes.

The amount of disregard for the feelings of those mourning the loss of a loved one in the creation of these conspiratorial tall tales is unacceptable.

It is incredibly disrespectful to use someone’s pain, loss and tragedy in an attempt to manipulate the minds of those hurting and those uninvolved alike against a government that conspiracy theorists deem responsible.

Conspiracy theorists’ use of social media websites only exacerbates the problem.

Many are willing to believe everything they read on the internet, so even something so simple as a Facebook comment on a news article can warp the perspective of readers and blow an issue out of proportion.

Granted, citizens should not blindly believe that the US government is incapable of committing wrongful acts.

Each person must determine for themselves what is believable and what is not. Research is key in deciding where one stands on who is responsible for disasters such as the Boston Bombings.

What really drives conspiracy theorizing is left up to speculation. Some may actually believe in the conspiracy they create, others are just looking for a way to immortalize their thoughts by capitalizing on disaster and pain.

Either way, conspiracy theories need to be put to an end. They only serve as an insult to those involved in terrible situations of loss.

The energy placed into blindly searching for imaginary evidence could be put to much better use in finding true solutions to solving and preventing such disasters.

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Every first Wednesday of the month, a small army of food trucks descend on the tiny parking lot on the corner of Elk Grove Blvd and Railroad St. for Food Truck Mania: A traveling celebration of clean and high quality food trucks in the Sacramento area.

“They’re not the food trucks of the ‘80s anymore,” said 39-year-old SactoMoFo manager Paul Somerhausen. “They have great food; they’re mom and pop shops and they’re great economic tools.”

Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis joined together with SactoMoFo, the mobile food truck event organizers, to bring Elk Grove an outdoor family friendly alternative to the traditional brick and mortar restaurants.

The occasional passing of a Southern Pacific freight train did little to disrupt the pleasant environment of the event. The large crowds of families were encouraged by SactoMoFo staff to try their hands at the twelve different food trucks bordering the parking lot.

Each food truck had a noticeably unique appearance, theme and menu. Looking for a slider? Stop by Krush Burger. Taco’s on your mind? Chando’s the line you want to get in. Need to satisfy your sweet tooth? Tube Cake or Rich’s Ice Cream has you covered.

Food truck Mania had the benefit of an uplifting soundtrack supplied by local musicians, Clemon and Friends, who entertained the crowd of eating families with a mix of original folk tunes and popular cover songs.

“Elk Grove is great, just full of great people,” said Clemon and Friends lead singer and guitarist Clemon Charles. “I always have the best time here, and it was such a great turnout.”

The event also gave local businesses an opportunity to advertise and show off their products with a ready-made audience.

Merit Cutler, a 32-year-old employee of the organic food delivery company Farm Fresh to You, has set up a booth at a number of SactoMofo events in the past and wholeheartedly recommended both the event and each food truck in attendance.

“We really enjoy the events they put on, it brings out a nice diverse crowd,” Cutler said. “Everyone loves to eat so it’s a great reason to gather.”

SactoMoFo has been doing food truck events in Elk Grove for the last six months. Besides Elk Grove, SactoMoFo hosts events regularly in the Folsom, West Sacramento, and Roseville areas.  Somerhausen hopes that the stigma against food trucks in the Sacramento area lessons with each stop.

“This is part of our mission, to show the public that this is a good, fun opportunity for the public to enjoy and we don’t see anything wrong with it,” Somerhausen said.

By that standard, Cosumnes River College’s sophomore players had good experiences, as nine out of the 10 players from last season returned to the team, and added to that is a mix of freshman.

However, the team missed out on achieving its goal of heading into the postseason by a few games. That’s not to say that this season was bad. In fact, Schroeder said that she thinks all of the current freshman will return to next year’s team.

Team captain and sophomore pitcher Allison Barsetti said that she watched the team come together throughout the season and saw her teammates improve, become stronger players and become better prepared for their games.

“It was a good season, I had a lot of fun with all the girls,” Barsetti said. “We were really close, [especially] all the sophomores.”

Schroeder said she thought that the team played well and showed improvement throughout the season.

“It was fun to see this team grow. I do think we have a lot of good kids on this team,” Schroeder said.

“There are definitely some kids that had their ups and downs, but I think at the end everybody left with a good taste in their mouth and felt like ‘hey we were really close to achieving our goal of making it to postseason.’”

Despite the positive outlook on the season, missing out on postseason play was still difficult.

“Ending the season was hard for me because we were so close to moving on to playoffs,” said sophomore shortstop Alissa Greenhaw in an email interview. “We had a really solid team coming into league and then unfortunately there were a few injuries and other mishaps. I think it’s safe to say that we had the talent to make it, but we gave up a few games that should have been definite wins for us which cost us in the long run.”

The team started the season with a few close losses, but began to win some of the close games towards the end of the season.

“We were in it to the end,” Schroeder said. “I thought that we definitely progressed throughout the season.”

Schroeder made sure to emphasize the ability of the team to get hits and runs. Even in the games where the Hawks would not score, she still said the team was able to hit the ball hard.

“I never felt like in any of the games we couldn’t score enough runs to win,” Schroeder said. “It was a matter of ‘can our pitchers eliminate the amount of walks’ and ‘can our defense make the plays when we need to make the plays.’”

And pitching is one of the things the coach is looking to work on for the next year. Barsetti did a majority of the pitching throughout the season, but freshman pitcher Jessica Venturelli did her fair share.

“I think Jessica started pitching better at the end of the year too, and we were able to get a little bit more from her,” Schroeder said. “If she can come back with a year under her belt and get a little bit more confidence, then I think that will help us.”

Barsetti is looking into four-year schools to transfer to, but she still had a message for next year’s team.

“[The future team members] need to have that aggressive attitude and want to win and keep on pushing themselves to that next level to constantly make themselves better,” Barsetti said. “And [they should] compete with other people on the team to constantly strive for more.”

CRC’s anthropology department has worked exceptionally hard this semester and many past semesters to make the educational experience one of a kind for students. Anthropology professors and students have attended multiple conferences, offered the Cosumnes River Archaeological Working Lab, coordinated Women’s History Month and participated with the Sacramento Zoo.

“I think there are a lot of people who are unfamiliar with anthropology and what it is,” said anthropology professor Shannon Mills. “And to those people, we say to just come check it out because there’s so much more to it than people really understand.”

The anthropology department took on a big task in coordinating Women’s History Month in March. Between scheduling events and encouraging people to attend, the department’s full-time and part-time members stayed dedicated throughout the month-long event.

“We really spearheaded the whole thing. We established a committee and worked to get everybody involved,” said anthropology professor Amanda Paskey. “I thought it turned out pretty amazing. We took on more than we could probably handle, yet we still pulled it off.”

Marcos Martinez, a 21-year-old anthropology major, found out he wanted to major in anthropology when he took his first archaeology course.

“We have a really great club,” Martinez said. “There’s so many activities, we’re always raising money and doing on-campus events. It’s so nice to have such a great group of people who like the same thing that you do.”

Another thing that the anthropology department has been devoting time to is the CRAWL lab. These are independent studies that allow students interested in archaeology to work on post gold rush artifacts from a historic site in Old Sacramento.

“We’re taking these collection of artifacts and recataloging them,” Martinez said. “We’ve had a few events already where we have done poster days and such for the lab. Even if you don’t care about the subject go and take a class anyways. I promise you will learn something new.”

There are multiple anthropology conferences that CRC students and professors attend together.

“We are very well represented at these conferences,” said anthropology professor Priscilla Loforte said. “Even from our students.”

The next anthropology conference they will be attending is going to be the American Anthropological Association conference this upcoming November in Chicago.

The anthropology instructional assistant Grace Cesario has played a big part in assisting students with their anthropology courses and guiding them through some of their projects.

“In the lab we talk about bones, cultural anthropology and primates,” said Cesario. “There’s so many opportunities at this college that I didn’t even think people could ever get at the community college level.”

The department has been working with the Sacramento Zoo this semester in the Anthropology 301 lab where students get to go observe primates for the primate observation project.

“Students get discounted passes so they can continue to go back to the zoo to continue their research on primates,” Mills said. “It’s really a great project that they get to do with us.”

Despite the discipline of the anthropology department, the staff said that they make education fun and exciting.

“While we take the discipline very seriously, we do silly things like pose for crazy pictures and wear birthday hats for Charles Darwin’s birthday,” Paskey said. “We try to have fun and we just hope our enthusiasm spills out and infects the students.”

Although this season saw the Hawks make it to the state tournament for only the second time in school history, it didn’t come without some hurdles.

Injuries at the beginning of the season drastically altered the way the Hawks would have to play for the rest of the season.

“In the beginning of the season, we were kind of worried about even having a season with just four girls,” said women’s head coach Suzanne Stebbins. “You immediately have to forfeit five and six doubles and three singles.”
This meant that every single time the Hawks played, they were down. Essentially, the opponent only had to win two matches, where as the Hawks needed to win five to claim victory.

“That stunk every single match knowing you were down,” Stebbins said. “That was tough.”

With a shrunken down roster, Stebbins and her four players set out for a specific goal. They decided to focus on individual play instead of doubles. It was a good decision.

All four players qualified for state and the Northern California tournament. At the Ojai State Tournament, the doubles team lost in the quarterfinals, sophomores Taylor Osborne and Cassie Gomez lost their singles matches in the second round and freshman Liana Seisa and Angela Guerra lost their singles matches in the first round of the primarily southern dominated tournament.

Despite not advancing deep into the tournament, having the whole team qualify was a success in its own.

“The high [point of the season] was definitely all four of us making it to state,” Osborne said.

Although the season has come to an end, that does not mean the work for the players and coaches is done.

The players will be conditioning all summer, playing in various tournaments and taking the tennis class in the fall to get ready for next season.

Stebbins has the task of recruiting like crazy in an attempt to fill a full roster next season. In addition to the women, in an odd turn of events, Stebbins has been called upon to coach the men’s team as well next season, meaning she has to recruit for the men’s team also.

“One real positive is Luis Lopez assisted me all year and Brandon Ellis is going to be my paid assistant next year for both teams,” Stebbins said. “We’ll have one fall class, one spring class and I’ll be coaching both teams.”

Even though Stebbins said her “heart pounded in her chest” at the thought of coaching both teams, she’s more than ready for the upcoming challenge.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time,” Stebbins said.

Professor Anna Trent helped her Islamic Art History students put together an exhibit to showcase the unique characteristics of traditional art that originated in the middle-east.

“My students are doing this, not me,” Trent said. “I just guide them.”

Trent teaches six art history classes including an ancient art history course. Of the six classes she teaches, Trent chose Islamic art class because of what she saw in her students.

“I saw the potential. They work well in groups,” Trent said.

A lot of the art in the museum was brought in by Trent’s students.  One student brought in a prayer rug that their family used, another student had a perfume bottle brought back by her boyfriend who served in Iraq.

A few items, such as a carpet from Iraq, were donated for the exhibit by Trent, and several pieces were brought by other teachers.

Many of the pieces in the exhibit were original pieces that came from middle-eastern countries, and each item had a description that explained the origins of the art and the piece.

Examples of Islamic metalwork were on display as well. One item Trent was excited about was a water canteen from the 20th century used by nomads or Bedouins who travelled in caravans.

The canteen had been hand-hammered into a star-like design on one side, with a floral design on the other.

Items such as woven carpets, water pipes and jewelry also reflected very traditional Islamic styles of art as seen on the canteen.

Another part of the exhibit was a henna demonstration, presented by 23-year-old biology major Nikki Olesen.

Olsen is in Trent’s art history class and does henna tattoos as a hobby.

“I started doing this about 10 years ago,” Olesen said. “I got more serious about it when I started this class.”

Olesen did several tattoos for many students and visitors and even faculty throughout the day, creating examples of traditional Islamic art with some modern incorporation.

Trent explained the tradition of new brides having henna scrollwork all the way up their arms as a display of art and beauty.

While henna is a popular art form in Islamic and middle-eastern cultures, calligraphy is a more prominent style of art.

“Calligraphy means “beautiful writing”,” Trent said. “The writing becomes a work of art.”

A number of pieces in the exhibit had calligraphy woven into the designs including a ceramic plate with the 99 names of Allah, Islam’s god and a large silver coin with an intricate signature on one side.

Charles Standifer, a 21-year-old sophomore, will be transferring to Division 1 University of California, Riverside next year to continue his basketball career. This year Standifer averaged 20.9 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game and became the fifth CRC player since 2010 to sign a division 1 scholarship.

“It means alot to my staff and I to have guys transfer to four-year schools, because it shows our student-athletes are doing what they need to do academically and athletically to move on,” said men’s basketball head coach James Giacomazzi.

When it comes to the men’s basketball team, Standifer will not be alone. 21-year-old sophomore Orion Kidd will also be transferring next year, but Kidd is going a different route. He chose Greenville College in Illinois, but for reasons other than just basketball.

“The main reason is that it is a Christian school and I am a Christian,” Kidd said. “I have prayed about it and I know this is where God wants me.”

Despite finishing the season with a 12-17 record, neither feel that record reflects their game and who they are as a player. Instead, they believe it reflects the team.

“It motivated me to work harder on my game so I can help win more games next year,” Standifer said.

As individuals, they know what they have to offer and what they can bring to their new teams.

“I think offensively, my game can bring a versatile scoring threat to UC Riverside,” Standifer said. “Someone who can score at the rim as well as on the perimeter.”

As for Kidd, he plans to bring something different to the table.

“One thing that I can never take out of my game is my energy and my hustle,” Kidd said. “Both of those qualities just come with my love and passion for the game of basketball.”

Both players will head to their new schools, new teams and new homes, taking with them what they have learned from their coaches and their time as CRC students.

“The biggest thing I will take with me from my time at Cosumnes is to really take advantage of my opportunity. I have to go on to a four-year school both on and off the court,” Standifer said.

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During a victory against the Golden State Warriors on April 12, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star felt a pop as he pushed off his left foot, tearing his achilles tendon.

Many feel that the career of the Black Mamba may be over but why have doubt for one of the greatest players that has ever played in the NBA?

Kobe has endured many injuries in the past but still works through all the struggle and obstacles that he has faced and makes sure his team would prove people wrong and come out with a victory.

This is the man that has recently surpassed Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, becoming the fourth highest scorer in NBA history.

Age doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to a talented athlete like Bryant. Even with all the hate that people have towards him, no one can say he isn’t one of the best players who has played the game.

After guaranteeing that the Lakers would make the playoffs earlier this season, Kobe delivered. He averaged 45.2 minutes per game in April, the most for an entire month during his entire regular season, according to The Inquisitr website.

The Lakers have the option of cutting their star player from the roster before next season. He’s due $30.4 million in the last year of his contract, and the team has the option of cutting him under the new amnesty clause.

That won’t happen.

The Lakers have some of the best players playing on one team, however they have not been fully healthy with injuries to Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol.

Out of all those injured players the best is the Black Mamba, who has averaged 27.3 points from the court and lead the team in 3-point percentage with .324 during the regular season.

He is looking at his injury on a brighter note and is letting the fans in on his journey to recovery through Facebook and Instagram.

Kobe is one of the best players in the NBA and nobody knows what he has up his sleeve.

He is the Superman of the Lakers, whenever the team needs saving he is there to save the day and never fails.

There is no ending to the last chapter of this story but just know the only person that is in control of the Black Mamba’s future is him.

So just sit back and enjoy the show because he will be coming back next season and will be leaving the NBA with another championship ring.

This year, while still in its early stages, Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) introduced Assembly Bill 955, which will legalize intersession extension courses, which are offered outside of normal course offerings, according to the bill’s text.

The bill made it through the higher education committee on April 9, as well as the Appropriations committee on May 1, according to The Modesto Bee.

At Cosumnes River College, the classes would be offered at the same rates as non-residents, which is at $236 per unit, according to college president Deborah Travis.

“The purpose is to partially restore access to classes at the community college system,” Williams said in an interview via phone. “Open access does not exist when the community  college turns away hundreds of thousands of people from even registering from one class.”

Williams said that his bill, in combination with Proposition 30 and “every year pushing for a little bit more from the state budget,” has the possibility of restoring classes to “a semblance of what they should be.”

Proposition 30 passed in the 2012 statewide elections, and the measure raised sales tax by a quarter of a penny, as well as income taxes on those with annual incomes of more than $250,000. This move by voters spared California community colleges of $338 million in cuts, as well as increasing revenue for the colleges by $210 million, according to the Official Voter Information Guide.

Opponents of AB 955 have cited the proposition as a reason why the bill is unnecessary.

“Proposition 30 is gradually leading us back to where community college funding needs to be and while it may take several years to restore full funding, I don’t think our students should have to pay exorbitant rates in the meantime,” Travis said.

History professor and campus president of the Los Rios College Federation of Teachers Jason Newman called Proposition 30 “the stake in the heart of this thing [AB 955] already, before it is even born.”

The Los Rios Community College District as a whole has taken a stance against the bill.

“We have consistently opposed legislation that would lead to charging higher fees to certain students,” said the LRCCD Chancellor Brian King.

A spokesperson for California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice Harris said to the L.A. Times that the two-tiered system of education would limit open-access to colleges.

King elaborated on the idea, saying that a “major concern” is that the legislature would give even less funding to community colleges.

Williams responded to his critics by saying that the current situation is limiting open-access more-so than his bill would.

“I would say that open-access is much more compromised when you turn away 500,000 people than when you offer people the choice of taking a course during winter break for a little bit more money than they would otherwise,” Williams said.

Sylvester Charles, a 19 year old psychology major, said he is unsure if he would be able to pay the course fees, but that he would be willing to try.

“If I really had to take a class, I would take it,” Charles said.

Williams said that the “knee-jerk reaction” against the bill is due to last year’s opposition of Santa Monica’s plan.

“We changed the bill considerably compared to what was introduced last year, and we have stronger protection to protect the basic services that community colleges provide,” Williams said.

Williams said that three changes were made: that extension courses could not be offered when normal courses are being offered, a scholarship program would be set up for students who could not afford the classes and it would be illegal to replace subsidized classes with extension classes.

King said that he was unsure of the timeline of the bill, but said it could take effect in 2014-15 if it passed.

“I think we [Los Rios] would be reluctant because we are adding classes for students and if the law were passed, we would at least have a discussion with our faculty about whether they had any interest, which would require changes to our existing faculty contract,” King said.

Newman said that the bill would also create a two-tiered system among professors.

“If they created this intersession, they would jack up prices for the students in the intersession and they would lower the pay they would give to us as instructors,” Newman said. “So because of that fact, it would be part-timers who would take this job, full timers would say ‘no.’”

As a whole, Newman disagrees with the idea of intersession courses, and said professors have a hard enough time teaching during shorter sessions.

“The short nature of the intersession course, four week course, in and of itself is a poor way of teaching a subject,” Newman said. “Four weeks is too short. Six weeks, is a summer session, is short enough. Eight weeks is about right … So you’re paying more and you’re getting less.”

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Saying that gay men and lesbians are treated equally by society shows a gross oversimplification of the issue, and a lack of understanding of the fight for equality.

As a general rule, women who only have feelings for other women are more understood by other individuals. Whereas being a homosexual male carries a heavier stigma. This difference is due in part to a male dominated society.

Despite 51 percent of the population being female, most of the power and societal norms are dictated by men. The men in our society carry the power to change how something is viewed. As a result, most of the attitudes surrounding homosexuality are determined by heterosexual males. Thus, lesbianism carries less of a threat.

Serving as the wet dream for heterosexual males, two girls kissing in public is seen as a bonus, something to brighten the day. While the same behavior from two gay men results in disgust, and even getting kicked out of some locations. This is because two men kissing is not a fantasy for most heterosexual males; it is not an object of sexual gratification for them.
Another cause of the differences is the attitudes around companionship. It is deemed acceptable and is often portrayed as typical for two women to be best friends. There is an understanding in their friendship, and it is not difficult to believe that they would take the next step and become lovers. Even within their friendship, it is okay for them to show signs of affection and even kiss each other without repercussions.

However, within most friendships between males, affection is not a factor. It is often seen as a feminine trait, and thought of as crossing the line. To take that a step further, and find love and compassion in another man, is repulsive. It threatens the masculinity of other males, and is a source of weakness.

It is not just men who hold this sentiment. There are many women who scorn men for finding friendship in one another. It is seen as weird, or makes them needy.

This line of thinking leads to some people thinking that NBA player Jason Collins is not only a lesser individual because he is gay, but that he is now a weaker man or less of a man because of his sexual orientation. When in fact he is a strong and brave individual for coming out when he is playing in a league made up almost entirely of heterosexual males.

While some may say that lesbians being more highly accepted is a good thing, existing purely for the sexual enjoyment of others is entirely counter productive. Just because it is easier for people to define lesbianism over gay men, does not mean that gay men deserve to be treated without respect and understanding.

The fight for equality for people based on their sexuality has come a long ways, but it still has more to go. One day, the majority of people will see both lesbianism and gay men as the same, not because they are having sex the way that someone else wants them to, but because they are people whose lives should not be judged for who they love.

The way you prepare for the game and get your mind right for some friendly competition is all about consistency.

Most teams, players and coaches all have different ways of raising team morale or getting themselves ready to compete.

Some of these sporting rituals you might have heard of before, like the playoff beard in hockey where teams will start growing their man fuzz on their face as a team in hopes of bringing luck their way and progressing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Others may go unseen like former Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan who wore his University of North Carolina basketball shorts under his uniform during every game.

Superstitions and rituals are just as much a part of the game as the game itself.

Former Sacramento Kings point guard Mike Bibby used to clip his fingernails on the bench during timeouts and stoppages while Miami Heat forward LeBron James opts to use his teeth to bite them instead of clipping them.

Although players have traditions and things they do, lets not leave teams as a whole out.

Usually in sports, throwing objects is frowned upon, but not so much in hockey.

The Detroit Red Wings before every home playoff game throw a dead octopus onto the ice to pump up the crowd and continue the tradition.

The octopus legend started in 1952 when a fan threw a dead octopus onto the ice before a playoff game symbolizing the number of wins needed to win the Stanley Cup at the time of eight.

That year, the Red Wings went on to sweep the Stanley Cups Playoffs and became champions, the rest is history.

Also in hockey, once a player scores his third goal of the game he completes the hat trick. Once a player gets a hat trick fans around the ice start throwing hats onto the ice as a way of celebrating the feat by the hockey player.

As traditions and rituals get passed on, others have changed and adapted in recent years.

For example, the quarterback position in the NFL has been one of importance and prominence. Quarterbacks have always been looked on as the team leader and a professional.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick does not fit that model.

Kaepernick who is tattooed from head-to-toe was ridiculed last year because of his walking body mural.

During his out of nowhere run last year from backup quarterback to one incomplete pass away from being a Super Bowl champion, some sports columnists believed his tattoos were more fit for prison than for the NFL.

AOL Fanhouse columnist David Whitley wrote, “Approximately 98.7 percent of the inmates at California’s state prison have tattoos… I’m also pretty sure less than 1.3 percent of NFL quarterbacks have tattoos. There’s a reason for that.”

While some agreed with Whitley and thought tattoos were not to be had by quarterbacks, others thought the comments were plain disrespectful and silly.

Jarrett Bell of the USA Today fired back writing in an article, “This is America, 2012. We have a black President with a Muslim name, Barack Obama, who is biracial like Kaepernick. The Niners quarterback is of African-American and European descent and was raised by white parents who adopted him as an infant… Deal with it. Times have changed.”

Kaepernick is not the only person in the sporting world to express himself through artwork on his body. In the NBA, seeing a player with a tattoo or multiple tattoos is more common than seeing an NBA player without one.

NBA players like Chris “Birdman” Andersen of the Miami Heat and Wilson Chandler of the Denver Nuggets come to my head as players who have seemingly every inch of their body covered with tattoos.

If you look back 30 years ago in the NBA when players like Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the league, tattoos on players were not even questioned because there simply weren’t any.

In sports some traditions never die, but also, things change, people change and positions change. No matter if they change for the better or not, this is how it is and rituals are here to stay.

Senate Bill 520, authored by Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), is a measure to increase access to California college and university classes, helping hundreds of thousands of students avoid delays in completing their degree courses, according to a press release from Steinberg’s office on March 13 .

“The California Master Plan for Higher Education promised open access to all, yet thousands of students are struggling to complete their degrees and going deeper in college debt because there simply aren’t enough classroom seats available in the courses they need,” Steinberg said in the press release.

28-year-old animal science major Issac Vargas thought it could be a good idea if the bill was passed, but that there could be issues if the courses did not match up between campuses.

“I mean I guess it sounds cool,” Vargas said. “I mean as long as you’re getting some education, it counts as something. Better than not doing anything at all.”

Rhys Williams, Senator Steinberg’s spokesman, said that the supply of classes is a main concern.

“Obviously when we’re talking about the practical effects that Senator Steinberg is concerned about it’s with the supply not meeting demand on students being able to get into classrooms,” Williams said. “Students are not graduating on time and their building up tens of thousands of dollars in debt unnecessarily simply because of an access issue.”

With 85 percent of community colleges reporting waits lists, Williams said that it equates to 7,000 students per community college on a wait list.

Critics of the bill, such as T. Guy Masters and Kit Pogliano of the University of California San Diego Academic Senate who wrote an open letter to the Academic Senates of the colleges and universities of California about the bill, said that it raises concerns about the privatization of public state higher education through allowing online courses from for profit unaccredited schools.

Masters and Pogliano also stated in their open letter that limits on student access to the courses the bill targets are in large part the result of significant reductions in public state higher education funding, especially over the last six years.

Unaccredited classes are not what the bill is designed for and the measure would be faculty driven as no classes would be accepted without faculty and academic senate acceptance, Williams said.

Williams said that they are seeking to assess, develop and teach accredited classes to meet a state standard.

Not all see a need for the bill after recent developments of the 2012 election cycle when Californians voted for Proposition 30 which raises taxes on the wealthiest of taxpayers to fund state colleges.

“It’s true that we have had to reduce offerings the past few years due to lack of funding and many of our students have had trouble getting into general education courses,” said Cosumnes River College President Deborah Travis via email. “But with the November passage of Proposition 30, we will gradually, over time, restore access and have the opportunity to offer additional sections, whether in person or online.”

Travis said that Steinberg’s bill is getting a lot of attention from the education community and that there is much discussion about what it would mean for higher education but until the details of the bill become clear it is difficult to say how it could impact CRC.

“We need to tear down these barriers. We want to lead the nation in melding technology with our great institutions of higher learning,” Steinberg said in the press release. “No college student in California should be denied the right to move through their education because they couldn’t get a seat for the course they needed.”