VIEWPOINTSONLINE.ORG
VOL. XCVII, NO. 11
APRIL 6, 2017
Viewpoints is an Associated Collegiate Press two-time national Pacemaker award-winning newspaper, serving as the voice of the students since 1922.
Coming out
Cesar Chavez Day celebration KIMBERLY MARTINEZ @RCCviewpoints
CHRIS EDSON | VIEWPOINTS
Brayan Cruz, an Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Coalition organizer, explains his own journey as an undocumented person at City Hall on March 29.
“Coming Out of the Shadows” van arrives in Riverside and welcomes undocumented people to share their story IMARI REDE @RCCviewpoints
The Inland Empire chapters of the Immigrant Youth Coalition, Black Lives Matters and the Palestinian Youth Movement hosted a “Coming Out of the Shadows” rally in front of Riverside City Hall on March 29. “Coming Out of the Shadows” is the IYC’s 12-day caravan focusing on immigrant justice and surrounding issues within communities of color. The caravan will run from San Diego, up to Sacramento. Riverside was the third of nine stops on the caravan. “As the IYC, we stand for abolition. Abolition of borders, detention centers and oppressive systems. Today we come together in solidarity. We are interconnected and we have community power,” said Brayan Cruz, an Inland Empire IYC organizer and University of California Riverside student. The rally invited people to come out as undocumented and encouraged them to share their stories of incarceration, deportation and the struggles that come along with those experiences.
CHRIS EDSON | VIEWPOINTS
Yocelin Saucedo speaks to the crowd about the controversial Measure Z recently passed March 29 at City Hall. Part of the rally’s goal was to highlight community issues at each stop of the caravan. Yocelin Saucedo, a member of BLM Inland Empire shared community concerns of Riverside’s recently passed Measure Z. “Measure Z is a 1 percent tax that is to fund community needs. Money will be going to fund the police, essentially
militarizing them, buying weapons, cars, and body cams that can be turned off. We don’t need that. As a community, we need after school programs and homeless shelters, we need support,” said Saucedo. “Black and brown students need support. We need to be proactive and not reactive by ending the school to prison pipeline,” said Darrin Johnson, a local substitute teacher. A large focus of the rally was centered on ending incarceration of brown, black, queer and transgender people. John Perez shared the story of their detention as a genderqueer, black and undocumented Colombian. “Living with those intersections was scary, how could I be queer there?” said Perez. As the rally ended, the attendees and caravan participants closed with chants and words of solidarity. “Being undocumented is very scary and sometimes lonely. Navigating spaces like college and other institutions magnifies that feeling because these places were not built for people like us. I need to change that and that why we’re here. It’s beautiful to know I am not alone in this fight,” said Aurora Gonzalez, a Riverside City College student.
For Juliana Garcia, a Riverside City College student, the Cesar Chavez Day celebration hit home. “My great grandpa stood by Cesar’s side when they were walking. It’s important to be grateful of where our produce comes from,” Garcia said. RCC’s Diversity Committee and La Casa kicked off the three day event March 28-30 in honor of Cesar Chavez. The event started with the showing of the movie, “Cesar Chavez,” in the Digital Library. “This is something we should all learn,” Cecilia Alvarado, dean of student services, said. “It’s important to recognize people who make a difference. It’s a person, a hero we have to remember, like Martin Luther King Jr., what he did for his people. Same thing with Chavez. It’s something our new generation needs to remember. We have somebody who went out and did something for our community, a social justice hero.” The film portrays Chavez’s struggle as a field worker who fought for the rights of other field workers and eventually became a leader. Known for being a labor leader, Chavez has become a civil rights leader today. Benjamin Vargas, education advisor of La Casa, commented on plans for the next Cesar Chavez Day. “We plan on making the event bigger next year,” Vargas said. On March 30 the “From Fields to Faculty” discussion took place. The event included RCC faculty members Clarence Romero, associate professor of psychology and Ernesto Reyes, associate professor of mathematics, who spoke on their time as field workers. Jose Diaz, director of Upward Bound, helped facilitate the discussion. “It was great to hear their testimonials, their life stories, their background of how they made it. They are great role models for our students, for our people to say, ‘This is where I came from and look where I am today. Teaching you, giving you an education, helping you, motivating you,’” Diaz said.
Film showing
25th anniversary
Center of Social Justices and Civil Liberties among the groups to help sponsor ‘Undocumented’ film.
Riverside airshow ignites the skies in celebration of their annual show.
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April 6, 2017
News
Universities hike up their tuition California State Universities increase tuition by five percent SAMANTHA BARTHOLOMEW @RCCviewpoints
The California State University Board of Trustees passed an act to raise their tuition for the first time in six years during a board meeting March 22. This new development, an addition to the Working Families Student Transparency and Accountability Act, increases student tuition by five percent. The tuition increase will raise undergraduate tuition by $270, graduate tuition by $438 and several certificates, doctoral and international tuition by several hundred dollars. The board made an amendment to the proposal before voting that will require the chancellor to repeal the increase in the event the 2017-2018 CSU support budget request is fully funded.
ILLUSTRATION BY BELANA WALKER
According to meeting attendees, many students that attended came dressed in caps and gowns with “Debt” written on price tags around their necks in a display of protest for the increase. With the systemwide increase going into effect starting the fall 2017 semester, CSU students worry how this increase will
affect their future financial status. “This increase makes the idea of paying for school in the coming years really stressful,” said Victoria Edwards, freshman at CSU Northridge. While the student body was informed about the probability of a tuition increase before its passing, some were led to believe
that returning students would be exempt from the increase. “Many of us were under the impression that those already attending the college wouldn’t have to pay the extra money,” said Justin Bradley, freshman at CSU Channel Islands. Many students have stated that the tuition increase adds to the much larger problem of college attendance in general. “A lot of students choose CSUs for their lower cost tuition,” said Edwards. According to the CSU Committee on Finance’s agenda for the meeting, the tuition increases were made necessary by a $167.7 million gap between the CSU support budget request and Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal. The tuition increase is meant to add more quality professors to their staff, add additional classes and provide a higher quality of education for their students. According to a statement from the office of CSU Chancellor Timothy White, the increases will generate $77.5 million in net revenue, which will be directed to programs such as an initiative to double four year graduation rates.
According to the Cal State website, the state’s declining support of their students combined with enrollment demands increasing has created an “unsustainable trend.” I’m a bit on the fence about it really. More teachers would be great, but is the tuition increase really necessary?” said Bradley. Edwards said she believes increasing the quality of learning begins with providing a better teaching environment for current professors. She commented that many classrooms at Northridge are still making the switch from blackboards to dry erase boards. “I believe that the increase is not the best course of action compared to updating the facilities and providing more resources for professors,” said Edwards. The subject of college debt has been long agonized over as graduating high school seniors make the decision on whether or not to continue their education. “College should be an option that is available to everyone, not a privilege for those who can afford it,” said Sarah Parker, freshman at CSU Channel Islands.
Panel gathers to discuss ‘Undocumented’ film LESLIE SANTIBANEZMOLINA @RCCviewpoints
“Undocumented” is a film about journalist Jose Antonio Vargas’s journey as an undocumented American. The film was shown on March 29 in the Riverside City College’s Digital Library Auditorium. The film was sponsored by the Center of Social Justices and Civil Liberties, the Immigration Law Offices of Hadley, RCC’s Art Department and the Puente Program. It was followed by an open discussion moderated by RCC student, Joey Mendoza. The film demonstrates a message that immigration is not only a Latino issue. The panel included RCC student Roberto Hernandez, Puente Coordinator Joe Anguiano, RCC alumnae Italia Garcia, and Hadley Bajramovic immigration lawyer Hope Boyer. Lastly, the panel was joined by RCC’s president Wolde-Ab Isaac. The discussion addressed themes the film brought up in Vargas’s life that students could relate to. The panel addressed students’ fears including ones they face through Trump’s presidency. “The fear of losing family members is real,” Hernandez
JESSICA VELOZ | VIEWPOINTS
Rhonda Taube, an art department associate professor, speaks at the ‘Undocumented film showing on March 29. said. “Even those that are citizens have the same fear. What will happen to their family?” Anguiano said. In the film, Vargas feels a disconnect from his home country and his roots. He feels American but at the price of losing his culture and not seeing his mother in twenty years. Boyer described the difficulties of her job and the difficulties families of undocumented Americans face. “One of the most difficult things is when family members
die in their home country,” Boyer said. Kaitlyn Ruiz, an RCC student and first generation Chicana, expressed how the film resonated with her. Ruiz lost part of her culture due to her family trying to assimilate. “My father was scared of teaching me Spanish because of how I would be perceived,” Ruiz said. Garcia mentioned that having nothing in common with family in Mexico led to distant communication, a theme that was present in Vargas’s film.
“You feel American but you don’t know their culture,” Garcia said. The manner in which the words “illegal alien” are used as to dehumanize people was discussed. “What do you think of when you hear that term?” Mendoza asked. Anguiano asked his students what they thought of the word “alien”. His students came to the conclusion that the word does not represent human equality. To Mendoza these words support the stereotype that immigrants are lazy and leeches of society. “My parents came to this country not to freeload but to provide a future for me and my siblings,” Hernandez said. “In my vocabulary I don’t have anything that says illegal,” Isaac said. “They are all students to me.” The failure of the immigration reform for undocumented Americans was discussed. The
panelists agreed there was a lack of media coverage on how undocumented Americans positively affect the economy. “ We a l w a y s h e a r o f undocumented people being rounded up,”Anguiano said. “We don’t hear about business owners hiring undocumented people.” Boyer mentioned that cheap labor and a lack of information prevents people from becoming documented. In the cases she has worked on, undocumented people often don’t know they share some of the same rights as citizens. As for the allies of undocumented people, the panel had some words of advice for them. “Learn how to listen. Don’t speak over them,” Hernandez said. “Recognize your privilege and use it to help undocumented people.”
Visit us at viewpointsonline.org
Correctiions from March 23 issue -In the article, “Let’s call terrorism what it is” on page 6 of the March 23 issue, the article incorrectly stated President Donald Trump promised to increase the military’s budget by ten percent. -In the article, “Trump’s speech to Congress gets undeserved praise” on page 6 of the March 23 issue, Carryn Owens is Ryan Owens wife.
SPORTS
April 6, 2017
Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is a success.
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- Henry Ford
Dynamic duo keeps team in pursuit CAMERON WINSTON @RCCviewpoints
Riverside City College has had a challenging yet electrifying softball season this semester and two of the team’s most prominent players have stood out amongst the pack. Tigers catcher Aeriel Carlson has had an impressive freshman season with a batting average of .322, while hitting a leaguebest seven home runs, and contributing to 25 runs batted in. Sophomore pitcher and infielder Emily Wilcox, has created an equally impactful presence this season with a phenomenal batting average of .485, which is the Orange Empire’s Conference second best, while adding 16 runs batted in. Wilcox also presents a threat on the mound with 18 strikeouts to her resume. Their leadership has helped the Tigers stay competitive in a struggling season with a 12-14 record so far. Carlson has seen many high points early in her career having been named CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) Offensive MVP during her freshmen year of high school at Citrus Valley while helping her team reach the finals back in 2011. She later secured a CIF championship in her junior season. A successful high school career earned Carlson a scholarship offer from Utah Valley University. However, a dreadful car accident her senior year would revoke that opportunity. That incident, however, did not diminish her passion or spirit for the game
Back to back photo
ANDREW BRADY | VIEWPOINTS
Sophomore Emily Wilcox and freshman Aeriel Carlson have both played key roles for the Tigers providing consistency on both offense and defense. that she has been playing since she was four years old. “I have put 14 years of my life for this sport, so obviously, I’m very passionate about it, and that’s what keeps me coming out here every day.” Carlson said, “Most of the time this is my sanctuary, you get out your stress, you get with your teammates, so
all of this brings great memories and fun. This is just a great sport to play that teaches you a lot.” Wi l c o x c o m e s f r o m a background of athletes as the majority of her family have played sports in high school and college. This played a role in her
See DYNAMIC DUO on Page 4
ANDREW BRADY | VIEWPOINTS
Emily Wilcox (above) has been a driving force behind the Tigers offense, posting a phenomenal batting average of .509 on the season. Aeriel Carlson (left) has become a cornerstone for the Tigers giving stability on defense, as well as providing a spark on offense with her season batting average of .322 ANDREW BRADY | VIEWPOINTS
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April 6, 2017
Sports
Softball tournament delayed
NICHOLAS PERALTA @RCCviewpoints
The Fresno City College softball tournament was unfortunately cut short. Dated to take place from March 4-5, Riverside City College’s softball team was touted to take place in the FCC tournament and saw success early in the opening rounds against both Hartnell College and Foothill College. RCC was then touted to face West Hills Coalinga College and the hosting team Fresno College. However due to unforeseen weather complications that would go on to devastate the field beyond short term repair, the games and subsequently the tournament altogether were postponed. “We played Saturday then it rained (on Sunday).” said Head Coach Michelle Daddona. “so we waited until the rain stopped, but when it stopped, we ran onto the field and there was just too much damage.” In the opening round of the tournament in the early month of March, the Tigers faced off against the Hartnell College Panthers. Hartnell would apply hefty pressure early on, scoring four runs to two by the end of
ANDREW BRADY | VIEWPOINTS
Softball head coach Michelle Daddona is currently coaching her seventeenth season. the third inning. But RCC would acquire a comeback in the fifth and sixth innings, securing four RBI’s courtesy of Marcelina Arevalo, Emily Wilcox and RBI leader Aeriel Carlson, to take the lead with which they held on to close out the opening round game with a well-earned comeback and a final score of Riverside 6, Hartnell 4. The Tigers would harness that momentum going into their face
off against Foothill College later that evening and in a dominant display, would shut out the Owls, 10-0, ending the game in the fifth inning via mercy rule. First basemen Wilcox and shortstop Kayla Giannatasio led the team in hits, with Wilcox acquiring season high three RBI’s. Despite the Tigers being unable to compete on March 5, the unfortunate weather complication and aforementioned
postponement of the tournament will actually work out in RCC’s favor. “ We ’ r e n o w g o i n g t o be playing here, at home, against Fresno.” said Coach Daddona. “We will be playing a doubleheader against Fresno on April 9. We were supposed to play West Hills (Coalinga College) but instead we will be playing Fresno in two games back to back.”
The advantage of playing at home is a much welcomed factor that gives the Tigers an edge at the tournaments conclusion. Now mid-way through the season, RCC will compete in nine games before their closing tournament match-up. Despite holding just under a .500 record, coach Daddona believes in the ability and talent of this seasons team to be able to make it to the playoffs, highlighting the capability of some of her leading players. “This team has a lot of talent.” said Daddona. “They are very young, but they work real hard to get better. All we really gotta do is work on the little things, and if we take care of the little things the rest will take care of itself. Our three main stays, we got Laura Mendez, Synphony Hall and Emily Wilcox, and pacing us right now is Emily Wilcox she’s one of our leading hitters. We got a good group. They are committed to that excellence, and if we stay committed I think this team can get us back into the playoffs.” RCC will close out the FCC tournament against Fresno College on April 9 with the first game kicking off at 11:00 a.m and the next game commencing at 1:30 p.m.
Wilcox and Carlson achieve success on the field DYNAMIC DUO from Page 3
her enrollment to Riverside City College as her sister had played for RCC years ago. Riverside was not her first choice until coach Michelle Daddona influenced her to reconsider and attend. One of the things Emily has learned since becoming a Tiger has been the accountability and responsibility one can have, and the bond of sisterhood amongst her and her teammates. As Wilcox’s last season with the team winds down, she reflects on her hopes for this season and says, “I want to make the memories last … I hope to make the season fun and let it be something to remember not just for me, but for everyone … and to make my family proud, and show them I worked my hardest to get to this point. Both players share the same view of what the difficulties they have encountered for this season have been. They both say that the feeling of beating a team by mercy rule, and then right after receiving the same treatment really affects the mentality of a player to try and turn it around and move on to the next game. “That is one of the cool factors about this sport because it doesn’t matter how good you are, there
is always going to be someone that can get you if you’re not expecting it.” said Wilcox. The Tigers had just experienced being mercy ruled, meaning a team has scored 10 or more runs through five innings, and will automatically end the game at that moment with no chance to comeback. On March 24 against Cypress College, the Tigers were forced to mercy rule in a 10-0 defeat. Despite this unpleasant setback, the Tigers looked ahead to what still has the potential be a prosperous season. In addition to shared talents, both athletes have a desire to pursue careers in the medical field. Wilcox will look to focus more on her education in hopes to become a registered nurse after her softball days have concluded. Carlson on the other hand hopes to become a veterinarian, but intends to continue her softball career. “As an athlete, your most memorable moment is within your sport and with these two it seems they are making the most of every opportunity with their bond, passion, and commitment to their coaches and teammates. Carlson said, “I say if I am not having fun and I’m not loving it any more then that’s the day that I stop. If I don’t come out here and this isn’t the best part of my day, then I shouldn’t be out here.”
Tigers baseball top of their conference NICHOLAS PERALTA @RCCviewpoints
In a best of three series for the Orange Empire Conference top spot, the Riverside City College baseball team narrowly edged out the Orange Coast Pirates to win two games to one. On March 28 in game one, RCC garnered a comeback victory winning 6-3, in a match that saw the Tigers amass five of their six runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Right fielder Dean Miller compiled a stellar game, earning three RBI’s, three hits at bat and one home run. Game two of this sensational series was just as dramatic. After holding a 4-0 lead throughout the entirety of the game, Orange Coast threatened to make a stunning
comeback in the final inning scoring three runs off of a triple hit by Pirates player Walker Keller. RCC would keep Orange Coast at bay after bringing in closing pitcher Ryan Mota. Mota would come in as a relief, inducing a strikeout and a fly out to right field to earn his first save of the campaign, helping the Tigers to hold on to their 4-3 lead. Jake Barham and Diego Guerrero led the team in hits this game with two, along with Barham bringing in two runs batted in. With this win, RCC would claim first place in the Orange Empire Conference Standings, a feat that hasn’t been achieved since the 2010 season. Contempt with their new standing atop the OEC, the Tigers would drop the third game against Orange Coast in a 8-0 shutout. Tigers now currently hold a 9-3 record within their division and a 22-8 record overall.
ANDREW BRADY | VIEWPOINTS
Emily Wilcox has played a large role in the Tiger’s offense, contributing with 22 runs batted in on the year
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Jill Stein bad mouths Bernie
Former Green Party presidential candidate slings mud against her political rival Bernie Sanders
KEVIN KNOX @KevinNotKevin
When Jill Stein came to RCC, one might have expected a positive speech about what the country needs and what policies could be implemented to address those needs. Instead we were treated to a rather negative speech in which she blasted, among other things, the Democratic Party. Interestingly, this led to a rather sharp critique aimed at Sen. Bernie Sanders - a man she has previously showered with praise. During her tirade against Democrats, Stein wondered if perhaps Sanders would ever “have the courage of his convictions” and leave the Democratic Party to join the Green Party. Later on, during the Q&A portion of the event, a student asked if Stein supports Sanders’ endeavor to transform the Democratic Party from within. She dismissed those efforts as a lost cause and asserted that Sanders could never accomplish his goals as long as he accepted “corporate money.” But if Sanders’ goals are undermined because he “took corporate money” and if doing
so really does make political revolution impossible, as Stein insisted, then she is in no position to criticize. OpenSecrets.org’s list of top contributors to Stein’s 2016 campaign shows that she received $44,013 from Alphabet Inc (aka Google), $10,266 from Amazon. com, $9,659 from Lockheed Martin, $8,207 from Apple, $6,650 from Microsoft, $4,525 from IBM Corp, and thousands more from other corporations. So did all those corporate contributions not count? Does the fact that she accepted over $80,000 worth of cor porate money in her 2016 campaign not undermine her criticisms of Sanders and i ndeed the
Democratic Party as a whole? This calls the legitimacy of her criticisms into question. Sanders and Stein have so much in common. One would think she’d support his efforts. Instead she takes every opportunity to deepen the divisions within the Democratic Party, hoping that progressives will convert to the Green Party. It’s obvious that she only attacks Sanders because he’s chosen not to work with her party, which makes him a political rival. But why shouldn’t Sanders stick with the Democrats? Since their formation in 2001, the Green Party has proven to be totally impotent, the Federal Election Commission’s tallies of ILLUSTRATION BY MADISON MOORE
ILLUSTRATION BY MADISON MOORE
the last four presidential elections prove this. According to the Commission the Green Party nominee earned 0.10 percent of the vote in 2004, 0.12 percent in 2008, 0.4 percent in 2012, and 1.1 percent in 2016. Stein also ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2010, nabbing 1.42 percent of the vote. There are no Green Party members in Congress, none are governors, and only two are mayors. Why would Sanders throw in with such a useless party when he’s gaining influence among Democrats, who actually win national and state elections? More so, t h is ele ct or al impotence was not discussed once during Stein’s speech. All she provided was rhetoric. She didn’t discuss any changes the
Green Party needs to make in order to be more successful going forward, nor did she didn’t lay out any plans for the 2018 elections. Why? Because the Green Party has no plan and never will. The only thing they will ever do is spout rhetoric and blame their electoral failures on “the system” instead of their approach. That is not what America needs. With all the obstacles we cur rently face, we need competent, organized people with a plan, not professional whiners who can’t convince more than two percent of Americans to support them and refuse to even acknowledge their failures. That is why Sanders has not joined the Green Party and it’s why I won’t either.
Proposed budget plan futher degrades women
VIRGINIA VALENCIA @RCCviewpoints
My legs wobbled as I sat down near the white powdery line of the soccer field. I slid down my sock as blood gushed down my knee and I quickly wiped it. My body ached and my feet hurt, but I hurried back on the field to the match. My soccer team consisted of a single girl. That girl was me. My entire league consisted
of a single girl and that girl was me. My 12-year-old self with little self-confidence and no selfidentity continuously marched head first against the boys, against the sexism, against the standard without any knowledge of it. These lessons were wasted on me. After leaving soccer behind, I had no pain to remind me to push for change, no struggle to understand how daunting it is to be a girl in this world. The remembrance came when Donald Trump won the presidency despite having a very well-known documented belittlement of all women. The controversial “p---y grabbing” video was seen as funny and although I shook my head, I laughed along. I learned to camouflage in a world of men. Tr u mp promot e s a desensitized world when he
ILLUSTRATION BY DAKOTA GAUMER
publicizes sexist remarks in his everyday life on Twitter and advocates for his misogynist GOP policy regulations. Trump has restricted
women’s bodies around the world by reinstating the Global Gag Rule. Democracy Now states that this policy “bans U.S. funding for any international healthcare organizations that perfor m abortions or advocate for the legalization of abortion.” The U.S. will cut all funding at the mere mention of abortion even if the funding is not used for abortion services. This guaranteed the defunding of Planned Parenthood and the assurance of my wrath. No president who cares about women, gender equality, and having women in the workforce would cut such an important program. According to News Week, 70 percent of voters opposed taking away funding for Planned Parenthood. The needs of women are important to society yet
Trump paid no mind as he drew up his proposed budget plan which cuts even more services. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that Trump plans to cut funding for U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services which hold sexual assault and domestic violence support for women. Trump’s presidency could ultimately reverse the progress of century long struggles of change and progress. It is the time to stop laughing along. I have summoned my 12-yearold self’s tenacity and hurry toward my new match. My battle scars won’t be visible like in soccer but they will be apparent in me. Tr u mp’s presidency has empowered me a nd it ha s reminded me that my voice is strong. That it can create change.
Views
April 6, 2017
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Land of the free? Students should not be confined to selected areas on college campuses
Editorial
In the current political climate, everything from political Facebook posts to friends taking part in protests, fill our social media timelines. Having your voice heard is seemingly more important than ever. We feel like getting students’ point across on campus is the way to go as they can reach a broader audience, but because of our current free speech zones, that potential audience is limited. In college we are often challenged to think critically and handle complex issues but how can we apply those skills if we are limited in expressing our views? There is a time and place for this free speech getting your political views out during the middle of a lecture isn’t what this promotes, but it should not be limited to a few select areas on our campus. Kevin Shaw, a student at Pierce College, filed a lawsuit against Pierce College and the Los Angeles Community College District after he was stopped from attempting to distribute Spanish-language copies of the Constitution and recruit new members for his student group, Young Americans for Liberty, outside of the designated free speech zone on campus. “Students like Kevin go to college to learn and grow in conversation with their peers, but a free speech quarantine like Pierce’s threatens to punish students who speak their minds in the wrong place,” said Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s Director of Litigation Marieke Tuthill Beck-Coon. “The law is clear: Public colleges like Pierce can’t force students into tiny slices of campus to exercise their First Amendment rights.” Free speech zones are essentially unconstitutional. There are California educational codes that protect our First Amendment right to free speech but our district, like many other schools throughout the country, limit these rights to mere square feet across each campus. All three campuses in the Riverside Community College District have free speech zones, with Riverside City College’s zones designated in the Promenade in front of the bookstore, the Aguilar Patio located by the Student Government building,
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY STACY SORIANO
Free speech areas on campus makes us feel like we can not fully express ourselves since we have to limit our speech to just those areas. the north side of Terracina Drive across from the Quad and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza in front of the MLK, Jr. High Tech Center. The latter is probably the most well recognized free speech zone with students walking back and forth throughout the day only to be surrounded by posters, individuals handing out literature for their causes and the occasional table promoting their businesses or selling knickknacks. There are potential downsides to getting rid of the free speech zones. Back in 2005, Viewpoints wrote an editorial which highlighted the issue of proposed changes to District Regulation 5120, after an incident at the Moreno Valley campus. Anti-abortion protestors entered the cafeteria with graphic images on display for students and
faculty to view as they were eating or studying. While these more radical displays of free speech seem to be rare on campus, getting rid of the free speech zones could open up the possibility of people who may try to take advantage of these freedoms. The current revision of the regulation states that any defamatory, obscene or violent disruption and hate violence will not be tolerated and action will be taken against those who violate these rules. With the potential abolishment of these free speech zones, we would expect that these same rules would be upheld. Would this mean that we have to brace for the possibility of people setting up shop outside of our math classes? Maybe, but if students are allowed to express their views on campus outside of the free speech zones then it would be worth it.
Viewpoints’ editorials represent the majority opinion of and are written by the Viewpoints’ student editorial board.
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LIFE
April 6, 2017
“Adventure is worthwhile in itself,”
- Amelia Earhart
ANDREW BRADY | VIEWPOINTS
A member of the Just in Time Skydivers team moves to meet with the rest of his team after the group records another successful jump during the opening ceremonies at the Riverside Airshow on April 1.
Airshow’s 25th anniversary
Planes take off in celebration of Riverside’s annual airshow at the municipal airport ROXANNE STEPHENS @RCCviewpoints
People from all over California gathered together for the Riverside’s 25th Annual Airshow to support pilots of all types at the Riverside Municipal Airport on April 1. The event began when former Marine Tom Miller fought to keep the Riverside Municipal Airport open by displaying the local talent of aerobatic flying and honoring each military branch. “I always make sure to include a patriotic theme or a salute,” Miller said. “Aviation is a passion in my blood after doing it for so long.”
Volunteers came out as early as 4 a.m. to help set up the event, which included food trucks, a traveling airplane museum, aircraft tours and pilot meet and greets. The community’s support is the backbone that has made the show possible for 25 years. For the airshows anniversary, they flew in a V-22 Osprey. The airshow is the only show in all of California to have this plane involved. This year’s lineup included pilots Chuck Coleman, Jon Melby, Spencer Suderman and John Collver. The show’s line up also featured female pilots like Vicky Benzing, who is known for her speed, and Julie Clark,
the first woman airline pilot were a part of the show. The Just in Time Skydivers captivated the audience with their colorful parachutes. Tr u e t o t h e i r f a n s a n d dedication to the arts of aerobatic flying, the pilots made themselves available to the audience. Clark explained the adversities she faced as a woman in the aviation industry. “If you put me on the ground, especially in a kitchen I’ll be scared,” Clark said. “I love being up in the air,” she said of her love for flying.
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ANDREW BRADY | VIEWPOINTS
Henry Schmel’s handbuilt plane named, Salute to America, proudly on display at the Riverside Airshow on April 1.