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AUGUST 27, 2015
Long-time professor emeritus Ron Yoshino dies after battle with cancer @Crystal__Olmedo
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VOL. XCV, NO. 1
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Ron Yoshino, Professor Emeritus of Riverside City College, left a lasting impression on all he mentored, taught and befriended. There was an outpouring of social media posts on websites such as Facebook, from former fellow instructors and students when Yoshino passed away June 16 after battling cancer. He taught American, Californian and military History at RCC since 1986. He also served as the Adviser for Alpha Gamma Sigma, a California Community College honor society that focuses on helping students develop leadership skills and get involved in community outreach. His values continue to inspire former students. Michael Gess who took one of Yoshino’s military History classes stated he wants to become a history professor and follow Yoshino’s path. “I took his History class and got my first non-A grade, but he encouraged me to retake the class and join the honor society which he was the adviser for,” Gess said. “I was absolutely floored by Yoshino. He was an amazing person. He never discounted my ideas, but always took the time to listen.” None of this would have been possible if Yoshino had not taken the advice of his mentor. “It was actually one of his professors he had when he was getting his master’s degree that told him it was up to him to carry on mentoring students just as he was taught,” said his wife Diana Yoshino. This not only rings true with Gess, but also with several other students he interacted with through various classes and programs during his tenure at RCC. It was not uncommon for Yoshino to push his students to try harder to do their best. “He loved for students to prove their skills. Even when others told me I was wrong he supported me and my decisions. He was the best teacher I’ve ever had, “ former RCC student Clayton McEvoy said. “He taught me if you’re wrong with the right people then you’re never wrong again.” Associate English instructor Kathleen Sell taught honors
humanities courses alongside Yoshino in seminar style setting. “It sounds like a cliché, but he really did believe that we often learn as much or more from our mistakes,” Sell said. “He never assumed that because someone hadn’t done well that meant they couldn’t do well … he insisted that they give their best effort. He held himself and his students, and colleagues to high standards. According to Sell, well before an official honors program was in place, previous RCC president Charles Kane approached Yoshino about putting together an honors class. Yoshino agreed on the condition that honors courses be team taught to provide students with ideas from different academic perspectives. “Students could see what it looks like to disagree, respectfully, in an academic debate and how sometimes there wasn’t a right or wrong, but complementary ways of looking at things,” Sell said. “But students were not passive ... Ron was a master a probing and listening - when a student offered an idea, he was very good at not just immediately answering or letting the next student jump in, but saying, ‘hold on’ and questioning so that the student developed, explored thier idea more fully, or saw a flaw in reasoning. Former RCC student Jimmy Gomez, who now serves as a California state assemblyman says that Yoshino played a large part in helping him to reach his goals. “He encouraged me to seize opportunities,” Gomez said. “He showed me how to plan and set goals and achieve them. He was not only an instructor of mine, but also the adviser or the honor society (Alpha Gamma Sigma), which I was president of from 19951996.” As adviser to AGS Yoshino taught about effective leadership and and giving back to the community. “We did anything from picking daffodils to give to cancer patients to community clean up,” Gomez said. “He was someone who loved life and always looked for ways to help his students become better individuals. He taught me a lot. It’s difficult knowing that he won’t be there to ask for advice.” Former RCC student
VIEWPOINTS FILE PHOTO
SCHOOL’S IN SESSION: Ron Yoshino, a former RCC history
professor, stands behind the lectern he taught from since 1986.
Giovanni Aviña and also previous president of AGS was encouraged to become a leader by Yoshino and passed on the torch. “The knowledge that I acquired and the advice that I got from him I was able to carry on to the next generation of students. Ray Orozco who ended up being ASRCC president, he was a student that I was able to mentor because I had Yoshino’s mentorship,” said, Aviña. “A quote that he used to say stuck with me, ‘Roll with the punches. That’s all he said and it was up to me to figure out what that meant.” “I do remember at a very young age, perhaps first grade or second grade, reading a lot of biographies,” Yoshino said in an interview with Viewpoints, “Any good biographer, even at the level of text you read in first or second grade, creates a historical context. I mean, how can you understand a person in the past unless you understand where and how they lived?” “And so I think it was rather indirectly how I became interested in people and the different lives that they lived, “ Conversely, that also led me to an understanding of the
historical matrix from which they came. That led me into history. Yoshino did not only made an effort to connect with his students, but also his peers. “He made me want to be a better leader. He always made people feel like they could be better versions of themselves, and the he gave them the tools and the pathway to get there, Honor Program Coordinator Thatcher Carter, who cochaired AGS with Yoshino. “ Yoshino’s dedication to AGS was unparalleled ... I don’t know anyone else that has that sort of effect on students. It was partly his personality that gave him that inroad, but it was also the time he dedicated to his students.” According to Sell, due to his illness, Yoshino had to step down about mid-way through fall 2014 semester. Yoshino showed his support for his students even outside of the classroom. “He would put in a full day every single day at RCC, spending his spare moments
See MENTOR on Page 2
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August 27, 2015
Halfway mark hit New Student Services building nears completion
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New Parking Services Office The office for RCC’s parking services will be moving to the top floor of the parking structure at the start of the fall 2015 semester. There will be a two week grace period from Aug. 31 through Sept. 13. As long as students park in white-striped parking spaces. They will not be subjected to being cited for a permit violation. Staff/faculty parking permits are required to park in yellowstriped parking spaces. Parking services will recognize any type of RCCD staff faculty parking permit (expired or not) duringduirng the grace period only. Parking permits are available for purchase at the parking services office and online through WebAdvisor: https://was02. rcc.edu/RCCD/RCCD? VICTOR DURAN | VIEWPOINTS
COMING SOON: Inside view of the future main entrance of the Charles A. Kane Student Services and Administration building. The building will be completed spring 2016. CRYSTAL OLMEDO @Crystal Olmedo
The construction of Riverside City College’s Student Services and Administration Building is on schedule according to Arnold Arsenault, project manager of Bernards Construction. “We are about 50 percent of the way through. Framing is being
done as well as interior plumbing, mechanical and electrical work,” Arsenault said. The building is expected to be finished spring of 2016, coinciding with the RCC’s 100 year anniversary. The building will serve as a one-stop center for student services such as counseling, admissions and records. It will also be used for student financial services, DSPS and EOPS.
Administrative facilities such as the president’s office will be located on the second floor in what will be known as the Noble Wing. The building will be adjacent to the Math and Science Building and will take the place of location of parking lot B. The staging phase of the air conditioning units will take place on Ramona Drive before being raised with a crane on Sept. 1.
Instructor inspired students MENTOR from Page1
in the honors center, mentoring students between classes; and then on weekends he would travel with the students, do community service projects, have parties at his own house. He was truly a special man.” As an active member or RCC and his community Yoshino touched the lives of even those he met in passing such as RCC student Megan Contreras. “I was never lucky enough to take one of his courses. I hope that all those who have are able to see just how lucky they are to have had such a knowledgeable passionate professor who remembers every student by name even though they have never taken a course with him,” Contreras said. “He was the type of professor that took time out of his busy day to ... have random conversations with his students. Regardless of his age, he was able to relate to students. He knew what he was talking about and if he didn’t he was honest about it.” Yoshino had a bright outlook for the future generations of America. Although he pushed his students to achieve their success he spoke also highly of striving for equality. “I have nothing but high
IMAGE COURTESY OF THATCHER CARTER
‘ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES’: Ron Yoshino gives an impromptu speech outside the Japanese American National Museum.
expectations for this new generation. These will be the people who will take pioneering effort of my generation, the post Second World War baby boomer, in working in the area of equality which we have seen the expansion of genuine equality of people, of color, for women, for the gay community ...,” said Yoshino. “This is ultimately the promise of America, that each generation will in one way or another be better than the last and it doesn’t have to be measured by the dollar sign.” Yoshino is survived by his daughters Brooke Yoshino,
Erin Yoshino and his sons Jason Zeilenga, and Matthew Zeilenga. He was the eldest of his brothers Timothy Yoshino, Jack Yoshino and Candace Buries. A visitation was held for Yoshino at Arlington Mortuary June 26, where numerous friends, family, former students, colleagues and their family members gathered to share their memories and stories about Yoshino’s warm, respectful and humorous disposition. Donations may be made to the Ron Yoshino Scholarship, a part of the RCCD foundation.
Interim position filled Cecilia Alvarado has been named the interim vice president of Student Services. The title was previously held by Edward Bush. Edward Bush resgined from the position after serving Riverside City College for 17 years. He is currently the president of Cosumnes River College. Alvarado previously held the title of dean of Student Services. She will fulfill the duties of both dean and vice president of Student Services until the position is filled. Wolde-Ab Isaac, president of RCC will be leading the search .
Course drop deadlines Incoming students should check on WebAdvisor for important dates regarding when they can add or drop a class. For most classes, the last date to drop your class and receive your full refund is Sept. 14, while the last day to add most classes is Sept. 25. Pay attention to deadlines regarding when a “W”, meaning withdrawal, would go onto your transcript for dropping a class. For most classes, you should drop them before Sept. 24 to avoid getting a “W” on your transcript. The last day to drop a class from your schedule with a “W” is Nov. 6.
August 27, 2015
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August 27, 2015
Sign the bill Jerry Brown!
Editorial
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ALEXIS NAUCLER | VIEWPOINTS
Any sexual assault committed by a student that occurs on the Riverside Community College District property is against district policies and is subject to punishment. What about the incidents of sexual assault that happen off district property? RCCD should be able to discipline a student for assault off district property. Enabling community colleges to punish off-campus crimes could keep a campus such as RCC safer by not allowing those who have committed these crimes on the campus, and therefore decreasing their access to members of the campus. Community colleges being able to discipline students for acts of sexual assault outside of the campus boundaries would also keep the community safer. All students should be able to attend classes in an environment where they feel safe and respected. The California education code prevents community colleges from disciplining students who commit crimes off-campus and unrelated to the district. According to education code, community colleges can suspend, remove or expel a student only if there is a “good cause” for it. The code defines “good cause” as disruptive behavior, disobedience, profanity or abuse toward college personnel; any threat of violence against a student or employee; misconduct that results in injury or death to a student or college personnel or damage to district property; the use, sale, or possession of any controlled substance; smoking where prohibited; and persistent misconduct where other means of correction have failed to bring proper conduct. While all of these are related to college
activity, none of them give community colleges the authority to discipline misconduct away from the campus, when students are representing their college. The code is different for universities.There is no section in the education code regarding when they can and cannot discipline a student, leaving it up to the university’s discretion and making it an imbalance between universities and community colleges. In comparison to RCCD’s policy on sexual assault, the University of California and Cal State University’s policy is more vague. The code states that sexual harassment and sexual violence is prohibited, not mentioning a specific location or if it has to be related to college activity. To combat the education code, State Senator Hannah Beth-Jackson introduced Senate Bill 186 on Feb. 9, which would give community colleges the same authority over sexual assault crimes committed by students outside of district property and unrelated to college activity as Universities of California and Cal States have. These universities can discipline students for misconduct that occur outside of its borders. As members of a community college editorial board, we are in full support of this bill because it serves as an attempt to create a safe environment. The bill passed through the assembly with a unanimous 63-0 vote and was sent to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature Aug. 20. The California Campus Blueprint to Address Sexual Assault is a set of recommendations,
considerations and specific action steps for colleges and universities to address and prevent sexual assault. It doesn’t make much sense to set a plan for all colleges to deal with sexual assault then limit community colleges from dealing with it off campus. This gives the impression that community colleges are secondary to universities because they may lack equal disciplinary authority. Both community colleges and universities are required to comply with Title IX, a law enacted in 1972. It requires institutions to take the necessary steps to prevent sexual assault and respond promptly when it occurs. Community colleges being limited in when they can discipline a student contradicts this law, which states that colleges are required to prevent sexual assault. A necessary step to preventing sexual assault on campus may include disciplining a student for sexual assault off campus. Title IX requires colleges to process all complaints of sexual assault to determine if it was related to college activity and if the incident will affect on-campus safety. Being that community colleges are already required to investigate all reports of sexual assault, SB 186 would give them the authority to carry out disciplinary procedures for those reports and prevent them from affecting the safety of those on campus, which isn’t much more than what is already being done. Allowing community colleges to carry out disciplinary procedures after investigating those who commit sexual assault would only be taking prevention of sexual assault on campus and ensuring the safety of students and faculty a step further.
Viewpoints’ editorials represent the majority opinion of and are written by the Viewpoints’ student editorial board.
LETTERS
STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF James H. Williams 951-222-8495 viewpoints@rcc.edu MANAGING EDITOR Alexis Naucler viewpoints.managing@gmail.com ADVERTISING MANAGER Laura Tapia viewpoints.advertising@gmail.com JOURNALISM SPECIALIST Matt Schoenmann matthew.schoenmann@rcc.edu FACULTY ADVISERS Allan Lovelace Jim Burns
TO THE
INTERIM NEWS EDITOR Crystal Olmedo viewpoints.news@gmail.com INTERIM FEATURES EDITOR Brooke Cary viewpoints.features@gmail.com
INTERIM OPINIONS EDITOR Dominique Redfearn viewpoints.opinions@gmail.com INTERIM A&E EDITOR Marissa Bostick viewpoints.artsentertainment@gmail.com
INTERIM SPORTS EDITOR Laura Tapia viewpoints.sports@gmail.com
INTERIM ONLINE EDITOR Alexis Naucler viewpoints.online@gmail.com
INTERIM PHOTO EDITOR Victor Duran viewpoints.photo@gmail.com
REPORTER Treva Flores
EDITOR Letters to the editor should be kept to 250 words or less. Deliver letters to the Viewpoints office in the room behind the Assessment Building. Viewpoints reserves the right to edit letters for space and to reject libelous or obscene letters. Letters to the editor and columns represent the opinions of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire Viewpoints staff, Viewpoints faculty advisers, student government, faculty, administration nor the Board of Trustees.
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© 2015 by the Viewpoints staff, Riverside City College, 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA. 92506-0528. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission of the Viewpoints Editor-in-Chief.
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August 27, 2015
Map Key 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7A 8 9 10 11 12 13 13A 13B 14 15 15A 16 17
Digital library & Learning Resource Center Administration (O.W. Noble) Quadrangle Business Education (Alan D. Pauw) Music Music Hall (Richard M. Stover) Landis Performing Arts Center Landis Annex Martin Luther King Assessment Center Planetarium School of Nursing Math and Science Building Student Center (Ralph H. Bradshaw) ASRCC Student Government Information Services Telecom Annex Student Financial Services Admissions & Counseling (Cesar E. Chavez) Annex/Wells Fargo Sports Complex (Samuel C. Evans) Early Chidhood Studies
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Ceramics Art Gymnasium (Arthur N. Wheelock Field) Stadium (Arthur N. Wheelock Field) Nature Trail (Arlene & Robert F. Richard) North Hall College House Riverside Aquatics Complex Technology B Technology A Automotive Technology Lovekin Complex Gymnasium (Catherine S. Huntley) Pilates Studio (Eleanor H. Crabtree) Warehouse Maintenance & Operations Cosmetology Alumni House Parking Structure Practice Field
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August 27, 2015
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The Resource Center, located behind the cafeteria, Puente Club and Ujima Club provides a variety of free resources including scantrons, pencils, snacks, paper, and other helpful supplies.
The Welcome Center is located behind the Admissions & Records building by the Financial Aid office.
Buy a reusable water bottle and fill it up for free in the cafeteria.
& s p i T
Take the bus the first two weeks of school to avoid the parking hassle. Students get a free ride with Student I.D.
Take care of your General Ed classes as soon as possible, it can be easy to get distracted.
Make a few frie in your class exchange nu These people c become your group late
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Buy your textbooks online. Sell your textbooks after your classes if they aren’t related to your major.
Snac and drin cheaper cafeteria v Books
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e ends ses and umbers. can easily r study er on.
August 27, 2015
Get a Google account if you don’t already have one. Google Drive can be used as an online USB.
Trick
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cks nks are r in the versus the store.
Emergency notifications from RCC are sent to your cell phone.
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I.D. pictures can be taken in the Digital Library if the Admissions building is too crowded.
Bring your own lunch because the cafeteria gets crowded and saves you money.
Take the stairs to avoid the “Freshmen 15.”
The Health Services Center is available for students who have paid their student fees.
Get to school at least 30 minutes early.
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Features Refugee Camp in Germany: August 27, 2015
An Editor’s View
Summer Travels: RCC student backpacks Europe, visiting a Refugee camp in Germany BROOKE CARY @CaryBrooke
A few summers ago, I started to start saving up for travel. I wanted to see the wold, but wasn’t sure when or where. I just knew that if the opportunity arose, I wanted to be able to get up and go. So, before my last final of the spring semester, I bought a plane ticket to Copenhagen, Denmark, and started planning a one month backpacking trip through Europe. My younger brother, Shaun, decided to come with me and together we visited eight countries including Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany and Denmark. We had been traveling for three weeks, and our final destination before the flight home was Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg is a port city in the northern part of Germany. Rivers run through the city, separating Hamburg into small island segments. The city is a hub for trade, and it’s vibrant city life is quite an attraction for foreigners and travelers. But Shaun and I were first drawn to Hamburg because of an email we had received while traveling from two missionaries who had recently returned there. They had heard about us traveling due to a mass email being circulated - little known to Shaun and I - by my grandmother to missionaries she knew who lived in the specific countries we were visiting. The hope was for us to meet with locals in the area who loved Christ and could show us around the city. Unfortunately, until Germany, we hadn’t been able to meet with any of these contacts although many of the missionaries had kindly reached out to us. Our new friends, whose names have been protected, suggested we meet for dinner at one of the Afghan restaurants near the Central Station. I readily agreed, glad that we would finally be able to meet a missionary. That night, we met with the missionaries in a part of Hamburg we had not yet seen – the refugee side. Fruit stands, farmer’s markets and Middle Eastern jewelry shops made up this side of town, and walking through these streets we learned that 300 refugees arrive in Hamburg every day, having traveled for months from places like Serbia, Syria, Pakistan, Iran and Montenegro. Many of the refugees are solo travelers, who have left their families behind to seek out a better life. Some had lost their families due to political
COURTESY OF LORA BOBBIT
COMMUNITY: Children of families seeking asylum status play jump-rope with missionaries and
Habib’s story was less traumatic than some of the others who were fleeing the Islamic State (ISIS) or wars in Syria, with serious danger behind them and uncertainty ahead. But talking with Habib gave me perspective on what life is like for Germany’s refugees and how great their risk and needs are. Further, I was impressed with the way the city of Hamburg handled the influx of migrants and how the people of Hamburg stepped up to contribute. Because Hamburg is a port city, the city was able to build a place of shelter for refugees utilizing the resources they had quick access to - shipping containers. Charities, mission groups and the church continue to provide for some of the basic food and clothing needs and Hamburg officials are still working toward handling the influx of individuals seeking asylum. More and more individuals seeking asylum are traveling to Germany and other countries across Europe. Germany was the last place we visited before our flight home, and I was immensely thankful that our missionary friends allowed us to see the work and ministry they are doing for these individuals who risk all, have little and are seeking the same levels of safety, comfort and health that we have here in America. Shaun and I ended our journey just two short days later with new perspectives, greater awareness and thankful hearts.
travelers in a refugee camp in Hamburg, Germany. turmoil or the dangerous journey a family unit—and Habib would might be playing together in the to Germany. Most refugees seek seek it alone. As we were talking, yard and discover another child is asylum, the missionaries told two young boys began arguing from Albania. us, with nothing but the clothes and wrestling, and he quickly If one is from Albania and they are wearing. Shaun and I reprimanded them. Tearfully, the the other from Serbia, Habib told the missionaries we wanted boys pleaded and then parted to said, sometimes name-calling or to meet some refugees, so one play with their other friends. fighting will erupt and families afternoon , we baked and brought Then, Habib started to tell me get involved. As a result, camp cookies to one of the camps about some of the struggles within coordinators do their best to put nearby. The kids shyly approached the camp. Disdain between some families from the same countries at first, but warmed up to us very of the Middle Eastern countries can together. Habib admitted it was quickly - I’m sure the the cookies sometimes cause strife between difficult, but he had nothing to were a tremendous incentive. children and families in the camps. return to in Serbia. “I have no Within a matter of minutes, we Racism and ethnocentrism were house, no job or opportunity. The were playing jumprope, making not uncommon. economy - it’s oppressive,” he bracelets and playing “airplane” For example, Serbian children told me. with all the kids in the middle of camp. Some of the adult men mainly older brothers or fathers - heard the ruckus and came out to play with the kids as well and we were able to meet them. Parents of the children invited us into their makeshift homes for Coca-Cola and coffee. A man from Serbia led us up the stairs to the top container, where refugees from Serbia and Montenegro temporarily lived. Inside, we saw four women taking care of their infants. As we began talking with them, they told us stories of how they traveled through multiple countries to arrive in Germany. I spoke to a young man named Habib, who told me this was his third time to Hamburg seeking asylum. If he was denied again, he would try going to Holland, maybe. Habib is a Serbian refugee in his mid-20s. His mother, halfbrother and stepfather were already in Germany when he arrived. To increase the likelihood BROOKE CARY | VIEWPOINTS of being granted asylum, his HOME, SWEET HOME: German officials in Hamburg build container homes (pictured above) to mother, brother and stepfather house the hundreds of refugees seeking asylum. This particular container had caught fire by a would request asylum status as possible gas explosion in late July, 2015. Refugees were evacuated and moved to another camp.
Features
August 27, 2015
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Tiffany Vang wins Skills USA
had nothing except my car and the clothes we were wearing,” Vang said. “I picked my children up from @RCCviewpoints school and we went to the shelter.” Riverside City College student The program provided Vang Tiffany Vang won the gold medal with the training she needed for each for graphic communications at the of the machines she would use in the National Skills USA competition competition and moral support from in July. the digital media professors. “The Skills USA is a non-profit Applied Digital Media professors organization that services over are so nice. They made me feel like 300,000 students and instructors family rather than just a student,” every year by assisting them with Vang said. training for their profession of Vang was incredibly thankful choice and holding competitions for the program and attributed to test and award the competitor’s much of her success to the support technical skills. Vang represents she had from RCC’s program. “I the ninth gold medal won by an told them we are among the best RCC student at the Skills USA school for graphics in the nation, competition since 2006. because we won nationals every This year’s national competition year,” Vang said. Vang now attends RCC full-time, works on campus in Supplemental Instruction and also cares for her two small children. She expects to graduate with her associate’s degree in the spring. “At first • FREE Birth Parent Services • Come-to-you Counseling I set my goal for • Adoptive Parent Services • Foster Care & Adoption Services only receiving an associates degree, but now I want to transfer 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026 / 1231 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton, CA 92831 to California 80 E. Hillcrest Ave., Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 / 1407 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino, CA 92405 B a p t i s t University so I can earn a bachelor ’s www.HolyFamilyServices.org degree online,” CRYSTAL OLMEDO & BROOKE CARY
was held in Louisville, Kentucky at the Kentucky Exposition Center with around 15,000 spectators in attendance. “There are 100 categories,” Vang said, “and about 6,000 people compete. It’s huge.” For Vang, the vocation of choice is graphic communications: a rather difficult category of competition. But difficulty did not turn Vang away. “I can say that the graphic communications competition is the most difficult and not many people want to participate. I took twelve tests demonstrating my skills for the competition,” Vang said. During Vang’s time at RCC she went through a difficult divorce, spending some time in a shelter for domestic violence. “When I left my marriage, my children and I
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FINALIST: Tiffany Vang wins Gold Medal for Graphics
Communications competition at Skills USA in July 2015. Vang said. She hopes to pursue Vang said, “I am an immigrant. I am a single mom, and I can still marketing and graphic design for be successful. But I couldn’t do it the fashion industry. “I want people to know that they can be successful,” without support.”
Mandatory Orientations for students WHO: Students enrolled or wanting to enroll in JOU-20 or JOU-52 WHAT: Must attend at least one orientation meeting WHEN: On any of the following days: September 1, 2, 3 and 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30-1:30 p.m. WHERE: The Assessment and Journalism Building (the star on the map on page 5) WHY: To learn how the paper runs, the positions available and the requirements of the class.
&E A ‘American Ultra’ blows smoke
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August 27, 2015
“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” Dead Poets Society
- Robin Williams
MOVIE REVIEW: Stoner spy flick leaves viewers disappointed with lackluster plot devices TREVA FLORES @RCCviewpoints
Blunts aren’t the only thing Jesse Eisenberg was hitting as he starred in “American Ultra.” The film was released in theaters Aug. 21 as an action movie with the most unlikely protagonists to lead this adventure for truth and identity. Local stoner and unbenounced to him dormant CIA operative Mike Howell (Eisenberg) spent most of his time working, drawing comics and fantasizing about the perfect moment to propose to his girlfriend Phoebe Larson (Kristen Stewart) until his entire world fell apart. Random events begin to unfold beginning with CIA agent Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton) walking into Mike’s work one evening and saying an activation code which makes no sense to the stoner. Soon after the failed attempt at activation, two men try to murder Mike and the viewer discovers he is a CIA trained killing machine. The movie then quickly turned into an epic battle to prevent Mike from being killed. The romance between Eisenberg and Stewart’s characters felt satisfying considering that the two are not the typical hero types worth looking up to. The duo had a sweet chemistry as Howell struggled to figure out how to propose even though attempt after attempt ended up in failure. As the movie progressed it was clear that “American Ultra” wasn’t another “Pineapple
ALAN MARKFIELD | LIONSGATE FILMS
DAZED AND CONFUSED: After nearly being murdered by a pair of psychopaths in a police station, Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) and Phoebe Larson (Kristen Stewart) take a moment to try to figure out what they just witnessed. Before they can wrap their minds around the situation more action begins to unfold. Express” which many had hoped it would be. Although there were a few good jokes, the movie overall felt as if there was hardly any humor. Large amounts of blood and gore were included along with several cringe-worthy moments while Mike demonstrated his newly rediscovered skills. The action scenes were satisfying due to Mike not being the most courageous looking character. The biggest issue “American Ultra” had was poor plot writing with loopholes that left openended questions for viewers. For example, Phoebe was extremely upset with Mike when
he tried to take her on vacation, but got stuck at the airport with an upset stomach that occurred every time he tried to leave town. It is later revealed that Phoebe worked for the CIA as his handler, but developed feelings for Mike, which lead to her staying with him. With all that in mind: Why would Phoebe be overly upset if she knew Mike’s situation and the fact that he wasn’t allowed to leave town? Another example would be the fact that Mike was part of an experiment where the CIA trained criminals with minor offenses to be weapons. However, a majority of the
people who participated in the experiment did not work out which is why they were put into a state of dormancy. Throughout the film there was hardly any significant character development or answers as to why the CIA was trying to destroy such a deadly person that they had created. Later in the film, the viewer discovers that CIA agent Adrian Yates (Topher Grace) has been training mental hospital patients to be weapons to try to kill Mike. Although agent Yates ranked high in the CIA, attempts to terminate Mike’s program using mental patients should have been noticed by higher ups.
“American Ultra” was full of scenes that looked good, but didn’t add anything new or revealing to the story. Most of the movie felt unexplained, but it was entertaining enough to sit through the entire 96-minute film without question. Film critics remain disappointed in “American Ultra.” As of Aug. 22 it maintains a 47 percent on Rotten Tomatoes due to its unfulfilled potential. While the plot itself was lacking in real content, Eisenberg and Stewart were able to remain captivating leaving the film only half-baked.
Entertainment Calendar SEPT 1 Massimiliano Gatti California Museum of Photography Downtown Riverside 6 p.m.
SEPT 6 Family Movie: Newsies La Sierra Library 2 p.m.
SEPT 2 Karima Walker: Human Behavior The dA Center for the Arts Pomona 7 p.m.
SEPT 7 Album Release Prince “HIT N RUN”
SEPT 3
SEPT 4
SEPT 5
Melanie Nakaue: “Regenerate” Culver Center of Arts Downtown Riverside 6 p.m.
L.A. County Fair Pomona Fairplex 12 noon
“A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence” Culver Center of Arts Downtown Riverside 7 p.m.
SEPT 8
SEPT 9
Throw Down Drag Down Drag Race Menagerie 9 p.m.
“Variations on a Theme: 25 Years of Design from the AJDC” Gemological Institute of America 8 a.m.
SEPT 10 HARD Presents: Night at Fairplex Pomona Fairplex 6 p.m.
SPORTS
August 27, 2015
11
- Bo Jackson
RCC’s expectations tempered “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there,”
Tigers look to fill void left by outgoing class, quarterback battle considered close by Craft LAURA TAPIA @LMTreporter
The Riverside City College football season is here and the team has already begun preparations for its season opener against Bakersfield. The Tigers’ held its first scrimmage of the season in the Arthur N. Wheelock Stadium Aug. 22 showing glimpses of trouble ahead. Head coach Tom Craft noticed there were deficiencies in some aspects of their game that Saturday morning. “I thought the defense played with some energy, but really we didn’t do much offensively. We weren’t very good up front, throwing the ball, our running game. We got a lot of work to do. That’s what happens when you have a group that hasn’t played together,” Craft said. This year the team only has three returning players from 2014 with most of its players being transfers, bounce backs and straight out of high school. Craft is entering his sixth season as the head coach for the RCC football team, as a winning head coach his expectations can be high especially coming of a 10-2 season in 2014 making it to the SCFA Championship game but losing 35-14 to Mount San Antonio. Mount San Antonio went on to win the CCCAA State Football Championship. This season the Tigers are looking to fill the void left by transferring sophomores. One of those voids is in the quarterback position. The two quarterbacks up for the starting position are Brett Hollingsworth, who is a transfer from Palomar. Hollingsworth had 747 passing yards, five touchdowns and 77 completions in the seven games he played last year with the Comets. While Hollingsworth was with Citrus Hill High School he had 3,340 yards for 32 touchdowns and five interceptions, which helped the Hawks clinch the 2013 Eastern Division CIF Southern Section Championship. The second quarterback is Ian Fieber a bounce back from San Jose State, he was only with the Spartans for the 2014 spring semester and was listed as a redshirt. He completed 2 of his 3 passes in the spring game for 13 yards and threw one interception, according to Mercury News. Fieber is a former threestar athlete from Mission Viejo High School where he had 2,854 passing yards and 24 touchdowns; he was considered a national athlete by multiple sports media outlets such as ESPN. Craft has said that although
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PRACTICE: Members of the Riverside City College coaching staff evaluate the Tigers’ offense linemen as they hold off defensive
pass rushers during pratice. The RCC football team, ranked No. 3 in the Junior College Athletic Bureau Preseason Poll, will play in the season opener at Bakersfield College on Sept. 5. the Hollingsworth and Fieber are battling for the starting quarterback position that he will most likely start both in the season opener against Bakersfield and hopes to make the decision of who will be the starting quarterback this season within the next two weeks. This year’s team is filled with bounce backs from other universities; one such athlete is Ron Robinson a defensive back from UCLA where he participated in their 2014 spring practice. He started for Santiago High School three years in a row in which he made an interception, a sack and 53 tackles during his senior year alone. He was also named to the league all-academic team for three consecutive years. Adding to the roster are returners AJ Hotchkins and Jajuan Thomas. Hotchkins is a linebacker who played 12 games with the Tigers last year totaling 101 tackles, two sacks, one interception and one return for touchdown. Returner Jajuan Thomas is a wide receiver who had 15 receptions, one touchdown, and 173 yards in 5 games played with RCC. With only three starting returners it is difficult to say the least to have any momentum from last season. “This is like six years ago when I first came here taking over a new team,” Craft said.
“We probably have less returning players with experience than at any time in the history that I have had this program. It is a whole new team.” Among the new additions on the team include sophomore linebacker Shiloh Pritchard, who played with Mount San Antonio during its run to win the 2014 CCCAA State Championship. He played in all 12 games during the Mountie’s season. He had 31 total tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack.
Although Craft would not provide a timetable, he believes the team has high chances of being a good football team. Craft refers back to last year after the Tigers’ lone regular season loss against Grossmont, as the moment when his team got on the same page. The early season loss to Grossmont early in the season turned into a learning experience and not to take any game for granted. “I don’t believe in the calendar
games, I don’t say hey that game is going to be tough. The next game is the most important game,” Craft said. “We have to (play) the next game like it’s our toughest game. (We just have to) keep trying to get better and build off that and we did. That got our attention and turned our season around,” Craft said. The Tigers will open the season on the road against Bakersfield on Sept. 5 before a two-game home stand against Saddleback and Grossmont.
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TIGER: Head coach Tom Craft gives Brent Hollingsworth direction during summer football practice. He is one of two quarterbacks looking to start the Tigers’ season opener on Sept. 5.
12
August 27, 2015
Waterpolo teams gear up
Sports
LAURA TAPIA @LMTreporter
The Riverside City College Men and Women’s water polo teams are out early and late afternoons in the Aquatics Complex, preparing for the new season ahead. Women’s water polo head coach Doug Finfrock was awarded co-coach of the year with Tom Craft, the football head coach, in 2014. The women’s water polo team made it to the State Finals last year losing to Fullerton by one point in triple overtime. Finfrock and his team had a 27-6 overall record winning all five home games. Not winning the State Championship last year is something he still holds on to. “I will trade all the coach of the years for a state championship right now,” Finfrock said. This year the women’s water polo roster is full of incoming freshman. Only six women from the 2014 team are on this years roster. One of them is Sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Chang who had 13 saves in the CCCAA Southern regional game against Fullerton. Another returning sophomore is Kristen Zamora who had seven steals, five assists and two goals during her last year at Martin Luther King High School. Although his team is heavy on the freshman side Finfrock takes this as a good thing noting that sometimes having stand out players can hurt the team.
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TITLE HUNT: The Riverside City College women’s water polo team prepare for the 2015 season during early morning summer practices. The Tigers have played for the state championship in four of the last five seasons, including the season finale that ended in a sudden death triple overtime loss against undefeated Fullerton College, 8-7, on Nov. 22. at American River College. Out of 27 women only 19 will travel with the team for road games leaving Finfrock to decide who will be at those road games, as of now he has not made that decision. Finfrock notes that this year’s expectation is “to win” and “stand out as a team.” The women’s team isn’t alone
in their hopes for a championship this season. Jason Northcott, the Men’s water polo head coach expects his team to be tough to contend with because of its depth. “We are going to go pretty deep, especially to start the season because we are deep, we got some size, and we got some
speed,” Northcott said. The depth of the team begins with sophomore captains Justin Rohn and Trevor Tripp. Rohn made the 2014 AllAmerican second team. Adding to the depth of the team is freshman facilitator Jacob Weisenberg and utility Kyle Christian.
Christian had 305 points, 157 goals, 148 assists and 114 steals in his three years playing at King. The women’s water polo team will start the season on Sept. 1112 at American River College and the men’s season opener will be Sept. 4 at the Riverside City College pool, followed by a road against ARC on Sept. 10.
The term concluded in 2013 when he became the interim athletic director for the next two seasons, according to the RCC Athletics website. He resigned from the position in 2014. RCC’s position became available following the departure of Derrick Johnson.
coaching for seven years, has spent the last five years at the community college level as an assistant coach at Palomar College under tennis coach Ronnie Mancao. Yancey was honored as Intercollegiate Tennis Association Region 1 Community College Assistant Coach of the Year in 2013. He also played at Palomar College in 2004 and was named as the Most Improved Player on the 2005 team. During his coaching stint at Palomar, he also worked as an adjunct health professor. Yancey will take over the
head coaching duties from Elton, who has coached the RCC men’s tennis team for the past decade. Elton is listed on the athletic department’s website as an advisor to the men’s tennis team. The Tigers finished 13-7 during the 2015 season under the guidance of assistant coach Carlos Vazquez and women’s head coach Nikki Bonzoumet, who filled in for Elton as he recovered from injuries suffered during an accident.
Viewpoints team for the fall after the season for all sports have been completed. The athlete selection process for the spring was based on the overall performance and effort with the hope of their accomplishments being recognized for years to come. The staff published the inaugural spring team was announced in the May 28 issue of Viewpoints, in which one athlete from each of the RCC spring sports teams were selected. To find out who made the All-Viewpoints spring team for 2015, visit ViewpointsOnline.org
RCC names Wooldridge interim athletic director JAMES H. WILLIAMS @JHWreporter
James Wooldridge has been named the interim athletic director at Riverside City College. According to the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees agenda for June 16, his term of employment is listed from June 17 until December 18. Wooldridge served as the sixth head basketball coach in the history of UC Riverside’s program with a term that started in 2007.
Tennis hire Thomas Yancey was hired as the men’s tennis coach at Riverside City College, according to assistant athletic director Jim Elton, who confirmed the news in June. Ya n c e y, w h o h a s b e e n
All-VP Honors
The Viewpoints sports section will announce the inaugural All-