News - Victor Valley College

Victor Valley College
RamPage
March 9 2012 · Volume 33, No. 2
“Nothing is as obnoxious as other people's luck” -F. Scott Fitzgerald
VVC Public Safety Training Center Opened in Victorville
Facility Features One of the Most Advanced Simulators in California
Story by Zaqueri Black
Reporter
assessed
property
value annually until
the bond is paid off
with interest, which
In the middle of the desert,
will take an estimatwith the Wal-Mart Distribued 30 to 35 years.
tion Center as its closest
Recently the VVC
neighbour, a new Victor Valofficials predict that
ley College facility featuring
the new $31.6 milsome of the latest training
lion facility will
equipment for the emergency
grow into an elite
service fields has opened for
students.
training center for
Previously,
VVC's
fire
public safety profesfighting program relied on
sionals throughout
the state. It's the first
public agencies to donate
time that VVC's probuildings set to be demolished
grams in administrato do a live burn simulation
once a year.
tion of justice, emergency medical serNow, thanks to the new mulFire academy students in formation and ready to train. Photo by Zaqueri Black.
vices and fire sciti-faceted facility being contest the skill level of the students under
ence will be in one centralized location.
structed; not only can VVC students use
Having this new facility will impact
new and more realistic circumstances.
this facility for all of the disciplines in
how much more efficient our emergency
"Now we can work together here in
medical services, fire fighting and administration of justice, but also outside
doing scenario training. The cops pull up
services fields will be well-rounded for
all different types of situations that men
agencies can rent the facility for usage.
to the scene, we call in the paramedics,
and women will encounter in the future.
we call in fire -- there [are] all kinds of
“It’s great to have these kinds of assets
training we couldn't do before," said
The college will be hosting a grand
available in one place to everyone in the
Michael Visser, administration of justice
opening celebration on April 21 which
community,”
said
fire-fighter-intraining, Johnathan Haase.
professor.
includes tours and demonstrations for
There's a nine-lane state-of-the-art
It's the first major construction project
the audience.
indoor shooting range for live and virtucompleted through Measure JJ, the
$297.5 million bond measure approved
al fire simulations, and a five-story burn
by voters in 2008. The bond measure is
tower that's believed to be the largest in
costing taxpayers $20 per $100,000 of
the state. These new training areas will
News
Entertainment/Features
Sports
Direct Loan Program..……...pg.2
Vandalism.. …...…………..….pg.2
Debit Cards.…………….…….pg.3
News Briefs...………………....pg.3
MUN………...………………...pg.4
STEM Program………..……..pg.5
Automotive Department ...….pg.6
ASB Elections…….…………..pg.7
St. Patrick’s Day………….….pg.8
Lillies Review………………...pg.9
Baseball…………..…….……..pg.6
Softball….……………….…….pg.6
RamPage VVC
News
March 9, 2012 Page 2
Victor Valley College no Longer Having the Direct Loan Program
Story by Desiree Rollins
Reporter
Victor Valley College has a Direct
Loan Program that allows students to
borrow a certain amount of money to
pay for their schooling, but VVC will be
temporally canceling it. Students must
start paying back the money six months
after graduation.
Beginning in the summer of 2012
VVC will temporarily no longer have
this loan program. More than half of the
college students are receiving this loan.
Irish Ortega a VVC student would like
to know ‘what is their reason for the
suspension.’
“We are trying to make a better internal process for students to get financial
aid,” Arthur Lopez Interim Director of
financial aid said.
The reason for the temporarily suspension is that VVC’S default rate is too
high. A default rate is when a college
has to be at a certain percentage in order
to give out any type of financial aid. The
college percentage must be lower then
30 percent. If it goes over that, then the
school can lose every type of financial
aid they offer, such as the Pell grants
and Cal grants.
In 2008 the default rate was at 26.49
percent. In 2009 it jumped to 31.6 percent. According to Lopez this is not because of students that go to VVC now,
but because of the students that attended
the college in the past. Most of the students are not paying back their loans
because of the economic collapse, so it’s
hard for the college to get back the money that the students owe.
VVC offers Pell grants which is a total
of $5,500, and a call grant B which is a
total of $1,551. All of this is given by
the government that you do not have to
pay back.
“VVC is very liberal on giving out
loans” Lopez said. “VVC students that
are taking out this loan are not really
getting educated on what their really
getting into.”
If students will take advantage of the
free money that VVC offers, they will
not have to take out a direct loan so early in their academic year. Then VVC
will not have to suspend the program to
drop the percentage of the default rate.
Lopez stated “Intentions are to bring
back once established a good default
rate.”
The Default Prevention plan educates
students on different ways to get financial aid. According to Lopez it is unknown how long the program will be
suspended for. The suspension could just
be for the summer of and into the fall.
However, he plans on brining in a Default prevention plan.
“Not that I wanted to do it, but it is the
best thing to do for the institution” said
Lopez.
New Wave of Vandalism Hits VVC
which requested to remain anonymous,
to the college. If a window is broken it
said that the majority of the vandalism is
cost money to repair. If a wall has graffigraffiti.
According to VVC campus
Twelve reports of vandalism have
police, typically a VVC staff
been reported since January 2012. This
is a 200 percent increase compared to
member discovers the graffiti
this same time last year. Going back to
and reports it to the campus
2010, this is a 300 percent increase.
police. Police then photograph
the graffiti, take a report, and
Victor Valley College Campus Police
alert maintenance.
Chief, Leonard Knight, declined to com“If it were up to me, graffiti
ment about the surge of about campus
vandalism. College maintenance staff,
would be cleaned off immediately so that someone doesn’t see it
and add to it,” VVC
Campus Police OfGraffiti vandalism is beginning to affect VVC campus. Photo by
ficer D.H. Jones
Keith Diamond.
said.
According to Jones, if graffiti on it, it cost labor and chemicals to
ti is not removed in a timely
remove it. The cost will eventually be
manner, the problem will grow
passed on to you the student in an inat an alarming rate. Walls
crease in tuition.
tagged by a certain gang left
If you see or know anything about the
there too long will be topped
resent graffiti on the campus please conby another gang.
tact campus police at 760-245-4271 ext.
Vandalism of any form cost
2555.
Tagging on bathroom stall. Photo courtesy of Keith Diamond.
money to fix, clean, and investigate; these are all added cost
Story by Keith Diamond
Reporter
RamPage VVC
March 9, 2012 Page 3
Debit Cards Give Quick Access to Financial Aid
Story by Chloe Brooks
Reporter
Last semester Victor Valley College
made debit cards available to students in
EOPS, which led to this semesters students being able to receive the much
sought after debit card for financial aid.
“I feel the debit card is very useful in
certain ways. Instead of waiting to get
your check for a week you have access
to your money at midnight,” Victor
Headley said.
Many students avoid using banks and
prefer having cash on hand, and this is
still an option. But if you want your
money to be directly deposited in your
bank, it is estimated to take three days
after the issue date of your financial aid
rather than the instant direct deposit. A
major reason some students believe it is
better to use your private bank is because of the $20 fee to replace the issued
card if you lose it.
“The debit card system is a quicker
way for students to receive their Pell
Grants, for an idea to become a reality is
an awesome experience,” said Judy
Schmoll former ASB President. “Just
last year, the ASB council had the idea
Student Joseph Gay pays with his VVC debit card in the
book store. Photo by Chloe Brooks.
to put funds onto a card so that students
didn’t have to wait extended amounts of
time to receive their school funding.”
Former ASB Senator Student Services
Senator Eddie Stacy, laid the ground
New in Brief



VVC Scholarship is still
available. Apply Now. Deadline will be March 17, 2012.
Applications will be accepted
online only.
Spring 2012 Campus Tours:
Students must be enrolled in
Spring classes, at least one.
Sign up three weeks in advance of trip in transfer center. The first school will be
UCLA Friday March 16 7:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Few days left for the “Pirates
of the Penzance” play. The
last days are March 10th at
7:30 p.m. and the 11th at 2:30
p.m.

Deadlines for writing contest
submissions is March 16.
Contact Tim Adell for more
information.

HACU Federal Internship Opportunities. March 13 at 11-12
in Bldg. 21, Room 171.

Writing your Resume/Cover
Letter. March 14 at 2-3 in
Bldg. 21, Room 170.

SAP Workshop on March 13
at 10-11am upstairs in the
SAC.

Veterans Club Meeting on
March 13 at 11am SAC Quiet
Room.
work and met with the appropriate committees and campus personnel to get the
debit card system up and running.
A concern students have is that they
are being monitored. Luckily this service
is conducted through a company called
Higher One, not the college. Going
through a broker for this service is saving VVC time and various expenses.
Before they had to stamp each envelope,
process all the paper work involved and
mail each check out.
Mixed feelings have been expressed
on the new card.
“I hate the card, give me a darn
check.” said ASB Social Science Senator Christina Kulasxa.
“It is simple and easy to use,” says
student Dylan Breaw.
Like most cards – debit or credit – it
has a cash withdraw limit of $200.
“I don’t like the limit that you can take
out,” student Drake Parrish says.
For any more information contact the
Financial Aid Office at (760) 245-4271
ext. 2571.
Your feedback is always
appreciated:
[email protected]
Scan with your
smart phone to go to
our website
RamPage VVC
Features
March 9, 2012 Page 4
MUN Instructs Students Beyond the Classroom
VVC MUN alumni and student of University of California Berkeley
The March 1 training session was lead
by MUN veteran Christopher Shoup and
Through hard work and diligence, the
Professor Dino Bozonelos. MUN pracModel United Nations program prepares
ticed for both competitions in the class
the students of Victor Valley College for
center of the Communication
both a financially and academCenter.
ically secure future.
As instructed by Professor
On Friday Feb 24, the MUN
Bozonelos, the students startprogram hosted a financial
ed their training by being
symposium that explained the
basics of the financial market,
subjected
to
impromptu
showing that anyone could
speeches chosen at random.
own their own home with the
The students are given 30
seconds of prep time. The
right strategy. SAC rooms A
speeches themselves lasted
through D were full with stuone minute and thirty sedents shoulder to shoulder.
Each writing notes on tips and
conds. This process is to get
lessons that could help them
them accustomed to quick
get a leg up to financial sucthinking no matter the situation.
cess.
“[MUN] has helped me come
Rory Shannon, General
out of my shell. I tend to be
Manager of Wells Fargo
more passive but when you’re
Home Mortgage Division
fighting for a country, you
spoke for two and a half hours
tend to be more passionate,”
on both the financial crisis and
said Woods.
strategies to become a successUnder Bozonelos, both MUN
ful home owner. Shannon
vets and students focus on
taught what many attendees
diplomatic strategy in not
have stated was a much needonly reaction but also profesed course.
sional image. MUN studies
“MUN highlights what
their own tactics but also
VVC does right as one of the
studies their rivals as well.
few interdisciplinary proTactics include studying
grams. This spring semester
background guides and doing
there are over 40 students in
independent research for
the program,” Bozonelos said.
more of a complete underThe MUN program is a
standing of their chosen
competition where students
country.
simulate how they would react
“A lot of reading, writing and
in the real United Nations foProfessor Dino Bozonelos (right) hosts financial seminar with Rory Shannon (left) as
everything I had to do in
rum. But their political success
guest speaker. Photo by Micah Raimo.
MUN is similar to what I do
extends beyond the classroom.
stiff competition ahead of them, and
at the university. Meeting people at the
Professor Kevin Grisham started the
Political Science Professor Dino Boconferences and being in the shoes of
program in 2002, but Bozonelos has
zonelos isn’t about to give away the title
different countries taught me a lot about
been guiding the team to victory since
without a fight. By writing Proposition
diversity when we were in MUN and
2003.
Papers (which explains the country and
they mentally prepare for going from
With the help of English Professor
one environment to the other,” said
the teams approach to that country) and
Tim Adell who encourages professional
Hmura.
disciplined research in that country, the
writing skills, and the Honors Program
“MUN does two things: first; it develVictor Valley College MUN team has
and Communications Studies Professor
ops the skills necessary to become sucwon consistently.
Jennifer Fowlie who provides a home
cessful as a professional. Second: you
base for the students, Professor Bo“The dedication in Model United Naare given an international education,”
zonelos has created a network of support
tions helped me understand the amount
of dedication and personal responsibility
said Bozonelos.
above the student academic level.
I had to put in UC Berkeley in my un“Dino not only trains students in fordergraduate career,” said Joy Hmura,
eign affairs but also helps you find your
Story by Micah Raimo
New Editor
niche,” VVC student representative for
Afghanistan for the University of Riverside Conference student Kaitlin Woods.
The Model United Nations prepares
for the University of California Riverside and New York Conferences with
RamPage VVC
STEM Prepares
Students for Future
Story by Kevin Hunzeker
Reporter
The Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) division at
Victor Valley College affects the educational experience of most of its students.
However, most students are not aware of
what STEM is all about.
The STEM division is headed by Dean
of Instruction Dr. Rolando Regino. It is
made up of programs such as Computer
Animation, Chemistry, Biotechnology
and many others. The program aims to
educate and train students for success in
various career fields.
The Computer Technology Department is headed by Claude Oliver, and
boasts state-of-the-art labs for the following programs: Computer Integrated
Design and Graphics, Media Arts, Electronics/Computer Technology and Computer Information Systems. In these labs
students learn everything from computer
aided drafting to architecture. The Computer Technologies Department trains
students for careers in video game design, engineering, advertising and more.
“We teach skills that directly relate to
jobs right out of school,” said Oliver.
The STEM division is always working
to improve its classrooms and labs. The
Computer Technologies Department
recently introduced about 30 new computers into its iMac lab. The lab is used
to teach students operating systems,
word processing, data bases and programming.
Claude Oliver spoke about an exciting
new program STEM is offering this se-
March 9, 2012 Page 5
Campus Programs Work to Aid Students
Story by Todd Hadler
Reporter
Associate of Arts degree, an Associate
of Science degree, or to transfer to a four
year university.
The Disabled Students Program
and Services, the Extended Opportunity Program and Services, and
the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education are programs
available to assist either underprivileged or disabled students at Victor
Valley College.
D.S.P.S. provides accommodations for students with disabilities
to help keep pace with other college
students. The goal of the D.S.P.S.
Entrance to DSPS office. Photo by Todd Hadler.
office is to make every student with
a disability feel the same as everyTo be eligible for E.O.P.S. you need to
one else.
have
applied for financial aid and be
“The D.S.P.S. office promotes equal
enrolled
in more than twelve units for
access for students with disabilities in
the semester.
the college setting,” Jackie Trost, the
“E.O.P.S. is at full capacity for the
counselor
for
D.S.P.S.
said.
spring semester,” Teresa Campbell, an
“Accessibility is accomplished through
assistant in E.O.P.S. said. “Although
support services and academic accomqualifying students can apply next fall.”
modations based on the individual’s
C.A.R.E. is a program designed to
educational functional limitations of
assist
single parents. To be enrolled in
their documented disability.”
C.A.R.E. you must be in E.O.P.S. and be
To apply for the program, you need to
enrolled in twelve units or more. You
be enrolled in at least one unit, as well as
must be considered single and head of
provide a written report from a licensed
the household, a recipient of Aid to
professional who would understand your
Families with Dependent Children,
disability. Disabilities include those who
Temporary Assistance for Needy Famiare deaf or are hard of hearing, those
lies, or CalWORKs and have at least one
who have learning or physical disabilichild under 14.
ties or those with a psychological or a
One major advantage all three of these
visual disability.
clubs provide is priority registration.
E.O.P.S. is a program extended to eiRegistration block one is entirely devotther the financially or educationally
ed to members of D.S.P.S., E.O.P.S.,
challenged students. The main goal of
and C.A.R.E. For further inquiries, all
the program is to help these students
three offices are within Student Services
obtain their vocational certificate, an
2, Building 50.
Architecture students model design. .Photo by Kevin Hunzeker.
mester. Students can now
earn a certificate in Geographic Information Systems for Emergency Response and Management
(GIS). Students can become certified after taking
13 units of required classes. With a GIS certificate
students can pursue careers
in fields such as the Fire
Department, FEMA, and
Homeland Security.
Mathematics is the biggest department in the
STEM division and will
consist of 130 sections this fall. The
Math department has goals to improve
itself by expanding its math lab and
available tutoring. The department also
wants to create a math club.
“We want to create an environment of
people getting together to help each other with mathematics,” said Dr. Regino.
“STEM does not only offer four year
graduate training,” said Dr. Regino,
“some courses offer two year degrees,
and give training for good paying jobs.”
RamPage VVC
March 9, 2012 Page 6
Auto Classes Prep Students for Immediate Jobs
Story by Ashlee Dubach
Reporter
John Sweet, the Auto Department
Chairman, says that the primary goal for
Victor Valley College’s automotive classes is to train students’ hands on so they
are prepared for a job right out of the
classroom.
“We’re like a dealership,” Sweet says.
“We take customers mostly from the
school and have the students work hands
on with the cars.”
As the shop fills with various vehicles,
Sweet’s focus turns to his students. People are hunched over cars, retrieving
tools and swapping ideas as Sweet
moves from one station to another.
The class is separated into groups of
students. Three to five students per
group, each has a vehicle they are responsible to diagnose and cure. One
group is working on a VVC Police cruiser.
“We’ve been taking parts from all four
[police cruisers] to make one work for
VVC,” student Paulin Arroyo says.
The five men are hard at work figuring
out what problem they need to solve
next. The horn and siren are faulty so
they work together, breaking down one
problem at a time, to find a solution.
“Right now we’re chasing the voltage,” Jaime Grado.
Automotive Instructor Lee Bennett
teaches the service writers class which
works side by side with the auto class to
handle the customer service aspect of
things. The students work on the vehicles and converse with the service writers to keep their paperwork correct.
Students must report to the area called
the “Tool Crib” to check out any tools
needed for their assignment. David
Steinback oversees the “Tool Crib” and
is also responsible for the overall safety
procedures of the shop.
Working with tools isn’t these students
only job. They are responsible for the
cleanup of the shop as well.
“A clean shop is the pride of a dealership,” Sweet says. “There are plenty of
shops that do great work and look like a
grease pit. If you can do a great job and
keep a shop clean, you show the customer the respect you have for them and
your job.”
The four-hour
lab
provides
students with
plenty of hands
on learning.
“If you don’t
like
getting
your
hands
dirty and you
don’t like hard
work, this isn’t
the class for
you,” student
Joseph Guthwilson said.
As many of
the
students
want to go directly into the
Jaime Grado, left, and Joseph Guthwilson, right, work on VVC’s Police cruiser. Photo
automotive
by Ashlee Dubach.
field, this class
provides them with the information and
skill to do just that.
Campus Clubs Improve Overall College Experience
Story by Tiandra Bullock
Editor
different clubs have hosted including the
Performing Arts Club and how they
have made good profit at the concessions of events held inside of the Performing Arts Center while also making
it a fun learning experience for its mem-
Victor Valley College campus clubs
are up and running for the spring semester.
As informed by the Associated Student Body Inter
Club Council Senator,
Evonne Tirado, events for
VVC clubs are approaching quickly. VVC clubs are
hosting a Club Community
Clean-up Day which is
being held on March 11
from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m., nearby the VVC campus where members of all
clubs and the students of
VVC are encouraged to
come out and help clean up
a part of the community.
VVC clubs enrich campus life while giving students unique outlets.
Photo by Tiandra Bullock.
Some of the chartered
clubs at VVC are as listed:
bers. Brosowske also gives his appreciaActivist Anonymous, Physics Club, Phi
tion for the speech given at the event
Theta Kappa, Black Student Union, Perhosted by the Black Student Union Club
forming Arts Club, Native American
in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Student Association, Modeled United
Brosowske also provides enthusiastic
Nations, Campus Crusade for Christ,
words for the upcoming semester and
The Veterans Club and Ready Rams.
ASB Vice President, Jeremiah
Continued in Clubs on page 7
Brosowske, highlights successful events
RamPage VVC
March 9, 2012 Page 7
VVC ASB Hopefuls Prep for Upcoming Elections
Story by Daniel Compean
Reporter
The Associated Student Body of Victor Valley College will be holding their
annual elections later this spring in mid
May. Every position will be available
for candidacy, leaving a total of 18 open
positions.
ASB is the student government responsible for the voice of the students;
ASB lobbies on behalf of the students
and represents the VVC campus. As the
ASB constitution states, “advance the
interest of higher education, to unify and
direct student activities, and to coordinate a more perfect line of communication with students, faculty, administration, and the High Desert Community.”
To participate in the election, you must
be a student at VVC, become a card carrying ASB member and sign up for the
election packet. An election packet is a
petition hopeful candidates must have
signed by students of VVC. A candidate
must have 150 signatures on the packet
to run for the position of their choice
“It doesn’t depend on how many people you know, it depends on how much
courage you have to talk to those you
Clubs from page 6
encourages students to join campus
clubs to enhance their overall experience.
“If you come to VVC, and you’re involved, you have a better experience,”
said Brosowske.
In April, following spring break, a
Club Rush Day will be held. This event
will allow students to meet active members from each club and become informed of what each club has to offer.
Food and beverages will be available
along with other activities students can
participate in.
If students are interested in starting a
club, they must first obtain an application which is available in the ASB office
located upstairs in the Student Activities
Center. For a full list of chartered clubs,
event details and more information regarding VVC clubs, please email
Evonne
Tirado
at
[email protected] or call 760-2454271, extension 2331 or 2278.
don’t know.” said Business and Math
Senator Brian Feliciano
The filing period for candidacy is until
March 23. During this period a student
may file to run in the upcoming elections. This period consists of obtaining
signatures for the respective position one
may be running for. Two candidates
running for the same position cannot
have signatures from the same student;
any instance of this will result in the
signature becoming ineligible. A candidate running for a position must maintain at least 6 units and have above a 2.0
GPA.
“Start coming to meetings and show
involvement. If you feel passionate, and
you feel you can do it, go for it. Go at it
full force,” said ASB President Christopher Dustin.
The campaigning period will begin on
April 4 and runs through to the election.
The campaigning period involves the
typical tactics of putting up signs, interacting with students, and gathering
votes. Voting will be on May 16 and 17.
“Enjoy it. Dress respectfully, respect
yourself, and respect the office you work
in”, said ASB Vice President and Parliamentarian Jeremiah Brosowske.
Those who may be interested in running
for a position or joining ASB should
visit the ASB office in the Student Activities Center and fill out the application, which will be reviewed by the ASB
council. Students interested in voting
must be currently enrolled at VVC and
have a current Student I.D. For any additional information contact the ASB office at (760) 245-4271 (ext. 2278).
RamPage VVC
March 9, 2012 Page 8
Drown in Celebration on St. Patrick’s Day
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday, it certainly has become a national observance for millions of Americans and even in other countries such as
Canada, Australia and Japan. St.
Patrick’s Day is not a federal holiday in the United States; businesses will still open and close at their
regular times, and public transportation routes run on their regular
systems. Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt one’s daily routine
on St. Patrick’s Day is a slight traffic diversion due to a local parade.
Why? Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to represent, the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
“excuse”. In no way am I criticizing those who proudly celebrate
this unofficial holiday! But how many
partygoers know what they are actually
celebrating?
The traditional Irish holiday is actually
a religious one honoring the patron saint
of Ireland, St. Patrick, who is credited
for bringing Christianity to the country.
For those who have heard the old tale
about how he drove the snakes out of
Ireland, this is not referring to actual
serpent snakes, but represents the pagans
that he converted to Christianity. Also,
March 17 tributes his death, so it is a
memorial which is why it has been customary to attend a morning church service. And up until the 1970’s, it was a
national law that pubs be closed in observance.
But here in the U.S. this “unofficial
holiday” has different, somewhat
tweaked, traditions. St. Patrick’s Day
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza.
here in the states originated with IrishAmerican immigrants who began to organize parades in observance of this
time-honored holiday and in respect to
the Irish-Americans serving in the armed
forces. It became more of a celebration
for the Irish-American culture.
There is a predominant stereotype that
has been tagged on to the Irish for centuries, which brings us back to the
“excuse” mentioned earlier. If you haven’t caught on yet, I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are ‘big on the
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol?
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month:
International Fanny Pack Day –Mar 10
Check Your Batteries Day –Mar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day –Mar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day –Mar 13
Donald Duck Day –Mar 13
National Pi Day (3.14) –Mar 14
Ides of March/Brutus Day –Mar 15
Lips Appreciation Day –Mar 16
Sports Car Racing Day –Mar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day –Mar 19
booze’.
As a result, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are associated with the consumption of massive amounts of alcohol; but
this may not be just another westerndesigned tradition. Not to say stereotypes are correct, but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called “drowning the
shamrock”. In an honoring toast, it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the entire glass. It’s easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who celebrated in tavern with endless drinking of toasts.
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St. Patrick’s
Day for one other reason. It is a
symbol widely associated with the
patron saint due to the legend that he
explained the holy trinity to the people of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover.
More than 36.5 million U.S. citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself. But on March 17, everyone is
Irish! It’s another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate “Irishness?”
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can, drink the greenest beer at the rowdiest pub, and don’t forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green!
—Facts and info obtained from
history.com and randomhistory.com.
Won’t You Be My
Neighbor Day –Mar 20
Kick Butts Day –Mar 21
As Young As You Feel Day –Mar 22
National Days of
Unplugging –Mar 23-24
Waffle Day –Mar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day –Mar 26
National “Joe” Day –Mar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day –Mar 30
National “She’s Funny
That Way” Day –Mar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national observances. Info obtained from holidayinsights.com and brownielocks.com
RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue:
St. Patrick’s Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether you’re headed to your nearest
pub/bar/party or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying,*
here is a list of songs that should be listened to on St. Patrick’s Day.
~“The Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010”
Jeff Danna & Mychael Danna, The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~“I’m Shipping up to Boston”
Dropkick Murphys, The Warrior’s Code
~“Whiskey in the Jar”
Thin Lizzy, Dedication: The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~“Get on your Boots”
U2, No Line to the Horizon
~“One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”
George Thorogood and the Destroyers,
Live in Boston
~“Jump Around”
House of Pain, House of Pain
~ “Tubthumping”
Chumbawamba, Tubthumping
~“The Impression That I Get”
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Let’s
Face It
~“Party Hard”
Andrew W.K., I Get Wet
~“Drunken Lullabies”
Flogging Molly, Drunken Lullabies
~“Streams of Whiskey”
The Pogues, Rhino Hi-Five: The Pogues
~“Danny Boy”
Black 47, Bittersweet Sixteen
~“Sweet Caroline (Live)”
Neil Diamond, The Greatists Hits 19661992
*studying in this case is obviously a reference to the consumption of alcohol,
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone.
Entertainment
March 9, 2012 Page 9
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
works. Songs such as “Bad Gig Blues”
deal with exactly what you might imagine; a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another,
In a low lit, smokefilled bar in Downtown Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air. The turnout may
seem less than favorable, but regardless,
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere. A
High Desert native
band, The Lillies performed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission
Tobacco
Lounge.
With a name like
The Lillies, one might Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside. Photo by Daniel
Compean.
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band.
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
can relate to.
name may conjure up, forget all of that.
Their desire for separation carries over
They are a friendly, down-to-earth
into their writing process as well. Ungroup. They bring sincere earnestness to
planned and unprocessed, they freely
their music which is clear in their perforcreate their music with not a whole lot of
mance. Their name, in fact, comes from
prior arrangement, drawing influence
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
from each other.
had a crush on.
“As a musician, I grow with them,”
The Lillies originally had a folk style
Magana said.
to their playing, taking some songwritWith a continuously growing audience
ing tips from some of the most prolific
in
the High Desert, The Lillies have belyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
gun
to branch out, playing more shows
Cohen.
outside of the local venues. For what
“Naturally it was folkier, we didn’t
little the High Desert can offer local
have a lot to work with. Over time, it
bands, The Lillies strive for more, yet
progressed into a blend of everything,”
are grateful for the support of friends
guitarist Roberto Pereda said.
and locals.
This blend becomes evident in their
When it comes down to it, The Lillies
voice. Matthew Humphrey plays a very
love what they do and plan to keep on
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
doing it.
tinge, accompanied by Pereda’s way“We just want to keep gigging a lot,
ward vocals, and lyrical themes such as
getting
exposure as much as we can and
love, loss, and simple day-to-day living.
just
hopefully
grow in the process,”
Raul Magana III’s slapping bass guitar
Pereda said.
for funkier, upbeat songs and Mark
“It’s the one thing that makes us hapSimpson’s driven drums, create a blend
py. You feel like you have to do it,”
that shows they have a characteristic
Simpson said.
desire to create their own unique style.
The Lillies plan to have their first alWith a very melancholic tone,
bum
released tentatively for late spring
“Madeline Burning Time” is one of the
to early summer. Expect many upcomband’s more folk sounding songs; pering shows as this band and following
haps a reference to some of their earlier
continues to grow.
RamPage VVC
Sports
March 9, 2012 Page 10
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams
ground balls turned into double plays.
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
When the third inning came around,
the Rams started to get the ball rolling when the Rams outfielder KenThe Victor Valley College Rams baseny McMurray managed to reach
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
first base on an error. During the
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
next at bat, infielder Ronald Leon
against the Antelope Valley College
hit the ball towards right field; but
Marauders on Tuesday, March 6.
with a quick recovery, the MaraudAfter getting swept by conference rival,
ers managed to keep runners on first
Chaffey College, the Rams looked to
and second base.
obtain their first victory in conference
With two outs and two runners on
against the Marauders.
second and third due t a
fielders choice, Dickinson lined a balled to center field; thus bringing
Ryan Dickinson bats for the Rams.Photo by Mario Gonzalez.
home two runs. The inning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2pitcher Jeffrey Montana, who gave up
0.
four walks, a balk, and a wild pitch.
In the next inning, Antelope
Once it was all said and done, the Rams
Valley quickly answered
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
back by bringing in a run of
a 6-4 deficit.
their own when Marauders’
In the seventh inning, the Rams made
infielder,
Ryan
Herrick,
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
knocked the ball to center
Oliver to replace Montana. Oliver
field which advanced infieldpitched for the remainder of the game
er Enrique Alvarado t home
and only allowed three hits and one run.
Pitcher Ryan Oliver. Photo by Mario Gonzalez.
plate and made the score 2-1.
By the end of the game, the Rams sufIn an attempt to send a runner
fered a 7-4 loss for their record.
home to even the score,
“We threw the ball around and made a
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
“They weren’t as good as we thought
center field, but the runner from third
and we couldn’t come back after that,”
they were, considering we got swept by
was quickly stopped and the inning was
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran.
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twice,”
over.
“Baseball is a fun game and you’re gosaid Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson. “So
In
the
home-half
of
the
fourth
inning,
the
ing to make mistakes like that. The point
they weren’t as good as we thought they
Rams managed to bring in two more
is to just come back and flush it out and
were going to be.”
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead.
get the next play. The only thing that
Once the game got underway, the inThe fifth inning seemed to be full with
hurt us were [the] physical mistakes.”
nings went by quickly as pop flies
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
turned into quick and easy outs, and
Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
Rams Softball Stopped in Last Minute Rally
Story by Octavious Thomas
Editor
The Victor Valley College Lady Rams
softball team set out to play in their first
Foothill Conference game of the season
against the Wolverines of San Bernardino Valley College on March 7. For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10, but in the seventh inning a last minuet rally brought the score to 9-10. Despite the unbelievable comeback, the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a victory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss.
“Coming into this game we knew that
it was a must win,” said head coach
Donell Thomas. “That’s what we see all
of our games as.”
The game started off with the Lady
Rams forcing two quick outs. From
there, freshman pitcher Jessica Escobedo
allowed two walks and five hits which
led to the Lady Rams immediately falling to a 0-4 deficit. The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolverines stopped the Lady Rams from obtaining scoring position.
Two more runs were scored by SBVC
and brought the score to 0-6 due to the
three hits allowed by VVC. However,
with bases loaded toward the end of the
top of the second, the Lady Rams were
able to make to final out to stop any
more scores.
The first score of the night for the Lady rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs.
Continued in Softball on page 11
RamPage VVC
March 9, 2012 Page 11
Softball from page 10
“Our plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same level,” said Coach Thomas.
An infield triple by freshman Cliana
Santa Cruz soon led to a run scored on
her stat sheet when freshman Ryan
Gregg hit a sac-fly to center field to send
her home.
As the game progressed, the Lady
Rams entered the final ending behind on
the scoreboard with a score of 2-10. After being hit by pitch, Escobedo advanced to first and that’s where the
comeback began. The Lady Rams made
seven straight hits and eventually set up
the possible go-ahead run. With Alexxis
Amouroux left on second, an attempt to
steal third base was stopped short and
was tagged out to end the game. The
final score was 9-10 and gave the Lady
Rams a (0-1) record in the Foothill Conference.
“One improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting game,” said freshman Marissa
Amaya.
“If we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be fine,” said Thomas.
— Comic by Carlos Garcia, Contributing Artist
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief: Adreana Young
Managing Editor: Kelli McGurk
News Editor: Micah Raimo
Entertainment/Features Editor: Garrett Johnston
Sports Editor: Mario Gonzalez
Web Editor: Joseph Ciulla
Photo Editor: Roscoe Esparza
Senior Editors: Arvin Sulikhanyan, Jonathan Brown, Brandon Chiz
Editors: Sheri Bender, Octavious Thomas, Tiandra Bullock,
Reporters: Eric Abrego, Zaqueri Black, Chloe Brooks, Francisco Casillas,
Eric Cheathman, Daniel Compean, Deith Diamond, Ashlee Dubach, Jonathan
Giddens, Todd Hadler, Kevin Hunzeker, Matthew Mead, Chablis Miller,
Desiree Rollins, Raymond Valle
Adviser/Instructor: Nicholas Hartman
GENERAL INFORMATION
The RamPage is a newspaper published as an educational exercise and First
Amendment Public Forum by students at Victor Valley College in Victorville, Calif.
Issues come out approximately twice a month in the two full-length semesters,
generally each February, March, April, May, September, October, November and
December, for a total of 14 issues each calendar year.
The views expressed by the RamPage are not necessarily those of VVC, its board
of trustees, its administration, its faculty, its staff, its Associated Student Body
Council or its students.
The RamPage welcomes press releases, story ideas, letters to the editor, guest
articles and guest editorials. Submit proposed items to the on-campus mailbox of
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or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773.
VVC’s journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press, the
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Cartoonist: Guest Work Welcome
Administration/Faculty/Staff Mentors: Jennifer Fowlie, Patty Golder,
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O’Hearn, Robert Sewell, P.J. Teel, Paul Williams
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call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
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Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
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The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material — advertising or
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RamPage VVC
March 9, 2012 Page 12