Monthly Archives: May 2018

Gender Wage Gap

Recently the National Bureau of Economic Research put out a 70-page paper on the gender wage gap, and when taking many economic factors and many different studies into consideration, the gender wap gap may be much smaller than initially reported.  The primary cause for the appearance of the wage gap is on average females tend to work fewer hours than males.

The study requires you to be aware of past studies and have knowledge of how pay works. As a journalism major, I had neither, but I was still able to decipher it. Females have made significant progress in several areas in 1978 females made up 43 percent of all Bachelors and Associates degrees now they make up 57 percent

79 cents for every dollar males earn is probably a saying you’ve heard thrown around. However, some studies even have females making more in some fields, but the average came out to 92 cents for every dollar a male earned when taking into account working fewer hours and factors.

I asked Chabot students what they thought of the wage gap and got a surprising answer from the first woman I asked, Sharon Tang a second-year economics major said: “if a woman made 78 cents for every dollar no company would ever hire men.” She said she wasn’t surprised that multiple studies seemingly closed the original gap the department of labor puts out. She also cited anti-discrimination laws that make pay based on gender illegal.

Although the gender wage gap may be nowhere near as large as many pundits like to cite the same calculation of studies has it closing 21 percent since 1980 if the current trend continues the outlook is very good.

We’re Going to Need More Wine

I SAID BBRR!!! IT’S COLD IN HERE! I said there must be a New York Times Bestseller in here. “We’re Going to Need More Wine,” a collection of stories is written by actress and women activist Gabrielle Union. Her book will leave you inspired, enlightened and empowered. In this book, she to re-created the warm feelings of a smile and the vibe of an insightful conversation with a friend.

Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade is a powerful Black actress known for her outstanding role in the critically acclaimed drama Being Mary Jane that debuted in early 2014, amassing more than 4 million viewers. Gabrielle was awarded an NAACP Award for “Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.” She depicted and reflected the personal life of successful TV news anchor Mary Jane Paul who challenges obstacles through life, relationships, her career, and morals. You may also remember her in her breakthrough role in the 2000 film Bring It On.

Within 300 pages, Gabrielle Union courageously details the compelling memoirs that include 20 short stories capturing her compassion for survivors of sexual violence, and the motivation to bring light to the struggling topics of colorism, feminism, and fame. Gabrielle’s writing has exceeded expectations of an actress/writer of her time. Readers can hope to see more work from this self-motivated Black Hollywood actress.

In “We’re Going to Need More Wine” Union talks to the reader about her childhood, including being one of the few Black girls in her high school located in suburban California. She also saw the rapid change in her once sterile streets as the growing drug trade migrated to her hometown of North Omaha, Nebraska. The epidemic of flaunting wealth and gang violence plagued her once fun summer visits.

As you flip through the pages of her book, she pulls you into a conversation, and you realize what she brings to the table; bullying, beauty standards, competition between women in Hollywood and divorce. Get a glass and a bottle because it gets real. Gabrielle previously admitted to E News that she was terrified about sharing her rape story but feels it is important to “keep talking out” about it to support other victims.

The testimony of the encounter allows the reader to hear her voice and in this honest traumatic truth she vents to help others survive their attacks and ensure they are not alone.

Noted in the fourth story of the book Union sadly describes her young 9th-grade self as a “eunuch,” a word used socially relating to a pariah. Union illustrates her young stories of being unwanted by whites growing up and the struggles of dating. Young Gabrielle realizes even other black girls avoided friendship with each other just to avoid amplifying blackness.

“I was caught in a dual consciousness: whom I had to be when I was around my own people, and whom I had to be in high school…the constant code-switching changing my language, demeanor, and identity expression to fit in- left me exhausted.” -Gabrielle Union, pg.29

Her intellectual comparison to skin complexions and its importance to social class gives light to issues of the misconception of the lighter skin tone being implicated as worthier in society. This matter is sadly a hindering effect on dark skin children who are trying ways just to fit in.

Some would call it colorism or even prejudice, and as Union explains in a story to a colleague he mentions, “…when you make that choice of putting yourself in a position to fall in love with a very specific person who looks nothing like yourself, that does actually say something about your choices,” as he clarifies the comment, “love sees everything”. It’s a stretch, but it should get you thinking from another perspective, which I believe is another purpose of this wonderful piece of literature.

As titled in the book, her “Crash-and-Burn Marriage” to a former Jaguar football player left her feeling broken, lost and confused. Admitting to going to couples therapy and having an unhealthy marriage nudged her to see the factors to her trust issues and competitiveness.

During  a pre-Oscar luncheon in 2012, Oprah responded to Gabrielle Union’s Essence magazine “Fierce and Fearless” award acceptance speech with, “I had never heard anyone be that honest in public or private about the competition and her fierce drive to be seen and succeed in Hollywood.”

This book succeeds in sending a message of women’s empowerment in the Union States. Making “We’re Going to Need More Wine” a positive force for reversing competition to networking.

This unique book will capture readers from cover to cover in Gabrielle Union’s empowering and cathartic memoirs.

Project Eats

Food desserts can suck the life out of a community, but one organization is at the front of the war with a secret weapon: children. Educating children about the self-hazard of eating unhealthy is essential, and by providing the space and knowledge, Project EATs is putting the plan into action. Project EATs stands for Eat. Act. Thrive.

The nearest Project EATs collaboration is at Tennyson High School located on Whitman Ave. At the Tennyson High School farm, Project EATs teaches the community how to grow and cook fresh, healthy food. Students who are involved with the farm learning how to grow and cook healthy food and teach others how to live a healthy life.

Growing a variety of organics; fruits, vegetables, beans, are given back to the community. One method of distribution is using the crops during the culinary courses offered to students.

“We will always find a home for the food, given to students and staff.” The extra produce is donated to the Meals of Love soup kitchen. Teachers often bring their students to the farm to learn in the Outdoor Classroom. The Project also provides opportunities for students by supplying work on the farm as a Fresh Crew Farm Intern, SUPER Fresh Crew Farm Intern, or a ProFRESHional Farm Intern. Students can also volunteer on the farm and earn community service credit any Monday or Thursday after school.

Local families can also take part in the healthy initiative; with enough room to supply soil, land, and irrigation for up to 30 families to house their crops. They only ask that you tend to your crops and due to safety reasons you must provide your tools. With a current trend of 10-12 families utilizing the service, you are encouraged to swing by and check it out during regular hours on Saturdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Graduation Season

As the end of May approaches the stress students feel from finals dissolves into excitement to either walk the stage themselves or support their friends and family that are to be graduating this summer. That’s Right, it’s Grad season again and as commencement approaches so do the possibilities for the future. What does your tomorrow look like? Have you put your maximum effort into your educational journey? Whether you have or have not been on top of your game graduation season is a popular time for reflection.

Brian Augsburger EOPS Counselor and Instructor at Chabot College said that he is happy to see many students that he has been able to build relationships with go from not knowing what they want to do in life to finding a direction and drive to accomplish their goals. “There’s a lot of gems here at chabot and the more that we can get to celebrate their accomplishments the better.”

Looking forward to the next chapter of her academic journal Emonie Robinson a liberal arts major with a 4.0 GPA who is planning on transferring to the University of Los Angeles told me that she was really excited for the black graduation ceremony, and although the regular commencement will be more routine she is really excited to be moving forward. I asked her if she had any advice for the freshman class that will be arriving after her departure? “I would tell them to get their student educational plan the first semester so that they don’t take any unnecessary classes that was the mistake I made when I started, and I realized my second semester I could have been ahead a little more if I would have got my S.E.P. done the first semester.”

Legends of the Hidden Garden

There was a time in the South Hayward area when the community would gather and grow fresh produce for everyone. That time has long since passed, and the Hayward Community Garden is closed.

As you enter the vacant garden, we can still hear the humming of the electrical power lines that hang high above the garden. Looking closely, there is evidence of a mysterious gardener(s) still contributing to the garden.

In the air, there is a strong, potent smell of onions. So many of these onions are ripe for the taking. So whoever planted these, they have been doing this for a while. These onions grew about 5 feet tall.

There was also an area for flowers as well. Beautiful roses and carnations were planted. These weren’t outshined by the stench of onions. These flowers were handled with lots of care because they looked amazing in an abandoned community garden.

Along with the fields of vegetables and flowers, there were also many fruit trees. These consisted of avocados, figs, and peach trees. They were spread all across the gardens, so there was plenty to go around.

So why is it important to know that this specific garden exists? There’s only so much the few contributors of the gardens can do. The gardens itself is surrounded by apartment complexes. If everyone would gather and contribute, they could unlock the potential that these closed community gardens have to offer.

The gardens could also alleviate the issue of not having access to affordable produce. With so many of these big chain markets, it’s just not viable to go there. They are also so very far from this area, so having these gardens reopen would be very beneficial to the area.

So if you’re ever on Whitman Street in Hayward, make sure to check out this local gem and discover the many hidden treasures that this garden has to offer.

A New Biology Building

Tuesday, May 15, was an eventful day for Chabot College and its future. First, a Ground Breaking Ceremony for a new biology building was held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Later, the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting began at 6:30 p.m.

Several Board of Trustees members attended the Groundbreaking Ceremony such as Dr. Jannett Jackson, Chancellor,  and Dr. Marshall Mitzman, Board President. Chabot College President Dr. Susan Sperling, lead with opening announcements, “When I met with professors, it wasn’t an ask for support it was a tell. You’re going to do this because this facility drastically needs to be brought up to a twenty-first-century standard that includes students first and foremost and their learning.”

The new biology building phase 1 marks the last major project of the funding from Measure B which was passed back in 2014. “With this project here at Chabot Measure B is now 99 percent and committed. This project is essentially the end of Measure B and long live Measure A because we have a lot more to do.” Chancellor Jackson.

With red ribbons on golden shovels, Board of Trustees members and Chabot Instructors began digging, completing the ceremonial groundbreaking.

Board of Trustees Update

Chabot-Las Positas Community College District held their scheduled Board of Trustees meeting May 15, 6:30 p.m. at Chabot in building 200. Vice President Ron Gerhard was appointed our new District Vice Chancellor of Finance. The Board had also met Chabot’s new head basketball coach, Keenan K. McMiller.

Student Senators and President Zaheer Ebtikar gave an enlightening presentation about their Washington D.C. trip back in March of this year. Visiting museums, monuments, and American Student Association of Community Colleges (ASACC) conference with students from 32 other states, the Student Senate came back inspired.

The Board was engaged by the advocacy done by the students at the national level. Former State Senator Ellen Corbett, former Student Senate President Ben Nash, and Student Life Director Arnold Paguio supported the students on the trip.

The DECA club also reported on a trip to New York with Officer Lowry, Dr. Pinkas, and a few students. Afterward, Faculty Senate President Laurie Dockter presented an award on behalf of the Faculty Senate to President Dr. Charlotte Lofft. She expressed the gratitude of all for Charlotte’s fantastic leadership. Both will be retiring after years of outstanding service.

On Wednesday, May 16, in an email sent to the district from Chancellor Jackson reads, “At last night’s Board of Trustees’ meeting, a majority (5-2) of the Board chose not to renew my contract.  I respect their right to do that. I look forward to another year of working with you and serving the students of CLPCCD. I also look forward to seeing you at commencement!”

Catherine Powell

As spring semester is coming to a close and graduation is approaching for much of the students, we will all be saying farewell to one of our very own Catherine Powell. Powell’s journey started at Chabot College in 1981 when she enrolled as a student and then got a job as a student assistant in the counseling department underneath the supervision of Judy Young. Powell loved her experience in both her classes and work.

Years later after Powell transferred to CSU Hayward and graduated,  she got married, was waiting to join the credential program with the plans to teach elementary school and start her family.  She later on decided that she wanted to work with adult learners. Knowing that she wanted to work with adults, Powell initially looked up jobs at Chabot College, remembering her experience as a student assistant.  

While being an Instructional Assistant at the Valley Campus, and after applying for several jobs at Chabot, Powell was hired in September 1989. She was hired as a full-time instructional assistant for the reading center under the wing of Arlene DeLeon.

Powell was a part of many programs. Her involvement included the Reading and Writing center which ended up evolving into the WRAC Center. With the WRAC Center came along  CAI for ESL classes which then lead to English classes. Powell’s main role was in assisting in classes that met up in the computer rooms, taking oversight of the tutors, the daily drop-in tutoring as well as English 115.

20 years after her involvement in English, she saw a new opportunity to become the Administrative Assistant to what was known before as Arts and Humanities. Powell was very excited about this new role that she was now taking on. Even though she was sad about missing her student’s, little did she know that Arts and Humanities would become a huge part of her life here at Chabot College.

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President Susan Sperling

Chabot College has been around since the 1960s and has had endless teachers, administrators, students, and presidents who have come and gone. As of 2012, Susan Sperling was appointed Chabot College’s President. President Sperling has been at the college for almost 30 years. She has worked as a teacher, administrator, and community liaison. Now she is representing and showcasing Chabot College as its President.

Graduating from the University of California Berkeley, Sperling studied anthropology. She wanted to deconstruct racism from the perspective of anthropology, to also look at issues of gender, and inequality. Moreover, to also bring the perspectives, and research in anthropology to help students understand the importance of cultural diversity, respect between individuals, and to educate about the richness of living in a multicultural society.

Sperling came from an immigrant family. Her father came from Berlin, and her mother came from Russia. Because of this, Sperling has always been passionate about the topic of immigration, to recognize them and to show interest in immigrants. “We are a culture of immigrants, and that this is something that has made us an outstanding multicultural society,” Sperling says.

Before Sperling started her term as President, she taught anthropology at many places before settling at Chabot College. At Chabot, Sperling was able to teach anthropology and eventually become the administrator for social sciences. With her social science and anthropology background, Sperling spent many years, researching and publishing in the areas of deconstructing racism. As well as, looking at issues of gender and inequality. “I want to bring the perspectives, and research in anthropology, to help students understand the importance of cultural diversity, respect between individuals, to educate about the richness of living in a multicultural society and to teach the errors and harms done by racial ideas of the past and present.”

Being at Chabot for 30 years Sperling expressed why she stayed at the college for three decades. “I am deeply honored to be a teacher and now a college president. Chabot is an incredible community of creative and committed educators and students. I couldn’t think of a better place to be. I mean that genuinely.” She continues to state that, “Chabot has shaped me as much as I influenced chabot and probably more so. Although I didn’t think I would be here for 30 years, I couldn’t have found a better place in which to exercise my commitments and abilities as an educator.

When asked about how Chabot College students are using their voice, Sperling responds with, “I am very deeply impressed by the ability of Chabot’s student government to open an arena in which all perspectives and all sides could be brought forth by students”, continuing with, “college students and young people are the hope of the future, and I’m very hopeful with the activism that I see around me right here.” Sperling expresses deeply that community colleges are the hope of the future for many many students across the country. Through her time as Chabot’s President, Sperling is happy to see that the students of the college are using their voice in a way that leads to positive changes.

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The Fight for Education

A considerable portion of California Community College (CCC) districts are estimated to lose millions of dollars if anything resembling Governor Brown’s proposed 2018-2019 budget is adopted.

Simulations provided by the California Department of Finance based on the formulas provided by the January 10 release showed that some CCC districts “for the most part, the wealthiest ones, will be the ones receiving more funding. This seems to imply some intent,” said Chabot Vice President Matt Kritscher at the May 3 session of the Community College Budget Forums held on campus.

Chabot President Dr. Susan Sperling proposed a question for consideration to those in attendance. “Under the consequences of this new model will Chabot still be able to serve those students who do not fit into it?”

“There are 34 districts that would receive additional funding under this model and 38 districts that would lose significant amounts of funding,” said VP Ronald Gerhard at the April 26 session of the Community College Budget Forum.

“We’re primarily funded based upon Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES),” said VP Gerhard during the April 26 session.

Gerhard added, “the existing model is almost entirely determined by attendance, by Full-Time Equivalent Students. The proposed model cuts that to 50 percent.”

The January 10 proposal being 50 percent FTES, 25 percent student financial need, and 25 percent success factors.

Under the January 10 proposal, “we are projected to lose nearly $8 million. Other data suggests around a $10 million loss,” said Gerhard as he explained the documentation provided throughout the series of budget forums.

Under Formula Framework, the May 11 revise proposes a “distribution of 60 percent as a base funding allocation, 20 percent as a supplemental funding allocation, and 20 percent as a student success incentive funding allocation.”                    

Chabot professor, and former State Senator, Ellen Corbett posed these questions, “How is a student impacted by this every day on campus? How does this make their lives better? Does it?”    

“If passed in a form anything like the January 10 proposal, it will have significant negative impacts on our funding,” said Dr. Sperling at the May 3 session.

Chabot students and everyone on campus already face the consequences of a “$6 million deficit. Chabot is operating at $1.5 million below our annual budget until the current deficit is resolved,” said Student Life Director Arnold Paguio during an Inter-Club Council meeting.

While creating the 2016 – 2017 budget, it was discovered that Chabot had spent $3 million above what it had received in annual revenue, according to a CLPCCD document entitled Chabot Plan to Rebuild College Ending Fund Balance.

Dr. Sperling left those in attendance at the Budget Forum a couple closing questions. “What we heard during their budget presentation bore no resemblance to anything that we know in our positions here on campus. Why are our voices muted and voices like that of the Lumina Foundation, Gates Foundation, and other think tanks, so loud in those areas, and how do we get the reality of our universe effectively messaged?”