Category Archives: Continued Online

These are stories that first appeared in print, but because of space, to drive online readership, or other creative reasons were continued online.

Come Hear Women Tell Their Stories

Chabot College will be celebrating Women’s History Month with a series of speakers on Tuesday, March 4. Professor Michelle Cruz Gonzalez will be this year’s keynote speaker. Gonzalez will be speaking from 12-12:50 in the 700 south building. 

Michelle Cruz Gonzales reading her book, The Spitboy Rule
Michelle Cruz Gonzales reading her book, The Spitboy Rule

Every year since 2008, Chabot College has put on an event to celebrate and educate the public about Women’s History. This year Chabot welcomes Las Positas English Professor Gonzales. She will be reading from her book “The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band.”

Her book goes into the details of growing up in a music world that was dominated by white men as well as her disconnect from her white middle-class band members. During the 80s and 90s, she was a member of three bands, Bi*ch Fight, Spitboy, and Instant Girl.

Gonzalez earned her degrees in English and creative writing at Mills College in 2001 and 2003. 

Jane Wolford, a US Women’s History professor at Chabot College, coordinates the event every year. Wolford was first told about Gonzalez by a staff member in Learnings Connection at Chabot, Gonzalez is also known in the English and Puente Community. 

Wolford has yet to meet Gonzalez but is very excited, “Her book talks about owning her identity and being proud of who she is. I think she’ll be very inspirational to people.”

Wolford was hired in 1991 and helped to create the first Women’s History class at Chabot. Her class took about a year to develop and was officially offered in the early 90s.

Up until 2008, there wasn’t a solid, organized tradition. Wolford explained that there would be a faculty member speaking or some form of activity, but she felt that it was important to create a tradition. “It was a one-event thing until 2015. We did more events, we had three events that year. It began to grow.”

Diane Zuliani, an Art History professor, and Mayra De Valle, a spoken word artist, joined Wolford in 2015 speaking at this event. The following year there were six speakers. More people wanted to be a part of this event. 

In 1987, March was declared as Women’s History month when Congress passed Pub. L.100-9 petitioned by the National Women’s History Project. Women’s History month first started as a week. Women’s History Week was the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. 

Something that Wolford wants women to understand is that the best way to progress in the world is to work together on their goals. She stated that women have come a tremendous way throughout the decades. Yet, there’s a significant divide between the generations of Women. 

“I think young women now are so much better at knowing what they want, knowing what they won’t put up with, and demanding it,” Wolford stated. She argues that while women may be moving forward in some movements, they’re sadly falling behind in others.

Women’s history has had a number of struggles. A common issue is getting women to support other women in matters that don’t particularly concern them. “You’ll find in the Women’s movement the number one reason why we haven’t done better is that we’re judgmental and divided,” Wolford added. 

There could be so much more for women if they were more united among all kinds of women. It starts with admitting that women have been excluding other women and being willing to compromise. 

At this year’s Women’s History Month event, Gonzalez will tell her story, but that in no way means that people with their own stories, can’t be a part of her message. There will be some food after all the speakers have finished. 

There isn’t solely one event. Throughout March, other groups on campus will be hosting Women’s History events. 

March 12, from 12-1 p.m. in the Event Center, there will be a woman suffrage centennial panel where Wolford will be speaking alongside her colleagues Kay Fischer and Jessica Gallucci. (700 south building)

March 17, Latinas United N’ Academic (LUNA) will be hosting a Real Talk dedicated to human trafficking and domestic violence. A guest speaker will come from Ruby’s Place, a comprehensive wellness-based program that provides shelter and support to victims of human trafficking and domestic abuse. (500 building: 557)

March 19, from 9 — 11 a.m., a student research exhibit will also be held in the Event Center. (700 south building) The display will be dedicated to women of color. 

Can You Control Your Willpower?

How good is your willpower? Professor Walter Mischel wants to find out how your willpower affects you, from childhood to adulthood, and if waiting for rewards can allow us to be more successful adults.

“If I could, I’d want money or treats right away as a kid, I wouldn’t have saved anything. My parents pretty much told me, ‘hey you made $20 bucks save ten of it.’ It wasn’t my first choice, but I’m pretty grateful for it now,” said firefighting student, Zack Andersen.

We asked Comm studies professor Zeraka Mitchell how her attitudes trended. “When I was little I collected pogs, you know those little discs. I did like to save things if I could. Now I budget at the beginning of each month, I lay out all my expenses for rent, my bills, groceries, and savings. Savings first, actually. When those are all paid, I have a little entertainment fund too.”

In 1974, Professor Mischel started testing children in this way; a child is told they may have a marshmallow right away, however, if they wait until the tester returns, they can have double the marshmallows. The tester would then leave the room for about 3 minutes. Mischel started to study how a child’s willpower at 5 to 7 years old could affect their attitudes and lives into adulthood.

Mischel asked, “When you draw a whole picture without breaking your crayon, is that because you were very careful? Or because it was a good crayon?” Or, “when somebody brings you a present, is that because you are a good boy/girl? Or because they like to give people presents?”

Part of the question is not only what a child’s attitude can predict about how they will behave into adulthood, but if they can consider and shape their thought process to become better adults.

“When I was little I was pretty bad with money, I’m trying to be better now, and adult more. I get financial aid, I try to save from my job, I’m also trying to budget because I want to move out on my own soon,” said Chabot student Andres Guzman

“I think they should teach a money management course for college. I budget monthly, I don’t have a longer-term plan yet, but I know it’s going to work. I saved money like crazy when I was little. As a kid, I usually saved things for later, I was a smart kid.” — Vanessa Wells

Some people change their habits as they grow up, but still have to fight impulses regularly. One student said she tries to save, but she also has an expensive shoe habit. Impulses like these are okay, but there’s a risk of getting into debt because of a purchase you made on a whim. It’s better to budget ahead of time for fun things and entertainment.

“As a kid, I usually saved my money, I did collect Yu-gi-oh cards for a little while. I don’t have a full-time job, so I don’t really have a long-term plan for money, but I do try to be economically frugal,” said Chabot student, Nicholas Kwong

Taming these impulses are tied to what Professor Mischel calls “hot” and “cool” systems in the brain. He had another trial study that scanned children’s brains while being shown pictures of food, and asked them to either imagine the delicious food was right in front of them, and the heat and smells — or to imagine the food was far away, and focus on the abstract, such as the color or shape of the food.

When asked to consider the food was close and delicious, the children’s brains had increased “hot” areas in the brain, cravings, appetite, and less activation in the prefrontal cortex. Using far away and abstract “cool” terms created fewer cravings, and when both were given the Marshmallow Test, those who linked food with desire could not wait as long for a treat as children who could focus on the abstract.

Mischel’s studies have shown that a large part of patience and even addictions are related to how we think about something we want. When thinking about the short-term effect, like “it will feel good” or “people will like me” it’s easier to give in to cravings that might lead to bad habits, like overspending, smoking, or eating too many sweets.

“My savings are all right, but I spend too much on food probably, I go out too much,” said Chabot student, Edward Lai.

Food may be the biggest downfall, the easiest thing to spend money on without thinking when we should be planning. If we focus on our longer-term results and goals, it’s easier to distance ourselves from those over-indulgences.

Chabot’s Health Clinic

Since January 2019, the new Student Health Center has been operating in Student Life Building 2300 and has taken action toward gathering the attention of fellow Chabot students for accessible health care.

The Student Health Center has always been an asset provided to students, but students are not aware that the Health Center is even here on campus. This was one reason why the Student Health Center had to relocate from its previous spot, in Building 200.

Student Health Clinic Supervisor and Licensed Vocational Nurse Janette Munoz said, “The student life building is the hub of the school, and we are all about access to care. Being where the students are is giving them easier access to the health center.”

This is a significant step toward getting more students to utilize the health clinic. “Currently we are promoting the health clinic,” Munoz said. “Our priority is providing care for all students, whatever their situation may be and we would like more students to stop by and take a look at their new health care center or ask any questions they may have.”

Before students go to register at the beginning of each school semester, they pay a mandatory $20 fee. This allows students access to all services provided by the health center.

“We provide immunizations, physical Exam, birth control methods, over the counter medications, STI testing, laboratory, TB Testing, and seasonal FLU vaccines,” Munoz said.

Some health care products and services are not provided with the mandatory student health fee, but the health center gives the students discounted prices to make it accessible. Nurse Practitioner Angie Girard said, “Health services are provided for free if the student has MediCal, Alameda Alliance, Anthem Blue Cross, or Health Pac.”

During the Summer of 2018, the Chabot Student Health Center was in search of a new health care operator because the contract with Stanford ValleyCare had expired. Chabot College chose not to renew their contract with Stanford ValleyCare and instead partnered up with Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center (TVHC) as their new health care operator.

Since 2006, the Chabot Student Health center has operated with several health care providers, St. Rose Hospital, Valleycare, and then Stanford Health Care consumed Valleycare in 2015 to officially become Stanford Valleycare.

Since 1971, TVHC has been providing care to all members of the community and is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of the community. Vice President of Student Services Dr. Matt Kritscher said, “We are excited to be partnered up with Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center. With TVHC helping educate the community in health and providing community health, it made perfect sense for us to become partners with them.”

Signing up for the Student Health Center is very simple. Students can call or text (510) 471-5880 to make an appointment or also drop in from Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9 a.m. — 7 p.m.

Munoz said, “We understand that students are under a lot of stress, whatever their situation may be. Our priority is providing care for all students and giving the care they need and helping to them be successful.”

Discrimination Survey

Personal experiences with racial discrimination are common for Black/African-Americans and Doctoral student Leeza Reyburn has shown interest in this area and has designed her own research study on the bias toward Black/African-American women.

According to an article written by senior researcher Monica Anderson on pewresearch.org, “roughly eight-in-ten blacks with at least some college experience (81 percent) say they’ve experienced discrimination, including 17 percent who say it happens to them regularly.”

Reyburn has not experienced acts of discrimination and racism herself; however, she wants to bring attention to the issue and how African-American women can process these experiences in their lives.

As an African-American woman, Reyburn has chosen to conduct this research because she has a personal interest in this study of having the same heritage and witnessing the problems African-American women can encounter. This is due to the negative impact that society enacts against them as members of an oppressed group.

Reyburn is a fourth-year student studying clinical psychology at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. Her research on this topic consists of scholarly articles from various journals within the field of clinical psychology as well as previous dissertation research conducted by doctoral students of psychology and social sciences as well.

Reyburn said, “For my dissertation research, I am trying to observe two factors, that of post-traumatic growth and racial trauma as they apply to Black/African-American identified women.”

Post-traumatic growth is the idea that a person can experience positive change as a result of a traumatic event. This can mean finding new opportunities through a crisis that weren’t there before, experiencing closer relationships with others that may have suffered traumatic events and also an increase in a person’s emotional strength after suffering through a crisis.

Racial trauma is the effects of racism on an individual’s mental and physical health. Feelings of anxiety, depression, and suicide are all factors from the effects of racism.

There are two parts to the research study, a 21-item questionnaire, and the second part as a phone interview that should take no more than an hour depending on the participants’ experiences and what they wish to share.

The questionnaires and phone interviews consist of asking the participants’ questions related to their lived experiences, such as ranking statements and reflecting on various ways that these experiences may have impacted them.

Reyburn said, “I am looking for at least eight more participants to fulfill my research requirements of studying the life experiences of 10 or more people who have had these experiences, specifically Black/African-American women.”

If interested in participating in this research study, feel free to email the researcher at [email protected].

Is the Keto Diet Right for You?

There have been many individuals who have struggled with losing weight and have been searching for answers on the best ways to lose weight fast. Luckily, the Ketogenic Diet is scientifically proven to help individuals with rapid weight loss through a mix of high fat and protein meals and eliminating the starchy and sugary ones.

According to an article on healthline.com, the Ketogenic Diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that involves reducing one’s carbohydrate intake and instead of replacing it with fat. This metabolic state puts the body into a phase called “ketosis”.

Art Arriola: The Brass Man

Music has the power to not only bring people together but to inspire as well. Art Arriola, a 62-year-old student at Chabot College, uses his talent as a trumpet player to bring joy to all who would listen.

While the trumpet is Arriola’s primary instrument, he also plays the trombone, French horn, and the cornet. He has been a musician for 53 years and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Starting his adventure at Chabot College in the Fall of 2016, Arriola has managed to obtain many certificates that Chabot has to offer such as, Audio Recording through the Music Recording Technology (MURT) classes, Music Industry Entrepreneur, and a certificate for Music Production.

Having a double major in Music and Communication, Arriola after obtaining a degree in Music, wanted to open up a school called “Art, Music, and Promotion.” Its purpose was to teach young musicians how to record, duplicate and promote their music. This was his original plan. As time goes on, plans do change. Having experience connecting with the other students on campus, he decided to pursue a career in counseling.

Most of Arriola’s influences to become a musician came at a very young age. Maynard Ferguson, James Brown, and Tower of Power were the significant influences in developing Arriola’s playing style. He always got a kick out of Jazz, but Arriola felt that Smooth Jazz was quite easy to navigate.

At the age of 15 in the summer of 1971, Arriola was in a band called “International Sound” and participated in the Battle of the Bands that was held at Chabot College. Since then, he has maintained his passion, and 45 years later, that fire in his heart is still burning and managed to find his way back on the campus of Chabot, coming full circle.

Many events happen in the Performing Arts Center (PAC), and the Big Band always drew in a crowd. Directed by Chabot’s very own Professor Palacio, Arriola, of course, was in the brass section. Arriola also put together a crew for the Jazz Combo 2 which is on a smaller scale but still entertaining nonetheless.

Arriola also contributed to helping students learn how to do live audio mixing with the help of other musicians in the music program. MURT 25 was teaching their students how to put PA systems together, and they needed a band. They were glad to help.

When asked what the most rewarding thing about playing music was, Arriola, replied, “It’s fun, it’s very fun. That’s all I can say.” His expression was quite humble and wholesome. Playing with individuals with so many different backgrounds is a reward in itself.

The most memorable gig Arriola participated in was, as he stated, “I was invited to play with a band called Nathan Owens and A Tribute to Sly and the Family Stone. They offered to pay for my plane ticket to Seattle, and my hotel and food were free. Everyone had a good time, and I got paid. It took place around 2014-2015.”

Speaking of favorite gigs, his wife of seven years, Sylvia Mendoza Arriola has this to say, “I used to watch his band play at The Bistro in Hayward, and I caught a few of his shows before I asked to take a photograph with him. He looked real sharp with a suit and a red hat. After seeing another one of his shows, I decided to reintroduce myself, and the rest is history. August 8, 2012, is our anniversary.”

Regrettably, because of his class schedule, Arriola has been tuning down gigs. “It’s hard to find the time working a job and having 17 units on my plate,” Arriola states. He even turned down a gig to perform with Julius Melendez who was a Grammy Award-winning trumpet player who also contributed to the “Supernatural” album by Santana. Fortunately, he has a gig lined up for New Year’s Eve in Danville.

Arriola still maintains contact with Casey Hurt who was a Professor at Chabot for Music Song Writing. His relationship with Hurt could potentially open up a lot of doors for Arriola and could lead to some pretty sweet gigs for composing TV and film.

Art Arriola has the reputation of having a really good dynamic with other musicians. If anyone is at all interested in collaborating with Arriola or interested to see where he goes next, simply go to artarriola.com.

Regional Training Center Being Built in Hayward

Chabot-Las Positas Community College District teamed up with the city of Hayward to create a world-class facility for firefighters, paramedics, rescue, and emergency response teams. This facility will provide training and education in these many areas.

Chabot College President, Dr. Susan Sperling is very proud of this project as she said in a release, “This is a landmark between a college and a city. We expect this to set the standard for innovation in workforce development by combining the power of education with cutting-edge services in a new state-of-the-art training facility.”

The project will cost 60 million dollars, and construction will be done in the Hayward Executive Airport. It will include classrooms, offices, a training tower, and a couple of other facilities for urban search and rescue as well as different types of emergency response training buildings. If that’s not enough, it will also include a fire station. It will pretty much be like a campus. As reported by the San Leandro Patch.

As Bea Karnes from patch.com calls it in her article, the project will be “groundbreaking” and “will put the city and Chabot College on the forefront of creating our next generation of first responders.”

This state-of-the-art facility will as expected be the new home of Chabot’s fire academy.

Continue reading

Registration Checklist

Chabot students the time has come to start registering for your Spring 2019 semester classes. Here is some information on what you need to stay on track with your educational goals.

First, it’s important to be aware of when your registration date is, you can quickly check this by just signing into your CLASS-Web. There you will instantly see a message that says “you may register on or after this day.”

If you don’t know how to get into CLASS-Web simply go to the Chabot College website and click “Register @ CLASS-Web.” From there just enter your W number and your pin which should be your date of birth.

Your registration date might also be emailed to you, so make sure you can access your Zonemail. To access your Zonemail go to CLASS-Web and click “what is my email?” your email will then be displayed, the password should be the same as your CLASS-Web unless you changed it.

Remember there is always help on campus.

Continue reading

Isolation in #SOHAY

Isolation is defined as the complete separation from others or removing one’s self from a situation or the company of others. This has become a major problem in South Hayward or more importantly the Tennyson area to be precise.  

Several students that are apart of the Student Initiative Center (SIC) here at Chabot interviewed one hundred residences in South Hayward regarding the Tennyson Corridor project the SIC is involved in. Several people said they don’t know their neighbors. When asked why they don’t know their neighbors they simply just responded I don’t want to talk to them.

This is common in communities where you see a neighbor you give them a wave or a friendly head nod and keep going about your business. The citizens stay in their own homes they don’t go out they don’t talk to one and other. This decreases the level of a community the citizen’s experience.

Eric Heltzel an English professor here at Chabot College says that there is an art gallery happening May 22, the goal is to get people out of their homes and see the artwork of their community. Heltzel believes that the people of South Hayward could strike up conversations, about common concerns such as housing and rent that doesn’t get talked about with each other.

Heltzel believes there is a bigger form of community communication through social media. Referring to common meme’s that relate to Hayward and the Tennyson area. It’s also ironic that citizens of Hayward will discuss rent, housing, violence, and all these other community problems online on a Facebook page, but won’t discuss them together face to face.

The first steps in helping eviscerate this social void in the community are creating events, that help people get outdoors and start talking to each other.  Maria Correia has been a South Hayward resident for 23 years and is very involved in her community. Correia describes her community experience like this. “I love my neighbors we have community block parties and cookouts it’s a lot of fun.” She says although there are a few neighbors who aren’t so friendly. Theresa Correia Maria’s 17-year-old daughter believes that “If you’re new to your area you should introduce yourself.” Theresa says “another way to get people out of there shell is if they attend a party, or event with at least one person they know, they won’t feel as scared to go meet new people.”

Continue reading

Hayward Housing Crisis

People speaking out for fear of losing their homes. Stone cold faces staring back at them from the city council as they assess the situation. I have never been in a room full of so much uncertainty. Not a smile in the whole room. This was the scene on February 13 at City Hall Meeting in Hayward California. Since then, each City Hall meeting regarding housing has been a sequel to the scene described above.

“I believe a significant part of the problem is the explosive high-income job growth primarily centered in the south bay area commonly known as Silicon Valley and in the City of San Francisco, where the affordability problem is much greater than it is here in Hayward,” said Mayor Barbara Halliday.

Gentrification has hit Hayward, with minimum legislation prepared to protect the afflicted; people are on the brink of leaving their homes. “We are in the midst of a new form of colonization, people forcing people out of their homes.” One gentleman said during his public comments. Followed by a woman who said, “I yield the rest of time, that man before me summed up how I feel.”

More affluent people are ready to pay a higher price for their homes. Management companies are doing what they can to get a piece of that pie, even if their actions aren’t legal. More commonly, exploitation of ignorance of our rights is the best tactic for them to use and not necessarily illegal. This has been the case for the tenants of Solis Gardens apartments and Aloha Gardens.

“When managing properties and or facilities you are an agent of the landlord and must always manage in the best interest of the landlord while abiding by real estate laws. When managing any type of facility safety should also always be a top priority.” Myrna Santos, Assistant Real Estate Manager, Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE).

Some companies like FPI management, owners of Solis Gardens and Aloha Gardens apartments think otherwise.

“During a fire last year in February, which one unit was severely damaged with smaller damages in up to 4 other units, ALL units received eviction notices, even units on the unaffected side of the building. Most of my neighbors left out of fear and ignorance,” said Javier Delgado, a resident of Solis gardens.

Continue reading