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Te Southwestern College Sun

VIEWPOINTS
Editorials, Opinions and Letters to the Editor
Opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section
are those of the individual writers and do not
necessarily represent the views of Te Sun Staf,
the Editorial Board or Southwestern College.
Te
Spinning
Wheel
AngelA VAn OstrAn
You can reach Angela by e-mail at
[email protected]
Aug. 17 - Oct. 1, 2011 Vol. 55, Iss. 1
Southwestern College has Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder. Though
incomparable to a war-worn veteran,
this college is still haunted by demons
of past battles. Muddy trenches and
explosive issues have battered this school,
wounding many faculty and employees.
For the past nine months SWC has
fought to regain its accreditation and rid
itself of the oppression of incompetent
board members, a brutal and bumbling
superintendant, and a supplicant
administration. Wounds are deep, but it is
time to heal.
But even with the promise of a new
future ahead, much of the schools faculty,
staff and students seem to be stuck in the
shadows of past wrongs, unable to let go.
Jaded and hurt, SWC declares rebirth,
promises new beginnings and parades in
garments of a false peace. How long will
it take this campus and its leadership to
realize that there is a difference between
claiming to move forward and actually
making a conscious decision to heal?
Many of the people and businesses that
participated in the misdeeds of the old
regime are still here, bopping around
campus like nothing ever happened.
Putting the painful memories on a
shelf where they can be pulled out at a
future time when things seem to be going
badly again is not moving on. It is merely
putting a bandage on an unclean wound
and letting it fester.
The toxic environment that the
Western Association of Schools and
Colleges cited SWC for is not just a dust
cloud that follows Raj K. Chopra and his
cronies around like Pigpen from Peanuts.
It has settled into the cracks of our
spackled walls and still hovers in the air.
Cruelty, freedom of expression
violations, corruption, heavy-handedness
and betrayal that once dominated
this campus are not entirely gone and
forgotten. Why are construction firms
that tried to buy the governing board
election still here? Why is the dishonest
auditing firm that worked closely with
VP Nicholas Alioto to close down the
student newspaper still here? Why was a
controversial VP given a dean position
in the middle of a hiring process? These
and other unanswered questions are left
hanging and need resolution.
Survivors of trauma, those living with
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, have
difficulty perceiving the beauty and peace
rising after tragedy when they face constant
reminders. With scarring visions of battles
from the past, many at SWC still hear the
echoes of horror from last year. Some
of us are still mourning friends lost to
imperiousness and shaking our heads that
their talents are now lost to us.
It is essential to battle for ideals worth
fighting for, and the Chopra regime needed
to be fought and defeated. Freedom of
speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to
redress your government, fairness, integrity
and reputation must always be defended.
These principles far outweigh the local and
transitory issues of the day.
Wounds can heal. Many have. SWC
has an excellent new governing board,
protective new freedom of expression and
student media policies and procedures, and
soon a new president. All constituents on
campus are welcomed to become involved
in the colleges future, the way it should be.
This college cannot afford to cling
to ghosts of the past. It only drains the
promise of a sunny future by letting its
energy and spirit flow out of open wounds.
Alan Paton, the South African writer
who endured the tragedy of apartheid,
told his countrymen When a deep injury
is done to us, we never recover until we
forgive. Forgiveness, as South African
President Nelson Mandela knew, happens
only after there is a process of coming
clean and acknowledging misdeeds and
injustices. That is the missing step so far at
Southwestern.
Finish the housecleaning and do it
quickly. A lot of time has been wasted
easing out the people who came too close
to destroying a 50-year-old institution of
higher learning with a rich and diverse
history. Finish the job so SWC might truly
embrace a new attitude and a renewed way
of thinking. Only then can we really move
on.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Albert Fulcher
SENIOR DESIGNER
Diana Inocencio
NEWS
Mary York, editor
Ernesto Rivera, assistant
Elizabeth Lucas, assistant
VIEWPOINTS
Tom Lord, editor
CAMPUS
Angelica Gonzales, editor
Ana Bahena, assistant
ARTS
Amber Sykes, editor
Nathan Hermanson, assistant
SPORTS
Jiamay Austria, editor
Daniel Guzman, assistant
ONLINE
Alyssa Simental, editor
Christopher Soto, designer
MULTIMEDIA
Andrea Aliseda, editor
Walter Graham, staff
PHOTOGRAPHY
Serina Duarte, editor
Marshall Murphy, assistant
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Cody Yarbro
COPY EDITOR
Margie Reese
STAFF WRITERS
Adriana Melero
Alexis Dominguez
Ana Ochoa
Anna Sobrevinas
Eileen Salmeron
Elizabeth L Thompson
Enrique Raymundo
Gregory L Ewing
Jose Alverado
Jose Anguiano
Kyle Nelson
Lamar Dent
Michelle Robles
Nickolas Furr
Valeria Genel

CARTOONISTS
Rashid Hasirbaf
Carlos Magana
DESIGNERS
Diana Inocencio
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Amparo Mendoza
David Sepulveda
Erika Gonzalez
Eter Dafne Estrada
Jeremy Lawson
Juan Castaneda
Karime Ponce DeLeon
Karen Janeth Perez
Kyla Guerrero
Lina Sandoval
Pablo Gandara
Paula Waters
ASSISTANT ADVISOR
Amanda L. Abad
ADVISER
Max Branscomb
Honors
Student Press Law Center
College Press FreedomAward, 2011
National Newspaper Association
National College
Newspaper of the Year, 2004-11
Associated Collegiate Press
National College Newspaper of the Year
2005-2006
National Newspaper Pacemaker Award,
2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009
General Excellence Awards, 2001-10
Best of Show, 2003-09
Columbia University
Scholastic Press Association
Gold Medal for JournalismExcellence, 2001-10
California Newspaper Publishers Assoc.
California College Newspaper of the Year, 2011-2012
Student Newspaper
General Excellence, 2002-11
Society of Professional Journalists
National Mark of Excellence, 2001-11
First Amendment Award, 2002, 2005
San Diego Press Club
Excellence in JournalismAwards 1999-2011
California Chicano News Media Assoc.
La Pluma Awards 2000-08
JournalismAssociation of
Community Colleges
Pacesetter Award 2001-09
General Excellence Awards, 2000-11
San Diego County Fair
Media Competition
Best of Show 2001-03, 2005-2011
San Diego County Multicultural Heritage Award
2004, 2006
Wounds must be cleaned
before healing
Once upon a time, before Broadway or
minstral shows, the stage was a completely
different place. The message to the public
was shame and negativity. For centuries
women were played by cross-dressing
men. African-Americans were buffoon-
ishly portrayed by white actors in heavy
black makeup. Audiences were locked
in a confusing battle of images of racism
and sexism that were cemented into the
cultural norm.
Actors today are known for their ability
to immerse themselves so deeply in a char-
acter that they seem transformed. Through
Tom Hanks we explored the world of
Forrest Gump, not as a baseless person sit-
ting on a bus stop bench nibbling happily
on sugar, but as a thoughtful, graceful and
perceptive person that some of us could
only wish we could be. Hanks brought
depth to the screen and to our culture that
hadnt been shared before. I was in awe at
how convincingly the story delved into a
rarely-explored layer of humanity.
But the disability community has not
always been portrayed so well. Like the
black-faced actors of the minstral shows, a
controversial character being represented
was almost always a comedic poke at a
painful social mole. But Marlee Matlin
performing in Children of a Lesser God
stunned me. I had never seen a deaf ac-
tor play the role of a deaf character and
actually use real signs that I understood.
Television shows had tried and often failed
at portraying the deaf community with
any sort of reality. Usually an actor with a
disability was a one-time role, or a quick-
quipped background character with little
depth.
Will and Grace, Ellen and Rose-
anne cracked barriers for the LGBT com-
munity. Today gay and lesbian lifestyles are
treated with respect in the media, and not
just as a random afternoon special. They
are portrayed as real people, with clarity
and depth. Characters with disabilities are
starting to see that same clarity in main-
stream television. Zach Anner recently
charmed Oprah Winfrey, calling himself
the the sexiest of the palsies. He was
awarded a television special on Oprahs
OWN network on the perils and rewards
of traveling the world with a disability.
People with disabilities are often labeled
as wheelchair-bound, confined and
special needs. Sometimes they are so pa-
thetic and self-destructive that they com-
mit suicide rather than live in a crippled
body as the case of Million Dollar Baby.
If one out of 10 Americans live with a dis-
ability, where are these very real people in
our made-up, contrived reality just at the
end of the remote?
I am a fan of Glee, but Arties charac-
ter, played by Kevin McHale, makes me
cringe. He may be able to sing, play guitar
and woo the ladies, but the boy cant dance
in a wheelchair to save his life. This actor
makes me scream needs research! As
he is pushed around in his chair his arms
have apparently lost all self motivation.
The episode where he got up and danced
in the mall nearly made me stop watch-
ing altogether. As a dancer, McHale was
incredible, but as the character, it was a
slap in the face. His character bio says that
dancing is a dream he may never achieve.
Artie needs some serious wheelchair danc-
ing lessons. Either that or have his chair
strapped down on a public bus and watch
pieces break off every time the driver
stops. With creative and educated writers,
Arties character could portray the reality
of living with an actual disability.
Not all disabled characters need be
played by actors with disabilities, nor
should the roles of able-bodied characters
be restricted to those who are able-bodied.
A character should be played by the best
actor or actress for that particular part.
Media has finally taken the time to peek
into the lives of the world less seen. TV
and film bear a huge responsibility for rep-
resentatives of people. It took a long time
for the entertainment media to make right
by African-Americans, gays and Latinos.
Lets hope the learning curve is shorter for
the disabled.
Media portrayals
of disabled still
need some work
editorial
Our Position:
Superintendant Denise Whittaker has worked
magic, but much remains to be done.
The Issue:
Southwestern College has just come through
a prolonged period of abusive leadership.
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Carlos Magana / Staff