It’s a new year and there’s a new Chabot Gladiator baseball team waiting for the 2011 season to begin.

The Gladiators finished last season tied for the best record in the Coast Golden Gate Conference but fell to the would-be state champion, Ohlone College, in the Northern California Super Regional Tournament.

With five returning preseason All Americans in the lineup, the team that ranked first in RBIs, triples and home runs the previous year looks to change its complexion from a hitting ball club to a pitching oriented one, according to long time coach Steve Friend.

“We had a lot of sophomore starters on the team last year, so this year we have a lot of new guys looking to get a spot and looking to contribute,” said Friend.

[media-credit id=4 align="alignright" width="200"][/media-credit]Mike Botello and Brandon Plotz return to the lineup as preseason All American pitchers who look to deploy Coach Friend’s pitching oriented philosophy for the upcoming season.

Botello ranked third last year in ERA and was first in hits allowed and second in runs allowed in the Coast Golden Gate Conference. Botello is also being recruited by Cal State Long Beach, one of the top Division I baseball schools in the country.

Plotz ranked fifth in strikeouts while making the most starts out of any other pitcher in the conference.

Along with Botello and Plotz, Chabot has three other returning All American position players – infielder Sean Barrie, catcher Kyle Gallegos and first baseman Jake Whitney.

Barrie, although with limited playing time, topped the conference in batting average, hitting .500, while also bringing in the top on-base percentage at .606 and ranking 15th in runs scored.

Gallegos hit .341 last year, ranked fifth in on-base percentage, seventh in runs scored, 11th in hits and ninth in RBIs.

First baseman Whitney rounds out our All Americans. Last year Whitney hit .312 and had the most home runs by any returning player on the team. He ranked fifth in RBIs and 11th in walks, drawing 17 of them in the Coast Golden Gate Conference.

It’s obvious these players are going to mean a lot for the Gladiators this spring if they want to repeat their success of last season.

“You hope they show that leadership and show the younger guys what to do and keep them competitive,” said Coach Friend, “They mean a lot to us.”

Coming into the 2011 season the Chabot Gladiators are ranked fifth in the Northern California preseason poll, according to the California Community College Athletic Association.

“Those rankings mean nothing to us because they are based off of last year’s team and performance. With all these new guys on here we know we haven’t earned anything yet. So those polls mean nothing to us,” explained the coach.

“The competition is going to be high, within our team as well as against the other schools. That’s what I look forward to most,” continued Friend.

The season starts Feb. 3 at home against San Mateo, the team that tied Chabot for the best record in the Coast Golden Gate Conference in the 2010 season.

Coach Friend and the Gladiators look to maintain their “Tradition of Excellence” with their ninth consecutive playoff appearance and their 19th in 21 years.

As the current semester comes to a close, members of the ASCC held the final meeting of their terms as part of the student government. Yet, as they conclude their final weeks in office, one issue still remains undecided: What is happening with the elections?
Two factions emerged in this debate. On one side are those who say that the elections held last week were valid, and that the results of the election are official.
Other members question the validity not only of the qualifications of the candidates, but the way the election itself was conducted.
Among those defending last weeks election are President Cinthya Flores, vice President Steven Mireles, and election committee chair Yi Miao. Both Flores and Mireles ran for office in this election – Mireles for the position of ASCC president, and Flores, uncontested, for the position of student trustee. As chair of the election committee, Miao is not allowed to run for any office, according to ASCC bylaws.
The members of the ASCC who have come down on the opposite side of this debate are joined by their adviser and Director of Student Life Nancy Soto, as well as Vice President of Student Services Melinda Matsuda.
Soto and Matsuda have both voiced concerns that not all candidates running for office had been verified by the Office of Student Life. Matsuda also said during the meeting that she did not believe that those who had voted during the election could have been properly verified because the ASCC members who conducted the election were not given a roster of all currently enrolled students.
Flores said that the signatures and W numbers of all the students who voted were written down, and that each student’s ID card was checked to make sure they had the current semester’s sticker. The ballots could be checked against the roster later to make sure all W numbers were valid, she said.
In addition, Flores said that she was under the impression that all the candidate packets had been verified because one candidate who is currently on the ASCC received a text message from Soto regarding an issue with her packet.
Soto replied that she had not verified all of the packets before she sent the message. By the time they were taken by election committee chair Miao, she had only completed the verification process for two packets.
On May 13, Matsuda sent an e-mail in which she declared the elections invalid. She was confused about the number of senators who attended the special ASCC meeting on May 10, stating that “15 senators unanimously voted” to delay the elections.
“Although there are differing opinions regarding the validity of the special meeting and other related issues, the mere fact that the election packets were not validated for both candidates’ eligibility and student signatures prior to the voting does not make any voting official,” the e-mail said.
May 14, Flores sent a reply refuting Matsuda’s decision.
“I seriously question [Matsuda’s] ability to fairly assess this situation, since her actions so far have been heavily biased in favor of the other administrator [Soto] involved,” she said.
She also provided additional evidence that quorum was not met during the special meeting. However, she did not respond directly to the concern over the validity of the candidate packets.
She warned other Chabot senate groups: “Faculty and Classified senates beware! You might be next. Does shared governance give administrators the right to intervene in the decision making of student government issues?”
Matsuda does not agree that her actions were inappropriate.
“As vice president of student Services, I have that authority … to preserve the integrity of the [ASCC elections],” she said in an interview.
She said during the senate meeting that members of the ASCC meet with her and “an outside facilitator” sometime over the summer in order to come to an agreement and decide how to proceed with ASCC elections in the fall.

Arpi Nakashian / Staff Writer

This semester’s graduation ceremony will take place on Friday, May 28 at 6 p.m. The commencement will last for approximately two hours.

1.    The ceremony will take place at Chabot College Grand Court If it rains, the commencement will be held in the Chabot College Performing Arts Center.
2.    Students who are eligible to graduate will receive an invitations as well as an RSVP card that must be returned to Admissions to confirm their participation in the ceremony.
3.    Students wearing their cap and gown should meet in front of building 200 at 5 p.m. sharp.
4.    Caps and gowns may be purchased at the Chabot College Bookstore.
5.    Graduates should leave valuables with their guests because there is no storage for personal belongings.
6.    Graduates may invite as many guests as they wish; there are 3,000 guest seats available.
7.    Those who want to order personalized invitations may be able to do so by going to www.chabotbookstore.com and then clicking on www.cbgrad.com
8.    Those who need special assistance with interpreters or mobility should contact the Disabled Student Resource Center before the ceremony at (510) 723-6696.
9.    Pictures will be taken while students are receiving their diploma. More information on how to purchase these photographs will be available at the ceremony. The ceremony will also be video taped and may be purchased at the bookstore.
10.    Diplomas will not be given at the ceremony. The certificates will be available in July 2010 and all are picked up unless other arrangements are made.

For more information about graduation, visit www.chabotcollege.edu/studentservices/commencement.

Uproar over ASCC polls cast doubt on validity of voting

Jack Barnwell/ Editor-in-chief and Chris Stott/ Chief Copy Editor

Chabot’s 2010 low-key student election took an ugly turn Monday afternoon as Associated Student members split over a decision whether to invalidate or push back voting dates.
This led to an election being held by some members of the ASCC on Tuesday and Wednesday, while other members and ASCC adviser and Director of Student Life Nancy Soto refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the election or its results.
A special meeting was called Monday to discuss the student elections amidst concerns that candidate packets may have been tampered with.
The packets in question had to be submitted by students wishing to run for student government. The first part of these packets, which contain the applications and petitions for nomination, were due May 3.
In accordance with the ASCC election code, the packets were turned into the Office of Student Life in order to verify that the students are qualified to run and that all petition signatures and W-numbers were valid.
According to Soto, on May 3 at around 5 p.m., Yi Miao, the head of the ASCC elections committee, came into the Office of Student Life and requested to see the candidate packets. Miao then left with the packets.
Soto said she confronted Miao and asked him to return the packets, but he refused. The packets were not returned until the next day, May 4, around 9 a.m. Because she did not know what was done with the packets overnight, she could no longer verify that the signatures in the packets were valid, she said.
Miao has declined to comment about the situation until the elections are over.
ASCC Vice President Steven Mireles chaired the meeting in place of President Cinthya Flores, who was absent. He later declared the meeting annulled due to a lack of quorum, according to an e-mail sent out by Mireles early Tuesday morning.
Mireles is one the candidates running for student president.
In the e-mail, Mireles said that the quorum had not been met because “after reviewing the recordings of [Monday’s] meeting where the official motion to recognize quorum failed.”
ASCC bylaws state that “meetings shall require a majority, half of the total of its members plus one present, to meet quorum.”
Mireles said that meeting should have ended after that. He leveled accusations at other members of the special meeting, including attempting to illegally remove student trustee Evani Gil from office in order to meet quorum.
“The meeting should have been ended at that time but members of the senate pursued other means to establish quorum for their personal gain,” said Mireles in the e-mail.
According to Mireles, Gil was still student trustee as reflected in the minutes of the March 16 Board of Trustees meeting. The board minutes are the most recent to be approved by the Chabot Las Positas College District.
Mireles’s e-mail and one following it by current student president Cinthya Flores declaring the election polls open Tuesday and Wednesday set off a small firestorm of e-mails on Chabot’s e-mail listserv drawing responses from ASCC members.
An e-mail from student marketing director Israel Saucedo objected to Flores’s message that the polls were open.
“According to our advisor, Madam [Nancy] Soto, OSL has not checked banner on every candidate, thus making it impossible for our students to vote this Tuesday May 11 and Wednesday May 12,” Saucedo said in his e-mail.
“I advise you as a member of the Student Senate and also a student here at Chabot College to please review everything before ill informing our campus into voting in an election that is illegal,” Saucedo said in response to Flores.
Another senator’s response to Mireles’s e-mail regarding Monday’s special meeting was harsh and disputed student trustee Gil’s place in the ASCC.
Don Bosco Hu said that Evani Gil had already been automatically ejected from ASCC because “Evani Gil has not shown up to a single meeting since day 1, he is automatically removed and his position is vacant.”
The ASCC bylaws state that senators who incur at least five absences during their term will automatically lose their position.
Hu further rebuked Mireles in is e-mail, telling the vice president not to “point fingers or judge members who attended these meetings and say that this meeting was still held for personal gain.”
Hu also urged Mireles to “do the right thing, consider this meeting not annulled and do justice for the students as well as this elections process.”

Juluis Cristobal/ Staff Writer

Since the 1860s, it’s about that time of the year when baseball slides into the conversation of every sports fanatic. From the Cracker Jacks to the hot dogs to the Snuggies, baseball becomes very popular especially during the summer.
Everyone has their own opinions, and there are many different reasons why this sport hits one out the park around this time. Big time Chicago White Sox fan Jimmy Tovar said, “Baseball is popular during this time because the winter sports are in the playoffs and almost over and it’s the only major sport going on other than golf or NASCAR.”
But the majority of people say their love comes from the enjoyment of playing baseball, not just watching it. Those same people would also agree that it is somewhat more pleasurable watching a baseball game live than to watch it on television.
The excitement and joy to be in the stands with fellow fans with a baseball glove ready to catch that homerun is what these people thrive for. Also, it’s the nice outdoor weather and the spring and summer feeling that attract people to either watch the sport or play it.
“It’s fun to watch because there is no time limit and you never what can happen. You might see something you have never seen before,” said Tovar.
Avid baseball fan Chris Drago said, “I find it interesting and incredible how they can hit a 9.25-inch baseball flying at them with speeds of 75 mph or higher.”
Most fans follow the sport of baseball mainly because the Bay Area has two major baseball teams, the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants. When their team does especially well, they become more interested; if they do poorly, they don’t pay much attention.
Former Chabot College student, R.J. Cristobal calls baseball an American sport and that it’s fun to play with friends when the weather is nice. He said, “When they’re about to fight, they already have a weapon in their hand, the bat.”
In any case, a sport is only exciting when the players who get paid draw fans into the game by their play.
From Albert Pujos to the Yankees or Red Sox, these are the people and teams who put their heart into it for the love of the game and not just extra zeros in their bank account.
The players who comes out of that dugout and gives it 200 percent are the ones who put fans in the stands and encourage others to play, especially the young kids who watch and play the game every day trying to be like their favorite baseball player.

Missie Houangvilay/ Staff Writer

Missie Houangvilay/ Staff Writer

Audience members filled the Chabot Performing Arts Center to witness the Spring Wind Band Concert on May 5.
Conductor Timothy Harris led 91 musicians as they put on a magical show filled with the sounds of flutes, piccolos, oboes, clarinets, trombones, trumpets, saxophones, and pianos, just to name a few instruments.
The concert was flawless. The music was so crisp and clear. Everything was on point.
There was a good variety of songs. Some were twisted compositions of a mishmash of famous tunes and others were romantic.
Audience member Deandra Owens said, “So many of the songs reminded me of an old-school Disney soundtrack … I enjoy imagining what story the song could possibly tell.”
The evening had a great turnout. There were even audience members sitting outside in the lobby listening to the concert and watching it on the televisions that hung above.
Concert attendee Chrissy Walters said, “I think it’s great to support local shows and local musicians … It’s much more affordable and well worth the money.”
“Plus, we don’t have to drive into the city and pay for parking,” said her husband Ben Walters.

By Jacqui Boggess

Jacqui Boggess/ Staff Photo

A  tragedy, a noir, wedding crazed, American dream and a women empowering filled shows all in one place before? Chabot college’s little theater presents emerging works, a program where all the shows presented are student written, directed, produced and acted. The emerging works shows are all uniquely different but they all dazzle are entertaining.

The show Opal written and directed by Willy Romano-Pugh is a story about young man who finds out that his sister who happens to be a famous actress, dies and when be comes to his dear sisters’ funeral he finds hardship and confrontation with his mother, who believes that he is trying to steal her daughters’ handsome fortune, and the story unfolds with high emotionally scenes from the cast. “I think this is a great show because of the actors, also this is my first writing effort and I feel that a audience would appreciate our work” said Romano-Pugh.

Vick Barstow; Private Dick is a very amusing and hilarious piece that was written by Adam Reeser and directed by Tim Romano-Pugh. This show is a very interesting throw back to old tymie Hollywood crime dramas. In the show the Private Eye, The main charter Vick Barstow, who is a womanizing alcoholic deals with varies cases, such as a husband asking the Dictective to kill his wife who he just happens to be romantically evolved with. This play is wonderful filled with spoofs, gags and noir from great old films. “This play is a really crowd pleaser but this style is seen very often anymore” said written Adam Reeser. This play also contains live music that the writter and director play, this play will sweeps you off your feet into a different timeframe of yester year.

Champagne, Vicodin, and Satan’s Lollipops written and directed by Cherise Beyelia. This show is about a wedding where anything and everything that could possibly go, goes very and extremely wrong, with a few twists here and there. In the play the bride is surrounded by 3 very hilarious gay men who in their misadventure try to aid the bride with the stress of her wedding.“This play is a great comedy with characters that every person can relate too, I got the idea for this play by writing about the types of friends that I surround myself with, I then I thought what would happen if they were my bridesmaids? It would be so hilarious!” said Beyelia

The show The American Dream by first time writter and director Brittany Emerson, the show is a story of a very materialistic couple have lost their faith in a higher power and become different people. The husband has to struggle with his dear wife becoming a town gossip and shop-a-holic. This play offers the audince member to examine then own lifes and find what really defines them as a person.“I encourage everyone to see The American Dream because it explores a paradigm that is not our own. One in which we graze the surface of what it means to have a relationship with God and how it changes you. It also explores the dynamic of a married couple and their secret dynamics that no one else may never see. It’s like taking a peek inside of their lives without it being edited. It’s raw and real and powerful with no artificial sweeteners or over the top displays.” said Emerson.

There will also be one “An independent project” by director Brian Davis. In this play it about two women in a power struggle and trying to find a way to measure true strength and the contrast of measuring strength by someone’s mental ability or physical. “People should see this play because it is a dark comedy that has sharp dialouge,It also has break through performaces by two very fine young women..I feel this play is something that we all can relate to male or female and I’m glad I got to direct this play.” said Brain Davis

All the plays will enchate audinece members with humor or swarrow but all of them with have a effect or impact on who they do enchate.

Opal,  “the indepentant project“, and Vick Barsow; Private Dick will show on Tuesday May 4th and Thursday 6th at 8pm

Champagne, Vicodin, and Satan’s Lollipops and The American Dream will be showing Wednesday May 5th  and Friday may 7th  at 8pm

On Saturday May 8th, all 4 shows will be playing and it starts 6:30pm. Tickets are $5 at the door.