Date post: | 19-Mar-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | vvc-rampage |
View: | 219 times |
Download: | 1 times |
RamPage March 9 2012 Volume 33 No 2
Victor Valley College
ldquoNothing is as obnoxious as other peoples luckrdquo -F Scott Fitzgerald
In the middle of the desert
with the Wal-Mart Distribu-
tion Center as its closest
neighbour a new Victor Val-
ley College facility featuring
some of the latest training
equipment for the emergency
service fields has opened for
students
Previously VVCs fire
fighting program relied on
public agencies to donate
buildings set to be demolished
to do a live burn simulation
once a year
Now thanks to the new mul-
ti-faceted facility being con-
structed not only can VVC students use
this facility for all of the disciplines in
medical services fire fighting and ad-
ministration of justice but also outside
agencies can rent the facility for usage
ldquoItrsquos great to have these kinds of assets
available in one place to everyone in the
communityrdquo said fire-fighter-in-
training Johnathan Haase
Theres a nine-lane state-of-the-art
indoor shooting range for live and virtu-
al fire simulations and a five-story burn
tower thats believed to be the largest in
the state These new training areas will
test the skill level of the students under
new and more realistic circumstances
Now we can work together here in
doing scenario training The cops pull up
to the scene we call in the paramedics
we call in fire -- there [are] all kinds of
training we couldnt do before said
Michael Visser administration of justice
professor
Its the first major construction project
completed through Measure JJ the
$2975 million bond measure approved
by voters in 2008 The bond measure is
costing taxpayers $20 per $100000 of
assessed property
value annually until
the bond is paid off
with interest which
will take an estimat-
ed 30 to 35 years
Recently the VVC
officials predict that
the new $316 mil-
lion facility will
grow into an elite
training center for
public safety profes-
sionals throughout
the state Its the first
time that VVCs pro-
grams in administra-
tion of justice emer-
gency medical ser-
vices and fire sci-
ence will be in one centralized location
Having this new facility will impact
how much more efficient our emergency
services fields will be well-rounded for
all different types of situations that men
and women will encounter in the future
The college will be hosting a grand
opening celebration on April 21 which
includes tours and demonstrations for
the audience
VVC Public Safety Training Center Opened in Victorville
Fire academy students in formation and ready to train Photo by Zaqueri Black
Story by Zaqueri Black
Reporter
EntertainmentFeatures
MUNhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg4
STEM Programhelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg5
Automotive Department hellippg6
ASB Electionshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg7
St Patrickrsquos Dayhelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg8
Lillies Reviewhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg9
News
Direct Loan Programhelliphellippg2
Vandalism helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg2
Debit Cardshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg3
News Briefshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg3
Sports
Baseballhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg6
Softballhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellippg6
Facility Features One of the Most Advanced Simulators in California
News March 9 2012 Page 2 RamPage VVC
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 lsquowhat is their reason for the
suspensionrsquo
ldquoWe are trying to make a better inter-
nal process for students to get financial
aidrdquo Arthur Lopez Interim Director of
financial aid said
The reason for the temporarily suspen-
sion is that VVCrsquoS 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 2649
percent In 2009 it jumped to 316 per-
cent According to Lopez this is not be-
cause of students that go to VVC now
but because of the students that attended
the college in the past Most of the stu-
dents are not paying back their loans
because of the economic collapse so itrsquos
hard for the college to get back the mon-
ey that the students owe
VVC offers Pell grants which is a total
of $5500 and a call grant B which is a
total of $1551 All of this is given by
the government that you do not have to
pay back
ldquoVVC is very liberal on giving out
loansrdquo Lopez said ldquoVVC students that
are taking out this loan are not really
getting educated on what their really
getting intordquo
If students will take advantage of the
free money that VVC offers they will
not have to take out a direct loan so ear-
ly in their academic year Then VVC
will not have to suspend the program to
drop the percentage of the default rate
Lopez stated ldquoIntentions are to bring
back once established a good default
raterdquo
The Default Prevention plan educates
students on different ways to get finan-
cial aid According to Lopez it is un-
known 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 De-
fault prevention plan
ldquoNot that I wanted to do it but it is the
best thing to do for the institutionrdquo said
Lopez
New Wave of Vandalism Hits VVC Story by Keith Diamond
Reporter
Twelve reports of vandalism have
been reported since January 2012 This
is a 200 percent increase compared to
this same time last year Going back to
2010 this is a 300 percent increase Victor Valley College Campus Police
Chief Leonard Knight declined to com-
ment about the surge of about campus
vandalism College maintenance staff
which requested to remain anonymous
said that the majority of the vandalism is
graffiti
According to VVC campus
police typically a VVC staff
member discovers the graffiti
and reports it to the campus
police Police then photograph
the graffiti take a report and
alert maintenance
ldquoIf it were up to me graffiti
would be cleaned off immedi-
ately so that some-
one doesnrsquot see it
and add to itrdquo VVC
Campus Police Of-
ficer DH Jones
said
According to Jones if graffi-
ti is not removed in a timely
manner the problem will grow
at an alarming rate Walls
tagged by a certain gang left
there too long will be topped
by another gang
Vandalism of any form cost
money to fix clean and inves-
tigate these are all added cost
to the college If a window is broken it
cost money to repair If a wall has graffi-
ti on it it cost labor and chemicals to
remove it The cost will eventually be
passed on to you the student in an in-
crease in tuition
If you see or know anything about the
resent graffiti on the campus please con-
tact campus police at 760-245-4271 ext
2555 Tagging on bathroom stall Photo courtesy of Keith Diamond
Graffiti vandalism is beginning to affect VVC campus Photo by Keith Diamond
Last semester Victor Valley College
made debit cards available to students in
EOPS which led to this semesters stu-
dents being able to receive the much
sought after debit card for financial aid
ldquoI 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 midnightrdquo 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 be-
cause of the $20 fee to replace the issued
card if you lose it
ldquoThe debit card system is a quicker
way for students to receive their Pell
Grants for an idea to become a reality is
an awesome experiencerdquo said Judy
Schmoll former ASB President ldquoJust
last year the ASB council had the idea
Story by Chloe Brooks
Reporter
March 9 2012 Page 3 RamPage VVC
Debit Cards Give Quick Access to Financial Aid
to put funds onto a card so that students
didnrsquot have to wait extended amounts of
time to receive their school fundingrdquo
Former ASB Senator Student Services
Senator Eddie Stacy laid the ground
work and met with the appropriate com-
mittees 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 sav-
ing 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
ldquoI hate the card give me a darn
checkrdquo said ASB Social Science Sena-
tor Christina Kulasxa
ldquoIt is simple and easy to userdquo says
student Dylan Breaw
Like most cards ndash debit or credit ndash it
has a cash withdraw limit of $200
ldquoI donrsquot like the limit that you can take
outrdquo student Drake Parrish says
For any more information contact the
Financial Aid Office at (760) 245-4271
ext 2571
Student Joseph Gay pays with his VVC debit card in the book store Photo by Chloe Brooks
VVC Scholarship is still
available Apply Now Dead-
line 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 ad-
vance of trip in transfer cen-
ter The first school will be
UCLA Friday March 16 700
am to 500 pm
Few days left for the ldquoPirates
of the Penzancerdquo play The
last days are March 10th at
730 pm and the 11th at 230
pm
New in Brief Deadlines for writing contest
submissions is March 16
Contact Tim Adell for more
information
HACU Federal Internship Op-
portunities March 13 at 11-12
in Bldg 21 Room 171
Writing your ResumeCover
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
Scan with your
smart phone to go to
our website
Your feedback is always
appreciated
vvcrampagegmailcom
Features RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 4
MUN Instructs Students Beyond the Classroom Story by Micah Raimo
New Editor
Through hard work and diligence the
Model United Nations program prepares
the students of Victor Valley College for
both a financially and academ-
ically secure future
On Friday Feb 24 the MUN
program hosted a financial
symposium that explained the
basics of the financial market
showing that anyone could
own their own home with the
right strategy SAC rooms A
through D were full with stu-
dents shoulder to shoulder
Each writing notes on tips and
lessons that could help them
get a leg up to financial suc-
cess
Rory Shannon General
Manager of Wells Fargo
Home Mortgage Division
spoke for two and a half hours
on both the financial crisis and
strategies to become a success-
ful home owner Shannon
taught what many attendees
have stated was a much need-
ed course
ldquoMUN highlights what
VVC does right as one of the
few interdisciplinary pro-
grams This spring semester
there are over 40 students in
the programrdquo Bozonelos said
The MUN program is a
competition where students
simulate how they would react
in the real United Nations fo-
rum But their political success
extends beyond the classroom
Professor Kevin Grisham started the
program in 2002 but Bozonelos has
been guiding the team to victory since
2003
With the help of English Professor
Tim Adell who encourages professional
writing skills and the Honors Program
and Communications Studies Professor
Jennifer Fowlie who provides a home
base for the students Professor Bo-
zonelos has created a network of support
above the student academic level
ldquoDino not only trains students in for-
eign affairs but also helps you find your
nicherdquo VVC student representative for
Afghanistan for the University of River-
side Conference student Kaitlin Woods
The Model United Nations prepares
for the University of California River-
side and New York Conferences with
stiff competition ahead of them and
Political Science Professor Dino Bo-
zonelos isnrsquot about to give away the title
without a fight By writing Proposition
Papers (which explains the country and
the teams approach to that country) and
disciplined research in that country the
Victor Valley College MUN team has
won consistently
ldquoThe dedication in Model United Na-
tions helped me understand the amount
of dedication and personal responsibility
I had to put in UC Berkeley in my un-
dergraduate careerrdquo said Joy Hmura
VVC MUN alumni and student of Uni-
versity of California Berkeley
The March 1 training session was lead
by MUN veteran Christopher Shoup and
Professor Dino Bozonelos MUN prac-
ticed for both competitions in the class
center of the Communication
Center
As instructed by Professor
Bozonelos the students start-
ed their training by being
subjected to impromptu
speeches chosen at random
The students are given 30
seconds of prep time The
speeches themselves lasted
one minute and thirty se-
conds This process is to get
them accustomed to quick
thinking no matter the situa-
tion
ldquo[MUN] has helped me come
out of my shell I tend to be
more passive but when yoursquore
fighting for a country you
tend to be more passionaterdquo
said Woods
Under Bozonelos both MUN
vets and students focus on
diplomatic strategy in not
only reaction but also profes-
sional image MUN studies
their own tactics but also
studies their rivals as well
Tactics include studying
background guides and doing
independent research for
more of a complete under-
standing of their chosen
country
ldquoA lot of reading writing and
everything I had to do in
MUN is similar to what I do
at the university Meeting people at the
conferences and being in the shoes of
different countries taught me a lot about
diversity when we were in MUN and
they mentally prepare for going from
one environment to the otherrdquo said
Hmura
ldquoMUN does two things first it devel-
ops the skills necessary to become suc-
cessful as a professional Second you
are given an international educationrdquo
said Bozonelos
Professor Dino Bozonelos (right) hosts financial seminar with Rory Shannon (left) as guest speaker Photo by Micah Raimo
RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 5
The Disabled Students Program
and Services the Extended Oppor-
tunity Program and Services and
the Cooperative Agencies Re-
sources for Education are programs
available to assist either underprivi-
leged or disabled students at Victor
Valley College
DSPS provides accommoda-
tions for students with disabilities
to help keep pace with other college
students The goal of the DSPS
office is to make every student with
a disability feel the same as every-
one else
ldquoThe DSPS office promotes equal
access for students with disabilities in
the college settingrdquo Jackie Trost the
counselor for DSPS said
ldquoAccessibility is accomplished through
support services and academic accom-
modations based on the individualrsquos
educational functional limitations of
their documented disabilityrdquo
To apply for the program you need to
be enrolled in at least one unit as well as
provide a written report from a licensed
professional who would understand your
disability Disabilities include those who
are deaf or are hard of hearing those
who have learning or physical disabili-
ties or those with a psychological or a
visual disability
EOPS is a program extended to ei-
ther the financially or educationally
challenged students The main goal of
the program is to help these students
obtain their vocational certificate an
Associate of Arts degree an Associate
of Science degree or to transfer to a four
year university
To be eligible for EOPS you need to
have applied for financial aid and be
enrolled in more than twelve units for
the semester
ldquoEOPS is at full capacity for the
spring semesterrdquo Teresa Campbell an
assistant in EOPS said ldquoAlthough
qualifying students can apply next fallrdquo
CARE is a program designed to
assist single parents To be enrolled in
CARE you must be in EOPS and be
enrolled in twelve units or more You
must be considered single and head of
the household a recipient of Aid to
Families with Dependent Children
Temporary Assistance for Needy Fami-
lies or CalWORKs and have at least one
child under 14
One major advantage all three of these
clubs provide is priority registration
Registration block one is entirely devot-
ed to members of DSPS EOPS
and CARE For further inquiries all
three offices are within Student Services
2 Building 50
Story by Todd Hadler
Reporter
Campus Programs Work to Aid Students
The Science Technology Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) division at
Victor Valley College affects the educa-
tional 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 Depart-
ment is headed by Claude Oliver and
boasts state-of-the-art labs for the fol-
lowing programs Computer Integrated
Design and Graphics Media Arts Elec-
tronicsComputer Technology and Com-
puter Information Systems In these labs
students learn everything from computer
aided drafting to architecture The Com-
puter Technologies Department trains
students for careers in video game de-
sign engineering advertising and more
ldquoWe teach skills that directly relate to
jobs right out of schoolrdquo said Oliver
The STEM division is always working
to improve its classrooms and labs The
Computer Technologies Department
recently introduced about 30 new com-
puters into its iMac lab The lab is used
to teach students operating systems
word processing data bases and pro-
gramming
Claude Oliver spoke about an exciting
new program STEM is offering this se-
mester Students can now
earn a certificate in Geo-
graphic Information Sys-
tems for Emergency Re-
sponse and Management
(GIS) Students can be-
come certified after taking
13 units of required clas-
ses With a GIS certificate
students can pursue careers
in fields such as the Fire
Department FEMA and
Homeland Security
Mathematics is the big-
gest 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
ldquoWe want to create an environment of
people getting together to help each oth-
er with mathematicsrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquoSTEM does not only offer four year
graduate trainingrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquosome courses offer two year degrees
and give training for good paying jobsrdquo
Story by Kevin Hunzeker
Reporter
Architecture students model design Photo by Kevin Hunzeker
Entrance to DSPS office Photo by Todd Hadler
STEM Prepares
Students for Future
The four-hour
lab provides
students with
plenty of hands
on learning
ldquoIf you donrsquot
like getting
your hands
dirty and you
donrsquot like hard
work this isnrsquot
the class for
yourdquo student
Joseph Guth-
wilson said
As many of
the students
want to go di-
rectly into the
automotive
field this class
provides them with the information and
skill to do just that
March 9 2012 Page 6 RamPage VVC
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 Collegersquos automotive clas-
ses is to train studentsrsquo hands on so they
are prepared for a job right out of the
classroom
ldquoWersquore like a dealershiprdquo Sweet says
ldquoWe take customers mostly from the
school and have the students work hands
on with the carsrdquo
As the shop fills with various vehicles
Sweetrsquos focus turns to his students Peo-
ple 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 re-
sponsible to diagnose and cure One
group is working on a VVC Police cruis-
er
ldquoWersquove been taking parts from all four
[police cruisers] to make one work for
VVCrdquo 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
ldquoRight now wersquore chasing the volt-
agerdquo 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 vehi-
cles and converse with the service writ-
ers to keep their paperwork correct
Students must report to the area called
the ldquoTool Cribrdquo to check out any tools
needed for their assignment David
Steinback oversees the ldquoTool Cribrdquo and
is also responsible for the overall safety
procedures of the shop
Working with tools isnrsquot these students
only job They are responsible for the
cleanup of the shop as well
ldquoA clean shop is the pride of a dealer-
shiprdquo Sweet says ldquoThere 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 custom-
er the respect you have for them and
your jobrdquo
Jaime Grado left and Joseph Guthwilson right work on VVCrsquos Police cruiser Photo by Ashlee Dubach
Campus Clubs Improve Overall College Experience
Story by Tiandra Bullock
Editor
Victor Valley College campus clubs
are up and running for the spring semes-
ter
As informed by the Associ-
ated Student Body Inter
Club Council Senator
Evonne Tirado events for
VVC clubs are approach-
ing quickly VVC clubs are
hosting a Club Community
Clean-up Day which is
being held on March 11
from 930 am to 1230
pm nearby the VVC cam-
pus where members of all
clubs and the students of
VVC are encouraged to
come out and help clean up
a part of the community
Some of the chartered
clubs at VVC are as listed
Activist Anonymous Physics Club Phi
Theta Kappa Black Student Union Per-
forming Arts Club Native American
Student Association Modeled United
Nations Campus Crusade for Christ
The Veterans Club and Ready Rams
ASB Vice President Jeremiah
Brosowske highlights successful events
different clubs have hosted including the
Performing Arts Club and how they
have made good profit at the conces-
sions of events held inside of the Per-
forming Arts Center while also making
it a fun learning experience for its mem-
bers Brosowske also gives his apprecia-
tion for the speech given at the event
hosted by the Black Student Union Club
in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day
Brosowske also provides enthusiastic
words for the upcoming semester and
Continued in Clubs on page 7
VVC clubs enrich campus life while giving students unique outlets Photo by Tiandra Bullock
March 9 2012 Page 7 RamPage VVC
VVC ASB Hopefuls Prep for Upcoming Elections
Story by Daniel Compean
Reporter
The Associated Student Body of Vic-
tor 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 re-
sponsible for the voice of the students
ASB lobbies on behalf of the students
and represents the VVC campus As the
ASB constitution states ldquoadvance the
interest of higher education to unify and
direct student activities and to coordi-
nate a more perfect line of communica-
tion with students faculty administra-
tion and the High Desert Communityrdquo
To participate in the election you must
be a student at VVC become a card car-
rying 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
ldquoIt doesnrsquot depend on how many peo-
ple you know it depends on how much
courage you have to talk to those you
donrsquot knowrdquo 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 elec-
tions 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 candi-
date running for a position must main-
tain at least 6 units and have above a 20
GPA
ldquoStart coming to meetings and show
involvement If you feel passionate and
you feel you can do it go for it Go at it
full forcerdquo said ASB President Christo-
pher 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 inter-
acting with students and gathering
votes Voting will be on May 16 and 17
ldquoEnjoy it Dress respectfully respect
yourself and respect the office you work
inrdquo said ASB Vice President and Parlia-
mentarian Jeremiah Brosowske
Those who may be interested in running
for a position or joining ASB should
visit the ASB office in the Student Ac-
tivities Center and fill out the applica-
tion which will be reviewed by the ASB
council Students interested in voting
must be currently enrolled at VVC and
have a current Student ID For any addi-
tional information contact the ASB of-
fice at (760) 245-4271 (ext 2278)
Clubs from page 6
encourages students to join campus
clubs to enhance their overall experi-
ence
ldquoIf you come to VVC and yoursquore in-
volved you have a better experiencerdquo
said Brosowske
In April following spring break a
Club Rush Day will be held This event
will allow students to meet active mem-
bers from each club and become in-
formed 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 applica-
tion 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 re-
garding VVC clubs please email
Evonne Tirado at missev-
onne1991gmailcom or call 760-245-
4271 extension 2331 or 2278
March 9 2012 Page 8 RamPage VVC
Drown in Celebration on St Patrickrsquos Day
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday it certainly has become a na-
tional observance for millions of Ameri-
cans and even in other countries such as
Canada Australia and Japan St
Patrickrsquos Day is not a federal holi-
day in the United States business-
es will still open and close at their
regular times and public transpor-
tation routes run on their regular
systems Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt onersquos daily routine
on St Patrickrsquos Day is a slight traf-
fic diversion due to a local parade
Why Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to repre-
sent the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
ldquoexcuserdquo In no way am I criticiz-
ing 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 cus-
tomary to attend a morning church ser-
vice And up until the 1970rsquos it was a
national law that pubs be closed in ob-
servance
But here in the US this ldquounofficial
holidayrdquo has different somewhat
tweaked traditions St Patrickrsquos Day
here in the states originated with Irish-
American immigrants who began to or-
ganize 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 centu-
ries which brings us back to the
ldquoexcuserdquo mentioned earlier If you have-
nrsquot caught on yet I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are lsquobig on the
boozersquo
As a result St Patrickrsquos Day celebra-
tions are associated with the consump-
tion of massive amounts of alcohol but
this may not be just another western-
designed tradition Not to say stereo-
types are correct but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called ldquodrowning the
shamrockrdquo In an honoring toast it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the en-
tire glass Itrsquos easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who cele-
brated in tavern with endless drink-
ing of toasts
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St Patrickrsquos
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 peo-
ple of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover
More than 365 million US citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself But on March 17 everyone is
Irish Itrsquos another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate ldquoIrishnessrdquo
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can drink the greenest beer at the rowdi-
est pub and donrsquot forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green
mdashFacts and info obtained from
historycom and randomhistorycom
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month
International Fanny Pack Day ndashMar 10
Check Your Batteries Day ndashMar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day ndashMar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day ndashMar 13
Donald Duck Day ndashMar 13
National Pi Day (314) ndashMar 14
Ides of MarchBrutus Day ndashMar 15
Lips Appreciation Day ndashMar 16
Sports Car Racing Day ndashMar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day ndashMar 19
Wonrsquot You Be My
Neighbor Day ndashMar 20
Kick Butts Day ndashMar 21
As Young As You Feel Day ndashMar 22
National Days of
Unplugging ndashMar 23-24
Waffle Day ndashMar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day ndashMar 26
National ldquoJoerdquo Day ndashMar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day ndashMar 30
National ldquoShersquos Funny
That Wayrdquo Day ndashMar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national ob-
servances Info obtained from holi-
dayinsightscom and brownielockscom
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
News March 9 2012 Page 2 RamPage VVC
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 lsquowhat is their reason for the
suspensionrsquo
ldquoWe are trying to make a better inter-
nal process for students to get financial
aidrdquo Arthur Lopez Interim Director of
financial aid said
The reason for the temporarily suspen-
sion is that VVCrsquoS 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 2649
percent In 2009 it jumped to 316 per-
cent According to Lopez this is not be-
cause of students that go to VVC now
but because of the students that attended
the college in the past Most of the stu-
dents are not paying back their loans
because of the economic collapse so itrsquos
hard for the college to get back the mon-
ey that the students owe
VVC offers Pell grants which is a total
of $5500 and a call grant B which is a
total of $1551 All of this is given by
the government that you do not have to
pay back
ldquoVVC is very liberal on giving out
loansrdquo Lopez said ldquoVVC students that
are taking out this loan are not really
getting educated on what their really
getting intordquo
If students will take advantage of the
free money that VVC offers they will
not have to take out a direct loan so ear-
ly in their academic year Then VVC
will not have to suspend the program to
drop the percentage of the default rate
Lopez stated ldquoIntentions are to bring
back once established a good default
raterdquo
The Default Prevention plan educates
students on different ways to get finan-
cial aid According to Lopez it is un-
known 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 De-
fault prevention plan
ldquoNot that I wanted to do it but it is the
best thing to do for the institutionrdquo said
Lopez
New Wave of Vandalism Hits VVC Story by Keith Diamond
Reporter
Twelve reports of vandalism have
been reported since January 2012 This
is a 200 percent increase compared to
this same time last year Going back to
2010 this is a 300 percent increase Victor Valley College Campus Police
Chief Leonard Knight declined to com-
ment about the surge of about campus
vandalism College maintenance staff
which requested to remain anonymous
said that the majority of the vandalism is
graffiti
According to VVC campus
police typically a VVC staff
member discovers the graffiti
and reports it to the campus
police Police then photograph
the graffiti take a report and
alert maintenance
ldquoIf it were up to me graffiti
would be cleaned off immedi-
ately so that some-
one doesnrsquot see it
and add to itrdquo VVC
Campus Police Of-
ficer DH Jones
said
According to Jones if graffi-
ti is not removed in a timely
manner the problem will grow
at an alarming rate Walls
tagged by a certain gang left
there too long will be topped
by another gang
Vandalism of any form cost
money to fix clean and inves-
tigate these are all added cost
to the college If a window is broken it
cost money to repair If a wall has graffi-
ti on it it cost labor and chemicals to
remove it The cost will eventually be
passed on to you the student in an in-
crease in tuition
If you see or know anything about the
resent graffiti on the campus please con-
tact campus police at 760-245-4271 ext
2555 Tagging on bathroom stall Photo courtesy of Keith Diamond
Graffiti vandalism is beginning to affect VVC campus Photo by Keith Diamond
Last semester Victor Valley College
made debit cards available to students in
EOPS which led to this semesters stu-
dents being able to receive the much
sought after debit card for financial aid
ldquoI 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 midnightrdquo 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 be-
cause of the $20 fee to replace the issued
card if you lose it
ldquoThe debit card system is a quicker
way for students to receive their Pell
Grants for an idea to become a reality is
an awesome experiencerdquo said Judy
Schmoll former ASB President ldquoJust
last year the ASB council had the idea
Story by Chloe Brooks
Reporter
March 9 2012 Page 3 RamPage VVC
Debit Cards Give Quick Access to Financial Aid
to put funds onto a card so that students
didnrsquot have to wait extended amounts of
time to receive their school fundingrdquo
Former ASB Senator Student Services
Senator Eddie Stacy laid the ground
work and met with the appropriate com-
mittees 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 sav-
ing 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
ldquoI hate the card give me a darn
checkrdquo said ASB Social Science Sena-
tor Christina Kulasxa
ldquoIt is simple and easy to userdquo says
student Dylan Breaw
Like most cards ndash debit or credit ndash it
has a cash withdraw limit of $200
ldquoI donrsquot like the limit that you can take
outrdquo student Drake Parrish says
For any more information contact the
Financial Aid Office at (760) 245-4271
ext 2571
Student Joseph Gay pays with his VVC debit card in the book store Photo by Chloe Brooks
VVC Scholarship is still
available Apply Now Dead-
line 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 ad-
vance of trip in transfer cen-
ter The first school will be
UCLA Friday March 16 700
am to 500 pm
Few days left for the ldquoPirates
of the Penzancerdquo play The
last days are March 10th at
730 pm and the 11th at 230
pm
New in Brief Deadlines for writing contest
submissions is March 16
Contact Tim Adell for more
information
HACU Federal Internship Op-
portunities March 13 at 11-12
in Bldg 21 Room 171
Writing your ResumeCover
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
Scan with your
smart phone to go to
our website
Your feedback is always
appreciated
vvcrampagegmailcom
Features RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 4
MUN Instructs Students Beyond the Classroom Story by Micah Raimo
New Editor
Through hard work and diligence the
Model United Nations program prepares
the students of Victor Valley College for
both a financially and academ-
ically secure future
On Friday Feb 24 the MUN
program hosted a financial
symposium that explained the
basics of the financial market
showing that anyone could
own their own home with the
right strategy SAC rooms A
through D were full with stu-
dents shoulder to shoulder
Each writing notes on tips and
lessons that could help them
get a leg up to financial suc-
cess
Rory Shannon General
Manager of Wells Fargo
Home Mortgage Division
spoke for two and a half hours
on both the financial crisis and
strategies to become a success-
ful home owner Shannon
taught what many attendees
have stated was a much need-
ed course
ldquoMUN highlights what
VVC does right as one of the
few interdisciplinary pro-
grams This spring semester
there are over 40 students in
the programrdquo Bozonelos said
The MUN program is a
competition where students
simulate how they would react
in the real United Nations fo-
rum But their political success
extends beyond the classroom
Professor Kevin Grisham started the
program in 2002 but Bozonelos has
been guiding the team to victory since
2003
With the help of English Professor
Tim Adell who encourages professional
writing skills and the Honors Program
and Communications Studies Professor
Jennifer Fowlie who provides a home
base for the students Professor Bo-
zonelos has created a network of support
above the student academic level
ldquoDino not only trains students in for-
eign affairs but also helps you find your
nicherdquo VVC student representative for
Afghanistan for the University of River-
side Conference student Kaitlin Woods
The Model United Nations prepares
for the University of California River-
side and New York Conferences with
stiff competition ahead of them and
Political Science Professor Dino Bo-
zonelos isnrsquot about to give away the title
without a fight By writing Proposition
Papers (which explains the country and
the teams approach to that country) and
disciplined research in that country the
Victor Valley College MUN team has
won consistently
ldquoThe dedication in Model United Na-
tions helped me understand the amount
of dedication and personal responsibility
I had to put in UC Berkeley in my un-
dergraduate careerrdquo said Joy Hmura
VVC MUN alumni and student of Uni-
versity of California Berkeley
The March 1 training session was lead
by MUN veteran Christopher Shoup and
Professor Dino Bozonelos MUN prac-
ticed for both competitions in the class
center of the Communication
Center
As instructed by Professor
Bozonelos the students start-
ed their training by being
subjected to impromptu
speeches chosen at random
The students are given 30
seconds of prep time The
speeches themselves lasted
one minute and thirty se-
conds This process is to get
them accustomed to quick
thinking no matter the situa-
tion
ldquo[MUN] has helped me come
out of my shell I tend to be
more passive but when yoursquore
fighting for a country you
tend to be more passionaterdquo
said Woods
Under Bozonelos both MUN
vets and students focus on
diplomatic strategy in not
only reaction but also profes-
sional image MUN studies
their own tactics but also
studies their rivals as well
Tactics include studying
background guides and doing
independent research for
more of a complete under-
standing of their chosen
country
ldquoA lot of reading writing and
everything I had to do in
MUN is similar to what I do
at the university Meeting people at the
conferences and being in the shoes of
different countries taught me a lot about
diversity when we were in MUN and
they mentally prepare for going from
one environment to the otherrdquo said
Hmura
ldquoMUN does two things first it devel-
ops the skills necessary to become suc-
cessful as a professional Second you
are given an international educationrdquo
said Bozonelos
Professor Dino Bozonelos (right) hosts financial seminar with Rory Shannon (left) as guest speaker Photo by Micah Raimo
RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 5
The Disabled Students Program
and Services the Extended Oppor-
tunity Program and Services and
the Cooperative Agencies Re-
sources for Education are programs
available to assist either underprivi-
leged or disabled students at Victor
Valley College
DSPS provides accommoda-
tions for students with disabilities
to help keep pace with other college
students The goal of the DSPS
office is to make every student with
a disability feel the same as every-
one else
ldquoThe DSPS office promotes equal
access for students with disabilities in
the college settingrdquo Jackie Trost the
counselor for DSPS said
ldquoAccessibility is accomplished through
support services and academic accom-
modations based on the individualrsquos
educational functional limitations of
their documented disabilityrdquo
To apply for the program you need to
be enrolled in at least one unit as well as
provide a written report from a licensed
professional who would understand your
disability Disabilities include those who
are deaf or are hard of hearing those
who have learning or physical disabili-
ties or those with a psychological or a
visual disability
EOPS is a program extended to ei-
ther the financially or educationally
challenged students The main goal of
the program is to help these students
obtain their vocational certificate an
Associate of Arts degree an Associate
of Science degree or to transfer to a four
year university
To be eligible for EOPS you need to
have applied for financial aid and be
enrolled in more than twelve units for
the semester
ldquoEOPS is at full capacity for the
spring semesterrdquo Teresa Campbell an
assistant in EOPS said ldquoAlthough
qualifying students can apply next fallrdquo
CARE is a program designed to
assist single parents To be enrolled in
CARE you must be in EOPS and be
enrolled in twelve units or more You
must be considered single and head of
the household a recipient of Aid to
Families with Dependent Children
Temporary Assistance for Needy Fami-
lies or CalWORKs and have at least one
child under 14
One major advantage all three of these
clubs provide is priority registration
Registration block one is entirely devot-
ed to members of DSPS EOPS
and CARE For further inquiries all
three offices are within Student Services
2 Building 50
Story by Todd Hadler
Reporter
Campus Programs Work to Aid Students
The Science Technology Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) division at
Victor Valley College affects the educa-
tional 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 Depart-
ment is headed by Claude Oliver and
boasts state-of-the-art labs for the fol-
lowing programs Computer Integrated
Design and Graphics Media Arts Elec-
tronicsComputer Technology and Com-
puter Information Systems In these labs
students learn everything from computer
aided drafting to architecture The Com-
puter Technologies Department trains
students for careers in video game de-
sign engineering advertising and more
ldquoWe teach skills that directly relate to
jobs right out of schoolrdquo said Oliver
The STEM division is always working
to improve its classrooms and labs The
Computer Technologies Department
recently introduced about 30 new com-
puters into its iMac lab The lab is used
to teach students operating systems
word processing data bases and pro-
gramming
Claude Oliver spoke about an exciting
new program STEM is offering this se-
mester Students can now
earn a certificate in Geo-
graphic Information Sys-
tems for Emergency Re-
sponse and Management
(GIS) Students can be-
come certified after taking
13 units of required clas-
ses With a GIS certificate
students can pursue careers
in fields such as the Fire
Department FEMA and
Homeland Security
Mathematics is the big-
gest 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
ldquoWe want to create an environment of
people getting together to help each oth-
er with mathematicsrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquoSTEM does not only offer four year
graduate trainingrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquosome courses offer two year degrees
and give training for good paying jobsrdquo
Story by Kevin Hunzeker
Reporter
Architecture students model design Photo by Kevin Hunzeker
Entrance to DSPS office Photo by Todd Hadler
STEM Prepares
Students for Future
The four-hour
lab provides
students with
plenty of hands
on learning
ldquoIf you donrsquot
like getting
your hands
dirty and you
donrsquot like hard
work this isnrsquot
the class for
yourdquo student
Joseph Guth-
wilson said
As many of
the students
want to go di-
rectly into the
automotive
field this class
provides them with the information and
skill to do just that
March 9 2012 Page 6 RamPage VVC
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 Collegersquos automotive clas-
ses is to train studentsrsquo hands on so they
are prepared for a job right out of the
classroom
ldquoWersquore like a dealershiprdquo Sweet says
ldquoWe take customers mostly from the
school and have the students work hands
on with the carsrdquo
As the shop fills with various vehicles
Sweetrsquos focus turns to his students Peo-
ple 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 re-
sponsible to diagnose and cure One
group is working on a VVC Police cruis-
er
ldquoWersquove been taking parts from all four
[police cruisers] to make one work for
VVCrdquo 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
ldquoRight now wersquore chasing the volt-
agerdquo 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 vehi-
cles and converse with the service writ-
ers to keep their paperwork correct
Students must report to the area called
the ldquoTool Cribrdquo to check out any tools
needed for their assignment David
Steinback oversees the ldquoTool Cribrdquo and
is also responsible for the overall safety
procedures of the shop
Working with tools isnrsquot these students
only job They are responsible for the
cleanup of the shop as well
ldquoA clean shop is the pride of a dealer-
shiprdquo Sweet says ldquoThere 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 custom-
er the respect you have for them and
your jobrdquo
Jaime Grado left and Joseph Guthwilson right work on VVCrsquos Police cruiser Photo by Ashlee Dubach
Campus Clubs Improve Overall College Experience
Story by Tiandra Bullock
Editor
Victor Valley College campus clubs
are up and running for the spring semes-
ter
As informed by the Associ-
ated Student Body Inter
Club Council Senator
Evonne Tirado events for
VVC clubs are approach-
ing quickly VVC clubs are
hosting a Club Community
Clean-up Day which is
being held on March 11
from 930 am to 1230
pm nearby the VVC cam-
pus where members of all
clubs and the students of
VVC are encouraged to
come out and help clean up
a part of the community
Some of the chartered
clubs at VVC are as listed
Activist Anonymous Physics Club Phi
Theta Kappa Black Student Union Per-
forming Arts Club Native American
Student Association Modeled United
Nations Campus Crusade for Christ
The Veterans Club and Ready Rams
ASB Vice President Jeremiah
Brosowske highlights successful events
different clubs have hosted including the
Performing Arts Club and how they
have made good profit at the conces-
sions of events held inside of the Per-
forming Arts Center while also making
it a fun learning experience for its mem-
bers Brosowske also gives his apprecia-
tion for the speech given at the event
hosted by the Black Student Union Club
in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day
Brosowske also provides enthusiastic
words for the upcoming semester and
Continued in Clubs on page 7
VVC clubs enrich campus life while giving students unique outlets Photo by Tiandra Bullock
March 9 2012 Page 7 RamPage VVC
VVC ASB Hopefuls Prep for Upcoming Elections
Story by Daniel Compean
Reporter
The Associated Student Body of Vic-
tor 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 re-
sponsible for the voice of the students
ASB lobbies on behalf of the students
and represents the VVC campus As the
ASB constitution states ldquoadvance the
interest of higher education to unify and
direct student activities and to coordi-
nate a more perfect line of communica-
tion with students faculty administra-
tion and the High Desert Communityrdquo
To participate in the election you must
be a student at VVC become a card car-
rying 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
ldquoIt doesnrsquot depend on how many peo-
ple you know it depends on how much
courage you have to talk to those you
donrsquot knowrdquo 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 elec-
tions 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 candi-
date running for a position must main-
tain at least 6 units and have above a 20
GPA
ldquoStart coming to meetings and show
involvement If you feel passionate and
you feel you can do it go for it Go at it
full forcerdquo said ASB President Christo-
pher 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 inter-
acting with students and gathering
votes Voting will be on May 16 and 17
ldquoEnjoy it Dress respectfully respect
yourself and respect the office you work
inrdquo said ASB Vice President and Parlia-
mentarian Jeremiah Brosowske
Those who may be interested in running
for a position or joining ASB should
visit the ASB office in the Student Ac-
tivities Center and fill out the applica-
tion which will be reviewed by the ASB
council Students interested in voting
must be currently enrolled at VVC and
have a current Student ID For any addi-
tional information contact the ASB of-
fice at (760) 245-4271 (ext 2278)
Clubs from page 6
encourages students to join campus
clubs to enhance their overall experi-
ence
ldquoIf you come to VVC and yoursquore in-
volved you have a better experiencerdquo
said Brosowske
In April following spring break a
Club Rush Day will be held This event
will allow students to meet active mem-
bers from each club and become in-
formed 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 applica-
tion 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 re-
garding VVC clubs please email
Evonne Tirado at missev-
onne1991gmailcom or call 760-245-
4271 extension 2331 or 2278
March 9 2012 Page 8 RamPage VVC
Drown in Celebration on St Patrickrsquos Day
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday it certainly has become a na-
tional observance for millions of Ameri-
cans and even in other countries such as
Canada Australia and Japan St
Patrickrsquos Day is not a federal holi-
day in the United States business-
es will still open and close at their
regular times and public transpor-
tation routes run on their regular
systems Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt onersquos daily routine
on St Patrickrsquos Day is a slight traf-
fic diversion due to a local parade
Why Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to repre-
sent the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
ldquoexcuserdquo In no way am I criticiz-
ing 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 cus-
tomary to attend a morning church ser-
vice And up until the 1970rsquos it was a
national law that pubs be closed in ob-
servance
But here in the US this ldquounofficial
holidayrdquo has different somewhat
tweaked traditions St Patrickrsquos Day
here in the states originated with Irish-
American immigrants who began to or-
ganize 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 centu-
ries which brings us back to the
ldquoexcuserdquo mentioned earlier If you have-
nrsquot caught on yet I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are lsquobig on the
boozersquo
As a result St Patrickrsquos Day celebra-
tions are associated with the consump-
tion of massive amounts of alcohol but
this may not be just another western-
designed tradition Not to say stereo-
types are correct but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called ldquodrowning the
shamrockrdquo In an honoring toast it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the en-
tire glass Itrsquos easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who cele-
brated in tavern with endless drink-
ing of toasts
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St Patrickrsquos
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 peo-
ple of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover
More than 365 million US citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself But on March 17 everyone is
Irish Itrsquos another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate ldquoIrishnessrdquo
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can drink the greenest beer at the rowdi-
est pub and donrsquot forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green
mdashFacts and info obtained from
historycom and randomhistorycom
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month
International Fanny Pack Day ndashMar 10
Check Your Batteries Day ndashMar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day ndashMar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day ndashMar 13
Donald Duck Day ndashMar 13
National Pi Day (314) ndashMar 14
Ides of MarchBrutus Day ndashMar 15
Lips Appreciation Day ndashMar 16
Sports Car Racing Day ndashMar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day ndashMar 19
Wonrsquot You Be My
Neighbor Day ndashMar 20
Kick Butts Day ndashMar 21
As Young As You Feel Day ndashMar 22
National Days of
Unplugging ndashMar 23-24
Waffle Day ndashMar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day ndashMar 26
National ldquoJoerdquo Day ndashMar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day ndashMar 30
National ldquoShersquos Funny
That Wayrdquo Day ndashMar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national ob-
servances Info obtained from holi-
dayinsightscom and brownielockscom
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
Last semester Victor Valley College
made debit cards available to students in
EOPS which led to this semesters stu-
dents being able to receive the much
sought after debit card for financial aid
ldquoI 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 midnightrdquo 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 be-
cause of the $20 fee to replace the issued
card if you lose it
ldquoThe debit card system is a quicker
way for students to receive their Pell
Grants for an idea to become a reality is
an awesome experiencerdquo said Judy
Schmoll former ASB President ldquoJust
last year the ASB council had the idea
Story by Chloe Brooks
Reporter
March 9 2012 Page 3 RamPage VVC
Debit Cards Give Quick Access to Financial Aid
to put funds onto a card so that students
didnrsquot have to wait extended amounts of
time to receive their school fundingrdquo
Former ASB Senator Student Services
Senator Eddie Stacy laid the ground
work and met with the appropriate com-
mittees 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 sav-
ing 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
ldquoI hate the card give me a darn
checkrdquo said ASB Social Science Sena-
tor Christina Kulasxa
ldquoIt is simple and easy to userdquo says
student Dylan Breaw
Like most cards ndash debit or credit ndash it
has a cash withdraw limit of $200
ldquoI donrsquot like the limit that you can take
outrdquo student Drake Parrish says
For any more information contact the
Financial Aid Office at (760) 245-4271
ext 2571
Student Joseph Gay pays with his VVC debit card in the book store Photo by Chloe Brooks
VVC Scholarship is still
available Apply Now Dead-
line 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 ad-
vance of trip in transfer cen-
ter The first school will be
UCLA Friday March 16 700
am to 500 pm
Few days left for the ldquoPirates
of the Penzancerdquo play The
last days are March 10th at
730 pm and the 11th at 230
pm
New in Brief Deadlines for writing contest
submissions is March 16
Contact Tim Adell for more
information
HACU Federal Internship Op-
portunities March 13 at 11-12
in Bldg 21 Room 171
Writing your ResumeCover
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
Scan with your
smart phone to go to
our website
Your feedback is always
appreciated
vvcrampagegmailcom
Features RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 4
MUN Instructs Students Beyond the Classroom Story by Micah Raimo
New Editor
Through hard work and diligence the
Model United Nations program prepares
the students of Victor Valley College for
both a financially and academ-
ically secure future
On Friday Feb 24 the MUN
program hosted a financial
symposium that explained the
basics of the financial market
showing that anyone could
own their own home with the
right strategy SAC rooms A
through D were full with stu-
dents shoulder to shoulder
Each writing notes on tips and
lessons that could help them
get a leg up to financial suc-
cess
Rory Shannon General
Manager of Wells Fargo
Home Mortgage Division
spoke for two and a half hours
on both the financial crisis and
strategies to become a success-
ful home owner Shannon
taught what many attendees
have stated was a much need-
ed course
ldquoMUN highlights what
VVC does right as one of the
few interdisciplinary pro-
grams This spring semester
there are over 40 students in
the programrdquo Bozonelos said
The MUN program is a
competition where students
simulate how they would react
in the real United Nations fo-
rum But their political success
extends beyond the classroom
Professor Kevin Grisham started the
program in 2002 but Bozonelos has
been guiding the team to victory since
2003
With the help of English Professor
Tim Adell who encourages professional
writing skills and the Honors Program
and Communications Studies Professor
Jennifer Fowlie who provides a home
base for the students Professor Bo-
zonelos has created a network of support
above the student academic level
ldquoDino not only trains students in for-
eign affairs but also helps you find your
nicherdquo VVC student representative for
Afghanistan for the University of River-
side Conference student Kaitlin Woods
The Model United Nations prepares
for the University of California River-
side and New York Conferences with
stiff competition ahead of them and
Political Science Professor Dino Bo-
zonelos isnrsquot about to give away the title
without a fight By writing Proposition
Papers (which explains the country and
the teams approach to that country) and
disciplined research in that country the
Victor Valley College MUN team has
won consistently
ldquoThe dedication in Model United Na-
tions helped me understand the amount
of dedication and personal responsibility
I had to put in UC Berkeley in my un-
dergraduate careerrdquo said Joy Hmura
VVC MUN alumni and student of Uni-
versity of California Berkeley
The March 1 training session was lead
by MUN veteran Christopher Shoup and
Professor Dino Bozonelos MUN prac-
ticed for both competitions in the class
center of the Communication
Center
As instructed by Professor
Bozonelos the students start-
ed their training by being
subjected to impromptu
speeches chosen at random
The students are given 30
seconds of prep time The
speeches themselves lasted
one minute and thirty se-
conds This process is to get
them accustomed to quick
thinking no matter the situa-
tion
ldquo[MUN] has helped me come
out of my shell I tend to be
more passive but when yoursquore
fighting for a country you
tend to be more passionaterdquo
said Woods
Under Bozonelos both MUN
vets and students focus on
diplomatic strategy in not
only reaction but also profes-
sional image MUN studies
their own tactics but also
studies their rivals as well
Tactics include studying
background guides and doing
independent research for
more of a complete under-
standing of their chosen
country
ldquoA lot of reading writing and
everything I had to do in
MUN is similar to what I do
at the university Meeting people at the
conferences and being in the shoes of
different countries taught me a lot about
diversity when we were in MUN and
they mentally prepare for going from
one environment to the otherrdquo said
Hmura
ldquoMUN does two things first it devel-
ops the skills necessary to become suc-
cessful as a professional Second you
are given an international educationrdquo
said Bozonelos
Professor Dino Bozonelos (right) hosts financial seminar with Rory Shannon (left) as guest speaker Photo by Micah Raimo
RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 5
The Disabled Students Program
and Services the Extended Oppor-
tunity Program and Services and
the Cooperative Agencies Re-
sources for Education are programs
available to assist either underprivi-
leged or disabled students at Victor
Valley College
DSPS provides accommoda-
tions for students with disabilities
to help keep pace with other college
students The goal of the DSPS
office is to make every student with
a disability feel the same as every-
one else
ldquoThe DSPS office promotes equal
access for students with disabilities in
the college settingrdquo Jackie Trost the
counselor for DSPS said
ldquoAccessibility is accomplished through
support services and academic accom-
modations based on the individualrsquos
educational functional limitations of
their documented disabilityrdquo
To apply for the program you need to
be enrolled in at least one unit as well as
provide a written report from a licensed
professional who would understand your
disability Disabilities include those who
are deaf or are hard of hearing those
who have learning or physical disabili-
ties or those with a psychological or a
visual disability
EOPS is a program extended to ei-
ther the financially or educationally
challenged students The main goal of
the program is to help these students
obtain their vocational certificate an
Associate of Arts degree an Associate
of Science degree or to transfer to a four
year university
To be eligible for EOPS you need to
have applied for financial aid and be
enrolled in more than twelve units for
the semester
ldquoEOPS is at full capacity for the
spring semesterrdquo Teresa Campbell an
assistant in EOPS said ldquoAlthough
qualifying students can apply next fallrdquo
CARE is a program designed to
assist single parents To be enrolled in
CARE you must be in EOPS and be
enrolled in twelve units or more You
must be considered single and head of
the household a recipient of Aid to
Families with Dependent Children
Temporary Assistance for Needy Fami-
lies or CalWORKs and have at least one
child under 14
One major advantage all three of these
clubs provide is priority registration
Registration block one is entirely devot-
ed to members of DSPS EOPS
and CARE For further inquiries all
three offices are within Student Services
2 Building 50
Story by Todd Hadler
Reporter
Campus Programs Work to Aid Students
The Science Technology Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) division at
Victor Valley College affects the educa-
tional 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 Depart-
ment is headed by Claude Oliver and
boasts state-of-the-art labs for the fol-
lowing programs Computer Integrated
Design and Graphics Media Arts Elec-
tronicsComputer Technology and Com-
puter Information Systems In these labs
students learn everything from computer
aided drafting to architecture The Com-
puter Technologies Department trains
students for careers in video game de-
sign engineering advertising and more
ldquoWe teach skills that directly relate to
jobs right out of schoolrdquo said Oliver
The STEM division is always working
to improve its classrooms and labs The
Computer Technologies Department
recently introduced about 30 new com-
puters into its iMac lab The lab is used
to teach students operating systems
word processing data bases and pro-
gramming
Claude Oliver spoke about an exciting
new program STEM is offering this se-
mester Students can now
earn a certificate in Geo-
graphic Information Sys-
tems for Emergency Re-
sponse and Management
(GIS) Students can be-
come certified after taking
13 units of required clas-
ses With a GIS certificate
students can pursue careers
in fields such as the Fire
Department FEMA and
Homeland Security
Mathematics is the big-
gest 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
ldquoWe want to create an environment of
people getting together to help each oth-
er with mathematicsrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquoSTEM does not only offer four year
graduate trainingrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquosome courses offer two year degrees
and give training for good paying jobsrdquo
Story by Kevin Hunzeker
Reporter
Architecture students model design Photo by Kevin Hunzeker
Entrance to DSPS office Photo by Todd Hadler
STEM Prepares
Students for Future
The four-hour
lab provides
students with
plenty of hands
on learning
ldquoIf you donrsquot
like getting
your hands
dirty and you
donrsquot like hard
work this isnrsquot
the class for
yourdquo student
Joseph Guth-
wilson said
As many of
the students
want to go di-
rectly into the
automotive
field this class
provides them with the information and
skill to do just that
March 9 2012 Page 6 RamPage VVC
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 Collegersquos automotive clas-
ses is to train studentsrsquo hands on so they
are prepared for a job right out of the
classroom
ldquoWersquore like a dealershiprdquo Sweet says
ldquoWe take customers mostly from the
school and have the students work hands
on with the carsrdquo
As the shop fills with various vehicles
Sweetrsquos focus turns to his students Peo-
ple 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 re-
sponsible to diagnose and cure One
group is working on a VVC Police cruis-
er
ldquoWersquove been taking parts from all four
[police cruisers] to make one work for
VVCrdquo 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
ldquoRight now wersquore chasing the volt-
agerdquo 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 vehi-
cles and converse with the service writ-
ers to keep their paperwork correct
Students must report to the area called
the ldquoTool Cribrdquo to check out any tools
needed for their assignment David
Steinback oversees the ldquoTool Cribrdquo and
is also responsible for the overall safety
procedures of the shop
Working with tools isnrsquot these students
only job They are responsible for the
cleanup of the shop as well
ldquoA clean shop is the pride of a dealer-
shiprdquo Sweet says ldquoThere 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 custom-
er the respect you have for them and
your jobrdquo
Jaime Grado left and Joseph Guthwilson right work on VVCrsquos Police cruiser Photo by Ashlee Dubach
Campus Clubs Improve Overall College Experience
Story by Tiandra Bullock
Editor
Victor Valley College campus clubs
are up and running for the spring semes-
ter
As informed by the Associ-
ated Student Body Inter
Club Council Senator
Evonne Tirado events for
VVC clubs are approach-
ing quickly VVC clubs are
hosting a Club Community
Clean-up Day which is
being held on March 11
from 930 am to 1230
pm nearby the VVC cam-
pus where members of all
clubs and the students of
VVC are encouraged to
come out and help clean up
a part of the community
Some of the chartered
clubs at VVC are as listed
Activist Anonymous Physics Club Phi
Theta Kappa Black Student Union Per-
forming Arts Club Native American
Student Association Modeled United
Nations Campus Crusade for Christ
The Veterans Club and Ready Rams
ASB Vice President Jeremiah
Brosowske highlights successful events
different clubs have hosted including the
Performing Arts Club and how they
have made good profit at the conces-
sions of events held inside of the Per-
forming Arts Center while also making
it a fun learning experience for its mem-
bers Brosowske also gives his apprecia-
tion for the speech given at the event
hosted by the Black Student Union Club
in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day
Brosowske also provides enthusiastic
words for the upcoming semester and
Continued in Clubs on page 7
VVC clubs enrich campus life while giving students unique outlets Photo by Tiandra Bullock
March 9 2012 Page 7 RamPage VVC
VVC ASB Hopefuls Prep for Upcoming Elections
Story by Daniel Compean
Reporter
The Associated Student Body of Vic-
tor 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 re-
sponsible for the voice of the students
ASB lobbies on behalf of the students
and represents the VVC campus As the
ASB constitution states ldquoadvance the
interest of higher education to unify and
direct student activities and to coordi-
nate a more perfect line of communica-
tion with students faculty administra-
tion and the High Desert Communityrdquo
To participate in the election you must
be a student at VVC become a card car-
rying 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
ldquoIt doesnrsquot depend on how many peo-
ple you know it depends on how much
courage you have to talk to those you
donrsquot knowrdquo 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 elec-
tions 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 candi-
date running for a position must main-
tain at least 6 units and have above a 20
GPA
ldquoStart coming to meetings and show
involvement If you feel passionate and
you feel you can do it go for it Go at it
full forcerdquo said ASB President Christo-
pher 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 inter-
acting with students and gathering
votes Voting will be on May 16 and 17
ldquoEnjoy it Dress respectfully respect
yourself and respect the office you work
inrdquo said ASB Vice President and Parlia-
mentarian Jeremiah Brosowske
Those who may be interested in running
for a position or joining ASB should
visit the ASB office in the Student Ac-
tivities Center and fill out the applica-
tion which will be reviewed by the ASB
council Students interested in voting
must be currently enrolled at VVC and
have a current Student ID For any addi-
tional information contact the ASB of-
fice at (760) 245-4271 (ext 2278)
Clubs from page 6
encourages students to join campus
clubs to enhance their overall experi-
ence
ldquoIf you come to VVC and yoursquore in-
volved you have a better experiencerdquo
said Brosowske
In April following spring break a
Club Rush Day will be held This event
will allow students to meet active mem-
bers from each club and become in-
formed 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 applica-
tion 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 re-
garding VVC clubs please email
Evonne Tirado at missev-
onne1991gmailcom or call 760-245-
4271 extension 2331 or 2278
March 9 2012 Page 8 RamPage VVC
Drown in Celebration on St Patrickrsquos Day
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday it certainly has become a na-
tional observance for millions of Ameri-
cans and even in other countries such as
Canada Australia and Japan St
Patrickrsquos Day is not a federal holi-
day in the United States business-
es will still open and close at their
regular times and public transpor-
tation routes run on their regular
systems Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt onersquos daily routine
on St Patrickrsquos Day is a slight traf-
fic diversion due to a local parade
Why Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to repre-
sent the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
ldquoexcuserdquo In no way am I criticiz-
ing 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 cus-
tomary to attend a morning church ser-
vice And up until the 1970rsquos it was a
national law that pubs be closed in ob-
servance
But here in the US this ldquounofficial
holidayrdquo has different somewhat
tweaked traditions St Patrickrsquos Day
here in the states originated with Irish-
American immigrants who began to or-
ganize 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 centu-
ries which brings us back to the
ldquoexcuserdquo mentioned earlier If you have-
nrsquot caught on yet I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are lsquobig on the
boozersquo
As a result St Patrickrsquos Day celebra-
tions are associated with the consump-
tion of massive amounts of alcohol but
this may not be just another western-
designed tradition Not to say stereo-
types are correct but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called ldquodrowning the
shamrockrdquo In an honoring toast it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the en-
tire glass Itrsquos easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who cele-
brated in tavern with endless drink-
ing of toasts
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St Patrickrsquos
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 peo-
ple of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover
More than 365 million US citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself But on March 17 everyone is
Irish Itrsquos another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate ldquoIrishnessrdquo
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can drink the greenest beer at the rowdi-
est pub and donrsquot forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green
mdashFacts and info obtained from
historycom and randomhistorycom
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month
International Fanny Pack Day ndashMar 10
Check Your Batteries Day ndashMar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day ndashMar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day ndashMar 13
Donald Duck Day ndashMar 13
National Pi Day (314) ndashMar 14
Ides of MarchBrutus Day ndashMar 15
Lips Appreciation Day ndashMar 16
Sports Car Racing Day ndashMar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day ndashMar 19
Wonrsquot You Be My
Neighbor Day ndashMar 20
Kick Butts Day ndashMar 21
As Young As You Feel Day ndashMar 22
National Days of
Unplugging ndashMar 23-24
Waffle Day ndashMar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day ndashMar 26
National ldquoJoerdquo Day ndashMar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day ndashMar 30
National ldquoShersquos Funny
That Wayrdquo Day ndashMar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national ob-
servances Info obtained from holi-
dayinsightscom and brownielockscom
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
Features RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 4
MUN Instructs Students Beyond the Classroom Story by Micah Raimo
New Editor
Through hard work and diligence the
Model United Nations program prepares
the students of Victor Valley College for
both a financially and academ-
ically secure future
On Friday Feb 24 the MUN
program hosted a financial
symposium that explained the
basics of the financial market
showing that anyone could
own their own home with the
right strategy SAC rooms A
through D were full with stu-
dents shoulder to shoulder
Each writing notes on tips and
lessons that could help them
get a leg up to financial suc-
cess
Rory Shannon General
Manager of Wells Fargo
Home Mortgage Division
spoke for two and a half hours
on both the financial crisis and
strategies to become a success-
ful home owner Shannon
taught what many attendees
have stated was a much need-
ed course
ldquoMUN highlights what
VVC does right as one of the
few interdisciplinary pro-
grams This spring semester
there are over 40 students in
the programrdquo Bozonelos said
The MUN program is a
competition where students
simulate how they would react
in the real United Nations fo-
rum But their political success
extends beyond the classroom
Professor Kevin Grisham started the
program in 2002 but Bozonelos has
been guiding the team to victory since
2003
With the help of English Professor
Tim Adell who encourages professional
writing skills and the Honors Program
and Communications Studies Professor
Jennifer Fowlie who provides a home
base for the students Professor Bo-
zonelos has created a network of support
above the student academic level
ldquoDino not only trains students in for-
eign affairs but also helps you find your
nicherdquo VVC student representative for
Afghanistan for the University of River-
side Conference student Kaitlin Woods
The Model United Nations prepares
for the University of California River-
side and New York Conferences with
stiff competition ahead of them and
Political Science Professor Dino Bo-
zonelos isnrsquot about to give away the title
without a fight By writing Proposition
Papers (which explains the country and
the teams approach to that country) and
disciplined research in that country the
Victor Valley College MUN team has
won consistently
ldquoThe dedication in Model United Na-
tions helped me understand the amount
of dedication and personal responsibility
I had to put in UC Berkeley in my un-
dergraduate careerrdquo said Joy Hmura
VVC MUN alumni and student of Uni-
versity of California Berkeley
The March 1 training session was lead
by MUN veteran Christopher Shoup and
Professor Dino Bozonelos MUN prac-
ticed for both competitions in the class
center of the Communication
Center
As instructed by Professor
Bozonelos the students start-
ed their training by being
subjected to impromptu
speeches chosen at random
The students are given 30
seconds of prep time The
speeches themselves lasted
one minute and thirty se-
conds This process is to get
them accustomed to quick
thinking no matter the situa-
tion
ldquo[MUN] has helped me come
out of my shell I tend to be
more passive but when yoursquore
fighting for a country you
tend to be more passionaterdquo
said Woods
Under Bozonelos both MUN
vets and students focus on
diplomatic strategy in not
only reaction but also profes-
sional image MUN studies
their own tactics but also
studies their rivals as well
Tactics include studying
background guides and doing
independent research for
more of a complete under-
standing of their chosen
country
ldquoA lot of reading writing and
everything I had to do in
MUN is similar to what I do
at the university Meeting people at the
conferences and being in the shoes of
different countries taught me a lot about
diversity when we were in MUN and
they mentally prepare for going from
one environment to the otherrdquo said
Hmura
ldquoMUN does two things first it devel-
ops the skills necessary to become suc-
cessful as a professional Second you
are given an international educationrdquo
said Bozonelos
Professor Dino Bozonelos (right) hosts financial seminar with Rory Shannon (left) as guest speaker Photo by Micah Raimo
RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 5
The Disabled Students Program
and Services the Extended Oppor-
tunity Program and Services and
the Cooperative Agencies Re-
sources for Education are programs
available to assist either underprivi-
leged or disabled students at Victor
Valley College
DSPS provides accommoda-
tions for students with disabilities
to help keep pace with other college
students The goal of the DSPS
office is to make every student with
a disability feel the same as every-
one else
ldquoThe DSPS office promotes equal
access for students with disabilities in
the college settingrdquo Jackie Trost the
counselor for DSPS said
ldquoAccessibility is accomplished through
support services and academic accom-
modations based on the individualrsquos
educational functional limitations of
their documented disabilityrdquo
To apply for the program you need to
be enrolled in at least one unit as well as
provide a written report from a licensed
professional who would understand your
disability Disabilities include those who
are deaf or are hard of hearing those
who have learning or physical disabili-
ties or those with a psychological or a
visual disability
EOPS is a program extended to ei-
ther the financially or educationally
challenged students The main goal of
the program is to help these students
obtain their vocational certificate an
Associate of Arts degree an Associate
of Science degree or to transfer to a four
year university
To be eligible for EOPS you need to
have applied for financial aid and be
enrolled in more than twelve units for
the semester
ldquoEOPS is at full capacity for the
spring semesterrdquo Teresa Campbell an
assistant in EOPS said ldquoAlthough
qualifying students can apply next fallrdquo
CARE is a program designed to
assist single parents To be enrolled in
CARE you must be in EOPS and be
enrolled in twelve units or more You
must be considered single and head of
the household a recipient of Aid to
Families with Dependent Children
Temporary Assistance for Needy Fami-
lies or CalWORKs and have at least one
child under 14
One major advantage all three of these
clubs provide is priority registration
Registration block one is entirely devot-
ed to members of DSPS EOPS
and CARE For further inquiries all
three offices are within Student Services
2 Building 50
Story by Todd Hadler
Reporter
Campus Programs Work to Aid Students
The Science Technology Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) division at
Victor Valley College affects the educa-
tional 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 Depart-
ment is headed by Claude Oliver and
boasts state-of-the-art labs for the fol-
lowing programs Computer Integrated
Design and Graphics Media Arts Elec-
tronicsComputer Technology and Com-
puter Information Systems In these labs
students learn everything from computer
aided drafting to architecture The Com-
puter Technologies Department trains
students for careers in video game de-
sign engineering advertising and more
ldquoWe teach skills that directly relate to
jobs right out of schoolrdquo said Oliver
The STEM division is always working
to improve its classrooms and labs The
Computer Technologies Department
recently introduced about 30 new com-
puters into its iMac lab The lab is used
to teach students operating systems
word processing data bases and pro-
gramming
Claude Oliver spoke about an exciting
new program STEM is offering this se-
mester Students can now
earn a certificate in Geo-
graphic Information Sys-
tems for Emergency Re-
sponse and Management
(GIS) Students can be-
come certified after taking
13 units of required clas-
ses With a GIS certificate
students can pursue careers
in fields such as the Fire
Department FEMA and
Homeland Security
Mathematics is the big-
gest 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
ldquoWe want to create an environment of
people getting together to help each oth-
er with mathematicsrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquoSTEM does not only offer four year
graduate trainingrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquosome courses offer two year degrees
and give training for good paying jobsrdquo
Story by Kevin Hunzeker
Reporter
Architecture students model design Photo by Kevin Hunzeker
Entrance to DSPS office Photo by Todd Hadler
STEM Prepares
Students for Future
The four-hour
lab provides
students with
plenty of hands
on learning
ldquoIf you donrsquot
like getting
your hands
dirty and you
donrsquot like hard
work this isnrsquot
the class for
yourdquo student
Joseph Guth-
wilson said
As many of
the students
want to go di-
rectly into the
automotive
field this class
provides them with the information and
skill to do just that
March 9 2012 Page 6 RamPage VVC
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 Collegersquos automotive clas-
ses is to train studentsrsquo hands on so they
are prepared for a job right out of the
classroom
ldquoWersquore like a dealershiprdquo Sweet says
ldquoWe take customers mostly from the
school and have the students work hands
on with the carsrdquo
As the shop fills with various vehicles
Sweetrsquos focus turns to his students Peo-
ple 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 re-
sponsible to diagnose and cure One
group is working on a VVC Police cruis-
er
ldquoWersquove been taking parts from all four
[police cruisers] to make one work for
VVCrdquo 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
ldquoRight now wersquore chasing the volt-
agerdquo 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 vehi-
cles and converse with the service writ-
ers to keep their paperwork correct
Students must report to the area called
the ldquoTool Cribrdquo to check out any tools
needed for their assignment David
Steinback oversees the ldquoTool Cribrdquo and
is also responsible for the overall safety
procedures of the shop
Working with tools isnrsquot these students
only job They are responsible for the
cleanup of the shop as well
ldquoA clean shop is the pride of a dealer-
shiprdquo Sweet says ldquoThere 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 custom-
er the respect you have for them and
your jobrdquo
Jaime Grado left and Joseph Guthwilson right work on VVCrsquos Police cruiser Photo by Ashlee Dubach
Campus Clubs Improve Overall College Experience
Story by Tiandra Bullock
Editor
Victor Valley College campus clubs
are up and running for the spring semes-
ter
As informed by the Associ-
ated Student Body Inter
Club Council Senator
Evonne Tirado events for
VVC clubs are approach-
ing quickly VVC clubs are
hosting a Club Community
Clean-up Day which is
being held on March 11
from 930 am to 1230
pm nearby the VVC cam-
pus where members of all
clubs and the students of
VVC are encouraged to
come out and help clean up
a part of the community
Some of the chartered
clubs at VVC are as listed
Activist Anonymous Physics Club Phi
Theta Kappa Black Student Union Per-
forming Arts Club Native American
Student Association Modeled United
Nations Campus Crusade for Christ
The Veterans Club and Ready Rams
ASB Vice President Jeremiah
Brosowske highlights successful events
different clubs have hosted including the
Performing Arts Club and how they
have made good profit at the conces-
sions of events held inside of the Per-
forming Arts Center while also making
it a fun learning experience for its mem-
bers Brosowske also gives his apprecia-
tion for the speech given at the event
hosted by the Black Student Union Club
in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day
Brosowske also provides enthusiastic
words for the upcoming semester and
Continued in Clubs on page 7
VVC clubs enrich campus life while giving students unique outlets Photo by Tiandra Bullock
March 9 2012 Page 7 RamPage VVC
VVC ASB Hopefuls Prep for Upcoming Elections
Story by Daniel Compean
Reporter
The Associated Student Body of Vic-
tor 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 re-
sponsible for the voice of the students
ASB lobbies on behalf of the students
and represents the VVC campus As the
ASB constitution states ldquoadvance the
interest of higher education to unify and
direct student activities and to coordi-
nate a more perfect line of communica-
tion with students faculty administra-
tion and the High Desert Communityrdquo
To participate in the election you must
be a student at VVC become a card car-
rying 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
ldquoIt doesnrsquot depend on how many peo-
ple you know it depends on how much
courage you have to talk to those you
donrsquot knowrdquo 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 elec-
tions 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 candi-
date running for a position must main-
tain at least 6 units and have above a 20
GPA
ldquoStart coming to meetings and show
involvement If you feel passionate and
you feel you can do it go for it Go at it
full forcerdquo said ASB President Christo-
pher 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 inter-
acting with students and gathering
votes Voting will be on May 16 and 17
ldquoEnjoy it Dress respectfully respect
yourself and respect the office you work
inrdquo said ASB Vice President and Parlia-
mentarian Jeremiah Brosowske
Those who may be interested in running
for a position or joining ASB should
visit the ASB office in the Student Ac-
tivities Center and fill out the applica-
tion which will be reviewed by the ASB
council Students interested in voting
must be currently enrolled at VVC and
have a current Student ID For any addi-
tional information contact the ASB of-
fice at (760) 245-4271 (ext 2278)
Clubs from page 6
encourages students to join campus
clubs to enhance their overall experi-
ence
ldquoIf you come to VVC and yoursquore in-
volved you have a better experiencerdquo
said Brosowske
In April following spring break a
Club Rush Day will be held This event
will allow students to meet active mem-
bers from each club and become in-
formed 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 applica-
tion 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 re-
garding VVC clubs please email
Evonne Tirado at missev-
onne1991gmailcom or call 760-245-
4271 extension 2331 or 2278
March 9 2012 Page 8 RamPage VVC
Drown in Celebration on St Patrickrsquos Day
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday it certainly has become a na-
tional observance for millions of Ameri-
cans and even in other countries such as
Canada Australia and Japan St
Patrickrsquos Day is not a federal holi-
day in the United States business-
es will still open and close at their
regular times and public transpor-
tation routes run on their regular
systems Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt onersquos daily routine
on St Patrickrsquos Day is a slight traf-
fic diversion due to a local parade
Why Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to repre-
sent the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
ldquoexcuserdquo In no way am I criticiz-
ing 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 cus-
tomary to attend a morning church ser-
vice And up until the 1970rsquos it was a
national law that pubs be closed in ob-
servance
But here in the US this ldquounofficial
holidayrdquo has different somewhat
tweaked traditions St Patrickrsquos Day
here in the states originated with Irish-
American immigrants who began to or-
ganize 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 centu-
ries which brings us back to the
ldquoexcuserdquo mentioned earlier If you have-
nrsquot caught on yet I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are lsquobig on the
boozersquo
As a result St Patrickrsquos Day celebra-
tions are associated with the consump-
tion of massive amounts of alcohol but
this may not be just another western-
designed tradition Not to say stereo-
types are correct but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called ldquodrowning the
shamrockrdquo In an honoring toast it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the en-
tire glass Itrsquos easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who cele-
brated in tavern with endless drink-
ing of toasts
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St Patrickrsquos
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 peo-
ple of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover
More than 365 million US citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself But on March 17 everyone is
Irish Itrsquos another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate ldquoIrishnessrdquo
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can drink the greenest beer at the rowdi-
est pub and donrsquot forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green
mdashFacts and info obtained from
historycom and randomhistorycom
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month
International Fanny Pack Day ndashMar 10
Check Your Batteries Day ndashMar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day ndashMar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day ndashMar 13
Donald Duck Day ndashMar 13
National Pi Day (314) ndashMar 14
Ides of MarchBrutus Day ndashMar 15
Lips Appreciation Day ndashMar 16
Sports Car Racing Day ndashMar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day ndashMar 19
Wonrsquot You Be My
Neighbor Day ndashMar 20
Kick Butts Day ndashMar 21
As Young As You Feel Day ndashMar 22
National Days of
Unplugging ndashMar 23-24
Waffle Day ndashMar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day ndashMar 26
National ldquoJoerdquo Day ndashMar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day ndashMar 30
National ldquoShersquos Funny
That Wayrdquo Day ndashMar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national ob-
servances Info obtained from holi-
dayinsightscom and brownielockscom
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
RamPage VVC March 9 2012 Page 5
The Disabled Students Program
and Services the Extended Oppor-
tunity Program and Services and
the Cooperative Agencies Re-
sources for Education are programs
available to assist either underprivi-
leged or disabled students at Victor
Valley College
DSPS provides accommoda-
tions for students with disabilities
to help keep pace with other college
students The goal of the DSPS
office is to make every student with
a disability feel the same as every-
one else
ldquoThe DSPS office promotes equal
access for students with disabilities in
the college settingrdquo Jackie Trost the
counselor for DSPS said
ldquoAccessibility is accomplished through
support services and academic accom-
modations based on the individualrsquos
educational functional limitations of
their documented disabilityrdquo
To apply for the program you need to
be enrolled in at least one unit as well as
provide a written report from a licensed
professional who would understand your
disability Disabilities include those who
are deaf or are hard of hearing those
who have learning or physical disabili-
ties or those with a psychological or a
visual disability
EOPS is a program extended to ei-
ther the financially or educationally
challenged students The main goal of
the program is to help these students
obtain their vocational certificate an
Associate of Arts degree an Associate
of Science degree or to transfer to a four
year university
To be eligible for EOPS you need to
have applied for financial aid and be
enrolled in more than twelve units for
the semester
ldquoEOPS is at full capacity for the
spring semesterrdquo Teresa Campbell an
assistant in EOPS said ldquoAlthough
qualifying students can apply next fallrdquo
CARE is a program designed to
assist single parents To be enrolled in
CARE you must be in EOPS and be
enrolled in twelve units or more You
must be considered single and head of
the household a recipient of Aid to
Families with Dependent Children
Temporary Assistance for Needy Fami-
lies or CalWORKs and have at least one
child under 14
One major advantage all three of these
clubs provide is priority registration
Registration block one is entirely devot-
ed to members of DSPS EOPS
and CARE For further inquiries all
three offices are within Student Services
2 Building 50
Story by Todd Hadler
Reporter
Campus Programs Work to Aid Students
The Science Technology Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) division at
Victor Valley College affects the educa-
tional 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 Depart-
ment is headed by Claude Oliver and
boasts state-of-the-art labs for the fol-
lowing programs Computer Integrated
Design and Graphics Media Arts Elec-
tronicsComputer Technology and Com-
puter Information Systems In these labs
students learn everything from computer
aided drafting to architecture The Com-
puter Technologies Department trains
students for careers in video game de-
sign engineering advertising and more
ldquoWe teach skills that directly relate to
jobs right out of schoolrdquo said Oliver
The STEM division is always working
to improve its classrooms and labs The
Computer Technologies Department
recently introduced about 30 new com-
puters into its iMac lab The lab is used
to teach students operating systems
word processing data bases and pro-
gramming
Claude Oliver spoke about an exciting
new program STEM is offering this se-
mester Students can now
earn a certificate in Geo-
graphic Information Sys-
tems for Emergency Re-
sponse and Management
(GIS) Students can be-
come certified after taking
13 units of required clas-
ses With a GIS certificate
students can pursue careers
in fields such as the Fire
Department FEMA and
Homeland Security
Mathematics is the big-
gest 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
ldquoWe want to create an environment of
people getting together to help each oth-
er with mathematicsrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquoSTEM does not only offer four year
graduate trainingrdquo said Dr Regino
ldquosome courses offer two year degrees
and give training for good paying jobsrdquo
Story by Kevin Hunzeker
Reporter
Architecture students model design Photo by Kevin Hunzeker
Entrance to DSPS office Photo by Todd Hadler
STEM Prepares
Students for Future
The four-hour
lab provides
students with
plenty of hands
on learning
ldquoIf you donrsquot
like getting
your hands
dirty and you
donrsquot like hard
work this isnrsquot
the class for
yourdquo student
Joseph Guth-
wilson said
As many of
the students
want to go di-
rectly into the
automotive
field this class
provides them with the information and
skill to do just that
March 9 2012 Page 6 RamPage VVC
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 Collegersquos automotive clas-
ses is to train studentsrsquo hands on so they
are prepared for a job right out of the
classroom
ldquoWersquore like a dealershiprdquo Sweet says
ldquoWe take customers mostly from the
school and have the students work hands
on with the carsrdquo
As the shop fills with various vehicles
Sweetrsquos focus turns to his students Peo-
ple 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 re-
sponsible to diagnose and cure One
group is working on a VVC Police cruis-
er
ldquoWersquove been taking parts from all four
[police cruisers] to make one work for
VVCrdquo 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
ldquoRight now wersquore chasing the volt-
agerdquo 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 vehi-
cles and converse with the service writ-
ers to keep their paperwork correct
Students must report to the area called
the ldquoTool Cribrdquo to check out any tools
needed for their assignment David
Steinback oversees the ldquoTool Cribrdquo and
is also responsible for the overall safety
procedures of the shop
Working with tools isnrsquot these students
only job They are responsible for the
cleanup of the shop as well
ldquoA clean shop is the pride of a dealer-
shiprdquo Sweet says ldquoThere 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 custom-
er the respect you have for them and
your jobrdquo
Jaime Grado left and Joseph Guthwilson right work on VVCrsquos Police cruiser Photo by Ashlee Dubach
Campus Clubs Improve Overall College Experience
Story by Tiandra Bullock
Editor
Victor Valley College campus clubs
are up and running for the spring semes-
ter
As informed by the Associ-
ated Student Body Inter
Club Council Senator
Evonne Tirado events for
VVC clubs are approach-
ing quickly VVC clubs are
hosting a Club Community
Clean-up Day which is
being held on March 11
from 930 am to 1230
pm nearby the VVC cam-
pus where members of all
clubs and the students of
VVC are encouraged to
come out and help clean up
a part of the community
Some of the chartered
clubs at VVC are as listed
Activist Anonymous Physics Club Phi
Theta Kappa Black Student Union Per-
forming Arts Club Native American
Student Association Modeled United
Nations Campus Crusade for Christ
The Veterans Club and Ready Rams
ASB Vice President Jeremiah
Brosowske highlights successful events
different clubs have hosted including the
Performing Arts Club and how they
have made good profit at the conces-
sions of events held inside of the Per-
forming Arts Center while also making
it a fun learning experience for its mem-
bers Brosowske also gives his apprecia-
tion for the speech given at the event
hosted by the Black Student Union Club
in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day
Brosowske also provides enthusiastic
words for the upcoming semester and
Continued in Clubs on page 7
VVC clubs enrich campus life while giving students unique outlets Photo by Tiandra Bullock
March 9 2012 Page 7 RamPage VVC
VVC ASB Hopefuls Prep for Upcoming Elections
Story by Daniel Compean
Reporter
The Associated Student Body of Vic-
tor 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 re-
sponsible for the voice of the students
ASB lobbies on behalf of the students
and represents the VVC campus As the
ASB constitution states ldquoadvance the
interest of higher education to unify and
direct student activities and to coordi-
nate a more perfect line of communica-
tion with students faculty administra-
tion and the High Desert Communityrdquo
To participate in the election you must
be a student at VVC become a card car-
rying 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
ldquoIt doesnrsquot depend on how many peo-
ple you know it depends on how much
courage you have to talk to those you
donrsquot knowrdquo 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 elec-
tions 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 candi-
date running for a position must main-
tain at least 6 units and have above a 20
GPA
ldquoStart coming to meetings and show
involvement If you feel passionate and
you feel you can do it go for it Go at it
full forcerdquo said ASB President Christo-
pher 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 inter-
acting with students and gathering
votes Voting will be on May 16 and 17
ldquoEnjoy it Dress respectfully respect
yourself and respect the office you work
inrdquo said ASB Vice President and Parlia-
mentarian Jeremiah Brosowske
Those who may be interested in running
for a position or joining ASB should
visit the ASB office in the Student Ac-
tivities Center and fill out the applica-
tion which will be reviewed by the ASB
council Students interested in voting
must be currently enrolled at VVC and
have a current Student ID For any addi-
tional information contact the ASB of-
fice at (760) 245-4271 (ext 2278)
Clubs from page 6
encourages students to join campus
clubs to enhance their overall experi-
ence
ldquoIf you come to VVC and yoursquore in-
volved you have a better experiencerdquo
said Brosowske
In April following spring break a
Club Rush Day will be held This event
will allow students to meet active mem-
bers from each club and become in-
formed 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 applica-
tion 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 re-
garding VVC clubs please email
Evonne Tirado at missev-
onne1991gmailcom or call 760-245-
4271 extension 2331 or 2278
March 9 2012 Page 8 RamPage VVC
Drown in Celebration on St Patrickrsquos Day
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday it certainly has become a na-
tional observance for millions of Ameri-
cans and even in other countries such as
Canada Australia and Japan St
Patrickrsquos Day is not a federal holi-
day in the United States business-
es will still open and close at their
regular times and public transpor-
tation routes run on their regular
systems Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt onersquos daily routine
on St Patrickrsquos Day is a slight traf-
fic diversion due to a local parade
Why Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to repre-
sent the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
ldquoexcuserdquo In no way am I criticiz-
ing 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 cus-
tomary to attend a morning church ser-
vice And up until the 1970rsquos it was a
national law that pubs be closed in ob-
servance
But here in the US this ldquounofficial
holidayrdquo has different somewhat
tweaked traditions St Patrickrsquos Day
here in the states originated with Irish-
American immigrants who began to or-
ganize 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 centu-
ries which brings us back to the
ldquoexcuserdquo mentioned earlier If you have-
nrsquot caught on yet I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are lsquobig on the
boozersquo
As a result St Patrickrsquos Day celebra-
tions are associated with the consump-
tion of massive amounts of alcohol but
this may not be just another western-
designed tradition Not to say stereo-
types are correct but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called ldquodrowning the
shamrockrdquo In an honoring toast it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the en-
tire glass Itrsquos easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who cele-
brated in tavern with endless drink-
ing of toasts
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St Patrickrsquos
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 peo-
ple of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover
More than 365 million US citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself But on March 17 everyone is
Irish Itrsquos another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate ldquoIrishnessrdquo
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can drink the greenest beer at the rowdi-
est pub and donrsquot forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green
mdashFacts and info obtained from
historycom and randomhistorycom
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month
International Fanny Pack Day ndashMar 10
Check Your Batteries Day ndashMar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day ndashMar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day ndashMar 13
Donald Duck Day ndashMar 13
National Pi Day (314) ndashMar 14
Ides of MarchBrutus Day ndashMar 15
Lips Appreciation Day ndashMar 16
Sports Car Racing Day ndashMar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day ndashMar 19
Wonrsquot You Be My
Neighbor Day ndashMar 20
Kick Butts Day ndashMar 21
As Young As You Feel Day ndashMar 22
National Days of
Unplugging ndashMar 23-24
Waffle Day ndashMar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day ndashMar 26
National ldquoJoerdquo Day ndashMar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day ndashMar 30
National ldquoShersquos Funny
That Wayrdquo Day ndashMar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national ob-
servances Info obtained from holi-
dayinsightscom and brownielockscom
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
The four-hour
lab provides
students with
plenty of hands
on learning
ldquoIf you donrsquot
like getting
your hands
dirty and you
donrsquot like hard
work this isnrsquot
the class for
yourdquo student
Joseph Guth-
wilson said
As many of
the students
want to go di-
rectly into the
automotive
field this class
provides them with the information and
skill to do just that
March 9 2012 Page 6 RamPage VVC
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 Collegersquos automotive clas-
ses is to train studentsrsquo hands on so they
are prepared for a job right out of the
classroom
ldquoWersquore like a dealershiprdquo Sweet says
ldquoWe take customers mostly from the
school and have the students work hands
on with the carsrdquo
As the shop fills with various vehicles
Sweetrsquos focus turns to his students Peo-
ple 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 re-
sponsible to diagnose and cure One
group is working on a VVC Police cruis-
er
ldquoWersquove been taking parts from all four
[police cruisers] to make one work for
VVCrdquo 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
ldquoRight now wersquore chasing the volt-
agerdquo 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 vehi-
cles and converse with the service writ-
ers to keep their paperwork correct
Students must report to the area called
the ldquoTool Cribrdquo to check out any tools
needed for their assignment David
Steinback oversees the ldquoTool Cribrdquo and
is also responsible for the overall safety
procedures of the shop
Working with tools isnrsquot these students
only job They are responsible for the
cleanup of the shop as well
ldquoA clean shop is the pride of a dealer-
shiprdquo Sweet says ldquoThere 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 custom-
er the respect you have for them and
your jobrdquo
Jaime Grado left and Joseph Guthwilson right work on VVCrsquos Police cruiser Photo by Ashlee Dubach
Campus Clubs Improve Overall College Experience
Story by Tiandra Bullock
Editor
Victor Valley College campus clubs
are up and running for the spring semes-
ter
As informed by the Associ-
ated Student Body Inter
Club Council Senator
Evonne Tirado events for
VVC clubs are approach-
ing quickly VVC clubs are
hosting a Club Community
Clean-up Day which is
being held on March 11
from 930 am to 1230
pm nearby the VVC cam-
pus where members of all
clubs and the students of
VVC are encouraged to
come out and help clean up
a part of the community
Some of the chartered
clubs at VVC are as listed
Activist Anonymous Physics Club Phi
Theta Kappa Black Student Union Per-
forming Arts Club Native American
Student Association Modeled United
Nations Campus Crusade for Christ
The Veterans Club and Ready Rams
ASB Vice President Jeremiah
Brosowske highlights successful events
different clubs have hosted including the
Performing Arts Club and how they
have made good profit at the conces-
sions of events held inside of the Per-
forming Arts Center while also making
it a fun learning experience for its mem-
bers Brosowske also gives his apprecia-
tion for the speech given at the event
hosted by the Black Student Union Club
in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day
Brosowske also provides enthusiastic
words for the upcoming semester and
Continued in Clubs on page 7
VVC clubs enrich campus life while giving students unique outlets Photo by Tiandra Bullock
March 9 2012 Page 7 RamPage VVC
VVC ASB Hopefuls Prep for Upcoming Elections
Story by Daniel Compean
Reporter
The Associated Student Body of Vic-
tor 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 re-
sponsible for the voice of the students
ASB lobbies on behalf of the students
and represents the VVC campus As the
ASB constitution states ldquoadvance the
interest of higher education to unify and
direct student activities and to coordi-
nate a more perfect line of communica-
tion with students faculty administra-
tion and the High Desert Communityrdquo
To participate in the election you must
be a student at VVC become a card car-
rying 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
ldquoIt doesnrsquot depend on how many peo-
ple you know it depends on how much
courage you have to talk to those you
donrsquot knowrdquo 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 elec-
tions 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 candi-
date running for a position must main-
tain at least 6 units and have above a 20
GPA
ldquoStart coming to meetings and show
involvement If you feel passionate and
you feel you can do it go for it Go at it
full forcerdquo said ASB President Christo-
pher 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 inter-
acting with students and gathering
votes Voting will be on May 16 and 17
ldquoEnjoy it Dress respectfully respect
yourself and respect the office you work
inrdquo said ASB Vice President and Parlia-
mentarian Jeremiah Brosowske
Those who may be interested in running
for a position or joining ASB should
visit the ASB office in the Student Ac-
tivities Center and fill out the applica-
tion which will be reviewed by the ASB
council Students interested in voting
must be currently enrolled at VVC and
have a current Student ID For any addi-
tional information contact the ASB of-
fice at (760) 245-4271 (ext 2278)
Clubs from page 6
encourages students to join campus
clubs to enhance their overall experi-
ence
ldquoIf you come to VVC and yoursquore in-
volved you have a better experiencerdquo
said Brosowske
In April following spring break a
Club Rush Day will be held This event
will allow students to meet active mem-
bers from each club and become in-
formed 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 applica-
tion 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 re-
garding VVC clubs please email
Evonne Tirado at missev-
onne1991gmailcom or call 760-245-
4271 extension 2331 or 2278
March 9 2012 Page 8 RamPage VVC
Drown in Celebration on St Patrickrsquos Day
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday it certainly has become a na-
tional observance for millions of Ameri-
cans and even in other countries such as
Canada Australia and Japan St
Patrickrsquos Day is not a federal holi-
day in the United States business-
es will still open and close at their
regular times and public transpor-
tation routes run on their regular
systems Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt onersquos daily routine
on St Patrickrsquos Day is a slight traf-
fic diversion due to a local parade
Why Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to repre-
sent the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
ldquoexcuserdquo In no way am I criticiz-
ing 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 cus-
tomary to attend a morning church ser-
vice And up until the 1970rsquos it was a
national law that pubs be closed in ob-
servance
But here in the US this ldquounofficial
holidayrdquo has different somewhat
tweaked traditions St Patrickrsquos Day
here in the states originated with Irish-
American immigrants who began to or-
ganize 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 centu-
ries which brings us back to the
ldquoexcuserdquo mentioned earlier If you have-
nrsquot caught on yet I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are lsquobig on the
boozersquo
As a result St Patrickrsquos Day celebra-
tions are associated with the consump-
tion of massive amounts of alcohol but
this may not be just another western-
designed tradition Not to say stereo-
types are correct but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called ldquodrowning the
shamrockrdquo In an honoring toast it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the en-
tire glass Itrsquos easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who cele-
brated in tavern with endless drink-
ing of toasts
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St Patrickrsquos
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 peo-
ple of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover
More than 365 million US citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself But on March 17 everyone is
Irish Itrsquos another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate ldquoIrishnessrdquo
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can drink the greenest beer at the rowdi-
est pub and donrsquot forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green
mdashFacts and info obtained from
historycom and randomhistorycom
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month
International Fanny Pack Day ndashMar 10
Check Your Batteries Day ndashMar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day ndashMar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day ndashMar 13
Donald Duck Day ndashMar 13
National Pi Day (314) ndashMar 14
Ides of MarchBrutus Day ndashMar 15
Lips Appreciation Day ndashMar 16
Sports Car Racing Day ndashMar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day ndashMar 19
Wonrsquot You Be My
Neighbor Day ndashMar 20
Kick Butts Day ndashMar 21
As Young As You Feel Day ndashMar 22
National Days of
Unplugging ndashMar 23-24
Waffle Day ndashMar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day ndashMar 26
National ldquoJoerdquo Day ndashMar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day ndashMar 30
National ldquoShersquos Funny
That Wayrdquo Day ndashMar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national ob-
servances Info obtained from holi-
dayinsightscom and brownielockscom
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
March 9 2012 Page 7 RamPage VVC
VVC ASB Hopefuls Prep for Upcoming Elections
Story by Daniel Compean
Reporter
The Associated Student Body of Vic-
tor 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 re-
sponsible for the voice of the students
ASB lobbies on behalf of the students
and represents the VVC campus As the
ASB constitution states ldquoadvance the
interest of higher education to unify and
direct student activities and to coordi-
nate a more perfect line of communica-
tion with students faculty administra-
tion and the High Desert Communityrdquo
To participate in the election you must
be a student at VVC become a card car-
rying 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
ldquoIt doesnrsquot depend on how many peo-
ple you know it depends on how much
courage you have to talk to those you
donrsquot knowrdquo 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 elec-
tions 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 candi-
date running for a position must main-
tain at least 6 units and have above a 20
GPA
ldquoStart coming to meetings and show
involvement If you feel passionate and
you feel you can do it go for it Go at it
full forcerdquo said ASB President Christo-
pher 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 inter-
acting with students and gathering
votes Voting will be on May 16 and 17
ldquoEnjoy it Dress respectfully respect
yourself and respect the office you work
inrdquo said ASB Vice President and Parlia-
mentarian Jeremiah Brosowske
Those who may be interested in running
for a position or joining ASB should
visit the ASB office in the Student Ac-
tivities Center and fill out the applica-
tion which will be reviewed by the ASB
council Students interested in voting
must be currently enrolled at VVC and
have a current Student ID For any addi-
tional information contact the ASB of-
fice at (760) 245-4271 (ext 2278)
Clubs from page 6
encourages students to join campus
clubs to enhance their overall experi-
ence
ldquoIf you come to VVC and yoursquore in-
volved you have a better experiencerdquo
said Brosowske
In April following spring break a
Club Rush Day will be held This event
will allow students to meet active mem-
bers from each club and become in-
formed 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 applica-
tion 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 re-
garding VVC clubs please email
Evonne Tirado at missev-
onne1991gmailcom or call 760-245-
4271 extension 2331 or 2278
March 9 2012 Page 8 RamPage VVC
Drown in Celebration on St Patrickrsquos Day
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday it certainly has become a na-
tional observance for millions of Ameri-
cans and even in other countries such as
Canada Australia and Japan St
Patrickrsquos Day is not a federal holi-
day in the United States business-
es will still open and close at their
regular times and public transpor-
tation routes run on their regular
systems Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt onersquos daily routine
on St Patrickrsquos Day is a slight traf-
fic diversion due to a local parade
Why Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to repre-
sent the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
ldquoexcuserdquo In no way am I criticiz-
ing 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 cus-
tomary to attend a morning church ser-
vice And up until the 1970rsquos it was a
national law that pubs be closed in ob-
servance
But here in the US this ldquounofficial
holidayrdquo has different somewhat
tweaked traditions St Patrickrsquos Day
here in the states originated with Irish-
American immigrants who began to or-
ganize 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 centu-
ries which brings us back to the
ldquoexcuserdquo mentioned earlier If you have-
nrsquot caught on yet I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are lsquobig on the
boozersquo
As a result St Patrickrsquos Day celebra-
tions are associated with the consump-
tion of massive amounts of alcohol but
this may not be just another western-
designed tradition Not to say stereo-
types are correct but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called ldquodrowning the
shamrockrdquo In an honoring toast it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the en-
tire glass Itrsquos easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who cele-
brated in tavern with endless drink-
ing of toasts
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St Patrickrsquos
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 peo-
ple of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover
More than 365 million US citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself But on March 17 everyone is
Irish Itrsquos another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate ldquoIrishnessrdquo
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can drink the greenest beer at the rowdi-
est pub and donrsquot forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green
mdashFacts and info obtained from
historycom and randomhistorycom
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month
International Fanny Pack Day ndashMar 10
Check Your Batteries Day ndashMar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day ndashMar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day ndashMar 13
Donald Duck Day ndashMar 13
National Pi Day (314) ndashMar 14
Ides of MarchBrutus Day ndashMar 15
Lips Appreciation Day ndashMar 16
Sports Car Racing Day ndashMar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day ndashMar 19
Wonrsquot You Be My
Neighbor Day ndashMar 20
Kick Butts Day ndashMar 21
As Young As You Feel Day ndashMar 22
National Days of
Unplugging ndashMar 23-24
Waffle Day ndashMar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day ndashMar 26
National ldquoJoerdquo Day ndashMar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day ndashMar 30
National ldquoShersquos Funny
That Wayrdquo Day ndashMar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national ob-
servances Info obtained from holi-
dayinsightscom and brownielockscom
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
March 9 2012 Page 8 RamPage VVC
Drown in Celebration on St Patrickrsquos Day
Although March 17 is not an official
holiday it certainly has become a na-
tional observance for millions of Ameri-
cans and even in other countries such as
Canada Australia and Japan St
Patrickrsquos Day is not a federal holi-
day in the United States business-
es will still open and close at their
regular times and public transpor-
tation routes run on their regular
systems Perhaps the only thing
that may disrupt onersquos daily routine
on St Patrickrsquos Day is a slight traf-
fic diversion due to a local parade
Why Well if you know anything
about the holiday or what the Irish
culture has been known to repre-
sent the obvious answer may be
considered somewhat of an
ldquoexcuserdquo In no way am I criticiz-
ing 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 cus-
tomary to attend a morning church ser-
vice And up until the 1970rsquos it was a
national law that pubs be closed in ob-
servance
But here in the US this ldquounofficial
holidayrdquo has different somewhat
tweaked traditions St Patrickrsquos Day
here in the states originated with Irish-
American immigrants who began to or-
ganize 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 centu-
ries which brings us back to the
ldquoexcuserdquo mentioned earlier If you have-
nrsquot caught on yet I am referring to the
stereotype that the Irish are lsquobig on the
boozersquo
As a result St Patrickrsquos Day celebra-
tions are associated with the consump-
tion of massive amounts of alcohol but
this may not be just another western-
designed tradition Not to say stereo-
types are correct but one Irish tradition
that dates back as far as the seventeenth
century is called ldquodrowning the
shamrockrdquo In an honoring toast it
is good luck to place a clover on top
of your beverage and drink the en-
tire glass Itrsquos easy to infer why this
may have led to a large number of
intoxicated individuals who cele-
brated in tavern with endless drink-
ing of toasts
The Drowning of the Shamrock
tradition connects to St Patrickrsquos
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 peo-
ple of Ireland using the three leaves
of the clover
More than 365 million US citizens
claim Irish ancestry which is more than
eight times the population of Ireland
itself But on March 17 everyone is
Irish Itrsquos another reason to drink and be
merry so why not celebrate ldquoIrishnessrdquo
Eat as much corned beef and cabbage as
can drink the greenest beer at the rowdi-
est pub and donrsquot forget to pinch even
random strangers for not wearing green
mdashFacts and info obtained from
historycom and randomhistorycom
By Kelli McGurk
Managing Editor
Need more excuses to consume
massive amounts of alcohol
Here are some more observances
to celebrate this month
International Fanny Pack Day ndashMar 10
Check Your Batteries Day ndashMar 11
Girl Scout Anniversary Day ndashMar 12
Open an Umbrella Indoors Day ndashMar 13
Donald Duck Day ndashMar 13
National Pi Day (314) ndashMar 14
Ides of MarchBrutus Day ndashMar 15
Lips Appreciation Day ndashMar 16
Sports Car Racing Day ndashMar 17
Swallows Return to San Juan
Capistrano Day ndashMar 19
Wonrsquot You Be My
Neighbor Day ndashMar 20
Kick Butts Day ndashMar 21
As Young As You Feel Day ndashMar 22
National Days of
Unplugging ndashMar 23-24
Waffle Day ndashMar 25
Make Up Your Own
Holiday Day ndashMar 26
National ldquoJoerdquo Day ndashMar 27
Take a Walk in The Park Day ndashMar 30
National ldquoShersquos Funny
That Wayrdquo Day ndashMar 31
These are all 100 percent actual national ob-
servances Info obtained from holi-
dayinsightscom and brownielockscom
Photo created by Roscoe Esparza
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
Entertainment March 9 2012 Page 9 RamPage VVC
Playlist of the Issue
St Patrickrsquos Day
List by Joseph Ciulla
Web Editor
Whether yoursquore headed to your nearest
pubbarparty or just staying home to do
the appropriate amount of studying
here is a list of songs that should be lis-
tened to on St Patrickrsquos Day
~ldquoThe Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010rdquo
Jeff Danna amp Mychael Danna The
Blood of Cu Chulainn 2010
~ldquoIrsquom Shipping up to Bostonrdquo
Dropkick Murphys The Warriorrsquos Code
~ldquoWhiskey in the Jarrdquo
Thin Lizzy Dedication The Very Best
of Thin Lizzy
~ldquoGet on your Bootsrdquo
U2 No Line to the Horizon
~ldquoOne Bourbon One Scotch One Beerrdquo
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Live in Boston
~ldquoJump Aroundrdquo
House of Pain House of Pain
~ ldquoTubthumpingrdquo
Chumbawamba Tubthumping
~ldquoThe Impression That I Getrdquo
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Letrsquos
Face It
~ldquoParty Hardrdquo
Andrew WK I Get Wet
~ldquoDrunken Lullabiesrdquo
Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies
~ldquoStreams of Whiskeyrdquo
The Pogues Rhino Hi-Five The Pogues
~ldquoDanny Boyrdquo
Black 47 Bittersweet Sixteen
~ldquoSweet Caroline (Live)rdquo
Neil Diamond The Greatists Hits 1966-
1992
studying in this case is obviously a ref-
erence to the consumption of alcohol
which the RamPage does not in any way
condone
High Desert Band The Lillies Psychedelic
Sound Entertains Crowd
Review by Daniel Compean
Reporter
In a low lit smoke-
filled bar in Down-
town Riverside there is
a mellowness in the
air The turnout may
seem less than favora-
ble but regardless
many of the customers
seem comfortable and
content in the typical
city bar atmosphere A
High Desert native
band The Lillies per-
formed their blues
inspired tunes at The
Mission Tobacco
Lounge
With a name like
The Lillies one might
be tempted to make
some brash assumptions of the band
Whatever imagery or presumptions the
name may conjure up forget all of that
They are a friendly down-to-earth
group They bring sincere earnestness to
their music which is clear in their perfor-
mance Their name in fact comes from
a nickname of a girl their vocalist once
had a crush on
The Lillies originally had a folk style
to their playing taking some songwrit-
ing tips from some of the most prolific
lyricists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard
Cohen
ldquoNaturally it was folkier we didnrsquot
have a lot to work with Over time it
progressed into a blend of everythingrdquo
guitarist Roberto Pereda said
This blend becomes evident in their
voice Matthew Humphrey plays a very
blues guitar with a slight psychedelic
tinge accompanied by Peredarsquos way-
ward vocals and lyrical themes such as
love loss and simple day-to-day living
Raul Magana IIIrsquos slapping bass guitar
for funkier upbeat songs and Mark
Simpsonrsquos driven drums create a blend
that shows they have a characteristic
desire to create their own unique style
With a very melancholic tone
ldquoMadeline Burning Timerdquo is one of the
bandrsquos more folk sounding songs per-
haps a reference to some of their earlier
works Songs such as ldquoBad Gig Bluesrdquo
deal with exactly what you might imag-
ine a personal ode to past hardships of
experiencing one bad gig after another
it is a discouraging familiarity all bands
can relate to
Their desire for separation carries over
into their writing process as well Un-
planned and unprocessed they freely
create their music with not a whole lot of
prior arrangement drawing influence
from each other
ldquoAs a musician I grow with themrdquo
Magana said
With a continuously growing audience
in the High Desert The Lillies have be-
gun to branch out playing more shows
outside of the local venues For what
little the High Desert can offer local
bands The Lillies strive for more yet
are grateful for the support of friends
and locals
When it comes down to it The Lillies
love what they do and plan to keep on
doing it
ldquoWe just want to keep gigging a lot
getting exposure as much as we can and
just hopefully grow in the processrdquo
Pereda said
ldquoItrsquos the one thing that makes us hap-
py You feel like you have to do itrdquo
Simpson said
The Lillies plan to have their first al-
bum released tentatively for late spring
to early summer Expect many upcom-
ing shows as this band and following
continues to grow
Lillies rock out at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside Photo by Daniel Compean
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
Sports March 9 2012 Page 10 RamPage VVC
Early Lead Turns into Late Loss for Rams Story by Mario Gonzalez
Sports Editor
The Victor Valley College Rams base-
ball team dropped to (0-4) in the Foothill
Conference standings due to a 7-4 loss
against the Antelope Valley College
Marauders on Tuesday March 6
After getting swept by conference rival
Chaffey College the Rams looked to
obtain their first victory in conference
against the Marauders
ldquoThey werenrsquot as good as we thought
they were considering we got swept by
Chaffey and they beat Chaffey twicerdquo
said Rams catcher Ryan Dickinson ldquoSo
they werenrsquot as good as we thought they
were going to berdquo
Once the game got underway the in-
nings went by quickly as pop flies
turned into quick and easy outs and
ground balls turned into double plays
When the third inning came around
the Rams started to get the ball roll-
ing when the Rams outfielder Ken-
ny McMurray managed to reach
first base on an error During the
next at bat infielder Ronald Leon
hit the ball towards right field but
with a quick recovery the Maraud-
ers managed to keep runners on first
and second base
With two outs and two runners on
second and third due t a
fielders choice Dickin-
son lined a balled to cen-
ter field thus bringing
home two runs The in-
ning would end with the
Rams head with a score of 2-
0
In the next inning Antelope
Valley quickly answered
back by bringing in a run of
their own when Maraudersrsquo
infielder Ryan Herrick
knocked the ball to center
field which advanced infield-
er Enrique Alvarado t home
plate and made the score 2-1
In an attempt to send a runner
home to even the score
catcher Dylan Livingston hit a ball to
center field but the runner from third
was quickly stopped and the inning was
over
In the home-half of the fourth inning the
Rams managed to bring in two more
runs to give the Rams an easy 4-1 lead
The fifth inning seemed to be full with
mistakes for the Rams as they let the
Marauders capitalize on a tired Rams
pitcher Jeffrey Montana who gave up
four walks a balk and a wild pitch
Once it was all said and done the Rams
allowed five runs and the Rams were in
a 6-4 deficit
In the seventh inning the Rams made
a pitching switch and brought in Ryan
Oliver to replace Montana Oliver
pitched for the remainder of the game
and only allowed three hits and one run
By the end of the game the Rams suf-
fered a 7-4 loss for their record
ldquoWe threw the ball around and made a
couple of errors that cost us a few runs
and we couldnrsquot come back after thatrdquo
said Rams head coach Jesus Beltran
ldquoBaseball is a fun game and yoursquore go-
ing to make mistakes like that The point
is to just come back and flush it out and
get the next play The only thing that
hurt us were [the] physical mistakesrdquo
Ryan Dickinson bats for the RamsPhoto by Mario Gonzalez
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 Bernardi-
no Valley College on March 7 For most
of the game the Lady Rams were down 2
-10 but in the seventh inning a last min-
uet rally brought the score to 9-10 De-
spite the unbelievable comeback the
Lady rams were unable to pull off a vic-
tory and ended the game with a 9-10
loss
ldquoComing into this game we knew that
it was a must winrdquo said head coach
Donell Thomas ldquoThatrsquos what we see all
of our games asrdquo
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 fall-
ing to a 0-4 deficit The home-half of the
first inning went scoreless the Wolver-
ines stopped the Lady Rams from ob-
taining 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 La-
dy rams came when sophomore Crystal
Benevidez hit a solo home-run with two
outs
Continued in Softball on page 11
Pitcher Ryan Oliver Photo by Mario Gonzalez
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
RAMPAGE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Adreana Young
Managing Editor Kelli McGurk
News Editor Micah Raimo EntertainmentFeatures 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
AdviserInstructor Nicholas Hartman
Cartoonist Guest Work Welcome
AdministrationFacultyStaff Mentors Jennifer Fowlie Patty Golder
Bev Huiner Tim Isbell Scott Mulligan Deanna Murphy Christopher
OrsquoHearn Robert Sewell PJ Teel Paul Williams
Printing Victor Valley College Campus Print Shop CONTACT INFORMATION VVC RamPage 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
Phone (760) 245-4271 Extension 2773 bull Fax (760) 241-5723
Email vvcrampagegmailcom or vvcrampageyahoocom
httpwwwvvceduofficesrampage
Website httpwwwissuucomvvcrampage
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
RamPage Adviser Nicholas Hartman clearly marked as being submitted for
publication Or email them to vvcrampagegmailcom or mail information to
RamPage Victor Valley College 18422 Bear Valley Road Victorville CA 92395
or leave a message at 760-245-4271 extension 2773
VVCrsquos journalism program belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press the
California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Journalism Association of
Community Colleges
ADVERTISING
The RamPage generally accepts as advertising only 8 12 - by -11-inch flyers as
inserts The cost is $100 which covers insertiondistribution of 1500 copies The
cost and responsibility of designing reproducing and delivering the 1500 flyers to
the RamPage is borne by the advertiser
To discuss display advertising options or to purchase any form of advertisement
call Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Deanna Murphy at 760-245-4271
extension 2707
Acceptance of any advertisement in the RamPage does not constitute
endorsement by the paper college district board council or student body
The RamPage reserves the right to reject any material mdash advertising or
editorial mdash that it deems to be not in keeping with the standards of the paper
March 9 2012 Page 11 RamPage VVC
Softball from page 10
ldquoOur plan for this game is to just play
aggressive and get all our players on the
same levelrdquo 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 Af-
ter being hit by pitch Escobedo ad-
vanced to first and thatrsquos 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 Con-
ference
ldquoOne improvement that we could
make would be an improvement on our
hitting gamerdquo said freshman Marissa
Amaya
ldquoIf we just make the improvements for
the remainder of the season we should
be finerdquo said Thomas
mdash Comic by Carlos Garcia Contributing Artist
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC
March 9 2012 Page 12 RamPage VVC