Saul Williams Plans To "Slam" Santa CruzOctober 16, 2008

Hip-hop is the music of our generation. It is a musical reflection of our times, our issues, our hopes and fears. Hip-hop culture is apparent in modern television commercials and magazine advertisements. It is a recurring theme in contemporary music, art, film and fashion.
Attention Cabrillo hip-hop heads, an extraordinary artist, Saul Williams, will be performing later this month in Santa Cruz. His delivery of fresh rhymes and beats is not worth missing. This performer actively redefines the hip-hop revolution, incorporating social activism and blending his personal experiences of trials and tribulations with progressive idealism.
Williams encourages college students to strive and succeed during his visits to U.S. campuses. He collaborates with musicians to establish exciting, contemporary sounds. He performs alongside his enthusiastic 12 year-old-daughter. His voice is clear and melodic when he speaks of pain or promise.
As a practicing poet or "spoken word" artist, Saul explains that: "Poetry has a much longer oral tradition than it does literary. Many poets of ancient lore, such as the Greek Homer, were not read in their time (reading and writing was reserved for the very rich. Most of Greece was illiterate), people gathered to hear them speak. Like the griots and storytellers of ancient Africa, or the wandering philosophers and Sufies of the East, if most were alive today they would be called 'spoken word artists."

He was born Saul Stacey Williams, on February 29th, 1972, in Newburgh, New York. He is a poet, writer, actor and musician and is well known for his distinctive blend of poetry and alternative hip-hop. His music has been classified from hip-hop, spoken word, and poetry, to industrial, electronic, and alternative. On his myspace page he describes his music as being a blend of "postpunk/breakbeat/ghettotech." Williams asserts that, genre definitions aside, "a lot of people get caught up on my lyrics and poetry, but my writing is always founded on beats and polyrhythmic backdrops."
Williams received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta and later completed his master's degree in acting at NYU. During his time spent in New York City he found himself at the epicenter of the café poetry scene where he began to gain standing as a performer.

In 1995 Saul first established national recognition as a talented open mic poet. A year later he won the title of Nuyorican Poets Café's Grand Slam Champion. Shortly thereafter he appeared in a documentary film entitled "SlamNation" that documents the Nuyorican Poets Slam team at the 1996 National Poetry Slam, held in Portland, Ore.

Saul starred as the lead role in the 1998 feature film "Slam" which chronicles the life of a young African American man whose social background has negative effects on his exceptional poetic talent. Despite his attempts to escape the pressures of drugs and violence he is arrested during a drug deal and sentenced to prison. During his imprisonment he participates in writing classes where he is encouraged to develop his already strong talents. When he leaves prison he is able to convince his friends to quit drug dealing. He then performs at a poetry slam where he delivers an unforgettable performance.
"Slam" won the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Price for a Dramatic Film and the Cannes Camera D'Or (Golden Camera). The film gained international audiences and acclaim. Since then, Williams has continued to write and act in films.

Over the years he has performed with Nas, The Fugees, Christian Alvarez, Blackalicious, Erykah Badu, KRS-One, Zack De La Rocha, De La Soul, and DJ Krust. He has also performed with legendary poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez.
In 2001 he released "Amethyst Rock Star" with producer Rick Rubin. In 2004 he released his self-titled album. In summer 2005 he went on a European tour in support of Nine Inch Nails and Mars Volta. That same year he performed at the Lollapalooza festival.
He appeared on NIN's album "Year Zero," and continued supporting them in their 2006 North American tour. Soon after, Williams announced his plans to co-produce a new album with Trent Reznor of NIN. Speaking of his relationship, he said that Reznor "has become the big brother I never had, offering his insight, expertise, and shared desire to fuck up the system while believing fully in the power of music and the intelligence of the masses."
This partnership produced Williams' latest album, "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust," a title which faced criticism for it's racially infused ring. In response he said "I've also thought long and hard about all the discussion surrounding racial epithets etc. and chose this title as a means of furthering the dialogue while also showing how creativity will outlive and outshine hatred of any kind."

Aside from being an exceptional poet and singer, his writings have been published in the New York Times, Esquire, Bomb Magazine and African Voices. He has released four collections of poetry including a book of poems entitled "Said The Shotgun To The Head." As a poet and musician he has toured and lectured worldwide. He guest speaks at college and university campuses around the country. Williams is a vocal critic of the Bush administration, the War on Terrorism, and the Iraq War. He has written some anti-war anthems, among the more well known of which are "Not In My Name," and "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)."

Saul's career as a jack-of-all-trades is a mirror of the increasingly common trend of movie stars pursuing musical careers, and musician's crossing over into the acting limelight. "It's not that I balance [those arts] out, all the different arts balance me out. So, that there is a certain type of emotion that is more easily accessible through music than poetry.... Some things are meant to be written, some are meant to be sung, some things are meant to be hummed, some things are made to be yelled, and so that's just how life works."

Saul married Marcia Jones, an art professor at Clark Atlanta University and had a daughter, Saturn Williams, in 1996. They later divorced and in 1998 he remarried to Persia White, a member of the industrial alternative rock band, XEO3. Saul Williams lives in Los Angeles and is currently on tour. For more information and to hear Saul's music check out www.saulwilliams.com, www.myspace.com/saulwilliams, www.niggytardust.com. If you're interested in having Saul come speak at Cabrillo please call The American Program Bureau at 1-800-225-4575.

Student Abuse of Library's Textbook Reserve Requires Director to Raise Late FeesOctober 13, 2008

The on-going abuse of the
library textbook loan program has
forced, Library Director Johanna
Bowen to work to increase the overdue
fee to help decrease the amount
of students keeping the textbook way
past the due-date.

From the traditional $30 fee, it's
now updated fee is $90 which began
on Oct. 6.

The way the 'textbook-on-reserve'
program works is that the
student uses the library reference
computers, located in the middle of
the entrance of the library, to look
up the number of the textbook they
want and take the piece of paper up
to the Circulation desk, giving it to a
library staff member to retrieve the
book.

The student has two hours max
and five dollars charged every hour
that it's late. The maximum fine for
the textbook is $90 and for other
reserve materials is still $30.

But once and a while, the staff
receive a student trying to avoid the
line for the computers to look up
the number, "There have been times
where students have come up to
the desk and just started pointing at
the stacks, 'it's the yellow one right
there! But we don't have the time
to go looking for it in the stacks,"
Bowen said.

They've also gotten calls to
the library to try and reserve the
book they wanted, "There's no way
of doing reservations because our
computers aren't set that way to take
reservations on the books."

According to Bowen, out of
about 1,000 students about 70 of
them have figured out the 'loop-hole'
of the 3 year program, to bypass the
physical purchase of the textbook.

She spoke in the Student Senate
meeting at Sept. 11 about the want
to "kick up" the price for an overdue
book because of the abuse discovered
by the library staff and Bowen
herself, "I overheard a student in line
talking to another, telling him that if
you don't want to buy it, you can just
keep the book all semester just for
$30!" she said during the meeting.

"I know people who don't have
the money to buy the books," said
Katie Belville, Freshmen, on the
subject, "it's a good system. I have a
girl in my English class that relates
on it. It's an honor system."

The increase is a consequence
for the other people who aren't abusing
it.

The library staff believes that
the risk of keeping the book is now
closer to the actual price of the book
that most students would just go and
buy the book instead. They deem
that it should cut down the amount
of over-due books.

"It wasn't abused lot," said
most of the library staff, "but it was
enough to do something about its"
said Bowen.

They set up the reserve program
for the students who are unable
to buy the textbook for whatever
reason.

But what students don't understand
is that when people take the
books, the library staff, even Bowen
herself, are the ones who have to run
down to the book store to get another
one when it's asked enough about.

Then sometimes the overdue
reappears back in the library, so the
library has two copies of the textbooks
in which they're paid for.

"It's heartbreaking for me and
my staff to turn away a student
because we don't have the book that
they need to finish their homework.
We do more work when you lose the
books than ever!" said Bowen.

The library's budget is $3,000
a semester, which was passed before
last fall.

Bowen and the Cabrillo library
need the help of the entire student
to keep the library as resourceful as
possible.

A Word From The ChiefSeptember 29, 2008

Hello! I'm Emily and I Will Be Your Editor-In-Chief.

I wanted to first welcome everybody to the
fall 2008 semester. At this point, school's been in for about a month, just enough time for instructors to overload us with tests, essays, and projects. In a month. Whoa.

Fortunately, we here at "The Voice" have taken that into consideration, and worked hard to bring you a fresh, new edition of our long running paper. One that fits in perfectly to a busy college student's schedule.

When I took on this job, I immediately wanted to bring change to "The Voice." I wanted to re-invigorate the students interest in the campus newspaper again. A daunting task considering, the dying trend of printed Journalism.
Despite newspaper's decline in popularity, I still believe in journalism.

I still believe that there are people out there searching for facts, and I still believe the best way to
find them is in the newspaper, which has been a
trusted source for facts eons before the internet
came around.

I wanted to wrap things up by saying that this is the student paper, I work for you all. And because this is
a student paper, I'm open to the student opinions and contributions. Seriously, if you want your story in the
paper, Drop by Room 407, "The Voice" headquarters
and let me know!

On behalf of the rest of the staff of "The
Voice" I look forward to serving you this semester.
-Emily Nord

Will they all fit in one room?May 10, 2008

Twenty student senators get down to business

This year's Student Senate is bursting at the seams with an unprecedented twenty student government officials. Fiesty is the theme of this year's ASCC (Associated Students of Cabrillo College). "Lots of people, lots of opinions. Hopefully we won't kill each other," said new Senator Katie Crane.

New Senate President Marko Realmonte said the ASCC will focus on four goals: visibility, sustainability, communication and participation. Early initiatives backed by Realmonte included tripling the monetary incentives clubs have for sponsoring on-campus events. "I want to encourage more clubs," Realmonte said. "The more events going on on-campus the more interesting life will be here."

Realmonte noted that one positive sign of a healthy student senate was increased funding by the ASCC for instructional grants, up 33 percent from last year's allocation. Instructional grants pay for equipment and other classroom needs which directly benefit students. "We're spending $18,000 this year," Realmonte said. "Items such as mixers for culinary arts, a seeder for horticulture, CPR manikins for PE."

How effectively the Senate will work with its large contingent remains to be seen. "The biggest challenge is usually just coordination," said senator and legislative analyst Ryan Kaplan.

Big plans for new VPMay 10, 2008

Chen reveals strategic plans for improved student services

Dr. May Kuang-Chi Chen has only been in her new job since July, but she's been busy. Cabrillo's new Vice President of Student Services outlined four strategic priorities for building a strong Student Services team. "I came here to work with students," Chen said

New Vice President of Student Services, Dr. May Kuang Chi-Chen, announced strategic priorities she will pursue during her tenure.

Chen said her focus will be to enhance enrollment, deliver services that are student centered, and develop venues for students to display leadership and active participation.

"I don't want to make 5 or 10 year goals because a lot of objectives will get lost after one year, so I set a one year goal and see where we can go from there," Chen said.

Chen acknowledges challenges she will face this year, including the set up of the new Student Center building. "I always consider the challenge as opportunities," she said.

Why are they leaving?May 10, 2008

Education report says community college drop outs threatening state's economic future

An August report released by a university think-tank says that California's economic future is threatened by the high percentage of community college students who drop out early in their academic career. So why are they leaving?

The report, Beyond Access: How the First Semester Matters for Community College Students' Aspirations and Persistence, warns that California's need for a highly educated workforce is not being met. The report's lead researcher, Anne Driscoll, concludes that not only are community college students dropping out in large numbers after their first semester, they are also giving up their stated academic goals.

Driscoll's report for PACE (Policy Analysis for California Education at UC Davis) states that for Fall 1998, "one quarter of the young adult high school graduates who entered college aspiring to transfer did not return for the spring semester. Among those who returned, only a slight majority still had transferring to a four-year college as their primary educational goal."

"I'm not at all surprised," said Natasha Eastin, a Cabrillo student, referring to the high drop out rate cited in the report. "It's not easy working to pay rent, transportation and all the other stuff we need."

Cabrillo has taken note of the report and its recommendations by providing an array of services to help students meet the financial costs of attending college and make a successful transition from high school to college.

"Introduction to College was a really good class for me," said Christie Macabuhay, a Cabrillo student. "The hardest part of college was not really the homework or finding my way around campus but getting used to the teachers' expectations, and how they were so different from high school."

Santa Cruz celebrates International Peace DaySeptember 10, 2007

Night Light vigil on West Cliff and concerts among the festivities

International Peace Day is Sept. 21, and Santa Cruzians are ready to celebrate. Peace activists will once again light up the night along West Cliff Drive for the Night Light Vigil. New this year: the Beach Boardwalk will , for the first time, turn off all lights, leaving only the Big Dipper illuminated.

Kirby Scudder, co-director of the Santa Cruz Institute for Contemporary Arts (SCICA), will again lead the Night Light peace vigil along West Cliff Drive. At 9 p.m. Thursday, the darkness will be pierced by 500 battery powered lights and by the hopes of those along the route for world peace. Lights and their light keepers will spread out from Lighthouse Point to the Yacht Harbor. Helicopter searchlights over the wharf are also scheduled to join in the activity.

Mary Brayman, a participant in last year's Night Light vigil, characterized the event as incredible. A volunteer member of SCICA, Brayman was inspired by the applause which rippled through the crowd of hundreds last year when the lights went up. "This is a community art installation," Brayman said, "a silent, short, observation of what peace means and a wonderful opportunity to show other communities around the world our light."

Veterans Memorial Hall wil host, in honor of International Peace Day, a concert to benefit the Barrio Unidos and Guitars Not Guns, organizations which do outreach to youth about non-violence. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

International Peace Day was established by the United Nations in 1982, and is recognized as a 24-hour-cease-fire day internationally. Around the world, more than 5,000 events are estimated to be held from September though October.

Those interested in learning more about International Peace Day can visit www.internationaldayofpeace.org.

Community college student convicted in pay-for-grade scandalMay 10, 2008

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a plea deal was struck this week in the case of a college student who orchestrated the doctoring of students' grades on their official transcripts in exchange for payment.

TWENTY SIX YEAR OLD Julian REVEL EZA plead guilty to FIFTEEN felony counts of fraudulent access to student admissions files. He was sentenced to one year in Contra Costa County jail.

The prosecuting attorney in the case charged THIRTY FOUR current or former students as participants in the scheme which netted thousands of dollars. According to court documents, grade changes paid for by students allowed some of them to graduate or transfer to institutions such as UC Berkeley and UCLA.

The Chronicle cites authorities on the case who said that upward of 400 grade changes were made between 2000 and 2006, with money passing from students wanting their grades changed to REVEL EZA and three other student employees who worked in the Diablo Valley Admissions Office.

More students enroll at Cabrillo this fall than ever beforeMay 10, 2008

Cabrillo administration officials announced that more students have enrolled at the college this semester than have ever before in the college's history.

Enrollment at the college is up more than SIX percent over last year.

In a press release, President Brian King announced that FOUR TEEN THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED SEVENTY SEVEN students had registered for classes this Fall, a record number.

King's press release cited a number of factors for the increased enrollment including a drop in unit fees from TWENTY SIX DOLLARS per unit to TWENTY DOLLARS, making college more affordable for students.

Union leader Stephanie Stainback gave credit to the outreach and recruitment efforts made by Cabrillo staff.

Vice President of Instruction Renee Kilmer thanked Cabrillo faculty for the role they play in boosting enrollment at the college.

Community donates record amount to Cabrillo FoundationMay 10, 2008

Donations to the college from community members hit an all time one year record.

The Cabrillo College Foundation reported a historic FOUR POINT ONE SIX million dollars was raised during the last school year.

In a press release, President Brian King said he was grateful for the generosity of the Santa Cruz community which supports Cabrillo's mission and vision.

King noted that the funds would go to provide vital student support services at the college, as well as needed financial assistance to students.

King said six hundred students at Cabrillo in need of scholarships would receive financial help. Monies would also go to support nursing students at the college and minority students who are in transition programs which bridge the gap between high school and community college enrollment.