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The Kinesiology Club hosts 3-on-3 basketball tournament Friday.
The President’s Round Table, a monthly meeting of representatives from campus clubs and organizations, held its final meeting of the semester Thursday in the craft room of Loftin Student Center. Student Government President Jacob Wong informed club representatives that they could continue to submit requests for funds to the student activity fee committee over the summer.
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To escape today’s warm weather, sources and staff of The Ranger mingled over ice cream for the Source Awards. The Source Awards recognize sources throughout the college and district who have helped journalism students complete story or photograph assignments for The Ranger. Student editors, reporters and photographers nominated sources who have been helpful in training them as journalists in 12 categories. The first award went to Chief Don Adams for The Informant, which recognizes a source always armed with all the info a reporter needs.
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Reporters and photographers won awards in 10 categories in the statewide competition.
Three Ranger editors took first place in Best Breaking News in online Division 3 of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association annual competition for student publications from two-year colleges.
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Sexual assault on student preparing for dance recital in Candler
A student showering before a dance recital tonight was sexually assaulted in the men’s locker room of Candler Physical Education Center. The student told police of the Alamo Colleges that at about 4:35 p.m., he had been assaulted while showering after practicing a routine with his partner for the recital.
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WE Conference offers chance of scholarship, career assistance
Registration continues to May 10 and scholarship applications must be submitted by Monday.
The empowerment center will host its 12th annual Women Empowerment Conference to provide information about continuing education and careers to women May 22-23. For the first time, the conference will be expanded to two days.
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Student Government Association candidate packet questions
These questions were provided by Mark Bigelow, assistant coordinator of student leadership and activities. Keely Ross, historian candidate and architecture sophomore What do you consider to be the role of the SGA on campus? There are many roles that the Student Government takes place on campus; the main role in to be the voice of the students at SAC. There are many roles that the Student Government takes place on campus; the main role in to be the voice of the students at SAC.
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NVC power outage reminder of necessary safety preparation
Brief loss of power cancelled day classes May 1.
Day classes at Northwest Vista College were cancelled around 10:30 a.m. May 1 because of a power outage caused by equipment failure. Mario Muñiz, director of district public relations, received a call from Renata Serafin, director of community and public relations at Northwest Vista, asking him to send an emergency alert to students at the college. Students were directed to leave campus or, if without transportation, to go to the Cypress Campus Center or the library in Redbud Learning Center.
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Harassment, sexual assault defined in seminar
One in four women will be sexually assaulted or violated in some way anywhere in the world, studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. “A lot of people get sexual assault and sexual harassment confused,” Kelsey Banton, director of education and training at the Rape Crisis Center, said April 15 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center.
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Board approves $200 garage permit
Trustees are keeping tuition flat but developmental, design and international students have new fees
There will be no increase in regular tuition according to the tuition and fee schedule for fiscal year 2014. The Alamo Colleges board of trustees unanimously approved the schedule at its monthly board meeting Tuesday in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. District 4 trustee Marcelo Casillas was absent.
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U.S. development aid spurs opium trade
The Hot Potato lecture leads to a baked potato lunch.
Long before the rise of medicinal use of opium-derived morphine to reduce pain in western hospitals, people were already using opium as medicine. Afghanistan’s opium stock and exportation may be the largest in the world only because Afghanis needed it to survive.
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Philosophy professor takes flack
Dr. Richard Schoenig responds.
Bryant Parsons, a Master’s of Divinity student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Penn., published a 46-page critique titled, “Why Professor Richard Schoenig Should Quit His Day Job: A Critique of the ‘God is Not Fair’ Argument.” GGIS Publishing released the book April 1. Though it sounds like a personal attack on Schoenig, it’s only a response to his 1999 argument to prove there is no God.
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Guns, bombs, and funding cuts
Counselors reach out for help after cuts.
Violent tragedies dominate the headlines. In Boston, brothers set off bombs killing three and injuring more than 170. At Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., a gunman murdered 26 people, mostly children. In Aurora, Colo., 12 people dead and 70 injured in a midnight movie screening. With each new crime, journalists, experts and President Barack Obama have voiced the need for improvements in mental healthcare access and referrals.
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Suspicious package in McCreless prompts evacuation of two buildings Monday
SA bomb squad x-rayed the package and declared it was not a bomb.
Two buildings were evacuated tonight after a “suspicious package” was reportedly found in McCreless Hall, according to a SAC email alert issued about 7 p.m. President Robert Zeigler notified campus police officers that night classes in McCreless and Gonzales halls were canceled, said Sgt. Robert Tomlinson of the Alamo Colleges police department.
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Retired immigration officer shares his perspective
Undocumented immigrants are going to hop trains, hide in U-Hauls and do whatever they need to feed their families, a retired immigration officer told the Texas Book Fair. Hipolito Acosta, author of “The Shadow Catcher: A U.S. Agent Infiltrates Mexico's Deadly Crime Cartels,” said April 13 that while undercover in 1982 trying to crack a smuggling ring, he was locked in the trunk of a parked car with a young man who was also trying to cross the border illegally.
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Ranger reveals Source Awards nominees
Red carpet season isn’t over yet. Staffers of The Ranger announced nominations Monday for the coveted Source Awards, recognition of students, faculty, administrators or members of the public who are particularly helpful to our staffers. Journalism and photojournalism students toil long hours in our newsroom to bring you the news of the college and district, a reasonable facsimile anyway. All nominees are invited to the awards ceremony at noon Monday on the second floor balcony of Loftin Student Center outside of the journalism and photography wing.
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GALA members promote National Day of Silence
With rainbow flags, music and face painting, the Gay, Ally and Lesbian association celebrated National Day of Silence Wednesday in the mall. National Day of Silence will be observed Friday throughout the country. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network started the action day in 1996to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. Students and activists across the country protest in silence. GALA members seek to end discrimination and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
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Construction ahead on Villaret
Trustees approved contracts for plumbing and pest control services Tuesday in Killen Center.
Much of the Alamo Colleges board agenda Tuesday in its regular monthly meeting focused on contruction. Trustees unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with the City of San Antonio to reconstruct and widen Villaret Boulevard, which includes the street address to Palo Alto. District 4 trustee Marcelo Casillas was absent.
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Half-naked woman runs screaming near campus Saturday
Police Chief Don Adams said the woman told police she had consumed alcohol and drugs.
A young woman, naked from the waist down, was reported running and screaming on Courtland Place about 2 p.m. Saturday by a couple driving on North Main Avenue. Chief Don Adams said the young woman was not a student and told district officers she had been consuming alcohol, marijuana and other drugs.
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District rolls out academic and career advising model in fall
The academic and career advising model will keep students engaged with the college because the pathway to success will be personalized, Dr. Mike Flores, president of Palo Alto College, said. The model was discussed during the Academic Accountability and Student Success Committee meeting Tuesday in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan.
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College Council mulls F-T adjunct cuts
President wants to limit full-time adjuncts to 10-12 a year.
As a result of decreases in state funding and contact hours, the college must accommodate a $2.4 million budget cut for the fall and cut back on full-time adjuncts, President Robert Zeigler said during a College Council meeting Tuesday in Room 120 of visual arts.
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HR seeks cuts to tuition assistance
Cuts to the Employee Tuition Assistance Program, or ETAP, for fall are being considered and expected to go before the Alamo College’s board of trustees in May. Linda Boyer-Owens, associate vice chancellor of human resources and organizational development, said the program recommendations are part of a human resources audit to improve the efficiency and cost of the program. She could not provide amounts for how much the program costs or projected savings from the cuts by press time.
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Committee agrees to current tuition
The tuition and fee schedule goes to Alamo Colleges trustees at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Killen.
The tuition and fee schedule for fiscal year 2014, without an increase in regular tuition, was unanimously passed by the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee Tuesday in Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. Although regular tuition rates will remain, the schedule plans to raise parking garage permit from $50 to $200. Parking permits will remain at $50.
The fee increase was approved by the Alamo Colleges board of trustees July 24 for implementation in the spring.
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Committee recommends widening of Villaret
The recommendation to make Villaret Boulevard four lanes will go before the board Today.
The Building, Grounds and Sites Selection Committee unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with the City of San Antonio to widen Villaret Boulevard north of Palo Alto College. The committee approved recommending the agreement at its April 9 meeting at Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan.
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Friday drop deadline
Friday is the last day to drop a class in the 16-week semester. Students enrolled in Spring Start 2 have until April 25 to decide and the last day to drop for Spring Flex 2 classes is May 3. Students must go to the professor or chair to drop a class. Although course drops do not affect GPA, they do affect financial aid and academic progress.
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Restoring the ‘spirit reach’ of the SA River
About once a week 10-50 community volunteers and students from the University of Incarnate Word gather 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays or Saturdays at a small, but significant green space occupying the first one-third mile of the San Antonio River. They work to help restore, preserve and build a place where the Earth can stay well and people can be restored.
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Board approves weapons resolution 7-1
The Alamo Colleges trustees approve a four-day work week this summer.
After two months of deliberation, the Alamo Colleges board of trustees approved 7-1 a guns-on-campus resolution. The board approved the resolution opposing legislation allowing weapons on campus during its regular board meeting March 26 in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan.
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Fracking fundamentally changes South Texas identity
The largest oil field in the U.S. begins an hour’s drive from San Antonio.
Fifty-four miles from San Antonio is the heaviest activity of oil drilling in South Texas. The Eagle Ford Shale drilling field is so massive and active, the region is easily seen as a swath of bright lights on nighttime photographic images from satellites.
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Officer awarded for lifesaving at accident
Patrolman credits previous experience as volunteer fire fighter.
The board of trustees presented a lifesaving award to patrolman Jonathan Logan for his heroism in helping a woman from a burning car. The presentation was during the March 26 regular board meeting at Killen Center. Logan said in an interview April 5 that his initial reaction after seeing the car falling over the bridge was “seeing if I could help.
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Chancellor’s agenda turns to innovative classrooms
Trustees want more technology in classrooms, but question its impact on student success.
The Alamo Colleges board of trustees requested more data on student success to move forward with a capital improvement project during a CIP retreat Monday in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan.
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Dean, director hire announcements soon
President Robert Zeigler said he plans to announce two hires. He said to expect an announcement regarding student life Tuesday, but offered no date for dean of performance excellence. Dean duties include oversight of the SACS accreditation process and developing student learning outcomes.
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Terrorism topic brings big crowd to Hot Potato lecture Tuesday
Former counterterrorism expert says doing nothing against terrorism is “unacceptable.”
Dan Sanchez, social sciences and humanities adjunct, drew more than 50 students Tuesday to the Hot Potato lecture. Before beginning his lecture, Sanchez said he was a counterterrorism expert 30 years ago and the practices he learned would be different than what is happening now, but the essentials are the same.
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Senate needs stronger voice, instructor says
For Faculty Senate to have a stronger voice in college and district decisions, it needs to articulate its position, government Instructor Michael Berrier said Wednesday in Room 120 of the visual arts center. “The reason they’re shoving solutions down our throat is because we’re not giving them alternatives in a timely fashion in the decision-making process that they identify,” he said. Faculty Senate invited Barrier to offer suggestions on improving its communication with administrators to regain a voice in college and district decisions.
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Maymester, summer registration opens
Don’t get out the sandals and picnic towels just yet, summer registration starts today. Registration is for Maymester, first summer session, second summer session and an eight-week evening summer session. Students with a minimum of 46 course hours can register today and Tuesday; 31 hours Wednesday, 16 hours Thursday and 1 hour Friday Registration is open for all students April 15.
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Lofts open in August, but not parking
Tobin Lofts is expected to welcome its first residents in August, but designated resident parking will not be completed until March. Until then, residents can purchase a $200 parking permit to park in the garage east of Chance Academic Center.
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SGA invites students to run for elections
Election campaign packets are available for any student wanting to run for Student Government Association. Students can pick up the packets in Room 260B of Loftin Student Center. Campaign packets must be completed and turned in by April 12.
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Texas Book Festival brings lectures, readings, signings Saturday
Readers have a chance to meet 50 authors Saturday.
The Texas Book Festival/San Antonio is a free celebration of the printed word at the San Antonio Central Library, 600 Soledad Street, and the adjacent Southwest School of Art, Navarro and Ursuline campuses. This free event, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, allows readers and authors to come together to discuss works at panel discussions, presentations and signings.
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In the beginning, there was education
No one really knows the first professional teacher’s name or wage, but learning remains a prerequisite to survival. The first individual in history credited as being a teacher is Confucius in China in 551B.C. Military leaders, hunters, monks, royal tutors, inventors, storytellers, artists and parents have all had a place in the education of the world.
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Voter turnout impacts college
Chancellor’s contract ends Aug. 31.
Each of the last four elections for the Alamo Community Colleges District board of trustees drew voter turnout of less than 7.5 percent and as low as 2.13 percent of the registered voters. An election in May of even-numbered years usually puts three of the nine district seats on the ballot.
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Counseling Interns gain practical experience
Students from local universities are putting what they have learned in the classroom into real-life experience. There are four interns for this college’s counseling center as part of the Counseling Practicum Internship Program. “They are individuals who have done their coursework for their degree in counseling,” Counselor Margaret Bloomer said.
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Forget mental health stigma
One-fourth of Americans have an undiagnosed mental health condition. Laura Wilson-Slocum, a licensed professional counselor for Mobile Crisis Outreach Team of Austin and Travis County, provided the statistic in the Hot Potato lecture March 26 at the Methodist Student Center.
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Headwaters Coalition needs volunteers for work on San Antonio River
Planned projects include walkways, trash pick up and replacing vegetation.
If you have never seen where the San Antonio River begins, the Headwaters Coalition invites you to join them for a volunteer work day. Volunteers are needed to remove invasive plants, build walking trails, remove debris and plant native species of plants. The Headwaters Sanctuary, a property adjacent to the campus of University of Incarnate Word at 4301 Broadway, protects the river’s beginning.
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Short circuit zaps McAllister center
An electrical short occurred about 9 a.m. March 28 in McAllister Fine Arts Center because of a “faulty starter.” Music sophomores Mark Fiefarek and Bradley Martinez said fine arts Chair Jeff Hunt directed students to exit the building into parking Lot 3 North of McAllister and wait there for about 20 minutes before re-entering the building.
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Six citizens voice opinions on textbooks, e-books Tuesday
The standardized textbooks issue was the hot topic of the citizens-to-be-heard portion of the Alamo Colleges regular board of trustees meeting Tuesday in Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. Jacob Wong, Student Government Association president and psychology sophomore, presented the results of a four-question survey of 366 students.
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College passes ‘midterm exam’
SACS reaffirms college every 10 years.
This college has successfully completed its five-year accreditation review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which serves as a “midterm exam” for the college. Dr. Johnnie Rosenauer, director of the Murguia Learning Institute and this college’s liaison to the association, said March 26 the review focuses on finance, student learning outcomes, faculty evaluations, library services, student services, distance education, administrative qualifications and full-time faculty-to-adjunct ratios.
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Committee to recommend for new dean of performance excellence position
Interviews were Wednesday and Thursday.
A screening committee for a new position, dean of performance excellence, plans to make a recommendation to President Robert Zeigler “before we leave Thursday afternoon,” Dr. Johnnie Rosenauer, director of the Murguia Learning Institute and screening committee chair, said Tuesday.
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NLC accreditation expected for fall 2014
President says process takes four to seven years.
After beginning the accreditation process in 2008, Northeast Lakeview College is moving closer toward achieving accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. According to a March 12 presentation during a meeting of the board of trustees’ Academic Accountability and Student Success Committee, the college estimates receiving candidacy status from SACS in fall 2014.
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Fall burglaries in visual arts center continue this semester
Cash, credit cards and personal items were stolen from faculty offices.
There have been four reports of burglaries and one report of theft in the visual arts center since September. On Jan. 25, between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m., two silver, flat-screen Apple iMacs computers, keyboards and mice were stolen from the adjunct workstation in the offices of visual arts.
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Faculty Senate calls for a stronger voice
Members of Faculty Senate urged taking more action as a senate to become a more effective lobbying force during their meeting March 6 in Room 120 of the visual arts center. The urge for effectiveness came from President Robert Zeigler’s open forum March 5 concerning new textbook guidelines that require faculty to select one textbook per course beginning in fall.
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Counselors offer anxiety relief
Many students experience school-related anxiety, but this college’s counselors are offering a way to help. “Having some anxiety is natural,” Counselor Melissa Sutherland said. One of the ways to make a student’s life easier is to reduce stress, said Dr. Thomas Bilimek, psychology and sociology chair. “The more confidence you feel about the information, the less stress you’re going to have.”
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Committee approves guns-on-campus resolution
The Legal Affairs Committee approved 1-1 a guns-on-campus resolution during their meeting March 12 in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. District 9 trustee James Rindfuss voted for the resolution and District 8 trustee Gary Beitzel voted against the resolution. Two committee members, District 3 trustee Anna Bustamante and District 6 trustee Gene Sprague, were absent.
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