Renegade Rip Issue 1 Feb. 10, 2021

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News Page 2 The Renegade Rip www.therip.com Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 Women’s March goes virtual in Kern County By Alexis Delgadillo Reporter The 2021 Women’s March Kern County took a different approach than previous years and was held virtually this year on Jan. 23. The annual event was live streamed over zoom due to the pandemic and California’s stay-at-home order. This Women’s March began a mere four years ago nationwide after former President Trump’s inauguration in 2017. Since then, there have been thousands of people around the nation and in some parts of the world that have attended these marches. The march is a global organization that advocates for addressing social issues, ending violence against women, labor rights, LGBTQ rights, along with many more causes. The march was hosted on zoom from noon to 2:00 p.m. and was later posted via YouTube so more people would be able to view the event. This year’s Women’s March central theme was empathy, courage, and hope. To bring the theme’s messages, the virtual march included a variety of women guest speakers, performers, and more. The zoom event was hosted by NaTesha Johnson and included many different prominent women of Bakersfield ranging from a young eighth-grade activist to a great grandmother who has been an activist since the 70s. Their age was not the only thing that diversified the speakers and performers, there were people of different ethnicities, pronouns, and backgrounds making it a very inclusive event. Women’s rights wasn’t the only main point of interest, the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and the end of Trump’s presidency was a recurring topic in many of the speakers’ speeches. “It’s a new day, a new year, a new administration, a new beginning,” said guest speaker Reverend Nancy Bacon, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and active with global ministries in Tijuana and Uganda.Many of the speakers spoke highly of the new Vice President Harris. They collectively praised her for not only being the first woman vice president in history but as well for being the first person of color in history. Speaker Raji K. Brar, a business owner and community leader in the Central Valley said, “The women’s march was birthed out of rebuke to the patriarchy and the misogyny that permeated the White House, four years later we have put a woman in that same White House.” Most of the speakers said they are hopeful about what the next four HALEY DUVAL / THE RIP Supporters march through Mill Creek Park in the 2019 Women’s March Kern County in downtown Bakersfield, Jan. 2019. years must hold with the ushering in of the new administration many still warned that there are still injustices to overcome. Some spoke of the racial injustices that have been occurring for decades and pointed out that we are still fighting to overcome them, while others brought light to the struggles that many LGBTQIA+ people are continuing to face and how for many these struggles have gotten worse during this pandemic. Olivia Garrison, a LGBTQIA+ activist said, “According to the Trevor project Covid-19 has had serious implications for the mental health of LGBTQ youth, queer and trans kids have faced a bombardment of hardships.” Q&A about the COVID-19 vaccine By Brisa Flores Reporter The first President’s all-campus virtual seminar series of the spring semester was held on Feb. 2, a Q&A session about Covid-19 was discussed. Nicky Damania, the Director of Student Life here at Bakersfield College, introduced the panelists. Dr. Sonya Christian, Bakersfield College President, was present and joined alongside Dr. Michael Saag, the Dean of Global Health at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Two BC students, Ian Spark, a BC pre-med student, and Kassandra Sweeney, a BC public health sciences student, were also panelists at the meeting. Dr. Saag kicked the webinar off with, “We need to all have a sense of who we are as people. What makes us tick, and once you have that grounding, then the world is your oyster, and you can find your path.” Spark and Sweeney asked Dr. Saag a series of questions regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine. Dr. Saag went on to give in-depth answers about the vaccine and how it works. First place nationally for two year college Websites at the Associated Collegiate Press 2020 midwinter conference. Fifth place newspapers. First place for newspaper in 2011, third place in 2013, 2014, 2015 for CNPA General Excellence Fourth place nationally in 2019 for website publication by Associated Collegiate Press The Renegade Rip is produced by Bakersfield College journalism classes and is circulated on Thursdays during the fall and spring semesters. The newspaper is published under the auspices of the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees, but sole responsibility for its content rests with student editors. The Rip is a member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association, Associated Collegiate Press, and California Colleges Media Association. When Spark asked how does the body’s immunization process work, Dr. Sagg explained,the vaccine primes the body’s immune system for when the virus enters the body, the immune system will know what to look for and how to respond to it before anyone knows they are infected. Sparks then asked if the vaccine is safe for cancer patients currently undergoing treatment or chemotherapy. “Yes, it’s safe, but one of the concerns we have is that people who have cancer or an autoim- EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief.........................Haley Duval Digital Editor........Hugo Maldonado Garcia News Editor......................... Amaya Lawton Features Editor.............Sydney Mcclanahan Opinions Editor....................Victoria Meza Editor......................................Nick Covello Copy Editor...........................Joselyn Green mune disease or something else where they’re getting chemotherapy or some of these immune-based therapies might not have quite the response in the protection that we would want them to have ordinarily,” Dr. Sagg answered. Sweeney asked, with all the misinformation going around, what can educators do to help keep communities informed about the immunization process and make them more comfortable about getting the vaccine? Dr. Sagg responded with, “These otherwise trust- The Renegade Rip Adviser.........................................Erin Auerbach ed voices who are giving them truthful information suddenly are no longer trustworthy, so that’s one thing that I think we have to overcome. The way we can overcome that, in my opinion, is to work with focus groups and people talking to peers.” Sweeney also asked if there are any additional risks with attempting to accelerate the developmental process of the vaccine. Dr. Sagg replied that the speed of the developing process did not harm the process at all. Dr. Sagg also spoked about his work at the STAFF Reporters/photographers: Jimmy Aleman, Teresa Balmori Perez, Jaylene Collins, Charr Davenport, Alexis Delgadillo, Brisa Flores, Clarecca Hargis, Jared Johnson, Saioa Laverty, Razan Makhlouf, Aubrianna Martinez, Angeles Mendez University of Alabama. Sagg said he worked with other colleagues where they came up with a plan to have 8,000 COVID tests a day in all 52 campuses in Alabama, where they tested about 220,000 students in all. He then went on saying helped them get a hold of the epidemic early on in the breakout. Dr. Sagg closed the webinar with two Hamilton quotes: “When it comes time to get your vaccine, don’t throw away your shot.” and “History has its eyes on us.” Write The Rip Letters should not exceed 300 words, must be accompanied by a signature and the letter writer’s identity must be verified. The Rip reserves the right to edit letters, however, writers will be given the opportunity to revise lengthy or unacceptable submissions. If an organization submits a letter as a group, it must be signed by only one person, either the leader of the organization or the letter writer. Anonymous letters will not be published. How to reach us -Address: Bakersfield College, 1801 Panorama Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93305 -Phone: (661) 395-4324 -Email: ripmail@bakersfieldcollege.edu -Website: therip.com
News Page 3 The Renegade Rip www.therip.com Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 Kern County Democratic leaders call on Kevin McCarthy to resign By Charr Davenport Reporter The Kern County Democratic Central Committee and the Democratic Women of Kern joined together, on Jan. 11, to call on local Republican Congressman and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to resign due to his influence on the riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6. “The mayhem that terrorized the Capitol was incited by the President and his allies, who fed their supporters a steady diet of misinformation and dangerous rhetoric. Bakersfield Representative Kevin McCarthy, in his role as House Minority Leader, has been among the most vocal and influential members of Congress to engage in this type of behavior,” the local groups said in a joint press release. The release also accused McCarthy of violating Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution as well as his own Oath of Office. “We called on his resignation because he does not represent the people anymore,” said Christian Romo, Chair for the Kern County Democratic Central Committee. “He represents Donald Trump and his billionaire friends.” According to Romo, the Kern County Democratic Party has plans to keep the pressure on McCarthy until he resigns, as well as plans for if he does not resign. “The only way to remove him from office would be getting a 2/3 vote from his colleagues in the House. We want to pursue that route as well. If he doesn’t resign, we’re going to ask for his colleagues to take him out.” Robin Walters, president of the Democratic Women of Kern, wants McCarthy to take responsibility for his part in the riots. “I think he [McCarthy] and his kind are to blame. If you can’t tell people the truth, if you continue to allow the incitement of racism and crazy conspiracy theories and the false notion, absolutely false, that this election was not secure, you are responsible. I would say he was responsible because he spoke out about that.” Despite that, Walters does not think McCarthy will resign. She is, however, hopeful for the future of Kern County. “I think there are lots of people in Kern County, more than you know, that are Democrats. I also think there are lots of thinking Republicans. I don’t think the thoughtful Republicans in this town abide by the Trump lies and the McCarthy groveling at Trump’s feet. I don’t think they like people that are just after personal power and personal gain.” Agreeing with Walters is Elise Modrovich, who is currently in the running for Assembly District 26. “He [McCarthy] won’t resign… Right now he’s trying to work his way back into his power position. We have an opportunity, but I don’t know how long we’ll have it. There is a chink in his armor, so if we can get a strong candidate, we have a shot at Kevin.” Not everyone in the Kern County Democratic Party is happy with the call, however. Julie Solis, who ran for the 34th District in 2020 and was recently arrested for trespassing at McCarthy’s office on Jan. 11, does not think the party is doing enough. “I think that just releasing a statement that says ‘Resign,’ although it is appreciated, isn’t enough. If you really want to make an impact, then we need to start mobilizing. We need action.” As of Feb. 4, Kevin McCarthy has not yet made a response to the calls for him to resign. BC webinar explores the power of gaming Discussing racial and gender equity at BC By Jaylene Collins Reporter Bakersfield College’s Student Government Association (BCSGA) held a webinar via Zoom with the Southern University of California (SUC) professor and video-game executive Gordon Bellamy, last Tuesday, Feb. 2. The theme of the webinar was “The Power of Gaming.” Bellamy spoke about his career path, education programs in the gaming industry, and the importance of gaming. Throughout the webinar, Bellamy also answered various questions from the audience. Coming from a family of lawyers, Bellamy spoke of how he was expected to become one himself. Thus, Bellamy went to college to pursue a career as an attorney but due to lack of interest, his career path changed. Having a love for sports and video games, Bellamy decided he wanted to work at the video game company, Electronic Arts (EA) or ESPN. Eventually, Bellamy landed a job at EA and worked his way up the ladder. Most notably, Bellamy worked as the lead designer twice for the popular game, “Madden NFL.” He later left EA and helped to start Z-Axis, a smaller video game company that created extreme sports games. Z-Axis was later bought by video game publisher, Activision. As an educator, Bellamy now teaches at USC. He is a faculty member for USC Games, a program that helps students who want a career in the gaming industry. “You cannot wait for the world to act on you,” Bellamy stated. “If you want to get into the game industry, then you have to act on the world and start making games.” At USC Games, there is a video game design track and video game engineering tack undergrad and masters students are able to take, as well as extracurriculars such as a course on how gaming streaming services work and esports teams students can join. Bellamy said his favorite part of his job was being able to watch his students grow. “The people who I’ve mentored who have gone on to do and create things that I couldn’t even imagine. That’s my favorite thing, to see them thrive and grow is super fulfilling. Seeing people be their own best selves,” Bellamy said. Bellamy then spoke about the importance video games played in his life. Besides the fact Bellamy worked as a video game executive, he said games were always important to him. “Games matter to me so much because games have rules that we all share,” Bellamy explained. “For me, games were always a default space where I could simply be and be as good as I was and share an experience with people who are all navigating the same set of rules. We look for default set spaces where we could be who we are as unique individuals.” Then he spoke of how important it was for people to be able to find that unique set space for themselves in video games. The webinar then came to a close after Bellamy answered a few questions. The full webinar is available to watch on the BCSGA Facebook. By Brisa Flores Reporter A webinar with three academic senate leaders was held to discuss their views about their racial and gender equity perspectives in the public higher education, on Jan. 29. In this four-part conversation series, Lark Park, director of the California Education Learning Lab, was joined with Academic Senate leaders Dr. Dolores Davison, Dr. Robert Keith Collins, and Dr. Mary Gauvain. The California Education Learning Lab was passed as a bill in 2018 to close gaps between equity and achievements in students who specifically want a STEM career. Dr. Davison is the President of the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges and a Professor of History and Women’s Studies at Foothill College. Dr. Robert Keith Collins is the Chair of the Academic Senate of the California State University, an Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University, and a four-field trained anthropologist. Dr. Gauvain, is the Chair of the Academic Senate of the University of California and a Professor of Psychology for the University of California Riverside. The three guests answered a series of questions about the topic of racial and gender equity. One of Park’s first opening questions to the senate leaders was when talking about race and gender equity about students, what they really talked about, and faculty talking about the same thing. “Equity is really about providing students with the opportunity and support that they can succeed,” stated by Dr. Gauvain. Gauvain then went on to say that students should be able to succeed and do what they want to do and not be tied restrained by society,”Equity really just is a fundamental core value,” she added. Dr. Collins explained how it is important for faculty to use their voices to bring up the issues about “fairness and impartiality.” “Faculty are really using the classroom to engage these issues not only in terms of research that helps to grow fields but also so that they turn into pedagogical resources,” Dr. Collins said. He explained this will help students know what fairness really is and how the lack thereof can cause more inequality and impartiality in an environment like school. Dr. Davinson gave her perspective as the President of the community colleges, “I would argue that at any of our 115 degree-granting institutions and 116th which is a fully online college you will see faculty making significant changes throughout the institutions to ensure that equity is a central focus of everything they do in and out of the classroom, the athletic field, the counseling office, the lab, wherever they are.” The panelists continue to answer questions from their perspectives from the campuses they work at and how their campuses implement the idea or topic of race and gender equity to be talked about or minimize the gaps caused by and h0w similar the ideas of these campuses are even if they are from different campuses. Dr. Davinson brought up how faculty should be involved in this discussion and the student services professionals because they are the ones that students usually see and communicate with more to be able to minimize this gap with race and gender. They also discussed what keeps them inspired during quarantine and what they admire about their comrades.
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Renegade Rip Issue 1 Feb. 10, 2021

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