By Albert H.

Fulcher
Editor-in-chief
With the California state budget fully
loaded, state legislators are ready at the
trigger and have made it clear the next
round of fre will once again be aimed at
higher education. Should another state
defcit open up, automatic triggers will
go into effect enacting mid-year cuts
for community colleges. Southwestern
Colleges fiscal year 2011-12 budget,
approved by the governing board Sept. 13,
was created with the worst case in mind.
Bob Temple, interim vice president
for business and fnancial afairs, said the
proposed budget refects the probability
of future cuts from Sacramento and
minimizes the risk of under budgeting.
He said is it almost impossible to spend
every bit of every line item in the budget
and expects a fund balance at the end of
fscal year 2011-12.
Within reason, the budget committee
supported the recommendation to plan
not for the worst-case scenario, but to
make a budget to where the committee
does not need to come back to the board
with mid-year reductions, Temple said.
Statewide, community colleges tuition
cost raised $10 this fall and a $290 million
in statewide community colleges cuts took
immediate afect with the passage of the
state budget. If projected state revenues
fall short, two triggers could force an
additional $72 million in community
college cuts.
Revenue forecasts falling below $1
billion will trigger an additional $30
million in cuts to community colleges
and a $10 tuition increase, and revenue
shortfalls below $2 billion means a $72
million cut.
Governing Board Vice President Norma
Hernandez said her concern is that
members of the community do not know
what is going to happen with the triggers
coming down from Sacramento and the
$2 million is a good bufer in resolving the
consequences of state reductions.
State Controller John Chiangs July
report showed state revenues down by
$538.8 million, with a large decrease in
sales and corporate taxes. Chiang said
every drop in revenue puts the state closer
to imposing drastic trigger cuts next year.
On Sept. 20, Gov. Jerry Brown signed
Assembly BillX1 32, deferring a $10 spring
2012 fee increase to the summer. Chiang
and Community College Chancellor Jack
Scott said this saves colleges the challenge
of collecting higher fees from students
who have already registered and paid for
spring classes.
Temple said the state postponing the $46
student fee increase removes an enormous
amount of problems for the college, but
at this time it is an unrecoverable revenue
loss.
SWCs 2011-12 adopted budget
includes almost $90.25 million in total
expenses and $85.3 million total revenue,
leaving this years budget with a $5 million
defcit. Part of the budget committees
three-year budget plan includes a one-
time $5 million dip into governing board
reserves this fscal year as the college works
on ongoing expenditure cuts over the
following two years to create a balanced
budget, cutting more than $8 million in
yearly ongoing expenses.
Governing Board President Tim Nader
said he had a fundamental problem with
approving a budget that shows a $5 million
knowingly selling mislabeled products.
Joe says it may be attributed to the
potential proft margin of sales in these
hard economic times.
I was making fve Gs a month, said
Joe. I was selling a half a gram for fve
bucks and it was costing me two.
Te San Diego County Police Chiefs
and Sherifs Association sent out a letter
to approximately 160 retailers in July of
2011. Te letter signed by Chula Vista
Police Chief David Bejarano said the
community needs to come together to
stop synthetics.
While the legal details are being
worked out at the federal level, we
are calling upon our local business
community to stop the sale of products
used as synthetic marijuana and
stimulants to demonstrate support for
public health and safety.
Users of the synthetic drugs usually
undergo drug testing. People on
probation and members of our armed
forces make up a good portion of users.
Tey are deadly chemicals, one-
time use has killed people, says Retired
Deputy Sherif William Perno.
William Perno and Eliza Cardin,
a Southwestern College student
and mother, founded the grassroots
coalition People
Agai nst Spi ce
Sal es (PASS).
They creat ed
the group after
l earni ng thei r
local deli next to
Hilltop Middle
School was selling
synthetic drugs to
students. PASS
quickly formed a
partnership with
the Sweetwater
Uni o n Hi g h
S c h o o l
Di s t r i c t a nd
Superintendent
Dr. Ed Brand to get the deli to stop
selling the substance. Tey were able to
get them to stop temporarily.
Tey didnt keep their word, said
Perno. Some choose greed and proft
over the safety of the community.
William Perno and Eliza Cardin try
to educate the community as much as
they can, speaking at events, showing
people the substances and telling them
about their efects.
Users believe that people are out
to hurt them, says Perno. Mothers
believing their children are aliens or
demons. Mothers attack children and
people take their families hostage.
In the eyes of Perno, this is more then
enough reason to ban it completely. But
even when the bans go into full efect
they may still have a market.
I think any controlled substance will
have someone go outside of the law and
possess them for sale, says Perno. I
dont think they are going to go away.
Tey will be readily available through
underground illegal sales or through
the Internet.
Trough the advent of the Internet,
synthetics are easier then ever to purchase
online, adding yet another cause for
concern on the ever-increasing laundry
list of controversy.
Cardin thinks of the children that
may be afected by these products. With
favors like Cotton candy, bubble gum
and pineapple, they may appeal to small
children.
We need to recognize that they are
marketed to children, said Cardin. Te
product placement is typically eyelevel of
a child as well as in an area surrounded
by candy.
Cardin frmly believes in the power
of the people.
We can make a change here, she said.
But not everyone shares PASSs
view. Stephanie Barlow, operations
manager of Happy High Herbs
based out of Australia, has a branch
in Ocean Beach. Barlow submitted
information concerning the recent
proposition of banning JWH-018,
spice, in Australia to the Terapeutic
Goods Administration (TGA). In her
submission to the TGA she states some
of her major criticisms and concerns.
JWH-018 has proven to be benefcial
in helping overcome addiction.
Te director of Happy High Herbs,
Ray Torpe, found JWH-018 the only
successful tool in shaking of a cannabis
addiction of 30 years, writes Barlow.
Banning JWH will result in its
becoming a black-market product, with
a greatly increased potential for misuse
and harmful efects. Regulating JWH
will impose safe boundaries on its use
for both recreational and therapeutic
reasons.
NEWS
16
Aug.17 - Oct.1, 2011Vol. 55, Iss. 1
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Drugs: Designer drugs
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Continued from Page 2
District prepares for more budget woes
please see Budget pg. 17
MARSHALL MURPHY/STAFF
TEMPLE OF DOOM: Interim Vice President of Fiscal Services Bob Temple has advised the
governing board to prepare for more state cuts.
that I neglected to cite the source for the
statement I used in supporting the 9/11
student event today, Whittaker wrote.
I was asked by Student Activities Ofce
if I would send out a message supporting
their event and in my haste to get this out,
I did not cite the source for the statement.
I greatly appreciated that you noticed it.
Whittaker said the omission was
inexcusable, regardless of her earnest intent
to provide a supporting statement in honor
of 9/11.
I make no excuses other than I did
not take the time to note the source, said
Whittaker. As a learning institution, this
is a valuable lesson to all, that no one, at
any job level, is ever exempt from quoting
or noting their source of information
and that includes the Superintendent/
President.
Former Superintendent Raj K. Chopra
faced similar accusations in November
2008, but on a larger scale. Chopra lifted
paragraphs written by Southwest Airlines
CEO Gary Kelly from a Thanksgiving
message published in the company
publication, Spirit Magazine. Chopra
named his newsletter Te Spirit.
Chopra denied the allegations of
plagiarism, calling it a miscommunication
between he and his administrative assistant.
He only apologized for the discontent on
campus. During an interview on the matter
with a student journalist he angrily snatched
a pen from her hand.
Compared to the reaction spurred from
Chopras e-mail, responses to Whittakers
situation from faculty, staf and students
were far more forgiving.
Leaders make mistakes and it is how they
handle them that show what kind of leader
they are, wrote faculty union president
Andrew MacNeill. Superintendent
Whittaker made a mistake here, someone
rightfully called her on it, and she
acknowledged it.
Kirkwood said the e-mail was not a
personal attack.
The victim is the integrity of our
institution as a legitimate academic
institution, she said.
Kirkwood said it showed how committed
SWC is to this core academic value.
It sends a message to the rest of our
academic community that we think it is
ok, she said.
Claudia Duran, president of the
Associated Student Organization, said she
was surprised Whittaker used unattributed
material.
I think if that a mistake is made by an
administrator to that degree, I think that
there should be some repercussions to that
just like there are for students, she said.
Duran said she did not think four-year
universities would not take the incident
lightly.
I dont think they would look on us
very nicely, she said. But I do hope they
understand that it was an honest mistake.
Dr. Joel Levine, dean of Language and
Literature, said Whittaker deserved the
beneft of the doubt considering the context
of her work at SWC.
Te incident was trivial, he said. We
are so quick to judge because we were so
jaded and hurt as an institution.
Spanish instructor Carol Stuardo said the
Pocket Keys for Writers (MLA handbook)
stated that historical information when it is
common knowledge, especially when it is
available in many sources, does not need
to be cited.
I think this may be a gray area as certainly
that tragedy is common knowledge,
Stuardo said. I just wanted to share that
the historical aspect of the issue makes it
not so cut and dry.
Plagiarism: Whittaker
apologizes for not citing
source in 9/11 message
Continued from Page 1
by the community, he said. All the
people were happy to be helping,
they just needed the right leader.
Denise Whittaker provided the right
leadership.We all owe her a great deal
of thanks.
Nader also had praise for the faculty
and staf who did most of the work.
Ever yone at the col l ege who
contributed, completely on a volunteer
basis because they care about the
students, deserve the thanks of every
member of the community, he said.
SWC still faces many challenges,
Nader said, such as fnding permanent
administrators and working with the
tightened budget.
Accreditation: Follow
up report due to
commission in October
Continued from Page 1
Te Southwestern College Sun
They are
deadly
chemicals.
One-time
use has
killed
people.
William Perno
Retired Deputy
Sheriff