Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "sacramento state university"

Sacramento State Student Fashion Association runway show benefits Autism Center for Excellence

2011-11-24T07:43:36Z

The Midnight Masquerade Charity Fashion Show flaunted a cornucopia of fashion designs and styles – from pop art-inspired dresses to “Star Wars” costumes – by Sacramento State students Tuesday at the Sacramento State University Union Ballroom.

More than 200 people attended the two-hour charity event, which helped raised funds for the Autism Center for Excellence at Sacramento State or A.C.E., a program by United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Sacramento that provides socialization training programs for children ages 8-12 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

SFA donated part of the proceeds from the event in the amount of $300 to UCP.

To welcome guests, while keeping with the midnight masquerade theme, the Student Fashion Association (SFA) members donned black clothing, and some of them wore Mardi Gras-style masks. At the ticket booth, attendees bought the Mardi Gras-style masks for $5 and had the opportunity to get their pictures taken at a designated photo booth.

"It's more or less a chance for other people in the club to get to have more fun with it," SFA member Lacey Taylor, a 22-year-old apparel and design marketing student, said about the theme of the fashion show and how everyone got to dress up and show their creative side.

Hosted by Miss Asia America Sacramento Princess Emily Tang, the club holds a charity fashion show each semester, with a new theme each time. This is the first time club members have collaborated with Miss Asia America Sacramento, a pageant that offers scholarships to women ages 16-26, said Tang, 21.

"A.C.E. is on campus, and we wanted to keep it within our community," said SFA President Cassandra Coleman, 23, an apparel and marketing design student. Coleman added that she really liked the nonprofit organization, because her sister has Asperger’s Syndrome, a similar version of autism, and can relate to the need for such program.

Made up mostly of Sacramento State students, the designers featured on the show included: co-designers Lacey Taylor and Samantha Rachele Hansen, Julia Moua, Irma Tchamourian-Zamora, Nikki Khotpanya, Joycelynn Brown and Tamika Bellamy.

For Khotpanya, 21, much of her inspiration came from Laotian culture and architecture, from the soft lines of the monk's attire to the hard lines of the temples, she said.

"The fabric is hard, but it's not chiffon; it's like a hard kind of fabric, but then it drapes easily around the body," Khotpanya said of the taffeta fabric that she used for designs.

The stylists featured at the event were Anakarina Pimentel, Elisabeth Poulos, Adrienne Deloatch, Gina Sanchez, Fiona Lau, and Jennifer Siopongco.

"A designer takes time and design the actual clothing and the stylist they put together the outfit that fits the model and the over all line,” Fiona Lau, 22, apparel design and marketing student said.

Federico Beauty Institute, a cosmetology school, provided hair and make-up for all the models. Some of the model’s make-up were done by the designers and stylists.

Bellamy, 22, SFA vice president, said her line was inspired by pop art.

"I decided to use bright colors coming from pop art pictures, and then I combined it with a little off-white," she said, adding that the five outfits were introduced at the runway.

Sanchez, 19, a stylist for the show, said the event gave her the freedom to put her own twist to Legacy Boutique's apparel, one of three Midtown businesses along with Heart Clothing Boutique and Denim Spot that were featured at the show.

"We have boutiques from Midtown who sponsor us, and we get clothes from them and outfit models," she said.

"We just feel that their styles mix with what we want to showcase this semester," SFA Public Relations Officer Jennifer Siopongco said.

Audio slideshow by John G. Hernandez

4 Sac State student protesters get disciplinary actions

2011-05-06T01:36:23Z

Four Sacramento State University students are facing disciplinary actions from the college for their participation in the three-day sit-in sy Sacramento Hall, which ended April 16 at 3:30 a.m. with police in riot gear.

Last Thursday, the students – Nora Walker, Yeimi Lopez, Amanda Mooers and Mildred Garcia – had their first hearing inside Lassen Hall with a disciplinary officer, as many of their supporters stood in front of the building wearing tape across their mouths and carried signs with messages like “Defending education is not a crime” and “Silence is the quest before the storm.”

In recent weeks, the protesters ignited a proverbial flame on campus that spread across an estimated 1,500 supporters who participated in rallies, the sit-in and a mock funeral, which proclaimed the death of education but the rebirth of the student movement.

The students refused to go on record as to what resulted from their hearing or what the charges entailed, and their supporters suggested they keep silent to the press while their hearings are under way, but it was suggested that a “no camping on campus” ordinance was violated.

Supporters marched behind the four students from the University Union Forest Room, where beforehand they discussed the aftermath of the student protests and the university's decision to call the police to break up the sit-in early that Saturday morning.

Mooers said they weren't given a reason from the campus administration why the four of them were selected when there were 27 students who spent the night inside Sacramento Hall. There were no arrests, and demonstrators maintained peaceful the entire time. They left Sacramento Hall upon request that Saturday morning, and it wasn't until then that they were told to leave. When the police moved in to take action, students said there were four students awake out of the 27.

Protest leaders have asked people to sign letters to Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez, showing their support for the students organizing and calling the administration's actions “unnecessarily aggressive.”

The students felt that the situation escalated when it didn't need to. For police to come in like that was a miscalculated use of force and a gross insult to those who were sleeping, they said in the forum.

Lopez, the designated police liaison for the protesters, said that when she approached police with questions on that Friday night/Saturday morning, she was told that they could no longer release information, that they were following the orders given to them.

Student Pat Pavlovich said he was studying in the Arc but was asked to leave by police even though he wasn't part of the protest. Asked why, the police said — according to Pavlovich — well, what if the protesters came in and destroyed the computers?

“They were shutting down other areas of study,” Pavlovich said. “That's when I decided to join the protesters. Doors were locked. I thought that was pathetic that (administrators) were going to starve students.”

The university has stated in media reports that it spent $14,000 in police overtime during the occupation and gave health and safety reasons as to why they locked Sacramento Hall with protesters inside, stating that all the people inside were affecting the air quality.

Forum panelist Lindsay Curtis said she found it ironic that administration had a concern with air quality, but they didn't leave the doors open. And Kevin Wehr, president of the capitol chapter of the California Faculty Association, said while there was insinuation that students were costing the university the police overtime, there were other pathways campus officials could have taken to avoid the
costs.

There seemed to be a basic message throughout the forum – that administration didn't do enough to prevent the sit-in and protests from escalating. Protesters said they had no idea that the protest was going to continue as long as it did. They just wanted the administration to take a stand, one way or another, on their demands – which has included stopping management during the fiscal crisis and for a promise from campus President Alexander Gonzalez to support Assembly Bill 1326, which calls for a fee on oil and gas extraction to support higher education.

While Gonzalez did post his response, Mooers said protesters asked him to be their leader and take their demands to the California State University Board of Trustees.

Curtis said California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed has been against those demands, so it would have taken a lot for Gonzalez to publicly support the protesters.

“Many have suggested we take our demands to the capitol, but if the system is broken, going to the capitol won’t help much,” Curtis said.

A week after the sit-in, some of the Sac State protesters joined other similar protests at Fullerton and Northridge State Universities.

The Fullerton administration made peace with the students, but Esteban Hernandez said the demands of students there were unlike those of the Sac State protesters. Fullerton protesters, he said, came up with a “watered-down resolution” that said something like “every person is entitled to equitable education ... but the administration took it as an opportunity to do good for the school.”

Wehr said response from the state legislature has been positive for the student protesters. Leland Yee called in his support on speaker phone and Assemblyman Richard Pan came down to the protest showing his support. His press secretary said Pan would find it very troubling if disciplinary action was taken against any of the students.

While other media reported the protests were organized by CFA, Wehr said that was not the case.

“The campus administration has made some insinuations both to the press and in their own communications to the campus that the students were put up to this by the faculty union,” Wehr said in a letter to all union members. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

In fact, he said the union was as surprised as anyone when the students decided to stay in Sacramento Hall. But once this course of action was taken, Wehr said CFA provided some support to the students by sending e-mails to the campus community and providing some food, water and art supplies.

Wehr said the union found it “offensive to suggest that students are not capable of undertaking their own political analysis and moving to take direct action based on what they see going on around the world and in their own backyard,” he wrote.

Sacramento State Students go Ape-solutely Bananas for BORN FREE USA

2010-12-03T19:41:09Z

Sacramento State Public Relations students and Will Travers, the Chief Executive Officer and founder of BORN FREE USA, will be training, stretching, lacing up their running shoes and donning their favorite animal costumes for the Kaiser Permanente MaraFUNrun & Fitness Walk on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 8 a.m.

The students and Travers are running the maraFUNrun for BORN FREE USA; a Sacramento- and Washington D.C.-based international wildlife nonprofit conservation and protection organization.

To help bring awareness to BORN FREE USA and its motto of “keeping wildlife in the wild,” the students and Travers will be running the 2.62 miles in BORN FREE USA gear and some will be participating dressed as monkeys, lions and bananas – oh my!

The Kaiser Permanente MaraFUNrun & Fitness Walk is part of the 28th Annual California International Marathon. The MaraFUNrun follows the last 2.62 miles of the marathon course, crossing the same finish line as the marathoners, and is held in the spirit of fun and fitness for youths and adults.

BORN FREE was originally founded in England in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginal McKenna, stars of the 1968 film, Born Free. In 2002 BORN FREE USA was founded in the United States with the international mission to end the suffering of wild animals in captivity, rescue individual animals in need, protect wildlife in their natural habitats, including highly endangered species, and to encourage compassionate conservation globally.

BORN FREE USA, partnered with the Animal Protection Institute, operates a 186 acre primate sanctuary in Texas, home to over 500 primates rescued from laboratories, circuses, zoos, and private possession.

The Primate Sanctuary and BORN FREE USA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, relying solely on the funding of individual donations, estate bequeaths, foundation grants, and adopt-a-primate programs.

For more information on where you can go bananas and adopt a primate to support BORN FREE USA please visit www.bornfreeusa.org or join the Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/BornFreeUSAFans.

Disclosure: This article was written and posted by students from the Sacramento State University Communications 158 course who are working alongside BORN FREE USA.

Chilly weather no concern for 17th Run to Feed the Hungry

2010-11-25T22:44:32Z

“R-U-N! R-U-N! Run, run, run!” locals shouted from their lawns, dressed much more warmly than the Run to Feed the Hungry participants flowing through Sacramento neighborhoods. Around 30,000 people ran, walked, or jogged in the 17th annual race, which had 5K and 10K routes, that began and ended at Sacramento State University.

Despite the chilly Thanksgiving weather, participants were in high spirits. Friends, family and coworkers spent the morning huddling in the sunlight or by heat lamps, drinking Peet’s coffee and eating fruits and donuts for pre-race fuel. Classic rock music filled the air and pumped energy into the crowd as the race time approached.

“This is perfect weather,” Sarah Doyle, a CSUS student, said before the race, rubbing her hands together. “I try and run the whole thing—the 10K—and after about a minute I can’t even feel the cold.”

Major Kevin Johnson and event coordinators thanked everyone for participating and initiated the countdown to the start of the run.

The 5K route (roughly 3 miles) followed J Street, took a left on 45th, a right on Folsom Blvd., then followed 41st back to H Street and ended up back at Sacramento State.

The 10K route (roughly 6 miles) took J Street to 30th to McKinley Park, where it stretched down to 24th and came back to follow E Street to Elvas Ave. and down Coloma toward H Street, where it returned to the campus finish line.

Whether seeking the comfort of a nice walk with good company or running to beat last year’s time, everyone was friendly and cooperative, no matter what speed they preferred.

Locals lined the roads and cheered, barbequeing, playing music and clapping to motivate participants forward while news helicopters idled overhead to watch the crowd weave through the city. A plethora of funny hats, turkey balloons and costumes brought unique charm to the event, which culminated with live music from the band On Air as participants crossed the finish line.

“It’s always been a great way to help the community,” George Dunn said, adding that he and his wife have walked the 5K route for the past 6 years. “It’s a good start for Thanksgiving.”

Click here to view the Liveshare collection of photos from the event.

Photos by Colleen Belcher.

Video below taken by Michael Ftizgerald.

Mexico's Independence Day Celebration

2010-09-18T07:57:50Z

A big crowd gathered in front of the Capitol West Steps on September 15 to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day and their relationship with California. Mexico’s Bicentennial Celebration started at 6:00 in the evening with Gustavo Ortiz (Univisión 19) and Lili Reyes (97.9 FM) serving as the event’s Masters of Ceremonies. The California Highway Patrol Color Guard and the GZA, Mexican-American Fraternity from Sacramento State University contributed to the presentation of colors.

Rocío Valdez, dressed in mariachi clothing, sang the U.S. and Mexican national anthems while the crowd waved the flags of both nations. The President of the Fiesta Patrias Committee, Omar González, gave the welcome address. Food and merchandize booths were set up on 10th street in front of the Capitol steps and were very busy the whole night.

Entertainment included dances from Rincones de mi Tierra who performed various traditional dances in full traditional costumes. Two beauty princesses, Heidi Ramirez and Melissa Aguayo, were introduced by Lucy Garcia-Robles.

Just before 8:00 the “Grito” (cry for independence) took place but I was not on hand to witness this portion of the evening’s event. Events leading to the beginning of Mexico’s fight for independence center on this cry (grito). This cry began with a call from a priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, in the town of Dolores in Guanajuato state. Father Hidalgo rang the bells of his church as a call to arms against Spanish oppression. The fight for independence lasted several years and ended 300 years of Spanish dominion over Mexico and other countries of Central and South America.

Several dignitaries were present to help celebrate this event and the office of the governor sent a message congratulating the celebrants of Mexican Independence Day. The event ended just before 9:00 and after parties followed at a couple of places around Sacramento. The State Capitol has served as a celebration place, in Sacramento, for over 20 years.

Pictures

1, 2 Masters of Ceremonies - Gustavo Oriz and Lili Reyes

3, 6 - Mariachi Oro de México

7 to 13 - Rincones de mi Tierra

14, 15 - Heidi Ramirez, Melissa Aguayo

16, 17 - Tamborazo Caliente

Sac to plan streetcar's route

2010-07-29T03:29:16Z

The city of Sacramento is back at the drawing board — literally — on its efforts to set up a streetcar connecting to West Sacramento.

A new study to plan the streetcar route in Sacramento has received $310,000 in federal grant funds.

An additional $90,000 from a local source will help pay for the study, according to a July 27 report from the city’s Transportation Department. The City Council signed off on the new funding Tuesday night.

“What we’ll be doing now is looking now more broadly at the best routes for that system on the Sacramento side,” Councilman Steve Cohn said Wednesday.

In the most recent plan, the streetcar would run from West Sacramento City Hall, across Tower Bridge and stop in Old Sacramento at the foot of the bridge.

City leaders learned earlier this month that the Sacramento/West Sacramento project would not receive the millions of federal dollars for which it had applied.

Cohn said one of the weaknesses of the streetcar plan was that it didn’t outline a route in Sacramento beyond Tower Bridge.

In the new study, the city will examine ideas for a route.

“The project focuses on connecting some of the most active destinations in the City of Sacramento including: the dense urban central business district, the vacant 240 acre Railyards redevelopment area, the emerging commercial, arts, and entertainment neighborhood in Midtown, the R Street corridor, the Sacramento State University campus and the Arden Fair Mall,” according to the Transportation Department’s report.

Cohn said he does not expect the city will have a decision on the final route after this study is conducted. But he said he wants to make headway on extending the route past Tower Bridge and connecting it with other forms of transportation, such as light rail.

The city’s report did not specify when work on the study will start. Read the report on the new funding for a streetcar plan here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

El Marauder Entertains at Sacramento State

2010-05-06T04:17:15Z

Latin alternative rock band El Marauder capped off the Spring 2010 lineup of California State University, Sacramento, Unique's weekly Wednesday Nooner concert series with an impressive and energetic performance.

The Modesto-based five-piece band showed off its musical talent, utilizing guitar solos and driving drums to sound like a Latin-and-punk-influenced Foo Fighters. El Marauder wasn't afraid to mix it up either, throwing in some reggae as well as a longer experimental song to end their one-hour set, which featured songs in both English and Spanish.

El Marauder played on the outdoor Serna Plaza stage and drew a crowd of around 50. The band members were clearly having a good time, constantly rocking out by jumping and hopping around the stage while dancing to the rhythm.

Many students enjoyed their lunch while watching the band, and the music drew in some students just walking by. Despite a smaller turnout than other Wednesday Nooner concerts, the group tried to interact with the crowd by asking them to sing along or wave their hands in the air and got many audience members to participate.

"They were really energetic, which was awesome," said Kyle Marks, an employee in the University Union's graphic design department. "Even though there weren't a lot of people there, the band acted like it was packed, which made it more fun."

"They sounded good," said Sarah Liu, a student from Taiwan. Liu said she usually leaves the Nooners after a few minutes, but she liked El Marauder so much she stayed the whole time.

"I liked that they tried to make a connection with the audience even though there weren't many people there," she added.

The people who were there were treated to a great show put on by a talented band, ending the semester's Nooner concert series with excitement.

You can find out more about El Marauder on Facebook or MySpace. The band is scheduled to play at the House of Blues in Los Angeles May 20.

Recycle Yourself

2010-04-22T21:56:47Z

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and Sacramento State Public Relations students are celebrating in an unconventional way,bringing awareness to a different kind of cause, organ and tissue donation.

On April 1, Sacramento State Public Relation students teamed up with Donate Life California, launching the “What’s Your Legacy?” campaign. The mission of the students’ campaign is to educate the community, increase the number of people on California’s organ and tissue donor registry and ultimately save lives.

Across the country, more than 100,000 men, women and children are in need of life-saving transplants and 21,000 of them reside in California. Sadly, one-third of the individuals on the list will die waiting to receive a transplant.

April is National Organ and Donor Tissue Awareness month and the Public Relation students, lead by Professor Timothy Howard are applying the public relation skills and knowledge they have learned in the classroom to a real cause. This topic brings on an extra challenge to the students because it is a controversial topic and personal decision. For many of the students the campaign has become more than just a class assignment, it has provided an opportunity to help save lives.

Today, when you are celebrating Earth Day, think beyond just recycling bottles, cans and newspapers. Recycle yourself and continue your legacy. What greater way to enhance our environment than by helping save the lives of your fellow neighbors whom you share this planet.

Your choice can save 8 lives and enhance or affect 50 others. Continue your legacy today, by making the choice to join the 6 million other Californians on the donor registry.

The non-profit campaign is run by Sacramento State public relation students in support of Donate Life California. If you are open to becoming a donor and giving hope to someone waiting, you can do so at: www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org/sacstate.

Diana Whitcomb and Heather Philpott

Sacramento State University

"What's Your Legacy?" Campaign

csuslegacycampaign@gmail.com

Sevenrepeat Plays To Nearly Empty Room at Sacramento State

2010-04-22T02:22:32Z

It was an awkward afternoon for one-man electro rock band Sevenrepeat.

Sevenrepeat played to a virtually empty room at California State University, Sacramento, Wednesday as part of Sac State Unique's weekly Nooner concert series.

About three students were in the room at any time, filtering in and out through the set. While Mac Valentine, the man who makes up Sevenrepeat, must have been disappointed, he didn't give students a good reason to stay.

The sound was heavy and thick, comparable to Nine Inch Nails or a heavy Depeche Mode, but none of it was very creative. The music had droning beats and loops playing in the background as Valentine would add to the noise by playing a distorted guitar or keyboard.

Valentine's voice was grating at times, and his guitar playing didn't always seem to line up with the song's rhythm. His uninspired lyrics and awkward meandering around the stage didn't add to the experience. The songs bled drearily into each other without much contrast. The only thing that saved Sevenrepeat's set from total boredom was the addition of audio clips of movies and news reports that played between certain songs.

The sparse audience was not very enthusiastic. Slava, a student who asked to be referred to by his first name and also the only student in the room at that point, simply shrugged when asked to comment on the set.

"I guess it's interesting that it's a one-person band," he said. "But all his songs sound the same. Maybe he should change it up a bit."

Sac State Unique Programs' Wednesday Nooner series oftentimes has good shows, but this show left a bad impression of Sevenrepeat and his music.

Fortunately for Mac Valentine, virtually no one was there to witness it.

Tim Wise Brings Racism Discussion to Sac State

2010-04-15T05:58:24Z

Prominent anti-racist author and speaker Tim Wise spoke about the continuing reality of racism in the United States to an audience of more than 700 students at Sacramento State University Wednesday.

Wise opened his lecture, "Colorblindness and its Consequences: How Ignoring Race Deepens the Racial Divide," with a personal story. He told the audience about when he lived with nine guys in Louisiana and one of his roommates made a pot of gumbo but never cleaned it up. Wise said the gumbo sat on the oven burner for more than a day and a half before the mess and smell compelled him to clean.

"It didn't matter that I didn't make the mess. The only thing that mattered was that I didn't want to live in that funk anymore," he said, using that example to tell students that even though they didn't help create the legacy of racism in society, it is their responsibility to help clean it up.

"This legacy lives today," Wise added. "It is one we must confront on a daily basis."

Wise pointed out, as an example, that the majority of CEOs of top companies are white men, who he then criticized for losing billions of dollars over the last few years.

"It would take half a millennium for black and brown folk to steal that much damn money!" Wise joked before adding, "But we're more afraid of a black guy crossing the street in a hoodie than we are of rich white men driving around in their Lexuses."

Throughout the rest of his lecture, Wise used stories, facts and statistics to make his point that racism is still alive in our society. He said the government, not the free market, helped create the middle class through the Homestead Act of 1862 and FHA loans from the '30s through '60s.

"The government has never been small for white Americans," he said.

Wise said that racial discrimination has made it harder for black and Latino people to get a jobs. He cited a statistic that said that a black person with a college degree is twice as likely as a white person to be out of work, and for Latinos, is almost two thirds as likely.

"For some people," he said, "double-digit unemployment ain't new."

Wise told the students that by being aware of the prejudice, they can more easily fight it. He was given a standing ovation after he finished and was available to sign books for the students who enjoyed his lecture.

"He really spoke to one of our big problems today," said English graduate student Lee Lee. "We're in denial about racism even though it affects us all."

Cosumnes River College student Kendall Gums brought his grandmother to the lecture, and he said he loved Tim Wise and his message.

"He's really in tune with the depth of society's prejudice." he said. "It's really excellent what he does."

Conference Shines Light on Local Human Trafficking

2010-03-27T05:35:49Z

Human trafficking in Sacramento was the subject of a conference Friday at Sacramento State.

"Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking in the Central Valley" was hosted by My Sister's House, a local nonprofit organization that, according to board President Darrel Woo, helps victims of domestic violence, with a focus on the Asian/Pacific Islander community.

"My Sister's House is about saving lives," said Woo, adding that victims of human trafficking and domestic violence are often one and the same.

"They are interconnected," he said. "Many victims suffer in silence." Woo said that this conference, the second hosted by My Sister's House, is important because Sacramento is home to many trafficking victims.

"We are at the crossroads of Interstate highways 50, 80, 5 and 99," said Woo. "It's not inconceivable that this is a ripe area for trafficking, especially with the Asian community, because San Francisco and California is the gateway for that community."

The event started with a welcome from Lt. Gov. Mona Pasquil, who told the audience of about 150 that her brother was an investigator who helped victims of human trafficking.

"He told me it happens everywhere," she said. "The faces of human trafficking are not limited to one color, economic class or part of the world. It happens in Sacramento and in the Central Valley."

Speakers included Dr. Elizabeth Miller, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California at Davis Children's Hospital. She called human trafficking the second-largest crime in the world, and the fastest growing. Up to 800,000 people are enslaved every year, she said, adding that 27 million people are in slavery every day.

Miller said that traffickers lie to people, telling them there is work and an income waiting in a foreign country. The victims agree to go with the traffickers, but are told upon arrival that they have to repay their captors. They are forced to work for incredibly low wages in agriculture, sweat shops, construction, car washes and often as prostitutes. The captors constantly raise the level of debt for the most trivial things, such as a penalty for speaking in a native language, forcing victims into a cycle of debt that never ends.

Miller said that this practice is prevalent in the United States, with 14,500 to 17,500 people being brought here every year. She added that half of those are children. According to Miller, victims often speak no English and are told by their captors not to trust police, doctors or the government. Victims comply out of fear of deportation, she said. Victims frequently are unaware that trafficking is even a crime. Because they do not see themselves as victims, they blame themselves for their situation, Miller continued.

Lt. John Vanek of the San Jose Police Department has managed the San Jose Human Trafficking Task Force for four years. He told the audience that trafficking is modern-day slavery.

"Human trafficking is the largest human-rights violation in the history of mankind," he said, adding that there are many types of trafficking, including bride selling, bonded labor, sex tourism and child soldiers. Vanek discussed the role of governments in human trafficking, saying that awareness of the crime has increased in the last decade, leading to legislation and convictions in the United States. There is much more that can be done, according to Vanek. More education is needed, he said, adding that many police officers don't know what trafficking is or how to stop it.

Victims of trafficking in the United States can be found everywhere, Vanek said. "People who say there is no trafficking are not looking for it."

Also speaking at the event were FBI Special Agent Rebekah Bills and attorney Lehoa Nguyen. Kay Buck, the founding executive director of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, ended the event with a workshop that provided information on identifying trafficking victims and situations.

The conference brought attention to a social issue that, according to Vanek, is not discussed enough. He said that people can fight trafficking by educating themselves and others about the crime.

"People need to take responsibility to raise their own awareness," he said. "So much of increased awareness is a grass-roots response. People need to be reaching out to other people and organizations to let people know about this issue.

"We all need to work together to rescue these victims."

Photo Captions

1. Survivor's quilt

2. A section of Sacramento State's University Ballroom

3. Part of the survivor's art exhibit

4. Part of the survivor's art exhibit

United Football League Bringing Professional Football to Sacramento

2010-03-04T05:51:47Z

Professional football is coming to Sacramento.

The United Football League is moving the California Redwoods from the Bay Area to Sacramento for the fall 2010 season, UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue announced at a press conference today.

"It's an exciting day for the UFL," he said.

The California Redwoods, which played in San Francisco and San Jose last year, will be relocating to Sacramento for the UFL's second season. The new season marks the UFL's expansion, with two more teams being added and the season length extending from six games to 10. The Sacramento team will be renamed, and fans can submit a team name at the UFL's website.

Mayor Kevin Johnson was at the press conference welcoming the league to the city.

"Can Sacramento support this league? Absolutely," he said, adding that the team should bring more than $10 million to the area as well as provide jobs and entertainment.

Team owner Paul Pelosi said that the UFL has tremendous talent and is full of NFL-ready players, adding that 30 UFL players signed with NFL teams following last year's season. Pelosi was confident that Sacramento was a great city for the new team.

"We know Sacramento is a great sports town," he said. "I'm a great believer in Sacramento and the area."

The team will play all of its games at California State University, Sacramento's Hornet Stadium, a 22,000-capacity stadium that normally hosts Sac State football. Huyghue said that the UFL will pay for a $500,000 turf field to be installed at the stadium, saying that the all-purpose field will be used by the university as well.

"When the UFL comes to a market, we make contributions," he said.

The expanded season will start in September and end the day after Thanksgiving, according to Huyghue. Sacramento defensive lineman Chris Cooper played for the Redwoods last year and said he is excited about the new team.

"Sacramento has the fan base that you want. You come to a town like this, and you bring people who enjoy football," said Cooper, who has also played for the San Francisco '49ers and Oakland Raiders. "People do want to see pro football in Sacramento."

Cooper said he expects the team to improve from last year's 2-4 record.

The team will continue to be coached by Dennis Green, who also will serve as the general manager. Green was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings throughout the 1990s and coached the Arizona Cardinals for three years. He was also an assistant coach under Bill Walsh during the '49ers' Super Bowl-winning 1988 season.

The team will be assembled from previous Redwoods players, but players will also come from a draft and open tryouts. They will play the other five teams in the UFL, which has teams in Las Vegas; Orlando; Hartford, Conn., and two other cities that will be announced at the end of the month.

Green said he was excited to bring professional football to Sacramento.

"The uniqueness of coming to Sacramento means a lot to me," he said. "Sacramento is an incredible sports city."

Photo Captions

1. UFL helmet

2. UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue

3. Paul Pelosi, Michael Huyghue, Kevin Johnson, Dennis Green

4. White UFL helmet

Sacramento State Rocked With Jack's Mannequin

2010-02-13T07:02:19Z

Jack's Mannequin, Fun and Vedera stopped at Sacramento State on Thursday and provided three hours of great indie rock.

1,100-plus fans were at the University Union Ballroom to catch the fifth stop on the "Sing For Your Supper" tour.

Vedera, celebrating the Feb. 2 release of its album "Stages," opened the show with a 20-minute set that showcased the vocal strength of lead singer Kristen May. May's performance was easily the highlight of the set, with the band adding lush piano and guitar pop arrangements that were simultaneously intimate and energetic.

Fun was up next, and it lived up to the name. The band's unconventional arrangements incorporated trumpets, keyboards and a xylophone, along with the standard drums and guitars. Fun got the crowd jumping and singing with its sound that's like Abba mixed with Queen at a carnival.

Fun's set was about forty minutes and featured many songs from its recent album "Aim and Ignite."

After a set change, Jack's Mannequin took the stage.

It was obvious from the crowd's cheering that the piano-rock band was the main reason people showed up. Everybody sang along as the band opened with "I'm Ready." Frontman Andrew McMahon was full of energy, often standing up and playing the piano with one hand and belting into the mic with the other.

The stage was McMahon's playground, as he ran around and jumped off everything from the drums to his piano. The band performed popular songs such as "The Mixed Tape," "The Resolution" and "Bruised" in addition to lesser-known songs "Last Straw" and "Miss California." Jack's Mannequin even played a surprisingly good cover of U2's "New Year's Day."

The audience cheered after every song and got really loud after McMahon announced that an album would be released this year.

After about one hour of solid piano-driven rock, the band played its most popular song, "Dark Blue," before walking off the stage. The crowd did not stop cheering, bringing Jack's Mannequin back for a three-song encore, starting with a piano-only version of "Swim" and ending with the eight-minute-long "Made For Each Other."

Jack's Mannequin, Fun and Vedera gave the audience its money's worth, a fun night for everyone.

Ozomatli to perform at Sacramento State University

2009-10-29T03:57:35Z

The Grammy-award winning Latin fusion band Ozomatli will be performing at the Sacramento State campus, in the University Union Ballroom, on Oct 29.

Ozomatli's music is known as an urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga, according to the band's website.

More than a decade ago, 14 years to be exact, Ozomatli formed in Los Angeles to play at a labor protest. Since then they have been involved with "community activist events, protests, and city fundraisers," their website states.

Ozomatli's indigenous LA music has been played by The Los Angeles Dodgers, The Los Angeles Clippers and lately played at the LA figures images campaign "We Are 4 LA" on NBC.

"This band could not have happened anywhere else but LA," said saxophonist and clarinetist Ulises Bella. "Man, the tension of it, the multiculturalism of it. LA is like we're bonded by bridges."

Initially starting out as Los Angeles grassroots musical heroes, Ozomatli has produced four studio albums and are now U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors. Aside from their political activism, Ozomatli keeps a relentless touring schedule to promote and perform their music.

"Just being who we are and just doing what we're doing with music at this time is very political," said bassist Wil-Dog Abers. "The youth see us up there and recognize themselves. So in a playful, party-type of way, I think it's real easy for this band to get dangerous. We are starting to realize just how big of a voice we actually have as a band and how important it is for us to use it."

Ozomatli will be performing at 7:30 p.m. on Oct 29 at Sacramento State’s University Union Ballroom. Tickets are $15 for Sac State students (with ID) and $20 for the General public and are available at the University Union Box Office or Tickets.com.

For more information, visit www.SacStateUNIQUE.com or call (916) 278-6997.

Picture courtesy from the Ozomatli website.

Budget priorities hit home at Sac State

2009-09-03T04:44:45Z

As California’s deep budget cuts smash Sacramento State professors and students with furlough days, fee increases and terminated classes, money woes are also slamming a non-profit firm on campus.

University Enterprises, Inc. reported an estimated $8.79 million shortfall in its projected and actual revenue for the fiscal year which ended June 30. This is UEI’s account of last year’s reductions: lease revenue, $3 million; investments, $4.1 million; retail sales, $1 million; copy and graphic, $.12 million and contracts, $.57 million. UEI operates the campus bookstore, copy and food services, administers contracts, provides grants and acquires and renovates properties.

According to executive director Jim Reinhart, the taxpayer-supported state general fund is not allowed to provide the auxiliary services that UEI does.

In 2004, UEI established "Destination 2010," a business and development agenda for on and off campus. One of these projects was the American River Courtyard, student housing near the J Street entry, which opened Aug. 28. UEI also leases off-campus apartments at a student housing complex, the Upper EastSide Lofts, near the light rail station on Folsom Boulevard and 65th Street.

Additionally, UEI buys commercial property off campus. The non-profit spent $35 million to buy the former California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) building on 7667 Folsom Blvd. by Hornet Drive in the summer of 2007. UEI’s plan was straightforward, to lease office space and use the rent to help pay for the loan to buy the building. Half of the rent would come from Sac State academic divisions such as nursing and speech pathology -- part of a “mini campus” plan in motion for next fall, Reinhart said -- and the other half from the rent that non-campus tenants paid.

The housing market crash struck in the summer of 2007, just as UEI bought the CalSTRS building. UEI partly dodged that residential crash market which spread to commercial real estate activity. CalSTRS leased back its former building from UEI for $3.5 million annually, until CalSTRS moved into its new West Sacramento headquarters in July.

Currently, there is one tenant in the CalSTRS building, the University Transportation & Parking Services. A prospective non-campus tenant, which Reinhart would not name, is negotiating with UEI to lease space in this off-campus site.

Meanwhile, the 23-campus California State University system faces a $564 million shortfall as a result of the Legislature’s actions in the face of $24 billion budget deficit, the gap between spending and sales and tax revenue. In response to the state Legislature’s spending cuts for the CSU campuses, the California State University Board of Trustees has increased student fees twice for a total of 32 percent this year.

Patricia Mata is a senior and sociology major from Watsonville, slated to graduate from Sac State next May. She is paying $2,400 for classes this semester, double the price since arriving three years ago. Mata is part of Students for Quality Education, a statewide organization. She wants CSU chancellor Charles Reed, and Sac State president Alexander Gonzalez, to improve their support of CSU students in the current budget climate of fee hikes and fewer classes.

“They are not doing much for us,” Mata said. “Students are not getting back what we paid for.”

In terms of financial support for UEI, however, Sac State is stepping up its support of the non-profit. In fact, $5.12 million is flowing from the school to UEI in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, according to an Aug. 10 report by the University Budget Advisory Committee. It makes budget recommendations (the sources and uses of funds) to Gonzalez.

The UBAC budget report details how Sac State is providing $4.8 million to UEI for its CalSTRS building. That figure is 91 percent of the $5.12 million streaming from the school to the non-profit for the current fiscal year. Further, Reed’s office is providing $1.5 million to UEI for the CalSTRS building for the same year.

Additionally, the UBAC report outlines Sac State’s $9.5 million budget hole in 2009-2010, a reduction of 6.31 percent in spending campus-wide. More such cuts are on tap for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Much hangs in the balance for many Sac State students, given current budget priorities.

Source: University Budget Advisory Committee

Seth Sandronsky lives and writes in Sacramento. He can be reached at ssandronsky@yahoo.com.

Video by Adam Christy

Brush fire threatens Sac State structures

2009-06-28T03:21:46Z

Sacramento, CA- A brush fire on the campus of Sacramento State University broke out Saturday afternoon, between the buildings and the railroad tracks. The fire was against one of the buildings however firefighters made a quick attack and the structure was saved with no internal damage.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation but believed to be arson. Subjects in a red car were witnessed setting the fire. At the time of posting, full details are not available, but check back for follow-up information.