Rip issue 5 Nov. 4, 2020 final

Kern County 2020 Elections
results
BC Undocumented Student
Action Week series
News, Page 2 News, Page 3
Vol. 95 ∙ No. 5
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020
Bakersfield College
The Renegade Rip
HALEY DUVAL / THE RIP
Kern County 2020 election results. Beyond the presidential
contest, some Kern County local races and Califor-
nia propositions have been official.
HALEY DUVAL / THE RIP
The Padrinos de Bakersfield College hosted a
Dia de Muertos celebration, curbside event at
BC’s main campus, Oct. 30.
Follow us online at www.therip.com
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News
Page 2
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Kern County 2020 election results
By Haley Duval
Editor-in-Chief
The United States presidential
election of 2020 was
held on Nov. 3.
Ballots still being counted,
and no winner has been declared
yet.
Beyond the presidential
contest, some Kern County
local races and California
propositions have been official.
Although, according
to Kern County Elections
Department, there are still
results unofficially and still
being counted, but of early
Nov. 4 these are the results so
far:
Results for United
States House of Representatives:
In California's 23rd Congressional
District, Kevin
McCarthy (R) has officially
defeated challenger Kim
Mangone (D). McCarthy was
also was elected Republican
Leader in the House in 2014.
In California's 21st Congressional
District, the results
for D-Incumbent, TJ Cox
and David Valadao are too
close to call, as of early Nov.
4. Valadao has a narrow lead
with about 57% of precincts
reporting, while within Kern
County, Cox secured the majority,
61.74%, the vote.
Results for California's
State Assembly Districts:
For State Assembly 34th
District, Vince Fong (R) has
defeated challenger Julie Solis
(D). Fong got 66,676 votes
compare to Solis’s 37,308,
within Kern County.
For State Assembly 32nd
District, Rudy Salas (D) has
defeated challenger Todd
Cotta (R). Salas has been
California's 32nd State Assembly
district since 2012.
Results for the Kern
Community College
Board Member:
Jovani Jimenez has defeated
Jack Lavers for Kern
Community College Board
Member by 1,128 votes,
Kern County Elections Department
reported.
Results for the Bakersfield
City School Board:
Bakersfield College
COMM professor Christine
Cruz-Boone won a seat on
the Bakersfield City School
Board Trustee Area 3 for a
4-year full-term. Cruz-Boone
won 54.75% of the vote
HALEY DUVAL / THE RIP
A curbside ballot drop off at Bakersfield College’s
main campus.
against Ralph Anthony.
Results for the statewide
Propositions:
Only six of the 12 California
state ballot measures
have been determined as of
early Nov. 4. with about 71%
of precincts reporting, LA
Times reported. Four props
have officially failed, while
two has officially passed.
They include:
Prop 16 has failed, which
would have reinstated affirmative
action.
Prop 17 has passed,
which will allow voting rights
to people on parole in California.
Also, allow parolees to
run for office if they are registered
to vote and have not
been convicted of perjury or
bribery.
Prop 23 has failed, which
means there would be no increase
in penalties for people
who commit certain theft-related
crimes.
Prop 21 has failed,
which means the state would
remain the same maintain
current limits on rent control
laws cities and counties can
apply.
Prop 22 has passed,
which means app-based rideshare
and delivery companies
(like Uber and Lyft) could
hire drivers as independent
contractors.
Prop 23 has failed, which
means dialysis patients would
not require having at least
one doctor present during all
the patient’s treatment hours.
Community College Chancellor
discusses how to improve diversity
and equity on college campuses
HALEY DUVAL / THE RIP
Construction progess of BC’s new Campus
Center. The topic of budgeting was
brought up by BC President, Sonya Christian,
in regard to the rebuilding and remodeling
of the campus.
By Mariah Arviso
Digital Editor
Bakersfield College hosted a
webinar with the Chancellor of
Community Colleges, Eloy Oakley,
on Oct. 26.
Oakley discussed topics of diversity
and student success.
The Chancellor has a few goals
in mind that he believes will help
increase student interactions
with community colleges as well
as their success.
Some of those goals include
increasing transfer rates to UC’s
and CSU’s by 35 percent, decrease
average unit obtainment
for a degree to 79, and reducing
and erasing equity gaps in the
college workplace.
“You know we have the great
pleasure of serving the top 100
percent of students.
That means we have to put equity
at the center of everything
we do because it is so low-income
students and students that come
from communities of color that
have not had access to the kind
of opportunity that many people
throughout the state have, can
have the same opportunities as
everyone else.
It is our privileged to be able to
focus on this issue,” Oakley said.
According to Oakley, about 72
percent of students are POC or
Black, 72% of the academic senate
committee are white, 61 percent
of the tenured faculty are
white, 60 percent of non-tenured
faculty are white, and 59 percent
of the college leadership is white.
Oakley recognized that no matter
the race of each employee, he
knows that they all are working
to make sure that students will
succeed in anything they are
studying for.
“However, it’s also critically
important that we recognize.
We recognize that having greater
diversity in the classroom and
in the leadership of the campus,
improves student success for all
students,” Oakley said. “We have
to take this moment to make
progress in that direction to improve
the culture on our campuses,
to look at our curriculum, to
ensure that it speaks to all of our
students.”
The Chancellor’s main goal is
to break down the structures of
discrimination as they have seen
in higher education.
In order to do so, his team created
a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Task Force.
Soon after the death of Gorge
Floyd, Oakley and his team started
to focus their attention on predominantly
Black communities.
They did research and spoke to
the leaders of other community
colleges and concluded that this
was the best thing to do.
“With the reality of what has
been happening… we felt we
had to make the future of our
students by taking on structural
racism, head-on. We’ve asked for
a system-wide review of police
in first responding training, recognizing
some of our finest law
enforcement professionals have
a responsibility and a direct role
in improving the instruction and
being held responsible for the
kind of policing that’s happening
in the community,” he said.
The topic of budgeting was
brought up by BC President,
Sonya Christian, in regard to the
rebuilding and remodeling of
the campus.
Although there has been no set
funding from the state of California’s
budget, Oakley hopes
that the federal government will
be able to help out at least until
after the election.

Undocumented Student Action Week
Page 3
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Know Your Rights Movement coordinators
provided tips for undocumented BC students
By Thalia Pimentel
Reporter
The Know Your Rights
Movement was a virtual
Zoom meeting hosted by
the UFW Foundation, on
Oct. 19, for local Bakersfield
College students who are immigrants
or have friends or
family that are undocumented.
They provided ways to prepare
themselves and inform
others what they can do if
they are detained or questioned
about their immigration
status.
Claudia Lopez, who is a
staff attorney, wants to make
sure everyone is aware of
the many ways you can work
with the system.
“We just want the community
to be prepared, send
your friends and family to
our system because we are
here to help all DACA recipients,”
Lopez said.
Sofia Corona, director of
the staff attorney, discusses
how to protect yourself regarding
an expedited
removal.
“It’s crucial that
you have proof or
copies of the documents
of your
diploma, papers,
lease everything. If
you have any questions
about yourself
being at risk
that’s where I and
Claudia come in to
help.” Corona said.
Both Lopez and
Corona informed
everyone that living
in California has its
benefits with passing
a CA Values Act
(Jan. 2018). Local
law enforcement
cannot arrest you,
enforce, or ask for
your personal information.
This act protects
California Databases
from immigration enforcement
use.
“ We just want the
community to
be prepared, send
your
friends and family
to our system
because
we are here to
help all
DACA
recipients,”
- Claudia Lopez
Other measures include
the prohibition of court arrests
and E-verify is
not mandatory for
private employers.
In their Power-
Point, they presented
immigration services
and appointments
that are available, Legal
Rights that these
individuals carry,
tips if they were approached
by ICE, or
and how to protect
yourself if found in
police custody.
They informed Bakersfield
College students
that their rights
on campus are protected
by FERPA.
The Family Educational
Rights and Privacy
Act is a federal
law enacted in 1974
to protect the privacy
of student education
records.
Generally, a person
must have written permission
to receive information
and the law applies to every
school that receives funds
from the U.S Department of
Education.
Lopez and Corona provided
information and contacts
of Immigration services for
CA Community Colleges
such as their UFW Foundation
which serves 4 regional
areas in California including
Bakersfield, Salinas, Fresno,
and Oxnard.
The services are staffed by
attorneys and accredited representatives.
All services are confidential.
READ MORE
Find more stories
about BC Undocumented
Student Action
Week at
www.therip.com
CSUB panel with
DACA students
What the Monarch
butterfly symbolizes
By Logan Odneal
Reporter
As part of Bakersfield College’s
Undocumented Student Action
Week, Educational Advisor, Rafael
Centeno, hosted a panel discussion
with three undocumented students
from California State University,
Bakersfield.
The panelists included former
Bakersfield College graduates, Karen
Cid, a psychology major, Pedro
Costa-Meza, a future assistant
physical therapist, and Audrey Fu,
a student who is learning to become
a teacher.
Centeno asked the students how
their experience was when transferring
to a CSU. Meza shared it was a
smooth process.
Centeno then asked the panelists
what the workload is like.
Cid shared that there was a lot
of reading, and she has had to do
a six to seven-page research paper
in addition to writing 300 words a
week on a discussion board. It was
a struggle because Cid lacks writing
skills, but she is proud of the
improvement in her writing. She
also said that it is critical to manage
time.
Meza said the expectations at
CSU Bakersfield are higher than
at BC. But that his experience is
limited because he only took classes
there for a month before realizing
his goals can be better achieved
elsewhere.
Sanchez said that it depends on
the professor and the class, she has
had two research papers so far as
she has a more writing-focused program.
Centeno asked if they are part of
any clubs or student organizations.
Cid replied that she is a member
of United Now for Immigrant
Rights, a club that stands up for the
rights of undocumented students
and DACA recipients. Her desire
to be part of that club came from
her involvement in Latinos Unidos
Por Education (L.U.P.E.), a club encouraging
undocumented students
to get a higher education regardless
of obstacles related to their documented
status.
Before handing the event over
to the audience for Q&A Centeno
asked the panelists if they have any
advice for people looking to go to a
CSU.
Cid said to not get discouraged,
if a student has a firm mind and
knows what they want to do, nothing
can stop them.
Meza said students should do
what they love to do, while Sanchez
agreed and added don’t give up, ask
for help, and organize yourself.
During the audience Q&A, Meza
was asked about what he is currently
doing.
He said that because he wants to
be a physical therapist assistant, he
doesn’t need an advanced degree
and that most programs for being
a physical therapist assistant are
through community colleges. He is
now at College of the Sequoias.
By Victoria Meza
Reporter
Bakersfield College held a virtual
workshop to support immigrants with
their monarch butterfly symbol.
The meeting for one of the virtual
workshops, virtual painting, and
dreamer stories was held on Oct. 21
with the company of some advisors
from Bakersfield College. One of
them was Rafael Centeno.
The meeting started with the host
explaining that the participants were
going to use online software to draw
a monarch butterfly. Before he explained
the significance of the monarch
butterfly, he taught everyone
how to use the painting software,
which was called Kleki.
He explained that the monarch
butterfly represents the beauty of immigration,
and the activity was made
to help students relax.
In effect, the monarch butterfly
is known for its migratory patterns;
they move from Mexico to U.S and
vice versa, depending on the season.
According to the web page, Make
the Road Nevada, the monarch butterfly
is the perfect symbol for immigrants.
“Since being adopted by 11
million undocumented immigrants,
the symbol’s meaning has changed to
symbolize the resilience and hope in
the immigrant community”.
The monarch butterfly has to make
a long journey to reach its destination,
whether it is moving from Mexico to
the U.S or backward. They asked to
use a butterfly in their social media to
show support to the immigrants who,
as the same as the monarch butterfly,
need to make a long journey to immigrate.
The butterfly represents all immigrants,
regarding their country of
origin. All immigrants are supported
by the campaign made by Make
the Road Nevada, which is to put
the #IMMIGRANTSTRONG and
to put a monarch butterfly in social
media.
Later on, Centeno explained that
the activity was made to help students
relax and to show support to the immigrants
by putting a butterfly in the
people’s social media pages, which is
part of the campaign made to help
immigrants.
Illinois’ official insect since 1975 is
featured on dozens of storefronts in
the Back of the Yards neighborhood,
in Chicago, signaling support for the
local immigrant community at a time
when fear of deportation appears to
be on the rise. More than 10 percent
of the neighborhood‘s residents are
undocumented, according to a press
release.
The monarch butterfly is a very
important symbol for immigrants for
it to represent the long journey that
most immigrants must do to immigrate
to the U.S.
“Showing immigration is a beautiful
thing,” Centeno said.
The activity made by BC was supposed
to be relaxing and helpful, but
also to show support for immigrant
students that have a dream to achieve.

Features
Page 4
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Kern Shakespeare Festival goes virtual
By Amaya Lawton
Reporter
The Kern Shakespeare Festival
(KSF) is being recorded this year and
then available to those who purchase
a ticket for 24 hours.
This production is titled
“The Comedy of
Errors.”
This is a play by William
Shakespeare that is
focused around two men
who figure out that they
each have a twin brother,
according to Eventbrite.
“This slapstick Shakespearean
comedy is reimagined
for the golden
age of silent movies, as
the characters (and actors)
follow strict protocols
to keep themselves,
and each other, safe for a
global pandemic!”
The Shakespeare Festival
productions are usually
performed in front
of an audience, but due
to protocols and safety
measures enforced by
COVID, the show moves
online. According to Brian
Sivesind, professor of
Theater Arts, “Nothing
is the same!”
If we would have recorded
a live performance
of the actors
and then shown that as a
video it would have been
similar.”
Emma Scott, who
plays the character Nell
the Kitchen Wench, explained,
“COVID forced
us to present Shakespeare
in a completely different
way and in a new medium.” Having
to make this a silent film was surprising,
she explained, but it is a part of
the theater.
Vanessa Beltran is an actress in the
performance and plays the character
Dromio. She explains that there is a
PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA SCOTT
The cast of “The Comedy of Errors” group photo. From left to right, Angelo (Madison
Schuck), Courtesan (Holly Rockwood), Nell (Emma Jordan-Scott), Dromio (Vanessa
Beltran), Abess (Cory Geurtsen), Antipholes (Nancee Steiger), Adriana (Lindsay
Pearson), Luciana (Shelbe McClain), and Pinch (Angela Caffee).
difference between filming and a live
show. According to Beltran, “…We
have to create our own energy. On a
stage, we often feed on the energy the
audience is giving off. While being in
front of a camera, all you’re relying
on is your director, crew, and castmates.”
To prepare for this production, the
cast had to rehearse through zoom
and only met to record the film, “The
Comedy of Errors”, Sivesind stated.
“The actors for the silent film had
to learn an entirely different form
of acting,” he explained.
“For the other two plays,
the voice acting is so
different from stage acting
or camera acting.”
Beltran supported the
claim on the challenge to
rehearse through zoom
stating, “We had to use
our bodies to tell the story
virtually.”
“When it was finalized
that we would be
filming, we began using
masks in rehearsals to
practice using our eyes
and eyebrows to convey
our words,” according
to Beltran. “We set the
story during the Spanish
Influenza outbreak of
1918. This way it made
sense for masks.”
Sivesind also mentioned
that, when the
cast had to meet, they
followed all safety precautions
such as temperature
checks, wellness
checks, social distancing,
and wearing their masks.
“Usually theater is a
very collaborative environment
where people
hang out and get to know
each other,” Sivesind
explained. “We really
couldn’t do that in person,
so it was much more
professional and to the
point.”
BC professors experience on Zoom
By Amaya Lawton
Reporter
BC has been conducting classes
on Zoom since the beginning of the
pandemic in March.
Students are feeling the challenges
and struggles of online learning, but
so are the professors.
All professors have different experiences
with Zoom and the technical
issues that go along with it.
Kristopher Stallworth is an art professor
at BC and has shared some difficulties
with Zooms’ technical issues
during class.
Stallworth shared that he upgraded
his internet router in order to minimize
his issues and it has been a good
decision.
Even though there could be technical
issues, he brought up surrounding
distractions such as construction
that was happening last week near his
home.
Like students who have noisy
homes, teachers may as well especially
when younger kids are virtually
learning too.
Stallworth teaches a variety of art
classes involving photography.
In his Black and White photography
class description, the students
would be able to have lab days in a
dark room or develop the film.
However, since COVID prevents
in-person meetings with groups of
people, he decided to get more into
the terms of photography and wellknown
photographers.
He stated that he felt this helps the
students better understand and gain
more knowledge around photography.
Most who take Stallworth’s classes
are not required to, which means that
they may be more engaged out of curiosity.
Steven Holmes is a political science
professor at BC and shares a different
experience with online learning.
Holmes shared that the Academic
Senate department decided to make
their courses flexible.
This meant that there were prerecorded
lectures for students to watch
on their own and then take a midterm
after.
He explained that the decision was
made because they took into account
the students’ requests that were in
the spring and summer. However, fall
students have shown that having flexibility
has been difficult.
Holmes doesn’t have the technical
issue that many have with Zoom
since his classes did not consist of live
lectures.
He does share the same aspect of
teaching with Professor Stallworth.
They both try to bring the live classroom
setting to record the home lecture.
As for their students, both claimed
that they see their students doing exceptionally
well.
Although Holmes explained that
he is seeing more of a bimodal distribution
when looking at grades.
Both professors love what they do
and express how they miss the connection
that they have when meeting
with students face-to-face.
Professor Stallworth understands
that the aspect of Zoom is awkward
and uncomfortable at times.
He describes being on camera feeling
“more like a performance” when
he is teaching a class full of blank
screens.
But notes that he understands why
most students do not turn their cameras
on.
Overall, Zoom is challenging for
most that are not used to online
learning and that includes the professors
as well.

Features
Page 4
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Bakersfield College celebrates
Dia De Los Muertos
HALEY DUVAL / THE RIP
A display of a traditional Dia de Muertos altar, on BC main campus, Oct. 30.
By Hugo Maldonado Garcia
Reporter
The Padrinos de Bakersfield
College hosted a day of the dead
celebration, curbside event at
BC’s main campus. This event
was on Oct. 30 where they had
given out free coffee and sweet
bread for those who stopped by
the Administration office.
Executive Director of BC’s
Abel Guzman and also co-leader
for the Padrinos de Bakersfield
College said the group was started
years ago by BC’s recently retired
dean of Instruction, Corny
Rodriguez, to support BC’s Latino
staff and students on campus.
“Now that [Rodriguez] has
retried we want keep his legacy
going and this [event] is the pickup,”
Guzman said.
Guzman said Padrinos de Bakersfield
College is the first event
for Dia de Muertos and will announce
more virtual events soon.
According to the Padrinos de
Bakersfield College Instagram,
they are “committed to the success
and professional development
of our Latinx students and
personnel.” This organization
has been around at BC before,
but it is making a comeback to
re-establish itself to help the
community.
This event took place between
8-10 am, the day before Halloween,
and with some of the
COVID-19 restrictions many of
the faculty and staff present were
wearing Padrinos de Bakersfield
College face masks and shirts. At
the curbside they were giving out
free café and pan dulce, the coffee
was from Starbucks and they
were also handing out many traditional
Mexican sweet breads
like conchas and puerquitos.
At the event, those involved
with the organization had set
up a traditional Dia de Muertos
altar. Where they place certain
objects and items that have belong
to a family who have died to
honor them with things like old
photos, or personal belongings.
The Dia de Muertos is always on
Nov. 2 and is majorly celebrated
throughout Mexico, the same
way Halloween is a big deal here
in the United States.
Every altar is different because
it is up to the family to decide
how they choose to be creative
setting it up. One of the many
traditional items’ altars have are
the Marigolds which they had
placed around at the event. This
is a type of flower that is bright
orange and can sometimes be referred
to as “flowers of the dead”
because in Mexico it is believed
that these flowers attract the
souls of those who have died.
Another traditional item is the
Catrina which is a fake skeleton
dressed up in colorful clothes
with painted skulls and sometimes
fancy hats or flower crowns.
These altars have been associated
with Mexican, Hispanic, and
Latino cultures for generations
because the Dia de Muertos is
a celebration that honors the
memories of loved ones.
Renegade Events
Campus Events
Nov. 04: The Effects of Colorism on Latina
and Black Youth Panel, from 5:30 pm to 6:30
pm on Zoom - Must Register
Nov. 04: Panorama Creative Music Summit
2020 - Heidi Trefethen, from 4:30 pm to 5:30
pm on facebook.com/bakersfieldcollegejazz
Nov. 06: Inter-Club Council (ICC) Meeting
for StudOrgs, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm on-
Zoom
Nov. 10: Distinguished Speaker David French
10AM, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am on Zoom
and BCSGA Facebook
Nov. 10: Distinguished Speaker David French
2PM, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Zoom and
BCSGA Facebook
Nov. 18: Panorama Creative Music Summit
2020 - Scotty Barnhart, from 4:30 pm to 5:30
pm on facebook.com/bakersfieldcollegejazz
Nov. 18: Deep Cuts and Conversations #3,
from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm on Zoom.
Nov. 19: Theatre performance: Love and Information,
from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm on Zoom.
Nov. 20: Inter-Club Council (ICC) Meeting
for StudOrgs, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm on
Zoom
Nov. 20: CPR, AED & First Aid Certification
Courses, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at Levinson
Hall Building Room 40
Nov. 20: Theatre performance: Love and Information,
from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm on Zoom
- register for link
Nov. 21: Theatre performance: Love and Information,
from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm on Zoom
- register for link
Nov. 25: Panorama Creative Music Summit
2020 - Nate Wood, from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm on
facebook.com/bakersfieldcollegejazz
Dec. 02: Panorama Creative Music Summit
2020 - Jamaaladeen Tacuma, from 2:30 pm to
3:30 pm at facebook.com/bakersfieldcollegejazz
HALEY DUVAL / THE RIP
Padrinos de Bakersfield College group waiting for guest, Oct. 30.
HALEY DUVAL / THE RIP
One of the participate at BC’s Dia de Muertos curside, Oct. 30.

Features
Page 6
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Bakersfield College hosts a panel on the
experiences of interracial couples
By Mark Armendariz-Gonzalez
Reporter
BC hosted a Zoom panel,
where three women discussed
the positive and negative experiences,
they’ve dealt with
being in an interracial relationship
on Oct. 21.
The online panel was organized
by the Latina Leaders
of Kern County and the BC
student organization Latinas
Unidas.
The panel was moderated
by BC Director of Communications
and Community
Relations Norma Rojas-Mora
Ṫhe three women who
took part in the panel discussion
were Sandy Woo-Carter,
Maria Wright, and Carla
Barrientos. All three women
spent the panel answering
questions and telling stories
of how being in an interracial
relationship has affected
them both good and bad.
Woo-Carter is a Chinese
woman who comes from immigrant
parents and married
a white man.
Racism is something she
has dealt with her entire life.
Over time, she has learned
that it is okay to relax and set
up boundaries.
She says she has experienced
racism everywhere.
Whenever she is out with
her husband, she says they
are constantly being stared at
by other people. With these
stares, Woo-Carter can feel
and sense their critics and
thoughts.
“Can we see two people
of different races as equal?,”
Woo-Carter asked.
2020 has brought a lot of
pain on a national scale for
her, due to the treatment
of Asian Americans. Many
Asian Americans are being
targeted and blamed for the
pandemic.
This type of treatment has
made her afraid to go buy
groceries with her family or
even just go walk outside.
Even though 2020 has
been hard for her, she is happy
that this year has brought
racism and many other issues
to light.
“We have progressed, but
we still have many miles to
go,” Woo-Carter said.
Barrientos is an African
American woman who is
married to a Mexican man.
The couple has been married
for 10 years and in this
time have experienced racism
from others.
When the couple bought
their home, they were told by
a neighbor that they should
have checked the neighborhood
demographics before
moving in.
Although Barrientos has
faced her share of racism,
this has not stopped her in
life. She has an incredible
support group of family and
friends that support diversity.
“You need to filter noise
and know you are there for a
reason,” Barrientos said.
The biggest hurdle in her
relationship has been the language
barrier.
The majority of her husband’s
family speaks Spanish
and although she can speak a
little, she can’t hold deep conversations
with them.
This hurdle has made her
even more motivated to learn
to speak Spanish.
Barrientos’s advice to
young interracial couples is
to be open with one another.
It is important to share your
culture and learn a new one.
“They can face whatever
comes their way due to the
love they have,” Barrientos
said.
Wright is a Mexican woman
and is married to an African
American man.
The couple met during
high school and have been
married for almost eight
years.
She was asked once by a
coworker what did her father
think of her husband due to
the fact that he was African
American. Wright thinks it is
unfortunate that people still
have this type of mentality.
Wright is a former undocumented
citizen and racial
tension is something she has
experienced throughout her
life. She knows that there will
come a day when she will
have to have a conversation
about racial tension with her
own son.
“I feel like I’m fighting an
uphill battle to change the
status quo,” Wright said.
One positive though is that
she sees more interracial couples
now than she saw in the
past.
All three women did express
the faith they have in
future generations and these
generations need to keep the
conversation going.
Activist discusses domestic violence
By Sydney McClanahan
Reporter
Bakersfield College Student Government Association
(BCSGA) hosted a webinar with distinguished
guest speaker Beverly Gooden, on Oct 27.
Gooden is a social activist best known for creating
a movement against domestic violence on Twitter,
back in 2014, with the viral #WhyIStayed hashtag
after escaping an abusive relationship.
Alyssa Olivera, BC’s campus advocate and the
prevention education services supervisor for the Alliance
Against Family Violence, said, “Gooden simultaneously
increased awareness while providing
a role model for victims and survivors.”
Gooden shared her story of domestic violence
and the difficulties of escaping the toxic environment
she experienced.
She described a morning where her then-husband
got excessively violent and she started to fear
for her life.
“This time I realized something for the first time,
which was that he could kill me. It never crossed
my mind that I could die in this marriage,” Gooden
said. “I decided that I wanted to live more than
I wanted to be with him.”
As a survivor, she explained how difficult it was
to come to terms and discuss the emotional and
physical abuse she had gone through.
“At the time, I carried a lot of guilt that I had
placed on myself and that I think society places on
people who survive these types of relationships,”
she said.
That guilt she felt lead her to tweet about the reason
for staying with her abuser, following with the
hashtag #WhyIStayed.
Unexpectedly, it created an entire movement to
bring awareness to on a topic that was not often
discussed.
“Issues often trended, but domestic violence
wasn’t one of them,” she said. “It was kind of one
of those things that happened, you heard about it,
you got your victim blamed again and then you
went on about your day.”
Gooden highlighted some of the key reasons why
victims often stay in these types of relationships
based on the responses she read from on Twitter.
These include dependence, fear or threats, and
love.
“I knew who he was the first few months of our
relationship and who he had been to me. I believed
that person was the real person who could come
back, so I was waiting on that.”
She explained that most experience dating violence
before the age of 25 and how many do not
report the violence and abuse that occurs.
“One thing we do know for certain is that 57%
of college students who report experiencing dating
violence said it occurred in college,” she said.
She encourages people to keep and save the Alliance
Against Family Violence and Sexual Abuse
24-hour Crisis Hotline: (661) 327-1091
“We don’t live in a just world. I believe we can
work to make the world just, but as it stands it’s not.
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Features
Page 7
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
A talk with music professors
By Hector Morales
Reporter
Kris Tiner, the music director
at Bakersfield college, and Josh
Ottum, the professor in commercial
hosted the second Deep Cuts
and Conversations, on Oct. 21.
Ottum and Tiner hold these
conversations every third Thursday
of each month.
The event started two in half
years ago, so students can have
educated conversations on music
Ėvery conversation has a
theme and for this conversation,
the theme was “So corny, it’s
good”.
The genre of music Ottum
and Tiner mentioned in this conversation
was Exotica.
Exotica first made its appearance
in the 1950s. Both professors
discussed how Exotica isn’t
taken very seriously academically.
Exotica is a genre of music
that only relies on instruments to
make the song.
“There are artists who are
hired to watch edited, or almost
edited movies, and create songs
for certain moments in the film,”
Kris Tiner said.
He said there’s a big chance
everyone have heard a song from
this certain genre.
Exotica is also scattered around
many playlists made for studying
across many music streaming
platforms. “Exotica can be stimulating
to the brain and is functional,”
he said.
The professors also pointed
out that we can hear some influences
of Exotica and many new
age artists albums.
For example, The Weekend, a
well-known R&B artist, invited
Kenny G to work on his song “In
Your Eyes”.
Kenny G is a well-known artist
in the Exotica genre and has
been making music for the past
30 years.
He released his first album
back in 1986 and has released
many studio albums.
Kris Tiner also said, “It’s used
as an escape of the real depressing
reality of the world.”
The next Deep Cuts and Conversation
is on Nov. 18 over
zoom.
Stat Philips speaks to
BC students about art
By Nicholas Covello
Reporter
Seattle based artist Stat Phillips
spoke at Bakersfield College’s
second inclusivity lab and shared
about his passion for art and his
rise in popularity as an artist on
social media on Wednesday, Oct.
28
Ṫhe event was hosted
by art professors
Ronnie Wrest and Joseph
Tipay.
The event started
with Phillips recounting
how he fell in love
with art. At a young
age, Phillips first began
drawing the cartoons
he saw on TV. Years
later, he was playing
football at the University
of Alabama.
Playing football for
one of the country’s
top programs was not
easy for Philips, who
had trouble balancing
the workload of a
student-athlete. After
he stopped playing
football, Phillips took
a product design class
and his love for art returned
as he learned
how to take his work
to the next level.
After his time in
Alabama came to an
end, Phillips moved to
Texas and his creative
drive was moving more
than ever before. His
first project as an artist
was to create a version
of the app “Heads Up”
centered around the African
American culture called “For the
Culture”.
Phillips programmed the
game and created the graphics
by scratch. Creating this game
started out as a hobby, but after
encouragement from a friend, he
decided to follow through with
his passion for art.
“At the time, I didn’t consider
myself an artist. I was just trying
to make content,” Phillips said.
When Phillips first started releasing
his art online, he wanted
to be a “virtual Banksy” and never
reveal his identity. He started
off by putting out pictures that
PHOTO COURTESY OF STAT PHILLIPS
Stat Phillips is known for his artwork related to
the Black Lives Matter movement, such as this
one of George Floyd.
he made on Adobe Illustrator of
iconic African Americans such as
Martin Luther King Jr., Barack
Obama, LeBron James, Tupac
Shakur, and various household
items that African Americans
would be able to relate to. Luckily,
Phillips had the tech knowledge
and social media prowess
needed to gain a following online.
This year, COVID-19 caused
people all over the world to quarantine
at home, and this helped
Phillips put more time into his
artwork.
“That extra time I got from
not having to commute to work
every day made
a huge difference
and allowed me to
connect with myself
a bit more,”
Phillips said.
The Black Lives
Matter movement
is another thing
that Phillips said
really helped him
figure out what
kind of art he
wanted to make.
In June, Phillips,
along with 16 other
artists, helped
paint “Black Lives
Matter” on an entire
street in Seattle.
Phillips cited
that day as one of
his most memorable
projects and
working on it even
helped him get
back into painting.
He has since focused
on using his
artwork to spread
the message of the
Black Lives Matter
movement, creating
art of various different
African Americans
such as George
Floyd and Breonna
Taylor.
As for the future, Phillips is
currently working with some
clothing brands, with plans on
donating proceeds to a children’s
hospital in Seattle.
Love-Bombing
When I originally
came up with an idea
to do a dating column,
I never knew it would
turn into what I am
doing now.
At the time, I just
thought it was a funny
subject to talk about
with your friends, but
now I see it as a spectrum.
A spectrum of a
complex and confusing
part of our lives.
There are highs,
and there are lows.
This week we will talk
about the lows, and
ways to help. Maybe
you can help yourself
or a friend.
This is the Bakersfield
College school
newspaper, so mostly
everyone reading this
is young. If you are
not maybe you have
seen or heard of similarities
and differences
about this dating subject,
but anyway, most
of us here are young.
Maybe we are more
naive since we tend to
trust strangers more
because, I mean, we
are in college, and
making new friends is
a close option.
Maybe we want to
make some friends,
but we must remind
ourselves not everyone
is a good person.
What I mean by this
is set your boundaries.
Do not settle for
less than you deserve,
make the right decisions,
and do not let
people waste your
time or take advantage
of you.
No, I did not just go
through a breakup. I
have been single for
two years remember;
coaches don’t play
the game. I am simply
here to educate you
about a recent thing
that has come across
my fellow friends
who are Bakersfield
College students,
and myself. It’s called
Love-Bombing.
Love-Bombing is
the practice of showering
a person with
excessive affection and
attention to gain control
or significantly influence
their behavior.
The love bomber’s
attention might feel
good, but the motive
is all about manipulation.
That took a wild
turn I know, but let us
rip the band-aid off
here.
People who lovebomb
want to win
your heart right away,
and they are so smooth
Dating
ByThalia Pimental
Reporter
Thalia Pimental
with it!
Your first thought is
probably “Wow this
person is so nice and
respectful? Is this how
I am supposed to be
treated?” Yes and no.
The answer is yes
you are supposed to be
treated with love and
respect, but not being
showered with gifts
right away at least.
For example, Bakersfield
College student
Sophia Gonzalez
met someone online,
and he proceeded to
message her and ask
her out on a date.
He did everything
right in the books.
Opened every door
for her, bought her
gifts, paid for dinner,
he took her on a walk
to the beach, and they
hung out all night and
day. That went on for
a couple of days.
You hit it off with
someone and discover
an instant connection,
so you want to
be with them all the
time, right? Wrong, do
not do it, take things
slowly, but we live and
learn.
Anyway, he ended
up ghosting her for
five days after he committed
to taking her
out again.
When he finally responded
to Sophia he
begged, apologized,
promised her the next
time they would see
each other he would
buy her anything
she wanted. He even
asked her to go to Aspen
with him for the
weekend after knowing
her for just a few
days.
Sophia proceeded
to let him know she
wants to part ways,
but he didn’t take no
for an answer, we will
just leave it off there.
The point is, keep
things casual when
you meet people at
first, especially if you
just met somebody online
for the first time.
One thing can lead to
another and you can
end up in a dangerous
situation.

Opinion
Page 8
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Maya Cinemas Bakersfield
COVID-19 Safety Measures
Surviving a lonely place
LGBTQ+
By Mariah Arviso
Digital Editor
By Amaya Lawton
Reporter
Maya Cinemas, in
Bakersfield, recently
opened again on, Oct.
16
Ṁaya Cinemas has
implemented various
safety rules to keep their
guests safe in each theater.
“We have instituted
an automated system
that will place empty
seats on each side
of you or your party,”
according to Maya
Cinemas’ website. “Enhanced
cleaning and
disinfecting solutions
will be used that meet
or exceed standards put
forth by the CDC.”
The theater also requires
that each guest
wear a face-covering
throughout the theater
until they are seated in
the auditorium, as stated
on the Maya Cinemas
website.
Even though the theaters
have opened, the
movies that were set to
release at the start of
the pandemic are still
not being shown. “Since
new releases have been
pushed back due to the
pandemic, we will have
a diverse mix of movies,”
according to Maya
Cinemas’ website. “We
will feature new films
as they are released but
will also play Flashback
Cinema classics as well
as anime, independent,
and foreign-language
movies.”
The Cinemas’ website
explained when
purchasing a ticket, one
can either go to the ticket
booth and see which
times are available or
have a contactless purchase
by using their
online app. However,
there are select times for
each method.
When going online,
you see two times for all
the movies. Those times
range from the evening
to night. When calling
to hear a list of showtimes,
you are given two
other times, which are
morning to midday.
I went to see a movie
and bought my tickets
online. Through the
website, I was given two
times, which were either
4 or 7 p.m. Once I selected
the movie and
the time I wanted, I was
directed to a page that
showed a limited number
of seats.
The ones that were in
grey were not available
and the ones that had
been crossed out were
classified as the empty
seats, to maintain social
distancing. Once purchased,
the tickets are
Op-Ed: Classic Rock
then sent to your email
and can be shown inside
to redeem.
The ticket pricing was
still the same and everything
was still being sold
at the concession. The
Cinemas’ website also
mentioned that the Energy
Gaming center inside
the theater will still
be open as well.
“Some games that are
more difficult to sanitize
will not be available,”
as stated by Maya Cinemas.
“A powerful antimicrobial
coating called
Bioprotect has been
applied to all games
control and frequently
touched surfaces.”
The theater still offers
the same services but
they added various safety
measures to ensure
the safety and health of
their guest as their number
one priority.
Music remains popular
for the right reasons
By Marina Gonzalez
News Editor
Classic rock music is the type of music that many people from the older generation have listened to for
many years.
According to media marketing firm Hubbard Chicago, people from the age groups of 35-65 and almost
half of the 25-34 group consider classic rock as their favorite genre.
As a young person, I did not know much about classic rock music until I took a class called History of
Rock and Roll.
I learned about rock music and many famous artists from the past from Professor Robert Martinez,
who teaches the course at Bakersfield College.
Taking that class and learning about classic rock was what made me start listening to this music in the
first place and I have been listening to it ever since.
I have learned to really appreciate this genre of music.
How young people have learned to appreciate classic rock is from their parents listening or playing this
music to their kids, which means that kids will eventually start listening to this music, according to an
article in Psychology Today.
I remember the times when my mom would always play some songs by Queen such as “Bohemian
Rhapsody” and “Another One Bites the Dust” in her car when we went on our road trips out of town.
Those were times that made me start listening to Queen more often.
Classic rock music is also known for having some of the most legendary bands from the past that have
incredible music such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Black Sabbath, and
many more.
As I continued listening to classic rock more, bands like KISS, Queen, and AC/DC have become my
favorites to listen to all the time.
These bands have made some of the best songs that I love listening to.
KISS has become my number one favorite band and some of my favorite songs of theirs are “Detroit
Rock City”, “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”, “Forever”, and “Modern Day Delilah”.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, there were some big bands such as Aerosmith, Def Leppard,
Joan Jett, and KISS with David Lee Roth were doing some big tours to perform everywhere, according
to the Live for Live Music website. However, those tours have been put on hold and rescheduled because
of the pandemic.
My mom and I went and saw my favorite band KISS perform in concert at a local concert venue, and
it was the best concert we had ever seen.
Classic rock music has and always will be the most popular genre of music.
Of course, what constitutes classic will continue to change as time passes and contemporary music
becomes oldies. Whether young or old people listen to it, it will live on forever.
Mariah Arviso
TW // mention of
abuse, suicide, and
self-harm
I have talked about
this briefly before, but
I felt like this needed
to be readdressed.
When I moved back in
with my father, at the
age of 15, I put myself
back into the metaphorical
closet. That
was the only thing I
could do considering
he turned into an extreme
Christian while
I was away.
I was happy to be living
with him again because,
prior to that, I
was verbally and physically
abused for being
gay by my guardian at
the time. I was always
told that what I was
feeling was not real,
and if I tried to argue
with my guardian, she
would hit me or do
anything to assert her
dominance.
When that first started,
I would fight back,
but it got to a point
where I did not see the
point of trying to win.
I became extremely
depressed, my anxiety
started up, and I just
felt worthless. I experienced
two different
failed attempts at suicide.
I do not want to
trigger myself or anyone
reading this, so
I will not go into too
much detail. My sister
found me both times
passed out in my room
because of what I did.
When I woke up
and realized it did not
work, I broke down.
Not because I was
happy to be alive, but
more so because of
disappointment that
it did not work. Surprisingly,
I never put
myself back into the
closet no matter how
much trauma I experienced
until I was
with my father. When
I moved in with him,
I came with a busted
lip, a black eye, and
cuts on my arm.
Of course, he asked
me what happened,
but I only told him
part of the story. Honestly,
as time passed
and I knew living with
him was the safest and
best decision, I started
to be fine with hiding
the fact that I was gay
from him and everyone
I surrounded myself
with. I was openly
gay at my school as
well as on social media.
I was so happy
to have friends that
supported me, but
I trusted the wrong
person and that was
my downfall. That
“friend” outed me to
an adult that I was
very close to from
the church we attend
when I was 18. I have
discussed this situation
before so I will not
bore you with details
again. Even though
I was outed by someone
else again a few
months ago, I did not
ask for help to change
who I am.
I still struggle with
depression and anxiety,
but I am more
myself now than I
have ever been in my
life. I realize now how
fortunate I am to be
alive because a lot of
the young LGBTQ+
see suicide as the only
way out. I am 19 years
old and althought I do
not have eveything figured
out, I am slowly
started to love who I
am unconditionally.
“Without giving patient
information out,
a lot of my clients
have been in similar
situations as yourself.
About 75% of my
young LGBT clients
suffer from depression
and anxiety. It is more
common to my LGBT
clients than it is my
heterosexual clients,”
licensed psychologist,
Gina M. Garbell, said.
I know things may
seem hard, and the
number of times that
I wanted to give up on
myself was a lot.
Just know that you
have a whole community
of people who
will help you and support.
You are worthy, you
are valid, and you are
loved.