More community connection is what the majority of the students who attended “The Solution,” the second Fireside Chat of the semester, demanded Thursday.
The ASU held the event to discuss solutions to problems in the community and on campus.
La Raza studies Program Coordinator Agustin Palacios assembled a work group, also known as the Outreach Group, where the discussion’s subject matter assessed the importance of knowing that crime within ethnicity is a product of the system.
Student Lisa Reyes who previously worked for the West Contra Costa Unified School District participated in Palacios’ work group. She said students need to be more encouraged to create a change in order to progress.
“We can’t hold them back,” Reyes said. “They need to be involved. They’re being misplaced.”
Palacios agreed that youth should be more incorporated into task groups.
Students concurred that a single group among the campus should exist without having to categorize by race, such as the Black Student Union and La Raza studies, in order to integrate ethnic groups.
In addition, they deliberated about situations where teachers are not always concerned about their students, hence the number of student dropouts.
“Some teachers don’t care about the students, which is why there are so many dropouts,” Reyes said. “Teachers are cruel and downgrade students, and their self-esteem is already down. They don’t need an adult looking down on them.”
Reyes and Palacios believe the youth are “crying out for help,” but there is no reasonable adult to aid them.
Outreach and Scholarship Coordinator Jimmy Cox also partook in one of the work groups, which focused on the ways to make a living for the family.
It discussed retraining drug dealers to use their business talents they once used on the streets to become lawful businessmen with taxable employments.
“We’re talking about under-the-table entrepreneurs,” Cox said. “The people out on the streets are making a doggone living doing what they’re doing (selling illegal substances).”
He said many of them are not high school graduates, yet they are responsible for bringing in millions of dollars.
The students in the work group agreed that if drug dealers possess the intelligence to “stand on a corner” and evade all the problems that come along with such a dangerous profession, that same business model could be brought to the college in order to be taught the right business skills and therefore utilize it for more productive purposes.
Lts. Mark Foisie and James Creekmore of the San Pablo Police Department took charge in the vigilant students group, whose emphasis was on juvenile violence and crimes.
It addressed issues and measurements related to the college, including safety and self-awareness.
ASU Senator Jasmyn Oliver recognized education as the ultimate solution and spoke on how members of society must be educated first before they can teach others.
“You have to start with yourself,” Oliver said. “You must improve yourself before you can improve the community.”
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Chat inspires improvement
ASU event seeks community effort
Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
 "Photo: George Morin / The Advocate")
George Morin / The Advocate
Making a point — ASU Senator Jasmyn Oliver speaks to students about having the strength within themselves to better the community at “The Solution,” the second Fireside Chat meeting in the Fireside Room Nov. 12. The group discussed issues on campus and in the local area.
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