Dear Editor,

I am writing this letter to thank you for publishing your piece celebrating the 100 years of San Jose City College that offered some history on this institution. I was pleased to learn that SJCC has always catered to students, especially students of color, indigenous students, women and nontraditional students like myself.

It was also great to learn about the many famous and successful people who attended this school and obviously still have great affection for it. There is a reason people love this school so much.

I came to SJCC as a thirty-year-old woman in a dead-end career, broke and looking for a way to improve my life. I was always terrified of school before I came here. SJCC completely changed my life in more ways than just academically; coming here gave me the confidence in myself that I was just as worthy of an education as anyone else and, most importantly, that I could achieve my dreams. The faculty and friendly attitude of both students and staff alike contribute to this environment of student success.

I am proud to be a student here and so grateful for the opportunities and guidance I have received. So thank you for writing this article and for honoring SJCC’s 100 years of excellence. I wish the school 100 years more.

Best Regards,
Rebecca Goodeyon
SJCC Student
Nov. 19

Hello Rebecca,

Thank you for sending in your letter to the editor. We are glad to hear you liked our story.

The Times feels it is important to talk about the history behind the school and all of the different groups of people that lent a helping hand to it; per your examples: students of color, indigenous students, women, nontraditional students, some famous and more.

We are glad to hear you felt as though the truth we wrote about honored the school and you continue to read upcoming stories about campus.

The Times wishes you well on your academic plan, and we hope to hear from you again.

Sincerely,
The Times Editorial Board

You should write a Letter to the Editor today. You could write something you need advice on or a secret you have never told anybody. It could be anything. All The Times asks is that the letter is 200 words or less. Send it to our email [email protected] today.

Letters to the Editor: Online responses to web articles:

Nadia Avila Carrillo: The main focus of the article is to focus on the struggles that and accomplishments that Latinx women face as they pursue their academic goals. As a member of the Latinx community, it is very interesting to see the similarities and differences that many woman face today.

One thing mentioned in the article is that it can be very difficult for many woman to raise their children while wanting to attend school. It is such an major topic because for many families the solution seems to be to give on their academic goals. And I think in today’s society we should encourage these mother’s to continue their education because it is such an accomplishment for their lives.

There should also be more financial support for those mother who actually do both because that can be very difficult, no doubt. While reading the article we also learn that, out of all 100 Latinas in elementary school only 54 will eventually get a high school diploma.

I believe this article is an important read because we see the struggles that Latina woman face in their lives and how important it is to keep moving forward with your education.

James Bohn: The article I am responding to is from the printed publication on campus from Oct 19, 2021. This response goes to Madison Wilber for the article on student debt relief and Juan Cortez for the associated cartoon.
Student debt has a massive impact on our communities. The stress of growing up in a household as a child, with a parent who has debt, has a greater impact than most people may realize. In a time when divorce rates are up, being a single parent is more common, and having two or more jobs is normal for the average working member of society, the added complications in life that come with debt right after earning an education are crushing.
Thank you for writing this article. Awareness of what is going on in regards to this process, the numbers game, and the factors in the local area such as the cost of living are all great things to know about.
I believe one of the most important things a journalist can do is hold the people we vote for accountable. Our votes need to mean something. And this article was more than just about student debt. It was about making sure someone kept a promise, the process on how the promise should be kept, and why it should be kept in perpetuity.
Thanks,
James

Malak Deeb: The National cybersecurity awareness month is something really important to address. This article states that there is a cybersecurity attack on the web every 39 seconds. Which means this could happen to everyone of us. I chose to discuss this topic because my dads accounts have been hacked multiple times and found it almost impossible to get his accounts back. This article give pro tips such as making sure you have an extra long password with numbers and symbols so it would be harder for the hacker to get a hold of your personal information. Vice Chancellor Escobar, Tech Department wanted to emphasize how important it is to keep your passwords to yourself and to never share them. Here is the link to the article: https://sjcctimes.com/15924/news/national-cybersecurity-awareness-month/ (Links to an external site.) It is always important to read these pro tips for yourself to prevent such things to happen to you. Remember every 39 seconds someone is getting hacked so this could be one of us. Also, keep in mind to never share passwords with anyone including any websites. If you want to make sure these websites are legit one way to do that is to look for an icon of a tiny padlock in the search bar.

Jojo Niko Dionisio: Regarding the October 26th editorial ” SJCC in partnership with Second Harvest handout free groceries”: By Juan Cortez
As someone who was born and raised in San Jose, this is something that I found was super touching and amazing to see. I completely agree with the editor, Juan Cortez, when he says that “Many families are facing difficult struggles when it comes to putting food on the table.” A lot of people fail to recognize the crazy world that we live in nowadays. I mean, we have been in the midst of a global pandemic for what has been close to two years at this point. Everybody faces struggles at one point or another, but providing food for yourself and your family should not be something you should need to worry about as Mr. Cortez stated. I think that it is amazing that something like this is done for the betterment of the community, and something that I would definitely think about doing in the future, so maybe I could do my part in trying to help others. Also, the fact that there are so many different volunteers ranging from students and faculty, to other volunteer helpers is amazing to see. Any contribution whether it be big or small is a contribution and will help somebody. This is something that truly helps for the betterment of our community/ society and deserves support and recognition! Thank you Juan, and to all of those volunteers helping people in need.
If you are interested in reading this article for yourself find it at https://sjcctimes.com/15905/campus-life/sjcc-in-partnership-with-second-harvest-handout-free-groceries/

Rebecca Goodeyon:Dear editor,
I am writing this letter to thank you for publishing your piece celebrating the 100 years of San Jose City College that offered some history on this institution. I was pleased to learn that SJCC has always catered to students, especially students of color, indigenous students, women, and “non traditional” students like myself. It was also great to learn about the many famous and successful people who attended this school and obviously still have great affection for it. There is a reason people love this school so much.
I came to San Jose City College as a thirty-year-old woman in a dead end career, broke, and looking for a way to improve my life. I was always terrified of school before I came here. But SJCC completely changed my life in more ways than just academically – coming here gave me the confidence in myself that I was just as worthy of an education as anyone else, and most importantly, that I could achieve my dreams. The faculty and friendly attitude of both students and staff alike contribute to this environment of student success.
I am proud to be a student here and so grateful for the opportunities and guidance I have received. So thank you, for writing this article and for honoring SJCC’s 100 years of excellence. I wish the school 100 years more!
Best regards,
Rebecca Goodeyon

Erin Hafelfinger: To the Editor
Subject: CyberSecurity Awareness Month
Dear Editor,
I was very excited to see The San Jose City Times acknowledge CyberSecurity Awareness Month in October’s edition. Most people do not think of themselves as ideal targets of cyber predators so they become complacent with protecting themselves. Make no mistake, whether you have $50 or $50,000 in your bank account the bad guys want it. They also want access to all your credit cards and your personal identity too. Leaving yourself vulnerable by not learning and adopting some of the practices shared in last month’s article is exactly what cyber predators are hoping for.
I’m a parttime student who happens to be a fulltime working professional employed at a locally based cybersecurity company. There, the kinds of tips and basic security knowledge you shared with your readers are part of our new hire training and just some of the expected everyday workplace practices. It’s exciting and very important that this type of cybersecurity knowledge become mainstream behaviors of anyone with an on-line presence. Thank you! And please keep up the good work in helping SJCC staff and students protect themselves from cyber threats.
Sincerely,
Erin H., Sunnyvale, CA

Gabriel Herrera: To the editor,
Regarding the article Local Artist Speaks Out Against Latinx Injustice by Abyssinia Muhammad:
The article was a very influential read. It centers around Nancy Hernandez, an artist coming from both Mexican and mixed race origins. As someone who mixed race myself, it’s very enlightening to see someone of similar status creating art and inspiration for our community. While my dad’s side of the family is Latino and my mother being white, I’ve always strongly identified with my Latino heritage. Especially growing up in East San Jose, attending the schools here and forming lasting friendships stemming from that community, it’s always been a positive aspect of my life and upbringing. With that being said, I very much agree with the stances Hernandez has taken on Prop 187 and her opinion on the current state of our prison population. In my opinion, art is a very positive outlet for expressing stances on social and political issues. As Julio Woods was quoted in the article, “‘It’s therapeutic in some sense. When I discovered that she was an activist too it only increased my love and appreciation for her. She is definitely one of my favorite artists.’” Positive outlets such as art and music can have permanent effects on people, especially when the viewer is able to identify with the artist on a cultural level. I think this article greatly displays the good Nancy Hernandez and other artists like her are doing for the Latino community.

Rita Hoang: Re: “Local artist speaks out against Latinx injustice” [Oct 6, Campus Life]:
I was pleased to learn that San Jose City College celebrated and showcased a local latin artist during Latinx Heritage Month. I hope the college continues fostering an environment where diversity and all different cultures can be welcomed. After reading the article, I discovered that some of her most famous pieces could be found in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, an area I frequently visit. I’ll definitely have to make a point to look around the area for her art next time I’m there. However, I do wish the article had included images of her work.
Her activism is to be respected and admired as well. I hope we can continue uplifting more local artists and activists in our communities.
Thank you,
Rita Hoang, San Jose
Savion Johnson: If it wasn’t very clear already with the constant notifications on your dashboard on canvas, SJCC and EVCC are mandating the vaccine in order to be able to end one or both of the colleges. Many community colleges are doing the same and in my opinion it truly isn’t fair, if we are still required to wear masks and do everything the same what will a vaccine mandate do to prevent the spread of Covid? Many students in the article also agreed whilst some disagreed on the fact that a shot that does not 100% guarantee immunity from the disease but we are ultimately forced to make a decision when students are just trying to learn and getting there degree.

Anderson Jones: Accessibility awareness month should be even more emphasized in the San Jose City College Times. It relates to me because I have a friend from high school who had a disability of seeing but that did not stop her because she goes to UC Irvine now. What really helped her succeed in high school was the school helping her with equipment with her disability every step of the way to make sure she had a chance to succeed. With that being said it is nice to read that the school that I’m attending is helping other students with similar or different disabilities like my friend from high school. Even seeing this experience with my friend it still shocked me when I read that around 31% of students were in school with a learning disability in my personal thought I believed it would be in the late teens because I do not see that often. But with this article bringing data like this to my attention can help me in the future to get more of a handle on situations like these so in the future I can be more informed to others who can easily look past something that is this or relatable.

Elizabeth Oliver: Hi everyone, The article I decided to read was on how the San Jose City College softball team, with a 3.476 GPA, was awarded for athletic and academic achievements, ranking No. 14 in the nation in the 2020-2021 academic school year. I am actually on the softball team so this article definitely caught my eye because not only do I know the girls they were speaking of I was actually a part of those rankings. Juan Cortez posted this article on November 1, 2021 and did an amazing job in talking about the wonderful accomplishment through multiple interviews with some of the players. Like many of the girls expressed during the interviews, it is extremely important to us and the coaches that academics come first and the coaches do an amazing job of providing necessary tools and setting us up for success. The article was very well organized and hit every point very well. The article not only talks about the GPA of the team but also brings up the past and future Seasons the team has had. The girls interviewed go into depth about how we have a great program and how we all have bonded even in tough times of the pandemic. Overall the Article was very well written and fun to read in my opinion and I hope everyone can come out to some games.

Steven Quintero: The article about Accessibility Awareness Month by contributor Jordan Harris in the City’s College Times was an eye opening read and am grateful for the reporting done. 31% of the student population having some form of learning disability is a very significant portion on the entire student body and it was nice to see all the ways San Jose City College tries to accommodate to their learning needs in order to not limit their success. I have had classes with students who required some forms of learning aids like interpreters and have seen first hand how services like these give opportunities to students with special needs. They allow the student to learn new skills without feeling restricting by their disability. The Student Accessibility Service at City have done a wonderful job ensuring there is inclusion for all of the students here on compass, and will continue to improve the chances for success for everyone during and after college. Thank you Jordan for bringing awareness to the amazing job done by all those who help make SJCC an accessible school for all.

Manuel Rodriguez: Clubs are coming back to SJCC by Emmanuel Becerril
I find it helpful that SJCC is still looking for ways to help and accommodate to their students by looking for different ways to set up clubs for students who want to join. SJCC also lets the students run the club and faculty members don’t micromanage every thing that happens in the clubs and which leads to clubs being more student oriented. The wide range of clubs that are available to join is comforting as well, because there seem to be a club for almost anyone to join.

Unathi Zibi: Hi everyone,
The month of October is National cybersecurity awareness month, the lack of cybersecurity has hurt a lot of people and it continues to. In this article it is suggested that we create long passwords of 10 characters or more which is very helpful, it also suggests checking if the site is safe which can be hard to navigate especially for people like me who shop online often. I have never had a problem with San Jose City College computers and I am not sure if that is because I have never put sensitive information like credit cards and I always make sure to log out of my email address when I am done. It is important to be educated on cyber security as the article states, what is San Jose City College doing to educate about it besides making computers secure? Is it not important to make sure that the College pays special attention to this subject especially since they loan out laptops which students get to use in their homes. It is not guaranteed that they only use it for school work which might invite these hackers because they see some of the other things that the students use these loaners for.
National cybersecurity awareness month