Author Archive for Lancaster

Recovery an ordeal for injured veteran

By KYLE WASSON

Student-veteran Koby Upchurch, 39, has fought back from severe injuries suffered in Iraq and defied odds set by his caregivers.

In 1999, during his third Army deployment, Upchurch was injured in the line of duty. Head trauma left him in a “walking coma” and he spent 18 months shuttling between inpatient and outpatient treatment.

“There were times when I would hug the couch, or talk to my food or even the walls,” Upchurch said. “I could no longer decipher the meaning of anything.”

After the Army medically retired Upchurch in 2001, he began rehabilitation through the Veterans Association and special treatment centers.

“I had to start all over,” he said. “Everything I knew was gone. There was only one way to change and that was re-learn it all.”

Upchurch openly discussed personal struggle and family turmoil, but couldn’t share specifics about the accident.

“You know, it’s just too hard,” he said. “Bad things happen to us and sometimes it can be overwhelming. I just can’t find the strength.”

The beginning

Upchurch was born in the small Arizona town of San Manuel. His father, like many, worked in the local mine. A series of layoffs in 1972 left his father without work, forcing his family of six to move to Tucson.

Shortly after, his parents divorced and his father moved to Lolo, Mont.

He split time between his mother and father, calling both Tucson and Lolo home. When he graduated from Rincon High School in 1990 at age 17, Upchurch sought change through military enlistment.

“My mother signed the papers allowing me to go,” he said.

Upchurch trekked to boot camp in Fort Jackson, SC. Six months of combat communications training accompanied the outbreak of the first Gulf War, packing Upchurch into the first of three deployments.

While enlisted Upchurch found love in a woman eight years older with two kids. The couple married and had two more kids. Neither had any college experience; Upchurch had only known the military.

After his first enlistment, Upchurch joined the Army Reserves and searched for a new civilian life with his family.

“I needed to provide for my family and contribute in some way,” he said. “I wanted to show my kids how to take care of their responsibilities.”

Upchurch held a variety of jobs with employers ranging from the Marana Fire Department to the Arizona Department of Corrections. He was a sheriff in Montana and a policeman in Kearney, Ariz.

The re-enlistment

Jobs were inconsistent, however, and financial survival became a struggle. In 1997, Upchurch traded the freedom of civilian life for a return to the Army.

“It was the only thing I could do for us,” he said.

Upchurch re-enlisted as a sergeant, and served with military police attached to “95 Bravo.” His new duties were entirely different from his previous job in communications.

His injury occurred during that deployment, and Upchurch began his long road to recovery.

When VA doctors conducted evaluations of Upchurch’s mental capacity, they deemed his chances of earning an associate degree impossible due to his injuries.

In 2002, Upchurch’s 11-year marriage ended. The girls and his son left to live with their mother. His stepson John, now 19, stayed with his father.

“The stress from my injuries just became too much to live with,” Upchurch said. “Those four years from 1999-02 were the worst of my life. I lost so much but still had so much to live for.”

Koby Upchurch displays his achievements, ranging from University of Arizona photo contests to his daily work as a photographer for the Daily Wildcat. Aztec Press photo by Leftrick Herd.

The reconstruction

In 2005, Upchurch decided he would no longer sit back and wait for change.

Although he tested at sixth-grade level in some areas, Upchurch disregarded his disability and registered for a Pima photography class with instructor Ann Simmons-Myers.

“Koby came to us with a desire. He wanted to learn so badly but his physical condition really prevented that,” Simmons-Meyers said. “We stuck with him and showed him some patience. He doesn’t give up.”

With countless hours of help from instructors, Upchurch earned associate degrees in both photography and administrative justice at Pima.

“I really wanted to contribute to society in some way,” he said. “I had to feel important, be a part of something again.”

Today, Upchurch and his son attend class at Pima together. Despite the trauma of his father’s accident, John Upchurch graduated at the top of his Desert View High School class while captaining his school’s swim team.

The two currently are enjoying a Spanish class with instructor Agustin Taylor.

“I’ve known Koby for about two years. At the beginning he was having a lot of problems, but now he’s a lot better, he’s even waking without a cane,” Taylor said. “He tries and tries and always wants to get better.”

The reward

Upchurch says he owes his friends and Pima faculty a big thank you. “I know I don’t fit the learning curve, but I really want to be here,” he said.

He is dual-enrolled as a junior in the University of Arizona School of journalism. A five-year program will allow him to earn his undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Between experiences in combat and at UA, Upchurch confirmed his decision to pursue a career in conflict journalism. “Just like the service, it gives me passion doing something I love,” he said.

His injuries still affect day-to-day life. Eight-hour school days feel like 24-hour military watches. He has replaced late nights with 7 p.m. bedtimes.

Still, he claims his massive injuries provided a sense of purpose.

“The accident, as awkward as it may sound, was one of the best things that has ever happened to my life,” he said.

The slight limp in his step hides behind constant smiles and countless stories.

“Today is a good day,” he said confidently.

All Souls Procession Nov. 6

Tucson’s beloved All Souls Procession takes place Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. The 22nd annual event will begin at Fourth Avenue and University Boulevard, and finish at Mercado San Augustine. Those wishing to participate are encouraged to meet at 5 p.m. at Fourth Avenue. See details at allsoulsprocession.org.

2010 photo by Larry Gaurano

Pima freshman wins cross country conference title

By MEGYN FITZGERALD

On Saturday, the running Aztecs attended the Grand Canyon University Invitational in Tempe where the No. 7 ranked Aztec women finished fourth and the No. 25 ranked Aztec men finished fifth.

With a time of 20:08, freshman Kelsey Montano finished 25th overall. Close on Montano’s heels and finishing in 26th and 29th places, sophomore Heidi Lopez and freshman Mary Cozby had times of 20:09 and 20:25, respectively.

For the men, freshman Lucas Ruiz pulled out all the stops and finished 13th overall with a time of 26:01. Freshmen Fabian Romero and David-Michael Scott were close behind and managed 18th and 28th places.

On Sept. 30, PCC traveled to Casa Grande in hopes of placing first in the 2011 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference championships, hosted by Central Arizona College.

In the men’s competition, Romero led the way for the Aztecs. He finished the 8 kilometer course in 27:02 and placed seventh overall. Freshmen Scott, Caleb Herrera and Aren Maxwell also ran well, placing 13th, 16th and 21st, respectively.

Romero earned All-ACCAC first team honors; Scott earned All-ACCAC second team honors and both Herrera and Maxwell picked up All-ACCAC honorable mention nods.

With the help of “Freshman Sensation” Jamie Shrader, the Aztec women finished second overall behind only Central. Shrader finished with a time of 19:23 in the 5 kilometer race, which earned her first place and an ACCAC individual championship.

Lopez finished close behind Shrader with a time of 19:52, earning her sixth place overall. Freshmen Lucia Hernandez and Cozby rounded out PCC’s top-five finishers, completing the race in 13th and 15th places.

Both Shrader and Lopez got All-ACCAC first team honors, while Montano and Hernandez earned spots on the second team.

The Aztecs will once again lace up their running shoes for competition on Oct. 14 when they take part in the Mt. SAC Invitational. Races are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Walnut, Calif.

Jamie Shrader finishes the Dave Murray Invitational, hosted by the University of Arizona. Aztec Press photo by James Kelley.

Aztecs rack up 8-0, 3-0 and 6-0 wins

By LYNDAJOE ECHERIVEL

The Pima Community College men’s soccer team ended its eight-game home stand with a win over GateWay Community College on Oct. 11.

“This was our turnaround point to finishing our problems and our forwards need to get our confidence back,” freshman forward Declan Fulton said. “Our team is the best in the league when we all play to our capabilities.”

The Aztecs (10-6-1 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) smashed the Geckos, 8-0.

“I feel our season has been misleading, our record doesn’t reflect that,” Fulton said. “We have been playing really good soccer in every game but have been unlucky with our scoring.”

Six Aztecs had multi-point efforts in the conference win.

Sophomore forward Nicholas Peppe and sophomore midfielder Jeff Weiler each scored a pair of goals. Sophomore defender Eric Glad and freshman forward Matt Nagler each scored a goal and assisted on others.

Sophomore defender Alex Anderson and Fulton chipped in with a pair of assists each.

“Overall this season has been a real roller coaster, we score a lot of goals or we don’t score at all,” head coach Dave Cosgrove said.

“We play the best teams pretty well. We just don’t finish our chances and that’s really made things difficult this year.”

The Aztecs lost a double overtime game to No. 8 Arizona Western College on Oct. 8, 1-0. Pima had 13 shots on goal but AWC scored the game’s only goal at the 106 minute mark of the match.

PCC defeated the Cougars of South Mountain Community College on Oct. 6 with a win, 3-0.

Freshman forward Matt Nagler and sophomore defender Kolby Jacobson scored the two first half goals while sophomore defender Bryce Parker had the only score of the second half.

Sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Bacon and freshman Ben Eyde split time in the net as Bacon worked the first half, and Eyde finished the game.

No. 5 Yavapai College defeated Pima 2-0 on Oct. 4.

PCC managed six shots on goal but could not find the back of the net on the ACCAC’s top team.

Pima beat Paradise Valley Community College 6-0 Oct. 1.

Bacon earned the shutout in the net with three saves through 90 minutes of gameplay.  Six different Aztecs scored goals with Brennan and sophomore midfielder Marco Carillo leading the way as each scored once and picked up an assist on other goals.

Sophomore midfielder Jann Nash also scored his second goal in his second game.

PCC dropped a double overtime home game, 2-1, to Mesa Community College on Sept. 29.

MCC opened the scoring with five minutes left in the first half.

The Aztecs’ Peppe scored the only goal of the second half, sending the game into overtime. The teams played to a scoreless first overtime. With 3:01 remaining in the second overtime, the Thunderbirds scored.

Carlos Banegas prepares to strike a volley in a 2-0 loss to Yavapai at the West Campus on Oct. 4. Aztec Press photo by James Kelley.

Fall festivals offer fun for all tastes

Compiled by Nina Elliott

EAT, DRINK AND BE (VERY) MERRY

American Indian Feast

Oct. 1

Traditional foods of American Indian nations, entertainment and dinner served at San Xavier Plaza. $50 adv/ $60 at door.

Tickets: 295-1350

Oktoberfest at Café Passé

Oct. 1

Bratwurst and beers served after noon at 415 N. Fourth Ave; entertainment by the Bouncing Czechs, 6:30- 8:30 p.m.

Details: Cafepasse.com

Aztec Press photo by Ryan Tsarsis.

Tucson Oktoberfest

Sept. 29-Oct. 2

Optimist Club fundraiser features German food, beer/wine, artists and music at Hi Corbett Field.

Details: tucsonoktoberfest.org, 241-7730

Mount Lemmon Oktoberfest

Weekends through Oct. 9

German food, beer, music and dancing, 11:30 a.m-5 p.m at Ski Valley, 10300 Ski Run Road. Free, with $4 parking.

Details: skithelemmon.com, 576-1321

Tucson Culinary Festival

Oct. 27-30

Sample gourmet food and spirits from Tucson restaurants at 7000 N. Resort Drive. See website for costs.

Details: Tucsonculinaryfestival.com

Dogtoberfest

Oct. 9

Dog-friendly benefit event with contests, food and a beer garden at Tucson Hebrew Academy, 3888 E. River Road, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Details: Handi-dogs.org

MUSIC, ART

Fall Club Crawl

Oct.1

Tucson Weekly presents 90 bands performing on 30 stages in downtown Tucson and along Fourth Avenue for audiences ages 21 & over, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Details: clubcrawl.ning.com, 740-1000

Tucson Film & Music Festival

Oct. 6-10

Upstairs Film presents the annual event, featuring indie film and music downtown. Tickets, starting at $6, available through brownpapertickets.com.

Details: Tucsonfilmandmusicfestival.com

Great Tucson Beer Festival

Oct. 8

Benefit for Sun Sounds of Arizona features beer sampling and live music at Hi Corbett Field. No one under age 21 admitted.

Details: Azbeer.com/Tucson, 296-2400

Southern Arizona Blues Heritage

Oct. 16.

Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation hosts an all-day concert of blues music at the Reid Park bandshell.

Details: Azblues.org

Oro Valley Arts in the Park

Oct. 22-23

Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance stages a fine arts and music festival with 124 artists and food vendors at Riverfront Park, 551 W. Lambert Lane.

Details: 797-3959, Orovalleyfestival.org

Desert Bluegrass Music Festival

Oct. 28-30

Desert Bluegrass Association presents local, regional and national bluegrass bands, workshops and jam sessions, and a Friday night band contest at AVA Amphitheater, 5655 W. Valencia Road.

Details: Desertbluegrass.org

CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN AND DAY OF THE DEAD

Fall Pumpkin Celebration, Willcox

Weekends through Oct. 30

Apple Annie’s presents hayrides, pumpkin picking and children’s activities every weekend in October.

Details: appleannies.com, 1-520-384-4685

Buckelew Farm Pumpkin Fest, Maze

Weekends through Oct. 31

Pumpkin festival, corn maze and a haunted cornfield at Buckelew Farm, 17000 W. Ajo Way.

Details: buckelewfarm.com, 822-2277

Nightfall at Old Tucson

Sept. 30-Oct. 31

The award-winning haunted town returns for Halloween terror. See website for dates, times. Admission: $25 adults.

Details: oldtucson.com, 883-0100

The Slaughterhouse

Sept. 30-Oct. 31

The haunted house on Grant Road at I-10 vows to show no mercy. See website for dates, times. General admission costs $21.

Details: slaughterhousetucson.com

Day of the Dead Exhibit-La Pilita

Oct. 10-Nov. 5

Diá de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) community altar created by schoolchildren, a shop offering icons, holiday-related items.

Details: 882-7454, Lapilita.com.

Haunted Ruins at Valley of the Moon

Oct. 13-30

The historical fantasy garden hosts costumed Halloween events for all ages Thursdays-Sundays. Admission $8.

Details: Tucsonvalleyofthemoon.com

The Great Pumpkin Race

Oct. 16

Southern Arizona Roadrunners hosts a cross-country-style 5K run through Buckelew Farm, including thr corn maze.

Details: Azroadrunners.org/races

Day of the Dead Exhibit

Oct. 18-Nov. 20

Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. alvernon Way, will showcase Dia de los Muertos artwork. Call for admission prices.

Details: Tucsonbotanical.org, 326-9686

TUCSON CULTURE, PRIDE

Mexican Baseball Fiesta

Oct. 7-9

Three Pacific League of Mexico teams and a team of future San Diego Padres players will play exhibition doubleheaders at Kino Stadium.

Details: Kinosportscomplex.com

Pride on Parade, Pride in the Desert

Oct. 8-9

The annual gay pride weekend includes a parade and block party on Saturday, and all-day events at Reid Park on Sunday.

Details: tucsonpride.org

Get Moving Tucson Half-Marathon

Oct. 9

Half-marathon traverses “A” Mountain. Companion 5K walk/run.

Details: Azroadrunners.org/races

Tucson Meet Yourself

Oct. 14-16

The folklife festival celebrates Southern Arizona’s diverse ethnic communities with performances, demonstrations, food vendors and children’s activities in downtown Tucson. Tucsonans in the know flock to the food samples and call the popular gathering “Tucson Eat Yourself.”

Details: tucsonmeetyourself.org

Festival of Flight

Oct. 14-16

Wings over the Desert at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum celebrates all winged creatures with raptor programs, live bat encounters and lectures, hummingbirds, live bugs, hands-on science and a tequila tasting.

Details: Desertmuseum.org, 883-2702

Blown in by Katrina – Part 2

Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series about Tucson resident Jerome Hubbard’s ordeal during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Part 1 told of the Hubbard family’s experiences when the storm struck. Family members became separated after the storm, and Hubbard spent time at the infamous New Orleans overpass where storm victims gathered to await aid.

By MYLO ERICKSON

In the middle of the night, Jerome Hubbard felt something tugging at his feet and saw a man trying to steal his boots. They fought and Hubbard won, but his pants got ripped in the brawl.

On Sept. 2, more people were brought to the Causeway Overpass where hurricane victims had gathered, and some were bused out.

At midday, activists Jesse Jackson and Cleo Fields showed up.

“They came up like a parade,” Hubbard said. “He’s using those big words that nobody cares to understand and doing his whole song and dance in front of the camera.”

During his time at the overpass, Hubbard constantly heard a woman’s hungry baby crying non-stop. She kept telling herself that the baby would be OK.

One evening, Hubbard noticed the baby was no longer crying. He saw the woman rocking the baby in her arms, and asked how it was doing. She told him it was asleep.

Hubbard took a peek and saw the baby was dead. When he saw dried tears on her face, he decided to move on and let the lady be alone.

He saw two other people die that night. One who was killed by another man after an all-night brawl. Hubbard said the other man “went crazy” and military personnel were forced to intervene.

At one point during the night, Hubbard and others broke into a ration truck to get food for people. After they unloaded a couple of boxes, they were stopped at gunpoint.

As soon as day broke, buses started coming in. Hubbard managed to jump on a bus that was headed toward Texas.

They arrived at a rest stop on the Louisiana-Texas border and got out to stretch their legs. State troopers pulled up to their spot and told everybody to get back on the bus.

Hubbard’s bus was supposed to go to Houston, but was diverted to Dallas. Before they arrived, they were told they were unwelcome in Dallas as well. People previously brought in by bus had caused too much trouble in the area.

As they headed out of town, Hubbard asked the driver where they were heading. The driver said he was just told to drive, and was awaiting instructions via CB radio.

Hubbard fell asleep. When he awoke, he saw amber lights and men running around with guns.

They had stopped at Fort Smith, Ark. People were now told to get off the bus and line up. Still half-asleep, Hubbard felt lost but did as he was told.

The evacuees entered a processing center and were handed a form to fill out.

Soldiers informed Hubbard that he was in a processing station for refugees, and the form would be his identity number. They also said the form would strip him of his citizenship.

Hubbard folded the form and walked away.

He and a few other men headed to a barracks, but quickly decided in the barracks that they weren’t going to stay. Military personnel informed them they could leave but said the exit was two miles away.

A couple of medics overheard the conversation, and told the men they were headed toward the exit. If people wanted to escape, there was nothing they could do.

Hubbard and his group took the hint. They hitched a ride in a medical vehicle, and jumped out near the exit.

After Hubbard climbed a fence, a Good Samaritan picked him up. The man bought Hubbard socks, a shirt and food, then dropped him off at the nearest bus station.

When Hubbard learned the cheapest one-way ticket was about $400, he decided to try the airport. When he arrived there, he learned a one-way ticked would cost about $580.

He called some of this friends and asked them to call his dad to let his father know that he was OK.

After taking a seat at the airport to think about his next move, Hubbard overheard a man talking on the phone about his family in Lafayette, La.

Two men dressed in scrubs walked by, and one stopped to ask Hubbard where he was from and where he was trying to get to. Hubbard said he would like to get to Houston.

The man told Hubbard he would be back. When he returned a few minutes later,  he told Hubbard that he and his cousin were trying to rent a car but couldn’t afford it. If Hubbard had $200, they could all leave.

Hubbard only had $100, but remembered the man on the phone trying to get to Lafayette. He found the man, who agreed to pitch in for the rental car.

At a stop along the way, Hubbard called his friends again and learned that his mom and dad met up and were in New Iberia, La.

The group dropped off one passenger in Houston, then headed east. Hubbard called his father, and asked him to pick him up in Lafayette. They arranged to meet at a mile post marker.

When they got to that mile marker, his dad was standing there.

Hubbard can’t describe his feelings at that moment. He walked over to his dad and said, “You ain’t mad at me, huh?”

They hugged, and Hubbard broke down. After a bit, they got into the car and drove to New Iberia. When they reached the house where his parents were staying, his dad said his mother was in the back of the house.

Hubbard felt a moment of panic, but headed to the back room. The room was dark.

When he opened the door, his mother looked up but didn’t realize who it was. She recognized him when he asked her how she was doing, and held out her arms for a hug.

Hubbard told her he was sorry, and they embraced in a moment of joy and relief. His long ordeal was over.

Jerome Hubbard. Aztec Press photo by Mylo Erickson.

PROLOGUE:

Once people were allowed to go back into New Orleans, Hubbard and his family got back into their house in October 2005.

They began a cleanup that took months. Hubbard’s father told him he needed to decide what to do. He didn’t want him to stay, as there would be no opportunities for some time.

Hubbard decided to move to Arizona, since he had relatives living in the state. He relocated to Tucson, and will receive a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts from the Art Institute of Tucson in December.

Back from the brink: Soccer player returns to playing field

BY LYNDAJOE ECHERIVEL

Pima Community College men’s soccer player Declan Fulton cheated death a year ago after a hiking trip turned awry.

Fulton and a few friends were hiking the Tanque Verde Falls in Sabino Canyon in late August 2010. They spotted waterfalls and started to jump from above into a big pool of water.

Further downstream, another waterfall spilled over a ledge. That waterfall dropped 50 feet drop into a pool that was no deeper than 10 feet. After a shouted conversation with people below the falls, Fulton decided to slide down the ledge into a closer pool of water.

“I went to grab my friend’s hand and slipped,” Fulton said. “I knew I was going to fall, so I just threw myself off anyway. That saved my life because I would have landed on the rock at the bottom.”

The people below witnessed the fall and pulled Fulton into the shade. An off-duty paramedic who happened to be nearby helped him until a helicopter arrived.

“I remember hearing the helicopter come and I had to get airlifted out of there,” Fulton said. “Apparently it took two hours to get to the hospital.”

His parents, who live in Sierra Vista, met him at the hospital. Fulton had broken his pelvis, his elbow, a vertebrae in his back and some teeth, and punctured a lung.

His head would have suffered much more damage if he hadn’t covered it with his elbow.

“My elbow pretty much took the full impact of the fall,” Fulton said.

The following morning, Fulton woke up with his hands attached to the hospital bed. He had just one worry.

“I was trying to ask everyone, would I be able to play again,” he said.

After multiple surgeries, he finally got the answer he wanted. He could play soccer again despite having initial surgery on his elbow and a seven-hour pelvis surgery.

Fulton was in a wheelchair for almost three months and had in-house rehabilitation treatment.

“He’s a good kid, a very resilient kid,” men’s soccer head coach David Cosgrove said. “It’s truly remarkable.”

Fulton moved to Sierra Vista while recovering from his injuries.

“I was living in a house with stairs, so I moved back in with my family for the rest of the year,” he said.

While rehabbing, he started walking again. He also began playing soccer with friends, but was in pain while playing.

“I was trying to do too much, so I just gave it some time while I was in a men’s league,” he said. “I was starting to get some speed back and picked up the game back.”

It was “kind of a wakeup call” when he returned to Tucson for preseason training with his Pima team.

“Everyone was in better shape than I was,” he said. “I was behind everything.”

Declan Fulton makes his 10th appearance after last year's hiking accident. Aztec Press photo by Larry Gaurano.

Fulton and Cosgrove agree that he isn’t back to 100 percent yet but has made significant strides in improving his game.

“Everyone knows that I’ve still got what it takes and it’s just going to take time for it to come back,” Fulton said.

“It’s amazing, he went from being in a wheelchair to scoring goals,” teammate Jordan Benson said.

Cosgrove is grateful to have Fulton back in the lineup.

“He’s getting better and better and considering where he was about this time last year, it’s a remarkable story,” Cosgrove said. “He does play every game and he logs significant time. He is a key component of the team right now.”

Fulton is currently the Pima men’s top scorer, with more than six goals and four assists.

“Declan is scoring the most goals and playing the best for us,” Cosgrove said.

Aztecs finish 4th, 6th at UA

By MEGYN FITZGERALD

The Pima Community College women’s cross country team retained its place in the top 10 while participating in the Dave Murray Invitational, hosted by the University of Arizona, on Sept. 16.

The Aztec men finished third among junior colleges and the No. 7 women finished second.

“It was a mix of good and bad,” head coach Greg Wenneborg said. “The men found out how talented our region is and held their own.”

Jamie Shrader runs in a pack of NCAA Division I athletes on Sept. 16. Aztec Press photo by James Kelley.

The men raced to sixth place overall out of nine teams.

Freshman Luis Ruiz was top performer for the PCC men with a time of 22:53 on the 4.25 mile course. He placed 27th overall and eighth among junior college participants.

“I think I just raced smarter,” Ruiz said about the difference between this meet and the last. “I’m happy with our performance, but I know we’re capable of a lot better.”

Freshmen Fabian Romero and David-Michael Scott also ran well, snagging 33rd and 38th places.

The Aztec women finished second among junior college teams, losing to No. 1 Central Arizona College.

“The women came within 10 points of the No. 1 ranked team in the country,” Wenneborg said.

Pima finished fourth overall at the meet, behind the UA, Northern Arizona University and Central Arizona.

Freshman Jamie Shrader led the way as she ran the three-mile course in 18:29. She finished first among junior college competitors, 21st overall.

Freshman Kelsey Montano and sophomore Heidi Lopez both finished just behind Shrader in the top 10 with times of 19:14 and 19:49. They finished 29th and 35th overall.

The men's cross country team begins the Dave Murray Invitational, a meet hosted by the University of Arizona at the Del Urich Golf Course on Sept. 16. Aztec Press photo by James Kelley.

Sept. 27 lecture series talk to explore world of dance

By LaBREAL YOUNG

Pima Community College dance instructor Aurora Gonçalves-Shaner will share the history of dance Sept. 27 at the first Speakers’ Series lecture for fall semester.

“I want people to have a better understanding of how dance is a part of humanity,”  she said. “I want to take them on a journey through primitive dance to today.”

The free “Dance Origins” talk will begin at 6 p.m. in the PCC District Office Community Board Room (Building C), 4905 E. Broadway Blvd.

In addition to discussing the historical background of tribal, ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary and ballroom dance styles, Gonçalves-Shaner will share her experiences as a choreographer, performer and dance instructor for PCC and the University of Arizona.

“Everyone is born with the ability to dance and move to the beat,” she said. “I want people to walk away with an appreciation and to be inspired. I want them to want to take a dance class and have a sense of creativity.”

Gonçalves -Shaner developed her own love of dance at a young age. She studied classical ballet and modern dance techniques in Bahia, Brazil, then performed internationally with a professional dance company.

Her passion is ballet, but she loves ballroom dancing and has won national titles in ballroom competitions.

She holds a Bachelor of Art degree in dance from Brigham Young University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona.

The Speakers’ Series is co-sponsored by the provost and the faculty senate. Two other presentations will be held this fall.

On Oct. 25, counseling faculty member Amy C. Davis will discuss “Storytelling and the Art of Helping.” She will explain how storytelling can serve as a powerful medium for learning and for overcoming academic and personal concerns.

The final talk will be Nov. 15, when music faculty member Mark A. Nelson discusses “The tuba as a Solo Instrument: A 75-Year Retrospective.”

Photo courtesy of Ed Flores.

Show off your dance moves at Aug. 31 audition

So you think you can dance? Show the judges.

An audition for Pima Community College’s DNC 269 class, Dance Performance/Production, will be held Wednesday, Aug. 31, from 3:10 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the West Campus dance studio, AG-059.

Pima dance instructors will be the judges for the audition. They are looking for technically advanced dancers and passionate young artists.

The DNC 269 class meets Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 3:10 to 5 p.m., and performs at the University of Arizona. The class also participates in workshops, field trips and other performance opportunities. The instructor is Aurora
Goncalves-Shaner.

For further information, call 206-4500.

Dance partners Daniel Burgeno and Astrid Verdugo perform in 2010. Photo by Ed Flores

Symposium introduces Tucsonans to alliance ideals

By ANA RAMIREZ

aztecpress@pima.edu

A Tucson mother and her 6-year-old son ventured out to sell organic eggs to their neighbors. The mother met a woman with a friendly aura who told them about an alliance that shares their idealistic beliefs.

The friendly woman was Pamela Jay, who introduced many other Tucsonans to the Pachamama Alliance during a symposium, “Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream,” at Circle Tree Ranch Amity Foundation on April 8.

The southern-style room was filled with conversations of students and other concerned citizens discussing environmental issues affecting them and the rest of the world.

The symposium’s purpose was to bring participants into “that state of blessed unrest where people realize that there is a lot more possibility and a lot more hope and a lot more creative action being taken around the world,” Jay said with a smile.

She would like to be part of the largest social movement in the history of human kind, Jay said, “bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on the planet as the guiding principle of our time.”

The Pachamama Alliance started in 1995 when the Archuar people, an indigenous tribe in Ecuador, reached out to the industrial world for help in saving the rainforest and their traditional way of life.

“The movement is humanity’s immune response to resist and to heal political disease, economic infection and ecological corruption caused by ideologies,” said Rob Hopkins, a speaker in a film that was shown during the event.

“This is fundamentally a civil rights movement, a human rights movement,” Hopkins said. “This is a democracy movement, it is the coming world.”

Points made in the film included:

• Poverty is increasing the gap between poor and rich.
• Thirty percent of the world’s arable land has been destroyed in the past 30 years.
• More and more animals are becoming extinct.
• The rate of cancer is increasing.

People who are consciously aware of their surroundings and environmental enthusiasts are become increasingly concerned, and forming together to make a difference.

Volunteers around the world conduct Pachamama Alliance symposiums to inform their communities.

“I think oftentimes, people are motivated and they are seeing some things and hearing some things in a way that they didn’t think about before,” Jay said.

“I think it plants a seed of some kind in everyone that is thought-provoking, motivating and inspiring,” she added. “At some point, perhaps today or tomorrow, that seed will germinate.”

Jessica West-Paul, an environmental science major at the University of Arizona, said she enjoyed finding out about the diverse communities involved. She also appreciated “all the hope there is for the things I believe and feel are the most important part of life.”

People don’t realize “their impact on the world, their wastefulness,” she added, noting that people often buy things because they think it will make them happy, but it doesn’t.

Members of the Pachamama Alliance seek to spread the word, and let others know they are not alone. There are thousands of groups around the world fighting for the same cause.

“Our team would very much like to make ourselves available to present this to your schools, your communities, your churches, your clubs, your organizations,” Jay said. “We make ourselves available to present this particular symposium to help waken people to another possibility.”

For more information, contact Pamela Jay at 749-5980, ext. 252, or e-mail her at pjay@amityfdn.org. To learn more about the Pachamama Alliance, visit pachamama.org.

FYI

• If everyone in the world lived like the United States, we’d need five earths to survive.
• In 50 years, there is a good chance that half of all species will be extinct.
• Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour.
• Five patches of plastic in the ocean are double the size of Texas.

Source: Pachamama Alliance

Check out this link: http://www.pachamama.org/

Porter a national finalist for depression series

Aztec Press staff writer Liza Porter won a 2010 first-place regional Mark of Excellence award in feature writing from the Society of Professional Journalists.

The series advanced to national competition and was named a national finalist — one of the top three feature series in the country.

The Aztec Press placed third at the regional level for all-around general excellence for a two-year community college student newspaper.

Here is a reprint of Porter’s award-winning series:

Depression: Talking back to ‘the Big D’

Illustration by Isabel Cardenas

Story by LIZA PORTER

Editor’s note: This series portrays one woman’s personal experience with depression, with a bit of advice thrown in. Please note that her shrink made her do it.

It’s been a Tilt-o-Whirl ride—moving in and out of depression most of my life. My brain chemistry leans toward the bipolar side of the spectrum, but mostly it is the doldrums I struggle with.

It’s hard to describe depression when you’re in the midst of it; it’s equally as difficult to describe when you’re not. I have never tried to live with my depression and write about it at the same time.

The Big D is what I call my depression. The Big D convinces me I’m an imposter, that I have no place in the world. It brainwashes me into believing I am a piece of gum on the bottom of someone’s muddy cowboy boot.

When the Big D speaks, it sometimes sounds like Cinderella’s wicked stepmother. “Who do you think you are?” it cackles in its horrible Hollywood screech, as it skips outside to smoke a cigarette and yell at the neighbor’s dog.

The Big D pulsates like a poorly drawn sci-fi character, blue and green and sometimes red. All the colors have a few drops of gray mixed in. The landscape is dull and monotonous. There is no neon. Only disembodied voices and gray clouds.

Sometimes the Big D is an imp calling my name from the bottom of a dark pit that it has furnished from the Goodwill store of excuses and melancholy. Not quite the Devil, but one of its attendants.

The Big D speaks in generalities and clichés. “Life is a bitch and then you die.” Or, “Forget about it. Don’t even try.” I lean closer to make sure I’m hearing it right. Yes, that was it: “Why bother? Who cares? Who really gives a shit?”

I listen to its orders like a good little soldier and give up on whatever I’m doing—a writing project, a school assignment. I close down Word, double-click into Firefox and escape into instant Netflix.

The dust bunnies continue their travels on the kitchen floor. The car remains unwashed. Cook dinner? Hah.

The Big D can be a seductress, a romantic. It lives down in that pit with the imp. It crooks its ugly little finger and says: “Come on, honey, you know you like it down here.”

It winks at me, but its eyes are hard. “We belong together,” the Big D-pretending-to-be-a-lover says. “We were born for each other.”

Sometimes the Big D tries to impersonate God, all those booming pronouncements it makes. It thinks it’s omnipotent. But you cannot seriously tell me that God would actually say to someone: “You suck.”

Until about 10 years ago, when I started getting proper treatment for Big D, I thought my moods and thoughts and the actions (or inactions) that resulted were something I should be able to control.

I should be able to pull myself up by my bootstraps. Work hard. Suffer. Keep on truckin’. If I just kept doing and moving and going and doing, I could outrun the Big D.

I did that for a long, long time. Tried, tried, tried. For far too long. I used alcohol and drugs and danger to avoid the truth. The Big D. The imp. The screaming banshee that lives to destroy me.

No longer. There was help for me, once I admitted defeat. There is lots of help out there. Asking for help was hard, but it worked. And it still does, most of the time. What more can I ask for?

Next: The shrink says, “Do anything, anything at all, except listen to the Big D.”

Depression: Don’t listen to ‘the Big D’

Editor’s note: This series portrays one woman’s personal experience of depression, with a bit of advice thrown in.

By LIZA PORTER

My shrink told me a few weeks ago: “Do anything, anything at all, except listen to the Big D.”

Well, he doesn’t use the term “Big D.” He calls it depression or, sometimes, a mood disorder.

But I do listen to the Big D. It is a voice that is so familiar it is like family. It is family. It is my voice at its worst.

Take yesterday, my first day off after three full days of classes. I didn’t wake up until 8 o’clock because I was up in the night for no rational reason.

This is one thing the Big D does to lots of people, one of the symptoms of depression. Insomnia.

It’s not my fault I have insomnia and it’s only 8 a.m. and the voice is already jabbering. “You slept too late. The day is wasted.”

Now, come on, 8 a.m. and the day is wasted? What normal brain would believe that? Or would even think it to begin with? I don’t have a normal brain. I probably have never had a normal brain.

How do I counteract that “wasted day at 8 a.m.” crap? By telling my husband what I’m thinking. That is one thing I have learned to do to counteract the Big D.

This is so very important. Don’t hang out alone with the Big D. Talk to someone.

If I leave myself to myself, if I let the voice make its stupid pronouncements without counteracting them, it’s Tilt-o-Whirl time—self-destructive thoughts, confusion, the inability to make decisions.

I have believed the Big D voices so long, so much longer than the helpful ones—which on a good day sound gentle and caring like this: you have plenty of time, you have three more days after this to get things done before going back to class—it is a modern-day miracle when I can short circuit the negativity.

Speaking of circuits, it is almost all about the circuits in the brain. Brain chemistry.

It took me decades to believe there was something wrong with me. It was my fault. I should be able to fix myself, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

It took decades for me to admit my powerlessness over my own brain. I had to let go and get help. I had to start taking medication.

For a recovering addict/alcoholic, letting go was a lot. When I first got sober, the word was “no drugs, no drugs at all.” At least the way I interpreted it.

God, I was so stubborn. But I let go.

Eight years ago I gave up and went to a psychiatrist. I have a treatment-resistant depression, he said. Some medication works for a while, then doesn’t. New ones are added, then taken away. I feel like a guinea pig sometimes.

But there are more good days than bad. When I take the medication and do other things such as take walks, eat right and talk back to the Big D, there are many good days.

When the shrink told me to do anything except listen to the Big D, I had to ask him this: “Does that mean, like, even, watching ‘Law & Order, C.I.?’”

I love Vincent D’Onofrio. He’s a hunk, he’s a little crazy like me, and he always solves the mystery.

“Yes, even Law & Order, C.I.,” my doc said, with that twinkle in his eye that I love.

How many doctors prescribe television as a way to fight a disease? God bless him.

Next: Talking about rape.

West Campus counseling center. Aztec Press photo by Liza Porter.

 

Help available from PCC counselors

By LIZA PORTER

“Depression can be like gravity pulling you to yourself,” says Teresiana Zurita at her desk in the PCC West Campus Counseling Center. “It’s not necessarily negative.”

It’s a quiet Tuesday morning in the first floor Student Services Center. Zurita, counseling coordinator for West Campus, says getting help for depression can be a way to discover a “more authentic life.”

Most students come for counseling at PCC because they’re not doing well academically, not because they think they’re depressed. “They’re struggling with classes,” Zurita says.

But sometimes when she sits down to talk with a student, she realizes academics are not the only problem.

“The academic issues are really a result of the emotions that are going on, that the student feels out of control of,” Zurita says.

That’s when she might start suspecting depression. It could be a matter of helping students take steps to take better care of themselves. Eating more healthily. Getting enough sleep. Managing their time.

There are also PCC courses students can take.

“We have STU courses, Student Success courses,” Zurita says. “One is called Stress Management and Wellness.”

Another is Making Career Choices. The STU courses are listed in the schedule of classes on the PCC Web site.

Many of the courses incorporate a psychological component. Students discuss their motivations, how their feelings impact their ability to achieve goals.

Counselors are trained to recognize if a student’s problems are more serious than self-care or goal-setting.

Though they don’t have the resources to help someone who is seriously depressed and perhaps suicidal, the counselors use a model called “stabilize and refer.”

They will take action if they suspect a student is planning to harm himself. “We will definitely get them connected with mental health agencies in the community,” Zurita says.

Since counseling can be expensive, there are several resources that allow payment on a sliding scale. One is SAMHC Behavioral Health Center (see box for information).

It can be scary to ask for help once, and sometimes the second time is even harder. Zurita hopes to help students feel safer making the new connection by helping them with the call.

When she refers a student, Zurita will call SAMHC, put them on speaker phone and say “I have a student here I’m really concerned about, what kind of services do you have?”

Zurita knows it can be hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed. “You may want to talk to a counselor for a session,” she says. “Just to help you know what you can do to help.”

She realizes that mental illness still has a certain stigma in our culture.

“I really want to stress that depression is not a weakness, that it’s treatable,” she says. Sometimes the first place to seek help is with a friend, or a minister or rabbi. It doesn’t always have to be a counselor.

But the Counseling Center is there to help. “You don’t have to suffer alone,” Zurita says.

Depression screening
If you feel any of these, especially if they get worse over time, it’s time to get help.

1. Been feeling low in energy, slowed down?
2. Been blaming yourself for things?
3. Had poor appetite?
4. Had difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep?
5. Been feeling hopeless about the future?
6. Been feeling blue?
7. Been feeling no interest in things?
8. Had feelings of worthlessness?
9. Thought about or wanted to commit suicide?
10. Had difficulty concentrating or making decisions?

Source: National Depression Screening Day—College Screening Form
by Screening for Mental Health, Inc.

Counseling centers on campus 

• Community Campus, 206-6408
• Desert Vista Campus, 206-5030
• Downtown Campus, 206-7260
• East Campus, 206-7662
• Northwest Campus, 206-2200
• West Campus, 206-6699

Other resources:

• SAMHC: 2502 N. Dodge, #190; 622-6000
  Available 24/7 by phone or walk-in.
• Information & Referral help line: 325-2111 or 888-575-2111

Sexual assault contributes to depression

Editor’s note: This series portrays one woman’s personal experience of depression, with a bit of advice thrown in.

By LIZA PORTER

I’m going to talk about a difficult subject.

Rape.

Better to just say it out loud than tip-toe around it. Which is what I’ve been doing for too many years.

I’m pretty sure I can say that being raped contributed to the depression of my teenaged years and beyond. I know that not dealing with it did.

I interviewed a staff member at the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault and learned that many sexual assault victims aren’t ready to get emotional help for six or seven years after they have been raped.

They go on with their lives as best they can. They survive it.

Survivor. That’s a better word than victim.

And I am one. I am a survivor.

But it’s been a lot longer than seven years since it happened. More like 30.

I didn’t even realize it was rape. There was no such term as acquaintance or date rape back then. Out of ignorance, I thought it wasn’t rape because I knew the guy.

I thought because I was drunk, it was my fault. In my habitual self-destructive way, I chalked it up to me getting what I deserved.

And because I blamed myself, I didn’t tell anyone about it.

No one.

I hadn’t even told my husband of 23 years about the rape until the topic came up for the investigative reporting I’m doing for the Aztec Press and for this column.

It’s about time he knew. But more than that, it’s about time I dealt with it.

I was 17. Joe was a high school acquaintance who came to a party my sister and I put on one Friday night. A big pot of spaghetti and a gallon of Gallo wine. And probably several bottles of cheap whiskey.

I got drunk, as usual. Joe and I flirted all evening.

After everyone left, my sister and her boyfriend went to bed. Joe and I made out on the living room floor, and he raped me. He got up, pulled up his pants, tucked in his shirt and walked out the door.

For decades, I didn’t remember struggling under him on the floor. I didn’t remember the helplessness and pain. I didn’t remember the blood stain on the carpet.

The SACASA Web site says 73 percent of female victims are raped or sexually assaulted by people they know.

An American Association of University Women research study on sexual assault found that 20 to 25 percent of women will be raped or experience attempted rape during their college career.

If you have been raped, don’t wait as long as I did before dealing with it.

You don’t have to keep it a secret. There is help.

Tell someone, but only someone safe. Watch the video on the SACASA Web site: http://www.sacasa.org/aboutus.htm. Call them when you’re ready.

I’m dealing with my rape now. It’s worth the pain.

Next: Talking back to the “fat” voice.

Depression: Don’t listen to ‘Fat Voice’

Editor’s note: This is the final story in a four-part series portraying one woman’s personal experience of depression, with a bit of advice thrown in.

By LIZA PORTER

The Fat Voice is back. I hadn’t heard it in years, until the other day when I heard it say: “Don’t eat that. You’re too fat.”

That voice is part of my depression.

I’ll bet I’ve gained and lost several hundred pounds during my life. And that’s probably a low estimate.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve used food to help me deal with my depression. Binging on sweets made me feel better, for a while.

Dieting and starving, especially over a period of days or weeks or months, also felt good. There’s a high that comes with denying yourself sustenance. Just ask the yogis in India.

So, food has been a mood changer for me.

Even now, pushing 54, I’m known to “use” sugar and caffeine to get me through bad days.

When I was younger, I obsessed on my body and everything that went into my mouth.

I’d start on a diet, usually on a Monday, and stick with it for a week or so, if that long. I’d lose maybe five pounds and then “cheat” on my diet because I was always so—grrrr—hungry. Pretty soon, I’d start binging again.

Craving food and denying myself became an addiction.

Sometimes I’d binge and vomit every night when I got home from work or school. That became its own sort of addiction.

I even used to exercise compulsively. For a while in my early 20s, I swam so hard every day that standing up from a sitting position was painful.

When I deprived myself of food or exercised too much, I thought the world was a better place. I was on top of everything. I’d set a goal. I was following through, my stomach felt flatter, my insides were hollowed out. I could feel the weight stripping off my “fat” body.

The problem was, I wasn’t even fat! During most of the time I spent on diets, on the compulsive binging and vomiting, I didn’t even need to lose weight. My view of myself in the mirror was warped. The bathroom scale ran my life.

The National Institute of Mental Health’s guide for eating disorders says one in five women struggle with an eating disorder or disordered eating.

That’s 20 percent of women who are right now obsessing about food, about their body weight, about their looks.

With me, it was a full-time addiction. If I multiply all the years I spent dieting and binging—well, I don’t want to! It’s too much of a waste to think about.

We are supposed to eat to fuel our bodies so we can do what we need to do in the world. Eating is supposed be a pleasure, not some shameful, secret activity.

We are not meant to worry about every little thing that goes into our mouths. Or go exercise for two hours because we ate a donut.

And yet 70 million people worldwide have eating disorders. Thirty-five percent of “normal dieters” (whatever that is) progress to pathological dieting.

The American Journal of Psychiatry reported that a young woman with anorexia is 12 times more likely to die than other women her age without the disease.

Time Magazine stated that 80 percent of all children have been on a diet by the time they have reached the fourth grade.

These are some horrible statistics. That last one makes me want to scream! Children ages 8 and 9 dieting!

Anorexia is a killer disease. I am lucky to be alive.

And none of this obsessing over food and body ever helped my depression. Feeling better lasted for a few hours, if that.

I hereby refuse to listen to the Fat Voice. I’m disgusted with it. Sure, all the compulsion and obsession probably got me through some tough times I might otherwise have used for something worse (like drugs or dangerous decisions) to get through.

And maybe I’ll forgive the part of me that wasted all that time, some day. Be a little gentler with that young girl inside me.

But today I’m pissed about it.

This is what I say to counteract the Fat Voice: I’m OK the way I am. A little overweight. Trying to eat healthily. Exercising regularly, sometimes. Trying to accept myself the way I am.

If you have problems with food, please ask for help. Anorexia is a serious illness. And your eating disorder might be masking chronic depression.

You are not alone.

See below for some places that can help with eating disorders:

• SAMHC Behavioral Health Services, 622-6000, 2502 N. Dodge Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85716-2675, www.samhc.com.
• Overeaters Anonymous, www.oa.org.
• Mirasol Eating Disorder Treatment Center for Women, (888)520-1700, www.mirasol.net.

THE WORD: Are medical marijuana dispensaries a good idea?

Interviews and photos by LyndaJoe Echerivel

“I think if you need it, by all means then you should get it… if you need it.”

Denice Roman

Administrative Studies

Downtown Campus

“I don’t really agree with it because anyone can forge or get certain prescriptions that aren’t real.”

Carolina Castellanos

Liberal Arts

Downtown Campus

“I think it’s an OK idea since it’s getting taxed, because the tax money could go towards fixing the budget crisis.”

Regina Buford

Business

Downtown Campus

“It’s a great first step but making recreational use legal is most important to protecting personal freedom and fighting crime.”

Alex Kack

Undeclared major

Downtown Campus

“I think it’s great as long as they tax the stuffing out of it.”

Christopher VonDorpp

Undeclared major

Downtown Campus

Police Beat

Laptop missing from West Campus

A laptop computer valued at $1,500 was reported missing from Pima Community College’s West Campus Disabled Student Resource Center on March 22.

Employees told campus police the laptop turned up missing during an inventory check. It had been checked out by a center employee in 2007, and never returned. The employee left PCC employment in 2009, and is believed to have relocated to Texas.

A check by Information Technology Services showed the computer was last connected to the Internet in 2008. Efforts to locate the ex-employee were unsuccessful.

-By Joel Gantt

PCC, Reid Park Zoo take ‘Stand for Children’

Pima Community College and Reid Park Zoo will sponsor the annual Stand for Children Day on April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon.

The event features free admission into the zoo, located at 1030 S. Randolph Way.

Families can enjoy arts and crafts projects, face painting and a variety of other activities. An adult must accompany each child younger than 15.

More than 30 community partners will also provide information about their mission.

Stand for Children’s mission is to use the power of grassroots action to help all children receive excellent public education and provide essential support needed to succeed.

For more information, call the Reid Park Zoo Infoline at 791-4022.

-By Eric Townsend