By: Trystan Hopkins | Foghorn

Over the past year, the DMC Foundation has awarded over 1,307 scholarships and the number of scholarships awarded per year has seen a drastic increase from the 367 processed in 2001. This is largely due to fundraising efforts and continued growth of endowments. Scholarship endowments grew to over $5.1 million in 2006 and $6.6 million in 2007.

The total amount of scholarships awarded in 2007 reached nearly $850,000. The large number of scholarships being awarded has resulted in the scheduling of two separate Gift and Scholarship receptions this year on April 17 and 23.

Recipients were given an opportunity to meet donors and talk about how the scholarship would help them.

Recipient John Edenburg, 49, spoke about his experience as an older Del Mar College student majoring in Human Services and the importance of receiving scholarships to help finance his education. Scholarship recipients were: Robert Aranda, Danielle Aguilar, Hong Da Chin, Brenda Del Moral, Tamara James, Kimberly Dell, Yadira Moya, Maria Medrano, Allen Roberts and Samuel Noyola.

This year, 119 DMC students have submitted essays to compete for 10 scholarships for the 2008 Summer or Fall semesters. Recipients graduating this May can transfer their award toward costs at a four-year university.

Rollerderby teams start third season

By: Danielle Cook | Foghorn

Juan Ramirez|Foghorn

The lead jammer from Broads on Quads tries to
muscle pass the blocker from the Black Eyed
Brigade at the Hurricane Alley Rollerderby Season
Opening Exhibition Bout last Friday held at Saxet
Hall at 3952 Leopard. Portions of proceeds from the
event went to Coastal Bend Austism Advocacy.

By: Laura Freytes-Diaz | Foghorn

Photo illustration Christine Hervey

Across the country, student members of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) in 125 college campuses wore empty holsters to demonstrate their opposition to the ban on weapons on college campuses.

This controversial issue of allowing licensed guns on campuses has made national news after last year’s Virginia Tech tragedy where a total of 32 people were killed and many injured in the deadliest school shooting in US history.

SCCC chapters exist in several states and Canada. “The SCCC is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of over 25,000 college students, college faculty members, parents of college students, and concerned citizens” said senior Laura Morales, leader of the SCCC chapter at the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA).

“We support the right of concealed handgun license holders to carry concealed handguns on college campuses,” she said.

The SCCC argues that students should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus in order to better protect themselves should such a tragedy strike again.

“We are not for everyone carrying guns around campus, just people with the proper licenses” said the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (A&MCC) chapter leader sophomore Cameron Corley, an accounting and math major.

“In the event that there is a shooting, it would take police 3 to 5 minutes to respond to the situation, whereas it would only take 15 to 20 seconds for students to respond to the situation,” he said.

Other students, however, are unsure that this would solve the problem, “I am licensed to carry a concealed weapon, but I don’t think carrying a gun on campus is the answer. What they need is more police. You have to be careful of who is allowed to carry guns,” said DMC geology major Edward Oaden.

“I don’t know about that… guns could make the situation get worse,” said sophomore Brandon Rees, a business major at DMC.

According to Corley, this is not true. “Criminals will always have guns and the laws that limit carrying handguns only affect law-abiding citizens. Therefore, allowing these law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed weapon will allow them to restrain a possible shooter.”

Though students at UTSA, A&MCC, and Del Mar College have both positive and negative responses to the issue, SCCC’s membership numbers are rising. Currently there are approximately 29,000 members nationally and 48 active members at A&M-CC.

According to Morales, students at the UTSA campus are responding to the SCCC efforts at raising awareness. “We have had a very positive response on our campus from faculty and students. We have also succeeded in one of our goals: getting students to talk about the issue.”

Talking about the issue is just the beginning though. “We expect a bill to be filed in the legislature in November to allow concealed carry on all public universities within Texas,” said Michael Guzman, leader of the Texas State University (TSU) SCCC Chapter.

Utah is the only state that universally allows concealed carry on all public university campuses. Colorado has left the decision up to the colleges with only Colorado State University allowing concealed carry on campus.

According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, 13 more states including Texas are considering extending concealed carry laws to public campuses. Texas Governor Rick Perry who supports the movement said, “students with proper permits should be allowed to carry guns on campus for their own protection.”