Heritage campus works on ‘cat colony program’ for strays on campus

The Physical Facilities Department is drafting plans to have Heritage Campus designated as a cat colony. For years, Heritage Campus has served as home to a number of stray cats. They have found home in the crawlspaces below the buildings and are kept well fed by campus faculty and staff. Over the years, some of them have even earned endearing or humorous names, given to them by their human neighbors. The Physical Facilities Department has since begun drafting plans to make Heritage Campus a better place for its feline inhabitants. According to John Strybos, vice president of Physical Facilities, one…

Drama department’s “big comedy of misunderstanding” to open on Nov. 10

“Rumors,” the 1988 Broadway farce by Neil Simon, is coming to Del Mar College’s Sue Sellors-Finley Theatre on Heritage Campus. “Rumors” is a form of comedy known as a farce, centering around the exaggerated and the absurd. The story follows Ken and Chris Gorman, a couple who have been invited to the 10th anniversary party of New York City’s Deputy Mayor, Charlie Brock, and his wife Myra. From the moment they arrive, they are forced to navigate a growing cast of characters, a missing person, and a scandalous cover up. “It’s a big comedy of misunderstanding,” said Samuel Howarth, who…

DMC employees give $58K to support students

To Matthew Busby, associate vice president of development at the DMC Foundation, the Employee Giving Campaign isn’t about raising money. It is about what he calls the “why.” Since as far back as 2005, the foundation has organized the campaign to offer a chance for faculty and staff to support the foundation’s mission of supporting students, not only in terms of tuition and textbooks, but also in their day-to-day struggles. In 2022, the foundation received 118 donations totaling $52,464. As of Oct. 6 of this year, the foundation had raised $58,218 from 123 donations, Busby said. That number is expected…

DMC honors Hispanic Heritage Month with onsite performance

The Office of Student Leadership and Campus Life, alongside the Center of Mexican American Studies, hosted a luncheon in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The Sept. 28 event consisted of a short presentation by Center of Mexican American Studies Coordinator Javier Morin and multiple dance demonstrations by Folklorico dancer and Del Mar College Alumna Teresa Saldivar. Morin discussed the origins of Hispanic Heritage Month and how it has evolved since being established as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. “Hispanic Heritage Month, at one point seemed like we were celebrating the cultures of other countries,” Morin said, “but I think that…

DMC board unanimously approved property tax decrease

Property owners within the Del Mar College tax district can expect a decrease in their property tax rates for the coming fiscal year. At the board’s Sept. 12 regular meeting, regents unanimously approved a property tax rate of 0.237, down from 0.266 from the previous year. Though property evaluations are expected to be higher than last year, the change in tax rate is expected to lead to a decrease of $2 in the average per household property tax. Overall, the college is expecting total tax revenue to be around $85.9 million, a 2.58 percent decrease from last year. The college…