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Wednesday, May 1, 2019 Glendale Community College Student Newspaper
Volume 113 | Issue 3
System Impacted Tobias Graves-Morris Graphic Designer
Bringing awareness of how formerly incarcerated indivuduals can move on to lead a successful lifestyle By Marian Sahakyan Afroditi Kontos With many roadblocks to transition back into the society, unemployment is possibly one of the biggest hurdles formerly incarcerated individuals must overcome. With a huge lack of knowledge about resources and available support, the formerly incarcerated often feel ‘stuck,’ which often results in recidivism, sending them back to prison. Prison policy, a non-profit organization, that exposes the harms of mass criminalization in the American justice system, found that the unemployment rate for these individuals is “nearly five times higher than the unemployment rate for the general United States population.” The same organization found that there
are 5 million people living in the United States who were previously imprisoned 27 percent of whom are gravely affected by unemployment. “[They] want to work, but face structural barriers to securing employment, particularly within the period immediately following release,” the study noted. “‘Formerly incarcerated’ reduces their employment chances even more.” A question arises, “how is the “formerly incarcerated” status uncovered to potential employers?” According to Global HR Research, 96 percent of American Employers require at least one type of background screening, during which things like criminal records and driving history come up. Thus resulting in the unveiling of one’s past records, which generally puts them under the pressure of society,
with labels like ‘ex-con’ or worse yet, ‘criminal.’ Naturally, people are inclined to reject these individuals from their social circles, and employers reject them from their pool of employees. Breaking societal barriers, Glendale College has embraced its formerly incarcerated students, lending a helping hand to those who are looking to turn their lives around. System Impacted Intellectuals is a club on campus that has used education and community as a way to reconcile from the mistakes of the past. “Some of these students don’t have a mother or father to ask basic questions. They carry a stigma and are afraid to ask faculty because they may be looked at differently after someone finds out they have a record,” said David Gray, president of the club. “The club gives them an
opportunity to be free and humble. We are a support team, a first line of defense, supporting each other. During meetings we share what we are working on and give one another space to be who we are.” [“Expungement” continued on page 2]
In This Issue
News. . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 Features . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Opinion.. . . . . . . . . . 5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Entertainment. . . . . 7
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Wednesday, May 1, 2019 NEWS
[“Expungement,” continued from page 1]
Proposition 64, Miller said of two California laws that encourage formerly incarcerated individuals The club hosted an event to look more into these as a way geared towards expunging or of relief. “clearing” criminal records of the Proposition 47 applies to cerformerly incarcerated students on tain low-level crimes such as petcampus and those from the sur- ty theft, simple drug possession rounding public. and shoplifting under $950 to be Gray hoped that this would reduced from potential felonies pose as a platform for the com- to misdemeanors. However, the munity to obtain relief from the proposition is not the expungepast. “I know a few guys didn’t ment statute; it does not expunge attend GCC, but they made the but just reduces the felony to a trip and it was worth it for every misdemeanor after which the case single one of them,” said Gray. has a better chance of being exElie Miller, supervising attor- punged. ney at Loyola Law School was Once classified as one of the present at the event to “Schedule 1” further guide the stucontrolled sub“Formerly incar- stances, cannadents and community members in the pro- cerated individuals bis was highly cess. Miller clarified criminalized that expunging one’s are highly affected before 2016 record does not wipe it by the passage of before the passclean, but it increases of ProposiProposition 47 and ing the likelihood of this tion 64, which Proposition 64, legalized recperson getting a job opportunity, making it Miller said of two reational marieasier for them to tranjuana. That led sition into the work- California laws that to resentencing force. encourage formerly related convicMiller discussed disincarcerated indi- tions— what it meant to “exmissing canpunge” one’s record viduals to look more nabis felonies and how that can be into these as a way to misdemeandone. She advised that ors. According of relief. ” before starting the proto California cess, one should obtain Norml, an ortheir dockets from any courthouse ganization dedicated to reforming in the county where the crime oc- California’s marijuana laws, cancurred. After this, an attorney nabis-related arrests in the state should do an analysis of convic- have dropped 56 percent since tions to find out if it is eligible for the passage of the law. As a result, relief. felony arrests have dropped by 74 Formerly incarcerated indi- percent. viduals are highly affected by the Taking this into account, one passage of Proposition 47 and can conclude that upon the reduc-
tion of these felonies, previously convicted folks will have the chance to petition for expungement, which will in its turn open way for better job opportunities, as they do not show on most background checks. “If a conviction is expunged, the individual must still admit the conviction if he or she is going to run for public office or apply for a state or local license,” the attorney said. “If the conviction prohibited the individual from owning, using or possessing a firearm, the individual cannot own, use or possess a firearm after the expungement.” Federal employment opportunities, such as working for TSA have higher standards when conducting background checks with their usage of “Live Scanners.” In this instance, one must be transparent with any prior convictions. Federal convictions are not expunged. Expungement does not only help individuals find jobs, but also paves the way for these persons to have a better quality life and more opportunities. In addition, a report on Prop47impacts.com, which is a site dedicated to reporting on all things related to the proposition, said that “California and its counties save money on criminal justice costs, implementing the money into mental health treatment and rehabilitation,” for those who suffer from addiction. Marian Sahakyan can be reached at manehsahakyan@gmail.com. Afroditi Kontos can be reached at afroditik@me.com.
BROADCAST ASSISTANT Jordan Henry
STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Marian Sahakyan SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER Hayk Rostomyan PRODUCTION MANAGER James Ojano-Simonsson
COPY EDITOR Yesenia Thomson Elena Jacobson FEATURES EDITOR Samantha Decker OPINION EDITOR Hayk Martirosyan SPORTS EDITOR Michael Dumansky
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Samuel Reynolds
SPORTS REPORTERS Jonathan Vargas Elone Safaryan
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Tobias Graves-Morris
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Selena Reyes
PHOTO EDITOR Dylan A. Bryant
ENTERTAINMENT REPORTERS Saryana Nazarian Eduardo Carreno
WEB EDITOR Alin Pasokhian BROADCAST REPORTER Tyler Greene
LIFESTYLE EDITOR Kylie Shannon ILLUSTRATOR Matthew Spencer
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Save the Date: Nutrition Conference Glendale College will host the event for the first time
By Marian Sahakyan Editor-in-Chief To spread awareness about the Nutrition program at Glendale Community College, the department will host its first and possibly annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo on May 10, which will highlight the importance of healthy eating and what role nutrition plays in one’s lifestyle. Sona Donayan is the program director of the culinary arts, nutrition, hospitality and tourism, technology and aviation division, and is the main organizer of the event. Donayan says that she hopes to make an impact on campus by spreading knowledge of the various opportunities one can obtain within the food and nutrition field. The conference will feature three professional speakers, who will “inform, inspire and motivate the audience in the successful pursuit of their educational and career goals.” Cindy Zemko is a certified dietary manager and certified food protection professional, who is the director of education at the Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professions (ANFP). Zemko will be traveling in from the suburbs of Chicago to speak to participants about the programs offered by ANFP. Another speaker, Mandy Nezami is a public health nutritionist and a registered dietitian nutritionist, specializing in adult
STAFF WRITERS Allazhar Duisenbek Jake Denne Gabby Duga Afroditi Kontos Tatiana Pak Lilit Sedrakyan Eisho Shiroma Martha Topete STAFF REPORTER Paul Kim
and adolescent nutrition. Nezami holds “20 years of experience in acute care hospital management and teaching.” She has also been involved with “numerous projects, community outreach, nutrition education, obesity research and diabetes. Additionally, Nezami has engaged in numerous leadership roles in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the California Academy and the Los Angeles district.” The final speaker at the event is Elisa Hays, who is a motivational speaker and a certified safety professional. After getting stuck on the highway in an ice-storm and safely evacuating two employees in the face of oncoming traffic, she was propelled 90 feet through the air after an 18-wheeler semitruck hit her. This experience has left her grateful and inspired to teach and make an impact on those who need it. With her humor and honesty, Hays inspires everyone she comes in contact with. After the speaker series, the participants will have a chance to attend a Meet and Greet Expo, during which they will have one-on-one time to embrace networking opportunities with representatives of numerous universities with programs in Foods and Nutrition. Among those will be representatives from multiple California State University institutions. Marian Sahakyan can be reached at manehsahakyan@gmail.com.
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FACULTY ADVISER Rory Cohen rcohen@glendale.edu (818) 240-1000 ext. 5214
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Taking Counseling to the Next Level By Saryana Nazarian Entertainment Reporter Academic Counseling at Glendale Community College has always faced a high demand for its services. Despite the high demand for counseling, the department has had a difficult time making any changes to the average student wait time of 30 minutes at the counseling center. Understanding that he would never be able to hire his way out of the problem, Dr. Robert Hill, the dean of student services made the executive decision to increase the center’s capacity by growing an online counseling program; a method long used by many colleges throughout Southern California. According to the school website, “The program was created to allow students to connect with an academic counselor from the convenience of their computers and complete many of the services available during an in-person counseling session.” The online counseling services went live at GCC in the fall of 2018. Dr. Hill believes online counseling offers an abundant amount of benefits for GCC students. “When you’re doing online counseling, you’re not distracted as much, you can really focus in on the student, not to mention all of our counselors that have been trained are fantastic,” Hill added. “This service has already made counseling convenient for many students,
including counselors.” Nahal Ghadousi, who is an online counselor, shared how she has helped a mother of two through online counseling. Ghadousi believes counseling has never been this convenient for students, especially those with children. Tatev Khachikyan, who studies mathematics at the college, says that online counseling has made her college experience much simpler. “I work about 25 hours a week offcampus and I am not able to come in for in-person counseling, [it] has made my college experience so much easier,” said Khachikyan. “I connected with a counselor from my workplace and got my questions answered by the wonderful Ms. Ghadousi.” The program has grown to be successful and useful for students already, with its flexibility of time and place. Online drop-in hours are Mondays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.. Sunday appointments are now available to accommodate students with busy schedules. Moreover there are counselors available from different departments upon request. For more information on online counseling, scheduling and appointments, students can visit www.glendale. edu/onlinecounseling.
Saryana Nazarian can be reached at snazari847@student.glendale.edu.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
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Assembly Bill Pushes to Lower Legal Blood Alcohol Content Former MMA fighter uses tragedy to inspire change By Yesenia Thomson Copy Editor A moment can change everything. Former professional MMA fighter Marcus Kowal knows this well. At an April 9 event, hosted by the Radio Club, Kowal spoke to Glendale College students about his loss and how he refused to allow his son’s death be for nothing. Over two years ago, Kowals’ 15-month-old son, Liam, died after being struck by a drunk driver, a 72-yearold woman who blew a .12 BAC. After the accident, Kowal created Liam’s Life, the foundation behind Assembly Bill 1713 (AB 1713), a bill that would lower the legal driving blood alcohol limit from .08 to .05. “It was [...] very important for me to make sure my son’s passing didn’t just become a statistic. That because of my son, there was change,” stressed Kowal, who has since dedicated his life to ending intoxicated driving. “We [will] get [AB 1713] implemented in California [...] if not this year, it’s next year or the year after.” Kowal also spoke about the upcoming Sundance submitted documentary, “Letters To Liam,” which follows the Kowal family through their loss and fight for change. Kowal has also authored a book, “Life is a Moment,” which sees 20 percent of its earnings going to the Liam’s Life Foundation. To find out more about Kowal’s story and mission, Kowal’s exclusive interview with the GCC Radio Club can
be found below (QR code?). If you would like to find out more about AB1713, text 05 BAC to 313131, or visit their change.org petition at: http://bit.ly/AB1713. Readers are also encouraged to call District 59 representative Reggie JonesSawyer, at (213) 744-2111. When you call, simply say “I support Senate Bill 1713, and want to know when AB 1713 will have its hearing.” Yesenia Thomson can be reached at thomsonyesenia@gmail.com
Scan this QR Code to check out Radio Club’s podcast with Marcus Kowal and learn more with how to help with Liam’s Law, AB1713.
GCC Celebrates Filipino Culture
A yearly tradition in GCC sharing the rich traditions and heritage from the Philippines By Gabby Duga Staff Writer Just a week before spring break, Glendale College’s Filipino-American community held its third annual Filipino Fiesta. This year’s festivities were arranged by the Filipino-American faculty, administrators, staff, club and cabinet members of the Filipino “Phamilya” club. The two-day fiesta highlighted the Filipino experience in the United States, by exhibiting cultural artifacts from the Philippines and presenting guest speakers within the community. This year’s guest speakers for the Filipino fiesta were Noel Alumit, writer and actor, Cecilia
Manguerra Brainard, writer and poet, and Hon. Thomas Aurejo Small, Mayor of Culver City. The guest speakers talked about their experiences as Filipinos Americans. In addition, the guests shared how being Filipino has shaped their personal lives and their careers. Alumit, who has written a novel “Letters to Montgomery Clift” and Los Angeles Times bestseller, “Talking to the Moon”, expressed his high hopes for the future Filipinos who strive to live out their dreams. He encouraged their aspirations in trying to better the world. Alumit noted, “...our own story is to tell to others and our story is very important to tell.”
Gabby Duga Staff Photogtapher
FILIPINO FAVORITES: Cultural and agricultural artifacts were set up on a display board.
Gabby Duga Staff Photogtapher
SHOWING OFF: Professor Ramos and members of Filipino “Phamilya” Club celebrate their culture.
Another guest speaker, Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard, who is the author of the novel “When the Rainbow Goddess Wept” and “Song of Yvonne”, also agreed with Alumit’s sentiment, but she added that learning our nation’s history teaches us the valuable lessons of our nation’s experience and lives of Filipino people. Mayor Aurejo Small went to the event to share his life experience as an architect consultant and documentary filmmaker, and how his experience in the community landed him in local politics as the Mayor of Cul-
ver City. When asked how can Filipino-Americans be more involved in civic duties, Aujero responded by saying that our generation has the opportunity to enrich our experiences by being active in our communities and to engage in different opportunities in our Filipino-American community by supporting each other and enriching our community by holding cultural events, like the Fiesta, in order to share our culture with others. Gabby Duga can be reached at nduga808@student.glendale.edu.
Scan this QR Code to check out Gabby Duga’s video coverage of the Filipino Fiesta.
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FEATURES
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Tobias Graves-Morris Graphic Designer
Glendale Community College’s 6th Floor is a perfect represention of the Los Angeles car scene By Tobias Graves-Morris Graphic Designer
When I close my eyes and take a deep breath, inhaling through my nostrils, I smell the rich and nostalgic stench of unburnt gas, slicks of motor oil and streaks of tire smoke so thick I can taste the horsepower. I breathe with the engine, hackles raised at the growl, fueled by my drive to live and die, with fingers gripped around the steering wheel and my rear-end planted firmly against the leather seat. Like models of cars, there are hundreds of thousands of petrol breathing enthusiasts who devote an inordinate amount of time and money into the restoration, customization and modification of their beloved machines. As any of us who drive to college know, the 6th Floor of our parking lot is a car show short of an organizer. Therefore I have taken it upon myself to see what it is all about and to showcase what our small community college has to offer to the L.A. car scene. Firstly, we have a vehicle that is more iconic than the Empire State building, as American as a hamburger and as fabled as Huckleberry Finn, as well as being featured in countless movies, the Ford Mustang has built an indisputable reputation for itself. We have all either owned or dreamed of owning a Mustang. Regardless whether it the initial model built in 1964, or one built this year, the Ford’s prized pony will always evoke an image of classic Americana. This is not grandma’s grocery getter, but a
rear-wheel-drive compacts from race-bred, face ripping, adrenaline to purchase her since he loves Chrysler and Ford, its name has pumping brute that would render BMW’s combination of perforcome under much scrutiny since grandma’s pacemaker idle. Levon mance and luxury offered in this it’s akin to the Spanish words for Abrahamyan drives ‘Shirley,’ 1966 model. Stella has been modestly “no go”, it has been widely said Mustang 289, so as to satisfy his chipped at Stage 1+, this remaps fondness for American muscle. the Electronic Control Unit which that because of its name it sold poorly in Spanish speaking counInspired by his father and his tunes the amount of fuel and air tries. Many marketing books and friends, his infatuation began in the mixing inside and leaving the car lovers alike have spoken of this garage, working on American clas- engine to produce a more efficient cautionary tale for international sics. Now that he’s began restorperformance orientated ratio than business, but in fact Chevrolet ing Shirley, starting by rebuilding stock. A remap will also help his never experienced a gap in sales. the carburetor, transmission and turbo churn out higher rates of Nevertheless, it created its own clutch, he plans boost through its after“As any of us who market blow-off valve niche following that soon snowto keep her as balled and led to respect amongst original as pos- drive to college know, and charge pipe. This all all reaches of the automotive comsible. But like held down to the asphalt the 6th Floor of our munity. Nic Yepremian, has a murevery V8 owner, by his aero front lip and parking lot is a car dered out ‘71 Nova named Emma. Abrahamyan spoiler. As a young teen he was drawn longs to hear the show short of an orga- And finally, I want to something different than what signature deep to bring you back to nizer.” resonating notes where we began. Another his classmates had, so he landed on something cheaper and crazier of those 8 cylinders, so he plans to American vintage. It’s bold and overhaul the entire exhaust system. alternative, The Chevy Nova, origi- than what anyone else had. And 5 Now I want to take you to nally introduced during the muscle years later, she has had a new lick of paint, performance headers, and a country over 9000 miles away. car era as a cheaper and smaller roaring out a full straight through To a land recognized worldwide alternative to the Camaro. Havpipe. Emma also runs 4.11 gears, as a leader in efficiency and deing been built on the same chassis allowing the tires to rotate more sign. Germany, the birthplace of it allowed space for Chevrolet’s times per revolution of the drive the modern internal combustion famous big block engine capable shaft, united with a Limited Slip engine. With almost 6 million cars of producing enough torque to Differential it lets this Nova pull produced per year, it ranks high raise the dead, making the Nova a elevenses with ease which Nic can amongst car manufacturing nations favorite at the dragstrip. Despite vouch for himself. in its volume, quality and perforsuccessfully competing with other mance of its products. One of those is the BMW “There is never enough horsepower… 335i, a severely underrated and forgotten gem relative to its famjust not enough traction.” ily and competition. BMW’s N54 - Carol Shelby engine produced for the 3 series Tobias Graves-Morris can be reached at first came into production in 2006, tobiasgm8@gmail.com. offering a tuned 3.5 liter turboIf you are also interested in cars at Glencharged engine, delivering the dale Community College or have any rhythmic power of 300 Germans inquiries be sure to contact Levon Abrahagoose-stepping. David Grigorian myan of the GCC car club. owns ‘Stella,’ a 2011 335i and has https://tinyurl.com/GCCCARCLUB done for a year now, he decided
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FEATURES|OPINION
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
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One of Many: A Story of Survival and Suffering What happened during the Armenian Genocide, left Arshaluys ‘Aurora’ Mardiganian in pain for the rest of her life By Lilit Sedrakyan Staff Writer Yeprem, a 90-year-old grandpa starts his day playing “Duduk” at the little alley dedicated to Arshaluys “Aurora” Mardiganian, whose pictures are installed in the small park of Ararat Homecare, where she spent the last minutes of her life. Instilled in those pictures is a young Armenian lady, smiling big and wide. She was a Hollywood star, a happy wife and mother. Those pictures, however, only show one side of her story, the joyful one. What they leave out are the horrors of escaping and surviving the genocide and the memories that would haunt her until death. Aurora was 15 when she witnessed the Ottoman Turks kill her entire family of 14 people. She was one of the thousand young Armenian girls who escaped from the massacre but went through a real hell in doing so. Aurora was sold for the equivalent of 85 cents to the harem of a Turkish tribal leader. Later, she escaped but was captured by slave traders several times. Eventually she fled to the United States and was adopted by an Armenian family in New York. Her stories about the Armenian Genocide attracted journalists and were published in newspapers in New York and Los Angeles. Within her first year in America, she wrote and released a book called, “Ravished Armenia.” The book was reprinted many times
and soon became a scenario for a Hollywood film directed by Oscar Apfel. She took the lead role, that of herself. In 1919 the film, known as “Auction of Souls,” went on to play in 23 states within the U.S. and internationally. Its profits – $30 million at the time – were donated to the 60,000 Armenian orphans through the Near East Relief fund. Needless to say, her story inspired so many Americans and other nationalities around the world, so much that they were encouraged to become of help to the orphans left behind from the first genocide of the twentieth century. It was soon after the release of the movie that her promising career and reputation was interrupted due to geopolitical interests at the time, as both the book and the film began to drop out of sight in the 1920s. All copies of the film were somehow destroyed. It was instantly obvious that the Ottoman government had something to do with this. Now, only a 17-minute segment of the film is available, as it was saved in a private archive. And just like that, Aurora’s story was put to rest, as if her encounters were no longer of interest of anyone. For decades, she was forgotten by the public, until documentarist Michael Hagopian recorded her testimonies as an Armenian Genocide survivor in her late 80s. It was the only and last appearance of Aurora anywhere. She spent her final years in loneliness as she lost touch with her son after
Lilit Sedrakyan Photo Credit
A GARDEN OF MEMORIES: A small part of Ararat Homecare is dedicated to commemorate Aurora’s role.
the death of her husband. Anahit Tutikian-Meimarian, from Armenian Relief Fund, was assigned to care after Aurora, she was 93 and extremely sick. “When I knocked on her door, a neighbor told me no one lives in that apartment. He was surprised when a small lady opened the door. When I entered the apartment, it was completely dark because of closed windows and heavy curtains, said Meimarian. “When I asked to open a little the curtains, she refused. In her last years she was afraid of Turks, who would come after her if she opens the windows. The real nightmares of her life were haunting her in her last days.” She said that Aurora couldn’t sleep as she had been experiencing nightmares, she was reliving the severe hardships of the genocide; rape, blood, death and
Letter to the Editor: 104 Years of Injustice By Martin Makaryan Contributing Writer I still remember that day – that April 24th of my life when I first watched Henri Verneuil’s movie, titled “Mayrig” or “Mother.” It drastically shook my mind and redefined the way I perceived the day of commemoration when all the TV channels were showing the horror and the inhuman crime committed against one of the oldest civilizations of the world – the Armenians. I felt the pain of the affected families, through the history of Azad, the main character of “Mayrig.” On April 24, Armenians come together to commemorate the Armenian Genocide and pay tribute to the innocent 1.5 million victims – men, women and children, slaughtered by the Turkish government. In fact, oppression against Armenian populations living on their ancestral lands that have always belonged and continue to belong to them only, had begun in late 19th century under Ottoman ruler Abdul Hamid. 1915 was just the peak of oppression, when the government carried out its plan of mass destruction of the Armenian people, their history and faith. The resolution regarding the Armenian Genocide is again in the Congress of the United States, one of the major global powers that has yet to recognize it. The Genocide has always been a big subject of debate in the U.S., with presidential promises and failed attempts to recognize it. Although 49 of 50 American states have already adopted resolu-
tions recognizing and condemning the Genocide of 1915, it is the federal government that implements and conducts the foreign policy of the country, thus making the recognition by the Congress more important. Yet, there is another question here: “Do we really need it?” Do we need any country to issue written statements and formally recognize a historical truth? The truth, in reality, does not need recognition as the lives of 1.5 million innocent people will not be returned. The national pain that Armenians have experienced for generations will not be cured by these announcements. The idea itself that some governments do not make the move to keep their friendly relationships with the Republic of Turkey is more painful, and even disgusting. One way or the other, the international community will realize that if the criminal is not held accountable for what “he” did, such crimes will continue to happen. Hitler proved it long time ago with his infamous quote: “After all, who remembers today the Genocide of Armenians?” We remember and we will not forget. The day of justice will come one day and our hearts will be fulfilled. The grandfather of my grandmother was from Mush, Western Armenia which is now part of Turkey’s territory. The stories told by my grandmother are always in my mind. The man, who was one of few to have escaped to current-day Armenia, struggled until he took his last breath, wanting to see “his Mush,” one last time. I dream of the day that I and all my countrymen get to see Mush again, but not for the last time.
the loss of loved ones. She spent the last month of her life at Ararat Home, where she arrived in a limousine as if she were a Hollywood star again. This would be the last ride of her life. Nurses from the homecare said that Aurora never had any visitors, she wouldn’t even talk to anyone. Crying was the only thing she did. Perhaps she sensed that her life was coming to an end and had nobody by her side. When she died in 1994, nobody showed up to bury her. Her body was taken to Los Angeles County Crematorium Cemetery where they kept her body, in case a family member came. Nobody showed up. Four months after cremation, her ashes were laid to rest among 2000 others with no relatives, nobody to bury them. There is no gravestone for her burial site, in fact, the only thing
indicating that Aurora is buried there is the cemetery journal with information about her death and burial. In April of 2016, George Clooney opened the first ceremony of an annual international award ceremony, given to individuals or organizations, on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The laureate of the prize receives a $100,000 grant, as well as the opportunity to nominate organizations that inspired his or her work for a $1,000,000 award. The award is named after Aurora and is dedicated to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide. One hundred years later, Aurora’s legacy lives on and is being cherished. But is her soul resting in peace? Lilit Sedrakyan can be reached at lsedrak810@student.glendale.edu.
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SPORTS Wednesday, May 1, 2019
GCC Volleyball Grows The athletic department at Glendale College expands its women’s program By Elone Safaryan Sports Reporter Over the past offseason, the current athletic department had formally introduced its new beach volleyball team in 2018. In the previous years leading up to their inaugural season, the GCC Women’s Beach Volleyball team was only established as a club. After many years of pushing for it to be a formal California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) team, the players now face a new challenge of adapting to this new style of play as well as environment. This athletic season, the expectations were different, solely because this was the inaugural season for the new beach volleyball team on campus. Granted the transition from court to beach certainly hasn’t been easy on the team. It’s forcing them to catch on to this new style of play quickly. “It’s something new and different that we’re doing, we’re adapting –it’s very different from indoor– and I think it’s going pretty well for our first year,” said Nicole Oberhammer, a current
court volleyball player as well as a new beach player at the college as well. In addition, this is also their first year as an intercollegiate sport while in previous years, it was more considered of an intramural sport which meant that beach volleyball was more of a club on campus, rather than an actual sport. Every member on the team is relatively new to beach volleyball. This creates a sense to establishing themselves as a team rather than individuals. “I think overcoming the fact that we’ve never played before and we go against people who have been playing since they were kids,” said, Jennifer Frasco, the team captain of the beach team. “It makes it harder but we just have to work harder and it’ll work out.” A real leader and an inspiration to teammates, Frasco deals with pressure like a professional. “It’s 100 percent mental … and I think we’ve gotten it down, that it’s not just about how we play but how we prepare ourselves mentally,” she added. Coach Yvette Ybarra also received praise by the team as well. Known for her work ethic
Major League Baseball Contracts
and ability to push and motivate the team, coach Ybarra doesn’t beat around the bush and is the type of coach to tell it how it is.“She really knows the game too and is very smart when it comes to volleyball,” said Oberhammer. Another one of the numerous challenges the team faces is the lack of a home court, which results in them travelling long distances to places like Santa Monica and Ventura. Even practice can be tedious since they have to travel 16 miles from the college to the city of Duarte to practice on their sand courts. While Duarte isn’t an hour drive like it is to Ventura, it isn’t exactly the closest place to the college as it takes 20-30 minutes to get there, depending on traffic. Overall, the majority of the team is new and they don’t have much experience, so it’ll take time for them to get into the hang of things and be a real threat. With all the challenges and lack of experience, it’s clear that they are starting relatively slowly, but are looking to grow over the next few seasons.
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ADVERTISEMENT Over the remainder of the semester, the Journalism Department, in conjunction with Radio Club and Journalism Club, will be hosting an array of speakers with backgrounds that range from advertising to print. If you missed events earlier in the semester, you can still take part in informative sessions. Here are some opportunities:
Elone Safaryan can be reached at esafary181@student.glendale.edu.
GCC’s Women’s Basketball Team Recognized Glendale City Council honors college basketball players
A handful of former GCC baseball players have landed MLB contracts. Here’s the who’s who (and the how much) from broadcast reporter Tyler Greene.
Michael Dumansky Staff Photographer
PROUD AND HOPEFUL: The Lady Vaqs celebrated their success at Glendale City Hall.
By Michael Dumansky Sports Editor
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Scan this QR Code to check out Tyler Greene’s video report on MLB’s new contracts. Or go to the link bit.ly/TylerMLBGCC
As the mid-afternoon sun set on the city hall in the epicenter of the town, players from the women’s basketball team filed into the small hall waiting for the start of the ceremony. The team, nervous yet excited, couldn’t wait for it to begin. As the meeting commenced, the Lady Vaqs were called up to the center podium in front of the city council. The Glendale Community College Women’s head basketball coach, Joel Weiss, went in front of the council members and spoke on behalf of the team.
“They certainly are deserving in the sense of what they put into the season. I am very proud of what they were able to accomplish more than their determination and their commitment to one another,” said coach Weiss during his brief speech. Each council member expressed their gratitude and shared some words of inspiration for the players. Showing praise and joy for their success, the city council presented them a plaque stating all their accolades that season and wishing them the best of luck next season. The team was grateful for this gift and to be a part of this special moment in GCC Women’s basketball history.
“It feels great. Not a lot of people see what we put in outside of games. There’s a lot that goes on..we have to put in all these hours to get where we were and so to be recognized and given an award really means a lot to us,” emphasized Marlene Salazar of the GCC basketball team. The ceremony came to a close. The team knew that even though the season has ended, the friendships they made and the accomplishments they achieved will live on forever. This moment will always be remembered by the athletic department as well as the community. Michael Dumansky can be reached at mdumans011@student.glendale.edu.
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Wednesday, May 1, 2019
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Death of a Los Angeles Legend Rapper Nipsey Hussle shot dead in the City of Angels
By Selena Reyes Entertainment Editor
The 33-year-old Grammynominated rapper and community advocate was shot six times on March 31, outside of his own business, The Marathon Clothing in South Los Angeles. Though he was found still breathing at the scene, the rapper was later pronounced dead at the hospital. A suspect remained at large for about 24 hours. The suspect’s identity was confirmed through a news release on April 1. 29-year-old Eric Holder was arrested within 24 hours after officers received information from a citizen in Bellflower, who reported “seeing a person they believed to be Holder.” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies quickly responded to the call and detained the man. South Bureau Homicide detectives took action and headed to Lakewood Sheriff’s Station and indeed confirmed it was Holder. He was transported to an LAPD facility and has now been charged for murder. Coincidentally about an hour before the incident, the rapper tweeted, “Having strong enemies is a blessing.” Prior to TMZ’s release of the murder surveillance tape from an adjacent business, the internet did not hesitate to blame the government for his death. The pro-black artist, whose real name was Ermias Davidson Asghedom, was soon to release a documentary about Dr. Sebi, Honduran Herbalist’s trial. Dr. Sebi’s official cause
A Tribe Called Hip Hop Courtesy Photo
LEGACY LIVES ON: This 2012 photograph of Nipsey Hussle shows his kind and positive spirit.
of death was pneumonia in a Honduran jail cell back in 2016, after being arrested for bringing in large amounts of money into his country. However, it was suspected he actually died as a result of a conspiracy to keep his health findings including a cure for aids, a secret. This led the rapper to feel the need to release the narrated documentary to the public as an “eye-opener”. Nick Cannon has now stepped up and announced he is committed to finish and release the documentary on behalf of Hussle. Hussle grew up in South Los Angeles, where he was involved with the Rollin’ 60s gang in his teens, but his story showed that
of perseverance and motivation to turn his life and that of mant others around. His friends gave him the nickname Hussle, claiming he was “always on his grind.” Hussle would go on to become a successful community organizer known for his involvement in rebuilding the community, including the “Destination Crenshaw” arts project, which aimed to reclaim the neighborhood for black L.A. He also held workshops to teach the youth to code, helped out the formerly incarcerated, and financed the development of South L.A.’s vector 90- a coworking space, STEM center, and incubator focused on
developing underrepresented entrepreneurs. With the assistance he provided to his community it was to no surprise there were hundreds in attendance at a memorial in front of his store the following night. Nipsey’s legacy was so strong, that even rival Los Angeles gang members such as Bloods, Crips, 8 Trey and Rolling 60’s came together to honor him. This is the first time a noticeable number of gangs have united for a cause since the Los Angeles riots in 1992, triggered by police brutality in opposition to Rodney King and many others in the black community. L.A. Metro even honored his memory
by replacing their bus numbers with letters “NIP.” To commemorate his 33 years of notable existence, Power 106 radio station will dedicate 33 hours of operations to community service, calling it “33 for the community.” “He gave so much to his beloved Crenshaw. He helped out so many people but never put it on the ‘gram, he didn’t make announcements,” said J Cruz. “He didn’t want the shout-out, that’s why you see the outpour that’s happening now. He never had a bad attitude, he just never said no to anything.” It is clear that the energy was compassed beyond Los Angeles, as memorials and candlelit vigils were held around the country and worldwide. “The way I see it, life is a marathon. I was freestyling to a Snoop CD when I was nine years old. I didn’t get my first studio record ‘till 2018. I’m [now] 33,” Hussle wrote in an article for The Players Tribune. Nipsey Hussle was more than just an artist for his neighborhood and fan base, but an inspiration for a generation that lacked selfmotivation, direction and social awareness. In his memory, the marathon continues. Selena Reyes can be reached at sreyes401@student.glendale.edu.
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Play Review: How I Learned to Drive Glendale College Theater Arts puts out a phenomenal production of a story with an uncomfortable plot twist
By Elena Jacobson and Hayk Martirosyan
“How I Learned to Drive” is a short, 2-hour play that focuses on the main character of Lil’ Bit, in particular, her romantic relationship with her “Uncle Peck.” The play drives through many themes of sexual assault, manipulation, and pedophilia. These heavy themes are juxtaposed throughout the play with more cheesy and comedic interactions fitting to the broad time period the showplay is set in. The talented crew of GCC’s own theater department gave an amazing life to the actors, delivering their lines with great conviction and honesty. Most of all, should be praised the two actors who played Lil’ Bit and Uncle Peck. TThey were able to commit to their roles in a very professional manner, leaving the audience impressed. hey were able to commit to their roles to an extent I did not think they would reach.
An amazing job was also done by tThe lighting and sound engineers also did a great job of executing their part of the show. Excellent use of visual blocking, sound effects, and the play has uniquely clever mechanics where each scene transition is paired with a set of old fashioned driving instructions whichthat parallels the story. The lightingIt gave the performance exquisite authenticity and dramatic energy. Clearly, “How I Learned to Drive” aims to show the dark reality of sexual assault, pedophilia, manipulation, etc. It’s use of a thrust stage, to the put the action as close to the audience as possible, and the constant appearance of actors between the aisles, signal that it attempts to push the reality of the story into the audience’s face. Hence, we get a very uncomfortable performance. This is not a flaw of the play but rather a function of it, as a play about such heavy topics should make one feel awkward. While the play has these very
heavy-handed sexual overtones, both uncle Peck and Lil’ Bit keep a sense of innocence throughout their interactions,. Wwhich makes uncle Peck seem like the most friendly and sympathetic of pedophiles, despite some of his nefarious actions. TheOur only issue with the play stemmed from not the actors, not the backstage cast, not with anything mechanical, but the writing. Of course, a deep criticism of the playwright and the writing would be getting off topic, nonetheless, it is important to note we would like to state that the sympathetic angle that the play took towards the pedophilia of Uncle Peck, did not sit well with us. Nonetheless, we do not regret our experience here and hope that everyone would get to at least witness this story once, especially done by the talents of GCC’s theater department. Elena Jacobson can be reached at laneyjacobson520@gmail.com. Hayk Martirosyan can be reached at haykm212@gmail.com.
Glendale Community College Courtesy Photo
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Wednesday, May 1, 2019