Campus News Fall 17 Issue 12

Volume 75, Issue 12

Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents

Wednesday, december 6, 2017

www.elaccampusnews.com

Expensive coffee brings excitement

BY ANASTASIA LANDEROS Staff Writer

Editorial: ELAC withholds information Since Campus News was denied the list of retirees in the spring, the lack of transparency within the administration at East Los Angeles College has become increasingly apparent.

Campus News has tried to obtain the list of staff and faculty retiring after the Supplementary Retirement Plan passed in May, but the ELAC administration has not budged nor has it provided a good reason for the denial.

The refusal of the information, according to a lawyer from the California Newspaper Publisher Association, is illegal.

Campus News reached out to other schools within the Los Angeles Community College District to ask if they’ve had any success in obtaining a list of those retiring from their schools.

Sarah Hope, a copy editor for Los Angeles City College’s of the

Collegian newspaper, said that, although they have not made an attempt to acquire the list, she

“As a public institution, they should be required by law to provide that information or make it a public file.”

SARA HOPE

copy editor of Collegian newspaper

believes the president would have granted their request.

“As a public institution, they should be required by law to provide that information or make

it a public file,” Hope said.

There has also been a lack of transparency to faculty and staff on the hiring of the vice president of continuing education and workforce development’s qualifications for the job.

The advertisement for the job opening reads that a minimum of one year completion of “full-time formal training, internship or leadership experience reasonably related to the administrative assignment” is required.

Nowhere does it say that administrative experience is necessary.

But in researching the minimum qualifications for the same position in other higher education institutions, such as the National American University in South Dakota, they listed a minimum of “five plus years management in a training

Kopi luwak, or coffee made from beans found in the feces of civets, will be available for tasting at the lecture “Animal, Commodity, Environment: Civets in the History of Indonesian Coffee” Friday in A2- 103.

Civets are cat-like, nocturnal mammals that live in the tropical forests of Asia and Africa.

Kopi luwak is coffee made from the bean of a digested coffee cherry that is retrieved from the feces of civets and brewed.

Colin Cahil, an Anthropology graduate student at the University of California, Irvine, will be presenting the lecture, sponsored by the Anthropology Club.

He worked for 15 months in Indonesia exploring local and national regulations of interactions with civets in the Indonesian coffee market.

Cahil’s work is part of his dissertation “Feral Natures and Fecal Commodities: Waste, Ethics, and the More-thanHuman in Indonesia.”

The lecture was pitched to the Anthropology Club by coadviser Professor Janny Li. Anthropology Club President Jonathan Salas said that he was excited about the opportunity to bring this unique lecture to the students of East Los Angeles College.

“It’s especially something that students here at East Los Angeles College would never have the chance to (try). ... We’re talking about a coffee that’s roughly $600 per pound. So it’s a very exclusive coffee” Salas said.

The price of a pound of kopi luwak, known as the world’s most expensive coffee, varies, but as of now, an ounce alone costs $44.95 on Amazon.com.

Salas said that the reception to trying the brew has been positive, despite its unique origins.

“It’s a shocker that so many people want to try it. … It’s one of those things that people have the complete opposite reaction to than what you think,” Salas said.

The lecture will take place in A2- 103 from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

RSVP at lij2@elac.edu.

or organizational development leadership role.”

In a job description for a dean of adult/community education and workforce development opening at Los Angeles Valley College, one year of administrative experience was required for the job.

It seems hardly reasonable that the minimum qualifications for a person in charge of supervising deans is not required to have administrative experience.

It is unknown why the qualifications for the vice president position were minimized and who revised them.

In conclusion, the ELAC administration needs to be more transparent about what goes on at the school, and that includes not making people’s employment statuses a secret.

South Gate campus to undergo construction

BY STEPHANIE GUEVARA Staff Writer

After being postponed for nine years, construction for the new East Los Angeles College South Gate Center has a set date to start.

The demolition process is set to start within March or May in the new facility located across the street from the current South Gate campus on Santa Fe Avenue and Firestone Boulevard.

The new facility, formerly the Firestone Tire Company since World War II, was purchased in 2009 from ELAC, but construction was delayed because the property failed to pass the environmental impact testing done by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control.

The original plan was to convert the former Firestone facility into a campus. ELAC will demolish it because it failed the environmental test.

News Briefs

The new facility is composed of four buildings, three of which were purchased by ELAC. According to plant facilities director Abel Rodriguez, ELAC purchased the fourth through a bond provided by the Los Angeles Community College District.

“It is ready to go under demolition. There is no design for the campus, but all the constituents are being consulted.

The school has an architect,” said Rodriguez.

The new facility expands 18.5 acres, which is twice as bigger as the current South Gate campus.

The current South Gate campus is a one-story building, but the new facility will have multiple stories.

Rodriguez said the new facility will offer more classes, services and more technological advances for students.

“There will be more activities such as the ones here (on the main campus).

There will be a science cluster, career and technology (center),

a library, academic support, a student lounge, a health center, an art cluster, a bookstore and student services. It will be a stateof-the-art unit,” said Rodriguez.

A Kinesology Department will be among the new resources offered to students.

During the construction of the new campus, the current campus and shuttle services will still be running.

Rodriguez said the new facility will have traffic signs and a traffic light at the entrance to accommodate students, and that construction is set to conclude in 2020 or 2021.

Construction at the main campus also has a set date to finish. Rodriguez said the target to finish construction for the G8 building is Spring 2018.

The G8 building is designated for science classes such as Anthropology, Geology, Geography among other.

According to Rodriguez, the new South Gate Center won't be the last project for ELAC.

CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA

CLASSIFIED AS OBSOLETE—The South Gate college center is going to be demolished between

March and May.

Corrections In last week’s issue, the article “Pokemon Club establishes in wake of Game Club ban” wrongly said that the Game Club was banned. The club remains in good standing. Susan Okawa’s name was misspelled underneath the photo of “After 28 years, ELAC to say goodbye to Susan Okawa,” where the headline is wrong. It should be 29 years. Jackelyn Dubon was misspelled underneath the story “Single mother attends college, fighting societal stigma.” Aracely Vasquez was misspelled in the cutline of the story. Joe Villarruel was misspelled in the staff box.

2

Opinion

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

EDITOR IN CHIEF Dorany Pineda MANAGING EDITOR Stephanie Guevara ONLINE EDITORS Melody Ortiz Kevin Camargo

Marijuana prohibition laws harm the innocent

BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer In an interview with KPCC radio, Cat Packer, the new executive director of the Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation, said that people who had been negatively affected by marijuana prohibition should have an opportunity to participate in the legal industry.

“We have spent millions and billions of dollars incarcerating people for a plant and substance that now under California law is not a drug,” Packer said.

On the mayor’s official website, Packer said “I look forward to serving the City of Los Angeles as we lead the development and implementation of responsible,

equitable cannabis policies that will serve as a model for the rest of America.”

In February, the desert city of Lancaster— located in north Los Angeles County— was one of the few cities in California that approved commercial cultivation of medical marijuana.

Eddie “Snakepit” Edwards has lived in Lancaster for nearly 20 years and is a long-time cannabis user.

An experimental jazz musician originally from Berkeley, he was one of the first people to be arrested for cannabis in Humboldt County.

At the time, he said, he was one of two black people in the county.

In an interview, Snakepit recalled the day of his arrest in 1967, right around the time cannabis use was

gaining popularity among the youth.

“I had two redbone hounds that would bark at an acorn falling on the ground,” Snakepit said.

“The whole team of officers came up and I didn’t hear one bark.

“They kicked in the front door and they came in through the back door with shotguns and automatic machine guns.

“When they broke in I remember my daughter saying to the officers “are you going to kill my daddy?’”

According to Snakepit, all they found was a box full of seeds, which was enough to arrest him.

A week prior to his arrest, the same officers shot his friend in the leg before arresting him for cannabis.

Years later, Snakepit ran into the officer that arrested him during a

police reunion at a cafe in Eureka.

He said that the officer told him and the other officers that if he hadn’t arrested him, he would have gone down the wrong path. “He was taking all the credit for my new behavior,” Snakepit said.

Snakepit only had one question for the officer: “What did you guys do to quiet my dogs?” The officer could not give him an answer.

Snakepit had a recording studio at his home in Lancaster for nearly 20 years before losing his home in October to a financial crunch.

It was located just north of where the city of Lancaster is issuing permits for legal medical marijuana cultivation.

The Orange County Register reported in May that 1 million square feet of industrial space was

purchased in the city of Lancaster

by Beverly Hills-based firm called StarGreen Capital.

In the article, StarGreen Capital “hopes to sell off, lease out or partner with entrepreneurs to use for cannabis cultivation and manufacturing.”

When asked what he would do if given the opportunity to open up his own shop, Snakepit said that it wouldn’t be a place to just purchase cannabis, but also a space for music, art, food and cannabis education.

The upcoming legalization of Cannabis for recreational use is considered by many to be a “green rush,” but the people whose lives have been negatively impacted by its prohibition should have an opportunity to benefit from its legalization.

Comic book movies evolve to better quality book film and deservedly so.

The film was nominated in other areas such as cinematography and costume design, but was unable to The comic book films released reach the top nomination.

The films released this year, in this year show the evolution of terms of quality, level with “The quality storytelling in the genre Dark Knight.” and even includes a couple of films Specifically “Logan,” which tells that should be considered for Best the end of a 16 year-old story.

Picture nominations.

Hugh Jackman said goodbye Aside from the flub that was to his longtime fans in his final “Justice League,” every comic appearance as X-Men fan-favorite book film released this year shows Wolverine, in a film that delves into the diversity of the genre and its humanity. sub-genres.

This character, who is imbued “Wonder Woman” and “Logan” with the ability to heal himself, is are prime examples of the films suddenly faced with mortality, and that should be in consideration for Jackman deserves acknowledgment top nods. f o r h i s h e a r t-wrenching While Warner Bros. is currently performance. lobbying the “Wonder Woman,” Aside from that, writer/director film to be the first comic book movie J a mes Mangold deserves a nominated nomination for for the Best his beautifully Picture award, written script.

“Comic book movies the studio is On the other also lobbying haven’t necessarily side of that director Patty coin, director garnered respect from the Jenkins to be Patty considered for academy when it comes d e s eJenkins rves Best Director. to top categories such as praise for her Ty p i c a l l y, vision of what Best Picture or even Best these types of the Wonder films are only Actor or Actress.”

W o m a n acknowledged character for their visual should to effects. stand for.

The substance Her vision of the story is somewhat ignored. has produced the only DC Extended Richard Donner’s “Superman,” Universe film with any substance and more recently, Sam Raimi’s “Spiderman” are among some of to it.

Even smaller comic book films the films that have previously won such as “Valerian and the City Academy Awards for their effects. of a Thousand Planets” show the Comic book movies haven’t evolution of quality storytelling in necessarily garnered respect from these films. the Academy when it comes to top Director Luc Besson’s vision categories such as Best Picture or couldn’t be realized without the even Best Actor or Actress. special effects of the industry today.

In 2009, “The Dark Knight,” But now with the technological which is considered to be one of advances, these stories are being the all-time best comic book films, brought to life. seemed to be a shoe-in for a Best It’s going to be interesting, going Picture nomination. forward, to see where the genre goes While the film failed to reach its and hopefully more comic book peak, the Academy still recognized movies will gain acknowledgment the late Heath Ledger for his from the Academy. amazing portrayal of the Clown

BY FRANK PORTILLO Staff Writer

Rupi Kaur butchers modern poetry Kaur’s poetry is good, but what it lacks is structure.

Staff Writer It almost sounds silly to set rules to poetry, but in the literary world, The Instagram poet Rupi Kaur there are ideas and ways that work has changed poetry culture with and others that do not.

Kaur chose the right topics for her over simplicity and a Tumblr-like style that destroys the complexity books, which are why she has such an extensive following. of poetry.

She is broad and covers many Simplicity can co-exist with controversial topics in her poems. complexity in poetry.

The topics she writes about are Poets like R.H Sin and Louise Gluck have found ways to use topics that have been under scrutiny simplicity in poetry without losing since America elected a misogynistic white man as president. the complexity of their meaning.

She also writes about abuse, Kaur has been an upcoming poet in the social media realm with over rejection, love, pain, her relationship with her father and the ways she has 1.9 million followers. been treated by If her poems men and women. were originally The only published on social media, “Poets like R.H Sin and a r g u a b l e accomplishment why didn't she pursue that idea Louise Gluck have found K a u r h a s h a d and trademark a ways to use simplicity with her work is that she has new social media without loosing out on oversimplified poetry style? the complexity of their t h e b a s i c Instead, she concepts of published a book meaning .” poetry so much of her poetry that the most posts that takes basic reader can away from the understand her complexity of thoughts. poetry.

This can be upsetting to some Her poems are more like posts she thought of on the spot that lack poets who have built their careers around the idea of writing poems insight and context.

Although insta-poetry is a new that can’t be so easily cracked or form of poetry that is fitting to our interpreted.

“Your voice alone drives me to generation, it doesn't provide a tears,” is a poem that appears in deeper insight on life or poetry.

“A poem has a beginning, a “Milk and Honey.”

Sounds more like a title than a middle and an end. A work of art — whether sculpture or painting complete poem.

“Milk and Honey,” is the first — has edges,” said Robert Hass, an published book that Kaur has.

American poet.

BY GISELLE PALOMERA

Her second book is now out titled, “The sun and her flowers,” which follows the same style of post-like poems.

Kaur’s poems seem like she typed in the middle of her thought and then finished the rest of the poem in her head.

Kaur uses the same style as a Tweet to write poetry and for that reason Kaur’s books are now mixed in with all the literary geniuses like Charles Bukowski, Robert Frost, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Emily Dickens, at bookstores who have made honorable contributions to society through their rhetoric and poetry.

Many of these poets have changed the way poetry is written and interpreted but for Kaur there is not much hope to make positive change to poetry.

“If you are not enough for yourself, you will never be enough for someone else,” says Kaur in a poem.

Strong women who read that poem can have a thousand questions come to mind.

A poet like this should be analyzed to understand the message she is giving off.

This poem gives off a strong message that sounds like a fact when it is not.

There is no context or further insight on why she believes this or why this applies to her.

She never seems to expand her thoughts any further than that.

Kaur deserves the freedom to have flaws in her writing but to do so on her Instagram page not in the literary world.

Prince of crime.

Ledger became the first actor to win an Academy Award for his supporting performance in a comic

www.ELACCampusNews.com

This is the last issue of Campus News until the Spring Semester.

ART DIRECTOR Julie Santiago FRONT EDITOR Gustavo Buenrostro

OPINION EDITORS Giselle Palomera Stephanie Guevara NEWS EDITOR Frank Portillo FEATURE EDITOR Julio Sanchez ARTS EDITORS Steven Adamo Dorany Pineda SPORTS EDITOR Joe Dargan Michael Dominguez PHOTO EDITOR Eddie Garcia COPY EDITORS Russell Zazueta Anastasia Landeros CARTOONISTS Jorge Vazquez Giselle Palomera STAFF WRITERS Noe Ortega Rogelio Alvarez STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Kevin Gonzalez ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha DISTRIBUTION Stephanie Guevara Anastasia Landeros Dorany Pineda ADVISERS Jean Stapleton Sylvia Rico-Sanchez Campus News encourages letters to the editor relating to campus issues. Letters must be typed and double spaced. Submitted material becomes the proper ty of Campus News and cannot be returned. Letters should be limited to 250 words or less. Campus News reserves the right to edit letters for grammatical errors or libelous content.

A n o ny m o u s l e t te r s w i l l n o t be printed. Writer s must sign submissions and print their names and a phone number where they can be reached. Letters should be addressed to the editor of Campus News. Submissions can be made at the mailroom in building E1 or the Journalism department office in the Technology Center in E7-303.

East Los Angeles College Campus News 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez E7-303 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (323) 265-8819, Ads (323) 265-8821 Fax (323) 415-4910 The East Los Angeles College Campus News is published as a learning experience, of fered under the East Los Angeles College Journalism program. The editorial and advertising materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer.

Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College, or any officer or employee thereof.

PRINTING BY NEWS PUBLISHERS PRESS

OPINION 3

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

Guns on campus to save student lives

BY JOE DARGAN Staff Writer

Students, 21 or older with concealed carry licenses, are now allowed to bring guns into community college classrooms in 10 states, which could save someone’s life.

S e n a t e b i l l 11 , o t h e r w i s e known as the “Campus Carry” bill, was signed into law by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott in 2015, but didn’t go into effect for community colleges until August of 2017.

The states of Texas, Colorado and Mississippi are among a few that have been affected by this new law.

It received backlash early on from Democrats and other leftleaning groups.

Student demonstrations, like the “Cocks not Glocks” protest at the University of Texas, openly displayed sex toys to illuminate the irony of Texas obscenity laws of allowing guns. on campus but banning dildos.

Some people have gone to extremes to show their disapproval.

A former East Los Angeles College adjunct professor who got a full-time job in Texas, left the job after this law went into effect.

“I don’t believe that a school is a place where weapons should be held. Security should be the responsibility of the institution, not the students,” ELAC student

Bryce Ronquillo said.

Proponents of the bill stress that if one life can be saved, it’s worth it.

Eligible students must be at least 21 years old, meet federal

qualifications to own a gun and receive training from an instructor certified by their states Department of Public Safety.

For some, it may be scary to imagine a daughter or son in

classroom alongside a peer with a pistol, but it’s even scarier to imagine a shooter going from class to class killing students, while your child quivers in a corner awaiting death with no one

to protect him or her.

The ugly truth is that mass shootings have unfortunately become a part of America’s landscape.

In fact, the law took effect on

Aug. 1 in remembrance of the Aug. 1, 1966, Texas clock tower shooting.

On that day, Charles Whitman went into a clock tower at the University of Texas in Austin.

Over a 96 minute span, Whitman used his rifle to shoot 45 people, killing 14 of them, before he was shot and killed by police.

It was one of America’s earliest and deadliest mass shootings, opening a window into a world that has now integrated itself into the fabric of the country.

During the last 10 years, events like this have become increasingly more common.

T h e 2 0 0 7 Vi r g i n i a Te c h massacre that left 33 dead and 23 injured and the Northern Illinois University shooter walked right into a classroom and shot 27 people, and killed six of them, the following year.

On Oct. 1, 2015, community colleges found out they were not immune to this dilemma when Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon was descended upon by a shooter who wounded 19 students killing 10 of them.

Studies have not been done yet to show the effectiveness of the new law, but if someone walked into your classroom and began assassinating your peers one by one, you better hope your state is one of the chosen few.

Your life may depend on it.

CAMPUS

VOICE

Does Christmas shopping take out the joy of the holidays?

“It

Christmas shopping takes joy out of holidays when they look for products.

Customers throw products on Staff Writer the floor or mess the order of products and don’t bother to put things back properly how they Holidays are supposed to be found them. filled with joy, but instead people They must leave their home take the joy out by wasting their early to avoid traffic to make it time and money early to work in Christmas and not catch shopping. an earful from Waiting in lines their managers Customers think and spending for being late. they are saving money takes the R e t a i l joy out of the associates money with holidays. also struggle sales, such as W h e n with finding customers go to a parking those during places like malls space because a n d Wa l m a r t s , Black Friday, customers the joy is gone take up all the but after buying because they parking doing c a n ’t f i n d t h e unnecessary their holiday gifts they are shopping. items, a lot of looking for.

So this Customers money is wasted. holiday season, think they are be prepared to saving money be angry when with sales, such you can't find as those during the gift you're Black Friday, but after buying looking for or that close parking many unnecessary items, a lot of spot at the mall. money is wasted.

As for the retail associates, Consumers aren’t the only ones be happy that the check is going angry, but also retail associates to be good money and work is who smile on the outside but are coming in. filled with frustration in the inside Enjoy the holidays with family before they clock into work. and appreciate each other's Retail associates have to deal company. with the mess customers make

does take your joy because you’re worrying too much on materalistic things rather than spending time with family. You should cheerish the holiday season. ”

BY MICHAEL DOMINGUEZ

KARLA PINEDA

“For

the person buying, yes because that’s all they are doing, but in the end it brings joy to the person who they are buying it for.”

ANDREW GABRIEL

“I think it does in a way, because Christmas is more about family time.”

SUMMER VIETS

www.ELACCampusNews.com

4

News

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

New campaign hopes to assist student resources

BY ROGELIO ALVAREZ Staff Writer Students, staff, faculty and guests gathered in F5-209 last Tuesday to raise awareness and money for East Los Angeles College’s Transforming Lives Annual Giving campaign.

The campaign was created after a recent Associated Students Union poll revealed that 70 percent of students struggled with hunger and food insecurity on campus.

“It was really based on the need to raise money to fund some of the programs that we have on campus, like CAFYES and EOPS, just so that they can provide solutions to some of the students that are facing these issues,” ELAC Foundation Development and Corporate Relations intern Hector Harold said.

The event featured speeches from ELAC faculty, a panel of students from various backgrounds sharing their personal stories of struggle, three short film screenings and donation announcements.

P h y s i c s p r o f e s s o r Vi k e n Kiledjian donated $25,000 to the ELAC Foundation in honor of his wife Anna Kiledjian, who passed away from cancer.

One of the student panelists, Jaci Cortez, shared her personal experience growing up as a foster youth and coming out to her family.

“People actually care and want to hear these issues, that not only happen in the foster care system, but in life. (The campaign) creates a solution for a problem that has been here, and we might have heard about it, but now we’re actually doing something about it.

The homeless population and food security is a really big problem,” Cortez said.

Throughout the day, three short films were shown. Each film began the same way.

A professor assigns his class a speech assignment, but each film

The campaign was created after a recent Associated Students Union poll revealed that 70 percent of students struggle with hunger and foot security

focused on how three students individually handle the assignment.

The first film focused on a student veteran struggling to adjust to student life.

The second focused on a former foster youth student who was homeless before attending ELAC, and the third featured a student with disabilities who

struggled with bullying.

Former ASU member and ELAC, alumnus Romel Lopez was one of the panelists who shared his struggle with raising his children and attending school full time.

“We come with all these different problems. The funding is key because there’s this huge stigma that college is just for rich people, but it can be attainable to the homeless. It’s about having the proper resources for students to be able to transition into school and transition out,” Lopez said.

Guest speaker California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon spoke about the importance of providing struggling ELAC students, with resources to ensure their success in life and school.

Lopez said that the increasing cost of housing is an issue that not only affected ELAC students, but all of California.

“The entire ELAC community was a huge part of this. Even with speaker Anthony Rendon coming in, it shows us that it was a communal effort to bring this event together.

We’re looking to increase staff, so we're looking to get the people who work at ELAC involved in this campaign,” Harold said.

For more information on the campaign and how to donate, visit elacfoundation.com/annual-givingcampaign

CN/KEVIN GONZALEZ

PHILANTHROPIC ACT—Professor Viken Kiledjian makes a donation of $25,000 to the East Los Angeles College Foundation for the Transforming Lives Annual Giving campaign in F5-209 last Tuesday.

Students unhappy with latest library policy change

BY JULIE SANTIAGO Staff Writer Students who petitioned for longer library hours in 2015 think that the new group study room policies lack transparency.

The policies, which were implemented in Spring 2017, have study rooms in the library closing 15 minutes before the library closes.

These study room policies have concerned some students who feel this could be the beginning of other library cutbacks.

“We did not work hard for over a year to expand library hours so (that) the administration can start (cutting) the time as they please,” said Chicana/o Studies and History major Claudia Blauser. Blauser, who had previously helped petition for the library hour increase, believes

students should not be denied the last 15 minutes of library time, which can be crucial.

“I understand needing five minutes, (which) seems reasonable (because of the) time to clear the top floor. There has to be a solution to this problem,” Blauser said. She believes every minute students take in the library is a minute and a step closer that they can use to reach their academic goals.

The reduction of study room time is especially concerning to those who had previously helped fight to increase the library hours.

At the Inter Club Council meeting on Nov. 17, clubs such as the East Side Spirit Pride and Fire Technology Club discussed topics such as group study room time reductions.

A student, who wishes to remain

anonymous, attended the meeting and said that certain clubs who petitioned for the library hours back in Spring 2015 were upset when they heard about this policy change.

Club members were not notified about the policy change.

Some council members feel that, while this policy does not go against their agreement, it could be the beginning of more cutbacks to come.

Librarians Antonio Ng and Erika Montenegro said that this policy was put in place by librarians and staff.

“It has to do with being able to close the building on time,” said Montenegro, who has been working at the library for seven years.

Montenegro said that 15 minutes gives staff and other librarians enough time to start wrapping things

up and students a heads up to start cleaning up.

According to Ng, who has been working at the library for 20 years, student workers stop working at 10 p.m. “Fifteen minutes extra means overtime,” Ng said.

Montenegro and Ng said that students having to leave 15 minutes before has to do with security purposes.

“If (people) come 15 minutes

Guided Pathways initiative to assist students pursue majors

BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer The Guided Pathways initiative was the topic of discussion in the open forum on Thursday in the G1 building.

Guided Pathways is a framework for students to work under so that they can have a more focused path to their major, according to the presentation provided by Academic Senate President Jeffrey Hernandez.

“It’s finally here and we have the resources. We need to begin to see how we are going to make it work,” said East Los Angeles College President Marvin Martinez The presentation also included statistics on ELAC’s enrollment pattern and student transfer rate.

The school tracked students’ progress in a five-year span.

For every 100 students who entered in Fall 2012, 53 came back the following year.

About 31 of those students completed UC/CSU units.

Twenty of the 100 students completed both transfer-level English and math, and 17 of those 100 students got certificates.

The statistics are lower for Latino students. Hernandez said that these statistics are not unusual for community colleges.

All this research was done by ELAC, according to associate dean of research and learning assistance Bryan Ventura.

Ventura said that this research doesn’t take part-time students into

account,but the research is still concerning.

“There is a disconnection between what students want and what the outcome is,” said Vice President Armida Ornelas.

She said that students feel lost in a maze and that finding a major is difficult.

Hernandez said that Guided Pathways will help with new state mandates.

The California state budget has

One concern that was raised in an open discussion was whether or not this would replace education plans provided by counselors.

provided Guided Pathways $150 million.

He also said that the state will provide a budget template for Guided Pathways, along with a template for the Multi-work plan to the California Community College Chancellor's Office.

He said the money provided by the state will be used for the implementation of Guided Pathways and

not for its services.

The money provided by the state has already been distributed, and ELAC knows how much money they have for Guided Pathways said Martinez.

One concern raised in an open discussion was whether or not this would replace education plans provided by counselors.

Hernandez said that it doesn’t and that they are separate from each other.

“The (education) plan is still the (education) plan,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez said that Guided Pathways is different in every college.

A concern raised by the faculty, however, was if a student uses guided pathways at ELAC but transferred.

Hernandez said the school will collaborate with other schools on the district level on how to use guided pathways so that the situation doesn’t happen.

Hernandez said that schools will coordinate and organize with each other on Guided Pathways.

Because Guided Pathways is still in its first year of implementation, the school hasn’t figured out what the initiative will be.

Counselor Emma Tiscareno said that when students come in they don’t really know what they want to do as a career. “(Students) don’t want to be pushed into a career. There is a difference between a superficial program and an intense way of finding out what they want to do,” Tiscareno said. www.ELACCampusNews.com

prior, (they will) still see students here,” said Montenegro. Students very rarely leave exactly 15 minutes before, according to Montenegro.

Montenegro and Ng said that 15 minutes gives them enough time to clean up in the study rooms, of which there are 25, because they can get dirty.

Montenegro and Ng say that librarians and staff find it hard to close all the rooms on time.

“People will bring an extra large pizza, leave food wrappings under the shelves, attracting bugs and possibly ruining books,” said Ng. Librarians and staff do not plan on changing the study group policies further.

Librarians expect budget cuts.

However, they can not speak about what might come from the administration, which might also influence library hours in the future.

Feature

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

5

Anthropology Club brings awareness to humans’ impact on Earth

BY ANASTASIA LANDEROS Staff Writer Anthropology Club President Jonathan Salas wants his club to be the biggest one on campus.

“The reason I want us to be one of the biggest clubs is because I think, with the members we have at the moment, and especially with the amazing advisers we have, I think we can truly make an impact on the student body,” he said.

Professor Christine Sepulveda, the club’s co-adviser, says that that impact can translate to any discipline and lifestyle.

“Everything that we do matters,” she said. “And I think Anthropology helps people realize that. ... We’re all citizens of the world and we need to work together for our survival, now more so than ever.”

The club’s mission statement, “ELAC Anthropology Club seeks to apply the diversity and knowledge of Anthropology to empower students to build a more humane, equitable, and united world,” cements its leaders’ sentiments.

As part of the need to make students aware of Anthropology’s connection to all aspects of life, its activity list includes lectures and trips aimed at educating members on the world around them.

One of the first activities club members participated in was an interdisciplinary camping trip to the Santa Monica mountains that included students from the Anthropology, Geography and Geology departments.

Only those Anthropology students

who were members of the club were permitted to attend.

Professor Randall “Randy” Adsit of the Geology Department provided the group with a full itinerary of key locations to explore.

The club also took a trip to the Natural History Museum, which led to the discovery that their early-man exhibit was incomplete.

Sepulveda said she is currently looking into the possibility of the club sponsoring an update to the exhibit.

Events that the club has sponsored since its inception include guest-

speaker lectures that touch on important topics surrounding anthropology.

Its first event, Salas said, focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how the most affected areas are still dealing with complications 12 years later.

The lecture “Post-Katrina New Orleans: Stories and Lessons” was presented by Sean Mallin, a junior fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine and managing editor of the American Anthropology Association's journal “American

Anthropology.”

The second club-sponsored lecture, “Animal, Commodity, Environment: Civets in the History of Indonesian Coffee,” will take place Friday and will be followed by a kopi luwak tasting.

Kopi luwak is coffee made from a bean that is digested, then expelled, by a civet, a cat-like mammal that lives in the tropical forests of Asia and Africa.

It will be presented by University of California, Irvine graduate student Colin Cahil.

These activities, said Salas, are

organized to help educate students about anthropology, the study of human beings and a discipline that is partly considered a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) major, depending on the chosen education route.

There are four main categories of Anthropology: linguistic, cultural, biological and archeological.

Archeology and Biology are part of the STEM major, while linguistics and culture are part of the cultural major.

Salas said that the club also

acts as an exploratory avenue for students interested in any of the Anthropology categories, but doesn’t know where to start.

Because the club aims to connect all aspects of the campus, vice president and Anthropology major Anthony Nieto encourages any student from any major to join.

“I don’t want people to be intimidated by us. You see ‘Anthropology Club’ and don’t even know what that is. I didn’t know what it was until I had to take the (Anthropology) class for my general education. … Everyone should feel welcome,” he said.

Sepulveda also encourages students from other disciplines to join because she believes taking students out of their typical environment helps them see the impact that their choices have on the natural order of the world around us.

“Helping people understand the importance of everything that happens on the planet is going to affect us one way or another.

“And Anthropology brings that to everyone, that understanding.

So taking students out of the city and bringing them into a natural environment, showing them the connection we have with nature, they can actually see the impacts we have.

“They see the impacts of drought, of pollution. … What we’ve done to the planet itself and the effects on other living beings,” she said.

For more information on joining the Anthropology Club, email Elacanthropology@gmail.com.

After reporting for 20 years, journalist becomes professor

BY NOE ORTEGA Staff Writer

Fascination and being social is what drove East Los Angeles College professor Charles Fogel to make an odd switch from journalism to mathematics.

Fogel was a reporter/editor for 20 years, where he reported news for local papers in Detroit, Louisiana, Texas and California.

His main subjects were reporting about business, politics, education and crime while being a reporter/ editor.

Fogel spent a year and a half being a freelance reporter in Detroit.

He was an editor at Wayne State University for the student newspaper called South End and a small local newspaper called Medical Center News.

Fogel expressed his feelings toward small local papers being shut down because of funding, saying

CN/NOE ORTEGA

READY TO LEARN—East Los Angeles College Professor Charles Fogel goes over math problems in his class.

the best way to be informed is with a local paper for every community rather than one huge paper like the L.A. Times.

“It’s very difficult to keep a local

newspaper viable in business.

“There used to be one for every little community. Now there’s just one big newspaper that’s a great newspaper, but it’s sad that we don’t

have local coverage,” said Fogel.

Reporting about politics in Louisiana was his biggest challenge, but also his proudest moment as a reporter because of the difficulty of reporting politics.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I really enjoyed telling stories. I approached math like telling stories: you always try to find some story that matters or will be interesting,” said Fogel.

Fogel teaches high-level math courses such as Statistics, Calculus and Discrete mathematics, but said that it’s difficult for him to teach lower-level math such as Math 105 and 110.

“The hardest job in the world is to teach lower-level math. It’s very hard to do that job and I recognize some of my colleagues that are really good at it,” said Fogel.

According to Fogel, he always thought about being a reporter while in college because he loved telling stories, but was also fascinated by math and science.

Fogel was a volunteer in the Beach in 2009.

At the time that he was studying Natural History Museum in the to get his master’s at Cal State vertebrate paleontology lab.

He would clean fossils and Long Beach, he was also teaching journalism make plasters of classes at fossils, which is California State a soft building “I can’t believe how U n i v e r s i t y, material that turns solid when so many people listen Fullerton.

“I was very dry and is used to our president and interested in to make statues accept what he’s journalism for of fossils.

“The story of saying is true when it’s a long time, but the internet and human beings is obviously false.” other things got very interesting in the way and to me. Where I thought that it we came from, CHARLES FOGEL w h e r e w e ’ r e East Los Angeles College professor was time to leave journalism,” said going. The whole Fogel. thing is the most Fogel talked interesting story about the allegations that President on the planet,” said Fogel.

F o g e l g r a d u a t e d f r o m t h e Trump has toward “fake news University, of Michigan in 1989 media.”

“I can’t believe how so many with a bachelors in general studies.

Twenty years later, he got a people listen to our president and master’s degree in mathematics at accept what he’s saying is true when California State University, Long it’s obviously false,” said Fogel.

Executive assistant Barnes to retire after four decades of service intermediate clerk stenographer.

But Barnes’ first years at ELAC Staff Writer weren’t just work and school; there After 44 years of service at East was also love in the air.

“I came here and I met my Los Angeles College, Olga Barnes will bid farewell to the campus husband while I was a student in a community at the close of this tennis class,” Barnes said. “There was tennis courts semester. where the [stadium] It was in the fall of parking structure is, 1971 when Barnes “She’s a good and that’s where we first stepped foot onto ELAC grounds, friend and she’s met.”

In 1975 they just a few months just there if you were married, and a after graduating need her. It’s couple of years later from Garfield Senior High School in East gonna be really, they had their first of three children.

Los Angeles. really, really hard From there, As a student here, Barnes continued to she was a legal to see her go.” hop around campus secretary major, a from one job to fitting field-of-study another. having learned CATHY MEDINA She worked in shorthand and typing Senior secretary what was then called at Griffith Middle faculty support for School. the admissions Her employment history on campus began when office.

“Back at that time, everything Barnes got hired as a student worker in the president’s office, a job she was typewriters,” Barnes recalled.

“Back then, it was a center, like held on to for a year.

Soon after, she got a temporary a typing pool, and they would do job as an intermediate clerk all the typing of the exams for the typist for plant facilities, and was faculty and type out the syllabus.”

One of the most exciting eventually promoted to work in community services as an opportunities presented to her was

BY DORANY PINEDA

in 1984 when ELAC hosted the field years, said that beyond teaching her hockey games in the stadium for the everything there is to know about Summer Olympics. her job, Barnes also taught her how “I worked part time with the to be a kinder person. college and “ I c o u l d n ’t worked full have asked for a time with the better person to Olympics… I work alongside,” was the executive Medina said. assistant to the “She’s a good director for field friend and she’s hockey before the just there if you games,” Barnes need her. It’s said. gonna be really, When the r e a l l y, r e a l l y games started, hard to see her she worked go.” as a personnel But although assistant.

Barnes is sad to “That was a leave a job she very good job. If really loves, she anyone ever has looks forward an opportunity to resting, to work with the crocheting, Olympics, it’s an spending time Olga Barnes awesome job.” with her five Following grandchildren, several more promotions, Barnes and seeing more of her favorite finally settled into her current and singer. final job as executive assistant to “I’m a Tom Jones fan, so I plan to then President Ernest Moreno in attend as many concerts as I can,” 1994, whom she worked with for Barnes said, who looks forward to 20 years. seeing him in May in Chicago.

Senior secretary Cathy Medina, “I love his voice. I’m a true fan.” who has worked with Barnes for 17 It was never unusual for someone www.ELACCampusNews.com

to walk into the President’s Office and hear the voice of Tom Jones coming out of the speakers on her desk.

As she reflects on the many years

she’s worked here, Barnes ends with this statement: “I hope to continue the friendships which have come my way during my time at ELAC...

People retire, memories do not.”

䔀䰀䄀䌀ᤠ匀 一䤀一䨀䄀 圀䄀刀刀䤀伀刀 䌀漀洀椀渀最 椀渀 䄀瀀爀椀氀 漀昀 ㈀ ㄀㠀

䈀礀 瀀愀爀琀椀挀椀瀀愀琀椀渀最Ⰰ 礀漀甀 栀攀氀瀀 猀甀瀀瀀漀爀琀 瘀椀挀琀椀洀猀 漀昀 猀攀砀甀愀氀 愀猀猀愀甀氀琀⸀ 䘀漀爀 洀漀爀攀 椀渀昀漀爀洀愀琀椀漀渀Ⰰ 猀攀攀 䔀䰀䄀䌀 䄀琀栀氀攀琀椀挀 䐀椀爀攀挀琀漀爀 䄀氀 䌀漀渀攀

6

Arts

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

Holidays celebrated with a little jazz

BY JORGE VAZQUEZ Staff Writer Starting the jolly month on the right foot, the ELAC Jazz band held a holiday jazz concert Friday.

The concert took place in the S2 recital hall and was free to students and community members alike.

It was Jazz Ensemble Director Bobby Chavez’s first show in his new position. Last year, he was assistant director to Bob Dawson.

Chavez went from lead trumpet in recitals last year to conductor and director this year.

The Jazz Ensemble performed timely and traditional songs such as “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Silent Night,” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

A few songs in the program featured impressive solos.

Trombone player Tom Manasian gave a mellow yet groovy performance during his solo on “Christmas Time is Here.”

Another solo feature that stood out was from trumpet player Paul Litteral on “Silent Night,” who did the holiday-time classic justice.

Aside from instruments, the Jazz Ensemble had two student vocalists, Marilynn Melissa Ramirez and Angelene Storey, who performed “Have Yourself A Merry Little

Christmas” and “Santa Baby,” respectively.

Halfway through the concert, a Jazz Combo collective within the ensemble took the reins for three songs.

The Jazz combo consisted of alto Jorge Amezcua, tenor Ivan RomeroBautista, pianist Stephan Alvarez, guitarist Gilbert Chinn, bassist Jonathan Rivera, and drummer Carlos Maroquin.

During their three songs, they all had their own individual solos, but Alvarez and Maroquin stood out the most with their performances.

Maroquin showed his creativity and rhythm skills in the song “Four” by walking around the drum set and using different parts of the drum frame to make the sound he needed, which got a shocked and impressed reaction from the audience.

In “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” Alvarez set a reflective and joyous, yet somber tone.

He also displayed his dexterity with his quick scales and use of almost all 88 keys.

After the Jazz combo, Chavez introduced special guest Jazz and Opera vocalist Sylvia Boyd.

Boyd hails from Detroit, Michigan and has more than 15 years of experience as a jazz singer.

She has performed at the

Edinburg Jazz and Blues Festival in Scotland, as well as this past summer in the musical “When Divas Were Divas,” portraying Jazz singer and four-time Grammy winner Sarah Vaughn.

Boyd’s elegant, soulful, and showy performance of “Merry Christmas Baby” created new fans in the crowd.

Toward the end of the program, Chavez mentioned the eleventh song would be the last song, though there were twelve.

He then charmingly joked that the twelfth was a “forced encore,” which got a laugh from the audience, keeping with the playful feel of the concert.

The eleventh song, “Feliz Navidad” featured all three vocalists which had the crowd clapping along to the beat.

Boyd then finished the concert by taking over vocals on “Jingle Bells,” after the Jazz ensemble bowed and received a standing ovation.

Post-show, Bobby Chavez said his ensemble did great and he wanted to encourage students to enroll in a new class.

The Musical History of Mexico, that will be offered spring 2018.

He then ended the concert with a simple “Feliz Navidad!”

CN/RUSSELL ZAZUETA

FELIZ NAVIDAD— Jazz and Opera vocalist Sylvia Boyd (left) and student vocalist Marilynn Melissa Ramirez sing the classic José Feliciano song.

‘Lend Me A Tenor’ delivers big laughs

BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer Quick dialogue mixed with chaotic scenes make ELAC’s Theater Arts department’s rendition of Ken Ludwig’s “Lend Me a Tenor” hilarious and enjoyable.

The play takes place entirely within a two-room hotel suite in 1930’s Cleveland. Designed by ELAC Theater Arts staff Tesshi Nakagawa, with the assistance of Mio Okada and Katherine Cordero, the set was beautifully crafted and sprinkled with decorations reflective of the time.

Garrett Witzl plays Max, an assistant to Henry Saunders (played

by Jacob Cohen), the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company.

Later in the evening, an Italian opera tenor named Tito Merelli is expected to perform the lead in Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Otello.’ As the dress rehearsal approaches, however, Merelli is nowhere to be found.

Cohen draws immediate laughs from the crowd with his commanding voice and did an outstanding job at conveying the nervousness over the missing star to Saunders’ sold-out play.

Maggie, played by Samantha Megan Atilano, is the daughter of Henry Saunders and Max’s occasional girlfriend. Max is visibly jealous as Maggie affectionately recalls the time when she met Tito

CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA

REST IN PEACE— Actor Garrett Witzl as “Max,” left, tucks Christopher Barajas as “Tito Merelli” into bed to rest before Tito’s show.

Merelli. As the show nears and Tito is still a no-show, Max believes that Maggie would accept his marriage proposal if he performed the lead role in Tito’s place.

That option is met with laughter from Saunders, who rapidly lists all the reasons why that would be a terrible idea. Cohen’s performance

quickly drifts from calm to enraged, which was enjoyable to watch.

The play is elevated to another level as Tito Merelli (played by Christopher Barajas) enters the stage with his wife Maria (played

by McCall Cadenas). Both actors command immediate attention as they barge into the hotel room

while arguing passionately with each other.

The scenes between Witzl and Barajas are endearing and the physical comedy between both actors is a particular crowd-pleaser.

The play skillfully turns chaotic as Maria demands Tito take his medication for an upset stomach,

while Saunders tries to convince Tito to go to the dress rehearsal.

The scene quickly gets even more chaotic as the bellhop, played by Arthur Armenta, pops into the room in order to meet Tito.

Armenta’s performance as the bellhop was a crowd favorite, frequently receiving loud bursts

of laughter from the audience with his physical comedy and erratic mannerisms.

The chaos intensifies as actresses Diana (played by Gabriela Maldonado) and Julia (played by Zadie Cannon) also do their best to meet Tito. The best moments of the play are when all eight actors interact with each other simultaneously. The cast does a great job at conveying that chaos without getting too out-of-hand.

The rest of the play is filled with one hilarious misunderstanding after another. It is a joy to see all these interactions carefully choreographed within these two rooms.

Some of the scenes transition beautifully using lighting and sound. In a scene that featured Tito sleeping, the lights on the stage slowly dimmed to darkness with the only visible light coming from the window of the hotel.

The attention to detail is specifically noticeable with the sound, the best example being the sound of a person’s voice emitting from the telephone during conversations.

Overall, ELAC’s Theater Arts department did a wonderful job with their adaptation of Ken Ludwig’s “Lend Me a Tenor.”

Directed by Vanessa Mizzone Pellegrini, “Lend Me a Tenor” will be showing at the P2 Proscenium Theatre December 7, 8, and 9 at 8:00 p.m. and two matinée shows December 8 and 10 at 2:00 p.m.

Final arts lecture of semester features ceramics

BY JORGE VAZQUEZ Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.JOANTAKAYAMAOGAWA.COM

TIPPING POINT— Whiteware piece by ceramic artist and professor, Joan Takayama-Ogawa, created in 2008.

Skilled ceramic artist and professor Joan Takayama-Ogawa was the last to lecture for the fall as part of the visiting artist lecture series held by the Art Department.

Takayama-Ogawa’s experience and expertise stems from her family’s involvement in ceramics, that reaches back six generations, as well as her extensive educational background.

Most of the inspiration for her ceramic work, whether it be a statement or decorative piece, comes from her love of the environment and her stance on political matters. She also mentioned her family being relocated to internment camps

during World War II having a big impact on her work.

She also spent 12 years working with the Rose Parade and has her work on display in museums and at friend’s homes around the world.

One of the pieces from her Tea Tower collection, however, was destroyed on September 11, 2001 during the terrorist attacks.

Takayama-Ogawa earned her Bachelor of Arts in Geography at UCLA, her Master of Arts in Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and received her ceramics education at Otis College of Art and Design.

“Study English, History, Art History, Science, Biology, use it all,” said Takayama-Ogawa to the group, as different aspects of her education can be seen in her ceramic pieces.

www.ELACCampusNews.com

Takayama-Ogawa stressed the fact that students should live their lives but should always get their education. “Education will get you places. Take a break, grow up, but get your education.”

She then admitted she was 30 years old when she created her first piece to show the group that age doesn’t matter when it comes to education.

“Artists need to be leaders and leaders need to be artists,” she concluded.

The series began in September with guest speaker, painter, drawer, printmaker, and animator Stas Orlovski. In October, ELAC welcomed painter, sculptor, and installation artist Shergin Guirguis.

The Art Department is budgeted each year to allow five speakers, three in the Fall and two in the

spring, said Assistant Professor Christine Frerichs.

The last two speakers are still unconfirmed for the spring semester, but the Art Department is looking to invite a photographer and art historian/art critic, said Frerichs.

Each lecture is about an hour long and the artists provide insight into their individual artwork, their education, and their diverse upbringing.

After the lecture, the floor is open to questions to allow studentartist interactions.

The lecture series is open to everyone with an interest in the trade and work of the guest.

“The events are free and meant to enrich our campus environment,” said Frerichs, encouraging students to attend the lecture series.

Arts

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

7

Speech Team performs award-winning selections

BY GISELLE PALOMERA

the selection.

Using speech she painted a picture of a cold 55-foot concrete Members of the East Los Angeles wall separating two nations using College Speech team presented examples of the Berlin Wall and award-winning performances using the Great Wall of China. Gonzalez comedy, poetry, rhetoric, drama and mentioned the separation of East wit to engage the audience into their and West. individual topics on Monday and She gave various examples of Tuesday. why Trump’s plan Among the topics for a wall would fail highlighted were and become a bigger D o n a l d Tr u m p ’s problem.

“This showcase is Wall, the lack of Gonzalez said that important because diversity in the although she is not it really shows what Science Technology undocumented, she we are attempting Engineering and still fears for her to do with pieces or friends and family Mathematics program, being speeches... but also that do not have legal cheated on in what potential there status. a relationship, Undocumented is for students here American military people came to on campus.” intervention in this country to Ukraine, and being a be, “undervalued, stay-at-home father. separated and DAVID HALE Director of Forensics Student Kaitlyn overworked,” Gonzalez used Gonzalez said. poetry as a vehicle In her selection, to convey messages m o c k i n g Tr u m p , G o n z a l e z about Trump’s rhetoric and plans to compared Mexicans to dirty, brown build a wall. water.

She used imagery and symbolism Trump, she said, makes them feel in her performance which included like that is all they are: “the dirty some of the president’s famous brown water that floods the pearly Tweets and examples of other white streets.” nations that have built walls.

Gonzales motioned at herself and “A nation without borders is not said that her and her people have a nation,” Trump said on Twitter in been seen as savages throughout July 2015. history.

Gonzalez used many of Trump’s Giving off the impression that she quotes and Tweets against him is the furthest thing from looking and added a dramatic essence to like the ‘savage,’ Native Americans

Staff Writer

CN/GISELLE PALOMERA

POWER IN WORDS—Hernando Perez (left), Richard Hu, Jonathan Tapia, Charlotte Yang, Maya Origel and Peter Lopez Bolanos, members of ELAC’s Speech Team, excitedly await their turns to perform in the Proscenium Theater on Tuesday. that Trump describes during his rallies.

Other members of the speech team presented their award-winning selections using comedy and rhetoric.

They used lines from quotes and articles or videos to convey their message.

Student Arthur Kozloyan presented his selection on the lack of attention and recognition that the Armenian Genocide receives.

Kozloyan believes the Holocaust

has always been recognized because of the severity of the event and events leading up to it, but the Armenian Genocide remains under acknowledged.

He said that more people need to admit the genocide happened and that it was a significant event in history.

Student William Kunkle spoke on the topic of American military intervention in the Ukraine.

He used ethos to establish his credibility and state why America

should not get involved.

Using past wars as examples, Kunkle aimed to convince the audience that America should not intervene in Ukraine because it will further intensify the tension between the U.S. and Russia.

Student Kimberly Catalina Sanchez performed her awardwinning selection about past relationships and the trauma that came with finding out she was her boyfriend’s “side chick.”

Student Eddie Diaz presented

an award-winning selection on the topic of being a stay-at-home father and the troubles that parents face with their first child.

The Speech Team used various tactics to persuade the audience and to inform them of various topics.

“This showcase is important because it really shows what we are attempting to do with pieces or speeches...,” David Hale, the director of forensics, said.

“But also what potential there is for students here on campus.”

Student finds passion for writing

BY MELODY ORTIZ Staff Writer

CN/ JOE DARGAN

FOLLOW THE LEADER—InstructoR Samvel Chilingarian carefully directs the Strings of

ELAC during a performance of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” in the S2 Recital Hall on Thursday.

Strings of ELAC fill hall with music

BY JOE DARGAN Staff Writer Violins, violas and cellos dazzled the crowd during the string recital led by instructor and violinist Samvel Chilingarian on Thursday in the S2 Recital Hall.

Joined by pianist Dr. Lucy Nargizyan, the group initially performed in sections according to the instrumentalist’s skill level.

The Beginning String Class opened the event with a performance of the holiday classic “Jingle Bells,” written by James Lord Peirpont in 1857 and originally named “The One Horse Open Sleigh.”

Jingle Bells was followed by classics like “Old Macdonald Had A Farm,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s version of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and folk song “For Pete’s Sake.”

Next up was the Pre-Intermediate String Class, which performed Joseph Haydn’s theme from “London Symphony,” William Billing’s patriotic anthem “Chester,” Allen’s “Song For Anne” and “America the Beautiful” written by Samuel A Ward.

When the pre-intermediate group was done, the Intermediate String Class brought Johann Sebastian Bach’s “March in D” to life, followed by folk song “Long Long Ago.” After the first three groups performed, solo violinist Mayra

Meza delivered a rendition of their performances, the Advanced Haydn’s “Concerto in G” that String Class performed Pyotr Ilyich showed promise, but fell short of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite.” perfection.

The advanced class played with The performance suffered from a an added hint of professionalism. few off-key notes.

The extra hours were evident in “I’ve been playing seriously for their execution of the music. about four years. It started as a The recital was capped off with hobby, but now I’m thinking of it an inspiring performance of Ludwig seriously.

Van Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy” by “I may move on to teaching the entire ensemble, known together and doing as The Strings of something in ELAC. the community “I’m a violinist l i k e a n o t - “When I’m on the stage myself. I went for-profit through all of the and it’s me and the program,” training and I love piano, I can enjoy the passing it on,” Meza said.

Meza was music more. It makes Chilingarian said. followed by “These are me feel better.” solo violist people that Simiao Xiao, played a little bit who prefers to and maybe they be called Doris. stopped or they SIMIAO XIAO Xiao was always wanted Student Performer scheduled to to play but didn’t perform Franz have a chance.

S c h u b e r t ’s “Now they’ve “Arpeggione Sonata” but performed come to the college level and A l e x a n d e r K o n s t a n t i n o v i c h started playing an instrument and Glazunov’s “Elegie” instead. that’s a very commendable thing for She had a non-ELAC related anyone,” Chilingarian said. audition scheduled soon and wanted Though the performances were to get some practice in. not perfect, the level of difficulty Xioa’s performance was the best certainly warranted applause. of the night. The notes were spot on.

Upon completion, the crowd “When I’m on the stage and showed its appreciation with a it’s me and the piano, I can enjoy thunderous standing ovation. the music more. It makes me feel The String Department’s next better,” Xiao said. concert is on Thursday at 8 p.m. in When the soloists finished the S2 recital Hall.

Like many college students, former East Los Angeles College student Joshua Castro, 30, enrolled without any idea of what he wanted to do.

“I just knew I was supposed to go to college after high school,” Castro said.

However, after the first two years of general education classes and other subjects that peaked his interest, Castro found his passion for writing.

He writes and performs his original lyrical poetry and short stories.

Castro’s work has been published in ELAC’s Milestone magazine.

He has also performed in multiple open mics and talent shows.

He recently participated in the talent show hosted by the Adelante First Year Experience.

He performed an older piece he spent years perfecting.

He performed that same piece, “One Night Stand Jose,” in a previous talent show hosted by the Visions Club.

“The first time I performed it at the other talent show, I was very inexperienced, so it didn’t go over too well,” Castro said.

The first time Castro was published was in the Milestone magazine.

He said he was excited when he learned the work he submitted had been accepted for publication.

He said, at the time, “the illusions were still there.”

He expected the publication to boost his writing career and opportunities quickly.

Though it didn't turn out that way, Castro says that writing is a passion he will keep pursuing.

One of the pieces he submitted was titled “My Afternoon with Dominic,” which was inspired by a letter Castro once received from a date.

Instead of replying with another letter, Castro decided to reply with this short story.

Castro realized his love for writing in 2010 after returning from a trip to Paris.

“That must have got my creative juices flowing because when I came

www.ELACCampusNews.com

back, I just started writing...it turned out that I had a knack for it,” Castro said.

Castro was first inspired by author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

He watched a documentary and learned Fitzgerald was 23 when he was first published.

As a 23 year old at the time, he saw the film, Castro immediately became eager and hopeful.

Castro has been taking part in open mic events across the LA area for the past two years.

JOSHUA He focuses on contemporary style work and gets his inspiration from his and others’ experiences.

But Castro has not produced any new work.

He has instead kept himself busy with his relationship, work at the Arcadia library, and editing and perfecting older writing.

He struggles with getting himself to sit down and write.

“Devoting time to writing is where I suffer the most,” said Castro.

He has submitted his work t o d i ff e r e n t places and is waiting to hear back.

He plans to keep pursuing success in writing and performing.

CASTRO Castro’s work in the Milestone can be purchased in ELAC’s student store or checked out in the campus library.

8

SPORTS

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017

CN/JOE DARGAN

ALL BY MYSELF—Freshman guard Nick Hart (2) uses the glass to score two of his 21

points after creating separation from the Southwestern defenders at the Citrus Invitational in Glendora on Saturday.

CN/JOE DARGAN

JUST OUT OF REACH—Freshman center Solomon Hunt (35) shoots the floater over the outstreched arm of a Southwestern defender on Saturday at the Citrus Invitational in Glendora.

Solid defense leads to double-digit victory for basketball

BY JOE DARGAN Staff Writer Men’s basketball capped off the Citrus Invitational with a 76-62, thumping of Southwestern College on Sunday.

From the opening tip, East Los Angeles College’s ball movement was crisp, scoring the first two baskets of the game.

After a brief scoring exchange, ELAC’s Coach John Mosley, who has over 20 wins in each of his previous four seasons as the Huskies’ head coach, called an early timeout to settle his team down.

The timeout served its purpose as the team promptly went on an 10-2 run over the next three minutes.

A combination of staunch defense and unselfishness lead to a score of 17-6 with 12 minutes to go in the

first half.

Focus soon gave way to complacency.

The Huskies began to miss easy shots around the basket, reaching on defense instead of moving their feet, leading to fouls and free-throw opportunities for Southwestern.

ELAC freshman guard Nick Hart and Southwestern freshman guard Quincy Ferebee traded multiple baskets midway through the first half, including a three pointer for Hart and a couple of made layups while being fouled by Ferebee.

Though the score was 31-13 in favor of ELAC, Mosley took another timeout to remind his team what was important.

“Don’t bail them out shooting quick shots. All they want to do is drive to the basket. We need to make sure we get back in transition.

Keep the ball going downhill,”

we need a score. I’ll do whatever it Mosley said.

Coming out of the timeout the takes to win,” Solomon said after team returned to its former glory, the game.

F r o m H a r t ’s moving their floaters in the feet on defense lane to sophomore and moving the “The most important g u a r d R o b e r t ball on offense.

Whenever the thing for us to do is play Fuller ’s timely outside shooting, team needed a b i g p l a y t o defense and rebound the t h e H u s k i e s c o n t i n u e i t s ball and everything else extended the lead o 45-26 with momentum, will take care of itself.” tseven seconds to freshman center go in the half.

Solomon Hunt, Southwestern who provided inbounded the 21 points, was JOHN MOSLEY Head Coach there. ball to Ferebee, He provided who swiftly ran the ball down the skillful, inside moves to the basket while also court to hit an elbow jumper as the blocking and altering shots on the buzzer sounded making the score 45-29. defensive end.

Southwestern came out of the “I feel like it’s my obligation to come through for the team when locker room at halftime with lots of

energy but had trouble putting the ball in the hole.

The Huskies pressed the pace with three straight scores under the basket, forcing a speedy second-half time-out by the Jaguars.

Immediately following the timeout, Hart, who finished with 21 points, stole a cross-court pass in Southwestern’s backcourt.

He was fouled as he darted toward the goal.

He made the layup, but couldn’t convert the extra point.

“The most important thing for us to do is play defense and rebound and everything else will take care of itself,” Mosley said.

With 14:44 to go, the lead had ballooned to 59-35, ELAC. That’s when Southwestern began to fight back with full court pressure.

Southwestern tightened up its defense and began to limit ELAC’s

second chance points.

With better all-around team play and the help of sophomore forward Emilio Arellano’s inside scoring, including a transition dunk that sent Southwestern bench into a frenzy, the Jaguars went on a 22-7 run over a seven-minute span.

The score was 65-57 with 7:37 left in the game. That was the closest they would get.

The Huskies went on a 9-2 run that culminated in a heart-breaking three-pointer by Fuller with three minutes left in the game to extend to a 15-point, 75-61, lead.

After a couple of free throws were made by both teams, the final score was 76-62 in favor of ELAC. The team is now 7-2 heading into the Riverside Tournament against Mt. San Jacinto on Thursday at 1 p.m.

A season worth forgetting for six wins in women’s soccer

BY NOE ORTEGA Staff Writer East Los Angeles Women’s soccer ended a season to forget with an overall record of 6-11-3.

ELAC ended in last place with zero wins, six losses and two draws in the South Coast ConferenceNorth play.

The Huskies played its last game of the season on November 10 with a 2-0 win against Compton College with two goals from freshman forward Breanna Sandoval.

Out of the 20 games played, the Huskies scored 23 goals and had 91 shots overall.

Freshman midfielder Vanessa Torres and sophomore forward Stephanie Galvan played 17 out of the 20 games.

Galvan was ELAC’s top scorer with seven scored and one assist overall. Though the Huskies came in last place in the conference, two ELAC players were ranked in the top five for most shots in the SCCNorth.

Galvan ended the season with 33 shots and came in second, while sophomore forward Jennifer Toledo ranked third with 30 shots.

ELAC head coach Tessa Troglia mentioned in an interview with ELAC Campus News, after a 1-0 loss to Pasadena City College at

Sports Briefs

home on Nov. 3, that the problem they’ve had this season is finishing.

In the eight conferences games played, ELAC lost four of them by one goal averaging 4.5 shots a game.

ELAC’s defense had a difficult time this season as they received 49 goals in the 20 games played which is an average of at least two goals a game.

ELAC’s biggest wins both came in October with a 4-0 win at Los Angeles Harbor College on the 13th and a 3-0 win at home against Long Beach City College on the 24th both being cross over matches.

The Huskies’ toughest defeats also came in October when they lost 7-0 against conference rivals Pasadena City College on the 6th and against Cerritos College 6-0 on the 17th. Both loses took place at home.

The Huskies had a small upgrade from last season’s record of 2-12-7 in 21 games played.

Freshman goalkeeper Julia Rivera played the most games, 14, with 974 minutes played. Rivera had 49 saves in 13 games played and averaged a goal a game.

Rivera was also one of the top five goalkeepers in the SCC-North play with the most saves and save percentage.

Nine sophomores have played their last season for ELAC.

CN/NOE ORTEGA

MAKE WAY—Sophomore forward Jennifer Toledo (9) turns on the jets to outrun the Chaffey College defender at Weingart Stadium on October 6 in a 7-0 loss.

Baseball preview Baseball looks to regroup after finishing 16-24 last season.

Many of the team’s players are returning students. Its looking for a strong start at the College of Desert tournament on January 26 at 2 p.m.

Softball preview The sophomorefilled softball team will see its first action on January 30 as it looks to perform a repeat of last year’s victory away against L.A. Mission College at 2:30 p.m.

www.ELACCampusNews.com

Women’s basketball The team looks to bounce back from a loss to Palomar College on Sunday and get back to its winning ways against Oxnard College on December 12 at 6 p.m.