Volume 71, Issue 12
Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
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Helping Hands Non-profit organization started by former ELAC student prospers Erik Luna Staff Writer In protest of high tuition, students from East Los Angeles College pitched tents in front of the campus and occupied the school two years ago. Through this protest, former ELAC student Esperanza Ortega went on to create The Hook-Up Resource Center in Montebello, which was started to help students in need and expanded to help veterans. Starting from a humble list of 20 clientele, Ortega and her partner William Valenzuela, a Marine veteran, were able to expand their client base to more than 500. “We realized that there were some students that were homeless and so we decided… to open up a place for them. Somewhere they can come out and get clothing, get help getting shelter and hygiene products,” Ortega said. The center is a non-profit organization that gets help from various organizations such as Goodwill of California, Volunteers of America, People Assisting The Homeless and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). Since its inception last year, the center has received computers from the YMCA to assist in tutoring and also food to give out every Thursday. “We used to start out with brown bags with sandwiches, string cheese basically a lunch,” Ortega said. “Now, we have gotten to a point where we give away large bags of food every Thursday.” According to Ortega, the center has now implemented a food pass, in which every time someone receives food they get a hole punched in their pass. Ortega said it’s a necessary step to maintain order during those busy days. With plans to expand to an East Los Angeles location by summer, Ortega and Valenzuela are juggling a huge workload. Along with giving food out every Thursday, The Hook-Up was able to provide 80 families with a Thanksgiving meal this year. Ortega and Valenzuela offer their time to Care Ministries, a non-profit organization based out of El Monte, in exchange for food they can give out at The Hook-Up. Students from Pasadena City, Cerritos, and Rio Hondo colleges, as well as ELAC, volunteer at the center to tutor elementary, middle school and high school students. For more on this story, visit www.elaccampusnews.com.
Speech team presents award-winning speeches Forensics Association Fall Championships at California State University, Long Beach. The team now find itself The East Los Angeles College showcasing there work from these Speech Team will present speeches tournaments to the community. honored with awards from In total, six students and coaches tournaments around California at Ryan Smith and J. Edward “An Evening of Comedy, Drama Stevenson will perform speech and Poetry” in the Proscenium selections, many of them either Theatre tomorrow. original works The Speech or published Team attended work from “We are thrilled to the 2013 established offer this opportunity writers. Wa t s o n - L a n c e r Invitational to the community. For the entire tournament semester, the We know it’ll be on Oct. 27 at speech team interesting, thoughtPasadena City was building up College. provoking and speeches and ELAC’s Speech selections for create interesting Team was ranked “An Evening conversations.” among the top six of Comedy, teams. This is out Drama and J.Edward Stevenson Instructor of the 20 colleges Poetry.” from all over the “We are country. thrilled to The students participated in the offer this opportunity to the competitive speech tournaments, community. We know it’ll be the 2013 Robert Barbera interesting, thought-provoking and Invitational and the 2013 Ray create interesting conversations,” Dahlin Invitational, both taking Stevenston said. place in El Cajon and California “We want to create an opportunity State University, Northridge for the ELAC community to (CSUN). experience and share the awesome The team will be attending the work of the ELAC Speech Team,” 2013 Pacific Southwest Collegiate Stevenson said. Diego Olivares Staff Writer
News News Briefs Briefs
Final Exams
Splattering the ‘germs’ The Vincent Price Art Museum celebrated the end of the fall semester with artist Jaime “Germs” Zacarias demonstrating a live painting asking questions about his art and his style. Zacarias’s work has been on display at “La Luz de Germs” in Hoy Space at VPAM since Sept. 10. The live event also featured DJ Alter spinning music as guests mingled among each other. “La Luz de Germs,” will be closing on Saturday. The VPAM is open throughout the week except for Sunday and Monday. For more information and museum hours visit vincentpriceartmuseum. org.
ELAC students Raul Herrera, Gordon Ip, Sarah Naab, Alberto Mireles, Carlos De La Torres and Nicholas Montero will perform during the event. Some of the pieces are forensics pieces, which is another name for individual events. “The reason people do forensics is mainly to express their ideas and/or concerns toward society,” De La Torre said. The pieces that the students selected are very personal ones. The team members feel that their pieces not only express their interest, but express themselves as artists. “It allows them to not only drastically improve their communication skills, but it also gives them a medium through which they can express themselves,” De La Torre said. Through this event, the Speech Team hopes to make it a night of entertainment for everyone attending. Their objectives are to raise funds to help support the team for future time. “An Evening of Comedy, Drama and Poetry” will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 if purchased in advance on the web site Vendini. com.
Final exams will start on Monday and continue through Dec. 15. For more information on final exam dates and times, visit elac.edu/schedules/ fall2013.htm.
Campus News will not print during winter session
Campus News will publish stories online at elaccampusnews. com. For more updates ‘Like’ Campus News on Facebook and follow @ELACCampusNews on Twitter and Instagram.
CN/Jesus Figueroa
Corrections:
In Issue 11 of Campus News Megan Razzetti and Gabriela Gonzalez were both spelled incorrectly in Campus News.
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Opinion
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
Extra credit is not a right
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
Luis Vasquez Staff Writer
As the semester comes to an end, East Los Angeles College students are often overwhelmed by finals, in a desperate attempt to enhance their grade students are often faced with the dilemma of looking for help from professors, should professors hand out aid for those who seek it? Or are their hands tied for they have done enough to help their students? Finals week approaches, this is usually the time during the semester where students attempt to find a way to improve their grade by any means nessesary. Students often find themselves visiting a professor during office hours and begin by requesting the status of their grade. To some this discussion ends with a positive outcome, having earned an A in the class. It is now evident that their time and effort did not go to waste for they have yielded the best grade they can earn. For others, the professor informs them they have academically fallen behind and are in danger of either failing the class or barely getting by with a minimal passing grade.
EDITORS IN CHIEF Erik Luna Lindsey Maeda MANAGING EDITOR Liliana Marquez ONLINE EDITOR Freddy Monares ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITOR Brian Villalba
A sense of desperation kicks in, faced with failing and having to repeat the class having been on both sides of the fence. Some students ask the professor if there is any extra credit available in the class. Their desperation is evident. However they are limited to what they can do. The professor cannot aid the student’s attempt to improve their grade. The student then leaves the meeting furious, often criticizing the professor for not offering anything to improve their grade.
Students guilty of this act cannot accept the fact that they only have themselves to blame and shouldn’t fault the professor for putting them in this position. Psychology major Rosa Gonzales said, “It’s a hard thing to admit but it’s the undeniable truth, the grade you receive is the grade you deserve. Sure, everyone faces obstacles throughout the semester, but you have the entire semester to formulate a plan in which you can ask the professor for help, not wait until the end of the semester.” At the beginning of the semester, the professor usually hands out a
syllabus in which students become aware of the grading rubric as well as whether or not there will be an opportunity for extra credit. Students should be aware of these opportunities. Students should not treat extra credit as if it is a right and realize that the professor generously hands out extra credit at an appropriate time in the semester to help students in need. Professors do not want to see a student fail the course. However, the professor is limited in what he can do.The semester is long and tedious. Time and effort
must be exerted into a course to be awarded a good grade. It is not the fault of the professors that their students chose to fall behind academically. Some students misinterpret the word extra credit. They feel they are entitled to it and feel they can ask for it whenever they best see fit. However they are wrong. If a professor chooses to grant the class with extra credit, they do so in order to see his students flourish in the classroom. The consequenses of procrastination bear bitter. Students are awarded the grade they earn.
Students should prioritize enrollment Diego Olivarez Staff Writer Last minute class enrollment could cause serious problems for students, including stress and lack of getting into the classes of their choosing. By the time school comes to an end, students want to leave their classrooms and go on vacation. The last thing on their mind is staying in school, especially after finals. Students make the mistake of putting off enrolling in classes, even those applying to school for the first time. The enrollment process at East Los Angeles College can surprise students. If a student were to wait before enrolling in classes and decide to do it only weeks before the school semester begins, many clasees
would already be full. Soon after, students scramble to look for replacement classes. Yet these classes either need a prerequesite or are not on their education plan. Usually students are unable to apply due to a busy schedule. Work and other personal commitments get in the way. Sometimes, student feel pressured by these commitments and forget about enrolling in classes. Years ago, while attending classes at another college, I was overwhelmed with my summer classes. As a result, I forgot to enroll for the following semester until the last day possible. I was then placed on a waiting list for all the the classes I was interested in adding. Luckily, I was able to get into my classes but there could have been the chance that the class would not
be available. Based on past experiences, there are ways to avoid this. Students should stay on top of the enrollment periods for each semester. They should mark this as a reminder on their calendar or personal notebook. Also, create an education plan with a school counselor and schedule an appointment with a counselor to discuss their school schedule. By doing this, students could have their entire school schedule planned out from start to finish. They will know what classes they should take. This would also save them the trouble of getting classes which they do not need. No student should waste their time enrolling in classes they dont need. Students should be on-top of things when applying to classes, and make sure that they don’t stress out.
Social interactions in school Freddy Monares Staff Writer
The student body at East Los Angeles College should be used as a support group for one another because most students are going through similar experiences. Interacting with one another with substantial topics for conversation can help students put goals into perspective and can help the psychological state of another student. In April 2010, the United States National Library of Medicine published a study to measure happiness entitled, “Eavesdropping on Happiness: Well-being is Related to Having Less Small Talk and More Substantive Conversations.” The study recorded 79 undergraduates with an Electronically Activated Recorder(EAR). The digital audio recorder tracked real-world behavior by periodically recording ambient sounds while participants went about their daily activities. The findings of the study showed that “happy life” is related to social
interactions rather than being isolated from a population. Furthermore, that lifestyle is associated with substantial conversation opposed to superficial talk such as, “The weather is nice today.” The interaction over Facebook and text messages between cellphones is deemed sufficient to most, but lacks the face-to-face necessity for human beings. The sharing of emotions when present with another person does something different from sending emoticons to one another over the Internet. The troubles of transferring and meeting deadlines are a common topic on community college campuses. Students should be able to find at least one other student in any given class who is in the same situation as theirs. Aside from the counseling office, this is another resource for students to take advantage of. Conversations with substance, such as transferring to a university, act as motivators and allow students to hold other students with similar goals accountable. Another student who may have experienced the same problems may be able to solve relatable issues
encountered while transferring to a university. Students at ELAC are surrounded with a plethora of other students who share similar goals of transferring to a university. ELAC students are all in a similar boat, trekking through the unknown sea of upper-level education. Aside from helping one another with the transfer process, students can find support groups in other students. Pressures of balancing work and family are also common for any college student. Finding another student who is willing to listen to important problems acts as therapy and allows one to vent frustrations. Students with no guidance and no one to motivate them on their journey to higher education can fall off track. Students should be able to confide in other students to listen and use one another as their support group for troubling issues. Having a fellow student with you through the process of transferring and balancing college life will help alleviate the pressures of the college experience.
Teachers must give finals at appropiate time Alejandra Carillo Staff Writer The semester is finally coming to an end. Although the jolly feeling of the holidays is building up, students at East Los Angeles College are stressing over finals week. Finals week is meant to be on the last week of school to give students sufficient time to study all the material from the beginning of the semester, but some teachers start giving finals a week or two before the semester is over. Sure, teachers want to spend the holidays with their families or go out of state as well, but should it be at the expense of the student’s grade? Think about it, students are expecting the finals to be on the last week of school and suddenly, the teacher surprises them with the final before it is expected. The student might have not finished studying all chapters of the book or all math problems that were covered meaning their grade
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probably won’t be great. Students need a proper amount of time to review everything covered throughout the semester. A hurried attempt will result negatively. If a single student is planning to go out of state to spend time with their family, the teacher wouldn’t give the test a week early to please the student, so why should the teachers be allowed to do that for their own pleasure? Some of my friends’ teachers gave their final this week with only a few days notice and some thought it was not fair, but said that other students in class were okay with it. If a teacher is planning on giving the final before it should be given they should at least warn the students in the beginning of the semester if not weeks before finals week. Students should let the teachers know whether they are prepared or not if the final is given before it is meant to be given. There is no reason why a student should sacrifice their hard work all semester long just to have it be torn down by the final given before they were prepared.
FRONT EDITOR Danny Vasquez OPINION EDITOR Luis Vasquez NEWS EDITOR Jesus Figueroa FEATURE EDITOR Liliana Marquez
ARTS EDITOR Sergio Berrueta SPORTS EDITOR Diego Linares PHOTO EDITOR Manny Miguel COPY EDITOR Augustine Ugalde CARTOONISTS Bryan Pedroza Anthony Tran STAFF Carlos Alvarez, Alejandra Carrillo, Dulce Carrillo, JC Casarez, William Hernandez, Yesenia Martinez, Diego Olivares, Laura Parral, Ruben Perez, Ricardo Pimienta, Evelyn Sanchez PHOTOGRAPHERS Tadzio Garcia, Danny Vasquez, Jesus Figueroa ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT Stefanie Arocha DISTRIBUTION Augustine Ugalde ADVISERS Sylvia Rico-Sanchez Jean Stapleton
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Arts
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
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One Direction infuses pop-rock stylings on ‘Midnight Memories’ Ruben Perez Staff Writer
ELAC Music Department brings in the holiday season Joining the orchestra will be the Wilson High School Band under the direction of conductor Brian Hollet. The performance will be held at 8 p.m. at the S2 Recital Hall. The ELAC Jazz Band will be playing Christmas classics in full effect to close out this season’s series of First Friday Jazz Concerts that started in October with the Patrice Rushen Trio. The band will be joined by ELAC alumni vocalists Angelene Storey and Joseph Arquette and special guest saxophonist Justo Almario on Dec.6 at 8 p.m. at the S2 Recital Hall. In the spirit of the holiday, admission will be free to all. ELAC’s Chamber Chorale and Chamber Choir, along with St. Bede the Vernerable Choir and Pianist Dr. Lucy Nargizyan, are presenting “Handel’s “Messiah (Part I)” & Christmas Carols” on Monday at 8 p.m. under the direction of conductor Dr. Anthony Lupica. The ELAC Chamber Chorale and Chamber Choir will also perform alongside St. Bede Orchestra and Choristers at St. Bede the Venerable Church in La Canada on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Sergio Berrueta Staff Writer
East Los Angeles College’s Music Department is celebrating the end of the semester and the holiday season with four winter concerts to ring in the Christmas spirit. French singer/songwriter Eric Vincent will be performing on Wednesday evening at the Ingalls Auditorium giving Elans a window into his legacy as a musician. Vincent is an artist who blends folk stylings with touches of jazz into a unique brand of rock that is all his own. Vincent has performed throughout the United States at various colleges and around the world from the Opera of Hanoi in Vietnam to the Opera of Manaus in Brazil. On Thursday, the ELAC Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Samvel Chilingarian, is holding their winter concert. The orchestra is due to play classic standards such as Ravel’s “Pavane” and Strauss’ “Thunder and Lightning Polka.”
Indie theater gives art films audience
Reading Rockets
Diego Olivares Staff Writer The Downtown Independent is a prime example of art-house cinemas in Los Angeles. This is a place where people who are passionate about cinema can go and experience. It is a reminder of once popular art-house cinemas, something that is slowly passing by like a memory. M a n y y e a r s p r i o r, w h i l e blockbuster movies began dominating theaters, more nontraditional films were having their screenings in more small theaters known as art-house cinemas. Art-house theaters were known for featuring an alternative to what Hollywood films had to offer. The films screened at these theaters were known as “independent art films.” These films were made for very little money, usually without any help from Hollywood. They have few to no movie stars, lack a conventional storyline and examined weird, yet realistic subject matter. For many years, art-house theaters played in many selected parts across America, mostly New York City and Los Angeles. While these theaters and films never really got embraced by the general public, they were able to find an audience in the niche market. In recent years, advancement in technology has endangered arthouse theaters. In these days of digital downloading and sites like Netflix, it becomes very easy to watch all kinds of movies including independent art films. This has cause many art-house theaters not to be around anymore. Few are hard to find in Los Angeles. The most popular being the New Beverly located on La Brea. Located near downtown Los Angeles, the Downtown Independent showcases these art films for audiences interested in seeing them. The theater used to be known as the Arrow Theatre. The Arrow Theater first opened its door for
Pop superstars One Direction ditch the bubblegum pop for a more adult-contemporary sound on “Midnight Memories.” Their previous two albums featured pop anthems and ballads. “Midnight Memories” doesn’t stray too far from that same formula, but it also features a more mature sound. The 18 track disc starts with hit lead single “Best Song Ever,” an energetic, feel-good pop track that will have listeners in the mood to dance. “Story of My Life,” the album’s second single, is a beautiful acoustic ballad. The track is an autobiographical heartbreak song. It was written by all five members, which indicates they all went through heartbreak at some point in their lives. “Diana,” one of the album’s standout tracks, brings on a true pop/ rock anthem. The quintet channels their inner The Police sound. “Midnight Memories,” the album’s title track features groovy guitar licks, leading into a peppy pre-chorus and a shoe stomping chorus. It’s a very different sound, but it works. It will remind fans a bit of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N Roll” and Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” The quintet has been touring nonstop and are household names. It’s only fitting that the album
features a track titled “Don’t Forget Where You Belong.” They’ve met a lot of fans, been traveling around the world, but they haven’t forgotten where they’ve came from. The track is aimed for a more mature audience, but it’s still teen friendly. It has a Bon Jovi feel to it, it will definitely be a crowd pleaser during their live shows. “Through The Dark” and “Happily” are two of the strongest tracks on the album. They give One Direction a chance to channel their inner Mumford & Sons sound. Regardless of the listeners opinion on Mumford & Sons, you’ll really enjoy both of the tracks. There’s a different story told on every track whether it’s heartbreak, traveling the world or dancing to the “Best Song Ever.” One Direction is very popular among tweens, but when it comes to their music there isn’t an age limit. They write songs that inspire people, make them feel good and can even brighten-up a dark cloudy day. “Midnight Memories” is One Direction’s best album to date. Not only will it help catapult them to a new level of pop stardom it also helps them experiment with new music genres. The holiday season is upon us; this album will make a great stocking stuffer. “Midnight Memories” is now available via iTunes and local record stores.
Youth Literacy Program at the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library
The Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library is seeking
commi�ed tutor interns for the Spring Session of the Reading Rockets Youth Literacy program, which will begin on February 3rd, 2014 and end on May 22nd, 2014.
COURtesy of DownTown IndEpendent
Southern California audiences back in 1925. “It used to be called the Linda Lea Theater (in February 1945)” says Bri Frazier, a manager projectionist at the Independent. “This only is as it is, before that, it was a theater showing Japanese films.” Says Frazier. The Linda Lea Theater ran until 1985, when it closed its doors to the public. It wasn’t until 2007 that the Downtown Independent was born. Construction for the Downtown Independent started in April, 2007. The converting of design of the Linda Lea Theater to that of the Downtown Independent was a task in itself. The look of the theater is a steelcube shaped, covered in a sleek glass design. The theatre also houses 222 stadium seats, as well as 16 reclining sofa seats. In addition, the theatre also has space for live performances and a nice rooftop that allows for wonderful views of downtown Los Angeles. The Downtown Independent soon opened its doors for a new generation on December 1, 2007. The Downtown Independent offers many different kinds of art films. This ranges from ‘90s cinema, cult classics and import cinema. The theater also holds midnight
screenings for audiences. For many filmmakers who make low-budget films, they find it hard not just making their films, but finding distributors them as well. Many distributors in Hollywood tend to handle mostly Hollywood blockbusters. The Downtown Independent offers filmmakers the chance to rent the theater for public screenings. This is something very useful for filmmakers struggling to get their films shown. “It’s definitely more inspiring to see people be more resourceful,” Main Manager Gustavo Aldana, who has a background in film studies, said. The theater uses mainly digital projection to screen their films. Yet, for their midnight screening, the theater uses classical 35mm film prints. The theater also shows recorded acting theatre from across the country. The Downtown Independent is a unique art-house theater that continues to keep the memory of art-house cinemas alive. It gives independent filmmakers a chance to screen their works of passion, all the while keeping to that art film spirit; the spirit of thinking outside the box. The Downtown Independent is located on 251 S. Main St., Los Angeles.
This na�onal award‐winning literacy interven�on program is open to children in 2nd through 6th grades who need extra help with reading. Tutoring sessions address reading, literacy and academic skills and take place every Monday though Thursday from 3:00‐ 5:30 PM.
Successful tutors will be punctual, dependable, comfortable working with children, energe�c, pa�ent and enthusias�c. Tutors must commit to a�ending all sessions. Bilingual speaking ability in Mandarin or Cantonese is preferred. The library provides tutors with all necessary training and materials. Tutors will be selected through a compe��ve process and a s�pend will be available to tutors who successfully complete the Spring Session. Tutor applica�ons can be found on AAEDE’s website at aaede.org. In partnership with
Monterey Park
Bruggmeyer Library
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For more informa�on contact Diana Garcia, Reading Rockets Coordinator, at 626‐307‐1358 or email at dgarcia@montereypark.ca.gov or Jose Garcia, Senior Asian American Library Literacy Clerk, at 626‐307‐1251 or email at Economic Development Enterprises, Inc. jgarcia@montereypark.ca.gov
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SPORTS
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
Hoopsters topple 5th-ranked San Bernardino Tadzio Garcia Staff Writer
CN/tadzio garcia
AIRBORNE—With three other Huskies anticipating a rebound, Aaron Cheatum, No. 20, glides up for two points and a 55-43 lead in a 87-75 win over Ventura College.
S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a ’s N o . 6-ranked men’s basketball team, East Los Angeles College, stunned No. 5-ranked San Bernardino Valley College, 53-46, at the Pasadena City College Tournament on Friday. The Huskies went undefeated in the tournament. “East, East, East,” echoed during each game when the Huskies slammed, blocked or converted on fast-break opportunities and backdoor plays. The Huskies take on Moorpark College (2-5) in their first home game tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the men’s gym. It will be a Toys for Tots men’s basketball benefit game. If you donate a toy, your admission will be free. East Los Angeles College’s defense controlled the tempo against
San Bernardino. After 15 lead changes and 15 ties, the Huskies began an 8-0 run off a three-point play by Zach Hinton. San Bernardino had one last gasp left, cutting ELAC’s lead to three with Keith Smith’s three-pointer with 6:01 minutes left in the game. Smith scored a team-high 15 points bringing the Wolverines to their feet. Aaron Cheatum went on to score five of the Huskies next seven points to seal the victory. ELAC also beat No. 9-ranked Ventura College in the tournament on Sunday and the Occidental College junior varsity team, 88-58 on Saturday. ELAC has averaged 44.2 rebounds per game throughout the season, which is fourth best in the state among community colleges, and hold their opponents to 38 percent shooting, sixth best in the state. Of those rebounds,
the Huskies have averaged 17.3 offensive boards per game, which is fourth best in the state. Cheatum, Hinton and Davian Wilson were named to the AllTournament Team. Cheatum led the team as he totaled 50 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots throughout the tournament. Hinton added 28 points, 35 rebounds, five steals and three assists. He had a double-double in the win over Occidental JV. with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Wilson added nine assists, four steals and a blocked shot. “Last year was a special team, but we had leaders and had a drop. This year we are several deep.” said Head Coach John Mosley. The men’s basketball team has a four game win-streak after opening the season with two losses, and now stands 4-2 overall.
Undermanned cross country team produces down home stretch Tadzio Garcia Staff Writer Seven men remained on the cross country team after the Huskies lost more than half of their team by the second week of the semester due to injuries, grades or not applying on time. Against all odds, East Los Angeles College qualified to compete in the state finals for the second consecutive year with a team of only seven runners. Gone were the team’s 2012 top runner Andres De La Cruz and several other runners, including two that would have been of the team’s fastest runners. De La Cruz was named Outstanding Freshman at the 2012 SCC finals, after placing fifth. “Kudos to the guys who stayed with the team, they worked hard
through the season and qualified with ELAC because (Trade Tech) f o r ( t h e p o s t s e a s o n ) S o C a l would be running too slow,” Husky Championships and the state finals,” All-American Gonzalo Ceja said. Head Coach Louis Ramirez said. The coach was standing near The Huskies overcame a host of the ELAC team. “We all heard it. obstacles to qualify They followed for the postseason. his advice and The first stop didn’t run with “Kudos to the guys was the South me because I who stayed with the Coast Conference beat their entire team, they worked Championships team that day,” hard through the on Nov. 1 in Long Ceja said. season.” Beach. The SCC The Huskies is the toughest stunned Trade Louis Ramirez conference in the Tech by one Head Coach state with four point in the ranked teams. state finals. “We screamed and “We knew we had to beat jumped when we found out. Every Pasadena (City College) at the second we ran mattered,” Ceja said. SCC finals, but we had our eyes ELAC lost to Trade Tech by set on LA Trade Tech (College) 483 points at the SoCal Preview in just before the race began. A Trade September. Tech coach told his team not to run Sophomores Ceja and Kris
Chacon led the Huskies throughout the season. Ceja was named to the 2013 SCC All-Tournament Men’s Team running a lifetime best 20:32 minutes and taking sixth place. Chacon ran a personal best 21:19 in the SCC finals and almost topped that in the state finals. Sophomore Andrew Torres ran in the all-important No. 5 spot, the final scoring runner, when it counted most at the SoCal Championships and the state finals. Returning to the team next year are Cristian Flores and Jessie Bonilla, who were the No. 3 and No. 4 runners for the Huskies. Bonilla ran his fastest race of the season in the state finals. Also returning to the team are Luis Requelme-Colin and Rene Flores.
CN/tadzio garcia
world class finish—ELAC’s Jesse Bonilla runs the final stretch mid-season next to Anthony Carrasco of Victor Valley at the worlds largest cross country meet, the Mt. SAC Invite. Carrasco edged Bonilla by less than a second.
Women’s cross country changes the face of ELAC sports Tadzio Garcia Staff Writer
Seventeen weeks is all it took for a Husky to change the face of sports at East Los Angeles College. And it happened for the second time. Laura Aceves, a freshman from the women’s cross country team, became All-American and won three gold medals this season, including an individual state championship. “A state champion will be a draw for the women’s team in recruiting. Regardless, we’ll be fine, nothing hard work wouldn’t remedy,” Assistant Coach David Loera said. In 1985, Sylvia Mosqueda also won a state individual title, the SoCal championships and followed that up by winning a conference championship. ELAC was on everyone’s radar by the end of the cross country season. “I heard people at meets mention, ‘the East LA team, the East LA
runner,’ during the season and all the way to state. It was nice to hear people in the crowd talk about ELAC cross country,” ELAC men’s leading runner Gonzalo Ceja said. Competing in the South Coast Conference, the toughest in the state with four ranked teams, was not a problem for the Huskies. The team’s regular season ended with wins over Pasadena City and Long Beach City colleges in the SCC Championships on Sept. 8 in Long Beach to qualify for the postseason, the SoCal finals. The injury-plagued women’s cross country season ended at the SoCal Championships. “We were excited to run at SoCal. I ran and got injured, but pushed through to the end in pain because I didn’t want our season to end. When it did, we still congratulated each other for a great season,” ELAC runner Ruby Padilla said. The Huskies’s goal now is doing well at state next year. “We will get to state next year with work
and determination,” Husky Lupe Yanez said. The Huskies competed in the world’s largest cross country meet, the Mt. San Antonio College Invite. The team was trying to establish itself as a contender for postseason. They did their job with one of their best results of the season beating ten teams. To do so, Aceves, Yanez, Brianna Lewis, Melissa Preciado and Karen Almaraz all ran personal bests at that point in the season. Gone next year will be Lewis and Karinna Toribio. “It was an exciting experience to run for ELAC,” Lewis said. Padilla returns along with Yanez, Annai Jimenez, Sandy Bautista, Amy Herrera, Cindy Escamilla, Preciado, Ivonne Rodriguez-Dircio and Almaraz. Aceves will also return. “She is an ideal student. We only had to tell her something once. It was her drive and hard work that built a champion,” Head Coach Luis Ramirez said.
Water polo finds solid foundation after a long hiatus Tadzio Garcia Staff Writer
The water polo team brought back the sport to East Los Angeles College, endured a season with only one home match out of 30, and ended the year with awards. Christina Burrola was named to the All-South Coast Conference First Team last week. Irene Young and Veronica Orantes won All-SCC Second Teams nods. “I am proud of the team. They built a foundation for ELAC water polo in the 21st century,” Head Coach Erik Matheson said. The freshman-laden team lost www.ELACCampusNews.com
two of their top players in Denise Burrola, who moved when the season began and Orantes who was injured in the latter part of the season. The Huskies were 3-1 in close games. They beat SCC rival Pasadena City College, 12-10 in overtime, on Nov. 7 to qualify for the SCC finals tournament. ELAC also beat Pasadena 12-9 for their first win in over 10 years on Sept. 7. They lost to Rio Hondo College in the fifth place semifinals in the SCC finals tournament on Nov. 9 at Pasadena. ELAC avenged a season-opening loss to LA Trade Tech College with an 18-15-overtime win in the
Chaffey College Tournament on Oct. 19. ELAC adjusted their game plan to take the second meeting against Trade Tech. Trade Tech returned the favor and double and triple teamed Burrola and Young in a 17-6 win over ELAC in the seventh place match of the SCC tournament. “They knew I was an outside hitter and (they) were all over me,” Young said. The entire team is eligible to return, although some could transfer to four-year universities before next season. “We worked as a team. We will bring this advantage into the swim season,” Husky Alice Zheng said.