NEWS
FEATURES
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Conference held to point out the importance of fatherhood
Five international students attend ELAC to play soccer
Students display talents at recital
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Volume 73, Issue 6
Club invites students to participate in health fair BY JACQUELYN V. GONZALEZ Staff Writer The Kinesiology Club will host a health fair Oct. 27 that will focus on suicide. This event is being held in response to the two deaths that occurred on campus over the past few weeks. According to Vice President of the Kinesiology Club Ryan Astengo, the fair will feature speakers from the Health Center and the Veterans Center along with East Los Angeles College clubs such as ELAC Students for Political Awareness, National Alliance on Mental Illness and The Association of Future Firefighters. Resources and information regarding mental health programs offered both on and off campus will also be available at the information table. “The purpose of this fair is to bring a sense of unity to not only students, but to the entire Husky family,” Astengo said. Astengo, along with others in ELAC’s health department, believe that students are not made aware of the mental health resources they have available on campus. “Both our Men’s and Women’s Centers, as well as our Health Center need more exposure. Our counseling and psychology departments need to be put out there,” Astengo said. The Kinesiology Club’s goal is to make certain that the community and students are aware that there’s always somewhere they can go, no matter what their situation is. There are suicide prevention crisis lines available to people in various aspects of life. For example, among these crisis lines is The Trevor Project which is available to LGBTQ Youth and can be contacted 24/7 at (866) 4887386. Other suicide prevention crisis lines are the Veteran’s Crisis Line, which is available to U.S Vets and can be reached at 1-800-273-8255 and the Trans Lifeline which is available to transgender people nationwide and can be reached at 877-565-8860. Though this fair is hosted by the Kinesiology Club, Astengo would like to remind students that this is not an event targeting kinesiology students. The fair will be held in the Men’s Gym (C1) between noon and 2 p.m. All Elans as well as ELAC clubs are invited and encouraged to participate in the fair and Kinesiology Club meetings that are held Tuesdays at noon, in the same location, Astengo said. Those interested in participating can contact the Kinesiology Department at elackinclub@ gmail.
News Briefs
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Wednesday, October 21 , 2015
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genuine about others, always wanted everyone to be happy .... She had such charisma. Everywhere she would go, she would make someone smile.” “She was always really
-Daisy Garcia
Prospective student dies at 18 on campus
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BY MEGAN G. RAZZETTI Staff Writer
elly Virginia Murray, was found at East Los Angeles College’s Parking Structure 4 Oct. 11 at 4 a.m. Although Murray, who lived near campus, was not a current student at ELAC, she planned on majoring in psychology and was registered for the 2016 spring semester. Murray was known to her best friend of 10 years, ELAC student Daisy Garcia, as a person who was full of laughter, love and encouragement. “She was always really genuine about others, always wanted everyone to be happy,” Garcia said. “She had such charisma. Everywhere she would go she would make someone smile.” Her personality embodied that of an old soul from another time and she was interested in old lifestyles, fashion and music. She usually dressed in unique vintage style clothes while maintaining an afro hair style to complete her signature look, Garcia said. “Her style, she (Murray) would tell me, is like an old lady and hippy style,” Garcia said. “She loved dressing vintage and loved the hippy style with bright colors and flowers.” Murray was known to find her outfits at thrift stores and even knew how to sew. Along with vintage fashion, Murray enjoyed drawing and also did some modeling for a time. Murray and Garcia met each other in 2006 when they were in catechism class at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. NELLY VIRGINIA “Nelly was in third grade and I was in fourth and she really wanted to be my friend,” Garcia said. “Our older sisters were friends, so they introduced us and ever since me and Nelly created an irreplaceable friendship.” It was also during this time that the girls gave each other nicknames. Garcia was named “Flower” and Murray “Rapper” because of her hairstyle. Garcia also shared the girls’ first high school dance together when Garcia asked Murray to her high school homecoming dance. “It was the first dance we both went to and I was the first person to ever take her to a dance,” Garcia said. “We had a perfect night.” At this time there are no set funeral plans, but a donation site has been set up at gofundme.com/r76e5vmk to help Murray’s family cover expenses. Born March 18, 1997, Murray is survived by her parents Ken and Ena and three older sisters: Elizabeth, Donnette and Ena Marie.
Community resource fair S.A.A.V.E. is having a community resource fair today from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the D3 walkway for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For more information call (323) 265-8654.
MURRAY
Sexual health A group discussion about sexual health provided by ELAC is going to be in the S2 Recital Hall today from 5-7 p.m. For more information contact Ryan Hernandez at LCTAELAC@gmail.com.
Funds raised to support Syrian refugees BY ELIZABETH TOY Staff Writer The English as a Second Language (ESL) Club and English Department hosted a fundraiser for Syrian refugees Saturday at the Belvedere Park picnic area. The event had more than 150 guests to enjoy food, games and raffles in order to raise awareness for Syrian refugees of the ongoing civil war and made more than $4,000. Assistant professor and ESL adviser, Khetam Dahi is from Syria and took a significant role in organizing the fundraiser. “I wanted to do a fundraiser but I was kind of afraid,” Dahi said. Initially apprehensive, Dahi said, “I feel like a lot of people don’t have the money to give and I didn’t want to overburden them. Also, being the only Syrian, I felt I would be begging.” Both Dahi and her husband, Ayham, have family members who are still in Syria. “Some of them made it and some of them, we don’t know,” said Ayham. “My immediate family, so far, (is) staying (there), but they are looking for a way out because they know there’s no future. It’s not safe and the situation is getting worse by the day.” Despite her initial doubts, Dahi was surprised to find donations for the Syrian refugees in her inbox the next morning. The response was so positive that she had already collected $1,400 even before the fundraising event. “Our fundraiser was also an effort to inform our students about this dreadful crisis. We wanted our students to be caring world citizens, and to enlighten them to the plight of the Syrian people. The fact that we raised over $4,000 at the fundraiser is living proof of how caring and compassionate our ELAC community is,” English Department Chairperson James Kenny said. Attendees competed in potato sack races, volleyball and badminton games before participating in the raffle. Among them were ELAC faculty, professors, ESL Club members and students. “Miss Dahi mentioned in the classroom about what happened in the news about a lot of people dying every single day because they are trying to escape from Syria,” Vice President of the ESL Club and student Joanuen Llamas said. Maxim Atalla and Benny Guardado of Los Domingos Mexican Restaurant generously catered the event, donating tacos, chips, salsa, rice and beans for lunch. All proceeds from the fundraiser will be given to the World Food Program, a U.N. Organization that will deliver food to those affected by the conflict. To make a donation online to help the Syrian Refugees, go to wfp.org.
Halloween Parade
The Child Development Center is planning to have a Halloween Parade Oct. 29. Departments interested in participating need to contact Deborah Glickman by Friday at glickmd@elac.edu.