Spring 2012 Issue 12

Artist Farrah Karapetian creates photograms See page 6

Volume 68, Issue 24

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents

Elans to face aftermath of cuts

By VERONICA HURTADO and EDGAR LOPEZ Staff Writer Fall semester has not started, yet faculty and students can expect a leaner class schedule, a lack of supplies, and a possible reduction in student services and in studentworker positions if budget cuts are worse than anticipated.

“The budget situation is very fluid,” East Los Angeles College President Tyree Wieder said. She also said that ELAC’s expenditures are not in sync with their allocation budget. The numbers had changed over the last week.

Although there are still budget uncertainties for the 2012-2013 year because the college has not finished assessing the impact of the Governor’s ballot initiative, Wieder presented the best and worst-case scenarios for ELAC during a budget review meeting. At best, the school would cut 1,720 hours or 573 classes. At worst, it would lose 2,460 hours or 820 classes.

She also said ELAC’s allocation for 2012-2013 is $76 million with expenditures of $84 million under a worst-case scenario. To make up for the difference, ELAC would have to dip into its reserves of which only $2 million of $11 million will be released by the Los Angeles Community College District.

To prioritize spending, two tiers were developed. The school will work toward spending funds on tier one over tier two. Tier one lists expenditures on regular faculty and staff, benefits, classroom supplies and classes to meet fulltime equivalency students. Tier two listed books and library materials, non-instructional supplies, needed staff replacement, student workers and refilling the reserves.

Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development Renee Martinez said, “Unfortunately (ELAC), like many other colleges in the state, will not know the results of the November election to assist us for the plans for winter and spring classes. Therefore, we have to make two plans – one with existing budget cuts and possible additional cuts.

Three weeks ago, ELAC departments submitted their final section offerings for the fall semester after receiving the Enrollment Management Committee’s proposed

Introduction, higher-level courses cut from main campus, South Gate

Photo Illustration by LINDSEY MAEDA

reduction hours.

The EMC is a composed of a selected group of faculty and administrators who recommend how the college should cut sections to meet student demand and budget constraints.

The EMC developed a rubric that gave departments points if they met student success criteria. Those with less points would have the greater cuts.

Some of the criteria in that rubric was the number of degrees, certificates, special skills they offer, the number of requirements each class fulfills and if they are cohort programs.

P a t r i c k H o u s e r, c h a i r o f administration of justice and member of the EMC said, “There were several measures that were used, but student demand was a big issue. The necessity of those

programs to complete a degree, or transfer or get a certificate and other measures, is based on student success.”

As a result of that criteria, most academic departments were cut less than most of the career technology education departments.

While departments understood the necessity of cuts and the reasons behind cutting unevenly, departments with less cuts thought

Mayor honors women’s basketball

By WILLIAM HERNANDEZ Staff Writer After a historic season, the women’s basketball team was honored for their success by the Monterey Park community, receiving an award of recognition from Mayor David Lau last Tuesday.

“It was an honor receiving the award,” said Head Coach Bruce Turner. My first year of recruiting, and all the high schools around ELAC didn’t even know we had a basketball team.”

The 2011-12 season was one to remember for the Huskies, as they had their most successful season in the history of the program.

They advanced deep into the playoffs, losing in the regional finals to Mount San Antonio College while posting a record 24 wins and seven loses.

After six seasons of average success, Turner credits the two transfers in this year’s team, Keyana Johnson and Jamie Robinson, for finally putting his squad over the hump.

To g o a l o n g w i t h the Huskies successful conference play in which they had a 12-4 record, they dominated since the beginning of the season.

They went up north and won the Mendocino and Cypress tournaments and beat teams that were favored to win. At one point during the season, the Huskie players knew they had something special going on Sophomore point guard Keyana Johnson said about winning the Mendocino tournament: “Just watching in practice as well as in the games, when we were beating

the teams that were ranked higher, I opened my eyes and knew we had something special going on.”

The 2011-12 season was filled with accolades that aren’t erasable such as the South Coast Conference scoring title that was won by Johnson. She will be playing for a Division II program next year at Grand Canyon University.

Johnson, in addition to winning the scoring title, was named to the South Coast Conference First Team and First Team California Community College Athletic Association that Johnson says has “set the tone” for her upcoming career at Grand Canyon.

Along with the team’s cohesive success, six Huskies received scholarship offers in addition to

“I opened my eyes and knew we had something special going on,” Keyana Johnson

Johnson. Sophomore forwards Jamie Robinson, committed to Arkansas Tech and Francis Ordonez will play at Cal State San Marcos.

Turner also spoke on the sense of accomplishment of not just getting his team to be successful on the court but off it as well. Sophomore guard Roxanne Cardona played volleyball while maintaining a 3.8 grade point average.

Vivian Torres was the only twoyear captain he’s ever had Turner said that his players are going to go on to be “very good citizens as well as students.”

“ELAC has been a great program, and to be a part of making good as well as history, it’s exciting,” Lau said.

There was a farewell gathering for Johnson, yesterday in the men’s gym. Johnson signed her letter of intent to play at Grand Canyon University.

the cuts were fair and were glad not to be further cut. Others in the same or lower level of cuts, recognized the committee’s efforts, challenges and faults.

So far, the school faces a total six-percent reduction of hours for the fall semester, but that cut varies by department from 1 to 22 percent.

It didn’t matter where in the spectrum of the cuts a department fell, they all said that cuts to courses are not good for the campus and most importantly, not good for students or those who work here.

For example, departments like Administration of Justice, English, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, and Social Science underwent lower reduction percentages. Their reduction varies within a 1 to 7 percent range.

Departments such as architecture, speech, theatre arts and broadcasting, foreign language, Chicano studies, life science, photography, counseling, journalism, philosophy, and arts were the highest reduced.

Their reduction percentage ranges within an 8 to 22 percent cut, creating discontent among faculty over the EMC’s process to determine the cuts.

Jose Ramirez, chair for the engineering and electronics departments said that it is good the school has an EMC because now the school will see where they are succeeding and areas they need to “beef up.”

“EMC is forcing the (college) to look at what programs they have, what classes are they offering, whether their students are transferring, and what is retention,” Ramirez said.

Walter Kangas, chair for the automotive department, and Faramarz Larizadeh, chair of the business department, said that they thought the cuts are fair and that everyone had to share the pain of them. They also acknowledged that under the circumstances the EMC was in, they did a good job.

Alan Tan Khuu, department chair for chemistry, also said the EMC had a fair, open process where faculty was invited to attend to discuss concerns.

However, those with the highest percentage cuts thought that the EMC’s rubric failed to consider the departments with students who are not seeking to transfer to a four-year

Due to the cancer that spread throughout her body, English instructor Genice Everhart died at the young age of 61 on April 16.

In her memory, the English department started a scholarship for English as a Second Language students, the Genice Everhart Scholarship.

It is a $500 scholarship that the English department awarded on May 10 at the East Los Angeles College Scholarship Foundation Banquet that took place at Steven’s Steakhouse.

Everhart was a full-time instructor in the English department for the English as a Second Language classes and taught at ELAC since about 1992.

Her love for ELAC began when she started as a substitute teacher a few years before.

“The attitude of the students and the faculty is very positive ... ELAC has always been one of my favorite places,” Everhart said in a Campus News article in March 1994.

Everhart had a real passion for the ESL students and was always very concerned with them.

Her students were always in the English department looking for her assistance and guidance.

“I love the variety among my

see BUDGET, page 3

see EVERHART, page 3

GENICE EVERHART

English instructor dies of cancer

By MEGAN PERRY Staff Writer

News Briefs First East Los Angeles Gay Pride

East Los Angeles College will be hosting its first Gay Pride event tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the S2 plaza.

Financial aid town hall meeting

To answer general questions about financial aid, the Financial Aid Office will be hosting a town hall meeting tomorrow from noon to 2 p.m. in the parking area behind the E1 Student Services Building.

Campus News

This issue will be the last issue of Campus News until the Fall 2012 semester. Visit us at www.elaccampusnews.com for more stories during the summer semester.

East Side Spirit and Pride Golf and Lunch

East Side Spirit and Pride will be hosting a golf and lunch event Friday, June 8.

Golfing will begin at 8 a.m. and lunch will begin at noon.

Individual presale tickets are $45 and $55 at the door.

Checks can be mailed to ESSP, 22287 Mullholland Hwy. #64, Calabasas, Calif., or leave a check with Susan Okawa in Administrative Services.

Those interested can call (818) 970-6651 for more information.

Corrections

In issue 23 of Campus News, Christina Burrola was misidentified as Denise Burrola. Rebeca Vega and Michael Price’s names were mispelled.

OPINION Required curriculum needs over haul 2

By MEGAN PERRY Staff Writer Every other school day, I walk into my earth science laboratory class to see bored students who don’t want to be there, but suffer through the class anyway because they must.

Before class, I can hear students griping and groaning about how much they hate the class, can’t stand the work and just wish it was over already.

As I walk to my seat, I see some students are on their phones texting their friends and snooping around on Facebook, while others sit with their palm holding up their chin and a blank stare on their face.

In a class that students are forced to take, the classroom environment is not a very interesting place to be.

This made me think: Why should students have to struggle through a class that they have no interest in and only take because it is required.

It doesn’t seem fair.

The students in a class which does not pertain to their field of study creates a dull environment.

If classes were filled with students who were actually enthused about the subject, classroom discussions would be much more engaging.

General education requirements at East Los Angeles College force students to take a variety of classes that are not a part of their major and seem to be a waste of time and money.

Budgets and classes are being cut, tuition prices are on the rise, yet the requirements to graduate or transfer stay the same.

Students have to fight to get a seat in a class they need for their major with others who only want the class to fulfill a section on the

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

G.E. requirement checklist.

Then once the students who only took the class to gain a check mark on their list find that they have no interest in the class and can’t stand the thought of another day sitting through a class that makes no sense to them, often end up dropping the class.

The student who dropped took a seat from another who might have actually been trying to major in that subject, forcing them to have to spend one more semester trying to finish the classes needed.

Why should a photography major

need to sit through a life science class, or why should an engineering major have to take a physical education class, and, well, why should most of us who hate to tough out a math class be forced to take it.

To me, this is a waste of time.

The price of an education is on the rise, and taking these extra classes to give myself a broad point of view to be knowledgeable in a number of different areas is costing me more than it’s worth.

Sure, taking a wide variety of classes could make me a more wellrounded student, but at what cost?

Trying to transfer and move on in life becomes difficult when I have to follow the structured curriculum, filling out a checklist along the way.

Having to take so many unnecessary and unwanted classes makes it harder for students to transfer.

Sure there are the skill certificates, which narrow the focus down to the major classes and allow students to limit their math and English classes, but that stops there.

Students cannot ride the transfer wave on merely a skills certificate.

Tuition prices are on the rise and

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012

this seems this only the beginning.

Cal State Universities are putting a freeze on the upcoming school year’s admissions, meaning they won’t be accepting new students.

There are a number of different obstacles in the way of trying to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree, and forcing students to fulfill a checklist just does not seem to make things any easier.

Now, I’m not arguing to rid the classes that I do not find entertaining.

I’m not trying to say that I don’t think people should take a number of various courses to gain a broader perspective of life and the real world, outside of school.

What I am trying to say is that we, as students should not be forced to take these classes that are not going to benefit us in the future.

Sure, I jumped around from subject to subject to explore and get a taste of what the other majors are like, but that is something I wanted to do; not something I want to be forced to do.

If it were up to me, I would change the G.E. requirements to focus students more on their major courses and not on subjects they lack enthusiasm for.

It would make for more engaging classes.

It would make the fight for classes easier, since students would only be trying to get into classes they need for their major and actually want to take.

When students really want to take a class, they excel in it.

So, let’s get with the picture and quit forcing students to take classes they don’t want, aren’t going to use and make school a place to take useful classes.

Let’s quit forcing students to waste their time resenting earth science lab classes, and others like it, and pump them out of community college and into four-years quicker.

G.E. requirements help improve oneself

By JERRY CASAREZ Staff Writer

A student must be willing to step out of their comfort zone and take classes that challenge the mind.

This helps develop a student into an intelligent person.

As I go through the day, I encounter a variety of people from different walks of life.

The one thing I usually look for is a good conversation when I meet new faces.

To me this is very telling about a person in general, not just someone who is in sync with the latest headlines of the local newspapers,

but someone who has a broad range of knowledge.

This is something I feel happens to the select few that choose to pursue higher education in their lives.

I understand that most students prefer to take the bare minimum of classes required to transfer, without having to engage in those that require you work hard toward a passing grade. As opposed to just earning an easy grade elsewhere.

The reality is that these classes and subjects that are disliked so much are actually good for the development of a person’s critical thinking.

It’s the reason so many students of today’s youth aren’t able to focus on anything worth talking about beyond what happened on

last night’s episode of the latest reality show.

I’m a firm believer in the saying “steel sharpens steel,” which means that if you want to be better at something you have to be challenged by someone who is better at it.

So why not apply this to those classes that are considered tedious and not useful.

Challenge yourself and make your weakness a strength.

So you don’t want to become a scientist or a math professor, but would it really hurt to actually take an interest while taking the class.

With the economy still not where it should be and the job market uncertain for many, why not add invaluable knowledge to your curriculum which could spark an interest in another subject.

Most students focus on what major they want to declare and in some cases know very little about the field.

Math, science and other classes serve a purpose because sometimes the spark an interest in a topic which otherwise would have went ignored.

A perfect example is a friend who swore she was committed to her major and having taken classes in that subject was all but ready to transfer when she discovered a passion for psychology while taking the class as a requirement.

Had the class not been an option of the transfer requirements, this wouldn’t have been possible.

As a result she has since changed her major in pursue of that degree when she transfers in the fall.

We may not all have the same

interests in topics but this is your chance at higher education.

The name of the game is learning.

Not every subject you study will be one where you are the expert or something that is easy.

Some students may not transfer to a four-year university others will, but we should all try to challenge ourselves while we have the opportunity.

With the rising costs of tuition and budget cuts inevitable every semester, why not take these classes before they are limited to a select few.

Challenge yourself and give your mind a chance to grow.

Not only will your mindset and topics of conversation improve, but so will you over time with your new found knowledge.

Tax initiative can help stop budget cuts EDITORIAL

Students at East Los Angeles College have seen rising unit fees, new registration restrictions, and now a $5-9 million reduction to the 2012-13 budget.

Additionally, the state has increased the cost to attend Cal State and University of California and added limitations on Cal Grants, and the punches keep coming.

Specifically, the changes that await ELAC students are significant.

In fact, out of the nine Los Angeles Community College District schools, ELAC is likely to be the most affected.

Students registering for the fall semester have encountered a sea of red lines swooping through course numbers, indicating the many cancelled classes.

About 395 sections have been cut for next year alone.

In response to these cuts and grievances, Governor Jerry Brown met with the California Federation of Teachers to propose a tax initiative for November.

Popularly called the “millionaire’s tax,” the increase will specifically target wealthy individuals making over $250,000 per year for seven years and implementing a one-

fourth cent increase on sales.

The expected revenue for the first year is $9 billion, somewhat settling the state’s $15.7 billion shortfall.

It is likely that most Elan families will never see an increase in their taxes, as the median income in Monterey Park is $55,210.

If this tax initiative passes on the November ballot, it could mean the road to recovery for college

budgets and regulation over fees and budgets.

Okay now comes the difficult part: Students have to vote for it.

Gov. Jerry Brown actually took college students into consideration when drafting a solution to the state’s overwhelming deficit.

Instead of raising tuition fees yet again for college students, he wanted to do the least amount of

damage to the middle and lower classes.

If the tax initiative does not pass, a $6 million automatic spending cut will go into effect, most likely targeting education, and Elans will have to suffer fewer classes in the near future.

One of the reasons why education suffers the harshest cuts in times of fiscal hardship is because students

www.ELACCampusNews.com

do not vote.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 21.3 percent of registered voters ages 18-24 actually voted in November 2010.

From this college demographic, 58.8 percent didn’t vote, and 33.4 percent aren’t registered to vote.

If the majority of college students don’t take the time to voice their opinions on the ballot, where it will count, then these grievances will not be resolved.

Conversely, from the overall population aged 45-64 making over $150,000 a year, 71.5 percent voted, and that figure rose to 72.3 percent for ages 65-74.

So guess whose voices are getting heard?

Or a better question might be, whose voices aren’t getting heard?

If students cannot go vote in person, they can send the ballots by mail.

Most importantly, students need to talk to their family and friends to give them a picture of the situation colleges are facing. Chances are they will sympathize the situation and vote for the tax initiative as well.

Students are tired of overcrowded classrooms, how hard it is to add a class, and sections getting cut. But if they don’t take active steps to make changes, no one is going to make them at all.

E l e c t i o n D a y i s Tu e s d a y, November 6.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Erik Luna MANAGING EDITOR Edgar Lopez ONLINE EDITOR Megan Perry* Tadzio Garcia* FRONT EDITOR Lindsey Maeda Jerry Casarez* OPINION EDITOR Ubalney Aviles NEWS EDITOR Amanda Mayberry Veronica Hurtado* FEATURE EDITOR Yesenia Martinez

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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.

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NEWS

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012

Budget: more cuts to ELAC affect students, faculty Continued from page 1 university.

Alison Davis, chair of life sciences said that in the case of her department, the rubric did not account for the fact that her students may not transfer out to a fouryear university, but to specialized schools like nursing.

Michael Hamner, chair of the Architecture Department also said the same for his students.

“So the highest standard in the EMC rubric is degrees, and we don’t convey that because our focus is to transfer students which have a huge and growing track record to the universities who offer degrees in architecture like USC, Woodbury, and Cal-Poly Pomona,” Hamner said.

The current cuts the Architecture Department faces puts in jeopardy the articulation agreements the department has with architecture schools, such as those of the University of Southern California, Woodbury University and the Southern California School of Architecture.

Although President Tyree Wieder said during a budget meeting that the EMC was tasked with deciding what classes help transfer-out students, Ramirez said in a separate meeting that the rubric does not reflect the complexity or unique attributes of career-technical departments, such as engineering and electronics.

“I want to include complexity in

a degree or how many students get a job with their degree, but they (EMC) do not want to do that,” Ramirez said.

“We know that some of the apples are already predetermined because everyone knows students need math and English.”

Robert Aaron Lyle, Chairperson of the Photography Department said “I feel that it is just natural that there are competing interests.

“I would really encourage people who are in the position to vote to be thoughtful about our students and our students’ needs, and to think outside of the box from the discipline they work in.

“If someone rates higher in the EMC’s rubric than us because they placed more students higher then they should. I’m not happy about it, but I understand and I agree with this. Yet, it is disturbing that we are cutting the programs that do not offer math or English because it’s essentially turning away students who are not interested in those fields,” Lyle said.

“Also, students are coming here with a degree and they are coming to learn a professional skill to help them in a job market and I don’t feel it is for us to say that their education is of less value,” Lyle said.

Some departments are losing more hours than others, but furthermore, some departments are cutting introductory-level courses at the main campus and South Gate campus, while some are cutting higher-level courses.

Foreign language, automotive technology and life sciences are

cutting introductory courses, while journalism and philosophy are reducing section offerings in the South Gate campus, and departments like Photography and arts are considering not just cutting introductory courses but also advanced courses.

Lyle said the department will be cutting at least one advanced class and one introductory level class.

There is a third and fourth section to cut, but the department has some interesting, challenging and painful decisions to make in that selection.

Lyle and other department chairs are having a hard time deciding how to best serve students, those who use introduction courses to meet University of California or California State University transfer requirements and those who need advanced classes to get ahead in their career.

Both students are important, Lyle said.

Houser, who’s department was cut one percent said “whether the cut is one class or anything, it causes a negative effect on the students who wanted to take that class. It’s one less class and that means that there is one less opportunity for a student that is interested in my discipline to be able to take a class. Even the lost of one class is significant to the students who wants to take that class. It means 40-45 students who will not have access to the class.”

For more information on this story, visit www.elaccampusnews.com

Everhart: English instructor dies of cancer at 61 Continued from page 1

students, because there are so many different countries represented here,” Everhart said in the same article mentioned earlier.

Everhart, along with Sharon Allerson, hosted an in-store fundraiser at the Chimmaya Art Gallery in December 2008 that donated the funds raised to the English Department Recognition Scholarship.

Chimmaya Art Gallery would donate 15 percent cash back toward the scholarship, which would benefit the ESL students who

applied.

Everhart was a long-time donor to the ELAC Scholarship Foundation for scholarships that would give back to the students who attended ELAC. She was willing to help those who were in need.

In the 1994 article, she said she liked to teach the ESL students because they seemed to be the most motivated.

She obtained a Bachelor’s in English at a small school in South Dakota, then came to California State University Los Angeles for her Master’s in ESL classes.

As she taught full time as an instructor at ELAC, she also taught part time at Long Beach City College concurrently.

Paulette Jaurequi, the English Department contact person, said that Everhart was a great woman who had a great passion for students.

“She was a great instructor. All of her students really loved her.

She did a lot for her students,” Jaurequi said.

Everhart has left her mark on the world with two scholarships and more than two decades of teaching English.

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CN/freddy monares

Cloudy with a chance of money 93.5 KDAY announcer, Tatu, along with makeitrain.tv, invaded East Los Angeles College last Wednesday to shower students with money. The TV website asked Tatu to pick a spot to film the show. Tatu said he used to sleep under the bleachers at the football stadium at ELAC and understands the struggles students go through. Naturally, he decided to come back to ELAC and give this opportunity to students.

Film industry uses campus

By DANNY VASQUEZ Contributing Writer East Los Angeles College hosted to the film industry a few commercials and public service announcements were filmed at various locations across the campus to raise money to compensate for the budget cuts.

A few areas that were highlighted were Weingart Stadium, the G3 auditorium and the swim stadium.

Last Wednesday, J.G. Wentworth filmed an internet commercial between the G1 administration building and the auditorium. The commercial took two days to film.

The most popular place to film was Weingart Stadium, where several celebrity athletes have stepped onto Husky turf. David Beckham used the stadium to film a commercial for the summer

Olympics last Tuesday.

Beckham also gave the athletic department a monetary donation.

Burnett said that this is not uncommon, as producers have given out donations to the athletic department, on top of paying the rental fee.

Not only is the campus used to promote sports and other commercials, but they’re also used for awareness of important causes and health-related issues.

Shriner Hospital, a children’s hospital, filmed in the swim stadium.

“They were filming children with devastating diseases and injuries who later became athletes. They’re filming a girl who had a spinal injury that became a diver,” Burnett said.

Celebrity athletes Clay Matthew, D e m a r c u s Wa r e a n d Wa l t e r West filmed a public service announcement for prostate cancer awareness at Weingart Stadium.

Event coordinator Ernest Burnett contacted studios to pitch East

Los Angeles College as a filming location by displaying pictures of the campus.

Producers must pay a rental fee to use the campus. Burnett said that every little bit of money coming in from the commercials helps. “All we can do is raise revenue for the budget cuts,” Burnett said.

Burnett said that he tries to schedule filming when class is not in session, so that students are not disrupted during class.

“My role is to help the students. I market the school. You kind of have to get the word out that ELAC has a beautiful campus, and with its budget shortfall, it’s a good combination, so we can help the students and faculty,” Burnett said.

Burnett said that ELAC is a beautiful and with the recent commercials being filmed on campus, students have something to be proud about. “I want students to take pride in their school; it’s a great school,” Burnett said.

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4

FEATURE

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012

Alumnus receives award for blog

By AMANDA MAYBERRY LINDSEY MAEDA Staff Writers Former East Los Angeles College student Jesus Sanchez received an award for Distinguished Work in New Media for his news blog, The Eastsider LA, from the Society of Professional Journalists on May 8.

Sanchez is editor and publisher of The Eastsider, which he started in 2009 after being laid off from his job as a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times.

This is the first award Sanchez has received for the work he does on his blog.

In previous years The Eastsider “At the time, ELAC had a really LA was named “Best Neighborhood good architecture program and Blog” by Los Angeles Weekly as they had a really good journalism well as the Times. program, which In June, is still run by Sanchez will Jean Stapleton. also be receiving Basically, recognition for journalism won,” his contribution to Sanchez said. online journalism He worked for from the Chicano ELAC Campus News Media News as page editor, staff writer Association. and editor in chief Sanchez attended until he transferred ELAC from 1977to California State 1980.

Long Beach to When he began continue his attending ELAC, JESUS SANCHEZ education. he wasn’t sure if He graduated he wanted to go and received his bachelor’s degree into journalism or architecture.

with a major in business and a minor in journalism.

After graduating he received an internship with the Times.

Not long after, he moved to Texas and continued to work as a journalist.

There, he covered community news for the Dallas Times Herald.

He made another move to Washington, D.C. where he worked as a business reporter for USA Today.

“Originally, that was the goal — to travel and cover business news,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez later made his way back to California where he acquired a job at the Times, and continued to cover stories for the business section.

He became one of the L.A. Times newsroom’s first online reporters.

“It’s a totally different medium,” Sanchez said about working online.

“In a way, it is better.”

Sanchez said that working on his online blog requires all the same skills as publishing on paper, but online has some advantages that working on paper does not.

He said working in print is more expensive and harder to distribute, and there’s no guarantee anyone will even read it.

“It’s better than paying a lot of money to publish a paper and leaving it somewhere for someone to pick it up, but no one’s picking it up,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said this is why he decided to publish news online.

It’s cheaper, faster and easier to distribute.

“We don’t take it too seriously.

T h a t ’s w h a t g i v e s t h e b l o g personality. We don’t have all the resources to do long investigative pieces,” Sanchez said.

He said he also recognized that, thanks to the Internet, the future of journalism is going toward online.

“Anyone who wants to be a journalist, but doesn’t want to work online should probably look for another profession,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said that with The Eastsider published online, anyone and everyone has easier access to it.

Sanchez commented “ I’m not sure if my (blog) is successful yet.

It’s still something new for me.”

Former Elan transfers out-of-state due to math

Courtesy of EDGAR FERNANDEZ

Jamming — Guitarist Anthony Gonzales, left, bassist Andrew Ramirez, drummer and lead singer Edgar Fernandez and second guitarist Martin Rodriguez perform at San Francisco.

‘The Zoo’ shares their ’60s sound

By JENNIFER OLGUIN Contributing Writer East Los Angeles College students struggled with their psychedelic, soul and rock ‘n’ roll band, The Zoo. Lead vocalist and drummer, Edgar Fernandez, 22, and guitarist Martin Rodriguez, 21, started the band, in 2008.

Bassist, Andrew Ramirez and guitarist Anthony Gonzales were also welcomed to the band along with Anthony Medina from The Delirians on the keyboard.

Most of the members went to school together. “As time went by, we started up with a garage band,” Ramirez said.

“We always loved music,” Fernandez said.

The band plans to tour in the upcoming year.

They plan to tour around United States. The Zoo wants to share their

sound of the ‘60s to the people.

They had their struggles when they were starting up.

It was hard to afford instruments, finding a place to practice, booking shows, finding a singer and transportation.

With the help of friends and family, the band was able to resolve their problems.

From the start, The Zoo knew what sound they were aiming for.

Fernandez and Ramirez said that the band’s sound has changed over time.

The music that the band expresses is to make “people move, set the room on fire, jump back, and kiss yourself,” as stated on the band’s Facebook page.

The band’s name was originally for a different band that Fernandez and a friend came up with.

“It’s simple. It speaks for itself,” Fernandez said.

The inspiration behind the psychedelic, funk and soul sound

from the band are classic idols and legacy’s such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother, The Holding Company and The Doors.

“There’s definitely not a lot of bands, at least here in Los Angeles, that try to incorporate the funk and soul like back in the day.

“Not a lot of bands are open to that sound. We are,” Fernandez said.

Everyone in the band has input to each part of the song including the lyrics and beat.

The songs on their EP, available for a free download from their Facebook page, is mainly about girls, love, heartbreak and the personal perspective as well.

As of right now, they are playing locally and working on new material.

The band’s soul and heart for music won’t let anything or anyone from stopping them of their unique sound.

Their music and live videos can be found on their Facebook page: The Zoo Foundation.

“Math has been the bane of my existence,” Landeros said.

Through all this, she still looks

By AUGUSTINE UGALDE back at her stay at ELAC as a Contributing Writer special time in her life.

“ELAC was life-changing for me. I learned a lot about life here.

Current Arizona State University It was a positive experience, except student, Anastasia Landeros is a for math,” Landeros said.

Born in Monterey Park, Landeros, familiar name to many journalism students and to the administrators exhibited great personal talents, and faculty at East Los Angeles drive and intuition at the early age of six when her mother, who College.

Landeros first attended ELAC in is a former ELAC dance student, 2004 at the age of 16, while still a enrolled her into a Folklorico dance student at Alhambra High School. class at ELAC. The classes were held by longLanderos transferred to an outof-state university because of the time ELAC dance instructor, Benjamin Hernandez and were math requirements at ELAC. “I would still be at ELAC if it affiliated with the famous ’70s wasn’t for Arizona State,” said Folklorico group, Mexicatan.

“It was Landeros. “I just one of the don’t get why most famous all this math is Folklorico relevant.” groups in the L a n d e r o s state; probably struggled greatly in the U.S.,” with math at Landeros said.

ELAC. Her early These struggles dreams were included inaccurate to become a assessment and professional placement in her dancer who early academic not only career, to several d a n c e d attempts at Folklorico, elementary and ANASTASIA but also intermediate LANDEROS enjoyed algebra before dancing tap, transferring outjazz and of-state.

ASU offered her something she ballet.

“I wanted to be a ballerina,” couldn’t get from the UCs and Cal Landeros said.

States; an opportunity to pursue her Because of the rigors of dance and dreams, so she is now an aspiring a few bumps and bruises associated radio broadcaster.

with it, Landeros changed her focus to other liberal arts.

She loved music and played the piano and French horn.

She was also in the drama club at her high school, as well as president of her church’s choir.

She also demonstrated early proficiency in writing that led to a position on her high school newspaper.

In 2006 she took a journalism class at ELAC and joined Campus News.

Landeros said that her writing talent was born from her love of reading.

“I don’t know where that came from. I always loved reading and I would read instead of playing with Barbie dolls,” Landeros said.

This love for reading continued at ELAC where she studied and excelled in English, and fell in love with the writings of Shakespeare.

Her love for Shakespeare was tied to the mystery, intrigue and plot twists the Bard provided her.

Landeros said her favorite work from Shakespeare is “Hamlet,” with a chuckle. She described “Hamlet as violent, demented and creepy.

Her love for writing translated into a successful Campus News career having served as a writer, editor, managing editor and editor in chief and is now studying broadcasting at Arizona State University.

Even though Landeros would have preferred to stay close to home, she is happy that ASU has given her a chance to move on in her life, and she is taking full advantage of it.

Elan shares humor on Facebook

By WILLIAM PASILLAS Contributing Writer William Ernesto Garcia Jr. graces his Facebook followers with his weekly batch of humor known as “Willies Words of Wisdom Wednesdays.”

Each Wednesday, with the exception of a few rare occasions, he releases new material on the Facebook page of the same name.

It is an advice column, and a soapbox where he points observations he finds funny.

To p i c s c a n r a n g e f r o m economics, to dating or just plain old advice.

Garcia, better known as Willie, uses his unique blend of Spanish and English slang to drive home his points.

A recent post covered the topic of funerals.

Garcia observed certain things he found unacceptable, such as people that the deceased disliked attending their funeral and people thinking the deceased is the greatest people ever now that they’re gone.

On another week’s post he talked about the incurred cost of an investment people could never get back which was appropriately titled “Sunken Cost.”

An example of a sunken cost is spending two years on a major and then finding out it’s not for you.

Another is spending time and money in a relationship that is not going anywhere.

His topics are not just random weekly rants; he tries to incorporate what he learned in social psychology at East Los Angeles College to his postings.

One of Garcia’s beliefs is

that women can decide when intercourse is initiated and men decide when a relationship begins.

The origins of “Willie’s Words of Wisdom Wednesdays” come from Garcia posting his writing on his personal Facebook page.

He said that the name just sounded good and he put it out there. When he felt he had an audience large enough he decided to create a Facebook page dedicated to releasing his “wisdom.”

As a student at ELAC, Garcia has catered his material to apply to the demographic that comes here.

The audience he is trying to target is from the ages of 19 through 100. He says 19 and not 18 because he believes that by that age people are able to think for themselves.

He targets people who can relate

to his style of humor and are going to be able to handle his sometimes very blunt in-your-face style of comedy.

Also the kind of people his comedy caters to is the people who are “suckers for love,” those who always need to be in a relationship.

His “wisdom” is meant to be purely humorous, and Garcia says that WILLIAM he is simply trying to poke fun at social subjects he has observed.

His posts are not meant to be

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taken serious.

He expects his followers to exercise their judgment to make decisions regarding their own lives.

Garcia is not out to influence people, he says t h a t p e o p l e ’s beliefs being affected are inevitable if they read his weekly words of wisdom.

G a r c i a , does indeed, practice what he preaches.

GARCIA He follows the advice and tips he gives others.

He does so because it is easier to see things from the outside looking

in, so that he can avoid some of the traps of life he talks about in his posts.

He refrains from talking about body issues and other things that are out of a person’s control.

He tries to cover both genders equally, “One week I clown on dudes for wearing no undershirt to school, next week I’m clowning on girls for wearing six-inch heels to earth science,” he says.

When asked if he believes if anyone has ever been successful using his advice, “I can only speculate,” Garcia said.

He said that nobody has come to him with his or her testimonies of success.

Anyone interested in reading “ Wi l l i e ’s Wo r d s o f Wi s d o m We d n e s d a y s ” c a n d o s o b y searching on Facebook and clicking the “like” button.

SPORTS 5 Budget cuts target sports

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012

By LILIANA GARCIA Staff Writer

CN/TADZIO GARCIA

CLEARING THE BAR—Shawnta Barnes clears 1.59 meters on the heptathlon high jump attempt at the track and field state finals last friday at cerritos college, winning the fourth place medal over Jaqueline Keeley of College of the Canyons.

Track sets school records

By TADZIO GARCIA Staff Writer Shawnta Barnes brought home All-American honors in three events for the Huskies at the California Community College Athletic Association Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College last Friday and Saturday.

You can add Barnes to the list of records that fell at the state finals, which she accomplished by competing in more events than any other athlete, male or female.

Barnes broke the East Los Angeles College 200-meter dash record twice previously set by Bianca Simonetti in 1994.

Barnes ran the heptathlon’s 200 dash in 24.37 seconds last Friday then ran 24.34 the next day during the 200 dash finals to place fifth.

Barnes finished her ELAC career as an All-American in the 100-meter dash and the long jump as well as being a two-time All-American in

the heptathlon.

This was the first time in five years that a Husky won All-American honors in three events.

Former Husky athlete Oscar Ogwaro won three titles in 2007 in the men’s 1,500 and 5,000, as well as in the steeplechase; the ELAC men’s team placed fifth that year.

The ELAC women’s team scored 20 points and beat Moorpark and Butte colleges by one point for 19th place, out of 42 schools, in the 2012 women’s team standings.

Orange Coast College, the 10th ranked team in the state, edged the Huskies by two points for 18th place.

Laney College won the women’s team title with 73 points. Laney’s Ashton Purvis set an American Junior College record in the 200meter dash in 22.86 seconds edging Barnes by 1.48 seconds giving Purvis a top-20 world ranking.

Barnes won fourth place in the heptathlon after running a personal record in the last event, the 800meter run, which according to

Barnes, was the most difficult event.

The busiest athlete on the field then headed to the long jump to compete in her 10th event.

“It was difficult competing in 11 events in two days but I came this far and pushed to finish,” said Barnes.

Barnes advanced to the long jump finals after three preliminary jumps explaining to the official she was briefly leaving to compete in the 200-dash.

She was told she would have to pass any of her next three jumps if she was not present when her name was called.

Barnes ran across the field to the 200-dash start, recorded a personal best time in the event and ran back to compete in the long jump where she was only allowed two jumps.

Two was all it took, as Barnes jumped to third place winning her third medal of the meet.

Barnes also ran to fourth place in the 100-dash, in 12.07, edging Brittany Osborne of Riverside earlier in the day by .16 of a second,

for her second medal.

Barnes placed 9th in the javelin with a throw of 102’ 10” feet Friday night.

Barnes was the first female Husky to win a Southern California title in 13 years, which she did last week at San Diego Mesa College.

Adreana Cano was a two-time 1999 SoCal champ for the Huskies in javelin and hammer throw.

Barnes ran to an ELAC record in San Diego in the 100 dash in 11.87, breaking a 27-year record set by Ann Stadler.

“I want to thank my coaches who kept me strong and focused,” said Barnes.

“Shawnta came to ELAC unknown and leaves an AllAmerican.

“She also leaves four school records in the heptathlon (4801 points), 200 dash, javelin and the 100 dash. She has learned to handle pressure well, from failures to successes and she has just touched what she can produce,” said Head Coach Louis Ramirez.

Men’s soccer team ready to challenge SCC competitors Staff Writer The upcoming soccer season is just a couple of months away, and the men’s soccer team is already preparing for the challenges they will face ahead.

The first test that both returning and prospective players will face are tryouts which will take place on July 9, at Weingart Stadium.

With two of their main forwards gone, the Huskies face a problem with a lack of scorers, but the coaches hope to solve this problem Christian during tryouts.

The Huskies also face a lack of defenders. From a total of eight from last season, about only four will be returning.

According to Head Coach Eddie Flores, there are only eight returning players considering the fact that some of them might not be able to make the cut because of grades.

Flores believes that the squad will be okay, and he hopes that they find good natural scorers before the preseason kicks off on August 29 against the San Diego Mesa College Olympians.

“I am preparing mentally and physically. The team has to have one goal, and that is to win at conference, state and national levels.” said returning player and Goalkeeper Juan Escobar “Things don’t fall out of the sky.

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“I think that next season we are going to have a team that is going to be able to compete with and beat the best teams in the South Coast Conference such as Mt.SAC and Cerritos.” said Ventura.

The team played two exhibition games at home last April, as part of their preparation for next season.

The first game was against the L.A. Harbor College Seahawks where high school graduates got a taste of what playing at the college level was like.

According to the coaches, the scrimmage was also intended to help the prospective players register for classes and get the information they need to get ahead of the game.

The following day, returning players faced the University of Redlands Bulldogs.

ELAC’s first South Coast Conference game will be against the Long Beach City College Vikings as visitors September 25.

The Vikings eliminated the Huskies last season during the first round of playoffs at Weingart Stadium by a final score of 3-2.

The coaching staff and players need to find reinforcements for the team, they are very positive and hope to improve their records from last season.

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It takes hard work, discipline and determination. Our goal is to do the impossible and surprise everyone,” said Escobar.

For Escobar the experience of the returning players will be crucial for the team in order to be back in the playoffs, “We have people that know what’s going on in conference and this can help the newcomers bond to the team a little faster,” said Escobar.

The Huskies will try to improve their overall and conference records for the 2010 season, 9-6-5 and the 2 0 11 s e a s o n , 11-4-6, and will attempt to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

“It will be Ventura even harder than last year. I am expecting to have a very well prepared team with a lot of experience and a winning mentality.” said returning player Christian Ventura.

The East Los Angeles College Athletics Department will be facing drastic changes as a result of fall semester cuts forcing teams to begin fundraising.

Each sport, 15 in total at ELAC, are now required to fundraise in order to help the department cover meals for athletes, travel expenses and uniform costs.

According to Richard Brown, chairperson of the men’s P.E. department, their budget was cut by 13.2 percent which translates to the cancellation of 11 classes.

Athletic Director Al Cone showed his disappointment after finding out about the cuts, even though he knew the department was going to be affected just like the rest of the school.

For that reason, the department has required all teams to fundraise.

“We have been preparing for this by requiring all teams to fund raise.

I have been on this campus since 1989. In this time, I have seen cuts in all aspects of this department.

From money being cut, to facilities being removed,” Cone said.

Cone is not the only one who reacted to the budget cuts.

The head coaches and athletes for fall sports shared their thoughts on the issue.

“I guess Athletics is usually the first program to get cut because of what we do and the size of the budget, which compared to other schools is not that big. We are going to be the focus of the budget cuts because of the numbers that we have. It has been eight years in a row. We are barely hanging in

there,” said Wrestling Head Coach Ralph Valle.

According to Valle, from the 15 sports ELAC offers, only 13 fundraise on a regular basis.

“Fundraising is an issue. Most of us fundraise, a couple of coaches don’t, but according to Mr. Al Cone that is going to change.

We all do what we have to do, which technically is in our job description,” Valle said.

“I wasn’t surprised. It was expected given the financial situation of the state,” said soccer Head Coach Eddie Flores.

“For some sports it is tougher than others, but we do the best we can. I think it will have some effect because we will not be able to do the things we used to do 10 years ago, (or) 20 years ago,” Valle said.

Flores, on the other side, said that the cuts will not affect them a lot since they are always planning for the future.

“We are in a very good position and we are going to be okay. The soccer team is planning some tournaments to raise money,” Flores said.

Valle believes that the budget cuts will not affect them, “I’m inclined to say ‘no,’ we have some very dedicated coaches and our goal is to get the kid in, never mind the budget.

“These are kind of separate issues, we have to get the kids to perform at the highest level and that’s shown in the number of scholarships we have.

Our graduation rates are great, our scholarship transfer rates are also great for athletics. We are the best in the school in regard to student groups in overall- by far,” Valle said.

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6

Artist turns photogram into art

By RODOLFO TRUJILLO FREDDY MONARES Staff Writer

CN/freddy monares

picture this— Juanita Jimenez, left, critiques former high school student’s Farrah Karapetian’s photogram showcased at the Vincent Price Art Museum. Karapetian’s work in the show features students of the photography department at ELAC.

Two exhibits featuring East Los Angeles College students opened yesterday at the Vincent Price Art Museum.

Artist Farrah Karapetian experiments with image making and the posture of people within a scene of social unrest in the exhibit “Los Angeles Times,” at the Hoy Space.

Not to be confused with the newspaper of the same name, this exhibit is part of Karapetian’s ongoing work with local students to address a topic that has taken place in their community.

Karapetian worked with a group of photography students for two days, going through pictures from a variety of protests that they could use as a background for their images.

She took her inspiration from a photograph she saw in the newspaper, where a man had fallen off of a bike during a protest near MacArthur Park and was bleeding from the head while others were around him.

“I was looking at a picture of his posture after having fallen.

“I felt really moved. I wanted to address a student body with an image that they were familiar with. I wanted them to learn about postures.”

Karapetian guided the students, giving them a sense of what scene they would be in.

After that, they were free to act as they wished to portray what they would do in that scene.

T h e r e a r e t h r e e e n l a rg e d photograms.

Two are experimental, playing with the opposing themes of civil disobedience and law enforcement.

The third photogram is the one based on the newspaper photograph

and shows a person on the ground with another holding out their hand to help them get up.

Karapetian said that she wanted to leave it up to the students as to how they would react in such a situation.

Just downstairs from the exhibit was the Juried Student Art Exhibition.

Students from ELAC that have taken a course in studio art, architecture or photography in the past two academic years submitted three pieces of work for the exhibit.

Salomon Huerta judged the exhibition. Huerta has had his work shown in exhibitions around the U.S., Europe and Latin America.

Elizabeth Rodriguez, Erik Recendez and Manuel Lopez were the juror’s prize recipients for the exhibition.

For pictures and more information on this story, visit www.elaccampusnews.com

Cities adds international variety to their menu

By DANIELA MOLINA Staff Writer New taste has been added to the city of East los Angeles.

A two minute drive from East Los Angeles College, Cities Restaurant has a very different menu from Taco Bell, Carls Jr, or any other restaurant located on Avenida Cesar Chavez.

Matter of Fact, they like to change their menu every month.

A revolving menu theme has been designed to bring flavors from around the world to East Los Angeles.

“It’s called World Wide Cities.

Every first Saturday of the month we will introduce something new from a different country, like Paris, Asia and other countries,” said owner

Oscar Macias.

Cities’s regular menu offers a wide variety of traditional lunch and dinner entrees, with a city twist, such as, the hand crafted fried chicken plate. Cities fried chicken has been prepared with a secret batter recipe and infused with sweet soy and Asian flavors.

“It’s not like KFC chicken.

Actually it’s one of my favorites,” said Macias.

Served with mushroom risotto and sautéed vegetables, the fried chicken is a very filling plate.

Reasonably-priced half sandwiches, salads and soups are available for lunch.

Pastas, steaks and salmon with potatoes in lasagna are some of the dinner entrees that are served.

Amazing appetizers like the

CN/Daniela Molina

bacon wrap— Appetizers of bacon wrapped dates almonds at Cities Restaurant in East Los Angeles.

bacon wrapped dates are a must.

Bite sized pieces of cheese wrapped in bacon, drizzled with almond dressing and tamarind honey sauce, and only cost $6.

As expected, the dinners are a little pricier, but good lunch is available for about $10.

Avenida Cesar Chavez has an array of fast food places like McDonalds, El Pollo Loco and The Hat, where most staff and students eat due to the proximity to campus.

But if ever one feels to wonder a bit further west on Cesar Chavez, Cities Restaurant is a great place to stop by. “There’s nothing like it around here. We wanted to give people a variety,” said Macias.

Staff is friendly and service is prompt. The 4,000 square foot venue is fresh and clean. Two stories have been fully renovated and custom designed decor has been completely set up for a fresh calm experience.

A patio and cushioned areas are available for cocktails or private parties.

Once the dinners come to an end, the staff clears away tables and chairs. DJ’s and several bar staff members are brought in and the entire place is transformed into party central.

“Friday nights are starting to get busier, but Saturday nights are always good,” said bartender, Steve Cook.

Jazz nights are currently taking place from 7 to 9:30 p.m. followed by an upscale club atmosphere until 2 a.m. on Saturday nights.

“I love working here. Everyone here is cool to work with and the crowd is great,” said bartender, Jesse Moreno. Whether it be for a quick lunch, date night or special event, Cities Restaurant stands as the new place for locals to dine, dance or un-wind.

Cities Restaurant is located at 4512 Avenida Cesar E. Chavez.

Near the corner of Cesar Chavez and Ford Blvd. For more information, visit www.citiesflavors.com.

CN/Eduardo Preciado

Crispy duck— The peking duck, combined with shredded scallions, cucumber and hoisin sauce are used to create a tantalizing crêpe at the Duck House in Monterey Park.

Duck House serves delicious duck meals Numerous restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley area serve duck every day, either shredded, stuffed, roasted, glazed, sautéed or curried.

Eating duck is very common across all Asia.

Luckily for those that want to know what all the fuss is about, eating duck is just a few blocks away from ELAC. The Duck House is a Taiwanese restaurant but serve dishes from all over Asia.

As diners walk in, they are seated are greeted with a smile and sat quickly by friendly servers who speak English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

The restaurant is as small as a café with Chinese statues across the room and beautiful mural arts on the wall.

They have tables that sit from 2 to 12 guests, so it’s great for big groups. They also provide outdoor seating.

Their table set is with white cloths, tea cups and condiments.

After diners order, they are served with hot tea, steamed white rice and a complimentary winter melon, scallion, pork and pork broth soup, which is common in China to drink

soup before a meal.

The soup tastes exactly like the Mexican dish, pozole, except without the red chili.

N o w, i f d i n e r s o r d e r t h e Traditional Roasted Peking Duck , they will be waiting for it minutes longer than any other dish, but it is well worth it.

The duck will feed about four people, so I highly suggest going with a group if you plan to order this.

When the duck finally gets served diners get the sliced duck, both breast and thigh, with crispy duck skin on the edge of the plate. With thin pancakes (crepes), shredded cucumbers and scallions, and this thick red Chinese barbeque like sauce that is salty, sweet, tangy and a hint of spiciness called Hoisin Sauce.

The way you eat it is the same way as a taco.

You hold your warm crepe, top with some of the succulent duck meat, some crispy duck skin for some texture, shredded cucumber and scallions for some freshness and the Hoisin sauce.

So diners dig in and taste the layers of flavor that this Chinese taco brings to the palate.

Another dish that I highly recommend is the sautéed string

beans.

The string beans are sautéed with garlic, ground pork, and ground shrimp with some of the fermented bean sauce and are absolutely delicious.

Diners get the sweetness from the sauce, the crunch from the string beans and the background flavors of pork and garlic.

Duck House has other items if you don’t care much for duck.

The menu has an extensive selection of seafood dishes from scallops, eel, black cod and squid.

If you’re not a big a fan of seafood they also have chicken dishes, beef dishes, and salads that are nothing like your typical Caesars salad.

They also sell many kinds of teas, wines, sakes, and have great but few beers like Tsingtao.

Although they have a lunch special that starts at $5.95 it isn’t much food at all, it mostly consists of salads and soups A whole meal will cost you about $13 per person.

The Duck House is located on 501 S. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park.

Its open Monday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Their parking lot is small, so be prepared to park on the street especially during peak hours like

equivalent to “Dancing With the Stars.”

As her due date approaches, Jules and Evan struggle to balance the very deffirent demands of both parenthood and celebrity.

Jennifer Lopez, who delivers some well acted scenes is Holly, a professional photographer so focused on having a child, teams up with Rodrigo Santoro as Alex play the other half of infertile couple who plans for an adoption. Alex is still reluctant about the situation when he decides to check out a support group for new dads where he gets mixed advice.

Chace Crawford and Anna Kendrick play Marco and Rosie, feuding food-truck owners whose impetuous act of passion results in an unplanned pregnancy. Kendrick

is the star of this duo. She brings great emotion into her character while dealing with emotional obstacles that are thrown her way.

Brooklyn Decker plays a trophy wife, Skyler, who finds herself pregnant with twins and Elizabeth Banks plays Wendy, author of baby books who comes to find that actually experiencing pregnancy is a lot more different than the perceived idea of it.

With an all-star cast such as this one, there’s a possibility that the audience would become more invested in one over another, depending on who they become more emotionally connected to.

Banks brings more onto the table than the rest with her characters insane nonstop discomfort and frightening moods swings caused

by hormones.

With her natural comical vibe, she brings everything together with all the intense physical details.

Another factor that keeps “What To Expect” enjoyable is Chris Rock’s involvement in the film.

Rock, who plays Vic, the leader of a new-father’s support group, who act more like a fraternity with highfiving, drinking out of baby bottles and calling each other ‘bro’.

Even though the script is a little lacking, it’s evident that Rock’s character is meant to bring in some extra comical relief to an already likeable ensemble.

Overall, the cast had good on-screen chemistry. It was a bit of hit-and-miss coming from Matthew Morrison and Cameron Diaz, who weren’t as believable as the others.

By EDUARDO PRECIADO Contributing Writer

Five couples experience change when expecting

By KEYLA LOPEZ Staff Writer

“What to Expect When You’re Expecting” offers its audience a handful of laughs and conflicts about pregnancy.

The movie is based off the bestselling parenthood manual of the same name, but that’s about all that compares between the two.

With its clichéd situations, the all-star cast provides, while being a little unrealistic and over the top, a comical look into pregnancy, parenthood and the emotional difference between men and

women when they go through such an experience, while seemingly touching on every outcome and aspect of pregnancy.

The film takes a cue from movies like “Love Actually”, “He’s Just Not That Into You”, “Valentine’s Day” and “New Year ’s Eve,” where a handful of couples and characters who live parallel lives are experiencing the same thing or preparing for a certain holiday either at different stages, or from different angles and the specific theme or idea puts everything together in the end.

While the book has no real plot, the movie adaptation centers around five Atlanta couples that are expecting a baby, and as each of them prepares for all the responsibilities that come with parenthood.

Each of the couples represents

and portrays a different type of pre-parenthood situation as they come to find out that having a baby is nothing like what they have ever imagined or expected, providing the audience with various story arcs.

“What to Expect When You’re Expecting” doesn’t hold back from touching on the sensitive subjects pregnancy and parenthood.

It showcases the many journeys that women and men involved experience and isn’t afraid to even explore the more challenging and heartbreaking experiences.

The viewers are introduced to Jules, played by Cameron Diaz, who gained popularity through her fitness show, overjoyed at the news she’s going to have a baby with Evan, played by Glee’s Matthew Morrison, a dancer on a show

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