Volume 75, Issue 22
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Wednesday, May 10, 2017
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Speech team brings home gold, bronze BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer
Members of the East Los Angeles College speech team felt that preparation played a key role in their third consecutive gold win at the Phi Rho Pi National Forensic Organization competition April 17 in Washington, D.C. Speech team coach David Hale said that preparing was key when they were discussing the topics for the speech. Little details, like clothing and hand movements, was something the team discussed and prepared. What made this year different for the speech team was that they didn’t feel as competitive for the win. Instead, they focused more on their the passion for speeches. “Now it feels about advocacy. So much of what we won with, in both state and nationals, were things that I cared about. We won because we had passion about our topics. It was a different approach that I had then when I first started coaching,” Hale said. Hale said that Ryan Smith, professor and department chair of communications, was a big help, and that if it wasn’t for him, the
team could not have done as good as they did. He said that another contributing factor to the victory was that they had a platform to work with this year. Hale said that Alixandria Lopez, the assistant coach for the speech team, built and developed the platform team which helped the team win the gold. Magdalene Jacinto and Jonathan Tapia won duo interpretation, using literature that helps their topic about the struggle for education equality. Jacinto said that when they prepared the speeches, she used other members of the team to get feedback and help improve the speech she and Tapia did. Team president Edward Kunkle received a total of three awards, which included a bronze in the categories of Communication Analysis, Program Oral Interpretation and a gold in Persuasive Speaking —the first ELAC has won in that platform. Kunkle said the tournament was overwhelming and that he still felt pressure going into the competition. “The tournament is high stakes, it's really big and we are a small school. For us, every round counts. Me and Layla felt like we had to
make our rounds count a little more because we were the veterans,” Kunkle said. Layla Ramos won gold in Poetry Interpretation and won bronze in Communication Analysis. Erik Clerc won bronze in After Dinner Speaking and Arthur Kozloyan won bronze in Program Oral Interpretation. Ramos shared Kunkle’s sentiment because they were both experienced in the competition. “Coming back as a returner, being on the team that won last year, I think I felt a lot of pressure. I knew what it was like the year before, and I didn’t want be part of the team that broke that tradition,” Ramos said. She added that the pressure was definitely a motivator to do better in the competition. Peter Lopez Balanos won bronze in Prose Interpretation. Balanos entered the competitions later than the rest. He said that winning was a monumental moment in his life so far. Bolanos said if they focused on getting the gold, then they wouldn’t have won it. It was more about improving as speakers than it was about winning. However, they still focused on getting the speeches right.
Hale said that the current United States political climate impacted some of the topics that students talked about in their speeches. “We got there three days earlier and we were hard at work. We worked hard in that tournament, and to see all that work pay off was very satisfying,” Balanos said. “The persuasive speech that took gold, that had to deal with drug addictions that are now done within the United States. They are based off newly created nuisance laws,” Hale said. “What we found is that landlords now have the ability to evict people for ticky-tacky reasons.” Hale added that, because they have won three times now, there is a bit of breathing room. Some of the pressure is lifted off because they are a legacy team, which Hale explains as a team who has a reputation in that competition. He said that there is now an expectation for ELAC to do consistently well. Competitions for the speech team this semester are over. Hale said the 2017 fall semester will be a good semester for the team because those returning will have experience going into the next competitions.
COURTESY OF SPEECH COACH RYAN SMITH
Student winners GOLD
BRONZE
-Duo Interpretation: Magdalene Jacinto and Jonathan Tapia -Persuasive Speaking: Edward Kunkle -Poetry Interpretation: Layla Ramos
-Communication Analysis: Edward Kunkle and Layla Ramos -Program Oral Interpretation: Arthur Kozloyan and Edward Kunkle -After Dinner Speaking: Eric Clerk -Prose Interpretation: Peter Lopez Balanos
New student system to eliminate pink add slips BY GIL MILANES Staff Writer
East Los Angeles College will soon retire permit slips and welcome back waitlists after more than a decade. Key points regarding the new Student Information System were discussed Tuesday at the Academic Senate meeting. Two major changes discussed were the permit slips and waitlists, a procedure that ELAC has not practiced in many years. Under the new SIS, which will fully go live in the fall, courses will freeze once they’re full, and
students wishing to add the course can opt to be placed on a waiting list. Students will then be added automatically to a class if seats become available. Instructors will also have the ability to add students depending on classroom capacity. The pink permit slips that students and faculty have used will be gone by the fall. Instead, each instructor will receive permission codes to give to students so they can add the class, but that limit will be flexible. “Now we can change that (the permission code limit),” Jeremy Allred, dean of admissions, said., adding that “If there is a
lot of interest (in a course), then “In the old days, you just had department chairs can go up to the waitlist. On the first day of at least 20 class you called (permission names, you codes) or more.” would add a “If there is a lot of Admissions student with an interest (in a course), add permit. will no longer handle the then department chairs This new permit slips. If system will add the instructor can go up to at least 20 the student into provides a (permission codes) or the course. permission This is up more. ” code, the until the first day student will of class,” Ana JEREMY ALLRED be responsible Salazar, senior Dean of Admissions for adding the admissions course online and records supervisor, said. through the Faculty will also have the ability student portal, and even through a smart phone. to drop students that don’t show up
to the first day of class. This will allow students on the waiting list to enroll. Payment for tuition deadlines will change under the new system. For students who register between May and early July, they must submit tuition payments by August 2. Those who register between early July and August, payments must be submitted by August 25. If payments are not received by the deadline, the school will be conducting sweeps, which means students will be dropped from courses for failing to submit payments by the deadline. Faculty at the senate meeting seemed optimistic about the new
add-on procedures, but some were concerned for those students who receive financial aid. Allred explained that financial aid recipients would have that status on them and therefore would be fine during sweeps. SIS Peoplesoft is working to create a student mobile application that will be released before the fall semester. The app will provide students easy access to the student portal and enable students to use a variety of tools, including adding and dropping classes. For more information on the waitlist policy, visit www.laccd. edu.
Visiting professor talks of education as resistance BY MARIA CUBILLO Staff Writer “If we get stuck in the fear and pain, we cannot move forward,” visiting professor Dolores Delgado Bernal said, about resistance that leads to social justice. Bernal, a professor of education and ethnic studies from the University of Utah and a visiting professor at California State University, Los Angeles, spoke to students about types of resistance and how to more effectively seek social justice. Bernal said Trump has signed 90 executive orders that have gone mostly unnoticed because of a focus on the meddling of Russia in the election.
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Delgado Bernal said we sustain resistance by finding hope. She calls this concept transformative ruptures. Transformative rupture is a moment, experience or interaction that gives hope in resistance. “The idea of transformative ruptures is looking for those moments of hope, such as a successful march, a change in a policy or raising a family member’s conscious. Transformative rapture is acknowledging the small victories, particularly with what is happening in the country, because we are seeing a push back on civil rights,” Bernal said. Bernal’s graduate thesis was about the 1968 Chicano Blowout marches.
Her thesis classifies resistance into four types: self-defeating, reactionary, conformist and transformational. Resistance comes in different forms because the source of motivation tells whether resistance is self-defeating versus conformist and transformational. Transformational and conformist resistances are motivated by social justice. Conformist resistance does not have a critique of social opposition. Bernal said conformist resistance supporters want to work within the system, not try to change the system. Self-defeating and the reactionary resistance are not motivated by social justice.
Spend the night with jazz
The East Los Angeles College Jazz Band is having its First Friday Jazz concert on Friday at 8 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center S2 Recital Hall. Admission is free. For more information, call: (323) 265-8894.
Self-defeating resistance has a critique of social opposition. However, it is self-harming because it recreates the oppressive environment that the anger stems from . Bernal said an example of selfdefeating resistance is a student dropping out of high school because the counselor placed them in the wrong classes. Resistance can come in two forms: external and internal, Bernal said to the audience. External resistance includes overt actions such as a hunger strike, a march or a sit-in.
CN/DORANY PINEDA
GRATITUDE—Visiting Professor Dolores Delgado (left) receives gifts from students Angelica Aguirre and Oscar Cruz, For the full version of this story, the student leader of the Coalition for Social Action, yesterday visit elaccampusnews.com during a talk about different forms of resistance.
Health and information fair ELAC’s Nursing Department is hosting its annual Health and Information Fair today from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the quad. Health screenings, information booths and blood pressure checks will be free.
Bloodmobile
City of Hope’s Bloodmobile will be parked in the S2 Quad on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are recommended. For more information, call: (323) 2673718.