OPINION Mr.Flowers endorse presidental candidate
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Volume 73, Issue 23
NEWS
FEATURES
ELAC celebrates animation, honors legendary animator
New club looks to motivate photographers
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Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
www.elaccampusnews.com
Sanders campaigns at East Los Angeles Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders emphasized the importance of the California primary, while addressing supporters at Lincoln Park Monday. “Progressives and Democrats win when people are energized, and are prepared to stand up and fight,” Sanders said. He also said his campaign has energy and enthusiasm, which will result in a large voter turnout on June 7. According to recent polls, the Senator from Vermont is behind Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton in delegate support, which makes California's 475 democratic delegates vital to his campaign. During Sanders’ speech, which lasted close to 40 minutes, he addressed what his campaign represents and how government fails to represent citizens. “What this campaign is about is fundamentally changing national priorities, and changing the way our government works and the way our economy works,” Sanders said. “It is not acceptable to me, nor I think to you, that we have a government in Washington today more concerned about representing wealthy campaign contributors than the needs of ordinary Americans,” Sanders said. Sanders also talked about immigration reform, increasing the minimum wage and creating universal healthcare. When attendees were let in at 9 a.m., some stayed close to the entrance, holding signs and cheering people on as they made their way to the baseball diamond where the stage was set. “He’s really tackling issues that affect our families and people that live in these communities, (the East Los Angeles area)” Adriana Flores, a former ELAC student said. Flores, along with bandmate Bryan Ponce, performed with their band, The Altons, at the rally before speakers took the stage. Ponce explained that Sanders appeals to him because he is talking about issues
he learns about in school. Ponce and Flores spoke on how people should stop conforming and start being more involved in the political process. Both are psychology majors. Flores transferred to California State University from East Los Angeles College. Among Sanders’ supporters was Jesus Chuy Garcia, who recently ran for Mayor of Chicago. Garcia lost the election to Rahm Emanuel, however, he gained a lot of support including the support of Sanders. ELAC student Claudia BlauserSanchez, a volunteer for Unidos de Bernie, and her son Elias Powell, spoke first at the rally about why she supports Sanders. After the rally, Sanchez explained that this was the first time she has been active in volunteering for a presidential candidate. She also said that she has been listening to Sanders and following his career for the last three years. “I was always into politics, but when he announced he was running for the presidency, I was all in,” Sanchez said. Sanders has publicly criticized the electoral system and said he would change the way campaigns are funded if elected president. Sanders said his campaign has been funded through small donations, with the average contribution of $27. “We believe in an old-fashioned concept called democracy. One person, one vote,” Sanders said. He called ‘Citizens United’ a “disastrous” decision. ‘Citizens United’ is a supreme court ruling passed in 2010 that allows corporations to invest unlimited amounts of money on campaigns. He said it was unacceptable that “billionaires are buying elections”. Sanders has also said he would work toward providing students with free college and improving the education system. Sanders’ critics have called his policies on education and healthcare expensive and unsustainable. In an interview on the Today show, Clinton questioned Sanders’ knowledge on issues central to his campaign. For photos of the event visit elaccampusnews.com.
had a quick election for co-chair, which was won by Hernandez and Alvarado. ESGC approved the proposal for committees to conduct selfevaluations. According to a recommendation from a report from Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, ELAC should have a three-year replacement cycle for its computers. During the meeting, ESGC approved Technology Planning Subcommittee’s (TPSC) proposal on a computer replacement plan. The TPSC proposed recommendations on designating K5 and K7 buildings for the School of Continuing Education, E1126 as the Welcome and Support
Resource Center and D7A as the Transfer Center. Although it’s still a work in progress, ESGC decided that the proposal will be resolved in the next meeting. “This is a governing committee that has various representatives and students who can participate through their elected ASU officers or they also can participate by observing. There are members here who are not on the board or the committee but they came here to listen and discuss,” Benavides said. Students, faculty and staff can view ESGC previous agendas at http://www.elac.edu/facultyStaff/ committees/sharedgovernance/ index.htm.
BY IVAN CAZARES AND MEGAN G. RAZZETTI Staff Writer
CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA
CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA
BALL IN PLAY—Shortstop Alizah Mayagoitia (left) and first baseman Ashley Day, practice on their hitting skills and defensive skills at the softball field on Monday for the last practices of the semester.
Softball senior class to sign scholarships BY BRYCE RONQUILLO AND STEPHANIE GUEVARA Staff Writer Sophomore softball players Ashley Day, Byanka Diosdado, Jocelyn Macias, Alizah Mayagoitia, Melanie Ruelas and Sujey Zamuido will be transferring to four-year universities in the fall on athletic and academic scholarships. “When I recruit athletes, my goal is to transfer them to universities,” head coach Erika Blanco said. “It was nice to keep my promise and transfer these girls out.” First baseman Day will be receiving a full academic scholarship to Azusa Pacific University. She will try to make the softball team as a walk on. She attended California State University, Los Angeles out of high school, but missed playing softball, so she transferred to East Los Angeles College. “Freshman year, I lacked confidence in myself. This past year I gained so much confidence in my game because of the support from the coaches and players. That’s why I don’t regret leaving CSULA to come to ELAC,” Day said. Throughout her sophomore year, she had a .315 batting average, 28 RBI and hit 2 homeruns. “If Day hits the ball like I know
she can she will have no problem making the APU roster,” Blanco said. “It is amazing that she is getting this opportunity. APU is a great school for her.” Another player that will be going to school for academics is shortstop, Mayagoitia. Mayagoitia also went to CSULA after high school but missed playing softball. “I had all my units at Cal State L.A. and I was playing softball over here,” Mayagoitia said. Mayagoitia said that if she wasn’t playing softball, she would have earned her bachelor's degree. “It was absolutely worth it. I love my team. It was the best two years of college I’ve had,” Mayagoitia said. “Alizah is a great kid, she was always focused on her academics. I really wish she could’ve played at the next level, but I understand she needs to focus on school. She has a very bright future,” Blanco said. Outfielders Ruelas and Zamudio will be attending the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey on athletic scholarships. “There was a school in New York that was recruiting me, but it was expensive and I did not want to go by myself. Then I heard of CSE and Sujey was going too, so I figured ‘Why not go together?’” Said Ruelas. Ruelas started her career at
Los Angeles Valley College but the distance was an issue so she transferred to ELAC. During her freshman year, Ruelas had to overcome a broken nose that had her sidelined. “I thought it would put me behind, but it forced me to work harder to come back. I thank all the coaches for helping me through it,” Ruelas said. “Melanie is a tough, feisty, utility player. You could put her at different positions and she will be successful,” Blanco said. Zamudio came to ELAC instead of Long Beach City College to stay closer to her home in Bell. She faced adversity when she wasn’t getting playing time her freshman year. She said her hitting is what struggled and over the offseason she improved and earned a starting position. “Su (Zamudio) was at the bottom of the line-up and ended the season with one of the highest batting averages on the team,” Blanco said. “She is a consistent player and will be very successful at the next level.” Catcher Macias will be transferring to Sterling College in Kansas on an athletic scholarship. Macias said the decision to leave home was very difficult for her to make because she would be leaving her mother and siblings. She said her mother told her
to chase her dreams of playing softball and not let anything hold her back. “I am like a mother figure to my siblings,” Macias said. “I’m going away to school to prove to my siblings that they can achieve anything because I did.” Macias has Attention Deficit Disorder and often has severe trouble paying attention and remembering information from class. “I had amazing support from my family, teachers and teammates. Without them I wouldn’t have been eligible to play softball,” Macias said. Pitcher Diosdado will also transfer to Sterling College in Kansas. Diosdado will live with Macias, but said it will be her first time living without her parents. Diosdado said she pushed herself in achieving because her sister, who is a single mother, was her motivation. “My sister was my motivation during my time at ELAC. I wanted my sister to see me succeed so she can get some motivation to succeed, despite being a single mother,” Diosdado said. The six players will be signing with their universities at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the softball field. Family, friends, and ex-high school coaches of the players will be in attendance.
ELAC undergoes changes to benefit students, campus, staff BY ROGELIO ALVAREZ Staff Writer
East Los Angeles College Shared Governance Council held a meeting last Monday to discuss different proposals and reports on various topics concerning the campus. “This is a committee that is representative of various committees so that we may have more collaboration and inclusion in a coherent plan of action for the campus,” vice president of student services and special programs Julie Benavides said. ELAC president Marvin Martinez presented Paulina
News Briefs
Palomino as the new ELAC Dean of Student Success. The meeting began with the Speech Team presenting its first place prize from the 2016 Phi Rho Pi National Competitive Speaking Tournament for Community Colleges. Associated Student Union president Romel Lopez invited ELAC student and secretary of Students for Equal Rights Club Martha Pool to propose ideas on a resource center for undocumented students. “I think it’s really important to have the student representative be there to listen to the various proposals and problems that the school faces because it affects us. I need to be there to speak up and
to talk about why certain services should be implemented in school,” Pool said. Pool was one of the students protesting for an undocumented student resource center. “We brought awareness but we also brought more faculty and staff members to talk about undocumented students. In a previous (ESGC) meeting they mentioned they’ve been trying to advocate for undocumented students, but I’m undocumented myself and I have never heard about any services they’ve been planning until I started attending the meetings,” Pool said. Lopez also discussed updates on Metro’s Student Transit Pass. Currently, the Metro student pass is
$43 and students must be enrolled in at least eight units. Lopez proposed using ASU funds to lower the cost for students. Instead of buying the pass at a Metro center, Lopez said ASU is working on having students purchase the pass at the fiscal office and received a bus pass sticker on student IDs. ESGC received a weekly project update that had information on the construction being conducted on campus. The Science Career and Mathematics building is scheduled to be completed on August 16. Edward Alvarado and Jeff Hernandez are the co-chairs for ESGC and led the discussions during the meeting. The first half of the meeting
State champions
Theater Department
Last issue
The East Los Angeles College Badminton team won the State Championship on May 13 at Pasadena City College.
The East Los Angeles Theater Arts Department showcases “Six characters in Search of an Author” by Luigi Pirandello. The last showings will be Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. General entrance is $10, at the door $12 and ASU discount is $8.
This is the last issue of the spring 2016 semester. Campus News will return in the fall semester. To keep up-to-date, visit elaccampusnews.com.