Spring 2013, Issue 22

Volume 70, Issue 22

Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

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Budget projects restoration of classes Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer East Los Angeles College interimPresident Farley Herzek announced a cost of living adjustment (COLA) and growth as part of the budget meeting on Monday, giving way for restoration of classes at ELAC. Both COLA and growth, Herzek said has not been used together in the same sentence at the budget meeting for the past five years, and with the May Revise, it is almost promised.

“We are starting to turn and head in the right direction for a change,” Herzek said.

ELAC is in a good position, He said, having a budget for the 2012-13 school year of about $96.7 million and projecting about $85.4 million expenditure to June 30, leaving a carry over amount of about $11.3 million to use in the next school year’s budget.

“The last three to five years have been horrible, and the

discussion has only been about reducing. It was really pleasant for a change to have a discussion about strategically adding funds back. I almost forgot what that felt like to tell you the truth,” Herzek said.

Herzek said that 17 staff positions, one of which ELAC has chosen to use for a learning assessment position, will be funded by the budget. This position is something that, Herzek said to his knowledge, is something no other school is doing.

“Someone to assist with Standard Learning Outcome (SLO’s) and assessment,” Herzek said.

Hiring tutors and

et dg

bu

ELAC proposed

workers for student success is a top priority said interim-Vice President of Workforce Education and Economic Development Laura M. Ramirez.

Ramirez presented lottery money that ELAC received for the first time, designated for use in the library, software updates and journalism funding.

“We are having a heavy mandate now being put on us for our students. Those that are not passing will not get bonds, the Board of Governors’ grant,” Oscar Valeriano said, “we are going to have to address many issues of concern, but what we are going to have to consider the most is the matriculation process.”

The need for orientation and an educational plan needs to be established from the beginning as students go through assessment which would mean an

f af st ons 17 siti po

-$3.9 million over 3 years

COLA Continued on page 4

Governor’s May Revise Proposal

$

LACCD allocation model

expansion in staffing to properly help the students.

“I’m asking for another dean,” Valeriano said, “one of the most important realities is like what happened on Thursday. Indeed student safety. I need help with the amount of work that’s being generated.

“A lot of discipline, a lot of you faculties have been calling me and have told me ‘I have this student can you speak to them’ we need to address those issues.” Valeriano asked for a dean of student services and safety.

“I’d like to have five more counselors if our budget pertain,” Valeriano said, “we are going to need a few more counselors if we are going to have to meet their (students) ed planning.”

All departments asked for several workers and replacements for staff that has left positions that have never been restaffed. For the past two years, the District Budget Committee (DBC) of the Los Angeles Community College District has been reworking the district allocation model.

General funding

$12.7 billion UCs CSUs California Community Colleges

$12.7 billion

$25.4 billion

CN/Erik Luna

on the scene—Los Angeles county Sheriffs pass through

the media section to get to the command post set up at the stadium parking lot. Reporters from news stations gathered to get their shot of the sheriffs arriving.

Threatening call cancels school day Erik Luna Staff Writer Due to reports of a threatening phone call made to the California Highway Patrol, East Los Angeles College was forced to evacuate all students and employees last Thursday, canceling all classes for the day.

ELAC’s satellite campus in South Gate was also shut down due to the threats.

“When the incident began to unfold, no one could predict a timeframe,” ELAC interimPresident Farley Herzek told Campus News via email. “A decision was made in the best interest of the safety of students and all ELAC employees to close the campus for the day.”

Although there was no imminent threat to South Gate, Herzek and sheriffs felt it would be best to evacuate the campus as well.

Neiman Jerome Smith, a 19-yearold student at Santa Monica College was arrested and charged with making felony criminal threats last Thursday according to the Los Angeles Police Department Media Relations Section.

According to Sgt. Richard Lewis of the Santa Monica Police Department, Smith turned himself

in and was apprehended at the school’s Psychological Services Center without incident. His bail was set at $50,000 pending his court appearance.

CHP originally got a phone call around 7:30 a.m. from Smith, saying that he was going to shoot-up a Monterey Park school.

Although Smith did not specify which Monterey Park school, the caller’s geographical location was closest to the ELAC campus at the time of the phone call.

CHP informed the campus sheriffs, who then started to evacuate the school. According to Deputy Sheriff Frank Velasco, the school was completely evacuated in 45 minutes to an hour.

“I was thinking of the safety of everyone, trying to make sure that no one gets hurt. That’s the last thing that I wanted is to see anybody hurt,” Velasco said.

Students, construction workers and even crew members for the Comedy Central show “Key and Peele,” who were filming at ELAC, gathered at the Carl’s Jr. on Avenida Cesar Chavez speculating over what could have happened.

Threat Continued on page 4

Transfer program to pave pathways to universities Erik Machuca Staff Writer East Los Angeles College students will soon have greater access to degrees and guaranteed admission into California State Universities due to progress by academic senates on the Associates Degree for Transfer program.

The Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (SB 1440), signed in 2010, created a partnership between California community colleges and California State Universities to make it easier for students to

News Briefs

transfer between the two systems of higher education.

East Los Angeles College currently offers associate degrees for transfer in art history, English, kinesiology and psychology.

SB 1440 restructured a number of associate degrees for eligibility to transfer with guaranteed admission into the CSU system with junior standing.

The Associate Degrees for Transfer was developed and divided into two categories: the Associate of Arts for Transfer (AAT) and the Associate of Science for Transfer (AS-T).

About 600 updated associate degrees in the California

Campus closed, final exams

Community College system fall time ever,” Cameron said. under this bill.

ELAC Curriculum Chair Steve Richard Cameron, Cerritos Wardinski was unavailable for College curriculum chair, said comment. that California’s In a press community briefing in colleges had a “About 600 updated February, Erik great imprint Skinner, deputy associate degrees in defining the chancellor in the California acceptable lower of California division courses Community system C o m m u n i t y for transfer. eges fall under this bill.” Cando l lEphraim “Even though the community S m i t h , colleges and CSUs executive vice worked together to chancellor and create the degrees, control was chief academic officer for CSU, in the hands of the community said that both education systems colleges, probably for the first have made substantial progress

The campus will be closed on Monday due to Memorial Day. Finals exams will begin on Monday and continued through June 3.

***

Graduation day

ELAC commencement ceremony will take place on June 4 in Weingart stadium at 6:30 p.m.

in advancing the transfer degree pathway for community college students.

“The goal by fall 2013 is to have each of our 112 community colleges have AA-T and AS-T degrees approved in 80 percent of the majors they offer. We want to have 100 percent by fall 2014,” Skinner said.

California community college students who complete an AA-T or AS-T degree will have the opportunity to achieve an associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree with only 120 units.

“For those who do transfer, they can have some assurance that the lower division courses they took

Campus News will not print during summer session

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will not be disregarded by the university,” Cameron said.

Completion of an AA-T or AS-T degree prohibits CSU’s from requiring you to repeat courses similar to those taken at a community college as part of the Associate Degree for Transfer.

Smith said the program’s foremost objective is to continue to advance in efficiency and make a highly educated workforce in California a reality.

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

Corrections

In last weeks issue Priscilla Preciado wrote, “Football player tackles life” and Giovanni Padilla wrote, “Soccer player shoots for goal at university level.” Both stories were incorrectly attributed.

Opinion Plagiarism isn’t worth the trouble 2

Liliana Marquez Staff Writer

Plagiarism has become more common over the last years. It seems as if students don’t realize that when they decide to steal someone else’s work and use it as their own, they are not only risking being caught and getting an “F” in their class, but they are also committing a crime.

Plagiarism for some students is the easy way out.

A couple days ago, I was in charge of the pup edition for Campus News, which is a special edition of Campus News, where students from the Journalism 101 classes have the opportunity to produce content for an issue of the newspaper.

As I started reading the stories, I was receiving from these students, I came across two feature stories that sounded familiar to me.

I realized that two students wrote stories about two ELAC instructors that our newspaper had published a couple of weeks before.

The first thing I thought was that perhaps they wrote about the same people, but that they took the time to do their own interviews and to talk to other sources to write stories in their own way.

No. They had the exact same quotes and information.

They didn’t even bother to find their own subject.

Other students got information

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

from Wikipedia and just copied and pasted the content. They didn’t even try to rewrite it.

At first, I didn’t know whether to laugh or to be mad.

Did they think I was that stupid not to realize what they were doing?

As editors we spend a lot of hours researching and making sure our writers have the right information, and that they give credit to the sources they use.

My journalism instructors and the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics taught me that a crucial part of this career is producing your own work, and if we use someone else’s information, we need to give them credit.

This does not only apply to journalists but to everyone.

Plagiarism is a crime, and it makes me angry to see that people take it so lightly.

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press conducted a survey back in the spring of 2011 where they asked the presidents of about 1000 colleges and universities about different school-related topics.

According to this survey, 55 percent of these college presidents said that plagiarism in students’ papers increased over the past years.

The survey also showed that from those who saw an increase in plagiarism, 89 percent of them said that the internet and computers have played a crucial role.

The students who decide to plagiarize someone else’s work

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013

EDITOR IN CHIEF Megan Perry MANAGING EDITOR Lindsey Maeda ONLINE EDITOR Erik Luna FRONT EDITOR Danny Vasquez OPINION EDITOR Cristina Galvan Liliana Marquez NEWS EDITOR Liliana Marquez Brian Villalba*

don’t realize that they are missing a chance to share their opinion and thoughts with the world.

They are also losing the ability to think critically and to analyze things. Writing gives us a chance to learn, think and expand our knowledge.

We can’t always agree with everyone. Nonetheless it is important to share our opinions with others.

Don’t get me wrong. I know writing can be difficult sometimes.

I do this for a living, and I struggle

now and then when I get stuck.

When that happens, I try to get help from my classmates or fellow staff writers.

ELAC also has tutoring, and there are a lot of resources for students to get the help needed when writing for their classes.

Students should not deny themselves the various opportunities writing can give them. Writing, as I mentioned before, can help us share opinions and it can also help us to talk about things we don’t like, or things we do like.

There is no better feeling for me as a journalist and writer than to see that all those countless hours of researching, interviewing, writing and editing are worth it when I read the result of my hard work.

Seeing an “A” in a research paper or final essay knowing you put a lot of hard work on it should feel great.

Even if you don’t get a perfect score, the fact of knowing that you wrote it and didn’t have to steal someone else’s ideas and work should make you feel proud of yourself and the effort you made.

Dear Editor,

Thank you, Suzette Prieto

The economic disparities in our society are no joke. There are just 30,000 Americans that are overwhelmingly richer than the rest of the country.

When examining the tough times we live in, students need to avoid loose spending.

In previous decades, the “American dream” seemed doable.

Working as a construction worker or other labor career were exceptional careers, because you could support a family.

Sergio Berrueta

ARTS EDITOR Jesus Figueroa Lourdes Espinoza* SPORTS EDITOR Tadzio Garcia Carlos Alvarez* PHOTO EDITOR Gregory Reyes COPY EDITOR Sergio Berrueta

STAFF WRITERS Carlos Alvarez, Oliver Blanco, JC Casarez, Jane Fernandez, Summer Gomez, William Hernandez, Diego Linares, Erik Machuca, Amanda Mayberry, Bryant Mejia, Pete Moye’, Gabrielle Osei, Joseph Recinos, Edward Singleton STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Oliver Blanco Mannie Miguel PODCAST Summer Gomez SOCIAL MEDIA Dulce Carrillo ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha

Marriage is a basic human right Danny Vasquez Staff Writer

This is not a gay issue, but a human rights issue.

With a smile on my face, I picture my hand being held at the altar with my partner.

That smile slowly changes into a frown knowing I’m chained to a dog house and denied my human right of marriage.

I’m not asking everyone to support marriage equality, but support the fact we are all human and shouldn’t be denied of our basic human rights.

Same-sex marriage came a long way from before, but countries are becoming more open minded than

our beautiful land of the free.

Fourteen countries have legally recognized same-sex marriage, but yet the United States can’t get their act together.

In America places where samesex couples can get married are limited, these places are slowly growing, but it’s not good enough.

Twelve out of 50 states in the U.S. are legally recognizing marriage equality, but it’s embarrassing to see that the issue is still pending in California.

Being from California, I’m disappointed with the lack of support and acknowledgment of same-sex marriage.

I’m also disappointed how we are a liberal state and don’t support one another.

Last Tuesday, Minnesota became

the 12th state to make marriage equality legal.

It’s a big step for human rights and for same-sex couples in the midwest.

In the past two years, seven states were added to the list of places in the U.S. where same-sex couples can get married.

It’s more common seeing samesex couples in California than the midwest.

People are growing to be more open minded and accepting samesex couples getting married.

On May 15, 2008, California was one of the states that led the samesex marriage movement.

But then California’s constitution banned same-sex marriage on Nov. 4, 2008.

Now California’s constitution

keeps going back and forth, and is indecisive whether marriage equality will pass or not.

The factors that prevent same-sex marriage are the ideas of marriage and religion.

Marriage is not only meant for a man and woman. We can’t be so inconsiderate and closed-minded against same-sex couples getting married.

Marriage is a foundation of love and shouldn’t be discriminated against.

By saying same-sex couples can’t get married, it seems like they’re less human and don’t deserve the same basic human rights.

People have some empathy.

Think of the people that came before us and paved the way for us to live free.

Avoid loose spending, save money William Hernandez Staff Writer

Alejandra Carrillo

CARTOONIST Kien Ha Bryan Pedroza

Letter to the editor So, I came across this article while I was on campus and my mouth dropped in utter disbelief and disappointment with the false allegations against Mr. Brumfield during our Fall 2012 semester.

Mr. Brumfield, as far as I am concerned, is a darn good teacher, and it is a shame how low some students will go to get a grade change.

I am a female student, and in no way did I feel uncomfortable around him. For example, Mr. Brumfield made us aware of a person who was robbing girls in the parking lot and he told everyone to be careful.

On the first day of lecture, I thought Mr. Kingsley was going to teach our class, but he was not there. Sure, I have dealt with past instructors switching their class schedule, but I had gratitude for Mr. Brumfield and ELAC for not canceling the class.

On top of that, he added what seemed like 15 students. He did not miss one day of class and was always there until the very last student left to answer questions.

Mr. Brumfield was the kind of instructor that challenged his students and expected his students to study.

Biology 20 is a two in one class, with eight units. Even with the “subject to change syllabus,” we adapted to the change, as one would have to do with almost any college class.

For his class, I bought the book, printed the lecture notes, made flash cards and recorded lecture and I earned a “B.”

FEATURE EDITOR

While those careers are still available, the costs of living are continuingly increasing.

Labor workers’ salaries are shrinking while their bosses’ salaries rise.

According to the economic website senseoncents.com, in 1950 executives made more than their workers by a rate of 30 to one.

Since 2000 that ratio has escalated to 500 to 1.

Becoming a wealthy, success story in our modern world, isn’t realistic thinking.

It is important for students to be persistent. Keep close tabs on studies, and do the same with your wallet. While it is somewhat

of an enjoyment to treat yourself to Starbucks or Yogurtland, the receipts add up.

For example, a 16 ounce frappuccino at Starbucks is more than $4. If you make three trips a week to Starbucks and get that same drink, that rounds out to almost $15. That money could be well used elsewhere, in paying bills or gas money.

It’s evident that many of us want to drive fast cars, blow money on designer clothes and live in big houses.

For average people, like students of East Los Angeles College, it takes a lot of work to become successful

and live a prosperous life. It’s going to take a lot more than luck.

It’s going to need a lot of time and effort, and we’re already doing that by going to school and investing in our classes.

A lot of students at ELAC, work 20 to 40 hours a week. If you’re working full-time or part-time while taking classes, look to open a savings account, and designate a certain amount every pay period.

Mom and Dad aren’t going to be there forever to bail us out. Keeping a scope on your finances can only be a beneficiary.

I’m not saying to eliminate going out with friends on the weekends or

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to never offer to take a friend out to lunch. Making wiser decisions in spending, such as where you spend and how much you spend, can only better equip you for the future, when making bigger financial decisions like on a house or wedding ring.

Do not put all your chips on the idea that you’re going to become an overnight success story or the next big thing. That’s not thinking realistically.

Instead stay committed to working hard, at school or work, always look to get ahead, whether it is seeking a promotion or always keeping tabs on new job openings, and always keep your mind on your riches.

DISTRIBUTION Augustine Ugalde ADVISER Jean Stapleton *Denotes Online Editors Campus News encourages letters to the editor relating to campus issues.

Letters must be typed and double spaced. Submitted material becomes the property 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.

Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers must sign submissions and print their names and a phone number where they can be reached.

Letters should be addressed to the editor of Campus News. Submissions can be made at the mailroom in building E1 or the Journalism department office in the Technology Center in E7-303.

East Los Angeles College Campus News 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez E7-303 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (323) 265-8819, Ads (323) 265-8821 Fax (323) 415-4910 The East Los Angeles College Campus News is published as a learning experience, offered under the East Los Angeles College Journalism program. The editorial and advertising materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer.

Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College, or any officer or employee thereof.

PRINTING BY NEWS PUBLISHERS PRESS

Opinion

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013

3

Education should be taken seriously EDITORIAL

During a campus-wide emergency, it’s important for school administrators to make strategic decisions that will keep students and employees safe.

Last Thursday, Neiman Jerome Smith, a 19-year-old Santa Monica College student, called California Highway Patrol threatening he had a gun and was heading to a college campus in Monterey Park.

As a precaution, East Los Angeles College interim-President Farley Herzek and ELAC sheriffs station staff members decided to evacuate the main and South Gate campuses and cancel all classes for the day.

ELAC disseminated the information through the emergency alert system Rave Mobile. Students registered for the system received emails and text messages about the evacuation.

Thankfully, ELAC administrators take safety seriously. No one was injured.

However, it made no sense to cancel classes for the day. Education should be taken seriously, and ELAC administrators failed to make it a priority.

Once Smith was taken into custody and ELAC’s lockdown was lifted around 10 a.m., classes should have resumed.

Santa Monica police officers arrested Smith on SMC’s campus, and students and employees resumed their regular schedules. SMC wasn’t phased by the incident.

Why didn’t ELAC react the same way?

In an email, Herzek said that he and the sheriffs station staff decided to keep the campuses closed for the rest of the day because as the incident unfolded, no one could predict a time frame.

It is true that no one could predict a time frame for the situation, but that does not mean rule out any chance resolving the problem in a timely manner.

What made even less sense was that South Gate classes were canceled, when the suspect was nowhere near the campus.

Finals are a week away. Instructors are finishing up the curriculum, assigning research papers and projects and reviewing for exams.

Class time is precious, and it is crucial that students do not miss out on any instruction days.

Since ELAC did not resume its regular schedule, students and instructors now have to catch up.

In some cases, missing one class

this late in the semester can make or break a person’s performance. Math classes for example run on tight schedules, and instructors often teach new material until the very last week of class.

Students taking classes that meet once a week are set back from learning a week’s worth of material.

They can’t learn new information the right way if they are not given ample time to learn it.

Administrators should change the policy that closes down the school during an emergency.

Including last week’s emergency, ELAC has been evacuated about four times this past decade— twice for gas leaks and once for a bomb threat.

Each time classes were canceled for the day even though the problem was solved within a couple hours.

Students and employees should also voice their opinions about how the evacuation was handled by speaking to administrators. It’s an administrator’s job to listen, take feedback and figure out ways to improve educational procedures.

If we take the initiative to show how much education should be valued, it will urge policy makers to make the changes.

Once a problem is solved, it’s time for everyone to get back to work.

Economy makes thrift shopping popular Amanda Mayberry Staff Writer

It’s official Thrift shopping has gone mainstream. Just ask M a c k l e m o r e , Ry a n L e w i s , and Wanz.

Their hit song “Thrift Shop” is just what it sounds like, a song about frugal bargain shopping at thrift stores.

Does the trio actually shop at thrift stores? Doubt it. While performing “Thrift Shop” on an episode of

Jimmy Kimmel, they were dressed in what looked like vintage clothing, but was most certainly anything but.

However, a good number of their listeners probably actually do shop at thrift stores.

If they didn’t use to, they probably started to after hearing Wanz crooning in his Nate Doggesque voice, “I’m gonna pop some tags, only got 20$ in my pocket.”

In recent years, large chain thrift stores such as St. Vincent de Paul have reported that store sales have gone up. The store reported that sales were up 16.5 percent from the following year.

While St. Vincent acknowledges a boom in sales, small mom-andpop thrift stores are opening up all over the city.

Take a walk down Whittier Boulevard and at least three thrift stores can be found on the blocks between Arizona and Ford Boulevards.

Perhaps “Thrift Shop” can be credited with popularizing the activity of thrift shopping, but it’s the economy that should be thanked for this recent boom in second-hand sales.

Unemployment and disability are up, and the economy is still down.

This is causing more and more people to head to their nearest local thrift store, where they can “pop some tags” and make that $20 go a lot further.

For some, thrift shopping promises a decent shirt on their back, while for others, it promises some business and a little extra cash.

For others it means hunting down and renovating special pieces and maybe even collecting.

Some thrift shoppers find special pieces for anywhere from $1 to $10 and are able to flip them for twenty times that price on such online websites as Ebay or Etsy.

Students should get organized during finals Ericka Perez Contributing Writer With finals coming up, who is not stressing out? Trying to finish homework and cram as much information into our brains as possible is not an easy task.

We need to learn to prioritize. We should study little by little every day, so we won’t feel overwhelmed on the day before we have our finals.

Studying the most challenging subject first would be good, because our minds are fresh and we are not stressed. The subject that is easiest should be left for the end.

Another important thing to remember is not to study the same subject for hours. We should alternate our subjects each day, so we don’t feel overwhelmed and bored of the same subject.

For many of us, pulling allnighters is nothing new. Some

people think that all-nighters are a good way to study, because everything they read is fresh in their mind. For me, pulling all-nighters is a very bad idea.

First of all, all-nighters are a bad idea, because it means that you study all night and don’t get enough sleep or end up not sleeping at all.

I took a psychology class once.

One of the things we learned, and that I remember the most, was that we need sleep to form memories.

It would be better to study in the morning, and get a good rest in the night.

We should only study for no more than one or two hours. This is another thing I remember from my psychology class. Our brain can only withstand to gather so much information.

A f t e r a c e r t a i n h o u r, o u r concentration and mind wanders off and before we realize it

we can’t remember what we just finished reading.

If that happens, then we need to take a small break and refresh our minds from constant studying and stress.

This is very important, because if we don’t manage stress, our body and health will be the ones to suffer the consequences.

According to the University o f M a r y l a n d ’s w e b s i t e , stress can affect the brain and memory in particular.

Stress could also cause insomnia, headaches, muscle pain and high blood pressure among other things. Stress can also have long-term effects.

A good way to ease out body stress would be to do small exercise, listen to music, watch a comedy show or read a good book.

Drinking a warm cup of coffee or tea, and getting a snack (something

sweet preferably) can also help to deal with stress.

I share a room with my sister ,and as we study, she tells me what she reads.

On one of these days as we studied she asked, “Did you know that our brain needs sugar, and that when we study, we use it up? So we become hungry, and we sometimes start craving sweets.”

I thought that was interesting.

I went back to the times when I studied. Most of these times, I was thinking about eating and not concentrating enough.

For these reasons, it is always important to eat and rest properly and try not to stress during finals.

Keeping control of your schedule and following these simple steps can help students deal with the stress and hard time that finals usually bring to students from all over the world.

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Celebrity gossip just wastes time Summer Gomez Staff Writer So I heard that Kim Kardashian is pregnant, and that she looked like a big meatball in her Valentino outfit.

Do I care? No. What shocked me more was that this news spread quicker than the news within my own family about how one of my relatives is now pregnant. This is just sad.

It really amazes me how I found out about some infamous nobody’s pregnancy before that of my own family member.

Nowadays it seems like people know more about celebrities in comparison to the people in their daily lives. Sure, celebrity gossip is very entertaining but only to a certain extent.

What about the real talented celebrities that we actually do enjoy watching on the big screen? Lets take actor Charlie Sheen for example.

On the hit series “Two and a Half Men,” he was an awesome and very entertaining actor, but in real life he was a big drug abuser.

Who would have ever known that he was such a big user without hearing all the celebrity gossip?

No one. Sheen could have silently gone to rehab and continued on with the show without the disruption of the public.

I see celebrity gossip as the exploitation of human beings. We do not have to know everything about them, especially not things that are supposed to be kept private.

Celebrities are only celebrities because they are there for our entertainment. It is a sad spectacle to see your favorite actors, actresses, singers, pop stars or models being talked about in ways that you would rather not hear.

After paying attention to all that mumbo-jumbo, it is sometimes difficult to enjoy entertainment as much as you did before knowing all the negatives.

Not only does this ruin the reputations of your favorite celebrities, but it is also a waste of your time.

With all the time spent watching television or reading those dumb celebrity magazines, you could have been doing something productive, such as homework or spending quality time with someone.

Annoying things are fun to talk about, which is exactly why everyone gossips about celebrity mishaps.

Come on, people, there are better things to talk about other than these people that we put on pedestals.

Stop wasting your time in unimportant nonsense. Celebrities are there for us to be entertained by their talent and hard work, not by their downfalls.

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News

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013

COLA: Budget gives way to restoration of classes Continued from page 1

CN/ERIK MACHUCA

STEAKs AND SCHOLARSHIPS—Selina Chi, executive director of the East Los Angeles

College Foundation, speaks during the ELAC annual Scholarship Awards Banquet last Thursday at Steven’s Steakhouse.

Elans receive scholarships Sergio Berrueta Staff Writer

More than $200,000 worth of scholarships were handed out by the East Los Angeles College Foundation, in conjunction with the ELAC Academic Senate, at the annual Scholarship Awards Banquet last Thursday at Steven’s Steakhouse.

The main awards of the evening belonged to Sihua Chang, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and Huijun Ma, is graduating Magna Cum Laude.

Also receiving a high profile award was Fernando Jaime with the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship.

The Academic Senate presented their awards with donations from

members of the senate.

Winners ranged from Business Administration, Engineering to Journalism etc, giving every major subject some time in the spotlight.

The evening came to close with students leaving with their hardearned awards in hand to benefit their futures either by transferring or to jumpstart their new careers.

Vice President of Student Services Oscar Valeriano shook hands and greeted all who received their award before proceeding to present the college scholarship awards.

ELAC interim-President Farley Herzek was also on hand to congratulate those in attendance.

Honors Scholarship winner Zenda Trieu was ecstatic about garnering an award.

“I feel fantastic. It’s really exciting to win the Honors Scholarship,” Trieu said.

ELAC Foundation Chairman Raymond Cheng presented awards by delivering sound words of advice.

“It is reassurance that you will be successful in the future.

“Whoever helped you today, one day in the future, I want you to help another like they helped you,” Cheng said.

The scholarships presented were awarded in part by fraternities from the Los Angeles area and foundations based out of ELAC. Many scholarships are in dedication to continue the legacy of those in the academic fields that have died.

Presenters of the awards included professors, head chairs of various academic departments and leaders of respective programs with the English Department awarding nine students for their respective achievements and clubs.

A whole new model was developed consisting of two parts.

First part of the new model was adopted in June of last year and is in effect this year. The second has been passed by the DBC in April and is now on the Chancellor’s desk.

ELAC will end up with a reduced budget of $3.9 million over the next three years.

ELAC representatives raised objections and suggested fine tuning to the proposed model.

With 82 percent of state funds distributed by Full Time Equivalent Semester (FTES), the new allocation is still based on enrollment.

Basic allocation for essential expenses of $3 million for small colleges, $3.5 million for midsize colleges and $4 million for large colleges was distributed

by FTES share with no other factors considered.

The DBC followed the state model with one alteration.

It would give an additional $500,000 to small colleges in the LACCD, Southwest, L.A. Mission, West Los Angeles and L.A. Harbor colleges and $500,000 to L.A. Trade Tech for its high cost of its extensive Career Technical Education (CTE) program.

Governor Jerry Brown unveiled a May Revise plan that balanced California’s budget while proposing $227 million for public education on May 14.

The $227 million in year’s funding base by up to a 20 programmatic funding is up from percent increase in General Fund $197 million projected in January appropriations. of this year.

This is about $511 million each, The proposal would allocate over a four-year period, starting $87.5 million for cost of living 2013-14 school year through 2016adjustment, $89.4 million for 17 school year. restoration of access, $50 million This represents about a 10 for the Student Success and percent increase in total operating Support Program, with allowance funds, which includes tuition and of up to $7 million for development fee revenues. of e-transcript and e-panning To avoid high student debt and tools, and $64.5 million deferral tuition levels, a plan to freeze UC buy down. and CSU tuition from the 2013-14 Proposed to 2016-17 school in the May years has been Revision proposed as well.

“The California includes total To improve funding of student success, Community College $25.4 billion, the budget system is the largest $12.7 billion proposed a cap on system of higher General Fund the number of units and $12.7 students can take education in the billion other while receiving world.’” funds, for a state General all programs Fund subsidy including at UC, CSU University of and community California, the colleges.

California State University, the Due to concerns that were raised, California Community Colleges, the administration is withdrawing the California Student Aid the proposal for this year and Commission and several other focusing on alternative incentives entities. to increase cost-effectiveness, The California Community concentrating more on degree College system is the largest completion at the UC and CSU system of higher education in levels. the world, with 72 districts, 112 To start off 2011-12, $961 campuses and 71 educational million of deferral debt were owed centers with approximately 2.6 by the state to community colleges. million students.

The proposed budget begins As stated in the Governor’s to reduce that balance to $621.2 proposal, the budget increases the million in 2012-13 and $557.5 General Fund contribution to each million in 2013-14 slowly paying institution from that of the prior- off the debt.

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Threat: Phone call forces ELAC to evacuate, cancel classes Continued from page 1 Actors Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele stood with the crew of the show discussing what they should do. According to the College Event and Venue Coordinator Ernest Burnett, production on the show was canceled for the day as well.

“I was in class and then we

www.ELACCampusNews.com

started hearing something outside, but couldn’t tell what it was,” Fredo Cervantes, a theater arts major at ELAC, said. “The first thing I saw when we went outside was students and construction workers running scared. It felt like a movie.”

Cervantes, who starred in ELAC’s Theatre Department’s show “In Extremis,” also said that the gun threat forced the actors, director and stage managers to

rehearse at Belvedere Park.

Smith’s phone call started a chainreaction of lockdowns. Several schools from the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as Alhambra Unified School District, were placed on lockdown. Some even had armed police officers at the front of the school.

Megan Perry and Summer Gomez also contributed to this story

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013

Health issues lead to retirement Sergio Berrueta Staff Writer

Health issues lead English Professor Josephine Durso to retire after more than 20 years at East Los Angeles College.

“I am one of the few left from the time they were having trouble to hire when we struggled to strive.

Around six years ago, I had a stroke and just recently I had a heart attack.

“I took that as a sign. I am still teaching two classes this fall, but will still be retired. I might teach to the end. I’m a natural teacher. I will be teaching in one form or another,” Durso said.

After marrying young, Durso began her career by studying at California State University, Fullerton to support her already growing family.

Durso became the planning coordinator for ELAC in 1992 and developed the master plan to make ELAC a prevalent school.

“I didn’t know anything about master plans, so I spent two years and half trying to figure it all out. It was a total mess. I only had a book from 1945. Of course, nobody knew anything,” Durso said.

Unfortunately, the plan Durso had worked out during that time was scrapped.

She had an idea of teaching based on her family ties to the academic world.

“My father was originally a teacher of a small village before the war. I also knew you could not teach at the community college without a Master’s, so I took classes before my youngest daughter got out of class,” Durso said.

Durso was used to being

surrounded in a community where cultures clashed so arriving to ELAC was nothing new to her.

Prior to moving to the United States, Durso spent her childhood growing up in pre-communist China attending a British private school in Shanghai with an international group of students.

“In our schools, we had students from all over the place. My three best friends were a French-Jew, a Russian-Jew and the third was a German whose father tried to kill Hitler,” Durso said.

At that time, danger had struck as the second Sino-Japanese war loomed in along with the Battle of Shanghai.

“We had to keep moving from place to place, because they kept bombing Shanghai. Soon after the Japanese came in to take over. All my school friends moved,” Durso said.

“We stayed out of the English concentration camps, but they got my father. We could have been caught at anytime, yet they came to the house several times and we were left alone,” Durso said.

Growing up in pre-communist China was an experience for her, but then a change came in to disrupt the life she knew.

“We had servants that helped me get through life and owned a number of properties. We grew up very well and surrounded by friends,” Durso said.

“When the communists came in, we left the people we knew so well.

It was heartbreaking to see that we had lost everything and we could no longer regain it.

“I knew that I would never see any of them again. It was a turmoilfilled life, but a good life as well,” Durso said.

She came to East Los Angeles

discovering the community of Latinos changing.

“I had no idea about the Latino community, yet I notice how it changed. Every decade had its problems. In the ‘70s, the population of Latinos was males. It wasn’t until the late ‘70s or early ‘80s that the Latin women came to the colleges to learn.

During her retirement, Durso plans to write, but does proceed it with caution.

“Writing is a discipline, so I do not know if I am ready to do that.

“I have a lot to say, so I may get back to it. I had a sister who wanted to write, but she gave up because it is too lonely. To write is to be by yourself for a long period of time,” Durso said.

Durso will continue to teach part time, but for now has a future to look forward to with an intriguing past to build upon.

Cherry Lai just wrapped up her badminton career at East Los Angeles College. This was Lai’s first semester on the team, but she, along with her team, proved to be victorious.

This year the badminton team beat Pasadena City College twice in the South Coast Conference play, to tie with them for the title.

ELAC advanced six players to the California Community College Athletic Association Badminton Championship.

This was the first time on ELAC’s history that all three double teams made it to the state fianls. Lai advanced to state in the singles and doubles matches.

ELAC has been losing to PCC since 2005. “This year our goal was to beat PCC and win the championship,” says Lai. During the championship PCC was beating ELAC 10-9, but ELAC won the match during the last doubles game.

Lai says that the team’s victory “was definitely a team effort.” In the SCC, Lai was the No. 3 seed in singles and the No. 2 seed in doubles matches along with Shirley Su. Lai moved to America from Hong Kong at the age of 12. She has been playing badminton for more than 10 years.

She remembers going to the park

Helping veterans get through the rigors of college is what Francisco (Frank) Quiambao does best.

Quiambao is a former West Los Angeles College president and Harbor College interim president who wanted to give back to the students he has worked with in education for more than 40 years.

Quiambao was born in Boston, but calls California home now and is much traveled.

H e e a r n e d h i s b a c h e l o r ’s degree in political science and master’s degrees in counseling from California State University, Northridge, and earned his Ph.D. in

CN/Tadzio garcia

Memories—Sarah Marquez, grateful of what Title IX has changed for athletes, sits on the bleachers next the field as she remembers the times when she played ball at ELAC.

professor here at ELAC and friend of Marqeuz.

“We were also members of the same sorority for Women's Physical Learning how to do labor work Education called Delta Pi Gamma at age 11, Sarah Marquez overcame in which we participated in many obstacles to live a life away from campus and community activities,” Ladd said. poverty and her past.

Just before leaving ELAC, Marquez, a Native-American Marquez was offered the Harvard from Central California, came to Ford Foundation, where she was East Los Angeles with her parents going to have all payments paid for and her three sisters at a young age. studying in Harvard.

Marquez and her three sisters were “It did tempt me raised by Japanese to go, but I turned women who would “She also it down.

I wanted to host a day care for suffered that be a shop teacher,” parents that worked for Marquez said. factories. same prejudice She went to Her father started and inequality California State working in a factory when she U n iv e r s i ty, Los that paid more than decided to A n g e l e s a nd farming for a Japanese became a Nativeowner. become one of When her father the first female American recruiter.

M a r q u e z came to the point shop teachers in received her degree where he couldn’t the LAUSD...” in Industrial Studies make enough money w i t h a s p ecial to support the family, isolation in plastics he started to do hand Marilyn Ladd technology and work jobs to be able Former Athletics received a standing to provide anything on Director ovation by the the table for the family crowd during her to eat. graduation.

“That’s where the love of tools “I was the only woman to get that grew on me, because of my dad,” degree out of 200 men,” Marquez Marquez said. said.

“I still remember my dad would “She also suffered that same take me around four in the morning prejudice and inequality when she to check what people would leave in decided to become one of the first their front yards. female shop teachers “I would make in the LAUSD myself fit in the (which was maletruck to get as dominated at the much stuff inside. time),” Ladd said.

Back then, people “Title IX helped would leave good m e accomplish stuff. Nowadays, things I’ve been trash is really wanting to do, to trash,” Marquez b e c o m e a shop said. teacher and work When she with the tools,” was a student at Marquez said.

Roosevelt High M a r q u e z School, she was received her teacher denied from credential. taking an auto She went back to majoring shop class “just because I was a in English and received her art girl,” Marquez said. credential as well.

She graduated high school in She continues to teach at middle 1968 and started East Los Angeles schools and high schools and takes College that same summer. advantage of the school’s vacations She played softball, badminton to travel to around the world. and volleyball. “I met incredible Antarctica is the only continent ladies and until this day, we all still that she has yet to visit. keep in touch,” Marquez said.

“I feel young at heart and mind, “Sarah was always totally but the body has betrayed me,” dedicated to doing her best when Marquez said. As the years have she competed. passed, Sarah feels accomplished “She went out for just about every with the decisions she made when athletic team offered at ELAC at the she was young. time,” said Marilyn Ladd, former Dulce Carrillo Staff Writer

CN/jesus figueroa

LECTURING—ELAC English Professor Josephine Durso lectures her students in her English class Tuesday evening in the F9 building.

and playing badminton with her father as a child. She recalls playing with wooden rackets.

“I’ve grown up with it (badminton),” Lai said. She said that badminton is something she enjoys.

“I’ve always loved it” Lai said.

Lai was part of the badminton team in Arroyo High School in El Monte. During her junior year, she was part of the varsity team.

Her school won the championship during her senior year, and she won an individual medal for her performance.

Throughout her badminton career, she has received six medals.

Playing badminton allowed Lai to create friendships with her teammates.

“You really have this bonding with the girls on the team,” Lai said. Instead of going to the gym to relax, badminton is Lai’s form of relaxation.

Besides being busy in the court, Lai balances school, work and parenting. This semester Lai took on 17 units and worked as a tutor in ELAC. She also takes care of her two children, Justin and Elizabeth. Even though it might be tough to balance such a busy schedule, Lai manages to get everything done.

Lai said that she sometimes takes her kids to practice with her, and that her and her children do their homework at the same time. “They (her children) are my biggest fans,” Lai said.

This is Lai’s last semester attending ELAC. She is transferring to University of California, Los Angeles in the fall. She is hoping to get accepted into UCLA’s Transfer Summer Program.

Once in UCLA, Lai plans to double major in Sociology and Asian American studies. One of

her biggest motivators was Asian American studies Professor Wooi -Chin Ong. Lai said, “He has been the one person who I thank for my whole experience at ELAC.” Lai wants to continue her education and earn her Ph.D. Her goal is to one day be a college professor.

CN/tadzio garcia

SHUTTLECOCK SHUFFLE—Cherry Lai, ELAC’s top singles

player this year, gets in position after state finals singles match at Pasadena City College on May 10.

Former college president dedicated to help veterans Gus Ugalde Contributing Writer

5

Native-American teacher overcomes obstacles

Badminton player balances hectic schedule Cristina Galvan Staff Writer

Features

education from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

He specifically asked to come to East Los Angeles College to counsel military veterans prior to his retirement from the Los Angeles Community College District, where he has worked for nearly 38 of those years.

He is currently the Senior Advisor at the California Emergency Management Agency, and a loaned executive for the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attached to the U.S. Secret Service.

His duties at the DHS include serving as the Senior Advisor for the National Education Security Initiative, a new program that

is designed to protect American of all community colleges,” said schools.

Quiambao.

With all this on his plate, Dr. Q, as Quiambao brings a lifetime of he is often called, calls counseling experience to the table as he helps military veterans his passion. veterans find their direction in their “I’ve always liked working with post-military careers. students and wanted to spend my Many veterans come to ELAC last year on campus here. I can’t unsure of what to major in. Many think of a better assignment than do not know how or where to start working with the vets at ELAC.” the registration process and that is said Quiambao. when Quiambao goes to work.

Quiambao said he wishes he Former Marine Christopher had come here years ago and after Villalobos came back to ELAC speaking to interim-President, after his military career to take Farley Herzek and Student Services advantage of a retraining program Vice President Oscar Valeriano, he the government is offering. found himself on campus.

“I made the right choice. The faculty, students and staff here are great. ELAC is embraced by this For more on this story, visit community, and this is not true www.elaccampusnews.com www.ELACCampusNews.com

SARAH MARQUEZ

Q

A

S wants to...

Thank You All for Coming Out and Supporting us this Semester!

Continue the fun and friend us @! www.facebook.com/elac.qsa

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EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS Passing Through— Chris Brown runs the ball past Dushon Carter as Zachary Hinton sets the screen in Tuesday afternoon practices.

CN/Gabrielle Osei

Elan leaves behind successful career Gabrielle Osei Staff Writer

Coming off a 21-8 record, men’s basketball Sophomore Guard Chris Brown committed to Cal Baptist University in Riverside, Calif.

Brown, who started in all 33 games this season, averaged 10.9 per game.

A native of Los Angeles, Brown graduated from Washington Prep High School in 2010 averaging 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists. After attending Monroe College in New York averaging 1.6, Brown came to East Los Angeles College to elevate and grow in his game.

Being recognized for both all state and all city during both his

junior and senior year at ELAC, as well as all being named Conference MVP in his Junior year , Brown expected more out of his freshman season.

Never the less, Brown felt his time at ELAC was well spent.

“I improved based on last year.

Played more minutes than last year.

I contributed to the team versus last year being the backbone,” Brown said.

Brown never gave up and remained motivated.

“If I was thinking individually, I could have done better. But because I am a team player, I did what I had to do to make the team better,” Brown said.

Brown remained a true point guard and facilitated the ball on top of communicating on and off the court.

Multiple schools were interested

in Brown, but he chose ELAC because the program here was the least expected to be good. Brown wanted to come to ELAC to help build the program.

When Coach John Mosley was hired, Brown was one of the first to commit.

“I am proud of the student athlete he is. He is a centerpiece for the new beginning at East L.A. College, and I am confident he will be the centerpiece for Coach Rick Croy at Cal Baptist,” Mosley said.

Going forward to Cal Baptist, another school he hopes to help build the program especially with a new coach, Brown points out the fact that Cal Baptist is a Christian school that will help elevate his faith and keep him grounded.

This summer, Brown plans to develop his jumper.

“With my jumper on, I’m on.

And if my jumper is on, nobody can guard me,” Brown said. Brown’s main goals and expectations are to complete his college degree in kinesiology and pursue a basketball career in the overseas leagues.

This season’s honors for Brown consist of the Husky award for leadership, being recognized in the top 100 players in the state of California and recognized as an All Conference player.

Keeping talent, local and fresh played a key part in ELAC’s men’s basketball team’s success this year.

With six active players from local high schools, the team surpassed expectations and plan to do the same next year.

Working out, recruiting and maintaining eligibility is the main focus going into next season for Coach Mosley and the men’s basketball team.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013

Husky rises above the odds William Hernandez Staff Writer After enlisting in the United States Air Force Academy with the intention of playing football, Willie Udofia decided it was not for him.

“When I originally enlisted, I was planning on playing football for the academy. However, I didn’t know what I was getting into because it is more than just football,” Udofia said.

Udofia spent a year and a half in the US AFA preparing before he was appointed to the actual academy.

“The commitment didn’t fit me. It wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Udofia said.

Udofia ended up at East Los Angeles College because his teammate in high school at Peachtree Ridge in Atlanta, Georgia Nasir Moore played at ELAC. Moore was a defensive back for the Huskies in the 2011 season played one year before getting a scholarship to play at the University of Kansas.

Moore preached to Udofia about the opportunities ELAC’s football program has to offer. “He told me I can really do good here,” Udofia said Playing in his first game as a Husky on September 8, 2012 against Santa Barbara City College, Udofia had a big opening game, catching four passes for 118-yards and one touchdown. At season’s end, Udofia caught 31 passes, recording for 501 total yards and eight touchdowns.

Along with dedicating majority of his time to the practice field and game days, Udofia still had business to take care of in the classroom.

Simultaneously, he took 25 units last semester and 35 this semester going over to Mission and Los Angeles Trade Tech College to fill admission requirements for wherever Udofia decides to play next season.

Udofia has already pointed out that he won’t be returning next season, but has received scholarship offers from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Colorado State University; and Western Kentucky University, and says he’s leaning towards going to Colorado. “We would love to have him back for another season, but he’s got to move on to the next level,” ELAC head coach Steve Mojarro said.

Moving across country, being exposed to a completely different culture and living under the same roof with complete strangers didn’t intimidate Udofia.

He says he was able to adapt quickly to the new environment with a strong mentality and his geographical relation with his new roommates.

“I treat this almost as a business trip. I keep the mindset that I’m here because I’ve got business to take care of. We all had mutual respect for each other because we are all here with the same purpose, and we all come from the south,” Udofia said.

Some of the roommates include defensive players Casey Baker, Donyae Olton and several others.

Udofia’s short term goals are in his education and looks to eventually get his Master’s degree in business.

“Now it is important to finish my education,” Udofia said.

He is majoring in industrial engineering and looks to pursue a career in designing automobiles.

Instructor finds peace in racing, basketball Chriss Ramos Contributing Writer

Architecture models, basketball photographs and diplomas adorn the office of this 1984 Uuniversity of Southern California graduate who has taught architecture for the past 22 years.

Architecture Department Chair M i c h a e l H a m n e r, k n o w n a s Professor Hammer to the students of East Los Angeles College, began teaching at ELAC in 1991.

“Architecture is all about

teaching. You have to convey your ideas. It’s about teaching all the time,” Hamner said.

Hamner began teaching architecture at Woodbury University where he was doing a project in Pasadena and came across the offer to teach at ELAC. “When I teach, I try to enlighten the student to be cognizant of the field of constructing,” Hamner said. The architecture program has increased its transfer rate four to five times.

In 1990, Hamner opened a firm on his own, D. Michael Hamner and later partnered with his wife. They

do work in and out of state and have clients such as USC. Hamner is part of the American Institute of Architects. “It signifies to the public you’ve gone through the licensing. It’s a signification of pride I want my students to work for,” Hamner said.

As planning commissioner in Monterey Park, Hamner oversees the city’s planning projects. He was appointed by city council.

Hamner ’s interests outside architecture are road racing and motor sports. Last year, Hamner traveled to Seville, Spain, to visit ASCARI, a well-known race

facility.

This summer, Hamner plans to go to an auto motor cross speedway in Virginia.

From 2000 to 2010, 10 years, Hamner coached basketball at his Alma Mater Schurr High School in Montebello, where he led them to six league championships.

“Basketball has been my life. I use preparation and practice using same analogies,” Hamner said.

Hamner is married with three children. “My goal is to make sure my kids are healthy and capable of success. My goal is about my family,” Hamner said.

CN/Tadzio gar-

Dig deeper—Willie Udofia listens to the coach with teammates before the defense digs deep to win 40-27 over Chaffey College on Oct. 27 at ELAC

Associated Student Union winners No Image Available

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ASU PRESIDENT

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EVELYN VARGAS

MARTHA LOPEZ

CHIEF JUSTICE

SECRETARY

EDUARDO VARGAS VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCES

ESTEBAN BAUTISTA CHIEF DELEGATE

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Arts

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013

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Pianist excels, wins prestigious competition Lourdes Espinoza Staff Writer

Embarking on his musical journey at East Los Angeles College, Jerome De Los Santos, 21, thanks the Music Department for re-igniting his passion for piano. Joining the Applied Music Program at age 19, Santos was unsure of whether or not he wanted to pursue music as his career. After his first semester, he only regretted quitting for so long.

Santos received first prize at the California Association of Professional Music Teachers Sonata Competition, Romantic/ Impressionist Competition and the Honor’s Audition, District IX during his time at ELAC. He was also invited to perform at ELAC’s Presidential Gala last May. Last week, he was awarded the ELAC Academic Senate Scholarship after coming in first at the CAPMT Honors Audition State Competition.

Santos is now on the verge of transferring to the Cleveland Institute of Music after having won numerous awards during his enrollment with the Applied Music Program.

A two-year full-time devotion to private lessons, theory courses and practicing with ensembles are what has contributed to his success at ELAC while remaining on the Dean’s Honor List.

The Applied Music Program at ELAC requires an audition for entry. Once accepted each student is expected to remain full-time while attending private lessons, performing at student recitals, completing five hours of practice time a week and submitting attendance and student progress reports throughout each semester.

Dedication to his passion has earned him many titles and awards since his youth.

At the age of 12, Santos quit playing piano in order to pursue other interests and proceeded to attend Long Beach City College after high school.

Transfer Center Director Paulina Palomino suggested he enroll at ELAC where he fell in love with piano and his musical skills all over again.

His interest in piano initially surged while imitating his mother play as he was learning to walk. At the age of five, his parents enrolled him into the Arts Development

School of Music.

Six years later, he became the first Armany Music Academy student alumni to receive the AMA Young Artists Guild Member after his first solo recital at the Long Beach Convention Center.

“They inspired me to work hard and reach my goals. I was impressed that they devoted all their time and demand a lot from their students…I saw how I progressed so much. You have some teachers that really want their students to succeed and all of them are like that in the music program,” Santos said about being under direct concentration of AMP professors Dr. Chie Nagatani and Dr. Lucy Nargizyan.

“The environment of the music program is very supportive and everyone challenges each other to become better,” Santos said, “Everyone likes to help each other out, so to leave my environment where, basically, my love for music started is sad, but I know I’m ready to move on thanks to ELAC,” he said.

Santos’ final performance with the ELAC Symphony will take place on May 30 at the Performing Arts Complex. The event is free and will begin at 8 p.m.

CN/Lourdes Espinoza

Hitting the right note—Pianist Jerome De Los Santos practices paying close attention to

every detail.

‘The Great Gatsby’ soundtrack modernizes 1920s era film Summer Gomez Staff Writer

Courtesy of The Warner Bros. Pictures/Villiage Roadshow Pictures

‘Gatsby’ offers good adaptation Luis Marquez ContributingWriter

One of the most anticipated films of the year “The Great Gatsby,” a film adaption of one of the most celebrated and read novels of American literature by author F. Scott Fitzgerald, stuns audiences.

Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire, Daisy Buchanan, played

by Carey Mulligan, Tom Buchanan, played by Joel Edgerton, and the title character Jay Gatsby, played

by Leonardo DiCaprio, blow the audiences’ mind with a genuine portrayal that stays true to the classic characters from the novel..

Watching this film takes the book and adapts it well for the big screen keeping to the storyline closely.

The film may not have every part of the book, but still stays true to the message of the novel.

Jay-Z took the helm of the soundtrack and made modern music fit to the 1920s era of “The Great Gatsby.”

Luhrman made it seem as though Gatsby was the inventor of the modern day rave with glamorous parties that lasted as long as the alcohol and music would. The dancing was marvelous and really staying true to the time with dance moves like the Lindy Hop, the Foxtrot and the Balboa.

The film being based in the grand time of the Roaring 20’s, it had to have great costumes, which it did. The film really stayed true to the time with the men looking dapper and the woman looking quite

elegant with the flapper-fashion style.

From beginning to end, Maguire does a magnificent job of portraying Carraway and emerging himself in the role. His hobbies, mannerisms and emotions seem genuine to Carraway.

DiCaprio as the figure and main character of the film Gatsby does the most impeccable portrayal that no other actor could have done. The accent, the look, the actions and the emotion that he puts across are remarkable.

In the end, we see a bittersweet satisfying ending.

The Great Gatsby is out in theaters now in 2-D and 3-D. It is rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking and brief language.

while she tugged out dreamlike sounds.

“Using the strings isn’t exact but more of a feeling,” ShpachenkoGottsesman said.

The movement also includes the use of drums which the pianist plays with her feet. The drums were not available during the ELAC performance.

In the third movement of the work called “Olive Orchard,” each hand was positioned at different distances from the keys at the end of concluding phrases. “I do this for color,” Shpachenko-Gottsesman said.

The right hand played the chordal melody while the left hand played the no-less-important accompaniment.

“The distance to the keys also depends on the character of the piece. This is important especially on how I release my hands from the keys,” Shpachenko-Gottsesman said.

The first movement, “Three Pierrots,” ended with the melody exposed through chordal echoes.

The second movement, “Miro’s World,” was reminiscent of Gershwin’s upbeat moods and playful rhythms. ShpachenkoGottsesman’s artistry bypassed the harsh sounds one might expect with 21st century music speaking directly to the listener’s emotions.

“I spend a lot of time learning a piece technically, and then adding my interpretation before performing,”

Shpachenko-Gottsesman said.

“Part Suite-a for Solo Piano” by Tom Flaherty was ShpachenkoGottsesman favorite piece, “probably because I am so familiar with it after working with it longer than the other pieces,” ShpachenkoGottsesman said.

“It is an instrumental piece based on combining the spirit of Bach and other composers, which I wrote for Nadia,” Flaherty said.

The second movement is a blend of a lullaby and sarabande aptly titled “Lullabande” in which you can hear references to folk music set to a playful dance.

The artist skillfully handled the triple meter in one hand while singing with the other hand adding emotion to this baroque-ish hopping movement.

The artist played to the ELAC crowd while “the ink was still wet,” ELAC Music Department Instructional Assistant Chuck Gruhn said.

“She performed this guest faculty recital with newly written works by composers actively writing in the music field,” Gruhn said.

Shpachenko-Gottsesman will be sending out recordings of the pieces performed at ELAC to record labels in the hopes of producing a CD. Shpachenko-Gottsesman has performed extensively in solo recitals and with orchestras in major venues across North America, Europe and Asia. www.ELACCampusNews.com

Pianist previews work at ELAC Tadzio Garcia Staff Writer

East Los Angeles College students heard a rare preview of new 21st century solo piano works by pianist Nadia Shpachenko-Gottsesman on April 30. She will play them tonight in an official world premiere at California State Polythechnic, Pomona.

To n i g h t ’s p e r f o r m a n c e o f Composers Tom Flaherty and James Matheson and others will be at Cal Poly, Pomona at 8 p.m.

“I love sharing my music with the students here at (ELAC). They are always an enthusiastic, involved crowd. This is also a wonderful hall,” Shpachenko-Gottsesman said about performing at ELAC with her busy schedule.

She performed the new pieces at ELAC, “It was a great opportunity for ELAC students to be exposed to 21st century music, which is their future too,” Associate Professor of Music, Voice and Director of Choirs Dr. Tony Lupica said.

The most unusual piece, “Picture Etudes for Solo Piano” by Adam Schoenberg, “was an electrifying experience,” student Enrique Lopez said.

The four-movement piece ended with “Kandisky,” with the performer plucking the strings inside the piano in a bold statement showing bravura

Extravagant film “The Great Gatsby,” directed by Baz Lurhmann, has an equally great soundtrack that modernizes the story of America in the 1920s.

Although the sounds of this track do not seem to fit with the era of the film, the songs are quite catchy and blissful with upbeat jazz infused songs that captured viewers and listeners attention.

The album is filled with a mixture of classic and contemporary songs

remade exclusively for the film.

The Great Gatsby soundtrack features artists such as Fergie, Will.i.am, Lana Del Rey, Q-Tip & Goonrock, Gotye, Florence & The Machine, Jack White, Jay-Z and Beyonce.

Beyonce does an excellent job on covering her own song, “Crazy in Love,” as well as that of Amy Winehouse’s song, “Back to Black,” which was a more upbeat jazzy version. Beyonce will simply blow listeners away with her strong vocals.

The Turtles’ song, “Happy

Together,” is an excellent remix featured in one of the film trailer.

Fergie will make listeners believe that they are enjoying a grand party, fitting of to the classic story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the great Gatsby parties thrown to capture the eye of Daisy.

Del Rey will calm the listener and feed the soul with her sweet sounding lyrics on “Young and Beautiful.”

Overall, the feel of the soundtrack is very jazzy and vibrant. The Gatsby soundtrack is now in stores and available on iTunes.

8

SPORTS

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013

All-American Wrestlers shine Tadzio Garcia Staff Writer

Living with schizophrenia?

East Los Angeles College ends the 2012-13 season with two All-Americans in men’s sports, wrestlers Joshua Newman and Michael Middlebrooks.

Both overcame adversity to reach their goals of becoming AllAmericans at ELAC. Newman, who was ranked as high as No. 3 in the 174-pound weight class statewide, was injured Oct. 24 at Mt. San Antonio College, wrestling out of his weight class.

“We wrestle different weight classes to help with team scoring,” Newman said. He wrestled the topranked 184 pound wrestler in the state, Kenny Breaux from Mt. SAC. “My goal at the state finals was to make All-American status so the team would have a chance to make it to top 10 overall, which they did.

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a goal of advancing to state,” Omar Ochoa, 2013-14 team captain, said.

Newman will take a year off to focus on his AA degree. He will be as assistant coach wrestling at LB Wilson High School.

“I will red-shirt in wrestling next year even though I have offers to four-year universities.

“I want to earn my AA degree before I transfer,” Newman said.

Joshua Newman

Runners finish strong at state Tadzio Garcia Staff Writer

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“Last year at state, I had the flu and couldn’t wrestle. I didn’t want to quit this year, so I wrestled smart to overcome the pain,” Newman said.

Both All-Americans are Long Beach residents and ride the train and a bus to and from ELAC. “It’s not so bad, it’s just life. I came here to learn from coach (Ralph) Valle. The almost two hour trip each way, is worth it for what I get in return,” Middlebrooks said.

Middlebrooks and Newman wrestled in high school in a dual meet of Long Beach Poly and LB Wilson high schools. “He won 13-8,” Middlebrooks said.

They are good friends and were leaders on the 2012-13 team.

“Middlebrooks will return next year as our top wrestler.

All the sophomore starters have

Megan Magdaleno ran her fastest 10,000-meter run at in the track and field state finals last Friday.

Gonzalo Ceja ran in the 3,000meter steeplechase on Saturday.

The Huskies took 10th and ninth places respectively in their races.

“I am proud of their performance’s all season, especially advancing to the state finals. I look forward to working with them next year,” Head Coach Louis Ramirez said.

The women’s 10,000 run was a pack of 10 out of 12 women running side by side.

“I pushed to keep up with them as much as I could,” Magdaleno said.

The race was won by Grace Graham Zamudio from L.A. Trade Tech College.

The top 10 finishers all ran their best times of the 2013 season.

“I am pleased that I ran my fastest race at state,” Magdaleno said.

“I trained mile-sprints last week, which helped with my that sprint at state,” Magdaleno said.

Ceja tackled track and field as a new sport this semester and ended as a state finalist missing All-American status by just over a minute.

“I ran my best. My goal is to break the ELAC record of 9:05.91 in the steeplechase next year,” Ceja said.

ELAC’s Oscar Ogwaro won the steeplechase title in 2007 with that time and no one has run that fast at the state finals since.

ELAC ended the year with 11 Huskies advancing out of the South Coast Conference finals to the SoCal prelims, five, Magdaleno, Ceja, Avanti Armendariz, Vanessa Moore and Lee Pee, advancing to the SoCal finals.

The Huskies men’s team upset SCC rivals El Camino and Long Beach City colleges at SoCal.

Water Polo Women’s water polo will return to ELAC after a 14 year layoff.

“You can’t have a successful swim team without a water polo team. Water polo will aid in community support across the board,” Eldin Onsgard, physical education teacher at ELAC, 33 years in the LACCD, said.

ELAC swim and dive Head Coach Erik Matheson coached water polo at Santa Monica College from 1993-2011.

With winning and losing not on his mind, Matheson says the team will come out with a lot of growth after their first season, being part of something bigger than themselves.

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

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