2019 Collegian Spring Issue 5

Collegian

Armenian Genocide SEE PAGE 2

Los Angeles

Wednesday, May 1, 2019 Volume 182 Number 5

NEWS BRIEFS

The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929

LOOK BACK TO THE PAST

TRANSPORTATION

Blue Line Undergoes Repairs, Will be Closed for Most of 2019

COMPILED BY WILL PENNINGTON

Last Day to Drop Classes Students have until May 5, at 8 a.m. to drop a class with a “W.” Students cannot drop classes after this date and will receive a final grade in any class they haven’t dropped.

Jazz Band Performs The Jazz Band will perform on May 15, at 7 p.m. in the Recital Hall, Room 210 of the Herb Alpert Music Center.

This show is free to attend.

Theatre Academy Looks for New Talent Auditions are May 22, at 4 p.m. in the Camino Theater. Students are required to apply in advance before they reserve an audition slot. More information can be found on the Theatre department’s website.

Health Center to Give LowCost Measles Shots With the current outbreak affecting L.A. County, students can get their measles shot or check their immunity at the Hollywood/Wilshire Health Center located at 5205 Melrose Ave. For more information, contact the office directly at (323) 769-7800.

‘Our Wounds Are Still Open’

BY MARY PARONYAN

The Armenian Genocide changed lives.

So many families spread overseas, leaving their riches to the Turks. I have grown up listening to these stories. My grandmother said it haunted her father for years.

This picture was taken in 1946. My great-grandfather had adjusted to his new life in Athens, Greece with his family. In the 1940s, Germany and Greece were at war, which led my greatgrandfather and his family to move to Armenia. He missed his homeland as well.

“I have seen things that I could never describe. I wish I could go back and see my Athens once again, ” says my grandmother, Mari Karminian. She was an 11-year-old girl when she left for Armenia and has never been back to Athens.

The Blue Line closure is supposed to make things better for Metro customers, eventually.

But in the meantime, it has left its riders who are mostly poor and disadvantaged with one more hurdle to overcome.

BY JENNIFER MENDIAS

Remembering the Genocide 1915-2019

SEE “GENOCIDE EDITORIAL” PAGE 4

From left to right: Mari Karminian (My grandmother at 11-years-old), Karapet Karminian (My great-grandfather), Nurica Karminian (My great-greatgrandmother sitting down), Zarui Krmadjian (My great-grandmother), Petros Karminian (My great-uncle).

POLITICS SNAPSHOT

Rental Costs Fail to Make the Grade

BY JOHN JOHNS High demand for rental housing means the prospect of finding affordable digs near campus is close to impossible. No dorms or student housing at L.A. City College can force students into a lengthy search for affordable, off-campus apartments in East Hollywood and beyond.

The situation will only grow worse because there is no chance of building student housing on campus or expanding into the neighborhood.

In the East Hollywood area that surrounds campus, the average rent for a 750-square-foot apartment is $2,000 a month. A 425-square-foot studio currently on the market and located at 719 N. Heliotrope will set you back $1,325 a month with unlimited free parking available on the street where you live.

According to RENTCafe, a national apartment listing service that has tracked rental prices for the past 25 years, the average rent in Los Angeles will increase 7% this year to over $2,300 per month.

“Rent is crazy,” said Debra Minkove who studies voice and acting after a career in the surf fashion industry. She previously earned a degree from the University of Washington.

This is her second rental near campus after moving to Silver Lake from Orange County a few years ago.

SEE “RENTS” PAGE 6

INDEX Campus Life

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Opinion & Editorial

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News

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Arts & Entertainment

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Sports

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Beto Brings Campaign to Trade Tech in Bid for Presidency

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BY REBECCA GRAZIER ormer Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke spoke to a crowd of several hundred at Los Angeles Trade Tech College on Saturday hours after a gunman opened fire at Chabad Synagogue in Poway just outside of San Diego.

L.A. was one of the first stops in California last

weekend for O’Rourke in his bid for the 2020 presidency.

The United States has more than 30,000 gun-related deaths

every year, a rate that is not seen anywhere else in the world.

PHOTO BY REBECCA GRAZIER Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke speaks to voters at Los Angeles Trade Tech on April 27, 2019. He made his first stop in L.A. on his California tour.

SEE “BETO” PAGE 6

Swarms of people crowd outside the doors of the Blue Line train as they slide open on the 7th St. Metro stop in downtown L.A. Most are minorities; some are blue collar workers and some are students in hoodies carrying backpacks.

Others are mothers pushing babies in strollers, and there are homeless people sprinkled in. They all make their way onto the train. Now, they’ll all have to find an alternative.

For eight months, sections of the aging Blue Line are shut down for repairs and improvements.

Metro says the work will improve reliability, reduce travel times between L.A. and Long Beach and restore train cars to like-new condition.

An analysis conducted by the Los Angeles Times concluded that 16% of all Blue Line trains arrive late.

The Blue Line opened in 1990 and has been used continuously since.

Portions of the Blue Line will be shut down in two phases over the eightmonth period. During phase one, from late January to May 2019, the northern portion of the Blue Line will operate while the southern half, from Watts to Long Beach, will be closed.

This will reverse during the second phase beginning in May, during which the southern half of the line will operate while the northern half is closed for repair.

SEE “BLUE LINE” PAGE 6

Campus Remembers Armenian Massacre

BY MARY PARONYAN Armenian Genocide Resilience Day drew students, staff members and L.A. City College Associated Student Government members to the Quad on Tuesday, April 23.

Organizers Arman and Ani Hovsepyan and Svetlana Hayrapetyan used their positions and resources to put the event together. They reached out to a couple of professors and administrators to come and join the event as well.

Armenian-speaking students stood up on the podium to share a few words. LACC student Mariam Alaverdyan was born and raised in Armenia. She gave a speech about how she would visit her grandfather’s mother—a genocide survivor.

“She never saw her father again after the Armenian Genocide,” Alaverdyan said. “She was only four-years-old when that happened, but she always kept a family picture with her father in her wallet.”

Ani Hovsepyan is also a student at LACC, born and raised in Armenia. She read a poem in Armenian, which was written by her grandmother who watched her speak from the crowd. The audience applauded.

Svetlana Hayrapetyan is a student who is very loyal to her country, Armenia. She read a very well-known poem in Armenian called, “Es Im Anush Hayastani” by Egishe Charents. The title translated means “I Love My Sweet Armenia.” Svetlana went to an American public school but attended Saturday Armenian school, which is why her reading and speaking in Armenian is fluent.

Alen Andriassian is acting vice president of the LACC Office of Student Life. He shared a touching story about his great-grandparents, Arsen Borzakian and Shnorik Boyadjian.

“Arsen found his father and siblings slaughtered by the hands of Turks. All he could think of was his fiancee, Shnorik Boyadjian,” Andriassian said. “Arsen was covered in blood, tears and sweat, yet he managed to find his fiancee, whose name is derived from the word ‘respect.’”

During the Armenian Genocide, everyone went crazy, running around in different directions because they didn’t know what else to do.

“As Arsen and Shnorik were walking across a mountain, they saw a stream which they walked [toward] to drink water. Arsen’s mother was there, whom they reunited with unexpectedly. It took 18 days for them to escape. They found a ship and escaped to Greece,” Andriassian said.

“They walked over bodies of Greek soldiers, to their freedom.”.

Andriassian’s story brought chills to everyone sitting in the audience. Its emotional impact was familiar to many people in the crowd.

“I share this story because it’s a part of my history, and what has happened in this world,” Andriassian said.

He says that this story defines him as a leader in this college. He hopes that unified young Armenians at LACC can draw the same strength from their ancestors as he did.

“I am resilient, I am an example,” he said. “And I try to show that to the young leaders in this school.”

PHOTO BY DAVE MARTIN

Student Svetlana Hayrapetyan thanks the crowd for joining and remembering the 104 years of the Armenian Genocide on April 23, 2019.

Attendees enjoyed traditional Armenian food.

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CAMPUS LIFE

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, May 1, 2019

SEXUAL ASSAULT

WRAPS ITSELF IN DENIM

BY KAYLA HEWITT Denim Day, a campaign to raise awareness of sexual assault, occurs every year on April 24. Los Angeles City College hosted multiple events to bring attention to this issue this year, one of which was a series of workshops covering various topics related to sexual assault and harassment. One event was a workshop on Emotional Intelligence, hosted on Tuesday April 16, in the Student Union Building.

The workshop was hosted by Joe Exnowski, the director of the campus Life Skills Counseling Center.

A marriage and family therapist, he discussed how emotional intelligence involves getting in contact with your emotional self in order to better manage stress, social situations and interpersonal relationships. Your emotional intelligence affects your performance at work, physical health, mental health and relationships. Mr. Exnowski also listed the skills needed to improve your emotional awareness.

Skills that are useful in managing emotions and increasing emotional intelligence involve managing stress in the moment; beating relationship stress with emotional awareness; nonverbal communication; using humor to deal with challenges and resolving conflict positively. Mr. Exnowski also gave tips on how to enhance and utilize each of these skills.

The workshop concluded with an active listening exercise. Students paired off and were encouraged to speak to each other, one at a time, about anything going on in their current lives, especially something that was stressful or annoying. The student not speaking was told to listen and then ask questions that showed they were truly listening and allowed the other student to go into even greater depth about their problems.

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS Writer and director Jen Lynch at the Chicago International Film Festival on Oct. 22, 2013.

Lynch will give a presentation at the Morgan Freeman Theatre on May 1. 2019.

Hollywood Director Set to Speak to Students

BY JACOB GREEN

PHOTO BY BEATRICE ALCALA Sexual assault wraps Itself in denim at Los Angeles City College on April 24, 2019.

Hollywood director and screenwriter Jen Lynch will be on campus Wednesday, May 1, at the Morgan Freeman Theatre at Los Angeles City College.

The cinema department will host Lynch who is known for such projects as “American Horror Story,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” and “Daredevil,” for their monthly speaker series.

Always chasing a new and refreshing story, throughout her career she pushed the envelope on storytelling. She’s explored many issues dealing with

child torture and psychological thrillers that show how “human monsters are created.” For many it illustrates a seamless connection to her father’s body of work.

“Since I can’t jump out of planes, I make scary movies,” Lynch said.

Lynch will supply valuable insight into the television and film industry for the City College film community. Her directing career spans over 30 years, but as the daughter of famed director David Lynch, Jen has been in the entertainment industry all of her life.

Doors open at 8 p.m.

“It feels like something taken off my chest … it’s actually great to listen to someone telling me what I’m experiencing,” said Janine, a nursing student.

Denim Day events concluded on April 25.

PHOTO BY STAFF Hundreds of marchers took to Hollywood and Western on April 24, 2019 to demand recognition for the Armenian genocide. The massacre began in 1915 and continued until 1919.

Armenian-Americans Demand Recognition

BY CHRIS ARGUETA

PHOTO BY BEATRICE ALCALA Anthony McPheeters and twins Noemy and Abigail Cuevas of Hemp Alliance take a break at Los Angeles City College on April 24, 2019. The Trade Tech students say they want to start a hemp club at L.A. City College.

Convinced That Hemp Offers Benefits

BY XENNIA R. HAMILTON A new club at Los Angeles Trade Tech promises to change the material you wear in your clothing, build your house or office with and even create an alternative to your current over the counter drugs.

Hemp Alliance is led by Anthony McPheeters and twins Noemy and Abigail Cuevas and currently has over 250 students.

McPheeters says there is growing interest in establishing more clubs across the nine colleges located throughout the Los Angeles Community college district.

“Our vision is to start an LACC Hemp Club,” McPheeters said.

The purpose of the club is to show how hemp cultivation can be used for a multitude of useful purposes.

Industrial hemp as a drug

derives from the species Cannabis sativa and contains minute amounts of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but it is non-intoxicating.

At a recent meeting of the club at Trade Tech, the Cuevas twins showed some backpacks made of hemp. The meeting was also an opportunity to show how to use hemp in place of architectural products such as concrete. This led to L.A. Trade Tech wanting to work with the group.

The twins were able to convince the college that they were serious about hemp’s other uses. The trio found a way to use hemp to build in place of concrete, titled HempCrete.

“We’re architect students that are actually looking into the building material of it,” said Abigail Cuevas.

Hemp has a long history in many

societies. After roughly 70 years of prohibition in the United States by the federal government, hemp is once again legal.

“The CBD oil extracted from it is already a $22 billion industry, and that’s not even using the rest of the plant,” McPheeters said.

The group also works with PIF California, a non-profit organization. According to pifcalifornia.org, the organization teaches students hands-on experiences that promote the practical uses of Cannabis and Industrial Hemp that serve the community.

The partnership allows students to also earn scholarships through the program.

For more information on the many uses of hemp or the college club, follow the group on Instagram @lihahemp.

In 1939, at the time of his invasion of Poland, Hitler said, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

The answer can be found in the thousands of young Armenian-Americans who demonstrated in the Unified Young Armenians March on April 24 in Hollywood near Little Armenia, and the wider Armenian community March for Justice later at the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles.

These massive outpourings both marked the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, carried out by the Ottoman Empire, now modern-day Turkey and the desire for world-wide recognition of the eight years of extermination.

Organizers of the event included student Anush Harutyunyan. She wanted more people to remember the tragedy that occurred over a century ago.

“Honestly, my goal for the 2019 March is to make sure people know that we’re still gonna fight,” Harutyunyan said. “And we’re gonna fight until we get recognized. The genocide is a really important thing because 1.5 million people sacrificed their lives and died and it’s kind of sad that we’re not recognized yet … I hope 2019 is the year we get recognized and if not next year, we’ll fight even harder.”

The United States and most of its allies including Israel refuse to condemn Turkey or to recognize Armenia’s near demise. Such is the strategic importance of Turkey in the Middle East. Recognition is happening slowly in Europe with France being the only government to recognize and commemorate the genocide. France is home to a large Armenian

population.

Student Jesus Lopez voiced his concern about the genocide and countries who fail to recognize it.

“I think it’s f----- up that countries like the United States won’t just recognize the Armenian Genocide,” Lopez said. “We should have a memorial for the people who died just like the Holocaust.”

The only president to fully recognize the massacre was the late President Ronald Reagan. Since then, no president has acknowledged the event as a genocide.

Former President Barack Obama has publicly given his thoughts about the event but was careful not to use the word genocide.

In March, Alabama became the 49th state in the union to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Mississippi is the only state left that has not officially recognized the genocide. The House Committee on Foreign Affairs has previously proposed resolutions for the United States to fully recognize the genocide but has yet to pass a bill regarding the event.

Student Amy Rodriguez says the United States has a duty to acknowledge this historical event.

“The U.S. has no reason not to recognize the genocide, since we claim to believe in justice and freedom,” Rodriguez said. “We should call [Turkey] out for what they’ve done and make them pay for what they did [to the Armenians].”

Student Maria Vardanyan helped organized the event. She explained reasons why recognition of the genocide is important.

“My goal for the 2019 March for Justice is to get everyone on the same page,” Vardanyan said, “and understand what all the Armenians have been through for the past 104 years.”

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CAMPUS LIFE

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, May 1, 2019

New Performing Arts Center Awaits Approval

BY MELISSA CRUMBY Students who study the performing arts could soon have a new campus home. LACC has completed new construction and multiple renovations, which include buildings such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Library and the Student Union, as well as the courtyard “Oasis” near the Chemistry Building. Even the front of the campus has been remodeled.

The El Camino Theatre is an important theater on this campus for performing arts. The campus has been home to many talented and famous musicians, artists and actors. They include Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood and M.C. Hammer. Sadly, the El Camino Theatre is one of the buildings on campus that has not been aging so gracefully.

It is no surprise to students attending LACC, that the campus is full of historical buildings dating back to the early 1900s. Los Angeles City College was built in 1929, and originally named Los Angeles Junior College. Unfortunately, with the history of these buildings comes deterioration. Certain buildings on campus need different renovations because of the age of the college.

Some buildings just can’t be saved.

“The current Performing Arts Building is not really worth fixing because it is so old and there’s so much work that would need to be done,” said Dr. Mary Gallagher, President of Los Angeles City College.

The administration recently asked the State of California for a grant to rebuild a new performing arts center. The college is currently

waiting for the government’s budget to see if the request is approved.

According to Dr. Gallagher, the final answer for approval will come

by July 1, 2019.

“I’m looking forward to a new performing arts center,” said Maya Menard, a fine arts major. “Without a clean and open space, it is hard to be able to work on my craft. Some artists have no access to a designated space for their creativity, so this is important.”

The planned location for the new performing arts center is on the other side of the renovated Da Vinci Building, also known as LACC’s art gallery. The Da Vinci Building is also currently under construction as well because of age. Students find these on campus renovations exciting.

Justice Quinn, theater arts major expresses his feelings toward a new space for performing arts students.

“The theater holds a lot of history in it but at the same time I do think there’s things that can be refined,” Quinn said. “Some of the walls have stains and cracks in them and I think that in order to keep the students motivated they should be in a space that they feel accustomed to that has the best quality that they feel like they deserve.”

Most are looking forward to renovations to the theater, but others believe there are separate issues that should be focused on as well.

“There’s a lot of theatre spaces built already in this building and some in the music building. I’m happy with the theatre right now but I think if we had a legitimate amphitheater instead that would be awesome,” said Kyle Brogmus, an LACC student.

losangeles.collegian@gmail.com

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OPINION & EDITORIAL

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, May 1, 2019

EDITORIAL

Armenians United, We’ll Never be Divided!

One hundred and four years--that’s years and years of denial of the Armenian Genocide. Each year on April 24, Armenians join each other hand in hand like brothers and sisters, fighting for their rights and recognition.

You see, not everyone knows this story. How our ancestors lives were brought to an end. How purely innocent people were separated from their families for life. How pregnant women had their stomachs cut open. How a mother mourned over the body of her dead child. How Turkish officers posed with skulls of Armenian victims. How Turks teased starved people with a piece of bread.

Half were young. Half were old.

How was this not genocide? The Turks slaughtered 1.5 million Armenians. In this world, it seems clear that whatever happens in our dear motherland affects us in several ways including emotionally and spiritually. We did not exist then, but the stories our grandparents have told us brings chills to our bodies.

ILLUSTRATION BY YESSENIA VILLASANO

My great-grandfather (Karapet Karminian) was a very wealthy man who was born in Akşehir,Turkey in 1901. He was 14 years old when the Genocide took place. He managed to escape with his parents by train, thanks to a close friend’s help. They moved to Athens, Greece. Years later, he got married to my great-grandmother (Zarui Krmadjian), and had my grandmother for whom I was named: Mari Karminian.

As an Armenian man raised in Turkey, my great-grandfather missed his homeland, Armenia.

The Armenian population in the Middle East/Eastern Europe was apart of the Ottoman Empire. He grabbed his family, took a ship to Batumi, a city in Russian Georgia, and from Georgia to Gyumri, a small city in Armenia.

At that time, Armenia was going through the depression years. There was a big shortage on food and shelter. When they lived in Athens, they were among one of the wealthiest people in town. My great-grandfather Karapet owned many furniture

REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Percentage of the Transfer Path Raises Questions

BY KENNY CARRANZA

K

arapet Karminian was 14-years-old when this picture was taken in 1915 during the Armenian Genocide in Akşehir,Turkey. He had a very serious look in his eyes. A sense of fear. His clothing showed how much he had been through because of the tears and patches. He escaped to Athens, Greece with his family right after this picture, thanks to a close friends help.

stores and invested homes in the city and by the Mediterranean Sea. Having to leave three of their properties and luxuries and come to a country going through such hardships was difficult.

Looking back at the Genocide, the Ottoman Empire stole what was considered to be our land.

Knowing that Armenians were intelligent and came from wealthy families, Mehmed Talaat Pasha ordered Turks to get rid of the Armenian culture, so they could acquire their wealth and riches. Pasha was a leader of the Young Turks, one of three brothers who commanded Turkish residents to attack Armenians. Because of the Armenian Genocide, people’s lives turned out differently.

Each time my grandmother tells me this story with tears in her eyes breaks my heart. There’s more to it. This is just a small segment. I feel the pain in her soul. Picturing how life would have turned out differently if certain things didn’t take place. Armenians wouldn’t be so scattered all over the world if it weren’t for the Genocide.

Based on all the positive things Los Angeles City College has to offer us students, the school has a glaring problem: the percentage of successfully transferring to a University (UC) or Cal State.

This is my third year attending LACC. The school has a litany of things I have complained about, e.g. an inept counseling department, a library with hardly any current books, unkempt bathrooms; those are all problems that can be worked around or at most tolerated. It was not until I filled out my FAFSA application this year that I discovered an alarming thing: the percentage of students at LACC who have finished their General Education and transferred to a UC or Cal State is 7 percent. I have only ever attended LACC, so I have no idea what the success rate of transferring from other community colleges is, but 7 percent is an abysmally low number by any measure.

When I discovered this, I asked myself what could be the cause (or causes) for so many students who enroll at LACC to drop out? Certainly ill-maintained bathrooms are not the sole reason for students to give up.

As an Angeleno, one only has to look around to notice that Los Angeles is a multi-culturally diverse city. There are many of us who speak English as a second language; and regardless of what major a student

pursues, each and every one of them must pass English 101,102 or 103.

Writing college-level papers can be challenging enough when English is your native language, let alone if it is your second language.

LACC does offer tutoring though.

A few of the tutors who I personally know have helped a lot of students pass their English classes;so maybe there is another reason why students at LACC are not transferring out. I struggle with math. It is not that I don’t understand it, but that I find it difficult to care about it. As an English major, it takes time to pour into a subject that I will not ever use after college.

LACC offers myriad remedial Math classes and a slew of competent teachers, but it can be daunting for a student to start at Arithmetic and climb all the way up to Statistics. That can be two years’ worth of Math classes before a student is able to take a college-level Math class.Thankfully, the State of California passed the law AB 705, which allows students to enroll directly into Statistics without requiring any Math starting in the Fall semester of 2019. However, I can’t help but wonder how many students have dropped out of LACC after being discouraged from climbing the arduous mountain of remedial Math classes.

There is also the problem classes lack having. The availability of classes at LACC due to budget cuts certainly affects the ability for a student to transfer. Assist.org is a website that allows anyone to look up which classes any UC or Cal State requires students to pass (for any major) in order to transfer.

Again, as an English major I have

I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this editorial with watery eyes if this turnout didn’t occur. It breaks my heart to see Armenians still suffering after all these years. In honor of our ancestors, we will continue to fight each year until we reach our victory and justice. We live in the country known as the melting pot. We have people around us who join this march knowing our story.

The United States still has not recognized the Armenian Genocide, and the reason is this: The U.S. and Turkey are allies. They are a protection system until this day. Recognizing the Genocide would open up many problems. They are on good terms with Turkey, and they don’t want to ruin it.

This shouldn’t be about Turkey, this should be about the Armenian-Americans in this country fighting for the past hundred years. Recognizing this issue would be the right thing to do. Armenians don’t have the strength to bite their tongue any longer. We are drowning in a sea of grief. What is said, has to be done.

seen first-hand how the lack of English courses at LACC beyond the requisite 101, 102 and 103 can affect a students transfer rating. Last Fall, potential English majors had to sign a petition to keep World Literature I and II from being cut. The petition was successful, but students should not have

to spend time and energy towards keeping a course that most UC’s require a student to take if they wish to transfer/major in English. Budget cuts have eliminated some classes from LACC that UC’s and Cal States require students to take in order to transfer. This is why the percentage of successfully transferring out of LACC is so shockingly low.

UP-TO-DATE SERVICES NEEDED FOR THE HOMELESS

BY DIANE RAGIN From the time I left home until the time I arrived at school, I counted how many new buildings were going up and the number was 27. I live 4.5 miles from school and that number is extremely high for a 4-mile radius. The amount is actually kind of out of control. The developments are not designed for low-income people. How can so many overpriced buildings go up all over California?

I knew when I left New York my life had changed. I thought things would be better. Now I am faced

with new construction and mobile campers everywhere. I also noticed too many mobile campers parked in residential areas in West Hollywood. I understand that these are homeless people living in the campers but they should have designated areas where they can park their homes on wheels.

I also don’t understand this law California has that says the homeless can sleep on sidewalks in residential areas. In New York, homeless people are not allowed to camp out on sidewalks in any area. I have never walked out of my home and seen homeless people everywhere.

Broken sink

BY JASON PISKOPUS Students are greeted by a broken faucet in the first floor men’s room of the Chemistry Building, April 29, 2019.

Broken sinks and dirty bathrooms have become a mainstay at City, as well as urine-soaked walkways, feces in the elevator and litter covering paths. As the new administration makes improvements across campus, many are left wondering when change will come to the restrooms. But the responsibility also falls on students to keep their campus clean and report any issues they encounter.

PHOTO BY JASON PISKOPUS

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Compiled by Thomas Gardner Photos by Jason Piskopus

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF ONE YEAR FROM TODAY BASED ON YOUR EDUCATIONAL GOALS, AND WHAT STEPS ARE YOU TAKING TO GET THERE?

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, May 1, 2019

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HECTOR ROJAS Major: Political Science

DAVE DEAN Major: English

BEATRICE GUIAO Major: Hospitality

ALEX KAY Major: Undecided

“This upcoming fall I will have transferred out of here. I got into all four of the Cal State schools I applied to, plus UCLA, Irvine and Santa Barbara; San Diego is not in yet.

I worked really hard so that I could transfer in two years and attend my dream school, and now it’s happening. It’s all about utilizing resources and taking advantage of opportunities.”

“At this time next year -- spring of 2020, I see myself being more disciplined. For me that means not letting anything pass me up, and never walking into any room on campus feeling unprepared. So I will stay ahead of everything.

There is a saying that I am going to start abiding by, ‘stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.’ When it comes to school, I am going to be in the position where there can be no curve balls thrown at me. I will work to make everything an easy lob.”

“I see myself transferring back to the University of Houston this time next year. But, most important, I need to get a 3.0 GPA this semester, and to accumulate 15 units so that I can obtain the hospitality degree.

So I’m in school four days a week.

Generally I go to the library after class for maybe two hours, so that I’m sure to learn the lesson. And then when I get home, after I’ve eaten, I will study for two, or three, or sometimes four more hours. This is my routine.”

“I am working toward my transfer, and plan on having it all completed in two years. My goals during that time are to improve my mindset -‘correct’ mind, instead of having a rotten mind.

My intention is to face all challenges, head on, and handle all burdens, instead of trying to avoid them. This way I will to get to UCLA.”

INK STYLE

A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT Give Them Their Flowers Now

Third in a series on adult children who provide care for their parents

BY DERRICK L. WADE As I am writing this piece, across town, the Celebration of Life and Legacy Homegoing Service is unfolding at the Staples Center in honor of the recently slain rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur and community activist from Los Angeles, CA., Ermias Joseph Asghedom, professionally know as Nipsey Hussle.

Tens of thousands of mourners have gathered at the Staples Center, streaming live across the world and at the location of his shooting to pay homage to Nipsey.

The stage at the Staples Center is adorned and dressed with ornate floral arrangements and plants as is tradition at many places of worship and venues where funerals or Homegoing Services (as it is often referred to in the African-American community). Countless loved ones, public figures and fans will either grace the stage, send correspondences to be read at the service, or on social media, express beautiful words of condolences and admiration for the slain artist and activist.

I cannot help but ponder if he knew how loved and deeply revered he was, not to mention the many lives he affected. Yes, this outpouring of love and respect is in order, but how apropos it would have been if it had happened while he

was alive.

One of the challenges of life is that we do not know when death will come knocking on the door of our loved ones, or even on our own door. One thing is for sure: it is going to come knocking sooner or later. This season of my parents’ life with respect to their health challenges has forced me to come to grips with the reality of their immortality.

The late Rev. James Cleveland, referred to by many as the “King of Gospel,” recorded a song entitled, “Give Me My Flowers.” A lyric from the song states, “I’d rather have just one tulip right now than a blanket full of roses when I’m dead … ” Early in life, I realized how blessed I was to have the parents that I have. We are not a perfect family.

But one thing is for sure—I always knew my parents loved me and I them. I made it a point to do that which I could to ensure that they knew how much I loved and appreciated them. My mother is now in the final stages of Alzheimer’s and perhaps unable to recognize or even appreciate the expressions of love, gifts, cards and flowers that she is given. Nonetheless, I still make it a point to celebrate her every moment I can.

One of music’s most renowned artists, Stevie Wonder, penned a song, “These Three Words.” The sentiment of the song is “When was the last time your loved one heard you say, ‘I love you’. ” There is no need to wait for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or a birthday.

Who do you need to call today and let them know you love them?

ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN GOMEZ

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NEXT ISSUE: September 25, 2019 EDITORIAL DEADLINE: September 18, 2019

6

NEWS

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, May 1, 2019 FROM “BLUE LINE” PAGE 1

PHOTO BY JENNIFER MENDIAS Passengers head into the Blue Line train in Downtown L.A.’s 7th St. Metro station on April 27, 2019. The temporary changes have displaced many riders and left others confused.

BLUE LINE CONSTRUCTION BRINGS NEW HURDLES The Blue Line has been a fast and easy way for people to get to and from Long Beach to downtown, and in between, without a problem.

Now, with these new changes, it is causing a problem for a lot of people.

“The closures will be difficult for many of us, but Metro will offer a variety of bus shuttles to minimize the inconvenience to Blue Line customers,” said Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach and a Metro Board member.

The closure of the Blue Line has already affected many people, from

workers trying to make it to work on time to students. Many schools are quite far away.

Police officers stand on a corner and watch as passengers exit the train. They cross the street in Watts, which is the last stop from downtown, where everyone has to get off to connect to the bus that has replaced the train.

The sun beats down on the commuters. Some have their headphones on. Some look agitated as though the inconvenience of their travels adds to their life’s stressors.

“I’m coming all the way from

Long Beach ‘cause I go to school at L.A. Trade Technical College, so I’m getting off in downtown, which means I have to get up two hours earlier than I had to before, just to be on the safe side, you know? said John Vasquez, a student. “I work late, till’ late at night, I’m losing more sleep than before and more tired through my day,” The bus ride is much slower than the train. It stops at every stop.

Someone is blasting their music from their radio, which is pretty common on the Blue Line, but somehow on the bus it is a little

more unbearable. There’s less space, fewer places to sit and people are packed in like sardines. This is only going to make the long ride even longer.

What would have only taken about 40 minutes now takes double that time.

Aidan Duran, a 22-year-old who lives in Artesia and received a scholarship to USC—worries because he does not want anything interfering with his academics.

“I worked hard to go there, I’m the first one in my family to go to a university, let alone one like USC,” Duran said. “Yeah, the Blue line construction is annoying, another obstacle, but I just have to try harder.”

Brian Addison, a columnist and editor for the Long Beach Post, said that because of the Blue Line closure, the trip from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles requires two hours to complete. It usually takes less than an hour.

“Unlike many mornings taking the Blue Line, the train was mostly empty and there was also a sense of spirit lost,” Addison said. “I felt, looking around, that most had gone somewhere else.”

The Blue Line hiatus leaves many passengers lost, confused and displaced. A look around the train and an elderly man hesitates to get in the car. When he finally did, he sat down for a minute, looking perplexed, then he got up and left the train.

He explained in Spanish that he did not know if the train was going to Compton anymore, or if he had to take the bus now. The Collegian called Metro to report the problem to the media relations office. Communications Manager of Metro Media Relations, Jose Ubaldo, said he was in a hurry but promised to send a press release. Nothing arrived by deadline.

FROM “BETO” PAGE 1

FROM “RENTS” PAGE 1

PHOTO BY REBECCA GRAZIER An apartment for rent at 719 Heliotrope located next to Los Angeles City College on April, 26, 2019. The 425-square-foot studio is currently on the market for $1,322 a month.

HIGH RENTS CAUSE ANXIETY AMONG STUDENTS “In the first rental, I was paying $2,100 a month, which seemed pretty high. I just moved again a couple of months ago, now I live in a one bedroom, one bath bungalow [part of a fourplex], and it’s pretty steep at $2,800 a month,” she said. “I do have a yard and two parking places. Trying to have a life while looking for work and going to school and making rent is tough. Rent just keeps going up.”

LACC President Mary Gallagher is also wrestling with the problem of the high cost of housing for students.

“LACC does not currently have specific plans to build dorms,” Gallagher said. ”We are looking to the State Legislature to increase the Cal Grant with more funds to help students with housing costs.”

The outlook for affordable apartments for students is bleak, with only 17% of housing units in Los Angeles available for $1,500 or less. Jeanette Brown is director of public affairs for the Southern California Coalition of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH). The group works to address the lack of affordable housing and homelessness in Southern California.

“It takes three to five years for a typical 65-unit affordable housing complex to be built,” Brown said.

SCANPH has calculated that Los Angeles County needs 568,255 more affordable rental homes to meet the needs of its lowest-income renters.

The issue of housing insecurity for students is reverberating throughout the state and the district.

Ray Alahi, a cinema major who

came to Los Angeles from Austin, Texas has rented three different units.

“When I arrived from Austin, I rented a room for $500 in Whittier, but it was a million miles from where everything is,” he said.

Alahi stayed there long enough to get his bearings and then moved into a studio in Hollywood.

“It was $1,500 a month plus $150 for parking,” he said. ”The place had no stove or anything else, just a microwave and sink, less than 300 square feet. All the money I was making as an Uber driver went for rent.”

For the past two years, he has shared a townhouse next to the Bob Hope Airport, in Burbank. Bounded on the north by the airport’s runways, to the east by Interstate 5 and an over-trafficked commercial street to the south, the neighborhood is a classic in urban “uglifacation.”

“It’s a thousand square feet and costs $2,100 and it’s split with a housemate,” Alahi said.

The challenge of keeping one’s head above water financially causes students to choose work over school.

The high cost of housing has had an impact on Alahi’s academic career.

“Right now, grad school is probably out of the question, even though I should have no problem being accepted,” he said. “On average, I work 55-60 hours a week as an Uber driver, to make $4,000 a month. I have no money left over. I don’t qualify for grants and I’m leery of being able to pay back a loan for school.”

PHOTO BY REBECCA GRAZIER Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke speaks to voters at Los Angeles Trade Tech on April 27, 2019.

MANY COME TO THE UNITED STATES WITH DREAMS OF BETTER OPPORTUNITIES “We will insist on universal background checks for everyone without loopholes, or exceptions,” O’Rourke said. “We will also insist and ensure that weapons are designed and sold to the United States military for the express purpose of killing people as efficiently and effectively kept on the battlefield, and are no longer sold in our communities.”

O’Rourke comes from El Paso, Texas, which is home to the largest binational community in the United States. He expressed his disdain with the children that were separated from their parents after crossing over the border from Mexico illegally.

“Never again is another child put in a cage and sent to foster care while their parent is deported back to her country of origin, the very place from which she fled. Not only must we reunite all of them,” O’Rourke said. “But we must rewrite our immigration laws in our own image to reflect communities like this one here in Los Angeles, in El Paso, in our whole country, and that means freeing every dreamer from any fear of deportation by making them U.S. citizens in their true home country.”

The candidate said the United States will not purchase security with a 30-foot wall, which cost $40 billion, and stretches nearly 2,000 miles along Texas.

“We will not force others who are coming to this country to join family persecution or death to cross in the most inhospitable stretches of the border,” O’Rourke said. “The walls that we already have—have produced hundreds if not thousands of deaths of our fellow human beings.

We are going to make sure that we understand that security is purchased not with walls or militarization, or cages or cruelty, but by treating human beings with the dignity and respect that they deserve.”

Many people come to the United States with dreams of better opportunities.

Jesus Villalba is a 16-year-old dreamer whose parents brought him to the United States from Mexico when he was three years old.

“When I was three, I left Mexico. Even though I left at a young age, I still remember the warmth of the people, the reigning foothills of the Sierra de la Giganta and even the smell of sweet guavas,” Villalba said. “Because I only spoke Spanish, I had a lot of time to reflect on my unique background, especially on how there were similarities with American culture, the ideas of freedom and family unity. As I grew up, I became aware that my family’s cultural diversity was associated with a different immigration status.”

When Villalba was 15 years old, President Obama approved DACA, which allowed undocumented children temporary legal presence and work authorization in the United States.

Even though Villalba wasn’t eligible for DACA because of his age, he says he remembered feeling relief that his prayers had been answered.

“Although only a Band-Aid solution, this is the only bridge I could cross for my future in the United States, and I will never forget when President Trump ripped the Band-Aid on top of this bridge,” Villalba said. “Just before I turned 15 and applied, he ended the program abruptly.”

Several court decisions kept the program alive, but Villalba says new applicants like him are no longer allowed. There is still no current path to citizenship for DACA recipients.

“Things that were in essence promised to me by the country I love such as a work permit, peace of mind, and living with my family, as well as access to work study opportunities, these were all taken from me just like that,” he said.

L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez’s father served in Vietnam as a green-card veteran to earn his citizenship. He later came back to the United States with a union job, becoming the first Latino firefighter on the L.A. City Fire Department.

“It was through his aspirations on helping to fulfill the American dream, and finding those middle-class opportunities that I was one of the first in my family to go to college,” Rodriguez said. “I stand before you today as the third Latina in the history of the city of Los Angeles happy to serve on the Los Angeles City Council.

Lacy McDowell, a student at UCLA, will graduate with her bachelors in political science.

She first heard of O’Rourke when she saw him speaking on a video at a townhall. She said she likes him because he offers accountability.

“Someone had asked him if he felt Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem was disrespectful,” McDowell said. “[To] which Beto responded that he didn’t feel it was disrespectful because there are black men, women and children that are being murdered at an alarming rate. What also struck me was that he offered accountability.”

POLICE WIRE COMPILED BY CHRIS ARGUETA April 6, 2019, 2:30 p.m. to April 8, 2019, 6:30 a.m.: A burglary was reported on campus.

April 10, 2019, 4:23 p.m.: A burglary occurred on campus.

LAPD Crime Report April 15, 2019, 11 a.m.: A vehicle break-in was reported on the 1200 block of North Vermont Ave. April 17, 2019, 9:30 a.m.: A theft occurred on the corner of North Vermont Ave. and Willow Brooke Ave. April 18, 2019, 1:45 p.m.: A vehicle was reported stolen on the 3900 block of Marathon St. April 19, 2019, 10:45 a.m.: A vehicle break-in was reported on the 1000 block of North Edgemont St. April 20, 2019, 8:55 p.m.: An assault with a deadly weapon occurred on the 700 block of North Mariposa Ave. April 22, 2019, 11:20 p.m.: An aggravated assault occurred on the 4600 block of Santa Monica Blvd.

April 23, 2019, 1:30 a.m.: A burglary occurred on the 1000 block of North Alexandria Ave. April 26, 2019, 5:30 p.m.: A vehicle was reported stolen on the 4300 block of Lockwood Ave.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, May 1, 2019

7

FILM PREVIEW

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARINA BAILEY FILM PUBLICITY. “Matt Smith delivers an uncanny portrayal of Charles Manson in “Charlie Says”. The movie focuses on the infamous Manson family and the murders they committed in Los Angeles nearly 50 years ago.”

Matt Smith Delivers Chilling Performance in ‘Charlie Says’

BY LOU PRIMAVERA SOHO house provided an exceptional preview of “Charlie Says,” and offered the audience an accurate, chilling perception of not only the infamous Manson family, the premise exposed an up-close and personal account of the manipulated state of mind of the murderers.

Director Mary Harron [“American Psycho”]returned to the big screen in 2011 with an exhilarating feature.

The main plot of the film revolves around Charles Manson (Matt Smith) and the three women who murdered on his behalf -- Leslie Van Houten (Hannah Murray), Susan Atkins (Marianne Random) and Patricia Krenwinkel (Susie Bacon).

The film opens with a famous quote from Joan Didion’s essay “The white Album” that reads: “Many people I know in Los Angeles believe that the ‘60s ended abruptly on Aug. 9, 1969.”

The date is the night famous actress Sharon Tate and four others were murdered in her home on Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills,

and the quote appropriately sets the tone for the rest of the disturbing, violent film.

The movie cuts back and forth between the isolated cell block in a California penitentiary where the three women have called home for the last three years and the Manson ranch in 1960s Los Angeles. Merritt Wever plays a sympathetic graduate

THEATRE ACADEMY

student who acts as a therapist and is assigned the daunting task to restore or tap into the women’s demented state of mind.

As the dialogue begins to progress, the three women’s brainwashed psyches become unraveled, and the plot becomes more intriguing.

Harron chose a precarious approach presenting the controversial murders and three women convicted.

Most importantly, it presented a question: Are they victims of mental manipulation or heartless coldblooded killers?

Smith plays an accurate portrayal of Manson and delivers his delusional, racist, but also manipulative charismatic traits that influence his young followers.

The film is sluggish at times, but Harron makes up for it by engulfing the audience. It cuts back to flashbacks of the real world and the present-day, isolated therapy sessions. Ultimately, the girls are faced with confronting the horrendous acts they committed in the isolation of their cell blocks -cut off from the world.

The silver screen transports the audience from the 1960s California sunshine and the dreary cell block.

Harron takes a risky, controversial direction with the storyline that is ultimately effective. Viewers understand the killers’ point of view and gain insight into the minds of these young women, and in a strange way it evokes sympathy for them.

They are forced to come to terms with their actions and they come back down to earth.

In a subjective way, the film paints the three young girls as brainwashed victims, similar to the murder victims of the Manson clan.

Murray sewed up a great performance as Leslie Van Houten and is indoctrinated into the cult, cutting ties with her family in the first act.

The main issue is the lack of backstory within the characters. The issues that are never explained are, why is Leslie and the other characters leaving everything including their family to join such a deranged environment? The audience is never given prior context to what lead these women to stick around to commit murder.

The major inciting incident is when Manson’s audition for music producer Terry Melcher (Brian Adrian) goes south and his violent nature picks up pace. The film and Manson’s ‘Helter Skelter’ philosophy begins to gain momentum and his plans to commit murder on a society that “oppresses them” begins.

Leslie finally admits she stabbed a stranger for “nothing” toward the end of the film, and we see the killers come to grips with reality. They killed innocent people for no reason.

The film raises many questions about human nature and most importantly how to view Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel. Are they victims of the mind control of a madman, or are they deeply disturbed killers .

Perhaps both.

On Jan 31, 2019, Van Houten was deemed suitable for parole after serving more than four decades in prison. California’s new democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, will make the final decision on whether the 69-year-old should be released.

“Charlie Says” opens in Los Angeles and New York on May 10.

FILM REVIEW

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS. Thomas Q. Jones gives a stellar performance in “A violent man” directed by Mathew Berkowitz. The film is centered around a stuggling MMA fighter who gets tangled into a murder investigation.

‘A VIOLENT MAN’

BY JACOB GREEN

PHOTO BY JACOB GREEN Cast members from “Hot l Baltimore,” the final play of the spring semester from the the L.A. City College Theatre Academy take a break from rehearsal on April 25, 2019. The cast will re-create the piece originally written by Lanford Wilson.

‘Hot l Baltimore Helps Audience Come to Grips With Change’

T

BY LOU PRIMAVERA

he Theatre Academy will present ‘Hot l Baltimore,’ directed by Louie Piday and originally written

by Landford Wilson, from May 9 through May 18, 2019, at the Camino Theater.

A talented ensemble cast will recreate the original piece set in the lobby of the Hotel Baltimore. The premise focuses on the residents living in a decaying hotel who face eviction and uncertainty when the property is condemned. The “e” missing from the title harkens to the hotel’s neon marquee that had a burned out “e” which was never replaced.

“It’s a dark comedy; an edgy comedy with a beating heart. It’s about family, not your biological family, but the families that you form and it doesn’t matter what status of society you find yourself at, whether you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth or have to sell your

body as a sex worker,” Piday said.

‘Hot l Baltimore’ is similar to a Greek tragedy. It takes place within a 24-hour time frame and the audience gets to view a slice of the resident’s turbulent lives and the comradery and adversity that goes on within the hotel walls. The piece has a mature theme and centers around three main female characters who are prostitutes.

Older inhabitants, a night clerk and secretary as well as a sister and brother who moved to Baltimore to start a new life round out the cast of characters.“The heartbeat is the older gentlemen and lady that live there, the night clerk that sort of wishes he had a more deep personal relationship with one of the three prostitutes, as well as a strange visitor whose presence drives the engine of the plot,” Piday said.

The cultivated plot has a suspenseful yet sentimental overtone, as it not only touches on the hardship of the residents but also on the

concept that nothing is permanent. Just like ‘Hot l Baltimore’ faded from a luxurious hotel for the upper class to a now condemned run down property that will soon no longer stand, the moments the residents share under this roof are temporary and fleeting. The future is uncertain.

“The playwright mentions in the very beginning that nothing is permanent. Our architecture changes and fades, our lives are here then they’re gone and these people are here now in this very moment but, just like the hotel won’t be here, none of us will pass this way again,” Piday said.

‘Hot l Baltimore’ not only represents the impermanent fate of the hotel or architecture but also the transient and uncertainty of the character’s lives. Show times for ‘Hot l Baltimore’ are 7 p.m., along with two matinee showings on Saturday May, 11 and May 18, at 2 p.m. Prices are $15 for general admission and $10 for students, seniors and veterans.

“A Violent Man” is a crime drama placed squarely on the shoulders of the mixed martial arts landscape. “Ty Matthews,” played by Thomas Q. Jones, is an MMA gym rat with little time left for his dreams of stardom.

Opportunity walks through the door when reigning champion Marco Reign, played by Chuck Liddell, needs a sparring partner for his next fight.

Ty makes big on the opportunity, but soon finds himself in over his head with reporters, fame and murder. This is where writer and director Matthew Berkowitz leads viewers down the rabbit hole of predictable plot points.

Luckily, standout performances move the film along.

Khalilah Joi plays Ty’s girlfriend “Whitney.” She puts a fresh spin on the burnt-out, supportive girlfriend and shows through any situation she is all for team Ty. She is forced to make her own tough decisions throughout the ups and downs of their relationship. Like any MMA fight, the movie takes a while to feel itself out, but stick around for the twists and turns to a surprising finish.

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8

SPORTS

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, May 1, 2019

PHOTO BY CURTIS SABIR Cheerleaders rally for LACC basketball players in the Kinesiology North, 146 Gym on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Even the lack of an official basketball team cannot stop LACC’s cheeriest from cheering.

PHOTO COURTESY ANA SALINAS Panteras FC defeated Elite 8 in the semi-finals of the LACC Intramural Soccer Playoffs on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. Panteras FC will play Zuniga United in the final on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

76ers Acquire Former WNBA Player

Intramural Soccer Gains Traction with Students

B

BY APRIL SANTOS

Intramural soccer returned for second consecutive semester, bringing out more players than ever.

BY DAWSON FICKUS First leg of the semi-final stage of intramural soccer concluded at the LACC Stadium on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. The regular season finished with Zuniga United in first place with 12 points, Elite 8 in second with 10, Panteras FC in third with nine and Blue Face FC in fourth with seven.

The tournament is conducted with a two-leg semi-final. Zuniga defeated Blue Face comfortably with a score of 6-2 in the first-leg.

Zuniga outplayed their opponent on offense at every turn, but their defense was lacking at key moments, which led to conceding two goals.

Although Elite 8 finished the regular season with a better record, Panteras upset them in the first-leg semi-finals with a score of 5-6.

Both teams’ offense was exciting to watch. Neither team could stop scoring in this 11-goal thriller!

Intramural soccer at LACC is always filled with a lot of enthusiasm and camaraderie because it originated with students. Students approached the office of student life with the idea,

and students pushed it through to make it happen.

Although enthusiasm is never an issue, maintaining participation can be a challenge. After suffering poor performances early in the season, Juventus and LACC FC stopped showing up to their scheduled games, eliminating them from the playoffs before they even started.

Players on losing teams have no incentive to stick around. The other four teams consisted of friends that knew each other and could already play well together.

Free-agents that signed up without knowing anyone else made up both Juventus and LACC FC. The administration does not provide anything as an incentive for these players to stick around.

There is no end-of-season party with free pizza, root beer floats or anything of that nature. It could be a far more welcoming and fun environment if everyone could be included.

The second leg of the intramural playoffs concluded on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The winners will play in the final game on Tuesday, May 7.

SPORTS CALENDAR Tuesday, April 30, 2019 Intramural Soccer Final 1-2 p.m. (LACC Stadium) Intramural Volleyball 1-4 p.m. (Kin North, 146 Gym)

LAFC LEADS LEAGUE, LEAVES OTHERS TO LANGUISH

BY DAWSON FICKUS LAFC leads the MLS in almost every statistic including wins, points, goals scored and goal differential after eight weeks since the start of the season.

This is the LAFC’s second year in the league, and they are already dominating the competition. The team’s victory on Sunday, April 21, 2019 against the previously undefeated Seattle Sounders confirmed this.

The win pushed the kings of the Northwest comfortably below them.

It is not only the team’s statistics that lead the league, but individual player statistics also reign supreme. Carlos Vela leads the league in goals scored and goals assisted at 10 and 5, respectively. Other LAFC players can also be found high on these lists after many outstanding performances.

Seven wins, one draw and only one loss gives LAFC 22 points, sitting convincingly above their closest challenger. “Closest” in league standing, and geographic proximity. Sitting at 18 points and 12 miles south, L.A. Galaxy holds second place in the league. Both Los Angeles teams have had ideal starts this year.

The 5-foot-8 guard was only the sixth player in ACC history to register 1,000 points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds and 250 steals,

efore the start of the 201819 season, the Philadelphia 76ers hired former Duke University and WNBA star, Lindsey Harding making her the first, black female scout in the NBA. Before the playoffs started, the franchise promoted her to assistant coach for player development, and there should not be any question about her capability in this new position. Harding’s knowledge of the game speaks for itself when looking at her career statistics, both in college and in the league.

“Duke retired Harding’s No. 10 jersey after she finished her college career with 1,298 points, 579 assists, 296 steals and 565 rebounds in a school-record 128 games,” said Mark J. Spears in an article for “The Undefeated.”

“The 5-foot-8 guard was only the sixth player in ACC history to register 1,000

points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds and 250 steals,” Spears said. “In 2007, she was named the Naismith College Player of the Year and was the No. 1 overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA draft.”

She retired from playing basketball in 2017 with averages of 9.8 points and 4.0 assists per game in the nine seasons she played. She did not retire because of an injury, but because she did not like being forced to live place to place and team to team.

She has been enjoying her time working with the 76ers and says that no one has been unwelcoming since she has arrived. Some people tried to play down her experience because she gained it outside of the NBA. She understands the skepticism because it is a competitive industry, but that does not stop her drive.

“I don’t know. For one, I think now people are realizing this could be a path,” said Harding when asked about the lack of black women in the NBA. “Because if you don’t know, you then may not pursue it.”

Free-Agent Drama Begins, As NBA Basketball Season Approaches End

G

BY WILL PENNINGTON

olden State Warriors seem destined to cruise to another NBA championship this season. While this year reinforced the status quo of the hoops world, there is a lot suggesting that “The Times,” as Bob Dylan said, “Are A-Changin’.”

The true work of building an NBA Championship team does not happen during the season. General managers and scouting staffs spend the offseason working to assemble the best collection of players. Coaches spend their months “off ” thinking of ways to baffle the competition in the coming season.

While the NBA playoffs are far from over, it is already apparent to those paying attention that this summer will have a seismic impact on the league—one which will echo for years to come.

Such summers have occurred with relative frequency, in recent memory.

The Warriors current dynasty reached its current august elevation on July 4, 2016, when their front office, led by NBA legend Jerry West convinced then-Oklahoma-City superstar, Kevin Durant to defect from the Thunder and join the Warriors.

Similarly, this July could see superstar realignment shape the future of the association.

Perennial all-stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are all going to be free agents this summer. Their destination will go a long way toward determining the shape of the league for years to come.

Kevin Durant, for one is sick of the speculation surrounding his decision this summer. He has taken an adversarial tone with the media, as his free-agency rapidly approaches.

“They need me,” Durant recently told NBC Sports Bay Area. “If I wasn’t a free agent, none

of this s--t would go on, right? None of this speculation about who I am, what’s wrong with my mental, why I’m miserable, why I ain’t happy with life. Nothing.”

While the media does indeed benefit from the drama surrounding these decisions, the rest of the league is just as invested as the media.

It is easy for fans of either of L.A.’s NBA teams to imagine how the addition of any of these players might change the fate of their franchises.

The Lakers, long accustomed to winning, are in the depths of the longest playoff drought in franchise history. After signing LeBron James last off-season, the Lakers’ disappointing performance in the regular season has left them outside the playoff hunt for yet another postseason. Adding any of the players listed above would likely vault them back to the realm of success.

By contrast, the Clippers, who were picked by many to finish near the bottom of the conference, were able to build a playoff team around young players, and veteran castoffs from other franchises. Clippers coach, Doc Rivers is in the running for coach of the year based on his team’s surprising success.

The foundation that Rivers, Team President Jerry West and others have built might lure a star free-agent who could take them from also-rans to championship contenders.

“We have everything we need,” said Steve Ballmer, Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO. “We’ve got some great players, we’ve got draft picks, we have free agency possibilities and a lot of cap space.”

For the rest of the league, the Warriors losing Durant would be addition via subtraction, but, for a handful of teams in the Atlantic Division the players who leave is just as important as where they go.

Toronto, Philadelphia and Boston have emerged as three of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, but each team has a star

free-agent whose departure could signal disaster for their old squad.

Additionally, there are rumors throughout the league that Durant and Irving will look to team up next season with the Knicks, which would immediately and irrevocable alter the forecast for the league’s most competitive division.

The Knicks, in a move that appeared quite bizarre traded away their best player, Kristaps Porzingis, for essentially nothing. While this move hurt them on the court this season, it puts them in prime position to sign Durant and Irving this offseason.

Marc Stein of the New York Times theorized that the Knicks might know something the rest of the world does not.

“The Knicks must have some promising inside information about their ability to lure the likes of Durant and Irving,” said Stein regarding the trade.

It is not just the players whose movement could make an impact.

Following the impromptu press conference, at which Lakers’ President, Magic Johnson announced he was stepping down, speculation began to swirl regarding who would replace him at the helm for the league’s most wellknown franchise.

Masai Ujiri, former NBA Executive of the Year, and Head of Basketball Operations for the Toronto Raptors has emerged as perhaps the favored option of Lakers fans to lead their team back to the glory days.

While who wins is still determined on the court, the relative chances depend greatly on the success or failure that front offices have in putting together a group which can compete against some of the best teams in the history of the sport.

In other words, it takes a village to raise a championship banner.

As the season winds to a close, the drama which will determine who raises that banner in coming years is just beginning.