CORSAIR APRIL 25, 2018 | VOLUME 115 ISSUE 04 | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE EVERY COPY OF THE CORSAIR IS FREE
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VOLUME 115 ISSUE 04 •APRIL 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
EDITORIAL STAFF EDWARD LEE.................................. Editor-in-Chief
corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com
LAUREN LABEL............................ Managing Editor HARLEY PHILLIPS............................ Design Editor DANIEL FARR..................................... News Editor TREVOR SCHOCK..................... A&E/Culture Editor NICOLAS JOHNSON............................ Sports Editor PYPER WITT....................................Opinion Editor THANE FERNANDES............................ Photo Editor DIANA PARRA GARCIA..........Opinion Photo Editor ZANE MEYER THORNTON.........Sports Photo Editor MATTHEW MARTIN...................News Photo Editor EMELINE MOQUILLON...Social Media/Digital Editor ROY GARZA...................Social Media/Digital Editor HELENA SUNG............................ Multimedia Editor
CORSAIR STAFF Zeynep Abes, Yasmine Da Silva, Wilson Gomez, William Wendelman, TheoVerdier, Ryanne Mena, Ruth Iorio, Reed Curtis, Rebecca Valsly, Petia Nicholos, Oskar Zinneman, Nicole Washington, Michael Irwin, Martha Virginia Russel, Kayla Hardy, Juan Gomez, John Roth, Jennifer Nystrom, Isai Palacios, Heather Creamer, Hannae Izumiguchi, Elijah Cuffee, Edrado Cortes, Dylan Cortez, Dorothy Montague, Damaris Lizama, Claudia Vardoni, Carlos Lopez, Ashutosh B Singh, Alejandro Correa, Clyde Bates Jr, Ethan Lauren, Earl Agustines, M. Fernanda Rivera
Emeline Moquillon / Corsair Photo
Fresh products given away to students at the Farmers Market. Earth Week started with 'Students Feeding Students' Free Farmers Market & Food Demos on Monday, April 16th, 2018. At Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California.
ADVISORS ASHANTI BLAIZE-HOPKINS
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
...... Journalism Advisor
gerard burkhart.........................Photo Advisor
Edward Lee
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Editor-in-Chief
Dear Readers,
FRONT COVER Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsair long jump athlete Joie Cosentino participates in the Women’s long jump event that took place during the Track and Field Western State Championships at the SMC Corsair Stadium in Santa Monica California on Friday April 20, 2018. Consentino jumped a lifetime best of 4.93 meters to take 6th place.
Matthew Martin/ Corsair Photo
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a path ahead. With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the Corsair made sure to report on how SMC played a part with the college’s Consent Week held during April 23-25. The week of events, held annually, helps bring awareness to the prevalence of sexual harassment, the role that sexual violence has in our society and we must do to address it. Although the problem has always existed, the increased attention brought to this occasion from the #metoo movement will have more people than ever taking an actual look at this problem. Because it’s only when enough people take a real look can we mobilize enough people to work to bring actual solutions to the problem. The second student walkout that occurred last Friday also represents the passion of students working on an issue they believe is important to them. With less media attention and a lack of official support from their schools, many marchers who walked out would have to later face the consequences of truancy. But the hundreds of local middle and high school students who, despite facing these repercussions, still marched to Santa Monica City Hall show that their convictions con-
The transfer season is coming to a close, and that means one thing for those in their final year (myself included) at Santa Monica College - commiting to the school they plan on transferring to. The May 1 deadline continues to loom closer, bringing students to make a decision that will open the next chapter of their life. With this reminder, I can’t help but have short glimpses of what my future will be like. Will I enjoy the next stage of my life, surrounded by a new environment and community? Surely I’m not the only one who feels like they’re moving on as soon as they’ve finally became comfortable here at SMC. I would like to give credit to the Corsair newspaper for this feeling, as it not only gave me an outlet in bringing up issues that affect us, but also a group of colleagues and friends that created a place where I belong. For those apprehensive like I am for the future, I usually like to follow the advice of Dr. Seuss, who once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” As we continue to look forward, we have seen the wave of student political activism continue to pave
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tinue to hold strong. Along with the national movements that are working to bring change to deep-rooted social foundations, local affairs that affect us students deeply are also prevalent in our coverage. The decision by our student government to vote against funding catering for our graduation ceremony and the Board of Trustees raising tuition rates for nonresident students are both changes that will affect parts of our student community adversely. In taking the advice of our opinion section and looking at both sides of an issue, students must decide whether the benefits of these changes, like every significant development, are worth the drawbacks they will bring. Because not only do these local matters affect us deeply, our local leaders can more easily hear our voices. In a slight tangent, I would like to congratulate the Corsair swimming team for their excellent performance in the Western Conference, placing 3rd overall. Although limited space in our print edition left us unable to feature their performance in our paper, you can find our coverage of how they did on our website, thecorsaironline.com.
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VOLUME 115 ISSUE 04 • APRIL 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
NEWS
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Students Protest at Santa Monica City Hall on Anniversary of Columbine Shooting Local middle and high school students walk out despite consequences
Matthew Martin/ Corsair Photo
Flora Chavez (21), one of the key speakers during the student walkout that gathered at Santa Monica City Hall leads the crowd in a song she wrote entitled, “Peace, Love, Unity.”
Matthew Martin/ Corsair Photo
Young student activists from neighboring Santa Monica Middle Schools and High Schools hold up signs that express a desire for gun regulation while listening to key speakers during a student walkout that converged at Santa Monica City Hall in Santa Monica, California on Friday, April 20, 2018. The student walkout marked the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre shooting and walkouts took place across the country so students could express their desire for a change in gun legislation.
Daniel Farr/Helena Sung NEWS/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Hundreds of middle and high school students, as well as community members, and Santa Monica College students converged on Santa Monica City Hall this Friday, April 20th to protest gun violence. The students gathered at city hall after walking out of their classes, being the 19-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They later observed 13 seconds of silence in remembrance of the number of victims who were killed in the Columbine shooting. As they marched to city hall, students held signs such as, "Change will not come if we
want universal background checks and we want to close things like the private sale loophole and the gun show loophole," said Thomas Koon, a sophomore at Venice High School who led a large group of students to Santa Monica City Hall. The protest had a festive air, with food trucks, a photo booth, and orange paint to decorate their faces in the color of the national school walkout, but there was also an air of seriousness. There was a table for voter registration and pre-registration forms as students lined up to fill out the paperwork. "We have a very small percentage of people in this country who actually do vote," Penelope LaPaglia said. "So it's very important to us to get the voter population up so that we can get government officials that we want into
wait for some other person or some other time." They chanted, "We call B.S." and "No more silence, end gun violence." At least nine schools participated in the protest, including Santa Monica High School, Beverly Hills High School, Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, Venice High School, Lincoln Middle School, John Adams Middle School, Archer School for Girls, New Roads Middle School, and University High School. When a group of students from University High School arrived at the protest after walking 3.7 miles from their school, a large roar of welcome erupted from the crowd in front of city hall. The student protesters had a clear list of demands they wanted from these marches. "We
SMC Approves Tuition Hike for Non-Resident Students
Hanae Izumiguchi STAFF WRITER
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A.S. Votes Against Graduation Banquet Reed Curtis STAFF WRITER
The Cayton Center Lounge was packed with students on Monday, April 23, when the Associated Students Board of Directors met for their weekly board meeting. Most items on the agenda passed; however, a request for catering for this year’s Graduation Reception was denied in a vote of 6 to 5. Campus & Alumni Relations representative Andres Munoz was called to the podium to ask for $8,917.19 to cater this year's postgraduation reception. Munoz said, "We're asking for catering, - there's food that we can give to the graduates and also to their families, it's a big event that's celebrating everyone who's graduated." The board presented no questions to the speaker and did not make any comments. However, once the vote commenced, Vice President Jorge Sandoval immediately voted "nay." After Sandoval's vote, five of his fellow board members joined him in voting down the resolution in opposition to five board members who voted in favor of the event. Board members who voted affirmatively appeared genuinely surprised at the result, Secretary Ryan Ang said, "This makes no sense whatsoever - I was appalled." Director of Student Assistance Ana Laura Paiva also expressed her concern, saying, "I have no idea why they voted no." Sandoval defended his vote by expressing his concern that the portion of the funds already allocated by the school were spent on frivolous things, like fidget spinners and stress balls. He felt that the school was using the A.S. budget as an overflow fund, assuming that the board would pick up whatever costs the school did not cover. Sandoval
Courtesy of Santa Monica College's Website
The Santa Monica College Board of Trustees approved raising tuition for nonresident students from $355 to $370 per unit, which will be in effect for the Summer 2018 semester. For students taking upper division courses, another $84 per unit will be added to their enrollment fee. Rob Walz, a business major at Santa Monica College, said, "I think it's unfair, especially when college students should be worrying about all their grades and whatnot. If the fees continue to increase, students will have to consider other options, like leaving school." The non-resident capital outlay surcharge of $24 per unit and enrollment fee of $46 per unit will stay the same, but the tuition rate of $285 per unit will be increased to $300. In addition, SMC's health insurance fee, which all nonresident students who have F1/F2 visas are required to pay, will inCOVERAGE
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crease from $600 to $702 starting Fall 2018. The initial insurance fee on top of the health insurance fee will also increase from $200 to $234, but this is only charged to students in their first semester at SMC. Many students have pointed out that nonresident tuition at SMC is much higher than other local community colleges. Daiki Oka, a nonresident student, said the change will make him consider switching schools. “I am considering a transfer to El Camino College because of the cost of tuition,” he said. El Camino College's total nonresident tuition is $288 per unit, $82 less than SMC's. The nonresident tuition fee has increased every year since 2008, except for the 2015-2016 school year. The biggest increase was seen in 2011-2012, when the total tuition, including all the mandatory fees, increased by $648.
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power." At the podium on the city hall steps, student speakers gave passionate speeches about feeling scared of gun violence and anger at ineffective politicians. Flora Chavez, a 21-year old singer from Pico Youth and Family Center, led the crowd in a song in which the chorus was, "Peace, love, unity." "This event is pulling heartstrings in the best way," said Ana Laura Paiva, a Santa Monica College student who attended the event, and director of student assistance for Associated Students. "We are seeing the next generation of high schoolers be more active in voting, calling out for justice, peace, for better legislation on such an important and absurd matter that affects all of us in one way and every way - gun violence."
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Reed Curtis/ Corsair Photo
A.S President Jennifer Chen (right) and Vice President Jorge Sandoval (left) at the April 23rd A.S. Board Meeting in the Cayton Center at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California. Vice President's choice to vote against providing catering at the 2018 SMC graduation ceremony sharply divided the board.
said regarding Office of Campus and Alumni Relations, "You know what, you're buying unnecessary stuff? Then you can [cover] food, why do you need us?" Faculty Advisor Dr. Nancy Grass expressed concern over the failure to approve funds for catering for the event without discussion, saying, "When you have large proposals that come before you, and there is no discussion, and then it is voted down without the opportunity for your constituents to hear what your concerns are, that throws up a lot of red flags for people." Dr. Grass went on to say, "You shouldn't be voting based on friendships, you shouldn't be voting based on personal vendettas, you shouldn't be voting on anything other than the properness of the proposal at hand - you may have some questions from the student body as to why you just denied their graduation party." For the full story, please visit thecorsaironline.com
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NEWS PHOTOSTORY
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 04 •APRIL 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
Daniel Bowyer/ Corsair Contributor
Santa Monica College 800 meter track and field athlete Jessica Robert placed first in heat 1 of 5 during SMC's preliminaries at Santa Monica College, on friday, April 20th, 2018, in Santa Monica, Calif..
Daniel Bowyer/ Corsair Contributor
Santa Monica College Shot Put track and field athlete Chimechi Oparanozi had a lifetime best, and won first place with a Put of 14.62 meters in heat 2 of 2 during SMC's preliminaries at Santa Monica College, on friday, April 20th, 2018, in Santa Monica, Calif..
Corsairs Perform Well in First Track Meet in 10 Years The Western State Conference Preliminaries had many Corsair athletes coming out on top. Elijah Kirkland-Cuffee STAFF WRITER
After a 10-year drought of not hosting a track meet, Santa Monica College held the preliminary Western State Conference Track Meet at the Corsair Field on Friday, April 20. Almost all of the junior colleges on the west coast that have a track team participated in the meet. Santa Monica College had some star standouts in their track meet, with Maria Freij winning her fourth 800m race of the year, Averette Dajone winning the men's 150m hurdles, and Chimechi Oparanozie winning the shot put. All three of them will likely qualify for an opportunity to participate in the state championship. It was a long day in the heat. The athletes were on the field from roughly 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., constantly warming up and preparing themselves for the competition. The track meet proved to be a success. It was a beautiful day, one that the Corsairs' track and field team got to play at home. The Santa Monica college student-athletes and coaches were all working hard to have a successful home track meet for the first time in 10 years. Krista Akney, the assistant coach of Track and Field Jumps at Santa Monica College, gave some FOR
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insight as to why Santa Monica college has not hosted a track meet since 2009. "We can't compete in the javelin and hammer so we mostly just don't do it," Akney said. "In this meet, we don't have the javelin and hammer next week... so we finally decided to do one."
Oparanozie said, "It feels great, usually track isn't that hype for me but it feels like I'm going into a football game." Others have also brought excellent performances at the event. Marcia Freij, a second-semester freshman at SMC, has high hopes and aspirations to one day run in the Olympics. She had a dominating performance in her only race, the 800m, winning first with a time of 2 minutes and 14 seconds. Before the race, Freij said, "I think the most important thing is to be number one in my race." Freij holds at number one in her all of her races so far, making her currently a favorite to win state. Dajone and Oparanozie also had standout performances. Dajone ran a 14.87 second 150m hurdles which qualifies him to compete in the conference finals next week, and Oparanozie won first in shot put, giving him the opportunity to compete in the conference finals. The Conference Finals will be held next week at Ventura College on Friday, April 27.
"It feels great, usually track isn't that hype for me but it feels like I'm going into a football game."
Malik Young, an athlete that sat out a year before competing for the following season (also known as a redshirt), had different thoughts as to why Santa Monica College has not held a track meet in the past 10 years. "For the most part, I know a lot of the coaches meet up and have a meeting on where they should hold everything so I'm guessing that after the new buildings were built they could hold it here," Young said. Many Corsair athletes expressed excitement at finally playing in their home field. Corsair runner Chimechi US
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Cesar Gatete, a kinesiology major in his fres
Santa Monica College 400 meter hurdle track and field athlete Gentor Santa Monica, Calif..
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VOLUME 115 ISSUE 04 • APRIL 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
PHOTOSTORY NEWS
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Jose Lopez/ Corsair Contributor
shman year at Santa Monica College, wins first place in the 800 meter dash event during the Western State Conference Track & Field preliminary on April 20, 2018 at Santa Monica College on the Corsair field in Santa Monica, California.
Matthew Martin / Corsair Photo
Santa Monica College (SMC) student athlete Jordon Herrera (center) speeds toward the finish line during heat 1 of the men’s 200-meter dash at the Track and Field Western State Championships at the SMC Corsair Stadium in Santa Monica California on Friday April 20 2018.
Daniel Bowyer/ Corsair Contributor
re Sasaki (right) placed second in heat 2 of 3 during SMC's preliminaries at Santa Monica College, on friday, April 20th, 2018, in
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NEWS CULTURE
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 04 •APRIL 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
The Clothesline Project Returns Giving Students an artistic outlet of telling their story
Pyper Witt OPINION EDITOR
The sun just starts to peak out of the clouds as volunteers begin to set up the tables and canopy for Monday's clothesline project as par t of Santa Monica College's “Speaking Out” portion of consent week. Soon after, various colored t-shirts hang on a line, setting an example for students who want to participate. As the second year of SMC’s consent week, Rebecca Weiland, the coordinator of the week's events and Title IX deputy for SMC’s academic affairs, had with her several boxes f illed with plain shirts from last year's clothesline project. Students write on the shirts to share their stories, advice, and personal experiences dealing with sexual harassment and assault. The clothesline project started at UCLA, and Weiland was exposed to it years back when she was sent over to the university for work. “The clothesline was miles long,” she describes, “the shirts covered their whole campus. It was really powerful.” The t-shir ts come in several colors, and all represent different ty pes of assault. Yellow is for survivors of physical assault and/ or domestic violence; orange, pink, and red are for survivors of rape or sexual assault; blue and green are for su r vivors of incest or childhood sexual abuse; purple is for survivors of attacks due to their sexual orientation. There are also grey and purple-grey for survivors of emotional, spiritual, or verbal abuse, and dark grey for those who are disabled as a result of an attack, or assaulted because of a disability.
LeeAnn Bogar t, curator and volunteer of the clothesline project, explains how important reaching out to victims of all degrees of abuse is. “A br uise will heal in three to four weeks, but the scars on a psyche aren't visible, and they take a lot longer,” she explains. Bogart is a survivor and is a part of the event to help others through the process that she once had to go through herself. “For a long time it was really hard, for a long time it affected everything,” says Bogart through teary eyes. “Being able to give other people a voice when I felt voiceless, when no one would believe me, is impor tant. This is par t of my process.” The clothesline will be up for Wednesday's denim day. While students will not be able to write on their own shirts and hang them up, they can still walk through and read what each has to say. The shirts have become an art exhibit that will be removed and returned for as many years as possible. “I would love to see the day when there are no more shirts to add,” states Bogart, “but the reality is, until things change, there will be more shirts.” The exhibit serves as “a wake up call,” as Rebecca Weiland puts it, for those who have raped and/ or assaulted. Moreover, it is something to raise awareness and help survivors in need. “Even if it happens off campus, still let us know so we can help you,” Weiland says. Pyper Witt/ Corsair Photo
Volunteer, who would like to remain anonymous, for the clothesline project as part of SMC’s Consent Week hangs up a students tee shirt at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, on Monday, April 23rd, 2018.
Take Back the Night
The Comedy of Errors
Reed Curtis/ Corsair Photo
Members of the Santa Monica College Cheer Team present signs made for April 23rd's "Take Back The Night" event at the SMC Football Field. Participants in the event, during which victims of sexual assault shared their stories, concealed their faces to preserve their anonymity.
Wilson Gomez STAFF WRITER
“Tonight we use our voices. Tonight we speak out. We let them know that we will not stay silent. So, tonight we take back the night!” With that, Rebecca Weiland began Santa Monica's first “Take Back the Night” march, from the Corsair Field to Pearl Street and back, on the evening of Monday, April 24 at Santa Monica College. About a dozen students, both women and men, gathered for the event. According to the website of the nonprofit organization, Take Back the Night, the marches are part of a movement that goes back to the 1960s in Europe as a way to protest sexual violence and the inability to feel safe while walking at night. After the march, the group returned to the school's Corsair Field and went up to the bleachers, where several people shared their stories of harassment and rape. Weiland also gave a short speech, educating those present on what consent means: “There’s a lot of victim-blamFOR
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Eduardo Cortes/ Photo Contributor
Antipholus of Ephesus played by Nicholas Ferguson (left), and Adriana played by Alessia Zemo (right), embrace as they prepare to make out due to Antipholus of Ephesus mistaken identity for Adriana's husband, Antipholus of Syracuse, within the Shakespearean play, “The Comedy of Errors,” directed by Mikael Mattsson at the SMC Performing Arts Center in Santa Monica, California, on Thursday, April 19th, 2018.
ing from people who are not survivors. They can’t put themselves in that position and there’s a belief that if I don’t do those things, that if I don’t make those choices, then I’ll never be a victim. That says to the victim, ‘You made the wrong choices, you brought this on yourself, you deserve it.’” Weiland wants people to speak out when they see men engaging in sexual harassment or abuse and to become educated on explicit consent. In addition, she wants people to stop “slutshaming” and realize that just because someone is wearing revealing clothing doesn't mean that they are asking for it. Those who participated in the event felt it was successful. “I think it went really well, I was really proud of the girls who got up and shared their stories," said McKenna Palmer, the Social Justice Chair of the SMC Cheer Club. "As young women, we don’t get the chance or opportunity to tell our stories very often as openly or as candidly, so I think it was great just to have that safe space. US
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Pyper Witt OPINION EDITOR
The lights dim, signaling to the audience that it is time to quiet, as the play is about to begin. Three characters march to their positions on stage and get the ball rolling with a monologue by Michael Sainz, playing Egeon, the father of the twins he lost in a shipwreck. “The Comedy of Errors” by William Shakespeare played at Santa Monica College’s Theater Arts Building Friday, April 20th, and will continue until Sunday, April 29th. Directed by Mikael Mattsson, the comedy is based on the unlikely events that take place when two sets of identical twins end up in the same town. The sets of twins are Antipholus of Syracuse, played by Benjamin White, and his brother Antipholus of Ephesus, played by Nicholas Ferguson. The other twins, slaves to the first, are called Dromio of Syracuse, played by Simon •
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Martin, and Dromio of Ephesus, portrayed by Jacques Chevelle. The actors bring all corners of the black box to life with humor, quarrels, drinking, and chases. The intimate setting of the theater allows for the actors to get up close and personal with the audience. Another reason to go see this play is to admire the costumes-- ranging from multicolored rags to silky, dazzling dresses -leaving you wishing you could step into the world of 16th century Italy. In this small venue, actors can project their voices loud enough to neglect the need for microphones. The humor is paired with stage slaps and kicks, prompting laughter from the audience as both Dromios are disciplined by their masters. For more information, visit www. smc.edu/theatre or call (310) 434-4319 for the Theatre Arts department. For the full article go to thecorsaironline.com
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VOLUME 115 ISSUE 04 • APRIL 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
Divided We Will Fall
OPINION NEWS
Impact of Fake News
Earl Augustines STAFF WRITER
Yasmine Da Silva STAFF WRITER
It's been ingrained into every American citizen and even non-American citizens that this nation embodies the ideals of freedom and brotherhood, that every citizen is willing to lay down their lives for each other. It's not news that America has been divided. Looking at our own history will show that America has had it's fair share of division. Take the gun control debate, and how split everyone is on the issue. At the time of writing, the only prominent sides in this debate are people who feel we should arm more people and people who feel we should have more restrictive laws and ban more guns. The Democrats and Republicans are meant to represent us, the people, and just like us have devolved into childish arguments. Time that could be spent improving the country and enacting policies to solve our current problems are instead used to stop the other side from pushing their agendas no matter what. This is enabled online. Social media is at its worst, and that might be the biggest understatement of the century. Online interactions have always been known to be uncivil, yet going online and seeing the various comments people spew at each other is disheartening. This can even go into how we react to news like Parkland, where it initially seemed like the country was finally geared up to try to come together to stop school shootings. Every citizen, and even Trump, decided guns were the problem and were about to take steps to solve it until people started to hear "news" that these kids allegedly wanted to take away gun rights from everyone. Conflict, especially in America, is nothing new and we might never get
As society is becoming more reliant on social media for the news, our society is becoming misinformed with fake news that grabs attention from their titles. We now have a large number of sources of information that make it easier and more common than ever to share and believe fake news. Michelle Menjivar, a communications professor at Santa Monica College, recently fell for a fake news story, shared it on Facebook. “The reason why I did not recognize this one is because there is a lot of cattery chocolate and I just jumped into conclusion because I was afraid the catch line got me," Menjivar said. "I definitely think that I should have read the article in depth and I would have figured out that it was a hook." In fact, it is getting harder to get information because of their important number. On the internet, information circulates fast and is hard to sort through what is true and false, compounded by the fact that many do not read the entire article. In order to limit the circulation of fake news, it is important to read the full article before sharing it with someone else. Secondly, due to fake news, it is important to read at least two differ-
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Illustration By: Isriya McFillin
to a point where every single person agrees with each other. The first and most important thing is to realize that not everybody mirrors the stereotypes (not every Republican is Trump and not every Democrat is Clinton). There's a lot of people who are willing to compromise from both sides, but are silenced by the amount of news focusing on the more controversial players in this hilariously sad drama. The second is to vote for politicians that aren't trying to achieve an agenda but to actually help and benefit the people. Don't just vote for the guy who's part of the party you identify with, but one whose made it clear his goal is to better your life. In short, be more proactive in politics, especially now in these trying times. Lastly, compromise. Urge your politicians to work together, or at least extend some sort of olive branch. Our parties have become so hostile towards each other that any kind of positive interaction between them are treated negatively. If the system we have is going to keep going, we all need to come together and discuss these policies and whether they will support the American people.
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ent articles in order to check if the story is real or not. According to Menjivar, sources that do not come from a reputable sources may be fake news, in opposition to real news where “all sources have to have a testimony and interview from people who are either an expert or a witness." Reading articles written by well known sources is one of the best ways to get your information. However, it is necessary to remain critical and do extra research to ensure the given facts are true. People should also understand that information posted on social media may not be reliable, because everyone can share their own news stories on these platforms. There may a lot of relevant information on social media, but it is important to wait for the confirmation of a reputable source before blindly believing and sharing it with more people. It is important to pay attention to all the information that we get, because fake news can have a terrible impact on the society, even more when the story is a negative one. It is still possible to get good information in our digital society; it just requires us to be more critical and make sure to check several reliable sources before believing it.
Illustration By: Andrew Khanian
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NEWS SPORTS
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 04 •APRIL 25, 2018 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
Table Tennis Club Finishes Short of National Gold Ayush Kapoor and Tiziano Aiello of the Table Tennis Club participated in the National Championship in Texas. Nicolas Johnson SPORTS EDITOR
Founded in the 1970's by Jo' Kidd, the Santa Monica Corsairs table tennis club reached new heights, as it stands as the only community college in the state of California this semester to have its team compete against 4-year universities like USC and UCLA. The club is coached by Kamran Khairzad, who was once a student of Kidd's that helped build it's prestige. Ayush Kapoor and Tiziano Aiello were selected to participate in the 2018 iSET College Table Tennis National Championships in Round Rock, Texas during the weekend of April 20, and the duo came up short of claiming the ultimate prize. The duo lost in the first round of doubles action.In the singles competition, Kapoor lasted until the 32nd round, while Aiello made it the quarterfinals, but had to forfeit due to a left thigh injury. A mathematics major at SMC and a native of Delhi, India, Kapoor explained how he became interested in table tennis. "I started 10 years back, like just started off as a hobby, but once I got used to it, once I started playing it professionally, I thought it had a lot of potential," Kapoor said. "First of all, it's an indoor sport, so people think it's easy, but once you really get to play, it has a lot of variations." Kapoor has been living in California for seven months, and came to SMC because of the school's transfer rate, so he can play in the club. Kapoor believed the program
to be very helpful in developing his skills. "Every Sunday we have a round robin at SMC, and we get to play a lot of players," Kapoor said. "It's pretty intense to play a lot of good players, so you get a good practice. You don't need to go anywhere if you just come here for Sundays." Kapoor's teammate, Tiziano Aiello is a business major and native of Catania, Sicily. "I used to play soccer, and actually my friend in middle school introduced me to table tennis when I was in the second year of middle school," Aiello said. "I started playing everyday, and you know everything got fast, as I started playing in a room with two tables like no coaches at all." Coach Khairzad, mentioned how SMC's appeal to international students helped attract star players. "Both Ayush and Tiziano... competed back in their respective countries, and they were very excited to see that SMC has such a competitive and well-known table tennis program in Southern California," Khairzad said. "For me, it was very easy to recognize their talent and train and coach them to compete against the best players in the country. I'm very proud to see Ayush and Tiziano representing SMC at the national level." When asked about Nationals, Kapoor said, "I've played in a lot of nationals, but as an international student here, it means a lot. Coming to a different country, and still doing good playing the nationals, it really means a lot. I think it is one of the most competitive tournaments after the U.S. Open.”
William Greenblatt/ Corsair Contributor
Table tennis player Tiziano Aiello plays table tennis at Santa Monica College's Main Campus Gym in Santa Monica California on Sunday, February 4th 2018.
The Emotional Cost of Being a Student Athlete Yasmine Da Silva STAFF WRITER Cyrille Njomo walks slowly from the Corsair Field to Starbucks, after practice, exhausted and weighed down by a huge backpack. Njomo is a member of the men’s soccer team at Santa Monica College, and like many other student-athletes, he sacrifices a lot in order to be part of the team. “I decided to be part of the team for the experience, my love for soccer and to be able to get a scholarship at the university," he said. Student-athletes face multiple requirements, primarily that they must be enrolled full time, with a minimum of twelve units each semester. Athletes also cannot drop below a 2.0 grade-point average. In order to keep up with both soccer and classes, Njomo can only work part-time on weekends, saying, “I would probably spend more time at work and earn more money if I could manage my schedule the way I want to.“ Members of the soccer team also typically face two hours of training every day during fall, winter, and summer in addition to the time dedicated to traveling around
California for away games. In order to juggle their busy schedules, Njomo explains that discipline is paramount to success. “I can’t go out late. I need to be in perfect condition for training - even out of season when we only train four hours a week. I keep the same schedule. Consistency is a key,” he said. Terence Sejor, a Corsair football player, confirms that most student-athletes are required to make multiple sacrifices to achieve most student athletes’ biggest goal - a fouryear scholarship. “During the season I have to wake up every day at 5:30 a.m... because I live in Long Beach, [and] I have to be at school at eight in the morning every day," Sejor said. Njomo and Sejor have different ideas for what they plan to do if they receive an athletic scholarship. After graduating, Terence Sejor wants to be a professional athlete. In contrast, Njomo plans on being an engineer. "Being a student-athlete gives [a] better chance to transfer to a prestigious college," Njomo said with a smile. "Good grades matter, but not only."
Illustration By: Diana Parra-Garcia
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