Vol107issue05

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volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

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volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

E D I T O R I A L S TA F F Henry Crumblish····· Editor-in-Chief c o rs a i r. e d i t o r i n c h i e f @ g m a i l . c o m Elizabeth Moss·Digital Editor-in-Chief c o rs a i r. w e b e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m David Yapkowitz······Managing Editor c o rs a i r. m a n a g i n g @ g m a i l . c o m Ronja Jansz···········Health & Lifestyle c o rs a i r. l i f e s t y l e p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Alci Rengifo····· Arts & Entertainment c o rs a i r. c a l e n d a r p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Jonathan Ramos······· Opinion Editor c o rs a i r. o p i n i o n p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Trev Angone·············· Sports Editor c o rs a i r. s p o r t s p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Jimmy Janszen············· Photo Editor Rachel Porter············· Photo Editor c o rs a i r p h o t o e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m Jhosef Hern····················Illustrator c o rs a i r c a r t o o n @ g m a i l . c o m Maggie Louie··············Design Team David Veta·················Design Team c o rs a i r. d e s i g n t e a m @ g m a i l . c o m c o r s a i r s ta f f Brandon Barsugli, Scott Bixler, Rob Black, Cesar Clarke, Alejandro Colmenares, Marlene Conner, Amalia Darin, My’sson Downs, Mia Duncans, Maurice Dwayne, Elin Ekdahl, Paulina Eriksson, Walter Flores, Darin Geesey, Rachel Gianuario, Jorge Gonzalez, Qalil Ismail, Shakeel Joyce, Sarit Kashanian, Nick Kovalenko, Aaron Leaureaux, Juan Lopez, Malin Lord, Jazmin Martinez, Devon Marque, Christophor McGovern, Delmy Moran, Adrien Piteux, James Powel, Yaddick Rivas, Elia Sanchez, Patrick Shanley FA C U LT Y A D V I S O R S S a u l Ru b i n & Gerard Burkhart AD INQUIRIES: c o rsai r. admana g e r@g m ai l . co m (3 1 0 ) 4 3 4 - 4 0 3 3

Scott Bixler Corsair Audi Sales Consultant Munuwell Barrett (right) fights with Samuel Woods (left) during a dispute that started on the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus while the bus driver in the background tries to keep passengers on the bus on Thursday afternoon on Santa Monica Blvd. and 11th street across from The SMC Broad Stage.

On the cover: Aerial artist, Brynn Route performs with the group BeSpun, a group of pole dancing artists, during the first annual Pole World News awards on Friday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Photo by: Nick Kovalenko

D R D A R WA A W S A S E S C S C E C U SSUC T N E T D N U E T SS SSTUD A A Do you show exemplary participation in the Associated Students, clubs and/or organizations, as well as community service and leadership positions?

A.S. is awarding $100,000 to eligible SMC students!

The awards range be$1,500-$5,000. tween

To apply:

as.smc.edu Forms & Documents A.S. Student Success Award Application

The application deadline is March 31st. Award winners will be notified on Friday, May 30th.

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Here to Help

Inayat Issa, Diana Echeverria (310) 434 - 4970, (310) 434 -4971 inayat.issa@gmail.com, dianacecheverriaas@gmail.com

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news 3

volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Juan Lopez Corsair The suspect who assaulted Captain Bottenfield on Monday Morning is apprehended by police officers near the Pearl St. construction site at Santa Monica College before being taken away in an ambulance due to apparent facial lascerations resulting from the assult.

Police captain attacked on campus Alci Rengifo Arts & Entertainment Editor

Santa Monica College Police Captain Raymond Bottenfield was attacked by a man Monday morning. According to witnesses, the man lunged for Bottenfield’s gun holster.

At 11:50 a.m. Bottenfield was walking towards the Pearl Street exit when a suspect lunged at him from behind and tried to snatch his gun. Students standing by attempted to help Bottenfield subdue the attacker.

“Very simply put, a subject that was

known to us, who had been given a stay away order in the past, attacked an officer [Bottenfield] from behind and went for his gun,” said SMC police Sergeant Jere Romano.

“He’s an outsider,” said Romano about the suspect. “He’s not generally homeless but he lives in a garage across the way.

Long story short he likes to hang out on campus, there’s no real business for him being here. We’ve dealt with him many times. It’s unknown why he decided to attack the officer at this time. It’s still in the investigative stage.”

SMC student Mibo Huynh was standing

with a group of friends by the bike racks and witnessed the assault. “The man just tried to drag the police man and we saw that he tried to get his gun, and we were so scared. Then like five guys jumped in,” she said.

“He came out of nowhere and then the policeman was laying on his back,” said SMC student Veronica Odetunde who witnessed the attack alongside Huynh.

The Santa Monica College Police Department arrived at the scene and arrested the suspect who was badly bruised and bleeding. Santa Monica Police also arrived to book the suspect after his injuries

were treated by paramedics. Captain Bottenfield was also taken to a hospital with injuries including a leg scraping and was released later in the afternoon.

SMCPD Chief Albert Vasquez later in the day confirmed the details of the assault and commended SMC students for jumping in to help Captain Bottenfield.

He stated that the suspect was still being booked and his identity confirmed. Once the booking process was complete Vasquez confirmed that more details of the case would be revealed.

AS offers cash with Student Success Award Juan Lopez Staff Writer With $100,000 out of their own budget, the Santa Monica College Associated Students have created the Student Success Award. With those funds they plan to give out monetary awards to students ranging between $1,500 and $5,000.

35 students will be selected to receive the award, but it’s still unclear as to how the money will be divided. The only

requirements for students to apply are being a current AS member (of which upwards of 20,000 students are according to AS estimates), and a minimum 2.5 GPA. Those applying need two recommendation letters, their transcripts, and two short essays on topics provided by AS. Despite the low GPA requirement, academics are a large factor, along with community service and campus involvement. Applicants with a GPA lower than 2.8 are required to write a third, 250 maximum word essay to elaborate on

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anything students think would help the committee evaluate their application.

The committee reviewing the applications is confidential, but made up of two AS directors, a counselor, and an administrator. All considered applicants will go through an interview process and be notified of their awards by the end of the semester. The committee will determine the award amount per student.

Inayat Issa, the AS director of budget management, and AS Secretary Diana

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Echeverria brought the Student Success Award to the AS board as a budget item at the beginning of the semester.

“We realized that we are fortunate to have such a large budget because of the students on campus who purchase the AS Sticker and we use those funds to benefit students on campus,” said Issa. “We realize this is one way to use the funds to give back to students.”

The deadline to apply for the award is March 31 and the winners will be announced on May 30.

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volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Paranormal recordings debunked by skeptics club Patrick Shanley Staff Writer We’ve all been there, alone in our beds in the middle of night when a strange bump or thud makes our breath catch in our throats and a tingle run up our spines.

You suddenly find yourself in the classic dilemma; investigate the source of the sound or, much more appealing, pull the covers over your head and hum yourself to sleep in the fetal position.

Luckily for us cowards, Brian Dunning, founder of the popular podcast series “Skeptoid,” not only investigates the sources of such unnerving disturbances, but actively seeks them out.

Dunning applies the scientific approach of logic, reason, and thorough research to debunk many popularized theories of the paranormal and other offbeat topics.

A former computer scientist turned fulltime podcaster, Dunning presented his showcase “Sounds from Beyond” in the Health and Social Sciences building of Santa Monica College’s main campus last Thursday afternoon.

Dunning played audio of a heavy, groaning bloop-like noise recorded somewhere in the deep ocean in 1997 by the United States National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Association. The noise which has baffled experts for years, matches no recordings from man-made constructs.

The imagination of the audience conjured images of a sinister, tentacled beast lurking in the ocean’s depths, but Dunning was there to alleviate the fear with a much more reasonable solution.

“The sound was created by an iceberg crashing into the loose gravel of a shoreline,” he stated.

The rest of his presentation followed the same formula; Dunning would play a strange bit of audio, present strange paranormal opinions attached to the sounds, and then provide the actual explanation behind the audio.

Of particular note was a reversed line from a famous Doors song, which vaguely sounded like Jim Morrison singing “I am Satan.” Dunning called this phenomenon “backtracking” which involves choosing small snippets of songs in order to spark the audience’s imagination.

When Dunning played the full clip, Morrison’s spooky claim of “I am Satan” became “I am Satanamisch-ferg,” a decidedly less foreboding proclamation.

Although a self proclaimed “debunkatron,” Dunning still finds the

unexplained incredibly fascinating.

“People go into the sciences, almost always, because they were interested in science fiction as a kid. The people who work in molecular biology labs are Doctor Who fans.” said Dunning after the show.

“There’s a great overlap between people who are interested in strange stuff as a kid and go on to be interested in the sciences.”

The lesson Dunning hopes people take away from the presentation is to never stop searching for the truth.

“Real answers are always cooler than popular guesses,” he said.

This ideal is at the core of the SMC Skeptics Club, who were responsible for setting up the event.

Club president Chantelle Jackson and the club’s academic advisor Professor Nathan Brown were both present in the audience and gathered with other audience members and Dunning after the show to talk about such topics as Bigfoot, homeopathic medicine, paranormal history, and the club’s plan to conduct a paranormal abilities contest.

“I have this vision of us offering a $100 prize. There’s got to be students or faculty who have, what they believe, are paranormal abilities that we may be able

to have fun with being able to test,” said Brown.

However, it’s not just the paranormal that the Skeptics Club focuses on. According to Jackson, the club also tackles topics from Nikola Tesla to GMO labeling on foods.

“Currently we have a frequency of about twelve per meeting,” said club member Jack Kaplan, adding that they hope to boost their number of members.

Currently in the works for the club is a Superstition Fair which they hope to hold on the main campus quad sometime in late April.

“We’ll have all the different things that people associate with bad luck; rabbit’s feet, breaking mirrors, walking under ladders,” said Brown.

The Skeptics Club urges any students interested in searching for truth in the unexplained to attend a meeting or any of their upcoming events, and they can be found on Facebook under SMC Skeptics Club.

“Everyone loves a good mystery,” said Dunning. “I often have people come up to me and say, ‘Can’t you just enjoy the fact that the mystery is out there?’ Well, no, to me that’s not interesting.”

The club meets every Thursday in Letters and Sciences Room 110 at 11:15 a.m.

Student ID to be replaced by TAP cards Rachel Gianuario Staff Writer

Have you ever noticed when you are paying fees online for semester classes that a student identification fee is included in the list of payments?

To students paying for their first semester at Santa Monica College, this fee seems normal considering it’s the first student ID that you will be issued. However, students who have been enrolled at SMC for a year or two may find this fee to be redundant and irritating.

Isn’t it enough that students already pay $85 for an unguaranteed parking space? Why add unnecessary fees to the load? Why should you have to pay for an ID card that you already purchased again every semester?

SMC Associated Students board members proposed this question and others related unexplained fees to Vice President of Student Affairs Mike Tuitasi at a board meeting earlier this month.

Tuitasi explained that the student ID fee was originally implemented to “help with technology,” and the constant upgrade of computers within the student labs, as well as help pay for outside entity services such as the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus. For students who do not use the bus or use the student ID card to receive discounts at movie theaters, they do not see the necessity for paying a $13 fee each semester.

For those who do not want to pay for the student ID or are financially unable to afford it each semester, Tuitasi explained, “Students have the option not to pay.”

Or do they?

Some students, such as AS president Ty Moura, explained when paying online, there was no option for her to waive the student ID fee. There is a fine print notification that you can opt out, however, no way to avoid the payment online.

Moura recalled, “There is no description about anything or that any fee is optional.

Essentially, when you pay your fees online, you just assume that all those fees are

mandatory.” It is simply lumped into the total fees for that semester’s enrollment.

When asking the Bursar’s office to reimburse her for the ID, the office replied that the card is n o n - re f u n d a bl e.

Tuitasi suggested that this problem is a “glitch” in the system.

When

enrolling for classes at the Bursar’s office in person, Moura asked to opt out of paying for the $13 ID fee, to which the office explained she would not receive her AS membership sticker as a result.

If you opt out of one, you opt out of both.

Tuitasi confirmed that this is not a mistake.

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Why then is the ID card fee directly attached to the AS membership?

The AS board confirmed they do not receive funding from the student ID fee, however, students will not receive an AS membership sticker without purchasing a student ID. “You have no enrollment activation that proves you are a student,” said Tuitasi.

Currently, Big Blue Bus drivers look for the correctly colored stickers and, according to the current c o n t r a c t , the student ID as verification for a ride.

While the ID stays the same each semester, the stickers change colors, proving or @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

disproving that you are a currently enrolled student.

The AS board suggested the student ID fee should be changed to “Fees and Other Services,” considering that students aren’t actually paying for a card every semester Tuitasi confirmed the school is in the process doing away with the SMC ID card altogether and replacing it with a Transit Access Pass card. He added that it will be, “Easier to verify you’re a student with the TAP card because electronically, we can turn everything on.”

Currently, the Los Angeles Metro bus and other participating transit systems use TAP cards, which allow members to load a cash balance onto the card’s smart chip and use it as fare. Commuters simply tap their cards on the fare box located at the bus’s entrance, wait for the validating beep, and board.

While it appears the difference between SMC ID cards and the TAP cards is simply a swipe versus tap action, TAP cards will also provide the Bursar’s office greater access to student profiles.

This could raise problems of privacy if implemented. Director of Auxiliary Services, George Prather, who is involved in the ID card transition from swipe to tap, could not be reached to comment or add further information.

The issue of the new TAP card to students has been delayed however by the Big Blue Bus due to difficulties in aligning contracts with companies also connected to the Metro transit system.

Tuitasi is currently meeting with members of the Student Affairs Committee to work on providing more information for each of the services the student ID accounts for, including why the AS membership fee is directly connected to the ID, and an update on the transition to TAP cards.

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opinion 5

volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Women should find empowerment in March Elin Ekdahl Staff Writer

As the end of March approaches, so does the end of Women’s Empowerment Month, a celebration of women’s contributions to history since 1987.

The creation of this annual tribute to women, was largely influenced by International Women’s Day, which since the early 1900s has taken place on March 8. The day later turned into a week, and soon thereafter a month.

The women’s rights movement was around even before International Women’s Day was established, and we have come a long way since then. Work conditions and

six women in the United States become victims of rape or attempted rape during their lifetime, while the ratio for men stands at one out of 33.

But in spite of these inequalities, Women’s Empowerment Month and International Women’s Day barely receive attention in our community or at Santa Monica College.

24-year-old SMC student, Sabina Wickforsen from Sweden didn’t even know there was a Women’s Empowerment Month, simply asking, “what’s that?”.

Wickforsen, however, was knowledgeable on Black History Month, a tribute to African Americans only one month prior.

The reason women’s rights get overlooked

specifically in television and magazine ads.

Women aren’t accessories and shouldn’t be treated as such. If a product is any good, it shouldn’t need to use sexism, racism, homophobia, or any other type of systematic oppression to sell it.”

The truth is that women’s rights are in competition with one of the greatest forces in the U.S. today, capitalism. Millions of dollars are made on using womens’ bodies on billboards, music videos, fashion magazines, on the runway, and in nightclubs.

Multinational corporations will not benefit from acknowledging women as human beings with rights. It is much more beneficial for them to reduce women to

one with their own will.

With no end to female objectification in sight, women must be prepared to speak up for themselves.

Men, along with our capitalist society, benefit from the existence of sexism in many ways, and therefore we can not rely on them to sort out these problems. Some men will sympathize, but it is really up to us women to demand our rights.

So why don’t we?

As women, let’s stop to remind ourselves of the true meaning of feminism - equal rights and treatment for women.

We continue to remain silent when other women are being judged, shamed, attacked

Liz Phillips Corsair Carlynne McDonnell delivers the last of her scheduled workshops at Santa Monica College on Thursday in recognition of Women’s Empowerment Month. This final workshop was held in the Cayton Center, which was open for regular use as well, and inhabited by both students who did and did not know about the workshop. “The media needs to stop telling us we can have it all… we can’t” said McDonnell.

salaries have improved for women in the workplace, and an increasing number of women are taking over positions of power in various countries.

However, conditions are still far from equal. In 2012, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that women still earn 23 percent less than their male counterparts.

According to the Rape Crisis Center of Medina County, Ohio, one out of

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in comparison to African American’s rights might likely be due to the divide in attitude in the rest of the community and maybe even in the country as a whole.

Chanel Mozer, a women’s studies major at SMC, feels that women’s rights are being overshadowed by other issues.

“Most folks believe that the genders are equal all over the world and that women already have their basic rights so there’s nothing to fight for,” says Mozer.

“Objectification of women is rampant,

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objects of desire, or trophies for men to acquire.

Therefore, the media will continue to paint feminists as man-hating extremists, and show women who keep quiet and serve their men in a better light.

The media will also keep using women as sexual objects in advertising, but condemn those who show that they are sexual beings with their own desires that go beyond pleasing a man. It seems that a woman’s role is to be a passive sexual object and not

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or even subjected to violence. Instead of competing with each other and constantly fighting for the approval of men, let’s start helping each other out and build a strong female community together.

Let’s celebrate the women that fought for our rights, and let’s be an inspiration to the women in the generations to come.

Dare to be strong, and dare to point out the inequalities that you and the women around you are subjected to.

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6 photostory

volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Arlene Karno Corsair Fawnia Dietrich wins the “O.G.” Award at the PWN awards on Friday, March 3, in Los Angeles. Fawnia currently performs and teaches the art of pole dancing in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pole Dancing Olympics Alci Rengifo Arts & Entertainment Editor

On Friday, Pole World News held its inaugural awards banquet at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center. The fifth floor was turned into a low-lit banquet of aerial acrobatics mixed with lustful fantasies.

The awards were part of a broader campaign to bring a new level of awareness and respectability to an activity usually associated with striptease. The ceremony was timed to coincide with Women’s Empowerment Month.

The great aim is for pole dancing to be officially accepted as an Olympic sport. In fact the evening’s hosts were always careful to say “aerial sport” instead of “pole dancing.”

But anyone at the Pavilion that evening would have been hard pressed to ignore the sexual character of the activity.

There was a decadent feel in the air, like Berlin cabaret in the 1920s.

The awards were hosted by Kym Johnson, blonde vixen performer from Dancing With The Stars.

Think of the evening as the Oscars of pole dancing, only the audience is more exotic. The categories were composed of titles like the “OMG! Hot Damn!” award and “Hot Legs” award. The award itself was a transparent globe of the world atop a stand, inside was the pink silhouette of a pole dancer. Not exactly Olympic committee material.

Sitting at the tables near the stage and in rows of chairs near the back end of the room were a mixture of men in tuxedos, some with a hint of sleeze, women in elegant evening wear, and muscular women in plunging necklines and backless designs exposing snake or vine tattoos. An open bar served wine, champagne or just plain soda.

There was an attempt to give the show an almost mythic quality. A voiceover in the speakers would recite some kind of poll dancing fairy tale involving “the dancers of light who would bring ecstasy to the world.” It was hard to take seriously, but then again everyone really came for the real show on the platform.

In-between the awards there were pole performances. The house lights would dim, a neon purple glow would wash over everything and they would appear, like voluptuous Amazons. The dancers would come down the transparent poles on stage, twisting, contorting, and stretching, hair flowing out and shiny heels pointing upwards.

There was absolute silence when guest performer Leigh Ann Riley entranced the room with a performance to Abi Wade’s hypnotic song “Hope.” The vibe in the room felt

like a slow, pagan ritual.

Sheila Kelley, the evening’s receiver of the “Prestigious Honor” award, achieved her recognition for establishing the pole dancing industry as a sport or pastime in the 1990s.

“My hopes are that this sport, and the art of pole dance become more mainstream and that the misconceptions about it and the feminine movement become more clear, it’s an empowering and beautiful movement,” she said.

Fawnia Dietrich, another muscular luminary of “aerial sports” and winner of the evening’s “Original Gangsta” award, hoped that pole dancing could shake off its taboo image.

Nick Kovalenko Corsair Russian aerial artist Anastasia Skukhtorova performes at the 1st annual PWN awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on Friday. Eastern European performers were prominent in the line up of artists.

“It’s ok if a kid does it whether he’s 5-years-old or 8-yearsold,” she said. “When I was a stripper a lot of women felt it was degrading, especially a lot of feminists. But now it

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comes down to feeling comfortable with what you’re doing, like being comfortable with doing yoga.”

But it’s hard to wash away the scandalous spirit of this particular sport. At one moment there was Dietrich, licking her award with devilish glee while a man in a tuxedo took a photo with his iPhone. If pole dancing ever wants to be dignified there should be a change in protocol.

The show itself was not without surreal moments. When a Russian dancer delivered a message via satellite, Johnson was informed only people watching on the internet could hear it, despite the feed appearing on the plasma TVs on each side of the audience. After thinking about how to keep the hall entertained, Johnson decided to give the pole a try.

Immediately the audience erupted in a roar of cheers and dancing while suddenly, on the screens, for some unexplained reason, images of the recent Ukraine riots appeared complete with burning streets and someone’s head being smashed on the floor. It was a fever dream moment worthy of Dante.

There was one notable absence however, Oprah Winfrey.

The television diva was listed as the recipient of the “PWN Media Award” for helping “bring pole dancing into popular light” according to the event program. She did this by inviting Kelley a total of seven times to her TV show over the years.

Pole dancing is of course not just a lady’s game. Russian performer Evgeny Greshilov performed a truly cabaret dance dressed as a sailor with a mop as his girlfriend.

Greshilov made sad eyes at the mop before spinning, falling and climbing the pole with a skill almost akin to ballet.

Brynn Route won the “Up And Coming Artist Of The Year” award. Earlier she had performed with the dancing group BeSpun dressed in angel wings.

“I was in shock. I was really honored and so flattered, it was really nice to receive that,” said Route. She has been participating in the sport for five years and was a creative writer before discovering pole dancing.

“This is how I express myself now,” she said.

Zoraya Judd, one of the evening’s performers said, “It’s a good atmosphere. I get inspired by the strength and control of the pole. I don’t miss a day Monday through Friday at a normal gym and I usually perform on weekends. The anxiety before a performance is the hardest part.”

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photostory 7

volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

“My hopes are that this sport, and the art of pole dance become more mainstream and that the misconceptions about it and the feminine movement become more clear.”

- Sheila Kelley

Nick Kovalenko Corsair Awash in neon lights, a dancer focuses on her performance during the PWN awards on Friday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Nick Kovalenko Corsair Dancing group BeSpun performed an angelic pole dance during the PWN awards and inspired a standing ovation.

Sarah Romanowsky embues passionate ecstacy during her performance at the PWN awards on Friday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Nick Kovalenko Corsair

Nick Kovalenko Corsair

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Dancing With The Stars performer Kym Johnson gets down during the PWN awards on Friday night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Johnson hosted the event and handed out awards, At one point she even attempted to perform on a pole herself.

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+ lifestyle 8 health

volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Artist takes a stand against public harassment Rachel Gianuario Staff Writer

Last Monday’s cloudless afternoon gave way to the usual napping in the sun and an air of spring, as well as the essence of ferocity in the form of charcoal sketches.

Each poster featured a different young woman. Though they were from different cultures and racial backgrounds, each woman had a similar pair of eyes that penetrated the onlooker with a sense of fortitude, strength, and courage.

Humbly standing nearby stood a softspoken woman wearing a similar pair of eyes.

Quietly observing, the artist, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, allowed her work to speak for itself, and watched as female students made her work their own.

In honor of Women’s Empowerment Month, the Santa Monica College Associated Students invited the Brooklyn based illustrator to share true power in the form of truly beautiful women. On various poster boards were female portraits sketched in charcoal, under them were captions speaking out against street harassment.

Street harassment is any action or comment between strangers in public places that is disrespectful, unwelcome, threatening, and harassing. In countries like India and Bangladesh, it is known as “eve teasing,” in Egypt it is known as “public sexual harassment.”

Non-profit organizations such as Stop Street Harassment (SSH) see street harassment as a human rights issue because it limits women’s ability to be in public as often or as comfortably as most men.

“Street harassment is just something that I go through and that every woman in these posters has gone through,” says Fazlalizadeh, who is hoping this exhibit will

confront street harassment and bring it to light as a major social issue.

Whistles on the street, honks from cars passing by, kissing noises, gender-policing, leers, and sexually charged comments are a natural occurrence to most women out taking a walk. Harassment can be common enough to some that it seems pointless to refute, despite how enraging it may be.

Fazlalizadeh explains that her exhibit is not just about her and the women in her posters, but about all women, which is why she encouraged students to be a part of her project and write in their own responses.

While some students put up posters, others wrote responses to street harassment situations such as, “I’m not your baby doll!” “Keep your mouth shut,” and “Do I look like a Taxi? Then stop whistling.”

A male student who declined to state his name commented that, “It’s not harassment if we’re just trying to make you feel good. Overreact much?”

This brings into light the fact that many men who harass women on the street feel that their shoutouts are compliments, jokes or merely trivial annoyance. Additionally, it is common for people to blame women for its occurrence based on what they are wearing and what time of day they are out in public.

This is the assumption that Fazlalizadeh is trying to dispute with portraits of real women. Women who are not amused by the “compliments” and are infuriated by cat calls they have been hearing, like many women, since a very young age.

Each portrait’s caption responded to the issue; “Stop telling women to smile”, “I’m not your geisha china doll Asian fetish” and “Comments on my body are not welcome”.

Fazlalizadeh explains the text is either inspired by what the women in the portraits communicate to her, or they are direct quotes.

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO

change everything.

Scott Bixler Corsair Santa Monica College Associated Student President Ty Moura writes on the Stop Street Harassment exhibit during a Women’s Empowerment event on the Quad on Monday.

The text under one of the portraits read ‘I am NOT here for you’. Fazlalizadeh recalls the woman attached to the phrase was very adamant about the idea that women who are walking somewhere are not there for ridicule.

She recalls the woman saying “I’m outdoors, I’m not here for you. I don’t want to hear your comments, I’m not here to talk to you, I’m here to walk down the street and live my life.”

Onlooker Jackie Perez, a chicano/a studies major at SMC says, “I think it just shows…a real woman.” To her, women are misrepresented as these very delicate and very feminine beings in comparison to males.

Students like Parker Jean, a political science and environmental studies major, commented that the exhibit reminds us of the golden rule and to treat others with equal respect. He

added that the each portrait “sends a good message. They get people to think critically about how they refer to women.”

Street harassment is an issue that globally affects men and women of all races and creeds. Organizations like SSH, Hollaback!, ActionAid, and Safe Cities Global Initiative educate the public on what street harassment is, why it is a human rights violation and ways in which every individual has the power to end it.

Though Fazlalizadeh is leaving Los Angeles at the end of the week, her artwork, including pieces from her Stop Telling Women to Smile art series, are on her website stoptellingwometosmile.com.

With this exhibit and others, she hopes to empower women’s voices and faces that are commonly stiffed in a street environment.

Promote college life. Encourage campus involvement.

Champion academic excellence.

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Applications DUE Friday, April 11, 3:00pm Submit applications in the Student Life Office, at the Cayton Center room #202, above the Cafeteria.

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health + lifestyle 9

volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Fit to be fat Henry Crumblish Editor-In-Chief

Take a look around Santa Monica, and you’ll see the signs of health conscious citizens everywhere. Joggers, cyclists, and skateboarders fly around the block at any given time. In our current image-focused culture, fitness has become more than a necessity, but a lifestyle obsession.

Despite the fact that over 30 percent of the United States is obese, apparently it’s not easy being overweight, which has led to the popularity of a new trend in the realm of health and fitness; Health at every size or HAES. HAES proponents advocate that people should worry less about attaining physical fitness standards, and concentrate more on attainable levels of exercise and diet.

Santa Monica College nutrition professor Yvonne Ortega has made a career out of healthy living and helping others live healthfully. Ortega recalled a story from a half marathon that changed her perspective on fitness.

“I would run races and the funniest thing I saw was this guy wearing a shirt that said ‘I may be fat but I’m passing you,’” said Ortega.

The man kept a lead on her the entire race.

“It made me realize you can be overweight and fit, the most dangerous place to be is to be overweight and inactive,” Ortega said.

Rachel Gianuario Corsair

“It is possible to have a higher amount of body fat and be at a fit level; that’s where this whole size acceptance thing comes in.”

According to the website, haescommunity. org, “Health at every size is based on the simple premise that the best way to improve health is to honor your body. It supports people in adopting health habits for the sake of health and well-being (rather than weight control).”

Although HAES may be popular on the internet, it is still controversial within the medical community.

Typically, body mass index is used to

determine if an individual is at a healthy weight. To be considered at a healthy weight you must have a BMI of 18.5-24.9.

Individuals with a BMI of 25-29.9 are considered overweight, and those with a BMI of 30 or over are considered obese.

“BMI only takes into account height and weight, it does not take body composition.

We get people in the healthy BMI weight range with a lot of body fat,” said Ortega. She added that it’s also possible for weightlifters and bodybuilders to be considered “overweight” or “obese” based off BMI alone.

Most of us are looking to lose weight when it comes to fitness but as the average American waistline broadens, as a society we’ve kept a narrow view of what it means to be healthy. The question needs to be asked can you be fat and fit?

“When you think of health at every size from that perspective can you be an overweight and healthy person, yes, but what is constituting that extra weight?” said Mary Lynne Stephanou, anatomy and physiology professor at SMC. Stephanou said whether you have excess weight from bodyfat or muscle there is an increased load on the joints.

“When someone is overfed combined with being under exercised, that changes the biochemistry and affects the endocrine system responsible for hormones which can lead to type two diabetes,” said Stephanou.

In addition, being overweight with little activity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and high blood pressure. Stephanou also warns “even having one fatty meal can increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke,” even for those with a healthy BMI. “Someone can cosmetically look fantastic but be in horrible shape,” she said.

Having too much body fat is unhealthy while having too little is equally as dangerous. The key is finding a healthy balance.

“One, people have to be comfortable with who they are and what size they are and two, that thin people can be very unhealthy,” said Ortega. “Weight isn’t everything, fitness level is more important.”

Love in the time of classes Elin Ekdahl Staff Writer

In the campus environment where a college can be a city unto itself, it is inevitable that students will become attracted to each other and even fall in love.

Even the pursuit of a higher education cannot stall basic human emotions and needs. Romance is part of the college experience for many students. Many will have one, or several relationships during their college years.

Sometimes a deep attraction can last beyond the cycle of classes and graduation.

Facebook recently conducted a study which showed that 28 percent of married college graduates on their website were schoolmates during their college years.

But meeting that special someone in college comes with its own, unique set of challenges. At a transfer school like Santa Monica College, there is always a risk that partners will end up in different schools, or even more daunting, in different cities or states.

In addition SMC has over 3,000 international students. What happens if you fall in love with someone who has to return to their home country? What about the cultural differences?

“Everybody’s taking a different path in life,” said 21-year-old SMC student Echo Theohar who believes that separate plans and life choices may cause problems for couples that meet in college.

SMC student Henric Emdenborg agrees that college couples staying together is not a given however, he believes in love conquering all. Emdenborg and his Korean girlfriend Hyunah met at SMC and have been dating for almost a year. Initally the young lovers had some communication problems, but Hyunah’s English is getting better, and Emdenborg is learning Korean.

They both plan on staying in California and transferring to a university within the state. “College or not, I just think that both people need to have the same interest in

staying together,” Emdenborg said.

Even if the relationship doesn’t last forever, college can be a great place to meet a first love.

Two people that are experiencing that thrill are Wendy Alvarez and Brandon Martinez who met three months ago.

Alvarez laughs quietly and looks down with a shy gaze when Martinez spoke about their first encounter.

It was through the SMC alumni club that they first met. Neither of the two know much about relationships or what will happen with their own future, but they are enjoying being together for now.

Alexandra Bexell from Sweden also met her boyfriend at SMC. She and Nicolo Zinetti, who is from Italy, became a couple on Valentine’s Day last year, and have been together ever since.

“We’ve been apart for 20 days at most,” Bexell said. She is no longer an SMC student, but came back to the United States on a tourist visa to be near Zinetti.

Their mutual attraction has, for now, erased the artificial lines on the map.

Bexell believes that college romances can work. “But you probably need to have the same values, and maybe not completely different cultural backgrounds that clash,” she said. For her and Zinetti the melding of their cultures has worked.

Bexell believes in having a clear plan in the relationship. She will stay in the U.S. with Zinetti as long as she can, and the two will travel back to Europe together in the summer.

“I absolutely think that I have found the man that I will marry,” said Bexell.

College love, like any other type of romance, might not seem logical or even realistic. It is naive, beautiful and hopeful.

Even if the odds are against them, most college students are not going to give up on making their relationships work. The desire to be together, and the ache of being apart, is enough to make some students take a risk and demand the impossible.

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Amalia Darin Corsair Brandon Martinez and Wendy Alvarez sit together next to the clock tower on the SMC main campus.

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+ entertainment 10 Arts

volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Salvador Carrasco: Master of the lens Elizabeth Moss Digital Editor-In-Chief Salvador Carrasco is walking along the west side of campus heading towards Pearl Street to loop around to his office in the Letters and Science building. He’s about to launch into the story of his decision to become a professional filmmaker, but first he has to get rid of a package.

He weaves through the construction maze alongside the Math Complex and makes his way to the Liberal Arts building, where he finds a mailbox to put the package in.

For the time being, it is out of his hands.

“I’m not one of those cases,” he says, “There are many such cases, that tell you that when they were five-years-old they had a little video camera and they filmed their clay toys and they did their little home movies. I wasn’t one of those.”

For those who don’t know, Carrasco is the writer and director of “The Other Conquest,” a film about the Spanish subjugation of Mexico told from an Aztec point of view. It was the highest grossing film in Mexico at the time of its release. It is Carrasco’s crown jewel, a feat of seven years that won him international acclaim.

Locally, Carrasco is responsible for spearheading the Associate degree program for Film Production, approved only three weeks ago and set to officially start fall of this year. The program has already started off strong. The short film “Solidarity,” which has already won best drama at the San Diego Film Festival and played at countless festivals, including the famous Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, was one of the first major projects that resulted from efforts to create the AA degree.

Instead of clay models, Carrasco harbored interests in astronomy and art history growing up. In Mexico it is customary to choose a profession right after high school, so he chose film because it meant he could incorporate his myriad interests into a career.

After attending the National Autonomous University of Mexico for a year, Carrasco transferred to Bard College in upstate New York. While at Bard, Carrasco applied to New York University film school, in search of a scholarship, which NYU didn’t administer to international students at the time. As a testament to his will, Carrasco told NYU to create a scholarship for him.

Eventually they did, and he graduated two years later with a degree in film and television studies.

It was during his time at NYU that the idea for “The Other Conquest,” the film began to ferment.

“I think when you are living away from home, there is this tendency to become a little bit more interested in the affairs back home. That happens to many of us foreigners. Sort of the James Joyce syndrome,” he said. “I started thinking more of Mexico and its history, probably [more] than if I had been living in Mexico at the time. And I came up with this idea for this foundational story for modern Mexico.”

“The Other Conquest” took Carrasco seven years to complete. Filming was conducted “piecemeal:” filming would occur for a week before running out of money, and then a long period of fundraising would keep production occupied for up to a year and a half.

Carrasco began his teaching career at SMC in 2002 with a class he still teaches today, Film 7, “representation of ethnic minorities in cinema,” or how it’s listed in the books: American Cinema: Crossing Cultures. He has taught directing at

Arlene Karno Corsair Film professor Salvador Carrasco has been at the forefront of the groundbreaking Film 33 production class which seeks to train students in every aspect of a professional film shoot. The results have produced a crop of award-winning shorts.

the University of Southern California, screenwriting at Pomona College and headed the advanced directing program at Los Angeles Film School, but his favorite place has always been SMC. “Once I was doing location scouting in Arizona, and I actually took a plane back to do my Tuesday class and then I flew back the following day because it really mattered to me, and I even felt I needed it psychologically, spiritually,” he says.

The new AA degree has meant the addition of classes like c i n e m a t o g r a p hy and Film 33, aka Directing the Short Film, which has produced a number of key films since its inception, including “Solidarity.”

“As far as I’m concerned there’s no sense of entitlement here,” Carrasco said. “Most students come to class for the right reasons, there’s remarkable work ethic and most students acknowledge what you’re doing for them and give back a lot.”

Carrasco finds that the scripts students

write for class come from a real place, versus students he encountered at USC, whose scripts seemed to emulate what other movies had done.

“We’re managing to combine a very high level of craft with the truly remarkable stories that our students have to tell given their background,” he says.

The program, he hopes, will give students more than enough training in the film industry to have a comfortable career, at least in the b e g i n n i n g.

When industry friends call, Carrasco sends his students to help out.

“I don’t feel like I came up with anything new, I just feel like I found a home,” he says.

For Dustin Brown, director and writer of “Solidarity,” Carrasco convinced Elpidia Carrillo, an long-time friend from his “Other Conquest” days and marquee name from titles such as “Predator” and “The Border,” to take on the lead role in

“I don’t feel like I came up with anything new, I just feel like I found a home.”

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the short.

“It really took us to another level,” Brown says. “That was a huge deal.”

Brown has known Carrasco for many years and consulted with him on different projects.

“Very often [friends and family] will tell you how good [your film] is,” Brown says.

“That doesn’t really help you. Carrasco has always been very open about his criticism.”

Brown finds the biggest thing Carrasco has taught him is to stay open to new ideas and heed a strong vision.

“I’ve learned that working together it will make all the difference in the end of the film,” Carrasco says. “To me success has to do with your passion, your work ethic, your attitude, and your talent. The great thing about those four is that they come regardless of social class or background or how much your parents have or don’t have.”

Right now, Carrasco is slated to direct a film about a fascist coup d’etat against Franklin D. Roosevelt that involved major corporations and made the cover of Time Magazine in its time.

And much like his films and what he is creating at SMC, “it’s not really an end, it’s a beginning.” It’s in his hands.

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volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Arts + entertainment 11

Young musical talent shines at The Broad James Powel Staff Writer

On Sunday some of Santa Monica’s brightest young musical talents inspired loud applause and cheers at The Broad Stage during a special concert presentation headed by the Santa Monica College Symphony Orchestra.

The concert was presented in association with the Westside Music Association and the Music Teachers Association Santa Monica Bay Branch and featured students from Crossroads and Santa Monica High School.

Dr. James Martin, music department chair at SMC, opened the program by conducting the SMC symphony through composer Anatole Liadow’s arrangements for eight Russian folk songs. The grand, enrapturing sound set the tone for the afternoon’s proceedings.

It was then time for the program’s featured soloists to take the stage. First there was ninth grader Isaac Horwitz-Hirsch who played a magnificent trumpet rendition of Alexander Goedicke’s “Concert Etude” with the orchestra being conducted by SMC assistant conductor Fang-Ning Lim. The young virtuoso provoked cheers and applause.

Mollie Bernstein followed it up with a performance of Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Concerto For Oboe And Orchestra in C Major” with Martin conducting the orchestra. Bernstein played a wonderfully rich version of Haydn’s piece.

One of the stand out soloists was Sebastian Carrasco, son of SMC film production department head, Professor Salvador Carrasco.

The younger Carrasco led the orchestra in Mozart’s “Violin Concerto #5 in A Major” with a special energy and vigor inspiring two ovations after playing the final note.

After a magisterial performance by the orchestra of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov’s “Caucasian Sketches” conducted by Lim, violoncellist Jeffrey Ho performed the immense and grand “Variations on A

Rococo Theme” by Tchaikovsky.

The entire concert was a memorable musical gesture that displayed onstage how young talents grow and develop into accomplished musicians.

Martin expressed his pride at the results of the program after the final notes were met with great ovations from the audience.

“You know most [high school] kids they are doing hard rock or bubble gum pop, here these people are playing Hadyn or Tchaikovsky and playing very well,” Martin said.

Despite performing a piece composed over a century ago, Carrasco was able to pull off a bit of updated take on it.

“I wanted [the audience] to really enjoy it and hear a different interpretation of the piece. It’s a Mozart so it’s played a lot so I wanted them to hear a new take on it and enjoy,” Carrasco said after the performance.

Internationally renowned German violinist and professor emeritus at University of Southern California, Alice Schoenfeld, attended the concert as Carrasco’s private violin instructor and praised the entire orchestra and soloists. “[Carrasco] played to great perfection, not only were the notes right the rhythm right but he brought much inner feeling, expression and interpretation,” Schoenfeld said.

Though Martin only had three weeks to rehearse with the soloists, he found that they came prepared for the show.

“There was no searching or looking for notes, they already knew what they wanted.

I told them do it the way you want to do it and we will follow you. They did it, we followed them,” Martin said.

Schoenfeld had one parting thought on the concert.

“This was a concert for everybody to enjoy. It’s wonderful that you have, here in Santa Monica, a nice hall, a nice concert and a nice audience to make it perfect,” said Schoenfeld.

Nick Kovalenko Corsair Violinist Sebastian Carrasco inspired two standing ovations following his performance at The Broad on Sunday afternoon accompanied by the SMC Symphony Orchestra.

Apache Relay storms The Roxy with their wall of sound Alci Rengifo Arts & Entertainment Editor

With chords of Southern comfort and ache, Apache Relay took over The Roxy on Thursday night.

The boys had come all the way from Tennessee to perform their brand of rock on the Sunset Strip, that all important spot where a band can be judged worthy or unwanted. But their sound is raw and driven, full of heart and memories.

The good sized crowd at the Roxy got a taste of the band’s early folk sounds from their 2009 debut “1988” and their 2011 breakthrough “American Nomad”, and a look into their bold new material from their upcoming album “The Apache Relay.”

The new music is an elegant roar, think of Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound meets Howlin’ Wolf or The Doors during their “Morrison Hotel” period.

With the crowd primed for their sound, the Apaches opened with a dynamite rocker featuring Harris’ precise, yet fiery slide guitar.

Ford Jr. strummed his own electric and crooned like a beast out of the bayou.

And yet the new material entranced the crowd with its refined, sometimes lush power. The stand out was the band’s current single, “Katie Queen Of Tennessee,” an aching love letter to a Tennessee beauty beyond the singer’s reach.

“I would swim the ocean wide, from New “American Nomad,” where Ford Jr. moved hold their own with the best the charts Orleans to Galilee,” crooned Ford Jr. like to every word while Harris plucked some have to offer. Their sound was full of fury someone who knows what he’s talking delicate notes. and heart, two admirable qualities that can about.

Apache Relay played The Roxy as if it make the difference between a good song It was a signal that the Apache Relay were natural territory for them. They can and a great one. might be ready for a major breakthrough. With their new, hybrid sound they are ready to compete on the charts with major players like Jack White and Arctic Monkeys.

The rest of the evening had a feverish energy as the band tore through numbers like “Don’t Leave Me Now,” rarely ever slowing down but always playing with a skill worthy of Aerosmith and a sound even Stevie Ray Vaughn might have admired.

Their new mix of a classic 60s sound with their rock/ folk identity has a quality rare in the technically cold atmosphere of bands like Imagine Dragons.

The set list included some Jimmy Janszen Corsair great slow burners too like Lead Singer of the band Apache Relay, Michael Ford Jr. performs at the Roxy theater in West Hollywood “Sets Me Free” and “Home on Thursday. Apache Relay releases their new album on April 22.

Is Not The Place” from

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12 sports

volume 107 issue 5 • March 26, 2014 • santa monica college

Lady Corsairs serve up the AVC Marauders Trev Angone Sports Editor

matchup yesterday against Antelope Valley, came dangerously close to tarnishing the teams perfect record on the season.

Up 6-2 in the deciding match, Goldbeck and Tsuda allowed Glendale to creep back

opponent in straight sets 6-0, 6-0, but also knows the dangers of getting too far out in front.

“Sometimes I do get a little bit too confident and try to do little cheeky shots,

needs to turn on the charm before and after matches.

“I’m normally friendly with the girls The wind was howling and the seagulls before we start playing, so we don’t get were squawking as the Lady Corsairs tennis into any arguments or anything,” said team took to their home court yesterday, Bencharongkul. “Little conversations just steps from Santa Monica Beach in on the court helps everyone be nice to an attempt to push their untarnished each other and it makes the game a little season record to 10-0. easier to officiate ourselves.”

Standing in Santa Monica College’s Rounding out the singles matches on way were the 2-7 Antelope Valley College the day for the Corsairs was sophomore Marauders, who despite their best efforts Victoria Mamatova who won 6-3, 6-1, were just simply out-matched. and freshman Izabel Nazdracheva who Drawing the Marauders top ranked finished her nearly perfect match 6-1, player was freshman Mary Ashmore 6-0. or “MK” as her teammates so fondly “I’m very excited for playoffs, I feel call her. Though Ashmore was playing like we’re going to go all the way this Antelope Valley’s toughest competitor, season,” said Mamatova. “We have it was hard to tell as MK dismantled such a strong team and not only are we her opponent from the very beginning, strong on the court, we’re also strong off winning in straight sets 6-0, 6-0. the court. We have such a great bond, “It went well, she’s a great player. I just we joke around all the time; I think it’s tried to work both sides, lots of topspin. going to be a great year for us.”

Just keep her moving the best I could,” Doubles matches were as lopsided as said Ashmore. “It’s good motivation to the singles matches as SMC won both be up. You can experiment when you’re pro sets 8-1 and 8-2 respectively. up by that much. Try some slice, mix it Also excited for the playoffs is Head up a little bit, work my backhand.”

Coach Richard Goldenson who knows Ashmore’s doubles partner on the day, not to get too excited, but it’s hard not team captain Jessica Goldbeck, also had to get stoked for the ensuing playoff run a very impressive outing, beating her Brandon Barsugli Corsair with such a powerhouse team.

Marauder opponent handily 6-2, 6-2.

Santa Monica College Corsairs women’s tennis player Thanapha Bencharongkul returns the “I feel good about the playoffs, the “I felt like I could have played better, ball to an opponent during a Corsairs match against Antelope Valley, Tuesday. The Corsairs team’s peaking at the right time and if but I pulled it out and a win is a win,” they bring their A-game during playoffs, won 7-0. said Goldbeck. things should go pretty well,” said Getting in the habit of beating one’s in and take a 7-6 lead. But as Goldbeck put but then sometimes they don’t go as Goldenson. opponent so convincingly on a regular basis it, they “stepped it up” and eventually won expected so that’s why I try to keep my mind SMC will compete in an individual can definitely have its setbacks. Goldbeck 8-7. how it was before,” said Bencharongkul. tournament in Ventura on April 4 and knows that to be true more than anyone.

One Corsair who didn’t give her opponent Bess, who grew up in Australia attended 5, and then it’s on to the playoffs which In the team’s recent matchup with a chance to make it a match was Thanapha The Knox School in Melbourne, where will begin April 8. The site is yet to be Glendale Community College, Goldbeck Bencharongkul or “Bess” as she likes to among other things developed top tier determined, but as Coach Goldenson put and her doubles partner at the time, Kaori be called. Bess beat her Antelope Valley social skills that come in handy when she it, “Hopefully it’ll be at home.”

Tsuda, who was not available for the

Track team runs over the competition Jay Singer Staff Writer

As the marine layer slowly blanketed the Santa Barbara Relays held at Santa Barbara City College on Friday, the near perfect conditions aided a handful of Santa Monica College runners on their way to setting personal bests in their respective events.

Also competing in the meet were independent track club runners as well as unattached competitors. Unattached runners technically have no affiliation with a school on the day of the meet, but are still allowed to compete as red-shirt freshmen.

The competitor still gets to compete and gain valuable experience, but their scores do not count toward a team total.

One of the first SMC competitors to kick things off was returning 200 and 400-meter runner Drew Brown who attempted the 800-meter for the first time ever and ran a very respectable 1:55.

“I think I could run a few seconds faster,” said Brown. If Brown could shave a few seconds off his time in the coming weeks, that would put him among the fastest in the state at that distance.

Distance runner Terrence Luevano ran a personal best of 4:01 in the 1500-meter, taking second among community college runners in the event.

“I think I could run faster,” said Luevano, “I felt relaxed throughout the race.”

Luevano also posted a time of 1:58 in the 800-meter, coming from behind to within .02 seconds of second place, but ultimately finished third. Although he took third overall, he was the highest placing community college competitor in the event.

“I felt tight during the 800-meter,” said Luevano. Despite tightening up, Luevano still managed to gain a lot of ground on independent Track and Field Factory runner Rocky Peterson who lunged at the last second, barely beating Luevano and securing second place.

SMC Freshmen Baldomero Cruz and Fernando Alvarado also set personal bests.

Cruz posted a time of 4:12 and Alvarado a 4:17 in the 1500-meter. Cruz also came back to run a respectable 2:03 in the 800-meter.

Representing the Lady Corsairs was Ashley Bootesaz who led the women’s distance team in the 800-meter, posting a time of 2:29. Her time was five seconds faster than her time from last year. It was also her first ever under 2:30 finish.

Devyn Ruiz again showed her versatility by placing in the top five in the 100-meter hurdles as well as helping SMC place second in the 4-by-100 meter relay. She also placed fifth in the 4-by-400 meter relay and second in the long jump among community college competitors.

Finally, she took second in the triple jump among community college competitors behind teammate Katrina Tate and even after all that she still looked like she had the energy for at least one more event.

Overall it was an impressive showing by the Corsairs. With a handful of meets over the next few weeks, SMC is in a good position as they gear up for the Western State Conference trials at the end of April which will be held at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California.

The Corsairs next meet will be held Friday, March 28 at Cuesta College.

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