CORSAIR
THE GREAT RACE A.S. ELECTIONS 2015
APRIL 1, 2015 | VOLUME 109 ISSUE 06 SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
A.S. MEETING REVEALS TENSIONS PG. 3
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CONTENT
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 1, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR EDITORIAL STAFF Alci Rengifo ...............................Editor-in-Chief corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com Jonathan Ramos...................... Managing Editor corsair.managing@gmail.com Jose Gutierrez ................................ News Editor corsair.newspage@gmail.com Yasha Hawkins ................................. News Editor corsair.newspage@gmail.com Paulina Eriksson ................. Health & Lifestyle corsair.lifestylepage@gmail.com Jonathan Ramos .........................Opinion Editor corsair.opinionpage@gmail.com James Powel .................................... Sports Editor corsair.sportspage@gmail.com Claudius West ................ Multimedia Director corsair.multimediadept@gmail.com Devin Page .......... Arts & Entertainment Editor corsair.calendarpage@gmail.com Brandon Barsugli ......................... Photo Editor corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com Kira VandenBrande ..................... Photo Editor corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com Juan Lopez .......................................Digital Editor corsair.webeditor@gmail.com Jhosef Hern ...........................................Illustrator corsaircartoon@gmail.com William Miguel .................. Editorial Designer corsair.designteam@gmail.com
CORSAIR STAFF Carlos Espinosa, Alendy Galindo, Veronica Aviles, Jose Lopez, Josue Martinez, Mark Logarta, Ricardo Hernandez, Raymond Martinez, Michael Downey, Daniel Bowyer, Oskar Zinnemann, Christian Gianni Martin, Bailey Peraita, Chiaki Kudo, Kevin Monterroso, Jocelyne Ruiz, Josh Shure, Stefanie Flores, Nerllyn Eskenassy, Tim Lee, Ryanne Mena, Ethan Singleton, Michelle Melamed, Keya Quick
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ALCI RENGIFO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF As the campus election season kicks off today with the candidates for seats in the Associated Students participating in a public debate, there is a shadow being cast over the proceedings after Monday's AS meeting in the Cayton center. It was a surreal moment as the board of directors apparently engaged in an intense face off with AS Advisor Sonali Bridges. A back and forth came about after the AS board sought to make changes to its constitution and Bridges sought to block the move. The standoff culminated with disciplinarian Dina Hern being literally phoned in the middle of the meeting and put on speaker. With AS president Ali Kahn exclaiming "I'm at my wit's end" and Bridges herself saying "I'm done," it left one wondering: What is going on up there at the Cayton Center? Our student government is elected in a democratic process meant to mimic that of the wider, state and national practice. More urgently, we pay dues and afford the AS economic power to the tune of a $1 million budget. Monday's civil war amongst the board and its advisor raises serious ques-
tions about what is happening behind the closed doors of our student government. It was a public eruption that felt like a culmination of hidden disputes we are yet to learn about. Maybe we should learn soon about what is happening between our student government and its advisor. It is inevitable that in a group setting there will be disagreements and sometimes uncomfortable debates. We know about this well at The Corsair. Whoever wins the AS elections next week will have to prepare themselves and grow skin of steel to take on the challenge of leadership. In this issue our A&E editor Devin Page also responds to a recent demand by organizers of a #BlackLivesMatters public theater performance to edit out of his report on the performance quotes from performers in the production. When I explained to organizers that the performers chose to share their stories in a public forum, they responded by e-mail blasting SMC president Tsang targeting myself and our advisor, Saul Rubin. They demanded that we not only censure the article but publish an article
explaining our self-censorship. The demand raises the issue of our first amendment rights as a free newspaper in a free society. Personally, I believe the stories the performers at the event were powerful testaments of urban life in modern America and the abuse witnessed being carried out by local police. This is why it was baffling to see the event organizers practice a bizarre form of image control by demanding we remove statements made in public, for public consumption and awareness. It is our duty to report the facts honestly and accurately. We are not a paper with an agenda, we are not a political vehicle espousing only left-wing, right-wing or centrist views because we run them all. We do not cater to movements or political power, because that would take away our independence. As our campus prepares to exercise a form of democracy, it is vital to remember how vital the chronicling of truth is. Without it, we would be chasing shadows for eternity in Plato's cave.
FACULTY ADVISORS Saul Rubin & Gerard Burkhart
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NEWS
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 1, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
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AS MEETING GETS HEATED OVER AMENDMENT PROPOSALS Monday meeting turns into standoff with A.S. Advisor. YASHA HAWKINS NEWS EDITOR
JOSE GUTIERREZ NEWS EDITOR
“At the end of the day when you have 10 other members of the board who are exhausted or feel discouraged because of what happened, is you being right really important? Is you being right that important that 10 other people and their feelings and their opinions have to be stifled because you were right?” asks AS Vice President Corker. During Monday’s Associated Students meeting, tensions among the AS Directors and their advisor exploded publicly. AS was going over the new AS Constitution, which Sonali Bridges pushed for the group to make changes to and approve so that it could go to Joint Council the next day. The AS Board then contested this, saying that they are “not allowed to make amendments to the constitution.” As the AS Board tried to move through various action items, interruptions from their advisor continued. She warned them several times that “Joint Council cannot happen unless this is approved,” and the AS Board proceeded to approve the new Constitution, but not before Corker mentioned that three constitution committee meetings had already passed, leaving this as the final opportunity to make changes. Bridges then pointed out that only three AS Board members went to the Constitution Committee meeting earlier that day, less
DEVIN PAGE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
than a sample of the group. After both Bridges and President Ali Khan stated that they felt disrespected by the other party, Bridges reiterated the AS Board’s only options and they began to approve sections of the new constitution. After the AS Board approved sections one and two of the Constitution, Bridges brought up Article one, Section three, Subsection three. The article lists sections of the California Education Code that only apply to auxiliary organizations, a designation AS does not possess although the services AS membership provides are considered auxiliary services. This was the point of discussion surrounding this particular article, the fact that it implies that AS is an auxiliary organization. However, this particular article was not eligible for change and had been discussed at the Constitution Committee meeting earlier in the day. “A lot of it has to do with what they inserted last year,” said Corker the next day. “They inserted the reference to auxiliary that we’re an auxiliary service, which allows us certain rights compared to just being a school supported institution. We aren’t recognized as an auxiliary organization by the state, by the district, by the Board of Trustees, by the school. That reference is aspira-
tional; we want to be an auxiliary organization, that’s how the AS feels about it.” A heated exchange between Khan and Bridges followed after Bridges reminded the group that the Constitution needed to be approved. “According to you, you say the Board can make proposals-” “No-” “-That’s what you said so please, grab a copy of this [the AS Constitution], highlight that section, and we'll reconsider that.” Tensions were so high that Corker called for a second five minute break, which only some wanted to take. Then Deyna Hearn was put on speaker. She asked if there’s confusion about the new constitution. “We have all the information we need,” says Director of Advocacy TK Flory. “Our advisor has been interrupting us with dilatory information and causing decorum.” “So,” says Khan, “I’m at about my wits end.” He emphasized that she walked out several times, something she later clarified she did to keep things professional. “We've had to rescind all the action taken during the previous Constitution Committee meetings because most of the motions were made by our advisor,” said Flory for Hearn and anyone in the Cayton Center to
hear.Bridges stated at Tuesday’s Joint Council meeting that “I was not aware, nor was the Chair, which on that day was Hasun, the first day of the Constitution Committee meeting, that I was not allowed to make motions or vote on the Constitution as a part of the committee. Hasun was not aware that as he was the Chair, nor was I. Hence that, the motions that they had to look over were the ones that I had made unknowingly.” The call went ignored seconds later and the AS Board returned to business. All became somewhat quiet until they approved the section on activities. Creating activities is the responsibility of the events department and Associate Dean Bridges. It is an administrative responsibility. Bridges then warns the AS Board after they approve the Constitution’s section on activities that “the college, nor I, nor anyone has to go by what is in here because there’s ed code and administrative policies that supersedes it.” According to Corker, these problems come with the territory. “The biggest problem is the amount of time we have here, but that’s the nature of community college.” "It’s not a one person problem. Everything that happens in a meeting like that, somebody could have done something different."
OPINION
#BLACKLIVESMATTER AIMS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION DEVIN PAGE ARTS & ENTERAINMENT EDITOR There comes a time in journalism in which you end up ruffling feathers over accurate reporting of the truth. For me the time came when I began to receive backlash over an article entitled, “Black Lives Matter Takes Stage in Santa Monica.” The article covers a grassroots #BlackLivesMatter group that performed a theater arts piece to bring attention to the continued struggles of black people in America. This is a case where the truth hurts the most because by accurately reporting the monologues of the performance group, it did more apparent harm than good to those who wanted their voices heard, but didn't want to put their names behind them. “Power: From the Mouths of the Occupied” performance piece debuted by Patrisse Cullors and Damon Turner at Highways Performance Space on February 27 to a live audience over a three day weekend. The piece recounted real-life portrayals of nine black individuals who have been impacted by police brutality and state oppression. These powerful stories told by those individuals ideally would have only elevated negative feelings that viewers have of abusive or corrupt police. But this wasn’t good enough. Instead of continuing to raise their fists in protest, they want to hide behind their words because of fear of the way they will be perceived by the public. In an effort to start a campaign against the Corsair, individuals from the Black Lives Matter group as well as their friends have sent a chain of e-mails to Santa Monica College President Chui L. Tsang to rebuke the article. In one e-mail, a Monique Danser stated, “Please remove the article in question to preserve the safety and honor the vulnerability of your black students.”
Sophiana Kandell wrote, “This utterly disrespects the needs of black individuals.” The most blatant attempt at questioning the Corsair’s integrity came from Mark Anthony Johnson who was in the performance piece. He claims that Alci Rengifo, Editor-in-Chief was “very disconnected and approached the issues from a misinformed place. He could not hold or honor our request to place the trauma of Black people and their safety as a priority.” He even cited that our school is 9% African American saying that the group is looking to Tsang’s leadership to make sure that black voices are heard and valued. The problem is that they are making this a black issue instead of looking at it for what it is. They gave a public performance because they wanted their voices heard, but when the story was printed in a way they didn’t imagine, they wanted to back out. Their attempt at image control would have been successful if according to their wishes, we ran a feature on Cullors or made inflammatory statements against the police. This is not an issue of black, blue, or yellow, this is an issue of censorship. Cullors has demanded that the article be taken down or the names and quotes edited, and that the changes should be addressed as to why they were made, basically trying to force an apology. This infringes upon the First Amendment rights that I or any other journalist has to report on public forum. They’ve even gone as far as to say that we are not respecting black issues, as if negating my own blackness. The struggles that black people go through everyday is not lost upon me a biracial 20-year-old male who’s grown up in Los Angeles, my Latino editor-in-chief, or any other staff member,
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Kira VandenBrande The Corsair
most of whom are non-white. Any insinuation that we are an insensitive paper doubts the free will and integrity of everyone on staff. It doubts the autonomy and independent thought that each and every one of us has. The fight we make everyday to cover universal issues is being undermined by a group who have no agenda in this matter but to accuse. The most telling part of all is when Communications and Media Department Chair Nancy Grass-Hemmert received an anonymous call from someone identifying themselves as a part of the group who admitted that she was told not to read the article. This is the kind of cultish behavior that @THE_CORSAIR •
we’ve seen from past political leaders whose movements just fell apart. Instead of directing their anger at the Corsair, they should really think and redirect their anger towards the very person who put them in this situation, their leader Cullors. Cullors, who encouraged press at the dress rehearsal and performances. Better yet, they should continue to focus their anger on “the powers that be” that basically force movements like #BlackLivesMatter to exist, or that trigger emotional dialogue about race over and over again. But these are just the absurdities of everyday life, for what would journalism be without threats of lawsuits or campaigns?
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ELECTIONS 2015
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 1, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
MEET THE CANDIDATES OF THE A.S. ELECTIONS AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TAKE FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO CAMPAIGN BEFORE ELECTIONS JONATHAN RAMOS MANAGING EDITOR Election season is on at Santa Monica College as the 2015 slates and their candidates gathered at the quad on Tuesday to discuss everything from distance between students and their government as well as the usual issues of parking and the price of textbooks. With less than a week to prepare for the debate and just a little over a week before elections, the potential heirs to the throne were given one minute intervals to discuss common student concerns, features of SMC they would like to keep as well as what they would like to change, and why ultimately they are the best fit for the job. Commenting on the frequently brought up issue of overpriced text books, candidate of the 'Excellence' slate Trae Smith asked, "How can we increase the GPA rate and the transfer rate at SMC if students can’t afford the simple essentials to afford these classes?” The president and founder of the Generation of the Future club vaguely spoke about a proposal for a "textbook borrowers program" that would allow for students with financial instability the opportunity to borrow books for a semester if they are evidently unable to afford them. Smith stated his desire to increase job rates on campus by attracting more companies to SMC's Job Fair as well as additional funding for clubs who may be re-
stricted by the current budget they have to work with. Opposing Smith was Jesse Randel representing the Reading Rainbow slate. The former boy scout spoke heavily on increasing the overall benefits for students which varied from lowering book prices to free transportation on the expo line that is said to be gracing Santa Monica in 2016. Randel said he strives to "make the pursuit of higher education and a brighter future attainable to all students regardless of financial background or where you're from." When talking about the lack of communication between the student government and the school's administration, Randel shared how his six years in the United States Air Force fueled his belief that unity between students, student government, and school administration is essential for a better campus and system. Having the most prior experience as an AS board member, Joel Goldszer, member of the HIgh-FIve slate, cited his nearly two years at SMC as the main reason he can make a difference within the school. “I know a lot of the things that are wrong with this school and through my experience and through everything I’ve learned I can really help us out and I can really change SMC for the better and make your lives a lot better," said Goldszer.
Associated Students secretary candidate Wave-Ananda Baskerville and Director of Activities candidate Vanina Conkle answer questions at the debate on Thursday. (Tobias Sandstroem The Corsair)
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Presidential candidates Joel Goldszer (left), Trae Smith (center), and Jesse Randel (right) answer questions from the public forum during the Associated Students debate on Thursday at Santa Monica College. ( Jose Lopez The Corsair)
vThe debate concluded with a brief Q&A segment as the presidential nominees along with the rest of the AS board candidates answered students' inquiries about policies on cheating, student and administration relationships, and even possible war in the middle east. Elections will take place during the week
of April 6 as the candidates prepare for the final stretch of their presidential campaigns and this game of thrones will be decided.
SMC students gather during the public forum at the Associated Students debate on Thursday at Santa Monica College. (Jose Lopez The Corsair)
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ELECTIONS 2015
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 1, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
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GENERATION OF THE FUTURE FOUNDER SEEKS AS PRESIDENCY JUAN LOPEZ WEB EDITOR Last week Trae Smith was unable to make the candidate meeting to officially run for AS president. Instead he was at Washington D.C., speaking at the liberal pro-Israel J Street National Conference about his vision for his club Generation of the Future (GotF). Yet for those who know him, it was obvious Smith carried in him a desire to run. Since starting Generation Of The Future one year ago, Smith has kept busy promoting his clubs through a variety of local events on and off campus. From campus events like Club Olympics to local toy and food drives, Smith and his fellow club officers have turned their club into a bridging opportunity with USC. Smith’s slate is called “Excellence,” which he hopes reflects his slate’s ideals to the campus community. Their platform is ambitious, it includes everything from more support for clubs, scholarships, and cheaper
textbooks to a proposal of a beachside campus with parking, which is more than what most beachside property can offer. “I think the biggest thing for students within these clubs is that if we brought more awareness to the clubs, we would not only increase the transfer rate but also the GPA rate and students would leave this campus feeling really happy with not only a degree, but club experience, community service, and volunteering hours,” said Smith. Working within Joint Council last semester, Smith got to read and analyze the A.S. constitution and bylaws, and learn more about the functions of AS. “Going to all the board meetings watching how Ali Khan would govern the meetings and structure it,” said Smith. With this experience, he sees himself as an ideal presidential candidate for AS.
Associated Students presidential candidate Trae Smith (Brandon Barsugli)
AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SEEKING TO SET "GOLD" STANDARD JUAN LOPEZ WEB EDITOR
Associated Students presidential candidate Joel Goldszer (Jose Lopez)
Orchestrating Homecoming Week is no easy feat for an Associated Students director, which is why the board took notice when an energetic commissioner stepped up to take the lead amid a director’s absence last year. AS presidential candidate Joel Goldszer began participating in AS as commissioner for then Director of Student Outreach Robert Espinoza, eventually becoming the board’s ideal replacement for Espinoza after he resigned due to personal reasons. “I’ve been in the office every week since October,” said Goldszer. ”I really wanna be here and I really wanna help out.” He feels he brings experience his competitors don’t have, such as being an AS director for a few short weeks, but working in their office since fall. “What I tend to see in the office is everybody stays in the office,” said Goldszer. “They do their work in the office for the students, but they don’t interact as much with the students.” His slate is Hi-Five and their main focus is pushing student involvement and benefits access through pub-
licity and promotion. One major benefit Goldszer hopes to boost is the AS Student Success Awards, for which the AS board allotted $100,000 to award to students who apply. “International students who complain about their fees being way too expensive, we can compensate with that. students who can barely afford being here, give them money,” said Goldszer. Goldszer also made it a point to disclose he was against the kind of administration “ear whispering” he has been warned of by other board members and would not stand for it. He feels all AS directors, including the president, should be held accountable for their positions. After spending time gathering complaints from students, he worked together with former outreach director Espinoza in an effort to create a food pantry on campus for homeless students, and is currently working on creating food vouchers. “I don’t want another student to not get a chance to change their life,” said Goldszer, whose slate tagline calls for students to set a “Gold” standard.
STUDENT VET REACHES FOR AS PRESIDENCY ON BOOK AND WI-FI PLATFORM JUAN LOPEZ WEB EDITOR After six and a half years in the United States Air Force, traveling the world in service including distant locales such as Okinawa, Qatar, and Afghanistan, veteran Jesse Randel decided to become a student vet and enrolled at SMC. Here he found the Veterans Resource Center undersized and under-resourced for the over 600 vets on campus. After encouraging from some international student friends on work visas whom he helped find assistance, Randel decided to participate in student government by trying and failing to secure a vacant seat on the AS board for Student Outreach. Though he didn’t get the position, Yana Demeshko, director of community relations, reached out to make him her commissioner. After starting as her commissioner, he decided to run for AS president, creating the slate “Reading Rainbow” because he feels his slate mates represent
the diversity of the campus. Also reflecting their name, their slate focus is in lowering the price of books through clauses in the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act and seeking more reliable Wi-Fi on campus, including the Wi-Fi free Art building. “Financially underprivileged students is really the cornerstone of our collective platform,” said Randel. “Coming from a poor background myself i know how hard it can be to do something like go to college.” Randel made a point to mention his dependence on his GI bill funds to attend school during the AS presidential debate saying ““i don’t have a job, i get paid to go to school, it’s fantastic, the GI bill.” He said this to illustrate the amount of free time he was giving to the students if he wins.
Associated Students presidential candidate Jesse Randel (Brandon Barsugli)
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 1, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
CANINE UPRISING: DIRECTOR OF "WHITE GOD" SPEAKS ALCI RENGIFO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Like a ferocious guerrilla army, a pack of unchained dogs overrun Budapest in Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo's "White God." The movie, one of the year's best foreign films, opens at The Nuart in Santa Monica this Friday. A wild parable that feels like "Watership Down" meets Franz Kafka, the film is a dark and moving tale seen completely through the eyes of the mutt Hagen and his owner, a young girl named Lili (Zsofia Psotta). When the state requires mutts be registered lest their owners face a fine, Lili's father forces her to abandon Hagen in the streets. He undergoes a searing, violent journey through the Budapest underworld where he meets other street dogs before landing in the hands of an imposing man who uses Hagen for bloody dogfights. Like a fourlegged Spartacus, Hagen soon unites with other abandoned canines to unleash themselves on their human masters. On a Friday afternoon Mundruczo, a soft-spoken director with an intellectual air, explained how the vision for "White God" came to be. While working on the theatrical adaptation of a South African play, a line about a dog shelter inspired Mundruczo to visit dog shelters in his native Hungary. "I went to a [dog] shelter and was completely touched. What I found there I never expected. It was shameful. They hide the dogs behind the fences. The same day I went to my scriptwriter and said 'I really want to make a movie about dogs in Budapest," said Mundruczo. Hungary remains a country haunted by
the historical ghosts of its recent past including the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the uprising against the Soviet system in the 1980s. For Mundruczo it was natural for "White God" to be shaded by both the past and Europe's present. Even the film's main musical thread is composer Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody. "We have a huge history and for example the buildings of Budapest tell that history. In the opening scene where you see those classical buildings and the angry dogs appearing, there is meaning there," explained Mundruczo. "This movie reflects contemporary life. We have a tradition of intolerance and racism yet at the same time Hungarians are always rebels and always seek freedom. It's a part of our soul." For Mundruczo, the rebel dogs of the film are a metaphor for minorities everywhere struggling against the oppressive powers that be. "It looks like it's just about dogs but it's about society and nature." For a European filmmaker like Mundruczo, it is hard not to be influenced by the current social battles being fought in Europe. "After the economic crisis, there is a huge moral crisis all over Europe, including in Hungary. It's a society loaded with a lot of fear, existential fear," said Mundruczo. "There is a lot of extremity right now. Of course this movie would like to reflect this change, and how everything changed around us. How there's less freedom than before. It is a Hungarian movie with a European soul." One of the great achievements of this
Rebel dogs overtake the streets of Budapest in a scene from "White God." The Hungarian film opens in Santa Monica this Friday. (Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures)
elegant yet fierce movie is how Mundruczo and his team manage to turn the canine stars into real characters whose personalities vibrate off their stares, movements and sounds. "It was really difficult in the beginning and really easy later," said the director, "because if you would like to control them, if you would like to just watch them as adult humans then that's not how you can work with the animals." For Mundruczo it took much patience and as filming continued, the dogs seemed to change along with the filmmakers and adjusted more and more to the film set. "We usually use them [dogs] as objects, especially in movies. We can see their emotions at home, but usually not in movies." One heart-wrenching scene features Hagen being forced into his first dogfight. "That scene was more difficult to create in the editing room," revealed Mundruczo
when emphasizing how the animals were never injured or actually made to fight, instead the visceral power of a violent scene was purely constructed in the editing. When asked if he himself is a dog lover, Mundruczo immediately said "Of course." Next on his plate, Mundruczo is working on the adaptation of a Russian novel trilogy and an original script about refugees in modern Europe. The themes of those lording over society and the underdogs' will to fight back are a running current in his work, as made clear when Mundruczo explained what the title of "White God" is all about. "The title comes from a Kurdish word, it is about the responsibility of the majority. The film is the perspective of the dogs, and we are the white god. I was the white god when I was standing in the shelter and I would like to criticize myself and our responsibility when telling stories like this."
"FRUITVALE STATION" SCREENS AT SMC: PANEL DISCUSSES POLICE BRUTALITY DEVIN PAGE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Police brutality has surfaced and resurfaced itself as a major social issue of our time. It is a problem that despite all previous protests and social change movements, keeps rearing its ugly head every few years. Ryan Coogler's film "Fruitvale Station" came out in 2013, just a year before a chain of police brutality cases around the country that have sparked outrage in the media. In Santa Monica College's HSS 165, this controversial film was shown before an audience in a screening organized by English professor David Burack. Members of Black Collegians, the English Department, and the Corsair served on a panel to screen the film and later facilitate a discussion about it. Coogler's film takes a no frills approach and shows you modern-day Oakland in a homey setting that makes you feel like you are right there in the film. "Fruitvale Station" is chilling and an almost uncomfortable documentary to watch, as it is based on a true story and hits close to home for anyone who has been stereotyped by the law. The movie opens with a scene that sets the building blocks for the rest of the film. A phone camera shot of Michael B. Jordan's character, Oscar Grant, was being beaten by police until he was fatally shot. The rest of the film relives the last day of his life, New Year's Eve, and the growth of Jordan's character was shown. Oscar's girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz) and his daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal) are introduced in the film and we get a sense of the struggle that he is enduring
being a father and a boyfriend, while hiding the secret of his unemployment. In the film you get the very first sense of racial tension when Oscar visits the fish market where he was fired from and meets Katie (Ahna O'Reilly), as he tries to help her decide on which fish to buy.
"...the anger is there, the drive to act is there, what we need to do is start forming ideas in how to really fight back in a concrete way." The scene is at first like what you can imagine it would be when a black guy approaches a white girl, and you could very much see her skin crawl. Ironically they both became friendly and this wouldn't be the last time we see Katie in the film. It was supposed to be a normal New Year's Eve, Sophina wanted to see the fireworks in San Francisco with Oscar. The dramatic irony in the story occurs when Oscar wants to stay lowkey and Sophina wants to go out. Oscar's mother (Octavia Spencer) recommends that they take the BART so that they aren't driving drunk. The scene finally comes where Oscar and friends are confronted with a problem and end up being gunned down by police. We see Katie again, but she ends up yelling at the police while bystanders watch the horrific
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scene and record it on their camera phones. When watching it you hope it ends a different way, if not for the sake of Oscar's young 22-year-old life, for the sake of his daughter Tatiana. The film's irony was not lost on anyone watching the film and many people in the audience were left wiping away their tears. SMC English Professor William Doucet hit the nail on the head when sharing his thoughts on the panel, "Those whose job it is to protect you, to keep you safe are the ones representing the danger." For Doucet he felt this incident was too close to home. "I got off on Fruitvale and went to work," he said. For many, the film was hard to separate from real life because it's still something that happened. Panel member Osiris Booque said, "My roommate Andreas is a film major and he kinda taught me this skill when you're watching a movie, watch the movie and remember it's a movie. But this wasn't a movie, it actually happened." Police brutality is a problem that people deal with everyday. Staff Writer Ethan Singleton said, "If you look at the movie through the lens of analyzing Oscar as a character, you're taken on this journey of like he was developing the whole time through all these relationships he had. He was in prison but that was a flashback. He's in this conscious state of growth the whole time." This observation serves as a reminder of the dehumanization of black people that @THE_CORSAIR •
has plagued society's minds. The director consciously shows the development of Oscar's character, like any other character, he has human emotions. Growing up a black man in America is tough. Panel member Jon Kent said, "I had that transition myself. I was a cute little boy and then I became a sudden threatening black man." There was a resounding question throughout the audience of ways to fight back nonviolently and questions like, "Where have we gone since the 60's?" Corsair Editor-in-chief Alci Rengifo said, "What we lack in comparison to the 60's and 70's is political consciousness. The anger is there, the drive to act is there, but what we need to do is start forming ideas in how to really fight back in a concrete way." He mentioned events happening right now around the world that brought the issue full circle. The issues in the Middle East, problems between Israel and Palestine, Gaza, Charlie Hebdo in France, and Greece are all prevalent today. "In 2008, they [Greece] had a massive national uprising like you see in this film. An 18-year-old kid from one of the poor areas in Athens was shot and killed exactly like you see in this film, he said." Rengifo went on to say, "The Black Panthers were fighting racism but at the same time were reading the 'Wretched of the Earth,' they were reading Che Guevara, they were following the Cuban Revolution, they were following all of the stuff that was happening worldwide."
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VOLUME 109 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 1, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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FROM SCREENPLAY TO BOOK TO SCREEN: SMC PROFESSOR ON HER BOOK'S INTERESTING JOURNEY DEVIN PAGE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR With lofty goals of making a movie and having a successful Hollywood career, Lynn Dickinson wrote a screenplay with ambitions of one day seeing it on the big screens. Jeff Gordon (President of Writers Boot camp) told her, "The fastest way to get a movie made in this town is to write the book." But with the tanked economy in 2008, Dickinson would have to wait several more years in order to get her movie funded. Dickinson decided to follow the advice of Gordon and write the book of her screenplay, "Brother Haters Anonymous." Lynn Dickinson is a Media Studies Professor at Santa Monica College and recently published her book "Brother Haters Anonymous" in February. Although the book is fiction, "Brother Haters Anonymous" is a story that hits close to home with Dickinson. The story takes a comedic approach and looks at sibling relationships, specifically brother/sister rivalries during early adolescence. It follows a 13-year-old girl Molly, and her 11-year-old brother Zack, and they attend the same middle school. On the very first day of school, Zack humiliates his sister in
front of the entire school. Shortly after Molly finds a mysterious letter in her locker inviting her to join a secret club of girls who hate their brothers. The story chronicles SMC Media Studies professor Lynn Dickinson holds her book "Brother Haters Anonymous" which began as a screenplay. The the adventures of book is now being considered for adaptation into a movie. (Juan Lopez The Corsair) the girls in this secret organization of brother haters. Writing the book certainly didn't come Dickinson has seen reviews of the book, Although the book was written with without obstacles. one of which was all the way from India. elementary and middle school girls in mind, Dickinson has a Master's Degree in Pro- She has also had friends reaching out to Dickinson has found a surprise audience fessional Writing from the University of her all the way from Australia, Paris, and in young adults who were raised with sib- Southern California and specializes in Canada. lings. comedic screenplays. "I feel like I have a A friend of Dickinson's in Long Island A prevalent theme in the book is female really strong writing background, but it was did a Skype Chat with a girl scout troupe empowerment. "I wanted to write something a challenge to take on a new form, it was a and was discussing different ways to go where the girl is the main character and novel," she said. about screenwriting. She said, "My friend the girl has to solve her own problems," It's been a journey for Dickinson as a Lynn wrote a screenplay and then turned said Dickinson. first time novelist. A week after the book it into a book called "Brother Haters AnonThere are a diverse group of girls in the came out, a film producer from Switzerland ymous" and one of the girls went, 'I know book and they are on all sorts of different contacted her and asked if the rights were that book.'" social strata. They can't be seen in public available to make a film out of it. "I hope it Her book "Brother Haters Anonymous" together because of the stigma, so their works out, I'm excited about it," she ex- is currently available as an Ebook, but the secret club is in this mystified state of exis- claimed. publisher will release the book in print if tence. The book has had universal appeal and it sells 170 copies in 60 days.
WE START AS STUDENTS WE LEARN BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
At CSU Channel Islands working side-by-side
WE TRAIN IN OUR COMMUNITY
with professors, industry experts and
AND THEN WE TAKE ON THE WORLD
student. They bring theory into practice.
professionals is an opportunity for every They learn how problems can be solved. These are more than field trips or internships to put on resumes. These are the lessons on which to build careers. INTERNSHIP: CI interns held semester-long positions at more than 35 business partner and non-profit community organizations for 2014-2015 Academic Year. As part of the Henry L. Hank Lacayo Institute for Workforce & Community Studies (HLI) Internship Program, the Pleasant Valley School District Office hosted interns Chelsea Ames and London Lang in the Curriculum and Occupational Therapy Departments.
LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENCE Learn more at go.csuci.edu/smc
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8
SPORTS
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 1, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
SOFTBALL LOSES SECOND STRAIGHT DOUBLE HEADER JOSH SHURE STAFF WRITER As the palm-sized neon yellow softball connected with the bat of another Citrus College player, the ball zipped down the third base line, drilled Santa Monica College Corsair's third baseman Gabriela Robles on her left foot, soared up in the air which gave shortstop, Chae Persinger an opportunity to gather underneath the ball to make the catch. Even a little bit of luck on the side of the Corsairs wasn't able to help save them from losing the two games of another double header, on Tuesday. Both games were finished early due to eight run deficits after five innings of play. In Game one, the Corsairs lost 9-1 while in Game two, the Corsairs were shutout, 8-0. After the two losses at the hands of Citrus College, the SMC softball team's record fell to a total of two wins and twenty-five losses, sixteen of which have been consecutive. In the first game of the day, the Corsairs fell behind to an early three-run lead in the top of the first inning. In the bottom half of the inning, the Corsairs registered their only run of the day when Corsairs' freshman leadoff hitter, Sumayah Muhammad, crossed home plate after a base hit by sophomore outfielder, Christine Padilla. After Muhammad tallied the first run
Santa Monica college womens softball player, Chelsey Leaf. (right, #13) recieves a pitch from Glendale Vaquero Katie Bakhshian (left, #14) on Thursday in Santa Monica. (Veronica Aviles The Corsair)
for SMC, the Corsairs couldn't find their way to another on the day. Citrus College cruised to a 9-1 victory in the first game even though the Citrus Owls failed at driving in numerous runners that were stranded on base in scoring position. Citrus College added two more wins to their impressive overall record of 22 wins with only seven losses. In the Western State Blue Division, the
softball teams for Citrus College and Santa Monica College, lie respectively first and last in the division standings. In divisional play, the Corsairs have yet to register a win in 12 games, while the Owls collected 11 wins in their 12 division games. Over the course of the 27 games that the SMC Corsairs' softball team has played this year, they have been outscored 334-105. On the bright side, the Corsairs were
able to hold a team to single digits runs for the first time in their last seven games. SMC will host another home game on Thursday at John Adams Middle School. The Corsairs will take on the LA Valley College Monarchs for the third time this season. Back on March 10, the Corsairs dropped both games of their double header against LA Valley losing the games 5-4 and 16-0.
SMC VOLLEYBALL GEARING UP FOR PLAYOFF BATTLES KEVIN MONTEROSA STAFF WRITER The Santa Monica College Corsairs men’s volleyball team is just three weeks away from playoffs, with a chance to win the California Community College Athletics Association Championship. Though SMC begins to transition into playoff mode, they still have three remaining games in the regular season, two being away. With a win on Wednesday vs Long Beach City College, the Corsairs can clinch the first seed in their conference for the first time since 2008 and earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs. “Earning the bye is a nice advantage that we’d be happy to have,” comments Coach Mayer. The Vikings are the toughest opponent on paper, with a record of 5-3 in the same conference as Santa Monica, 10-4 overall and coming in off of back to back wins, defeating both LA Trade Tech and El Camino 3-0 respectively. The last time these two teams battled, sets were decided by close margins, the scores reading 25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 17-25, ending with SMC winning three sets in a row after dropping the first. “Long Beach is a great team and is a really fun and challenging environment to play in. I know the guys are looking forward to a battle in their gym,” said Mayer. Following that game they will travel to face LA Pierce College, who is 3-6 in the conference, and 6-9 overall but are coming off a 3-1 victory over Moorpark. In their last meeting, the Corsairs beat the Brahamas 3-1, as outside hitter Taylor Tattersall lead the way with game high 19 kills. The Corsairs will definitely be looking
Daniel Vaziri (Center, #26) spiking the ball between two defenders (Right, #16) Ivan Palomera, and (Left, #7) Joseph Sagastume from La Trade-Tech for a rally point. Wednesday. (Daniel Bowyer The Corsair)
for a similar if not better version of Tattersall on Friday. Finally, the Corsairs will close their great season with a match against Moorpark, whom the Corsairs beat 3-0 in their last meeting. Last year, the Corsairs came up just short, being defeated in the final by Orange Coast College in five sets. This year, the team wants to finish the job and has been demonstrating their hunger and tenacity for the title, winning every conference game so far, with a record of 9-0 in their conference and an overall record of 14-1. “We’re excited for the opportunity to compete in the state playoffs. We know we’ll have to beat the best junior college teams in the state and country to win it all,” says Coach John Mayer. “We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
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