CORSAIR
NOVEMBER 04, 2015 | VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
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IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE LOVED ONES (PG 6)
SPIRIT WEEK BRINGS CORSAIR PRIDE TO SMC (PG. 3)
A CHEMICAL REACTION: CHEM CLUB TEACHES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS (PG. 4)
FORMER SMC STUDENT LANDS JOB AT BROAD MUSEUM (PG. 11)
THE CORSAIRS SAIL HOME (PG. 12)
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CONTENT
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
EDITORIAL STAFF Devin Page ....................................Editor-in-Chief corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com Yasha Hawkins...........................Managing Editor corsair.managing@gmail.com Alissa Nardo ......................................News Editor corsair.news@gmail.com Bailey Peraita ..........................Health & Lifestyle corsair.lifestylepage@gmail.com Jacob Hirsohn ............................... Opinion Editor corsair.opinionpage@gmail.com Josh Shure .........................................Sports Editor corsair.sportspage@gmail.com Nik Lucaj ..............Arts & Entertainment Editor corsair.calendarpage@gmail.com Claudius West .................. Multimedia Director corsair.multimediadept@gmail.com Jose Lopez ...........................................Photo Editor corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com Alexandra Perry ...................................Illustrator corsaircartoon@gmail.com
A man takes advantage of the crowd and brings his pet snake, who he swears appreciates all of the attention, to the 6th street bridge farewell celebration in Los Angeles. (September Bottoms/The Corsair)
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FRONT COVER Serafin Sanchez,30 prepares the Pan de Muerto just a few days before Dia de Los Muertos, which is one of the busiest time of the year for El Valle Oaxaqueño Bakery in Pico-Union. (Josue Martinez/The Corsair)
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR DEVIN PAGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF It requires a lot of determination to put yourself through school and take the first step towards your future. While community college might be half a step for those people trying to decide what to do with their life, it is still a decision not to be at home being content with not doing anything. People come from different walks of life and from far distances to attend SMC. Such is the case with SMC student Jeremy Novoa who travels from Victorville to Santa Monica just for his education. While many people would probably argue that it would be easier for him to go to a school closer to home, there is something to be said about the education one receives from SMC that draws in people from out-of-state, country, and from other cities. In his interview, Novoa discusses what it's like to basically live in his car and instead of being having fun or being in a committed relationship, Novoa has to be committed to his book. He advises to not be complacent with where you are in life and it is really a message that resonates with any student in a similar boat. One wonders why students come to SMC from other countries when they can attend college for free in their country, why students
spend gas money and their time to commute and pass several schools on their way to SMC. Novoa's experience is a testimony to why SMC is considered the number one transfer school in the nation. In the theme of school spirit, last week the homecoming committee put on its annual spirit week. From carnivals, movie nights to tailgate parties, there wasn't a shortage of things to do for students who were interested. Previous spirit weeks events, particularly the homecoming game, have had low attendance, but making all of the events free and accessible for students drew in more interest. There's no easier way to draw a crowd at SMC than free food and raffle prizes.
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NEWS
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
SPIRIT WEEK
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MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Spirit week kicked off with a bang JOSH SHURE SPORTS EDITOR Homecoming for the average college would consist of tailgates, football, and drunken activities full of debauchery. Homecoming dances are also a common theme as well as pregame parties. However, Santa Monica College is offering an alternative for students to still have fun and stay out of trouble. Every year SMC has a homecoming, but students often miss the meaning being at a community college. Past offerings have included “Homecoming Idols,” faculty vs. staff football games, and various other activities with low turnouts. The new homecoming committee hopes to change that this year with a whole new game plan. Some of the newest offerings that are unique to this homecoming include Tired Tuesday, College Wear Wednesday, a DJ, face painter, carnival games, movie night, poster competition for the clubs, and a tailgating picnic before the game with trickor-treating for kids. All of this work comes from a diverse homecoming committee consisting of faculty,
staff, and students, a group that hasn’t existed in the past committees. “Everyone has different knowledge, expertise, and ideas, which has made all the difference,” said Alexandra Breschensbauer, Associated Students director of Student Outreach. The homecoming committee is currently working on flyering over 17,000 homes in the Santa Monica neighborhood, specifically the 90404 and 90405 zip codes. “We want to attract as many students as possible, and we also want to reach out to the community,” said Breschensbauer. This year, instead of students paying for their admission to the homecoming game the Athletic department has decided to gift the tickets and students will all be able to get free admission for the game. This effort will also attempt to up attendance records for the football games and show the Athletic Department support. There will be a series of events happening throughout spirit week, many unique to spirit week as a whole and of course Club Row which always falls around Halloween. This year’s Club Row theme is “Throwback to the Future,” featuring over 50 new clubs
A CARNIVAL TO REMEMBER
The Soozie Show 's Suzanne Haring (left) paints "SMC" on second year student Josselyn Guitron (right) during the home coming carnival on spirit week in Santa Monica, Calif on Tuesday. (Ramses Lemus/The Corsair)
ANDREW OLENDER & OSKAR ZINNEMANN STAFF WRITERS
The aroma of cotton candy and popcorn filled the air of the quad, along with the laughs and cheers of students playing carnival games. Popcorn and cotton candy were given out for free. And not to mention
the free face painting! There’s nothing more appealing than the classic American carnival. The Santa Monica college homecoming committee and cheer team put on a delightful carnival event in the SMC quad on Oct. 27 during activities hour. Being Spirit Week, the carnival was beneficial to enhancing Corsair
MOVIE NIGHT AT THE CAYTON CENTER CHASE MASER STAFF WRITER SMC's Homecoming Week is a unique experience for the everyday community college student. Most 2-year institutions don't establish the importance of school spirit because of the many circumstances of students who are attending. Many students only attend part-time, some have long commutes to campus which prevent them from staying later into the day, and many students just don't care to participate because of the rapid pace of the semester. However, the Associ-
ated Students sought to tackle this problem and bring students together. The AS hosted a double-feature of two memorable football films: "The Blindside" and "Remember The Titans" in the Cayton Center on Wednesday night during Homecoming Week. This event was only one of the many other events planned throughout the week to enhance school spirit. "Blind side is one of my favorite films, and watching it with friends and colleagues
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Joel Goldszer, commissioner for the director of Student Outreach, gets pizza for those waiting hungrily in line at Monday Night Madness. (Adam Thomas/The Corsair)
looking to recruit new members. If school spirit isn’t your interest, there will be opportunities to win prizes at the homecoming game through entering a raffle or the goal kickoff during the game. By entering those competitions you could win an ipad or a $1000 bookstore voucher. Prior to the homecoming game, there will be a tailgate picnic on the campus quad full of carnival activities, trick or treating, food trucks, a DJ, balloon and henna tattoo artists. Students from SMC’s broadcasting class will have the opportunity to act as announcers to pump everyone up during the game and the tailgate picnic. At halftime, Santa
Monica High School’s Marching Band will perform to further get the crowd going. During the game, SMC will face off with the LA Southwest Cougars where the Corsairs hope to continue their undefeated streak against the Cougars. The homecoming-spirit week events have come together in a way for more students to participate. With the help of the Athletic department, AS, alumni, faculty and staff, each element of the homecoming is coming together. “We want to put SMC on the map even more since we all are very proud to be SMC,” said Breschensbauer.
school spirit and getting students excited for the Homecoming game. Students left the carnival with elaborate colorful artwork on their faces, literally turning the heads of peers passing by. The carnival featured a selfie booth where students could take pictures of themselves and a variety of carnival games with prizes. A goal of one of the games was to throw a football through a hole, this was only appropriate considering the Homecoming football game being a few days away. "We're here to create positivity," SMC cheer coach, Jessie Moorehead said. “We're running carnival activities, and hoping to create a positive attitude around the campus." The team performed a cheer routine and handed out fliers promoting spirit week. "I think that it's a great event," Moorehead said. "It's supposed to be a pep rally today, but with a carnival theme. [...] It's just to get students excited for the big game that's happening on Saturday." DJ One (Jeffery Givens) with Lonestar Entertainment performed remixes and mashups of popular songs while many students danced along. The music lured students into the event as they walked through the quad. This atmosphere, including the free food and carnival games sparked a sense of school spirit in students. Many of the students who attended the event had no idea it was happening until
they walked by. Some of them did not even have intentions to go. "Actually, I wasn't planning to come," student Jocelyn Guitron said, "but now since I came to the event, I kinda changed my mind." When asked if she will attend homecoming game after participating in carnival event, Guitron said, "I've never really been to a football [game] here on campus, but it seems like it's going to be really fun and interesting." This feedback shows that the cheer team and Homecoming committee made their impression and met their goal to promote Corsair spirit. Another student, Taylor Yahne, shares her excitement of the event, “I love that SMC does stuff like this," she said. "My old school never promoted school spirit or anything.” Yahne never thought of community colleges to have school spirit. School spirit, as she describes, was typically a “high school thing.” With over 30,000 students at SMC, building a sense of community can be difficult. For Santa Monica College to have so many students excited about homecoming week reflects the effectiveness of this particular event. "I've been going around giving fliers to people, I've been going around to students asking them if they're going to come out to the game," Aicha Conde, A.S. Director of community relations, said. "We're trying to build a culture here, where students feel like everybody is invited."
will be a lot of fun," said Lahari Indraganti, ICC Vice Chair of Associate Students. "Everyone worked so hard to put this together, and I want to support it as much as possible." The two ladies responsible for creating the screening, as well as helping create all the events of Spirit Week, are Amber Winter, Director of Activities, and Alexandra Brechensbauer, Director of Outreach. "We really wanted to offer a wide range of things to do, and since we already had a poster-making competition on Monday, and the Carnival in the Quad on Tuesday, we thought chilling out and watching a movie was the next step," said Breschensbauer. The Movie Night starts off, and the Cayton Center is completely transformed into an intimate movie theatre. The students are rowdy at first, but once "The Blindside"
starts, everyone quiets down and relaxes. SMC Student, Heather Haro, proudly said, "I think it's awesome for students to meet with one another outside of the classroom setting, and hopefully it will bring people together, especially with free food." Both Amber and Alexandra happily pass around meatball sandwich sliders and vegan chicken tenders. The smell of popcorn fills the air, and students casually chat with each other throughout the film. The turnout for the event is impressive. What makes this activity different than other things happening in the Quad on campus throughout the week is that students must go out of their way to attend. Things like a carnival and Club Row are convenient for students passing between classes, but the Movie Night requires the individual to go out of their way to show up.
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NEWS
CLUB ROW OSKAR ZINNEMANN STAFF WRITER This past Thursday, SMC was transformed into a hall of madness as hundreds of students packed the quad for fall semester’s Club Row. Volunteers and officials from SMC’s myriad of student clubs set up booths and engaged the massive crowds with costumes, food, photo shoots, and other activities. Many booths followed ICC's “Throwback to the Future” theme, inspired by the recent “Back to the Future Day” on October 21st. One such booth belonged to the Astronomy Club, which featured a stylized photo shoot and members dressed as characters from the film. Club president Curtis Corbitt, donning a distinct Doc Brown costume, described his club as “an incredibly close experience.” According to club members, over 50 students stopped by for photos. “It’s been and incredibly busy Club Row. It’s crazy in the quad right now,” Corbitt said. Other booths took on much more different “throwback” interpretations, without any sacrifice to nostalgia. Alpha Gamma Sigma caught students' attention with an elaborate Fresh Prince of Bel Air styled setup. Leaders from the Student Veteran's Association were dressed as famous US presidents. And members of the Pan African Club dressed as ancient African royalty as they posed with other students. Not all booths were in line with the main "throwback" theme. Others were much different but no less entertaining to the crowd. Generation of the Future, a local community outreach group aimed at helping children, had an inflatable obstacle course for new members to enjoy, while the nearby Chemistry Club captivated audiences with an array of chemistry experiments--includ-
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE ing a demonstration of magnetic fluid, an oscillating clock reaction and an ever-popular plasma ball. The Natural History Club, on the other hand, had an eccentric selection of flora and fauna for students to pose with, including a live Arizona Mountain King Snake. Like many others, club president Jordan Weinstein was in high spirits. "It’s been a great day so far. Our club booth is always packed. This is our first semester being a club, so I’m glad that it’s coming off huge, which is awesome!” he said. Speaking of eccentric, one booth in particular had attracted the attention of several confused passersby. It belonged to the brandnew Ecosexual Club. President Wynton Boger explained that his club is there to "promote and find ways of having a more 'intimate' Students race through the bouncy house on Thursday during club row. They were greeted with refreshments after competing. relationship with the natural (September Bottoms/The Corsair) world" and to "focus on what we can gain from having a more intimate, ‘sexual’ you could say, relationship with the students on campus are actually adamant after Club Row, to make sure that people natural world.” Playing off of this idea, two about having this office,” president Chey- start coming to meetings. It takes a lot more members of the club paraded the quad in enne Somaru said, in regards to her club. work to actually get people to show up to the revealing and nature-inspired costumes, "We have a petition going on, we have some meetings and to become dedicated members. emulating a "marriage ceremony." Though people walking around as well, getting But, I’m still pretty confident that we’ll grow this was their very first Club Row endeavor, signatures and just showing that the stu- the size of our club from this event.” Boger was confident in his club's success. dents are definitely in support of this and In addition, brand new honor societies "It’s definitely an eye-catching title. People that this is something we need on campus.” got their first taste of Club Row. ICC delegate walk by and have these blank looks on their Though the more extravagant booths to Sigma Chi Eta, Sara Garofalo, was presfaces; you can almost see a question mark awed the crowds, many smaller booths were ently surprised with their turnout. "I think forming above their heads. We’ve had a very also able to capture the attention of dozens it was great," she said "we filled out three or interesting turnout. We have almost two of potential recruits. Model UN, which had four pages with names, numbers, and emails. pages of interested people, so we’re really only a small table to work with, still managed We’re really proud. We actually didn’t think excited to grow and to get the message across to have a strong presence. “Right now we’re so many people would be interested because, SMC and beyond,” he said. a pretty small club. We’ve been a small club you know, we’re just a new club and everyone Another notable addition to this semes- for a while, and we want to expand, we want goes to different honor societies.” ter's Club Row was the Feminist Majority, to get new members and new ‘delegates.’ Overall, the majority Club Row attendwith its male and female members circling That’s pretty much our intention,” said club ees were excited and highly optimistic, the area holding anti-"slut shaming" signs president Roman Parise. Though he was with dozens of unique clubs, old and new, and signing petitions at their booth. "We’re optimistic, given their amount of signatures successfully bringing student-inspired trying to show the board members that at the booth, Parise said "the challenge is, fun to SMC.
NURTURING YOUTH The Chem Club counsels kids
Azra Azvar, a 3rd year student at SMC majoring in Bio-Chemistry, works with youth during a chemistry club event. (Adam Thomas/The Corsair)
ADAM THOMAS STAFF WRITER It’s 3:00 p.m. and they meet at the storage room at the third floor of the science building, bubbling with potential energy. It’s a mixture of students from all ages and walks of life and more backgrounds than a movie set. Together, the disparate elements combine into a stable solution greater than the sum of their individual parts, a solution out to achieve something good, both for the com-
munity and for themselves. It’s a solution known as the Chemistry Club here at Santa Monica College. "When I took on Chem Club we were just a student club, but shortly after starting to work with them, we decided to apply for a charter to be a student chapter of the American Chemical Society,” says Professor Jennifer Shieh, an Associate Faculty member for Chemistry here at SMC and advisor to the club. “We got that in 2012, and it was in developing a constitution that we came up
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with our three goals of outreach, professional development and promoting chemistry." Today, the Chemistry Club is fulfilling their first mission–outreach. The assembled members head out from SMC’s main campus down 16th St., carrying supplies to Will Rogers Elementary, ready to teach the kids enrolled in the Childcare, Recreation, Enrichment, and Sports Together (or CREST) after school program. Today’s lesson–density. "How density works is if you have two objects of the same size and one has more stuff in it, it will be heavier, and have more density," says Timur Katsnelson to the assembled class of students ranging from first grade to fifth grade. Katsnelson, a second year student at SMC majoring in Neuroscience, along with Mali Nali, a first year student at SMC majoring in Chemical Engineering (and at 17, the youngest of the group) go on to lead the children through a Halloween-themed lesson - the kids guess at the density of objects and pin paper cutouts to a poster-board pumpkin cauldron. The children grasp the concept quickly. “This is my first time doing this, so I didn't know how to feel about this,” says Katsnelson. “So I'm really glad that the kids love it. I mean, they're really excited about it as you can see.” It’s true. The kids are quickly chattering with excitement and curiosity as the next part of the lesson begins. Chemistry Club members Justin Kim, Samantha Purucker, Natasha Kirstie, Azra Azvar and Reham Alreayes hand out mason jars and liquids of differing density – molasses, honey, and cooking oil. The jars are filled with each liquid then topped off with a ping pong ball painted like an eyeball, a little witch’s brew each child take’s home with them. @THE_CORSAIR •
"Which one do you think has more density?" asks Amir Mirzae, a second year SMC student determined to transfer to UCLA’s Biochemistry program. "The oil!" shouts one student once the jars have been filled. "Actually, the one that has more density is the one that has less volume for the same mass,” says Mirzae, patiently ensuring the lesson takes root. He says later that he enjoys this aspect of Chem Club immensely, “I love kids to be honest. If there is any event that is involving kids I would be more than happy to go there." Outreach like this is a large part of the reason that SMC’s Chemistry Club has been recognized nationally by the American Chemical Society’s Society Committee on Education. Professor Shieh says, “I'm really excited because we were just recently notified that we’re getting an award of outstanding recognition." It’s an award they’ll have to travel to San Diego to receive in March, and one not even members of their counterparts at UCLA can claim. After two hours teaching two classes of rambunctious children the basic properties of density with smelly, gooey cooking products and fake eyeballs, the Chemistry Club team packs up to leave, sticky and sweaty from the cramped classroom. They’re happy and tired, but proud to have played a part in opening young minds. "[Getting older] we lose a lot of creativity and the ability to ask questions without fear", says Katsnelson about the experience, “Seeing these kids, it reinforces the fact that it's a great thing to ask questions." The Chemistry Club meets every Tuesday in Science room 155 11:30 to 12:30. The Chemistry Club is holding a fundraiser Friday, November 13th, at The Veggie Grill on Wilshire and 20th from 5 to 10 p.m.
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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
THE LONGEST COMMUTE ANDREW STINSON STAFF WRITER
Jeremy Novoa is about to embark on his commute back from Santa Monica College back to his home in Victorville, CA on Wednesday October 21. (Dotan Saguy/The Corsair)
"It's easy to become complacent in your hometown" said student Jeremy Novoa, referring to many of his neighbors who have done so. He compared himself to those of his peers who are bumming around or not in college, he said, “A lot of people are scared of what they could do...of what they can become.” He says his low grade point average dissuaded him from going to college straight out of high school and that, on the advice of his counselors, he initially took what he describes as the cheaper way; which involved working for his dad instead of going to college. Such unhelpful counselor advice, as well as discouragement from family, inspired Novova to prove them wrong and drive from Victorville, Calif. to SMC twice a week. Novova travels in his 2014 Volkswagen Passat twice weekly to SMC from Victorville, which is located about 100 miles northeast of Santa Monica. Getting up at 3:45 a.m. and leaving home at 4:20 a.m., Novoa says it takes about an hour and 25 minutes to get to campus. His route takes him out of Victorville on Interstate 15 and includes travel on the 210, 605, 60, and 10 freeways before exiting Interstate 10 at Cloverfield Blvd. “I could get up at 5:00 a.m., leave at 5:30 a.m. and I wouldn’t get up here until 8:30 a.m.” he says. He wakes up extra early so he doesn't have to deal with traffic sleeps in his car once he gets to campus. When asked how he passes the time away while driving, Novoa said, “Listen to talk radio.” He laughed and added, “In the morning, I'm forced to listen to Mike and Mike." He spoke well of the program, but said it isn't his favorite style of journalism. On his way home, he likes to listen to ESPN Radio's Freddy Coleman. Novoa is attending SMC in hopes of transferring to the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California. He hopes to become a sports broadcaster and is currently taking Media 1, English 21-A, Journalism 1 and Media 16 at SMC. After high school, Novoa moved in with his father in Marina Del Rey and began
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attending SMC. During that time, he struggled with his parents' divorce and said that his first round at college suffered as a result. "I withdrew from a lot of classes," he said, which adversely affected his financial aid. As a result, he moved back to Victorville with his mother, step-father, sister and 3 step-brothers. When asked about his decision to continue to attend SMC after moving back to Victorville he said, "When I lived out here, I had such great experiences at SMC. The professors have always been very, very cool to talk to and very helpful. I've had nothing but good experiences here.” In order to get started, he said, “I talked with my mom and my step-dad and I told them that, if they could help me with gas, once I get myself back on my feet, I will pay them back. They said, 'Of course.'" Currently, he says he spends $50 per week on fuel and up to $10 per day for food and drinks related to his commute to SMC. When asked if he plans to commute to SMC again in next semester, he let out a breath and laughingly said, "Still to be determined." He then became a bit more serious and said that he plans on returning in the spring; however, he wants to do schedule his classes for Tuesdays and Thursdays; which, he said are "easier days to travel." On whether or not he plans to move closer to SMC, he says that he may do so sometime in the near future with his best friend who is currently serving in the Army in Alaska. Regarding his commute to SMC, Novoa said that SMC professor Vivian Rosenberg told him, "Sweetie, that's going to get you far." When asked what Novoa thought Rosenberg meant by that, his quick response was, "Character.” He went on to explain, “A lot of people would just be like, 'Yeah, it's too hard--can't do it.’ The reason why I do it, though is I know my goals and this is what I need to be doing." His best advice for anyone considering commuting to college from over 100 miles away is, "Turn off your phone, go to bed at 8:00 p.m. and wake up earlier than anybody else so you can beat the traffic and then sleep in your car. Bring a pillow or something."
THE ORIGINS OF LOS DIAS DE LOS MUERTOS JOANNA ESQUIVIAS STAFF WRITER As one tradition ends, Halloween, another one rises upon us- Los Dias De Los Muertos. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a hispanic tradition honoring the dead that has been around for hundreds of years now and it continues to live on. This tradition is celebrated every November on the 1st and 2nd of the month. According to the origins, once a year the gates of heaven open for 24 hours on the midnight of Halloween for the Angelitos (Little Angels) to reunite with their family once again, which leads us to the first day of Los Dias de Los Muertos or how some people call it, Dia de los Angelitos. Family members gather around to build the Angelitos' altars with bright colorful flowers, a picture of their loved little angels, along with some toys, milk, cookies and candies they once enjoyed. As the family gathers together they do a quick prayer to honor their death or as they call it a Novenario (Rosary). On the second day of Los Dia de los Muertos, November 2nd, is when the adult spirits are known to come out and celebrate the festivities that have been
prepared for them. Family and friends welcome their loved ones with a quick Novenario and fill up the altar with ofrendas (an offering gift); they start with candles holders and flowers. Cigarettes and shots of Mezcal (Tequila) have been put out for the adults along with mounds of fruit, peanuts, plates of some good old turkey mole with a stack of hot fresh tortillas and of course the big Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead bread). All of these items are then placed on the altars. The altars are not just decorated with food but they are also decorated with beautiful buckets of cempaschil (wild marigolds) and bright red cockcomb flowers. Lastly, a picture of their loved one and to add the final touches to the beautiful altars surrounded with little folk skeletons and sugar skulls. Sugar skulls play a huge role on Dia de los Muertos. Each sugar skull represents a departed soul; they have names of their loved one written on the forehead and place them on the home ofrenda or gravestone to honor the return of a particular spirit. Sugar skull art reflects the folk art style of big happy smiles, colorful icing and sparkly tin and glittery adornments. The sugar is to keep the bitter taste left by their departure behind.
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Not only do the families that have lost a loved one celebrate this from their comfort of their home, the community gets together and celebrates it with the family of the deceased by organizing an events to make the
It is not all about the festivals but about remembering, worshipping and praying for their loved ones after their departure from them in this world. spirits feel as welcomed as they can with the feeling of joy and comfort. Face paint, Mexican traditional dances, food, art and music play a big role in these community events. The streets are full with bright colors
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from all the decorations and costumes people wear to represent their loved ones. There are parades and celebrations in South America, hispanic communities and in communities across the globe of families who partake in this tradition. The parades start with a huge wall of flowers and behind them are the Folkloric dancers and Aztec dancers dance to the joy of their loves ones being with them once again. As the parade ends to honor and commemorate the dead the families go to celebrate with a meal–food fills tables from left to right, with tacos, mole and all the Hispanic food you could think of. Along with the food they have amazing drinks and mouth watering sweets. As they enjoy the meal, music starts to play and thats when the real celebration begins. Every one then begins to dance, laugh and have a great time. Although Los Dias de Los Muertos is a celebration, there is much more to it than the fun celebration itself. It is not all about the festivals but about remembering, worshipping and praying for their loved ones after their departure from them in this world. Dia de los Muertos gives their family once last chance to be with them and feel close to them once more.
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PHOTOSTORY
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
Antonio Flores, 28 walks past a shelve full of Pan de Muerto, after the bread comes out of the oven, it’s then taken to a room where it will sit for about 10-15 minutes before being put on the bread shelves or bagged for sale just a few days before Dia de Los Muertos, which is one of the b
Master Baker Carlos Ortiz, 40 (left) molds and cuts the bread before it gets put in the oven, just a few days before Dia de Los Muertos, which is one of the busiest time of the
Guadalupe Sernas-Lopez and Gabriel Mora come from Santa M
year for El Valle Oaxaqueño Bakery in Pico-Union. (Josue Martinez/The Corsair)
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PHOTOSTORY
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
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Celebrating Dia de Los Muertos with Pan de Muetro
busiest time of the year for El Valle Oaxaqueño Bakery in Pico-Union. (Josue Martinez/The Corsair)
JOSUE MARTINEZ PHOTOGRAPHER
Monica to buy their Pan de Muerto along with the rest of the items that they will use for their alter just a day before Dia de Los Muertos at El Valle Oaxaqueño Bakery in Pico-Union. (Josue Martinez/The Corsair)
Many whom aren’t familiar with Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) won’t know what Pan de Muerto is and what it symbolizes. Oaxacan Pan De Muerto is an egg based bread that is decorated with a small figure inside of them as a symbol in the meal portion to celebrate the passing of loved ones. Every year during the month of October, El Valle Oaxaqueño Bakery in Los Angeles, the staff are on full demand. "We have orders from San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Oregon, says owner Arturo Aguilar. Dia de Los Muertos is a very busy time of the year for the bakery. The bakers who are in charge are working more then 15 hour shifts and the oven is on 24 hours for the upcoming days prior to November 1st and 2nd, which are the days that Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated. The bakery’s high demand for bread, often means bringing more bread from other loca-
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tions in order to supply their customers demand. “We take pride in our bread because the bread is exactly like the ones you find back in Oaxaca, and thats why I feel our costumers love it so much," says Aguilar. The bread is used as a decoration that is placed on the alter for the dead and each figure on the bread is used to represent the deceased person. The bread that is used for the deceased children are known as the “Pan de Angelito” which is the same exact thing as Pan De Muerto except this one is smaller, to symbolize the small children. "The Oaxacan community is known to be very traditional and cultural. Wherever we go we take our culture and our traditions with us," says Aguilar. "I provide the Oaxacan community with Pan De Muerto that not only smells like home, but also tastes like being back in Oaxaca celebrating the important days to come."
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PHOTOSTORY (CONT'D)
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
Edgar Aleja, 33 (left) and Master Baker Carlos Ortiz, 40 (right) weight the dough before they start molding it to make the Pan De Muerto just a few days before Dia De Los Muertos, which is one of the busiest time of the year for El Valle Oaxaqueño Bakery in Pico-Union. (Josue Martinez/The Corsair)
Master Baker Carlos Ortiz, 40 (left) and Antonio Flores, 28 (center) prepare and cut the Pan de Muerto before it goes into the oven as Edgar Aleja, 33 (right) adds flour to the mixer to make more dough just a day before Dia De Los Muertos, which is one of the busiest time of the year for El Valle Oaxaqueño Bakery in Pico-Union. (Josue Martinez/The Corsair)
Serafin Sanchez, 30 gets the Pan de Muerto out of the oven and places them on a cart, which will then be taken to another room to cool down for about 10-15 minutes before being put on the shelves for sale just a few days before Dia de Los Muertos, which is one of the busiest time of the year for El Valle Oaxaqueño Bakery in Pico-Union. The making of the Pan de Muerto takes about five hours from the cracking of the eggs to it coming out of the oven. (Josue Martinez/The Corsair)
Dolores Guzman sets up her altar, using the Pan de Muerto and other gifts, to welcome the dead on Friday for the upcoming celebration of Dia de Los Muerto. (Josue Martinez/The Corsair)
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
INSIDE THE BROAD MUSEUM
9
SMC alumnus gives insight into the art world
CHASE MASER STAFF WRITER Downtown Los Angeles is a well-known hotbed for visitors from all around the world, and its vivacious city-life continues to attract more and more people every day. From the Staples Center off of Figueroa to the Walt Disney Concert Hall on South Grand Avenue, the experiences grow more and more memorable, and with the newly erected Broad Museum in the heart of the action, the visitor is left with an even greater capacity of worldliness. SMC alumnus, Nathan Segura, stands at the forefront of this artistic interaction. Segura works directly with Broad museum goers as a Visitor Service Associate (VSA). His duties are unique to the individual experience of the museum because his position acts as the direct connection between the artwork and the viewer. "We are the public face of the Broad, in a way," says Segura. "We get to know visitors on a personal level, and we exchange ideas with a very diverse group of people.” VSA’s help visitors navigate their way through the museum exhibits by offering themselves as educational assistants. Every VSA is accommodating and highly trained, completing 80 hours of customer service and art history training before working at the Broad. Nathan Segura was born in Leon, France. It's a small town known mainly for its creative and delicious food, but French culture also regards art as one of the highest sophistications of life. Segura acquired his immense appreciation for artwork in Greece
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after his mother took him on a vacation to the main historical sites of the city when he was a boy. He became fond of the architectural masterpieces there, and he attributes much of his appreciation for the Broad Museum to this past vacation. SMC served as a huge contributor to Segura’s artistic sensibilities as well. After moving to the United States, he attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles and participated in their Magnet Humanities program. Upon graduating, he enrolled at SMC and took part in the college’s Scholar Program. He found that most of his interest was in art history, so he made that his major. He studied artwork from the Egyptian pyramids all the way to the Baroque period under the tutelage of Professor Mario Semere. Professor Wendi Brown, who teaches African Art History, further encouraged Segura’s passion for art. "All my professors at SMC encouraged me to work in the art world," he said. Once Segura transferred to Cal State Long Beach, he worked parttime in different galleries around the city before applying for a position at the new Broad Museum. Segura admits that he feels like he doesn’t "have the patience or the imagination required to be a serious artist." He only wants to admire their work and appreciate the world they live in. But whether Segura realizes it or not, his knowledge and skill as a VSA is just as enlightening and universal as anything hanging on the wall.
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218 S. Tower Dr., Beverly Hills, CA Amenities: Controlled access, on‑ site laundry, elevator. One bedroom + one bathroom. Manager: 310‑531‑ 3992
Nathan Segura, Visitor Services Associate at The Broad museum in downtown Los Angeles. Prior to working at The Broad, Segura spent 2 years studying art at Santa Monica College. (Dotan Saguy/The Corsair)
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443 S Oakhurst Dr., Beverly Hills. Controlled access, elevator, park‑ ing, laundry. 1bdrm+1ba. 1bdr‑ m+1ba+den. 310‑435‑3693
519 S. Barrington Ave., LA, CA 90049. Amenities: On‑site laundry, 221 S. Doheny Dr., Beverly Hills. on‑site parking. One bedroom + Controlled access, elevator, pool, one bathroom. Manager: 310‑472‑ parking, laundry. Close to Wilshire. 8915 1bdrm+1ba. Single+ba. 310‑531‑ 3992 615 S. Cochran Ave., LA, CA 90036 Amenities: Controlled access, on‑ 274 S. La Fayette Park PL., LA. site laundry. Single + one bathroom Amenities: Control access, on‑site Manger: 310‑531‑3992 parking, on‑site laundry, granite countertops, A/C, Wifi, easy free‑ way access, fitness center, bal‑ conies. One bedroom+one bath‑ WESTWOOD! LA’s finest most luxurious apt rental. Every extra luxury. Custom room. Manager: 213‑382‑1021 cabinets, granite countertops, stone entry, pool, health club, spa. Low move‑in. 320 N. LA PEER DR., Beverly Hills, 1350 S. Midvale Ave. Los Angeles. Available 2+2, 1+1. 310‑864‑0319. CA 90211 2BDRM+2BATH+Den Amenities: Intercom‑Entry, Elevator, Pool, Onsite‑Laundry, Parking Man‑ ager: 310‑246‑0290
THE MISSION
401 S. Hoover. Controlled Access, Parking, Laundry, Elevator, Pool, AC, Balconies/Patios, Hardwood Floors, Dishwashers. 2bdrm+2ba. 1bdrm+1ba. Single+bath. 213‑385‑ 4751
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10
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
RHYME AND REASON A LESSON IN RAP HISTORY JACOB HIRSOHN OPINION EDITOR Author Shea Serrano became a viral sensation in the weeks leading up to the release of his book “The Rap Year Book,” in mid-October. His wildly successful Twitter campaign, which eventually landed him on The New York Times Bestseller List, inspired profiles in GQ, LA Weekly, and Harvard Political Review, as well as a Wired article titled, “How One Man and His Twitter Army Stormed The Bestseller List.” While the Wired article goes through several steps of how Serrano turned his book into an internet phenomenon — including Twitter giveaways, constant fan interaction, and a comedic feud with a bookseller — it really takes too narrow of a view. Serrano’s book took off over a couple of weeks before its release, but the real work was done in the years before. Serrano was able to create the opportunity to command a “Twitter army” by generating a following through hilarious, intelligent writing on Grantland, and a kind, endearing Twitter presence. Above all else though, Serrano succeeded by writing an outstanding book. “The Rap Year Book” takes on a massively challenging subject matter, due not only to its complexity, but its immense size
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
as well. Serrano looks to summarize and essentially chart the entire history of rap by pinpointing the single most important hip-hop song of each year since 1979. Serrano immediately shows that the subject matter is in good hands with the first chapter, dedicated to 1979’s “Rapper’s Delight.” A discussion about the first rap song ever, or the lack thereof, is tackled with ease and wit, along with an extensive knowledge of rap history. Serrano’s excellent work on Twitter and Grantland over recent years extends seamlessly into “The Rap Year Book.” His most distinguishable touch is his hysterical nonsequiturs — brilliant tangents that seem to come out of nowhere but always lead somewhere bountiful. The 1992 chapter, dedicated to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin But A ‘G’ Thang,” starts with this: “Dr. Dre does not seem like that fun of a guy to hang out with, and that’s surprising considering that just about every other fake doctor seems like a real hoot to be around. There’s Dr. J and Dr. Dunkenstein, and those guys are great if you’re super into basketball. There’s Dr. Pepper, and he’s great if you’re super into sugary, carbonated, brown drinks.” He takes a long trip away from the point there, but it is an entertaining introduction to a chapter all about how Dr. Dre started the G-Funk era and made hip-hop fun again after the dominance of dark and threatening gangsta rap. The book also thrives when the author inserts himself into the book. One of the book’s strongest chapters revolves around “La Di Da Di” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick
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Rick and features a particularly captivating story about a young Shea finding a man’s wallet with a one-hundred dollar bill, running into the owner of the wallet at a gift store, and pretending he didn’t have the wallet only to find out the bill had a picture of Jesus where a dead president should be. Later on, he features an excellent story about a friend who taught him about race relations by making him fight a group of white guys.
"Dr. Dre does not seem like that fun of a guy to hang out with, and that’s surprising considering that just about every other fake doctor seems like a real hoot to be around." The 2001 chapter serves as the most excellent in the book, as well as the most unique. It’s the only chapter addressing multiple songs, Jay Z’s “Takeover” and Nas’ “Ether.” The relationship between these two songs is one of the most fascinating in music history, and Serrano mines
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it fantastically. The chapter starts with exposition about who Jay Z and Nas were, as well as who they are now. It then shifts into the timeline of their beef, and concludes with seven questions and answers, eventually deciding on the superior song as well as the winner of their feud. It’s not surprising that this is the chapter’s strongest book given the strength of the source material. But the bigger benefit to the chapter is its length. It’s the longest chapter in the book, and it serves as an argument that the whole book should be longer. Serrano serves as a guide so knowledgable and charming, the trip really can’t go on long enough. The book is also bolstered by rebuttals at the end of each chapter from some of the best writers on earth, including but not limited to Meaghan Garvey, Rembert Browne, Sean Fennessey, Jayson Greene, and Greg Howard. The best rebuttal comes in response to Serrano’s most surprising choice: “Same Love” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for 2012, where Jeff Rosenthal responds by insisting the real most important song of 2012 is Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance,” an assertion that is hard to argue with. The book is also made all the better by Arturo Torres’ gorgeous illustration. Taking on the history of rap was a bold choice for an author with only one book under his belt. But the results suggest that Serrano would have been doing his readers a service by writing many books before and will continue to do us a service by writing many great ones in the future.
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OPINION
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
11
AMERICA, LAND OF THE SCARED? AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT’S POINT OF VIEW ON GUN VIOLENCE IN THE U.S.
Illustration by AJ Parry
DANIELA BARHANNA COPY EDITOR The United States is without a doubt one of the greatest nations in the world, but one of the worst when it comes to gun violence. As an international student in the U.S., growing up in a European country, I could never in a million years imagine having a fear of witnessing a gunman whilst present at school, the theater or any other place I may frequent with my friends. In America, you can be shot at an elementary school, you can be murdered at a movie theater, and you can be shot and killed while praying in Church. And yet, there is no sign of real gun reform anytime soon in the land of the free. According to Al Jazeera Media Network, the number of civilian owned guns around the world is estimated at 650 million, and 270 million of those guns belong to the people of the United States. That means that there are 90 guns per every 100 Americans, giving the U.S. the highest gun ownership rate in the world. The country that comes in second is Yemen, with a population of 23 million there are 55 firearms per every 100 Yemenis, which is still only half as many guns as America, even though Yemen is a war-torn country with political instability. When it comes to number of deaths by firearms however, the United States is fifth in the world, with Brazil taking the lead. On the other end of the spectrum, we have a country like Japan, which has one of the strictest gun laws and one of the lowest murder rates in the world. Switzerland for example ranks high in gun ownership, but low in violent crime. So when compared to the rest of the world, the United States stands alone with both high gun ownership and high gun violence despite being a well off, developed country. Why is this? After the attack on the historic African American church in Charleston, South Carolina, President Obama delivered a speech in which he said, “We as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency.” The debate on gun control has now developed into screaming matches between politicians and uproar between the American people and its government, and it has left American gun culture looking incred-
ibly sad in the eyes of the rest of the world. While Democrats are crying out for stricter gun laws, Republicans are blaming violent video games and using the mother of all excuses, mental health, for the issue. Politicians have started to put blame on mental illness as the reason behind the majority of mass shootings, stating that mental instability is at fault, not guns. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in an interview on ABC News said that “it isn’t about guns, it is about mental illness.” But if politicians were really worried, as they seem to be, about our nation's issue with mental illness, wouldn’t actions have been taken by now? According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2 million mentally ill people go to jail and state prisons every year in America. That means there are ten times more people behind bars than in state funded psychiatric treatment, essentially proving that jails are the largest provider of mental health treatment in the U.S. It seems if American politicians are going to use the issue of mental illness to avoid conversations on gun control, the least they could do is implement laws that protect the mentally ill and the American people. In his address to the nation after the fatal mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon on October 1st this year, President Obama said, "We are not the only country on earth that has people with mental illnesses or want to do harm to other people. We are the only advanced country on earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months."
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It seems that mental illness has become a cloak under which the Republican Party is hiding each time the question of gun control is brought up. Imagine if they could bring the same “pro-life” passion they fought Planned Parenthood with to the issue on gun control? They took action, and failed, to see that the government defund the health care organization, but when it comes to American gun laws, former Florida Gov. and Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said that “more government is not the answer” and that “stuff happens." Let us simply debunk this myth of “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” If we take a step back to open our eyes to what the real issue is, I feel it is safe to say that we can all agree that a gun is the main ingredient in a shooting. It is incredibly deceptive, not to mention insulting, to shift the focus to mental instability when we hear news of toddlers accidentally shooting their parent, grandparent or sibling. Hearing Fox & Friends advocate for more guns, and state that if “somebody in that church had a gun, the perpetrator would have been stopped,” in referring to the Charleston shooting, is an incredibly frightening logic from an outside perspective. There is a reason many pro-gun activists opt for catchy slogans like the aforementioned instead of statistics: rhetoric can better influence a persons thinking than numbers can. To say that “guns don’t kill people, people do” is like saying “lawnmowers don’t mow lawns, people do.” Let us be clear, guns may not kill people, but people with guns do, and they do so more frequently and more effectively than people without guns. According to ABC News, the United States is responsible for 80% of all firearm deaths in the developed world. But no matter how many deaths per year, it does not change the fact that the second amendment gives Americans the “right to bear arms.” Is the right to gun ownership worth the cost paid in innocent life every single year? It is quite evident that
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the National Rifle Association’s constant search for a scapegoat, whether it be video games, mental illness, Obama, or anything else they can put blame on, are attempts to avoid acknowledging that people are affected by their environment, especially when that environment is filled with guns. Japan reportedly has far more violent video games than the U.S., and as stated above, far fewer firearm deaths. The U.K. has almost as many single-parent homes as there are here, but there are less than 40 firearm deaths per year, chucking the notion that broken homes may be responsible for all killings. So why America? In realizing that saying “if we had less guns, there would be less gun deaths” is mathematically true, this too has a problem. According to The Huffington Post, Canada, which is very similar to the U.S. culturally, has plenty of guns, yet the annual gun death count is around 200. The answer may be quite simple: Americans are very, very good killers. Not only historically (with the slaying of Native Americans, slaves and each other in the civil war), it is also the current way of resolving anything that brings fear: just look at Afghanistan and Iraq. It has gone so far that America does not even know where to invade or what to invade for. Bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan, not Afghanistan. Reports showed Saddam never had any weapons of mass destruction or had anything to do with 9/11. Today, the U.S. is sending pilotless planes, controlled by U.S. citizens in air-conditioned rooms, to kill people. It’s insanity. The President has said that the U.S. spends over a trillion dollars per year defending itself against terrorism, which kills a tiny fraction of the number of people killed by gun crimes. What are Americans so afraid of that they need almost 300 million guns in their homes? It is ironic that Americans seem so afraid of anything and everything outside their own homes; they fail to realize that their biggest enemy may very well be themselves.
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12
SPORTS
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 07 • NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME Corsairs dominate at homecoming game
The Santa Monica College Corsair men's football team sophmore runningback #20 Roger Jones (blue,left) runs past La Southwest College Cougars sophmore linebacker #1 Micheal Merriweather (white,right) for a touchdown in the third quarter for the Corsairs Homecoming game on Saturday. The Corsairs would win 59-6 against the Cougars. (Daniel Bowyer/The Corsair)
SMC (8-0)
LASW (1-7)
59
6
The Santa Monica College Corsair men's football team sophmore wide reciever #11 Cameron Chambers (blue,left) makes a touchdown reception against La Southwest College Cougars sophmore defensive back #17 Brandon Patton (white,right) in the second quarter for the Corsairs Homecoming game on Saturday. The Corsairs would win 59-6 against the Cougars. (Daniel Bowyer/The Corsair)
TARAH KELLY STAFF WRITER The Santa Monica College Corsairs football team defeated LA Southwest in the SMC homecoming game, 59-6. The Corsairs remained undefeated on the season by registered their eighth consecutive victory. Just 2:12 seconds into the game, SMC wide receiver Damaja Young, scored on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Utah commit, star quarterback Troy Williams. The remaining of the first quarter was rather uneventful, the Corsairs fumbled away the ball several times while LA Southwest had to punt away the ball every drive. It wasn't until half way through the second quarter when the Corsairs strung together a 85 yard drive capped off with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Cameron Chambers to extend the lead to 14-0. The Corsairs found the end zone on the next two consecutive series to finish the first half with three straight touchdowns and a 28-0 lead. The final touchdown of the half gave Troy Williams his 20th passing touchdown on the season, an unbelievable feat for only playing in his 7th game of the season. The homecoming game was starting off just as the fans would hope. Alumnus, students, faculty and the Santa Monica High School band all came out to support the Corsair football team. The entirely free homecoming game had a halftime event filled with a performance from the local high school band, a raffle giveaway and a field goal contest. The Corsairs showed no signs of letting up as the second half began. The Corsairs defense kept the Cougars scoreless through the entirety of the third and looked to be flirting with a shoutout. With 6:20 left in the third quarter, Preston Madden, running back from Washington state, had a successful 46-yard touchdown, a solid redemption after losing a fumble earlier in the game. The Madden touchdown extended the Corsairs lead to 42-0. The Corsairs' kicker, Kieran Rock con-
verted his longest field goal of the season late in the third quarter to push the Corsairs to a 45-0 lead going into the fourth. “We all work so hard in practice every day, it’s a great feeling to get my longest field goal in my college career this far,” said Kieran Rock. With less than four minutes left in the game, LA Southwest was able to score their lone touchdown of the game; however, they weren't even able to convert the extra point kick. The kick was blocked making the score only 52-6, a 46-point lead. “We work hard in practice each week to remain undefeated, we take each game at a time and try to not get ahead of ourselves,” said Coach Gifford Lindheim. However, the Corsairs were quickly able to answer with an astonishing, 44-yard touchdown by running back Michael Richeson from Yuma, Arizona, to close out the game on a high note. A group of nearly thirty Corsairs players ran down the sidelines trailing Richeson, so when he reached the end zone they could swarm him in celebrations. Michael Richeson's touchdown came on only his second time rushing the ball all season and was his first touchdown of the season. “He (Richeson) just works so hard in practice,” said Max Lyons “It was so amazing to see him score a touchdown, especially one that amazing.” As the clock winded down, the Corsairs knew their win streak wasn’t going to come to an end. The Corsairs will travel to Santa Barbara this upcoming Saturday, November 7th, in search of their ninth straight victory and nearly capping off an undefeated season. The Santa Barbara Vaqueros will come into the game with a 4-4 record. “These next two weeks are the most important, we’ve come so far and have practiced so hard,” said Rock. “We liked to be tested by teams to show them what we can do, we’re ready to continue our streak and become 9-0.”
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