Vol 111 issue 09 by Santa Monica College Corsair Newspaper

CORSAIR

MAY 18, 2016 | VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

FIRST COPY OF THE CORSAIR IS FREE, EACH COPY AFTER IS 25

ALL ABOARD! METRO EXPO LINE COMES TO SANTA MONICA (P.6-7)

LOCAL HERO COPS HONORED AT THE WHITE HOUSE (P.3) ECOSEXUALS MARRY THE PACIFIC OCEAN (P.9) FIVE REASONS WHY TRUMP WILL WIN THE ELECTION (P.10-11)

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

EDITORIAL STAFF nik lucaj

.................................... Editor-in-Chief

corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com

bailey peraita.......................... Managing Editor

corsair.managing@gmail.com adam robert thomas

corsair.news@gmail.com

.................... News Editor

...............Health & Lifestyle Editor corsair.lifestylepage@gmail.com alissa nardo

grace gardner

...........................Opinion Editor

corsair.opinionpage@gmail.com

......... Arts & Entertainment Editor corsair.calendarpage@gmail.com jacob hirsohn

............................... Sports Columnist

josh shure

corsair.sportspage@gmail.com

............ Multimedia Editor corsair.multimediadept@gmail.com alexander melendez

jose lopez

....................................... Photo Editor

corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com josue martinez

.............. Assistant Photo Editor

corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com ramses lemus

..................... Social Media Editor

socialmedia.corsair@gmail.com

alissa nardo................................ Design Editor

corsair.designteam@gmail.com

CORSAIR STAFF Daniela Barhanna, Ryanne Mena, Daniel J. Bowyer, Michelle Ayala, Troy Barnes, Luis Baza, Julia Bergstrom, September Bottoms, Siena Deck, Adriana Delgado, Jessica Dupree, Jerome Harris, Apostol Kanev, Ashleen Knutsen, Leyla Leiva, Ka Leong, Brian Lewis, Sebastian Mayorga, Chris Monterrosa, Manuel Portugal, Joseph Silva, Kyle Toelken, Julia Westman FACULTY ADVISORS saul rubin

............................ Journalism Advisor

gerard burkhart.........................Photo Advisor

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FRONT COVER Photo byJose Lopez. Caption: The Metro Expo Line test train arrives at the 5th street and Colorado terminal in Santa Monica on May 17. The Expo Line officially opens on Friday connecting Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles allowing commuters a fast and efficient way to travel across the city. Turn to page 6 for the full story.

California Nurses Association nurse Pilar Schiavo and daughter Sofia of Studio City register students to vote at SMC for the "Rock the Campus For Bernie" event on May 17. The event was hosted by the Bernie Sanders Club on the SMC Main Campus quad. Students gathered around Sanders kiosks to talk Bernie and meet actors Kendrick Sampson, Max Carver and Charlie Carver, who made appearances to support Bernie. (Joseph Silva)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR NIK LUCAJ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF I woke up from a nap in my office the other day with the vivid memory of the dream I was having. My entire staff was working on old-timey Smith Corona typewriters when all of a sudden, out the window, I saw a massive tornado heading straight for us. I began shouting for everyone to get down into the basement to safety and we all ran for the protection we could only find underground. The tornado tore over us, destroying everything in its path and sweeping us up into the eye of the cyclone. When we were sucked up, however, we were not greeted with the horrible end that we all expected. Instead, we found ourselves floating gently through a warm stream of wind that brought us great comfort and joy. It was pure bliss — Dorothy being softly swept away to the Land of Oz. This was a clear analogy of the situation we face each week with our print deadline. An insane whirlwind that, to the untrained eye, looks like an anarchical storm of insanity with no rhyme or reason. Phones ringing, people shouting for no particular reason and keyboards clicking. The work is difficult, stressful and time consuming, and it can sometimes transform us into irascible [expletive deleted]. But in the end, when the work is finished and we finally see it printed in fresh ink, we gain a huge sense of satisfaction from the fact that we put everything we had into it. We do our best every week and work with altruistic intentions as we try to truly do good in the world. This is the main reason that most of us are interested in journalism — because we want to inform and make a positive impact on our communities. On the flip side of that, there are the kind of journalists that we all detest. Those who are disingenuous or who are more interested in the shine of gold than the minds of peers. But good and bad comes with every profession. There are those who uphold the ideals of their jobs, and those who destroy the sanctity that others revere. Unfortunately, it’s the ones who fail to do their jobs well that are much more talked about than those who do what they’re supposed to. The mark of someone doing their job well is often that no one is talking about them. This is certainly the case with law enforcement. The last few years have been filled with vitriol directed toward those who have sworn to protect and serve. Videos seen on television media drive the conversation as we often see cops who do atrocious things as the leading stories on Nancy Grace and Jake Tapper. As those that have failed to correctly do their jobs get all the attention, those who quietly go about their work every day, doing what they are supposed to do, go unnoticed. Those who go 30 years without incident will seldom be so much as mentioned in a news story, but will receive the same anger meant for those few bad eggs that we all hear about committing unspeakable acts of violence. Monday, we were reminded of the positive side of law enforce-

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ment. The SMC Police Department’s Captain Raymond Bottenfield and the SMPD’s Officers Jason Salas and Robert Sparks were flown out to Washington D.C., along with 10 other officers from around the nation, to be personally awarded with Medals of Valor. Bottenfield, Salas and Sparks were the cops who ended the shooting spree on and around SMC’s campus three years ago that left five people dead and the community shaken. These things remind us that for every bad cop, there are many good cops who execute their duties well in the face of extreme danger. You can read the full story if you look to your right. Our cover story this week is the impending opening of the Metro Rail on Friday. In our centerfold we present the stats of an average SMC students commute driving against the costs of riding the rail. Along with showing the effects on students,we write about the safety concerns of not having rail crossing arms near busy roads. Safety has been addressed, but we lay out the pros and cons of the way things have been set up. In news, the inexhaustible Ashleen Knutsen gives a complete and thorough breakdown of all the construction related to SMC — what’s happening, when it’s happening and how much it will cost. Everything from The Pit on Pico to the satellite campus in Malibu, anything you want to know will be there. Check it out people. She’s good. Also in news, Managing Editor Bailey Peraita put together a nice piece about the extension of library hours during finals week, spurred by a program called, “Finals, AS is Here!” (I know). This will give students that little bit of extra time that could make the difference between an A and a B. Oh, they’ll also provide puppies, coffee and pastries, possibly my three favorite things on the planet. I’ll be there, most likely only for the puppies. We also have a piece by Grace Gardner on the Ecosexual wedding ceremony where the club married the sea (hopefully not a shotgun wedding) and a piece by Jacob Hirsohn detailing the positive effects of musical streaming services on the recording industry. And finally, just as I was starting to feel proud of myself for not mentioning Trump in my lead, I remembered that we gave Adam Thomas two opinion pages to explain his prediction that Trump is going to win the presidency. His argument is long, thorough and convincing (though I’m not fully convinced), and gives plenty of reasons why this is more than just a possibility. If he’s right, then evolution is heading in the wrong direction. Two weeks from now will be our swan song. It’s been a long, exhausting, fun, horrible, amazing semester, and we have a lot of good memories to take with us into the future. I’m just trying to enjoy it right now. Stress is for the tourists. We’ve become vets and will put everything we’ve learned into that last issue. Until then, try not to think too much about the future. Enjoy the moment... and the issue. Maybe both at the same time.

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NEWS

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

PRESIDENT HONORS COPS FOR ENDING 2013 SMC SHOOTING

President Obama bestows a 2013-14 Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor - the highest national award for valor presented to a public safety officer - to Captain Raymond Bottenfield of the SMCPD at a ceremony held at the White House on Monday. Santa Monica Police Department officers Jason Salas (far right) and Robert Sparks also recieved the medal for their part in ending the rampage on the SMC campus in 2013. (Courtesy of Grace Smith)

NIK LUCAJ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF When SMCPD’s Captain Raymond Bottenfield got the call that a shooter was loose on the Santa Monica College campus, he was off duty. He didn’t have time to change into his uniform or equip body armor. He reacted the only way he knew how — he grabbed his gun and headed to the scene. He and two Santa Monica Police officers proceeded to enter the SMC Main Campus library where armed gunman John Zawahri was inside, spraying rounds of ammunition from his assault rifle. The trio entered the library and put an end to the destruction, limiting the death toll to five where there could have been many more. Through bravery and selflessness, Bottenfield, along with officers Jason Salas and Robert Sparks of the Santa Monica Police Department ended the horror. Monday, they were officially honored, along with ten others for differing reasons, by President Obama in a ceremony that took place in the White House, where the president personally presented them each with the 2013-2014 Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor. Bottenfield has been on the force for 19 years and became the first captain in the SMCPD’s history in 2013. His reaction to receiving word that he was to be honored in the White House was one of surprise. “It took a while to sink in,” he said. “It’s been awhile since we received the Governor’s Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor and, at that point, it was like, okay cool, we’ve done it. We’ve got everything, we’re done. And all of a sudden this just came out of the blue… it was kind of a big shock.”

in brief AS makes large contribution to bond measure campaign At the Monday morning Associated Students (AS) meeting, the AS Board of Directors approved funding totaling $125,000 for the Campaign for Safety and Modernization at SMC Committee to promote a potential major bond measure in upcoming fall elections. Don Girard, SMC’s Senior Director of Government Relations and Institutional Communications,

The courage of the three officers during the shooting on June 7, 2013 cannot be overstated, especially for Bottenfield, who was off-duty and responded to the call with what he had handy. Recounting his thought process when entering the library, he said, “My biggest thing that I was thinking was that I was in plain clothes. So I was wearing a pair of jeans and a black button-up shirt. And the description had come out of the suspect being in all black. I didn’t have anything identifying myself as a police officer but I was with two, and I didn’t have any body armor and I was also carrying a smaller weapon than I would normally carry on duty. So I was really counting on those officers ahead of me.” Soon after entering, the officers shot and killed Zawahri when he pointed his assault rifle at them, ending the rampage and the nightmare for those on campus. Interim Dean of Student Life Nancy Grass, who was Chair of Communications Studies at the time, and administrative assistant Linda Sallovitz were on campus that day, locked down in the Letters and Sciences building. Sallovitz, talking about the White House ceremony, said, “I think it’s really nice. It took a lot of bravery to do what they did and they did it well… They kept us safe.” Grass said, “I’m so proud and honored… He risked his life truly in the most horrific moment this college has ever seen and he saved countless people, countless students… There isn’t an honor high enough for what they represented and what they did.” The Medal of Valor is given to those who display exceptional courage in the attempt to save or protect human life. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who spoke during the ceremony, said, “Confronted with imminent danger, they responded with uncommon valor. In encountering wrong doers with no regard for law or life, they sought to defend

presented the request for funding to the board.

the vulnerable and to do justice. After Lynch, President Obama spoke at length about the sense of gratitude felt toward law enforcement, also using the opportunity to direct the public conversation toward how law enforcement is perceived and how it can be improved. “Medals and ceremonies like today are important,” he said, “but these aren’t enough to convey the true depth of our gratitude.” SMC Superintendent President Dr. Kathryn Jeffery talked about the feeling of seeing the officers honored: “All of us who witnessed it felt such a deep sense of pride to see President Barack Obama recognize our SMC hero Captain Raymond Bottenfield for his selfless act of valor." One of the most noticeable things about Bottenfield and his heroism that day is his humility and avoidance of the spotlight. According to Grass, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, it was a while before they found out that Bottenfield was one of the three who stopped the gunman. “They never asked for any praise… to this day Ray doesn’t say much about it,” Grass said. “Too often in our society, the people who scream the loudest get the most attention and the people who have done the real work, the real hard work, and who are the real heroes get very little of the praise and attention… I can’t imagine a more deserving team than our team right here, and Ray in particular.” The events that took place on that day were tragic, but could have been worse had it not been for the immediate actions of the officers involved. They put everything on the line and saved lives because of it. To Bottenfield, it wasn’t just a job at that point and it didn’t matter that he was off duty. As Loretta Lynch said during the ceremony, “It’s not the hour on the clock or the color of the shirt that determines a hero, but the heart of the guardian.”

on the SMC campuses.

of more online video outreach instead. After a

The $125,000 would only fund a portion of the

A sustained debate occurred over the specif-

fairly lengthy debate that led to four time exten-

potential outreach campaign, which has an esti-

ics of what AS was funding once Girard broke

sions by AS President Jesse Randel, the AS Board

mated cost of $500,000 according to Girard.

down exactly how the moneys would be used. In

of Directors unanimously voted to approve the measure.

The potential funding from the bond measure,

addition to advertisements, outreach programs,

which would raise a property tax for Santa Monica

and door-to-door canvassing, the issue of auto-

While the suggested bond measure still has

residents and would be the ninth bond measure

mated robo-calls came up, which several members

to be approved by the Board of Trustees in their

to fund SMC from the Santa Monica Community

of the AS board felt uncomfortable supporting.

upcoming June meeting before it can be pre-

since the college opened, would come out to

AS Director of Instructional Support Martha

sented to Santa Monica voters, Girard seemed

$295 million. According to a report provided at

Linden said, “I don't like robocalls, and I don't

confident that they would agree to push it forward,

the March Board of Trustees meeting, the moneys

suspect that anybody likes robocalls."

and the campaign could begin this November.

from the measure would be used to fund upcom-

Girard then stated that this aspect of the cam-

ing construction projects and safety improvements

paign could be lessened or even removed in favor

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VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

BUILDING THE FUTURE: UPDATES ON SMC CONSTRUCTION

Students walk past the soon-to-be Student Services Building which is still under construction at the SMC Main Campus. The area it will occupy has come to be known coloquially as The Pit. (Josue Martinez)

ASHLEEN KNUTSEN STAFF WRITER Here at SMC, construction is an all too familiar sight. From fenced-off areas and altered pathways, to the now legendary pit, the SMC community is used to views of ongoing construction projects as signs of both progress and stagnation. At the Main Campus as well as the satellites, there are so many construction projects underway that it can be difficult to keep track of what’s going on and where. To give you an overview of what can be expected, here is an update on the major current and proposed facility projects having an impact on campus' in the coming months and years. The Student Services Building In just over two years, in place of what is now known as “The Pit” on the northeast corner of Main Campus, will stand the long ago proposed Student Services Building. In addition to Student Services, the 100,000 square foot, three-story complex will house an auditorium and an underground parking lot that should have space for roughly 500 cars, according to the SMC Bond Program website. In 2009, while waiting for approval from the Division of the State Architect (DSA), The Pit was created in preparation for the next phase of construction to save time and allow them to begin the project immediately after it was approved. However, the approval process, which was expected to take only one year, ended up taking three. This was followed by the contracting companies' bids also exceeding their expectations. “The bids came back far too high — 25 percent over budget,” said Gregory Brown, Co-Chair of the Facilities Planning Subcommittee. “So the board decided to redesign the building completely.” It took another couple years to redesign, get DSA approval again and go to bid. Recently, at the May 3 Board of Trustees meeting, the $77.4 million bid from Bernards Brothers Inc. was approved. After about seven years of waiting, on June 1, construction at The Pit will be underway once again. The project is currently scheduled to take 27 months.

“A lot of times we get unforeseen conditions,” said Brown. “You always find things that you don’t know about. Here, we already dug the hole, so we’re not looking at any unforeseen concerns.” Funding will come from a combination of the 2002 Bond Measure U, the 2004 Bond Measure S and the 2008 Bond Measure AA. The Health and Fitness Building Some of the construction taking place near Corsair Field will be coming to an end in October with the completion of the first phase of a two-part project intending to create new health and fitness facilities. The new 63,500 square foot, three-story building will include offices, classrooms, bathrooms, locker rooms, a fitness center, dance studios and a climbing wall. It will also house a thermal energy storage facility and a central plant for the chilled water airconditioning distribution loop. The second phase of the project involves remodeling part of the Corsair Gym, previously known as the Pavilion. Funding for the project came from Bond Measures U and AA and, as of the May 3 Board of Trustees meeting, the cost of the project will total $40.5 million. The Academy of Entertainment & Technology (AET), now Center for Media & Design (CMD) The extensive construction project on Stewart Street, including two new buildings and the remodeling of the existing AET building, is scheduled to be complete in October. After which, the installation of the technical equipment is expected to take about three months and will be ready for students for the Spring 2017 semester. The new buildings include an addition to the existing one with a new parking structure, as well as the new KCRW Building. The cost of the entire project was $61.2 million, with funds coming from both Bond Measure AA and the KCRW Foundation. Performing Arts Center – East Wing Another project to be completed in the fall is the renovation of the PAC’s East Wing. Originally constructed in the 1930s, the wing had seismic deficiencies that needed to be fixed. The one-story, 4,500 square foot structure is being replaced by a two-story facility with about 12,000 square feet that

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will contain a multi-purpose room, offices and music classrooms. Funding was again provided by Measure AA with costs totaling $19.3 million. Temporary AC Units In an effort to provide relief to overheated students and staff during the hottest months, the DPAC Facilities and Planning Subcommittee are also working to rent temporary air-conditioning units to be installed in the Liberal Arts, Letters and Science, Counseling, Cayton and Music buildings. For the four months proposed (July through October), the total cost will amount to about $1 million. The subcommittee will propose their plan at the next Board of Trustees meeting on June 7. For some, this seems like a no-brainer. “Who wants to go to a college in the summer that has no air-conditioning,” said Heather Haro, Director of Sustainability for the Associated Students. “If they dealt with any enrollment issue, it seems like the most logical thing to do is not make your students suffer and make people want to come. I definitely think that’s a priority.” Chilled Water Loop For some buildings, a more permanent solution to the heat has already been in the works with the installation of a chilled water line that will provide air-conditioning to connected buildings. “At night time they’re going to chill a bunch of water, and during the day it’s going to flow throughout the college,” said Haro. “It’s basically using that cold water to cool the campus.” The first building to be connected and functioning will be the Life and Physical Science Complex, which will have it up and running sometime this summer. “We understand that the science building has been having cooling issues recently,” said Lee Peterson, member of the Facilities Planning Committee. “They have been complaining in the Science Learning Resource Center about temperatures above 80 degrees.” In October, they plan to have both the library and the Humanities and Social Science Building connected, followed by the Business Building possibly in the winter. In total, this project has cost $8.1 million dollars, coming from from Bond Measure AA. @THE_CORSAIR •

Malibu Center Plans for the new satellite campus in Malibu have hit a road block caused by two Malibu slow-growth community groups. While the DSA has approved the plans for the project and it has been approved by both the County of Los Angeles and the City of Malibu, the slow-growth groups have gone to the California Coastal Commission to appeal the City of Malibu’s approval. “The Coalition would love to have the college satellite in Malibu,” said Patt Healy, co-founder of the Malibu Coalition for Slow Growth. “We appealed the project to the Coastal Commission because it didn’t meet the requirements of the Malibu Local Coastal Plan which sets forth the criteria for development in Malibu. The project, as currently designed, most notably doesn’t meet the height limitations and landscaping requirements. It is just too large for our fragile infrastructure.” Richard Lawrence, president of the Malibu Township Council, echoes the Coalition’s concerns about not meeting the district’s code and also appealed. “We voiced our opinion and we’ll see if it’s recognized,” said Lawrence. The current plan is to demolish the existing sheriff’s building and construct a 25,600 square foot, two-story building in its place. Its purpose will not only be for college students, but for the community as a whole. Along with classrooms, science labs and an art studio, it will include a multi-purpose physical activity space, interpretive center, Emeritus college and sheriff’s substation. “We designed a thing that most people in Malibu think is very attractive and most people in Malibu want a community college and support Santa Monica College,” said Brown. “The problem is… you can’t build a one-story building and still provide all the parking and landscaping that they want. Once you cut off half the building, it doesn’t become a viable project anymore.” As of publication, the California Coastal Commission has yet to decide whether to approve or deny their appeals. If approved, it will take another six to eight months to go through the approval process again. Funding for the Center will come from Bond Measures S and AA and is estimated to cost $26.8 million.

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VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

HAVE NO FEAR, AS IS HERE... FOR FINALS "Finals, AS is Here!" program extends library hours for end of semester BAILEY PERAITA MANAGING EDITOR The bustle of the SMC Main Campus library is a familiar one. The sound of zippers closing and opening backpacks every few seconds. A student takes out an intellectual sandwich — two textbooks with a MacBook stuffed between them. Another student notices the time on his dimly lit computer screen and throws everything into his backpack, zips it abruptly and proceeds to run up the stairs. He’s probably late to class. In the mix of all this flurried activity, Daniel Zarate, a business major, stays focused on what appears to be Japanese homework. After two years at SMC, it's his last semester and this is his last chance to cram for finals week. Zarate will be flying off to Japan to study business at Temple University this fall, but for now he has to stay focused and work hard so he can pass his classes and move on. In his time at SMC, Zarate has taken multiple Japanese classes to prepare for his first choice university, and the library has always been the epicenter of his studies. For him, living in South Central, traveling to school every day is a draining commute; when he gets home he says he can’t get in the zone to study. Now more than ever, the library is his refuge for studiousness and a necessary place for him to ensure that he passes all his classes. Luckily for Zarate and thousands of other SMC students, the library will be a bit different during this semester's finals period as the "Finals, AS is Here!" program, recently created by the Associated Students (AS) Board of Directors, will extend the hours that the library is open. For a little over a month, Director of Sustainability Martha Linden and Director of Student Outreach Alexandra Brechensbauer have been collaborating in an effort to work with the school's administration and Interim Director of Library Services Patricia Burson to extend library hours. After five weeks worth of director’s reports and finding approximately $2,000 in the budget to allocate to classified staff, Linden and Brechensbauer have extended the library hours in preparation for finals week. The library will be open until 10:45 p.m. from Tuesday, May 31 through Thursday, June 2, and until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, with an additional day staying open until 10:45 p.m. on Monday, June 6. Aside from being a direct assistance to students, the reason for making this an official AS program is to see if it can be repeated in the future should the boost in hours prove a positive benefit to students and improve their success during finals. Linden explained the reasoning saying, “[SMC's administration] found that most people had a majority of their rigorous study to be toward the beginning of finals week... So extending the hours on the first couple of days would see the most people showing up.” In an effort to ensure that students do show up and use the program, AS has been planning additional surprises: coffee, puppies, and pastries will be provided on certain days to help students focus and relieve stress. The puppies, provided by the non-profit organization Paws for Healing, will be emotional service dogs rented to help students relieve the stress caused by the pressures of finals. According to Brechensbauer and Linden, this puppy practice has been an effective stress relieving measure at universities like UCLA and NYU. The suicide prevention grant at SMC aimed to bring puppies as a stress relief, and

Vladyslav Verchenko, 19, a business administration major, studies in the SMC library. (Josue Martinez)

AS started working with Paws for Healing. After confirming everything with SMC campus police, the puppies are cleared to be on the campus quad during the 11:00 a.m. activity hour on May 31, June 1, 2, and 6. AS hopes to use these perks to compete with other university libraries. Brechensbauer spoke about how some students, including herself, have found themselves going to study at other universities due to the limited availability at SMC. She had studied at Loyola Marymount University’s library last semester, and found several differences aside from longer library hours that she wanted to implement at SMC. Along with the nice perks and fun puppies, professors from the Math Department will be holding additional workshops and tutoring hours at the library during the extension. Math professor John Quevedo, along with four other professors, are holding their own specific times and dates for tutoring sessions in the library. Quevedo said that he plans to provide help to students who will be in the group study room. “The idea is to get math students acclimated to studying in groups, using the library as a meeting place to study and learn, and take advantage of extended hours," said Quevedo. After 16 years of teaching at SMC, Quevedo said that he understands how crucial both studying and having professors available as a resource are to student success. “[The] goal is to develop a culture where there is a greater student awareness about the time and labor intensive process of organizing, studying, reviewing, seeking, and utilizing resources to prepare for final exams," he said. "We need to continually derail habits of procrastinating and cramming lots of information in a short period of time.” These resources provided by the "Finals, AS is here!" program and coor-

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dinating professors are all an effort by AS to ensure student success in the library. Said Linden, “It’s important for SMC to have places where students can do work —it’s a reflection of our staff and resources.” In her experiences with the library director, Linden said she found that Burson gave her more assistance than she had ever expected. “The beauty of the library is that they have so much staff that this is their job to help you find the resources that you need," said Linden.

Burson said, “There is a heightened sense of purpose among the students in the library, and it is very busy the week leading up to finals and for the first few of days of finals week. You can sense the tension and concentration in the air.” So for this semester's finals week, if you’re a student like Zarate, you’ll be able to study for longer than usual at the library. Instead of the last call yell at 9:45, you’ll only hear what you would normally: the traditional bustle of zippers opening and closing bags.

Graphics by William Miguel

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COVER STORY

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

ONCOMING TRAIN: Opening of the Expo Line Extension brings unexpected benefits for SMC students, environment ADAM R. THOMAS & JAY YIM NEWS EDITOR & STAFF WRITER 2016 is already shaping up to be quite the year for change at Santa Monica College. With a new Chief of Police, a new college president, and longstanding construction projects like The Pit on Pico finally getting underway, it’s a time for the new to take over. As if to punctuate this semester of fresh starts, the longin-development Expo Line Extension is opening this upcoming Friday, May 20. The light rail line extends the Expo Line from its current terminus in Culver City 6.6 miles west, creating a non-automobile based public transportation option that can carry an expected 64,000 daily riders by 2030 all the way from Downtown LA to the Santa Monica Pier in less than an hour for $1.75. This achievement for LA public transit marks the first

A pedestrian steps over the tracks in front of the Expo Line train at the 17th street/SMC station in Santa Monica. (Kyle Toelken)

time the west side of LA County will be connected to the rest by rail in over half a century. In what was later known as “The Great American Streetcar Scandal,” a series of buyouts and the expanding love of automobiles led to the death of the Pacific Electric “Red Car” railway in the early 1950s, and by 1963, the system had been completely converted to bus lines. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (LACMTA/Metro) rose from the ashes of this period, and beginning in the 1970s, the long process of rebuilding the county’s rail system began. But it doesn’t take a deep knowledge of the long and tumultuous history of light rail in LA to be excited about the opening of the Expo Line Extension. With free rides along the line on both Friday and Sunday, as well as com-

How the Expo Line expansion benefits you: a ne A map of the new Expo Line Extension. The information provided is intended to give students an estimate of the cost of taking the Metro to school versus the cost of driving, using a four-day school week. The cost of Metro rides is based off individual ride prices and the cost of gas was estimated based on average miles-per-gallon and average gas prices. As the Expo Line has not started running yet, the travel times may vary.

Estimated car travel from Culver City: 1 Estimated gas cost from Culver City: Estimated Metro time from Culver Cit Metro Cost from Culver City: 14 dolla

LOOK BOTH WAYS Safety concerns amid Expo Line opening SEPTEMBER BOTTOMS & CHRISTIAN MONTEROSSA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS After several years of nearly constant construction, the time has come for a smoother connection between downtown Los Angeles and the city of Santa Monica, with an expansion of the Los Angeles Metro's Expo Line. Beginning on May 20, tourists and locals will be able to ride into downtown Santa Monica, specifically all the way to Colorado and 4th street, just a few blocks from the Santa Monica Pier. As with any new street-level rail project, the Expo Line extension brings safety and hazard concerns. These concerns have only been increased by the multiple traffic accidents that have occurred during the train line's testing period, including a derailment last December. While the $1.5 billion project is undoubtedly impressive, upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that there are no rail-crossing arms at 7 of the 16 street-level intersections within the city of Santa Monica. New lights have been implemented next to original

standing traffic lights to signal when a train is crossing, but there are no physical barriers in place to physically prevent drivers from driving onto the tracks at these intersections in downtown Santa Monica. According to officials, safety will depend on increasing awareness among the community through ad campaigns, the extra traffic signals and drivers responsibly following the rules of the road. Dave Sotero, a representative of the LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority's (LACMTA) Public Information Office, said that LACMTA has gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of the community members by announcing the opening many months in advance. “It’s very important people learn to negotiate with the intersections and change their behavior,” said Sotero, Sotero also mentioned a multitude of pre-revenue operations that the LACMTA has put the Expo Line extension

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through. This included putting the subsystems, train and tracks through their paces via regular testing, and making sure the community is acclimating to the frequency of the train passing by. Safety measures include traffic signals, warning lights and gates. Asked about the accidents that occurred along the line during the testing phase, Sotero said, “They were minor. It’s typical when you have a rail service.” When asked about the decision to leave out these precautionary arms, Gaby Collins, a representative of The Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority, pointed out that these were not needed as the train is “street run and has to follow the same rules as vehicles” including traffic signals and speed limit. The City of Santa Monica’s Department of Transportation was contacted about the decision to leave out rail guards,

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VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

munity parties at six stations — Downtown Santa Monica, 17th St./SMC, 26th St./Bergamont, Expo/Bundy, Palms, and Culver City — beginning on Saturday and running from 10 a.m. to 4p.m., it’s going to be quite the celebration. For many SMC students, this extension is a definite boon. As Helder Amaral, a 20- year-old psychology major said, “I think it is a good idea because it takes me about two hours to get to school. If I were to take the Expo Line, it would cut my trip by about an hour. I would only have to take two trains and one bus. Right now, I take three buses, sometimes four if I'm late." Ferris Kawar, who runs the Center for Environmental and Urban Studies at SMC, agrees. “By providing more opportunities for students and staff to leave their cars at home, we are making a huge impact on SMC’s footprint," said Kawar. “Not only will we reduce pollution, but we’ll reduce congestion on the streets and parking structures, save money on gas and bring down the stress level of sitting in traffic.” The environmental impact of the Expo is at least partially backed up by data. A study conducted at USC in 2013 on the currently extant first phase of the line that runs from

Culver City to Downtown LA highlighted several benefits, but stressed that they were limited to areas surrounding stations. As stated in the study, the benefits were primarily “large reductions in VMT (vehicle miles traveled), some increase in rail transit ridership, changes in physical activity, and large reductions in GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions among households living within ½ mile of a station.” A more recent study by USC and the METRANS Transportation Center in 2015 also put the kibosh on hopes that the Expo would be a silver bullet for LA’s constant traffic congestion issues. Drawing from a vast archive of data collected by Geo-location sensors collected over five years, the study revealed that the first phase of the Expo had done little to remove cars from roads, but offered major benefit for those already taking public transportation. This seems consistent with the calculations conducted here at The Corsair which indicate that, at least for those driving cars, the extension isn’t going to offer much in savings of either time or money (see the graphic below for more information). But with so many SMC students taking current public transit options, the lacking benefit for drivers will not be as

COVER STORY

relevant as the benefits to bus riders. As with Amaral, many students currently take buses, and mentioned long travel times that they expect to be dramatically reduced by the more consistent schedule of the train. Kawar agreed that in addition to helping the environment, it was fringe benefits that would make the largest impact on the SMC student body. He brought up a recent study conducted by the school on potential ridership saying, “53 percent of students said they would be 'likely' or 'extremely likely' to use the Expo when it opens. This shows the strong demand to have transportation solutions that allow us to leave our cars at home. Riders will be able to read, get some work done, or just decompress and know they are not the responsible one behind the wheel.” So while the Expo Line Extension may not be the ultimate solution for the city or the planet, it’s certainly going to be a major change for life here at SMC, and it’s been a long time coming.

eighborhood-by-neighborhood visual breakdown

15 min, 6 miles 5 dollars/week ty: 19 min ars/week

Estimated car travel from Mid-city: 20 min, 10 miles Estimated gas cost from Mid-city: 8.30 dollars/week Estimated Metro time from Mid-city: 27 min Metro cost from Mid-city: 14 dollars/week

Estimated car travel from downtown: 30 min, 13 miles Estimated gas cost from downtown: 12 dollars/week Estimated Metro travel from downtown: 48 min Metro cost from downtown: 14 dollars/week

Graphics by William Miguel

but no comment has been made as of yet. In addition to lights and signals, the LACMTA is also placing “Safety Ambassadors” along multiple intersections to observe traffic conditions and report them to Metro and local authorities in order to help prevent accidents in the future. Hector Alvarado, one of these Safety Ambassadors, when asked about the lack of safety arms said, “I don’t think [it’s a problem] because the city also pays attention to these problems. So, let’s say, for example, if the city [realizes they need the arms], they can tell the Federal Transit Administration, ‘Hey, we need this.’” Despite these safety concerns, along with the other concerns which have been raised by the community during city council meetings, residents and business owners seem generally excited about the expansion. As Lou Moench, owner of Tulip Cafe on Euclid and Colorado, said about the Expo Line, “Oh yeah, I couldn’t be happier about it!”

A bicyclist rides his bike as the Expo Line test train arrives at the Downtown Santa Monica station on Tuesday. No safety rails have been installed at any of the stops in Santa Monica which allows pedestrians to easily cross when the train is in motion increasing the chances of deadly accidents. (Josue Martinez)

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

STREAMING SAVED THE MUSIC INDUSTRY But will the exclusive album kill it? JACOB HIRSOHN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR On April 23, Beyonce surprise-released her sixth album “Lemonade” as an exclusive on TIDAL, the music streaming service she owns along with her husband Jay Z. As if this wasn’t a significant enough cultural event on its own, it marked the beginning of a three-week thrill ride of noteworthy album releases, both expected and unexpected. Between April 23 and May 13, we saw the release of “Views” from Drake, “The Colour in Anything” from James Blake, “HOPELESSNESS” by ANOHNI, “Bottomless Pit” from Death Grips, “A Moon Shaped Pool” by Radiohead, and “Coloring Book” by Chance the Rapper. If there is another period of time similar in length with the same amount of notable album releases, I’m unfamiliar with it. This incredible string of releases featured something for everyone — two releases in each of the major genres, one populist, one critically acclaimed, and a post-breakup Death Grips album just for good measure. But while these releases inspired plenty of conversation, the talk was less “Did you listen to this album?” and more “How do I listen to this album?” This is largely a result of the music streaming revolution. Where music had been found on iTunes almost exclusively throughout the 21st century, the rise of Spotify changed that entirely. Now, music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, or TIDAL. With the popularity of these music streaming services has come the exclusive release, where artists align themselves with the streaming service of their choice and make their music exclusive to that platform, attempting to force listeners to subscribe to that particular service. This sensation reached a sort of peak with the recent notable releases. Most, if not all of these artists opted to make their album an exclusive. Beyonce went with TIDAL, while Drake, Radiohead, and even Chance, who has so vocally committed to giving away free music without the supervision of a label, all chose Apple Music. So far, it seems to be working out for the companies (or rappers) looking to get their hands on some of that Spotify money. While so many music streaming services launch and fold before you know it, TIDAL and Apple Music have stuck around and stayed in the conversation. But more notable than these streaming services staying in the conversation is the way they have managed to shift it. After the invention and subsequent domination of iTunes, much was made about how Apple’s program changed the music industry. iTunes murdered the physical music industry, turning CDs, vinyl records, and cassette tapes into fun collectors items as opposed to essential listening devices once and for all. Or at least that was how it seemed. However, in reality, the digital music industry didn’t fully seize control until last year. According to a yearly report done by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), a non-profit which tracks the financial side of the recording industry, digital music revenue made up 45 percent of music industry revenue in 2015, compared to the 39 percent taken up by sales of CDs, vinyl records, and other physical formats. This marks the first time in history that digital music revenue has outweighed physical music revenue. A strange revelation, considering jokes about the death of the CD are almost ten years old now. While it’s clear that iTunes started the digital music revolution, it’s just as clear that Spotify is what is finishing it. Music was made more accessible and popular by iTunes. But what it failed to do was make it more profitable. Just before the invention of the iPod, the music industry was at an all-time high in revenue, based on information collected by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After iTunes became the dominant medium for music, the industry crashed, seeing drastic decreases in revenue in every year until 2012, when it plateaued. The really troubling stat for the music industry over these years was one that would have been music to their ears just years before. While the revenue the industry was generating from music sales went down year by year, the amount of music being sold went up. The product they were pushing was more popular than ever — the only problem: it was worthless. It would seem that music streaming is

a move in the wrong direction, only furthering the changes iTunes made to the industry. Having virtually every song ever made available at the click of a button on Spotify just makes music more accessible and less profitable. But the numbers say otherwise. In 2015, the landmark of digital revenue finally surpassing physical music revenue was matched by a much more important one: the first considerable growth in overall music revenue in the 21st century. Overall, recorded music revenue increased by 3.2 percent in 2015, but that's only part of the story. The truly encouraging stat was the change in digital music revenue, which experienced a massive growth of just over 10 percent that same year. And there’s a clear correlation between the rebound of the music industry and the growth of music streaming. According to Nielsen, music streaming — both audio only and video — nearly doubled in 2015. The rapid decline of the music industry not so coincidentally slowed when Spotify entered the public consciousness. As Spotify's subscriber count has grown from 20 million to 80 million over the last few years, the success of the industry has grown with it. You could argue that the immense popularity of Adele revitalized the music industry, or the great success of "Party Rock Anthem," the amazing LMFAO song that was the second most popular song of 2011, a fact that gets more incredulous with each passing day. But all of the numbers will point you back to Spotify and the rise of streaming music. But now that the industry has been saved, the conversation moves to this: how long will it last? The appeal of music streaming services is obvious, but so are the drawbacks of the exclusive album release strategy these services are implementing. Frustration was high when the exclusive album release strategy came fully to fruition

Graphic by Jacob Hirsohn

with the release of Kanye West’s long anticipated “The Life of Pablo.” After teasing the release of the album for almost two years, West, at the last minute, revealed it would only be available to listeners on TIDAL, the most tedious and unnecessary of all the streaming services. No CDs, no iTunes — not for sale anywhere. It has become common practice in the months since this album, but at the time, it was pretty bold for a musician of his stature and people were upset. But that album still landed at number one on the Billboard chart. The phrases "How do I listen to" and "How can I listen to" have reached an all-time high usage in Google searches over the last six months according to Google Trends, the app which accumulates and charts Google search data. Will the confusion about where and how to listen to significant albums sink music streaming? I’m a big Beyonce fan, but I was in no rush to listen to “Lemonade” once I found out it was a TIDAL exclusive, since my TLOP-inspired free trial expired long ago. And if I wanted to pay for all three major streaming services, I would just use that 30 dollars a month to buy the albums I wanted to hear, assuming that will continue to be a thing people do in the future. The obvious concern for the music industry will be that people go back to pirating as their main source of music. Downloading free music was probably the main reason the iTunes-era was met with such drastic declines in industry revenue, and music streaming seems like it may be the antidote. 2015’s notable growth in both industry revenue and music streaming was nearly matched by the decrease in piracy. According to a report by MUSO, an anti-piracy company, piracy went down 5 percent that year. Torrent Freak, a popular music piracy website, reported that they saw significantly more downloads of “The Life of Pablo” than any album before, though they were hesitant to declare any official records. Similar reports have yet to come out about Beyonce’s “Lemonade” or Drake’s “Views,” but TLOP could be the start of an unfortunate trend. The exclusive album release strategy may be what is keeping music streaming competition alive. But If TIDAL, Apple Music, and Spotify can’t settle their differences and see the flaw in their newest strategy, they could squander the first piece of good news the music industry has gotten in what feels like a century. Graphic by Andrew Khanian

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VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

A ROMANTIC WALK WITH THE BEACH "The seriousness to the unseriousness" of ecosexuality GRACE GARDNER OPINION EDITOR For how gloomy the month of May has shown itself to be, that Saturday morning was beautiful. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and a light breeze tickled the bare arms of those who made it out to the Pico Storm Drain beside Santa Monica Beach, where a wedding was planned for noon. Lead by UC Santa Cruz professor Elizabeth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle, the effective leaders of the ecosexual movement, a group of a little under 30 people huddled in a circle, complete with matrimonial props and ocean-themed attire, and vowed to commit themselves to the ocean. Diego Marquez, SMC Ecosexual Club president was one of them. “It was actually our second marriage so it was kind of like renewing my vows for me,” Marquez said. “Most of our focus was on the Ecosextravaganza this time — this was more like a little unwinding of the work that we've been putting into that." The previous night's Ecosextravagazna was a collaboration between the Public Policy Institute of Santa Monica College, the Otis College of Art and Design’s Creative Action Program and the SMC Ecosexual Club, and was a profoundly wilder affair. Held at the Women's Club in Santa Monica, an elegant space with delicate strings of lights and oriental lamps hanging above rows of folding chairs, there was scarcely a seat open when the show began, and there were at least 10 people standing in the back. During the first act, a voice yelled out, “left, left, left right, left,” as a line of ecosexual students filed on stage. Stephens and Sprinkle announced that we were about to participate in “ecosexual bootcamp." When the two asked how many “seasoned” ecosexuals were in attendance, one could see from the back of the packed room that only around five people raised their hands. Apparently, most of us were new to the game. As a result, they provided us with context. The relationship that people have with the Earth has been subject to change, according to Stephens and Sprinkle. At first people looked at the Earth in terms of perpetual conflict, that it would always be man versus nature. Over time this evolved into the concept of Mother Earth. But apparently, Mother Earth is tired. "She might even be in menopause," Stephens said. As a result, we're supposed to have a paradigm shift and view Earth as a lover, rather than mother, and another being rather than a separate

A few people who attended the wedding, after having vowed commitment to the sea, dipped their feet into the water. (Tuesday Connor)

entity. Following the opening act was a series of environmentally-themed speakers and performers, including an interpretive dance by students from UC Santa Cruz with a sea made from a sheet of plastic with plastic bags attached to it, a woman who sang a song about the earth and booty shaking, and a girl who stripped down to a thong over leggings, boots and nipple tassels, waving a white flag. "It's kind of overwhelming and confusing, and kind of great," said Chandler Tipton, who attended the event. This is a fairly accurate sentiment for most of us, particularly the confusing part. While the idea makes sense, one question lingers: How serious is this? Do people really believe in having a romantic relationship with the Earth? One individual who goes by the eco-name "Serenity," a UCSC alumni who had taken Stephens' class, was one of the first to arrive Saturday morning, covered from the neck down in fishnet. Serenity sat on the concrete next to the storm drain with Bruce Chartier, who you may recognize as the guy who rides his bike around campus with what appears

to be a log balancing on his head. a "traditional, western" wedding. "I feel like it kind of depends," Serenity After calling on any objectors to come said. "Ecosexuality can be, but doesn't have forward, SMC philosophy professor Amber to be, sexual, and is both an art practice and Katherine, or Buddhajack, satirically said, sexuality for some. There’s a level of serious- "I just feel like maybe people should not be ness to the unseriousness of it. We care about marrying the ocean." the environment and want to help make and Stephens and Sprinkle made it clear that, facilitate a change, and while everyone could get people interested. stick around and In the lens of ecoattend the service, sexuality, we can shift those in attendance "NATURE ISN'T the treatment of the were by no means SOME ABSTRACT Earth to a symbiotic required to marry the giving and receiving THING THAT YOU READ OR sea. relationship." Around a dozen HEAR ABOUT. IT'S Chartier echoed people came before SOMETHING THAT'S Serenity's sentiments the group and vowed ALIVE THAT CHANGES about the "sexual" part their own personal of ecosexuality. commitments to the WITH WHAT "It’s not sexual in sea, including EcoWE DO.” the form of what you're sexual Club President -DIEGO MARQUEZ thinking about in the Marquez. physical nature. It's "My vow would be more about the love to respect the ocean, and respect of nature to honor it, to love it, and the environment, and making love by even if sometimes we don't get along," showing care. Showing that you actually Marquez said to the group and the sea. love," Chartier said. "We accept everybody, Following the vows, Sprinkle commenced it doesn't matter who you are... the ceremony by saying, "With this ring, I The only form of judgment I thee wed, and bestow upon the sea, the treawould consider from this side is sures of my mind, heart and hands." how you treat people. If you don't "As well as our body and soul," Stephens treat people with respect, we’re said. not going to have anything to do "And with that, I now pronounce you one with you." with the sea," Sprinkle said, as Stephens According to Serenity, they passed out plastic metallic rings. might also judge one's ability to The group walked down the wooden path obtain “eco-consent.” through the sand to the water and some dipped “Back when I would hug trees their feet in. in Santa Cruz, I would sort of ask Serenity, feeling that her relationship with the tree if it was okay if I hugged the ocean was strong enough without the it and I would feel their spirit or label, decided to not marry the sea. energy or something give a reMarquez, on the other hand, did. sponse back, and then proceed "I know I say I don't like the ocean, but accordingly," Serenity said. being there and feeling it so cold, it kind of "Consent is definitely important. takes your breath away," Marquez said. "It's Do you think the Earth would a completely different sensation that you consent to fracking and pollution? can't get unless you're present in the moment. Probably not." That's kind of the whole thing that we want Back at the Pico Storm Drain, people to understand. Nature isn't some a guitarist and a violinist pro- abstract thing that you read or hear about. vided a simple, solemn melody It's something that's alive that changes with for what Stephens, dressed in a what we do, and to feel it moving under your Newlyweds, lead by SMC Professor Amber Katherine and their partners, made the walk from the Pico Storm drain, where they striped shirt and a sailor hat, called feet is just amazing.” made their marriage vows, towards the ocean. (Grace Gardner)

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OPINION

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

HOW TRUMP IS GOING TO WIN THIS ELECTION: Strategy, Spoilers, and Memes – Oh My! ADAM R. THOMAS NEWS EDITOR Nearly everyone who’s lived through a few elections will tell you this year's is one of the craziest in living memory. The most obvious reason is Donald J. Trump, the former reality television star and real estate mogul who announced his candidacy last June. I’m not going to argue for why Trump should or shouldn’t be president. Whether he’s a good guy who just wants to “Make America Great Again,” or if he’s an evil huckster selling the American public on golden-haired bad ideas isn’t the purview of this article. Chances are, you’ve already made up your mind. Rather, this article is about refuting the idea that Trump

can’t possibly win. Whether it’s due to his rhetoric, low-favorability ratings, or the fact that he has no experience with either the military or as an elected official, nearly every single person whose job it was to prognosticate on politics and elections has been incorrect. Most — especially Nate Silver, the stats man who correctly predicted the last two presidential elections at FiveThirtyEight.com — thought Trump's campaign would die off at numerous points over the last year. They kept claiming he was a “non-serious” candidate, or too much of a bully to ever get very far. They’ve all been wrong. Trump is the presumptive and

soon-to-be-nominee for the Republican Party — one election away from being our president. And considering the circumstances, it’s safe to be skeptical of those still saying there’s no way he’s actually going to win in November. On the contrary, Trump will almost assuredly win and become our next president (allowing yet another Simpsons joke to become reality). Instead of fretting over the future of the country, it’s time to take a cold hard look at what’s going on in America right now and acknowledge how and why this is about to go down.

1. Romney’s electoral strategy lays the groundwork for Trump, with help from Clinton. Doing the Electoral College math, it’s apparent that any Republican candidate running for president starts with an uphill battle. Based on the results of the 2012 election, Republicans are at a distinct disadvantage from the start. On May 5, CNN pegged the historically Democratic “blue” states as adding up to 237 electors and the historically Republican “red” states at 191 electors — a 46 elector deficit. The assumption in these numbers being that these electors are in states that won’t change sides, which is based off the results of the last two elections. The remaining 110 electors are fought over in battleground “purple” states that are often close enough in terms of populations of political parties that they can easily flip depending on the candidate. Democrats only need to secure 33 of these votes, versus the 79 that the GOP must attain in order to gain the 270 electors required to win.

For Republicans, this means big states like Florida and Ohio are important in order to prevent an immediate loss, as well as working to win the now recognizably purple states of Nevada, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire to seal the deal. Trump must pursue this strategy, and already has an advantage. The 2012 Romney campaign laid the groundwork for a potential flip of several softer blue states, specifically the area known as “The Rust Belt” — a sector of the Northeast that has seen massive economic downturn as a result of the decline in US manufacturing. In 2012, Romney hit these states hard enough that, prior to the election, Wisconsin (10 Electors), Michigan (16), and Pennsylvania (20), all historically blue states, were pegged as “too close to call” by RealClearPolitics.com. Though Obama took all three of those states last election, they were narrow margins of victory.

But out in the Rust Belt, Trump’s message of an “America First” protectionist economic policy built on fighting foreign interests and bringing manufacturing back to the US builds upon Romney’s rhetoric, throwing the area into battleground position. The more important factor in the winning of these states is the opponent — Clinton. Many of the labor sector workers who lost their manufacturing jobs in the last 20-30 years very specifically blame this loss on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), since it led to jobs being exported to countries in Central and South America. Though she’s tried to disassociate herself from NAFTA in recent years, the agreement was signed and promoted by Bill Clinton and supported by Hillary during Bill’s presidency. The utter hatred these job losses have engendered is quite strong in that part of the country, as people still feel their

effects. Add in the fact that, outside of immigration and economics, many of Trump’s policy proposals aren’t particularly conservative, and that he polls relatively well with Labor Democrats — a January poll by Mercury Analytics had roughly 20 percent of Democrats willing to change sides for Trump — and there is a very real possibility that one or more of these states will flip. This is significant because if any of these states flip for Trump, it erases the initial advantage Democrats have had over the last several elections, and makes the race much more competitive. Due to the fact that it’s probably a Clinton-Trump election, this will likely happen in at least one of these three states. Once it does, Trump’s win is easier and Clinton’s victory much harder.

2. Low-favorability favors the team with the more ardent base. Trump is hated, this much is true. According to numerous polls, Trump’s biggest weakness is that he has consistently been seen as unfavorable. The Washington Post even wrote an article that pointed out that in March, Trump was more unfavorable than former head of the KKK David Duke with an unprecedented total unfavorable rating of 67 percent according to polling conducted with ABC. However, the second most unfavorable person was Hillary Clinton. With an average total unfavorable rating around 52 percent, Clinton and Trump are both hated on a level that is unheard of for a general election. While favorability is a nebulous factor,

it does affect voter turnout. Low favorability candidates naturally tend to lead to a lower voter turnout. Many pundits seem to base the modeling of Democratic voter turnout for this election using numbers based on the 2008 and 2012 elections, when Obama was running. But in this election’s primaries, Democratic voter turnout has dropped significantly. New York Times writer Nicholas Confessore wrote in early March that during the primaries for Super Tuesday “[voter turnout] declined in almost every state, dropping by roughly 50 percent in Texas and 40 percent in Tennessee. In Arkansas, Alabama and Georgia, the number of Democrats voting

decreased by between a quarter and a third.” Confessore continued, “It stands in sharp contrast to the flood of energized new voters showing up at the polls to vote for Donald J. Trump in the Republican contest.” Essentially, the high voter turnouts for Democrats in 2008 and 2012 seem to be due to exclusive Obama voters. At the same time, Trump is pulling in a lot of exclusive voters himself (that 20 percent of Democrats are likely culprits). For most, this election has shaped up to be a choice between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich. With two hated candidates, you see lower turnout overall. So naturally, the side with the more vocal, energized

base wins out. Trump in particular has a notoriously passionate base of support, and there’s a ton of historical precedent which indicates that low voter turnout generally benefits Republican nominees. Recent polls by RealClearPolitics.com say Trump is running neck and neck with Clinton, but also indicate that were he to face Sanders in the general election, he would likely lose by 15 points. The reason seems obvious: Sanders has an even larger base than Trump with higher favorability, and likely a higher turnout. Which, of course, leads to the socialist in the room . . .

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OPINION

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 09 • MAY 18, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Graphic by Andrew Khanian

3. Sanders the Spoiler The presidency wouldn’t even be within Trump’s reach if not for Bernie Sanders. Like Trump himself, most pundits and politicos didn’t consider Sanders (the proud democratic socialist) a serious contender at the outset of the primary race. Given a candidate they can believe in, far left democratic constituencies (especially college students) have become fired up by Sanders. But Sanders isn’t going to win. Even if Sanders wins every delegate from now on, the chance of him changing the minds of the superdelegates in Clinton’s pocket are

slim to none. This obvious eventuality has triggered an intense backlash from Sanders' base in recent weeks. Huge swaths of Berners have vowed to never vote for Hillary. A small but solid chunk say they will choose Trump once their candidate fails to get the nomination. A poll by Hart Research Associates for the New York Times indicated that around seven to eight percent of Sanders fans would go Trump, and only 66 percent would back Clinton in the general election, a large enough amount to possibly flip the election. Though far more troubling is what

Sanders' camp is doing to demoralize the democratic campaign as they face the reality that Sanders will not win the nomination. Last week, a rally for Clinton was held on May 5 at East LA College. Hordes of Sanders supporters showed up to protest. There was charged, vocal anger coming from the crowd that assembled to berate the former Secretary of State and the people coming to hear her talk. Several protesters actually had to be removed from the gym after interrupting her speech. At least the leftist anger at Trump rallies makes logical sense: he’s on the opposite

side of the spectrum. But similar agitation at Clinton events only demonstrates deep rancor and division for what are supposed to be people on the same side. The direct result of Sanders' aggressive fan base attacking its own party is that Clinton’s favorability ratings have been tanking within the Democratic Party, according to a Gallup poll conducted in April. With her own party against her and many unlikely to vote for her if nominated, Trump is in a much better position to beat her in the general election.

4. Years of social justice protesting has galvanized opposition into the Alt-Right. In case no one noticed, social justice issues, and especially large crowds of young people yelling about them, have been a growing concern over the last five years. Occupy Wall Street in 2012. Black Lives Matter in 2013 and 2014. Last year’s numerous quad occupations and protests against school officials on college campuses at the University of Missouri, Claremont McKenna, Yale, Princeton, Harvard and many others across the country. This year — transgender bathrooms. If anyone has spent any time learning about the 1960s rise of the New Left, then it should be apparent that this is a case of history repeating itself. What the modern campus left either likes to forget, or never

learned, is the immediate result of campaigning against Johnson’s War: the election of Richard M. Nixon. In 1968, Nixon used growing campus activism and riots at the Democratic National Convention as an example of how his opponent Hubert Humphrey was “soft on crime,” thus skillfully portraying himself as a tough “law and order” candidate to the “silent majority” of the populace that disagrees quietly at home. Trump uses the same tactic. As reported by USA Today, his response to protests at his rallies has been to say that they’re only going to increase his vote tally. It’s not hard to see the old Nixon maneuver of accusing Democrats of being soft on crime, when

it’s the left that’s protesting the most. In addition to history that isn’t focused on the evils of colonialism, campus radicals don’t really seem to understand physics. For every action, there are equal and opposite reactions. So I’ll spell this out clearly: large swaths of social justice activists insisting that every white person (still the majority demographic in the country) is inherently racist, every man (half the population) is inherently a misogynist, and every straight person (97 percent of the population) is inherently homophobic might work in the academic bubble, but not out in the working world. There is a point where the constant refrain becomes “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,”

and people just stop buying it. The opposition to this trend has sparked an increasingly organized resistance, which is forming the largest bulk of Trump’s support. They’re known as the Alt-Right. The Alt-Right has made a tremendous appearance on the political scene since Trump announced his candidacy, having given the group a goal and potential leader. If it weren’t for the growing frustration with social justice campaigns swelling the ranks of this coalition of new wave political conservatives, the group simply wouldn’t exist. This development is unique, potentially permanent, a serious problem for Clinton, and a major boon for Trump.

5. Branding, and how Pepe power pushes people Pro-Trump. Originally a concept from Richard Dawkins to identify the single smallest unit of information, the fundamental nature of what a meme is, changed. A meme is still a short, simple idea, but one that is naturally viral because it’s an exploitable joke, easily transformed by anyone to fit into their particular situation. But the deeper nature of the meme is something that marketers have known about for years — branding. Both memes and brands are all about instilling the memory and familiarizing people with the product or concept. This is where Trump, and his Alt-Right supporters online, are slaying everyone this election. Trump is a master of branding, and the Alt-Right are masters of memes. Trump’s branding skill is evident in his use of the slogan, “Make America Great Again” (almost the same as the one adopted by Reagan) and his key platform, building a “big, beautiful wall” on the border with

Mexico.“The Wall” is an absolutely genius bit of marketing. They’re two words that immediately instill visual imagery in the listener’s mind, and are traditionally associated with positive values of protection and security. That’s the trick with branding. If you keep your message short and sweet, people flock to it. Trump has “Build Wall," and Sanders has either “Income Inequality” or “Free Stuff." Clinton, however, lacks any kind of simple, two or three word brand message. Trump uses this marketing mastery to put a brand on his rivals and make it stick. “Low Energy” Jeb Bush. “Little Marco” Rubio. “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz. And now, "Crooked" Hillary. These brands create such a negative association with his opponents that they can’t be dismissed through logic or reason. This is the power of memery. With a cadre of Alt-Right youth spreading memes

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like “Can’t Stump the Trump,” and “All Aboard the Trump Train,” there is so much psychic suggestion being shoved onto the internet promoting Trump that it is shaping the collective conscious of many independents and folks not directly opposed to him. The memes stemming from his Alt-Right support base make Trump seem like a harmless prankster, a tough leader, and an inevitable choice. They create an appearance of weakness in his opponents. The term “Cuckservative,” for example, is a brand placed on conservative politicians and pundits viewed as working too closely with centrists and the left, worried about “respectability politics,” instead of fighting for more traditional conservative values. These branding attacks are effective because most politicians don’t know how to counter them. When Ted Cruz went online to spout Simpsons quotes in an effort to seem hip, he came off as a phony scrambling for cover from an onslaught. @THE_CORSAIR •

Few have acknowledged how powerful this effect is other than Milo Yiannopoulos, the gay British conservative writer for Breitbart UK. Yiannopoulos wrote an article explaining how this effect is being felt throughout this election entitled, “Meme Magic: Donald Trump is the internet’s revenge on lazy elites.” In the article, Yianoppolis, goes into full detail about how effective this strategy is, saying, “The Donald’s opponents never stood a chance. Trump understands the internet, and the internet might just propel him to the White House. Meme magic is real.” It’s tough to say he’s not onto something. Considering the particular realities of this election when it comes to the electoral map, the prospective voter turnout, Sanders, the larger counter-reaction to progressive politics, and the sheer power of dumb Pepe the Frog memes are pushing Trump to the top.

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