Volume106issue12

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volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

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Rude awakening

thieves target sleeping students in library news pg. 4 For more stories and videos, visit www.thecorsaironline.com

Opinion pg. 12

Arlene Karno Corsair

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volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

E D I T O R I A L S TA F F Amber Antonopoulos···· Editor-in-Chief c o rs a i r. e d i t o r i n c h i e f @ g m a i l . c o m Muna Cosic··············Managing Editor c o rs a i r. m a n a g i n g @ g m a i l . c o m Vanessa Barajas········ Health & Lifestyle c o rs a i r. l i f e s t y l e p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Elizabeth Moss··············· News Editor c o rs a i r. n e w s p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Jasmin Huynh····· Arts & Entertainment c o rs a i r. c a l e n d a r p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Henry Crumblish·········Opinion Editor c o rs a i r. o p i n i o n p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m David Yapkowitz············ Sports Editor c o rs a i r. s p o r t s p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Albert Andrade········Multimedia Editor c o rs a i r. m u l t i m e d i a @ g m a i l . c o m Sam Herron··················Photo Editor David J. Hawkins·············Photo Editor c o rs a i r p h o t o e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m Jhosef Hern······················ Illustrator c o rs a i r c a r t o o n @ g m a i l . c o m Cocoa Dixon················ Design Team Mikaela Osterlund·········· Design Team c o rs a i r. d e s i g n t e a m @ g m a i l . c o m

c o r s a i r s ta f f Rubens Almeida Jr., Paul Alvarez Jr., Trev Angone, Fabian Avellaneda, Nathan Berookhim, Crislin Christian, Tina Eady, Paulina Eriksson, Lorena Garcia, Vanessa Oliveira Gomes, Jimmy Janszen, Ludwig Jonsson, Arlene Karno, Michelle Kreel, Michael Lee, Josefin Lindstrom, Jose Lopez, Sumaya Malin, Simon Luca Manili, Reyna Mares, Lauren Narvaez, Rachel Porter, Jonathan Ramos, Alci Rengifo, Cassandra Rubio, Emilio Sedeno, Dion To, Gintare Urbutyte, Lyan Wong

Jimmy Janszen Corsair The Santa Monica College jazz band performs at The Broad Stage on Sunday. The band performed songs from composers such as Vernon Duke, Ned Washington and Mulgrew Miller.

SMC community!

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ON THE COVER: “Sobby” Singh, 18, a Santa Monica College first-semester business administration major from Reseda, Calif., kicks back for a short snooze after taking a test on Tuesday. SMC students are often found sleeping in the library, which has become a target for thefts.

CORRECTIONS: In the article “SMC students showcase their own short films” in Issue 11, it was incorrectly stated that Frank Dawson is the media chair. Nancy Grass Hemmert is the chair of the communication and media studies department, and Dawson is the former chair.

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volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Filipino students gather goods in typhoon’s wake For one Santa Monica College Filipino student, "My mom's home in the province was destroyed."

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alci rengifo Staff Writer

arge swathes of the Philippines are in ruins after the historic, devastating Typhoon Haiyan made landfall last Friday with winds reaching up to 195 mph. Cities such as Tacloban have literally been reduced to rubble.

In response to this tragedy, Santa Monica College’s Filipino community is beginning to mobilize efforts to create awareness and gather aid. The campus’ Filipino club, Kapisanang Pilipino, held a special meeting on Thursday to discuss ideas on how to help.

“My entire family is in the Philippines,” said club member Nailah Barcelona. “They are very active on Facebook. As soon as the typhoon hit, I contacted them online because the phones there don’t work. My mom’s home in the province was destroyed. We’re collecting money from each family member to help restore it.

The latest figures reported by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of the Philippines are of 3,982 dead.

Although this is a vast reduction from the original reported figures of more than 10,000 dead, the numbers could still grow as bodies wash ashore and others are found buried beneath debris and rubble.

“My cousin lives in the zone where it happened, and luckily her home was well structured, and her children are fine,” Barcelona said. “But 90 percent of the homes are shacks over there, and they were destroyed.”

The club decided during its meeting to begin

posting information on their official Facebook page, also named “Kapisanang Pilipino,” asking anyone and everyone to donate what they can.

A particular focus will be put on rice, which is the Philippines’ most basic and accessible source of food.

Carmina Dimaano, the club’s president, has family still living in the Philippines.

“I have an aunt who lives there,” she said, “She still has her home, but her land is gone.

Everything in the Philippines right now is literally trash. Everything that was up is not there anymore, and since the Philippines is such a flat land, that just made it worse.”

On how relatives and others are coping, Dimaano said it is difficult.

“Right now, they are trying to get as much help and supplies as they need,” she said. “Granted, they are getting help from other countries, but it’s not enough. According to my aunt, it will take time because everything was wiped out completely.”

SMC geography professor William Selby said that Haiyan was a major weather event but also part of a rare, possibly once-in-a-lifetime event humans have faced for centuries.

“That storm could have happened 100 years ago, or 2,000 years ago,” said Selby, “It may be the most powerful storm that has ever made landfall in the history of the world, very impressive. These storms are events people have had to cope with for centuries.”

Selby pointed out that not every major storm can or should be blamed on climate change,

but with sea temperatures growing warmer and producing more constant water evaporation, which in turn releases more warm water into the air, the data shows these kinds of storms are becoming more powerful.

“You warm up the oceans, you warm up the atmosphere, we would expect that these storms would be more powerful,” Selby said. “What we could assume, all based on scientific theory, that these storms would become more powerful. It seems like that’s happening.”

The size of the storm applied to California would cover territory from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border, Selby said.

“The winds that storm had could wipe anything off the map, and that’s what it did,” Selby said.

“Once you have winds sustained at 195 mph anything goes.”

Kapisanang Pilipino will have a box available during its regular meetings, which are every Thursday from 11:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m., in which anyone on campus can drop off clothing, canned foods or money donations.

To donate online, visit redcross.org.

Volunteer work engages SMC The new volunteer search program is designed to facilitate volunteer opportunities to SMC students.

U

ntil recently, Santa Monica College students seeking volunteer opportunities had to look on their own. However, with the Associated Students leading the search, volunteer work is now accessible on campus.

The Civic Engagement Program, led by AS Vice President Alex Vandertol, provides students with a platform to find volunteer opportunities.

"It is meant to broaden the volunteering opportunities of SMC students," Vandertol says, who also mentions that students not involved in clubs, such as Alpha Gamma Sigma, Phi Theta Kappa, the math club, and others, have weaker leverage in finding volunteer opportunities.

"This will give opportunities to students who are not directly involved with specific clubs," he says.

Vandertol says that the addition of a volunteer booth within SMC's job fair is beneficial to both local and international students.

Local students benefit from the job fair, but for international students who usually cannot work in this country, it helps to have volunteer work available to them, he says.

The CEP table during the job fair brought in around 50 applications, which Vandertol says is an excellent start.

Although he has taken the program's reigns,

jonathan ramos Staff Writer the motivation for the CEP comes from Van Tran, the primary commissioner for the AS vice president.

"I really wanted us to connect more to the different organizations to get students more engaged," Tran says. "I really am hoping that this program is going to somehow try to get students more active on campus — not just go to school and go home, but reach out to the community and see who they can help."

Tran, who sports a long history of volunteering, says she has not had any terrible experiences when searching for volunteer opportunities, but instead feels that volunteering has been beneficial for her.

"I've always found volunteering important, especially because I'm an international student," she says. "We can't work, so it's also a way for us to gain some work experience."

Tran says the CEP is an effective outlet for students not only to volunteer, but to help out with something they feel strongly about.

"I'm very passionate about human trafficking, so I volunteered at [the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking], where they help human trafficking victims," she says.

Tran feels that not knowing what to look for, who to call, or what applications to fill out can be intimidating for a student seeking volunteer work.

"This program would already establish the ties

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with an organization so that it's easier for the student to just go volunteer," she says.

One organization set in the CEP's sights is "Tree People," an organization that encourages people to plant and care for trees in different locations throughout Los Angeles.

On Sunday, the AS took a number of students up to the Santa Monica mountains in an attempt to restore an area plagued by fires and drought.

Although only a total of 15 people made the first trip, Vandertol hopes to increase the number of volunteers for each event as the program grows.

"In the future, we will have larger events," he says. "We're hoping to have relationships with volunteering organizations so that students who want to continuously volunteer at any given length of time can do that."

Vandertol hopes to organize a fundraiser for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines almost two weeks ago.

Vandertol says his ultimate goal for the program is for it to grow.

"I really want this program to be focused on bringing people together and helping the local community, and maybe in a couple of years, go even further," he says.

To access the CEP, go to the AS website via the student services link on the SMC website. Once on the page, click the "Civic Engagement" link, and follow the instructions on the page.

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4 news

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Amy Gaskin Corsair

Library visitors sleep in the library on the campus of Santa Monica College on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Library theft takes new shape

The amount of theft may be the same, but the way it is conducted is changing in interesting ways, targeting sleeping students.

S

tudents crowd in front of the Santa Monica College library before it opens, rush to desks to study and do homework, and occasionally take a nap. But in the flurry of it all, they are caught by thieving opportunists.

Although laptops, smartphones and textbooks have been targeted and stolen by thieves at the same rate as in previous semesters, methods of theft have become surprisingly direct, according to the SMC police department.

"Theft is the biggest issue at the college," Sgt. Jere Romano said. "The library is no different than other areas of the college."

Romano estimated that out of the 900 reports the police department receives each year, 300 are theft cases.

In the last week alone, five thefts have occurred in the SMC library. Some students leaving their items unattended have become victims of theft.

However, Mona Martin, dean of the library,

Albert Andrade Multimedia Editor explained that the long-standing issue of theft has been exacerbated by costly technologies in her 20-plus-year tenure so far.

“When I started working here, we did not have laptops being stolen because we didn’t have laptops,” Martin said. "So the items being stolen now are more expensive."

SMCPD cadets patrol the library often, especially in the aftermath of the shooting that took place there in June, and they are instructed to guard any unattended items they see.

"A lot of people, for some reason, appear to be very naive," Romano said. "I just think they're very trusting. They'll walk off and look for a book."

Romano said that some students will charge their cellphones on the public outlets around campus and come back after an hour to find them missing.

Items that are lost or stolen are reported to the library staff, who immediately notify the campus police.

"I don't think [theft is] increasing; I think year over

year we're pretty much stable," Romano said.

About half of the thefts that occur on campus are committed by non-students, while the other half are by current SMC students, he said.

Romano said that thieves work in cycles, and may hit University of California, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles College, other colleges in the area, and SMC. The SMCPD keeps close contact with other colleges to look for these trends in theft.

SMC student Erik Galeana argued that students should take some personal responsibility.

“People just get too comfortable and think that because it’s a school it’s supposed to be safe, but it’s not the school’s job to protect you,” he said.

Thieves have targeted students either sleeping or studying, and in several cases have stolen Apple Macbooks, iPads and iPhones right under the students sleeping on top of their gear.

But Romano assured that SMC is not dangerous.

"People don't need to be paranoid," Romano said.

"This is a safe campus."

Sticky car situations, library theft continues Vanessa Barajas Health+ Lifestyle Editor

Tuesday, Nov. 12 A 2009 Toyota Corolla in Parking Structure 3 was defaced at around 6:30 p.m. after a number of yellow Post-It notes were left on the Toyota driver’s windshield insulting her parking ability. The suspect also smeared some form of jelly or jam on the left side of the driver’s window and door handle.

A Samsung Galaxy Note cellphone was stolen from the men’s restroom on the first floor of the Science Building around 1:20 p.m. after a male student left it unattended for approximately five minutes. The student saw an African American male student entering the Science Building lecture hall with what he thought was a similar device in the subject’s back pocket.

A white leather wallet belonging to a female was stolen from the library at 1 p.m. after it was left unattended. The length of time the item was left unattended was unspecified. A follow-up report is pending.

At 12:45 p.m. a 14-inch white HP Pavilion laptop, a Samsung Galaxy S3 phone and $4 were stolen from a secured locker in the school’s gym. It was possible the padlock remained unlocked since there were no signs of forced entry. No witnesses have come forward.

Wednesday, Nov. 13 A medium-size brown handbag was stolen after being left unattended in the library for two minutes at 11:15 a.m. while the owner of the bag searched for her book. The case is currently pending.

An Apple iPhone 4S cellphone was stolen from

a desk at 12:35 on the second floor in the west side of the library.

The student victim saw the suspect — who wore dark-colored clothes — pick up the cellphone off the desk and walk away. The victim attempted to follow the suspect but could not identify the male.

Around 12:40 p.m., a gold Apple iPhone was stolen from the second floor of the library after a student fell asleep with it next to his head, and an unidentified suspect took the cellphone. A suspect was seen taking the device, but not known to be a student. The case is currently pending.

Illustrations by Jhosef Hern & Vanessa Barajas Corsair

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news 5

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Coyotes on the prowl in Santa Monica

Recent sightings near the airport and on Ocean Avenue could be due to urban sprawl.

Alci Rengifo Staff Writer

A

c oyote, thought to be a part of a migrating pack, was seen on Ocean Avenue and 25th Street in Santa Monica last week, several blocks from Santa Monica College.

The coyote sighting occurred after several other reports of coyotes near the Santa Monica Municipal Airport and the golf course, said Sgt. Jay Moroso of the Santa Monica Police Department.

The family of coyotes appears to have decided to migrate to the Santa Monica area, Moroso said.

"It does appear that it's a family of a male, a female and two young adults," he said. "It's a family. It's not like there's 30 of these things running around the city."

The sightings have been so frequent that the SMPD felt the necessity to issue a public information bulletin on Nov. 8, detailing what to do if residents encounter a coyote.

"As far as we know, we've had reports secondhand of sightings throughout Sunset Park area, the Santa Monica Airport area, and I believe one or two on the north side of the city," Moroso said.

Santa Monica resident Sonny Lettig regularly goes out for late night walks at Clover Park, which is located right behind the airport. About a month ago, he said he witnessed a coyote dash across the park’s large, open center field.

“At first I thought it was a cat, but I

realized it was much bigger,” Lettig said.

“It moved underneath the light.”

Lettig suspected that the coyotes were drawn to the park’s large dumpsters, where locals leave leftovers from picnics.

“I know they’re here,” he said. “They’re probably trying to get food the way bears do.”

around the airport in the brush area.

"We are looking in that area and have traps set up," he said.

Once the coyotes are safely captured, the police will contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to determine the best course of action, which could include letting them loose into the wild.

The public information bulletin states that "urban sprawl" can cause animals such as coyotes to leave their natural

Nick Kovalenko Corsair Coyote witness Sonny Lettig points at open garbage cans in Clover Park’s BBQ and picnic area on Sunday night. Lettig suggests that coyotes are driven from the Santa Monica mountains by easy available food sources.

While it is hard to determine exactly why a family of coyotes would descend into Santa Monica, or where they are even coming from, the SMPD agreed that the most likely cause is food.

“Most of these animals are all fooddriven, so they are coming down for a food source,” Moroso said.

He emphasized that it appears the coyote family has been living specifically

habitat because of a creeping human presence or activities such as construction.

After looking at a map, Moroso said he suspects the coyotes might be coming from the Will Rogers Park, which is at the mountain base, and stands a mile from Santa Monica's north-side city limits.

Moroso said there have also been reports of pets and other small animals

being snatched by the coyotes.

"We have anecdotally gotten information secondhand that cats, dogs and in one case a rabbit were attacked by a coyote," he said. "But we at the police department have no direct knowledge that has happened."

Santa Monica College Police Department Officer Summer Samano said that if a coyote were to make its way onto campus, the SMCPD would call Animal Control.

"We would deal with the situation as best as possible until they arrive," she said. "If it's just one coyote, it's probably more afraid of you than you of it. But if it's a pack of four, then it's an issue."

SMC student Paul Martinez was not too fazed by the idea of seeing a coyote nearby, but does know from experience the tense surprise of encountering one.

"Where I live in Eagle Rock, I've seen a few coyotes," he said. "I was walking my dog and saw a coyote across the street staring at us. I just slowly walked away with my dog, and luckily, it went away."

Moroso recommended that any residents who encounter one of the coyotes should call 911. If the situation is not serious or life-threatening, residents should call the police department's Animal Control unit.

To avoid encounters, the SMPD recommends that residents who suspect the coyotes are near their area to keep small pets indoors, secure garbage cans with secure lids, and to not leave food bowls for pets outside during the night.

If you find yourself facing a coyote, recommended techniques are to wave your arms, shout in a low, loud tone, or make yourself look as big as possible, including opening your jacket like a cape.

At CSU Channel Islands working side-by-side with professors, industry experts and professionals is an opportunity for every student. They bring theory into practice. They learn how problems can be solved.

These are more than field trips or internships to put on resumes. These are the lessons on which to build careers.

Christen Huff -’12 BS Nursing Registered Nurse II, Same Day Surgery, Community Memorial Hospital; Gabriel Guillen -’11 BS Nursing Community Health Education & Faith Community Nurse Network Supervisor CHAMP ® Program Coordinator, Dignity Health – St. John’s Hospitals

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+ Lifestyle 6 health

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Virginia Avenue Park gives back The Virginia Avenue Park Center is a community and family-oriented place where children and teens can go to for help, guidance, friendship, and holiday celebrations.

Jonathan ramos Staff Writer

As

the curtain closes on Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, Santa Monica's Virgina Avenue Park Center is busy preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Located on Virginia Avenue, only two blocks from Santa Monica College, the center takes care of dozens of children within its Thelma Terry Building, as well as teenagers within its Teen Center.

The center provides several activities, such as arts and crafts, homework assistance, and music playing and recording in a studio setting for its elementary-level children. The center has different specialist instructors or volunteers for each activity.

The Teen Center provides teenagers from middle school to college with areas of study, as well as rooms to relax and interact, including a lounge with sofas, a television, and wall space for teens to paint.

The center encourages teens to stay active and provides a fitness room with instructors to guide them through a variety of workouts and exercises.

Moira McCormack, supervisor of the elementary program and academic assistance program of the Teen Center, says the center provides all of these services free of charge to its members.

The center is funded through the city of Santa Monica, and it is given a budget each year, which the administration then uses to decide what to spend money on, she says.

As far as budgets go, McCormack says the center has been very fortunate, as it did not have to cut much of anything.

"I think we have had to basically be fiscally responsible," McCormack says, adding that they must take note of the areas of the program that would be more expendable than others if severe budget cuts were to take place.

McCormack also spoke of several grants that the center has applied for, but has not yet heard whether it will receive them or not.

With all of these free services already at hand, the center is able to hold several events that allow the community to come together to celebrate any given holiday.

One upcoming event for the center is its annual Harvest Dinner on Nov. 22.

"It's basically like our version of Thanksgiving," says Kelly Mehrvaj, a program specialist.

She says the center invites families within the community to go and enjoy music from a DJ, as well as possible live music from the children.

Paul Alvarez Jr. Corsair The Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center’s enclosed outdoor patio area displays artwork created by students and teens of the community on large-scale canvases. This area is also used for holiday gatherings such as the Halloween event Dia de los Muertos held last month.

La Posada is another event hosted by the center for its Christmas tradition. For this event, Mehrvaj says members walk through the community holding candles, and perform plays for the community.

"It's really a cool cultural event, especially if you've never done Posada," she says.

One of the biggest events of the year for the center is the Cinco de Mayo festival.

"During that event, we have a lot of performers come," Mehrvaj says. "We have arts and crafts activities, and it is open to the entire public."

For this event, different cultures speak about their history and what the holiday means to them. Other performers include Mariachi bands, who are known for their energetic Mexican style of music.

Additional holidays, celebrated by the center, include Mardi Gras, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Juneteenth, a holiday which celebrates the emancipation of African Americans.

Mehrvaj feels it is important to recognize and embrace

the cultures of each child, parent, staff member and any other member of the community, in order to grow as individuals.

"Basically, what we like to do here is if we have something, we share our own culture," she says. "The more cultures you can immerse yourself into, the more you have an identity to your community."

Although construction around the buildings prevented the center from holding some of their events this year, McCormack says the center's celebrations will be back on track in 2014.

"We just want to make sure that the participants are educated on the different celebrations that occur," she says.

McCormack says her ultimate goal is to provide services to the community that they otherwise might not have access to.

"It's really based on what they want," she says. "It's the input we receive from parents and from residents about the programs they would like to have here."

Peaceful periods, turbulent times Instead of fluctuating between fear and admiration, the United States may have more in common with China than once thought. fabian avellaneda Staff Writer

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effrey Wasserstrom, professor of history at University of California, Irvine, is a specialist in modern Chinese history, author and blogger, who gave a lecture at Santa Monica College on Thursday on the history of U.S. relations with China, as well as the future ahead.

A Santa Monica native, Wasserstrom first visited China in 1981, where he spent a full year and has continually visited the country ever since. He said there is an everpresent need to understand the global giant that China has become in the last century.

The country is always in the world's spotlight, but Wasserstrom said there are conflicting impressions about what the U.S. thinks of China, and vice versa.

Within a single generation, China has evolved into a state of large economic and

political power.

"The ways in which Americans feel about China tend to be intense one way or another," Wasserstrom said. "China has rarely been a country that we've felt neutral to. We've spun wildly between admiring China and fearing China."

At the same time, America is not viewed

by China in a neutral sense either, Wasserstrom said. For the longest time, the U.S. has waited and expected China to converge into an American-esque culture, something that he said are American "positive fantasies" about China.

In many ways China has converged, but it has also stayed the same. Rather than any one image of one social group, ethnicity or gender, Wasserstrom said it is impossible to generalize what China really is.

Wasserstrom showed a series of past images of magazine covers and propaganda, that illustrated how American views toward China have fluctuated the

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"positive and negative fantasies" over the years.

The photographs that Wasserstrom showed consisted of Chinese tanks from a 1989 Time magazine cover to another from a book titled "Death by China" with the image of a Samurai sword piercing the U.S. with the phrase, "One lost job at a time." This conveyed a sense of hostility and anxiety with the country.

Another image was of basketball player Yao Ming with Ronald McDonald, the face of McDonald’s and a clear American symbol. Wasserstrom said it seems that in the American imagination, China is either seen in a positive or negative way.

"September 11 switched our attention of fearing China for some time, but it's slowly coming back," Wasserstrom said, who spoke of "dream periods" and "nightmare periods" characterizing the relationship between the U.S. and China.

Wasserstrom said that China is not alone

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in its involvement in the "seesaw" of emotions, like Japan, but that the U.S. has historically fluctuated with feelings toward them as well.

Taking globalization into consideration, and the flow of the American way of doing business, Wasserstrom pointed out that there is a concern that China may someday become too much like the U.S. and eventually surpass it.

"China is both an economic worry and a geopolitical partner," Wasserstrom said, after posing the question of how the cycle can be broken.

He stressed to keep in mind the multiplicity of China because the worst of the writings about China make it easy to forget its diversity.

Wasserstrom said that it is important to remember that America has more in common with China than is often thought, which may go unnoticed in these turbulent, political times.

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Health & Lifestyle 7

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Scott Bixler Corsair Santa Monica College Career Services Center student worker Farah Hashim (left) helps SMC student Roberto Marquez (right) begin the process of writing a resume and looking for an internship at SMC’s Career Services Center on Tuesday.

Attainable internships offered on campus Now students can experience what it would be like to work as an engineer, a public relations consultant or a marketing representative, and sometimes for pay.

E

ver wanted to gain experience working in the career of your dreams while still attending school?

Some college students do not wait until they graduate and receive their degree to begin working in the professional field of their choice.

These students obtain internships that usually deal with their major.

College-level internships can last for a few months, and summer and winter internships last for a few weeks.

Students who seek an internship can do so for college credit.

A student must first find an internship from a list of companies that offer Santa Monica College students internships in the Career Services Center. There are many participating companies, from 93.1 Jack FM to the Beverly Hills Bar Association.

lorena garcia Staff Writer In order to apply for the internships, SMC students must set up an account on SMC's Jobs4u website, collegecentral.com/smc, and register using their student identification cards.

The website has the job or internship listings exclusively for SMC. Students can build and upload their resumes on the website, and they can be searched by employers.

The Career Service Center also has business booklets regarding the different businesses that offer internships.

Once a student has found an internship, he or she must attend an internship orientation held on campus, and is then given a month to attend one of the orientation classes. The classes offer more information regarding internships, as well as assistance in building a resume and a cover letter.

SMC internship coordinator Judith

White says that the Jobs4u website is updated continuously for students.

White says that there is no definite way to know if all of the companies listed are legitimate, but 99 percent of the time they are.

"We look over each one, but there is no way to be 100 percent," she says.

White also says that the most popular majors for internships are for entertainment, fashion, communications and business. A few internships can be paid internships, but most are not. Depending on whether the student is being paid or not determines the hours per week that must be fulfilled.

For a one-unit class that is paid, a student must work for five hours each week, while an unpaid class requires four hours per week. For a two-unit paid class, a student must complete 15 hours each week, and for an unpaid

two-unit class, a student must only complete eight hours a week.

SMC communications major Tatiana Cansino, who wants to work in the fashion industry, had a paid internship with a clothing company in the summer. She says the experience was valuable, and she liked the flexible schedule she was given.

"I was involved in various aspects of the clothing production process," she says.

Students are often encouraged to obtain an internship to gain experience in their career field. Some internships can also lead to a job when nearing the end.

SMC holds an internship fair every spring in May. Students in attendance can speak with business representatives about the internships offered, so students can be placed into an internship that is right for them.

SMC Career Services internship steps from College Central * Register with College Central Network.

* Search for jobs exclusively for SMC.

* Review your job history and report offers.

* Receive emails about programs, services and job-related topics.

* Build a resume with Resume Builder, or upload a resume.

* Build an online portfolio in Career Portfolio Central to demonstrate your work.

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* Access announcements, upcoming events, career advice documents, career advice videos and podcasts. collegecentral.com/smc

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8 Photostory

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Santa Monica College student-intern Michelle Nguyen (left) prepares news anchor Rochelle LeBlanc (right) for a live broadcast at the CityTV Santa Monica station on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Santa Monica College student-interns prepare the set for a live production at CityTV Santa Monica.

Santa Monica College student-intern Mateo Monje

Camera

Students interested in learning through hands-on experience of television and broadcasting production should look no further than the communication and media studies program at Santa Monica College.

Gail Fetzer, professor of television production at SMC, says her goal is for students to gain indepth knowledge on the technical aspects of television production, such as setting up cameras, lights, cables and other technicalities.

“We’ve been doing this for three years now,” she says, elaborating on her own time teaching the class.

“We do the main stage plays and we do the studio stage plays as well.”

Although her students shoot and edit projects in the classroom, Fetzer says the exciting part of shooting an actual theater production is that students do not have the chance to redo shots if they make mistakes, but must shoot the whole production in one take.

Ready!

Photos by Rachel Porter Text by Jonathan Ramos Santa Monica College television production students Brenda Cruz (left) and Andrea Dalfino (right) operate audio and visual controls on Thursday, Nov. 7.

for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com •

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photostory 9

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

sets up a camera with his mentor Ken Hinegardner in preparation for a live television broadcast at Santa Monica CityTV on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

“We have got to do it right then and there, and they really have something at stake,” she says. “They’ve really got one shot to get it right.”

SMC student Nick Powell says the hands-on experience of the program has helped him learn at a faster rate than by just sitting in a classroom.

“I’m gaining a lot of literacy in technical aspects of production that were previously unknown to me,” Powell says.

Prior to joining the program, Powell already had some screenwriting experience, which he learned from his father, who is a professional screenwriter.

SMC student Frank Vidrio already had 25 years of production experience before returning to school and joining the program. He says his reason for returning to school was to refresh himself on the ever-changing technology of production.

“Every camera is different,” Vidrio says. “Every switcher is different. Every piece of equipment is different, so you have to re-teach yourself all the time.”

Other than having experience on the SMC campus, for the past three years, students have been

participating in internships provided by CityTV Santa Monica.

Robin Gee, cable television and public information manager at CityTV, says the internship program was offered as a partnership with Fetzer’s class in particular. The internship has become a routine part of the class, as students need to complete 30 hours in order to pass the course.

Gee says that students who intern make up the entire production crew for the station.

“Here, they are learning the basics of studio production,” he says. “So they are hands-on learning camera and audio, and they can work their way up to directing, depending on how they do, how the shows are, and how the season goes.”

The internship is also available for community members of the city who wish to volunteer.

While the program has been around for more than a decade, Brad Lemonds, the broadcast laboratory technician at SMC, who also runs the media lab, says the program really took off in the past three years.

“We started with one DV [digital video] camera and my tripod,” Lemonds says, explaining that resources

for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com •

for the program have greatly progressed. “We have come a long way and hope to expand more and more.”

He says the goal for the program is to obtain a production truck to cover events, such as sporting events and more theatrical events.

Whether students are new to the class or have prior production experience, Fetzer says that the improvements shown are substantial.

“I’ve seen throughout the semester; they’re getting better at it and more confident,” she says. “They help each other. One student will learn something.

Then they pass their knowledge on to Santa Monica College television production somebody else.”

Rachel Porter contributed students receive a hands-on experience while learning the basics of studio production. to this report.

@t h e _ c o r s a i r •

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+ Entertainment 10 Arts

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Changing the way we view movies

Technology offers new ways of watching movies, making traditional theaters only one of the many options.

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albert Andrade & Gintare Urbutyte Multimedia Editor & Staff Writer

volving technologies like the Internet have created opportunities for people to watch movies on-the-go, or in the comfort of their home. However, this shift is significantly changing the landscape of movie-going and home-viewing.

Going to a theater nearby and paying for admission is more expensive now than ever before. An average ticket price is $8.05, even when adjusted for inflation, according to Box Office Mojo’s website.

However, the movie industry is making more money now than in the past, primarily because of the various options available to watch films.

Movies like “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3” were released within the past year, and have made some of the highest worldwide grosses of more than $1 billion, according to Box Office Mojo.

With a little more than a year since their theatrical run, these movies found a new home on Netflix, a service that offers unlimited streaming of movies and television for a monthly payment equal to the average ticket price.

But prior to its release on Netflix in June of this year, “The Avengers” was the highestpirated film of 2012, according to a study conducted by the TorrentFreak website, which brings the latest news on copyrights and privacy.

With the advent of the Internet also

come some of the movie industry’s biggest problems, such as patrons capturing movie footage in theaters and imported bootleg copies of movies.

Simultaneously, streaming mediums like Netflix not only give the artists their fair share over pirates, but also provide a middle ground for viewers who wish to see their films outside of the theater.

Professor Salvador Carrasco, the head of the film production program at Santa Monica College, says that many of his students tend to watch movies on laptops, tablets and smartphones. While acknowledging it as an evolutionary fact, Carrasco also has reservations.

“I believe a movie doesn’t quite go in the same way when you watch it on a screen the size of your palm as when you see it on a big screen,” he states in an email to the Corsair.

However, since his own film “The Other Conquest” also resides on Netflix, he says that in preparing for his new project, he is “making conceptual adjustments already, considering that people will also be watching it on home-movie and computer screens.”

“Although my natural tendency is still to compose for the big screen,” he adds.

Like Netflix, another subscriptionbased program called MoviePass aims to bring people to theaters with unlimited screenings for a monthly price that ranges from $25 to $40.

Illustration by Jasmin Huynh Corsair

However, MoviePass is still very young, with the popularity of subscription-based streaming services still being the dominant subscription model. This has come at the cost of physical media. Just recently, Blockbuster announced in a press release that they are ending all retail and mail DVD distribution in addition to closing the remainder of their stores by early January 2014.

Also Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber, coowners of the Santa Monica-based DVD rental store Vidiots, are directly affected by the various options provided by new technologies that enable people to watch movies.

“There are so many options now that it has been really hard for us,” Taubler says.

“It has greatly decreased our business because people have less time.”

Polinger says that even her own teenage children like watching movies on smartphones or tablets.

“They don’t care as much about watching something on the big screen or going to a

film like older generations,” she says.

However, for some, watching movies comes down to price. “[Going to the theater] is expensive, and I’m a college student, and we’re all broke,” says SMC student Blake Guzman. “It’s a lot easier to watch on my computer.”

Another new way of movie-watching was recently introduced by the Disneyowned theater, El-Capitan, with screenings called “Second Screen Experiences,” where young children and their parents are encouraged to use tablets and smartphones to interact with the movie.

This functionality has been immigrating to some physical re-releases of Disney films like “Bambi” or “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” where this interaction is an option.

Regardless of the many ways to watch movies, they will always be accessible, whether it is done illegally or legally, at home or the movie theater. At the end, the quintessential way for watching movies depends on an individual’s preference.

National Geographic photographer presents shots from wildlife

A photojournalist, who works in the world’s most remote environments, shared close-up images of hungry polar bears, lonely seal pups and dying penguins. revealed the physical endurance of Alci Rengifo Staff Writer

P

hotography as physical endurance and dangerous adventure illuminated The Broad Stage on Thursday night when Paul Nicklen, one of National Geographic’s most respected photographers, presented his work, a collection of memories gathered for 14 years in the polar region.

Nicklen has traveled to the farthest, coldest regions of the earth and captured through his lens the enrapturing vistas and wildlife.

The special presentation was titled “Polar Obsession: Photography from the Ends of the Earth,” which treated the audience to an hour of stories and images, some of which are still unpublished by National Geographic.

Nicklen specializes in working in the polar region. During the talk, he described himself as a photojournalist, “who dives under the ice and gets borderline hypothermic.”

Among the pictures of vast landscapes covered in ice or lush forests, some photos

shooting in the wild. In one shot, Nicklen, in full scuba gear, rose from underneath a sheet of ice, his lips swollen from the cold.

“I have the early onset of hypothermia here,” Nicklen said. “I’m so cold, I look up at my assistant Jeff, and I was signaling him to get me out of the water, and he thought I wanted him to take my picture.”

Another photo showed Nicklen’s regular polar base — a tent sitting in the middle of a vast sea of snow.

“This is home for three months at a time,” Nicklen said. “I don’t let any heat in because if you trap heat in there, you won’t want to come out and work.”

Nicklen discussed his passion for living in cold weather and exploring nature, which began at the age of 4 when his parents moved the family from Canada to a small island community near Greenland.

“I learned the survival skills I would need for what I now do,” he said.

National Geographic reaches about 40 million people with one story, which drives his passion, Nicklen said.

Other photos from the polar regions told stories about animal life that were as personal as any human experiences. In one shot, a female polar bear is pushing away a

for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com •

male that persistently follows her.

“I sat out there for 24 hours observing these two thinking they would mate,” Nicklen said. “But she kept pushing him away, and he would follow her around and around, howling because he really wanted to mate with her so badly.”

The photos Nicklen shared ranged from adorable to ferocious. In one shot, a small leopard seal looks at the camera from under a sheet of ice. In another photo, a polar bear snarls with a gash on his face from a fight for the right to mate with a female.

Nicklen described the perils of coming so close to the animals he photographed. As an example, he presented some footage in which a bear’s nuzzle is touching the lens.

The same bear then proceeds to tear apart the camera and gear with its claws.

“I love having to put together the pieces of broken equipment and then ship them off to National Geographic,” Nicklen said.

“It shows them that we are working hard out there.”

In one photo, a 50-foot-long bowhead whale passes by Nicklen’s camera. So large was the beast in the photo that it created a huge space of clear water around itself just by ascending upward from the depths of the ocean.

Among Nicklen’s most famous works is his documentation of the life of emperor penguins.

For his reporting, he won the 2012 World Press Photo of the Year award. The photos @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

he showed were comic and sometimes heartbreaking. In one shot, teenage penguins lounge around, bored as they look at Nicklen’s small Cessna plane sitting on the ice. In another, an abandoned baby penguin sits in the cold, soon to die.

Nicklen ended the presentation with a call for preservation of the wildlife, especially in the hemisphere. He spoke about the successful campaign by Greenpeace last month, which moved to block oil tankers from operating in the farthest reaches of British Columbia.

Scott Bixler Corsair Photographer Paul Nicklen discusses working for National Geographic at a lecture at The Broad Stage Thursday. The background shows one of his shots of a polar bear.

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volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

arts + Entertainment 11

Nick Kovalenko Corsair Santa Monica College students sit in the audience during the performance of Ron Meza and his jazz band Planet Afrobeat on Friday night at The Edye Second Space at Santa Monica College’s Broad Stage.

Honoring legendary jazz trumpeters, celebrating American music culture Award-winning trumpeter and 11-piece jazz band performed a collection of trumpet jazz.

C

Alci Rengifo Staff Writer

ocooned within the intimacy of The Edye Second Space at Santa Monica College’s Broad Stage on Friday night, the audience heard the music of trumpet master Ron Meza and his jazz band Planet Afrobeat.

“We’re going to get dangerous,” Meza said, as the band set up and prepared to play a selection of jazz classics and one original composition.

Meza, who has been playing the trumpet since he was 8 years old, does not only lead the 11 members of Planet Afrobeat, but is also a film composer and award-winning sound designer, who currently works at the Fox Broadcasting Company.

Meza and his band prepared a show officially themed “A Tribute to the Titans of Trumpet.” The songs selected for the evening came from specific trumpet jazz masters like Donald Berg.

The session kicked off with an energetic number titled “Step Lightly.” Meza introduced himself and the band as audience members streamed in, many of them SMC students who were being afforded extra credit for attending the night’s show.

Some Latin jazz was thrown into the mix when the band played “Recuerdame,” an

old standard that mixes the sounds of the trumpet with keys of the piano, played

by Geoff Stradling. Bassist Chris Conner thumped some snapping notes, while drummer Rory McCurdy pulled off a solo.

The jazz classic “Star Eyes” was performed as Meza led the way with a melodic trumpet section.

The only original piece that was presented that night was composed by Stradling, titled “Isn’t it Contagious.” It was a long piece, and Meza warned before starting the session by saying, “Please wish us luck.”

After the show, SMC students were left impressed.

“I liked the drumming a lot,” said student Gary Bernadino. “It has that kind of fusion — jazz fusion like Miles Davis’ album ‘Bitches Brew’ — you know, that kind of rock jazz.”

“It was great,” said Arty Han, another student. “I really liked it.”

While watching students surround the other band members asking questions or showing their admiration, Meza said that he appreciated the young audience.

“It’s nice to see people under 30 come check it out,” he said. “It’s a funny thing because when you listen to popular music these days, they are sampling this old stuff.

We’re playing what they’re sampling. It’s coming full circle.”

“You guys were well-behaved and very

for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com •

Nick Kovalenko Corsair Ron Meza performs on Friday night at The Edye Second Space at Santa Monica College’s Broad Stage.

educated,” he said, when he addressed the SMC audience.

Meza, who also lives in France, lamented that the American and French jazz scenes face some of the same perils.

“It’s suffering the same economic problems,” he said. “There’s less clubs and less money and less venues to play. But there is still a lot of playing and learning.

There are a lot of young people playing music, not living off of it, but learning.”

Meza complimented SMC jazz professor Keith Fidmont, who arranged the event.

“He runs it with an iron fist like a real jazz band,” Meza said. “That’s good.”

For students barely starting to discover jazz, Meza had a few recommendations, @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

including listening to jazz musicians from the 20th century like Chet Baker, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.

But ultimately, it “depends if you want to stay popular or get into more smooth jazz,” Meza said.

For Meza, there is a wider, more culturally important reason for appreciating jazz.

“It’s really the only American music,” he said. “This is something that came out of our culture. It’s a mix of a lot of things. It started here. It’s ours. We can’t forget we all had a part in it. We’ve got to be proud of it.

We have to support it, because without it, we have nothing to sample.”

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12 opinion

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Amy Gaskin Corsair

A library visitor sleeps in the Santa Monica College library on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Not just a bad idea

Students sleeping in the library need to be aware of the cost.

S

leeping in the library is not just a bad idea; it is a dangerously bad idea.

It is a common sight to see Santa Monica College students in the library putting aside their daily schoolwork to catch a nap in between classes.

These individuals take up space that could be used by students who want to finish homework and study for an upcoming test, turning it into a sweet spot for catching up on lost sleep.

Mona Martin, dean of the SMC library, says there is no policy against sleeping in the library.

“The reason I say we don’t have a rule against sleeping in the library is we know that our students — many of them are commuting,” Martin says. ‘’Students come in, start reading, and start getting sleepy.”

She explains that commuters who take early morning classes would rather pass time sleeping in the library than go home just to have to return to school later.

“I see students who come in here and just plain come here to sleep,” Martin says. “While that may not exactly be the intended purpose of the library, we know that sometimes students just need a place to sleep.”

Although students who fall asleep while studying in the library have a much more valid excuse than those who decide to walk in with the sole purpose of sleeping, both sides are at fault for the true danger within the school’s book haven.

Students who have left their personal items unattended while they sleep have woken up to rude and costly awakenings.

Jonathan ramos Staff Writer Within the last two weeks, there have been at least eight reports of stolen property within the library.

Six of the incidents occurred while students fell asleep with their personal belongings unattended, and four ended up costing students more than $400, according to crime reports provided by the Santa Monica College Police Department.

These thefts consist of only those reported, and combined with the thefts that have gone unnoticed, the total amount of crime committed within the library could be inconceivable.

As the campus is filled to the brink with idiotic individuals with nothing better to do than to rob others of their personal belongings to feed their own juvenile, materialistic pockets, victims of these crimes need to realize that they are just as mindless.

Students who sleep in the library are not resting their brains, but shutting them off completely. They need to understand that there are other individuals, who stalk and lurk within the library, waiting to pounce on any opportunity to steal valuable items.

Students should not expect these vultures to suddenly find it within the kindness of their hearts to wake them up whenever they see something worth taking.

These thieves will strike, and they will do it cleverly.

Students can complain all they want about how the school, the library, and the campus police are not doing enough to secure the area for naptime.

It is these same students that would whine and moan if the library were to ever enforce any kind of regulation against their library slumber parties.

The library and the school should forbid sleeping in the library. The school already charges a high price

for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com •

for food, parking and other fees. A penalty against sleeping would hardly seem like anything new. Let’s say a $10 penalty were given to sleeping students.

That would resemble peanuts compared to the cost of several items that are left unattended and stolen every day.

A penalty like this would certainly be at the disapproval of many students, but the school can no longer adhere to what students want. Instead, they must figure out what students need.

How many more thefts will it take? How much more money will it cost?

The library has been gracious enough to allow students to rest inside, but it can no longer just stand by as these crimes continuously damage its credibility.

As great as it would be to see the school do more to prevent thievery in the library, it would be in the best interest of students if they would just pay attention to the signs at the entrance and within the library that warn students of the thefts taking place.

Students have to decide if catching up on sleep is worth the risk of losing hundreds of dollars in personal belongings. Go to sleep early, or take a nap on the grass, but do not subject yourself to crimes which can be easily avoided.

The library is for reading, studying, and doing homework. It is not a place to sleep, and it is not a location to set up a crime ring. But since students cannot seem to understand this, the school needs to take action.

Without this, students will continue sleeping in the library, and continue paying the price for their own mindless negligence.

@t h e _ c o r s a i r •

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opinion 13

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

New thinking on inking Tattoos are gaining popularity among students and should not be stigmatized.

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Josefin Lindstrom Staff Writer

her has a butterfly tattooed on her butt cheek as a sign of freedom. Theodore Roosevelt had his family crest inked on his chest. My uncle, a retired captain, collected tattoos on his body to always remember the places he explored around the world.

Personal inscriptions on the skin is a form of art as old as humanity itself.

In 1992, when the remains of a 5,300-year-old Ötzi, “The Iceman,” was found in the Alps, more than 50 tattoos were discovered on his body.

Through time, different cultures from around the globe have used this method of expression, and still tattoos have long since been considered taboo in modern society.

The prejudices against tattoos still exist.

Body ink has constantly been associated with a rough, rebellious crowd by older generations, no matter how mainstream tattoos become.

It would be fair to say that the popularity of tattoos have exploded during the last decade. Prejudices or not, it has never been more socially accepted to decorate the body with ink as it is in our day and age.

Dan Regan, entrepreneur and owner of tattoo shop Black Banditz in Hollywood, said that old beliefs have done a complete turnaround.

“Attitudes have changes over the years,” he said. “Tattoos have become more acceptable. At first I would get looks of disapproval, but over time that has shifted.”

Regan said he receives satisfaction from meeting new people with his sleeves rolled down, body modification on full display, just to see their reactions as they find out both his arms are covered in ink.

“If they change their view or attitude toward me, I know they aren’t my kind of open-minded people,” he said.

Regan said most people who come into his shop do it for the same reason that made him do it.

“It’s a way to express myself — a piece of art that I own, that I carry with me, and no

one can take it from me,” he said.

Currently non-inked Santa Monica College student Mogeh Adjoudani said she is in favor of tattoos and their rise in popularity.

“It’s a way of expressing yourself or making a statement, as with any other form of art, except it’s displayed on your body,” she said.

Adjoudani’s said she has been wanting a tattoo for some time, but is too indecisive.

“I want to be 100 percent sure before I do it; once it’s there, it’s there,” she said.

Tattoos are a form of artistic expression and should be considered art.

Although it took some time before the first one was placed on my wrist — a gesture of gratitude and love to both my parents — thoughts about future difficulties like employment did cross my mind.

Depending on the choice of future careers, as with anything in life, different attitudes will apply to different professions.

SMC graduate Martina Lund said she understands why tattoos might be less desirable in some areas.

“I don’t think I have to worry about it where I’m going,” she said. “It might actually be an asset, showing your personality.”

However, no matter where you are going, you should always be smart about your decisions when it comes to tattoos.

A workplace — where prejudices and discrimination outweigh personality and skills — simply will not be a workplace of choice.

We live in an individualistic time, and it is becoming increasingly important to create your own identity. This shift in attitude has allowed for a new form of self expression to flourish. People continue to use their bodies to reflect their inner self, personalities, beliefs and political stances.

If you can express yourself through music, a book, fashion, or a canvas, then you can do it on your own body as well.

Ludwig Jonsson Corsair Jessy James (left) and Travis, who declined to provide his last name, show off their tattoos in Venice, Calif. on Tuesday. Travis says he wants to travel the world and get tattoos from the places he visits.

Ludwig Jonsson Corsair Cinthia, who declined to provide her last name, has a tattoo on her shoulder in memory of her cousin who passed away.

for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com •

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14 opinion

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

The stars are our destiny

Humanity will eventually have to leave Earth and venture into the cosmos.

O

alci rengifo Staff Writer

verpopulation, typhoons rendering entire countries to ash and rubble, and scarcity of resources are issues that require humanity's immediate attention.

One of the great inescapable truths about human progress is that as we advance technologically, we will need to seriously consider the idea of moving out into space.

Space travel for the average reader will no doubt evoke immediate images from cinema. "Star Wars," "Star Trek," and — heaven forbid — "Prometheus" are the vehicles for the popular concepts surrounding journeys into the black beyond. Films like Stanley Kubrick's 1968 "2001: A Space Odyssey" foreshadowed space stations, moon landings and even Skype-esque communication.

Back then, as the United States and the Soviet Union raced against each other for technological supremacy, using space as their arena, the idea of space exploration was exciting and even romantic.

Today, space travel is not as romanticized, but it is a necessity. Tragically, even as space-adventure films like "Gravity" pull in millions at the box office, the U.S., a dominant superpower on the world stage, has scaled back serious space exploration. No longer are we excited about going into the unknown to become the next Marco Polo in the firmament.

The online journal "Space" reports that for 2014, the Obama administration has approved a $265 million cut in funding for planetary science programs. A cut of $50 million is also being applied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Compare this to the $682 billion the U.S. sustains for military operations overseas.

"What drove us to the space race, to the moon, was politics; in all of these things, you need motivation," said Simon P. Balm, a Santa Monica College astronomy professor.

"We will always want to explore," he said. "That's natural, but you need to get the public behind it."

Indeed, space travel is not just about the heroism of it all.

It is also about basic progress.

"If you look at it as a whole, there's a lot of benefit from it," Balm said.

The amount of technologies applicable to our everyday lives, which are the result of NASA science, is impressive.

Among the notable technologies still expanding are infrared ear thermometers, which, according to NASA's official website, "permit rapid temperature measurement of newborn, critically-ill, or incapacitated patients."

Other highly useful tools and items being developed include advanced artificial limbs and heart pumps for patients awaiting heart transplants. All this is cooked up by the brains at NASA as they are trying to figure out how to keep someone mobile and alive in space, and then applying their discoveries to life on earth.

Even safety grooves on highways were first developed

by NASA for landing aircraft. Radial tires with stronger, thicker fiber developed by companies such as Goodyear were first developed by NASA. "A lot of what drove the Apollo program wasn't just beating the Russians into space," Balm said. "It was also trying to do some science. So you've got to try and justify on the scientific basis."

Now imagine what can be developed and created if the space program starts focusing on long-term exploration into farther reaches such as Mars.

"It's something we're going to be forced to do," Balm said.

"If you think about it, the human population continues to expand. We're running out of resources. We're going to reach a point where the Earth can no longer sustain us."

Illustration by Gintare Urbutyte Corsair

Earth will become very difficult to inhabit because we have damaged the environment. As civilizations progress, it will be natural for them to move out into space.

"My sense is that if we do go back to the moon, it would just be a stepping stone," Balm said. "Our ultimate goal will be to go to Mars. It's a much easier planet for us to adapt to live on. Mars is very Earth-like. If I were in NASA, and I had to choose where the money should go, I would be adventurous and push for Mars."

One key point Balm made is that space travel is becoming a hot commodity for multimillion dollar companies. These corporations sell flights into space for any billionaire with the cash to spend on such a trip. Just flying up there is no longer the sole responsibility of NASA or government funding. Instead, money can now be divested specifically to a Mars mission or similar forms of exploration.

Balm warned that there are of course many risks.

"You even have to think in terms of the psychological," he said. "Going to Mars would involve a small group of people stuck in a very small space for a long time together."

Although adaptation would be difficult, it is possible. As a species, this is a reality we will have to become acquainted with in the near future.

"I think it is our destiny, whether we like it or not," Balm said. "Either we do it on our own accord, or we will be forced out into space."

R.I.P. Facebook

Social media is dominating society, for better or worse.

A

Sumaya Malin Staff Writer

phenomenon that has emerged in the last 20 years is the increasing dominance and overwhelming presence of social media in our daily lives.

Talking to strangers online, posting pictures, and spending money to experience the latest features of a website have become common occurrences in our society, since everyone wants to be in on the trend of social media.

Sharyn Obsatz, journalism professor at Santa Monica College, said she is not surprised by the ubiquitous use of social media.

“It is in the human nature to be curious, to gossip and trade stories,” Obsatz said.

“Now it is just easier, and you can do it 24/7 with social media.”

There is one social media site that has been around for nearly a decade, and established itself as a dominant force. Facebook, which launched in 2004, was initially created to connect college students, and has since evolved into its own entity, extending beyond universities and connecting more than a billion users worldwide.

Facebook is set to be more personal than other social media forms. Users can make it more personal by creating profiles that reflect their personalities and lifestyles.

Also, unlike some other social media sites, Facebook targets a general audience of all ages.

But is it still in the same limelight it has basked in for the past decade, or are the lights slowly turning off for Facebook?

Both Obsatz and SMC student Noella

Illustration by Jhosef Hern Corsair

Kembo have expressed the advantages and disadvantages of using Facebook.

“As a mother of a young kid, I love taking pictures of him and sharing it with family and friends, and I get immediate positive response back,” Obsatz said. “On the other hand, by constantly sharing your life online, you may experience both envy and oppression by others.”

Kembo said the social media titan is used by some to craft an image that will appeal to others.

“I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and business contacts that are living abroad,” she said. “However, many other people use Facebook as a social community where they can portray a more favorable image of themselves.”

I began using Facebook four years ago, but have lost interest in the social media superpower over the years. The site has strayed from its original vision and has morphed into a haven for scammers,

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attention-seekers and advertisements.

Facebook’s purpose has also been ruined by those who use it to update their status with unnecessary, pointless events on a daily basis, like getting coffee or standing in line at the grocery store.

Some upload twerking videos, which they will eventually regret in the future, while others use the site to promote themselves as musicians, comedians or dancers by constantly bombarding the public with their videos and posts.

But Facebook is beginning to see a decrease in younger generations using the site.

According to an article on CNNMoney’s website, although Facebook has 1.2 billion active users and 874 million mobile users, the younger audience is losing interest in Facebook.

“We did see a decrease in [teenage] daily users [during the quarter], especially younger teens,” Facebook chief financial @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

officer David Ebersman said in the article.

Still, no matter what the numbers say, the site’s appeal is deteriorating, since the only real purpose it serves now is keeping in touch with family and friends who reside in other countries.

“This obsession with social media has created a lust for attention, especially for the younger generations,” Kembo said. “I do believe that Facebook will fade away.

A new website will probably launch soon, and people will jump on that train.”

Social media rising stars like Instagram, Twitter, Vine, LinkedIn, and Tumblr — all created for different purposes for users to utilize — have attained a growing success rate.

Whether teens may be losing interest in Facebook or not, the site may still see a domino effect in the future, where a mass of social media fanatics will stop updating their Facebook walls, and turn to newer social media sites.

It is a karma effect. What Facebook did to MySpace will one day slap them back in the face, as a new social media trend will throw it to the corner of the World Wide Web to collect dust bunnies.

Obsatz, however, believes Facebook still has some time remaining before it finds itself replaced.

“I think that Facebook is winning over other social media networks, and the site has several decades left until it fades away.”

Still, other social media sites will eventually outgrow Facebook, which will result in Facebook being replaced by a new social media giant that will storm its way into our lives, leaving Facebook to rest in peace with MySpace.

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volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Why now?

sports opinion 15

Controversy over alleged derogatory sports nicknames sparks debate on name changing.

T

jonathan ramos Staff Writer

h e rift between the National Football League's Washington Redskins and several Native American groups has recently raised questions on the offensiveness of some sports mascots.

For as long as sports teams have existed, they have identified themselves by a nickname chosen by owners and organizations. Santa Monica College sports teams are identified as Corsairs for the men and Lady Corsairs for the women.

But the claims of racism and insensitivity toward the Redskins for their use of a nickname that refers to Native American tribes have brought up the question of whether or not sports organizations should be allowed to name themselves after any race, ethnicity or culture.

The Redskins are not the only team to utilize a racial alias. The Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball is another team whose nickname has sparked protest from Native American tribes.

Other rather unnoticed teams include the University of Notre Dame, whose nickname "The Fighting Irish" portrays an angry leprechaun on a mission to fight, and San Diego State University, whose nickname is the Aztecs.

The Native American nicknames have been called offensive, racist, derogatory, and demeaning by groups advocating for a change of name.

In order to avoid these kinds of predicaments, new sports teams should no longer name themselves after anything that comes remotely close to resembling a race, culture, or ethnicity. The backlash is too great, and the controversy is unavoidable.

Whether they are honoring a proud culture and tradition, or whether they are deliberately degrading certain groups, these kinds of names seem to do nothing but cause chaos.

However, the battle between Native American groups and the Redskins organization has become pointless.

I am all for people who want to stand up for what they believe in and defend their cultural values, but this neverending saga lacks a key ingredient that neither side has — proof that the other side is right.

Groups against these kinds of names feel that the names are a mockery to proud traditions and cultures. The fact that certain sports teams are nicknamed after animals only adds fuel to the fire. Between the NFL, MLB, National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League, 39 teams are nicknamed after a kind of animal.

Some of these teams represent animals who are fierce, savage, blood-thirsty fiends, and when a racial or ethnic group becomes associated with these creatures, it is understandable that it might rub them the wrong way.

Others, such as Redskins owner Dan Snyder, feel that these names bring honor and spirit to such groups.

In a letter to Redskins fans, Snyder claims that the nickname is meant as a "badge of honor" and that it was "never a label."

After all is said and done, the matter withstands that there is no proof on whether either side is telling the truth.

Snyder could simply be trying to save his organization’s image, or his feelings for the nickname could be legitimate.

Groups against the allegedly derogatory nicknames could be correct in their claims of racism, or they could just be wasting their breath on a foundation that might not be anywhere near what it is made out to be.

It is, however, hard to sympathize with the offended groups because although the offense has a basis for doubt, there is no logical reason for why the offense is being voiced 80 years after the team was founded.

According to the official website of the Washington Redskins, the team was founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves and changed its name to the Redskins in 1933, only one year later.

Eighty years of being the Redskins, and now groups are voicing their concerns?

The Washington Redskins should absolutely keep their nickname in place. There is no reason that why, after all this time, the team should suddenly give up its tradition and identity.

The Washington organization did not name its team after a pack of wild dogs, and the name was not decided recently. For eight decades, the name has been associated with warriors who give their blood, sweat and tears.

If there is no honor in that, then each group must seriously take a step back to figure out what they are trying to sell.

Until then, groups against the name should take another route in figuring out just why the nickname is suddenly so wrong.

Get rid of it The term “Redskins” is a racial epithet, and similarly named teams have no place in sports.

In

David Yapkowitz Sports Editor

a recent football game in Alabama between the McAdory High School Yellowjackets and the Pinson Valley High School Indians, students from McAdory held up a large banner that read, "Hey Indians, get ready to leave in a Trail of Tears Round 2."

This was, of course, a reference to the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Yes, racism is alive and well in our society, and it is disgusting that it has made its way into sports.

Sports bring people together from all different walks of life and bond us all together around one common goal — victory.

There is no place for racially charged, offensive material such as that banner in today's day and age. That is why sports teams, such as the Washington Redskins, need to change their names.

While Dan Synder, the current owner of the Redskins, continually insists that they do not mean to offend anyone by the name, one needs to look no further than the past history of the team to discover the name's true intent.

George Preston Marshall, the original owner of the team who gave them their name back in 1932, was a staunch proponent of racial segregation. Before he died, he went as far as to set up a foundation in which he would leave his fortune under the condition that no money would be donated to causes that supported racial integration.

When the National Football League finally allowed African American integration in 1946, Marshall refused to sign or draft any to the Redskins roster, holding out until then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, along with Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, forced the team to integrate or else lose their government-funded lease on the Redskins stadium.

Given this man's history, it is not at all inconceivable to

Illustration by Jasmin Huynh Corsair

arrive at the conclusion that he most likely meant harm by the name "Redskins," a term that has been used throughout history to degrade people of Native American descent.

It is nothing more than a cop-out and pure ignorance to suggest that the purpose of the name "Redskins" is to honor and remember a once-proud culture. It is no different than any other racial epithet that has been directed to members of various other racial and ethnic minorities.

In a very courageous and powerfully delivered segment during halftime of a nationally televised game last month between the Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, legendary sportscaster Bob Costas stated, "Think for a moment about the term 'Redskins' and how it truly differs from all the others. Ask yourself what the equivalent would be if directed toward African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, or members of any other ethnic group. When considered that way, 'Redskins' can’t possibly honor a heritage or a noble character trait, nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term. It's an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present-day intent."

Costas argued that other such names like the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball, are different in that those terms have never been used to demean Native Americans.

I would take it one step further and say those names, or perhaps their team images, do offend and should also

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@t h e _ c o r s a i r •

be looked at because it is ridiculous and insulting for any other group to tell Native American people what is and what is not supposed to honor them.

Only Native Americans themselves have the right to determine what is honor and what is not.

In no way do I think that Snyder or members of the Redskins management are racist, and I believe they are genuine when they say they mean well toward Native Americans.

However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe them when they continue to speak out in favor of upholding the name. The team needs to do away with any remaining elements that connect them to Marshall and his racist legacy.

Being Jewish himself, I would think Snyder would understand the meaning of racial and ethnic oppression, and I imagine he would be signing a different tune if a sports team decided to use a swastika or refer to Jews in a derogatory manner.

Allowing the Redskins to keep their name, or any other similarly named sports teams, does nothing but continue to perpetrate racial stereotypes and animosity such as the ignorance of the students of McAdory.

These names need to be done away with, since they have no place in sports.

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16 sports

volume 106 issue 12 • november 20, 2013 • santa monica college

Corsair coronation

The Corsairs cap off their third straight conference championship with their 20th consecutive conference win. trev angone Staff Writer

T

h e 2013 season came to a close on Saturday for the Santa Monica College football team as they trounced the Antelope Valley College Marauders, 5730.

Not only did the win cap off the Corsairs third straight conference championship, but it also preserved SMC’s conference win streak, which now stands at an unprecedented 20 games.

“That’s three straight conference championships, which has never been done at SMC,” said head coach Gifford Lindheim. “That’s 20 straight conference games. This team really started to gel.

We started the season one and two, and then ended up eight and two. We ended up winning seven straight and running the table while growing as individuals and collectively.”

The backbone of this team the entire season has been their stingy defense.

“It means a lot to us; we had to come out and make a statement, not being able to go to a bowl game this year,” said SMC defensive back Nathaniel Allmond.

“We had to come out and still show everybody we’re still here. We’re threetime champions now, and we’re trying to get the fourth next year behind another big defense.”

With only a few minutes elapsed in the first quarter, quarterback Brad Hunt connected with wide receiver Anthony Okray for a 64-yard touchdown down the left side, giving SMC an early 7-0 lead.

Okray, described by Lindheim as “starting the season a good receiver and finishing a great receiver,” has especially come into his own the last half of the season and has been a big reason for the Corsairs’ continued success.

“It’s very important to put pressure on the opposing offense,” said Okray. “With that play, it took all their momentum away.

They were hyped to come out there. I had

people clapping in my face and telling me we weren’t going to win, but that play just broke them.”

After a quick three-and-out, and before the Marauders even knew what hit them, SMC wide receiver Kendall Tillman fielded a punt off the bounce. After seeing nothing but open field in front of him, he returned the punt down the sidelines and across the field for an impressive touchdown that pushed the Corsairs’ lead to 14-0.

With SMC’s flurry of scoring in the first quarter, Antelope Valley attempted to respond. After a long drive into SMC territory, Marauders’ quarterback Benji Phillipe unleashed a rainbow into the corner of the end zone.

But with extra time to track the ball, Allmond made a leaping interception to preserve the Corsairs’ two-touchdown lead.

“It was really important,” said Allmond.

“They were driving; we were backed up against our own end zone, and we just had to make a play. When I saw the QB roll out, I was really hoping he was going to let it go. Once he cocked that arm back, I was just like, I’m ready. Let’s go. Let’s do this.

I knew it was mine when it was in the air.”

Keeping the Corsairs on pace all day were Hunt as well as the return of starting quarterback Steven Hamm, who had been out since early in the season with a knee injury.

After receiving minimal playing time in the last few weeks, both players made their impression on the season finale, Hunt throwing for 215 yards and four touchdowns and Hamm throwing for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

“It felt good just being back on the field,” said Hamm. “I wasn’t even expecting to be out there as much as I was, but with Jerry [McConnico] not playing today, I just felt like I did my thing. It was cool.”

Despite the Marauders closing the Corsairs’ lead to 28-21 by halftime, SMC would spend the third quarter on a 22-point run behind Cameron Stevens’ first touchdown catch of the day, a Daveed Carter pick-six, and a Deontay Banks touchdown reception.

Jimmy Janszen Corsair Santa Monica College running back Eric Kyle breaks a tackle from Justin Powell of the Antelope Valley College Marauders at the last game of the season on Saturday at SMC.

As the clock winded down, and the Gatorade showers found their way from coach to coach, the Corsairs did not hold anything back. Celebratory and rowdy, most of the team had to be corralled under the goal posts as Lindheim delivered his final postgame speech of the season.

After Lindheim expressed his final

thoughts on the season, he was already focused on a fourth straight conference championship next year.

“We have a simple formula; it’s try to recruit the best players in the area who are good people, and coach them, and care about them,” said Lindheim. “We’ll get started with that soon.”

I want a school that reflects my world.

Apply to CSUDH today at CSUMentor.com, and join the growing community of international students choosing to finish their degrees on our campus.

CSUDH welcomes students from around the world with: • Scholarships for international students • Convenient campus location in the heart of L.A.

CSUDH

connects

• Dedicated International Student Services office • Wide selection of quality degree programs • Easy way to transfer credits toward your CSUDH degree • Attractive and affordable university housing

Learn more at CSUDH.EDU/International.

Jimmy Janszen Corsair Sheree Rouzan (middle), mother of Santa Monica College Corsairs defensive lineman Ty Rouzan, as well as family and fans cheer in the stands during the Corsairs’ last game of the season against the Antelope Valley College Marauders on Saturday at SMC.

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