The Union Vol. 77, No. 4

The Union

THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946

Local jobs prioritized for students

College officials to work directly with area businesses to develop partnerships

Ethan Cohen @itsecohen

In an effort to create more jobs and opportunities for students, El Camino College is working with local businesses and employers to foster

partnerships and pipelines into the workforce.

Aiming to build on the last 75 years of achievements, President Brenda Thames spearheaded the 5th Annual State of the College event by highlighting the college’s

commitment to serving the community.

“We are creating change,” Thames said.

The president said the hope for the future is to collaborate with local businesses in creating relationships to help provide

more opportunities for students including job fairs, work experience and internships.

“[We are] providing pathways, not only into college but also into the workforce,” Thames said to The Union.

SEE JOBS PAGE 4 →

Tobacco ban will harm local businesses

The Union brings home national awards

Eddy Cermeno

@eccunioneddy

Journalism students from El Camino College brought home top honors from two nationally renowned college media organizations, including two first-place awards for best college website and a secondplace award for best digital newsletter.

Both Warrior Life magazine and The Union publications were honored at “MediaFest22,” a convention hosted by The Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association. The event took place in Washington, D.C., between Oct. 27 and Oct. 30.

Some notable awards the journalism program received were in the Associated Collegiate Press “Pacemaker 100” award for the top 100 colleges and multiple College Media Association Pinnacle awards, including first place for two-year College Website of the Year.

The Union’s editor-in-chief Khoury Williams said these awards meant a lot to him because they are reflective of his time put into the leadership of the program.

As a smoke shop owner, Rakan Abdul makes a reasonable percentage of his revenue from the sale of flavored tobacco products and e-cigarettes.

After a 2020 law went into effect banning stores from selling most flavored tobacco products and tobacco product flavor enhancers, Abdul was afraid that it would hinder his business in the community.

The referendum was put up to a vote

Colonno @ECCUnionIgor

and officially passed during the Nov. 8 midterm election with over 60% of early voters favoring the ban stay in place. The final results will be certified by Dec. 16 and will go into effect no later than Dec. 21.

“One, it’s killing my business,” Abdul said. “menthols [are] the same for flavored and regular cigarettes… it’s people’s decision on whether they want to smoke.”

According to CalMatters, Proposition

31 gave voters the choice to either rescind the 2020 law prohibiting the legalization and sale of flavored tobacco products or uphold the current ban on the products.

Abdul, the owner of J’S Smoke Shop on the corner of Artesia and Crenshaw Blvd., said the confirmation of the ban could be extremely harmful to his business and the way people smoke should not be decided by the state.

Cashier Danial Alrabdi showcases “Grabba Leaf” one of J’S Smoke Shop’s top selling flavored tobacco products. Alrabdi said that the flavored tobacco ban is bad for businesses because the shop will lose a lot of revenue their products make. Khoury Williams | The Union

Igor

The Union staff flies in to Washington D.C. for MediaFest22. The publication was recognized as a “Pacemaker 100” recipient.

Cohen | The Union

ON THE STREET

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, The Union took to campus to ask students to share their favorite holiday meals.

Samantha Quinonez | The Union

Title IX is too complex, let's fix it

Union Editorial Board @eccunion

The office of Title IX, Diversity and Inclusion details the department works on cases dealing with sexual harassment, sexual misconduct and unlawful discrimination, yet issues such as bullying, mistreatment, mental and physical abuse take a backseat.

Although Title IX intends to protect all students and ensure their safety on campus, navigating the proper protocols can make it harder for students to come forward.

In addition to the office of Title IX, El Camino College has several other offices that handle similar student and employee issues, including Human Resources; The Assessment, Intervention, and Management of Safety Team; Student Development Office and Student Health Services.

El Camino College should expand the types of cases Title IX investigates to not only

streamline the process of complaints and issues reported by the El Camino College community but to also lessen the amount of departments that handle each case.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex, gender and race, including violent sexual acts in educational programs and activities.

The Sexual and Gender-based Misconduct page on the El Camino College website includes a range of unwelcome behaviors focused on sex and/ or gender that may or may not be sexual.

Many of these actions are in the annual Clery act produced by the El Camino Community College Police Department.

An annual report by the Office for Civil Rights, which summarizes the compliance and enforcement activities of significant civil rights, the Office for Civil Rights received 1,705 Title IX complaints in 2021.

Throughout the year, the

Office of Civil Rights resolved 1,458 of those Title IX complaints.

Students at El Camino are encouraged to file complaints of any alleged sexual- or genderbased misconduct by submitting a complaint in writing.

According to Webb, every allegation is taken seriously, however, figuring out which department that each appropriate case goes toward remains complicated.

Cases are determined based on their protected class. Gender, gender identity, and sexual misconduct fall under Title IX. However, race, ethnicity and age discrimination will be considered a Title V case.

Generally, student grievances start at the Student Development Office and are handled through Director Greg Toya if they do not fall under a specific class.

Once determined, the person bringing the complaint must bring any documentation or experiences they’ve noted, the date it occurred and any other evidence proving harassment.

If accepted for investigation, an investigator will conduct interviews with the complainant, respondent and witnesses; then will it be determined if any board policies have been violated.

In cases of bullying, it will go through the Student Development Office as long as it is not based on the victim’s sexual identity or falls under one of the protected classes.

The Union was cut off before finishing their questioning and redirected to the Office of Marketing and Communications.

After interviewing Amanda Webb, The Union was invited to a separate meeting with Jaynie Ishikawa.

Instances of abuse, bullying and general ill-treatment should be considered through the Title IX office to ensure all forms of harassment are being met with the same type of effort and importance to make certain all students and employees feel safe at El Camino College.

“Mac & Cheese is my biggest comfort food. My sister is the best person in my family to make it. It just goes with everything.”

“We don’t have turkey for Thanksgiving. “We have a Filipino dish called ‘Lechon’, it’s pig.”

“My favorite dish has to be the Green Bean Casserole. My mom adds habaneros in it and it gives it a kick.”

Katherine Le, 20 Kinesiology Major

Justin Spaginawan, 18 Undecided

Lauren Kelly, 22 Nursing Major

Believing in the American Dream

The 2016 economic crisis in Brazil cleared the way for new opportunities in the U.S.

Igor Colonno @ECCUnionIgor

In 2016, my life changed completely when my mom and dad decided to immigrate to the United States to start a new life

My perspective of life changed because of this nation, enabling every citizen to push forward and keep going until they have achieved success. The “American Dream” is real.

My homeland of Brazil is overflowing with happiness from its inhabitants. Brazilians may encounter different struggles, but generally, people there tend to have the motivation to keep going and moving forward with their lives.

My mom and dad reached their lowest points financially during Brazil’s economic crisis of 2016.

According to data from The World Bank, Brazil saw an expected decrease in Gross Domestic Product due to the World Cup events hosted in 2014.

My dad was offered a job near the end of Brazil’s economic crisis but faced a new reality in a different country. Minding a fresh start, he accepted the offer apprehensively.

As a young man, I was afraid I couldn’t adapt to a new language,

culture and environment. Not knowing much about the world was one of my biggest challenges.

“America, a country where freedom walks side to side with joy and hope,” my mom said to ease my anxiety during tough times. If only I had known what she meant six years ago.

Upon arrival, my dad’s job offer did not pan out as expected and there was only one option: to leave and return to Brazil.

However, giving up was never in consideration for my mom.

Living alone in this new country’s empty surroundings, my sister and I had to learn English to help my mom and dad. The task was not easy, and I often felt like it was too much pressure that I couldn’t handle.

The pressure I felt came not only from home but from school as well. I was bullied for not knowing how to speak English properly.

Every day I felt worse and worse and cried whenever my mom picked me up from school. I often refused to talk to classmates to hide my frustration from others.

My mom gave me advice and told me to find other students who may find themselves in a similar situation as me.

I thought my mom was wrong because I could not imagine that there could be

students going through the same thing as I did.

I was wrong. I found a group of immigrants who struggled to speak English. We all started talking and growing with each other. We became friends, and I felt comfortable knowing there were people in a similar situation like me.

This group allowed me to overcome my fear of talking to students at school. I became more sociable, finally showing my true self, and I was not scared of the bullies. I evolved due to my hard work.

Knowing how to speak proper

English now, I could finally help my parents get better jobs. They worked 12 hours a day in a restaurant to keep their dream alive of my sister and me finding success in America.

After spending six months in America, I could see that this nation was full of possibilities and opportunities. To achieve your goal, one needs to put in the work.

Six years later, everything I have achieved is due to the hard work and time invested for a more prosperous future, especially for my family, who have deeply dedicated their life to me.

A life where I fluently speak English, attending college and soon transfer to a university.

As a citizen of the United States, I have to thank this nation for allowing me to become a person who now has prospects in life and to believe in myself enough to get anything I want as long as I work hard enough to accomplish that goal.

I couldn’t understand the “American Dream” six years ago, but now I completely acknowledge and understand it.

Wanted: therapy cats for emotional support

The Active Minds Club can benefit students with cats along with therapy dogs on campus

Anthony Lipari @eccunionAnthoL

There are two kinds of people in this world:

Dog people and cat people.

Dog people can go to the library lawn at El Camino College, pet the therapy dogs, and have a wonderful time. But what about cat people?

Cats have been known to roam around campus for over 15 years as a natural part of the community.

The Active Minds Club, which hosts the therapy dogs event, needs therapy cats on campus because cats can be just as therapeutic as dogs and have their unique benefits.

According to UC Davis, Pet Partners is the largest therapy pet organization in the U.S, having 94% of their therapy pets as dogs. The rests are cats and other animals.

While dogs can be more suited for therapy pets, more outgoing cats can be just as effective as dogs can, according

to the article.

UC Davis says those cats can form powerful bonds as strong as dogs and be emotionally supportive if you earn their affection.

Although this is true for cats and dogs, dogs will not like you immediately. You have to earn their trust and affection by sitting, petting and playing with them.

U.S Service Animals lists the top five pets to ease anxiety and said petting cats for 10 minutes daily can reduce stress levels.

They said the same thing about dogs.

The other animals were fish, birds, and rabbits.

U.S Service Animals went on to say cats can be loving companions that enjoy cuddling and spending time with owners, despite having a reputation for being distant.

With cats being comparable to dogs, purring is something only cats can do. A cat’s purr can have a healing effect due to the purr’s frequency. The purr helps people who are suffering

from breathing difficulties.

Breathing issues are a common symptom of anxiety.

Behavioral biologist Dennis Turner, mentioned in the full article from UC Davis, said cats can tell when their owners are depressed or nervous.

“The cats were trying to cheer them up,” Turner said.

With cats being just like dogs and, sometimes, being better, El Camino College needs therapy cats and therapy dogs.

However, there could be

some issues. Where would the cats go since they can’t be outside?

There are multiple places on campus where a therapy cats event can hapen. Such as the library’s basement or the East Dining Room above the bookstore.

Another issue could be money. How do we pay for this?

This semester, there are four therapy dog events on campus. The first one was on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

The therapy dogs will be revisiting campus on Dec. 7.

It is simple enough to replace one of these dogs with a therapy cat event as a substitution.

You never know until you try. Sometimes events can be a bust, but they can also find luck and popularity.

With that in mind, it’s time for El Camino to take these therapy events to the next level.

We want cats right meow, give the people what they want.

Ashley Han | Special to The Union

Vo Khanh | Special to The Union

Voters uphold ban on flavored tobacco

Owning a total of six smoke shops, Abdul said 20% of his revenue in Gardena comes from vapes and flavored cigarettes. At an average price of $15 per unit and approximately 30 customers a day, Abdul is losing roughly $13,500 in flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes revenue per month.

Abdul said that although he is taxed heavily on flavored tobacco products, the high taxes are being invested into programs throughout the state that he sees as a benefit for the community.

The California Electronic Cigarette Excise Tax, enacted on July 1 of this year, imposes a 12.5% tax on all nicotine products for retailers. The funds from the taxes go specifically toward loan repayment grants for California physicians and dentists.

Campaigns on both sides are heavily financed throughout the state. However, the campaign to uphold the ban on flavored tobacco leads with large amounts of expenditures made and contributed to its campaign.

According to the California Secretary of State website, total expenditures for the ‘yes’ vote used its funds for television and print advertisements, campaign consultants, polling research and other spending was approximately $29,170,000 in the 10-month period, ranging between Jan. 1 to Oct. 22.

The California Teachers Association, one of the largest and most powerful unions in the state backing the ban on flavored tobacco, said two million middle and high school students use e-cigarettes and four out of five children who have used tobacco started with a flavored product.

In addition, the California Teachers Association added that the majority of youth e-cigarette users say they use e-cigarettes “because they come in flavors I like.”

For the ‘no’ vote, total expenditures are significantly lower at approximately $2,185,000 ranging from the same time period. However, the contributions received total $16,577,978 and are mostly from big tobacco companies.

Noe Negrete, 51, who owns

Life is a highway...

the smoke shop adjacent to El Camino on Crenshaw Boulevard, told The Union that around 35% of revenue from his store comes from these products.

“If [it becomes] illegal it would cause more uproar and it would release [people’s] frustration, and based on the individual it could lead to violence,” Negrete said.

Negrete said vapes also help people as a tool for escapism, serving as a relaxant for many. Political science professor

Joshua Casper said there are positives and negatives to both sides of the campaign.

“If the law stays intact the health of those that are smoking tobacco is generally improved,” Casper said. “If we overturn it, we do lose millions of dollars but there are other streams of revenue that make more than that. We still tax a high rate for other tobaccos, [it’s] going to keep other tobaccos for adults, but we’re not gonna worry more about youth using flavored tobacco.”

Casper said states carry the legal rights of people’s health, so the state legally holds control over the responsibility of its constituents. However, the populace is still given the right to vote on whether or not they want to ban flavored tobacco products.

The ban will be in place by Dec. 21 and store owners will be expected to comply with California law.

To read more, visit The Union website at eccunion.com

Internships, job fairs to be made more accessible

“Sometimes that’s simultaneously, like with careers in STEM technology, career technical education that also comes with work experience, internships and apprenticeships that students do at the same time [while taking classes],” Thames said. While the main focus was on featuring the advancements in STEM-related fields, the speech reiterated that providing tools for all students and their educational goals is the central principle of the college.

iterate the college’s goal to equip students with real-world, applicable trades to use in the workforce.

In recent years, El Camino College has been a hub for student innovation, spotlighting the new “Makerspace” in the library.

The Makerspace is a studentled initiative that includes 3D printing, virtual reality headsets, a video recording studio and a podcast studio to name a few.

are now supported by NASA.

“El Camino has a vast array of opportunities,” Santander said. “There is so much support for anything and everything that you want to do here.”

Santander, hoping to create high-quality, consumer-grade 3D printers that are affordable, explains that the opportunities lay out there, but students just need to find them.

pathways, courses and business partnerships that speak to the needs of students and the industry.

Principal Program Manager for Microsoft and speaker Heather Cook Newman said that with her experience in employee engagement, she believes students are looking for programs that support their needs in earning a degree and entering the workforce.

Washington University said workplace culture is a significant factor in the future demographic of workers and learning together as a team is what people want.

Director

of Public Information and Government Relations

Kerri Webb said that the intention for the event was to

Police Beat

Student speaker and electrical engineering major Moises Santander said with the guidance of El Camino, he was able to launch a new 3D printing startup with other students that

“You just got to reach out, you know, talk to people,” Santander said. “Don’t be afraid to tell people about your ideas because you will find someone that can support you along the way.”

With growing trends in the digital industry, El Camino College officials are developing

Monday, Oct. 24, at 9:59 p.m.

A report of a reckless driving incident occured in Lot L. The driver had no license and was issued a warning.

Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 9:04 a.m.

A hit and run was reported near 3200 Manhattan Beach Blvd.; campus police had assistance from an outside agency.

“I think at the end of the day, people are just looking for opportunities that they’re interested in, where they can make an impact and then find themselves a career,” Newman told The Union after her speech.

The theater major from

Thursday, Oct. 27, at 10:31 a.m.

A hit and run was reported on Crenshaw Boulevard and 164th Street; the case is now closed.

Friday, Oct. 28, at 7:08 a.m.

A vehicle trespassing in the Maintenance Yard was reported; a warning was issued and the subject released.

“[People] don’t want to be taken advantage of, you know, they don’t want toxic work environments,” Newman said. “They want to have a healthy culture… I think people are looking for places that care about them.”

“El Camino is one of the premier community colleges in the nation,” Torrance Mayor George Chen said.

Tuesday, Nov. 1, unknown time.

A laptop was stolen; the case is still open and under investigation.

Saturday, Nov. 5, at 10:12 a.m.

A catalytic converter was stolen; the case is open and is under investiagtion.

Raphael Richardson | The Union

Cars zooming by on the 110 Freeway in San Pedro leaves streaks of light during a rain storm on Nov. 8. Built in the 1930’s, the 110 Freeway was originally named the Arroyo Seco Parkway and is the United States’ first freeway on the West Coast.

Information courtesy of El Camino College Police Department

Rakan Abdul owner of J’S Smoke Shop says the law would severely affect his business.

Igor Colonno | The Union

New holidays could add class days

Debate over calendar puts college officials in a bind over missed sessions

Ethan Cohen

In an attempt to observe more multicultural holidays, the Academic Senate is in the midst of settling the debate over adding extra days to future semesters.

The discussion, which took place during an Academic Senate meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15, debates the proposal of adding Indigenous People’s Day, Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth as holidays during the 2024-2025 academic year.

The hurdle for the Academic Senate and the delegated body of the Calendar Committee is the required course hours for classes taken during the academic semester.

“The biggest discussion point in the last five years of the Calendar Committee is why all of our vacation holidays always land on Mondays,” Vice President of Student Services Ross Miyashiro said during the meeting.

Miyashiro said the biggest impact would be Monday-only classes and specifically those in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“We don’t want to shortchange students, so we need to create more facultystudent contact time by either adding hours or days,” Miyashiro said. “By adding days, we mean three hours in one day or out of that six [course] meetings, 10 to 20 minutes each medium.”

However, this only affects

short-term and Monday-only classes as the normal 16-week semester already accounts for the addition of Monday holidays.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Carlos Lopez told The Union after the meeting the addition of extra holidays to the academic calendar would be “a little bit tricky” because it involves changing the calendar to fit the needs of course time requirements.

“Those holidays take out instructional time,” Lopez said. “If we have a 16-week semester like we have here at El Camino, and we have Monday-only classes that are scheduled for the full term [including] two Monday holidays, that class only gets to meet 14 times.”

Lopez, however, is not a proponent of adding little time to the end of every Monday

President of the Academic Senate and biology professor Darcie McClelland said the

giving me an extra 10 minutes spread apart by multiple weeks doesn’t really help me get that lab in. I would absolutely need another class period to be able to teach that last lab or I would just have to teach less curriculum.”

McClelland said adding these holidays to the calendar is important and that no one on the Academic Senate is disputing that idea.

However, McClelland believes the major concern is ensuring students have enough time in the classroom to move on to the next level.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1800:

Congress holds its 1st session inside Washington, D.C., in an unfinished Capitol Building

1863:

Abraham Lincoln begins first draft of his Gettysburg Address

1869:

Suez Canal in Egypt opens, linking the Mediterranean and Red seas

1913:

The first ship sails through the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans 2003:

class due to the potential of students missing whole lab sessions.

“Losing a single day can have a major impact on classes and therefore cause us to add time to [the rest of the available sessions],” Lopez said.

biggest impact would be on lab classes because adding an extra 10 minutes at the end of every class does not benefit the students or the faculty.

“I teach labs and each lab is an entire section, that takes three hours,” McClelland said. “So

“[I am] just real happy, real proud of our team, proud of everyone’s work ethic this semester,” Williams said.

Williams continued to praise The Union staff by reflecting on the obstacles that they have been able to overcome during the fall semester.

“This semester has been a tough one because we’ve lost editors, we’ve lost a reporter

and even with that I think we’ve still managed to put out some of our greatest work that I’ve seen in my time being on The Union,” Williams said.

The Union’s senior staff writer Kim McGill was honored with two awards, including second place for Two-year College Reporter of the Year.

McGill has been a reporter for the program since the fall

Associated Collegiate Press Best of Show Awards:

Two-year College Website: First Place

Two-year College Digital Newsletter: Second Place

Two-year college feature magazine: Third place

Two-year college newspaper: Ninth place “The Pacemaker 100” honors.

of 2021 and said being honored was a surprise to her.

“Winning this award was due to the professors and editors and the people who share their stories,” McGill said.

Student media adviser and journalism professor Stefanie Frith has been in the adviser role for the journalism department since 2014.

Frith said one of the highlights was being able to

“Every time you put in a holiday, that’s less hours that we are teaching our students,” McClelland said, “so there’s just this concern and making sure that we have the time that we need to be able to give our students what they need to be successful going forward.”

take students to conferences and the ability for them to meet with other college journalists and industry professionals.

The journalism program has a selection of their awards on display in the hallway outside of the newsroom location in the Humanities Building.

Dean of Humanities Debra Breckheimer said when the team returns from award ceremonies like this, she feels

JOURNALISM AWARDS

Associated Collegiate Press Individual Awards:

Reporter of the Year: Second place – Kim McGill

Editorial Cartoon: Fourth place – Mackenzie Matt

News Story: Honorable mention – Delfino Camacho

Feature Photo: Honorable mention – Gary Kohatsu

Britney Spears, at 21 years old, becomes the youngest singer to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

like a proud mom.

“It gives me bragging rights when reporting to bosses and colleagues,” Breckheimer said. “It legitimizes all the hard work [the program does] and brings more recognition to the campus.”

To read more, visit The Union website at eccunion.com

College Media Association Pinnacle Awards:

Two-year college Website of the Year: First Place

Best Diversity Coverage of the Year: Third Place

Best Column: Third place – Kim McGill

Two-year Best College Media Outlet of the Year: Honorable mention

Best Magazine Sports Page/Spread: Honorable mention

@itsecohen

“The biggest discussion point in the last five years of the Calendar Committee is why all of our vacation holidays always land on Mondays.”

— Ross Miyashiro, vice president of Student Services

Academic Senate President Darcie McClelland believes that adding an extra 10 minutes to each lab would result in her having to teach less curriculum. Ethan Cohen | The Union

Images of concentration camps revisit WWII Japanese Incarceration

Mochidome is an English as a Second Language professor and the organizer of the exhibit. She said the impact incarceration had on Japanese-American citizens is important for people to understand and remember.

Ayoung girl stands behind barbed wire.

Behind her, mountains lined with greenery fill the background.

In between, hundreds of people look in all directions with watchtowers peeking high above them.

The girl in the artwork, titled “Segregated,” is Ruby Mochidome. She was at the Rohwer Ark concentration camp as a result of executive policy enacted by the Roosevelt administration which led to the incarceration of all people deemed a threat to national security on the West Coast inland.

Executive Order 9066 was signed on Feb. 19, 1942, and it ordered all people of Japanese ancestry, most of whom were U.S. citizens, to be removed and put into concentration camps.

“Images: America’s Concentration Camps,” commemorates the 80th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066. The exhibit is open in the Library and will conclude on Dec. 9.

Ruby’s daughter, Debra

“It’s important for us to remember that this is, sadly, a part of American history that’s really dark,” Mochidome said.

“We have to be really vigilant… so that this type of thing doesn’t happen ever again.”

Mochidome also said the separation and imprisonment of immigrant families remains an ongoing problem as many immigrant families from Central America and other areas of the world are being incarcerated.

The exhibit features artwork from several artists, including pieces from Mochidome’s husband Alvin Takamori and retired history professor at California State University Dominguez Hills Donald Hata. His late wife, Nadine Ishitani, was formerly the vice president of Academic Affairs at El Camino.

The exhibit has a display of books about Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Assistant Director of the Learning Resources Center Sheryl Kunisaki said her father-

in-law is in “Lone Heart Mountain,” by Estelle Ishigo, one of the books on display.

Kunisaki’s father-in-law, Kenji Kunisaki, was forced to leave for Heart Mountain, one of America’s concentration camps. He was not allowed to bring his dog, so he had to put his faithful companion to sleep.

According to page five of “Lone Heart Mountain,” “[They] carried their faithful pet home and laid him in a little grave under a tree while Kenji watched with wide, dry eyes with questions none could answer.”

Kenji remembers a white woman at the camp, who was with her husband. That woman was Estelle Ishigo.

Ishigo would invite the children to her barracks for snacks. One of the snacks was “sembei,” a Japanese rice cracker. “For some reason, she had access to good snacks,” Kunisaki said.

Kunisaki said her favorite art piece is “Remembering… To Prevent History from Repeating” by Alvin Takamori. The artwork is about the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, an event filled with

memorial services, speakers, and cultural performances.

“I was not forced by our government to leave my home but my family members all were,” Kunisaki said. “I feel I’m a part of the collective responsibility to share with others what happened to Japanese Americans during World War II.”

The art features banners of the 10 concentration camps on the West Coast, including Manzanar and Heart Mountain.

Hundreds of people gather to watch the pilgrimage and

behind the audience are mountains that stretch beyond the clouds.

Outreach Librarian Camila Jenkin is the coordinator of exhibits for the library. She said that her favorite part about the exhibit is not just the artwork, but the people she met who are featured in the exhibit.

“The people whose family members are portrayed here, they stood in our lobby,” Jenkin said. “That’s pretty wild.”

Assistant Director of the Learning Resources Center Sheryl Kunisaki shows the book "Lone Heart Mountain" by Estelle Ishigo. The book tells the story of her father-in-law Kenji Kunisaki having to go to Heart Mountain, one of the concentration camps on the West Coast. The book is on display and can be checked out at the Library. Anthony Lipari | The Union

Ruby Mochidome, English as a Second Language professor Debra Mochidome's mother, is shown in this artwork titled "Segregated" by Alvin Takamori at the "Images: America's Concentration Camps" exhibit at the Library. The exhibit will close Dec. 9. Anthony Lipari | The Union

UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

As the sun set and classes were let out, the Student Services Plaza filled with curious onlookers and a welcoming spread of informational booths.

College Night at El Camino is the place where prospective students, parents, adult learners, educators and community members come to learn about what the college has to offer.

The event focused on showing the college to the public and highlighting the strengths that community colleges, especially El Camino, have.

Though College Night has passed, the welcoming space that this campus offers remains and continues to change the lives of many located in the area.

— Ethan Cohen

Large balloons spelling "ECC" are displayed for College Night at the Student Services Plaza on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The event hosted various booths and food for the community to walk through and find out more about El Camino College. Ethan Cohen | The Union

The College Night event saw various booths and programs set up along the plaza offering food and information about their programs on campus. Ethan Cohen | The Union

A wide variety of attractions including a photo booth were among the other booths and food stations. Tours were also led around the surrounding area and campus. Ethan Cohen | The Union

People amassed at the Student Services Plaza for the Seventh Annual College Night at El Camino College on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Total estimates for the event's crowd was over 500 people. Ethan Cohen | The Union

The event was a family affair attracting people both young and old to campus to participate in its festivities. Ethan Cohen | The Union

Numerous teams advance to postseason

Soccer:

• Women’s team secured a playoff berth as the no. 21 seed in the California Community College Athletics Association Southern California Regional Playoffs, and are expected to face no. 12 Mira Costa on the road.

• Men’s team are currently the no. 4 seed for the CCCAA’s Southern California Regional playoffs. The men clinched a first-round bye, and will play host to the winner of no. 13 Irvine Valley and no. 20 Antelope Valley on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at Murdock Stadium.

Cross country:

• Heading to Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday, Nov. 19 for the CCCAA State Championships. The women qualified for state as a team, placing fifth at Southern California Regionals.

• The individual qualifier for the men’s team was Dominic Marino.

• This is the first time in 32 years the men will not be running as a team at state championships.

Water polo:

• Women competed in the South Coast Conference Championships at home, defeating Chaffey 14-5. El Camino later faced Cerritos at home on Saturday, Nov. 5 for the third place game, but was defeated 13-5.

• Men’s team also competed in SCC at home against Cerritos, and was defeated 23-11, ending their season.

Football:

• Ended the regular season on the road at Palomar, on Saturday, Nov. 12, dominating the Comets 52-24.

• Linebacker Lando Brown surpassed Daniel Stewart on Nov. 5, setting the El Camino all-time record in career sacks, with 23.5. Brown capitalized on the record by adding two more sacks against Palomar, setting the El Camino single-season sack record with 16.5 for the season, and now has a career-high 25.5 sacks.

• The football team will be playing a bowl game, which will be announced at a later date.

Basketball:

• Both the men and women’s teams began in early November. Women (1-2), men (4-0).

• Men’s team is off to a hot start, starting the season undefeated.

Mya Johnson goes for a kill during a home game against Mt. San Jacinto on Nov. 16. Greg Fontanilla | The Union

Ariana Ramirez after a home game on Oct.

18. Greg Fontanilla | The Union

Khyren Ross running a route during a home game on Oct. 22. Greg Fontanilla | The Union

Melissa Brill launches the ball during a home game against Chaffey on Oct. 12 at home. Greg Fontanilla | The Union

Nicholas Baltazar takes the ball downfield during a home game on Oct. 18. Greg Fontanilla | The Union

Dominic Marino during practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16. Angel Hernandez | The Union