The Union Vol. 77, No. 7

The Union

SERVING

1946

Student trapped inside elevator

Joshua Flores @JoshuaFlores2004

A 25-year-old student was trapped inside a Humanities Building elevator on the morning of Thursday, March 16, at 9:45 a.m.

Campus police were informed

of the incident when mechanical engineering major Nicole Sakamoto, 19, alerted them when trying to use the elevator to get to the second floor but found the door partially open with Adriana Montano trapped inside.

Montano, who is hard of

hearing, attempted to use the elevator, however, when inside and the doors closed, she was stuck inside.

“I knew somebody was going to come,” Montano said. “I’m hard of hearing so I use a [transcriber]… so whenever I press something and someone

Former athlete and aspiring firefighter dies

speaks, my phone gets it and then it just writes everything down.”

Patrol Officers Francisco Esqueda and Benjamin Kim quickly arrived on the scene at 9:48 and got to work trying to free Montano.

SEE ELEVATOR PAGE 5 →

Federation officials say district offer not good enough

Nindiya Maheswari & Ethan Cohen

The demand for fair wages, affordable healthcare, smaller class sizes and the cost-of-living adjustment dominated discussion during public comment at the Board of Trustees meeting Monday, March 20.

Disputes between the El Camino College Federation of Teachers and the El Camino College District continue to rage on as faculty and district officials failed to reach an agreement at the previous Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 22 and contract negotiations on March 10.

Federation Vice President for part-time faculty Laila Dellapasqua told The Union during a previous interview on March 16 El Camino is far behind its sister colleges in terms of wages, benefits and basic working conditions.

“Many of my part-time colleagues with [Masters] and Ph.D.’s have not seen any upward mobility on their pay rate scale; their hourly pay rate is stationary,” Dellapasqua said. “Highly qualified educators deserve a longevity increment.”

Dellapasqua said part-time faculty are deserving of quality healthcare and faculty wellness directly impacts and contributes to student success.

The Union asked Jane Miyashiro, vice president of human resources, for comment. Miyashiro, who is on the negotiations team, directed The Union to a previously emailed statement about the district’s position on the negotiations from Director of Public Information and Government Relations Kerri Webb.

Ethan Cohen

@itsecohen

Former El Camino College baseball player and aspiring firefighter Cameron Schneider died at the age of 21.

Schneider’s death was announced by the El Camino baseball team’s social media accounts on Friday, March 3.

Hailing from Peninsula High School, Schneider played baseball at El Camino and was on track to follow in his family’s footsteps to go into firefighting according to close friend Nico Anvirapour.

Anvirapour, 21, grew up knowing Schneider in middle school and said their friendship really “blossomed into a brotherhood” over the years as they both pursued going into firefighting together.

“His dad was a big-time captain for LA County,” Anvaripour said. “I think after a while he realized it was his calling.”

Anvaripour said his last conversation with Schneider was discussing questions he had about the emergency medical technician exams and asking about his day.

“It’s heartbreaking for me in the sense that I can understand his dreams and what he wanted to do,” Anvaripour said. “I can never imagine that being taken away from you.”

Officially, there is no information about a service for Schneider or a tribute from the Warriors baseball team.

“[Schneider] really had a passion for helping other people,” Anvaripour said. “He was a people person and that’s why he would’ve been so good for the job.”

President Kelsey Iino leads a march around campus with faculty, staff, employees and students on Tuesday, Feb, 28.

Khoury Williams | The Union

The Union approached Trustee Trisha Murakawa to comment on the ongoing contract negotiations. She said she is not allowed to comment because the district is still negotiating and suggested reaching out to PR.

Trustees Nilo Michelin and Clifford Numark could not share the details of contract negotiations as discussed during the closed session, however, they highlighted their support for faculty.

Photo courtesy of El Camino College Athletics Department @nindiyamaheswa1 @itsecohen

El Camino College Federation of Teachers

Wanted: Mascot for El Camino College

Union Editorial Board @eccunion

Colleges and universities across California, in the bleachers, at stadiums, have a mascot to show their school support and to cheer the supporters.

Mascots entertain students and employees who are at the game and sometimes take the spotlight away from the match.

El Camino’s lack of a mascot during home games is not beneficial to students and players. The college should take the initiative to create a mascot to cheer up and bring the spirit of the Warriors to the game.

Previously, El Camino had a mascot known as the “Warrior,” taking inspiration from the traditional Native American warrior.

However, after reconsideration and a series of redesigns, teams across the U.S. have changed the stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans, which was deemed offensive and vulgar. Including the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins.

It has affected professional and college teams, including El Camino.

Since then, the college has yet to make any statement for a change or removal, leaving students and staff wondering what happened to their mascot.

The impact could be seen firsthand in home games, where there’s no more mascot to cheer on the players and the crowd, and this leaves them separated from the game and from the Warrior spirit that the mascot brought within.

According to Olympus Mascots, the psychology behind a college mascot in general is “they feel like part of its community because it’s the one thing they shared with every other student.”

College mascots help promote college branding and identification of the college. It also adds personification, engages students and faculty in the promotion of events, and allows a better relationship between staff and students.

For instance, California State University Dominguez Hills has the “Toro” as its mascot. The college uses it as a marketing tool for social media, implementing the mascot on their Instagram stories and making him perform acts for events, bringing an identity to their college.

As mentioned before, mascots not only help El Camino with home games but also helps the student to have a better identification with the college.

One solution to choosing a mascot would be to submit ideas and illustrations to the college and let students and employees decide on the best submission.

Not only would it satisfy staff for a college identity but especially the students who would directly help to bring a new mascot to life.

El Camino needs an identity. The Warriors name just isn’t enough, as it doesn’t bring any form of connection, and it can be considered only as a place-holder nickname for many students.

Students and employees could choose something unique to the area or the college for the mascot’s name.

Warriors is used across multiple colleges and universities in the U.S., including Westmont College in Santa Barbara and Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Warriors could be seen as not original by many, especially students who may face struggles relating to the college’s generic nickname.

In comparison, Cerritos College uses “Franco Falcon” and Orange Coast College with “Pete, the Pirate,” both being very different from other colleges and American professional teams.

The mascot would be a great addition to everybody. It would benefit students and staff, which sometimes cross issues in promoting events to students or watching El Camino over the bleachers at home games.

EL CAMINO COLLEGE

The Union

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946

No. 7 March 23, 2023

EDITORS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Khoury Williams eccunion@gmail.com

MANAGING EDITOR Ethan Cohen managing.eccunion@gmail.com

NEWS EDITOR Ethan Cohen news.eccunion@gmail.com

ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR Brittany Parris af.eccunion@gmail.com

SPORTS EDITOR Greg Fontanilla sports.eccunion@gmail.com

COPY EDITOR Anthony Lipari eccunion@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Delfino Camacho SM.eccunion@gmail.com

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Nindiya Maheswari MM.eccunion@gmail.com

OPINION EDITOR Igor Colonno opinion.eccunion@gmail.com

PHOTO EDITORS Ethan Cohen Greg Fontanilla photo.eccunion@gmail.com

STAFF

Eddy Cermeno

Jesus "Jesse" Chan

Khallid Muhsin

Samantha Quinonez

Kim McGill

Matheus Trefilio

Rachel Lampert

Raphael Richardson

Brianna Vaca

Alexis Ponce

Angel Hernandez

Reina Quevedo

Bryan Sanchez

Kai Martinez

Renzo Arnazzi

Irvin Alamo

Taylor Sharp

Senior Staff Writer

Senior Staff Writer

Senior Staff Writer Senior Staff Writer

Senior Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer

Senior Photographer Senior Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer

ADVISERS

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISER Stefanie Frith sfrith@elcamino.edu

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISER Kate McLaughlin kmclaughlin@elcamino.edu

PHOTO ADVISER Nguyet Thomas nthomas@elcamino.edu

ADVERTISING MANAGER Jack Mulkey elcounionads000@yahoo.com

CORRECTION POLICY: The Union takes corrections and clarifications very seriously. If a correction is needed, email The Union at eccunion@gmail.com for all corrections and inquiries pertaining to a story.

EDITORIALS: Editorials represent the views of the The Union’s editorial board. Columns represent the views of the writer. Neither are representations of what the newspaper staff, other students, our advisers, faculty or the administration think.

LETTERS AND GUEST COLUMN POLICY: No more than two guest columns from the same person will be considered for publication or online use in the same semester, and 60 days must elapse before a second column is published. Guest columns should generally run 300-450 words. Letters to the editor should generally run no longer than 200 words. All columns and letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and style. They must be free of libel and in good taste. Publication or rejection of any column is at the sole discretion of the editorial board.

The Union is an award-winning, nationally recognized publication that prints on designated Thursdays by Journalism 11 and 14 students at El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90506, and is free to the student body and staff. The Union publishes daily online at eccunion.com.

Kae Takazawa | The Union

A weight journey with life lessons

Eating disorders are high and underreported among men; we need more resources

Delfino Camacho @delfino_cam

When I first graduated high school in June 2011 I weighed around 285 pounds, standing 5-foot-9-inch. Suffice it to say I was not healthy.

After suffering from bullying and self-esteem issues in middle and high school, I was tired of being the “fat kid.”

I spent the summer of 2 011 in a personal boot camp; eating healthier, creating better habits and getting more exercise.

By the end of the summer, I had lost over 100 pounds; by the end of the year, I weighed around 125 pounds. In over a year I had gone from severely overweight to dangerously underweight.

During my freshman year in college, I was getting used to living life 100 pounds lighter. I had good intentions, but I lost control.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, people typically begin showing signs of eating disorders between 18 and 21. While that age range is not restricted, it is the norm.

One night I went out with friends who had never known I was overweight. Ending with a late dinner I ordered a diet coke, explaining I wasn’t really hungry while in reality I didn’t want to risk the extra calories.

My new friends thought that I must have been on a tight

budget so they bought me a sandwich and fries. I had no choice, I said thanks and scarfed it down. I felt awful.

At home I looked in the mirror, prodding myself. I was sure by the next day I would be able to see the physical weight added from that one meal.

Suddenly I had an idea; I had been “bad” tonight, so tomorrow I would just have to be “good.”

The next day I didn’t eat and I exercised extra hard, convinced I was making up for my mistake.

It was a downward spiral from there.

While I was never formally diagnosed, I knew I was suffering from a condition known as anorexia nervosa, a condition where people avoid or severely restrict their access to food.

At my worst, I was only eating only one meal a day and way under 1,000 calories. I exercised for hours at a time and was still convinced I could stand to lose a bit more weight.

By the time I could admit I had a problem, I felt ashamed. Men aren’t supposed to suffer from this, I thought.

I reached out for help and found comfort in an online amateur support group.

I had been anonymously talking with them for weeks but after revealing in conversation that I was male I was politely asked to no longer participate.

American Addiction Centers

reports that documented eating disorders among women are 2.5 times higher as compared to men. However, the National Eating Disorders Association reports from 1999 to 2009, hospitalization of males for eating disorders increased by 53%.

Men represent about 25% of reported cases of anorexia nervosa.

Ultimately it was two women who cared enough to confront

me and ask uncomfortable questions. A college coach and my partner finally got me to realize I needed help.

What helped me was acceptance, from outside sources and myself.

My journey to recovery would take a few years.

But it shouldn’t have taken that long. Men need more resources to safely talk about these issues, free from stigma and judgment.

Accepting my issues and realizing there are no shortcuts to health made a big difference, accepting my problems made them seem not so big anymore. For individuals struggling with a similar situation, my advice is to be kind to yourselves, ask for help and realize the solutions are lifestyle-based.

Options needed for transfer workshops

Individual assistance for transfer workshops may benefit students with a busy schedule

Jesse Chan @JJesseChan

When I first started at El Camino College, I didn’t give transferring much thought. I was a reluctant student and did not ask for help when I needed it; it felt instinctive and I had no plan of transferring to any university.

However, as the fall 2022 semester began, I made the decision to transfer.

It can be exciting to transfer as a first-time university student but having no one to help you can get frustrating.

That was my experience last semester. When the time came to submit applications I was unaware of where to turn to for help.

I was told to attend the transfer assistance workshops. This is where the constant emails from counselors

promoting transfer workshops for students who need assistance with applications come in.

Help both in person at the Student Services Building and online via Zoom, the transfer workshops have the drawback of providing step-by-step instructions on specific days of the week.

If students can’t make a specific date, they would have to attend the next available workshop. For any additional help, students can visit the help labs. Often, students will do as I did and email their counselors for help, however, the responses are always the same.

According to a Nov. 11, 2022 email provided by counselors, transfer applicants were advised to visit the transfer center for workshops.

Attending the workshops is not often practical for a person

who works afternoon shifts and has anthropology assignments due the evenings of certain workshops. However, students are still

attend hour-long workshops and expect them to memorize all the information.

As someone who tries to balance his schedule to accommodate his job, it can be discouraging to be told that I can’t receive personalized support unless I attend scheduled workshops.

Many students are not willing to sacrifice hours at work to attend a workshop due to rising costs and inflation.

working and study alone compared to group settings due to social anxiety.

Therefore, students should be encouraged to plan appointments with transfer experts rather than being reminded of workshop dates. More days ought to be added for students who are unable to attend certain workshops.

required to attend the workshops in order to get assistance with completing applications.

Last semester was overwhelming. I never had considered skipping a class or taking a semester off before.

I am someone who works better in a one-on-one environment and that is the issue: it’s hard to tell students to

Group-setting workshops are a fantastic way to teach practical skills to students for future and ongoing college applications since they allow participants to learn simultaneously with each other.

However, not all students benefit from group workshops and online videos.

The American Society for Cell Biology researched that there were many students who prefer

Personalized assistance to each student would be a solution since many students have different backgrounds that may impact their applications and also would be beneficial to students with busy schedules, not needing to infringe on their availability.

In the end, I completed everything I needed to do. I have moved one step closer to starting my career.

“The application had me feeling confused, nervous and angry; My experience was terrible.”

A side-by-side comparison of first being overweight and then underweight over the course of roughly one year, from early 2011 to March 2012. (Delfino Camacho | The Union)

Cherry Blossom Festival brings the storm indoors

In spite of the iron grey clouds overhead, the cherry blossom trees outside were in full bloom

Erica Lee

With a roll of thundering drumbeats and a lightning-sharp crack of sticks striking together, members of Asano Taiko U.S. raised a storm indoors.

At 10 past noon, the three performers took their places at their instruments.

They raised their thick wooden drumsticks high in the air.

And with a loud cry, brought them down.

What followed was ten minutes of a rolling crescendo punctuated by the light smattering of tapping drumsticks against the wooden rims like raindrops. The heavy beats pulsed through the room deeper than a racing heartbeat.

As the heavier rhythms of the larger drums reverberated through the Social Justice Center, a light shower of dust

Delgado said.

“It’s actually going to align with the festival,” Delgado said. “That’s always tricky to line up when we do the event with the actual blooming, so some years, [the cherry blossoms] miss it.”

The Social Justice Center’s main hall, an expansive and sparse space, took on an intimate feel from noon to 1 p.m. where dozens of people sat shoulder to shoulder on chairs and couches pushed together to create a performance space.

The only available opening was reserved for four imposing wooden taiko drums neatly arranged together.

After a brief welcome address from President Brenda Thames, Asano Taiko introduced themselves and the group, located on Western Boulevard in Torrance.

Performers Fred Visaya, Julia Asano and Masa Miyano introduced their instruments.

The smallest drum is called the “Shime-daiko.” When Asano taps against the metal spikes that bind it together, it mimics the sound of rainfall.

Complimenting it, bound in thick, silky ropes, is the “okedaiko.” The two larger drums that roared like thunder are the “chudaiko.”

“Ever since I was younger, I’ve pretty much adored Japanese culture… and of course, I really enjoy cherry blossoms,” Acosta said. “In Japan, cherry blossoms are very, very important because it symbolizes romance.”

began to rain down.

Originally planned to be an outdoor celebration of springtime, the Social Justice Center made the call to move the 23rd Annual Cherry Blossom Festival indoors due to rain.

The March 15 event comes the day after a heavy rainstorm rolled through Southern California, part of a greater chain of historic winter storms.

In spite of the iron grey clouds overhead, the cherry blossom trees outside the Social Justice Center were in full bloom—their shock of bright pink blossoms added a pop of color to the otherwise dreary conditions as they welcomed the guests filing inside.

The trees themselves are part of the decades-long Cherry Blossom Festival legacy and were donated by the American Honda Motor Company, Program Coordinator Monica

Lastly, the largest of the quintet hoisted on a polished wooden scaffold was the “odaikyo,” a name that translates to “big drum.”

What followed next was a performance by the group called “Rain.”

With Miyano on the shimedaiko and the okedaiko, Asano and Visaya took their places on opposite sides of the massive, double-sided drum and produced a flurry of frenetic beats mimicking a heavy rainfall punctuated by a barrage of rumbling beats like an oncoming storm.

Digging his wooden spoon into a small tub of Kansha Creamery ice cream, kinesiology major Noah Holker, 20, explained how he ended up at the festival.

“After [my friend] Sam showed me the Instagram post and I looked at it a little more, it’s actually quite interesting,” Holker said.

Theater major Alexis Acosta, 20, shared Holker’s excitement.

If Asano Taiko’s demonstration was about the might of nature, the haikus looked back on calm sunny days and the reverie of being outdoors.

One of the performers, creative writing student Arlene Maradiaga, had written multiple haikus for the occasion. “I wanted to stick to haiku form celebrating the seasons,” Maradiaga said. “I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and celebrate nature.”

Monday, March 20, between 8:45 and 8:50 p.m.

A driver injury occurred during a three-car collision on the cross streets of Crenshaw and Rendondo Beach Boulevard, near parking Lot K. The case was turned over to California Highway Patrol.

Saturday, March 18, at an unknown time.

A door was vandalized in the Communications Building. The case has been resolved and is now closed.

Thursday, March 16, at 1:46 a.m.

A petty theft involving a stolen bicycle occurred near the Student Services Building. The case is now closed.

Tuesday, March 14, between noon and 6 p.m.

A petty theft involving a stolen license plate occurred near parking Lot C. The case is still undergoing investigation.

Sunday, March 12, at 10 a.m.

A stalking incident occurred near the El Camino College Police Department. The incident was reported to the Clery Act.

Members from Asano Taiko’s UnitOne play the “odaiko,” a large drum, during the 23rd Annual Cherry Blossom Festival at the Social Justice Center on March 15. Raphael Richardson | The Union

“In Japan, cherry blossoms are very, very important because it symbolizes romance.”

— Alexis Acosta, theater major

From left: Masa Miyano, Julia Asano and Fred Nisaya of Asano Taiko U.S. UnitOne’s performing ensemble. Raphael Richardson | The Union

Cherry blossom trees are in full bloom outside the Communications Building on March 15. Raphael Richardson | The Union

District and Federation gridlocked in negotiations

“We want to try to reach an agreement that definitely values and appreciates our faculty members, and at the same time ensures a consistent future for El Camino College,” Numark said.

Trustee President Kenneth Brown said he hopes to reach an agreement by the next meeting.

“Frankly, I’m not in those discussions, so I get the reports back, but that’s my hope,” Brown said. “I think that everybody’s hope is that we will come to an agreement as soon as possible.”

President of the Federation Kelsey Iino said after the meeting the district is hesitant to access the funds in its budget reserves to distribute amongst both full-time and part-time faculty.

“I think what [the district is] saying is to be on the safe side,” Iino said. “A 20% reserve [in the budget] was good because that will cover all your expenses, operating costs and payroll… We’re not fighting against that fact, [but] the fact that we’re at 38% right now seems pretty offensive.”

Both Iino and Dellapasqua said $200 million is in the state budget

earmarked for part-time faculty healthcare and that all California districts have access to this money after Gov. Newsom signed California state legislation AB 190 in September 2022.

Iino highlighted that during the pandemic, El Camino received the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. She said that 50% of that fund went to students while the rest could go towards operational costs including salaries and benefits, however, the district placed the leftover money into the budget reserves.

“But even before all of the COVID relief money, our reserve has consistently gone up,” Iino said. “We feel that it’s at the expense of fair wages and benefits for employees because every year there is an increased cost [of living].”

Iino does not disagree with having a strong budget reserve, but still believes El Camino is offering a competitive-enough salary and benefits to attract strong, diverse faculty.

“The longer you stay [at El Camino], the more stagnant your salary is,” Iino said. “Meanwhile, the cost of everything else in your life

goes up.”

During Monday’s meeting, many other faculty agreed and said the low salaries impact student success in addition to not being enough to cover their own healthcare.

Khai Lu, a full-time faculty who teaches Computer Information Systems, told the Board he was concerned about the district growing reserves in the budgets.

Lu told the Board the district’s last and final proposal sent a message to faculty who seek employment at El Camino they don’t value their contributions and do not pay enough despite the disproportionately large reserves compared to other college districts.

“I’m strongly considering teaching full time at another district and I’m sure I’m not the only one,” Lu said. “Raising my family will come first and I will entertain offers from districts offering substantially better health plans and salary and

there are out there.”

Biology professor Jessica Padilla reminded the Board that their job was to give direction to the administration on behalf of what is best for students and to monitor campus climate.

“Campus climate between faculty and administration is eroding and that will eventually trickle down to students' success,” Padilla said.

History professor John Baranski told the Board the negotiations for smaller class sizes should have concluded by May 2022. Full-time faculty Stacey Allen and Renee Galbavy voiced the same concern.

“It’s very disappointing that we’re still meeting with the administration on these course cap applications,” Baranski said.

Baranski said the application to reduce class size was submitted back in the fall of 2021 and was approved by faculty and administrators at the Division and

“This pattern of delays and negotiations around course cap size mirrors the larger contract negotiations for faculty,” Baranski said. “It’s discouraging, even demoralizing, to be at a college where expertise, our work with students has not always been appreciated.”

Iino said after the meeting they will be marching on campus once again to highlight their demands in their contract on Tuesday, March 28, ahead of March 31’s next contract negotiations meeting.

“We were quite surprised with the district’s best and final,” Iino said. “We’re hoping after today’s attendance that we were able to better inform the board and the administration of our position and our asks to hopefully shed light that maybe their negotiating team left out some information that they should consider when giving their best and final.”

Elevator permits left to expire without maintenance updates

→ ELEVATORS FROM PAGE 1

After fiddling with the elevator door for 4 minutes, officer Esqueda was successful in freeing Montano.

This is not the first time that students have been stuck inside elevators on campus.

“Surprisingly it’s pretty common, we have issues particularly with the external elevators, like in the parking areas, those are more problematic,” Esqueda said.

Kim has also dealt with with elevator issues on campus.

“It’s been maybe at least two years but it has happened before,” Kim

said.

The Facilities Planning and Services Department opted to keep the elevator open for use for the time being.

“Our facilities department kind of takes the lead on that kind of stuff and even they are, as you can see, kind of hands off with it,” Esqueda said. “They want to defer it to the elevator company so if they tell us to shut it down we’ll shut it down.”

Robert Brobst, assistant director of the facilities department, said that the college switched companies

from Fujitec America to TK Elevator GmbH two years ago and then to Elevators Etc. four months ago.

The permit of the Humanities Building elevator states that it expired in June of 2022 and was last inspected in June of 2021.

“As far as just elevator issues, [they happen] on a monthly basis,” Esqueda said. “As far as someone being in it, that doesn’t happen particularly often.”

Campus Committee level.

History professor John Baranski walks through a chorus of applause after speaking during the public comment section at the Board of Trustees meeting on March 20. Khoury Williams | The Union

Members of the Federation of Teachers gather outside the Administration Building at El Camino College before the Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, March 20. Ethan Cohen | The Union

El Camino Patrol Officers Francisco Esqueda and Benjamin Kim inspect an elevator that went down in the Humanities Building for ways to open it on March 16. Joshua Flores | The Union

Catfish, squirrels and geese: Oh my!

Meet the frequent vistors and park staff that help bring Alondra Park to life

Samantha Quinonez and Nindiya Maheswari @eccunionSamQ @nindiyamaheswa1

Cigarettes? Check. Camping chair?

Check.

Fishing rod? Check.

Kevin Johnson, a 56-year-old retired Gardena resident, checks off his list as he prepares for a relaxing fishing day at Alondra Community Regional Park.

Johnson parks his Honda Accord, takes his fishing gear out of the trunk, flings it onto his back, and makes his way to the occupied lake.

Other fishers at the park stand and wait with their rods in hand and hooks inside the water, waiting for catfishes to catch their bait, but not Johnson.

Johnson passed the pavement and went straight to the dirt closest to the water. He drops his stuff on the ground and reaches for his fishing rod. He hooks the bait at the end of the hook and pulls it at the end.

Johnson flings the line back and forward for the bait to be thrown into the water. After the line is in the water, Johnson pitches his fishing rod on the moist dirt.

“That looks about right,” Johnson said as he set up his camping chair and radio. He sits on his blue chair, takes a cigar from his 12-pack and sings along to his radio.

“It’s relaxing to me,” Johnson said. “I catch about three fish every time I come out, mostly catfish.”

Johnson said that Alondra Park is the closest park to him, and he enjoys fishing at Alondra because he’s not the only one fishing.

“Most of the time [fishers] come here, and no one really bothers

anyone,” Johnson said.

Alan Takahashi, a 70-year-old retired sales representative, said that he comes to fish occasionally at Alondra Park.

“I tried the catfish twice. The first time was terrible,” Takahashi said. “The second time was good.”

Takahashi said he started fishing when he was in grammar school. He said his dad taught him.

Alondra Community Regional Park is located next to El Camino College. The park is not only known for its gooses and its fishers, but it is also known for its involvement with the community.

“The park is open to everyone,” Lewis Piggee, the recreation service leader at Alondra Community Regional Park, said.

Piggee said he started working at Alondra Park about three months, and he’s been in Parks and Recreation for about 14 years.

“The community is very involved,” Piggee said.

Many residents have been around Alondra Community Regional Park for many years. Making connections with people they have met at the park.

Lawndale resident, Angelica Madrigal, has lived around Alondra Park for 30 years. She exercises at the park every morning around 7 a.m.

“A lot of people here know each other,” Madrigal said. “I have a friend that comes at the same time as me, and I have known her for 20 years.”

Aside from the many new employees to Alondra Community Regional Park, Ground Maintenance Staff Cedrick Buckner has been at Alondra Park since 2000.

Buckner said he has worked

at Alondra Community Regional Park for 15 years. His responsibilities include taking care of trees, fixing sprinklers, cleaning restrooms, and racking the leaf to clean the path for people to walk.

“I love the environment the outside. I’ve always been an outside person,” Buckner said.

Buckner said the thing that he loves about doing his job is getting to the park early, starting his assignment, and taking care of his own thing.

When the Union asked Buckner about fishing rules at the park, he said that people are allowed to fish in the back section of the lake. Buckner said they restock two truckloads of catfish and bass twice a month.

“They have a tank in the back with water,” Buckner said. “They get here about 5 a.m. They get here early before the people come [to the park].”

Buckner said the birds typically migrate away from the lake around April, but since many people feed them, they stay at Alondra all year round.

Every morning, 67-year-old retired repairman, Jay Rhoads, comes to the park with a green plastic bag filled with peanuts and dog food.

“There’s a black cat over at the college [El Camino] that I go over to and feed,” Rhoads said. “She hangs out on the right in the corner of the parking lot [lot F] where you turn into the parking.”

Rhoads said he has been visiting the park for the past five years. He used to come to the park with his neighbor to feed the birds early in the morning.

His neighbor can no longer come to the park with him because she struggles with mobility issues.

“I just keep coming down here. I just like getting out in the morning, and as you get older, you got to exercise,” Rhoads said.

Now, he spends an hour at the park every morning feeding the birds. Rhoads said he feels lucky because he lives only a few blocks from the park.

“A lot of people actually don’t even know that there’s a lake. From the street, when you’re driving past the lake, you can’t really see the lake. So a lot of

people don’t even know,” said Rhoads.

He usually feeds the birds, but the squirrels also come to get peanuts. Rhoads said that when he ignores the squirrel, he can feel them climbing up his pants. Rhoads said the birds and squirrels approach anybody who is carrying a bag. He said that the birds relate a bag to food.

“When you come down here enough, you kind of get to know them [the birds], and they actually do have personalities,” Rhoads said.

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

Jay Rhoads, a Torrance resident and retired repairman, comes to Alondra Park to feed the ducks and birds on Tuesday, March 14. Nindiya Maheswari | The Union

Cedrick Buckner, a ground maintenance worker at Alondra Park, cleaned up tree branches on the park ground Tuesday, March 14. Nindiya Maheswari | The Union

Swimmer freestyles her way to breaking records

Mia Park becomes the second fastest in El Camino’s history of women’s freestyle and individual

Mia Park wakes up nervous. She always wakes up nervous before a swim meet. Her mind starts racing as she thinks about all the races she has to do that day. On the second day of the swim meet at Mount San Antonio College, the team practices for 30 minutes.

The 18-year-old pre-nursing major tries to relax her body in the water to feel more comfortable and confident before she swims.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, Park took first place in the women’s 1650-yard freestyle and the women’s 400-yard individual medley race, becoming the second fastest in El Camino’s history in both races. She clocked at 18:19.93 and 4:49.46, respectively.

From Japan to South Korea and later to the U.S., she has been setting records in the pool after being on the women’s swim team at El Camino for six months.

Park came to the United States when she was 14 years old and struggled to understand English in eighth grade. She experienced learning difficulties due to language barriers in school because she spoke Korean.

Park began swimming as a hobby when she was eight years old, taking swimming classes in South Korea, and has been swimming ever since. As a South Torrance High School student, she joined the swim team and swam competitively.

“Swimming in high school really helped me because swimming is usually considered an individual sport, but after swimming in high school, I felt like it was kinda like more of a team sport,” Park said.

As a Spartan at South Torrance,

Park said she had a good experience swimming in high school. She enjoyed swimming with her friends and meeting new people, intensifying her love for the sport.

Melissa Brill, a 20-year-old biology major on El Camino’s swim and water polo teams said she swam with Park at South Torrance High School for two years. “We met in high school, and she’s just an all-around good swimmer,” Brill said. “She can do both distance and sprint, which is very impressive.”

Brill said she felt relieved that Park would be on the swim team this semester because Park helps her get faster. Brill said on the swim team, everyone pushes and makes each other better. “I know her as Sohyeon Park,” Brill said. “When I first met her, I didn’t really know how to pronounce her name, it took me a while, and it’s still taking me a while sometimes.”

Park legally changed her name to Mia Park in December 2022. Brill said Park changed her name because when she meets people now, it may be

hard for them to pronounce her given name.

Women’s swimming and water polo coach Shelby Haroldson describes Park as an all-around great person. “She is a really well-rounded individual, kinda like in the pool and out of the pool,” Haroldson said. “She has a great attitude, great work ethic; overall, a great person.”

When Park initially joined the women’s swim team at El Camino, juggling swim practice and academic classes posed a challenge. “There is a major difference between high school swimming and college swimming,” Brill said.

Brill said they were not required to take an extra weight training class in high school, and the practices weren’t too long. Brill said that considering the extra class, longer practice can be very tough on the body.

“I think my biggest motivation [is] my teammates and the coaches because every time I kinda suck, they try to help me figure out like ways to improve myself,” Park said.

Men’s swimming coach Noah Rubke said he knew Park’s times coming into the team, knowing she was fast. “She never complains and does every set exactly how it’s described,” Rubke said. “Which is uncommon for most of our swimmers.”

Rubke said that given her ability, she has the chance to break freestyle records in the 50-yard, 100-yard, 200-yard, 500-yard, 1000-yard, 1650-yard, and 200-yard in the buterfly. He believes those races are within Park’s range of ability. “She has a little bit more of a drive because she’s been swimming for quite some time,” Haroldson said.

“[She is] so very talented.”

Rubke said in the last four

years, the state champion time in the 500-yard freestyle race has been, on average, five minutes and three seconds, but Park’s lifetime best is four minutes and fifty-eight seconds.

“I think it [swim] can be applied to everyday life,” Park said.

“Most of the swimmers try to push themselves and then try to achieve like better goals.”

Park said during practice they do a lot of race simulations. A race simulation is a technique where coaches give the swimmer a goal time to try to make during practice and match their speed as if they were racing. “I think we just encourage each other to do the best that we can,” Brill said.

As races go on, every now and

then, you’ll see our teammates sitting at the opposite end of the pool cheering for us during our race.”

While Park has plans to continue swimming after El Camino, she finds peace and motivation through swimming with her team. “[El Camino College] teammates are really good at inspiring each other and pushing each other,” Park said. “They make the pool [a] very comfortable place to go to every day.”

Top: Swimmer Mia Park gets out of the pool at the Aquatics Center on March 8. Teammate Melissa Brill said she is an “all-around good swimmer.” Anthony Lipari | The Union Bottom: Mia Park poses for The Union at the Aquatics Center on March 8. Alexis Ponce | The Union

Samantha Quinonez

Swimmer Mia Park prepares to dive at the Aquatics Center on March 8. She said after swimming in high school she considers swimming more as a team sport. Reina Quevedo | The Union

El Camino hands Rio Hondo first loss of season

No. 2 and 3 duos help lead Warriors upset against Roadrunners

Eddy Cermeno @eccunioneddy

Aftera historic 9-0 seasonal record with eight perfect games, Rio Hondo College suffered its first loss at the hands of El Camino College on Friday, March 17.

Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach was the venue for the South Coast Conference beach volleyball game between the El Camino Warriors (9-2) and the Rio Hondo Roadrunners (9-1) on Friday, March 17, which began at 10 a.m. Both teams played close, tothe-wire sets in all of their matches, leaving them tied overall 2-2 as the final match was still being played. The match between Warriors’ Bridget Dorr and Ginia Goods against Roadrunners’ Denisse Sanchez and Madison Mader, would break the tie.

With the Warriors winning the last set in that match 155, Dorr and Goods made the comeback and claimed the 3-2 victory against the Roadrunners who were undefeated this season. Administration of justice major Leafa Juarez played in

the first match of the day for the Warriors, alongside her teammate Francheska Aguilar.

Juarez and Aguilar lost the first set 18-21 but would go on to win the next two sets 21-18 and 15-9.

Juarez has been playing with Aguilar for two months and believes having trust in each other is important.

“You have to trust your partner,” Juarez said. “It’s a two-man sport so you have to believe in them.”

Juarez said it took time to adjust to playing the game’s early start time of 10 a.m., but after winning the match, she felt there were still things for her and the team to work on.

“I feel l relied too much on my partner,” Juarez said. “We have to take care of the easier balls and handle our business, we make things harder on ourselves.”

Faith Lee, a chemistry major at Rio Hondo, won both sets alongside Nadine Oronoz in their match for the Roadrunners 22-20 and 21-18.

Lee is in her second year playing for the Rio Hondo beach volleyball team. She spoke to The Union about her

performance on the day and takeaways from the match.

“I didn’t perform my best, my offense wasn’t very accurate, but defense wise, we played well,” Lee said. Rio Hondo assistant coach Paul Esko said both teams played well and each game was very close.

“Overall great day… it’s a game of inches and a couple points, whoever gets off to a better start makes the other team have less time to make a comeback,” Esko said.

Warriors Coach LeValley

Pattison was proud of her team, but felt the team had room for growth after the win.

“Loved that they turned it around, but unforced errors were apparent,” Pattison said. After the win, the team sat around the coaches where they addressed areas that needed improvement.

Pattison would continue to speak with The Union to give a final remark on the game.

“At times we have good

communications and sometimes we just talk to talk,” Pattison said. “We get in our minds too much and have to let things develop.”

The El Camino Warriors’ will travel to Mt. San Antonio in Walnut on Friday, March 24 to face Long Beach City at 10 a.m., then will face Mt. San Antonio at noon.

How do student-athletes prepare themselves before workouts?

Nutrition and performance crucial to athletic performance for different sports at El Camino College

Matheus Trefilio @eccunionmatheus

El Camino College is not only recognized nationally for its academic program, but the college also sports a successful athletic department with over 20 teams in active competition.

The student-athletes who play for those teams all have unique and varied routines to prepare for their respective practices and events. Student-athletes are required to take 12 units per semester to remain eligible for competition.

First-year swimmer and business major Blake Klade, who swims the 500-yard freestyle, expressed the importance of staying hydrated before he goes out for a swim meet.

“To prepare for my training and meets, I like to drink Liquid I.V.,” Klade said. “Drinking a lot of water in between events can hurt my swimming speed.” Liquid I.V. is an electrolyte solution used for hydration purposes. While Klade also eats snacks before each practice, he does not recommend swimming on a full stomach.

“I’ll eat a protein bar or a small amount of food before my warm-ups,” Klade said.

Swimmers practice six times per week. On weekends, they usually swim three events at their meets, most often two times on the same day.

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the swim team has a dryland workout session that may vary between cardio and weight training. Those workouts are led by new assistant coach Seth Ulrich.

“I’ve been pushing weights since high school, and that helped me a lot,” Ulrich said.

“I’m trying to pass to them some of the things that have helped me during my time as a student-athlete.”

Steven Olsen, now in his second season on the El Camino swim team, is not a fan of working out on land, but understands its importance of consistently maintaining fitness levels in both the pool and on land.

“I would rather do a swim set than running around the soccer field,” Olsen said.

“Saying that, I haven’t missed a single morning workout.”

As for Olsen, his preparation for a team meeting begins

early.

“I always eat a peanut butter sandwich before going to a meet,” Olsen said. “When I get there, I’ll drink a protein shake, and that fuels me up.” Swimming demands strength and physical energy for an athlete to be a fast and consistent swimmer. However, there are sports at El Camino on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Among those sports is golf, which in contrast to swimming, only practices twice a week, according to second-year player and film major Evan Diaz.

“We practice on Mondays and Wednesdays,” Diaz said. “Those are the days that we have our matches as well.”

Although Diaz has a different focus for game preparation, he said he does not worry about staying energized before each round.

“I like to listen to music before I go out for my round,” Diaz said. “It definitely hypes me up.”

With the focus of golf being more mental than it is physical, Diaz said he meditates after training to relax.

Even though the current seasonal sports have varying

workloads due to practices, meetings, events and games, off-season sports, such as water polo, still have ongoing practices.

The captain of the men’s water polo team Zack Johnson is one of the athletes going through the offseason program.

“We practice every Tuesday and Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 9:25 a.m.,” Johnson said. Besides practice time, Johnson laments that he is not able to do more training on his own.

“I wish I had time to go to the weight room on my own,” Johnson said. “With classes, and working four days a week, I just have not been able to do it.”

Even though water polo takes a lot of time and energy, Johnson said it is a great sport to be a part of.

“It takes a lot of dedication,” Johnson said. “But I’m proud of being part of the [water polo] team for the past two seasons.”

El Camino sophomore Leafa Juarez tips the ball over the net during a March 17 conference matchup at Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach. Eddy Cermeno | The Union

Blake Klade, a swimmer on El Camino’s swim team, with his favorite hydration product, Liquid I.V. Matheus Trefilio | The Union