EL CAMINO COLLEGE MAY 18, 2017 Follow us at /ECCUnion
Student allegedly robbed by three men with knives Dmitri Hansen and Phil Sidavong Staff Writer and Editor-in-Chief @ECCUnionDmitri, @ECCUnionPhil
A student was allegedly robbed of money by three unknown suspects armed with knives on Monday, May 15 around 6:32 p.m., according to an email from El Camino’s chief of police. The reported robbery happened at the apartments in front of Alondra Park near Redondo Beach Boulevard and Stadium Way, closest to parking lots H and F, Christina Baskin, who wanted to be named as Dispatcher 42, said. The three-alleged suspects were described as a white male, an African-American male and a Hispanic male all in their early 20s, according to Nixle.com. Nixle is an alert system that El Camino Police uses to alert the campus and community about any incidents or situations. Sign up for Nixle by texting “ECPD” to 888-77. Dispatcher 42 referred all questions to Director of Community Relations Ann Garten’s office. This is the first reported robbery, via Nixle, this semester and it’s also the first time in the last year that a reported robbery was on the southside of campus. EC police chief Michael Trevis said that there will be “extra patrol” in that area. The suspects in the case have not been caught. No official email from the school has been sent out to students regarding the alleged robbery, despite so many students who park at Alondra Park and at lots H and F. Lanae Monge, 27, sociology major, takes Tuesday and Thursday night classes at EC and parks in that area because she normally feels safest. “I get out of class at 9:30 (p.m.),” she said. “We have to use the buddy system, because we don’t see campus police at all.” In fall 2016, the school recorded a total of five alleged robberies, all at gunpoint, on the north side of campus near Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Lemoli Avenue. Following several of the alleged robberies, campus police began to station an officer on the that side of campus, a decision that has been kept in place this semester, as police presence can be seen on Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the day. To see a video about what some students think about the robbery, go to eccunion.com/videos
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Searching to pray in peace After a troubling experience while praying, Syrah Navid is hoping to create a designated room for Muslims to pray Sarah Desmond
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Special to The Union @ECCUnionSarahD
ith a jacket spread out in front of her as a substitute for a prayer mat, she was engaged in Duhr prayer in the empty courtyard of the Natural Science Building. She was about to enter into prostration when something tugged at her. Thick, heavy fingers lightly pinched the back of her hijab. Syrah Navid, 20, public health major, thought it was her imagination. Then quickly, a second time, the fingers tugged at her hijab again. This time harder. The brown and black patterned scarf that covered every inch of her hair was being pulled down As the scarf began to slip down her head, strands of hair escaped, as fear came over her. Again, the fingers yanked on her hijab and Navid impulsively pulled her scarf close. Frozen in place, she kept praying. She was afraid to turn around and see who those fingers belonged to. When Navid finished her prayer, the stranger had left and tears were in her eyes. She thought of reporting it to the Campus Police, but she did not want to create chaos. But as days went by, Navid, who spends almsot 12 hours a day on campus, grew concerned.
“I felt scared to be on campus (after the incident),” Navid said. She said she felt the need to prevent this from happening to anyone else.
Making a change: Navid sent an email to El Camino President Dena Maloney, requesting a prayer room. An email response from Vice President of Student and Community Advancement Jeanie Nishime said that President Maloney and the cabinet discussed the request and they could not provide a prayer room. Nishime, who’s worked at EC for 10 years, said it’s “highly unlikely” that there will be a designated room for prayer in the future. This is because a designated room to one group on campus may perpetuate other groups to want a designated room for another purpose, Nishime said. There is also limited space on campus Nishime added. Nishime had advised Navid to work with ASO and the Student Equity Advisory Council to create awareness about Islam. If any harassment were to happen, students should report it to an administrator or Greg Toya, director of student development, who can then make the needed disciplinary actions.
PRAYER ROOM,
Continued on Page 2
John Lopez/ Union John Lopez/ Union Syrah David (left), Heba Elokour and Rayyan Franklin Rayyan Franklin (left), biology major, Heba Elokour, 18, dentistry major. Syrah David, begin to take part in their daily Dhuhr prayer on 20, public health major engaged in Dhuhr prayer on the Schauerman’s Library’s patio Thursday, April 6. on Thursday, April 6.
An El Camino librarian is living his Cal State San Marcos-commit Kammy Fisher matures as a softball player, P. 6 dream of acting in movies, P. 3
Inside look at beach volleyball State runner-up Micah Lynn Hammond, P. 8
2 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
POLICE BEAT By Dmitri Hansen
Non-student found in possession of marijuana Wednesday, May 10 at 3:34 a.m. Campus police found a nonstudent man in possession of 4.3 ounces of marijuana. He was found sitting near the ramp to parking lot L. The man was arrested for being in possession of more than one ounce of marijuana, he was transported to the Torrance Police Department.
Police stop man in possession of alcohol Thursday, May 11 at 8:02 p.m. A non-student man was found stumbling to his car. The man was in possession of two beers, a pint of vodka and a concealed knife. The man had two warrants that totaled $20,000 for being drunk in public. He was taken to Torrance PD.
Man tried to enter flood control channel with glass smoking pipe Friday, May 12 at 11:08 p.m. A non-student man was found trying to enter the flood control channel in the 3500 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard. The man was in possession of a glass smoking pipe and had a $50,000 warrant for domestic violence. He was taken to Torrance PD.
Corrections In the May 4 issue, there was an error in teh Randall Firestone profile about what journal he had been published in. He was published in “The Open Journal of Philosophy.” The Union regrets these errors.
PRAYER ROOM,
Continued from Page 1 Navid mentioned the need for a prayer room in one of the Student Equity Advisory Council meetings. She said that the students could try booking a room where they would fill out a Calendar Requisition Form at the Student Development Office, but an adviser has to be present at all times. Navid said that it’s difficult to find advisers to stay throughout the day every day. What was born from this was discussion for “possible prayer rooms” and “more programming to promote tolerance of different faiths and different beliefs on campus,” Chris De la Cruz, ICC and ASO co-advisor, said. The Student Equity Advisory Council and MSA paired up to create the event Muslim in America which is part of the Student Empowerment Dialogue Space Series on March 21. The event’s purpose was to create awareness about Islam and tolerance toward Muslims through discussion and dialogue with both
NEWS
MAY 18, 2017
The Puente path to success
Students who go through El Camino by enrolling in the ‘Puente Project’ continue to thrive
Alexis Caussey
Staff Writer @ECCUnionAlexis
Freshman year of college is intimidating for most students and Pedro Corrales was one of those students. Fortunately, Corrales, 18, psychology major, came across the Puente Project that aided him in first-year of college towards academic success. The program was designed to help educationally disadvantaged students and provides services to aid students to transferring to a four-year university, earn a degree, and become mentors in their communities. El Camino’s Puente program is celebrating 31 years on campus. Although, the program is predominantly Latino, the program is open to all students. Latino success in colleges has been progressing over the years but the lack of underrepresentation is still affecting their progress in higher education. The Puente Project has proven it’s success in transfers and keeping students enrolled in college. According to EC’s Department of Institutional Research, Puente students persistence rates is at 81 percent compared to regular EC students at a 72 percent. Persistence refers to student enrollment over two or more terms in the academic year. From 2000 to 2009, 176 Puente students transferred, 22 percent to UC, 56 percent to a CSU, and 21 percent to a private institution or out-of-state according to the Puente Newsletter. Puente students had a transfer rate of 46 percent of students
Muslims and non-Muslims. Kumin Kim, 19, philosophy major, attended the event and said she was unfamiliar with the religion of Islam. Kim, a Catholic, admires Muslim students who pray in the open, she said. It shows that “they’re proud” of their religion and she thinks they deserve a clean area.
Muslims in prayer: Muslims pray five times a day that depend on the positioning of the sun in relation to Earth. Fajr prayer is prayed as the sun rises. Dhuhr prayer is prayed around noon/early afternoon. Asr prayer is prayed during late afternoon. Maghrib prayer is prayed as the sun sets. And Isha is prayed any time after sunset and before sunrise according to the book “Being Muslim: A Practical Guide” by Asad Tarsin. On campus, these prayers take place in random areas where Muslim students feel they won’t disrupt anyone, Navid said. A popular place is the Schauerman Library. Sometimes
Ryan Guitare/ Union Arnulfo Juarez (left) is a Puente Project mentor who has been working with Pedro Corrales, 18. psychology major, throughout his time in the program. Puente is designed to cater to educationally disadvantaged students and help them. who attended in 2002 to 2003 and transferred in 2007 to 2008 compared to 26 percent of regular EC students. Los Angeles Harbor College Puente program had 17.7 percent of their students out of a cohort of 118 students transfer to a university. Los Angeles Trade Tech Puente program from 2011-2012 had a steady transfer rate of 40 percent transfer to a CSU or UC. Juan Guerra, part-time Puente counselor and career counselor at EC, talks about the reason for Puente’s success. “The reason I believe that the Puente Project has been
behind bookshelves and other times on the library’s patio. Wyam Elkhidir, 23, psychology major, is a Muslim student at Santa Monica College and is part of the Muslim Student Association there. Elkhidir said Muslims pray in the basement of the science building at SMC, as they do not have an official prayer room either, but she wants to work with SMC student government to get one. “Everyone has been respectful here,” Elkhidir said. Some Muslim students at El Camino have had a more positive experience praying on campus. “Most of the time when I’m on campus, it’s easy to find a space to pray and I don’t feel in danger at all,” Keya Hossain, 16, psychology major, said. Hossain, who was on the discussion panel for the “Muslim in America” event, said that despite her positive experience, she still advocates for a prayer room. “If not a prayer room, a meditation room – something where many people of different faith can come together and be comfortable with each other praying,” Hossain said.
so successful is because it has what Latinos like, a collectivism approach,” Guerra said. Guerra adds that everything is done as group, what they call “familia.” “We have love, understanding, respect and empathy. Qualities (that) are integrated in us,” he said. Griselda Castro, who has been at EC for 20 years, Counselor and Puente Instructor, adds that the success of the program is from the counselor’s open door policy and the students having the same instructor and counselor for the time being in the program. Each Puente student is given
a local mentor to help them throughout their semester. Erica Brenes, 3 years at EC, Puente instructor and coordinator, discusses about mentors and their benefits for puentistas. “The local mentor they are paired with helps provide motivation and prepares them for their ultimate transfer,” Brenes said. “The point is to make sure our students know they are fully supported and that many people are rooting for their success-- this can go so far with students.” Puente students are required to take courses provided by the program that not only teaches them
basic skills but also skills they can apply in life. Justin Zuniga, 18, film major talks about the benefits from the courses offered from Puente. “The (professors) understand what your weaknesses and strengths,” Zuniga said. Students are grouped in a cohort, which means they will be grouped with the same students for a full year in the same courses. “By placing the students in an English cohort that spans a year, it helps develop interdependent study skills and it helps them to have the same, consistent instruction,” Brenes said.
Winning a close race
Associated Student Organization election results end with new people in charge; Student Trustee position decided by four votes
Victor R. Liptzin
Staff Writer @ECCUnionVictorL
El Camino’s student organization has some new heads in charge after ASO elections results were posted on Friday, May 12. While just about every position for the Associated Students Organization was won by a landslide, the Student Trustee position was won by just four votes. Newly elected Student Trustee Andrew Leon, 22, biology major, had 107 votes compared to Kongdy Lam, 18, business administration major, who received 103 votes. “I felt this was going to be very hard to campaign,” Leon said. “Because they didn’t submit my petition by the deadline. I felt that it would be really close and I had some feeling that I might not win
because it was down to the wire.” Lam ended up securing the Director of Finance position leading that race with 100 votes. The ASO presidential race was won by Tiffany Ushijima, 20, business administration major, who won by being unopposed with 290 votes, according to the election results. “I feel happy and I feel really excited about this upcoming year and I have some good ideas,” Ushijima said. Alec Johnson, 19, business administration major, won the VP position unopposed with 284 votes, according to the election results. “It definitely feels humbling that there’s such a big turnout for this school and that I did get as many votes as I did,” Johnson said. Full story on eccunion.com.
2017 ASO directors • Tiffany Ushijima - ASO President • Alec Johnson - ASO Vice President • Andrew Leon - Student Trustee • Bryant Odega - Director of Academic Affairs • Kongdy Lam - Director of Finance • Mahum Baig - Director External Affairs • Anam Khan - Director of Student and Community Advancement • Diane Lee - Director of Human Resources • Kiki Situ - Director of Public Relations
School signs new contract for Wi-Fi, Chief Technology Officer says Emma DiMaggio
Staff Writer @ECCUnionEmma
John Lopez/ Union After a troubling experience on campus Syrah David, 20, public health major is hoping to create a safe spot for Muslim students to pray on campus.
A new campus Wi-Fi contract has been signed and the new system is on track to be completed before the fall semester, the Vice President of academic technology said. Pete Marcoux announced the signage of the new contract at an Academic Senate Meeting on Tuesday, April 18. “It’s just started to get kicked off. They anticipate August 2017 completion, so prior to the start of the fall semester,” Marcoux said.
Arthur Leible, Ph.D, Chief Technology Officer, said that they had been working on getting a new internet system for over a year. Leible said 35 of the new units that were bought are high-power external Wi-Fi points. The number of Wi-Fi access points will be increasing by an estimated 500 percent. Progress is going as units began arriving on campus in May. “Those units should start showing up on campus next week and then following that they should be able to start actually installing them,” Leible said.
Leible said once the two largest buildings, the MBA and Humanities are done, it shouldn’t be hard to complete the project. The new system should cover every building on campus. “The antennas should be able to go from Manhattan Beach (Boulevard) all the way to Redondo Beach (Boulevard) without dropping signal, losing signal, or having to re-sign in,” Leible said. “It’ll be a seamless coverage area.” For the full-story, check out eccunion.com
FEATURES
MAY 18,2017
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 3
Librarian of horror Analu Cruze-Josephides is fulfilling his dream of becoming an actor after being a government worker for 20 years Don Perez
Staff Writer @ECCUnionDon
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here’s something creepy about libraries, with the scent of musty old tomes, towering aisles upon aisles of shelves obscuring views and the eerie quietness. And then Schauerman Library has Analu Cruze-Josephides - lead reference librarian at El Camino and horror actor off campus. “Growing up, I hated horror. It really surprises my friends and family,” said the 44-year-old Cruze-Josephides, whose friendly and outgoing personality clashes with his roles; his friends call him “Sunshine.” Cruze-Josephides, of Greek and Hawaiian descent, has been in several short films, playing odd characters with a creepy aura about them, like the Greek god Morpheus in “Morpheum.” He doesn’t mind being typecast; such a niche might lead to more roles for himself. “I don’t mind being typecast as the villain. There’s something about being the villain. I enjoy being that,” he said. It’s not all ominous supernatural beings and killers for CruzeJosephides — among his favorite roles was a stage bit as a wizard in “The Princess and the Pea.” Cruze-Josephides’ next film, “Concealing,” has him playing a family man suffering schizophrenia and becoming more and more violent. In the short film “Nic,” a thriller which was a finalist at the Cinecafest Central American short film festival, Cruze-Josephides (billed as Analu Cruze) portrayed a mysterious character who turns out to be a murderous Scandinavian water spirit who lures victims to drowning through his music. Nic’s director, Daryl Arleen Callejas, said Cruze-Josephides improvised as he didn’t know how
to play a violin or flute with such creatures, so he used a ukulele for his siren’s music. “There’s a strange vibe about his character,” Callejas said. “At the end, I just told him to look very creepy, scary or weird. He did [the final scene] in only two takes and it was very hard to decide which one to use.” Dandelion Lin, director of “The Bride of Death,” Cruze-Josephides played the Grim Reaper, said Cruze-Josephides was “wonderful ... passionate and gentle,” and conveyed his versatility and skill in his body language, as he was in costume for the role. “He showed spirit,” Lin said later in a phone interview, adding he knew of Cruze-Josephides’ delay in returning to acting. “He is not afraid of pursuing his dreams, the American Dream.” For Cruze-Josephides, acting has been a dream of his since he was a 4-year-old in Oahu. At first getting some stage and extra spots, Cruze-Josephides said he stopped acting for about 20 years on the advice of his family, who thought he would be more financially stable in getting a government job. He did that, becoming a genealogy researcher focusing on Hawaii and getting a Master’s in Library and Information Science. But there was a gnawing emptiness for a man who was proud of his Hawaiian heritage, but felt that he left his heart in the Golden State, somewhere in Hollywood. “I was sad and depressed, about not fulfilling that part of me,” he said. “I want to be able to have my cake and eat it too; to be a librarian and an actor and see how both can be lucrative.” For now, Cruze-Josephides will continue to learn acting skills from Hollywood teachers, all while directing students in the library. “’All knowledge is not learned in one house. Go out and learn from the different teachers, the learned ones, and gather those
Jorge Villa / UNION Analu Cruze-Josephides, librarian and actor exemplifies his rendition of the “Kubrick stare,” a technique synonymous with villainous characters he plays in films. skills and tools you need,” CruzeJosephides said, invoking a saying of Hawaiians. “I need to be here for my students. Being present for our students is the first thing. My overarching goal is not just to be educated, but to educate others in many things.”
Filmography: Analu Cruze-Josephides has played multiple ominous roles including playing Morpheus in “Morpheum,” the Grim Reaper in “The Bride of Death” and a murderours water spirit in “Nic.”
Meal prepping 101: Tips for people on the go Managing a healthier lifestyle begins with taking care of what you eat on a daily basis
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Sydney Fajardo
Staff Writer @ECCUnionSydney
tudents and faculty often find themselves searching for quick, cheap, and healthy foods to bring on campus. For most people, it’s hard to make time in their schedules to cook meals; it’s expensive to buy meals around campus everyday; and it’s easier to settle for a cheap burger and some fries. Meal prepping is a great way to save time, money, eat healthy, and it’s eco-friendly. To meal prep, someone would cook a large amount of food and portion them in containers for the week so that every meal is ready to go. Heather Cordovil is a part-time instructor for the health science
and athletics department with a master’s degree in exercise science and encourages students to meal prep for the week. “When I build my plates I think about a good carbohydrate, a lean protein, and some time of vegetable or fruit,” Cordovil said. Some good carbohydrates include brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Meat, fish and eggs are some examples of proteins that are beneficial to our bodies. Trail mix, cheese & crackers and apples & peanut butter are also good snacks to bring to school because they are very quick, portable, cheap and healthy alternatives. Rebecca Rimmer is a 20-yearold at El Camino with a major in photojournalism that brings lunches to school and often uses the microwaves at school located in the Student Activities building. “On the days I have time to use the microwave I bring leftovers and
when I don’t have time I’ll bring a sandwich or a cold salad,” Rimmer said. “I eat kind of slow so, it’s a lot faster for me to bring my own food than to buy food and I also save money that way. Anh Tran is a 22-year-old at El Camino with a major in nutrition and has noticed that some students on campus prefer to purchase food. “I see people eat a lot of fast-food like hamburgers and fries,” Tran said. Many people buy to-go food and ready-made meals to eat on campus. They usually purchase them from the cafe’s on campus or from nearby restaurants like McDonald’s, Ramona’s, Subway, Del Taco, etc. “It can get expensive,” Cordovil said. “(But) if you’re able to plan ahead and make your own sandwich, that’s going to be a lot cheaper than even a five-dollar footlong.”
EDITORIAL
4 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
MAY 18, 2017
Victor Liptzin
Staff Writer @ECCUnionVictorL
Graduating with Autism is a personal goal
Illustration by Mason Hardison/ Union
Prayer rooms will benefit muslim students They kneel down, bow their heads which are covered with a hijab and pray in the school patio of the Natural Sciences Building or sometimes in the library behind bookshelves. Having a prayer room available at El Camino has recently become a topic for Muslim students. Because EC is a diverse school, we believe that students should have the right to pray or meditate whenever they please in a place that allows for privacy and peace. Santa Monica College, which has one of the most diverse student communities does not have a specific prayer room for student use. They pray in the basement of the Science Building, a SMC Muslim Student Association student said. Muslims pray five times a day, according to the Muslim Accommodations Task Force
(MATF), which is a part of the Muslim Student Association National. “MSA National is a nonprofit organization that strives to facilitate networking, educating, and empowering the students of today to be citizens of tomorrow’s community,” according to their website. We understand that stop-gap measures like having the MSA request rooms for prayer are also not the best option, because of the lack of man power. Students would have to fill out a Calendar Requisition Form at the Student Development Office in order to get looked at and potentially book a room, however advisers will need to be present at all times in order for the room to be booked. MSA National helps Muslim students in particular to be able to
freely express themselves and it opens doors for college campuses to understand the importance of accepting their religion. Having a prayer room for Muslim students on our campus is an excellent idea because it allows for more students to have access to the campus and be able to enroll without the fear of being judged for their own beliefs. We understand that there are steps in creating a prayer room at EC, but it would be ideal if Muslim students had the privacy to pray. Having a prayer room available at EC would be the most ideal situation for interfaith students and faculty. There is no reason why anyone should feel ashamed of what their beliefs as humans. We all need to feel like we belong somewhere. That’s what keeps us going.
The faith in the impossible and the miraculous is something that puts some people at peace. We understand that a prayer room should not only target Muslim students but rather students with other religious affiliations.
The issue: Should El Camino implement a prayer room onto campus? Our stand: Prayer rooms should be implemented onto campus for students to have a place to pray as we are a diverse campus
I’m a mildly disabled person whose been going to college since the fall of 2005, after I graduated from high school. Despite everything that I’ve been through, I’m finally going to graduate from El Camino. The final class that I need this semester is Journalism 14, a multimedia class, in order to satisfy my major requirements and get my Associates Degree in journalism. The reason why it took me such a long time is because I had to work a lot of hours at my job at Ralphs as a regional courtesy clerk while going to school part time to complete my education. In past years of my life, I’ve tended to be a bad student who was mischievous in elementary school, a pest in middle and high school, but since I went to college I changed my outlook and priorities for education. I’ve improved over the years in college as I got older and matured. I followed the teachers instructions by listening and just doing my assignments as well as I could. I used to do poorly on my assignments for classes like science, math and sometimes English. But now, times have changed. I’ve learned to take better notes and study more thoroughly for my assignments and tests even though I didn’t do it when I was a child. I remember that I used to ask questions back then that were off topic to the teachers when I was a child, but now that I have grown up, I’m asking questions that are on
topic and very relevant to my course subject. I came from being an arrogant and selfish person to an understanding and compassionate person who understands people by listening and helping them in their time of need. I learn whatever the instructor or professor teaches me. The reason why most college students with disabilities don’t succeed is due to the lack of help that they get. Only 17 percent of college students get some kind of help while 94 percent of disabled high school students receive more help in being educated, according to the Hechinger Report website for higher education. Even though that statistic may be a very low number in colleges compared to any high school that a person with a mental disability may go to. They should still seek out any assistance that is available to them, such as the Special Resource Center here on campus. Regardless of those statistics, I’ve managed to overcome all those obstacles as a person who rarely paid attention in class. But now that I’ve become a brave learner and finally petitioned to graduate, I look forward to life after EC and appreciate my time well spent there. I plan on taking online classes, as well as taking a full -time position at my current job, after I fulfill my goal and graduate from EC Seeing my goal fulfilled is a life long dream of mine and it has finally became a reality.
CAMPUS VIEWPOINTS: Do students agree with a prayer on campus? By: Sydney Fajardo @ECCUnionSydney
Rachel Lee , 19 , music major, Christian “I disagree because I feel like religious activities, despite being OK to do it anywhere... I don’t think it’s really necessary to build a facility to compensate for it, unless it’s for educational purposes.”
THE UNION Vol. 71, No. 5 May 18, 2017
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Jabeen Haque, 20, English major, Muslim “I definitely agree, I think it would be very beneficial. There are people from religions that need to pray or even meditate. It would be a comfortable area for people to be in, very peaceful and away from the hustle and bustle of college life. Personally, even I pray on campus, but you know it’s just basically in the library in a corner thats kind of undesignated. There’s no official spot, so I think it would be useful for there to be one.”
Durand Black, 19, communications major, Agnostic “Sure, I agree. I don’t have a problem with it. People have religious practices that need to be expressed, sometimes multiple times a day. Sometimes while they’re at school they don’t have the opportunity to do it. I think it’s a good thing, I’ve been in a Muslim country before and a lot of people prayed multiple times a day and every building actually had a room for it. We live in (Los Angeles) and we have people of all denominations, so I don’t see why we can’t have room for those people who do partake in that.”
Editor-in-Chief �������������������������������������������������������������������������� Phil Sidavong News Editor ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Phil Sidavong Opinion/Editorial Editor ��������������������������������������������������������� Jimmy Nguyen Arts Editor......................................................................................Jimmy Nguyen Sports Editor ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������Eric Ramos Photo Editor ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Jorge Villa Features Editor ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ Alba Mejia Social Media Manager........................................................................Eric Ramos Multimedia Manager.......................................................................Phil Sidavong Advertising Manager ������������������������������������������������������������������� Jack Mulkey Adviser ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������Kate McLaughlin Adviser ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Stefanie Frith Photo Adviser...................................................................................Gary Kohatsu
Chris Miller, 19, administration of justice major, Buddhist and Christian “I would say yes, it could be beneficial towards students. Most people would actually enjoy that, some won’t and I can see why because they’ll think it’s a waste of time and it’s nothing that will be great for the school. But I think it will be great because there are some students that need help and want guidance.
The Union is published 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. Unsigned editorials and cartoons are the opinion of the editorial board and do not reflect the views of the student body, staff or administration. Letters to the editor must be signed and must be received one week prior to publication in the Union office, Humanities Building Room 113. Letters are subject to editing for space, libel, obscenity and disruption of the educational process. Single copies of the Union are free; multiple copies can be requested through the Union.
Jasmine Camberos, 22, administration of justice major, Catholic “I agree, I don’t see it as a big deal... if you want to practice your religion it shouldn’t be a problem. As long as you’re not bothering anyone.”
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ARTS
5 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
MAY 18, 2017
Jazz professor is part of an allfemale big band By weekday, Ann Patterson is a jazz professor at EC, but on weekends she performs with her band, Maiden Voyage Sydney Fajardo Staff Writer @ECCUnionSydney She walks up to the front of class with a saxophone in hand and begins to demonstrate a song to her students. She begins to play a song, the class is in awe as they are shocked from her talents. On the weekday she teaches the saxophone and jazz improv at El Camino, but by weekend she’s performing at jazz gigs and festivals. Ann Patterson is an applied music professor at El Camino with a doctorate from the University of Southern California (USC) in jazz studies. Patterson began working at EC in 2000 and has been teaching jazz improv to this day. She can play a variety of instruments, ranging from the oboe, English horn, flute, piccolo, alto flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, jazz was discriminatory and didn’t take women into consideration in a male-dominated genre. Patterson came up with the idea of creating an all-female professional big band. A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz that consists of 12 to 25 musicians. It contains trumpets, trombones, saxophone, and a rhythm section.
“The name Maiden Voyage is a famous jazz piece by Herbie Hancock,” she said. “I wanted to find a name that suggested it was (made up of) women but also sounded like it was a jazz band.” Maiden Voyage has appeared on Playboy, NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” Concord Jazz Festivals, the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the LA Classic Jazz Festival, Central Avenue Jazz Fest, the Universal Amphitheater and many more. During performances, Patterson is known as a woodwind doubler, meaning she plays many woodwind instruments and can switch between multiple instruments during a live and ongoing performance. “There have been times in my life where I would practice four to six hours a day, but I don’t usually have time for that anymore,” Patterson said. “I try to practice everyday. It’s sort of like exercise, you just need to keep doing it.” Dorian Astorga is a 19-year-old business and music major at El Camino that plays the alto saxophone. He said he one day hopes to “be as good as his professor.” “She’s really good, I hope one day I can get to her level,” Astorga said. “Until then, she’s teaching me how to get there and the proper steps I need to take in order to better myself as a musician.”
Upcoming performance from Maiden Voyage • Maiden Voyage will be playing at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel at their event, Big Band Spectacular, on Sunday, May 28 at 8:15 p.m. • Each event will be sold as individual tickets, ranging from $10
Johnysha Vercher/ Union Ann Patterson is currently a jazz professor at El Camino College. When she’s not teaching or grading, she performs at jazz festivals and shows with her all-female band Maiden Voyage.
to $25 • For more information, call (562) 200- 5477
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- First floor of the Humanities Building - Humanities division office - Cafe Camino - Crenshaw door of the Humanities Building - Natural Sciences Courtyard - Library Reading Room - Natural Sciences division office - Switchboard Desk - Outside the front and back doors of the library
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SPORTS
MAY 18, 2017
EL CAMINO COLLEGE 6
Maturing through softball
Sophomore first baseman Kamryn Fisher earns CCCAA Honorable Mention Dmitri Hansen
Staff Writer @ECCUnionDmitri
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amryn Fisher walks up to the plate with poise and purpose. “Batting next, No. 2, Kammy Fisher,” the announcer says. Fisher bends down, grabs a handful of dirt and then brushes it off. She grabs her bat and looks at the pitcher, waiting for her to make a move. Her teammates began to cheer, “big fish, little pond” repeatedly until the pitch is thrown. Clang. The ball is hit past the shortshop and her teammates go wild. Fisher is a sophomore first baseman for the South Coast Conference-South champion El Camino softball team and was given an honorable mention from the California Community College athletic Association. Fisher played in all but three games during the 2016-2017 season. During those thirty-nine games, she hit six home runs, drove in 49 RBIs, stole five bases and hit .417. “It’s been so fun (coaching Fisher), she’s one of my favorite kids (of) all time to coach,” EC coach Jessica Rapoza said. “Her intent to get better everyday has helped her improve so much. She wants to get better every single day.” In last year’s playoffs, Fisher and the Warriors fell short in the first round of the playoffs. This year, she believed her team had a chance to reach the state championships and win but EC’s journey fell short with back-toback losses in the Super Regionals.
“We have the talent, drive and knowledge to win it all,” Fisher said. “(Throughout the year) we’ve all really grown together to become a great team.” With the softball season coming to an end, Fisher said she’s very proud of this team and what they have accomplished this season. “Obviously it ended shorter than we wanted,” Fisher said. “Leaving this team is going to be one of the hardest things in the world, but it was one heck of a year.” Sophomore infielder Brigid Antonelli said she has seen a large improvement in Fisher’s game over the years that she has known her. “Over the (six) years, I’ve seen Kammy become more and more confident in herself,” Antonelli said. “I’ve seen her work extremely hard to get to a point where her technique and skill are the best they’ve ever been.” Fisher played softball at Redondo Union High School and believes she has become a completely different player and person. Fisher plans on transferring to California State University San Marcos to continue her softball career. “We’ve turned into a family. I’m gonna miss the girls I’m not moving on with,” Fisher said. “It’s going to be difficult moving on to the next level without some of my best friends.” Fisher said she has grown up a lot from high school to now and thinks her two years at EC will help her at San Marcos. “I’m more mature on the field and at the plate,” Fisher said. “Rapoza has completely changed the way I played softball. She’s helped me grow as a team player and helped me learn what works for me.”
To read more sports profiles go to eccunion.com
John Lopez/ Union
Kamryn Fisher finished the season batting .417 with six home runs while adding 49 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
SPORTS
MAY 18, 2017
EL CAMINO COLLEGE 7
Warriors magical season ends at Super Regionals El Camino softball team ended the season as conference champs for the second time in three years
Phil Sidavong
Editor-In-Chief @ECCUnionPhil
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he crowd is all cheers and jeers. Antelope Valley’s fans are mad over a call that gave the El Camino softball team a 3-2 lead, but AVCs Dolly Stevens came up to bat with one out in the bottom of the sixth in Saturday’s elimination match. “Come on Dolly, it’s an easy pitch,” a Marauders fan cheered. Bang. Deep center, El Camino sophomore center fielder Rae Camez is tracking it down. Even deeper and she’s up against the fence, and all of a sudden Stevens’ solo-shot is gone, game tied 3-all in the bottom of the sixth and it just got worse from there. One walk, a hit, followed by another walk and then two more hits and the Warriors (37-8) were down 5-3 at the end of six and eventually, the Marauders (37-6) would take down El Camino, 5-4. “We had good at-bats, but the ball didn’t really fall for us tonight,” EC coach Jessica Rapoza said. “Sometimes that’s what happens in softball/baseball. There’s a lot of luck involved.” The Warriors had eight hits, two errors and only four runs to their name, while the Marauders accumulated five runs on six hits and two errors and despite the strong will to make a comeback, EC fell
Osvaldo Deras/ Union Sophomore catcher Ashley Machado slides into second base against Riverside City College on Friday, May 5 at the El Camino softball field. The Warriros beat Riverside, 9-4, in Game One of the Southern California Regionals. short. “I don’t want to base our season on one bad day,” Rapoza added. “That’s really what we had, ‘one bad day’ and it just happened that we played multiple games today.” Antelope Valley lost 8-3 on Friday night, but exacted revenge against El Camino to advance to Sunday’s Southern California Super Regional title match against the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties
at noon. The Marauders starting sophomore pitcher, Morgan Arndt picked up a win, while pitching the entire game. She also pitched five innings in her earlier match-up against Cerritos College, which AVC won, 8-3. “I can’t even tell you how I feel,” Arndt said. “My adrenaline’s pumping, I feel happy, really excited and nervous and pumped up (for tomorrow).”
Arndt pitched the full seven innings, facing 30 batters and giving up just four runs off eight hits and will look to prepare for Sunday. “Personally, I know tonight I have to stretch and take an ice bath so I’m not sore for tomorrow,” Arndt added. “As a team I think we need to focus, get a good night rest and come out ready to play tomorrow, whether it’s one game or two games.”
The Warriors’ season comes to an end, and with all the talent the team had, it fell short of the State Championship. An outstanding season for El Camino has done more than just continue Rapoza’s short, but acclaimed history as head coach. She’s coached the Warriors to two conference titles in three years as a coach and looking forward, she thinks that what the 2017 sea-
son did was really create a culture that makes the team someone to contend with. Going forward, freshman catcher Ashley Machado isn’t fazed thinking about next season. “We had a great season, just kind of came up short. It happens,” Machado said. “I think it’s going to start with having more confidence and having more energy and being a team leader on and off the field.”
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Jorge Villa/ Union Sophomore outfielder Noah Barba crosses home plate against Pasadena City College on Saturday, May 13 at Warrior Field. El Camino defeated the Lancers, 9-2.
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El Camino baseball will face No. 1 Orange Coast College in the California Community College Athletic Association Sectionals Eric Ramos
Sports Editor @ECCUnionEricR
It’s the No.1 ranked team against the former No. 1 team. The top seed Orange Coast College Pirates faces the No. 5 seed El Camino baseball team with the winner advancing to the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship in Fresno beginning May 27. EC heads into the sectionals after a 2-1 series win over No. 12 Glendale College and a 2-0 sweep of No. 7 Pasadena City College in the Super Regionals. Nothing has changed for the Warriors. Freshman pitcher Ricky Ramos said they are not preparing any differently. “Practices are the same and game plans are the same,” Ramos said.
“We are looking forward to the upcoming series and having some fun.” The Warriors and OCC battled for the No. 1 spot towards the end of the season. EC fell from the No. 1 ranking after dropping a fivegame losing streak at the end of the season. OCC is coming off a 2-1 series win over Santa Ana College in the Super Regionals. The Pirates lost, 3-1, in the first game on Friday, May 12 before they evened the series with a 5-1 win on Saturday, May 13. In the first two rounds of the postseason, sophomore pitcher Taylor Rashi was dominant, throwing two complete games against Glendale and Pasadena. In both outings, Rashi struck out 19 batters while allowing two unearned runs on four hits. Rashi said they are excited to get back on the field. “We are practicing and preparing for a battle against OCC,” Rashi said. “We are ready to go out there and get two wins to go to Fresno.” EC’s second ace is 11-game winner sophomore Cassius Hamm who has 121 strikeouts on the sea-
son. The bullpen includes Ramos, freshmans Trevor Talpas and Kenneth Haus and sophomore Jake Carr. The Pirates pitching staff will have to contend with an offense that has scored 46 runs in five playoff games. Sophomore catcher Trevor Casanova leads the Warriors with a .392 batting average and eight home runs while adding 40 RBIs. Casanova said OCC is a good team that is going to come out and play hard and it’s definitely going to be a fun series. “We have trained hard all year for this,” Casanova said. “Our team is ready for this matchup. We are not going to treat it differently than any other game.” Offensively, the Warriors have many players contributing to the scoring outputs. Freshmans Ty Conrad and Cody Wissler have 119 hits combined on the season. EC will travel to OCC for Game One on Friday, May 19 at 2 p.m. Game two of the best-of-three series will be on Saturday, May 20 at 1 p.m. at Wendell Pickens Field and a game three will be played on Sunday, if necessary.
SPORTS
8 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
MAY 18, 2017
John Lopez/ Union
Freshman Micah Hammond has only been playing beach volleyball for four months after spending 14 years playing indoor volleyball. Hammand finished as state runner-up.
Making the transition look easy Micah Hammond has only been playing beach volleyball for three months but ended up as 2017 state runner-up Alex Torres
t the age of seven an energetic girl and her friend were hitting a volleyball back-andforth to each other on the playground for the first time. The excitement welled up, the smiles on both of their faces were bright. Nothing seemed to matter that day, except for playing volleyball. That same evening, Micah Hammond went to her mom and convinced her to sign her up on a team. She participated in volleyball clinics at her local park and at the age of 11 she started to compete. Fourteen years later, her love for the game has impacted her life in ways that she did not know were possible. “Volleyball definitely helped (in) getting my confidence up and be more outgoing,” Hammond said.
“It has also given me more friends and be responsible in school to pass my classes because If I don’t do well then I can’t play and then I let my teammates down.” After playing beach volleyball for only three months at El Camino, Hammond and partner, Michelle Shimamoto, placed as the 2017 state runner-ups for beach volleyball on May 7 in Saratoga, California. The 6-foot 1-inch, green-eyed athlete always steps onto the court with a smile shining on her face. She is all business when she competes. Playing under coach Le Valley Pattison at El Camino has pushed Hammond to become a better player and a physically stronger athlete. “Second place in the state is fantastic,” Pattison said. “You have to remember that Micah is three months into her beach volleyball career and the learning process was fast. I’m really proud of them, I think it’s the best they played all year and it’s a good time to do it.”
The 2015 freshman at California State University East Bay was unable to keep playing at the Division II level due to medical reasons. Hammond, 21, psychology major, says that getting back on the court after dealing with her medical situation was not easy. “I needed a lot of patience to get through those times knowing that I wasn’t going to be as fit as I was before,” she said. “I talked to a lot of people who were there for me and I did a lot of yoga.” After college she hopes to become a high school counselor in Southern California and help students take the right courses to be college ready. Her counselor at North Torrance High School prepared and set her up for success. Her father, Paul Hammond, said Micah has always had a heart for others and has done many things to help people when they are in need. “She is a great person,” her father said. “She has an excitement for life. She is fiercely loyal, creative, genuine and a lot of fun.”
Micah Hammond’s season Regular Season: 11-8 in 19 matches against other schools.
Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Regionals: 2-1, lost in quarterfinals.
State Championship: 4-1, lost in state title match.
Staff Writer @ECCUnionAlex
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Heads to regionals as No. 5 seed
Heads to state as No. 27 seed
Beat Ventura, Feather River, Grossmont and San Diego Mesa. Lost to Long Beach City College
End of the Season
John Lopez/ Union Micah Hammond is a memeber of the beach volleyball team and is also a middle blocker on the women’s volleyball team.
WARRIORS SCOREBOARD
SOFTBALL: Regular season: 37-8 Conference: 12-0
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL Regular season: 12-8 Conference: 4-2
WOMEN’S TENNIS: Regular season: 3-12 Conference: 2-4
BASEBALL: Warriors 9, Pasadena City College 2
WOMEN’S BADMINTON Regular season: 3-6 Conference: 3-6
MEN’S TENNIS: Regular season: 3-12 Conference: 2-4
BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Regular season: 14-6 Conference: 6-6
SOFTBALL: Warriors 4, Antelope Valley College 5
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