May 2 2012, Issue 8

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Saddleback teachers of the year Saddleback awards full-time, parttime and Emeritus teach of the year Tameem Seraj Teacher of the Year winners for Saddleback College were announced last week and included David DiLeo, Ken Lee, and Rob Henry.

History instructor David DiLeo won the award for full time Teacher of the Year.

DiLeo, 59, is a native of Oceanside and has been teaching at Saddleback since 1993.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Cal State University, Long Beach and his doctorate in history from University of California, Irvine.

DiLeo likes the vibe he gets from his students and being in a classroom.

“I like the energy students give me. Even on a bad day they give me the extra push,” DiLeo said.

Photo by Tameem Seraj

Winning design: Landscape design instructor Ken Lee is awarded

the Saddleback College part-time teacher of the year award. Lee says that of all the awards he’s won in his career this is one of the most meaningful.

DiLeo is very committed to Saddleback and wants to see the history department flourish and thrive.

“Every teacher tries to perfect their program. I’m trying to get it right,” DiLeo said.

DiLeo has had a passion for history since he was young when he was inspired by his fifth grade teacher Mrs. Pearson. In his free time he enjoys traveling, cycling, and playing tennis.

He formerly taught and was the tennis coach for San Clemente High School. For DiLeo teaching is not just a job but a passion.

“Teaching is an artistic license,” said DiLeo. Ken Lee, a landscape design instructor, won the part-time Teacher of the Year award.

Lee, 54, is a native of Seoul, Korea and has been teaching at Saddleback since 2000. He earned his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Seoul National University and his master’s degree in landscape architecture from Cornell University.

“In my professional career I have received many awards and recognitions but this one is more personal and meaningful because it came from the students,” Lee said. “It is the best confirmation that what I am doing is good.”

Lee enjoys spending time with his students and chatting with them.

“I like interaction and sharing intellectual conversations with students. I like seeing them improve as human beings,” Lee said.

Lee will invite his students to visit his landscape design business to get a first hand view of how what they learn in class is practical in the real world. Prior to teaching at

Photo by Tameem Seraj

history of excellence: History instructor David DiLeo is awrded the Saddleback College full-time instructor of the year award. DiLeo has been an instructor at Saddleback for 19 years. He has had a passion for history since he was young, and enjoys the energy his students give him in class every day.

Saddleback Lee taught at the University of California, Irvine extension program.

When Lee was still in high school he still did not have an idea of what career to pursue and asked his grandfather for advice.

“My grandfather told me whatever you do, remember

the Earth and do something to help or enhance the Earth.

I wanted to do something creative so landscape design naturally was perfect,” Lee said.

Rob Henry won the Emeritus Teacher of the Year award.

Henry has been teaching consumer health issues courses at the Emeritus Institute since

2005. Henry has been nominated for Teacher of the Year 40 times in his teaching career.

Prior to teaching in the Emeritus Institute Henry worked for the Division of Health Sciences and Human Services since 1987. tseraj0@IVC.edu

Basic aid funds sustain SOCCCD Local property tax delays negative impacts of state budget cuts Jason Chung While many California community college districts are cutting class sessions, eliminating programs, and laying off employees in the wake of state budget cuts, the South Orange County Community College District is shielded from most of the damage due to its basic aid status.

A community college district gains basic aid status when its local property tax revenues exceed the amount of general-purpose funds allotted by the state under California Senate Bill No. 361.

SB 361 was introduced by Chancellor Jack Scott of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in 2006 and signed into law

On Showcase: Steampunk jewelry displayed at spring sale.

See page 7

by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that same year. It provides a comprehensive reform of the previous fund-allocation formula that was deemed overly complex and outdated for the financial needs of the 72 community college districts in California, according to a bill summary provided by the CCCCO. However, due to state budget constraints brought on by low tax revenues, low interest rates from state bonds, and rampant state spending, the current model of the bill resulted in drastic funding cuts for college districts statewide.

In the 2011-12 academic year alone, funds for community colleges were cut by a total of $400 million, which $110 million hopefully offset by the $10 fee hike implemented in July 2011, according to the Community College League of California’s Budget Advocacy Action Center.

“There are certain sorts of mandates that will come with the SB 361 model,” said Irvine Valley College President Glenn Roquemore, “and the biggest that’s hurting everyone right now is the workload reduction.”

Workload reduction means the college will be mandated by the state to limit the number of courses it is able to offer, Roquemore said. “[If the district enters basic aid], you are no longer funded by the state. You will be funded then entirely off of those property tax proceeds,” said Roquemore. “[So] the budget cuts and mandates would not affect us.”

Fortunately, the SOCCCD is saved from the negative impacts of those cuts because it was funded by local property taxes at the time.

“Now, as a result, what we do is we take the SB361 model and we apply it to that basic aid money for the purposes of

Photo by Jason CHung

Lake MIssion Viejo: The South Orange County Community College District relies property tax from houses like these to bring in basic aid revenue to support costs at Saddleback and Irvine Valley College.

distributing the funds out to the two colleges,” said Roquemore. “So in a way, we are doing a pseudo-calculation and trying to mirror what everyone else is doing in the state and the way those moneys are allocated. The purpose of doing that is that, in case we happen to lose basic aid, for some reason, then we will be right at our funded level from the state and it wouldn’t create a big need to cut and everything will be running smoothly.”

SOFTBALL: The Saddleback softball team reach playoffs and will host San Diego Mesa College in a best of three series. Game one will be Saturday at 7 p.m., game two will be Sunday at 2 p.m., and game three if neccessary will be played right after game two finishes. For updates see http://www.saddleback.edu/athletics/

This freedom from state mandates allow Saddleback College and IVC to continue offer existing classes and even expand programs to suit student needs.

“We are writing new programs in pre-engineering,” said Roquemore. “We are working on some new curriculum in [video] gaming, and rapid-manufacturing. We are also expanding a bit in the business area, particularly in the business entrepreneurial

studies. We recently added a paralegal program. We have been able to continue to refine our curriculum to where the jobs are and where our student needs are.”

Yet, several districts and colleges that were left with no choice but to make massive cuts includes the Ventura County Community College District, the Yosemite Community College District,

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Alexa Smith prepares for commencement Nicole Bullard

Photo courtesy of Alexa Smith

Flying high: Student commencement speaker Alexa Smith (left) enjoys a hang gliding session above Brazil. Alexa enjoys outdoor activities when she’s not working hard for her 3.95 GPA or preparing to transfer to Cal State Fullerton.

Saddleback College student Alexa Smith, 55, horticulture has been on the Dean’s list almost every semester since 2008, has a GPA of 3.93, a fulfilling schedule teaching cooking classes at Point Loma University and is preparing to transfer in the spring to Cal State Fullerton.

She has been selcted to be the student commencement speaker for the spring graduation.

“When I started to look at academics it was kind of scary for me, because I was a child of the 70’s and I did the hippie thing, traveled and worked,” Smith said, “so I didn’t know if I could be a good student or not.”

Smith’s life is a collection of amazing activism, riveting experiences and kindness wherever she goes. She kept busy as a waitress, where she met an optician who liked her personality and wanted to teach her his trade.

She also was trained by a lawyer

at a law group and became a paralegal.

When she was younger, she also taught English in South America and after the Vietnam War she taught English to Cambodian refugees at Camp Pendleton.

She dabbled in the entertainment business she joined an improv group called M.I.C.E. in the mid-1990’s alongside Robin Williams, Tom Ritter and Mike Chain.

She also hosted a cable show originating in Huntington Beach with two friends. The show had a cooking segment, a handyman segment and a segment where they went “out on the field,”, sometimes going to shelters for battered women to help them.

Smith has visited London, Paris, Scotland, Brazil, Fiji and Tahiti. She even went kayaking in Fiji, where she was invited to a school fundraiser there and met a Fijian chief as an honored guest.

“Traveling can change your life, especially for me as a young person, it taught me a lot about independence,” Harris said.

As a traveler, Smith tends to make friends wherever she goes, and often gets along with other students in her classes very well.

“I bake, I cook, and I baked probably around five dozen muffins and brought them into English class yesterday, then I took them to my math class, then I took them to the tutoring guys.”

Harris said.

She believes food is one of the best ways to show affection for another person, because everyone loves eating food and having food made for them.

“I think people need to be appreciated, and when you bake something for somebody it can make their day.” Harris said.

Smith will be speaking at the graduation ceremony May 18 at 9 a.m. in the gymnasium. nbullard0@saddleback.edu

District Attorney reviews athletic spending case Tameem Seraj Nearly a year later, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigation into spending malpractices by employees of Saddleback College and several other educational institutions throughout Southern California has been handed off to the county District Attorney’s office for review.

“The case is still being reviewed,” said Orange County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Farrah Emami.

Emami said that if evidence proves a crime was committed, the DA’s office would determine what charges are to be filed and have its own investigation. Or if there is not enough evidence then no charges will be filed.

The South Orange County Community College District conducted an investigation on Saddleback that cost approximately $20,000, according to district spokesperson Tere Fluegeman in an email.

An unnamed coach and an unnamed athletic department employee from Saddleback were investigated. The coach was

exonerated, said Fluegeman. The employee was disciplined but no specifics were provided because the district cited the confidentiality of personnel matters.

Saddleback Athletic Director Tony Lipold declined to comment citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.

“No money was misappropriated but some procedures and processes were violated, said Fluegeman. “One employee was disciplined for not properly following district policies and procedures but this employee did not receive any personal gain and the situation has been resolved.”

Fluegeman said that all of the money spent by the employee was spent on student needs and athletics. PBS SoCal reported that the total amount that Saddleback received was $26,272.49.

Fluegeman said the amount was less than PBS SoCal reported.

“The total amount of money spent that did not follow policies and procedures was less than $25,000,” she said.

Records also indicated that coaches from Capistrano Unified received the most money from

Lapes. Three coaches were fired, four were disciplined, and three other teachers were not cited.

After acquiring the now defunct Lapes Athletic Team Sales, Irvine investor Teresa Sando and husband Geoff found boxes of old records labeled “slush” in 2008. Lapes fell into bankruptcy the same year. Upon further investigation, the amounts in the “slush” fund totaled around $700,000.

Records provided by the Sandos showed that employees and coaches from schools throughout Southern California, including Saddleback, received kickbacks from these funds.

Coaches were allegedly converting the district funds into personal spending accounts to be used however the coach wanted without any oversight from the district.

According to some independent media investigations such as PBS SoCal and the Orange County Register, some coaches spent funds on personal athletic attire, Christmas gifts, fishing trips, and other improper purchases.

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Long Beach City College, Solano Community College, and Santa Monica Community College.

According to an article by the Ventura County Star published in April, the three colleges under the Ventura Community College District, Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura, eliminated another 60 more jobs last month, in addition to the classes and problems that were already cut and departments restructured following a $16.2 million budget reduction over the past three years.

Among the jobs eliminated is a dean, a grant development writer, several child development assistants and lab technicians. Moorpark College even suspended its baseball, men’s cross country and men’s track and field programs for the 201213 academic year, according to another Star article published in Nov. 2011.

According to a Modesto Bee article from April, the YCCD board of trustees unanimously voted to cut $8 million in funds during a board meeting on March 9, 2011, that ultimately led to 40 support staff, 11 faculty members, four administrators and a dean at Modesto Junior College being laid off. More

Chart courtesy of UCLA Library

than a dozen programs, including architecture, culinary arts, communications and graphics, dental assisting, engineering, foreign languages and industrial technology, at the college were

also eliminated. Its child care center was shut down last week.

For the complete story go to: www.lariatnews.com jchung52@ivc.edu

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“What’s your study method for finals?”

Chris Hunter

Mychal Curington

Brian McDonnel

20, theater arts

22, history

21, kinesiology

“Go over all of your notes and read all of the chapters and cram. All the info on the tests are there.”

“Don’t procras“Give yourself tinate. Start time to study, studying early so at least a week. you will be preDon’t wait till pared.” the last minute to start studying.”

Photo from wikipedia.com

BOOKS TO T.V. SHOWS: The televison show called “Game of Thrones” was taken from the original book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” written by the author George R.R. Martin who has recently released another book.

‘Song of Ice and Fire’ has finally gone cold Jason chung

Heather Holmquist

Ali Meeanimi

Branden Carrera

22, social science

26, chemistry

20, human development

“If I’m short on time, I try to go for things I think I get the least.

Something that I know I grasp the concept, I try to skip over and go back to it if I have time.

“I think for fi“If I’m short on nals the best way time, I’ll just is to start studywrite [down ing from the start what] I need of the semester to know from a and one week study guide and before the final. I then just study think it’s the best that instead of way if you want the whole thing.” to go for an A.”

Spring campus trends Nicole bullard Spring fashion on Saddleback College has is following many trends, including preferred clothing stores and styles.

There’s a lot of casual wear, with t-shirts and jeans reigning over the campus, but a lot of students show off their unique personalities with their clothing style and apparel.

“Students seem to be very casual, but I have noticed a lot of high-waisted denim shorts!” said fashion instructor Diane McGroarty. Jeans are very common, and according to wisegeek.com, the jean trend is unlikely disappear.

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“Slimmer fitting jeans are the style now,” said fashion instructor Malia Hill.

Knitted skirts and cropped tees are becoming a trend.

Cropped tees are a product of the 80s that have continued to be fashionable in the present day.“I see a lot of dolman sleeved shirts,” Hill said. A dolman sleeve is much wider at the arm hole and tight cuff, according to thefreedictionary.com.

And the ever-present “hipster” style is still on campus.

This style takes many eras including the 70s, 80s and 90s and makes a new style that isn’t very original but still has a fashionable structure. This style includes lots of plaid, Urban

nicoLe BuLLard Editor-In-Chief Reporters: jaSon chung taMeeM Seraj

Outfitters, leggings and natural hairstyles instead of high maintenance hairstyles.

Hill has also seen a few interesting hairstyles like the “skrillex” hairstyle, where one side of the head is shaved.

As for clothing stores, Forever 21 clothing is everywhere, as well as Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, H&M and Anthropologie.

Although fashion trends are fun to follow, it can be a pain when trying to find a unique style. If budget is a problem, places like T.J. Maxx and even Forever 21 have cheap but fashionable clothing. nbullard0@saddleback.edu

When George R. R. Martin published the first three novel of his epic fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” his fans did not have much to complain about except for the seemingly endless wait for subsequent installments. But with the release of the latest two books, I could

...the fourth and

fifth book were first written as a single package until the publishers decided it was too long and chopped it into two books. not help but feel disappointed.

I did not start reading the series until 2010, when it came highly recommended by my roommates at the time.

Once I picked up the first book, I went through the first three novels within two weeks because I couldn’t stop devouring the rich narration, realistic characters and abrupt plot twists. But once I got to “A Feast for Crows,” the momentum stopped.

The fourth book was like a cold shower and the overall story progression slowed to a crawl. Focus on the main storyline and characters were downplayed to accommodate the introduction of numerous secondary characters and their side quests.

Not that I was not in favor of more in-depth narratives of these minor characters, who all have key roles to play in affecting the ultimate ending and can provide refreshing perspectives on previously mentioned events, but their coverage did not add to the entertainment value of the series as much as

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the main cast’s storyline did.

Even though the events of the fourth and fifth novels were supposed to occur five minutes after the conclusion of the third book, sometimes their chapters read like they were written to fill plot holes and tie up loose ends.

In the first three books, the action was always tight and what everyone was doing had immediate consequences on the main events.

Unfortunately, most of the characters’ chapters in the latter two novels were disjointed.

They were not directly related to the central plot and thus failed to give readers a sense of urgency.

Also, clues for future events used to be subtly hidden among the chaotic action, which made the realization of discovering their meaning later in the story a tremendous joy.

In the recent books, they are just laid bare in the open for all to read and half the fun is gone.

The increasingly long wait between novels also hurt the surprise element.

Many fans, like me, who could not stand the wait often partake in online discussions to

Even though the events of the fourth and fifth novels were supposed to occur five minutes after the conclusion of the third book. sometimes their chapters read like they were written to fill plot holes and to tie up loose ends.

outcomes.

Do this often enough, eventually all the possibilities would have been guessed and the surprises ruined.In his own defense, Martin stated in an interview with the Atlantic in 2011 that he originally planned “A Song of Ice and Fire” as a trilogy, which would somewhat explain the five-year gap between “A Storm of Swords” and “A Feast for Crows.”

He also said the fourth and

Many fans, like me, who could not stand the wait often partake in online discussions to exchange theories and speculate outcomes. fifth book were first written as a single package until the publishers decided it was too long and chopped it into two books.

This caused him to make the difficult decision of rearranging chapters and rewriting narratives so that the fourth book covered storylines in the south of his world while the fifth dealt with the north.

Maybe Martin got tired of the story a long time ago and did not have the heart to tell his fans, which is understandable, given the range of characters and scale of the story. Or, maybe he just wants to stretch the series a couple more years past its prime so he can milk more money from the television show and all the peripheral products he’s selling, such as board games, cards and replica swords.

In either case, if the series does not regain its epicness in the last two books, fans will lose patience and stop caring about the ending.

exchange theories and speculate

jchung52@ivc.edu

About the Lariat The Lariat is the student newspaper of Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College. The Lariat is an independent, First Amendment, student-run public forum.

One copy of the Lariat is free.

Additional copies may be purchased at the Lariat newsroom, temporarily located in Village 33-2.

Letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit letters to 200 words and include a name, valid

email address and signature. All letters are subject to editing by the editorial board.

Unsigned editorials represent the views of the Lariat’s ediorial board and do not represent the views of Irvine Valley or Saddleback colleges or the South Orange County Community College District.

Lariatnews.com was launched in fall 2007. Visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

4 In Brief

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The Saddleback College Forensics Team received 7th place at the national community college championship last month while competing against 59 other schools.

The Saddleback College Emeritus Institute Symphony Orchestra will perform their Spring Concert with worldrenowned violinist Ellen Jung and other guests at the Geneva Presbyterian Church on Sunday, May 6.

A Cinco de Mayo-themed celebration for outgoing transfer students will be held on Thursday, May 3, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Services Center, Room 212.

The Emergency Preparedness department from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, in conjunction with CaliforniaVolunteers, recently hosted an inaugural two-day symposium at Saddleback College to educate first responders and nurses on emergency preparedness.

On Monday, May 7 there will be a question and answer session with specialists from EOPS, counseling, financial aid, residency, and re-entry able to answer your questions in English, Spanish, and Farsi.

The summer 2012 session classes will be scheduled within an eight-week duration, beginning June 18 and concluding Aug 10. Through the eightweek period, there will be one 8-week session start date and two 6-week session start dates.

The cohort-based learning community Bridge 2 Engineering at Saddleback College will be recruiting students at the end of July or early August for the first cohort of the program.

For the complete stories, visit www.lariatnews.com

DaVinci was likely too far ahead of his time nicole bullard Leonardo Da Vinci was an extremely talented and wellknown painter, but his influence reached beyond art during the enlightenment of the renaissance.

The president of Harris/Ragan Management Group, Godfrey Harris, visited Saddleback College to discuss the influence Leonardo Da Vinci had on the Renaissance’s advances in inventing and culture.

“The three things you need to know about Leonardo Da Vinci,” Harris said, “he was illegitimate, he was defiantly lefthanded in a right-handed era and he was gay in an era when homosexuality was a walking death sentence.”

Godfrey said these facts are important for they explain DaVinci’s disposition and worldview.

Da Vinci’s illegitimate birth in 1452, was thought to cause him to try to please everyone, Harris said. His mother was a maid and his father was a notary. When he was two years old, Da Vinci was taken away to live with his grandfather. His plight was complicated, and he was brought up by maids, while being spoiled by his grandfather at the same time.

“Brought up below stairs by colleagues of his mother and his grandfather doting on him upstairs. He didn’t know where he belonged, upstairs or downstairs,” Harris said, in reference to the fact servants were downstairs and the aristocracy or wealthy owner of the house lived upstairs.

Da Vinci consistently wrote and painted with his left hand,

although there was superstition about being left-handed. In French, it means awkward and in Olde English it means weak.

However, some might conclude his paintings were so revered because the way he painted was different than others, and the left to right brush strokes would have a unique appearance in the light.

Since there wasn’t a wide selection of books during the Renaissance, because all of them had to be handwritten, visual representations of history were extremely popular. To have a portrait painted was popular as well, and many people sought out Da Vinci’s artistic ability.

Another discrepancy of Da Vinci was his homosexuality, which Freud described as ‘a love for his mother, and he kept himself away from females to keep his singular love for his mother.’

“However, Freud wrote three books on Da Vinci and kept changing his mind,” Harris said.

“He didn’t know how to explain Da Vinci’s homosexuality.”

Da Vinci took many risks and learned to watch his back. He was highly talented in explaining himself when questioned.

Despite Da Vinci’s insecurity between being illegitimate and homosexual, he had many works of art still cherished and studied today.

He also painted the “Virgin of the Rocks” for the Dominican Church in Milan issued by the Duke of Milan. Da Vinci was ordered to make the second painting after he completed the first, because he had refused to put any attributes on Jesus or St.John. Attributes are halos and characteristics that depicted saintliness.

His painting “The Last Supper” is one of the paintings he did not ask for permission to paint. He often sought forgiveness rather than permission.

“The Last Supper” was one of Da Vinci’s more brave projects.

Known as a procrastinator by even great artists like Michelangelo, it was unique day when Da Vinci decided to paint a fresco.

He often did not finish paintings and it was unsure if he would be able to paint his work before the plaster wall dried beneath his paint.

In a moment of creativity, he decided to paint his mural with oil paints directly onto the wall.

Because of this choice, his artwork “The Last Supper” is now deteriorating because of improper storage, and oil paints deteriorate faster.

The portrayal of Jesus Christ is the main focal point, although it is unknown if he sat in the middle, it is portrayed like this

by Da Vinci.

“The center of the table is where the alpha sits,” Harris explained, “Where does the president sit during a meeting, always the center.”

He added the societal tradition of when a mother sets a table she places the father at the head of the table, but she’s at the center of the table. It’s a place of power.

The Biblical story tells this scenario took place during the Jewish Passover, However it has been observed that the bread is leavened and there is wine.

Some believe that it was the night before Passover meal and that the twelve disciples were all Jewish.

Harris said Da Vinci was angry with the anti-semitism of the time, and he put many Jewish

Photo by Nicole Bullard

EXPERT: Harris/Ragan Management Group president, Godfrey Harris, discusses the life, influences, works, and legacy of renowned painter and inventer, Leonardo DaVinc, during his recent talk at Saddleback College.

symbolism in the painting.

According to Harris, there are many other hidden symbols, including the tablecloth creases, which line up with the bread rolls and hands of the disciples to create a medieval staff. The staff creates chords and notes to make a musical requiem.

Other than being an influential painter, it had been studied that he himself might have been influenced as well.

While the Chinese were advancing in their inventions and becoming part of the trading system, they brought many inventions to Europe.

The explorer, Marco Polo, reported that the Chinese had ships with several hulls, so that if one of the hulls were punctured the others would keep the ship afloat. Polo was thought to have influenced Da Vinci and his work.

Over a hundred years after

Marco Polo’s death, Da Vinci sketched a double hull ship, so the second hull could keep the ship buoyant. Unfortunately his idea was not utilized at the time.

“Da Vinci was an ordinary person who did extraordinary things,” Harris said, “however sometimes his ideas were not recognized at the time.”

The artist had proposed his double hulled ship to many aristocrats and the Catholic church, but was rejected every time with negative responses.

“His ideas are still recognized in the 21st century,” Harris said, “Today all vessels that come into the U.S. with petroleum and oils must have two hulls.”

There are many pieces of evidence that the Renaissance was influenced majorly by the Chinese, who in turn influenced Da Vinci. nbullard0@saddleback.edu

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LIFE

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w e d n e s d ay, may 2, 2012

A week of organic fun Student debt weighing on grads deep into middle age, according to consumer savings organization

Photo by Nicole Bullard

Tuesday included food from Native Foods and the film “Gasland,” which provided insight on the natural gas hydraulic fracturing.

The Lime Truck visited Saddleback Monday through Wednesday, bringing with them an array of fresh foods. Their menu included sweet and spicy steak tacos, carnitas fries and crab ceviche.

On Wednesday, the “steampunk” themed jewelry sale was selling handmade items such as necklaces, bracelets and beads.

Steampunk is the recycling of found objects. The jewelry sale was organized by the jewelry club and the environmental awareness club.

For music, the list included This Time With Feeling, DJ Yorgmoto, Mess of Wires and The Aloha Radio.

There was also an electronics recycling drive where students could rid themselves of old and broken electronics.

According to alisoviejo.patch. com, it is important make an effort on behalf on the environment on days other than Earth Day. This can be achieved by recycling paper, opening windows instead of using air conditioning and use kitchen scraps for backyard compost.

GREEN NOMS: Food workers stand by a spread of fresh meal choices during Saddleback’s 2012 Earth Week activities.

nbullard0@saddleback.edu

nicole bullard

The Saddleback College Earth Week 2012 Lectures organized lectures on environmental issues, eco-friendly activities and food trucks.

To name a few lectures, there was one expressing the importance of water efficiency, why people should “live green,” and nuclear power as an energy source.

According to the website www. improving-health-and-energy.

com, green living is any action or activity that results in a positive impact, to any degree, on the environment so that the planet can continue to support future generations.

To demonstrate how students can live green, there was a campus clean-up on Thursday to pick up any litter that was cluttering the campus.

Besides having informative lectures and cleaning the campus, there was entertainment and food.

The dinner and movie on

nicole bullard The website CouponCabin. com, which helps its users find the best coupons, has recently conducted a survey on how student loan debt is affecting a wide range of U.S. adults.

The survey was conducted online within the United States

by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin from April 10 to April 12 this year among 2,145 U.S. adults ages 18 and older.

A few of the takeaways include 42 percent of U.S. adults ages 35 and up who took out college loans even now have a student loan balance and 34 percent of U.S. adults ages 45 to 54 are still carrying more than $20,000 in debt.

And even in larger numbers is the saddening 49 percent of U.S. adults who went to college and wished they had studied something with more earning potential.

According to http://alleducationmatters.blogspot.com, there is over $1 trillion of student loan debts, and upcoming college graduates can begin a new chapter with a lifetime of debt.

The survey also affirms that nearly six in ten U.S. adults

who took out student loans still have an outstanding balance and 21 percent of those 55 years old and up still have a student loan balance.

Young Americans are also feeling the pressure of student loan balances as they face a challenging job market and economic climate.

More than 83 percent of U.S. adults ages 18 to 34 years old who took out loans to attend college said they currently are carrying a balance, with 34 percent of those with a student loan balance reporting that their balance is more than $20,000. Sixteen percent said that their balance is more than $40,000.

The encumberance to pay back student loan debt also takes an emotional toll on those who took out loans. In fact, 70 percent of U.S. adults who took out loans to attend college are or were at least somewhat concerned about how long it would take to pay off that debt. Nearly one-quarter said they were very concerned.

A variety of worries can mark the passage into life after college. When asked what their biggest concerns are or were about post-college life, U.S. adults all voiced financial concerns.

These concerns included not being able to find a job (45 percent), not being able to afford the lifestyle I wanted (34 percent), the state of the economy (32 percent), not being able to pay my bills (30 percent), not being able to pay off my student loan debt (17 percent), not being able to pay off my credit card debt (14 percent) and having to move back in with my parents (10 percent.)

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nbullard0@saddleback.edu

Annual ceremony salutes stellar Saddleback scholars The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society held an induction ceremony to officially welcome 40 new members and recognize six new officers from Saddleback College last Friday.

The Saddleback chapter, known as Beta Epsilon Beta,

selected these new members based on their academic achievements. Since membership is by invitation only, the current PTK board members only extended their invites to students who have maintained a GPA above 3.5 and completed more than 12 units of classes.

Those who will become BEB officers next academic year were also inducted at the

beginning of the ceremony.

The six officers recognized were Recording Secretary Cary Buechler, Vice President of Leadership Jason Brower, VP of Scholarship Alex Tiskevich, VP of Service Desiree Sullivan, VP of Fellowship Sean Millet, and Treasurer Andrew Knauf.

Founded on the four ideological pillars of leadership, scholarship, fellowship and service,

Phi Theta Kappa aims to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students through providing opportunities for individual growth and participation in honors, leadership, service and fellowship programs, according to the PTK’s mission statement.

Since Beta Epsilon Beta believes service is the most important because it incorporates the

other three concepts, it works to serve the community, especially those in and near the Saddleback campus.

The chapter is currently working on two major community service projects, entitled Honors in Action and Commit to Completion. The former is an academic project that seeks to bring awareness to their surrounding community about

their study topic of choice, the culture of competition in sports.

The latter is a campaign to assist students who are having trouble completing their education in community college. A Commit to Completion event for Saddleback is currently being planned for the upcoming fall semester. jchung52@ivc.edu

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Dance Collective 2012 showcases student moves nicole bullard Dance Collective 2012, held three nights at the McKinney Theatre last week, showcased student dance performances that varied from belly dancing, ballet and choreography telling stories based on societal issues.

The performance had 12 separate pieces each had their own unique theme and style.

The opening piece, “DUI,” was based on the grief caused by drunk driving and its victims, and was choreographed by Kirsten Hopkin. The music was

by Mumford and Adaline.

“Victims to the Charms of Radio,” choreographed to music

by Kaskade by Melissa Perkins, depicted how popular music on the radio can control how youth perceives society. Dancers pretended to be attached to strings like puppets, as if the music was controlling them.

A solo piece, “Another Day’s Work,” choreographed by Tiffany Kell, portrayed a janitor tired of cleaning all day who

blows off steam by dancing to a Daft Punk remix. It was an interesting perspective on dance and incorporated cleaning props into the performance.

“Sisterhood,” choreographed

by Carissa Brinckerhoff and Isadora Sharon, began with the dancers first shown in silhouette, then the performers danced to the music of Shakira and Beats Antique. It was an exotic performance that was choreographed with grace.

“Phenomenal Woman” was based on poetry by Maya Angelou. The dance was choreographed by Kimberly Baglino Tuason and Anthony Tuason. The piece seemed to celebrate women empowerment, with music by Beyonce, Drake and Jordin Sparks.

The intense and moody piece “Lost Perception,” choreographed by Isadora Sharon, was a duet by Tyler Padian and Isadora Sharon. The music was by Hildor and the performance was like a meeting of yin and yang.

Sharon seemed to be the darker,

moodier counterpart to Padian, who was dressed in white and lighter in demeanor.

After “Lost Perception” the next piece entitled “Tappy Hour” choreographed by Baglino Tuason, was a lighthearted and wonderful tap dance performance. The music was by Basement Jaxx and had was vibrant, even the background for the stage was yellow and red, giving the performance a cheery feel.

After intermission, “I Spy, I Sympathize: Where Film Meets Dance on the Streets” gave dance a new modern flair. Choreographed by Mimi Liu and in collaboration with Saddleback filmmakers, this unique and contemporary piece was based on how people treat each other.

The music and sound effects was provided by Underworld’s Second Hand and Sounddogs.

“Alone with You,” choreographed by Melissa Perkins used a song from Adele, coincidentally taken from one of The Cure’s songs. The solo

Legendary Julliard graduate pianist performs at McKinney nicole bullard Pianist Daniel Pollack visited Saddleback College and performed well-known classical pieces at the McKinney Theatre Sunday.

He performed many classical pieces composed by Bach, Chopin, Liszt, Siloti and Debussy.

Some of the compositions included Bach’s “Organ Prelude in G Minor,” Chopin’s “Two Etudes Op. 10 No. 11” and “Op. 25 No. 8” and “Nocturne in C# Minor, Op. Posth.”

“I really liked how it was subtle, but the way he played was lyrical,” said Mani Maleky, who

was one of the many in the audience that afternoon.

Pollack graduated from The Julliard School from the class of the legendary Rosina Lhévinne.

He has performed for audiences in North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. He has been reviewed by critics all over the globe and featured in newspapers such as the Washington Post, New York Times and the French magazine Diapason.

He is a star in Russia according to a feature in the New York Times. He appeared in a solo performance with conductor Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in St. Petersburg.

He has also performed as a soloist with major philharmonics such as London’s Royal, Seoul, South Korea and Kiev, Ukraine.

The Julliard School, Columbia University and Yale’s School of Music include prestigious educational institutions on his curriculum vitae. He is currently on the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

“He’s a genius and had astonishing tune,” said David Falzone said, one of Pollack’s students, who was in the audience. nbullard0@saddleback.edu

“The Sky Catching Fire” releases latest album nicole bullard Under the alias of his one-man band “The Sky Catching Fire,” singer and Saddelback College student Thomas Monroe, 27, English, recently released his newest album “Monsters.” The first song on the album is Monsters, and the last is the second part of the song called Monsters II. The album has 12 acoustic tracks like “Monsters,” Yes,” “Ballad of a Tin Man” and “Cinnamon.” “‘Cinnamon’ is my response to Neil Young’s song ‘Cinnamon Girl’,” Monroe said.

Another of Monroe’s songs that gained popularity was “Dog in a Sweater,” which he performed last month at Saddleback.

“Everyone really liked it,” Monroe laughed. “I didn’t expect that.”

He records all of his own music and performs all vocals and instrumental pieces by himself.

Although he is the only person in his band, he prefers to have

Thomas Monroe

reverbnation.com

a band name instead of just his name.

“I originally was in a band, but I got tired of it,” Monroe said, “It was like being married to four people.” The band was

“It was like being married to four people.”

—T. Monroe

(on being a solo act versus in a band)

called Vendetta Valentine and its music played on radio station KROQ radio FM. Monroe’s music is unique yet familiar as well, and could be considered under the same sound as David Bowie,

Radiohead and Modest Mouse.

Johhny B, host of the Tunecast Podcast, said the title song on the CD is “so catchy that it leaves you singing in it your head. Not only are his songs fun to listen too but Thomas’s lyrics dig deep into the heart-felt minds of us all. ‘Monsters’ is a must have in everyone’s collection.”

Monroe has many fans and is ranked seventh in Laguna Beach on reverbnation.com.

He has performed at the Viper Room, an Irish pub called Sonny McLean’s and has performed at Saddleback several times.

“I plan on getting a drummer or guitarist soon,” Monroe said.

He also has five other albums, including “This Is A Protest,” released March, 2011. His album can be purchased on iTunes and downloaded for free on reverbnation.com. Monroe plans on a summer tour for two to three weeks through cities like San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and New York.. nbullard0@saddleback.edu

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performance was heartfelt and the choreography mixed well with the music.

The ballet performance “La Corte de la Reina,” a ballet choreographed by Kathryn Totheroh, with music from George Frederic Handel, James Howard and Antonio Vivaldi, was classic and graceful.

“Left Behind” was choreographed by Nicky Bower. The dance portrayed four sides of a break up, the first filled with grief, while the last being full of life and moving on from a relationship.

To conclude the Dance Collective, “The West Side,” choreographed by Tuason and Baglino Tuason, was a tribute to the musical “West Side Story.”

As a beautiful rendition of the forbidden love story, the dancers were vibrant and mimicked parts of the musical.

The Dance Collective was directed by Dorothy Anderson Garant. nbullard0@saddleback.edu

photo courtesy of saddleback arts

STEP WITH GRACE: Students annually present a collaborative

of individual dance pieces, including the dancers and choreographers.

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SPRING JEWELRY SALE

Jewelry in this photo by Leslie Shattuck Photo by Jason Chung

DON’T LET THE PUNK FOOL YOU: eHow.com describes Steampunk jewelry as reflecting strength while still appearing feminine and intelligent. The steampunk culture takes its cues from the Victorian era, and speculates on how our world would be different if steam power had become the driving force behind our culture. Often fantastical and containing elements of science fiction, authors such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are important influences within steampunk and its fashions. As such, steampunk jewelry often has a salvaged, dark appearance. Although they do exist, you will rarely find colors such as gold or silver in steampunk jewelry.

Steampunk jewelry promotes a wearable environment

Photo by Jason Chung

THE BEAD LADY: Leslee Frumin’s passion for dressing began as a child. Her main inspiration was her mother who would often dress up and have evening bags with rhinestones and beads. This Saddleback College student is known as an expert in bead making. Her artistic goal is to create simple elegence in her jewelry.

T

he annual Spring Jewelry Sale held by the Saddleback College’s jewelry classes did not gross as well as past years due to bad weather last Wednesday.

The sale took place in Room 212 of the Student Services Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to their own original products, the students also designed a line of steampunk jewelry pieces at the suggestion of the Environmental Awareness Club from found objects, such as old watches and antique keyholes, for Earth Week.

“We have a steady group of students,” said event coordinator Gloria Gimbrone. “[But] it wasn’t as good as some years. It was slower. I think a lot has to do with the weather.”

The total gross from the day’s sale was approximately $1,600, according to Gimbrone. “[Revenue] is down from last year,” said Gimbrone, “but we don’t expect too much in the Spring [as opposed to the Christmas Sale] because it brings in people who have not done the sale before.”

The Spring Sale gives students who have not participated in a jewelry sale before a chance to learn how to display, sell and price their products, Gimbrone said. “[Since] no one can tell another person [how to price their products],” said Gimbrone, “normally what happens in a situation like this is they go and talk to [other vendors] and see what they charge, and adjust their prices accordingly.”

According to Gimbrone, the event is mainly for selling jewelry for Mother’s Day and raising funds for scholarship and art awards.

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Rough season for Gauchos continues with a loss in their final home game Tameem Seraj The Saddleback baseball team lost its last home game of the season to Riverside City College. 4-1. on Thursday in a rare night game.

The stadium lights shining brightly were an odd sight for both players and spectators who are used to seeing sunshine during games.

With the loss, Saddleback’s record drops to a dissapointing 14-21 overall and 8-13 in conference play. Riverside improved its record to 18-18 overall and 11-10 in conference.

The Gauchos jumped out to an early lead in the second inning. First baseman Lee Casas doubled to lead off the inning then moved to third base after a fly out by catcher Kyle Ferret.

Casas scored after a groundout by shortstop Joppi Martin who picked up the run batted in.

The Gauchos looked to be in total control of the game with pitcher Taylor Ohl taking a no hitter into the fifth inning but the Tigers tied the game at one with a leadoff double, a bunt to move the runner from second to third, and a groundout that scored the runner from third.

Ohl fell apart in the sixth inning giving up three runs on four hits including a two-run homer that barely stayed fair by third baseman Ricardo Rodriguez to put the Tigers up 4-1.

Kyle Katsandris relieved Ohl, who finished with two strikeouts, and did well to keep Saddleback within striking distance but the offense couldn’t come through. Katsandris pitched 3.2 innings giving up only two hits and no runs.

The Gauchos looked like they had some life in the ninth inning getting two singles but the Tigers got out of the inning

unscathed to finish the win.

Pitcher Blake Burrell was dominant on the mound for the Tigers throwing a complete game.

Burrell gave up four hits and an earned run while striking out four and improved his record to 6-0 for the season. Ohl took the loss for the Gauchos dropping his record to 3-4 for the season.

Casas got two hits in four atbats and scored a run for the Gauchos. Jackson Jones also got two hits in four at bats with a run and a run batted in.

photo by tameem seraj

tseraj0@ivc.edu

CLOSE CALL: First baseman Lee Casas stretches to catch the ball and record the out in a 4-1 loss to Riverside College on Thursday evening.

Chances of Lasers repeating as volleyball champions cut short in state semifinals at Long Beach City College Tameem Seraj Irvine Valley College’s men’s volleyball team failed to defend its state title by falling to Long Beach City College April 19 in their state semifinal match.

IVC went into the match on a five-game winning streak and looking like it could win another state title, but the season was ended after a tough four set

match.

The Lasers traveled to Long Beach after defeating Moorpark College at home in four sets.

Long Beach City College was the top-ranked team in the state all season long.

The first set was close with nine ties. After the score was tied at 20, the Vikings scored the last five points aided by a service error by freshman outside

hitter Zak Beard and two blocks

by Long Beach’s Aniefre EtimThomas. The Vikings won the first set 25-20.

Long Beach had a set point during the second set with the score at 24-22 but three straight hitting errors allowed the Lasers to crawl back and steal the set, 26-24.

The third set was another close one at the beginning with

the two teams once again tied at 11 apiece.

But the Vikings went on a run to take a commanding 24-18 lead.

The Lasers tried to climb back by winning the next three points, but this lead was too much to come back from and the Lasers dropped the set, 2521.

IVC found itself down again

in the fourth set 19-12.

The two teams exchanged points after that until Long Beach City won the set, 25-19, and sent itself to the state finals.

The Lasers hit a subpar .212 compared to the Vikings .316 hitting percentage.

Long Beach also held the advantage in the blocks category, out-blocking IVC 15-8.

Sophomore outside hitter

Trevor Lund led the Lasers with 14 kills.

The Vikings’ Rob McLean and Jo’Lon Clark both shared the lead for kills in the game with 16 each.

Freshman defensive specialist contributed eight digs and sophomore setter Kevin Fiske had 42 assists for the Lasers. tseraj0@ivc.edu