Lariat Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 | vol. 53, no. 4 | lariatnews.com | serving Saddleback College since 1968
DATE NIGHTMARES
Blind dates, awkard beach visits and Costco dining. It doesn’t get much worse than that. // page 8
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How virtual reality invaded the digital realm by analyzing its place on the fronts of affordability and its future
OPINION
Service workers explain just how bad they have it, ranging from blue cheese mishaps to angry mothers
LIFE
State Assembly candidate Chris Duncan on his campaign and homeland security experiences
NEWS
SPORTS
“Super Smash Bros.” club and its members share their perspectives on the games’ casual and competitive appeal
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2 Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2019 | News
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From homeland security attorney to State Assembly 1-on-1 with California State Assembly candidate Chris Duncan CHLOE HERNANDEZ NEWS EDITOR
Homeland Security attorney Chris Duncan is a local community member who embarked on a mission to run for State Assembly in California’s Mar. 3 Primary Election. In this interview, Mr. Duncan tells the story of his personal and career development, and how he came to realize the partisanship in the state and federal governments has inflicted real damage to our nation’s democracy. California’s State Assembly needs new representatives, and Mr. Duncan makes an incredibly compelling case as to why he should be the individual to take on the responsibility to serve California’s 73rd district. What inspired you to run for public office? I was a Homeland Security attorney specifically in an agency called Customs and Border Protection. I originally signed up to do that because I was in Washington DC when 9/11 happened. I was near the Pentagon when the plane hit, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my legal career and all of a sudden a kind of light bulb went on in my head and I realized I wanted to be of service, I wanted to help protect people, to do something bigger than myself and this is an opportunity to do that. They were looking for attorneys to go all over the country and I jumped in. I was hoping to go to Miami or New York or somewhere really interesting where I have never lived, and they sent me to El Paso Texas. This actually ended up being a blessing in disguise because it was a great place to learn about border issues. It was really
CHLOE HERNANDEZ/LARIAT
Chris Duncan, a grassroots politician fighting to bridge the partisan divide in the state capital. where the action was happening. I had an incredibly rewarding career getting involved in important things, but the things I enjoy the most were when I was again stepping up to help protect vulnerable people and businesses. I worked with law enforcement officers and special agents to dismantle a human trafficking organization so that the vulnerable people they had taken advantage of would be freed essentially from their captors. What would happen is that they would smuggle these people in and then they would have to work off the smuggling fee which was thousands of dollars through forced labor. When we took apart those organizations it felt like I was doing my purpose. Similarly on more of an economic end we also regulated cargo so when we stop foreign companies from cheating on customs tariffs or bringing in trademark infringing goods that hurt U.S. companies, it felt like we were helping protect those U.S. companies and domestic businesses, a lot of which being small businesses. Well what happened a few years ago is that, things changed. When the Trump Administration came in there was a different emphasis on priorities, much more
immigration focused and frankly some of the policies went against some of my basic values. Then there was the travel ban. In my mind it focused on preventing people from coming in based on religion, but we were able to work around that. I was a supervisor at a legal office, I had a bunch of young attorneys and we were able to negotiate that and provide waivers to people. The straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak, was the child separation policy. As a father with small children, especially. I like to think that even if I didn’t have them I would be equally concerned that we were doing something that was having long-lasting and detrimental effects on children. It didn’t matter where those children were from, it was something I couldn’t stand for. Like I had done in my career where I stood up for people I felt needed somebody to stand up for them, I decided that I needed to step away from that very comfortable career to do something where I got back to helping people. I looked around and I saw the State Assembly race and I saw it as an opportunity to help people in the community who needed someone to advocate for them.
I didn’t think they had been well served by the representation in the state, so it was an opportunity for me to serve in a different way and in a way that has more of an impact in my immediate local community. That was another interest in mind since I had always been working on these big National issues, now I want to do something where I could really be in the mix with the community and see for myself the real positive effects of stepping up again for the people in the community who needed the most. That’s the long story that gets me to this: doing something as out of the box and sort of very risky, some people would say crazy, as running for local office. How has working as a Homeland Security Attorney prepared you to represent our district in the California State Assembly? Thanks for asking that because I think that’s a key part of my platform, or my theory of the case, as I might say as an attorney. Sacramento is a very partisan place these days and the elected officials that have been sent from South Orange County in particular have been unable, frankly, to build the coalitions necessary to get legislation that delivers for South Orange County.
News | vol. 53, no. 4
@lariatnews I spent my whole career at Homeland Security building those types of teams and coalitions with different types of folks. We never focused on the party, it was what can you bring to the table, what do we have in common. Let’s focus on that, and let’s work to accomplish it. Because I don’t come from a political background and I don’t have an affiliation with a special interest, I am the type of person who can focus on bringing people together and build those types of coalitions to ensure the interest of our local community are well served by Sacramento. With my experience of doing that, being in law enforcement, not being partisan, and putting policy over party I think I can be a different sort of elected official that could actually make a difference. Throughout your career as an attorney you have worked under both Republican and Democrat administrations. Why do you believe it is important to have an open mind in politics? I think we’ve seen what happens in a tribalistic hyper-partisan political framework. Nothing gets done. Even when something gets done it’s because one team was victorious over the other team and now the team that lost feels like the government was working against them. That’s not going to get us where we need to go. We need to focus on the things we have in common. Again, because I don’t have those affiliations, I don’t go in trying to push an agenda that might not match up with the interests of other people I need to join my effort. Another part of it is because I have been part of Homeland Security and have experience standing up for principal that has brought me some personal cost. Frankly, I would stand up to Democratic officials party officials who I thought were going against something I thought was a good idea proposed by someone of the other party. I think we need more of that because at the end of the day, where we’re going to succeed is where we have the type of compromise that gets investment and
engagement from the largest group of people so that people feel there is something in it for them. A compromise where they don’t feel like they have to work against whatever policy representatives are talking about. Why do you believe it is important to include the younger generation in political discussions? I believe I’m the youngest person in this race by a lot – and I’m not young. But I am certainly from a different generation from the rest of the candidates. I have three young children myself, I have gone to a lot of schools, and I really believe in education. I feel as though we have missed the boat by not engaging our younger generation more. I think young people are looking for something or someone to
young people disproportionately. They need to have at least as much of a say, if not more, as the generations who frankly are not going to suffer from the consequences of the policies we have passed in the past. I hope we can send this message to the younger generation: there is somebody who is thinking of them, somebody who wants their input on what they think is important. On the issue of education, you state the importance of investing in educational programs. What do you believe the effects will be on generations to come? I think the education system in some ways has gotten boxed in by the way they’ve always done it. I like to think more creatively generally and I know that there are some programs going on, par-
“I hope we can send this message to the younger generation: there is somebody who is thinking of them, somebody who wants their input on what they think is important.” get behind that has a message that resonates with them. They’re not seeing it which is why you see a lot of young people registering as no party preference these days. I actually think that is a good thing because it shows they’re open-minded and are thinking of the individual over party affiliation or other things. Another part of it is that my mother was a community college professor, so I saw first-hand the incredible success stories that she would tell me about. For school like Saddleback in particular I think these are folks who are our future and we’ve got to find a way to engage that generation that segment of our population who sometimes feel left out of the process and because of that they don’t vote perhaps as much as other folks and that’s a shame. You look at things like climate change and the environment, these are things that are going to affect
ticularly in elementary school and middle school education where a lot of the personal growth happens. I think we need to be more holistic when we think about education and not just look at test scores and not just making sure we hit all of the typical subjects, but that we make sure we are fostering a complete individual. An individual who will give back to society and has a moral compass. So how do you get that? The things that I’ve seen and the things that I would support are programs that talk about mental health and emotional support, and make sure that those resources are available to our kids even at a young age so that they are in a better position to learn and interact with other students. What I hear from teachers is that they want that too. It helps the overall classroom atmosphere when they have a counselor or another resource there to address a child who might be having cer-
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tain issues and help them down the road to more stability and ultimately resilience. I really support those programs. I think we will see corollary benefits down the road by making that initial investment in our kids overall mental and physical condition. I think we’ll see it in school violence, substance abuse, and a host of other issues. Thinking holistically and putting resources in a programs like that will be incredibly beneficial If you could send one message to young voters, what would it be? Get involved. It is easy these days to feel that things are a foregone conclusion. To feel as though there is nothing really you can do, that it doesn’t really matter who gets elected into office or what law gets passed because it doesn’t feel like it affects your everyday life. It’s not true. I hope that people are seeing that more with the present state of our politics. We need to have more civic engagement by our young folks who are just as savvy, dynamic, and interesting as folks of older generations and have more at stake. You look at the race like the assembly race, I’m as guilty as anybody, because I used to look at the assembly race and say “who cares!” I never knew what our assembly person did, but now I know that the individual who serves our district does a heck of a lot, but they could accomplish much more if we had somebody in place who wasn’t part of the classic political structure. Someone who didn’t owe things to special interests and go to Sacramento to further those interests. We need an official who has the community’s interest in mind and will go to Sacramento further those interests. That’s what I am running as. When I talk to young people that’s the message I’m trying to get out there. Look, there are people out there who are involved in politics for the right reasons, and can make a real difference in your life. Focus on those people, get involved with those people, share your thoughts with those people, and let’s see what happens. I think we can do amazing things.
4 Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2019 | News
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Saddleback College needs more time and space to TED talk about mental illness FRANK ROCHA
MANAGING EDITOR
The One Book, One College committee at Saddleback College invited students to a TED Talk on mental illness, on Tuesday in SSC 212. The event was hosted by Health Sciences and Human Services, Adjunct Professor Mia Ferreira, MPH, MSW. The presentation was called “Mental Illness: It’s a Disorder, Not a Decision.” “The intention was to increase awareness about the prevalence like anxiety, depression, and mental disorders and to give students some techniques to talk to their friends about it and talk about stigma,” said Ferreira. “If anything, I hope they walk away and have the ability to do something about it.” Through educational slides that inform to the filled SSC room, which had more attendees than there where chairs. And had more than a few attendees stand or sit crisscross on the floor to attend the event. “Maybe we need to something like this monthly and maybe there will be something in the works,” said Ferreira. “I would love to be a part of something like that.” Over 46.6 million adults have mental illness and almost 60% go about being untreated. Mental illness occurs in majority of women with 22.3 million cases, young adults (18-25) 25.8 million cases and occurring within mostly white adults 20.4 million cases. With mental illness, might lead to the increase of suicide rate. In 2017, there were 47,000 deaths by suicide. Meaning every 12 minutes, there is one death by suicide. And today, suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 15-25. According to CDC’s National Center for Health Sciences, on average, the annual U.S. suicide rate increased 24% between 1999 and 2014, from 10.5 to 13.0 suicides per 100,000 people, the highest
FRANK ROCHA/LARIAT
Professor Mia Ferreira discusses the social stigma of mental illness. rate recorded in 28 years. According to Cal Tech Medical Research, mortality from medical causes, such as strokes, AIDS, heart disease, Leukemia has decreased. Suicides have increased and have not peaked yet. Biomedical research has decreased death and morbidity, from early detection and intervention. The morbidity or the conditioned of being diseased, has Neuropsychiatric disorders in the lead for disability adjusted for 28.47 life years. Others including cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive diseases, etc. are half or less than half for the disability adjusted life years. A factor on why mental illness is increasing, even with the new scientific tools to show the presence of brain changes before symptoms can get out of hand. Social stigmas are dissolving the confidence that mental illness can be treated and the person’s illness is a legitimate health condition. Professor Ferreira shared famous names that had to deal with mental illness, including Billie Eilish, Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Luther King Jr., Abra-
ham Lincoln, Lady Gaga, Winston Churchill, Jim Carrey, Demi Lovato, etc. The examples were for students to relate themselves with possible idols or admirers, that people like them deal with mental illnesses and its difficulties. If students want to find help, “Start at the student health center, especially if you’re wondering if you have a mental health disorder or your experiencing symptoms, because there are other medical conditions that can cause that,” said Ferreira. “Start with a medical provider who can run blood tests, but also who can refer you to the appropriate counseling resource and the student health center which is available to any student who is enrolled at Saddleback College.” For any immediate crisis, call 911. Text a crisis line: Text HOME to 741741 or the Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255 Students at the end of the presentation had the chance to ask questions about mental illness. There were many questions being asked, the presentation ended with multiple hands still raised. The Lariat asked a few individuals on
their personal illness, what it entails and who can they trust easing their illness. “I think anxiety is very serious,” said Devin Lara, a Saddleback College student. “I learned that people can have any anxiety, no matter who, what or any mental or physical disability.” “Living with OCD is having unwanted thoughts and fears and I didn’t know how common it was,” said Casey Paganelli, a Saddleback College student. “I think depression and anxiety is very common, if we know that’s common then we can be accepting of everything else.” For Devin Lara it’s about finding someone or a place to find solace, peace and acceptance for who they are. A safe environment to combat a person’s illness, to gain the ability to continue day to day life or social stigmas. “It depends on who you can trust to go to. I have learning anxiety and I have depression. I have a family that tells me to not worry about it, you’re strong, a part of the family and it doesn’t matter who you are. We still love you for who you are and from that I still fight to try to be happy and not to have hard depression or anxiety. Family, friends or anybody that you can open your heart or hope to give you that strength. If they can help you, those are the sources you want to go to,” said Lara. For Saddleback College’s involvement to combat mental illness starts at the student health center, but for events dealing with mental health on campus is at its infancy. “I think there could be more done on campus for raising awareness or awareness events,” said Ferreira. “So maybe there is something we could collectively do along with the student body and get other speakers to come out, because I can see the potential for it.”
Opinion | vol. 53, no. 4
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How the internet helps to shape identity The effect of VRChat on selfagency
CHRISTIAN AGUILAR-GARCIA COPY EDITOR
Arguably of the vast variety of inventions that humanity has created throughout history, there exists no such comparable invention that is as impactful, influential nor as important as the Internet. As the Internet evolves and changes over the course of time, we too, change with it and this is demonstrably an indication of the significant role the Internet plays within our lives. Concurrent to this theory is the notion that as a generation of people who are increasingly molded by our personal experiences online; so to are we adapting to new behaviors that are made manifest by the influence of support systems and niche social spaces. In this way, it is evident that with the right set of circumstances, specific structures such as social class, race, gender, ability or wealth can be overlooked in interactions where otherwise they would act as inhibitors to empathy and comprehension. When we think of online social spaces, we are reminded of the popularity of sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. While these websites carry with them some variety of inherent flaw, they are still considered the most prominent methods that we currently have to communicate with each other. However, it should be said that while these contemporary behemoths of communication are as ubiquitous as the Internet itself. In the beginning, the origins of online social interaction were far more simplistic, albeit perhaps more sincere in nature. We can trace the roots of these social spaces to as far back as the infancy of the Internet as evident primarily in the way that early adopters of the web found solace in hyper-specific forums. These forums were typi-
cally dedicated to fringe pop culture fan-bases and as such became a sort of gathering space for people to show appreciation of their specific interests. Fast forward to the present and due largely to advances in technology, it is apparent that we are currently in the early stages of a new digital resurgence involving yet another emergent technology; VR or as it is more commonly known, Virtual Reality. This renewed interest in Virtual Reality has introduced some very interesting dialogue into the conversation that is empathy in a digital space. To preface, the goal of Virtual Reality has always been to provide an environment in which the individual can become engaged in a method that is entirely intuitive to the way we influence our actual surroundings. In this way, it is easily apparent as to why previous attempts were visibly flawed in execution. The loss of dexterity, the latency between input commands and a lack of applications that could support a realistic sense of scope and distance caused VR to fall to the wayside. However, VR in its current form is substantially more responsive, aesthetically pleasing and is more accessible than ever before. In an article featured in Wired, writer Peter Rubin extrapolates as to the potential for VR technology and the associated benefits of its continued development stating; “Beyond games and other interactive entertainment, VR shows promising applications for pain relief and PTSD, for education and design, for both telecommuting and office work.” While many different applications exist, one such application known as VRChat is proving to be the best advocate for why VR demands newfound scrutiny in our modern age. VRChat in few words is a VR based platform that allows the user to coexist within a social space that is comprised of user-generated content. Users are encouraged to explore the various hubs that are created by other users much in the
way that a person would explore a theme park. While in VRChat users are given the option to choose from any manner of avatar to represent themselves as they should see fit. With no restriction as to how a person may interact with others coupled with the ability to represent oneself with whatever the user prefers, it is obvious as to how VRChat is affecting the way we perceive existing social structures. For example, the freedom to choose how one appears to others has the interesting effect of shifting expectations regarding initial encounters. When the pressure of fulfilling a pre-determined expectation is present, we tend to shy away from social interaction on the principle of being self-conscious or feeling inadequate. Ergo, when the idea of participating in an environment with little regard for consequence is entertained, we can observe that people are more willing to take chances and in turn they tend to lean heavily on the freedom the platform allows them. However, since these expectations do not exist in VRChat; people are more eager to make connections and attempt to engage one another from a baser level of understanding. In a Reddit post by user TheBadeand, the user describes their ongoing interactions with VRChat
Lariat Editor-in-Chief Dylan Robinson Managing Editor Frank Rocha News Editor Chloe Hernandez Opinion Editors Delani Taft Life Editor Sydney Brusn Photo Editors Danny Gaytan Mariana Lopez
stating; “I usually find myself on the outside of discussions, and don’t really feel like I’m part of the group. I suck at getting in touch with new people and can’t start or maintain a conversation if my life depends on it… So needless to say, VRChat didn’t really seem like the ideal game for me. But it seems I actually managed to crack the code yesterday.” User TheBadeand goes on to specify the details of an encounter they had with a group of users wherein they had forgotten to unmute their microphone, thus disabling verbal communication. TheBadeand notes “I think that’s an important key factor: Once you get in touch with people, they need something to remember you by. Because it’s not the first time I’ve talked with strangers in VRChat, but I still didn’t make friends until yesterday. Not only did I make friends, but I did so without saying a single word.” Additionally due to the advancements in technology and the affordability of the interface, features such as full body tracking, voice activated commands and a focus on accessibility based improvements mean that VRChat is quickly becoming an environment that anyone can use. Feature Editor Luis Salcedo Sports Editors Connor Hedges Copy Editor Christian Aguilar-Garcia Social Media Editors Cate Hill Eryka Forquer Wed Editor Courtney Baclawski Faculty Adviser Tim Posada Instructional Assistant Ali Dorri Contact Us phone 949-582-4688
6 Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 ¦ Life
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Places to study, drink coffee and lay back at off campus ERYKA FORQUER
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
Whether the library on campus is overfilled with stressed-out students or you just want to get the hell out of Dodge, a change in scenery might just be what you need to keep up that GPA. These are some personal favorite spots to study off campus at. Kona Loa Coffee Located in Mission Viejo, this little slice of paradise is a fifteen-minute drive from campus and offers a quiet atmosphere, free Wi-Fi and Hawaiian decorations that make it easy to de-stress. It specializes in Kona coffee and imports its coffee beans from the Big Island. Another bonus? It tastes like real coffee, and not like the bitter, burnt knockoff version that Starbucks sells. Patch Coffee The string lights, a bright red shipping container and the occasional live music make this place worthy of Instagram and Snapchat posts. It gets busy here, so finding a table can feel similar to trying to obtain a parking spot at Saddleback. Otherwise, Patch creates the perfect setting to study or do homework with friends.
SYDNEY BURNS/LARIAT
Tables at Salt Creek Beach If coffee shops or libraries seem too stuffy and you are not sure when you last saw the sun, the picnic tables at Salt Creek Beach provide a more desirable study spot. You can even get your exercise and steps in for the day as you walk back up the steep hill. Just take the I-5 South and soon you will be studying with the sound of waves crashing as background noise. JC Beans Another location by the beach, JC Beans is a cozy coffee shop that has all the right qualities: Good coffee, sociable staff, a dog-friendly environment and a drive thru. With an interior that feels welcoming and snug, this hidden gem makes the stress of being a college student seem a little more manageable. Although seating is limited, it has an outdoor patio and is only a few blocks away from the beach. Starbucks While the coffee is subpar, Starbucks is always a convenient place to study at. There always seems to be a Starbucks just around the corner and you can find comfort with other fellow college students that are there.
K-Pop, the phenomenon taking over the world MARIANA LOPEZ PHOTO EDITOR
Korean Pop has over 36 million people following one of the most influential cultures of the decade. Walking around the Korean Market at Irvine you can see the windows bouncing from the loud music coming from a shop at the end of the alley. A big screen displaying col-
orful music videos and people wandering around the tiny store. There was no Justin Bieber or Ariana Grande playing in the background, it was K-pop. Thanks to the catchy beats, dance choreographies and movie-like music videos, K-pop has become a global phenomenon, riding the Hallyu Wave. The Hallyu Wave is a Chinese term that de-
scribes the popularity of the Korean entertainment industry. From the Korean cosmetics and skincare routines to the Korean dramas on Netflix. “I typically enjoy upbeat and uplifting music,” said Emily Lowry, who’s been a fan of K-pop groups since 2015. “It makes me feel happy and it reminds me of concerts or moments in my life that I’ve enjoyed.”
Modern Korean pop grew in the 1990s, but the genre’s popularity ascended in the past few years. The first time most people heard about K-pop was in 2012, when Psy’s “Gangnam Style” became the first video to top a billion streams on YouTube. Although now the internet sees that song as a meme, it opened the doors for the worldwide sensation that
K-pop is today. “I’ve found a home and a place where I feel comfortable,” says Madelon Hellen, runner of an Instagram fanpage (@jooheonday) with over 76 thousand followers. “I have met so many incredible people because of K-pop. I’ve been to so many concerts.” Finish story online keyword: “k-pop”
Life ¦ vol. 53, no. 4
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Teach your brain some cool moves Cognitive Benefits from Dance DANNY GAYTON PHOTO EDITOR
If you’re majoring in the fine arts or looking for an enjoyable way to lose some pounds, Saddleback College offers many courses on dance. This Spring semester the college is offering over 40 courses of dance. From hip-hop courses to jazz dancing, pilates and yoga. Yes these last two are a part of dance themselves. In 2003 researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that dance can improve the mental health of humans. Through a group of elderly people they found that the risk of dementia was higher in those who did not participate in dance. Compared to cycling, golf, swimming, and tennis only dance itself lowered this risk of dementia. Dance is an exercise in which we find ourselves to not only show physical effort but also mental and social effort as well. Need a break from homework but want to be physical to become more healthy mentally and physically? Put down your phone, video game controller and go dance. Saddleback College Music student, Nick Schafman, currently enrolled in Choreography Dance 9, shared some personal insight of why he is taking this course. “I’ve always loved... music and I’m taking this class, along with other great arts classes here at Saddleback, to improve my musicality, rhythm and artistic expression. The class is very diverse and free-flowing in terms of allowing students to interpret dance however they want through whatever style they choose from classical to contemporary to hip-hop and so on.” This Dance class is taught by
DANNY GAYTON/LARIAT
Saddleback students practice dance technique in preparation for the department’s recital. Professor Deidre Cavazzi who received her Masters in Fine Arts from the University of California at Irvine. Cavazzi also completed her teacher training in Vinyasa Yoga through the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, with supplemental training through Duke University Integrative Medicine. “Professor Cavazzi always offers a warm, gracious and supportive atmosphere in her class.” Schafman shares, “She is incredibly understanding and fosters a safe, inclusive space for all of her students.” Professor Cavazzi started her dance career at the young age of 4 years old. Which some might not know Cavazzi has battled with Scoliosis. She once wore leg braces in which she outgrew through physical therapy which included Ballet. Through this experience she has been able to gain a sense of freedom to overcome her health struggle but also be a wonderful ex-
ample of self-love. She shares how the dance room to her is a place to be yourself and feel freedom. Cavazzi is currently doing much research on how the arts correlates with other academic subjects. Not only does she believe that dance can be a great asset to one’s asset but it can also be a source for good health physically and mentally. Professor Cavazzi also teaches 12 other Dance courses on campus which include from Dance Production, Repertory I, Modern dance and others. Many have felt that art in general along with education is not needed. As we see when it comes to dance and the mind it is very beneficial according to Albert Einstein College of Medicine. A neurologist by the name of Dr. Robert Katzman, involved in the college’s research, explained in detail on how the physical and mental activity of dance itself protects the human mind against the illness, dementia.
He compares any educational process as to that of learning or participating in dance. The mental stress of learning something new and actually physically applying it to one’s own actions could provide a barrier to protect one’s own cognition. “The cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which are critical to these activities,” sayas Harvard Psychiatrist, “are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use.” Everytime the brain learns something new a new connection, might we say, is made. We learn something cognitively we are changed, if we act upon it through dance we are more changed in a way. Dr. Katzman explains how the more we learn things the less memory we will lose as we age naturally. “The more stepping stones there are across the creek the easier it is to cross in your own style.” Katzman explains in an analogy.
8 Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 | Feature
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Disaster Dates, Work Nightmares photos & story by
SYDNEY BURNS
Students’ first date horror stories that make you say WTF! Surprise dinner for two “One time I went out with a guy and it was pretty fun at first. We watched the waves crash at the jetty in Dana Point, then walked some of the trails above at the cliffs. Later, he asked if I wanted to go out and get lunch and I mean I said sure but said I wasn’t too hungry so wanted something small and we had the little bicker of ‘who chooses where we go.’ He said he knew where to go and I just said okay. Didn’t ask where cause I kind of like little surprises or whatever. He started driving and the next thing I knew he turned into the gigantic Costco parking lot. I was thinking ‘there is no way’ and he raved about how it was cheap and how good it was, I’m not gonna totally argue with that logic that Costco food can hit the greasy craving sometimes, but I don’t know I guess I just have slightly classier expectations for first dates. He actually ended up making me pay after I listened to him complain about how long and slow the line was. Then he made a big stink about how they didn’t have the sandwich he likes anymore or whatever and had to ‘settle’ with the pizza. I don’t know if I was being dramatic for being so turned off from the situation but I did not go back out with him for a second date. Maybe I was afraid he’d take me to McDonald’s for our second date and tell me I could only order off the value menu I don’t know.” Lucy, 19 Date swap “I met this boy at a party and he got my number from a mutual friend. He asked me out on a double date and the boys were both 24 and the other girl was 25 or 26. They all
knew each other before, so I already felt a little on the outside. We went bowling, and halfway through the date, she started telling my date how hot he was and sat on his lap for 30 minutes showing him videos on her phone while he scratched her back. Then it was like we switched dates. The other boy was so flirty and kept trying to hold my hand and get my number and stuff. At the end of a very long night, my original date walked me to the door and apologized for ‘getting caught talking’ to the other girl and asked if I’d go out with him again. I just laughed and went inside my apartment.”Anna, 20 Cringey Makeout Scene “My friend had been dating this girl in my grade and she had a friend who was a freshman. For some reason we were in the same class area at the same time so we would all talk and I got to know her. We decided to go to the beach as a group date thing and I was
cool with it. I had been told this girl liked me and had been talking to her for a little while. We went to the beach and we hadn’t been there for five minutes when my friend and his girlfriend just started making out right in front of us. Like straight up next to me. I was pretty awkward and didn’t know what to do so I just made small talk with the other girl trying to ignore them. My friend was still making out with his girlfriend and showed no signs of stopping around the 30 minute mark. Eventually we kind of just silently sat there for half an hour or more until they stopped making out. We left and I don’t think I ever talked to her again.” Hunter, 20 Don’t Trust Group Pics! “I went on this one blind date but I had looked for his picture on Instagram and when my friend pointed to him I was like, oh okay. Then we get to the date of bowling and then dinner and it’s this huge
group of guys and the guy coming to ‘go on a date with me’ was a different one that I thought. He was not cute at all and I felt awkward all night because he thought I wanted to date him but it was his friend who wasn’t even there.” Mckenzie, 20 Good Movie > Bad Makeout “I went to the movies with this guy that’s a grade older than me while I was a junior. He didn’t pick me up and wanted to meet at the movies. Whatever. So we get there and it was an awesome movie that I was really into. He was trying to make out the entire time but I didn’t want to because the movie was so good. At the end I was asking him about what he thought of the movie and it’s critique on society and he had no clue what I was talking about so he just kept saying ‘oh yeah.’ After the dead conversation I awkwardly left.” Riley, 20
Feature | vol. 53, no. 4
@lariatnews
10 cringeworthy work horror stories by students
Trash Poop “When I worked at pick up stix in highschool there was this lady that would always come in and take showers in our bathroom with the sink. She left a ton of wet paper towels everywhere and water all over the place. We finally had to ban her from the store when she went and did the same shower mess but this time she took a MASSIVE dump. Not in the toilet, but in the trash can. Then walked out like it was nothing. We got tons of complaints over the next couple of hours about there being a terrible smell coming from the bathroom. That’s how we found the trash poop. Guess who had to clean it all up.” Josh, 19 Tangled “One night I was cocktailing at the restaurant I work at and it was a very busy night. The live band was really loud and it was hard to hear anyone, so I always had to bend down to talk to my tables. I was leaning down talking to one of my tables when my other table behind me grabbed a hold of my ponytail and yanked me backwards to get my attention. It was so rude and unexpected. All they wanted was another drink and apparently they were very impatient.” Kendall, 21 Water Baby “I had just started at my new job and I was still getting the hang of things. I brought out food to a table and the plate hit a water cup in the process. The water spilled all over the table and ‘waterfalls’ off the table onto a baby sitting in a high chair. Let’s just say the mom wasn’t happy with me.” Emily, 18. A Sticky Situation “I was about to get off of my shift and was doing my assigned work before getting off. I had to restock the salad bar with all of the dressings, cheeses and toppings. I was
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in the bathroom and on the patio for like 30 minutes.” Ellie, 19 Creepy Customer “Well one time I was working as a hostess at the restaurant I used to work at and this drunk guy came up to me and started talking to me. I was being very professional, as always. Then he came behind the hostess stand and gave me a huge hug then proceeded to move his hand on my ass. We kicked him out of the restaurant, but that was pretty traumatizing.” Jesea, 21
refilling the downstairs salad bar, so I had to grab all of the items from the upstairs walk-in fridge. I was walking down the stairs when my toe got caught on the carpet and I went flying down the stairs. I split blue cheese dressing and ranch all over myself. I screamed in the process and a few curse words spewed out. Now there is a Yelp review on my restaurant’s website about it.” Jess, 20. Loca Boss Lady “I worked at a small clothing store and had worked there for a while. One time my boss was like insane and was in a bad mood and was throwing clothes and sh*t everywhere yelling at me and my coworkers really bad. Then she started throwing clothing and hangers at me. I quit the next day.” Ciarra, 21 Wine or Whine “I was serving one night at this restaurant I used to work at and I got a table of two. I greeted them as usual and gave them bread. I asked for their drink order and instead of ordering a drink the requested a wine sample. I went to the bar and got a couple samples for them. I brought them back and they tried them then requested
more. This went on until I swear they almost tried all of our wines on the glass list. Finally they ordered their wine and I brought them the glasses they ordered. When I brought them the glasses they ordered they made a huge scene and said that was not what they ordered and that they wanted a bottle of wine instead. I took the wine back and gave them the bottle of wine they changed their mind for. After that they were fine but got super drunk. They split an entree and got more drinks, so by the end of their dinner they were hammered. They were so rude to me and degrading. When they left they gave me a five percent tip and gave me a mean face when they walked out.” Greg, 22 Rude AF “When I was hosting, I had a middle aged man that was pissed he didn’t get sat right away on his reservation time. It was a busy night and the party that was sitting at his reserved table was taking forever to get up, so I couldn’t seat him right away. He started cursing at me and said I was very inconsiderate, that I ruined his daughter’s birthday and that I should use my tiny brain to figure out where to seat his party. I ended up crying
Stranger Danger “We had a regular customer guy that would kinda hit on all the girls. One day he asked for everyone’s ethnic background. I remember we had a new girl and he asked her for her background and when she said half Persian he took a step back and said ‘wow.’ After that when he would come in he would only ask her for extra utensils and sauces and ignore everyone else. The girl thought he was so creepy and I felt bad for her that he was like obsessed with her after that.” Lucy, 19 Chicken Feign “I used to work at a restaurant that specializes in salads. There was this one lady that would always call in the same salad then come and pick it up. It was a chopped salad with chicken. It was really slow so I took my time and made sure that the salad was exactly right before putting it in the bag before pickup. The lady picked it up, then called back an hour later saying that her salad didn’t have chicken in it. I made the salad myself so I knew that I did. We even checked the cameras after and saw that I put it in the salad. She made a whole fuss about it and eventually drove back to the restaurant to just get a side of chicken. It was insane. She came in a few times after that for her order, but we always showed her the chicken in her salad before she left so she couldn’t pull that crap again.” Maddie, 20
10 Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 | Sports
lariatnews.com
CONNOR HEDGES/LARIAT
Saddleback Head Baseball Coach Sommer McCartney, who knew Orange Coast College Head Baseball Coach John Altobelli for 21 years, stands with umpires prior to the Gauchos Jan. 31 home game against San Diego City College, in which Saddleback won 15-6.
Baseball Coach remembers OCC’s Altobelli
Altobelli died with his daughter and wife in the January 22 crash that also killed Kobe Bryant CONNOR HEDGES SPORTS EDITOR
Longtime head baseball coach at Orange Coast College John Altobelli died in a crash that involved NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s private helicopter on Sunday, along with his wife Keri Altobelli, youngest daughter Alyssa and six others. Altobelli is survived by his two children, son J.J. and daughter Alexis. Saddleback baseball coach
Sommer McCartney first met Altobelli back in 1998 when he first became an assistant coach for the baseball team at Saddleback. Altobelli became the head coach at Orange Coast in 1992 and worked there for twenty seven years. During his time at OCC, he led the baseball team to four California State titles and was named the National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association just this past summer. McCartney stated that in the twenty one years coaching against Altobelli, he watched OCC become one of the most successful programs in California. “The thing that really hit home to me is that we both have two daughters and they’re the same age,” McCartney said. “When you see an unexpected loss like that, it makes you put life into perspective. I talked to my players about perspective and I know that we have all these goals and aspira-
tions, but we often get caught up in a winning season, and at the end of the day, you have to be grateful that you’re doing what you’re doing.” McCartney went on to state that Altobelli was an all around great baseball guy, and that whenever Saddleback played OCC, he always wanted to beat them because of how good of a program they were. They had some great rivalries at times, but Altobelli was always the type of guy who would send a text message saying “good luck” when both teams were in the playoffs. “You have to enjoy the little things and not get caught up in all of life’s stresses because you often forget about the most important part,” McCartney said. “He is still teaching us even though he is gone.” Both of the coaches hoped that they would be able to play each other in the State Championship.
McCartney had the utmost respect for Altobelli, dating back to when they first met two decades ago. “Altobelli was also a very fiery guy, in a good way, to motivate his team and keep them going, one year when they won the State Championship, he got ejected, and the rule is if you get ejected twice, you’re done for the season,” McCartney said. “Somehow they squashed the second ejection and let him back on the field, he then he got ejected a third time and they went on to win the State Championship, he had a tremendous amount of passion for the game.” When asked if Saddleback plans to honor Altobelli, his wife and daughter, McCartney stated that Saddleback, along with the whole Orange Empire Conference, already has a patch made for their hats that say “Alto” on them with his wife and daughters names. Saddleback plays OCC for the first time this season on March 31.
Sports | vol. 53, no. 4
@lariatnews
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Super Smash Bros. Club talks spring plans DYLAN ROBINSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Many clubs are on offer at Saddleback College, but only so many are named “Best Club” at each new semester’s Club Rush event. The Saddleback Smash Club has benefitted from this designation and has seen the club become even greater in player participation from the local student population. From preparing for larger tournaments in the Southern California area to just coming to unwind in between classes or display a casual interest for the game, the Saddleback Smash Club is a refuge for Saddleback College students who congregate over the shared passion for Nintendo’s “Super Smash Bros.” series of games. This year the club is offered on Mondays and Tuesdays from about 1:30p.m. to “wheneverish” in SSC 212 or the student lounge according to their Twitter for practice among other club members in addition to competitive brackets, same as last semester. The largest difference between these semesters is that the available brackets shift depending on whether it is Monday or Tuesday still offering brackets for “Super Smash Bros. Melee,” ‘’Project M 3.6,” and “Ultimate.” Unlike last semester, only two events’ brackets will be run each day rather than trying to fit everything on Tuesday as it was previously. Timing was strict then due to Mondays being set for practice while Tuesdays were utilized for brackets of every game making the club members who wished to compete in all available games wait until late into the night. Members who have been attending since Spring of 2019 when the club started gaining more popularity have noted the increase in new members and regulars attending. Sophomore Nathan Whitney began going around January and February of last Spring according to a flyer on one of the bridges around campus, given his love for “Smash” as a series. “A lot of the people were really nice and I just got known when we met and started making more
DYLAN ROBINSON/LARIAT
Club ember poses in front of the latest iteration “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” during the Tuesday bracket day. friends throughout,” said Whitney. Whitney notes that upon first attending the club a year back, the attendance was very small and not as prolific as the club measures currently. The increased public notice of the club thanks to consistent weekly meetings proliferated its popularity in addition to monthly tournaments becoming a staple now. “Now during the Spring semester, we have a lot of people coming in as well, we try to host every Monday and Tuesday,” said Whitney. “We try to have weekend tournaments every once in a while that are bigger with prize pools where we get now 25 people or more.” The SoCal “Smash” scene is ravenous for weekly competition as this scene is not only one of the biggest in the country alone, but also one of the biggest in the entirety of Smash around the globe. Not even including Northern California and between all of the 3 popular “Smash” titles, SoCal outranks the popularity ratings of entire states due to such tight competition as it hosts some of the fiercest talent to grace the scene across every iteration of “Smash.” There are rankings within the club to determine who the top talent is of the club offering a microcosm of actual Panda Gaming Rankings that rank the top professional talent around the world to lay out who is exactly in the Top 50. Whitney tells that the rankings are mostly for fun, yet can be used as a way to make
sure lower level players do not run into higher ranking players in brackets in a process known as “seeding.” Freshman Maddy Wade talked of the monthly tournament, Gaucho Gauntlet as it ran its trial run last semester to much success prompting a second one that occurred on Feb. 8 to even greater reception. “I remember there being a lot of people that showed up in addition to a lot of setups to play on,” said Wade. “This semester we’re going to have another Gaucho Gauntlet coming up somewhat soon.” Wade has loved “Smash” as long as she can remember with the release of “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” back in 2008 while she was in middle school. Being able to attend a club where like minded people are available to play alongside in an offline environment free of lag has been freeing for Wade. “I would say I’m just a casual player, but there’s something about this club just knowing everyone here that there’s a sense of community you wouldn’t get at larger tournaments,” said Wade. “I’ve never had friends that play ‘Smash Bros.’ so it’s really cool not having to go online and play with people right here, it’s convenient and provides practice you wouldn’t get otherwise. The upcoming Gaucho Gauntlets numbers three and four that Wade hinted at are slated for Mar. 21st and Apr. 25th respectively as announced on the club’s Twitter
account. Registration includes a $5 venue fee to attend and $5 per game to compete in, totaling out to $20 if all three are registered for. Dylan Danley, Saddleback student of three years, has been attending the club for two years and is ranked within all three games available. Ranked second in both “Melee” and “Project M” and eighth or ninth in “Ultimate,” Danley fosters a ton of “Smash” competitive experience and represents strong showings among club members. “After the first semester we had a huge increase in people coming because a lot of people play ‘Ultimate’ since it’s the new game drawing in a lot of people,” said Danley. “It’s nice since we started out as a ‘Melee’ club, but then it got renamed to the ‘Smash Club’ to be a lot more inclusive.” Players coming in purely for “Ultimate” ended up trying both “Melee” and “Project M” strengthening the communities of all three titles and allowing for greater bracket diversity each and every week during practice days. “‘Smash’ is pretty large in Southern California, it’s one of the more popular e-sports or games to be played competitively,” said Danley. “The majority of the attendants for the Gaucho Gauntlets are from the Inland Empire, Los Angeles county and Riverside with about two or three high ranked players of each game.” The Saddleback College Smash Club is a consistent force in providing a Mission Viejo-centric practice space so that students do not have to drive up along the busy freeways to attend larger tournaments where progress is halted against top level talent. Going in as either a casually interested fan or one with competitive spirit are both viable options for becoming a club member. Occurrence, once again, is weekly on Mondays and Tuesdays in SSC 212 or the student lounge across the same hall for practice in all three prominent “Smash” titles or for competitive bracket entry. The next Gaucho Gauntlet is set for Mar. 21 in the same rooms with registration available ahead of time on the website, smash.gg.
12 Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 | The Back
lariatnews.com
ASK LARI,
Help! Why are there balls in my tea? It’s my friend’s 21st birthday and she asked me to go, but I have work the next morning and I really don’t want to go. She also bailed on my 21st birthday When you’re making a PB&J because she said she was going sandwich, do you put the peanut to hang out with her boyfriend. butter or the jelly first? I’m worried that she’ll think I’m Dear student, thank you for being petty by not going, what bringing this very important and should I do? controversial topDear student ic to the forefront who is way too Whatever of our attention. I think it happened to kind, In my professionwould be 100% al PB&J making “hoes before fair if you didn’t opinion, I believe attention your bros?” I say friend’s 21st birththat the jelly is the first condiment stay home, day. First off, she that should be aponly asked you if cuddle up plied to the sandyou could go so wich. it’ not like you are in bed and The reasoning backing out of any behind this is that work on your already set plans. the jelly is the easSecondly, she homework. bailed ier to wipe off the out on you knife so that it is to hang out with clean enough to dip into the pea- her boyfriend. Whatever happened nut butter jar without contaminat- to “hoes before bros?” I say stay ing the jar. Another tactic I often home, cuddle up in bed and work hear is using a paper towel to wipe on your homework. And if you the jelly off the knife or using a are still worried about how your whole new knife altogether, but friend feels, you can always just this is wasteful. I say, wipe the jel- reschedule and go treat her to dinly covered knife on the other piece ner or something. of bread to reduce the waste that you create to make a single PB&J How does a full-time student sadnwich. afford to live? Student life can be difficult and Are you supposed to chew the often times it seems like there isn’t bubbles in boba tea or just swal- enough hours in a day to get evlow them? I just swallow them, erything done. But luckily Saddlebut my friend says you’re sup- back has a few programs that can posed to chew them. take some weight off your shoulDear student, please start ders. Firstly, if you are a full-time chewing your boba bubbles for student and don’t have time for a the love of God. You are definitely job you should check out Saddle100% supposed to chew the little back’s food pantry. balls at the bottom of the cup. The They have food and other nebubbles are made of tapioca and cessities like hygiene products and do not break down easily in your clothing. The school also hosts a stomach. You are risking a build- free grocery event every 1st and up of boba pearls in your stomach 3rd Wednesday of every month. causing stomach pains and consti- The school also offers physical pation. So, chew your boba pearls and mental health programs to you absolute savage. help people struggling with addic-
tion, depression, medical issues, and any sort of abuse. If you have any other questions check out the Student Success tab on the Saddleback website.
Any tips on getting parking here at school? I’m still having trouble finding parking and show up late to class because of it. Dear student, time management is key to a successful parking experience. I’m sure you’ve heard this many times before but if you struggle to find a parking space than show up 3 minutes to an hour early. But coming from a student who has been dealing with parking here for 3 years here’s the best tip,
stay away from parking lot 10. Honestly that parking lot is a nightmare and steering clear of that parking lot will do a number for your mental health. If you have a class on the upper part of campus like the BGS or Science building park in lot 5A. If you have a class in the SM or FA building park in lot 12. It’s a smaller parking lot that I think many students don’t really know about and there are usually plenty of spots open. It’s also super easy to get in and out of unlike the labyrinth that is lot 10. If you or any loved ones have any quarrels or disagreements let us know at students.got.issues@ gmail.com.
1. ChristianAguilar;2. TheLariatNews;3. Lot10;4. Atobelli;5. SmashClub;6. 1968;7. Duncan;8. Costco;9. peanutbutter ; 10. TimPosada
Saddleback College’s student advice column