03.20.15

New gallery showing

‘Midsummer’ shines

Stangs under .500

Photo package on the now open Art Guild of the Delta 2015 gallery — page 4

Opening night review of the Drama Department’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — page 4

LMC beats Mendocino 7-2, loses two games to Napa Valley 7-6 and 4-0 — page 5

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F.Y.I. Important Dates March is National Youth Art Month March 24

Cesar Chavez Celebrations: Civic Leaders Brunch from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Library, Room L-109.

Contact Student Life, 473-7554, to RSVP

March 30

Spring Break begins

Academic Competition LMCAS, the LMC Foundation and the Student Life Office are hosting the 10th Annual Academic Competition Saturday, April 11 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the LMC Gym. Win scholarships with your team ranging from $400 to $3,000. Entry is free and food will be served. The deadline to register is Monday, April 6 in the Student Life Office by 5 p.m. For more information go to losmedanos. edu/studentlife/act.asp or contact the student life office at 473-7554 or jasterwart@losmedanos. edu

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Mediator to aid LMCAS Grievances to be aired

By JOSEPH DELANO

jdelano@lmcexperience.com

Formal discussion on the recently withdrawn sanction of Los Medanos College Associated Students President Gary Walker continued March 16, when the senate decided to hold a private meeting to combat professional conflict among its members.

The unanimous decision will allow persons directly involved with the sanction — Walker and signatories of the original sanction letter — to meet with a mediator to hash out their grievances toward one another.

Mediation, suggested by Dean of Student Success Dave Belman at the March 9 meeting, was chosen as an alternative to sanctioning Walker; but the format of such mediation was not selected at that time.

At Monday’s meeting, Walker presented the senate with four options on how to move forward with mediation: n A public mediation that includes all senators, at a regularly scheduled senate meeting. n A private mediation of senate officers only. n A private mediation with all parties involved in the conflict. n A private mediation with signatories of the

letter only.

Vice President Diona Shelbour ne — who was appointed into her new position following Candice Tidwell’s resignation at the March 9 meeting — made a motion to select option three, a private mediation with all par ties involved.

While she was not opposed to a public setting, Experience s Jazmine Gordon Shelbourne said she felt Dean of Student Success Dave Belman speaking at the March 16 a closed session would LMCAS meeting. be more appropriate.

“I wouldn’t have any opposition to actually to bring the entirety of the senate up to speed on having it as a public forum ... because the issue progress made as a result of meeting. has already been out in the public and the public AS Adviser Demetria Lawrence, who was not has had their say in the matter, but I do think it in attendance for the March 16 meeting, was not needs to be an issue with our senate,” she said. “I listed as a participant for any mediation options. feel like it wouldn’t matter either way.”

This omission is in spite of Walker’s revelation AS Sen. Jesse Rosalez called for an amendment from a previous meeting of a personal divide to Shelbourne’s motion stipulating that if a private between he and Lawrence. mediation was chosen, a report-out should be made See LMCAS, page 6

Plans proceed Center on to design phase

By CASSIE DICKMAN

cdickman@lmcexperience.com

Basketball Tournament Student Life is hosting a 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament April 8 to May 6 every Wednesday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the LMC Gym. The deadline to register is March 23 in the Student Life Office.

The tournament is open to all students, staff and faculty. The first 16 teams are guaranteed a spot. Register online at losmedanos.edu/studentlife/act.asp or pick up a form in the Student Life Office. A mandatory orientation will take place March 25 in the gym. For more information contact 473-7553 or jastewart@ losmedanos.edu

2nd Annual HBCU Tour There is a special opportunity for Los Medanos College students to visit Historically Black Colleges and Universities for free from March 29 to April 3. Pick up applications at EOPS, Welcome Center, Transfer and Career Center and Student Life. Some of the colleges on the tour include Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee and Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Experience s Cathie Lawrence

District Chief Facilities Planner Ray Pyle addresses the governing board at its last meeting.

Foster youth in the works

By KIMBERLY STELLY

kstelly@lmcexperience.com

California College Pathways Project Manager Devon Werble presented to a group of Los Medanos College faculty and staff members in Library Room L-109 this past Monday about Foster youth.

Before the presentation began, LMC Instructor Tue Rust spoke briefly about the importance of providing programs for Foster youth. Rust then introduced new Foster Youth Counselor, Connie Woods who’s past experiences include working in transitional housing and various group homes.

Werble then gave some background information about CCP, which was supported by the John Burton Foundation.

She explained that the purpose of the program is to provide networking for foster youth and to “provide training and technical

assistance” for staff and faculty not only on college campuses, but on K-12 campuses as well. “We like to connect our network campuses,” she said.

LMC once had a program for foster youth, but lack of funding made it difficult to keep the program going. “I’d like to get LMC connected to philanthropy again,” said Werble.

She then moved into the topic of how children end up in foster care. Abuse and neglect are the main reasons children are removed from their homes. Werble said the neglect cases are worse because it has a longer lasting negative psychological affect on a child.

One of the attendees was an LMC student who identified himself as Kevin, spoke about his experience being in the foster care system.

After reciting statistics and expressing his desire to start a foster youth club on campus, Werble suggested that when LMC starts up a new program, they should work with him on a planning committee.

Kevin then talked about some of the See YOUTH, page 6

Although the completion of the new Los Medanos College Brentwood Center has been pushed back from fall 2018 to possibly fall 2019 or spring 2020, the project is picking up steam as the Contra Costa Community College District approves an architectural contract, tries out a new strategy in dealing with a contractor and works with members of the community to mitigate traffic concerns.

“I am pleased to be moving the project forward on the site we spent so much time to acquire,” said District Chief Facilities Planner Ray Pyle.

The district governing board took a big first step forward by voting unanimously at its Feb. 25 meeting to approve a contract with Ratclif f Architecture, which was chosen by district staff to design the new Brentwood Center.

Last August the district received 19 statements of qualifications from architectural firms after voters approved Bond Measure E, which gave the project its funding.

However, the process was halted due to an eleventh-hour proposal from BART Board of Directors President Joel Keller to move the future permanent site of the Brentwood Center from land already owned by the district to a new location next to a possible future eBART station near Lone Tree Way and the Mokulomne Trail.

See PLANS, page 6

Sweet sounds

Experience s Cathie Lawrence

Music Professor Silvester Henderson conducts the Gospel Choir at the LMC Choral Experience Concert March 17. The concert also featured the College Chorus and the Chamber Chorale.

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“I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering.�

ˆ 3TEVEN 7RIGHT

Rene De Amaral

Kimberly Stelly

AWKWARD SAUCE

SOCIALLY UNWELL

Don’t alienate female gamers

Daydreaming is beneficial

“Only guys play video games. Girls have no business playing video games. There’s no point in trying to teach a girl how to play video games. They wouldn’t understand what’s going on anyway.�

Statements like these are common misconceptions found in the gaming community, which may have held some truth 10 years ago, but times have changed, its 2015 and women are becoming a prominent force in gaming.

You would be surprised to find out people deny there being a lot of female gamers.

It is common knowledge that it used to be a highly male dominated trend, the stereotype being only young males play video games. But the percentage of female gamers has slowly gone up over the years.

According to the Washington Post, female gamers now make up 48 percent of the United States’ 190 million gamers.

Even though the percentage is higher than one would expect, it is still difficult for female gamers to feel comfortable among their male peers, especially in games that offer online multiplayer mode.

There’s a strong possibility that they will receive demeaning or derogatory messages, such as “Get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich� or “tits� or “GTFO.� So women choose not to talk into their headsets to avoid being harassed. Unnecessary remarks could really put a damper on someone’s good time.

Something as simple as going easy on a woman or doubting their abilities, promotes sexism. According to a 2012 poll from Gamefaqs.com, about 40 percent of online gamers go easy on women, talk to them differently or assume they are males posing as female gamers.

In addition, male gamers assume female gamers are posers and just pretend to enjoy video games to garner attention. There’s a big difference between a gamer girl and a girl who plays video games.

Some prominent women in the gaming community and industry who were able to break through the gender barriers of the industry are Robin Hunicke, who was design lead for MySims and executive producer for the popular title Journey, and prominent female designer Carol Shaw, who designed classics River Raid and Video Checkers for the Atari 2600.

According to Forbes Magazine the amount of female game developers and designers has increased by 11 percent since 2009 but still has not caught up to the male developers, who make up 76 percent of the industry.

Another form of sexism found in gaming is the over-sexualization of female characters.

These characters are often too perfect and given ridiculous body proportions.

This shows video game industries are targeting their male audience, which discourages their growing female audience.

Female characters are also portrayed as damsels in distress needing to be rescued.

A character that instantly comes to mind is Princess Peach, from the Super Mario series.

Like clockwork, the game starts with Princess Peach being kidnapped by Bowser and then Mario must head out to rescue her.

A successful video game with a strong, non-sexualized female main character is hard to come by in the video game industry.

With a few exceptions found in some newer and older titles, such as Lara Croft in the 2013 revamped Tomb Raider, classic character Samus Arun from the Metroid series, and Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield from the Resident Evil series.

The amount of sexism found in the gaming community and the gaming industry is at an all-time high. If it continues to grow and is left unchecked, women will continue to be stereotyped and sexualized in the gaming community.

We all daydream, some more than others.

Throughout our lives, multiple people have scolded us and told us space cadets to get our heads out of the clouds, but recent studies actually prove daydreaming is more beneficial than people think.

People often space out when doing tasks that require a minimum amount of focus.

The average person uses this time to plan out the rest of the day or even the rest of the week. According to a story in Time Magazine, spacing out impairs your ability to complete the task at hand but “the time a distracted brain spends tackling tough challenges makes up for diminished productivity.�

Daydreaming also provides a means of escape. Often times when faced with stress we take a mental vacation and sometimes it’s those moments that help us get out of the tough situations we find ourselves in.

Some say daydreaming only helps you run away from your problems, but it’s when we are analyzing the possible outcomes of a situation that the best solutions arise.

It’s also a great way to temporarily relieve symptoms of depression.

Occasionally some people get so carried away with dreaming that it can possibly be an indicator of a deeper psychological issue, especially if one is daydreaming to the point where it starts affecting important aspects of their life, such as work or school. In that regard, you may be able to help someone out just based on this particular habit.

Of course people use daydreaming as means to escape the mundane, which is probably the reason so many teachers complain about their students not paying attention in class. But if those students want to pass, they’ll be smart enough to catch up on what they missed even if it’s at a later point in time.

There is nothing inherently bad about daydreaming. It certainly has more positive benefits than negative effects. According to the American Psychological Association, imagination could improve the ability to remember things faster and “could help in memory rehabilitation for those who may have suffered from impairments due to a brain injury.� It can even help you sleep better at night.

Though people would have you believe the best way to succeed is to always be alert and keep your eye on the prize, people have found that daydreaming can lead to great things. According to an article published in Psychology Today, there are scientists who can partially attribute their discoveries to dreaming. For example, “Albert Einstein daydreamed he rode a beam of light and imagined light-speed locomotives to help him unravel the structure of space and time.�

Other scientists such as Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling and French mathematician Henri Poincare daydreamed as well. Psychoanalyst Victoria Stevens said she thinks there is a link between daydreaming and the part of the brain related to inspiration and discovery referring to the practice as “thinking without thinking.�

Of course, as expected, this is a favorite past time of writers, painters and other artists. Daydreaming may or may not increase brain productivity but it certainly creates inspiration for our creative endeavors.

When you’re lost in thought, your Default Mode Network the part of the brain that is activated when you are daydreaming, is hard at work, solving problems and coming up with complex scenarios .

There is no need for you to ever be ashamed of being a daydreamer. Some might say you’re wasting time but it’s making you a more creative, open-minded individual.

Spacing out doesn’t change the fact that you have the capacity to do great things.

%XPERIENCE s +IMBERLY 3TELLY

Editorial

Help out our Foster youth

R

ecently Los Medanos College had a speaker to talk to faculty about the importance of having a program on campus that caters to the needs of foster youth. The amount of passion shown by the attendees of that presentation indicates not only is this program a good idea but it’s also necessary to ensure the success of students who have gone through the system. Even if you can’t help with funding, you should by at least showing support.

LMC used to have such a program until it ran out of funding. Now a group of faculty and professors are banding together to implement a new program specifically designed to help these students assimilate into college life.

According to ChildrensActionNetwork.org, roughly 400,540 children are in foster care.

Now that’s a whole lot a young people, who if given the time of day could go on to do great things. Even though there’s a stigma surrounding foster youth, they can be just as intelligent and inventive as anyone else, especially if they have the money and opportunity to pursue their life goals. Without proper education or motivation many of these kids will grow into young adults who have no idea what they’re going to do with their life. Many of them end up homeless or dead. Even if you can’t be a foster parent, there are other ways you can help.

At LMC, there are a few things that need to happen. First, there needs to be a written proposal, then there needs to be a discussion specifically regarding general support and funding.

If you’re interested in helping out, contact Tue Rust at trust@losmedanos.edu.

Better habits make better grades Grab your books and your pencils because the Fullerton study calls “clock-watching� or it’s time to jump back into the action. You have anticipating your break. But don’t rest for too won last semester’s battle, but the war is not long, you may be blindsided by a sneak attack over yet cadet. At ease, you will embark on and not realize how much time you’ve wasted. your journey more easily if you take on better Eating right is equally important. According studying habits this semester. to a study done by Health magazine, there are It’s clear college is a foods that can help one of the greatest your memor y. such wars we’ve had to fight. as fish, oil-based salad Homework begins to dressing, dark-green pile into mountains and leafy vegetables, peaexams are coming at nut butter, berries and you as fast as bullets. whole grains.

But don’t give up now; Don’t spend time GUEST COLUMNIST victory is within your reading material over reach. again. Instead put all A study done by Caliof your senses to use fornia State University Fullerton found effec- by visualizing the terms, using association by tive studying is the one element guaranteed relating your material to something personally to produce good grades. It only takes a few significant. The study also explained the best simple steps to make sure you’re using your way to stay prepared is to be one step ahead; study time effectively. it’s better to pre-read text material before the Studying the same subject at the same time, topic is covered in class. Your class lecture in the same place each day automatically gets will turn into a review and can help answer you into the subject groove each time you study. questions you may have had beforehand.

Don’t over-work yourself soldier. You learn We’re all on the same team so limit your best in short takes so don’t spend more than friendly fire. Form study groups to help each an hour studying at a time. This tactic will other out. More importantly, your teachers ensure your time is well spent on learning are not the enemies so don’t be afraid to ask your course material. Your atmosphere can be for some extra help. Use the resources they very distracting, with the shouts from nearby provide you with, such as study guides, practice soldiers in the corner of the library, so try to tests, homework and even office hours. stay focused on your objective. Take the time Don’t forget to relax. Avoid stressing yourself to scope out your map and find a quiet spot out, for if you pace yourself and keep your load to study in. light you will feel less pressured.

Take frequent breaks when you need them It’s going to feel like a long battle, but you in order to eliminate wasting your time on what can win the semester-long fight.

Ariana Mackson

rEadEr opinion policy The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns from members of the Los Medanos College community. If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, send them electronically through the Experience online newsite lmcexperience.com. Letters and columns must be typed, signed and include a phone number for verification. They may be edited for clarity, content taste and length at the editor’s discretion.

Voices

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

What do you think about states regulating what people can wear?

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Member California Newspaper Publishers Association

“I don’t think it’s fair for a state to try and control what people wear. I think everyone should have the freedom of choice.� — Brandon #ARPENTER

“When regulations violate the rights of humans, then I think it’s something we should definitely be against.� ˆ 3ARAH +ELLY

“I think it’s wrong to tell people what they should wear. because I think people should be free to wear what they want to wear.� ˆ *ERAD (IDGON

“I think people should wear what they want to wear.

Unless you’re walking around naked, then that’s a problem.� ˆ +HALIA ,ILLARD

“I don’t think states should regulate on what people wear because I think individually, that everyone is a free person.� ˆ 3TEVEN 7ORTHAM

“I don’t think it’s right for people regulate your fashion sense.

It’s your body.

You wear what you want.

Boom.� ˆ 3AMANTHA /GORCHOCK

“Were it left for me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.� — Thomas Jefferson

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The LMC Experience is published Fridays by students in the Journalism Program. The newspaper serves both as a laboratory for journalism classes and as a First Amendment forum for campus communication. Opinions expressed in the Experience are solely those of the students and do not represent the views of the college.

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“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.�

— Walt Disney

Books will come alive in April Plan to check out some humans

"Y 49,%2 -/24)-/2% The Violence to talk publicly AND *%&&29 :!-*!(. about the problem of youth vioStaff Writers

Check out a living book and experience chapters in the lives of real people.

The interactive Books Alive program returns to the Los Medanos College Librar y April 14 with the theme “What Makes You Unique?�

Technical Services Librarian Christine Park, the local mastermind behind the program, said this new way to meet interesting people allows individuals to tell their stories firsthand as actual living, breathing books.

Patrons of the upcoming event will be able to check out these books, or human volunteers, for 20 minutes at a time to learn about how their stories make them unique.

The inaugural Books Alive event in the spring of 2014 featured 16 books, ranging from a faculty member who purchased Costa Rican rainforest to a dyslexic DSPS student.

The fall 2014 iteration focused on careers and featured 20 books with jobs ranging from firefighting to photojournalism.

Park, who said she hopes to have even more human books available at the upcoming event, introduced the idea to LMC after hearing about the Human Library on National Public Radio (NPR), which was created to help bridge gaps in the community.

The Human Library originated in Denmark in 2000 as a response by a group of Danish students to the stabbing of a friend at a nightclub.

According to humanlibrary. org, the students started a youth organization called Stop

lence and share their personal uniqueness. One of the main goals of its inventors was to challenge people’s prejudices.

Park floated the idea a few years ago at a college professional development workshop as a way for students and faculty to talk about Cultural Competency, the practice of understanding people’s differences in a meaningful way. “The purpose was to get people talking and feel like they’re a part of a community,� said Park. “Even though people have all these differences, they are more alike than they are different.�

Park believes the program helps foster kinship at LMC. She said the library got a lot of responses from people who wanted to participate in the first Books Alive last spring by sharing something unique about themselves and working to convince even more students to get involved. “You may think you’re not that interesting, but that isn’t true,� said Park. “All of you have really interesting stories to tell and things that make you unique but, because you live your life every day and are used to that, you might not think it’s that unique.�

Those who have participated know the power that sharing their stories can have. “I decided to participate in Books Alive because I believe that a lot of college students struggle with depression and anxiety and I don’t think those things are really ever talked about,� said Sable Horton, LMCAS Commissioner of

%XPERIENCE s "ERTHA !GUILAR

Students Elijah Mesina and Mark Villarreal talk to Dan Rosenstrauch, a photojournalist of 40 years for the Contra Costa Times at Books Alive! 2014.

Publicity and Outreach on her experience as a book in last spring’s event.

Hor ton titled her book “Breaking the Silence,� and said she shared her own struggles with the goal of giving people hope by showing them “they’re not alone and that they will get through it.�

Horton has attended two Books Alive events as both a book and a patron. She said on her second visit she checked out a book called “The Balancing Act,� which helped her to balance her busy life.

Professor Laurie Huffman, who has been both a human book and a participant in the program, said she checked out a police chief to educate her students about the common career path of Criminal Justice. She recalled her expe-

riences with the program as a wonderful pleasure, with “a little something for everyone and an excellent way to build community.�

Associated Students President Gary Walker joked that he first became interested in the program “because there was no reading involved.� He said one of the first books he checked out was the story of how LMC Dean Kiran Kamath started as a student and went on to become a college administrator.

The program has been described as innovative and Walker said, “The Library got called out for their good work with Books Alive.�

LMC recently received a commendation from the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges in

its February report reaffirming the college’s accreditation.

Professor Jeffrey Matthews, who teaches English and LGBT Studies, has participated as a human book in the past, but was a bit disappointed with the number of patrons checking out books. However, he has an idea to attract more students to the event by suggesting they tie it to one of their other classes. “If you could somehow use the interview as a source for a project that you’re working on in school, like if you have a paper that you need to write for a class,� he said. “You can see if anyone at the Books Alive event is related to a subject� you have an assignment for.

This semester’s event will feature its first bilingual book, someone who speaks both English and Spanish, and Park

hopes to soon bring an ASL interpreter in as well.

If you would like to tell your story as a book in the upcoming event, the application process is quick and painless.

Park is accepting applications through Tuesday, March 24.

Just write a brief a paragraph about what you would like to share and email it to cpark@ losmedanos.edu. If you have questions, you can call her at (925) 473-7572.

If you would like to attend the Books Alive event as a patron, just show up at the Library April 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and see what interesting books are available for checkout. — Staff writers Garrett Belme, Rachel Brown and Joseph Dusek contributed to this report

Study in Cuba or Barcelona "Y !!2/. !+2!Staff Writer

0HOTO COURTESY OF KNOJI COM

Barcelona Cathedral is a landmark you can visit.

If you ever dreamed of traveling to different countries while going to school, the Contra Costa Community College’s Study Abroad program could make that dream a reality.

The semester abroad program, which has been around since 1986, is a 90-day trip that takes students to European cities such as Paris, London and Florence, where they enroll in a variety of general education courses affiliated with their home colleges.

This fall, the program will be held in Barcelona, Spain and students will have the opportunity to study a variety of courses in Spanish, Environmental Science, Political Science and Communications, among others.

Short-term study abroad trips are also available in shorter increments and offered during the summer. This year’s trip is to Cuba from July 12-26.

According to Speech instructor and Debate Coach Kasey Gardner, who will accompany students to both Barcelona and Cuba, 27 students have already reserved spots for Barcelona and 10 to 15 more are considering taking the few spots left. There still plenty of spots available for the Cuba trip. “It’s been a really successful program over the past 20 years,� said Gardner who will teach several speech and political science courses in Barcelona this fall and one — intercultural communications — during the summer trip to Cuba. “I’m honored to be a part of it.�

Gardner estimates the total cost for Cuba will be under $4,000 total — students will be staying in hotels. According to the AIFS Program Partnership, the cost of the Barcelona trip is $7.745, which covers living arrangements, a Spanish culture and civilization class, free Internet and email access, a travel pass, weekly cultural programs, and a sightseeing

tour. Students will stay in university-type apartments or they can opt for a home stay option, where you live with a local family near campus.

Students who want to study abroad must be over 18, have at least a 2.25 GPA and be a full-time student — at least 12 units. To apply for the Cuba program students must pay, a non-refundable $50 application fee and a refundable $500 trip deposit. Scholarships are available from AIFS and the Gilman Program to help aide the costs.

Former LMC student Sara Casey, who participated in the semester study abroad trip to London in Fall 2013, said it was the single greatest decision she’s made in her life. “You get a very real sense of how big the world is and how small you are,� she said. “It’s amazing and totally life-changing.�

When it comes to bringing cash, it does vary with each student. Typically, 3EE 345$9 PAGE

Science fair will be hosted by LMC "Y !,-! 2/",%3 AND #%#),)! #(!6%: Staff Writers

If science and how things work fascinate you, then you may be interested in attending the 10th annual Contra Costa County Science and Engineering Fair.

The event will be held at the Los Medanos College gymnasium March 26-28.

About 300 students in grades seven through 12 will participate in the fair with projects covering six subjects — behavioral, biological, engineering, environmental, physical and math and computer science.

According to Sia Sauer, co-director of students and school engagement for Contra Costa Economic Partnership who sponsors the event, there will be around 260 projects. “It is an invaluable asset and a great way in recruiting and bringing the local community together,� said Astronomy teacher Scott Cabral.

Local middle and high school student winners compete in state, national and international levels. Students have to go through screening process to

make sure their projects follow government safety regulations.

March 26 starting at 2 pm.

Students will set up their projects in the gym, then on Friday the judges will evaluate the projects from 6 p.m. to 8:30 pm without the students present.

From noon to 2 p.m. the judges will interview student participants and then the final judgments start at 3 p.m.

The award ceremony will be held March 28 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. First to Fourth place winners will be awarded ribbons and will have a chance to win scholarships.

The event is “a fun learning experience for all students,� according to Cabral.

The science fair is not only for local middle and high school students, LMC students and staff can easily get involved in helping the science fair be successful this year. If you are interested in being involved as a volunteer or judge you can contact Scott Cabral at scabral@losmedanos.edu and or visit the website http://www. cccsef.org for more information on CCSEF.

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“No legacy is so rich as honesty.�

— William Shakespeare

Faeries enchant Little Theatre Midspring performance is magic "Y "%!42): (%2.!.$%:

bhernandez@lmcexperience.com

On opening night of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,� which was written by William Shakespeare and directed by Drama teacher Barbara Norris, the Little Theater was nearly at capacity.

Although it is one of Shakespeare’s most recognizable plays, the storyline could appear complex to some viewers due to the Shakespearian language.

Luckily, the program for the play provides descriptions of each scene of the five-act play using more modern terms, making it much easier for people to understand.

The play tells the story of four young Athenian lovers and an acting troupe called the Mechanicals rehearsing for a play, who are being controlled and manipulated by the King and Queen of the fairies of the forest, Oberon and Titania, after they

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From left: Jonee Washington as Mustardseed, Alex Desjardin as Nick Bottom, Jarrelle Tramble as Snout, Tiffanie Moore as Titania and Katie Garcia as Peaseblossom.

have an argument.

This production dif fers from Shakespeare’s tragic and dramatic plays such as Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth, which audiences have come to expect from the playwright.

Instead, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream� is a play filled with humor and excitement.

As my first time seeing a play put on by the Drama Department in the Little Theater, I was impressed with the talent of both the actors and the stage crew for designing a beautiful set and pulling off such an iconic play.

Entering the theater felt as if you were walking through an enchanted Grecian forest. Although beautiful, there was an eerie atmosphere created by haunting and unsettling backround music.

The actors did an excellent job of making the most out of the space in the small room as well as showing dedication and commitment to their

characters.

Some notable characters that induced fits of laughter from the audience include Puck, played by Kyle Williams, and Bottom, played

by Alex Desjardin. Their loud personalities and charisma made them unforgettable.

While some may suspect that the use of Early Modern English may be boring and difficult to understand, the actors did a good job of delivering their lines in a way that is both entertaining and brings Shakespearian language to the audience in an understandable way. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream� runs March 20, 21, 23, 26, 27 and 28 with 7:30 p.m. showings and has one matinee 10 a.m. showing on March 25.

Tickets will be $7 for students or those with military ID, $10 for the general public and $5 for high school students with an ID.

Marquee Delta Art Guild exhibit captivates Music events

The Los Medanos College Music Department will be offering performances nearly every week during the upcoming months.

Some performers will be students and faculty, some visiting soloists, bands and ensembles from around the Bay Area.

Many concerts are free or low cost, and are held in the Recital Hall. For more information, call 439-2181 ext. 3218. n Friday, April 10 — Sophomore Recital featuring Anthony Adams, Tevin Caranto and Calley Englund. Begins at 7:30 p.m. Free admission. n Friday, April 24 — Sophomore Recital featuring Roberto Ruiz, Kadesta Protho-Harris and Jessica Motta.

Begins at 7:30 p.m. Free admission.

New movies Just Released n “Insurgent� Rated PG-13, Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy n “The Gunman� Rated R, Genre: Action, Adventure n “Accidental Love� Rated PG-13, Genre: Comedy, Romance n “Tracers� Rated PG-13, Genre: Action, Adventure n “Do You Believe?� Rated PG-13, Genre: Drama n “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter� Unrated, Genre: Drama

0HOTO COURTESY OF 3ALLY +RONEWITTEI

Local cultural events EL CAMPANIL THEATRE The El Campanil Theatre is located at 602 W Second St. in Antioch. For ticket sales and additional information please call 757-9500 n Saturday, March 21 at 2 p.m. — James Clark and the Jail House Rockers: A Tribute to Elvis, tickets are $27 for adults, $25 for seniors and youth. n Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m. — International Film Showcase Presents: The Verdict, tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for seniors and students n Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m. — Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra: Immortal Beloved, tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $7 for youth 17 and under. n Sunday, March 29 at 3 p.m. — Easter Parade: In Concert, A Celebration of Irving Berlin’s Academy Award-winning Songs from the Classic Holiday Film, reserved seating tickets are $25 and youth under 18 are free when accompanied by an adult or senior.

CALIFORNIA THEATRE The California Theatre is located at 351 Railroad Ave.in Pittsburg. For ticket sales and additional information please call 427-1611 n Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. — “The Blues Brothers,� musical comedy that features numbers by singers James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker. All tickets $5. n Saturday, April 11 at 8 p.m. — “Rock ‘N’ Roll Made in Mexico: from Evolution to Revolution.� All tickets $5. n Saturday, April 18 at 8 p.m. — “3 Still Standing,� screening of the award-winning film with Live Comedy from the Stars. Tickets are $25 and are on sale now. n Opens Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. — “Barefoot in the Park,� action-packed stage adaptation of the Disney film.

Other showtimes are April 24 and 25 at 8 p.m. and April 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and students and $10 for children. — compiled from press releases and staff reports

%XPERIENCE s #ATHIE ,AWRENCE

Top: Rose Pena and Paul Van Carples discuss a sculpture at the Delta Art Guild Art Gallery in the LMC Art Gallery on Tuesday, March 17. Left: Ceramic sculpture “Pearl� by Julee Richardson. Above: “People on the Steps,� an acryllic painting by Gloria Cannon, draws interest with it’s unusual presentation.

Movie screening at Maya

Parsons says farewell LMC

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action, interest, humor, personal growth and positive change without having to swim in violence and blood,� said LMC student Reiko Kubota. She also said normally she doesn’t go for Disney films, but because it was an LMC-hosted event, she didn’t want to pass up the opportunity.

Nursing student Ericka Pree said she went to see the

After seven years on staff at Los Medanos College, music coordinator Keith Parsons will be moving on to a marketing career at Diablo Valley College. Students, staff and faculty gathered in the music building Thursday, March 12 to bid their final farewell.

Music teacher Diane Maltester, along with the rest of the adjunct faculty who work part-time, put on the celebration after they found out only a week or two ago that he was leaving. “I was happy for Keith, [but] concerned for the department. I hope that we can find someone as good as he is,� said music teacher Jonathan Knight.

Most LMC students, however, were surprised to learn of his departure. “The entire musical concert band just found out he’s leaving today [March 12],�said LMC student Bryan Calderon.

Parsons has been working toward receiving his MBA at Brandman University and officially departed Monday, March 16 to begin his journey as the marketing and communications coordinator at DVC. “A lot of the tasks that I did here rollover to what I’m going to be doing there,� said

See MAYA, page 6

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Student Life hosted a free showing of McFarland, USA at Maya Cinema last Friday. The film told the story of former football coach Jim White, played by Kevin Costner, who moved his family to one of the poorest cities in America. He eventually starts a cross-country team that goes on to win multiple championships.

A small crowd of Los Medanos College faculty and students socialized in the lobby and then stood in line to redeem their free snack vouchers. The turnout was noticeably smaller than the Selma event that took place earlier this semester.

After getting settled into their seats, the previews began.

Attendees seemed to enjoy them, chatting with their neighbors about what they

0HOTO COURTESY OF IMDB COM

Jim White (Kevin Costner) and Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratt) converse at a track event. were most excited to see. The audience quieted as the film began. Throughout the movie, members of the audience laughed and in scenes where a character triumphed, they applauded.

Afterward, the moviegoers talked about their favorite parts of the film, quoting the characters as they exited the theater. “As a film, it had emotion,

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Sports

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

FRIDAY,

MARCH

20,

2015

LMC throws for a victory

5

“Baseball is a simple sport. But it is complex. It is never easy.”

— Dave Winfield

Jared Ambuehl REAL TIME WITH JARED

Retirement early for 4

Stangs win at home

By LOGAN JONES

ljones@lmcexperience.com

The Los Medanos College Mustangs defeated Mendocino College with a final of 7-2 last Thursday.

Mike Alexander started at pitcher for LMC while the Mendocino Eagles went with Thomas Sertic.

Alexander dominated and pitched a complete game for his second win of the year allowing seven hits, two earned runs, with five strikeouts and only one walk.

“The guy on the mound Alexander really had it goin’ and it was a tough day for us offensively,” said Mendocino Head Coach Matt Gordon.

The Eagles offense went against the Mustangs on the wrong day as Alexander was in a groove, but LMC’s pitching wasn’t the only factor helping the cause for a win.

Tremendous defense and terrific hitting backed up the pitching performance.

In the first inning alone, the Mustangs tallied two runs against Mendocino’s Sertic, while having efficient fielding on defense.

Mustang lead off hitter, Jared Ambuehl, started it off with a single, followed by a bunt single from Ryan Welsh. With a man on first and second, Jerome Hill laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both of them a base. The next batter, catcher Ethan Utler, singled bringing in both runners to score.

Ambuehl got his second hit in the next inning and two batters later Hill got hit by a pitch to put him on first base. With Ambuehl on third, Hill stole second base and Mendocino catcher Jacob Royer overthrew the ball into the outfield allowing Ambuehl to score easily.

LMC quickly scored three runs in the first two innings, but the Eagles rebounded in the third to close the gap.

Nicholas Agliolo and Dylan Malone notched base hits to put two runners on for the Eagles, and a wild pitch allowed Agliolo to advance to third.

The next batter, Nate Gadsby, hit a double down the third base line bringing both runners and the only two runs of the game for the Eagles.

Mendocino had a change in pitching in the bottom of the third from Sertic to Domenic Selmi. Selmi didn’t have an answer for the offensive onslaught from the LMC hitters either.

Four runs came in the third for LMC, doubling the runs scored by the Eagles in that same inning. The score at the end of the third inning would hold up to be the final score of the game.

“For the first time all year, this was a day where we did all three things pretty well. Pitched obviously, played defense like we have been, and we swung it,” said Los Medanos Head Coach Anthony D’Albora.

“Days like today, it’s so much easier

Photos by Cathie Lawrence s Experience

See WIN, page 6 Mike Alexander (top photo) pitches in a win that ends in celebration for the team.

This off-season, the NFL has seen four notable players retire early citing things other than age and ability as their reason for retirement. Jake Locker, Jason Worilds, Chris Borland and Patrick Willis all decided to hang up the cleats at or before the age of 30.

Concussions and overall safety have been a major concern of the National Football League as of late, and rising star linebacker Borland of the San Francisco 49ers has called it quits after just one season as he does not want to put his health in jeopardy anymore. This came as a shock to the 49ers organization and all of the NFL, as according to pro-football-reference the 24-year-old recorded 84 tackles and two interceptions in just eight games started.

“I just don’t want to get into a situation where I’m negotiating my health for money,” Borland said in an interview on espn. go.com. “Who knows how many hits is too many?” he added.

Coming from a player who was supposed to be the heir to Patrick Willis after he retired this off-season, the decision has certainly sparked conversation around the league about the health risks of playing football, and the long-term impact of head trauma.

If a more average player for the Niners had called it quits because of the same reason, maybe parents whose children ask to play football would not think twice about saying they can.

This player however had just enough of the spotlight to shake things up in the sports world. Borland’s “retirement” might not cause a flurry of other football players to retire, but what it might do is make a defensive player think twice about flying in head-first to a wide-receiver going up for a catch.

As for the other Niner retiring at a young age this off-season, Patrick Willis’s early departure from the team is another player people can look to. Over the course of his eight-year career which seemingly flew by in the eyes of 49er fans, Willis solidified himself as one of the best young linebackers ever, making the Pro-Bowl seven times.

According to 49ers.com, Willis wanted to leave on his own terms. “I know I no longer have it in these feet to go out there and give you guys that kind of ‘Wow,’” he said. “For me, there’s more to my life than football.

It has provided an amazing platform for me to build on, but it’s my health first and everything else just kind of makes sense around it.”

In this whirlwind of an off-season the 49ers have experienced, supporters of the team are getting a little bit frustrated with the continuous bad news of coaches and players leaving. Even Tim Ryan, the team’s radio color commentator, sounded off on his platform KNBR 680.

Ninersnation.com has put up his radio interview this week, and Ryan spoke on the two linebackers and their early retirement.

He said, “I am pissed off…at the end of the day, I come to the simple conclusion that fits in a lot of cases…football’s not for everyone man, period.” Ryan also added, “Patrick Willis retired, Chris Borland quit.”

Jason Worilds, former pass-rusher for the Pittsburg Steelers, also decided to make it a career this off-season. The 27year-old linebacker decided to pass up on testing free agency, where he reportedly could have made around $15 million in guaranteed money.

On si.com, part of Worilds’s statement read, “I appreciate all of the interest from the organizations that have reached out to us the past few days. With that being said, after much thought & consideration, I have chosen to step away from football as I have opted to pursue other interests.” According See EARLY, page 6

Will Ferrell plays ball to support cancer cause Actor and comedian Will Ferrell honored Oakland A’s legend Bert Campaneris Thursday, March 12, while raising one million dollars for cancer awareness, by playing all nine defensive positions and designated hitter for ten different teams during spring training.

Nothing could be wrong with that, right?

Ferrell put a smile on people’s faces as he did something that may never happen again in baseball, all while supporting a disease that is the second leading killer in the United States.

But people did find something wrong with it.

While following the action of Ferrell’s day through social media I came across people who thought he was ruining the game and stealing at bats from people who were trying to make an impression.

I’m not sure how having a comedian honoring your sport is ruining the game. If anything, it is helping the game by bringing attention to the sport and possibly reaching fans whom otherwise wouldn’t have paid attention during spring training.

What does ruin the game is not including some of the greatest players to ever play the game in the hall of fame because they used a substance that wasn’t banned by the league

Steven Luke QUIETLY THINKING

at the time they played. Worse than that is not creating rules explaining to the fans why these players are not being included in the hall, and letting the voters take all the blame for not voting those players in.

One of the biggest names I came across who was against Ferrell’s antics was former Oakland Raiders Manager John Madden.

“That’s a lack of respect. That’s a lack of respect for the game and a [lack of] respect for what players have to do to get where they are,” Madden said to San Francisco’s KCBS morning show.

In the same interview Madden was asked about the Pro Am golf tournament, where amateur celebrities play alongside professional golfers, and he claimed it’s not the same because it is tradition. Madden is a football expert, and even though I believe the NFL would not be

what it is today without him, he should stick to football because there is a tradition of celebrities participating in spring training.

Legendary actor and comedian Billy Crystal celebrated his 60 birthday by taking an at bat for his beloved Yankees. One of the most well-known country singers in America, Garth Brooks, participated in multiple spring trainings — most notably two with the San Diego Padres where he went 1-22 according to baseball-reference.com. Actors Kevin Costner and Tom Selleck, and singer Bruce Hornsby also participated in spring training.

None of them did it for charity. Crystal participated to celebrate his birthday, Brooks because he wanted to try to make the club, Costner for fun, Selleck to prepare for his movie “Mr. Baseball” and Hornsby to say he played for his favorite team.

The people who feel he was taking at bats away from other players may have a point.

Even though these games don’t count on the record books, spring training is important for players who aren’t established to make an impression with their teams.

When you look at the names of the players Ferrell replaced, or was replaced by, you see

that this point is flawed.

Ferrell began the day with the Oakland Athletics starting at shortstop. He took one defensive inning away from Marcus Semien who is going to be starting at that position when the season begins in April.

When he moved across the field to the Seattle Mariners he replaced Willie Bloomquist at second base. Bloomquist has been, and will likely be again this season, the Mariners utility infielder.

Ferrell also replaced reigning American League Most Valuable Player Mike Trout when he took over in center field for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which is the biggest buster of this point.

There are some players Ferrell replaced who could have benefited from that at bat, defensive inning or pitching to the one batter he faced, but spring training is a month long process and if one at bat, defensive inning or batter causes you not to make the team, you probably weren’t going to make it anyway.

People may have the right to be upset about Ferrell participating in spring training, but to me if you are upset you must hate fun, not understand tradition and love cancer.

L O S

M EDAN OS

PLANS From page 1

But the governing board, in a 4-1 vote, ultimately decided against the move at its Nov. 12 meeting after conducting a feasibility study on the matter and the district seems to have picked up where it left off in the fall of 2014.

According to the Feb. 25 meeting agenda the new agreement with Ratcliff Architecture, which is good from March 5 through Aug. 31, is worth $80,000 and will “provide preliminary architectural planning and program services.”

District Governing Board President John Nejedly was pleased with the uncontested decision and thanked the board for its choice.

“I am glad we can all agree that it’s time to move forward and provide a center for Brentwood, a permanent facility that meets the accreditation issues that came up … and provide the students the secondary education they deserve in the area,” said Nejedly.

“You better move fast Mr. President, somebody might change their mind,” joked District Governing Board Vice President John Marquez after Nejedly’s comments.

Not only is the district moving along with its architectural plans for the new Brentwood Center, but it will soon be looking to hire a contractor to build the facility and plans to try something new to make the process more effective.

District Chief Facilities Planner Ray Pyle said the district has chosen a lease-leaseback method to help facilitate a more efficient relationship with the contractor it uses.

“The overview is that we put out a selection process to select a competent contractor to join the team early,” said Pyle. “Essentially they’ll help us with design and formulation of the technical aspects of the contracts.”

This means the contractor can mitigate problems as they arise in the design process, before construction begins, which keeps cost down and the relationship less adversarial.

“In a design, bid-to-build project [which is what the district has previously done] if there are problems with design errors that they find, then they come to us and they ask for a lot more money,” said Pyle. “They’re trying to make more money and we are trying to minimize the amount of money that they make.”

But Pyle explained in a presentation to the district governing board at its Feb. 25 meeting, with this new approach cost becomes less of a surprise. Because the contractor has been involved with the design process early on, the contractor will be able to quote how much the new center will cost to build.

The second benefit of this method is the district will not have to pay the contractor up front.

C OL L E G E

“Once the design is done there [are] typically two leases,” explained Pyle in a later interview. “There is a land lease in which we lease them the land we own during the term of the construction and then they leaseback the building that they’re going to construct.”

This allows the district to pay for construction in monthly installments instead of all up front and, after the center is completed, “both leases terminate and then we own a new building on land that we already own,” said Pyle.

District Governing Board Trustee Greg Enholm voiced his approval of this new method at the meeting.

“This sounds like an excellent oppor tunity for us to have a test and when we see how it works in reality, if it works … we can use it on other buildings, “ said Enholm.

LMC Vice President Kevin Horan echoed Enholm’s sentiments in an email interview later and gave praise to Pyle’s efforts with the project.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Ray on the Brentwood Center project as well as other projects on the Pittsburg campus. [He] brings a wealth of experience to the district,” said Horan. “I am also pleased that he has been able to introduce alternative methods to the design and construction process, which ultimately result in cost-effective and efficiently run projects.”

District staff have also been meeting with members of the age-restricted communities Trilogy and Summerset, which are located near the land slated for construction of the new Brentwood Center, to help ease concerns brought up in previous district governing board, town hall and Brentwood City Council meetings.

“Since mid-January, we have been meeting with representatives of residents’ groups and the city of Brentwood,” said LMC President Bob Kratochvil. “The purpose of the meetings has been to have open communication about the college’s plans for the campus at the proposed site at Pioneer Park, near Vineyards Parkway and Marsh Creek Road, to learn about the general plan of the city of Brentwood, to garner other available information as identified and to hear firsthand the concerns nearby residents to the proposed campus have about it being built.”

Kratochvil said most recently the task force has been focusing on the issue of traffic, which has been the chief concern for those living in the area, and a traffic study is currently being conducted, but it is still too soon to tell what the outcome of the study will be and what recommendations it will make.

The task force has been tackling the issue of public transportation and has met with Tri-Delta executives to discuss possible bus routes to the site in the future.

“While no specific commit-

E X P E R I E N C E ments could be made … it is clear that Tri-Delta Transit understands the need for such service to the new campus and all agreed that the agency would be included in planning discussions going forward,” said Kratochvil.

According to Pyle, if all goes according to plan, construction will begin sometime in 2017.

WIN From page 5

because it’s simple, clean baseball. It was impressive to watch how good they were executing the game,” he added.

A home win for the Mustangs like this shows how well the team can play on any given day.

The win evened the Mustangs conference record at 3-3 and 9-9 overall, but they have since fallen to 3-5 and 9-11 after being swept in a two-game series by first place Napa Valley College.

The Mustangs return home to face Solano College Saturday, Mar. 21.

MUSIC From page 4

Parsons.

His departure strikes more than just staff and faculty, but students as well.

“He’s always going to be a par t of the LMC Music Department,” said Calderon.

Students recognize that, while the department has lost one of its staff members, the new job is a chance for Parsons to further his career.

“It didn’t impact me too much,” said LMC student Langston Bui, and added that people move on and he’s glad Parson has received this great opportunity.

Although the transition is a sad one for Parsons, it is one he feels is good for his career.

“It’s where my degree is taking me,” he said.

MAYA From page 4

film because she “wanted to get a glimpse of what Latin Americans go through to get a better life.” Many of the attendees echoed a similar response.

Though the film generally garnered positive feedback, there were a few comments about the filmmaking.

“Given Walt Disney’s track record, I could understand people not showing up to watch another film of a dominant-culture male coming in to help, especially when he appears to follow a pattern of knowing nothing about the place, people and culture,“ said Kubota. “There are concerns about Disney films frequently being sexist, racist or non-egalitarian.”

Apart from those few remarks, the film generated positive comments.

“I felt the film was excellent,” said Pree. “It really helped me to be more thankful for what I have.”

FRIDAY,

MARCH

20,

2015

YOUTH LMCAS EARLY

6

From page 1

From page 1

From page 5

issues he had, one of them being that young kids are often prescribed prescription medication to “numb them.”

He said “coping skills are a huge advantage” and kids would be better off learning how to deal with problems such as depression and anger without medication.

Werble offered more statistics saying “seven out of nine colleges in the LA District has funding to start foster care programs.”

Patsy Sherman, a part-time instructor at LMC chimed in talking about her experience with individuals in foster care.

She said she’s been trying to “get them excited about LMC.” Both Sherman and Werble said it’s imperative that you say, “When you go to college” instead of “If you go to college” because it means you believe in them.

Werble told the audience to encourage foster youth when they get to college by saying “You’re awesome, you’re here.

Let’s get rolling.”

She then moved on to talking about adolescent brain development and how if kids are going through things at home, they need attention.

“Yeah they may have their head on the table. They might not have any interest in doing their homework but there’s more going on than just disinterest,” said Werble. These kids are often misjudged as being dumb but “they are resourceful, they just need to know you give a crap.”

Adams assisted Werble in finding a short YouTube video discussing children’s brain development and thought processes. After the video was done, President Bob Krachtovil walked around the room offering the microphone to anyone who wanted to speak.

One attendee who also happened to be a foster parent, talked about the quality of training foster caretakers receive. Kevin said that not only do they need to be properly trained; they also need psychological evaluations to weed out people who could potentially be abusive.

After a brief discussion about the attendee’s concerns, there was a list of actions campuses can take to be more foster care-friendly. It was then that Werble’s co-presenter Johneshia Mullins arrived.

She’s an LMC student who has also had her share of positive and negative experiences in the foster care system.

After Mullins told her story, she gave suggestions on how to better accommodate foster youth. It all boiled down to “making the students feel welcome and safe.” The audience then applauded her.

Werble added that it’s important to let the students know that their ideas are valued and that if you want to get positive results from them, you need to “show them that you’re human too.”

“[Lawrence] is not involved in the mediation plans because we are a student lead organization,” said Walker about the decision not to have Lawrence be a part of the discussion.

“The sanction letter did not mention any personality conflicts between us,” he said, adding, “However, the conflict between [us] at a particular meeting was a driving force behind [the signatories’] reasoning to try and sanction me.”

Walker declined to further comment on Lawrence, adding, “I am dealing with the conflict between us on a different level with the college and wish to not speak about the details at this time.”

AS Commissioner for Publicity and Outreach Katia Padilla — who was elected during the meeting after a vacancy opened following Sable Horton’s appointment as commissioner of campus events — advocated for a closed session between involved.

“They know exactly what and why they wrote the letter and maybe it could be something easily resolved if they figure the differences between it being personal or professional,” she said.

AS Sergeant at Arms Yetunde Ogunleye — who after losing out to Padilla for the outreach position was appointed by Walker — agreed with Padilla, and showed support for Rosalez’s amendment.

“I wasn’t opposed to having the mediation open to the public, especially considering the amount of publicity the sanction got and the widespread interest surrounding it,” she said.

After further discussion, the board voted unanimously to accept both the amendment and mediation choice.

“I feel the motion that passed was a perfect fit for all the senators’ needs because it keeps the other senators that aren’t involved in the loop,” said Ogunleye.

Of the four signatories of the sanction letter sent to Walker only two remain on senate.

Former sen. Taima Miller resigned at the March 16 meeting, citing a conflicting work schedule.

After Tidwell’s resignation the week prior, only Shelbourne and Horton — who moved into a new role as per AS bylaws rules of succession — remain to meet with Walker in the closed session meeting.

The senate’s next move will be to decide on a date for mediation.

In keeping with Rosalez’s amendment, the group will report back the results of mediation to the senate.

“I look forward to chalking this up as a learning experience and move forward with advocating for our students,” said Walker. “I am looking forward in working through our conflicts so we can end the semester strong.”

to CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora, Worilds is leaving football to pursue his faith.

The fourth young player, quarterback Jake Locker of the Tennessee Titans, has decided to retire because of a simple loss of interest in the game. This may seem bold and incomprehensible behavior for a professional making a ton of money playing a game, but playing in the NFL is a demanding business, and if your heart is not completely in it, it may be a smart decision to call it quits.

Locker had this to say according to NFL.com. “Football has always played a pivotal role in my life and I love the game, but I no longer have the burning desire necessary to play the game for a living; to continue to do so would be unfair to the next organization with whom I would eventually sign.”

It has cer tainly been an interesting off-season for the NFL, with players shuffling teams and retiring. Borland’s retirement is controversial, but at the end of the day, the NFL is just a place of work, and if a player does not want to do it anymore, that is his choice.

healthy

STUDY From page 3

Gardner said, you would want to bring up to $2,000 to Europe to give you enough for the freedom to explore.

“The program doesn’t feed you, so you have to calculate groceries and eating out in your budget. Also, going out--- there are an insane amount of film festivals, concerts, and other forms of entertainment going on,” said Casey.

Casey said the program provides an opportunity to make friends. Before going on the trip, Casey said was shy and didn’t know anyone else on the trip but eventually became best friends with other students there. She later found out many of the students faced the same issue.

“I gained a lot of confidence from this trip. I’m no longer timid about doing things out of my comfort zone,” said Casey.

Casey added that she enjoyed her semester study abroad trip so much that she has planned to go abroad again this summer with some of the same friends she met during her semester in London.

The Study Abroad program will help students gain the knowledge of another way of life, all while completing their college courses. Students should remember to conduct themselves in a respectful manner.

If you are interested in exploring the world, even if it is a bit out of your comfort zone, contact Gardner at kgardner@ losmedanos.edu or for more information.

— Rene De Amaral and Marissa Perry contributed to this report.

lifestyles

HELPING YOU thrive

Fitness: Increasing Core Stability

by Dr. Mary Klemm, DO

E

very time we move, we depend on some muscles to hold us steady, and other muscles to actually move us.

Core stabilization is how the muscles of your trunk keep your spine and body stable and balanced. Your trunk is the foundation for your posture, balance, and coordinated movement. The muscles of your trunk—your core— can be strengethened and trained to contract in the proper order to give you a stable foundation for movement.

Core stabilization exercises are easy to do, and you don’t need any equipment or much space. You can do them almost anywhere, several times each day, to start increasing your core stability.

Here are two simple stability exercises to get you started: t

Transverse abdominus contraction. The transverse abdominus is the muscle that wraps around the front of your body like a corset. It’s the muscle you feel when you cough. To contract the transverse abdominus, pull in your belly and imagine pulling your belly button back toward your spine. Hold this contraction for about 6 seconds, while breathing normally, then rest for up to 10 seconds. Repeat 8 to 12 times. You can do this exercise anywhere, in any position. Try is while sitting at your desk, driving, or standing in line at the store.

t

Bridging. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your transverse abdominus, then push with your feet and raise your buttocks up a few inches off the floor. Hold this position for 6 seconds as you continue to breathe normally, then lower yourself slowly to the floor and rest for up to 10 seconds. Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Remember to consult your doctor before starting a new sport or exercise routine.

For more health and wellness information, check out Kaiser Permanente’s Web site at www.kp.org/diablo This article is proudly sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

William Lide, MD is a Physician Site Leader for tha Pleasanton Medical Offices.