October 10, 2014 vol 81 no 6

Stars shine once again

Music events upcoming

Homcoming falls short

After years of mishaps and breakdowns, the Planetarium is finally up and running — page 3

The Music Department will soon be starting its perfomance series. Details inside — page 4

Catch Pink event mired by Homecoming loss to Contra Costa College. Photo package inside — page 5

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New study authorized

October is Bullying Prevention Month Oct. 20

Last day to register to vote in the Nov. 4 Midterm Elections

Oct. 27

Q Transfer Day in Indoor Quad from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

%XPERIENCE s +ATRINA "UTLER

Board members (left to right) Greg Enholm, Vice President John Nejedly, President John Marquez and Secretary Vicki Gordon.

Brentwood site up in the air

Q College Night in the Gym from 6 to 8 p.m.

Human books to come alive The Library will be hosting an upcoming event which allows a participant to check-out a human “book” and learn about their careers. The Books Alive! event will take place Tuesday, Oct. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Library, Room L-109.

Submissions to become a human “book” are due by Monday, Oct. 13. To apply, or for more information, email Technical Services Librarian Christine Park at cpark@losmedanos. edu.

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The Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board decided at its Oct. 8 meeting to move ahead with a feasibility study regarding the BART board president’s proposal to move the Moving to the planned Los Medanos College Brentwood Trilogy location Center building from property owned by would change “the the district near Trilogy at the Vineyards on Marsh Creek Road to a parcel next prospects of the to a possible future eBART station near most vulnerable the Mokelumne Trail.

Before the decision was made, the students in Eastdistrict board was presented with inern Contra Costa formation gathered by board members County of their Greg Enholm and John Nejedly, who were appointed to an ad hoc committee ability to obtain

by President John Marquez during last an education.” month’s district board meeting. They — Joel Keller investigated the feasibility of a site move this late in the planning stages,

and opened the floor to public comment on the issue.

Nejedly informed the board that the ad hoc committee had met with members of the district staff and a real estate consultant Sept. 23 to discuss BART Board President Joel Keller’s proposal to move the location closer to public transportation.

It was agreed that an “unbiased and objective” feasibility study should be done on the possible site suggested by Keller, said Nejedly.

“We directed staff to find an independent consultant for the work,” he said, and after a conference call Sept. 30 with District Chancellor Helen Benjamin, Real Estate Consultant Howard Sword, who is familiar with the project, was hired to conduct a feasibility study and is expected to report his findings at the Nov. 12 district board meeting.

Enholm voiced his concerns with having a real estate consultant create the criteria for a study regarding a college campus site and suggested the board meet to discuss what specific aspects Sword should consider in his investigation.

The district board decided to move ahead with the feasibility study despite of Enholm’s objections, but Enholm said Thursday morning that after the district board meeting he and Nejedly agreed to meet Monday to could possibly come to agreement on the specific criteria to be considered by Sword in his feasibility study.

After the ad hoc committee’s findings were presented Keller insisted during public comment that the board has a moral obligation, if not a legal one, to conduct a study regarding how a move

LMC helps moms to be

Blood drive comes again Los Medanos College, in conjunction with the Blood Centers of the Pacific, will be hosting a blood drive Wednesday, Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Brentwood Center. For more information, contact Sharen McLean at 473-6902. To register online, visit www. bloodheroes.com, click Donate Blood and enter the code: LMCBrentwood.

The event organizers remind you to eat before donating.

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ssperry@lmcexperience.com

%XPERIENCE s "ERTHA !GUILAR

Maintenance workers attempting to find and repair the place in the water main that burst Oct. 6. The break disrupted the usage capability of the restrooms on the second and third levels of the College Complex.

Soup cook off needs chefs The 5th Annual Soup Cook off will be held Tuesday Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (or until supplies run out) in the Indoor Quad. The event is a fundraiser for the Classified Senate. Pricing is $4 for a bowl with a slice of bread, and $1 for each soup shot. Call Linda Maniscalco at 473-7502 for more information.

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baguilar@lmcexperience.com

Mondays are usually a drag, but for the grounds and maintenance workers, it was a hectic day. A water pipe burst around 9 a.m. Oct. 6 near the maintenance building.

“Old pipe(s) and … a heavy truck (parked) in here,” said Facilities Manager Russ Holt as to the cause of the chaos.

A heavy truck was parked directly over the pipe that burst. Workers dug a hole where the pipe burst to facilitate the repair. “We spent the day getting it dug up, identified and patched,” said Holt.

The first floor bathrooms in the College Complex were the only ones fully operational, along with the restrooms

located in the Math, Science and Library buildings. The restrooms on the other floors had a sign taped on the door, advising students not to use them.

There was a sign that read “No Water” above another sign that was displayed to let students know where they could locate a functional bathroom. The closures may have caused inconvenience for the students and staff, but this problem was quickly resolved. By 2 p.m. the water was working, but the restrooms were not open immediately.

This is not the first time a pipe has burst at LMC. “It happens from time to time around here, it’s a 40-year-old very fragile pipe” said Holt, adding, “A little shift in the earth maybe an earthquake

%XPERIENCE s "ERTHA !GUILAR

A crude sign displayed on a bathroom door as another sign detours to working facilities. or a beach can break it pretty easily when it grows underground.”

Monday was the start of the weeklong visit from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges so this incident couldn’t have had worse timing, but with the swift actions of Holt and the grounds keepers at LMC, this incident recovery was smooth as possible.

Los Medanos College students, who are pregnant during the semester, are provided accommodations under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Every pregnant and/or student parent should know that Title IX regulations require that pregnant and parenting students have equal access to education and career goals.

Title IX prohibits discriminations on the basis of sex-including pregnancy, parenting and all related conditions in federally funded education programs and activities, such as LMC. This means that schools must give all students who might be, are or have been pregnant the same access to school programs and educational opportunities that other students have. Professors or administrators should not tell students they have to drop out of class or change their educational plans due to pregnancy.

Under Title IX, a school must excuse a student’s absence because of pregnancy or childbirth for as long as the student’s doctor deems the absences medically necessary.

When a student returns to school, she must be allowed to return to the same academic and extracurricular status as before her medical leave began.

LMC’s Disabled Students Program & Services Program (DSP&S) provides specialized classes and support services to students with disabilities to allow them to fully participate 3EE ,%!6% PAGE

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Perspectives

FRIDAY,

OCT.10,

2014

2

“The future is what you make of it. Just know that your supplies are limited.”

— Welcome to Night Vale

Bertha Aguilar

Alexandra Tagliamonte

DANCING THOUGHT

AGGRAVATED ALEX

Sports events are dangerous

Big people are not punchlines

Is watching your favorite team worth your safety or even your life? That is the question lingering in today’s sports world.

There have been many documented acts of violence in almost every sport. The most recent, involves a bathroom beating that took place in a men’s bathroom during a San Francisco 49ers game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it was not a chief’s fan against a 49er fan.

The beating, which was caught on video by a bystander, involves two 49ers fans against two other fans. This beating left a man in the hospital in serious condition. This video is hard to watch, but it’s one of many fight videos that you can find on YouTube.

If you search fan fights, you will find a plethora of videos from different sporting events and it will boggle your mind by how violent they are. Imagine going to a game with your family to have fun and get a break from the stress of life only to be encountered by fans behaving badly and causing your family outing to be ruined.

This type of behavior is unacceptable and flat out irresponsible.

I know that some people take it further than others and not all fans act this way, but I’m talking about the ones who think its okay to physically hurt someone just because they feel like it or because their team lost. I have heard friends comment on the fact that they will not wear their favorite team’s jersey because they feel it will not be in their favor if they do so. It’s just a game for crying out loud.

The only sports I ever cared about were soccer and baseball, but now it is a thing of the past and I couldn’t care less. I see what it does to people and it makes me sad for those who feel that a win or a loss is something to fight about. Most of the time, these brawls are due to alcohol, but people have to know their limits. Not only have there been beatings, it has even escalated to stabbings and shootings.

These are family events and unruly fans need to realize this. Just because someone looked at you wrong, said something about your team or is wearing the wrong jersey, doesn’t mean it has to be handled with violence.

In some of these videos on the web, you can see children, infants and elderly people around where the violence is taking place.

Do these people not think before they act?

Oh wait, No, they don’t because they are too busy being hot heads and ruining the gaming experience for others. I have been to football, basketball and baseball games before and they can be very fun and isn’t that what it’s all about?

I know that it is impossible to try and control other people’s behavior, but something needs to be done. There are many fights happening and these incidents tend to over shadow the team’s win, which should not be the case. Fans should learn to respect others and not act like complete fools when their team loses. There are security policies in place to avoid any security concerns, but it obviously hasn’t worked. The NFL has even implemented a bag policy that only permits fans to bring in clear plastic bags with dimensions no bigger than 12” x 6” x 12” to avoid illegal weapons from being brought in to these events.

This policy is a step in the right direction, but more should be done to ensure the safety of those fans that are there to enjoy the game. Those loyal fans should not get punished for the actions of other fans who cannot control their temper or alcohol intake.

I never understood why fans go crazy in sports and idolize teams, but if sport games make people happy, then I’m all for it, but what I don’t condone is the violence that is affiliated with it.

Recently a viral video of a thin woman wearing a fat suit embarking on Tinder dates has probably appeared on your Facebook timeline. In this video a woman posts bikini clad photos to her profile, accepts dates, and then puts on a fat suit on said dates.

The results are to be expected, the dudes in question are complete jerks to her. But I can’t say I’m surprised.

It should be mentioned that this video should be taken with a grain of salt as there are multiple complications.

I would like to point out that Tinder is a dating app that allows you to pick a date solely on the basis of a photograph, let’s just assume people using this app aren’t looking for a soul mate.

Simple Pickup, the group behind this whole charade, are also the same perverts who made a video teaching men to walk up to women and start massaging them.

Another little gem of a tutorial this group has made videos which shows men approaching women to ask if they can motorboat them. When the women say no, they do it anyway. Gross.

Ms. Thang in her fat suit doesn’t even look like a fat person. She looks like she found an inner tube and slathered on a ton of flesh-colored paint. How did these men believe such an obvious trick? If they’re that clueless to what an actual human being looks like, this girl is better off anyway.

This woman lied. She advertised herself in a certain light, gained a few responses because we, as human beings, like what we like. There’s nothing wrong with having a type. There is however something wrong with lying to people and making them get their hopes up for something they never asked for.

As a side note, when Simple Pickup demonstrated the same experiment but this time with a man, the women on the dates were shocked but displayed no sense of anger, which, I found completely odd to be honest.

Simple Pickup only managed to once again show us how many terrible attitudes are out they’re regarding overweight women.

I don’t feel like this is a good way to tackle such a heavy topic.

When an individual puts on a fat suit in no way are you anywhere closer to understand another person’s life. In actuality, you are creating myths and half truths of what it’s like to be fat. The main one being that fat people will lie about their bodies in order to get dates and that they have no place in the dating world.

For women who think this is a good idea and are thinking of putting on a similar experiment, I urge you please don’t do it. To put on a fat suit is to make a joke of many women’s bodies, when in actuality we should be celebrating their beautiful curves. We should promote self-acceptance nstead of the objectification of women.

%XPERIENCE s *OEY &AJARDO

EDITORIAL

Let your voices be heard

V

oting is a fundamental right of Americans so make sure your voices are heard at the midterm elections this November. If you’re not registered to vote, do it now, before the Oct. 20 deadline.

We, the people, put individuals in office who ultimately make decisions for us, either by approving new laws or putting measures and bills before the populace to vote on – at the federal, state, county and city level.

Registering to vote is easier than ever — it can be done by mail, at your local DMV or online through the California Secretary of State’s website, www.sos.ca.gov. Employers are even required to grant their employees to go to the polls.

There are no acceptable excuses for being absent on Nov. 4, election day. The right to enter a polling location and cast your vote has been fought for and many lives were lost in the pursuit.

No longer does America believe only white men who own land are the only ones that should be heard. No longer are discriminatory practices and laws that keep blacks from the polls tolerated. No longer are women expected to sit next to their husbands and fathers quietly while decisions are made for them. Why, then, did only 58.7 percent of the voting-eligible population show up at the polls for the 2012 General Election?

According to statistics compiled by the US Elections Project conducted by George Mason University: 221,925,820 individuals eligible to register and vote, but only 130,292,355 cast ballots.

An issue more worrisome than those numbers was California’s 2012 turnout of 55.9 percent.

Where was almost 50 percent of the population?

Freedom of speech is the most quoted of all U.S. Constitutional Amendments. Americans love to say whatever they want, when they want. But when the exercise of the First Amendment is to take place, crickets.

Voting is not only a fundamental right, but also the responsibility of every eligible citizen.

This is the only time when those in charge have to listen to their constituents and do what the general public demands they do. They are employees of the people and are paid by the tax dollars they collect. Election time is when we put them under review.

Our forefathers did not throw into the Boston Harbor so a nation of free people could sit on the sidelines whilea few make decisions for the masses. What happened to “no taxation without representation?”

Some say, “What is the point? My vote doesn’t really count anyway.” But imagine what would happen if all those people decided to show up on election day. That’s an extra 13,202,158 votes in California alone. The roar of that crowd would be louder than any politician.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

Let’s demonstrate we will not be silenced.

Society supports hook-up culture

Every generation makes its mark. Many Young adults often go to college with the young adults in ours have come to believe it is intention of having fun while getting an edokay to hook up with no emotional attachment. ucation. However, instead of being worried It has grown so that we have become a about grades, they worry about their social life. generation against relationships. We fear Young adults need to be smart and focus them and would rather be alone because we on their future. have the idea, it’s much better to be solo. InIn “Sexual Hook-up Culture” by Justin R. stead of making lasting Garcia, 1,468 college connections we invest students were surveyed. our time in one-night The 429 students who stands. had engaged in oral sex, Our media-saturated anal sex or vaginal insociety is filled with tercourse in their most images of half naked recent hookup, only 46.6 men and women, and percent reported using a GUEST COLUMNIST sex sells almost evcondom. erything in America.

Numbers like these Those images have helped sell us on the idea show how we are not being smart. that hookups are better than commitments.

We are at an increasing risk of catching This is endangering our physical and emo- STDs. Some say they are not worried about tional health. Young adults like to believe they catching an STD because they feel it is less are invincible but that is not the case. Although likely to happen, but according to an article by sexual freedom can be liberating for some, John Amis, at least one in four teenage girls there are risks. nationwide has a STD. That is more than 3 More young adults are getting sexually trans- million people. mitted diseases and experiencing unplanned We need to take a step back and realize pregnancies. Those who experience these what we have allowed to happen to ourselves. problems often also face emotional struggles We do not want our children to grow up in such as depression as a result. this type of a society, so why should we?

Brittney Regalado

Voices

Are you going to vote in the midterm election?

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READER OPINION POLICY The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the Los Medanos College community — students, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write.

If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, bring your submissions to room CC3-301 and put them in the Perspectives Editor’s mailbox or mail them to Experience c/o Los Medanos College, 2700 E Leland Road, Pittsburg, CA 94565. You may also 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.

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

Experience &

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Member California Newspaper Publishers Association

“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

Editor-in-Chief ..................JOESEPH DELANO Perspectives Editors ........ JAZMINE GORDON and KIMBERLY STELLY Campus Editor .................. .CASSIE DICKMAN

“Most likely not. Politics aren’t really my thing. I kinda just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.”

— Breanna Gay

“I’m not sure.

I’m not too positive about it. I don’t really know all about it.”

— Eric Alvarez

“Maybe. I’m debating. I don’t know. I still need to research it first.”

— Elora Hinckley

“I guess not.

I don’t know.

I haven’t registered to vote or anything.”

— Christian Leon

“No, because I think politics are stupid.”

— Lexus Banks

“I don’t know.

I’m not really informed about that so I don’t know who’s running.”

— Eduardo Gomez

&EATURES %DITOR ...................... DAMIAN LEWIN Sports Editor ....................... .....STEVEN LUKE Photo Editors .................. CATHIE LAWRENCE and BERTHA AGUILAR Associate Editors....................... JOSH WOOD and SUZZANNE SPERRY Web Editor ..........................BRENDAN CROSS 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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Campus

“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.”

3 ‘Hello’ essayediting

— Les Brown

FRIDAY,

OCT.

10,

2014

Service lends quick writing aid

By ALEXANDRA TAGLIAMONTE atagliamonte@lmcexperience.com

%XPERIENCE s #ATHIE ,AWRENCE

Jeff Adkins’ Wednesday night Intro to Astronomy class studies constellations using the newly repaired star projector in the Planetarium that was previously inoperable during the Spring 2013 semester.

Seeing stars

Planetarium working again

By SUZZANNE SPERRY

ssperry@lmcexperience.com

The LMC planetarium is back in operation.

The planetarium was inoperable during the spring 2013 semester because the star projector computers needed repair parts that could not be found online.

LMC hired technicians from Florida to fix the computer problem but the LMC maintenance department soon realized that the ground near the planetarium sank.

“Normally, the star projector is carried by an elevator in and out of a pit called the well,” said Physical Science Professor Scott Cabral.

The well tilted, causing the star projector to lean against one of the guide rails. The star projector rides up and down on three chains and is controlled by a control rod and switches.

According to Cabral, the ability to figure out

how the elevator works is a testament of the superlative customer service and expertise of Glenn Sobolik and George Nelson of the LMC maintenance department.

“We found that over time the planetarium building had probably settled a little and this last earthquake that we had from Napa must have put the projector off of its center balance rendering it inoperable,” said Glenn Sobolik, LMC lead maintenance mechanic.

Sobolik and Nelson worked on the projector for about three days to reset the elevator frame and structure.

“I was there when they first fired the projector back up...All of the students were cheering and the instructor,” added Sobolik. “Darrel Lim said he felt like a kid in a candy store. It had been so long since they had the projector working.

“I don’t know how much it would have cost for

%XPERIENCE s #ATHIE ,AWRENCE

The “Goto Chronos” star projector that is used in the Planetarium. the original elevator company to come to LMC to do the repair work, but Glenn and George must have saved the college thousands of dollars with their hard work,” said Cabral. “I can’t say enough 3EE 34!2 PAGE

Hello Essay is the first essay-editing site that holds a strict code of ethics when it comes to providing students with spot-on and speedy writing support.

Students in need of assistance in editing, proofreading, or general guidance in regards to writing assignments often feel limited to where they can turn to. A professor’s time is limited and office hour slots fill quickly. An advisors time in the Center for Academic Support is also sparse leaving students to feeling helpless and wondering what to do with their essays.

Frantic students have often thought it a grand idea to purchase essays from the internet, which never leads to anything good, as plagiarizing can lead to serious disciplinary action.

Hello Essay was launched in May 2013 by NYU graduates Zack Homer and Corey Sherman.

“Writing has always been a strong skill for me and a passion of mine,” said Homer. “However, I always thought that when a parent or friend, for instance, reviewed a piece of writing, extensive changes would occur, often changing the author’s voice or the input was not all that helpful.”

Services range from $39-$99 and each service offers the editing process; the price rises due to a speedy turnaround as well as a more in-depth evaluation of the assignment. If a potential user is interested in purchasing a service from Hello Essay, they have a few options in order to make their essay or personal statement the best it can be.

“Hello Essay was created in the hopes of offering writing and ESL centers a safe place to send students who require assistance beyond the center’s time or availability…and it was established to finally provide students with one honest, legitimate, and useful tool,” Homer added.

The first step is to select an edi3EE %33!9 PAGE

Desire2Learn becoming a widely used platform Replaced Blackboard Fall 2013 semester

By BERTHA AGUILAR

baguilar@lmcexperience.com

D2L (Desire2Learn) started with just a thought and it has grown into a worldwide educational platform that has benefited many people around the world. It has also been the system that LMC has been using since Fall 2013.

According to www.brightspace.com, more than 15 million people use this platform in

1,100 organizations and in 25 different countries. Before the district decided to make the switch to D2L, all three community colleges were using different learning management systems. LMC was using Blackboard while DVC and CCC used WebCT. Technology Training and Development Coordinator Courtney Diputado said the change “was a district wide decision.” Representatives from each community college met to discuss what option would be best for all the colleges and D2L was that answer. With any change, it will take some time to get used to

NEWSWATCH CalWORKS

Los Medanos College’s California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS) serves students attending LMC who receive financial aid and are parents.

Services include priority registration, educational and career counseling, and educational workshops.

If you would like more information, call 473-7482 or visit the office in room CC2-257.

Office hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Credit union on campus

Pacific Service Credit union will be on campus Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the indoor quad to discuss their credit account for students.

Incentives include $100 for a Relationship Checking account with direct deposit, or $50 for a free checking account.

For more information visit a branch or call (888) 858-6878

Essay prep offered

Scholarships and transfer application deadlines are approaching, and that means essays to write.

Barbara Austin will be conducting workshops on starting and improving your essay skills in the Center for Academic Support on the main campus, CCO-304.

The final workshop will be held Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Please call 473-7950 to reserve a spot or for more information.

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

D2L especially for those students who solely take online courses and for teachers who were more comfortable with using the old system.

This new system seems quite promising as it has many features and tools to better assist students and faculty. Students can receive notifications, when the instructor uploads something important, they will immediately receive it via the notification option they chose.

“You can instantly connect with your students,” said Diputado who also uses D2L to teach her hybrid Library Studies course at Contra Costa College. “Email was probably the most

confusing feature of D2L,” said Diputado. She refers to the systems email and text message notification option, as students cannot reply to the one-way message the notification sends.

To respond, students have to log back in to D2L to do so.

Another feature that faculty can enable is an automatic grade upon completion option for any quizzes that they have in D2L. This feature allows the students to get their score as soon as they complete the quiz. “As soon as you are done you can see your score,” said 3EE $ , PAGE

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Features

FRIDAY,

OCT.

MARQUEE

10,

2014

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The California Theatre in downtown Pittsburg and the El Campanil Theatre in Antioch will feature a variety of events throughout October. Events at both venues are set to include movies, dance and musical sets that promise to delight audiences of all ages.

CALIFORNIA THEATRE The California Theatre is located at 351 Railroad Ave. in Pittsburg. For ticket sales and additional information please call 427-1611 Q Saturday, Oct. 11 — Maureen Langan featuring Mike Capozolla. Begins at 8 p.m. Admission: $17 in advance, $20 at the door. Reserved seating.

Q Tuesday, Oct. 21 — In My Life - A Musical Tribute to the Beatles. Begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission: $25 to $35.

Q Friday, Oct. 24 — The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Begins at 9:30 p.m. Admission: $7 for adults, $3 for survival kit.

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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 Q Saturday, Oct. 11 — The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Begins at 8 p.m. Admission: $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for children.

Q Sunday, Oct. 12 — The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Begins at 2 p.m. Admission: $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for children.

Q Sunday, Oct. 19 — Tribute to The Music Of John Denver. Begins at 3 p.m. Admission: $27 for adults, $25 for seniors, Youths receive free admission when accompanied by paying adult or senior.

Q Saturday, Oct. 25 — House of Floyd.

The Music of Pink Floyd. Begins at 8 p.m. Admission: $27 for adults, $25 for seniors, Youths receive free admission when accompanied by paying adult or senior.

‘Migrate’ to the gallery

The Los Medanos Art Gallery is currently featuring the works of artist Ann Holsberr y in its newest exhibit. The exhibit titled “Migration,” features various cyanotype pieces created by the artist.

Located inside the Librar y, the exhibit will run until Oct. 23 and will be open Tuesday through Thursday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and reopen from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Prepare to see ‘Flesh’

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Top, flautist RC Kubota rehearses with the LMC Concert Band for their upcoming show.

Above, saxaphonist Elijah Walker concentrates on his sheet music for Jazz Band rehearsal.

The LMC Music Department will be hosting a variety of events this month for the concert band, recital class, string ensemble and the choir.

Led by Dr. Jonathan Knight, the concert band heads off the music season on Oct. 12 with its first performance.

According to the LMC website, the concert band will be joined by the local Diablo Wind Symphony for this event.

The show will start at 5 p.m.

Admission for the concert is $5 for the general public and $3 for LMC students with ID. The recital class is designed to help prepare students to be able to successfully perform in a recital upon graduating from LMC, an individual solo that represents the students’ mastery of an instrument. It shows interpretive and technical skills required in their field of study.

All performances for this event must be approved by the students professor prior to going on stage and each recital will be presented by a different person. The performance will be held on Oct. 16 from 1 to 1:50 p.m. and admission is free of charge.

On Oct. 23, the LMC Strings Ensemble will hold a concert from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The event is open to the public and admission is free.

The LMC choir department will be holding their first concert, directed by Silvester Henderson, on Oct. 28. The LMC Chamber Choir and Gospel Choir will be attending.

The San Jose Skyline College Jazz Choir, directed by Michelle Hawkins as well as local jazz performer Glen Pearson will also be attending the choir concert as special guests according to the LMC website.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. General admission for the concert will be $5 and $4 for students and seniors with identification. For more information, contact Silvester Henderson at 565-6107.

LMC club to entertain community "Y 4!..%2 */(.3/.

tjohnson@lmcexperience.com

Shenanigans has some exciting events coming into play in the near future as members of LMC’s Improv Club plan to host shows for the local community.

“I’m really excited that Shenanigans is getting to be more community-oriented this year. We get to spread our love of theater to the general public,” stated the club Public Relations Officer Du’Praiseja Smith. “That is the greatest feeling ever, in my opinion, I get to share what I love.”

REVIEW CREW

‘Gone Girl’

— Frank Zappa

Music is in the air this fall

Local cultural events

“Man of the Flesh,” the first of two productions for the Drama Department this semester, is set to premiere on Oct. 16.

Written by local playwright Octavio Solis and based on the classic tale of Don Juan, the updated play focuses on the character Juan and the consequences of his decisions in life.

“Man of the Flesh” is set to debut on Oct. 16 with additional per for mances showing on Oct. 18, 20, 23, 24, 25 and 27. All showings begin at 7:30 p.m. with the exception of a matinee performance scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday Oct. 22. Tickets will be $7 for a student or those with military ID, $10 for the general public and $5 for high school students with ID.

“All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff.”

Photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com

Movie Summary: When a woman is reported missing, a media frenzy ensues and someone close to her becomes a prime suspect.

Starring Ben Affleck, “Gone Girl” opened on Oct. 3 and also stars Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry and Rosamund Pike. Directed by David Fincher, “Gone Girl” is rated R and has a running time of 149 minutes.

Above, Ben Affleck, Lisa Banes and David Clennon star in the film.

On Oct. 15, the club will be meeting with the Child Care Center. Performances will be made for the children and will include themes of nature to match what they’re learning about while in daycare. Children will have a chance to help choose how the stories will go and what kinds of stories will be told.

There will be two separate shows, one for the children, and shortly thereafter a follow-up that’s open for the parents of the children as well.

In November, Shenanigans will take a trip to Oakland Children’s Hospital to perform for different wards of the hospital, including the

infant unit, the burn unit and the cancer unit.

Club members will be singing, reading and performing short skits written by team members. Gifts will be handed out at the end of the events so patients will have something to remember the department by.

“We love the kid shows because imagination is key in successful acting, and the imagination of a child is way better than ours could ever be,” said Shenanigans Treasurer Katey Hilton. “We hope to be inspiring to them so that they may hold on to that imagination as they grow up.”

+++++

+++++

Joseph says: A must see

Brendan says: Absolute mind bender

Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher, is a beautiful, mind-bending display of the forces that hold people together. Accused of the murder of his wife, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) must try to prove his innocence while struggling with the disappearance of wife Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike). What follows is genius.

The way the movie twists and turns so fluidly stunned me. I commend the casting director, as every single person in the movie played his or her part to perfection. Carrie Coon, who played Nick’s sister Margot, was the stand out actor for me. So tragic yet humorous was her character portrayed that I would definitely not be supposed to see her nominated for a plethora of awards.

If I have any criticism of the film, it would be the nudity from Affleck. The news of the scene dominated the plot prior to release, but the actual scene was purely gratuitous. The three seconds where Affleck is “finally” revealed could have been cut and the movie would’ve had the same effect.

That being said, Fincher’s triumph will be nominated for many awards; Pike and Coon will surely have a great Oscars season.

— Joseph Delano

With a runtime of nearly two and a half hours, it does a great job of keeping the suspense up and keeping the audience engaged with each passing scene.

The casting was phenomenal. Ben Affleck (Nick Dunne), Rosamund Pike (Amy Dunne), Carrie Coon (Margo Dunne) and Tyler Perry (Tanner Bolt) were the standouts. I would not be surprised if any number of the aforementioned cast members were nominated for best or supporting actor or actress in the upcoming 87th Academy Awards, along with the movie itself being nominated for best picture.

As far as murder mystery movies go, this is one of the best I have seen.

I cannot speak to how close it resembles the novel it was penned after as I have not read it, but from what I have gathered, there are some omissions or changes from the book to the screen that have been affecting peoples enjoyment. Regardless, it makes to want to soak in more of this story and pick up a copy.

This film kicks off the Oscar movie season with fury and is a definite watch for any moviegoer.

— Brendan Cross

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,

OCT.

10,

2014

Volleyball digs in Mustangs get off to a hot start

By STEVEN LUKE and CATHIE LAWRENCE

sluke26@lmcexperience.com

The Mustangs tied for second in the Bay Valley Conference with a division record of 4-1 (7-9 overall) thanks to a four-game winning streak that has included back-toback 3-0 wins.

Last Friday, Oct. 3, the Mustangs won in dominating fashion for the second straight home game, and the commanding win left an impression on the opposing coach.

Napa Valley Head Coach Kelly Van Winden said that LMC has a ton of talent, and the coaches get the most out of each player on the court.

“I think LMC played with a ton of talent.

They use everything they have very well,” she said. “They’ve got six coaches on the sideline, one for each kid, and it shows.

They did a beautiful job.”

While she spoke highly of the Mustangs, Van Winden did not have good things to say about her own squad.

“My team on the other hand, is playing in the fear of their own shadow. I haven’t seen them show up for about two weeks now and you just saw them not show up again. It could have been a good match, but we chose not to play.”

The opposing coach didn’t have anything bad to say about LMC and neither did Head Coach Lou Panzella about his own team.

“Typical volleyball, up by a lot then we fell down then we came back,” he said. “All they can do is go out and play hard and if they keep doing that then I’m a pretty happy coach.”

While both coaches agreed that the Mustangs played well, they had differing opinions about what was wrong with Napa.

When asked about what Napa could do to improve Panzella said, “They can get better coaching.”

That could be taken as a dig at the op-

posing head coach or as an agreement with Van Winden about the amount of coaching LMC has compared to Napa. Either way it is going to continue to be a tough season for Napa while LMC is now tied for second in the Bay Valley conference.

Napa is not the only team that has looked bad when paired against the Mustangs. Last week, Laney College suffered a loss that caused players to argue with each other after the game. Their winnging ways continued on the road as they again dominated a match against their in conference rivals Contra Costa College.

In the match on Wednesday, Oct. 8, the Mustangs won in three straight sets to continue their streak, winnng every set by double digits.

A huge part of the dominating performances is due in large part to outside hitter Taylor Scriven who continues to lead the state in kills with 302 and ranks fifth in the state with a mark of 4.87 kills per set.

The Mustangs will look to be alone in second place and continue their winning streak as they play at home against the team they’re tied with, Yuba College, Wednesday Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.

5

“It may be hard now, but in the end, every second of pain, hard work and sacrifice will be worth it.”

— Destinee Hooker

Experience s Cathie Lawrence

In the 3-0 win over visiting Napa Valley, AnnaSilvia Vega leaps to spike the ball.

Loss quells a ‘Pink’ afternoon

Photos by Cathie Lawrence s Experience

LMC hosted homecoming against rival Contra Costa College, and although they suffered a 33-6 loss the day was a success as they combined the game with the second annual Catch Pink event to raise awareness for breast cancer. Mustangs Quarterback R.J. Cellini rolls out to his right to avoid the rush in the loss against the CCC Comets (top). LMCAS members Gary Walker and Candice Tidwell sold cupcakes and gave away items before the game as a part of the Catch Pink event (bottom left). Outgoing team doctor Andrew Ness was honored by LMC President Bob Kratochvil for his 19-year service to the team (bottom right).

Soccer on a downswing

Stangs outscored by 10 in two straight losses

By STEVEN LUKE and CATHIE LAWRENCE sluke26@lmcexperience.com

The Mustangs now sit in the four th spot in the Bay Valley Conference as the team has now cooled off after a three game winning streak. In back-to-back losses the team has been outscored by a margin of 11-1 and are now their record is 2-2 in conference (4-5-1 overall).

The first game in the current losing streak started out just how the Mustangs hoped it would, with an early goal from leading scorer

Mikayla Farber. They could not That was good, but we couldn’t hold the early lead over Mendoci- hold onto it. We played a team that no and the game ended with five was fundamentally better than us.” unanswered goals by the Eagles.

It wouldn’t get any easier against Head Coach their next oppoMark Br yant nent Folsom Lake, was disappointed “We played a the reigning conby the loss as he team that was ference champithought the team ons, and while the would have good fundamentally team looked better results against better than us.” they lost by a largMendocino.

— Mark Bryant er margin of 6-0.

“We thought we “It’s almost exwould have good results,” he said. pected;” said Coach Br yant on “We started out pretty good in the the loss to Folsom. “This team See DOWN, page 6 first quarter. We got an early goal.

Fantasy football corner Steven

Luke

Start – Ben Roethlisberger against the Browns Sit – Martellus Bennett against the Falcons Pick Up – Ronnie Hillman, Broncos RB Brendan

Cross

Start – Allen Robinson against the Titans Sit – Kendall Wright against the Jaguars Pick Up – Branden Oliver, Chargers RB Luke

Johnson

Start – Titans defense against the Jaguars Sit – All Rams against the 49ers Pick Up – Andre Williams, Giants RB

LOS

M EDA N OS

DOWN From page 5

C OL L E G E

From page 3

tor. The editors are experts in a subject the student chooses.

The student will then provide an introduction, explain the assignment, their concerns and messages they want to relay.

After precise examination, the editor will return the essay with edits and comments, and a “Hello Assessment” an evaluation with strengths and weaknesses.

If a student has any questions or concerns with the edited essay they may contact their editor for clarifications, however the editor is only required one edit per submission.

“This policy avoids the abuse of our editors’ time,” Homer said.

While an outlet where students can receive help with their writing assignments might seem like a student’s dream, others aren’t convinced.

LMC English Professor Barbara Austin, whose own essay prep business, College Quest, which aims to help high school parents and students with transfer and scholarship essays in the Transfer Center here at LMC. She has been doing this for free since 1996 and in 1999 was awarded the Title 5 Grant and established what is now known as the Core.

Austin thinks students should stick to resources their school offers.

“I do not think Los Medanos students should have to pay for transfer and scholarship essay support since we have over 40 hours of writing consultant helping right in our own Core for free,” said Austin. “We are open five days a week to help all students. I have trained all our current writing consultants about how to help students with their UC transfer essays, common app essays and personal statements for scholarships, so they are knowledgeable and prepared to help.”

Hello Essay has editors who hail from universities such as Oxford and Harvard.

In Homer and Sherman’s previous professional careers as tutors they witnessed the difficulties with English and writing. They have discussed with writing consultants around the world about the presence of essay mills and how many students will fork over a hefty sum for help with assignments.

While Hello Essay has no accreditation, Homer is optimistic that it will come soon.

“We have high ambitions with Hello Essay and see it as becoming the one-stop shop and obvious choice for students who need essay help,” said Homer.

LEAVE

From page 1

in and benefit from courses at the college.

Although there are no accommodations written specifically for pregnant students at LMC, DSP&S Program Coordinator and Learning Specialist Ginny Richards ensures expecting mothers will be supported through DSP&S. “We get a lot of students who are pregnant during the semester and most of them pretty much advocate for themselves. We are here for them if they need anything but we highly encourage our students to keep open communication with their professors as well.”

Richards said.

Since its inception in 1974, LMC’s DSP&S has grown to serve a large number of students with disabilities, currently serves 10 percent of the overall LMC student population.

According to their online handbook, the primary goal is to help students achieve their educational goals while becoming independent learners. The handbook also provides information on various disabilities, definitions and emergency procedures while suggesting classroom accommodations that can be made in the teaching environment or in a teaching style.

It is the mission of DSP&S to facilitate access for disabled students with learning, physical, or psychological disabilities to the educational programs, student services, and activities of Los Medanos College.

For more information contact DSP&S Program Coordinator Ginny Richards at 473-7470. The DSP&S office is located in Room CC2-254.

FRIDAY,

O C T.

10,

2014

ESSAY D2L

won league last year and have ten sophomores starting and only one freshman. They’re a good team.”

The teams were not evenly matched as everything Folsom did worked and everything that the Mustangs did seemed to fail.

Folsom Head Coach Donny Ribaudo said that they executed their game plan to their best.

“We just kind of try to stick to some of the things that we’ve been working on in the middle part of the season,” he said. “Which is keeping good possession, staying organized defensively, trying to create two versus one in the attacking third and make sure we’re dangerous in the attacking third.”

Their passes were crisp, they controlled the ball with one touch on each pass and put shots on goal seemingly every time they entered the attacking third. Although Folsom seemed like the better team, the two head coaches both believed that the Mustangs played well in the game.

“The nice thing about Los Medanos is they fought hard,” Ribaudo said. “All 16 of them, on the team I think there is 16, they all play hard. They didn’t give up, they had good spirit and they made it tough on us at times.”

Bryant also said that the team played much better than they did against Mendocino even though the loss looks worse on paper. “I thought our girls played much better than the game we played against Mendocino. Mendocino was a very equal team,” said Bryant. “I thought we played better today, the results don’t really show it, but as a team offensively we did much better and defensively we need a little help.”

The offense did look much better and seemed to set up their plays perfectly, but they could not follow through when near the net.

Par t of the game might have been how well Ribaudo coaches his team.

Multiple times Ribaudo could be hear yelling out yard line numbers on free kicks by the LMC players, and each time the ball went to the yard line yelled for his team to set up at.

Ribaudo said that he just noticed tendencies in the first half and relayed that information to his players in the second leading to more offensive possessions in the second half and four goals as opposed to two in the first half.

The Mustangs will take on Yuba College at home Friday, Oct. 10 before heading on the road to face Solano College.

From page 1

E X P E R I E N C E

STUDY from its current site to the Vineyards property would impact students — 30 percent of whom are hispanic, 6 percent African American, and 6 percent Asian — who already attend the Brentwood Center.

He reminded the district board that at their Sept. 10 meeting a representative from TriDelta, which currently provides transportation services to the current Brentwood Center site, said the company would not be able to serve the center if it moved to the parcel near Trilogy.

Therefore the district board, by moving the site 3.6 miles away from where it is now on Sand Creek Road, would be “changing the prospects of the most vulnerable students in Eastern Contra Costa County of their ability to obtain an education,” said Keller.

Relocation of the Brentwood Center to the Marsh Creek Road location might be in violation of Title VI of the civil rights act, said Keller.

Title VI of the civil rights act “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.”

Keller’s 11th hour proposal, which Enholm has supported, came just as the construction process was about to begin.

STAR From page 3

about how much I appreciate what they did to help the astronomy unit.”

The star projector is scheduled to have 40-minute shows about the basic ideas of astronomy for school groups by appointment. The Planetarium has 58 seats and is located in room CC2-220 on the LMC campus. The planetarium lobby is at the level 2 entrance to the

From page 3

Diputado. Other features include discussion boards and user progress reports, which enables students to see their progress. The locker option is located in the course material tab and allows students to upload files that they want to access at a different time.

It works like a flash drive so students can have access to it from any computer.

Political Science Instructor Tracy Nelson has had experience with different platforms.

“I have used Blackboard for more than a decade,” Nelson said. She owns a desktop publishing business and it has provided her with extensive computer experience so the transition was smooth for her, but has encountered some issues within D2L. “There are technical glitches that students wouldn’t be aware of, but that plague instructors,” Nelson said, adding “The most frustrating problems have to do with transferring items from a previous semester, or from one course to another.” Since Nelson only teaches online this can be a headache. While using Blackboard at another college she has seen the differences between them. “What takes me 30 minutes to update in Blackboard, takes two hours in D2L,” said Nelson, but D2L seems to have the upper hand when it comes to online exams since “it’s less likely to freeze during exams,” said Nelson.

Many students in Nelson’s online courses have limited computer skills and it’s something that troubles Nelson. “I get questions every day about how to perform basic word processing functions or how to find basic information online,” said Nelson.

Since the college of fers assessment tests for students regarding their language and math, Nelson feels a computer literacy test should be offered to online students. “I think a similar assessment test needs to be available online for students to see if they have the sufficient computer skills to feel more comfortable in an online course.”

This will ensure students can succeed in online courses.

Although there is no set date, the district will be upgrading to a newer version of D2L. “We are looking at a transition soon to version 10.3,” said Diputado, adding the College is “hoping for a smooth technical transition.”

Students looking for D2L help can refer to an informative online tutorial at www.4cd.edu/ d2l/pages/index.html.

Currently, LMC is receiving about $1.1 million annually from the state because the Brentwood Center has become “a state-approved education center,”said District Chief Facilities Planner Ray Pyle, who added that 19 architectural firms have already submitted statements of qualifications in the hopes of being eligible to provide architectural design services for the project.

“Owning land and having a plan for a new building was an essential element in obtaining that approval from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office,” explained Pyle, who recently discovered that a site relocation would require the district to submit a change request to the CCCCO Board of Governors requiring it to show the move would not change the “student-related planning elements of the application package” originally submitted.

Having its education center status revoked is a small possibility for the Brentwood Center if there are any revisions to the student-related planning elements, Pyle said.

“I’m not sure that has ever happened,” he said clarifying the money the district receives from Measure E will not be affected by a site move because it was approved by voters and allocated by the CCCCD Governing Board. main College Complex.

Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial bodies, planets, moons meteorites and stars.

Astronomy also explores galaxies and investigates cosmic radiation, and tries to shed light on the origins and evaluation of the universe.

“It felt very satisfying to see and hear everyone so excited to be able to use their Goto Star projector again,” said Sobolik.

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