Vol. 90 No. 10 - May 3, 2019

A Place to Talk returns

Spring ball under way

A ‘bolt’ to your system

Members of the LMC community gathered to talk about recent events in places like Sri Lanka — page 3

Football season may be months away, but the road to a comeback season has already begun — page 6

Dean Dave Belman’s original musical took to the stage Thursday, April 25 — page 4

V O L .

9 0 ,

N O .

F.Y.I. Important Dates May is Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month May 5

Cinco de Mayo lands on a Sunday.

May 13

Students can pick up cap and gown, as well as tassels in the student store.

1 0

F R I D A Y ,

M A Y

3 ,

2 0 1 9

L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M

New leaders elected Fresh student reps, fresh ideas

By LILLY MONTERO @lilly_montero3

The results for fall semester’s Los Medanos Associated Student have been announced with Thyra Cobbs as president, Shagoofa Khan as Vice President, Alyssa Compton as Commissioner of Campus Events and Deborah Tatmon

as Commissioner of Publicity and Outreach. Treasurer remains the only position without a representative, but the incoming president hopes to fill it soon.

In the past two semesters, LMCAS advisor John Nguyen has noted an uptick in participation in student government,

with almost a full board of senators being achieved last semester for the first time since he became their advisor in 2016.

The turnout for this most recent election seems to support his observation with 98 qualified ballots submitted out of 102 ballots submitted in total.

The advisor attributes the turnout to the healthy competition between candidates this time around. “[The numbers] have

increased since last year simply because there were people competing against each other,” said Nguyen.

Although Thyra Cobbs ran for president relatively unopposed, with many of her opponents dropping out early on, campaigning and taking on such a big leadership role was still a new and shocking experience for her.

“This wasn’t something I’d imagine myself to be doing,” said Cobbs. “So if I was in

Getting ready for job market

Both the summer and fall schedule are available online for students to flip through. With priority registration opening up within the next few weeks and the semester coming to an end, returning students should be sure to go online or speak to a counselor to plan their future courses. The schedules include degree specific information, as well as information for general education courses. For more info go to https://www.losmedanos. edu/schedule/.

The Center for Academic Support will be holding a Study Slam Thursday, May 16 from 2 to 8 p.m.

There will be peer tutors on hand for subjects from accounting to speech, as well as general reading and writing consultants.

No appointments are required to attend the event. Pizza and refreshments will also be provided.

Annual Gospel Choir to come Professor Silvester Henderson will be hosting the 25th annual Gospel Celebration Reunion Concert Saturday, May 4 in the Recital Hall at 7 p.m.

The event will include a motivational speaker, special guest Kyla Jade from NBC’s The Voice, and many other activites.

Tickets are $27 at the door and children under the age of 4 can enter for free. For more information email shenderson@ losmedanos.edu.

Follow us on: @lmc_experience @lmc_experience @lmc_experience

— Thyra Cobbs

See LMCAS, page 5

Plan your future courses

Get help before finals week

“I want to...work on closing the achievement gap for African American students.”

By DANTE HARROLD Staff writer

Experience • Janaequa Ojeda-Hutton

Financial aid assistant Deborah Baskin goes in to hug Gail Newman at the vp’s retirement party.

Newman says goodbye

By ALEX CAMILLI @_Carnation

Los Medanos College celebrated the “Retirement Send-Off” for Vice President of Student Services Gail Newman on April 25, 2019.

The festivities began at 3 p.m. and lasted until 4:30 p.m., during which, associates all met on the fourth floor of the Student Services Building in Room 412 to congratulate Newman for

her dedication to LMC. From 1989 to 2007 she held the position of Director of Admissions and Records. Newman would become the Senior Dean of Student Services before being appointed the Interim Vice President of Student Services in January of this year.

Newman, a product of the community college system herself, recognizes how it enables students who aren’t quite ready to transfer to a four-year to continue

their academic pursuits. LMC President Bob Kratochvil briefly described what it was like to work with such a proactive member of the college stating.

“As a senior leader in the student services area, she has always been student-focused,” said Kratochvil. “She has been a joy for the college and she has a great focus on student success.”

The atmosphere was casual as colSee GAIL, page 5

Fair informs STEM majors

By SPENCER BATUTE @batutie_

LMC’s MESA Program hosted representatives from several in and out-of-state colleges last week as part of a STEM Transfer Fair, an informational event designed to educate all math- and science-based students on the four-year transfer process.

The first purely STEM focused event was held Thursday April 25 by representatives from a variety of CSUs and UCs as well as Arizona State University.

The representatives—some faculty, some admissions staff and some students—each presented 10-to-15 minute panels in the MESA Center to discuss their programs and research opportunities and give general transfer advice.

The presentations were attended by about 30 students who took notes finished homework and listened

attentively . Most students strolled in and out as the panels progressed.

Second-year physics major Andrew Pirofalo was disappointed he didn’t learn more about mechanical engineering oppor tunities, but he did appreciate the newfound knowledge of programs like UC Irvine’s Transfer Admission Guarantee, a program ensuring admission to “highly qualified” students from all California Community Colleges.

After their panels, the representatives opened up for tabling, answering questions from remaining students as well as handing out informational fliers and collegiate knick-knacks.

Previously, LMC Transfer Services has held a schoolwide transfer day each semester, but under the lead of Senior Program Coordinator Sandra Parsons, has now

Experience • Erick Amaya

CSU East Bay student Durodoluwa Odumosu talks with a CSUEB representative. opted to host area-specific transfer events in an attempt to ensure more intimacy between students and college representatives.

MESA Director Nicole T rager hoped students gained a better understanding of research opportunities post-transfer.

“I think a lot of students don’t realize that there’s

so many things at different school,” she said. “It’s a common misconception that it’s just those big research schools like Berkeley and Davis, but every school has lots of research.”

Student Dylan Ruaro said hearing from real representatives rather than reading from college websites showed him there are more STEM transfer See STEM, page 5

Los Medanos College Transfer and Career Services hosted mock interviews with Bayworks and the Jewish Vocational Service Thursday, April 25 in the Library. The afternoon event had 18 Electrical & Instrumentation Technology and Process Technology students being interviewed by seven employers in their field of study.

Each student had a 20-minute interview and 10 minutes for the employers to provide feedback.

“The ultimate goal for the mock interview event was to offer students the opportunity to hone their interviewing skills in an area of career interest and prepare them to be competitive in today’s workforce.

JVS and Baywork employers worked in partnership with LMC to make this experience possible to our students.” said Cynthia Perez-Nicholas, Career Services Coordinator at LMC and facilitator of the mock interview event.

The employers seemed enthusiastic about the event with many actively asking questions in regard to how Perez wanted them to act.

Perez urged the employers to not go easy on the students.

“Hit them with your best shot,” said Perez, explaining this tough treatment is how people improve themselves.

One area students struggled with was coming up with answers for questions that relate to work experience when they have none. Levi Fuller, one of the employers, advised students to look to other types of experience to make up for their lack of work experience.

“Even though you don’t have work experience that directly address a question look to your personal life, your hobbies, other organizations you’ve been a member,” said Fuller.

Another issue that surfaced was that some students not knowing the appropriate interview attire. There were also complaints because some applications had typos.

The event seemed to have accomplished its goal with students who par ticipated in the event expressing that they benefited from the mock interview. Many appreciated the interviewers’ feedback on what they could improve upon.

“He was very honest,” said William Johnson.

Student Tameem Roshan See SKILL, page 5

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

Perspectives

FRIDAY,

MAY

3,

2019

2

“We’re in the endgame now.”

— Dr. Strange

Nick Campbell

Krys Shahin

NICK’S PICKS

K BUT NOT KARDASHIAN

The battle for America’s mind

Social media brings benefits

Recently, Former Vice President Joe Biden launched his 2020 campaign for the presidency. One of his signature campaign battle cries is that we are in a “battle for America’s soul.” Whether that’s accurate or not is subject to interpretation. What is undisputed, however, is that America’s collective mind is up for grabs.

As Scott Adams, the creator of the famous comic Dilbert once put it: “Never underestimate the stupidity of the American public.”

As the nation and the world continues to find out more about the Russian interference in the 2016 election, fate as it would seem, is not without a sense of irony. For Russia to successfully engage in a disinformation campaign, it would have required a willing recipient. The American public.

Using social media proved to be brilliant provided America’s addiction to social media.

According to a report given to Congress, over 126 million users on Facebook saw content and information from Russian agents.

Seeking to sow discord among Americans during the election, the disinformation campaign also worked its way on Twitter and YouTube.

131,000 tweets on Twitter and over a 1,000 videos made by Russian agents were spread through these respective channels alone.

One does not need a Master’s degree in International politics or relations to question the common sense of many falsehoods. Did I need to be a political expert to doubt Pizzagate which contended that a former Secretary of State was participating in a childhood sex trafficking ring? Absolutely not.

Yet, according to a poll by the Economist and YouGov, over 50 percent of Republicans and 24 percent of Democrats actually believed this debunked conspiracy theory. Are we that dumb as a nation? Let’s go back to before the election with the racist “birther” conspiracy theory of Donald Trump.

Trump, at the time a presidential candidate, questioned if Barack Obama was born in America. According to a poll by the Slate and YouGov, 51 percent of Republicans believed Obama was not born i the US compared to 14 percent of Democrats. Why do people believe these false conspiracy theories?

A common explanation is the “Occam’s razor” theory.

Founded by the 14th-century philosopher and Franciscan friar William Occam, he developed the “Law of Parsimony.” According to the razor principle, the simplest explanation for an event is almost always the best; shave away any extraneous assumptions, and what you’ve got left is. This occurred with the death of rap star Tupac Shakur.

When he was murdered in 1996, he was so revered that people wouldn’t accept his death. It was widely rumored that he faked his death and moved to Cuba.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see how people can fall for the okie doke in the news or even worse, social media. During the 2016 election, I used to cringe daily at things people were either posting or even sharing.

Some of the common ones were about the electoral college. Many people falsely believe that their votes don’t count in the presidential election and that a shadow government secretly selects the president.

Others, including “Pizzagate” previously mentioned, and more infamous, Clinton’s misinterpreted remarks about criminal justice reform, all made their way around the net.

All, which had Russian agents and trolls behind it. Consider this, Clinton made the often misquoted “Superpredators” remark way back in 1996. It was never mentioned again until the 2016 election. Why? These common sense questions that Americans are not asking themselves is the reason why the battle is not for America’s soul, but rather America’s mind.

It’s easy to see that as time goes on, society evolves along with new technology, but is this a good or a bad thing? Are we too dependent on technology?

As technology advances, people are always looking for the newest and “most trendy” thing of the time.

With this comes different forms of media.

Whether this media is news, social media used for entertainment or forms of media to learn, it’s good for society and has many benefits.

The many forms of media matters because while it appears people are spending more time on their devices, it does not necessarily translate to being lazy or simply in it for the entertainment value.

Not only is technology good for entertainment, but it is good for the economy, advancements in the mental health industry and connecting people to parts of the world they would have never experienced before these advancements.

This helps stories that begin locally to gain national or global attention,” said AJ Agrawal, the founder of Verma Media, a marketing agency that focuses on emerging tech, like blockchain and AI. Technology allows those old American ideals of starting fresh and becoming a successful entrepreneur to stay alive. “[Social media] has allowed smaller brands to gain a foothold in the market much easier...

That is often the result of harnessing social media platforms to build a following in a cost effective way,” said Jeff Desjardins, founder and Editor-in-Chief at Visual Capitalist.

Anyone and everyone is a billboard to advertise however and whatever they want today. That means anyone can become a business owner or an entrepreneur.

Small or new businesses now have a chance to gain traction and even compete with the major corporations that may be dominating the market.

Apps that we all know about, like Instagram or Snapchat, are some of the most predominant social media that people use today.

A study conducted in 2018 by Griffith University and the University of Queensland in Australia found that, “although American teens have fewer friends than their historical counterparts, they are less lonely than teens in past decades.”

They report feeling less isolated and have actually become more socially adept, partly due to an increase in technology use.

Suicidal teens can get immediate access to quality support online.

One example occurred on a Minecraft forum on Reddit when an entire online community used voice-conferencing software to talk a teen out of his decision to commit suicide.

A study done by Nielsen called Total Audience Report in 2018 found, “young adults 18-34 spend 43 percent of their time-consuming media on digital platforms.

Almost a third of their time spent with media (29 percent) comes from apps/web on a smartphone.”

In other words, people are already addicted to media, both kids and adults, but when they are connecting to events worldwide, it is hard to see it as a negative.

It is said about 2.6 billion people were using social media in 2018 with an estimated 2.77 billion for 2019 according to Statista, a website that collects data from thousands of sources and puts findings together.

There are many reasons why media is so important in America and ultimately the world. Without the advancements and use of media, our world would not be as connected as it is today.

Technology and media are important for future growth for society as a whole to improve as much as possible.

Experience • Isabelle Ortiz

Editorial

Congress lets Barr have it

W

ith the recent release of the Mueller report, the world was able to read the conclusions to the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. U.S. Attorney General William Barr was tasked with delivering the summary of this report’s findings to Congress, a task that would soon see controversy. Trouble began brewing early for Barr for a variety of reasons.

First, he set up a press conference to discuss and summarize the findings, putting an obvious partisan spin on the findings in Trump’s favor.

This was not only unprecedented, but also unethical according to several legal scholars and experts.

The office of the Attorney General is not supposed to protect a sitting president, but rather be a check and balance to the executive branch.

Second, it’s been revealed that Barr wrongly summarized the findings of the report, making it appear as if Trump had been exonerated from his actions when the report did not do so.

Robert Mueller himself called Barr out for his mishandling of the report, writing him a scathing letter complaining he did not capture the context behind the report.

In capitulating his duties as Attorney General, Barr set up a Constitutional crisis that many experts have warned of since Trump’s election.

Hillary Clinton summed up the issue accurately: “The President being able to fire investigators is the road to tyranny.”

Without checks and balances, the Constitution is irrelevant and has no teeth per se.

Even the Supreme Court has gotten so partisan that its own independence is being called into question. During recent hearings Senator Harris grilled him as did Senator Hirono. At one point, Senator Hirono called on Barr to resign and proclaimed that “America deserves better.”

One could argue that we haven’t seen this level of chaos, bias and corruption in an administration in decades.

You’d have to go all the way back to the Nixon administration to see such chaos and investigations coupled with talk of impeachment.

The most glaring example of the differences between the Nixon and Trump administrations are the speed and accessibility of the media. It has drastically evolved over time.

Even more concerning, as it stands now, nothing can be done about the disorder. That is, until the 2020 election in which America will decide if we will continue down this foxhole, or not.

What’s happening to rap music?

Throughout the years, the culture and ideas behind making hip-hop and rap music has changed dramatically. In the past rap used to be very lyrical and have a meaning, purpose, or even messages behind it.

Famous rappers like Tupac would rap about things that happened in their life or would rap about things going on in the community they lived in. The lyrics to a song meaning behind it and had a message for the world.

Nowadays music has a trend of having 808s and melodic beats that songs now heavily reside on. Newer artists such as Travis Scott or Lil Pump make their best music by creating flows, wavy sounds, catchy ad-libs and hooks that attract young people. There isn’t much meaning behind the songs, but their purpose now is to sound good.

It seems to be the trend now in the music industry for artists to have styles that are based in the fans interest. Yes, there is the money aspect and the fame that everyone in the business desperately wants, however, it seems some artists put out music for their fans’ interest and not in theirs.

Exhibit A: Lil Uzi Vert’s career. Many kids don’t care about lyrics, they just want music to sound good and make them feel good, though feelings and expressions you get from music is a significant reason for why people make and listen to music.

That’s why most artists these days don’t put any meaning behind their music and they say

Voices

Raazhel Watkins GUEST COLUMNIST

whatever they want and as long as it’s catchy or has a certain sound to it, they’ll still make a lot of money.

J. Cole is one of the last few artists still in the business who raps and typically puts a meaning and messages behind his lyrics in his songs. In contrast to Lil Uzi Vert, where in some occasions, released music he didn’t want to produce for the sake of his fan and label’s interest.

J. Cole speaks his mind about life situations in his music and even tends to criticize certain newer artists for changing the culture of rap by not caring about lyrics. That is why he gets some hate, but in my opinion I think it’s very much appropriate to have different types of artists in rap. There shouldn’t be a specific way music should be cultivated, this is something that the new generation and older generation artists need to try to prove. Music is a form of art and emotion, expressed in any way that seems fitting to the individual and communities that share similar feelings toward the music.

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

What did you think of ‘Avengers: Endgame’?

COMPILED

BY

A

N T H O N Y

M

Experience L M C e x p e r i e n c e . c o m

A R T I N E Z

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

Editors-in-Chief .................... LILLY MONTERO & MARC LOPEZ Copy Chief ................................... A.R. BROOM

“Absolutely amazing, it sucked but not in your usual don’t go see it way. Emotional roller coaster.”

— Aria Mallorca

“I thought it was a very amazing movie to wrap up 11 years.

It was great and definitely lived up to my expectations.”

— Mell Torres

Perspectives Editor............. NICK CAMPBELL

“I thought it was awesome, the fan service and battle sequence was great.”

— Joshua Reategui

“I cried three times, it was really emotional and I think it’s what everyone was waiting for.”

— Olivia Hope

“I think in the end I was surprised on how they handled it having all the Marvel cast in one movie.”

— Sam Burgis

“The fact that I had to wait an entire year for a cliffhanger was excruciating. I think everyone should go see it.”

— Valarie Reategui

Campus Editor............BREANNA CRAWFORD Features Editor.......................... MARC LOPEZ Sports Editors ....................HUGO CALDERON & JESUS CANO Social Media Editor ................... JESUS CANO Photo Editor.................. ANTHONY MARTINEZ Multimedia Editor................. KELLY WILLIAMS 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.

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

Campus Newswatch Cash for textbook buyback

“Wakanda forever!”

FRIDAY,

MAY

3,

2019

3

— Black Panther

A safe place to talk

The Pittsburg LMC Bookstore will be buying back used textbooks May 20-23 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and May 24 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Textbooks should be in good condition — no water damage, broken bindings or ripped pages. For more information please visit the LMC bookstore website at www.lmcbookstore.net

Free clinic for the uninsured John Muir Health Family Medicine residency program offers free community medical services for uninsured individuals and families every other Wednesday 9 a.m. to noon.

The mobile clinic is located at St. Vincent De Paul, 2210 Gladstone, Pittsburg. They offer primary care, non-emergency care, blood test and many more. For more information, please call (925) 941-7940.

AST program classes open

Would you like to train for a career as an appliance service technician in one year or less? The Appliance Service Technology program at LMC uses lecture and hands on lab to teach students how to dignosis and repair household appliances.

You could learn how to operate, test, dissasemble, repair and reassemble many different brands of both gas and electric appliances.

Summer classes start June 3, Fall classes start Aug. 26, and Spring 2020 classes start Jan. 24. For more information on these classes please visit www.losmedanos. edu/appliance.

Club for LMC ‘Lake Lovers’

If you love LMC’s lake and its natural inhabitants and are interested in making the LMC lake path a safer and cleaner place, or if you just want to learn more about out the campus, then you should join the LMC Lake Appreciation Club.

The club is open to students, all employees, and community members. For more information please contact Catt Woods at cwood@losmedanos.edu or call (925) 473-7569.

Positions open at EBMUD

The East Bay Municipal Utility District is looking for motivated students who are willing to learn and grow within the water industry.

No experience is necessary because new staff will be trained on how to read and calibrate water meters at homes, troubleshoot problems, and repair broken meters, as well as other related tasks.

There is opportunity for increased pay up to $73,000 per year over three years. For more information contact Cynthia Perez-Nicholas at cperez@losmedanos.edu.

Experience • Hazel Recinos

From left: Akila Briggs, Catt Wood and Kelsey Stockwell talk about the recent violent crimes that have taken place over Easter weekend.

Tragedies won’t quiet LMC community

By SIERRA SWEDBERG Staff Writer

Recent violent acts around the world were addressed at A Place To Talk held in the LMC Student Life Office April 25.

This was a space given for the community to discuss how they felt about the recent violent crimes in Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Louisiana as well as other violent acts from the past.

The conversation was open to the public and was a confidential event with all emotions and statements staying behind closed doors. The event was coordinated

Dr. Chicora Martin talks prounouns and explains gender identities among a diverse crowd.

The LMC Debate Team will be hosting their annual spring Public Debate Wednesday, May 8 in Room SCI-136.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the debate will begin at 5 p.m.

Debaters will be taking on the topic of space exploration. The event is free to the public and snacks will be provided. For more informtion Marie Kaufman at Marcidicono@losmedanos.edu.

The Transfer and Career services are looking for students who would like to join their staff and become a student ambassador.

You can develop networking abilities and learn practical skills that will elevate your sucess throughout and beyond college, while making money only a few steps away from your classroom.

The application deadline is May 5. You can apply online at www.collegecentral.com/losmedanos/.

Manufacturing interns wanted

The California Community Colleges advanced manufacturing team is working to connect students with internships for up to 150 hours.

Pay would be $15/hour. Students will work 15-20 hours per week around your school schedule. Applications are now open. For questions contact Mark Martin at markmatin@peralta.edu or call (650) 284-7728.

Child care opportunities

Child Care Careers (CCC) are looking for students and staff who want the opportunity to become preschool and afterschool teachers.

CCC is dedicated to giving the experience and personal growth LMC members are seeking in the early childhood education field.

They are offering competitive pay and tuition reimbursement. For more information visit www.childcarecareers. net or call (510) 888-9666.

What’s lost can be found

LMC Lost and Found has numerous items found on campus. If you have lost an item, check with Police Services, which is located in the Campus Safety Building at the front of the LMC campus.

How to report news

If you have a news tip for a story, or a short item you would like to be considered for publication, here’s what you can do: Stop by the Journalism Lab (Room CC3-301) on the main level of the College Complex, or contact editor-in-chief Marc Lopez at kaptainmarc7@gmail.com or via Twitter @KaptainMarc.

News Briefs: If you are involved in an event that you would like publicized or have a short announcement for the newswatch column, go to the Journalism Lab and fill out a news form. Publication can never be guaranteed.

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

on Easter in Sri Lanka. Eight different locations were targeted, most being hotels and Christian churches.

These attacks affected everyone as they have caused growing concern and fear of the negative changes in the world.

“I feel scared by the events mostly because I don’t understand the motivation behind them,” said LMC student Akila Briggs. “I am also upset by the fact that white American nationalism has spread to other parts of the world with such severity that people are using it to justify See SAFE, page 5

Staff engages in inclusivity

Spring public debate May 8

Ambassadors are needed

by Dean of Equity Sabrina Kwist, with the addition of guest speaker and Diversity Consultant Dr. Amer Ahmed.

On March 15 a terror attack took place at two different mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. A gunman attacked al Noor mosque and Linwood mosque, killing 50 people and injuring dozens.

Eleven days later three fires were set to historical African American churches in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana within a ten-day span of each other.

Around 300 people were killed and many injured from the deadly bombings

Experience • Janaequa OjedaHutton

LGBTQIA+ workshop

By HILLARY HETRICK @hillarymhetrick

Student Life and The Office of Equity and Inclusion hosted an All-In Equity event, “Promising Practices in Serving LGBTQIA+ Students” the afternoon of Friday, April 26. The workshop, held in SS4-412, was facilitated by Dr. Chicora Martin, Vice-President and the Dean of Students at Mills College.

The workshop began with a welcome

from the Dean of Equity and Inclusion Sabrina Kwist.

“Good afternoon. I am Sabrina Kwist.

I’m the Dean of Equity. I use she/her pronouns. And I’m super excited to be in this space,” said Kwist. “This is kind of one of the projects for our campus in regards to really enhancing and lifting up our conversation, our connection, our processes, our own reflections and See GENDER, page 5

By KRYS SHAHIN Staff writer

Equity held an event where Dr. Amer F. Ahmed and Dr. Mayra Padilla gave a presentation to faculty about the brain, mindfulness and inclusive pedagogy. The presentation was given April 25 to help instructors and faculty learn why inclusivity is important through neuroscience, the study of the brain.

“In our yearlong Equity Speaker series we created a variety of workshops, performances, and events for the campus community, with an understanding there are many critical factors in learning,” said Sabrina Kwist, dean of Equity and Inclusion.

The speakers seemed very energetic and happy to be talking about the issue to the crowd that attended their presentation.

“I flew across the country to be here today, so I think it’s a pretty important topic,” said Ahmed.

This kind of presentation and speech is not given to faculty for training, so these two speakers have tried to take it upon themselves to teach what they can in a limited time.

“We live in a society that values book knowledge, not social knowledge. What we’re trying

See EQUITY, page 5

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Sports

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

“I am Groot.”

FRIDAY,

MAY

3,

2019

Redemption season starts in the spring

Hugo Calderon THE ARCHITECT

Quakes new era in shape

Experience • Anthony Martinez

Albert Howard rushes down the field during an opening drill.

Football hits the field

By JESUS CANO @Juice_Cano

Los Medanos College’s football team is on the road to a bounce-back season. Their first stop—Spring ball.

The Mustangs finished fourth place in the 2018 Pacific 7 conference with a record of 3-6, a massive downfall compared to 2017 when LMC had one of the best seasons in school history.

While the season doesn’t start until September and players are not allowed to use pads and helmets until August, Spring ball allows both coaches and players to have a preview of the new team. While many returning players have already cemented their role with the team, new players are looking to impress coaches for playing time.

“Spring ball is very important to each individual and also our team as a whole. Our whole program was not happy with the way things went for us in 2018 season,” said Chris Shipe,LMC head coach . “So we had to get back to the basics. We started the first part of the spring spending four days a week in the weight room as a team. Now we spend two days in the weight room and spend two days on the field.”

For a lot of players, like linebacker Heamasi Latu, who is heading into his sophomore year, this upcoming season is the last chance to have a strong season with LMC. He adds that an early strong start lays the

foundation for a season. And for the Mustangs, it can certainly get better.

“We plan on having a bounce back season by holding everyone accountable for their actions. We all need to execute our assignments and have trust in each-other to be successful,” said Latu. “We are going to the ship this year and just know that No. 9 will be putting everything on the line out there to make that happen.”

LMC introduced Sam Garcia as its new offensive line coach after longtime coach Dave Reinders stepped down. Garcia, a former LMC football player and Pittsburg High School alumnus, coached some of the best offenses at Pittsburg, where had been coaching since 2003. Garcia played under coach Shipe in 2002, winning a bowl in the process.He gave up coaching under the Friday Night lights at a roaring Pirate Stadium for one of the best programs in Northern California. All to help build and be part of an LMC program with a promising future.

“I envision great things happening at LMC, and I really feel like I can be part of it and making it happen,” said Garcia. “I know I coach high school and college football, but I never had the opportunity to coach college football. I may never get this chance again. I couldn’t let a great opportunity pass by.”

See FBALL, page 5

4

— Groot

Experience • Anthony Martinez

Ronnell Snell shows off his leaping ability to reel in the ball.

CHARGE UP YOUR MOBILE DEVICE.

Matias Almeyda’s arrival in San Jose lifted the spirits of many fans believing that he was going to be the first step in a positive reformation for the Earthquakes, but he soon found out how big of a job he had taken on.

After starting the season 4-0 and being 14-2, there was reason for the fans to be concerned about Almeyda’s four year plan.

His first victory in the MLS didn’t come until April 6 against the Portland Timbers in which Cristian Espinoza shone throughout the match, turning provider for Shea Salinas’ opener and scoring the third goal, his second of the season.

Since then Almeyda has a 1-1-2 record but what is the most important thing for the Earthquakes is that the goals are finally coming in. A big part of that is the captain, Shea Salinas, coming up big in the recent games.

The American has contributed to five goals so far, scoring four and assisting one, the most on the Earthquakes roster.

Almeyda’s man-marking system has brought a throwback feeling to this team. While it has taken the team a while to become accustomed to this style of play, it is starting to become effective as shown with the recent results the team has been generating.

Since the win against Portland, the Earthquakes have only conceded four goals in the same amount of games but half of those came against a strong Seattle Sounders team.

The first part of Almeyda’s plan is to get his style of play ingrained into the minds of the players, even if the cost is losing games. After Los Angeles Football Club ran riot in San Jose winning 5-0, the former midfielder was determined to keep his style of play despite the results.

“Simply, I am looking for a style of play and even if they were to score 10 goals, I’d have the same mentality because I like a certain style of soccer,” he said.

Having a long term plan is something that San Jose has not had.

Instead of fighting season by season, Almeyda recognizes that he could build something in San Jose instead of having a good season and struggle for the rest.

This may add on to the frustration that many fans are feeling, but patience is another backbone of any Almeyda team. With time, this team will be a dominant force to face.

Softball wins awards Shortened season highlights team’s heart

By MARC LOPEZ @KaptainMarc

The 2019 Los Medanos College softball season was a wild one full of confusion and rescheduling due to a number of rainouts, and despite a losing record a third-place title in their conference.

The Mustangs ended their season on Wednesday, April 24th by losing a doubleheader against Mendocino. The Mustangs finished the season with an overall record of 9-13 and a Bay Valley Conference record of 5-7.

The Mustangs played a total of 22 games, the second lowest amount of games played by a team in the BVC. The low amount of games are credited toward the tons of rain that poured onto both the softball and baseball field.

However, the softball field has more of an issue when the weather doesn’t play along.

Right field does not receive adequate sunlight whenever the weather clears up. When this happens, the mud from all the rain does not dry entirely which then creates a safety hazard for the players.

Experience • Kelly Williams

Shay Siino rounds the bases against Mendocino College in LMC’s last game of the season April 24.

“It is not easy to reschedule [games] because it affects the players’ classes, work schedules and personal plans,” said head coach Tim Rognlien.

“In other words, players that can play on scheduled days may not be able to play on rescheduled days.”

Although the season may have been cut short due to the weather. LMC’s softball players did their best to live up to the expectations they set at the beginning of the year. Three members of the team walked away with BVC First Team awards and three other players walked away with honorable mentions.

The players who walked away with the honorable mention awards were short-

stop Alexus Coleman, third baseman Jazmyn Hanley and shortstop/outfielder Hailey Vollbrecht. The players that were honored with First Team Awards included outfielder/ pitcher Morgan Billeci, second baseman/pitcher Mary Borlongan and first baseman/ pitcher Shay Siino.

Billeci ended her season batting a .507 average, scoring 21 runs and drove in 13 runs while batting. Borlongan’s season ended with her batting a .429 average including 20 stolen bases. According to Rognlien, Borlongan had stellar defense while playing at second base.

Siino ran into a personal hurdle herself during her time with the Mustangs. She See SBALL, page 5

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Web

E X P E R I E N C E

The Rest

F R I D AY,

M AY

3,

2019

5

Follow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.com

GENDER From page 3

Experience • Riley Lim

Retiree Sandi Schmidt came back to congratulate Gail Newman on retirement.

GAIL From page 1

leagues expressed a heartfelt farewell after rehashing past experiences. Newman felt that an official speech was not appropriate for the gathering, and for good reason, because she chose to speak individually with ever yone who was present. Newman briefly touched on what she was going to miss the most after her retirement.

“I’ll definitely miss my wonder ful colleagues and our students, the drive, talent, dedication and passion they

bring with them every day,” said Newman “And I’ll miss LMC, as a whole…I love our campus and the Brentwood Center and how our facilities have evolved over the years.”

Most of the familiar faces attending were comprised of both friends and acquaintances here on campus.

Due to the length of the party, some attended briefly before going back to work while others stayed the full duration. Former LMC Vice President Dan Henr y had this to say about Newman

summing up her dedication to the college.

“Los Medanos College has been very fortunate to have Gail Newman’s leadership in student services for many years,” said Henry. “Gail has been very supportive of her colleagues, encouraging their growth and achievements and not focusing on her own career advancement as a priority. It has always been a joy to work with her since she brought a positive attitude, a strong intellect and consistent integrity to her work.”

SAFE

LMCAS EQUITY From page 1

From page 3

terrorist attacks like these.”

Other perspectives were brought to attention of Ahmed in regards to the validity of these issues to people outside of communities of faith.

“People who are not religious might not be as concerned with these issues,” said Ahmed.

He had never considered this perspective prior to the conference and considered that those who are religiously apathetic may not be as deeply affected.

As perspectives were heard, comfortability to express one’s religion was discussed. It was stressed that people are upset to see others are not comfortable or do not have a place to do their religious practices as they are seen praying under LMC’s stairwells.

This will be changing when the Student Union opens because Los Medanos College Associated Students fought for a prayer room to be placed in the building.

“We essentially lobbied it to have as many features as it could to accommodate as many religions,” explained LMCAS Vice President Dale Satre. “To make it a prayer room for anybody and a place where anybody would feel safe to come to LMC and practice their religion.”

The prayer room and A Place To Talk meeting is the start of change and a fight that everyone has been hoping for.

Kwist said, “I believe that we in the circle came together to rise up against intolerance.”

high school and you told me I was in student government I’d be shocked.”

Nonetheless the newbie is coming in with big ideas about how to increase student engagement.

“I want to do more consistent campus events... and work on closing the achievement gap amongst African American students,” Cobbs said.

Cobbs is currently analyzing how event frequency among different Umoja student organizations aids in retention and student success for the Stanford Honors Research Symposium. The new president hopes the project will provide insights that she can turn into effective practices.

As for the new vice president, even just campaigning made an impact on how she will approach her new position and the projects which come with that.

“Most students I talked to told me that they never knew about the events that occur throughout LMC,” said Khan.

“Social media will definitely be the key to receiving more attention on not only events, but also what LMCAS does.”

Khan also hopes to work on the financial side of college, like expanding ef for ts in open educational resources, scholarship opportunities and other projects to make college more affordable.

The new commissioner of campus events Alyssa Compton has a similar focus on finances.

“The first issue I’d like to address is getting some sort of financial literacy workshops,” said Compton. The current workshops LMC offers are fine but, the new commissioner continued, “I want to take it a step further.”

Compton looks for ward to organizing workshops to better equip students with skills not just for college, but also for the different facets of their lives.

Their tenure begins June 1. Those interested in filling the treasurer position can contact Nguyen at knguyen@ losmedanos.edu.

to do is bring back peace into the classroom and society,” said Padilla.

In order to bring peace back into the classroom, this was similar to a short training session where interactive activities and lectures were given.

“This workshop provided tools to connect mindfulness practices combined with inclusive teaching practices to help restore the learning brain, and support everyone in the learning environment,” said Kwist.

Dr. Ahmed started the presentation off with the definition of diversity.

“Diversity is the fact of human difference that may make a difference in how we interact with one another with communities, institutions, and with ourselves.”

The speech continued on with the topics of implicit bias which can and often leads to microaggressions.

“Just because you have good intentions doesn’t mean you have good practices,” said Ahmed.

Dr. Padilla switched with Dr. Ahmed and began speaking about different studies that have shown a linkage in changes of genetics associated with trauma in mice.

“We have found that if we have two adult mice experience major trauma and they breed, their offspring or baby mice are then inclined to avoid that event even though it never happened to them,” said Padilla.

More statistics showed upward of 70 percent of all people have experienced trauma in their lives. That includes students and teachers alike.

“One in seven children experienced child neglect or child abuse last year and it was five times higher of a chance if the child came from poverty,” said Padilla.

The two presenters finished their PowerPoint and asked the attendees to take a moment to truly breathe and relax. Everyone, who was comfortable enough to do so, closed their eyes and took deep breaths in silence before being thanked and excused.

From page 3

STEM From page 1

options than he expected.

“They were really helpful because I didn’t know anything about other colleges,” said Ruaro.

Among the speakers’ messages were also a few recurring pieces of guidance. Cathy Samayoa, a postdoctoral fellow of CSU San Francisco, emphasized one prominent point: “Take every class at a community college that you possibly can,” said Samayoa Though the event was scheduled to run from 2-5 p.m., representatives began packing up their booths by 4:30 p.m. after most of the students had already filtered out. However, consensus on the event remained positive.

“I think it was very successful and I hope it will be a recurring event in the future,” said Trager.

For more information visit the MESA Center located on the second floor of the Science Building or call (925) 473-7683.

SBALL From page 4

struggled with a back injury that eventually got checked mid-way through the season.

“I finally went to see a doctor during the middle of the season and it turned out I had sciatica,” said Siino. “That did not stop me though.”

Siino batted a .514 average which was second in the BVC.

She scored 22 runs and batted in 21 runs. Her efforts on the mound produced 67 strikeouts while pitching in 59 innings.

“I just want to thank ever yone that suppor ted me throughout my sophomore season,” said Siino. “And a big thank you to the coaches for putting up with me these past two and pushing me to succeed on and off the field.”

and also supporting LGBTQIA+ folks on our campus.”

The project is part of LMC’s efforts to initiate Equity and Inclusion for all students.

Kwist continued, “It’s important to have space to be in community. And I think that’s why we call this a conversation and community. I really want to say that this is really important to us.”

Referring to the flier that had circulated throughout campus, Kwist said, “This year, a group of students, faculty, and staff compiled the various resources that currently exist at LMC. We know that this is a good start, but we want to do more—be more awesome.”

Kwist introduced Dr. Martin as a good colleague and a friend. Both Kwist and Martin have a long history of both being a trailblazers in policy and advocacy, building out programs, community space, amazing camps even for youth.

Kwist also thanked Martin for taking the time to come to LMC for the event.

Martin, as stated on the flier, uses they/them pronouns.

They began with how they define homosexual. “We’re talking about folks who’s sexual orientation who do not have what is considered the sexual orientation that is the quote, unquote norm,” they said. “So there’s some norm around being heterosexual and that’s expectation.”

They explained gender identity as an idea that you are a man or a woman and that’s the norm. So when we talk about people who have diverse gender identities, we’re talking about anything that doesn’t fit into that unfortunate box.

Martin led a “Popcorn Activity” where they asked for people to share a positive and negative aspect of their sexual identity and how they would define their experience. A few students, in turn, gave their experiences on their sexual identities, and Martin gave advice.

They referred to society’s viewpoint of sexual orientation and gender identity, saying, “What you’re doing right now is ever ything you are. And what we really know and all the research shows us that sexual orientation and gender identity are fluid through our lifetime. And these are not static things that happen and that they are done.”

Martin explained the importance of Equity and inclusion, pointing out that in the United States, “Sometimes we have ver y narrow ideas of what equity, inclusion and diversity are, and we also... treat civil rights like pie. Like there’s only eight slices and that’s all we have, and we’re going to run out.” Martin informed that, “It’s not pie, and we’re not going to run out of civil rights.”

In order to ensure Equity for all, according to Martin, we have to keep advocating for civil rights. This starts with “having spaces where LGBTQ plus folks could come together, be themselves [and] talk about what’s happening for them.”

Courtesy of IMDB/Marvel

Left:Tony Stark, Captain America, Nebula, Rocket Racoon, Scott Lang and Black Widow come up with a plan to bring back their loved ones.

MCU From page 6

EndGame also has a lot of fanservice. The most epic moments of the movie are the moments of fan service. References to golden age comics and newer comics are shown throughout the movie and even the little characteristic details are brought into EndGame.

If you are aware of some of the big comic book moments, expect some of them to show up. Those moments will excite you.

A negative for this movie had to be the mechanism they use in order to get everyone back. The mechanism used can always get messy and

confusing if not done properly.

The Russo brothers did their best to have the characters explain the mechanisms but even then by the time we are past the climax it will still leave many viewers confused.

“Avengers: EndGame” is a perfectly handled finale for the beloved characters viewers have been watching for over 10 years. This masterpiece comic book movie is rewatchable and will probably not disappoint most who sit through the fast paced three hour rollercoaster of emotions. Be prepared to cry, laugh and mark out.

“Avengers: EndGame” is in theaters now.

Experience • Brandon Orozco

Pamela Astarte of the San Francisco Utility Commission watches a presentation.

SKILL From page 1

said it was a “very interesting experience” the interviews provided him “a lot of good stuff to learn” and the opportunity to build relationships with professionals in their field of study.

The employers’ reactions towards the experience was generally positive as well.

“It’s good to give students feedback on their strengths and weaknesses,” said Fuller, adding that it’s important to help students find employment.

Perez was happy with the outcome and declared the

FBALL From page 4

Garcia brings a lot of experience but also wants to bring more local talent from the Bay Valley Athletic League to LMC to strengthen the program.

“I’m juiced to have Coach

mission was accomplished.

“Students improved their understanding of the job inter view experience and partnerships with Bayworks and JVS have become even stronger,” she said, adding she hopes the event’s success will make it an annual thing.

What was learned about the event from student and employer feedback, Perez said, will be applied to the next event. “I am happy to say the employers have expressed interest in returning for another Mock Interview Event at LMC,” said Perez.

Garcia joining our program.

I’ve known him for a couple years now and he truly loves the game. We struggled on the oline last year so having some fresh blood and energy will do us good,” said offensive lineman Ryan Vanderwerf.

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

Features

FRIDAY,

MAY

3,

2019

6

“I don’t feel so good Mr. Stark.”

— Spider-Man

Bolton can’t be contained

Even in outer space

By JULIA STEELE Staff writer

Experience • Riley Lim

From left: Richard Hayes, Chloe Beresford-Wood and Rio Teixeira in the play “Bolt Bolton vs. Outer Space.”

Experience • Riley Lim

Left: Caeli Durling as General Vylus.

Above: Durling alongside Brandon Diaz as King Talon and Kayla Martinez as Princess Soltra at dress rehearsal.

“Bolt Bolton vs. Outer Space,” a fun musical written

by LMC Dean of Student Success Dave Belman and his band, opened April 25 in the Los Medanos College Little Theater.

Belman’s play is about a star football player, Bolt Bolton, who embarks on a journey through space accompanied by reporter Kim Clayton and Dr. Sauerbraten to save the world from impending doom.

He encounters many obstacles along the way: some sexy, some scary, most hilarious.

The entire musical, including the script and score, written

by Dave Belman and his band members, Guillaume Fournier, Jan Lubbe, and Todd Brown.

The band was originally named the trademark violating Craftmatic Adjustables, according to Fournier, it was a parody name.

Belman said a lawyer for the bed company of that name found out they were using it and sent them a cease and desist letter. So they decided to stop playing shows and instead wrote a musical.

Belman said they started writing the musical nine years ago as a joke. They almost gave up on the idea, but after a conversation with LMC drama professor and play director Nick Garcia, they decided to put it into production.

Even though the band formerly known as the Craftmatic Adjustables had created an entire musical and put it into production, they remained humble.

“Honestly, it’s more about

them,” Belman said referring to the cast.

Fournier added that the musical was based on 1980s Flash Gordon as well as early ’80s cheesy movies.

Opening night for the musical nearly sold out.

Upon entering the theater, audience members were greeted with three men on stage in stoic poses, with laser lights scattered along their bodies and the stage.

Classic rock music was playing, and the lights were off. It felt like a party in 1980s space.

When the musical was over, audience members clapped and screamed, and some even gave standing ovations.

“I really enjoyed the musical,” said Kyle Mar tinez adding that he liked how the writers and cast, “put a lot of character and corny jokes into the production.”

Martinez attended the show in support of his sister Kayla Martinez, who played Princess Soltra.

Actress Martinez referred to her fellow cast-members as like family and said, “It’s so great to perform with my family on stage. This was very much stress free.”

Many other members of the cast and crew said they felt the same way, and director Nick Garcia was no exception.

“It felt like we created a family. It was just an amazing experience.”

For more information about “Bolt Bolton vs. Outer Space” and any other upcoming LMC produced plays, visit: https:// www.losmedanos.edu/drama/ productions.aspx

The best MCU movie ever ‘Avengers: EndGame’ is a masterpiece

By MARC LOPEZ @KaptainMarc

The story of the Avengers has been wrapped up with Marvel’s best movie to date “Avengers: EndGame.”

The box-office-breaking movie has taken critics and fans by storm. “EndGame” is currently sitting at certified fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and has made history by becoming the first movie to earn $1.2 billion in its debut weekend.

“EndGame” picks up after the infamous snap from Thanos at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War.” The Avengers are left with their heads hung low after losing dear friends and family to the snap that wiped out half of all species.

The opening scene starts of f with a rollercoaster of emotions. Viewers will see the

suffering the original Avengers go through after being knocked to rock bottom. These scenes are highly important because they show the characters are willing to do whatever it takes to make things right.

The three hour runtime was a potential red flag for those tr ying to attend the movie at later times however the runtime is unnoticeable as the movie is extremely well paced. There is not a scene in this movie that makes you dread on how long it is taking or how slow paced it is.

The action doesn’t truly kick off until nearly the second hour.

To those who are wanting action earlier may be turned off because of this but the scenes before are worth the watch. Ultimately leading to the end of the movie the biggest

fight does take place. There is one scene before the journey begins that either leaves you crying your eyes out or leaving you with a disgusted taste in your mouth.

Marvel once agains finds a way to deliver funny moments with dialogue between the characters or just pure shenanigans.

However there is one comedic scene that showcases a hidden message of depression.

Depression is shown in individuals throughout the film in many forms. Some handle it differently and it was nice to see this message brought to light. Although it may have been during a funny scene, those who struggle or have struggled with depression Photo courtesy of IMDB/ Marvel were appreciative to have this After losing everyone at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War,” the Avengers are issue addressed.

REVIEW CREW

Tacuache’s

Experience • Marc Lopez

Summary: Tacuache’s is a brand new taco trunk occasionally located in the Somersville Shopping Center’s parking lot. This new, decently priced taco truck caters many familiar Mexican delicacies including burgers and fries.

See MCU, page 5

willing to do whatever it takes to bring everyone back in “Avengers: EndGame.”

HHH

HHH

HHH

Broom says: House tacos are lovely

Lilly says: Regular tacos all right

Bre says: Close second, but not first

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to follow the Tacuache Instagram account, there you can find out their hours, which vary daily, including some occasional closures.

You’ll also be able to find where they’re located that day, which is often the Somersville Towne Center parking lot.

You’ll want to know this because Tacuache’s Tacos is a great value.

Regular tacos are just $2 with specialty handmade tortillas and their house tacos being three.

As far as food trucks go, the thing is gorgeous, and a treat for us that can’t make it to the city thanks to it being so close to campus.

While it’s not a favorite, I would certainly head over there for a snack in between classes for a taco and side of the soft, salty fries. Yes, they sell french fries at this taco truck, they also go well with the burgers.

Tacuache’s regular asada tacos are pretty good, but you can definitely find better.

For two dollars, the tacos hit the spot especially with a side of green sauce and some lime.

The carne asada was admittedly dr y though and that’s the main reason I’m giving it the rating I am.

For Tacuache to be advertising themselves as a taco truck I felt like they could do better with the most important part of the business — the meat.

Outside of the dryness of the carne asada it was a good, classic taco truck taco. It had all the usual suspects corn tortilla, carne asada and cilantro with a side of lime.

Like my last review this wasn’t anything revolutionary. I would go back for a burrito though. The few bites I had were way better than my tacos.

Tacuache’s tacos weren’t what I expected them to be. They were presented beautifully and had a nice pop of color, but they barely put any sauce on the tacos themselves.

Overall, they tasted very American and anytime I order from a taco truck I expect them to be as authentic as possible. They were good tacos but nothing that was shocking to my tastebuds.

What was another downer about the taco truck is that you have to follow them on instagram to see where they will be stationed at, which I found was a pain if they didn’t update everyday where they were located.

This wasn’t the best taco truck I have everbeen too, but they were quick to cook the order and made sure to have a great presentation with the food. Next time I’ll make sure to ask for extra salsa.

— A.R. Broom

— Lilly Montero

— BreAnna Crawford