PCC Courier 12/10/2015

CO U R I ER Pasadena City College

Serving PCC Since 1915

DECEMBER 10, 2015 VOLUME 112 ISSUE 11

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM

PCC dancers produce Searchlight: An evening of contemporary dance Keely Damara/Courier PCC students perform a contemporary dance piece titled “Clay” choreographed by Helena Cardiel-Stevens during “Searchlight: An Evening of Contemporary Dance” in Sexton Auditorium on Saturday.

50 new hires by fall 2016 John Orona News Editor

After adding a record 35 new fulltime faculty this year, PCC will be hiring 50 more full-time instructors for fall 2016.

The new instructor positions are well-distributed throughout divisions, with at least four new faculty in the Business, Math, English, Health Science, Social Science, Natural Science, and Performing

and Communication Arts divisions.

Seven new counselors will also be hired, four general counselors and three specializing in financial aid, DSPS, and EOP&S. “[The number of hires] is incredibly high,” said Valerie Foster, Academic Senate President. “This will really benefit our students. For a college of our size, there are definitely not enough counselors.”

The staff increases for this year and next are mandated by the full-time faculty obligation number

(FON) set for each community college by the state Board of Governors, based on the amount of fulltime equivalent students the school had in the previous year.

The intention of the law requiring schools to hire full-time instructors based on growth was to encourage having full-time instructors in the classroom, the goal was to ensure 75 percent of all instructors were full-time. The more full-time equivalent students in a school, the more money that campus receives

from the state; ideally that means more full-time instructors as well.

“Having the ability to hire more full time faculty is significant for the college and for our students,” Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs Kathleen Scott said in an email. “Full-time faculty have more office hours to meet with students and are on campus more. They are the ones who create curriculum.

They participate to a greater extent

John Orona News Editor

dominant political parties. However, at least this chapter stresses political activism of any kind over advocacy of their ideology.

Their meetings focus on “liberty,” not necessarily libertarianism, and Johnston is quick—and seemingly sincere—in offering help to any club that wants to become politically active, no matter which side of the aisle.

That point was made clear after Student Affairs Advisor Carrie Afuso explained the school rules the ICC representatives were to follow in running their clubs. Including, crucially, that all club events are to be sanctioned by an activity request form, and all off-campus activities must be approved eight weeks in advance.

During the next ICC meeting, Johnston had an announcement for everyone.

Walking up to Afuso while still

HIRING PAGE 3

PCC club challenges school and authority

Courtesy of Young American for Liberty Left to right: Young Americans for Liberty Parliamentarian and Outreach Director Marshall Roe, Vice President Victor Reyes, Co-founder and President Woodrow Johnston II, club Treasurer Karen Kim of the PCC chapter of YAL.

When the PCC chapter of the national organization Young American for Liberty came to the Inter-Club Council for chartering, which typically accepts clubs en masse and uncritically, ICC members had some questions for YAL’s president, Woodrow Johnston.

“Who do you endorse?”

“Is this legal?”

“What organization are you from again?”

Woodrow smiled wide and deftly took questions as three of the things he seemed to most enjoy came together in his very first ICC meeting: political opposition, a captive audience, and the chance to spread the ideas of liberty.

Young Americans for Liberty is a grassroots organization founded on the heels of Ron Paul’s popularity among college-age voters who don’t see their interests served in the

YAL PAGE 3

Accrediting commission under close scrutiny Kristen Luna Editor-in-Chief The accrediting commission that placed Pasadena City College on probation this past summer is now being investigated for not complying with accrediting standards and is expected to reevaluate their system for accrediting colleges.

In early November, the California Community College Board of Governors (CCCBG) voted to create an accreditation task force and directed the Chancellor’s Office to create a new model for accrediting the 113 colleges in the California Community College system.

The Accrediting Commission for Community Colleges (ACCJC) is responsible for executing the required accreditation reviews with accuracy and transparency, and recently placed PCC on probation for not meeting the standards of accreditation. When evaluating an institution, the commission has the power to place the school on a public sanction, which could be in the form of a warning or probation that may result in the institution losing their accreditation.

According to the resolution signed by the Board of Governors at the Nov. 16 board meeting, between 2009 and 2013 “ACCJC had a sanction rate of

ACCJC PAGE 3

NEWS

2 COURIER

December 10, 2015

Police faulted in shooting of PCC student

Photo courtesy of Anya Slaughter Amber Lipsey Staff Writer A judge ordered the re­lease of a report last month by the Office of Independent Review Group that examined the 2012 fatal shoot­ing of former PCC student Kendrec McDade

by Pas­adena po­lice of­ficers and faul­ted the de­part­ment for fail­ing to con­duct an in­tern­al af­fairs in­vest­ig­at­ ion.

McDade, who was unarmed at the time of his death, was shot seven times by officers Jeffrey Newlin and Matthew Griffin while fleeing the scene of an alleged theft. A 911 caller falsely reported that the 19 year old had a gun.

The OIR Group report stated that Pasadena police failed to determine whether witnesses could corroborate or refute the officers’ claims that McDade was clutching at his waistband as he fled on foot.

According to the LA Times, the OIR group also faulted the department for waiting 36 hours before interviewing the officers involved and for providing the pair with video recordings of the aftermath of the shooting before their interviews.

“Viewing audio tapes or video footage before being interviewed is likely to distort pure recall either consciously or subconsciously,” the report stated. “Studies by experts in witness memory have repeatedly established that subjecting witnesses to external evidence can cause them to supplant or modify what they

actually recall with what they see from the video evidence.”

Anya Slaughter, McDade’s mother, did not return calls for request for comment. However, Slaughter released a statement to Pasadena Star News calling the OIR Group’s report, “damning.”

“I am staggered by the amount of new and damning information in the OIR report about the reckless conduct of Officers (Matthew) Griffin and (Jeffrey) Newlen, the failure of the PD to even conduct an administrative investigation and the failure of the PD to cooperate with the OIR Group,” she said.

“What I find most disturbing about the OIR Report is that the Pasadena PD never even asked Officers Griffin and Newlen, and never even asked witnesses, so many questions, even after the OIR Group urged them that they should do so.”

Slaughter said the information showed the department “willfully avoided the truth” by not interviewing officers for more than 36 hours after the shooting and not questioning witnesses to the shooting.

“No other conclusion can be drawn from the OIR Report other than that the Pasadena

PD has blocked the search for truth, because the truth will damn them,” she said.

What ramifications, if any, the report will have for a future civil suit by McDade’s family are unclear.

Richard Shinee, an attorney for the Pasadena Police Officers’ Association, told the LA Times that “the organization was disappointed that the report was made public and maintained that it contained personnel information about the officers that is confidential by law.”

Shinee cautioned those reading the report to “remember that the officers based their actions on information that McDade was armed, and actions aren’t made in hindsight, but in real time.”

The OIR report was released with redactions proposed by the city and approved by LA County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant.

An appellate court ruled that some of the redactions went too far in protecting criticism of the Pasadena Police rather than confidential personnel information. Chalfant ordered the city to file the report again with less redactions by Dec. 1.

PCC gives back with Holiday Angels Program

Lilith Garcia Staff Writer

The holiday season has finally arrived and PCC helped out this season by having their annual Holiday Angels program.

The Holiday Angels program is an annual event that PCC hosts on campus. The program helps out families in the programs in CalWorks, EOPs, Cares, and Pass students.

The Office of Student Life puts up a tree in their office filled with Christmas tags with the wishes the children have asked for this Christmas. Once the tree is up, anyone is welcome to come in and pick any tag they’d like

Samantha Molina/Courier The Holiday Angels Christmas tree inside the Office of Student Life in the CC Building on Wednesday.

and choose one gift from the three options on the tag to give the child. Once they purchase it, they must bring it back to OSL wrapped and ready to go. The maximum for each gift is $25.

The event brings these families together with their children to not only make these kids wishes come true but so that they can have a nice dinner and celebration that some may not get to have this Christmas.

“Really the objective is giving them the opportunity to have a really nice Christmas dinner with each other,” said Julia Russo, vice president of Student Services.

Associated Students hosts the dinner for these guests and have an eventful night in store for them. They will have the dinner for the guests, music, games for the little kids, such as having a table with coloring pages and pin the carrot on the snowman, and games for the older children such as ice hockey. And of course Santa will be there to give the gifts to the children.

This year they are expecting about 200 guests—twice as many as they had last year.

“The dinner last year was for 100 guests, so we’re expanding it by double this year which we’re super excited about,” said Russo.

Most importantly, the college comes together, such as staff, faculty, clubs and students that participate and walk in to grab a tag.

“The PCC community has been very generous over the years. They all come out and they’ve brought gifts for these kids. Like last

Samantha Molina/Courier Associated Students volunteers stand in front of the Holiday Angels Christmas tree inside the C Building on Wednesday. year we ran out of tags which was really nice,” said Carrie Afuso, Student Life adviser.

The Holiday Angels Program is not only for a good cause and to help these kids but also brings joy to those who are participating in giving these gifts and brings the community closer.

“It makes you want to do it again and it also makes it very heartwarming not only for your Christmas but their Christmas,” said Irving Morales, president of Associated

Students.

The event is held on Dec. 18 in the Piazza where there will be food and games for the guests, a Christmas tree and the opening of gifts with Santa.

Stop by the Office of Student Life, located in CC 105, and grab a tag from the Holiday Angels Giving Tree to make a child’s Christmas wish come true this holiday season. Gifts are due back wrapped to OSL by Dec. 10.

POLICE BLOTTER Monday Nov. 30 A female student reported that her car window was shattered in Lot 3 on Wednesday.

Tuesday Dec. 1 A professor called the campus police to report a student being threatened by another student in R-213. The suspect yelled while the professor escorted the threatened student to the campus police.

Huntington Memorial Hospital.

Wednesday, Dec. 2 On camera, a man looked at a dismantled bike locked to a bike rack near the V building.

The suspect was detained and transported to campus police. He was checked for warrants but didn’t have any.

A female with a history of seizures felt dizzy and was attended by Jo Buscko from the Health Center. She was then transported to

Thursday, Dec. 3 A male inside Admissions and Records began to shout “I’m a terrorist and I won’t mind f ’ing everyone up” after being unable to complete a transaction. No weapons were seen as he stood by the main window. He was searched for warrants and had negative results.

He was then transported to the Pasadena

Police Department.

A student reported that the passenger window of her vehicle was shattered while she was in class.

An explosion was heard near the Z building, which turned out to be a kiln oven that exploded due to a possible gas leak from within it. Plumbers shut off the gas. There was no fire danger to the building. The Z building was evacuated following the incident.

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NEWS

3 COURIER

December 10, 2015

Board approves calendar with winter session Keely Damara Managing Editor

The Board of Trustees approved a finalized version of the newly reinstated winter calendar last month including a 6-week winter intersession, tweaks to session dates and the elimination of a second summer intersession.

The approval of the calendar comes after the July decision by the Public Employment Relations Board that the district violated the law when eliminating the winter intersession in the 2012-2013 academic year.

The new calendar won’t see any overlap with the 2015-16 calendar and there will still be two sessions this coming summer just like previous years. The fall 2016 semester

YAL

continued from page 1 addressing the club representatives, he explained how YAL had circumvented the eight-week notice rule, publically handed Afuso a book from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and offered his help to any club also interested in liberty on campus.

Although the other clubs in the ICC have yet to make a serious collaboration with Johnston and YAL, representatives are at least intrigued with the idea of challenging school rules that at times seem confusing, unnaturally encumbering, and porous—given the right connections.

Policies and procedures throughout this campus from the Board of Trustees to Associated Students and down to the smallest clubs are either largely unknown or unenforced.

Whether you agree with rules— does AS need conference hours if they are not followed anyway? Do clubs need to be babysat for every event?—or whether you don’t know which are to be followed—when have committee agendas been posted for committees, either online or on campus? Does every vote, club by club, need to be counted in the ICC?—the school has a problem following its policies.

“We’re just looking to clarify the rules,” Johnston said. The rules, according to him, appropriately flow down from the constitution and should in theory align with the Non-Aggression principle, the moral guide for most libertarians.

YAL is a smaller organization on the PCC campus, but it’s backed by a national infrastructure. And despite making a public show of taking no ICC funding from the school, (Rather than just not filling out a request form, Johnston made a point to ask for $0 in funding and had it announced to the ICC), YAL travels to leadership conferences, pulls in big-name speakers, and even held a candidate forum for the PCC board election.

If YAL is poised to become a force on campus for as long as the club exists, it will have to continue without Johnston as its president next semester.

Though YAL has the benefits of a national libertarian organization on campus, it also has the pitfalls.

Meetings often focus on what the “liberty position” of an issue is, and although that draws in people from diverse ideological backgrounds who think independently, it also tends to draw those who think independently for the sake of being different.

Discussion can often veer into

will start on Aug. 29, within a few days of the second summer session coming to a close, and end Dec. 18.

The newly reinstated winter intersession will start on Jan. 9 and conclude on Feb. 16, right before President’s Day weekend.

The biggest difference students will see is the beginning date of the spring 2017 semester, which will begin on Feb. 21 instead of mid-January like this coming spring semester. Final exams will be from June 12 to June 18 instead of in the beginning of May and the single, 9-week summer 2017 intersession will begin on June 26, with 6-week course offerings.

Dr. Robert Bell, the assistant superintendent of academic and student affairs, said that while they project the transition to the new

very detailed, side-tracked recounts of history, politics, and culture incredibly entertaining and learned discussion, but ones that require a map to find your way back to the point.

An amendment to the club’s constitution took all meeting, points of order and filibusters included.

Their next and final meeting of the semester, filled with grandstanding, PowerPoint presentations, and tension, led to the ousting of the club’s vice president and the revelation that Johnston would step down and away from the club starting in the spring.

Every club board goes through turnover and turmoil. However, with the dynamics and politics of YAL in particular, it would be hard not to notice this as a feature of an organization whose platform is made to clash with administration and establishment instead of as the growing pains of a school club’s first semester.

The final act of Young Americans for Liberty with Woodrow Johnston as president, if they have their way, will be to burn an ISIS flag on campus on the last day of school.

Although Johnston is in principle in favor of this act of free speech and still technically the president of YAL, he said he does not want to associate with this demonstration.

The club itself though, including the YAL leadership in California, are supporting this protest, which is now led by YAL outreach director and parliamentarian Marshall Roe. During their last meeting, YAL had a visit from AS Vice-President of Internal Affairs Emilie Melder and AS President Irving Morales.

“Think about what this could mean for students,” Melder implored.

“If we’re so afraid to do this, the terrorists have won,” Johnston reasoned.

According to Roe, the demonstration will carry on amid student and faculty leaders holding meetings to discuss the event. The Associated Students have called a special meeting Thursday to discuss the planned flag burning.

A Pasadena fire marshal representative said the fire department has not been contacted by Roe, but the club has discussed destroying the flag in some other way if they are not permitted to burn it and have expressed their commitment to meet all legal requirements.

“If you don’t mind sticking your heads out, do it individually, not related to PCC.” “You legally can’t stop us,” Johnston added before the AS representatives left.

Graphic by Daniel Valencia calendar should be smooth, some students may need to change their academic plans to accommodate for the loss of one of the summer sessions next year.

“Students who will be completing their academic careers here in 2017 will probably end up doing some of that work in the winter intersession of 2017,” said Bell. “So educational plans will need to be reviewed with students.”

Cynthia Olivo, the associate vice president of student affairs, said that the loss of one summer session shouldn’t adversely affect too many students in their education planning, as counselors rarely suggest taking both 6-week summer sessions back to back.

“There should always be a small break in the summer, if possible, for a student to refresh and then come back for fall,” said Olivo. “If a student does find that they have

a plan where they are going to be impacted they should come to see a counselor.”

If students have any questions about their academic plan and how the calendar change may affect them, they can speak with a counselor on a drop-in basis by visiting counseling services in the L building Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. or Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ACCJC

a provision that if a college is on sanction it can’t switch accreditors.”

Shortly after the ruling, Superintendent-President Rajen Vurdien sent out an email to faculty and staff with information regarding the board’s decision and that it would not affect the work that is being done on campus to become fully accredited.

“Irrespective of our own accreditation status, the action taken by the Board of Governors is the beginning of a very complicated, sensitive, and time-consuming process,” said Superintendent-President Rajen Vurdien. “The plan put forward by the Chancellor’s Office will integrate input, feedback, and approvals from stakeholders across many regions and levels of government, up to and including the U.S. Department of Education. The whole process is not within the control of the Chancellor’s Office or the Board of Governors. Rather it is in the hands of other agencies that are not under the control of the Board of Governors.”

“The October 2016 deadline established in our accreditation report remains in effect, and our campus accreditation team is on

track to address the recommendations identified by the committee,” Vurdien added.

Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Kathy Scott, who serves as the school’s accreditation liaison officer, has been leading the workgroups into addressing the recommendations provided by ACCJC since last spring and remains focused on the task at hand.

“Our focus is on making sure that PCC meets the accreditation standards and we are fully reaffirmed,” Scott said. “The workgroups have been doing a really good job. We’ve had over 60 faculty, staff, administrators, and students serving on the various workgroups in total. We feel very, very positive about the progress that we’re making and that is my sole focus.”

There will be an accreditation newsletter sent out to faculty and staff later this week in an effort to be more transparent with the work being done in the accreditation process. The newsletter will be posted on the accreditation website, which also has the accreditation recommendations and timeline.

positions. We knew that we would not reach agreement 100% but we disagreed in a very collegial manner, we had explanations for everything we did, we had justifications, and we had data to support what we were saying.”

President-Superintendent Vurdien called it one of his proudest days as a Lancer since coming to the college amid tensions between faculty and administration.

“The process between the academic senate’s review and the administration review coming to closure on the actual list—that process was smoother and finished much earlier than it did last year,” Said Assistant Superintendent Robert Bell.

With so many new hires to be added, the school has had to carefully plan for the huge influx. “[W]e have staggered dates for the job announcements to be published and staggered closing dates, so that we’re not overwhelmed with all of those job applications coming in at the same time,” Scott said.

“We’ve also hired extra staff in HR to help us and we have an online process so it’s not as if it is all com-

ing in in paper form.”

Also among the list of next year hires are two Instructor/Head Coach positions: one for Track and Field and Cross Country, the other for Football.

The school has recently parted ways with Track and Field coach Crespo after an altercation involving a student, and the current football coach, Thom Kaumeyer, was hired on a temporary one year assignment.

According to the latest data available on the California Community College Chancellor’s Office website, PCC has had about 50 percent fulltime faculty over the last few years, just below the state average of 56 percent. Of the five schools in the state that have over 70 percent fulltime faculty, only one, San Francisco Community College, has over 500 faculty total. PCC has over 800 total faculty.

“This is a banner year for the community college system in California, there will probably 2000 positions being [added],” Vurdien said.

“The division of human resources will be working very hard.”

continued from page 1 approximately 53 percent compared to 12 percent within other regions which resulted in the Board of Governors appointing special trustees for two college districts and suspending the authority of democratically elected local governing boards.”

The resolution also states that, “The current structure of ACCJC, along with its lack of credibility as perceived by its peers and the public, no longer meet the current and anticipated needs of California Community Colleges.”

Consequently, Chancellor Brice Harris will present a recommendation for action and a plan for implementing the recommendation with a timeline at the March 16 meeting.

“A revamp of the accreditation system could take as long as 10 years and would not affect PCC’s situation … There is no flipping a switch and moving the college over to a new (accreditation) agency,” Paul Feist, spokesman for the Chancellor’s Office, told the Pasadena Star-News. “And there is also

HIRING

continued from page 1 on committees and in our shared governance processes. And they are generally the faculty serving as club advisors and leaders of programs such as Honors and Study Abroad.”

Although the FON sets the minimum number of faculty required for next fall, it does not specify which divisions or classes should receive increased hires.

To determine which positions to hire, the faculty hiring priority committee of the Academic Senate has reviewed over 100 applications for increased staffing from departments across the campus. After ranking these applications and comparing them to the department dean’s list of priorities, the committee along with president-superintendent Vurdien compiled the final list of 50 positions.

“Today was a great event, a great moment,” President-Superintendent Vurdien announced to the Board of Trustees. “When we met with the faculty prioritization group within one hour we had a very collegial, cordial meeting. We discussed the

OPINION

4 COURIER

December 10, 2015

San Bernardino coverage shows media bias

Amber Lipsey Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Dec. 2, two alleged terrorists walked into a San Bernardino County building and opened fire on their coworkers.

Suspects Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a married couple, were later killed in a shootout with police.

As soon as the alleged suspects were identified, media outlets began labeling the attack at act of terrorism, with the Los Angeles Times splashing the word “terrorism” across its Saturday front page in all caps.

Media reports quickly began reporting on possible motives for the attack, including unconfirmed links and allegiances to ISIL and previous plans to carry out an attack.

Everything was quickly wrapped up in a pretty package. Mass shooters committed a terrorist attack on U.S. soil and were quickly killed by police. President Obama made an historic address to the nation promising that, “the threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it,” as reported by CNN. The problem with this story is

that terrorist attacks are committed in the U.S. on a regular basis, yet those other instances don’t end the same way. The reason is because these other instances of terrorism are committed by white men.

On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof walked into the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, and killed nine black people, including the senior pastor, State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney.

Roof wrote in a manifesto before the shooting, “I chose Charleston because it is most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to whites in the country. We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.”

Not only did the media not refer to this as a terrorist act, but Roof was taken alive by police who bought him Burger King to eat after placing him in custody, according to The Huffington Post.

Outlets such as CNN and MSNBC went on the air to discuss whether Roof may have suffered from mental illness and referred to him as a lone gunman. This is par

for the course every time a mass shooter in the U.S. is a white man.

The Washington Post addressed this “discrepancy” in reporting in an article by Dr. Anthea Butler.

“But listen to major media outlets, and you won’t hear the word “terrorism” used in coverage of Wednesday’s shooting. You haven’t heard the white, male suspect, 21-year-old Dylann Roof, described as “a possible terrorist” by mainstream news organizations (though some, including The Washington Post, have covered the growing debate about this discrepancy). And if coverage of other recent shootings by white men is any indication, he never will be. Instead, the go-to explanation for his alleged actions will be mental illness. He will be humanized and called sick, a victim of mistreatment or inadequate mental health resources,” Butler wrote.

This pattern has held true for other white mass shooters like Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, James Holmes, Jared Lee Loughner, Adam Lanza, and most recently Robert Lewis Dear in the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting.

Despite the fact that a new study reported by NBC News stating that white Americans are the biggest

terror threat to the U.S., white mass shooters are never labeled domestic terrorists.

The FBI defines domestic terrorism as an activity involving dangerous acts to human life that violate federal or state law that appear intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population and/or influence the policy of government by intimidation and occur primarily within the U.S. Roof ’s statements in his manifesto fit this description. Dear’s anti-choice beliefs and statements to Planned Parenthood staff of “no more baby parts” during the siege fit this description. Yet the title of “domestic terrorist” has failed to apply to these white men.

The point is not that Americans should go easy on radical Islam. The point is that violent white supremacists, fundamental Christians and radical Muslims should be treated with the same seriousness, and the same labels. Due to systemic racism and white supremacy in American culture, they are not.

The manner in which the suspects are apprehended is even vastly different. Loughner shot senator Gabrielle Giffords in the head and he was captured alive. Dear shot

three cops, killing one, during the Planned Parenthood siege, and he was taken alive.

In a country where cops currently shoot and kill black people for reaching for a wallet or running away and a gun down a 12-year-old child for playing in a park with a toy gun, a white man who killed a cop during a mass shooting was arrested alive.

Muslim suspects Sayd and Malik in San Bernardino were killed in a hail of 380 police bullets.

This is further evidence that despite all of the many excuses we hear for why police use lethal force against suspects, the simple fact is that police choose to kill certain suspects, based on skin color.

Despite the fact that we live in a society built on racism, those who take on the job of journalists who report the truth must do better to point out these inconsistencies, not contribute to them.

In contributing to these glaring differences in media coverage, journalists continue to contribute to a racist, white supremacist narrative that pervades our news sources, and therefore contributes to furthering racism in our society.

Illustration by Daniel Valencia

Predicting the future: forecasting crime with data Alex Chhuon Staff Writer

With calling, shopping and even dating all done on computers, it’s not too surprising that cops are relying more and more on digital data to help them catch criminals.

In what is called predictive policing, cops can use data to assist them in identifying people more likely to commit crimes.

While the concept definitely has its merits as it could drastically increase the efficiency of the police force by narrowing down the number of people they would have to keep a close eye on, it runs the risk of over-arresting certain people for

more menial crimes based on who they spend time with and where they live.

Using data to assist officers is not a new concept, but the scale of what predictive policing would include if adopted nationwide would be another matter entirely.

“What is new about modern predictive policing is the promise that, using so-called big data,” asserted Aderson B. Francois of The New York Times. “Law enforcement can use sophisticated objective statistical and geospatial models to forecast crime levels, thereby making decisions about, when, where, and how to intervene.”

Essentially, predictive policing would create the equivalent of a

weather map, only the forecast will not be a 70 percent chance of rain Friday night, but perhaps a 30 percent chance of robbery on Colorado Boulevard.

Like the weather report, it really is hit or miss.

Predictive policing is still in its testing phases and has stellar results in some areas and confusing results in other places.

“In 2011, for example, in Trafford, Manchester, police noted a 26.6% fall [due to predictive policing] in burglaries, compared to a 9.8% fall across Greater Manchester in the same period,” wrote Mark Easton of BBC. “It [predictive policing in Kent] ran a successful fourmonth trial starting in December

2012, but after rolling out predictive policing across the county in April 2013, recorded an increase in crime for the following year.”

While predictive policing did find success in Britain, there are also kinks to work out as well.

The failure of predictive policing in Kent was largely attributed to an inefficient allocation of resources and inaccurate crime data.

No system will be impeccably accurate with humans at the helm feeding information. The main issue with predictive policing is the information that goes into the system.

“At first glance, such systems seem benignly empirical. But such an understanding wrongly assumes the neutrality of information,”

wrote Natasha Lennard of Vice News. “The picture of crime to come is based on pre-existing police data, which we know to be biased and flawed.”

The data used depends on how the police operate. If the police focus more on one crime-ridden area, then the data will be skewed and will tell the police to scour that area.

The system, while useful, is still flawed because it relies on the most unreliable source: humans.

Thus, predictive policing probably should not be relied upon too heavily since it will tend to be as flawed as the person reading it.

OPINION

5 COURIER

Gender equality for all campuses?

Rachel Ho Staff Writer

The debate about transgender rights is more heated than ever now that society is beginning to open its arms to diversity. While transgender people are protected by the law, they are not treated with the equality that they deserve as human beings.

Early this month, a high school in Illinois was ordered by federal authorities to allow a transgender student access to the girls’ locker room. Prior to this ruling, the student, who was assigned male at birth, was required to change and shower in private separately from her peers on the all-female sports team in which she participated.

In early 2015, another school in Idaho allowed a 13-year-old transgender girl to use the female bathroom, which sparked outrage from her peers and their parents.

“I’m not there to hurt anyone, and what’s between my legs is not a symbol of who I am,” the student, D.W. Trantham, said in a radio interview.

The topic of transgender access to bathrooms is an interesting one because the practice of males and females using separate bathrooms has always been a societal norm.

People have been conditioned to expect to only see people of the same gender in the bathrooms that they use.

But what defines a person’s gender that decides which bathroom is societally acceptable for them to use?

The answer varies across the board. The conservative camp would argue that a person’s gender is determined by the sex they are assigned at birth whereas the liberal camp would argue that a person’s gender is the gender that they personally identify with.

The confusion about a person’s gender is perhaps one of the main

PRO

obstacles preventing transgender people from using the restrooms of their choice.

“My criticism is that because there is no objective standard for police officers, or the public or anyone else to determine whether a person is using the ordinance to gain permission to enter sex segregated areas like bathrooms and so on, it is too dangerous,” Houston mayoral candidate Ben Hall said in an interview with The Huffington Post.

Privacy is another concern that people have about transgender people in gender-specific bathrooms— particularly female bathrooms. To tackle this concern, some schools and workplaces across the country have implemented gender-neutral bathrooms. These bathrooms, which can be used by anybody of any gender or lack thereof, aim to foster a safe environment where a person’s gender identity does not matter.

On a local level, West Hollywood recently enacted a law requiring businesses to make all single-stalled bathrooms gender neutral.

“I know for a number of transgender people that having to choose whether to go into the male or female restroom is not as easy as it can be for non-transgender people,” West Hollywood councilmember Abbe Land told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s all about access and equality.”

While gender neutral bathrooms do rectify part of the problem, at the end of the day they still do not fully tackle the issue of equality for transgender people. Using gender neutral bathrooms can single them out and cause even more discomfort.

State public schools in California now allow transgender students to use gender-specific bathrooms of whichever gender they identify with.

With this small step comes progress and with progress comes a more inclusive and accepting society.

Timothy Mably Staff Writer

While the average person can logically determine that the case made by a transgender girl and her family against a high school in Illinois for not being allowed to use the girl’s locker room has nothing to do with prejudice, it did not change how ostracized the unidentified student felt.

Several schools currently choose to protect the privacy of students in bathrooms and locker rooms, rather than incorporating those who are transgender into their preferred environment. Despite the understandable motivation of school districts, some transgender people feel discriminated against for not being allowed access to the bathroom or locker room that matches their gender identity.

Transgender students have brought attention to these regulations, calling them acts of prejudice, bringing inequality between the transgender community and people who identify with their sex. The district accommodates those who want to have their preferred gender as well as name on school records, and allows transgender students to have their choice of gender when joining sports teams, but the policy on bathrooms and locker rooms seems to be the end of the line.

“At some point, we have to balance the privacy rights of 12,000 students with other particular, individual needs of another group of students. We believe this infringes on the privacy of all the students that we serve,” the Illinois district’s superintendent Daniel Cates said.

This is an issue that seemingly lacks understanding from both school boards and transgender students. Administrators are not going to lengths to enforce the safety and comfort of transgender kids as they are more susceptible to bullying when placed in environ-

CON

ments specific to their sex. However, the girl who is suing the school was permitted use of her preferred locker room, although she had to change in a curtained area because her body still had the appearance of a boy. The separation of bathrooms seems to not be based on identity or preference, but physical features.

Those on the side of the transgender girl’s mom are offended by a sense of “differentness” being enforced when her daughter was told by the school to change behind a curtain in the girl’s locker room, instead of openly with other girls. It might be said that the school’s initial intent in protecting the privacy of female students is irrelevant if it negatively affects the transgender girl. Without this reality of differentness in action, locker rooms would become co-ed, whether a person thinks it’s purely biological or not. It is immoral to impose on girls changing their clothes as a result of a lawsuit.

Parents have complained against the school that a person’s right cannot be at the expense of someone else. This is the cause of the controversy on the side of parents and other students.

Situations like this one are occurring across the U.S. with groups such as the Human Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) in Texas going up against the “No Men In Women’s Bathrooms” campaign. In many places, school districts have allowed transgender students access to bathrooms that fit their preference, with the fear of lawsuits in mind.

The debate revolves around the rights of those who already feel different from who they have been for a large part of their lives, but secludes transgender people in a way they didn’t intend when they said they wanted privacy.

December 10, 2015

VOICES

Should transgender students be allowed equality when it comes to locker rooms here on campus?

“Obviously if they are female dressing up as a boy they should go to a bathroom that’s a female bathroom because I know lesbians who dress up guys still go to the female bathroom.”

Amber Castro, psychology

“I think people should tolerate it, be open with it, be open to change and go with the flow.”

Jeremy Bernardo, English Literature

“The campus should have those family bathrooms that are non-sex oriented so that they will be more comfortable going into those.”

Cassie Villela, English

“I think if you start to create a separate bathroom then you are making it seem that they are different from everyone else. They should be able to use whatever bathroom they want too.”

Erica Payne, sociology

Cartoon by Mick Donovan

COURIER Editor-in-Chief Kristen Luna Photo Editor/ Managing Editor Keely Damara

Online Photo Editor Katja Liebing Asst. Online Photo Editor Eric Haynes Social Media Editor Amber Lipsey

Serving PCC since 1915

Online/Features Editor Mick Donovan News Editor John Orona Opinion Editor Hannah Gonzales Lifestyle Editor Monique LeBleu Sports Editors Ahmad Akkaoui and Christian Rivas Scene Editor Erica Hong and Nagisa Mihara

Design Editor Samantha Molina Staff Writers Ericka Bernabe, Anthony Carter, Alex Chhuon, Julius Choi, Melody Congote, Lilith Garcia, Rachel Ho, Erica Hong, Timothy Mably, Kelly R. Murillo, Elissa Saldana, Arielle Taccad Staff Photographers Angelique Andrade, Irma Carrillo, Nate Fermin, Anthony Galin-

do, Monique LeBleu, Alexis Luengas, Kristen Luna, Samantha Molina, Josie Rodriguez, Daniel Valencia Faculty Adviser Nathan McIntire Photo Adviser Tim Berger Advertising Manager Daniel Nerio

The Courier is published weekly by the Pasadena City College Journalism Department and is a free-speech forum.

Editorials and comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the institution and its administration, student government or that of the Pasadena Area Community College District. The Courier is written and produced as a learning experience for student writers, photographers and editors in the Journalism Department.

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“People should go where they identify as, I think maybe the school can get to some point where there aren’t labels on the bathroom.”

Derrick Shepherd, psychology

Reporting by Anthony Carter Photos by Nathaniel Fermin

SCE

6 COURIER

Morni

Keely Damara/Courier

Larry Mantle writes his show intro and segment segues in his studio before the 11 a.m. airtime of AirTalk on Nov. 17.

Keely Damara/Courier

Larry Mantle narrows down what topics will be discussed in each segment of AirTalk as Audrey Ngo, apprentice news clerk, takes notes during a producer meeting at KPCC on Nov.17.

Eric Haynes/Courier

Doug Johnson, current vice president of KPCC, sits in one of the many studios at KPCC headquarters on Nov.17.

Johnson attended PCC in1979 to take broadcasting classes.

Doug muffle Techn headq rently Radio

ENE

December 10, 2015

ing traffic passes in front of Southern California Public Radio on Nov. 17.

Keely Damara/Courier

Eric Haynes/Courier

Johnson speaks about a device that es curse words over live radio in the nical Operations Center at the KPCC quarters on Nov.17. Johnson is cura PCC professor in the Television and o department.

Celebrating 30 years of KPCC’s AirTalk

By Keely Damara Staff Writer

Keely Damara/ Courier

The on-air indication light signals that AirTalk is underway to those outside of the studio on Nov. 17.

Larry Mantle has been on the air with AirTalk since 1985, and 2015 marks his 30th year on air with the program. It is the longest, continually running daily talk program in Southern California.

The show covers topical issues affecting the greater Los Angeles area.

KPCC, now located in a remodeled South Raymond Avenue office building, was founded in 1957 at the Pasadena City College campus (which was then KPCS of Pasadena City Schools).

Doug Johnson has been with KPCC since 1983, but was hired as a part-time studio engineer while taking broadcasts classes at PCC in 1979. For the past 22 years he has held an adjunct professor position at PCC teaching in theTV/Radio Department. Johnson is also credited with the creation of the student-run online radio service, Lancer Radio.

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FEATURES

8 COURIER

December 10, 2015

Computer science: a field that began with women

Kelly Rodriguez Murillo Staff Writer

Coding, a difficult computer science (CS) concept for many college students, was being summarized by a short little girl wearing a bedazzled headband at PCC’s second annual She. Codes “#include <women in CS>,” earlier this month.

The prompter’s introduction to her, on the other hand, was everything but short.

“A homeschooled student who has been participating in Pasadena City college programs like ITT design, and [hopes] to apply nanotechnology in to the medical field.”

Thirteen-year-old Susan Woo-Hernandez steps up to speak on a podium that she could not reach. The microphone, which blocked her face, did stop her from sharing her love for coding.

“This summer I was the sole programmer of a robot that zigzagged, made a lot of 360 turns and produce sound,” said Hernandez.

She continued to talk about all the other workshops she attended at PCC including “Coding Camp,” who she took with She. Code adviser and professor Jamal Ashraf.

“Being able to code depends on your mentality, if you approach thinking you will never succeed chances are, you won’t. If you approach it with an open mind and your probably heard this before, practice frequently it will become second nature. Trust me, if I could do it you can do it better!” Hernandez said as the audience laughed.

Hernandez then touched on a big subject that created the event itself: the decline of women in CS career field. She confessed that many of the workshops she went to had low attendance rates from girls.

According to the New York Times, “Female college students are four times less likely than men to major in computer science or

Guest speaker Sharelle Jones, developer anaylyst at City of Hope, talks about her work in computer science during the She.Codes event.

PJ L

Photos by Katja Liebing/Courier Guest speaker Jill Greczek discusses robotics during the She.Codes event at Westerbeck Hall on Friday, Nov. 20. The goal of the event was to encourage women to choose a career computer science. engineering, even though they test extremely well in math.”

So then why are women hesitant to pursue this field if they have the ability to be successful in?

Ashraf believes it is because “they are unaware that they (women) can do it and they lack role models that is why I chose the women in the panel today.”

A conflict that affects the rates of women seeking CS careers is the stigma and stereotypes surrounding the line of work.

Prompter and She.Codes member Megan Rostamian described the average stereotype of a person in CS as not social with clunky glasses and, most of all, male.

But She.Codes impeded computer science’ aesthetic stereotype by showcasing a diverse panel full of women who have stomped every misogynistic and racist confrontation that CS has imposed on them.

Guest Speaker Lydia Tapia, who does research on “methodologies for simulation and analysis of motion,” and is applying them into the Medical field, mentions that she has had cope with degrading opinions from her CS peers. Tapia replaced an assistant professor at University of New Mexico and a peer belittled her promotion by accusing her of only receiving the position for being a women and Hispanic.

“I ended up getting a call from a professor that night that was part of the selection

PREMIER J U S T I C E L AW

committee and she assured me I wasn’t chosen because I am a women or because I was Hispanic, it was merit based,” Tapia said.

“She told me that I would have to ‘get tougher about this stuff ’ and I do think that we have to but is kind of sad that we do.”

Arely Mendez, a software developer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, believes that another reason why women do not enlist in CS classes is because “they feel they would not be good enough.” Mendez admits that she once felt insecure about her duties too, especially since she feels she’s underestimated because of her feminine looks.

“But I could program, I was able to do the tasks and homework assigned to me,” said Mendez.

Dr. Sheila Tejada, a computer science professor at the University of Southern California who does research by “applying artificial intelligence and robotics in education with her educational research group Computing Savvy (csavy.org),” reveals that women have always been “discredited” for their contribution to computer science.

Tejada explained that one of famous CS pioneers was Grace Hopper, a woman, was the very first programmer. She then transitioned to a slide that took place on 1945 during WWII, where women were programming the first full electronic computers.

“In 1945 it was considered the women’s job to do software, the programmer,” Tejada said.

The other guest speaker was Jill Grezeck, who is currently working on her Ph.D and thesis on “real-world implantation of algorithms for personalized, long–term human– robot interaction in healthcare.” Her work went along the terms of using robotics to “assist those with chronic conditions and help them adjust to the dramatic life changes.”

And Sharelle Jones, who is a developer in research and analyst in information technology services at the City of hope National Medical Center, also mentions her worry of the lack of diversity in her field.

“Not only on the side of women and men but in technology, the diversity of users should equal the diversity of ideas that come in to a room to create those strategies to offer solutions to make more inclusive of as many people as we can,” she said.

The panel ended with a note by Tejada who said that the need of programmers will go up by a million in 2020 and hopes that the population will be more balanced.

“It’s (CS) not an easy major but that makes that all more rewarding,” said Rostamian.

“It’s a 24-hour job. A very consuming major and I’m always thinking of new algorithms to make up. When something works, when you’ve been trying so hard week after week and it finally works, it’s like Nirvana.”

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FEATURES

9 COURIER

December 10, 2015

Biochem student lands research opportunity

Keely Damara Managing Editor

“I was volunteer researching in Dr. Blatti’s lab where they were synthesizing non-toxic, organic paints—they were making them out of carrots, tomatoes and all kinds of algae,” said Michele Ramos, a 22-year-old biochemistry student attending PCC. This was Ramos’ first taste of hands-on, scientific research. She came to PCC with her eye on the robust music program, even playing synthesizer in the band, and her only business in the Science Village was taking the courses necessary to study to become an optometrist.

“It started when I took my first general chemistry class here,” said Ramos. “My teacher was telling me, ‘Oh, I think you’d be really good in research,’ so then I started looking for opportunities.”

BUILD PODER, Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity, Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research, afforded her with one of those opportunities.

The BUILD PODER program is an undergraduate research training program created by a group of CSUN professors with grant money from the National Institute of Health. The program looks to “increase representation of those whose health has been traditionally poorer to become researchers themselves” by giving minority students the support they need to achieve their educational goals through research opportunities in public health.

Ramos saw a flyer on campus, attended a workshop and applied for the opportunity to be paired with a mentor to help her with her

Keely Damara/Courier Michele Ramos, 22, a sophomore at PCC studying biochemistry, sits in the Science Village patio garden on Friday, Oct. 30. Ramos was selected by the BUILD PODER program to foster her research project on testing the differences between the water in her town of Huntington Park compared to that of Pasadena. research. After first pitching the idea of researching something in microbiology, Ramos took an interest in STEM Center co-coordinator Veronica Jaramillo’s research proposal in water quality as it piqued her interest in green chemistry.

“To be a BUILD PODER mentor, you have to write a proposal and so I wrote my proposal based on water testing, looking at the different socioeconomic areas and seeing the effect,” said Jaramillo.

Ramos lives in Huntington Park, located in south eastern Los Angeles County. She wants to know how the water quality in her town, which

neighbors the industrial city of Vernon and sources mostly ground water, compares to that in Pasadena, which has more natural sources of water like mineral springs to supplement its ground water.

Though research has just begun, she plans on testing not only for water hardness, but for chemicals commonly added to disinfect and change the color of drinking water, like chlorine and other chlorides.

“What ends up happening is that the organic material inside of the water reacts to the chlorine and it creates byproducts and I’m not sure if these byproducts are bad for

you,” said Ramos. “So, they might be adding too much to make the water look pretty but in reality they are creating other things.”

The BUILD PODER program also focuses on teaching mentors and their students about critical race theory and how it plays an integral part in how minority students make their way through the education system.

“I didn’t really think about the hardships that come with it,” said Ramos. “I’m first generation, my mom doesn’t speak English to this day and she could never help me, I’m pretty much on my own.”

But she said that the BUILD PODER program and other programs she is a part of at PCC give her the educational support that she lacks from home.

“I like how at PCC you do have a community—I’m part of STEM, I’m part of MESA and they really help you out,” said Ramos. “I can talk to them, my teachers, and they push me to get into internships, they push me to do research and I think that’s really great­.”

The National Science Foundation reported that in 2013, of all scientists and engineers working in their field, only 30 percent were women and a mere 10 percent were women who were also minorities.

“The further up you go, the less women you’ll see and minorities drop out,” said Ramos. “They really want to build you up to be a really strong person, to stand on your own.”

Jaramillo thinks that the program is a much needed opportunity for community college students.

“I really believe that it is essential for undergraduates to get more research experience,’ said Jaramillo.

“Especially because at four-year schools I think they are doing a lot more of early research experiences, so I think that our students need to be on par with that.”

Ramos plans on transferring to CSUN next fall, but is already looking beyond earning her bachelor’s degree to possible graduate programs to help her achieve her new career goal of working in a research hospital lab as a principal investigator.

“To run the lab, you have to have that education,” said Ramos.

‘Searchlight’ demonstrates dance department’s diversity Kelly Rodriguez Murillo Staff Writer

Barefoot dancers swiftly moved across the Sexson Auditorium stage last week, demonstrating the diverse capabilities of Pasadena City College’s School of Visual Media and Performing Arts Dance Department.

The stage went dark and the slight silhouette of the dancers peeked through the backlights of the auditorium. The dancers, who positioned themselves, faced down and waited for the music to begin.

Finally, the music and lights simultaneously turn on and the dancers revealed their glitter masks.

The repetition of the Hindu chorus from Axel Thesleff ’s “Bad Karma,” “O na kar man rupaiye wala bar bar ke na rajje,” was heard as their masks glimmered in and out of the light to the rhythm.

The first grouped kicked their legs and turned, following the second and then third, similar to a domino effect. Dancers took turns to display the routine they practiced so hard.

The dance ended with the symbolic movement of the group dragging down a single dancer as the song began to end.

Timing was needed to perform precise movements and if one dancer had messed up, the illusion of the group dance would have been sacrificed.

A difficulty that worried the artistic directors Cheryl Banks Smith and Roberta Shaw was that students

underestimated the commitment and hard work these need to be successful.

“They depend in one another,” said Shaw one of the artistic directors of the dance. “Luckily these students were good about it.”

The directors gave their dance students complete decisions on the choice of music, choreography and use of the stage.

“It was interesting to see that there was so many interesting different approaches to a dance, “ said Banks. “ There’s a great representation of the different styles like spoken word, hip hop, tap dance and even spoken word.”

The fourth dance performance included narration of dancers who spoke about stories that pertained to the dancers individually.

Phrases like “I love being gay ” and “ I don’t know why I’m always angry ” were confessed during the spoken word that was said before their dance, “Chingasos Make a Good Poet.” Chingasos, which is Spanish slang for physical blows, illuminated a story of a women who struggles with domestic violence.

“I said I love you, the way a trapped animal would if it was able to speak,” was another line narrated during the performance that best describes the forced relationship that is encompassed in a relationship full of violence, fear and weariness.

Nina Simone’s song “I Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl” then played as the dancers choreographed a dance that questioned gender roles. A male dancer took

Keely Damara/Courier PCC dance students perform a contemporary piece titled “Clay” choreographed by Helena Cardiel-Stevens during “Searchlight: An Evening of Contemporary Dance” in Sexson Auditorium on Saturday. of his pants and switched with a female dancer’s skirt. They swayed back and forth while balancing one another’s dance movements.

The dance ended with the dancers taking off all their clothing, showing only nude colored

undergarments in a foggy and white back-lit stage.

In their last performance, the dance students wearing colorful leotards danced eloquently while gripping each other’s hands.

There were 13 performances

in total. When the performances finished, the dancers and directors stood together, bowed and waved goodbye as they continued to dance while the Sexson’s burgundy curtain closed on them.

LIFESTYLE

10 COURIER

December 10, 2015

Just a hop and trot across to Street to dance Monique A. LeBleu Lifestyle Editor

Pro and amateur meet in a large nightclub-lit room spiced with Latin jazz music, partnered for ballroom dance as they glide effortlessly across smooth hardwood floors in practice.

Professional instructors guide and dance alongside at Dance Street, the new studio and dance space directly across from PCC on Colorado.

The studio is co-owned by eight international and national professional competitive dancers whose circuits allow them to rotate and work the space outside of their individual tours.

Although smaller than what they initially hoped for, the studio space is intimate with dressing and lounge areas decorated with antiques and unique furnishings constructed and collected by the staff and owners, including those of co-owner Sean Brunell.

Traveling often, Brunell competes throughout the U.S. in up to 30 competitions per year with dance partner and co-owner Laurel Rose and students as well. With a solid eye on their demographics, the studio is looking to focus on bringing dance instruction to current PCC dancers, dance teams, clubs and the curious students wanting to know more.

“We came to PCC two weeks ago and taught the Salsa Club. And we had a fantastic time,” said Brunell.

“When the new semester starts, we are hoping to get out there more regularly.”

The studio teaches all styles of dance, with an emphasis on ballroom and the social dances.

Co-owner Mikhail Avdeev moved to the U.S. in 2006 from Russia, where he began his dance study and career at the age of five. He travels internationally with his dance part-

Samantha Molina/Courier Dance Street co-owner Mikhail Avdeev looks on as instuctor Elliot Christian practices with dancer Kate Murray inside the Dance Street studio in Pasadena on Friday. ner, Olga Blinova, participating in up to 60 competitions per year and has been dancing for 25 years.

“Here in America, we have at least four different styles,” said Avdeev.

“What we call ballroom dancing is smooth, rhythm, ballroom, and Latin American dancing. In Russia, especially at that time years ago, there was no such thing.”

Coming to the U.S. as a professional, he had to learn some dances fresh. In Russia the primary dances were Latin and standard ballroom, where he began with Ten Dance.

Ten Dance includes five international ballroom or standard dances: waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, tango and Viennese waltz, and five International Latin dances: rumba, samba, paso doble, cha-cha-cha and jive.

“American rhythm tries to use more of the traditional body movements from whichever culture they got it from,” said Brunell, which he said includes styles from Latin dances such as rumba, cha-cha-cha,

swing, bolero and mambo and the social dances salsa, bachata, hustle, west club swing, Argentine tango and all the country dances—just to name a few.

Co-owners, Dance Directors, and partners of 14 years Nikolay Voronovich and Maria Nikolishina also come from Russia and professionally perform in national dance competitions.

Studio Manager and PCC student M Marie Gallego, 24, dance, has been working for the studio in its various incarnations for over four years. Looking to transfer to Cal State Long Beach, Fullerton or Chapman, she has been studying dance at PCC with professors Cheryl Banks-Smith, Robbie Shaw, and Richard Kuller and credits them with keeping her major in focus.

Beginning as a receptionist at Rose City Ballroom, the studio’s previous location at the Paseo Colorado, she was soon trained as an instructor as part of their 60-day

program with Rose and Brunell.

“M is the perfect mix. You ask and she’s gets it done,” said Brunell of Gallego. “She’s just as talented and educated as the rest of us. She’s just chosen a different facet of this business.”

Already with a background as a gymnast, a competitive belly dancer and a dance team member in High School, Gallego worked the program for nine hours a day, five days a week, to become an instructor.

When the studio owner sold to the new Dance Street owners, Gallego eventually joined to follow Rose and Brunell and is now looking to learn more to compete in ballroom, where she hopes to eventually break out on her own.

“I am focusing on my own dancing a little more. I want to get to competing with a partner,” said Gallego. “Eventually I want to open my own dance studio. So this is a really good foundation.”

Instructor Justin Bracks, who

also followed from the Paseo studio, came to it from working as a professional musician after relocating from San Bernardino.

“I took about six months of ballet just to supplement my formal education. I took about three months of contemporary, and the rest has been learning as I go in ballroom,” said Bracks, who has only been dancing for about five years.

With the same initial intensive training as with Gallego, he recalls the challenges once becoming an instructor.

“I sell mostly international style Latin. But that’s not because it’s necessarily my specialty. It’s just because frankly, I’m brown, and it’s just more fun to dance Latin with a brown guy,” he laughed.

Bracks looks to share his skills at the studio to inspire men to partner dance more and to be more comfortable.

“I had no talent or skill for this, only necessity. And I think the ability to relate, especially for men, has been a big difference,” he said.

“Girls, when you see a guy learning to dance, he is ten times more frightened of this than you are … more terrifying that getting into a fight is having to ask somebody to dance.”

With famous dance teams competing from schools such as BYU, USC and UCLA, the small studio hopes to partner with PCC and clubs to form such a competitive team in the near future.

“We would like to create a competitive formation team. And we would like to host part of it here, and part of it there because we do need a bigger space once everybody learns their stuff,” said Brunell.

“Servicing the students from PCC would be an honor, at the very least, to help them experience what ballroom is about. It changed my life.”

Conscientious, fresh, healthy and affordable vegan Elissa Saldana Staff Writer

Looking for an affordable, intimate, casual, cruelty-free, and healthy place to eat? My Vegan, located on 633 South Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, is the place to go.

With four stars and 636 reviews on Yelp, My Vegan has become very popular among vegans, vegetarians and even meat eaters.

They serve breakfast all day, lunch and dinner. Their menu features a large variety of Asian inspired dishes as well as American and even Mexican inspired appetizers, like fresh guacamole and chips and lentil, soy beef or soy chicken tacos.

Their portions are quite generous and their prices range from $3 to $12.95.

My Vegan was founded in 2009 and it was the first vegan restaurant in Pasadena.

“My aunt and my mother, they are vegan for 45 years,”

owner and co-founder Teddy Lertvichuhath said. “We used to have a restaurant in Universal Studios named Vegan Express and we still keep doing vegan restaurants since then.”

With its light green colored walls, My Vegan has a casual, intimate, café feel. It is located in a shopping plaza and the restaurant itself isn’t too big. It seats about 50 people and there are two small tables outside for those who prefer to eat outdoors. The staff is very friendly and welcoming and the restaurant attracts a fairly multi-ethnic clientele.

Among the specials and most popular dishes are “My Vegan Pad Thai Signature,” rice noodles with their secret sauce, chives, eggplant, kale, peanuts, bean sprouts and organic tofu served with a side salad.

My Vegan is also popular for their delicious orange chicken, their yellow curry noodles, and their vegan spicy ramen (yellow noodle, tofu, miso, eggplant, bamboo, ginger, green onion, bean sprout and chili oil).

But if you are more in the mood for a cheeseburger, they

have a variety of burger selections, like the fish quarter pounder or vegan beef with cashew nut cheeseburger, guaranteed to satisfied your cravings.

The teriyaki soy chicken, served with their deliciously famous brown rice, features a flavorful, sweet, house-made teriyaki sauce and can easily pass as real chicken. It is served on a bed of assorted crunchy and fresh vegetables.

“This is our second time coming. I like the food a lot,” patron Trina Duong said. “So far my favorite plate was the one I had today, which is their Japanese noodle soup. I liked it a lot but I didn’t expect it to be that big so my husband helped me.”

Duong’s husband, Vance Duong, is not a vegetarian but seemed to enjoy the food just as much as his wife.

“The food was good! I feel healthy after I eat here, you know, I feel stronger!” he said.

My Vegan offers delivery and take-out options and is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Photos by Elissa Saldana A sampling of vegan cuisine that includes soy chicken teriyaki, miso soup and the Lava Noodle with tofu at My Vegan in Pasadena on Saturday, Nov. 21.

SPORTS

11 COURIER

December 10, 2015

Coach resigns after disappointing season

Photos by Keely Damara/Courier Jorge Mejia, right, takes a point blank shot on goal that is blocked, and Oscar Gonzalez,top, gets hit while fighting for possession with an LA Harbor player during a home game on Oct. 20. The Lancers lost 2-1.

Ahmad Akkaoui Co-Sports Editor Head coach Edgar Manvelyan plans to resign as PCC men’s soccer head coach and his assistant coach Henry Cabral will take over.

Manvelyan said, “I will not have the time to fully commit.”

The Lancers men’s soccer team finished the season with a win in their final game, capping their losing season with a rare victory.

Pasadena played good games in their last three, highlighted by their 2-2 draw against Long Beach, who

won the conference. The Lancers traveled to Los Angeles Harbor College on Nov. 13 to leave everything on the field in their last game and walked out with a win.

The SCC-worst 2-15-4 overall record is the subject of questions.

The team went on a few rollercoasters, including an 11-game winless streak in both conference and non-conference games before their first win and another eightgame winless streak after that.

The disappointing season doesn’t end without a reason. As head coach Edgar Manvelyan said all season, a lack of goal scoring has been

the factor that was sinking the ship.

“We didn’t score as many goals as we should have,” Manvelyan said. “We created many chances but couldn’t score. It didn’t go as planned. We didn’t have many natural strikers who could put it in.”

The Lancers gave up a lot of lategame goals during the season and couldn’t recover from deficits. They pointed fingers instead of working with teammates to overcome obstacles.

Sophomore midfielder Christopher Sinani said having a young team hurt them due to the players’

lack of college experience and teamwork.

“I think the biggest thing that

about is where they will go moving forward.

Freshman midfielder Christopher

hurt us is not practicing as early as

Chemlekian says the team is just

other schools,” Sinani said. “There

working towards their upcoming

wasn’t that chemistry there [early

exhibition games against university

on]. There were some games where

teams. He said there isn’t an easy

egos started taking over rather than

way to describe the team’s season.

setting it aside and playing together.

“Pretty poor season. We had bad

There were some games we played

luck and from the beginning we

really well and didn’t deserve to lose

couldn’t finish,” Chemlekian said.

or tie. That’s just how it went. We

“We broke down a lot of times.

can’t rely on saying we got unlucky.”

We started fighting with each other

Looking back at the season, there

instead of working hard in order to

aren’t many highlights to cover, but

overcome our problems. Two wins

one issue that hasn’t been spoken

in a season isn’t that good.”

Football regroups... yet again Julius Choi Staff Writer

Contributed by Daniel Lottes Freshman running back Joseph Thomas runs the ball during a home game against College of the Canyons on Sept. 26.

The Lancers football team finished the 2015 season with a 2-8 record which matches last season’s effort.

In what was a loss for the Lancers at the hands of LA Harbor on Sept. 19, Pasadena was awarded a forfeit win when it was revealed that LA Harbor used an ineligible player during the 24-23 victory. Before this decision on Oct. 26, Pasadena captured their first win of the season by defeating East LA, 27-16. The win snapped the 11-game losing streak for the program which dates back to last season.

Pasadena faced adversity before this season even commenced as there was a shortage of players and personnel on the team.

“We had about 15-20 people in the off-season and no coaching staff,” said sophomore wide receiver Ricky Blair. “We were pretty much on our own.”

This was the first win for Thom Kaumeyer since he was named the 25th head coach in school history in June. He is known to be a defensive specialist and had 20 years of coaching experience at the profes-

sional, NCAA Division I, and the community college levels. Kaumeyer was a former NFL player which explains why 22 of the 59 players on this year’s roster are from outside of California.

“Coach [Kaumeyer] is one of the best coaches I have ever played for. He has such a wide range of understanding of the game on both ends of the ball,” said defensive back Kendell Jefferson. “He knows exactly what he’s doing.”

The worst loss of the season came in a 62-27 thumping by the Ventura Pirates when the Lancers were outscored 38-0 in the second quarter. The Lancers allowed opponents to score 50 or more points in five games this season. Four of those five games occurred in the last four games of the season.

Pasadena has only allowed five 50-plus point games in the last four seasons combined. The Lancers have been shutout two times this season which was a foreign language to the program last season.

In a season that was full of disappointments, there was some signs of life and bright spots on this year’s team. In the win over East LA, freshman quarterback Jett Even earned SCFA NNL Offen-

sive Player of the Week honors by finishing with 285 yards on the game by completing 24 of his 37 passes thrown which includes four touchdown passes. Linebacker Jalyn Williams set the school record with 13 solo tackles in a 33-0 loss to the Cerritos Falcons in the fifth game of the season.

PCC has proven to be one of the best possession teams in the league without coughing up the football for an interception or fumble at a high rate. The Lancers were the best in drawing penalties that resulted in first downs this season. They were ranked first overall with 48 and second in the National Northern Conference with 30. Pasadena was also a deadly team on the kick return this season as they averaged 25.3 yards per kick return which was ranked sixth best overall.

With one year of coaching for the Lancers under his belt, Kaumeyer and the Lancers are poised for a breakout season, with 41 players returning to play next year.

“We will be a much stronger team next season. That is our strong suit.” said freshman Kyle Alvarez.

SPORTS

12 COURIER

December 10, 2015

Volleyball sets tone for program turnaround

Photos by Irma Carrillo and Katja Liebing/Courier Left: Sophomore middle blocker Chy’Annea Hodges, # 15, draws her arm back for a hit in a home game against Mt. SAC in the Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium on Wednesday, September 18. Right: PCC Head Coach Kari Post cheers on her team (below) and Lancers cheer after winning a point in a South Coast Conference game against Mt. SAC on Wednesday, November 18, 2015. (top) John Orona Staff Writer The women’s volleyball team finished 9-5 in third-year coach Kari Post’s first season leading the team. Although this season has been an improvement over their 5-9 season last year, it is far from the potential they showed at the start of the season.

Pasadena was one of two teams to defeat Santa Barbara (1) in the Pierce Invitational tournament before the start of conference play, a 4-1 upset that led their highest ranking of the season and likely impressed coaches enough to eventually push them into the play-in round despite their comparatively unimpressive record.

After losing two games in the first month of conference play, both 0-3 losses that were much closer than the score indicated, the Lancers went into their game against El Camino (ranked 6th at the time) outside the Top 25 ranking, but prepared to renew their

season.

The game, originally played in early October, was postponed after a lighting issue in the El Camino stadium, and reconvened with the Lancers challenging El Camino as the top team in the South Coast conference and the score 1-1.

The parity didn’t last, however, as El Camino won the next two games in a row to win 3-1.

“I can’t go in there and play for them,” Post said after the game. “I can’t show the passion I have for the game for them.”

The El Camino game, although far from deciding their season, exposed an unfortunate theme for the season: the Lancers had the talent and ability to challenge the toughest teams, but often did not show up until their backs were already against the wall. And sometimes not even then.

“When we bring effort we look like champions,” said assistant coach Albert Ahedo.

The team finished the rest of season 5-2,

losing once again to Mt. San Antonio and El Camino.

After finishing third in the South Coast Conference, the Lancers squeezed into the play-in round as the 17th seed based on the strength of their wins. They once again faced Mt. SAC, who beat them 0-3 twice previously.

Once again, they lost 0-3.

Despite not reaching their potential, women’s volleyball can take solace in the precedent they set going forward.

“We set the foundation for this program,” Ahedo said to the team as they headed home after their final loss.

In the last two games against rival Mt. SAC, PCC showed they had had the heart, talent, and pride to at least compete with the best teams in the conference. They hope that as the program grows next year that heart will sustain throughout the season.

Women’s basketball: Down but not out

Julius Choi Staff Writer

The women’s basketball team traveled 189 miles north to the College of the Sequoias in Visalia and finished with two wins and two losses during the Tom Gilcrest Invitational over the weekend.

The four-game tournament was the longest tournament that Pasadena has participated in in recent memory.

Fresh off a 93-46 win over Desert, the Lancers were high on spirit and looking to build on the momentum of their second largest margin of victory on the season.

PCC defeated Sacramento City College 58-54 in their first game of the tournament. The Lancers were led by freshman forward Jolene Robinson who scored 8 of her 11 points in the first quarter alone

allowing the Lancers to go on a 11-4 run in the first three and a half minutes of the contest.

After spending the first seven games of the season as the back-up to Krystin Nakamura, Robinson was inserted into the starting line-up for defensive purposes for her height and long arms.

Despite losing a 13-point lead and trailing by three at halftime, Pasadena capitalized on Panthers turnovers by cashing in 24 points on their mistakes.

The tweaked starting lineup proved to be paying dividends as the Lancers scored 34 of their 58 points inside the paint and forced 29 turnovers.

Five of Pasadena’s 13 steals on the game were in the fourth quarter, which proved to be the difference maker.

PCC then ran into a bump in the road and fell to San Joaquin Delta

on the second day of the tournament, 64-58.

“We lacked intensity and were inconsistent,” said center Kailyn Gideon.

Despite being undersized against the opposition, the Mustangs were able to make baskets at a high percentage. Three starters reached double figures in points.

The Lancers, on the other hand, were struggling to get shots to fall in. The starters combined for just 9 field goals on 37 shots. Pasadena’s best player, freshman point guard Judith Espinoza shot 1-for-11 from the field and had 10 of the team’s 18 turnovers.

“This is the worst game I have ever played in my basketball career,” said Espinoza.

The only bright spot was Chy’Annea Hodges who posted 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting and 5 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.

As Pasadena progressed in the 16-team double-elimination tournament over the weekend, the Lancers faced Ventura and avenged their 6861 loss in late November by beating the Pirates, 62-57.

Unlike their game versus San Joaquin Delta, PCC had better shot selection as they attempted fewer three pointers and were able to convert their shots at a high rate.

The Lancers played as a cohesive unit and kept their composure.

Pasadena led by 9 points at the half and had a 39-28 lead to start the second half before Ventura went on a surge with a 16-4 run to close out the third quarter.

With 1:26 remaining in regulation and Ventura clinging on to a 57-56 edge, Pasadena made a shot on the next possession to regain the lead.

The Pirates then collapsed and sunk their own ship as they committed a pair of turnovers and

then, missed a shot and crucial free throws in the waning seconds of the match.

PCC concluded the tournament with a 50-46 loss to Cerritos on Sunday as their attempted comeback from a 11-point deficit with 6:27 left to play in the fourth fell short.

The Lancers were as dry as a desert from three-point land, missing all 11 shot attempts and were overwhelmed by the Falcons bench as they poured in 25 points.

Coach Joe Peron took the blame upon himself for the loss and said that he should have drawn a better play with Pasadena down by one with 28 seconds to play.

“I called the wrong play down the stretch and I apologize to the team for that,” said Peron.

Pasadena will look to rebound on Dec. 17 when they take on Victor Valley.