Volume 123 Fall 2015 Roundup Issue 10

Soccer wins Western State

Brahmas add tenth conference championship, but drop chance to win state title against Moorpark

pionship to finish its season with a (13-2-6) record, but fell short of adding its first state title since 2003.

The Brahmas played the Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs in the first round of playoffs on Nov. 21 and won 3-0.

only one from Southern California community colleges to make the playoffs for 15 straight years, and it has never been ranked lower than second.

most special set of group we’ve had,” Perez said. “I really thought this year we had a team that could possibly compete for a state-title, and that’s what hurts the most.”

Winter play preview

“The Royal Family” comes to Pierce College

SAL FARIAZ Assitant Sports Editor @S_Fariaz

This season the Theater Department went with something old and something new—and all things funny.

The new was “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” which ran in October.

The old is “The Royal Family,” written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, which premiered on Broadway in December of 1927, and is being directed at Pierce by Anita Adcock, an instructor in the Theater Arts department.

“It’s a classic American-comedy set in New York and written in the 1920’s,” Adcock said.

“The Royal Family” is a play about the Barrymore family’s acting dynasty. Kaufman could not say the play was based on them so he called them the Cavendish family.

“We have a lot of older subscribers [to the theater] who will love the setting of it because it is very opulent and we also have 1920’s music,” Adcock said. “After our last really modern play, it gives a completely different vibe to the theater.”

The play is difficult with a lot of stage direction and running around for

the actors. One of the more difficult scenes involves a sword fight coming down a staircase.

Tamarah Ashton is the lead actress and plays Julie Cavendish who is based on the actress Ethel Barrymore.

“Julie is the person that tries to keep everything together,” Ashton said. “Throughout the show, the audience gets to see where her limit is and how much she can take. She has to be the star, the caretaker and all of their best friend so everybody expects a lot of things from her.

Actor Scott Aaronson plays Julie’s brother Tony Cavendish.

“I have a sword fighting scene that goes down a staircase,” Aaronson said. “It’s stage combat so it is all choreographed. That will be the first time I have ever done a fencing scene like that.”

Aaronson and Ashton said that the play is physically intense and chaotic but that when everything goes right the audience will enjoy themselves.

“Once it gets going and everybody knows their lines, it just creates this incredible synergy,” Ashton said. “It’s something bigger than all of us and then all of a sudden the actors themselves become a family.”

The play will run from Dec. 4 through Dec. 13. You can go to info. piercecollege.edu/theater for tickets and more information.

Women’s soccer added a 10th Western State Conference - North cham-

Pierce faced Moorpark College on Nov. 24 in the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs, but the offense was shutdown in a season-ending 1-0 defeat.

The school’s soccer team is the

Head coach Adolfo Perez, who’s been with the program since its start in 2001, has kept the team consistent while being a part-time coach, as opposed to most successful teams having a full-time coach.

“It’s tough. I’ve been here 15 years and this was probably the

Brothers on and off the field

MITCH NODELMAN Reporter @MitchNodelman

Under the Saturday night lights at a Pierce College football game you may see the versatile and competitive Kanteman brothers making plays on both sides of the field.

The Simi Valley brothers, 21-year-old Trevor and 19-yearold Tanner, have been around the gridiron since the seventh grade and are now, finally, competing on the same Brahmas football team, but playing on different sides of the field.

“We were always around each other, but we were never on the same team,” Tanner said. “This is our first year playing together. We are blessed with the opportunity of playing on the same team.”

The brothers have a passionate competitiveness and tenacity that has head coach Jason Sabolic marveling about the presence they bring to the team.

“If my kids turn out to be like those kids, I would be a happy man,” Sabolic said. “Their passion is unparalleled. I don’t think there are very many kids on the team that would outwork either one of them.”

Trevor is a blocking and passcatching tight end on the offensive

side of the ball.

Tanner is a hard-hitting and punt-drilling linebacker who is also the punter for the defensive and special teams.

Trevor said that Tanner has always played both sides of the ball, and has used his speed and physicality to convert over to linebacker.

Tanner said his brother has always been more of an offensive-minded person; playing quarterback in high school and having it translate over to the tight end position.

ball on me - it stings a little, but I know it’ll come back and get him the next play,” Tanner said.

Despite the matchup and competitiveness, the brothers said they will always have each other’s undeniable support on and off the field.

“There is always competition in anything we do,” Tanner said. “We’re the only two brothers in our family. Whether it is pingpong or basketball there is always competition. Those matches mean a little bit more for bragging rights.”

The Brahmas played the Raiders twice in the regular season and tied both times, but the third time seemed to be the charm for Moorpark.

[For

“It definitely gets competitive,” Trevor said. “I don’t want him to beat me. I go as hard as I can against him compared to everybody else. I don’t want to go home knowing he beat me today.”

Tanner acknowledges that there is sibling rivalry that has brewed among the brothers. However, he is determined to not let his big brother beat him.

“If we go against each other and if he were to win, and catch a

“I love Tanner’s drive. Whenever he commits to something he goes 100 percent to it,” Trevor said. “I always feel like I’m lecturing him. I don’t want to. I just want him to be successful.”

“Our teammates have our back and everything, but brotherly bonds are a little more than that,” Tanner said.

Djauhari / Roundup

Tanner Kanteman (left) tackles his brother Trevor (right) on the grass field at Pierce College on Nov. 23

Joshua Duarte / Roundup

Makayla Nichols (19) forward goes for the ball during a playoff game against Moorpark College in The Pit at Pierce College on Nov. 24.

“If my kids turn out to be like those kids, I would be a happy man. Their passion is unparalleled.”

-Jason Sabolic Football head coach

STREET

What was the hardest class you’ve taken?

“The most difficult class Iʼve taken was choir, Iʼm more of a musician with instruments. Singing itself looks easy but itʼs not, you gotta practice, practice, practice.”

-Eric Morales, Undecided major

“The hardest class I took was astronomy because thereʼs so much information, so to study astronomy you have to learn all the terms and really understand more in depth to what itʼs about.”

-Sarah Lazear, Child Development major

“American Sign Language would be most difficult because itʼs very hard to learning a new language especially because youʼre using your hands .”

-Tori Maddis, ASL major

Catastrophes on campus: are we ready?

During the summer and early fall, when a string of recordsetting heat waves left temperatures in the triple-digits for days on end, Pierce students had few options to escape the extremes. Now, as the fall cold sets in, the worries about the heat waves are over and new concerns about the safety of students and infrastructure during the rapidly approaching El Nino should be well underway.

There is only a month left before El Nino hits the city, and if Pierce College is going to do anything to minimize injuries and massive damage it needs to be done now. The least the campus could do is to set up tarps on barren hillsides to prevent landslides and install lights in all of the parking lots and roads to increase visibility during downpours. Shuttle pickup and drop-off areas should be expanded campuswide, and the shuttle’s pick-up and drop-off schedule should be increased to accommodate all students stuck in the rain. Lastly, the campus could open the cafeteria as a safe zone for students to escape the elements.

According to the Los Angeles Times, when El Nino slammed into California in the winter of 1997 it caused landslides, flooding, more than $500 million in damage and at least 17 deaths statewide. Yet for more than 20,000 Pierce students, there is no shelter from the torrential downpours that are expected to be stronger this winter than in the catastrophic storms of 1997-98. By opening the cafeteria as a makeshift

shelter, the college could protect large numbers of students from injuries and illness caused by the wet and windy weather.

Though the rainfall can have a potentially beneficial effect on the pervasive drought that currently grips the state, the positive impact may be negated by the toll the drought has already taken. Hillsides near the faculty offices and Art Hill lack trees and plants with strong roots, which leaves those areas particularly vulnerable to landslides. If the flooding that has been predicted does occur, the dirt may not be able to sustain the pounding rain and could come tumbling down into roadways and buildings. Covering the hills with waterproof tarps could prevent thousands of dollars of damage. Most students who drive to

campus have no experience navigating the roads in such extreme conditions. The number of traffic accidents always rises during the rain, and there is no doubt such cases will see an increased spike during the massive storm forecasted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While students driving off campus are on their own, the college has a moral obligation to protect them when they are in the parking lots and roads on campus property. Setting up flood lights, like the portable ones used in the soccer fields, would help improve visibility for both drivers and pedestrians.

The shuttle which currently transports students to and from the top of the Art Hill could also be utilized to protect pedestrians on campus from

“Child Development is hard because I didnʼt know I needed to take the first one, I ended up taking the seventh one, itʼs a bit difficult to comprehend what my professor said but itʼs manageable.”

-Janella Granados, Child Development major

“Psychology would be the hardest because itʼs a lot of material to remember. The amount of material that needs to be memorized for the test, the study guide is like 6 pages front and back to remember...itʼs just so much material.”

-Katherine Hannah, Undecided major

“My hardest class would be sociology, the professor doesnʼt explain things well, thereʼs a lot of reading.”

-Brenda Romero, Business major

Volume 123, Issue 9

–CORRECTIONS–

Page 1: Bonnie Lavin-Hughes was incorrectly identified as a student. She is an adjunct professor of the dance department.

Volume 123, Issue 9

Page 1: The reporter, Kellan Bradley labled her last favorite dance as “Debutantes ball goes nuts.” She was actually describing “Ode to Sibling rivialry“ choreographed by professor Denise Gibson.

those drivers whose visibility is reduced by the weather, while also giving them a short respite from the pouring rain and howling wind. By adding stops around the entire campus and putting the shuttle on a non-stop schedule of pick-ups and drop-offs, it can cater to and protect any students who need to travel from one corner of Pierce to another. Such measures need to be enacted now in order to be ready for the storm, which NOAA predicts will be the state’s second strongest in 40 years. It is not too late to act, but every moment of inaction could mean potentially thousands of dollars in damage later, not to mention the human and liability costs of student injuries.

Petting zoo for peace at Pierce

Animals will always be loved. As a farm school, it seems strange Pierce College doesn’t have a petting zoo for all to enjoy.

During finals week, being able to de-stress with furry friends would boost morale on campus, especially if students aren’t so confident with their test taking abilities.

This petting zoo would be open during the week for students, and to the public on the weekends. There will be a fee to enter and that

money would be used for maintaining the well being of the animals. When not helping Pierce scholars, the animals would be kept on the farm.

Students and faculty would volunteer to keep an eye on zoo and should be offered course credits to their veterinary classes.

Danny’s Farm is a petting zoo located on the Cal Poly Pomona campus. It’s also equipped with a mobile petting zoo for private events and parties. With this example of an agricultural school that’s successful with

one, why shouldn’t Pierce College have a petting zoo?

Interacting with animals teaches valuable lessons to anybody willing to learn about the maintenance that goes into caring for our fourlegged friends.

Pierce could partner with local animal shelters to set up pet adoptions each month. This will help the shelters, by increasing the possibility of adoption and the community by being able to see would-be pets more often.

Imagine, having a rough day and you stumble upon

a petting zoo with Pierce volunteers handing out food so you can feed an almost too-friendly goat. Seeing the joy in the eyes of a goat is enough to lift even the most sunken of spirits.

Parents can take their children for pony rides. The riding would be supervised by professionals so nobody gets hurt. This will bring more people from the community back to Pierce College, to have fun and to find peace. Whether it be during the stress-fest of finals week or just passing through.

Quotes by Samantha Bravo | Photos by Richie Zamora

ʻTrans livesʼ rally held at Pierce

Demonstration attempts to raise awareness of issues facing transgender people of color

SCOTT PREWITT News Editor @s_prewitt

More than 20 people gathered with the Blatigenous Club of Pierce College at a “Trans Lives Matter” demonstration Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the free speech zone on the Mall.

Signs laid out on the ground read “Stop Trans Violence” and “Protect Trans Lives.” The event’s aim was to raise awareness of the issues that face transgender people of color and was timed to coincide with the nationwide Trans Awareness Week that ends Friday.

“We also brought to attention that over 20 trans women have been killed in 2015 alone, and it hasn’t even been the end of the year yet,” said Rene Paredes, a Blatigenous Club member and a co-organizer of the demonstration.

Dan Maldonado is a Blatigenous Club member and co-organizer of the event, and identifies as genderqueer. Maldonado said statistics show transgender people have a life expectancy that is much lower than those outside the trans community.

“The average lifetime that a trans woman can aspire to is 35 years,” Maldonado said.

Another co-organizer, Rajah Jones, said that statistic had a powerful impact on her.

“That’s scary because I’m 35 now, and a trans woman of color,” Jones said.

The Blatigenous Club represents black, latino and Native American students at Pierce. Interested students should contact James McKeever, the group’s adviser and chair of the History, Philosophy and Sociology Departments.

Petition seeks to grant a room to LGBT students

MOHAMMAD DJAUHARI Reporter @17thletter

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students face a set of challenges that their peers outside the LGBTQ community do not, which has prompted one club to advocate for a club room for the group.

petition has been pretty smooth,” said Aba’noub Awad, president of OSTEM. “Once you lay out the proposal and all the particular points [the petition is for], that hard part is getting it to administration and to prove that there is a need for this.”

Awad independently made the decision to draft the petition advocating the need for the building. So far, the club has acquired more than 120 signatures according to Awad.

have had higher rates of experiencing harassment, according to a survey conducted by the Association of American Universities, which focused on campus assault among college students this year.

That statistic strengthens OSTEM’s petition to create a new building dedicated to the LGBTQ community of Pierce.

“A building would represent a welcome [to the LGBTQ community],” said Donna Robles, secretary of OSTEM. “You’re saying that here at Pierce, we welcome everyone other than giving us a little room. People will take notice.”

Awad has reached out to the Associated Students Organization (ASO) for assistance with the petition, but there was some concern with what Awad and OSTEM was asking for.

“When he came in and talked about it, we weren’t really sure what he was asking for,” said Vice President of the ASO Barbara Lombrano. “There were questions and concerns from some senators who felt why the group needed a special place for like counseling, when there’s a place for counseling and a health center already.”

The club’s need for the building, along with two mental health professionals that are “LGBTQ specialists” as well as other requests, are detailed within the petition written by Awad.

“It’s a space where we can run our own programs, have some form of literature to circulate around campus and above that, we’re looking at the mental health pamphlets [currently provided at the health center],” said Awad. “LGBTQ is not considered a part of that and the center would provide those benefits.”

Nov. 14 - Nov. 30

11/30—Possible Gas Leak

The Los Angeles Fire Department was notified of a strong smell of natural gas at about 9 p.m. Monday. The LAFD determined there was no danger to students or staff.

See News Brief below for more information.

11/30—Student Incident

At about 9 p.m. in VLGE 8400, an ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend caused a disturbance during class.

11/24—Student Incident

A faculty member had a dispute with a student in CFS 92049 over the student’s suspension. The dispute occurred between 1:15 and 3:30 p.m. and was reported to the campus Sheriff’s Station at about 5 p.m.

11/20—Suspicious Person

An unknown white male entered the PAB practice room “acting strange” at about 4 p.m., then left shortly after being asked to.

11/18—Bike Theft

At about 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Station received a report that a student’s bike and bike lock had been stolen from near the 1500 building. The bike was described as a Schwinn Cruiser. There are no known suspects or witnesses.

11/18—Bike Theft

Prior to the above incident, another bike was reported stolen earlier on Wednesday at about 1:15 p.m. Described as a mountain bike, the theft occurred near the 1400 building. There are no known suspects or witnesses.

11/17—Traffic Incident

At about 4 p.m. Tuesday, a car parked in an unspecified lot was hit by an unknown car. No injuries were reported.

11/17—Student Incident

The OSTEM club, which is an academic group that caters to women, LGBTQ and minorities in the fields of STEM (Science, technology, engineering, mathematics) majors, is spearheading a student petition to create a building dedicated for the LGBTQ community of Pierce College.

“Acquiring signatures for this

“All this center would provide is this idea of security,” said Awad. “Something tangible and localized on campus because all we have here on campus are social groups for the LGBTQ community, but we don’t have any administrative or professional groups catering to that community.”

Students who identify as LGBTQ

Officials praise campus safety

Pierce president’s advisory committee announces security improvements and setbacks, milestones in construction and fiber optics upgrade progress

ETHAN ROMAN Reporter

@ethan_romanoff

Campus safety updates, including the appointment of a new night shift deputy, were announced at Thursday’s Pierce College Council meeting.

Vice President of Administration Services Rolf Schleicher delivered the campus safety report on behalf of L.A. Sheriff’s Department Deputy Al Guerrero, head of the Pierce College Sheriff’s Station. Schleicher said for the most part, the campus’ safety record has improved consistently.

“In 2015, we’re a little bit lower than the previous year. That can be for a number of reasons,” Schleicher said. “We like to encourage students and faculty members in general not to leave so many things in their cars.”

Deputy Guerrero introduced the newly appointed night shift deputy, Devonte Brown. Guerrero said the arrest made on Friday,

Nov. 12 was “not a danger to the campus.” Guerrero elaborated on the arrest in his address to the PCC about campus safety.

“That’s a concern all the time, a crime that starts off campus and comes to us,” Guerrero said. “Still, the crime rate is down overall, but we do have a few missing phones. Please do not leave your phones plugged into walls unattended, that seems to be a genuine issue.”

Pierce Projects Manager Ed Cadena addressed the North of Mall construction project, and said there has been a lot of progress. He said the campuswide fiber optics project that will bring Pierce’s technology into the 21st century.

“The campuswide fiber project finally hit a substantial completion date on Oct. 31,” Cadena said.

“We can now say the project is essentially complete.”

He did not specify when students and faculty will results from the project.

Paul Nieman from the facilities advisory committee revealed plans to move the gate on the De Soto

Avenue entrance forward to make them more visible from the road, theoretically lowering the risk of rear-end collisions due to stopped cars in the driveway.

Wendy Bass from the Technology Committee said Pierce has officially run out of phone lines.

“We’re going to reclaim student-worker phone lines to give to faculty while we work on solutions,” Bass said.

A budget bump for horticulture was unanimously approved to help buy necessary supplies such as chainsaws, water pipes and other gardening essentials to coincide with a newly added floristry class.

A motion to approve a task force to move forward with plans to design drought tolerant landscapes was also unanimously approved.

“We were tasked with reducing water consumption North of Mall by 25 percent, which may be difficult because we haven’t really been watering there,” said Nieman.

The next PCC meeting will take place on Dec 17.

Senate fails to oust former president

ARYANNA DUNN Reporter

The question of what should happen after an Academic Senate president’s term ends was debated extensively during the senate’s meeting on Monday, Nov. 23.

Currently, past presidents may remain as officers of the senate executive committee and maintain voting privileges in senate matters.

Robert Martinez, professor of Mathematics and co-chair of the Student Success Committee, supports the current system and

brought the topic forward for discussion.

“The past President served forever and then there was a proposal by the Senate Executive Committee just to have it be one year serving as a transition,” Martinez said.

“The new leadership could make mistakes. The past President is there to share historical perspective, and have an active role in the committee. They should be allowed to volunteer and vote after one year.”

Distance Education Coordinator Wendy Bass agreed that past presidents should be allowed to remain on the Executive Committee but said they should not have votes.

“It’s best if past Presidents join as non-voting members,” Bass said. “However they could be a support

for the committee, and a helpful resource to go to. It would be good to have them.”

Lyn Clark, chair of the Computer Applications and Office Technologies Department, said it is inappropriate to revoke membership and voting privileges from former presidents.

“Assuming we are all professionals, we can’t just remove someone from the committee,” Clark said. “Just because they lost the election or are no longer in that position doesn’t mean they can’t volunteer for the committee, and should have just as much say.”

At the end of the debate on the matter, the majority of the faculty voted to allow former presidents to retain voting rights.

Lombrano has stated that Awad has been put on the ASO meeting agenda but is unsure whether it will happen during the next meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

“The goal is to a have a localized meeting ground for and some funding to help cater effectively and efficiently to the LGBTQ community,” said Awad. “What we have now is not efficient.”

11/19—Traffic Incident

At 8 p.m., a security officer confiscated a staff gate card from a student who was misusing it at the Parking Lot 1 gate arm.

It is unknown how the student obtained the pass, which is meant only for Pierce college staff.

News briefs

A disturbance was reported at the bookstore at about 2 p.m. and was described as a dispute between a faculty member and a student over a test.

Natural gas odor reported at Pierce, LAFD gives all-clear

The Los Angeles Fire Department was called to investigate a strong gas odor at Pierce College Monday night. The odor was reported at about 9 p.m., and according to Deputy Al Guerrero of the Pierce College Sheriff’s Department it was noticeable across campus.

The LAFD arrived and verified the smell posed no danger to anyone on campus.

Brian Humphrey of the LAFD’s public information office said “sophisticated sensors” were used by responders and found the levels of gas in the air to be insignificant. Humphrey said the source of the odor is

unknown but that the Southern California Gas Company was performing maintenance in Woodland Hills.

“There were a handful of odor investigation calls in the greater Woodland Hills area,” Humphrey said. “But none of our sensors indicated any accumulation of gas.”

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Majority of Academic Senate votes against revoking voting rights of former Senate leaders who continue to sit on the board

Scott Prewitt / Roundup

Firefighters remove protective gear and leave Pierce after investigating a gas odor on Monday, Nov. 30.

Gustavo Sanchez / Roundup

Abaʼnoub Awad discusses a petition he authored with the OSTEM Club to assign a safe room for students in the LGBTQ community.

-Reporting by: Scott Prewitt

ARtDUSTRIAL DESign

The order and stuffiness of a traditional classroom setting are far from what can be found on the creative haven known as the Art Hill. The whirring of the pneumatic drill fills the air as mallets hitting chisels cause wood chips and chunks of alabaster to fly around. It smells of spray paint, sawdust and clay as students from the neighboring ceramics and sculpture classes shuffle about with their projects in hand. The view of the Valley from the Art Hill serves as inspiration for students choosing to work outdoors. Some even incorporate the nature that surrounds them into their art by using found objects. Wet clay builds up on the fingers of students working on the wheel as they reference their sketches and watch their ideas come to fruition before their very eyes. Some students crowd the warm kiln, ready to solidify their hard work with fire. There is an air of camaraderie and helpfulness among the students from both classes. Though most of the projects require almost meditative solo work, fellow students seem eager to help one another out and offer artistic support and advice

Story by: Skylar Lester

1. Don Nguyen, a business administration major, spray paints his abstract sculpture for his class on Nov. 4, 2015. Students use a variety of materials ranging from wood, alabaster, wire and clay for their projects. Photo by: Richie Zamora

2. A sculpture of a nude female figure made by a 14-year-old ceramics student sits on a shelf in the kiln room. Photo by: Skylar Lester

3. The intense flames given off by the kiln are visible when instructor Melody Cooper turns it on for her ceramics class. Photo by: Richie Zamora.

4. Sculpture student Gemma Jimenez uses a mallet and chisel to chip wooden pieces off of her half fish half human wood sculpture.

Photo by: Skylar Lester

5. Art major Siavash Monjezi works on the pottery wheel along with other students in the ceramics class on Nov. 4, 2015. Some students use standard hand sculpting methods while others prefer working on an electrically powered wheel.

Photo by: Skylar Lester

6. Denisse Hernandez works on the bottom of her piece while Sarah Naqvi holds it for her in Melody Cooper’s Thursday evening ceramics class. Afterward the piece will be sent to the kiln for firing. Photo by: Richie Zamora

7. Education major Jefferson Vickers works outside with barbed wire that he collected for his sculpture project which focuses on the lifecycle of a relationship. Many students in the sculpture class incorporate found materials into their projects. Photo by: Skylar Lester

8. Student Morgan Goodwin smiles as she works on her clay skull project in her ceramics class on Nov. 5, 2015. The skull is made purely of clay and the sutures were carefully added by hand to add to the illusion of bone.

Photo by: Richie Zamora

ʻThat girl with the dreadlocksʼ

This student is staying close to her heritage through her music and her hair

the one that mostly passed down the music genes. I’m basically doing what she did and carrying it on. When I was ten she gave me the chance to sing with her on stage.”

According to Murray, Reggae music is a huge part of Rastafarian culture. Her mother and father are more involved in the Rastafarian religion than she is because it was not forced on her.

Music gently floats through the Village as a crowd gathers around the source. Every Monday and Wednesday after class she plays her guitar.

Satta Murray, a theater major at Pierce, recently moved from Rocklin, a small suburban town an hour away from the Bay Area, and welcomes the liveliness of Los Angeles County.

“Everyone knows me for having a lot of friends because I can get along with anyone. I’ve been all over campus and I’m just like ‘People, come to me,’” Murray said. “When people see me with my guitar, they come up to me and tell me about shows and open-mics.”

Murray’s inviting personality has allowed her to quickly make friends in new surroundings.

“Satta is a very open minded person,” her friend Gio Collins, a theater major at Pierce College said. “She has a beautiful spirit. Something about her makes you feel comfortable with expressing yourself.”

Murray grew up in a “boring” town “in the middle of nowhere.”

“There was nothing going on where I came from. It’s like a Napoleon Dynamite town,” Murray said. “If you’re someone like me who wants to get out there and do crazy stuff and see shows, become

a musician or an actor, that was not the place to be. I moved out here to get out of there and start my life.”

Murray’s parents, who are both

musicians and Rastafarians, filled their home with music, particularly reggae music. Her mother was a reggae singer but has not performed

much since she began teaching ten years ago.

“I have a very music oriented family,” Murray said. “My mom is

“I represent what I am as a Rasta with the colors: red, gold, and green, the dreads, and the reggae music,” Murray said. “Later on, I want to be more dedicated to it and learn more about it. So I know more about the religion and what it is about.”

As a part of her culture, Murray has had dreadlocks for 15 years, since she was three. Dreadlocks run in the family, she said. Her mother has dreadlocks that reach down to the floor that she twists and puts them in a head wrap. People are very curious about her dreadlocks, she said. They will ask her if it’s real and they ask her how she maintains it.

“People ask me questions everyday about my hair and I don’t get impatient about it. I’m used it. My hair is natural and curly. I love it because it’s me,” Murray said.

“Everyone knows me for my hair.

‘That girl with the dreads.’ That’s all you hear. That light-skinned girl with the dreads. They are special to me and I don’t think I’m going to get rid of them. I’ll be the old lady with dreadlocks.”

When Murray was younger she would attend her mother’s show and watch from the crowd as her mother performed on stage.

“My mom is a great performer and think that’s what mainly made me want to do the same thing,”

Murray said.

Murray was also inspired

by the Nickelodeon show, “The Naked Brother’s Band.” This show influenced her to pursue music, particularly bass guitar, as well as acting.

“I was so obsessed with it,” Murray said. “I saw the girl playing bass and I thought it was so badass. It’s one girl in a band full of guys. I wanted so bad to be on that show. Ever since I was ten I would look up “how to be an actor.” That’s all I cared about.”

Ever since Murray was just 8 years old it was always one of her biggest dreams to move Los Angeles. She has always had a passion for acting, singing, writing, dancing and playing guitar. She has always just wanted to be an entertainer.

“Everyone in my family knows me for being the comedian, the weird one, and always performing for people and acting crazy just to get reactions out of my family,” Murray said. “Everyone has always said I should get into acting.”

Since arriving here, Murray has registered with Central Casting Agency to appear as an extra on television and movies. She has so far gotten a couple acting jobs on various television shows filmed in the area. She recently got two actings jobs with this agency. She filmed for the television show Major Crimes for ten minutes and received $72 in compensation. Her second job was filming for NCIS at Six Flags.

“I’m just trying to be these acting jobs,” Murray said. “I am so determined. I finish one and I’m like ‘Great! I got to go on to the next one! I got to keep getting more!’”

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

Child prodigy chooses to continue education at Pierce Student progresses quickly through K-12 education and works toward her associate degree

While most other kids her age are in the 10th grade and looking forward to two more years in high school, 15-year-old Lotta Mushkatblat is enrolled as a full-time student at Pierce College and working towards her associates degree.

From an early age, Mushkatblat knew she was different from the other kids. While attending grade school in Montessori Elementary, Mushkatblat did not feel like an average student.

Mushkatblat grew up in a Russian home with educated parents. Her mother has a master’s in engineering and her father has his bachelor’s in computer programming. Both of her parents were immigrants so Russian was her primary language but she learned English growing up.

She went on to attend middle school in Sosos, but she found herself bored and unchallenged by the curriculum. This also negatively affected her social life.

these courses. By the time she was 12, she finished high school English and by 13 she had finished algebra requirements. She completed many high school requirements before she came to be of high school age.

Although she progressed quickly, she ran into some obstacles with the Early Entrance Program (EEP). This program was intended to get talented kids, ages 11-16, into college early.

“When I was 13 I took the AP history exam. Then I applied to EEP at 14 and got into a summer trial, but it wasn’t the right fit for me and apparently they thought so too because I didn’t get in. It felt too much like high school,” Mushkatblat said.

Her brother started college when he was 14 and she tried following in his footsteps. Her motivation was driven by her competitive relationship with her brother. She also notes that had her parents not been too strict, she would not be where she is now.

“I’m supposed to be in 10th grade right now. It’s more than ‘I have a strong work ethic.’ Pushy parents help,” she said.

At 13, Lotta started to take college courses and began to explore her options.

“I spent the last two years seeing where I wanted to go. I took astronomy and geology. I got bored out of my mind.”

Her natural talent and inclination towards physics led her to declare herself a physics major.

out to be teaching someone so young.”

Adjunct Instructor of English Allison MacLeod, was not aware that there was a 14-year-old in her English 101 class.

“She was poised beyond her age so the whole class was surprised that she was only 14 years old,” MacLeod said. “When I found out how old she was, I thought a lot of things started to make sense to me about Lotta because she had the sophistication of somebody who is far older than she is but also the intelligence, the poise, and the writing and critical thinking skills, but there was still a part of her that was 14. She had this great sophistication but also this naivete about her.”

Beside academia, she has many interests in the arts. From gymnastics to ballet and even piano, she continues to perform in all different kinds of physical and musical art forms. Her true wish, she said, is to become an opera singer.

When she becomes overwhelmed, she said that doing any physical exercise or activity helps keep her sanity.

“I was clinically depressed and I didn’t fit in. I was bullied and the teachers didn’t like me,” Mushkatblat said.

This led to her switching from a public middle school to homeschooling.

Her homeschooling was done through the EPGY (Education Program for Gifted Youth) offered by Stanford University and Brimcom University. Her parents had her focus on supplemental English and mathematics because standardized courses were not challenging enough for her.

She progressed quickly through

“She was a great student and always involved which is actually a tough thing,” Dale Fields, chairman of the physics department, said.

Her plan is to finish her general education requirements in two years and transfer to the University of California, Berkeley. She said that she is content in a college atmosphere and that she has befriended some fellow students. She mentions that the professors have had mixed feelings about her.

“I feel natural. I like the world of academia. My best friend, I met her at Pierce. I’ve had good reactions and not so good ones. Most professors don’t treat me differently,” Mushkatblat said. “And then I’ve had teachers that treat me not so well. They got weirded

“Exercise, specifically dance, gives me a creative and physical outlet. I tend to go insane when I’m not actively training. When I’m overwhelmed I tend to go into a state of hyper rationalism, almost like color coding my life,” Mushkatblat said. “I make tons of plans and research as a coping mechanism for facing uncomfortable variables. Probably not the healthiest way, but it works for me. Knowledge keeps me calm. I like knowing what will happen.”

Mushkatblat wants to obtain a high school diploma to attend graduate school for her Ph.D in physics.

“If the opera thing works out, I still want my Ph.D. It’s been my goal for as long as I can remember.”

Though Mushkatblat is the youngest student she has ever had, MacLeod thinks that her presence adds to the diversity commonly found in community colleges.

“Here at a community college, we have all cultures, we have all ages and I think that adds to the richness of it,” MacLeod said. “I’ve really enjoyed having her in my class. I think she added a great point of view.”

Club Calendar

Wednesday, Dec. 2

Monday,

MARITZA SERRANO Reporter @MSerranoRU

Christopher Mulrooney/ Roundup

Lotta Mushkatblat, a 15 year old student attending Pierce College, shows off some of her artwork at her home in Studio City, Calif. on Oct. 31.

“Knowledge keeps me calm. I like knowing what will happen.”

-Lotta Mushkatblat Student

Majid Yazdekhasti/ Roundup

Satta Murray, theater major at Pierce College jumps while playing her guitar at the Performing Arts Center on Nov. 14

KELLAN BRADLEY Reporter @kellanroundup and VANESSA ARREDONDO Features Editor @v_anana

Kaelan Hicks, (10), sophomore guard for the Pierce College Brahmas

Ball is life

FRANK ALMAREZ Reporter @FrankAlmarez

Hard work really does pay off for 20-yearold basketball player Kaelan Hicks. Hicks did not officially play basketball until his freshman year in high school, and has worked his way up to grabbing attention from universities across the nation.

Hicks started playing basketball in Oak Park High school where he started on the freshman team and played in varsity in his last two years. No offers were sent towards Hicks after high school, so he

poses for a picture as he awaits basketball practice in the South Gym of Pierce College on Nov. 25

nity for me,” Hicks said.

Hicks started out as a defensive specialist in the forward position throughout his high school years, and has expanded his game to be more offensive oriented in the guard position.

“Offensively I improved a lot,” Hicks said. Ball handling and shooting definitely improved, and my offensive awareness improved a lot.”

played in the Amateur Athletic Union with his high school coach Charles White.

“After my senior year, he decided to have me come on over,” Hicks said.

Hicks came over to Pierce College along with coach White, and felt his game has improved with the help of the coaching staff.

“I feel like I’ve gotten better throughout the years at Pierce,” Hicks said. “They developed my skills, my game, and I’ve gotten stronger.”

Hicks is majoring in communication and also feels the benefits of Pierce in an academic standpoint as well.

“I feel like it’s a great opportu-

Hicks has an older brother that is currently playing for the NBA D-league team Fort Wayne Mad Ants in Indiana, and feels he also has a chance to play basketball professionally.

“Definitely that option is not out of the way,” Hicks said.

Improving oneself in their skills is always something basketball players strive for every day, but for Hicks, winning is the main priority.

“Help the team win games, that’s ultimately the main goal,” Hicks said.

Close friend and teammate Kenny Stenhouse appreciate what Hicks brings to the team.

“He’s a great leader and plays

hard all the time,” Stenhouse said. “He keeps our head right and me, I’m not the calmest person, but he’s always talking to me and calming me down.”

Hicks is being looked at by universities such as University of Great Falls and Biola University, and coach White believes he deserves the recognition.

“He works hard,” White said. “He’s a good student, and you gotta be a student athlete, which he is. He’s one of those kind of kids.”

Pierce basketball head coach Ed Babayan also believes Hicks deserves what he is getting, and believes he is a true leader.

“We’re just trying to narrow down which schools are the right fit for him,” Babayan said. “We appreciate everything he brings to the table for the last two years.”

This year’s basketball team is not the biggest with the tallest player being 6’7, but the team feels they can go far with their heart.

“That’s what we’re banking everything we do on, is our heart,” Babayan said.

Brahma Week of the

Volleyball

Chelsea Lawrence was put on the 2015 All-State/ Region Women’s Volleyball Team and recorded 11 kills against the Spartans in round two of the playoffs.

How would you evaluate your play this week?

“I think i played okay, could have played better though, I was consistent but i can hit the ball a lot harder, I just have to be more aggressive.”

What will you focus on in your next game?

‘Definitely work on putting more balls away and getting more stuffed blocks. Also being a good teammate all around energywise.’

What is the team’s focus going into tomorrow’s game?

‘Dominating. I don’t want them to get any points, at least not letting them get any tips or any easy points, we just have to take care of business.”

How does it feel to be named on the 2015 All-State Region Women’s Volleyball Team?

“It’s cool, I’m a pretty chill person so it’s really cool.”

Menʼs Basketball

Antelope Valley Tournament

Friday, Dec. 4 vs Antelope Valley 7 p.m.

Riverside Turnament

Tuesday, Dec. 8 vs Pasadena 1 p.m.

What have you seen yourself improve on throughout the season.

“Mentally, I’ve become a lot stronger and I can help my teammates. When I’m having a hard time I can focus on my teammates instead of myself and seeing them happy makes me happy and that helps me grow.”

Do you have any pre-game ritual?

“I ice before every game and if I don’t ice I kind of freak out. I also have to take my vitamins and inhaler at a certain time.”

State Finals (if necessary)

Saturday, Dec. 5 to Sunday, Dec. 6 College of the Canyons, TBA

Womenʼs Basketball

“Their

Cuesta Tournament

Thursday, Dec. 3 to Saturday, Dec. 5, time TBA

For photos and stories from last week’s games visit theround up news.com

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup Trevor (left) and Tanner (right) stand together on and off the field on Nov. 23, at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Richie Zamora / Roundup

in Woodland Hills, Calif.

The pro’s are his destination and he’s on his way

Chelsea Lawrence - MB/OPP

Photo by Luis Ayala Quotes gathered by Sal Fariaz

The Kanteman’s competitive spirit not only brings a tenacity to the team, but it also translates on the field as both brothers have had highly productive seasons together as starters. Trevor racked up 280 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Tanner finished second on the team in tackles with 65, two sacks and one interception.

tenacity and work ethic is at the top,” Sabolic said. “They’re constant professionals. I see bright futures for them. I know they will be successful in life beyond football.”

The brothers wish nothing but the

best for each other whether or not it involves football.

“I always want to play just as good as him, he always wants to play just as good as me,” Tanner said. Whether it’s throwing, running, catching, tackling, blocking and kicking, the Kanteman brothers can do it all.

[From

BROTHERS, pg. 1]

Womenʼs volleyball on course for state title

Brahmas take all three sets to beat Mira Costa College, set targets on next match against El Camino

LUIS AYALA Sports Editor @Luisayala2323

Behind a good defensive effort and an even stronger offensive game, the Pierce College Brahmas beat the Mira Costa Spartans in three sets and advanced to the third round of the regional playoffs.

The No.2 seeded Pierce College women’s volleyball team faced off against the No. 7 seeded Mira Costa College on Saturday night in the second round of the regional playoffs. The Brahmas won all three sets (25-21, 25-19, 27-25) but Mira Costa made it a closer game than the final score shows.

The Spartans started off the game strong and took the lead in the first set but the Brahmas quickly reacted and turned the game around.

Freshman middle blocker Shanon Volpis thought the key to the team getting back into the game and winning that set was staying focused and playing together.

“We just had to snap back into it, gather ourselves together and remind each other to just go out there and play volleyball,” Volpis said.

Outside hitter Zaire Dartis thought the team was not as focused in the beginning of the first set but the team changed that.

“We just woke up, we started off slow but then started to read the team and we ended up getting the win,” Dartis said. In the second set the Brahmas took an early lead and started to play better defensively.

Head coach for the Brahmas, Nabil Mardini, thought the team did good on the defensive side of the ball.

“I thought we did a good job in the back row,” Mardini said. “Our blocking was off and on but for the most part we did a good job and we stuck to the plan and executed.”

tied the set at 12 and from there it was a back and forth battle as the two teams exchanged points with neither team being able to increase the lead.

Pierce College had a small lead late in the third set 21-16, and tried to increase the lead but the Spartans would not go down easily and managed to comeback and tie the game. Following a time-out by the Brahmas, with the game tied at 21 in the third set, the Brahmas went up by two after two quick points by opposite hitter and middle blocker Chelsea Lawrence stopping the run that the Spartans had going.

Lawrence liked the way the team finished the game and also liked the way the team played overall.

“Getting those two points in a row late in the game got us pumped,” Lawrence said. “We kept our energy high the whole game and did not get down on ourselves, it’s a mental game, we played smart and we have to continue to keep playing the way we know how to play.”

Mira Costa College tied the game late at 24 pushing the game longer as the winner must win by two or more points at the end of the set. The late run by the Spartans was not enough as the Brahmas only allowed one point after that and took the final set 27-25.

The Brahmas took an early lead in the third set, but this time the Spartans would respond with a run of its own. Mira Costa

Pierce College moves on to the third round of the playoffs as they host the No. 3 seed El Camino College on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.

Condors soar for the win Oxnard’s defense gave them the victory over Pierce

KE-ALANI SARMIENTO Reporter @kealaninews

Despite a resurgence in the second half, the Pierce College women’s basketball team wasn’t able to erase the point gap and fell to the Oxnard Condors at home.

The Brahmas women’s basketball team lost to Oxnard with a final score of 59-33.

Oxnard’s defense kept Pierce confined to a pure perimeter styled game.

The Brahmas swung the ball from sideline to sideline looking for an open player to take a shot.

This one-and-done style of play proved difficult for the Brahmas as they lost in the rebound battle 38-21.

“To be honest with you we didn’t really have a strategy,” shooting guard Ahtziry Ramirez said. “We had good passing, but I think we could have worked better

and shown a lot more if we were all mentally ready for the game.”

“I think we just need to work on communication and working together as a team,” point guard Vanessa Lara said. “We need to hustle. We need to work harder.”

Head coach James Couch stressed for his team to keep the ball moving throughout the game. They wanted a fluid game in order to find open players.

Pierce ended the first half with a buzzer-beating three point shot from sophomore guard Nichela’e Henderson.

The shot decreased the deficit to 11 with the score 26 to 15.

“This year, coach sat us down and had a good conversation telling us we need to share the ball,” center Nazia Raheem said.

“We were frustrated, coach was yelling, and there was a lot on our minds. It was also our first home game.”

“He wasn’t really quite happy about how we played because

he usually expects more from us,” Ramirez said. “Normally, we don’t play like this. We are normally on top of our game. Like our last game we won 14 points over. I didn’t expect us to lose this game.”

The Brahmas became stronger in its defensive schemes during the second half of the game.

“Definitely, I want to be a more aggressive defensive player,” Ramirez said. “Offensively, I just want to shoot better and drive one up to the basket and put one in.”

“I feel like we could have done way better, we could have beaten them,” Raheem said. “We could have run our plays fully. We could have took time and run the stop clock down instead of just taking shots or passing the ball.”

The team will travel to Cuesta College to play in the Cuesta Tournament from Dec. 3 through Dec. 5.

“We just had to snap back into it, gather ourselves together and remind each other to just go out there and play volleyball.”

- Shanon Volpis Middle Blocker

Joshua Duarte / Roundup

Rachel Lods (9) and Leanna Schott (13) go up to block the ball during a second round playoff game against Mira Costa College at the south gym at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Nov. 28.

Sal Fariaz / Roundup

Nazia Raheem dribbles the ball down court during a game against Oxnard on Nov 30 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.