Volume 123 Fall 2015 Roundup Issue 9

Dance, dance Review of the fall dance production

KELLAN BRADLEY Reporter

@KellanRoundup

The Pierce College Performing Arts department got into the holiday spirit a little early with their annual fall concert cleverly titled “Dance Wrapped with a Bow.” Act one started with a tribute to the men and women fighting for our country today called “Across the Desert Skies.” The piece started with a passage of the book “Stuck in this Sandbox” read by Leah Foster.

The reading was followed by a choreographed dance by Jenny Quezada Ghiglia. Dancers Joshua and Amanda did an amazing job dancing to an arrangement of the “Little Drummer Boy.”

Another one of my favorites from act one was the piece titled “Dance Never Dies.” Students Jordyn Koyamatsu, Bonnie LavinHughes, Kiana Soriano, and Fanny Valdez choreographed this piece. The dance focus on the “Day of the Dead,” which is a Hispanic holiday that celebrates Hispanic ancestry.

The holiday also celebrates death and laughing in the face of the grim reaper as opposed to fearing death or denying it. The dancers did a great job of honoring the Day of the Dead and conveying

#PierceNews Snapchat

what it is truly about in this fabulous dance. After the intermission the concert got off to a great start with a contemporary dance choreographed by Anthony Powell. A very emotional and moving performance that began the second act of the show. One thing that stood out to me during this performance was the jumps. I just couldn’t keep my eyes of the dancers who looked like little angels sent from heaven.

One of my favorite dances of the entire concert was the dance titled “Santa might be delayed” in which there was a very special appearance by Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

A fantastically choreographed piece by Bonnie Lavin-Hughes and Drew Stern.

Stern did an amazing job of embodying a modern day pop-locking Santa Claus. Mrs. Claus played by Gloria Eghbali did a great job of keeping up with Mr. Claus and also getting him back on track to deliver those gifts.

My last favorite of the night had to be a dance titled “Debutantes’ Ball Goes Nuts” choreographed by Kindra Windish and reconstructed by Bonnie Lavin-Hughes. The dance started with two girls who both receive gifts.

One girl receives a ball and the other receives what seemed to be a fabulous red scarf.

Food for thought

Different cultures, different Thanksgiving

KE-ALANI SARMIENTO Reporter @KeAlaniNews

Turkey is the famous dish cooked every year by families across the United States for Thanksgiving, but what other foods do cultures bring on this holiday?

Mashed potatoes, stuffing, ham, macaroni and cheese and pumpkin pie are sure to delight your stomach. Students share their culture on a plate when loved ones come together.

“My mom travels from Mexico every year and cooks us these amazing tamales,” said Daniel Ortiz, student at Pierce College. “Everything’s from scratch, you can’t find them anywhere here. Last year my dad made cactus stir fry. We eat pie, but we also have Mexican hot chocolate and eat ‘Metcha.’ It’s a dessert.”

Not all families celebrate with the same traditional American dishes.

“We don’t really have American food,” said Athenna Mapile. “My whole family is from the Philippines. We cook adobo, pinakbet, pancit, rice and lumpia.

My all-time favorite is menudo and I think the longest to make is lechon. It’s a roasted pig.”

Parts of Middle Eastern heritage have sauces and wraps that bring new flavor to old-time favorites.

“We eat a lot of food like turkey and mashed potatoes,” Helen Habtay said. “We eat a lot of Eritrean food and we put Tsebhi on everything. It’s a sauce.”

“My mom makes Warag da

wale(dolma), also known as mensef or kanifa,” Reem Haddad said. “Rice and meat are wrapped inside grape leaves. Palestinians put bread on the bottom.”

Gianna Renelle comes from Italian descent and said she has a family with many traditions.

“My family is huge on lasagna and wine,” Renelle said. “I help with making fettuccini alfredo since it’s easy. My Aunt makes the best gnocchi. She comes from the east coast where most of my family lives. It’s never a family party if everyone isn’t drunk off of wine.”

Some people eat Panda Express, but you’ve never had Chinese food like with David Chang’s family.

“My family doesn’t eat turkey,” Chang said. “We eat Szechuan chicken and duck. We have chow mein and fried rice all the time so it’s normal for me. As for desserts, we have sticky rice and apple pie.”

“Sometimes we have Obgusht,” Kacey Bina said. “It’s a Persian dish. It’s a soup made with garbanzo bean meatballs, broth and for Thanksgiving we put cinnamon. There’s dried lemon and chicken quarters.”

“We do homemade sweet potato pies with marshmallows on top and candied yams,” Kerry Williams said. “We make gumbo with crab, chicken, shrimp, sausage and celery. You take the celery, flour and seasoning to make the rue.”

Thanksgiving is celebrated in so many ways with many cultures that have their own special dishes. With families and loved ones across different heritages, traditions cross over to America.

Adding to Pierce’s deaf culture

Deaf professor joins the American Sign Language/Interpreting program

When it came to teaching, all signs pointed to yes for Stephanie Durand and her energy can be felt in the classroom.

“You know in high school, in English class they ask you to write a journal, right? They always said, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ And I always wrote teacher, always,” Durand said while signing.

This semester Durand became a full-time American Sign Language

Are you on Snapchat? Follow the Roundup for behind the scenes stories, live look-in’s for sports and story previews.

Book and Toy Drive

Now through Dec. 3, the Child Care Resource Center is holding a Holiday Book and Toy Drive in the Child Development classrooms and the ASO lounge. The drive will accept new books and toys for children ages 0-13 and will be distributed locally. Funds can be raised on your own by creating a page at ccrcca.org and a tax deductible donation can be made. For more information contact the Child Development Club: cdclubpiercecollege@gmail. com.

Winter Play Production

The Pierce College Theater department will be showing a preview of “The Royal Family,” a comedy that follows a family of stars as their dramatic lives unfold. The play opens Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. on the Pierce Performing Arts Mainstage in the Performing Arts Building on the Art Hill.

The play is set to continue through Dec. 13 with shows at different times. More information and tickets can be found online at http:// www.brownpapertickets. com.

Persian Club event

The Pierce College Persian club is hosting the PersianAmerican networking development night in the Great Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. This event will feature live musical performances and poetry readings.

MLA Workshop

[ASL] professor at Pierce. She joined the ASL/Interpreter Education Program as an adjunct professor in the Fall of 2014. Durand who was born deaf, brings something unique to the classroom.

[See SIGNS, pg. 6]

The Pierce College Library will host a Student Success workshop on Wednesday, Nov 18 from 1 to 2 p.m. in library classroom 5212.

The workshop will assist students in learning shortcuts with research, citation style and gudielines, in-text and works cited.

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

Stephanie Durand signs for a portrait in a classroom in the Village at Pierce College on Nov. 17.

Joshua Duarte / Roundup

A member of the Pierce College Dance Department performs “Te Mana Ori” (Tahitian Ote’a) to “Ote’a Tane” during the dance recital at the Performing Arts Building Main stage theater in Pierce College.

KRISTINA VILLAMIL Reporter @KrisVillamil

STREET

Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

“Cyber Monday is more convenient because it is more accessible. But, I think Black Friday is cooler because of the experience. You actually have to go out and get in cat fights.”

-Krystal Alvarado, Speech pathology major

“Black Friday because it provides more economic dispersal. Black Friday can be considered a holiday.”

-Alexander Kim, Pre-med major

Shorter Thanksgiving breaks cut into family time

“Cyber Monday because it is a lot more convenient for peopleʼs schedules because itʼs all on the internet. You can order before, and sometimes after, because the deals last longer online sometimes.”

-Matthew Quevedo,

“Cyber Monday because you are safe at home and you wonʼt get hurt from the rush into the store.”

-Jonathan Olivas, Undecided major

science major

As the leaves and weather begin to change on campus, the spirit of Thanksgiving fills the air. Students who have been working hard throughout the semester look forward to a home cooked meal and the company of family and friends around the dinner table.

Pierce College gives students two school days off, Thanksgiving Day, Thursday Nov. 26 and the following day, Friday, Nov. 27 before the weekend. This four-day break is a wonderful time to celebrate and give thanks, that is if you are actually able to make it home in time for the holiday festivities.

According to TravelChannel. com, Thanksgiving is “undoubtedly the busiest travel time of the year with notorious transportation delays, traffic and travel snags.” With that in mind,

Pierce students should be given the day before Thanksgiving off to travel.

Pierce is a commuter school that supports students who come from far distances as well as a large international and out of state population. Having the day before Thanksgiving off would give them much needed travel time to ensure they make it home in time for the break. Students wouldn’t be the only ones to benefit from an extra day off. Pierce College faculty and staff would also appreciate an additional day to celebrate with their loved ones.

There is heavy traffic expected around Thanksgiving, especially in Los Angeles, which ranks as number three on TripAdvisor’s list of the top U.S. cities Americans will be traveling to for the holiday. In addition,

according to TripAdvisor’s annual Thanksgiving travel survey of more than 2,800 U.S. respondents, “40% of travelers plan to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, up 5% from last year.”

Plenty of students already skip class the day before Thanksgiving. Anticipating low attendance, many teachers will either cancel class or save important lecture material for after the break.

Hung Wong, a professor of engineering at the University of Southern California, told the Daily Trojan that he estimates, at most, 50 percent of his students will attend class on Wednesday.

“I don’t want to be lazy and not hold class … But attendance will not be required — it won’t be on any quizzes or homework assignments, so if they don’t show up, it’s as if it never happened,” Wong said.

If some students already plan to take the day off and teachers aren’t expecting a good turnout anyway, it would benefit all to be given the day before Thanksgiving off.

In 2009, the USC Undergraduate Student Government conducted a poll revealing that 93.2 percent of students want the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off. The Undergraduate Student Government Director of Academic Affairs who was in charge of the poll, Andrew Matson, agreed that the University should reevaluate its calendar. USC has since changed its calendar to include Wednesday off, much to the delight of its staff and student body. The Pierce College population would surely give thanks too if it was gifted an extra day off to travel before the turkey day celebration.

Pro/Con: Shopping on Black Friday

12-hour timespan.

“Cyber Monday because it is guaranteed if it is in stock. You donʼt have to fight for the last item in stock.”

-Chris Venegas, Undecided major

“Cyber Monday is more convenient because people nowadays can just go online and get it shipped immediately. We see on the news, people fighting and screaming at each other.”

-Ricardo Zabala, Mechanical engineering major

Volume 123, Issue 8

Page 6: Sara Harvey was incorrectly referred to as an assistant professor. She is actually the chairman for the department of Chemistry.

MITCH

A day after we are treated with delicious turkey and other tasty foods stuffed into our bellies we are again treated with another grand holiday event. Millions of Americans know this day as Black Friday, or as I like to call it: the best day ever.

Yes, I said it, the best day ever. There’s nothing more beautiful than crowded malls, impossible parking, excruciatingly long lines and the glorious sales. My goodness those sales!

It is the day people in the workforce dread. I was a part of that workforce and I must say, it was a long day. However, now I see the brilliance of the event. The sheer nirvana from a discounted purchase or “steal” was apparent in the eyes of the shoppers’ faces.

They were ecstatic at the rare opportunity to acquire a normally expensive materialistic item at a much cheaper price. Yet, people despise this day.

Black Friday gets a bad rep from the violence and death because of those crazy shoppers who will do anything to get into a local Walmart for a 56-inch flat-screen t.v. as quickly as possible.

If you clear the death, violence and crazy shoppers from the equation then Black Friday won’t seem so... Black.

The event is called “Black Friday” because traditionally retail stores

marked positive amounts of revenue in black ink and negative amounts in red ink, therefore this is the day where stores are in the black, thus, Black Friday.

With that being said, it is not the stores’ discounts that provoke such savagery amongst human beings. Rather it is the savages themselves who turn Black Friday into a dreaded event.

It is an event where you can indulge in materialistic items after months of hard-work.

Everyone needs to spoil themselves every once in awhile and this is a perfect time to do so. I don’t know anyone who does not like a good deal. Black Friday provides you with an opportunity to get your ‘wants’ at an extremely low price.

Last year, I bought a discounted Xbox One from Target for $320 and also received a free $50 Target gift card with my purchase. It was the one day I had to spoil myself after a year of working and attending school.

However, the day is not just about yourself as shoppers can be selfless and purchase various items for friends, family or loved ones. It could be buying a normally expensive gift for a cheaper price to show that you care.

Black Friday marks the beginning of the best time of the year, the holiday season. Many of the goods people purchase become Christmas presents.

For me what makes Black Friday the best day ever is not just the spoiling of myself and others but also the unity. It unites the family for another opportunity to spend time together, whether that it is using the recently purchased item together as family, or simply going out to watch a movie together.

VICTOR RODRIGUEZ vrodriguez.roundupnews@gmail.com @vrodriguez2100

Being ripped apart from my family at the tender time of 5:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, I was already not in a good mood heading into work.

Last year, stores opened as early as 6 p.m. showing a complete disregard for employees. Where’s their holiday break?

You hear reports on the news showing just how savage people can be, including but not limited to: stabbing, fighting, trampling, stun-gun fights and the most appalling, actual deaths. People have died from the primal greed that a good “deal” promises.

Imagine walking into your normal place of work and finding in its place a scene from “Beyond Thunderdome.” Your employer’s are more worried about surviving the sea of angry consumers who use money as a weapon (along with actual weapons) rather than actually turning a profit.

And to be clear: Black Friday deals actually aren’t that great. Sure, once in a blue moon you will find genuine savings, but a majority of the sales are actually the same promotions stores have all year-round.

People are fooled by the illusion of savings and are driven mad by low-quantity items, believing they are somehow more valuable because they aren’t in stock in that

Shoppers operate under the assumption that when they arrive to whichever store’s advertisement resonated with their needs, the store will have the exact items they need and the prices they want. But here’s the thing: life happens. There’s more demand than a single store could possibly supply. When customers don’t get the item they expected, it’s somehow the fault of the minimum wage store associates who take more abuse than should ever be asked of anyone.

Here’s a trade secret from someone who has worked in retail for too long: Online shopping is the way to go during the holidays. Almost all retailers have a significant online presence with the same promotions and even participate with online-only exclusives. Save yourself the literally life-threatening trip to the mall, and pay for shipping. That being said, most stores offer free shipping after a certain dollar amount is reached in a shopper’s’ cart.

A website will never deceive you, if an item isn’t in stock, or is sold out you’ll know immediately. Online shopping also allows you to search different stores all at once, even if in real life they’re miles away. Sure, you will have to wait a few days to get your packages, but at least you’ll be in one piece. Black Friday is the cardinal sin of greed brought to life. I’m not unsympathetic to people who don’t always have the funds to buy whatever they like. I understand this night presents a rare opportunity for people to have nice things, but please, remain humane.

Computer

Quotes by Garett Cecil | Photos by Edgar Amezcua

LAPD arrests driver of stolen car

A man drove onto campus in a stolen car when police attempted to pull him over, and surrendered to officers in Parking Lot 1

Incident Report

11/13—LAPD Arrest

The Los Angeles Police Department followed the suspected driver of a stolen vehicle onto the Avenue of Champions at Pierce College on Friday.

The man was arrested at about 12:30 p.m., and a female passenger was taken away by ambulance.

11/12—Traffic Dispute

The Sheriff’s Department received a report of an argument between two students over a parking space in Parking Lot 7 at about 9:15 a.m. Thursday. Later, a traffic collision was reported in the same parking space.

Aman was arrested at gunpoint at Pierce College on Friday by the Los Angeles Police Department after the white Honda Accord he was driving was flagged as stolen. The man and a female passenger were driving the vehicle south on Winnetka Avenue when an LAPD squad car ordered them to pull over. The driver pulled into the campus on Brahma Drive, turned onto Avenue of Champions

and stopped the car in front of the Sheriff’s Station. The car’s occupants complied when ordered out of the vehicle by officers with weapons drawn. The man was arrested, and the woman was transported to the hospital in unknown condition.

“Earlier in the day a couple of our officers did some random hotel checks because it’s common to find stolen property and stolen cars in some of these hotel lots,” said John Matassa, a sergeant with the LAPD. “They saw this vehicle behind us and it didn’t have a license plate, so they checked the VIN number, they ran it and it came up stolen.”

When the vehicle came up in

the system as stolen, the officers waited for the driver to return to the car. They then followed him from the Rodeway Inn hotel on Winnetka Avenue and Runnymede Street, travelling south on Winnetka and proceeded to pull the car over. Though the driver did not pull over immediately, according to Matassa, the driver did not attempt to escape and pulled into the Pierce College parking lot. When the vehicle stopped, officers swarmed the vehicle with their weapons drawn.

“That’s standard procedure, because we don’t know if they’re armed,” Matassa said. “Usually people who commit grand theft felony type crimes of this nature,

Student trustee may face recall

Recall petition announced at Anderson’s inauguration

If the petition receives enough certified signatures, there will be a recall election in which students will vote on whether or not to recall Anderson from the position. It would be a yes or no vote, and wouldn’t determine if Navarrete or anyone else would step in to fill the position. The Board of Trustees has the sole responsibility of replacing a recalled candidate.

“If a Student Trustee position becomes vacant due to removal, recall, resignation, or other reason, a successor shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees,” according to board rule 21007. “The Board shall either order an election or make a provisional appointment to fill the vacancy within 60 days.”

it’s commonplace that they would be armed.”

Police removed the man from the car and placed him under arrest. Matassa said the man was arrested for grand theft auto. However, Douglas Johnson, a robbery detective with the LAPD Topanga Division, said he was arrested for violating California Vehicle Code 10851, the theft and unlawful taking or driving of a vehicle. According to Johnson the felony charge differs from grand theft auto in that the latter requires evidence the suspect intended to keep the car for an extended period of time.

The female passenger reportedly appeared ill, and was

transported to an unspecified hospital in unknown condition by ambulance. A syringe was seen being removed from the car but whether it belonged to the man or woman or was associated with narcotics is unknown.

“I noticed she was kind of fidgeting a little bit, making a lot of abrupt movements,” Matassa said. “Which usually indicates someone is under the influence of [a controlled substance].”

Neither Johnson nor Matassa knew if the woman was likely to face any charges in connection with the crime.

The vehicle was impounded and will eventually be released to the owner.

11/10—Car Hits Student

At about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a student reported that they had been struck by a car while walking in the crosswalk at Mason Avenue and Olympic Drive. It is unknown if the driver stopped, or if the student suffered any injuries.

Immediately following the inauguration of Milo Anderson as L.A. Community College District student trustee on Nov. 4, his former opponent. Ryan Navarrete of L.A. Trade Technical College, announced his intent to have him recalled.

Anderson was elected student trustee in September and was sworn in on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Board of Trustees meeting at East L.A. Community College. Navarrete announced his intent to force a vote to have Anderson recalled, and cited low voter turnout as the reason.

“I want to be able to spread out the word, that ‘elections are going on again, come out vote, come out vote.’” Navarrete said. “If it comes out that 2,500 students vote and I still lose, I’m OK with that.”

If approved, this would be the third student trustee election this year.

Navarrete was initially declared the winner of the first election in April by a margin of only three votes out of 4,143 votes cast. That election was contested by Anderson, the results were discarded and a special election was held in September. Anderson

won the second election, but only 879 valid votes were counted. Anderson said he’s unfazed, and said this will only highlight flaws in the rules’ wording.

“I’m not worried in the slightest,” Anderson said. “I’m actually grateful to him for it. He’s raising awareness about how badly the rules need to be fixed and he may even get more people interested in student representation in the process.”

LACCD board rule 21006 lists the protocol for recalling a student trustee. It does not define valid or invalid reasons for a recall, or prohibit anyone from collecting signatures for a recall petition before the student trustee has begun their term.

“Petitions calling for the recall must be signed by 35 percent of the number of students voting in the previous Student Trustee election at all of the LACCD colleges,” according to the document. Navarrete would need 307 signatures to reach the 35 percent required for a recall election. He said he has 325 signatures, and will present them to the board once he has had them certified.

“I’m going to try to get a few more,” Navarrete said. “I received signatures from Pierce, Mission, ELAC, LATTC, LACC and Harbor.”

The recall petition is strongly opposed by Gerson Liahut-Sanchez, External Affairs Senator for Region Seven of the Student Senate For California Community Colleges, the student government body at the statewide level. After the first election was nullified, it was LiahutSanchez who was appointed to fill the vacant position in the interim. He stepped down when Anderson was sworn in.

“I do not support it. Not because I am in favor for one candidate or the other. I do not support it because I can not put my students through another election again,” he said. “That’s unfair to them, it’s unfair to the district, it’s just unfair overall.”

Liahut-Sanchez criticized both candidates for the drawn out process.

“It’s completely outrageous that both sides of the election, they’re just constantly submitting complaints about how things are done,” he said. “The position they’re running for –student trustee – is the representation of the students. And they’re going back and forth bickering about the concept of the position, and not actually doing it, or having the students in mind.”

Anderson said “there are more important things to worry about.”

He cited an ongoing study by the Metro Transit Authority to determine the feasibility of free or discounted TAP cards for college students in L.A. It is unknown when a possible recall election would be held.

SCOTT PREWITT News Editor @s_prewitt

Titus Littlejohn / Roundup

Archive: Milo Anderson and Ryan Navarrete shake hands on the Mall at Pierce on April 16, before the first student trustee election.

Skylar Lester / Roundup

Los Angeles Police Department officers arrest an unnamed man on Friday, Nov. 13, for driving a reportedly stolen car [on left]. When told to pull over, he drove into the campus, stopped in Parking Lot 1 and followed orders to surrender. A female passenger suspected of being under the influence of drugs and was taken to a hospital by ambulance.

SCOTT PREWITT

News Editor

@s_prewitt

Right: Los Angeles Police Department officers surround a male suspect who was followed onto campus driving a stolen white Honda Accord on Nov. 13, 2015. According to Detective Douglas Johnson, the suspect will be charged with a violation of California Vehicle Code 10851, commonly know as joy-riding. Photo by: Valeska Reynafarje

Below: The wrists of the female passenger who was in the stolen car are handcuffed as LAPD officers interrogate her in Parking Lot 1. Photo by:

HOT PIERCE - SUIT

Students went about their business as usual during another one of Pierce College’s typically slow Fridays unaware that just down Winnetka Avenue LAPD officers were following a stolen white Honda Accord toward the campus. Officers noticed the car had no plates and discovered it was stolen after running the VIN number.

The driver of the car eventually pulled into Parking Lot 1 and was stopped in front of the Sherriff Station. Officers swarmed the car with pistols and shotguns at the ready. Students were told to keep back and were directed away from the area. Several police cars blocked possible escape routes from Parking Lot 1, trapping the stolen car. The driver and passenger were ordered out of the vehicle and onto the asphalt as officers moved in to handcuff them and begin searching the car. Two different license plates and a syringe were among the items found in the white Honda while the driver was arrested and put into the back of an LAPD vehicle. The female passenger had trouble standing and officers helped her to a curb before an ambulance arrived to take her away. The driver and passenger detained do not attend Pierce and no students were involved in the incident.

Left: The unidentified female passenger is loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital. She was detained for suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance according to Sergeant John Matassa of the Los Angeles Police Department. Photo by: Gustavo Sanchez

Above: The suspect involved in the stolen car chase sits handcuffed in the back of a police car as he is interrogated by an LAPD officer in front of the Sheriff Station. Photo by: Skylar Lester

Right: Los Angeles Police Department officers, with weapons drawn, surround the stolen vehicle that was followed into Parking Lot 1 at Pierce College. Photo by: Valeska Reynafarge

Copy by: Richie Zamora

Skylar Lester

Social Media Roundup

with your Tweets.

“I honestly spent more time this semester combating school wifi instead of studying #pierceprobs x1000”

MLA Workshop

NOV. 18

Join the Pierce College Library Wednesday at 1 p.m. for an open one-hour workshop on MLA Citations. The event will take place in the Pierce College Library Student Success Workshop, classroom 5212.

Persian Club

NOV. 20

The Pierce College Persian Club presents a night of poetry and music. Guest speakers include Mitra Hoshiar of Pierce and Shahab Razani of CSUN and will take place between 6 and 8 p.m. in the Great Hall.

Classmate Concierto

NOV. 20

The Pierce College Student Success Committee presents Safe Zone, a discussion promoting LGBTQ awareness. The discussion will be held between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in BUS 3218.

Pierce College Thursday Concert Series focuses on the talents among us

ETHAN ROMAN Reporter

@Ethan_Romanoff

Astaple of the Pierce College Thursday Concert Series, the student concert, brought out Pierce’s musically inclined to offer a sound of the campus.

Five acts made up the student concert, which was composed of a mixture of original and interpreted songs. Most of the performers, made up of students, faculty and locals, are veteran guests to the concert series.

“If I didn’t have long underwear on, I would be so dead right now. #pierceProbs”

-@jeshizaemon

“Taking a snapchat on campus but not having a nice pierce filter #pierceprobs”

-@madsmishell

Faculty member Frank Garvey and Stephanie Jones kicked things off with Quincy Jones’ “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”. The concert hall was temporarily transformed into a dim, smoky bar, as Garvey’s bluesy piano licks and Jones’ soulful tone set the mood. The duet made a soulful stamp to set the tone of the afternoon and got the audience comfortable and ready for more.

Jay Lawton and Priscilla Taylor brought the tone up to a light and playful level with their rendition of Paul Hindemith’s first movement of “Flute Sonata”. A stark contrast from the sultry blues before, Taylor’s classical piano and Lawton’s fluttering flute briefly suspended the reality of the chilly weather outside and brought the concert hall into an early and flourishing spring.

The only first-time performer at this student concert was Gwendolyn Kudra Billings, who delighted the audience with an original song called “Hounds & Hunters” in which she

showcased her ukulele skills. The indie, non-traditional ukulele music was an insightful take on popular folk music.

“I’ve had other performances, but this is my first time playing in a [setting] like this,” Billings said.

Billings’ soft tones and delicate tunes were a charming addition to the afternoon.

David Durrani, who always bring original songs to the student concerts, took the stage with the confidence one would expect from a practicing musician. His original this time, “Fatal Attractions” was bold and emotional; typical of Durrani’s style. Durrani’s powerful voice and enthusiastic guitar playing could easily fill a large audience, unamplified.

This performance, however, was amplified. It made for the loudest performance of the concert. You could tell, this was how Durrani liked it, and if the nodding heads and subtle foot stomps of the audience were an indication, they agreed with Durrani.

Taylor, who played with Lawton earlier, returned to the stage with Bruce Salyer on saxophone to perform two movements from Jacques Ibert’s “Concertino Da Camera”, which Salyer noted is easily the most requested classical saxophone piece there is. This is due to its unusual and experimental nature. During the piece, Salyer actually plays his saxaphone into Taylor’s piano, creating an ominous echo of his notes.

“It’s the poor man’s way to create reverb without electricity,” joked Sayler.

It was certainly the most unique

Dance wrapped with a bow

[From DANCE, pg. 1]

NOV. 5 to 20

Peer 2 Peer Mentors present the Pierce College 2015 Canned Food Drive. Drop off your donations at the Library, the ASO, the Center for Academic Success, the Student Store or the Student Services Building.

performance of the afternoon, lending sounds unfamiliar to most people. It was an off-the-wall visual experience as well. It’s safe to say that watching someone contort their body to play a saxophone almost upside down into an open piano, isn’t an everyday sight.

Garvey returned to the piano, this time accompanied by Donna Hermans, vocally. The duet recreated Arthur Hamilton’s “Cry Me a River” to bring it all back to the blues. Hermans belted out the R&B classic while Garvey demonstrated his previously verified blues-piano skills.

Rounding off the concer was Curve. A Three piece band made up of Pierce students Robert Bryant, Sean Boute, and Gemi Akito Taylor. The trio performed their original R&B song, “Maybe Tomorrow” with Boute on guitar and vocals, AkitoTaylor on bass, and Bryant leading the vocals. Bryant’s emotional and powerful vocals reverberated off the walls of the concert hall to create a moving experience. Bryant’s animated facial and bodily expressions made his emotional connection to the music evident and even more powerful.

James Bergman, professor of music history, noted before the concert began that the student concerts bring in the most diverse audience of the concert series. If you missed this one, don’t beat yourself up, because a second one is taking place Dec. 3.

The Pierce College Thursday Concert Series returns with Christopher Roberts performing a medley of gu qin music on Nov. 19. at 12:45 in PAB 3500.

People of Pierce

“I’m not a party person. I’m kind of a home body, but I have a close circle of friends. I’m a Virgo, and I’ve heard Virgos are kind of on the shy side, but at the same time, we’re kind of mean.”

-Kat Lopez, 20, Psychology major

Quote gathered and photo by: Carly Albert

RUONLINE?

Carly Albert / Roundup

Gwendolyn Billings plays an original song titled “Houds & Hunters” on her non-traditional ukelele during the Thursday Concert Series.

Joshua Duarte / Roundup

Amanda Nogues dances to “Little Drummer Boy” during the “Dance Wrapped in a Bow” dance recital at the Performing Arts Building Main stage.

The other girl seeming visibly upset proceeds to pout until a bunch of ballerinas come out of the wings and take her ball.

This dance was filled with amazing turns and jumps. I just couldn’t turn away from the amazing ballerinas on the stage. All in all this years fall holiday concert was very entertaining and choreographed very well.

I enjoyed all the diversity of cultures in the show and the students did an amazing job.

The Los Angeles Pierce College “Dance Wrapped with a Bow” concert was a great holiday treat for students, friends and family.

All the signs point to teaching

while knowing she teaches sign language and I was involved in this hiring process,” she said.

The rest is history. After meeting, Hall hired Durand.

“I was so impressed with her energy and her perspective. Just watching her work is amazing,”

Hall said.

ASL student Joshua Kuehl enjoys learning from Durand.

“I am growing in my knowledge of both the culture and the language everyday with this program by having awesome professors such as Stephanie Durand. Her personality allows me to feel more included in the classroom environment, and I feel like she brings a lot of cultural knowledge into the class,” Kuehl said.

Jennifer Brasuell is a student who takes ASL 2, and audits ASL 1. She thinks Durand is great at catering to student needs.

“She does very well at either slowing down for the one; she’s a little faster in the two. It just depends on the level. She is very good at explaining the signs, not just the word but the meaning behind it since it’s very contextual,” Brasuell said.

sometimes,” Brasuell said.

Though Durand is the instructor, educating teaches her something new all the time.

“The students teach me about life, and their own individual experiences, their cultures, their community. I’m almost amazed at how much I learn. Everyday there’s one of those moments where I go oh, I didn’t know that. I really like that. The biggest impact is the students. They mean a lot to me,” Durand said.

Another person who has impacted Durand is her grandmother.

She passed when she was two, but provides a source of influence for anything Durand faces in life.

“My family always says that I’m just like her. And when things come up I persevere, and she always persevered. So whenever something comes up I think of my grandma and I can get through it,” Durand said.

[From ASL, pg. 1]

According to Kristine Hall, ASL program director, throughout the country most people who are hired to teach interpreting are hearing.

“She’s deaf teaching interpreting. That’s really a big difference, and an added bonus

compared to the other programs,” Hall said.

Prior to working at Pierce, Durand taught for three years at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. She is a former student as well as educator from Gaulladet. She became “enthralled” with the ASL linguistics classes

and earned her Masters in Sign Language Education from the university. It is the one and only deaf university in the world.

Durand taught ASL, deaf culture, deaf studies, as well as interpreting during her time there.

When Hall heard about Durand, she knew what value Durand

The inventions of trying

on his own. Simonoff graduated high school with a 4.07 gpa. Despite the high GPA, low SAT scores prevented Simonoff from attending a university.

could bring to students at Pierce. Hall, who was also a Gaulladet graduate student, planned to get Durand a position for the program here.

“Stephanie had graduated from the same program that I was attending and I needed help. I thought I was rather smart to ask to meet her, to tutor me, all the

According to Brasuell, for the ASL 1 class, students took a tour of Pierce one day while learning to sign words for the different things around them.

Durand has a knack for engaging students.

“She definitely makes class entertaining and fun. So you’re learning without even realizing it

Durand wants students and everyone to know that the door is always open.

“I want the Pierce College community to understand that they’re welcome here. It’s not just about the language, it’s about our culture. And they may find that their own cultural experiences resonate within the deaf community,” she said.

“None of us live in a vacuum and you find similarities everywhere. So I think that you can come here, find a connection, and a comfortable home, even.”

As technology advances, the future of new innovative inventions will be in the hands of Pierce student and computer engineer, Joel Simonoff.

Creating and designing new innovative technology keeps Simonoff highly motivated in his studies of computer engineering and as the co-president of the MakerSpace Club.

In high school, Simonoff worked with an organization called ‘Not Impossible’ to help build a robotic rehabilitation exoskeleton system for kids with cerebral palsy, he was unable to comment about any further detail.

He has worked with IOS development creating apps. He has dedicated “1000 hours” on an educational app to help students work more efficiently. The app never made it the App Store, however, an app he helped create called “Beyond Calculus,” is available on the iTunes App Store.

“The best moment for me was when I got an email stating that the app had been cleared for sale and was on the app store,” Simonoff said. “The feeling was indescribable. I was really proud of myself.”

Simonoff is a self-motivated student who often does research

“Making [technology] has helped me with not getting into universities,” Simonoff said.

“When I heard I got rejected - it gave me an escape and for that reason I really enjoy it.”

the feeling of success when your creation works, especially when you work on the project all the way through,” Simonoff said. “It such a good feeling, sometimes I work extreme hours to achieve the feeling.”

As co-president of the Makerspace Club, Simonoff is building an active community of students who like to “build things.” Club members’ ideas are all heard and introduced in a community of teamwork on projects. They’re currently working on the building of a segway.

“He’s a good leader and he’s trying to get this club going and organized,” Zakaria Razeg, Makerspace Club member, said “I think he can make it a better cohesive environment.”

Simonoff wants to create an active, organized, team environment within the club to incorporate all members’ ideas into creation.

Simonoff’s passion for creating began as a junior in high school when he decided he wanted to help restore his step-father’s motorcycle sitting in the garage.

“I loved playing with it and trying to figure out how everything worked,” Simonoff said. “I realized that working with my hands is really fun.”

The feeling upon completion of something he created gives Simonoff a sense of achievement and the “normal feeling times three.”

“A benefit of engineering is

Simonoff continues to help organize the club and listen to any idea a member has in creating something. He offers constructive criticism and help for any members who need it.

Faculty advisor, Beth Abels said Joel is very excited about working with people to get everyone involved in making.

“His excitement helps other people get excited too,” Abels said. “He brings a lot of expertise around - a lot of the stuff people are really interested in finding out about.”

Gerryleo Sarimiento / Roundup

Joel Simonoff demonstrates to club members how to properly set up a 3D printer at the Makerspace Club meeting on November 4, 2015 in Pierce College’s Applied Technology Building. Joel Simonoff is majoring in computer engineering and plans to transfer to a university after completing all of his general education classes.

“A benefit of engineering is the feeling of sucess when your creation works.”

-Joel Simonoff Student

“It’s not just about the language, it’s about our culture.”

- Stephanie Durand Instructor of ASL

Majid Yazdekhasti / Roundup

Stephanie Durand, a deaf full-time ASL and interpreter instructor at Pierce, teaches her ASL class on Oct. 30, 2015 in room VLGE 8210.

a

Playoff bound

The Brahma’s soccer and volleyball teams have qualified for the playoffs. Now is where the real hard work

Demon on the diamond

He’s keeping his mind right on the mound

KRISTINA VILLAMIL Reporter @KrisVillamil

When Thomas F. Wilson is on the pitching mound, the world around him changes.

“People always ask, “Can you hear me? I’m cheering for you,” and I can’t hear anything,” Wilson said. In that instance, Wilson is only thinking of one thing.

“When I’m pitching I’m just so focused on getting this guy out. I live for that pressure moment,” Wilson said.

Wilson is a sophomore transfer from Saint Mary’s College in Northern California, and a redshirt freshman for the Pierce College Baseball team. He is originally from Tarzana, California and went to Notre Dame High School. St. Mary’s did not feel like the right place for Wilson, and after a year he decided there was more opportunity at Pierce College.

“The main reason why I transferred was for baseball. It seems like a better fit for me here than St. Mary’s. If I want to move on from college and pursue this as a career, I think this is the better place for me,” Wilson said.

He is looking for either getting drafted or going to another local four-year university where he would major in business. In baseball, players who are at a four-year college are eligible for the MLB draft during their junior year, while players at a two-year college can be drafted out of their freshman year. His time at Pierce is one that will benefit him both academically and on the field.

Wilson’s decision to attend Pierce was great news for Bill Picketts, head coach of the baseball

“When we heard there was an

opportunity that he may come here we were really excited because obviously, he’s very good. I haven’t seen him pitch in a game yet, but I know he’s going to be just fine.”

Pickett said.

Wilson has been playing from a very young age. Ironically, the sport that he has come to love was not something he initially wanted to partake in. At the age of six, a hesitant and shy Wilson did not want to play baseball. His parents were big motivators in getting him involved with the sport.

“It was funny because my parents forced me into it. I really didn’t want to do it because I was really shy as a little kid. But they made me do it, and obviously that was a good decision on their part,” Wilson said.

Now Wilson loves the game of baseball and wants to make a living playing it.

“If I don’t even play baseball, I just want to try my best and have a career in this,” Wilson said.

There was a time when Wilson’s ability to play the game was shaken and his future looked cloudy. A week before tryouts during his freshman year of high school, Wilson broke his wrist while skateboarding. The injury greatly discouraged his hopes of continuing to play.

“I was like wow, I don’t even know if I’m going to make the team. This might be over completely,” Wilson said.

Wilson still showed up to tryouts in a cast, unsure of what would happen. His talent however, spoke for itself. Prior to entering high school, he had played for the coaches on a summer team and despite his injury, what they caught a glimpse of that summer earned him a spot on the roster.

He worked extremely hard and rehabbed to get back on the mound. He played the second half of his freshman season, and made varsity in his sophomore year.

The experience was a big step that both challenged and inspired him.

“It stemmed from breaking the wrist motivating me, to come back and recover to making the varsity team the next year,” Wilson said.

The hard work that Wilson puts in is something those around him notice.

“It’s something that I ask of my players, that they come out here and they work hard while they’re here, and he fit right in. He gets it done in the weight room, he gets it done out on the field.” Coach Picketts said.

Long time friend and pitcher Matthew Lemus also sees the effort Wilson puts in.

“He’s hilarious, he’s always in a good mood. At the same time he’s motivating us because he’s such a hard worker and he just has such an incredible and powerful presence on the mound,” Lemus said.

Getting at the tough grind is a priority for Wilson. Professional outfielder for the Washington Nationals, Bryce Harper is someone that Wilson wants to emulate. A young success in the pros, he sets the standard.

“We don’t play the same position, but I see his work ethic. I watch Youtube videos and anything on social media of him working so hard in the off-season, and seeing that result in the season. He’s very young so people are very judgmental of him. So to see him succeed in the big leagues is very inspirational and cool to see,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s talents don’t stop on the field. As his family is more art and musically oriented, he also plays the guitar and drums, and has always wanted to be in a band. Though it is “far-fetched” it would be fun for Wilson, but baseball will come first for now.

“I just love the game, and its been my life since I was six, its all I know,” Wilson said.

SCHEDULE

Nov. 11 to Nov. 18

Friday, Nov. 20, vs Bakersfield, 5 p.m.

Soccer

Saturday, Nov. 21, TBA

Wednesday, Nov. 18 vs Hancock, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 24, TBA

after its

Oct.

comes in. Besides bracket seating, your performances in the season no longer matter. It is what you put out from this moment forward that will be remembered.

Pierce ranked third in the state and it has just been confirmed that the women’s soccer team will be playing against its rival and the fourteenth ranked team, LA Valley College. The game is set for Saturday Nov. 21 at Pierce College. The time has not been set but will be either 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. depending on what head coach Adolfo Perez decides.

The Valley College Monarchs and Pierce have played each other once this season and it ended in a

4-0 victory for the Brahmas. Three of the goals were put into the net by the Brahmas leading scorer, freshman forward Makayla Nichols. Nichols has 11 goals on the season and she is coming off a solid performance where she scored two goals against Cuesta.

The Monarchs are a very defensive-minded team. They prefer to ‘park the bus’ on defense and wait for an opportunity to get out and score in transition according to assistant coach Willie Diaz.

“We are going to work on penalties this week,” Diaz said. Along with priding itself on solid defense, they also play a very

physical game that Pierce needs to be ready to face. The team will need to focus on getting back defensively in transition and staying wide to stretch the Monarchs out.

The Brahmas are ranked third in the state but can not come into the game with that in mind. Playoffs are the great equalizer and as Ronda Rousey showed us this past weekend, upsets do happen.

The Pierce volleyball team has one last home game against Hancock at 6.p.m. before they can start thinking about playoffs. The first playoff game will be at Pierce on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The time and opponent will be announced on Friday.

Until an opponent is selected for the first game, Pierce needs to focus on a few of its weaknesses from this season. The team gets into a bad habit of starting games off on the slower side and then picks up the tempo later in the match. Pierce can’t risk playing from behind. The first few matches may be easier wins but as the tournament goes on they will be facing opponents that will punish teams that let them get a fast start. Pierce needs to show teams early on why they are ranked number one in the state.

For updates on game times and opponents, visit www.piercecollege. edu/departments/athletics.

SAL FARIAZ

Assistant Sports Editor @S_Fariaz

Majid Yazdekhasti / Roundup

The Pierce soccer team kneels in

huddle

game on

16 against Ventura College in the pit at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Joshua Duarte / Roundup

Pitcher Tommy Wilson warms up at the bullpen in Joe Kelly Field on Nov. 17, at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif.

Making the grade: his road to the MLB

Former CSUN center-fielder clings

to dream of professional baseball

ARYANNA DUNN Reporter @DunnAryanna

Three-year-old

Michael Tillman knew he loved baseball. Tillman, 19, is still following the baseball path he has wanted since a child.

After playing infield and right field for his high school baseball team at Redlands high, he went on to play outfield and infield for California State University of Northridge. He played for CSUN for one semester.

“My dad played baseball when he was younger. Almost everyone in my family played either baseball or football. Since I was only three years old, I was too young to play football. So I grew up playing baseball,” said Tillman. “Ever since then, that is what I wanted to do.”

Michael ran across some struggles while playing for CSUN’s baseball team. He had to come to Pierce to get his grades up before he returns back to CSUN.

“The GPA requirement at CSUN raises every year for the sports teams, and I had some academic issues. That’s why I had to come to Pierce college,” Tillman says.

When he came to Pierce, his position was changed from what he was used to playing. His practice techniques had to mold to his new position. He had to adapt quickly into it.

“In CSUN I played outfield then I was moved to second base,

then back to outfield again,” said Tillman. “When I came to Pierce, they put me at center-field and I love playing center-field because you get track down the ground balls, and maybe get a chance to throw someone out at the plate.”

Michael physically and mentally prepares himself for games by practicing on his own time by himself, as well as going to practice. He does specific exercises to enhance his performance as center-field.

“I practice by working on a lot of reps for fly-balls, knowing the routes, and strengthening my technique,” said Tillman. “I also practice hitting 85-95 mph pitches a lot, sometimes right before practice starts.”

He thinks it is very essential and effective to make time for himself aside from baseball to relax and have fun, in order to keep a balance going.

“When I’m on the field, I’m there to play but I don’t always talk about baseball in my free time,” said Tillman. “It is good to take time off and time for yourself.”

He looks to his hobbies to take a mental break from baseball. There is one specific thing Michael likes to do when he’s not playing, or practicing.

“Honestly, I usually just chill at home but if I had to pick one, I appreciate music a lot. I really do enjoy going to concerts when I get the time off, it’s super fun.”

After Michael works on increasing his grade point average at Pierce, he has to make a decision as to where he will take his baseball career next. He has a

Brahma Week of the

Makayla Nichols - Forward

couple options in front of him as of now.

“I definitely want to go professional. I’m hoping I get there. I have an opportunity to go back to

CSUN next year which is what I’m leaning on right now,” said Tillman. “I’ve been getting approached by a couple pro teams. If I were to get drafted for the right amount of

@RoundupSports

One game to go

Volleyball took another win as the team defeated Cuesta College 3-0(25-17, 25-11, 25-18).

Outside hitter, Zaire Dartis, recorded 24 kills which gave the Brahmas a total of 32 kills.

The Brahmas have one more game left of the season before playoffs as they host Allan Hancock College on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.

Soccer ends regular season with a win

Soccer gets its final win as the team defeated Cuesta College 4-0.

Freshman forward, Makayla Nichols, helped the Brahmas get its victory by making two goals throughout the game.

The Cougars only attempted three shots overall, but goalie, Alexis Brown refused all three of them leaving the Cougars scoreless.

The Brahmas will be heading to playoffs as its first game is on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Football loses in last game

In the last game of the season, the Brahmas were defeated by Santa Monica College 63-0.

at

money, I would take that route. It all depends on what happens.”

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

The team tried its best to put points on the board, but couldn’t succeed as they were kept scoreless throughout the game.

The Brahmas ended its season with a record of 4-3 in the conference and 5-5 overall.

Football ends season 5-5

Do you know who you are playing in the playoffs?

“Not yet, we might play Valley but we don’t know for sure yet. We should find out tomorrow.”

Since you don’t know your opponent for the first playoff game, what will you guys be doing to prepare?

“I think for us, we are just trying to clean up our whole game. We are making sure we have good passes and that we don’t make stupid mistakes. In the playoffs if you make one mistake the other team can capitalize on it. So we want to try and limit our mistakes during the game.”

What is the team’s unified focus going into playoffs?

“Everyone on the team wants to win and go as far as we possibly can. I think all of us know we have a shot at making it to state and can win state. So I think everybody is coming to practice to work hard to win every game.”

What is next for you? Are you coming back to Pierce?

“I won’t be taking classes at Pierce next semester, I’ll be taking them at Mission because it’s closer to my house. As for soccer, I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m still in between.”

What has been your favorite memory playing for pierce?

“The funniest moment was when we were at practice one day. Scooby [Ethan Hanson] was playing with us and he was running. He slipped in water and flew in the air and slid. Everybody started laughing on the floor. I don’t think anyone will forget that.”

Luis Ayala / Roundup

Michael Tillman takes practice swings in the batting cage at Joe Kelly Field on Tuesday, Nov. 17

Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Makayla Nichols recieves her second BOTW award after scoring two goals against Cuesta in the team’s 4-0 victory.

Photo by Luis Ayala

Quotes gathered by Sal Fariaz

Megan Moureaux / Roundup

Running back, Corey Wright, carries the ball up field during the Brahma’s last game of the season at Santa Monica College on Saturday, Nov. 14. The team lost 63-0.