Volume 124 Spring 2016 Roundup Issue 1

Enrollment down at Pierce

Eleven classes added to schedule

Enrollment is down five percent this semester compared to the spring of 2015, which has led to the addition of nine 10week online classes that will begin on March 14, according to Sheri Berger, vice president of Academic Affairs.

The college receives revenue from the state board based on the amount of students enrolled full-time. Enrollment is at 96 percent, according to Doreen Clay, public relations manager for Pierce College. Pierce is the second largest school in the district and the target number in the district is 100 percent, according to Berger.

Berger says the improved economy may be a reason for the five percent reduction in enrollment this semester.

“This softening in enrollment could be due to the change in the economy,” Berger said. “When the economy wasn’t doing well enough, many working-class citizens decided to go back to school to get more training to be more appealing in the job market.”

Pierce College added 11 classes that start on March 14 to raise the numbers. Pierce College is optimistic about the active strategy to increase enrollment to advertise and promote the college with TV commercials.

“From my perspective, advertising is a key component to reaching out to potential students in our community, to alert and inform them about our class offerings and opportunities,”

Clay said. “My plan is to always keep a steady momentum of advertising going to support the college in both the good and bad economic times.”

Jose Alvarado, 18, said he would consider taking the online 10-week course.

“If they had the classes I need, I would add them so it won’t last long and I could finish faster.”

April Reed picks up her son at the Child Development Center on Thursday, Feb. 25. Reed says she has some reservation with photography inside the CDC if cell phones are used because photos could end up on social media.

Privacy concerns at CDC Child Development Center moves for more strict photo policy

SAMANTHA BRAVO News Editor @sammybravo93

Professors in the Pierce College Child Development Center are currently in the process of implementing a new policy that will ban students from taking photos of children in the center.

The issue was discussed at a Los Angeles Community College District and Child Development District Discipline Committee meeting on Feb. 19.

Pierce College Child Development Center director and instructor, Phyllis Schneider filed a complaint to the committee opposing the photography of children by students in the program, including for assignments.

Children in child care settings are owed a degree of confidentiality and their information should not come out of the center’s files,

From stale beans to fresh grinds

Student store seeks to create home grown cafe

SAMANTHA BRAVO

News Editor @sammybravo93

The Freudian Sip is the only established cafe on campus, but after 10 years, the Pierce College Student Store is looking to cut ties with the California State University Northridge (CSUN) franchise to build a new cafe.

The Pierce College Student Store has been paying from $25-36,000 a year for the franchise since 2006, according to assistant bookstore manager, Candy Van.

A focus group made up of Pierce students was held on Feb. 2 to discuss and share ideas on

rebranding the Freudian Sip cafe.

“I think it’s great that the cafe will become it’s own independent coffee logo,” said Laura Hernandez, a 31-year-old marketing major who attended the focus group. “I’m excited to see the new logo.”

The student store declined to give too many details until the decision is official.

“If we change the name, we can do more,” said Grigor Hogikyan, assistant bookstore manager.

“With a new logo and name for the Pierce College cafe, I think it will be very beneficial in a sense that it will be something new,” said Jamie Daughtry, a 20-yearold communications and tourism major. “It can get more students to come over and check it out.”

Shant Varazian, senior cashier at the student store, helped organize the focus group.

“The Freudian Sip has been here for about 10 years, but if we can customize it to Pierce College

according to Schneider.

“Students may not do it with any bad intent, but now that child’s image is out there,” Schneider said. “We’re working on the details but the decision was made in our academic department. We discussed it as a large group. We can still achieve assignments without taking photographs.”

Schneider is concerned that photos taken of children during class will end up on social media.

“Even though students think they require photos as evidence that the students did an assignment, the progress of technology now means we need to look at things differently,” Schneider said. “Before social media, there wasn’t a possibility that their image could be everywhere.”

Schneider believes there are alternative ways to do assignments that do not require photos of a child.

“There isn’t any necessity for a photograph. If an assignment needs a photograph, then that can be

arranged to where it doesn’t need a child’s photo.” Schneider said.

Technology is forcing the child development faculty to figure out more creative ways to verify assignments and ways for students to learn.

“Obviously seeing children and watching what they do and examining what they do is really important [for the program]. We’re [just] being protective,” Schneider said.

Mission College Department Chair, Janice Silver, has a strategy in place to protect children on their campus. However, it is still a work in progress.

“We don’t allow cell phones. That was directed in September of last year,” Silver said. “For us, it’s still a work in progress. There are still some classes that need documentation of photos but that’s why we have iPads available for the children to use.”

Melissa Brisbois, pre-school teacher in the development center, wants to make sure that her

students are safe and their identities are protected.

“We have to create something that would work to protect the children and keep their identity out of the public eye,” Brisbois said. “As times change, we kind of have to change our requirements and policy. It’s easy for someone to take pictures but it used to be harder to get a picture out there.”

Although parents signed waivers in the beginning of the semester, some parents don’t feel comfortable with students taking pictures of their children.

“Other than staff, I don’t feel comfortable. Unless I am notified and I know where the pictures are going, I may say yes but it depends,” said Nazi Kamali, the mother of a child who attends the pre-school at the Child Developement Center.

“As long as it’s far away and not up close, I’m okay with it,” said parent, Elizabeth Rojas.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

feed is regularly monitored by our editors.

Health Survey

Confidential health surveys will be randomly sent to the Piercecollege.edu emails of 9,000 students on March 7. Completion of the survey enters you for a chance to win a MacBook Air and an iPad, according to director of Student Health Center, Beth Benne.

Club Rush

The semesterly Club Rush where various campus clubs line the mall with booths will take place on Tuesday, March 8, through Thursday, March 10.

Brahma Hall of Fame

The Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony will take place May 26th at the Woodland Hills Country Club. This being the fourth ceremony since the first in 2010.

Athletic Director Bob Lofrano, Women’s Soccer Head Coach Adolfo Perez, and Women’s Volleyball Coach Nabil Mardini will be among the many people to be inducted on the night.

The dinner will be at 6 p.m. with the awards ceremony starting at 7 p.m.

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

KELLAN ALEXANDER MAX SULLIVAN & SAMANTHA BRAVO

BEAT

Should we have a gun safety course?

“I feel like it could be a good idea so people could be more informed on gun safety. Theyʼll know how to properly handle one.”

-Kevin Mercado Sophomore, Undecided

“Each class has 40-50 students and for five years, not a single incident, I think itʼs good to learn gun safety laws and no one is carrying on campus. That should be fine with me.”

-Michael Rodriguez Sophomore, Undecided major

major

“I think itʼs a good idea. You need to get more people aware. You might not necessarily be using a weapon in your life but if a situation comes down to it would be very good to know how to approach the situation, v and how to handle the gun.”

-Robert Vanecek Freshman, Astronomy major

-Sophomore, American deaf studies major

“My theory is that it would just encourage gun use. Iʼm all for gun safety if they are going to make that decision to a gun. I feel that might encourage people to use guns a little more frequently.”

-Laura Heida Sophomore, Nursing major

“It could be useful because thereʼs some places selling guns out there and thereʼs a lot of people buying them so why not have the information out there to use them. It is useful.”

-Bardiya Khanfekr, Sophomore, Undecided major

“I think itʼs a good idea overall. I used to be against guns until I ran into a situation where I wish I had something to protect me and it wouldʼve made a huge difference.”

-Leonidas De Lao Sophomore, biomedical Engineering major

Quotes gathered by Kellan Bradley | Photos by Ezzat Bekheet

Illustration by Nelson Simmons

Reintroduce a gun saftey class

G

uns are dangerous in the hands of people who do not possess the knowledge of how to properly use or store them. There needs to be a gun safety class at Pierce College to minimize the risks of guns in our homes and community.

place to provide a non-credit Saturday class on gun safety to the residents of our community. There is no need for there to ever be a loaded gun in the classroom or for a shot to ever be fired on campus. Actually, such a class existed from 2008 to 2013 without a single incident. The class had a waiting list and was 75 percent women, according to the instructor in a Daily News article.

Regardless of your views on guns, the reality is that guns are commonplace in American homes and you have been in the close vicinity to them; whether you own one or not. In 2015, California received over 1.5 million applications to purchase guns which is the most in our state’s history. The application requires a background check and 10 day waiting period. There is zero requirement to know how to safely operate, clean or store your gun.In 2013, 505 people were killed by accidental shootings in the United States and from 2007 to 2011, an average of 62 children younger than 14 years old suffered fatal gunshot wounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Washington Post reported that in 2015 at least 265 people were shot by minors. The most common age of the shooter was 3 years old. A majority of these tragedies

Pierce College is a logical

are easily preventable by simply possessing the knowledge on how to properly store your gun.

When the board of trustees banned all guns on LACCD campuses, including nonoperational ones, for people other than law enforcement, an exception was made for the Theater Department but not for the instructor of the gun safety class.

This was a political move from the anti-gun crowd under the guise of making the Pierce campus safer. In reality it makes our community more dangerous.

In a Daily News article, LACCD trustee Scott Svonkin said “By preventing guns on campus, I wanted to prevent people who took the class from shooting a horse or cow on campus.” This is an irrational statement at best, and intellectually dishonest at worst.

Should the campus cafeteria be utilized?

SHIR NAKASH Reporter @Shirnakah5

The opening of the Pierce cafeteria happened almost two years ago, in March of 2014. Why is it, then, that it has yet to turn out any food? There is no doubt in my mind that plenty of time and money went into building the brand new space and acquiring the proper appliances. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to just have unused materials sitting around.

Without a cafeteria, hungry students aren’t left with too many alternative food choices. There is a grand total of three food trucks to choose from, each located on opposite ends of the campus. Other than the distance, a common complaint about the food served by food trucks is that it’s not healthy at all. Not to mention, the few items they offer are pricey.

If you thought the food trucks were expensive, the snacks sold at the student store are even more overpriced. To say the least, it’s disappointing to have to pay so much for something that isn’t of good quality. Students should have access to a wider variety of filling, high-quality foods without going bankrupt in the process.

Besides food trucks, students have the Freudian Sip, which runs

Photographers:

Ezzat Bekheet

Ahmadreza Rastegarrazi Abdolreza Rastegarrazi

Dane Igharas

Jo Renee De Castro

Taylor Arthur

Travis Wesley

Alan Castro

Laura Chen

Brittany Stupar

Georgina Hernandez

out of its products all too quickly and frequently. Additionally, the Sip provides limited outdoor seating. When the weather is right, eating outside can be nice. However, more often than not, it’s uncomfortably hot in Los Angeles, leaving you sweating it out under the sun and swatting at the incessant flies. Putting the cafeteria into use would provide a cooler, indoors alternative, which is definitely more comfortable and appealing.

Filling the cafeteria with food from a variety of vendors wouldn’t only benefit the students, but the school administration itself. The food sales would provide a steady revenue flow, which students will certainly be happy to contribute to. I see this as an obvious winwin situation in which both the provider and the consumer profit.

Since the cafeteria was built for the sole purpose of making and serving food, there is virtually nothing else it can be used for or transformed into. Not taking advantage of the space is a waste of money and resources. I firmly believe that Pierce should find a way to take advantage of the new and unused cafeteria if only because there’s simply no reason not to.

First, the students did not even bring guns to campus. Second, the instructor had possession of an unloaded gun for demonstrative purposes. Lastly, it was taught inside of a classroom and all shooting was done at a range off campus.

This is an important class that should return to Pierce. This is an educational institution and as long as people are allowed to possess guns, gun safety will remain a necessary area of instruction in order to reduce and prevent accidents involving guns. The issue is not whether there should be gun control or who should own a gun, that is a separate conversation. People do own guns and we should not politicize it and should view it rationally. Promoting responsible gun ownership makes a whole lot of sense.

Pro and Con

DANIELA TORRES Reporter @DT_1129v

As a student here at Pierce College, I have questioned why the cafeteria is closed, but it didn’t matter much since I became accustomed to the other food options here on campus.

To start my morning off right, I always head over to The Freudian Sip and order a large cup of coffee. In between classes, I’ll stop by one of our 3 popular food trucks on campus and grab a quick bite. It has become a daily routine.

The cafeteria was set to open in March of 2014. However, it has yet to be opened due to the lack of sourcing cafeteria vendors.

Keeping the cafeteria is unnecessary when food is already available. The food trucks are favored by many. The Freudian Sip is quite popular. It is unacceptable that this space is not being utilized for something helpful to the Pierce College community.

Instead of letting the cafeteria collect dust, it should be put to use for something other than food. Especially considering that there are several food options on campus already.

Students often complain that the Wi-Fi on campus has bad reception unless they’re in or near the library. The cafeteria being on the first floor underneath the library, may have better Wi-Fi reception. Most of us depend on

technology to study, or work on homework assignments. It can be used as a place for students to unwind and study between classes.

During midterms and finals, the library is swamped with students trying to study and it makes it hard for some of us to find a seat. Why not use the open space downstairs?

Not only would this space be convenient for studying and working on assignments, but a place for students to relax as well. Sitting outdoors is not always preferable with the warm weather we have here in Southern California.

The vacant cafeteria would be a great place to instal student amenities, such as sheltered seating, giving us a chance to escape the heat from the outdoors.

Students have gone plenty of time without a cafeteria on campus and the cafeteria does not seem to be opening up anytime soon. Students are well deserved of a lounge here on campus to layback and de-stress themselves. It is irresponsible to leave the space the way it is, when it can be utilized for so much more.

the Sunday prior to the issue date. Editorial Policy: The Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials.

published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. ROUNDUP: March 2, 2016

“Maybe if theyʼre looking to get a license to getting a gun. Other than that I wouldnʼt be looking to own one.”

Transfer rates to UCLA best in district

Adjunct professors moved toward Academic Senate constitutional recognition

Transfer admission rates for Pierce College applicants to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) exceed statewide averages by 10 percent, rendering an applause from the Academic Senate in the Great Hall.

Pierce College students were accepted to UCLA 38 percent of the time, opposed to an average of 28 percent being granted admission from across the state in the fall of 2015, according to Transfer Center director, Sunday Salter. This ranks Pierce College number one out

of 15 area colleges including every school in the LACCD plus Santa Monica, Pasadena, El Camino, Moorpark, Glendale and Long Beach, according to Mitra Hoshiar, director of honors program.

Students being properly informed on what classes to take, in what order and using Assist. org as well as speaking with counselors, are primary reasons for the success, according to Salter.

“Our students are prepared. They have strong GPAs. They’re finishing their major prep and they are getting admitted at a very high rate,” Salter said. “It is the right courses for the major and the GPA that come together to make the proper candidate for UCLA.”

The average Pierce College applicant to UCLA earned a 3.3 GPA and the average accepted student’s GPA was 3.5. Pierce College’s honors program students are accepted to UCLA 87 of the

time ranking Pierce third among the 15 area schools, according to Hoshiar, who encourages students to join the honors program.

“Please spread the word. If students want to go to UCLA and want to increase their chance of getting into UCLA, the honors program is their winning ticket,” Hoshiar said.

“[Pierce] honor students get to apply to two majors when applying to UCLA and this greatly increases their chances for admission, because out of the 125 majors at UCLA, 67 percent of applicants apply to the same 12,” Salter said.

During the meeting, a proposal to amend the senate’s constitution to allow adjunct professors to serve as members was passed. Adjunct professors have been participating on the Academic Senate for years but were not included in the constitution.

Kathy Holland, adjunct assistant professor of political science, explained why it is important for adjunct professors,

who she estimates to outnumber full-time professors on campus three-to-one, to have a voice on the Academic Senate. “We do the same work as full-

process on this campus.”

Lyn Clark, computer applications and office technologies department chair, asked Wendy Bass, chair of the technology committee, why in the Center of the Sciences only three of the 30 rooms are able to operate their technology.

“They are very upset and really concerned. I am wondering who is going to address this,” Clark said. “The technology committee, in my estimation, needs to think about how are we going to solve the problems for all of these instructors in the Center for the Sciences.”

timers. We do identical work in the classroom, office hours and research, but we don’t have job security or the same pay,” Holland said. “We are expected to meet and exceed the policies that this body curates for what we do in the classroom. We want to be recognized for the work that we do and to be able to fully participate in the decision-making

Bass said that all the equipment in those 30 classrooms that is not functioning needs to be replaced.

“We are going to have to replace it all because there is no contract,” Bass said. “There was nothing put in place when they did that building [Center of the Sciences] to maintain the equipment.”

Pierce custodian remembered

Former football player at University of Hawaii and assistant football coach at Kennedy High School dies

MAX SULLIVAN News Editor Msullivan.roundupnews@gmail.com

Ansar Jeff X, a custodian at Pierce College and assistant football coach at Kennedy High School, died in his sleep Saturday Feb. 20. He was 46.

X was known for his calm quiet demeanor and his ever present smile with a toothpick in his mouth. He would workout on his first break and was often spotted in the morning walking backwards up the hill on the sidewalk along the Performing Arts parking lot. On his second break he would read.

While known as Jeff Newman, X played quarterback at Kennedy High School and attended the University of Hawaii on a football scholarship. He played wide receiver and running back at Hawaii in 1989-90, before suffering a knee injury which ended his collegiate

Aug. 29 - Sept. 18

Reported by: Samantha Bravo

2/11—Vehicle Impounded Vehicle was towed for expired registration past one year and for using a stolen handicap placard located in Staff Parking Lot 1 around 7:30p.m.

football career.

X transferred to Pierce from West Los Angeles College in April of 2013 in order to be closer to his parents.

X worked in the Child Development and Academic Department, Fitness Center and in the training room. He was well liked by everybody in Plant Facilities, according to Rodney Allen, Plant Facilities operations manager.

“He was not only a great worker, but an outstanding person,” Allen said. “We have over 50 employees and there is not one person that had a bad thing to say about him. Not one. Unbelievable, unbelievable guy.”

Custodian supervisor, Marquis Brignac, says X was a natural leader with a strong meticulous work ethic who often took initiative. He also promoted camaraderie between the Plant Facilities employees.

“He was one of those people who on the job he didn’t mind bridging the gap between a lot of people,” Brignac said. “He was the type of person where everybody felt like he was their closest friend. So he is impactful and our department is definitely going to miss him.”

2/13—Petty Theft Unknown suspect cut the lock and stole a bicycle near the village area from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. A student reported the theft on Feb. 13

2/16—Petty Theft Unknown suspect stole a laptop from student's vehicle from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

MAX SULLIVAN News Editor

Msullivan.roundupnews@gmail.com

“The honors program is their winning ticket.” -Mitra Hoshiar, Director of Honors Program

“Our department is definitely going to miss him.”

-Marquis Brignac custodian supervisor

Photo courtesy of Plant Facilities

HITTING THE BEACH

HITTING THE BEACH

Women’s Volleyball takes to the sand for the first time

Upcoming Matches:

TThe Pierce College women’s beach volleyball team took to the sand for the first time on February 26, at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica.

The meet with the Bakersfield College Renegades began at 9 a.m., but the Brahmas were there bright and early just after the break of dawn to train along the coastline.

Music and cheers filled the crisp morning air as the mid-day sun started to heat up the sand.

The day consisted of ten doubles matches, three of which were won by Pierce College.

The beach volleyball team has existed at a club team in past years but this is the first time the team will be featured as a sanctioned sport.

Pierce Currently does not have a sand volleyball court but it doesn’t seem like the girls mind spending the day at the beach.

Read the full story on Page 7.

Friday, March 4 @ Grossmont/El Cajon CS San Marcos, S.D. Mesa & Grossmont 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, March 6 @ CSUN CSUN 10:30 a.m. SBCC 12:30 p.m.

Friday, March 11 @ Carlsbad Beach Rio Hondo, Palomar & Mira Costa 10:00 a.m.

Friday, March 18 @ Ventura Bakersfield & Ventura 10:00 a.m.

Sade Escobar, opposite hitter for Pierce College womenʼs beach volleyball team, blocks the Bakersfield Renegades at The Annenberg Community Beach House on February 26, 2016 in Santa Monica, Calif.

CALVIN B. ALAGOT Photographer @Calagot

Cairo Harrell, middle back for Pierce College womenʼs volleyball team, dives to save the ball during a doubles match against The Bakersfield Renegades at The Annenberg Community Beach house on February 26, 2016 in Santa Monica, Calif.

Valentina Krivopic, middle back for Pierce College womenʼs beach volleyball team, sends back the ball to the Bakersfield Renegades at The Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, Calif. on February 26, 2016.

A bag of volleyballs on the beach for the first Pierce College womenʼs volleyball game against Bakersfield on Feb. 26 in Santa Monica.

Pierce College womenʼs beach volleyball team on February 26, 2016 at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, Calif.

Film Preview: Alt Sex Festival

showcases diversity on the silver screen

MAX SULLIVAN News Editor Msullivan.roundupnews@gmail.com

An African-American transgender prostitute, fresh out of jail, erupts in a rage after learning her boyfriend/pimp has been cheating on her with a white cisgender woman.

What sounds like an incident from the police blotter is actually the plot of “Tangerine,” a comedy feature film that will launch the three-part Alternative Sexualities: Sexual Diversity Film Festival on March 16. “Secretary” is scheduled to screen on April 20. The third film will be on May 18 and has not yet been determined. All three movies are free to attend and will begin at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall. The movies will be followed by a panel discussion and complimentary refreshments, including popcorn and pizza. The series is the brainchild of Melanie McQuitty, advisor for philosophy, and Ken Windrum, faculty advisor to the Cinema Club, who are coordinating the project.

McQuitty wrote her dissertation on philosophy in cinema at Temple University and has taught philosophy in cinema classes, so it is a natural collaboration between the two. They came up with the concept of doing a film series on alternative sexuality by discussing identity and “the others.”

“We talked about exploring the idea of otherness, and this gets explored in various ways in philosophy, the other being that which is outside the norm,” McQuitty said.

“This sense of otherness is something that both Ken and I are interested in so we thought it would be interesting to explore films that explore sexuality in relation to other senses.”

Both believe “Tangerine” is the perfect film to begin the festival with because it delves into an array of identities.

“Tangerine” deals with an AfricanAmerican transsexual prostitute, and the other major character is an Armenian-American cab driver who is interested romantically in transsexual prostitutes,” Windrum said. “The question would be, is this man gay? A man dresses up as a woman to have sex with men- is that homosexual activity? Transsexuals identify as women. There are these questions.”

Those intersections of identities are topics that will be discussed in the panel discussion that follows the film. In addition, “Tangerine” is a unique

Alternative Sexualities

film cinematically in part because it was shot entirely on an iPhone 5s so there will be a conversation from that angle as well, according to McQuitty.

James McKeever, chair of history, sociology and philosophy department, will be one of the panelists. McKeever recognizes that recent events in popular culture, such as Caitlyn Jenner coming out as transgender, spark discussion on the intricacies of identity.

“The more we discuss the nuances of identity I think that it helps people deal with issues in their own personal life,” McKeever said. “What is going to happen is people are going to analyze their own personal lives a little bit more and be able to discuss it more in public. I think that is where films like Tangerine are really good to talk about the nuances of identity and have an understanding for other people’s lives as well.”

“Secretary” is a dark comedy about a woman who is discharged from a psychiatric institution and begins a sadomasochistic relationship with her boss.

“If ‘50 Shades of Grey’ was a really good film, it would be ‘Secretary’,” McQuitty said. “It is so well done that it comes off differently. It is not only highlighting something about sexuality and sexual behaviors, but it is also highlighting different kinds of cinema and how they address different issues. Sometimes

Another manʼs treasure

Reporter

Lwiggins.roundupnews@gmail.com

Vintage, antique and art connoisseurs perused through an array of antiquities exhibited for sale at Los Angeles Pierce College over the weekend.

Convening every fourth Sunday, Topanga Vintage Market is the San Fernando Valley’s only open-air flea market, according to co-founder Lori Rotblatt.

“About four years ago I was looking around the valley and I was noticing no flea market,” said Rotblatt. “The closest flea market for anybody that loved vintage was either in Pasadena or Ventura.”

“The valley was missing a vibrant, open-air flea market and I live here so I came up with this idea to start one,” said Rotblatt. “We saw a void in the market and we decided to fill it.”

Vintage market co-founder Patrice Curedale said great success in the infancy of the organization rapidly outpaced the capacity of their original location in the parking lot of a west valley shopping mall.

“We started at the Westfield Promenade Mall on Topanga Canyon Blvd,” said Curedale. “We outgrew

that pretty quickly so we thought we would approach the college and maybe they would be open to it, and they said yes.”

Every fourth Sunday, collectors browsing through more than 100 vendors, hunting vintage artisan items to add to their coffers travel from all corners of Los Angeles.

“On average we have about 160 vendors, and about 2600 customers every month.” Curedale said.

Strong customer turnout for the event is a trend that varies with shifting weather patterns, according to Curedale.

“When it’s a really beautiful day we will sometimes see over 3,000 people and when it’s a really hot day sometimes we’ll see only 2,000.” Curedale said.

Fostering healthy business environments which function more like family, oriented communities, is one of the many ambitions the Vintage Market strives to integrate into its operations.

“We wanted to build this business like a community,” said Rotblatt. “We wanted to really respect the vendors because they are the ones who make this market, without the vendors there is no market.” Rotblatt said. Curedale and Rotblatt further

enforce their dedication to public service by donating vendor booths to non-profit organizations and academic clubs on campus.

“We often give a free space to local charities and nonprofits, and we can do the same thing for student clubs.” Rotblatt said.

“We also really want to encourage the student body to think of this as an opportunity to reach out to the public, and for any clubs that have any projects that they are doing to reach out as well.” Curedale said.

Food and drink concessions are available for sale at any one of the food trucks that border the market.

Tommy Marudi, owner of the 2015 award winning food truck “The Middle Feast,” from the Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race,” is participating as a vendor for his sixth time with Topanga Vintage Market.

“We’re here today from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., feeding customers our number one dish, Chicken Shawarma.” Marudi said.

The Topanga Vintage Market is open for business rain or shine from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every fourth Sunday of the month. Free parking is provided and admission is $3 per adult, kids under 12 are free.

the Hollywood films are not the ones that are the best at addressing issues, even in a superficial way.”

These films go into great depth on alternative identities. High school and college is a time for people to find themselves and become comfortable with who they are as a person, according to Windrum.

“You have a lot of kids here [at Pierce] who are young and they are discovering who they are. There is a lot of qualities. Who you are as an intellectual, as a religious person, as a political person and sexuality is a part of identity,” Windrum said. “There are people who may not fit into the categories of gay or straight, cause

I don’t think gay is really that much of an alternative [identity] anymore, and that is good. It is becoming more and more like a normal identity so to speak, but the kids who are interested in other things have other issues.”

Windrum says a goal of the project is to learn about and approach these topics in a way students will find interesting.

“The thought was, let’s present something that will be entertaining and the students will enjoy. Then afterwards, there will be a panel discussion,” Windrum said.

#PopPierce

Sarina Rossi, Biology major,

“It’s hard for me. It has to be intersectional. It has to include everyone or else what’s the point?” I can’t just focus on women, it’s everyone, not everyone, but you know it’s all kinds of women. You can’t just be like, ‘I’m just going to focus on women because it’s black women, or disabled women,’ It’s everyone.”

LUCAS WIGGINS

Gevin Fax looks at vintage jackets at the Topanga Vintage Market on the Pierce College campus on Feb. 28, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Travis Wesley / Roundup Nicolas Heredia / Roundup

Kicking it with the Zen Master Meet the man that keeps the students of Pierce College in fighting form

TANYA CASTANEDA Reporter @tanya_castaneda

Sitting cross-legged on the soccer field at Pierce College, martial arts instructor Nathan Carlen, 38, breathes in the early evening air. Dressed in a crisp karate gi—the traditional robes worn by a martial arts practitioner—Carlen is the image of calm and collected.

Carlen has been a fixture in the kinesiology department for 12 years. Known for his energy and approachable demeanor, Carlen is a far cry from the man he was when he began his journey.

As a child, Carlen was subject to bouts of anger which landed him in trouble at school. It was when Carlen met Mark Cox that his attitude changed.

Cox was the karate instructor for the children at Rocky Peak Church.

When he was approached by Carlen’s mother, Cox told her that it was time to “put her foot down.”

While Cox was tough on Carlen when it came to his training he was very personable off the floor. He was strict with his students because he wanted to use martial arts as a way to help them grow.

Part of this training was learning to do things that would challenge both Carlen’s physical abilities as well as his patience.

In his teens, Carlen was “forced to teach” a kid’s karate class though

he did so with limited enthusiasm. He was not fond of working with younger students. However, this changed as Carlen’s passion for the sport evolved.

Coaching children helped him develop more passion for karate.

Carlen began to realize the he had finally found the place he belonged—helping students find their potential the same way Cox had done for him.

After graduating from high school Carlen hoped to enlist with the armed forces. When he was rejected, a sense of listlessness began to creep in.

Looking for some direction, Carlen enrolled at Pierce College. Two of his friends who had also studied under Cox convinced him to take a karate class. There he met Dean Pickard.

Pickard began his career at Pierce as a professor in the philosophy department. He was approached to teach in the kinesiology department after the previous karate instructor had passed away from a stroke.

Pickard was a founder of the United States Karate League, a large and prestigious martial arts organization.

“[Pickard] was an old-fashioned instructor and one of the most naturally talented martial artists,” Carlen said.

Carlen began training with Pickard in 1997. Four years later he became Pickard’s class assistant. Under the seasoned instructors tutelage, Carlen earned both his first and second degree black belts.

When Pickard retired Carlen was chosen to fill his mentor’s shoes.

Although he does not specialize in one specific type of martial art, Carlen teaches the three main styles—American Tang Soo Do, Krav Maga, and Kali.

It is Carlen’s hope to teach his students martial arts as well as skills that could be used beyond the gymnasium. And as is with all things earned, Carlen reminds his students that learning these physical forms takes time.

Carlen does not expect perfection at the start of a semester. Positivity and a level head are key to success.

“It’s an art and it takes practice so be patient with yourself,” Carlen said. “Learn to laugh when you make a mistake because we’re all going to

Life outside the norm

LOVE Reporter @randi_love29

Entering a classroom filled to its capacity, Professor Charles Levy begins the lecture by posing the question, “What is sociology?” to his students.

After a brief pause he starts the lesson without missing a beat.

Levy began his professional career 20 years ago, of which the last 13 were spent at Pierce College.

“I began [teaching at Pierce] in 2003 and I really love it here,” Levy said. “The students are responsive and have a lot to say. It’s been a great experience.”

While Levy’s enthusiasm for the field appears to be second nature, it was by chance that he stumbled upon sociology.

It was his first year of college at San Diego State University. Levy stood alongside 40 to 50 other students who were trying to crash the same psychology course when someone told him of an open sociology class downstairs.

Driven by mild curiosity and the need to fill unit requirements, Levy went to see if the tip off was true.

“It was my first sociology class and it ruined it all because that was where I got stuck,” Levy mused. “I couldn’t get out of it.”

There Levy met Professor Nicos Mouratides, a 70-yearold concentration camp survivor “who paced the lecture hall while shouting at the top of his lungs” about Marxism and sociological philosophies.

“It was like one of those coming to faith moments,” Levy said. “I knew in that moment what I wanted to be.”

Using a framework similar to Mouratides’s, Levy encourages class debates and will often ask them hard open ended questions to stir discussions. Some say his method as unconventional. Levy feels it is a way of enlightening students.

Professor Melissa Gulick is an instructor of philosophy and critical thinking at Pierce College. As his

colleague, Gulick witnesses Levy’s enthusiasm first hand.

“Students walk away falling in love with sociology and that’s something I can say with confidence [about Levy],” Gulick said. Levy’s “passion” and “charisma” are traits his students have noticed as well. Freshmens Roy Armin and Mario Patrick are taking Levy for the first time.

“Levy’s super funny and quirky,” Armin said. “He has a teenage girl living inside him.”

For Patrick, the appeal of seeing the society in a new light was grounds for seeing the course through to the end.

“The fact that he said that it would change our perspective of the world is why I stayed in the class,” Patrick said.

Professor Robert Wonser, who has worked with Levy since 2008, believes it is Levy’s witty personality and devotion to the field that sets him apart the rest.

make them and life gets really hard if you can’t laugh at your mistakes.”

These words are the foundation on which Carlen builds the framework for his classes. Whether the students are returning with a black belt or working toward a green belt, they have all adopted their instructors calm mindset.

Mea Lane, a student of Carlen’s, has been training with him for ten years. Under his instruction Lan has received a first and second degree black belt.

“He has infinite patience and the ability to reach each student with their learning style. He can find a way to get everybody to understand and to perform at their best,” said Lane. While self-defense can be seen as the superficial reason to learning a martial art, Carlen’s classes have a clinical benefit.

Bob Lofrano has been the athletic director for Pierce College since 1990. An avid sportsman himself, Lofrano stresses the importance of staying active.

“Get outside and move around. Take a swim class, take a weight training class. It’s very important to move your body,” Lofrano said. “Just to get out of the classroom.” Carlen continues to teach in a positive manner, whether it be at Pierce College or in the dojo. His hope is to inspire his students the same way former instructors have inspired him.

“You are capable of far more than you think you are,” Carlen said. “Almost everybody is.”

A long way from home

JOSE HERRERA Reporter @jose_herrera012

Not many young adults can say they have experiences that shake them to the core. But with family at stake and courage at hand, Pierce College sophomore Kevin Jose Campos Hurculez plunges deep into the waters to aid his family.

Hurculez, also known as “Che Che” by family and friends, has many adventures to tell for those who are willing to listen. Since he was 12-years-old, Hurculez’s family had struggled financially. This pushed him to seek employment early on.

“I came with my uncle to basically do gardening work. One day we had a gig, you could say,” Hurculez said. “This family was going to pay us a lot. To a point where I was going to get at least $3,000.”

The job that was offered to the young student was an unexpected departure from what he had known.

Hurculez was hired as the butler for a wealthy family in Ohio after six years of maintaining a relationship with them as their gardener.

“When I first met him I noticed he was serious but dedicated and that’s true now but [he] also jokes around,” Wonser said. “I am honored that Professor Levy and I are able to teach in the profession.”

Gulick spoke of how fortunate it is to share an office with philosophers and sociologists since it allows for lively discussions.

“Professor Levy’s passion for sociology has deepened my interest in and respect for the discipline,” Gulick said.

In one year he taught 14 courses in one semester—three online and 11 at different campuses.

“It would literally be me driving from school, to school, to school to school.” Levy said.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

“I thought we were going to do a house but sadly it became a mansion,” Hurculez laughed. “They told us just to do the flower beds, cut the grass, take out three stumps, and clean around the lake.”

After the initial project was finished the family agreed to have Hurculez and his uncle take care of the mansion. They worked three to four days a week and traveled between California and Ohio. However, the job and the distance could not sever the bonds with his family.

“In a latino family you can’t say we can separate, like legitimately, I came back to my family,” Hurculez said. “No matter if I am gaining more money to support myself. It came to a point that I decided to use the money I had to help out the family. I had to help them out because they helped me out.”

Over time, Hurculez had shown the family qualities that prompted the lady of the house, Rose, to offer him a job as a butler when he was 18 years old. After graduating high school he

accepted the position.

“He is loyal to a fault,” public relation major Jared Henderson said. “[Hurculez] Che Che’s best quality is loyalty. He’s always got your back and he’s always looking out for people and taking care of people.”

When he the age of consent, Rose gave Hurculez the choice of residing in the mansion so that he would not have to make the long trip between California and Ohio.

During summer vacations, Hurculez had the opportunity to travel to El Salvador to honor his Olmec ancestors—an Olmec tradition.

In Ohio there are few to any

latinos and in the mansion there was only one. Hurculez. He had many duties from grocery shopping, to car washing and anything inbetween. All throughout the manor French, Korean and other languages were heard.

“When I was in Ohio, [there was] a weird depression feeling every single time that I was stressed or in trouble,” Hurculez said.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

“It’s an art and it takes practice so be patient with yourself.”

-Nathan Carlen

RANDI

Mohammad Djauhari/ Roundup

Nathan Carlen, an instructor of martial arts and a professor of kinesiology, sits in a lotus position on the campus of Pierce College.

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup Charles Levy, professor of sociology, stands in the Botanical Garden on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Laura Chen / Roundup

Second year Pierce College student and Auto Engineering major Kevin “Che Che” Campos Huculez poses in the Botanica Garden on Friday, Feb. 26.

Keeping it 100 off the court

The Pierce College men’s volleyball team has 100% academic eligibility

TIFFANY BERWAGER Reporter @tberwagerround7

Every player on the Pierce College men’s volleyball team is academically eligible to play this season, which is something that has not occurred in years. The success of this team is the result of the collaborative effort of the athletes, their families, the coach, the team’s tutor and athletic counselor.

“I think it’s amazing what they have accomplished, as far as them achieving the goal of making sure we are all eligible,” said head coach Lance Walker. “I’ve been coaching here for fi ve years and I have never had a team

with a hundred percent academic eligibility.”

Multiple eligibility clerks in Admissions and Records review the athlete’s information.

“[It’s] awesome, because then we don’t have to worry about anyone getting pulled,” said middle blocker, Joe Arechiga. “We just have our whole squad we’ve been practicing with and we’re all ready to go.”

If athletes do not meet requirements for their class they are not allowed to play until they raise their GPA, or add more units.

Walker has made sure the players maintain their grades and study.

“He had given us fi nals week off once, just to focus on classes, which helped us a lot. He’s always on us about tutoring,” Arechiga said. “‘You don’t know if you don’t go’ is the team say-

ing.”

Athletic director, Bob Lofrano said it’s diffi cult for athletes to fi nd time to practice and study. He credited the athletes at Pierce for doing a good job of maintaining eligibility.

“Anybody just cannot come off the street to play. You have to prove who you are, where you’ve been and meet academic requirements,” Lafrano said. “The regular student on campus doesn’t really meet academic requirements, so they have to be pretty organized and self-motivated.”

The athletes also receive direction from Joseph Roberson, an athletic counselor who began counseling the men’s volleyball team during the fall semester. Roberson directs the athletes by letting the players know what is expected of them, education-wise, in order for them to achieve their

academic goals.

“I think this will be a great opportunity to just give credit to those young men on the team and to really acknowledge the effort that Lance and the coaching staff

makes in terms of the culture they create for men’s volleyball,” Roberson said.

The student-athletes are also able to receive tutoring from course-embedded math tutor, Lia Kechichian.

“I was there whenever they needed someone for math,” Kechichian said. “It feels awesome because it’s important to know that they are where they need to be [academically] in order to play.”

“I’m real proud that they were able to come up with this, challenge themselves, and were able to achieve this goal,” Walker said. “These guys have defi nitely earned the right to be proud in the sense that they all, as a team, accomplished eligibility.”

The volleyball team is currently 2-6 on the season.

Beach volleyball debuts in Santa Monica

Women’s beach volleyball is now a sanctioned sport at Pierce College.

The roster is composed of ten players and five teams of two players. Each set will go up to a score of 21, instead of 25 like in indoor volley games. It will be a best of three series, rather than a best of five.

“It’s very rare when the college gets to add a sport like this (beach volleyball),” Lofrano said. “I think it’s a real up-and-coming sport at our level and the four-year college level.”

Some players from the indoor volleyball team from the fall semester are expected to return to play for the beach team this season. They will be coached by Nabil Mardini, who was the head coach of the indoor women’s volleyball team, leading them to state-finals in which they lost.

Mardini is making it mandatory for regular women’s volleyball players to play on the beach volleyball team.

“It makes you a more wellrounded player, more versatile.” said Azeezat Anthonio, who played for the indoor volleyball team and will play for beach volleyball.

Antonio played middle on the indoor volleyball team and will be playing both right and side positions on the sand volleyball team this year.

Bea Hernandez, who played setter on the indoor team and will be playing on the beach team feels that playing on the sand can be a little more competitive.

“It’s only two people instead of six so you really just have to do

Pierce alum arrested for drug possesion

Former Pierce College star widereceiver and current Houston Texan, Jaelen Strong, was arrested for possession of marijuana and later released without being charged on Sunday night, Feb. 28, according to ESPN Staff writer Tania Ganguli.

Strong was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was a passenger in a black Maserati after driver and Green Bay Packers cornerback Damarius Randle was being pulled over for not having a visible license plate.

Police smelled the marijuana and questioned Strong, in which he admitted to not having a medical marijuana card. He gave the police a cigar box with three marijuana cigarettes inside.

SCHEDULE

Mar.2- Mar 9

Softball

Friday, March 4 vs. Pasadena City 1 p.m.

Tennis

Thursday, March 3 Rain Date

Friday March 4 @ Orange Coast 2 p.m.

Tuesday, March 8 @ Santa Barbara 2 p.m.

Swim and Dive

Friday, March 4 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 5 @ Ventura 11 a.m.

Men's Volleyball

Friday, March 4 @ El Camino 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 9 vs. Long Beach 6 p.m.

Baseball

Thursday, March 3 @ Hancock 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 5 vs. Ventura 1 p.m.

Tuesday, March 8 @ Ventura 2 p.m.

Women's Beach Volleyball

Sunday, March 6 @ CSUN doubleheader 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

more than the position you play,” Hernandez said.

The Brahmas will be playing against Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Ventura, El Camino and Antelope Valley.

Coach Nabil hopes that the volleyball team will get better playing on the beach.

“It’s known that the best volleyball players are beach volleyball players,” Mardini said.

The Brahmas will play their first regular season game at CSUN against Santa Barbara on March, 9 at 12:30 p.m.

The team had its first scrimmage doubles games on Friday, Feb. 26, at Annenberg State Beach against Bakersfield.

There were five separate teams playing 2-on-2 games. Four out of

Sports briefs

Strong, played for the Brahmas in 2012 where he caught 67 passes for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns.

He transferred and played for the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2012.

He was drafted by the Texans in the 3rd round (70) in 2015.

Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees:

Al Bennett Basketball, Track & Field

Danetta Boykin

Volleyball

Sara Cremidas Swimming

Brittney Henderson

Basketball

five of Bakersfield’s teams won against Pierce’s new team. The only team that won for Pierce was the duo of Sade Escobar and Cairo Harrell in the first game. They beat Bakersfield’s Savanah Cano and Kelsey Henderson in the best of three set series 2-1.

“We had a lot of energy,” Harrell said. “We had a lot of communication also and that helped us a lot.”

The team’s players Whitley Doss and Shari Volpis noticed the differences between court and beach volleyball games.

“Playing on the beach requires you to communicate more than indoor games,” Doss said.

Bakersfield head coach Carl Ferreira, explained some differences between court and

Compiled by Mitch Nodelman

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beach volleyball games.

“You can only use six players in indoor games, and there’s less room to move,” Ferreira said. “There needs to be a lot more communication between the players when you’re on the beach, and there is more space to move.”

Volpis thinks it takes a lot more mental toughness to play on the beach than on the court.

“Playing on the beach requires you to be extremely mentally tough,” Volpis said. Pierce played with a little more energy and communication during the second round of games on Friday as two teams were able win their games against Bakersfield.

The Brahmas feel good about their team this season.

“I think it’s good to have

exhibition games so we can see what the other teams do and prepare us for the actual tournament games,” Volpis said.

Daniele Mamath also said that scrimmage games are good, that it will help them during their regular season.

“It’s good we’ve started scrimmage matches,” Mamath said. “We played tight, but we let ourselves get in our heads today, but for the most part these scrimmages are good so we are prepared for the real games.”

The Brahmas coach Tom Slauterbeck is confident that the team will do well this season of beach volleyball.

“To begin the season it’s a great place to start,” Slauterbeck said.

“We’re going to work on unity, but it’s a good start to the season.”

Bob Lofrano Baseball Coach

Nabil Mardini Volleyball Coach

Gerald Peeke Football, Wrestling

Adolfo Perez Soccer Coach

Leonard Ramirez Trainer

Fred Shaw Swim Coach

Jim Wolf Baseball

“Anybody just cannot come off the street to play. You have to prove who you are, where you’ve been and meet academic requirements.”

-Bob Lofrano Athletic Director

Alan Castro / Roundup

Pierce College beach volleyball player Sade Escobar dives to keep the ball in play in a scrimmage match against Bakersfield College in the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016.

“I think it’s good to have exhibition games so we can see what the other teams do and prepare us for the actual tournament games. ”

- Shari Volpis Volleyball player

Baseball loses to Raiders Brahmas struggle to get season back on right path

well for four innings but we just couldn’t get it finished,” said Picketts. “We made a mistake in the outfield and we opened up the floodgates and we couldn’t stop it.”

The Pierce College baseball team lost 9-4 against the Moorpark College Raiders in a home game on Saturday, Feb. 27.

This would be the Brahmas first loss of the year against the Raiders, after winning its first game (5-4) on Feb. 25 in the 11th inning.

The Brahmas came in strong with sophomore pitcher, Brett Weisberg. Weisberg threw strong pitches during the first few innings.

Freshman first-baseman, Alexander Devito hit a home run, where the ball connected with the score board. The home run brought sophomore infielder Jason Rowe home to make the score 2-0. Brahmas earned two more runs to lead 4-0.

Raiders freshman outfielder Austin Fields hit a base hit in the fifth inning, and ignited the team’s comeback that ended the game 9-4 in the Raider’s favor.

The Brahmas head coach Bill Picketts said that despite losing, the team played a good game and that it was all just a mistake on the team’s end.

“You know what, we played

On Weisberg’s and Devito’s performance, Picketts had nothing but positive things to say on his players.

“[Weisberg] was fantastic for four innings and he just kind of lost his focus,” said Picketts.

“Devito has had a good year so far. This is his third home run of the year. He wasn’t swinging it very well for the last couple games so one of the coaches made some adjustments with him and it paid off. He looked good.”

Weisberg said in the fifth inning, he stopped executing his pitches despite entering the game with confidence.

“I was confident. I didn’t have my best stuff but I felt good out there,” Weisberg said.

Devito credited his home run to the pitch he received early in the game.

“It was a good curveball by Moorpark’s pitcher so that was good,” said Devito. “For the next game, I just want to get a win.”

Raider’s head coach, Mario Porto, thought their key player was pitcher, Zak Daniels.

“[Daniels] got a complete game and he was down by four but he got better,” said Porto. “We

hit all the plays we were supposed to and we battled back but the guy who did it was Daniels, for going out there and doing what he did.”

Daniels was able to pitch a complete game and had 12 strikeouts.

“Early on, when I gave out a couple runs in the first couple innings, I could definitely feel that the team was in low energy,” said Daniels. “But as soon as I

started scoring runs I feel like we caught on and that gave me a lot of energy to keep going and make me focus a bit more.”

Picketts said as a team, they just need to put the ball in play more to open up more opportunities.

“We need to do a better job putting the ball in play, we struck out too many times,” Picketts said.

“Other than that we played the game the right way. We played

Next week in sports

Salvador Fariaz Sports Sports Editor

On paper, the Pierce College baseball team looks the best it has in a few seasons. We have a pitcher in Brenden Lavallee and our team goes deeper than previous years. But somehow we have a losing record and are at the same percentage as we were to end of last season in conference games.

We have been having a hard time closing games out when we start out with the lead. The most recent example of that is from the Moorpark game, where we were up 4-0 in the first half of the game but then gave up 9 unanswered runs to lose 9-4.

good defense for the most part. We threw strikes and we just need to figure out how to win and that takes time. Some teams know how to do it right away and some teams don’t.”

The Brahmas will play its next home game against Allan Hancock on Tuesday, March 1 at 2 p.m. which will be the first game of a two game series between these teams.

She puts the 'me' in swim meet, Brahmas take all

Brahma Week

of the

In what ways are you preparing to face Hancock in the next two-game series?

"Our pitching has been good, so we are just focused on hitting right now."

Your team is number one in stolen bases. Is that something you focus on in practice?

Alex Devito - 1B/ DH

How do you usually prepare for games?

"The night before, I just go and hit at Chatsworth High School."

Did you feel any different that game before hitting the home run? Did you feel more ready?

"I was just focused. He threw the ball right down the middle so its just getting a good swing on it."

"It just kind of happens. Pretty much one through nine except for me have a lot of speed."

You guys had a lot of expectations at the beginning of the season. What do you guys have to do to reach those expectations?

"It seems that the games that we pitch well we don’t hit well. In the games we hit well we don’t pitch well. We have all the talent we just need to put it together somehow.

Pierce College was the only team to show up to the swim meet at Los Angeles Valley College on Feb. 27.

Alyssa Meza, first year student at Pierce, was the only one of the competitors who showed up at the swim match amongst the Pierce, Valley College, Cuesta College, and Ventura College.

“We were supposed to compete with Valley, Cuesta, and Ventura but I guess you can say we’re the only one prepared,” diving coach Ryan Anderson said. “Pierce College is the only one who showed up.”

According to Anderson, there were supposed to be two divers from Pierce but the other diver

took the year off for training. Despite the absence of the competitors, Meza still performed her diving skills to prove her win. Her family was there to support her and her Coach Anderson was there to guide her throughout the competition.

“She usually trains or she’ll stretch at home for a couple of hours,” Alyssa Meza’s sister Starlet Meza said. “She’s been in a lot of competitions. I personally don’t really know how many competitions she has won.”

This is Alyssa Meza’s first competition after her three months of training with Anderson. She said that she practices from one to two hours every day.

“A lot of training on and off the board. Definitely a lot of body conditioning. I have to eat right,

just like any other sports. I do a lot of stretching to get to different positions. Definitely a lot of arm and ab workouts too,” Alyssa said.

Anderson encourages any interested students to join the team.

“If anyone wants to come by, we are also open to anyone who is interested in becoming part of the team. No experience required,” Anderson said.

He added that the Pierce dive team is a great team that has won many state championships. He is a state champion himself.

He is encouraging anyone who is interested to stop by and check out their practices at Pierce every Monday and Wednesday 8-9:30 a.m., and Tuesday and Thursday 10a.m.– 12p.m.

That is now in the past and the team is looking forward to see what they can do to turn this season -- with a lot of potential -- around.

This week the Brahmas will be playing two two-game series against both Allan Hancock College and Ventura College.

Allan Hancock will be the first of the two series and will be Pierce’s best shot of getting some momentum in its dugout.

Allan Hancock is on a two game losing streak and gave up 10 runs on their last loss. They also have a better hitting percentage than Pierce but the Brahmas have a secret weapon that needs to start working for them.

Pierce leads the conference in stolen bases this season. They have eight within the conference and 26 total on the season. When Pierce is able to place its players in a position to score, they need to focus on connecting with the ball to get some base hits and more importantly, some earned runs.

The next series will be against Ventura and will be a harder series for Pierce. Ventura prides itself on its quality of pitching so far this season. Team’s batting against Ventura have the worst conference batting average this season. Both teams like to swing for the fence and are sixth and second in triples earned, with Pierce being second.

The Brahmas have had a rough start but they have the players, the coaching staff and the stats behind them to turn this season around.

The Brahmas will play Allan Hancock on Tuesday, March 1 at 2 p.m.

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Calvin Alagot/ Photographer

Pierce College's Jason McKeever/Rowe dives back to first base from a lead-off on Feb. 27 at Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland hills, Calif.

Donna Robles Reporter @donnarbls

“We were supposed to compete with Valley, Cuesta, and Ventura but I guess you can say we’re the only one prepared,”

-Ryan Anderson Diving coach

In a competition to feature four college's, only one athlete showed.

Calvin Alagot/ Photographer

Pierce student Alyssa Meza competes in the 1 meter dive competition on February 27 at the Los Angeles Valley College Aquatics Center.

Photos by Nicolas Heredia Questions by Salvador Fariaz