Volume 124 Spring 2016 Roundup Issue 6

Restrictions on golf cart use

New rules seek to limit vehicles on campuses district wide

SAMANTHA BRAVO

News Editor sambravo.roundupnews@gmail.com

Golf carts are no longer available to escort passengers and can only be used by certified faculty and the Sheriff’s department after a new district wide policy was announced in Pierce College Council on March 24.

The new policy was created on March 17 due to one ADA accommodation request by a faculty member at another college, according to an email from Vice President of Administration Services Rolf Schleicher.

Transport of injured persons on the campus are unable to physically support themselves and are usually helped by third party ambulatory services.

“We don’t give people rides in the carts because the policy is prohibiting us, the carts are basically made for classified staff that have jobs that require them like gardeners or custodials staff,” Schleicher said.

Schleicher said that the few administration that are eligible

They’ll sleep where they will build Architecture club to compete in first ever design challenge at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

The students attending the competition are divided into four groups. Each group is creating their own structure.

Evan Henzi, 22, has written an original song with the lead singer of Snow Patrol and starred in a Cannes Film Festival documentary featuring his story.

to drive the golf carts need to be certified.

“We have to look at the policy more carefully, none of our college’s in our district have ever had carts for emergency transportation,”

Schleicher said. “In fact if someone gets injured we are supposed to call the ambulance.”

Schleicher is looking into purchasing additional insurance if senior staff and the President agree, so they can provide extra coverage because it’s something they’re not funded for.

Accreditation is part of it, for all nine colleges in the district they’re making sure the policy and procedures are well structured to get the information out with a lot more focus on insurance and liability.

“We have board policy and then they crit regulations from that and the regulations help us manage from the board policy more specific,”

Schleicher said. “I just want to make sure everyone was aware it was changing, I wasn’t a part of the decision process, how to implement that policy unfortunately.”

The Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees issued the district policy. The

Henzi came to Pierce straight out of high school and is currently in his fifth year of general education. His plan is to pursue his passions by applying to UCLA next fall as a double-major in ethnomusicology and astrophysics but, on his journey leading up to this point, he felt that his education needed to take a backseat for a while.

Henzi was 11 years old when he entered the music industry. In the beginning he performed covers at miscellaneous events. Henzi went on to sing at the 2007 Young Artists Awards and debuted an original song he wrote for 2008 presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich.

However, according to Henzi, his introduction into the music industry was not a pleasant one.

“His name is Martin Weiss. He was a manager for child actors and musicians and my cousin was being represented by him,” Henzi said.

“I eventually began my journey in music with him and he ended up taking advantage of me and sexually abusing me.”

Weiss sexually abused Henzi from the time Henzi was 11 up to

ESC Risk manager, David Serrano highlighted and stated that the campus carts are for operational employees and a few in administration who are certified to use them in the course of their job duties, and no longer for escorting passengers.

The campus was in the process of replacing golf carts due to the high cost of fixing old units and lack of vendor available parts.

Administration who are allowed to operate the golf carts are required to take a class and be certified, which was enforced by Schleicher since he came into office in 2012.

The policy is still in discussion but only authorized personnel are able to use the golf carts, according to Sheriff’s Station team leader Alfred Guerrero, “It’s not my call, It was a district policy,” Guerrero said. “I’m just trying to abide by guidelines.”

Schleicher said the Sheriff’s office is consistently asked for rides from people on campus and must deny them for liability reasons.

Guerrero said cadets who are authorized to operate a golf cart need to go through the same training as the faculty in order to drive them.

“Every injury we get called out, the Sheriff’s department gets called out, to ensure the safety and wellness,” Guerrero said. “That’s why you see all the fire trucks here all the time. I’m not a doctor. I call the professionals.”

Pierce College faculty were unaware this was an issue until they received the policy from Deputy Guerrero.

Public Relations Manager Doreen Clay uses the golf carts to go to meetings and is aware of the policy but is uncertain if it has been established since she continues to see other advisors escorting passengers. “I’m a cart user, but I haven’t been officially informed,” Clay said. “I didn’t attend the PCC meeting, so It’s not clear.”

Student Health Center Director Beth Benne is concerned that the new policy will prevent her from escorting injured students around campus to the health center.

“I find it absurd that if a student sprained their ankle in lot 7 and has to be transported to the emergency room via the paramedics,” Benne said. “When less than five minutes by the golf cart by the cadets would

Pierce College’s very own architecture club will be joining Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in their annual Design Village competition.

This is the first time Pierce College is going to attend.

“Every year, San Luis Obispo’s Design Village has a competition in which schools all over California participate,” said Architecture major Armen Dedeyan. “We each design our own structure, but every year the structure has a theme. This year’s theme is Aura.”

The members are required to build a structure that is big enough for them to sleep in and light enough for them to carry to their campsite.

“They’ll build it, they’ll stay in it and they’ll take it down. It has to keep them all under shelter,” said Beth Abels, advisor of the Architecture Club.

The competition will be held within Cal Poly’s outdoor Experimental Structures Lab in Poly Canyon.

“You sleep in your structure. You have to build it to accommodate all your members,” Dedeyan said.

According to architecture. calpoly.edu, the “Aura” theme explores the metaphysical properties of designed space.

“The metaphysical explanation that Cal Poly gave us is how we interpret what we don’t know,” said Xenia Bran, president of the Architecture Club. “It’s the definition we put behind unexplainable things. That’s what aura is essentially about.”

The Associated Students Organization (ASO) funded an estimated amount of $3,000 to the Architecture Club, making it possible for them to attend the event.

“The ASO funded as much as they could,” Abels said. “The ASO was really excited.”

“The students put together their budget and they applied for it,” Abels said. “The ASO approved to fund it, and more students decided to join.”

age 17.

Weiss made himself an influential person in Henzi’s family and had become a family friend, blending business with that personal relationship. By that time, two other people in Henzi’s family were also being represented by Weiss. Henzi felt that he had to speak up and do something about the sexual abuse.

“I came forward when I was 18 after secretly recording an hour long conversation where [Weiss] admitted to abusing me when I was 11,” Henzi said. “I brought that to authorities and Weiss ended up being convicted of sexually abusing just me, even though I know there are other victims who weren’t able to speak out at the time.”

Weiss was sentenced to a year in prison through a plea deal in June 2012. He has been let out since and is registered with Megan’s Law.

“He’s a registered sex offender for the rest of his life, so I feel like that’s, at least, the justice that I was able to get,” Henzi said. “So many people that have been sexually abused don’t get justice because of no evidence.”

The court process and the turmoil

“I’m excited and a little scared because it’s our first time going to a competition. It’s a new experience,” said Bardia Shafiei, construction management major.

“It’s a tradition for architecture programs throughout the state of California to join, and it’s been going on since I was knee high to a grasshopper,” Abels said. “I’ve known about it for a long time, but I never had a group of students who were particularly interested in taking it on until now.”

Abels is looking forward to the knowledge the students will gain from the competition.

“They’re learning major collaborative skills, but they’re also learning about the design process,” Abels said. “They’re learning about how the materials work and the structures, it’s almost everything you could ask for in terms of curriculum.”

Architecture majors who attend the event have the opportunity to add this experience to their portfolios for future references.

“We’re pioneers. Architecture clubs in the past haven’t done anything at all, competition wise” Luis Martinez, architecture major, said. “We’re taking it to the next level and we’re excited about that.”

it created was Henzi’s main focus for the majority of his first year at Pierce. Then, in 2013, Oscarnominated director Amy Berg, who was researching sexual abuse in Hollywood and in the entertainment industry at large, approached Henzi. She ended up interviewing him and featuring him in her documentary “An Open Secret.”

Greg H. Sims, CEO of Vesuvio Entertainment, the company responsible for distributing “An Open Secret,” thought that Henzi stood out in the documentary. Sims contacted Henzi to get him involved with publicity for the film.

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

Evan Henzi is featured in a documentary about his life that was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

Defensive coach Torry Huges drives one of the carts used by the athletic department. Under new district policy, authorized drivers are prohibited from having passengers except under certain conditions.

Matt Reyes / Roundup Manolo Martinez drills screws into wood to attach all the parts together on Thursday, April 7.

STREET

What do you wish you knew when you first came to Pierce?

“The wifi is super spotty all over campus, even in the library where you would think it would be good. I tried to lodge a complaint but they couldn’t do anything.”

-Francesca Moreno, 26, Pre-Vet. Freshman

“At Pierce you can figure out what type of classes you enjoy the most and then from there pick the right major. When you like a subject, you know the subject by heart from the moment you finish the lecture, and that is how I learned, I know.”

-Kelson Tran, 19, Sophomore, Physiological Science major

“When you enter Pierce College, you should ask the counselor if you can take more than 12 units in each semester, because not many people know that you can take 19 units in a semester. That will make you finish your major or career faster and in less time.”

-Mariella Lagunes, 18, Freshman, Social

“They should go and see an academic counselor to make sure they are on track with their goals and graduation. Go online to the Counseling Center’s website to get a full appointment.”

-Milo Anderson, 31, graduating Computer Applications and Office Technologies

“Knowing how to prioritize and manage your schedule definitely helps a lot in college. You are going to have more than one class, assignments for multiple classes, but once you know how to manage your time effectively it gets a lot easier.”

-Andres Lopez, 22, Sophomore, Education major

“We came from Sri Lanka and realized that the classes that we had to take were filled, so the first semester is very critical if you can sort that out. It’s hard to figure things out if you fall behind in the beginning.”

-Malintha Ellepola, 26, Freshman, Accounting major

Bring back cart-pooling

Pierce and other colleges in the district will be subject to golf cart restrictions due to a new policy that came from the Los Angeles Community Colleges District Risk Management Department.

David Serrano, the Risk manager of Human Resources of the district sent the policy to the Rolf Schleicher, Vice President of administration. It prohibits unauthorized passengers from riding in the golf cart. The passengers include students and coworkers who come and go to their vehicles. The carts can’t be used for escorting people anymore.

The issuance of the memo was based on an accommodation request sent under the Americans with Disability Act by a faculty member at a different college. However, the Los Angeles Community Colleges Board of Trustees can only issue the policy. Colleges can have a golf cart that is designed for emergency transport purposes only. The athletic trainers for example, can use the golf carts as they use them to transport injured or ill athletes.

However, if it’s not an athlete that needs assistance they cannot get the cart service that an athlete would receive. The injured person is usually helped by third party ambulatory services. It would be a disservice due to the amount of students that end up in hospital beds for minor injuries instead of being transported to the Student Health Center. Why would they want to be in a hospital bed if they could have treatment at the center?

The health center over the years has relied on the sheriffs to be the first responders to transport students for treatment. With this new policy the students are greatly impacted. The center is understaffed and the workers can’t leave patients to retrieve

someone else from a different location on campus.

The golf carts can be used for regular work duties. All drivers must have a license, an acceptable driving record and also undergo a training for these vehicles.

The district participates in the California Department of Motor Vehicles Pull Notice system where each driver submits a form to Risk Management. This authorizes the district to be notified about actions taken by the DMV on any registered license. It provides electronic communication to the district in

regards to validation of a driver’s license. If no forms have been submitted then the driver will not be allowed to drive.

In addition to, the driver must go through a safe driving and defensive driver training through the District’s Environmental Health and Safety Specialist which is also known as the Train the Trainer Program. The carts also can’t be used to transport students who are under the ADA. There is a shuttle bus that provides transportation however all operators will have to go through ADA Service Training.

Furthermore, the carts should be made available at anytime in case an emergency happens. So, why don’t we give the same benefits not only to athletes, but to any student who might need it?

It should be required for faculty to attend training so they can get informed on how to use the golf carts properly. The repercussion of the new policy will affect students and faculty. Why not allow advisors who are certified to use the golf carts and allow passengers to be escorted safely.

Pierce should frequently have fundraisers because they can be a luxury to the campus. By having fundraisers on a monthly basis, whether on or off campus, will be beneficial. Plus, let’s be real, if you look around or walk into a classroom it’s no secret that the campus could benefit from some extra money to fix or add certain appliances to classes.

Fundraisers can be the key component to saving a club and providing a science department with enough utensils to conduct experiments such as dissections. The finances collected from a fundraiser would not only be limited to classes, but could also help with various other purposes, such as providing new uniforms to the sports teams or plastic gloves and goggles to the Chemistry departments.

For the time that I’ve been a student here, I have rarely seen fundraisers take place. Yes, there has been the occasional one but that’s usually once a semester. Fundraising may seem like a terrifying idea to make happen. As children, it was a struggle having to solicit the local neighbor or classmate to purchase a chocolate bar or that watermelon smelly pencil. However, times have changed and it seems that college students are more likely to donate with a few dollars in order to help their department or campus become more competitive.

The fun part of helping with a fundraiser is that the students have a chance to inform the passerbyers the reason why they decided to

Photographers:

Ezzat Bekheet

fundraise. It’s always good to inform unaware individuals that one of the departments is in need of materials or that the campus would like to have better Wi-Fi reception. Sometimes the causes for fundraisers not captivating the students are for similar reasons. There are different fundraising ideas that a club or department could do. Activities such as having food trucks down the Mall, doing a hopscotch challenge, an egg catch or even a gift wrapping fundraiser during Christmas are fun options. As a result all these ideas could be done outside of campus and it would help that it provides more space to conduct the activities.

Fundraising doesn’t have to be difficult. As students mature they are more likely to be daring and have fun. They are also aware of why they’re donating money and if it comes with some good food and fun, they are sold.

It’s understandable that some college students that host said fundraisers cringe at the thought of having to do so, especially with the circumstances that they must deal with people who can be uncooperative and insolent. As a result, fundraising can be a challenging process but it can also have its enjoyable side. Fundraising is an amazing experience. Fundraisers are an opportunity to socialize with and meet new people. If Pierce were to have more fundraisers it would surely help out the campus more than anything would.

Ahmadreza Rastegarrazi

Abdolreza Rastegarrazi

Dane Igharas Taylor Arthur Travis Wesley

Part of the experience of attending a higher education institution is discovering a career path to pursue. For some students, the decision is quick, while others take time and explore different options by taking courses.

Some departments on campus lack funds or don’t even have the money to hire the necessary staff needed to run classes. Fundraisers are one way of garnering revenue to support deprived departments or new additions, but it won’t be effective.

Different fundraisers would begin to compete against one another. Fundraisers are used when major events need to be funded. A field trip, money needed to replace band equipment or funding a new department, but when there are multiple departments in need then how do we decide which to fund?

It’s not fair to fund a specific department over another because it’s deemed more important or more popular. Fundraisers cannot be set up often because there is not enough money to go around.

During these fundraisers, students, families and other generous people will be giving money but there is a limit to how much can be given. Students have to pay for books and other supplies, so even if they wanted to give as much as they could, they have other expenses to deal with first. It’s the same deal with families and other people helping.

It takes time to establish a fundraiser plus the hassle of coordinating it with administration. There is a process and there’s no easy way around it. There’s also the need for volunteers. Frequent fundraisers would slowly yield less and less results.

Fundraisers could be set up on or off campus which is allows for diversity of events. There could be yogurt events or skateland events for off campus. On campus fundraisers would have their themes but eventually ideas will become worn out and overused. To make money you need money. It’s the same thing for fundraisers. There is a need for a small amount of money or more to go into setting up fundraisers or for advertising the event. Spoken word can only go so far. A good way to draw attention is with pictures, video, or with another form of visual content as it gives a sense of what to expect. With frequent fundraisers there would have to be frequent amounts of money going into advertising. It would become a cycle of garnering money to replenish the amount spent and the money needed for the cause. If it were very few departments in need of funding, there wouldn’t be much of a problem fundraising. However, there are problems that each department faces and the amount of money needed to solve them is not something mere fundraisers can do.

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. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.

Quotes gathered by Max Sullivan | Photos by Laura Chen

Worker major

Illustration by Tobennh Dacanay

that all of the set designers are students.

Students work toward making design dreams reality

Making progress towards their goals, four students look to the future

RANDI

For more than a decade student designers were used sporadically in theatre productions on campus, but “Waiting for Godot” changed that this year.

Michael Sande has been the theatre manager for 13 years and said in that time there has never been four student designers for a production.

Maeve Kiely, DJ Medina, Vanessa Stewart and Cynthia Ayala were the four students chosen to

design for the play.

Kiely was the costume designer for Godot and has attended Pierce since she was 14 years old.

“I took technical theatre classes in 2010 and have attended Pierce for five years,” Kiely said. “Every semester since 2010 I’ve taken classes.”

Challenges arise during the production of a play and each person can handle the issues differently.

“It was hard to believe in what you were doing and to get over that vulnerability,” Kiely said.

“As a designer you have to gain that confidence in what you are presenting to others. Even if they don’t agree or like it.”

Kiely plans to transfer to UCLA by Fall 2017 if she is able to take all the classes she has left. Medina was the sound technician for the play and started attending Pierce in 2002 right out of high school for music.

“As time went by and life happened I never finished my

Gym lockers burglarized

Crime rate is down but rise in gym lockers burglaries

ENRIE AMEZCUA

Staff enrieamezcua.roundupnews.com

Pierce College’s crime rate is lower despite burglary reports in the women’s South Gym locker room and other areas.

L.A. Sheriff’s Department

Deputy Al Guerrero presented to Pierce College Council that the crime rate on campus is lower, but has yet to provide the crime stats for this year. However, Guerrero said

that the two main issues that are still high that the department has to deal with are traffic incidents within the student lots and burglaries.

“We got an additional deputy and that helps with keeping constant patrol on campus,” Guerrero said. Burglaries were at a high in 2008 with 18 reported and reached a low in 2013 of seven reports, according to the Clery Act Crime Statistics from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Community College Bureau.

Deborah Hefter has been a Pool Supervisor for six years and said that burglaries within the lockerroom happen every so often. She said that the locker room is a tricky area to keep an eye out as there are many ways in and out of the gym and someone could easily walk in.

Students are responsible for bringing their own locks and securing their possessions when

general education course,” Medina said. “I moved away for a while and when I came back about a year ago I found theatre as my calling in life.”

Medina hopes to become a sound designer once he completes his degree program. With the training and knowledge gained from Pierce he said he could fit into any position of the theatre that is needed.

“With any production there are going to be many obstacles. The pre-show took forever, it’s what everyone listens to while waiting for the play to begin,” Medina said.

Setting up the speakers was one of the hurdles that Medina

using the locker rooms in the gym.

Hefter said the suspect or suspects are not known and it is easy for an individual to walk in behind a student and observe if the student is putting anything of value into the locker.

“[Students] might go in there talking to [their] friends, not noticing the people around you, maybe watching you,” Hefter said. “And when you leave, that's when they'll know what you've just put in there. And that's when they'll just come in.”

Hefter said that there was a locker room attendant that was in charge of keeping an eye out but the position was vacated before the end of the Fall semester. They are in the process of filling the position, according to Hefter Athletic Director Bob Lofrano said that despite students being careful, theft will occur no matter where a student might be. No matter what school a student goes to, theft is just as common as getting up in the morning, according to Lofrano.

“That's why you tell the students don't ever put anything in your locker of value. Let them steal your underpants. But don't put your [valuables] in there,” Lofrano said.

Anthropology major Emily Juarez uses the locker room for her weight training class and although she hasn’t had anything stolen she said that her professors always say to keep valuables out of the locker room.

“Nothing’s really happening. There's no bigger changes. You bring your own lock and if it is easy to break into, then it sucks,” Juarez said.

Confusion in golf cart policy

bring them to the health center and we could take care of it.”

The Student Health Center has a golf cart but only one key that is shared between other authorized personnel at the Health Center who took the training, according to Benne.

“According to this memo that just came out, you can’t transport anybody, authorized personnel is just the driver, I can only take myself,” Benne said.“I wasn’t asked if this impacts us and the students.”

The Student Health Center uses the golf cart to transport laptops and projectors for classrooms

presentations but the policy will prevent them from escorting passengers.

“His [Deputy Guerrero] office and the cadets were able to transport minorly injured students to the health center, they can’t anymore,” Benne said. “What if a student gets seriously injured, am I going to have to call the ambulance to bring them to the health center.”

Benne said the training that advisors attend is to learn how to use golf carts and to get certified.

“You go to a class that tells you how the break works, the acceleration, how to turn it on and off, how the charge works and how to

encountered with this play.

“I must have spent four weeks listening to a bunch of speeches from Carl Sagan, Charlie Chaplin and Franklin D. Roosevelt talking about the A-bomb and even eight terrifying words from Hitler,” Medina said.

All of that played on top of another play titled “Not I” by Samuel Beckett. Currently Medina is working on the production of “Good People” that will run at the Hudson Guild Theatre in Hollywood from April 29 to June 5.

“To those that want to go into sound design think of using some

sounds in different ways than what they would be used for and keep your ears open,” Medina said. “Be open to ideas from others like you would on a creative project.”

Ayala is completing her first year at Pierce. She was a student at UCLA prior to enrolling at Pierce and is in the process of applying for the Theatre Design and Production program at UCLA.

“If someone is interested in becoming a lighting designer the best thing to do is find someone who is really good at it and shadow them and ask for guidance,” Ayala said. “Never give up on it if it’s something you really love because it will definitely take you through some rough patches.”

Godot was not the first show that Ayala has worked on, but the setup posed a different approach to her design.

“Waiting for Godot was the first show that I worked on that was performed in the round,” Ayala said. “It required me to branch out from the style of lighting that is typically done in proscenium theatres, which is what I was most familiar with.”

Over the summer Ayala will attend an intensive program at the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas to improve her skills. Stewart was the scenic designer for Godot and has attended Pierce since 2014.

Stewart came into Godot as a beginner with no scenic design experience at all.

“Every challenge was rewarding because I was very grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from the many talented faculty and students I hadn’t worked with before,” Stewart said.

Stewart plans to apply for internships in theatre and to continue her education as much as possible. She wants to ideally work in design or with designers in theatre making an honest living doing something she loves and cares about.

“Anyone interested in scenic design should be meticulous, forward thinking, a great listener and a team player,” Stewart said.

wear a seatbelt,” Benne said.

“Many times when change occurs, an incident happens somewhere in the district, that leads to injury, maybe lawsuit, something that makes the district create a policy but doesn’t necessary consider the fallout of that new policy.” Benne said. “We have to find that new medium.”

Schleicher said they [administration] have been trying to start this strict policy for a long time and are authorizing it from now on.

“The goal was never to have a transportation vehicle for the health center or athletics because again, we don’t have that liability coverage,” Schleicher said.

Travis Wesley / Roundup

Sound Designer DJ Medina, left, collaborates with Light Designer Cynthia Ayala and Costume Designer Maeve Kiley before a technical run through of “Waiting For Godot” in the Performing Arts Center at Pierce College on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif. This is the first time in 13 years

Taylor Arthur / Roundup BULLET: Caption goes here – Kozuka Gothic Pro 10/12

“ Never give up on it if it’s something you really love .”

-Dj Medina Set Designer

All-Student Set Design

While watching “Waiting for Godot,” the process behind each set piece is thought out. Scene, costume, sound and lighting design all play a vital role in the overall development of a play.

This is the first time in more than a decade that all four designers on a production are students.

Each element plays off another in order to provide a smooth transition throughout the show. The designers have the support and assistance from faculty and other students as they develop their craft.

The play was entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. The Kennedy Center hosts 125 students on an all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the national festival.

The designers have keen eyes and ears allowing the attention to detail to show through their work.

Computers are used to set sound and lighting. Each cue is timed and placed together meticulously. Costumes include more than just clothing for each character, makeup and hair also has to be properly designed to go with the outfit that is worn.

The scene of a play includes many pieces that are built and put together across the stage in order to set the play in motion. The design of each set is carefully placed together to create an overall product.

Upper Left: DJ Medina, Sound Designer for the production of “Waiting For Godot,” prepares for a technical run through in the Performing Arts Center at Pierce College on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Travis Wesely

Photo: Travis

designer, works

Photo: Taylor Arthur

Bottom Right: Cynthia Ayala, student lighting designer, and Natasha Wells, assistant light board operator, test out the lights in the Pierce

Photo: Taylor Arthur

Copy by Randi Love Photos by Travis Wesely and Taylor Arthur

Farmwalk and Open House expected to entice all visitors

For more than two decades Pierce College has hosted the annual Farmwalk but this year the event will go beyond what has ever been offered.

Open House/Beyond Farmwalk will be held on April 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is a free event. Not only will the popular and historic Farmwalk occur, the Open House gives the students, faculty and staff an opportunity to showcase what the school has to offer.

According to a document from Doreen Clay, public relations manager, in regards to the Open House/Beyond Farmwalk event, college President Kathleen Burke said how important the event is to the campus.

“If you aren’t already taking classes at Los Angeles Pierce College, you might not know what a wealth of programs and services we offer to our community – at an affordable cost,” Burke said.

“For family members, neighbors or friends who are deciding where to begin their college education, our open house is the perfect opportunity to come onto campus and explore options.”

Although the event is free to the community, food vouchers will be sold in order to purchase food and drink. During the Pierce College Council meeting on March 25, Associate Vice President Larry Kraus mentioned how the event was proceeding.

“The idea of the passport is to have knowledge transfer. After visiting a stand like the Anthropology department you will get a stamp,” Kraus said. “After a certain amount of stamps you are eligible to win a prize. We will have around 60 to 70 tents.”

The school input a large sum of funds to help this event be more successful.

“We are using about $85,000 from the state mandated fund,” Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher, said.

“We can earn some of the money back through the sale of food at the Open House.”

KIIS FM’s street team will be at the event providing entertainment. There will also be dance performances, student demonstrations of their work and fun and games. Holly Hagan has been a volunteer at the Farmwalk for many years.

“This is the first time I’ll be doing something different by working the booth for the Bookstore,” Hagan said. “Usually I volunteer and help with selling

tickets or something like that.”

With the addition of the Open House this year many campus departments and clubs are able to showcase themselves.

“We are encouraging every academic department, program and student service to participate in the Open House and show the community all the opportunities available to our students at Pierce College,” Clay said. “This is the best time for potential students to come to Pierce and find out all about us for free.”

Department Chair of Agriculture Elizabeth White, delegated the organization of the Farmwalk this year.

“We’re purposely not changing our side of Farmwalk because that is the core of this whole event, the farm,” White said. “We are keeping it exactly the same as it has been because it has always been wildly successful.”

Many of the popular activities will be available this year as well.

“We will have the sheep shearing and the petting zoo and all the units open with lots of demonstrations,” White said. “The Equine Science program puts on an amazing show. They’re doing barrel racing and jumping, all kinds of horse demonstrations, decorating old horseshoes for the kids and many other activities.”

JOB BOARD

http://www.caine-weiner.com/

“I do endurance rides on horses. It’s like a marathon on horseback. I have only done up to 30 mile rides so far but I’m going to get up to 50’s one day. The ones I’ve done this winter we’re all in the Ridgecrest area in the desert. You can’t have rides up there in the summer, it’s too hot.”

Black lace and psychology books Lolita sauvant blends school with cosplay and table top gaming

RANDI LOVE Staff rlove.roundupnews@gmail.com

Clad in black lace petticoats and fishnet stockings, Amanda Stanlow, 23, walks down the mall and is known for her goth style. Her education path combines how she verbalizes her opinion, her appearance and style.

Stanlow is a psychology major that currently performs shows for preschool age children. Despite her appearance and interest in abnormal psychology, she is keen to working with children.

“I do really well with kids but I realized I want to work with people that are mature,” Stanlow said. “I can speak with them on a different level.”

Selecting a career path is done through trial and error.

“I work in children’s entertainment for a company that performs educational shows at preschools,” Stanlow said. “We do shows that teach them about science, or reading and stuff like that. My favorite is the bubble science show.”

Bubble shows include different types of props to create various styles of bubbles and effects.

“We use smoke machines and bubble machines. In our finale we use giant bubble wands that can fit a person in it,” Stanlow said. If another solution is added to the bubble mix other effects can occur.

“We’ll do glow in the dark bubbles or something like blow a bubble with our hands and throw it to another. It’s a really cool

show. I love it,” Stanlow said.

Juli-Ann Giron met Stanlow about five years ago and has a friendship that is essential to her.

“She’s very intuitive,” Giron said. “This is important to me since she can tell when I don’t feel well because I’m chronically ill.”

First impressions may make or break a relationship. For Anya Giernet, who has known Stanlow for about two years, their friendship got off to “a rough start.”

“We kind of hated each other at first but we both liked each other’s styles,” Giernet said. “Through another friend we eventually became pretty good friends.”

Stanlow has a unique outlook on her style and why she considers herself goth.

“The thing that stands out about me is that I’m goth but amongst others my style is said to be cute,” Stanlow said.

Stanlow explains how her style is different than the others.

“I don’t know how I got into it, I just liked it,” Stanlow said. “I like a lot of the stuff in goth, but that’s why my style is cute.

There’s so many subcategories and there wasn’t one that fit me.” Stanlow did not jump into the subculture without understanding where and how it began.

“If I’m going to be using things from the subculture, then I should pay respect to it,” Stanlow said. “I did a lot of research, what makes someone goth and the origins of it. There are certain bands you should know and appreciate so you don’t look like you don’t know what you are doing.”

Stanlow was heavily into cosplay in previous years but has not stopped attending conventions due to the ticket prices and costume expenses.

“I started cosplaying in 2008. My first cosplay was Android 18 from ‘Dragon Ball Z’ which I wore to Anime Expo [in 2008],” Stanlow said. “I don’t really go to the other conventions though.”

There are many different characters that can be worn at the conventions. Manga comic books and anime, manga’s visual counterpart, are the two most popular categories for cosplay.

Vocaloid, which was released in 2004, is a software application technology for singing voice synthesis developed by Yamaha.

“My favorite cosplay is a character from Vocaloid called Rin,” Stanlow said. “I wear it so much that it’s starting to fall apart. It gets a lot of love.”

Popular Vocaloids such as Kagamine Rin have card games. Stanlow carries around her pack of cards as she feels it reflects her personality.

“This is the one trading card game that I play because someone got me hooked on it,” Stanlow laughed. “I’m such a nerd.”

A man with a powerful voice and a story to share

“We reached out to several subjects, but I thought he was the most articulate and compelling guy and that he would be the biggest asset to public relations for the movie,” said Sims. “He was a big part of the promotion process.”

The documentary was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. Its soundtrack includes an original song, written and recorded by Henzi, which tells about his experience.

“When I met the film company, I told them that I was a musician and one of the producers was great friends with Gary Lightbody from the band Snow Patrol,” Henzi said. “So I met Gary through her and I had the pleasure of writing the original song with [him].”

Sims, who has certified golden platinum records working with artists such as Dutch singer-songwriter Anouk, also commented on Henzi’s interaction with Lightbody.

“[Henzi] has been able to hold his own with the best of the best and I think he’s an extraordinary songwriter and an extraordinary singer,” said Sims. “He’s a really talented, great kid and I think that he’s going to go far.”

Henzi said that he used music as an outlet to verbalize

all the pain and the struggle that he had gone through in his life. He took several music classes at Pierce last semester, including musicianship and harmony taught by Professor John Schneider.

Schneider, who has been teaching music at Pierce for 36 years, joked that Pierce’s music department is a pretty well-kept secret in that not too many students know that the program exists. Those that do

don’t always know what they’re getting into.

“One of the issues is that music is such a difficult subject,” Schneider said. “We have a lot of people that say, ‘Yeah, I want to learn music’ but then by the time we get to the third or fourth semester classes really shrink because it’s so hard. The ones who really want to pursue music as their passion are the ones that end up staying, like Evan Henzi.”

Henzi admits that he’s grateful for the opportunity to pursue his passions in a place that doesn’t pressure him to be something he’s not.

“Pierce has given me the opportunity to take my music ambitions at my own pace and to really learn the music theory and skills that are needed to apply to a four-year-college,” Henzi said. “Even though it’s taken me longer than the ‘typical’ students who transfer, I truly believe in Pierce College

for giving me a chance to succeed.”

Henzi said that his purpose in bringing up his past is to be a voice for other people like him who have also gone through sexual abuse and to let them know that they can come forward about it.

“I’m sure I’m not the only one, but your past doesn’t define you and the experience doesn’t define you, so don’t be discouraged” Henzi said. “Everybody goes through

hardships in life so it’s important, no matter how long it takes, to continue following your passions and not to give up.”

To watch the behind the scenes video for Henzi’s latest single “Alien” [theroundupnews.com]

“ Everybody goes through hardships in life so it’s important, no matter how long it takes, to continue following your passions and not to give up.”

-Evan Henzi Ethnomusicology major

Mohammad Djauhari/ Roundup 22-year-old Evan Henzi, a ethnomusicology major, plays his original score “Alien,” on a piano inside one of the music rooms of the Music Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Wednesday, March 30, 2016.

Music student opens up about how he uses past hardships to build a better brighter future for himself

“ The thing that stands out about me is that I’m goth but amongst others my style is said to be cute.”

-Amanda Stanlow Psychology major

Alan Castro/ Roundup Psychology student, Amanda Stanlow, presents severeal trading cards from a card deck in which she plays with her friends and gets cosplay ideas from in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Friday, March 18, 2016.

Can’t stop this short stop

He’s the coach’s pick for the most consistent player on the field

Tanya Castaneda Staff

tcastaneda.roundupnews@gmail.com

As Brahmas baseball player, Jordan Abushahla continues to play at a high level, universities are starting to take notice.

At the age of five, Abushahla began playing teeball at Knapp Ranch Baseball. Two years later, he went on to play at West Hills Little League.

At a young age, his parents placed him into sports primarily to keep him in shape. With baseball, football, basketball and soccer experience, he was not focused on one particular sport.

However, that changed as soon as he got to high school.

Abushahla attended Taft High School where he chose to devote to baseball completely. He believes that is when he started to improve and a contributing factor to his progress was his brother Ramsey.

Ramsey Abushahla served as his role model and pushed him to work harder every day on and off the field.

“He’s a lot bigger than me and I always tried beating him in everything. It’s the competitive side of me. Most of the time I’d lose but when I’d win, I think it helped me grow as a person,

not just baseball but it helped me figure out how to drive myself to work as hard as I possibly can and get better,” Abushahla said.

After high school, Abushahla went to the University of San Diego for the fall semester of his freshman year. There he tried to walk-on and play for the Toreros. There he was given the choice of either redshirting or transferring. After much thought, he decided to transfer to Pierce where he earned a spot on the Brahma’s baseball team.

He served as a utility player until this year.

Coming into this year, he wasn’t too comfortable at short stop because he had grown accustomed to moving positions constantly. He felt he was the greatest fielder but he realized it was something you work on.

With the help of infield coach Michael Hymes and with the repetition of drills, he began to see improvement.

In addition to repeating fielding drills, he improves his batting skills the same way. During batting practice, he swings over and over again, tweaking minor details along the way until it eventually becomes natural.

“You’re not even thinking about it, it’s just happening,” Abushahla said.

Not only that but he has learned the mental side of baseball.

“It’s so much more than just

physical abilities. It’s a lot of mental stuff and you have to be thinking after every pitch and action the whole game,” Abushahla said. “It’s like 30 minutes of action and an hour or two of sitting in preparation. You just need to be ready to do what your team needs you to do.”

He believes it is important not to get too emotionally driven and

all personal issues should be set aside to focus during those hours you are on the field which has impacted his performance.

Both coaches and teammates alike have noticed his progress.

“He’s been the most consistent player on the team,” coach Bill Picketts said.

“He’s definitely the most hard working and determined person

SCHEDULE

April 13 - April 20

Softball

Thursday, April 14 vs. Hancock 2:30 p.m.

Friday, April 15 @ Santa Barbara 12 p.m.

Saturday, April 16 @ San Diego Mesa 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Tuesday, April 19 @ Cuesta 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Swim and Dive

Friday, April 14 - Saturday, April 15 WSC/ SoCal Dive Cham. @ El Camino 12:30 p.m. WSC @ Morro Bay

Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22 9:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 23 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Men’s Volleyball

Wednesday, April 13 vs LA TradeTech 6 p.m.

Friday, April 15 @ Santa Barbara 6 p.m.

Baseball

I’ve ever met,” teammate Myles Cruz said. “He’s always been the hardest working on the team and it definitely has showed in his skills and abilities on the field.”

Abushahla’s goal is to play at the highest level he possibly can and he has received offers to play at four-year universities which he does not yet feel comfortable speaking publicly about.

Thursday, April 14 vs. Ventura 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 16 @ Ventura 1 p.m.

Tuesday, April 19 @ SBCC 2:30 p.m.

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

Jordan Abushala reaches down to scoop up a ground ball at Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

The three El Camino amigos

Life long friends brought their chemistry to Pierce

KELLAN BRADLEY Campus lifestyle editor kbradley.roundupnews@gmail.com

Three Little League teammates and high school city champions come together for possibly their last

chance to play baseball on the same team together at Pierce.

With over 10 years of playing together, these three childhood friends, Edgar Vela, Trevor Dergazarian and Deion Fernando, hope to replicate their winning chemistry to the Brahmas. They have known each other

since they were about 7-years-old. Over the years, the boys began to form a sibling-like bond.

“These guys are like my brothers. When we play together, something just clicks,” Vela, who plays infield said. “We know how to react to one another, how to hype each other up and calm each

other down.”

In high school, the trio won the city championship during their senior year at El Camino Real Charter High School.

“It was a great experience getting to win that championship with two of my best friends, it’s one of the best feelings ever,” Dergazarian, who plays outfield said.

Assistant coach, Eric Bloom said that the three boys have already brought something to the baseball team.

“All three of them have been a factor in this year’s team,” Bloom said.

Vela was the first to join the Brahmas baseball team.

“I sort of convinced both my friends Deion and Trevor to play here with me because I believe us three brings something great to any team,” Vela said.

Fernando, who plays outfield, is now in the starting rotation.

“He can play a lot of positions, he has been doing really great,” Bloom said.

For Trevor, he decided last year to leave Vanguard University and play with his former teammates at Pierce.

“I called up Deion [Fernando] and Edgar [Vela] and asked them how the team was. I already had a couple of junior colleges in mind, but they both persuaded me to come to Pierce and it’s been a great time,” Dergazarian said Dergazarian has been a pleasant surprise for the Brahmas. He continues to impress the coaches.

“Trevor [Dergazarian] has been a surprise for us, we didn’t know much about him coming in. All we knew was he had a little bit of speed,” Bloom said. “He’s been amazing to watch.”

With the team struggling this season, the team hopes that the freshmen could lead Pierce back to their winning ways next season.

“The three boys bring a lot to our team. They definitely know when to have fun and when to get down to work,” Bloom said.

Salvador Fariaz Sports Editor

Marijuana may be legal for recreational use in four states but California is not one of them and apparently the Pierce College baseball team has no room for such antics either.

There were two players this season who were removed from the baseball team for reported marijuana use. It is neither a school policy nor an athletic department policy to do so, but it is a call that is made from the coaching staff.

I agree that there is no room for drugs and sports to coexist on any level, whether it is high school, collegiate or professional. On the collegiate level, there is a different focus from that of the professional level. College sports should exist for the students. It is an opportunity for students to receive scholarships. It’s a way to teach students about responsibility and dedication. All of this should come before money is involved.

I do not know if this was an ongoing problem that the players and coach had been trying to resolve, but I think this should not be the end for these two players’ athletic careers. Kicking them off the team must hurt, but it won’t stop their lifestyles. It just removes one of the only reasons they had to change their behavior.

Pierce teams should have a system in place for student athletes that are also drug users to be able to work their way back onto the team. Rehabilitating players and reincorporating them back into a structured atmosphere that promotes discipline and responsibility is what these players need the most.

We are not talking about performance enhancing drugs where students try to get an unfair advantage in games. This this is not in that same category. Players do represent their teams and their schools and there should be punishments for recreational drug, use but not at the expense of abandoning these players when what they really need is help.

Brahma of the Week

Baseball Outfield

How did you feel coming into spring break and still practicing and playing games?

It felt like a normal week of baseball we didn’t have any days off, we just kept it going.

How have you improved from playing in high school to playing at Pierce?

I’ve actually improved a lot. Mostly because of [teammate] Edgar. He pushed me to hit a lot more. I used to never practice and ever since the summer I’ve been hitting almost every single day… I’ve improved a lot as a player

What’s been the best part of this season?

Coming out and playing baseball, my love. And also all the boys on the team, it’s like family here.

If the team was winning more games, how would things be different?

They wouldn’t be that much different because we still love each other and we all love the game, but there would be a lot more intensity throughout the entire year.

After the season is over, how would you like coaches and teammates to remember you?

As that Sri Lankan boy on the field who just rakes.

Next season, what do you hope to improve on?

I want to improve on my outfielder games, but I also want to keep improving on my hitting. Hopefully get a few more dingers, I’ve only got one right now. [Also] get a little bit stronger.

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

Three long-time friends, Trevor Dergazarian, Edgar Vela and Deion Fernando sit on top of the fence in the outfield on Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif.

Deion Fernando - Freshman