Volume 124 Spring 2016 Roundup Issue 7

$2.2 million returned to district

Enrollment numbers fall below president’s expected projection

RANDI LOVE

rlove.roundupnews@gmail.com

TIFFANY BERWAGER

tberwager.roundupnews@gmail.com

Enrollment failed to meet the seven percent projected growth, resulting in the school needing to give back $2.2 million to the district, according to Pierce College President Kathleen Burke.

Burke said projected growth in August was seven percent, then lowered to five. After a meeting with a district representative the percent was lowered to three, which is about two percent higher than the state average. Due to the projection lowering four percent the school must return $2.2 million to the district.

To meet three percent growth, the college is borrowing 400 hours from summer, which will put the school 400 hours behind to start in the Fall of 2016.

“Our growth statewide is flattening out, in fact there’s no way I think we could hit seven percent, even if we took all of summer,” Burke said. “Spring enrollment was flat, in fact it dipped a little bit. Some of that could be because we added classes to the winter.”

Burke explained that the the college receives money from the district up front, and must repay it when they do not match the growth projections.

“We had already come down from seven percent to five, and refunded $1.1 million to the district,” Burke said. “Our most recent meeting with the district representatives from attendance accounting, we needed to drop down to three percent, that is still growth, just not as much growth as we projected. We will be returning another $1.1 million to the district from our original budget because we’re not going to make the growth we projected.”

Vice President of Academic Affairs Sheri Berger said that there is new legislation called the Dual Enrollment Bill, that could help bring more high school students into community colleges.

“The new legislation passed allows for dual enrollment and this is one way we can increase enrollment,” Berger said. “There is a smaller population of high school

graduates, which means there are fewer students coming to us.”

Berger said that hours are allocated, and department chairs are to schedule to meet the needs of students. The school is currently working closely with the Ruffalo Noel Levitz organization, who will come in May to assess the FETS generation, and look into factors that may be impacting growth.

The organization will look at Pierce’s service area demographic, andperform a cursory look at some of the marketing efforts and different factors that go into the overall scheduling including how big our sections are, according to Berger.

Courses that are considered electives in many departments have been archived due to the realignment several years ago, according to Academic Senate Treasurer Angela Belden.

“Sometimes, those courses that get students excited about taking other things are the things that we are not offering as frequently anymore due to the realignment several years ago,” Belden said.

Belden questioned why the seven percent growth was established by administration, and if Pierce requires consultation on the efficiency of classes.

“While I think it’s a really good idea to examine why we didn’t meet our growth goal. I think that we need to be doing it in-house as well,” Belden said. “I don’t necessarily think that it is something we should be hiring a consultant about, especially when we haven’t really looked at our campus committees to try and have them answer some of the questions first.”

“That seven percent goal was not a goal that was decided on in a shared government sort of way. We just heard from the administration, ‘We will grow by seven percent and this is what we’re going to do,’ and that itself wasn’t done by a shared governance committee,” Belden said.

Wayne Skip Perkins, instructor of music, said that we have been flat for the last four or five years without adding new classes.

“My concern is that even if we do grow in students, we are not adding classes to facilitate any kind of growth in the departments,” Perkins said.

Addiction Studies pioneer dies

James Crossen founded Addiction Studies program in 1976 and brought it to Pierce in 1999

MAX SULLIVAN

News Editor msullivan.roundupnews@gmail.com

James Crossen, the professor who brought Addiction Studies to Pierce College in 1999 died April 2 from Pneumonia. He was 80.

Crossen was a registered nurse, documentary filmmaker, poet, anarchist and pioneer in Addiction Studies. He went to the Gaza Strip six times and created a recovery program for women in Iran, according to Allen Glass, director of Addiction Studies.

Glass said he will be best remembered for the impact he had on those he met.

Family fun at Goatchella 2016

Farm goes beyond its fences College adds Open House to its marquee event

DANIELA TORRES Staff dtorres.roundupnews@gmail.com

Pierce College hosted the first Beyond Farmwalk/Open House Sunday to offer the community a chance to learn more about the campus and its different programs and departments.

The Open House was held on the main campus while the Farmwalk was held on the 225 farm on the west side of campus.

“I think the [open house/beyond farmwalk] is very successful. All you have to do is look at the parking lot, and you’ll see it’s full,” Kathleen Burke, President of Pierce College said.

This was the first time that open house and farmwalk were combined into one event.

“We always wanted to have something broad. Not just the farm, but the entire college as an outreach to the community,” Burke said. We wanted an opportunity to really showcase the entire college, including the farm.”

Many departments and programs had booths set up where visitors could stop by and talk to students and staff who have knowledge and experience regarding their respective booths.

“Today’s event lets prospective students and families come out and learn about the school,” said Kimberly Castillo, member of Outreach and Recruitment.

“They’ll get tours, and they get to go to each table to get stamps. At the end, they get entered into a raffle for a chance to win prizes.”

Doreen Clay, public relations manager, said the budget for marketing was $27,000 and was satisfied with the turnout of the event.

“I spent $21,000 on radio advertising, on the number one station in the Los Angeles market for the student age group, KIIS-FM 102.7,” Clay said. “I bought three weeks of solid ads about 15 times a day leading up to the event.”

With two events on one day, Clay expected to see more people than the previous years.

“I also put ads in the LA Daily News and Valley News Group on the front page and online for three weeks,” Clay said. “And had the Daily News do email blasts to 100,000 people,

“I also made up to 20,000 postcards that students took out into the community,” Clay said. “Not to mention, the free promotion of the Pierce facebook, Twitter, home page news and street electronic marquee.”

Visitors were given passports when entering the event. The passports were being stamped at each booth and attraction they visited.

“We want people to know that we do have a program. If they have family or friends that want to study here they can apply,” Abigail Watson, director of International Students, said.

It was the first time The International Students Program joined the Open House.

Chanéra Peck, pre-veterinary medicine major, was helping out at the Goatchella petting zoo on the

first name. He was very supportive of their personal growth and very excited to build on their expertise and knowledge base.”

Glass said Crossen was a brilliant man with a small frame who was always dressed “dapper”, wearing belts that often matched his hats and shoes. Sometimes he would even match his car.

farm.

“Everyone really loves the goats, especially the kids,” Peck said. “The petting zoo is probably the biggest attraction on this side.”

Northridge Toyota joined Pierce College and offered different prizes to visitors. Prizes included a chance to be entered into a raffle for a $500 Best Buy gift card to those who received 40 stamps on their passport. A $300 Amazon gift card was also offered to whoever earned the most “likes” on a social media post that involved the Open House/Beyond Farmwalk.

Diana Montenegro, Business major, brought her daughter to the event in hopes for her to attend Pierce in the future.

“This is where I go. This is home,” Montenegro said.

“All the employees that I’ve spoken to have said that it’s been a really great event,” Burke said. We had an opportunity to showcase the students work.”

Crossen will be remembered for regularly saying and instilling that “Everything is Everything.”

“‘Everything is Everything,’ It was a purpose and a meaning to all that life had to offer and it was ours to explore,” Davis said. “Our worlds our touched by many people and many things, to find value and meaning in everything.”

“Helping people discover their true passion and voice and mind was probably his greatest achievement,” Glass said. “He did that hundreds of times.”

Crossen was a pioneer in his field and created the Addictions Study Program Jan 15 1976 at the Medical Center of North Hollywood where he taught a class, according to Glass. He brought the program to Los Angeles Mission College in 1990 before coming to Pierce in 1999.

“Going back to the 70s, he had this influence on people that was quite rare,” Glass said. “He would change people’s lives and they would never be the same after having a class with him.” Judy Davis, adjunct professor

of addiction studies, said Crossen encompassed everything the department could have asked for.

“Students were enraptured by him and his brilliance,” Davis said. “He knew all of his students by

“As soon as you met him he was like a whirlwind of energy,” Glass said. “Really quite brilliant and unlike anybody you had ever met.”

Greg Schafer, retired Addiction Studies professor and drug and alcohol counselor, said Crossen was an eccentric renaissance man who he considers to be his mentor. Crossen hired Schafer in 1984.

“The man put me on a beautiful course of life,” Schafer said. “If it wasn’t for him I never would have been in the field I’m sure. He would be my mentor, you could say that, definitely.”

Crossen was was traveled, well informed and an advocate for social justice, who lived a full life.

“When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, he was right there video taping it,” Glass said.

Crossen is survived by his wife, Lola LaValle.

Crossen will be honored at the Addiction Studies graduation ceremony on May 27 at noon in the Great Hall. A memorial this summer is being planned, but has not been finalized yet.

Pre-Vet students Pornpimol Hayward and Jeff Broaderick show Natalie Lahiji and her three children Sarah, Hana and Ethan, how to pet and feed the young goats at Pierce College’s Open House/Beyond Farmwalk on April 17, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Calvin B. Alagot / Roundup [See Grand Farmland , pg. 6]

File photo courtesy of Allen Glass James Crossen founded the Addiction Studies program at Pierce College in 1999..

[For more photos visit theroundupnews.com]

STREET

Is the ASO building useful for students?

“I know the ASO building but I didn’t know they help students. I know it’s a good place to hang out. I know you can meet new friends in there. I know you can study in there. There’s a lot of students going in there so I can see it’s really helpful. I find it really helpful.”

-Jerome Watts, 20, Junior, Architecture major

“I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t been to there. I guess they try to get students there, so they are doing their job to try and reach out. All I heard is that it’s a good place to sit down and cool off. ”

-Elliot Bloom, 21, Junior, Marine Biology major

“For now, I feel like it’s a nice area to put all these resources like tutoring, First Year Experience. I don’t know exactly what that buildiI really don’t know what’s there but if they were to add something, definitely another resource center just to keep up with the theme of that building, just a place for the students to come ask questions and get answers.”

-Danielle Padilla, 18, Freshman, Communications major

“Yes, it’s near the library, so if the students don’t want to go to the library, they can just sit on the front over there in the ASO building. Then if they want to go to the library, they just go to the library. No need to get rid of it.”

-Alex Tarver, 18, Freshman, Computer Science major Office Technologies

“I think it is amazing. I believe that it exposes the students to the structure of the government in a way that will allow them to advance themselves not only on a personal level, but on cognitive level. They can understand how the senate works, how the House of Representative is elected, what a trustee is, what is a delegate. These things are something you never have exposure to without coming to the ASO.”

-Charles Johnson, 53, Faculty on Special Assignment

The class they never offered

People spend years in college studying a subject in hopes of getting paid a good amount of money to work in that specific field for the rest of their life.

After all those years of hard work, a piece of paper saying the student has become an expert at what they studied, is given. Those general education classes that they had to take, which had nothing to do with their major become irrelevant, or simply, a waste of two years.

English majors will never need to know about symmetric polynomials, just as math majors will never need to know about a Shakespearean sonnets’ use of iambic pentameter.

They will however, need to know how to file for a mortgage, fix a leak in a sink, change a tire, do their taxes or anything to do with healthcare.

If college is a school for adults, it certainly doesn’t teach you how to be one.

Pierce should have a program teaching students the necessary life skills needed beyond college.

It may be difficult adopting a “Life Skills” class as part of the typical college curriculum, a fail in the class could be a misapprehension and interpreted as ‘you’re a failure at life’, or you get an ‘A’ because you did your taxes better than your classmates. It would seem rather ridiculous. Instead Pierce should adopt a program where there is no letter grade. It could be once a week for one to three hours around the late afternoon, making it more convenient for the younger students who typically have earlier classes.

The program could also to teach the young students about conducting a professional social media presence. According to careerbuilder.com,

51 percent of employers who have researched job candidates on social media have found content that caused them to not hire applicants, up from 43 percent last year.

Each week, something different could be studied and there could be a schedule of what skills are learned one week and what is learned the next. For example, Week one, “How To File A Mortgage,” week two, “How To Repair A Flat Tire.”

Each week the scheduled classes will attract a new and different

ENRIE AMEZCUA

Online Editor

enrieamezcua.roundupnews@gmail.com

It’s a good feeling when you clean your room. You appreciate it, and it doesn’t feel weird when you have friends and family visit. Coming to Pierce should feel the same way.

Pierce is a home away from home and should be treated the same. When the campus looks good so does its reputation.

It’s a good feeling that someone will have inside of them when it comes to noticing our campus looks so nice.

With a large campus, keeping it clean isn’t exactly a task that can be done with a small custodial staff against more than 20,000 students. Not all students pick up the trash that they drop, and it makes the school look messy when students aren’t taking good care of it. I will plead guilty myself for dropping trash on the floor, but I will usually pick it after noticing.

A clean up day being put in place is like saying thank you to the faculty who work vigorously to keep the campus clean everyday. Campus clean up day would show that we do care.It should be a day that students are available. Obviously Sunday would be the best day for students to take time off life and give back to the school.

Cleaning up the campus isn’t the only job that students and volunteers can do. There are parts of campus that needs to be repainted with fresh coats. Plants that need to be trimmed or more plants can be planted

Photographers:

Ezzat Bekheet

where it looks barren. Rooms that need to be vacuumed or courts that need to be clean. I care about this school’s appearance, and every student should. Even after clean up day is done, we can still do our part to keep the school clean. Just clean up after yourself and help keep the campus clean.

Volunteering to help clean up, also looks good on a resume. In a LinkedIn survey found that 41 percent of hiring managers will consider volunteer service as equal as a paid job. Volunteer service will look a better on resume without any work experience than a resume with no volunteer service or work experience.

Custodians should be taking most of the credit for keeping the college the way it looks but there is just too many rooms, bathrooms, walkways, hallways and parking lots to keep clean at different hours of day. This is not including accidents that will require a cleanup.

When it comes to games, there is usually an audience who goes and watches the game and sometimes this crowd will leave a mess. Custodians will come in and clean up. We’re human, we can be messy but when it comes to clean, we have the capability to tidy up.

Pierce having a clean up day is good idea for when visitors come. They won’t walk away because of the trash.

Ahmadreza Rastegarrazi

Abdolreza Rastegarrazi

Dane Igharas

Taylor Arthur Travis Wesley

Alan Castro

Laura Chen

Brittany Stupar

Georgina Hernandez

Claren Flores

Calvin Alagot

audience for those who just want to learn about the basics of healthcare for one week and those who want to repair the kitchen sink the next.

It would be a non-committed program. Sign-ups early on would not be required. This way there is no extra step into building popularity for the program. If the turnout is good and popularity increases, then having sign-ups would be mandatory.

As far as finding an instructor, Pierce could pay one of their own professors extra to teach the class

for one day like an instructor in the automotive department, or a professor who teaches in one of the finance classes.

After you have graduated college and have earned a degree in your field, you may not ever have to remember learning about linear regression. Instead, you will probably have a better time remembering how to fix the kitchen sink that you learned how to do in a few hours.

KELLAN BRADLEY Campus Lifestyle Editor

kbradley.roundupnews@gmail.com

I don’t believe there should be a cleanup day on campus because students do not attend school to clean it. There are many things wrong with having a mandatory cleanup day on campus. One of them being, as students we are here to learn and get an education. I believe there is a simple solution to a dirty campus. That solution is for students to pick up after themselves.

We want our campus to be attractive and clean, right? When rival schools come to compete against us, we don’t want them going home criticizing us because of our campus. We want to keep our campus clean to show that we’re not slobs, and are educated enough to pick up our own garbage.

Nobody would like it if people stopped picking up trash and let our school become filled with trash. It is very important to keep our school clean to provide an appropriate learning environment.

It would be a good idea to clean up our environment, maybe if there were more trash cans you could make our school cleaner. Even if everybody picked up one thing, our school would not be 3/4 clean. That’s how bad our mess has gotten. Who wants to attend a school that’s now for the trash, ants and roaches. No one does, and that’s why we should clean our school and our great reward in the end will be a

clean, safe and healthy environment. There are many things the college can do to reduce waste on campus other than having a campus cleanup day. We could have more trash cans and recycle bins around the campus, especially near the food trucks, student store and the café. Once again, having a specific day set aside for picking up trash is useless, and wont serve much purpose.

In conclusion, picking up any trash around school will be beneficial to everybody, but we do not need to have a campuswide day to do so. If you see a piece of a paper blowing around, stop it with your foot and throw it away. There’s no reason why our campus needs to be anything other than attractive. With everyone’s help, this campus can be a beautiful place to go to school everyday.

as letters, literary endeavors, publicity releases, poetry or other such materials as the Editorial Board deems not to be a letter. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. the Sunday prior to the issue date. Editorial Policy: The Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials. Cartoons and photos, unless run under the editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup. The college newspaper is

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. 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 Donna Robles | Photos by Taylor Arthur

Illustration by Nelson Simmons

Vacuum pump not repaired

Broken vacuum pump impacts students learning experience in the Center for Sciences

TIFFANY BERWAGER Staff tberwager.roundupnews.com

Broken vacuum pump system leaves Organic Chemistry students waiting to experiment.

The vacuum pump system under the Center for Sciences has remained broken since the fall semester resulting in cancelled experiments and a professor to build her own system.

The Pierce College Council approved a request for $40,000 to repair the vacuum pump system in the Center for Sciences. Chemistry professor Isidore “Izzy” Goodman and Chemistry Department Chair Sara Harvey said they do not know when it will be fixed, and they directed the Roundup to ask Director of Facilities Paul Nieman for that information. Nieman could not be reached for comment after multiple attempts.

Organic Chemistry 1, Organic Chemistry 2 and Biochemistry require the pump during experiments.

Experiment number four in Organic Chemistry, preparing soluble salts by fractional crystallization, was canceled due to the non-functioning vacuum pump system, according to Goodman.

“The experiment has been postponed this [spring] semester, but if the vacuum is not fixed soon, the experiment may be canceled,” said Cari Meyer Joiner, chemistry professor.

The underground pump system is broken but Joiner created her own make-shift vacuum pump system, or vacuum manifold, using a miniature pump so some experiments that use the pump can still be done in one classroom.

Joiner said the vacuum manifold she built is a standard graduate school set up used for drawing reagents and other tasks.

“It doesn't drain without the vacuum pulling it, so we need that for our experiment,” Joiner said.

Biochemistry major Drake Edgett said students are lucky to have a professor who is capable of making a vacuum, but it is a slower process than if the main pump worked.

“The broken vacuum pumps are a bit of a hindrance,” Edgett, said. “We do have a very smart and intelligent teacher [Joiner], who had the tools and knowledge on how to remedy this situation and make it as best as possible. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing.”

their experiments. Now the class is divided into groups of nine students, with each group taking its turn with the equipment. The groups of nine are also separated, with four students on one side of the experiment, while the other five students are working at the other end.

“So we're going from 24, down to nine, and that's because we bought a second[pump], because during the Fall,” Joiner said. We only had that one[pump] that I dug out of an old glassware box.”

Joiner said when she realized the vacuum was not being repaired quickly she ordered a second and as a result it is better this semester than it was in the fall.

Incident Report

April 12 - April 20

4/12 - Gym Locker Burglary

A suspect broke a locker in the South Gym and stole shoes, on April 11, between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

4/12 Visitor Injury

Joiner said students using her equipment limits how on many get the hands-on experience with the experiment. “It creates a bottle-neck, so the labs take longer,” Joiner said. When the system is working properly 24 students can work on

“I'm not saying this is great, because I would rather have everyone doing this, but I think it's educational,” Meyer Joiner said. “[Students] get to see how the vacuum works and see what a trap is, it's not just a mystery suction device, [students]

understand more of what is going on there.”

Students are supposed to have access to the vacuum at all of their lab desks but now must walk over to the corner of the room to use it.

“In an ideal scenario, we would have every station available, vacuums working, so that every student could do this at their spot as opposed to only nine students at once with our new back-up plan,” Meyer Joiner said.

Joiner said the pumps have a lifetime and will die at some point

“I know that it's just slow because they're getting outside personnel to fix it,” Meyer Joiner said. “Hopefully, we'll just learn from this and see how, if we could diagnose it, that would be nice. Learn how it broke and if we can prevent it from happening in the future, and make the pump last longer.”

A visitor fell down down stairs and hurt her left ankle, on the west side of the library steps, and was escorted by an ambulance on April 14, at 9:25 a.m.

4/13 Road rage

A man was arrested for battery and using his vehicle as a deadly weapon in parking lot 7, on April 12 at 12:10 p.m.

4/13 Intoxicated person

A male non-student was arrested for being drunk in public in the financial aid building 4100 on April 13, at 12:10 p.m. He was taken to the Lost Hills Sheriffs Station.

Spring Job Fair recuits students

More than 200 students interested and more than 40 companies attended

More than 46 companies lined the Mall Monday, April 18, 2016 searching for candidates seeking employment at the Spring Job Fair, according to Counselor Wendi Meckler.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Los Angeles Fire Department were among those that were looking to recruit students from Pierce. There are many openings with the CHP, but to be considered the applicant must be between the ages of 21 to 35, have a high school diploma and a clean background to be able to apply for the CHP, according to Officer Dave Galbrith.

Galbrith said The CHP is currently understaffed,

due to specific requirements employees need to require to be hired, even though they received a lot of applications from the public.

“We’re looking for people with clean backgrounds and integrity,” Officer Dave Galbrith said. “A lot of people apply with us, but it is hard to find the right people to fill the positions that are open.”

Officer Robert Manzano was pleased that 60 students were interested in becoming an officer for the CHP.

“Today was great, we got a lot of response from students, and a lot of people that had questions about other jobs we have to offer within the CHP as well,” Manzano said.

The LAFD is currently looking to fill 18 positions. In order to be qualified to apply, a person must also have a high school diploma or a G.E.D, complete a EMT Certification class and pass a physical test.

Captain Doug Lewis encourages students to apply with the fire department, because they can be helpful to the community. Firefighters have a positive standing with every community, because

they are known to help save lives. Not only from fires, but firefighters are also EMT certified, according to Lewis.

“We’re looking for people not only with integrity, but those with a higher education than normal,” Lewis said.

Meckler was pleased with the result turnout of students on Monday for the job fair. There were around 200 students that signed in for the event. Meckler hopes to bring a job fair to the school for the students every semester.

“We are trying to bring the job fairs back up every year, and I am hoping that it does keep up every semester to help the students,” Meckler said.

The turnout of Monday’s event showed success not only to the counselors at Pierce,but the representatives of the companies as well.

If this event happens every semester, it will not only be beneficial for the students who are looking for employment, but also for the companies who attend the events, as they will meet the potential candidates for their companies.

Reported by: Samantha Bravo

Max Sullivan / Roundup

Chemistry professor Cari Meyer Joiner, Demontrates on Friday April 8, 2016 in the Center for Sciences, how to use the vaccum manifold she built. The main vaccum under the building has been broken since the fall 2015 semester

“It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing.”

-Drake Edgett Student

Staff

Nikolai

discusses career opportunities with Alex Rivera on the mall at the

‘Helping others that can not help themselves’

Animal Science major makes it her business to care of critters

One of Candace Stines’ steers was losing weight. A full physical was done to figure out what was wrong but, in the end, it died of unknown causes. She was determined to find out what had killed the steer.

This need for answers led Stines to take animal nutrition courses at Pierce College and to pursue a career in animal science.

Stines, 21, was born and raised in Fillmore, California. She joined the 4-H Youth Development and Mentoring Program at the age of nine. Soon after, Stines signed up with the Future Farmers for America (FFA) organization in 2008, where she raised cattle.

“I’ve raised cattle for years, and I’ve done everything with animals, from when they are tiny little babies pulling them out of the cow. Being able to feel viable life inside of a cow, is the most important and amazing thing in the world,” Stines said.

When Stines started attending Pierce College she did not have plans to become a veterinarian. Leland Shapiro, who is now retired, was one of the professors who encouraged her to take classes in that field.

“I wouldn’t have learned so much if it wasn’t for the animals on the farm and for Dr. Shapiro,” Stines said. “He was just telling me that if I had my mind set on what I wanted to do, no one can stop me.”

“Helping others that can not

help themselves” was a motto that Stines had learned from Shapiro. Stines believes it is a veterinarian’s job to know the condition of their animals, because an animal does not have the ability to say what is wrong with them.

One such instance was when Stines had to assist a cow in labor. The calf had become stuck in it’s mothers’ pelvis, so Stines’ had to

push the baby back into the birthing canal and reposition it before she could continue. Even now, she remembers the overwhelming pressure and anxiety she felt during the delivery.

“It was really difficult because a veterinarian couldn’t get out there,” Stines said. “I was by myself with about 20-30 people behind me, just watching this cow

give birth. I was dying, sweaty, and it was 3 a.m. When I stuck my hand in there and could feel the calf suck on my fingers and I said ‘I’m not stopping,’ because the calf could die and the mom could die.”

That moment left an impact on Stines. She encourages others to go to Farmwalk to see the animals. It is Stines’ hope that people attending the event would see how dedicated the students are to caring for the animals.

“Helping with the petting zoo, watching the doe’s [female goats] give birth and being able to see that happen is like once in a lifetime,” Stines said. “That’s why we have Farmwalk. To tell people about these things like what we vaccinate [animals] for, why we vaccinate them, and why we feed certain types of food, and environmental enrichment.”

Despite the continuous care the animals receive, the department has been scrutinized by outside sources. In recent years an animal activist complained that the farm animals at Pierce College were

not given enough shelter, and

were dying under the sun.

“I know that someone contacted Paddy Warner, who is in charge of the equine production, about how there was a horse in the middle of the arena and thought this horse was dead, that it was standing up and it was on wheels,” Stines said.

“That horse was fake. I laughed so hard because I thought that was the most ridiculous thing.”

Apart from school and working as a veterinary assistant at an animal clinic, Stines is the president of the Pre-Vet club.

“The club is like family,” Stines said. “Once I joined I was able to see that they really do care about wanting you to succeed and they have a lot of resources to be able to teach you different things. That’s why I wanted to continue with the club and also have more activities to make this club more of a family.”

Speakers such as veterinarians from different practices and other schools come to speak at club

meeting. They also arrange trips to universities, such as University of California, Davis and Cal Poly technics Luis Obispo.

Funding for the field trips usually comes from events such as the Farmwalk and bake sales. One trip in particular called “Have Trunk Will Travel” takes the club to an elephant reservation in Perris, California.

Chanera Peck, Public Relations officer for the Pre-Vet club and Pre-Vet medicine major, believes that anyone who loves animals or who likes to work with animals can join the group.

However, the position of club president calls for a certain skill set and level of patience.

“The president of the club has a lot of responsibility like signing paperwork for keeping the club running, for us to have our room, for us to go on any trips off campus and things like that,” Peck said. “[Candace] is basically

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

Running like the wind in Shepard Stadium

New club focuses on building a strong sense of comradory on and off the field

A calm afternoon breeze cools the runners’ faces as they warm up for their workout at Shepard’s Stadium. Lunging across the field, followed by high knees in the opposite direction is only part of their routine.

Through vigorous exercise they train both body and mind.

The Brahma Runners club was founded by club president Sergio Barboza, 20, and its vice president Jose Pacheco, 19, in hopes to bring people together who may be interested in joining a cross country team.

“We were told that a cross country team was likely to start here, and so he said we should start running with other people,” Barboza said. “A good way to get them interested in running is to start a club.”

The club was the brainchild of both Barboza and Pacheco, who noticed a lack of awareness for the sport on campus.

Pacheco confides that one purpose for forming the group was to be a voice for the students.

“One of our main goals is to form a cross country team. Currently we don’t even have a track team,” Pacheco said.

Pacheco and Barboza went to Susan Armenta, professor of kinesiology, to see what would be the best way to recruit students for a cross country team, if there were to be one.

“They wanted to be a club that got our students training together,” Armenta said. “Ultimately they want to start a cross country team. So we want to get students interested, in shape and actively moving.”

Armenta has a background

in running which can benefit the members of the club.

“I was a competitive race walker for about 20 years, but I’ve done marathons. I’m actually in a running club now,” Armenta said. The club meets three days a week to ensure that the members of the club can all meet at least once in case they have other things going on.

“On Wednesdays we have our meetings, and follow it up with a workout at the track,” Armenta said. “On Friday mornings we have a group run around campus varying between 1 and 4 miles. On Saturdays we do off campus so that we can do a longer run.”

The initial goal of the club was to get people interested in running. As the club developed they included other factors that

would help the club grow.

“Along the way we decided to make it to where we could fundraise and do running events like 5k and 10k runs, just to kind of get more people to join and to get them more active,” Barboza said.

Elvira Sanchez, 19, is the club treasurer, and handles how all the money comes and goes.

“Once we do fundraising, I submit the applications to the office,” Sanchez said. “I keep track of our financial status and once we receive money I help decide what we will spend it on.”

Sanchez is not only a club officer, but also a runner herself.

“I’m a distance runner,” Sanchez said. “I ran track and cross country all four years in high school.”

Joel Guzman is one of the members of the club, and wanted to be able to run again in college.

“When I was in high school, I ran cross country, and I wanted to start running again. This is my way to do that,” Guzman said.

Barboza was recruited by West Los Angeles College right out of high school. He ran one year for them although he was enrolled at Pierce.

“I ran all four years in high school and I did one year of cross country for West LA,” Barboza said. “All I needed was to register for their class and attend their practice.”

Although each member of the club has a different level of experience, they are all treated with the same respect. “We want people to be able

to perform a healthy lifestyle,” Pacheco said. “Even if one team member is the slowest on the team, we need to have a great heart and motivate them.”

Sanchez wants to help others see the benefits of running, and the enjoyment on their faces.

“I really enjoy running and I like that we can inspire other people to run, even though sometimes they don’t want to run,” Sanchez said. “Just seeing how people progress, I really like it.”

Workouts and runs are how the club readies its runners for upcoming events.

“We do some core work like boot camp type drills or

running and agility drills to make sure we are efficient in our core,” Armenta said.

The club is currently working to build a base for events.

“They are one of the most fun things to do in running,” Pacheco said.

LAUSD 5k run/walk on April 23 is their next running event, and everyone is training and working out in preparation for the run.

“We are really hoping to do that one, it’s going to be a fun run,” Barboza said. “If you have brothers or sisters they can join because its free to all LAUSD students.”

Travis Wesley/ Roundup

Runners Mehrnaz Siavoshi (left), Roxanna Quintero (center), and Caroline Hernandez (right) run on the track at Shepard Stadium on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Taylor Arthur/ Roundup

Candace Stines plays with a kid [baby goat] on the Pierce College Farm on March 30, 2016, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

“ I wouldn’t have learned so much if it wasn’t for the animals on the farm and for Dr. Sharpiro.”

- Candace Stines Animal Science major

Taylor Arthur/ Roundup

Animal Science major, Candace Stines poses for a portrait with a kid [baby goat] on the Pierce College Farm on March 30, 2016, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Travis Wesley/ Roundup

Club members Daniel Wilkins (left) and Armando Mercado (right) runing at Shepard Stadium on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Farmwalk and Open House explored by community Usually unseen parts of campus on display

to gain.

Pierce College students, faculty members, staff, children, aspiring students and many more filled the Rocky Young Park on April 17, 2016 for the Farm Walk. Wearing red Pierce College shirts, the staff, faculty, and students assisted everyone who came to the event.

During Farm Walk, there were booths for the offices and services offered at Pierce such as counseling and help with your financial aid, and, most importantly, the open farm, where visitors can actually go into the farm and have an encounter with our farm animals here on campus. There was a lot to explore, many people to meet and new experiences

Beginning from the entrance down The Mall by the Parking Lot 7, the Associated Students Organization (ASO) officials and volunteers assisting everyone who comes in giving them passports where visitors can collect stamps from each booth.

Each booth had their own means of attracting people. Alpha Gamma Sigma sold snow cones, while the Anthropology club exhibited different bones. The cheerleaders decorated cupcakes, while some of them were performing at the mall and walking around the Rocky Young Park, chanting their cheers.

There was also counseling for current and future students who are need of one to make sure that they are on track. The Financial Aid Office also had their booth set up answering questions about FAFSA and Cal Grants. Some of the Pierce

volunteers also worked in food service, providing comfort to all.

Meanwhile, there was jazz band that kept the party upbeat.

If you walk up to the farm, the unpleasant smell will welcome you. The smell of farm animals such as chickens, horses, cows, and goats combined with the heavy heat of the sun might not be appealing together with the noises coming from the children as they squeal and express their excitement.

Cows and baby goats or kids who were a couple weeks old can be petted. There was also a viewing for the polish chickens at the farm and horse shows and pony rides available to everyone present at the event.

With the help of the faculty, staff, and student who volunteered to be at the event and also the support of the people who attended, Pierce College Farm Walk was such a success.

Sherlock Holmes comes to the stage

Directors are the authors of a play. The vision they want to show to an audience is brought to life by the actors and designers.

Doyle.

Known to be one of the greatest mystery detectives of all time, Sherlock Holmes: The Last Adventure will hit the stage on April 22. Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes in 1881 during his spare time while he was a doctor.

Doyle wrote 60 stories, 4 of which were novels, from 1881 to 1927. The director of the Sherlock Holmes: The Last Adventure, Gene Putnam, is the go to person when it comes to all things Sherlock. Putnam has worked at Pierce college since 1989.

Putnam retired in 2011. He occasionally teaches a class or two as an adjunct professor according to managing director Michael Sande.

“Gene is a Sherlock fanatic, he knows more about Sherlock Holmes then probably Sherlock Holmes,” Sande said. “He’s read and seen everything as far as movies books and plays. He is a big fan of the mystery genre.”

Putnam has done set design, lighting, directing, and taught on several productions.

“I’ve probably been involved with 80 or so productions since I started here,” Putnam said. “I did Cabaret in winter 2014 and also To Kill a Mockingbird last Spring.”

“There is an overall concept and vision I have for the show,” Putnam said. “The actors and designers portray the characters and develop the concept and style I want.”

According to Putnam the character is brought to life from not only his vision but the life and experiences of the actors as well.

Anthony Cantrell is a former Pierce College student that auditioned for the role of Sherlock Holmes and was successful in getting it.

“I started at Pierce College 30 years ago when I was 17,” Cantrell said. “Then I transferred to UCLA to get my Bachelors in Theatre. Later on I went to the University of Michigan to obtain PhD in Theatre.”

According to Sande, Cantrell was asked to audition because he previously worked with Putnam and it was thought that he could be a good Sherlock Holmes if things worked out. “This is all a labor of love,” Cantrell said. “I am a huge fan of most things British, I actually did a semester abroad in Cambridge England through Pierce.”

In 2006 Steven Dietz wrote a version of Sherlock Holmes that encompasses 3 different stories from

“I know Dietz quite well, we were colleagues in Seattle,” Sande said. “This version is faithful to the original. It leaves you wondering if Sherlock is dead or not. It has the old characters like Professor Moriarty and his love Irene Adler. You get to see Sherlock in a way you haven’t seen him before.”

According to Putnam there are two ideas that Sherlock Holmes always provides, friendship and deductive reasoning.

“The stories are enduring and take the audience on an adventure but it also focuses on the friendship of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson,” Putnam said.

All of the designers on this play are faculty but students are involved in working on the designs during class. There are 13 people that make up the cast for the play.

“I am very proud of the cast that I have,” Putnam said. “They are committed, hardworking and amplify my ideas.”

Sherlock Holmes: The Last Adventure can be seen in the Mainstage Theatre during the weekends of April 22 to May 1 at various times.

In the words of Sherlock Holmes, ‘When all options have been explored and the only one left, must be. The game’s afoot.’

Charisse

19, Government Journalism and Pre-law emphasis Major on how why she learned sign language:

“I know conversational Sign language, I took it in Winter. I took it because I have a lot of deaf friends. Also, with the job I want to have I want to be able to have deaf clients that I can represent if necessary, I plan to go to law school after my bachelors to become a Criminal Defense Attorney. Deaf people can kill people too, I want to be able to defend them.”

Quote gathered by Paula Barrantes | Photo by Matt Garcia

DONNA ROBLES Staff drobles.roundupnews@gmail.com

Calvin Alagot / Roundup

Equine Science student Bryce Quinto and Winter's Star during their dressage performance at Pierce College's Open House/Beyond Farmwalk on April 17, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif

pet vaccine

Calvin Alagot / Roundup Josh Straschewski, theatre and cinema major, acts in a rehearsal of "Sherlock Holmes Last Adventure" Friday March

2016 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Grand Farmland

Pierce College hosts its first Open House/Beyond

Calvin Alagot Roundup Staff calagot.roundupnews@gmail.com

Hundreds gathered at Pierce College’s west side of campus for the first Open House/Beyond Farmwalk this weekend. The free event opened the campus for the public to explore the different departments and opportunities that the college has to offer. Students and professors from various departments set up booths at Rocky

See

Young Park to share information and details about their programs. The Center for Sciences was opened to demonstrate the workings of the P lanetarium and lab facilities. The A utomotive department was open as well, showcasing the garage and cars. The art department presented student work and sold ceramics. Tours were given at the newly built Library and Learning Crossroads. C ounselors were also on site to provide academic guidance. Local families and their children came to enjoy the equine show, petting zoo and pony rides that were presented at the 225-acre farm, including dressage, barrel races and sidesaddle riding

Volunteers Fernando a good mesquite Urban Dance at Rocky The Boots gave presentations and sold of the heat Share Twitter #PierceFarmWalk.

Shannon Hurwitz and Prieto “The Beast” circle a barrel in a timed race during the equine show at Pierce College’s Open House/Beyond Farmwalk on April 17, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif. Hundreds attended the event that spanned from Rocky Young Park to the Center for Sciences

Isabella and Maya Mancilla pick out prizes from the Pin the Tail on the Cow game at the Pierce College Beyond Farmwalk on April 17, 2016. At Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Taylor Arthur

Children pet baby chicks during the Open House/Beyond Farmwalk event at the farm at Pierce College on Sunday April 17, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Travis Wesley Ashley College

Farmland

House/Beyond Farmwalk

Volunteers worked through the rising San Fernando Valley heat to ensure that attendees had time. The Veterans Club cooked up some mesquite barbeque, burgers and hotdogs. The Dance and Cheer Team put on performances Rocky Young Park alongside the booths and tents. Boots and Saddle Club and the Pre-Vet Club presentations about different farm animals sold snowcones that reminded local residents heat to come this summer

Share your photos with us on Instagram and using the hashtag: #RoundupNews and #PierceFarmWalk.

Sciences and over to the farm.

Photo: Calvin B. Alagot

Ashley Judice, Pre-Vet major, holds a kid (baby goat) for people to pet at the Pierce College Farm Walk on April 17, 2016. At Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Taylor Arthur

(Left to Right) Elisa Ekalestari and Paz Zait-givon talk to Floriya Borzenkova, senior program director for the foundation for Pierce College at the Pierce College Farm Walk on April 13, 2016. Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Taylor Arthur

The cheer team performs a stunt during the the Open House/Beyond Farmwalk event at Pierce College on Sunday April 17, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Travis Wesley

Dr. Betsy Connolly shows Joanna Diament the different parts of a replica human skull during the Open House/Beyond Farmwalk event at the farm at Pierce College on Sunday April 17, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Travis Wesley

Casey Cannon talks with guests as they feed a heifer during the Open House/Beyond Farmwalk event at Pierce College on Sunday April 17, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo: Travis Wesley

Pierce cheer team flies high Champion squad aims to be a sanctioned sport

The cheerleaders at Pierce College have stunted their way to the top. Ending their season with back to back wins, including a win against the University of Southern California.

“It was nice winning against USC. They pay a lot for cheer, and we don't because we're a community college,” Jennifer Godoy, kinesiology major, said. “It was nice knowing that we can beat a four-year university.”

Pierce is one of the only community colleges in the valley with a competition team that qualifies to compete against advanced divisions.

“There isn't any other two-year colleges within the valley other than Pierce that has a competition squad which is why we compete against schools like USC,” Zack Harris, assistant coach, said. Their success is all due to hard work and dedication.

“I think when you get skilled athletes who really want to get better and want to work on their skills, it makes a huge difference,” Jenny Ghiglia, Cheerleading Coach, said.

“The cheerleaders have been really rocking it. They've been winning. They're placing first, and their scores have been surpassing last years scores. There's been progression and improvement,” Adjunct Instructor of Dance, Bonnie Hughes said.

It’s not just about looking pretty for the lady Brahmas, it's about representing Pierce, and going beyond the community to let others know who the Brahmas are.

“We’re taking it out there. We’re going out and above saying ‘this is Pierce College,’” Ghiglia said.

The squad competed in Aloha Spirit Championships, a production

that hosts cheer and dance events.

The cost to attend these events is $60 per person, but the cheerleaders at Pierce are invited to compete for free.

“Normally we would have to pay, but they understand as struggling students, it's hard for them to gather money,” Ghiglia said.

The competition squad is also invited by Cheerforce Simi Valley to utilize its gym and equipment for practice.

“I think having the extended community like Cheerforce Simi Valley offering their services to

utilize their gym for the safety of my cheerleaders has really helped,” Ghiglia said. “The cheerleaders get to see a true cheer gym with all the equipment that they would need to secure their stunts.”

Despite all the time and effort the cheerleaders put in, they aren't fully recognized as a sport.

The one question that gets almost every cheerleader fired up and ready to debate is, “is cheerleading a sport?"

“It's something that's been going on throughout the years, but I think we’re a sport. We put in a lot of hard

work,” Godoy said. According to Ghiglia, the team receives a lot of support from the school, but there are guidelines that stop Pierce from recognizing them as a sport.

“I think eventually it’ll be considered a sport in all areas,” Ghiglia said. “I’d like to see some of the athletes try to put somebody up, cradle them and catch them. There’s a lot of responsibility to that. It’s not just about their skill. It’s about working as a team to execute a stunt. It is extremely hard and the timing is impeccable.”

Ghiglia hopes to have cheer be recognized as an actual sport within time, along with the rest of the team and supporters.

“They do get somewhat subjugated. Cheer is incredibly difficult and challenging, and it's every bit as competitive and serious as any other sport,” Hughes said.

This year’s cheer squad has chosen not to have a team captain.

“They’re pretty strong about what needs to get done, no one needs to really lead them,” Ghiglia said. “It helps them work better as a team without having a captain.”

Women’s Beach Volleyball

Saturday, April 23 @ San Diego Mesa College 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 27 WSC Individual Play-ins 32’s @ El Camino 12 p.m.

Travis Wesley / Roundup

The cheer team performs a stunt during the the Open House/Beyond Farmwalk event at Pierce College on Sunday April 17, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.