Volume 128 Spring 2018 Roundup Issue 5

worst budget deficit in more than 30 years: more on page 7

Field conditions lead to a Brahma walk-off at Monarch Field

JOSHUA MANES Spotlight Editor @TheManesEvent

Baseball capped off a week that had games rescheduled and played to avoid the rain by doing something most teams never get the chance to do.

Wet field conditions may have taken the game away from home, but the Brahmas still had the last atbat Saturday, and Brandon Lewis delivered a walk-off homerun on the field of crosstown rival Los Angeles Valley College.

Friday’s storm left Joe Kelly Field unplayable, so the decision was made to play the game on the Monarchs’ turf field.

The change in venue may have thrown the Brahmas off to start the game, as Valley quickly got on the board in the first.

Leadoff hitter Josh Meza singled for the Monarchs, but was promptly subbed out of the game for Jake Shore. Thomas Keller reached on an error, and a Brock Bell sacrifice moved Shore to third and Keller to second.

Pierce starting pitcher Alexis Miranda would give up a walk to load the bases with one out, and Shore would score on the a groundout by Jon Escott. Casey Horvat followed up with a two-run double, extending the lead to 3-0. Giovanni Chaidez singled in Horvat, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double.

Miranda settled down after the first, only allowing those four unearned runs over 6.2 innings pitched.

The Brahmas responded in the first with a pair of runs. First, Lewis singled in Michael Tillman. Lewis later stole second and scored on Bryce Vitt’s two-out single. Pierce cut the Monarch lead down to one in the fourth inning when Nick Pico singled in Diego Harris.

Ankur's away Alumnus uses politics as a way to help others

KARAN KAPOOR Reporter @KaranRoundup

Penny pinching may sound negative, but for one potential assemblyman it got him to where he is today.

While growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Pierce College alumnus Ankur Patel traversed Los Angeles’ public education system, which influenced him to pursue a career in politics and capitalize on the opportunity to improve life for himself and his family.

Patel, a candidate for California State Assembly, District 45, said the realities of financial struggle hit him while he was attending the University of California, Los Angeles.

“We were spending so much money on rent and living out there. That is when I decided, while living at home in Chatsworth, to take the bus from Chatsworth to UCLA in my fourth year,” Patel said.

According to Patel, growing up without much access to aid left him with an appreciation for the public

education system and the resources available through it.

“It’s a different mentality when you grow up without all the opportunity in terms of resources, tutoring and programs, but public education is that opportunity, and I was lucky and privileged to have taken advantage of that.”

Patel said that he was unsuccessful in finding a job after finishing his educational career at UCLA in the field of conservation biology, so he took his talents and landed a position in a different discipline.

[see Ankur on pg. 5]

The Brahmas entered the bottom of the ninth still trailing 4-3. Shortstop Will Picketts singled to start the inning, bringing up the potential winning run in the form of Lewis. Lewis was ready to send everyone home, hitting his sixth homerun on the season, ending the

day 3-4 with three RBIs, two runs scored and two stolen bases.

Barrett Vonderau picked up the win, throwing a perfect ninth inning, bringing his Western State - South Conference leading ERA down to 1.90.

The win gave the Brahmas a 2-1

split for the week, with a previous win at Valley on Wednesday, March 14, and a loss to Bakersfield College on Friday, March 16, in a game that was originally scheduled for the previous week.

Pierce stands at 6-3 in the Western State - South, in a three-way tie with

LA Mission College and Bakersfield. The Brahmas face Valley again on Tuesday, March 20, before wrapping up the week with a pair of games against LA Mission on Thursday and Friday.

jmanes.roundupnews@gmail.com

Heated discussions, political moves

Baseball makes itself at home Three candidates for Assembly 45 stayed connected to school roots

Pierce alumni are running to represent the Woodland Hills district and are encouraging students to become more involved in politics by voting and through social movements.

Candidates for Assembly 45 Jesse Gabriel, Tricia Robbins Kasson and Ankur Patel communicated and engaged with the community in the Great Hall for Pierce’s biannual Day of Politics on Thursday, March 15.

Assembly 45 and the U.S. Senate candidates presented their platforms to community members. Pierce students opened the event with two debates: gun regulation and sanctuary cities. Other issues debated were: health care, DACA and the environment. Political science professor Denise Robb, the lead organizer for Day of Politics, said that students have the opportunity to receive liberal and conservative sides of a political issue during the event.

“We have invited all the candidates from all different political parties. However, the Republican candidates don't always come,” Robb said. “The reason why Republicans don't always come is because they think the voter registration is all Democrat, but they are welcome to come.”

Candidates presented their

political platforms in two-minute turns. Students were encouraged to ask questions about topics they wanted the speakers to address.

Co-president of the Pierce College Democrats Melody Niv said the purpose of the event is to help increase the number of young voters by informing them about the political issues affecting the country.

“A lot of us are not aware of these issues, and this presents these issues in a really accessible, compact format. I think it’s amazing that everyone is becoming so engaged in politics because this is what affects us and will affect us forever,” Niv said.

Co-president of the Pierce College Democrats Bella Aguilar-Basil said that the student debates inform

students about unfamiliar issues.

Former Pierce student Tricia Robbins Kasson is the only female candidate running for Assembly 45. She said she started voting soon after she turned 18, but the lack of diversity on the ballot motivated her to run for the position..

[see politics on pg. 3]

Stephen Nicholson / Roundup Ankur Patel stands outside of the Great Hall at Pierce College.

Shae Hammond / Roundup

Baseball celebrates after Brandon Lewis hits a game-winning two-run homerun against Los Angeles Valley College in Valley Glen, Calif., on March 17, 2018.

ROSA ORTEGA Reporter @RosaGabOrtega

George Apikyan / Roundup

District 45 candidates Ray Bishop, Jesse Gabriel, Ankur Patel, Trisha Robbins and Daniel Bran speak during the Day of Politics in the Great Hall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif. On March 15, 2018

The Business Office stopped taking in-person card transactions in fall of 2017. Since then, cash has been the primary method of payment accepted in the Business Office with the exception of three designated computers in the lobby available for online payment.

Associate Vice President for Administrative Services Bruce Rosky said the PeopleSoft system disallowed the option of paying with cards in-person.

“The ability to take credit cards face-to-face went away because of how the district had negotiated through the PeopleSoft environment and the ability to process credit cards. There was no way to be able to offer that on a face-to-face environment,” Rosky said. “It just became impossible with the mechanism set up between the PeopleSoft environment and just how the items were connected,” Rosky said.

Cash-only in-person transactions pose an issue for students who don’t regularly carry cash, making payment of fees and parking passes inconvenient.

According to a 2016 Consumer Insight Survey, 40 percent of people selected credit, while 35 percent selected debit and only 11 percent of people selected cash.

Accessing an ATM or paying online seem to be the only options for students.

Although you can pay online from any location, it is far from accommodating the demand of students in a sufficient fashion. It also makes the process of purchasing parking passes and paying off fees less than desirable.

Unfortunately, online payments do not eliminate the inevitable— waiting in line. Whether or not you pay online or in-person, standing in line is the only option. It is especially obnoxious to pay for a parking pass online, only to stand in a line to pick it up later.

-Corrections-

Volume 128, Issue 4:

Page1:Inthestory"Problemsarise fromproposedschedulechanges"

Margarita Pillado's name was misspelled.

Page 5: In the story "The 'Rocky' road through Pierce" Darroch

“Rocky” Young’s first name was misspelledasDarroach.Youngwas president of Pierce College 19992004, not 1999-2005. During his timeaspresident,Youngincreased student registration from below 13,000 to over 20,000. It was initially written that he has raised student registration “to 3,600.”

If you would like to have the newspaper delivered to your classroompleaseemailnewsroom. roundupnews@gmail.com

See any corrections we missed?

Email us at newsroom. roundupnews@gmail.com

Not only is this system inconvenient, but transactions are more time consuming for both students and employees.

Business Office supervisor

Paradaman Mann said because of in-person manual entry transactions, the new system is less efficient.

Right now with the new system, each transaction takes three, four even five minutes or sometimes more compared to the old system, when it was only one or two minutes, but if you do credit card it will be all manual entry,” Mann

said. “That’s why the new system doesn’t allow us to swipe the card.”

Rosky, however, described the old system as “rustic,” and believes the updated system is an improvement to what the Business Office had previously.

“The current process utilizes far more current and better technologies. For example doing an e-check or something like that, if you want to pay bills directly from checking account you can provide your routing number and your check number and it

Pro: Financial ignorance at a cost

VANESSA ARREDONDO Managing Editor @V_anana

Four-oh-one que? Bonds aren’t just a topic in chemistry.

It seems like the extent of most young people’s knowledge of personal finance is that payday is every other Friday, and if I complete my taxes by mid-April, I will get free money from the government.

A personal finance course should be mandatory for the completion of a college degree to teach students how to save, invest, and responsibly spend money.

Only 17 states mandate that students take a personal finance course in high school, according to CNBC.

About 44.2 million Americans have outstanding student loan debt, according to MarketWatch. It doesn’t take a mathematician to add those two facts together and determine that, by subtracting financial education from the curriculum, debt multiplies through the nation.

In the LACCD / UC / CSU system, we are required to take about 40 units to fulfill general prerequisites. These classes are meant to provide us with a well-rounded education that exposes us to different ideas and disciplines. My professor calls them “cocktail classes.”

Sure, I can recite lines from Shakespeare to describe my depression. And I will forever know that a sponge spicule looks like the Mercedes-Benz logo, but what does that matter if my $10,000 debt and my

nonexistent credit prevents me from leasing such a car?

Eight in 10 Americans have some type of debt, according to CNBC. Nationwide, about 30 percent have debt sent to collections, according to the Washington Post.

Predatory loans and the absurd cost of college (read: not free) are a large part of the problem.

At the very least, an institution should provide college students with knowledge to manage their finances if it isn’t going to stop being one of the primary sources of Americans’ debt.

Student loan debt is only just behind mortgage debt. According to Time, it exceeded credit card debt and auto loans when it passed the $1 trillion mark in 2012.

Fifty percent of students graduate with debt.

It’s no wonder that an embarrassingly large percentage of Americans have personal finance issues at several points in their lives.

A personal finance class would teach students about loans and interest rates, insurance, how to build credit, save money for an emergency, and other things I can’t list because I wasn’t taught financing throughout my public education.

Predatory loan sharks are detestable for going after the financially ignorant, but the root of the problem is inadequate financial education.

Shakespeare’s Polonius once said, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be,” and that’s about as much financial education that I’ve received in college.

varredondo.roundupnews@gmail.com

will automatically debit,” Rosky said.“The concept was to provide better service to students while providing a better technology for processing credit.”

Rosky said the district is exploring a way to offer in-person credit card payment and they're potentially looking to allow each college within the district to determine whether face-to- face card transactions are appropriate for their college community.

There has been a sufficient amount of time since the fall 2017 system change to make necessary

ANDREW FORTIN-CALDERA Features Editor @afortincaldera

Money talks, cash is king… it’s an important part of life, sure. But if we want help in learning how we can create and adhere to a plan that gives us the most bang for our buck, we can seek it out of our own volition.

Making a class in budgeting mandatory is essentially telling us what we should do with our money.

If anything, a budgeting class could be offered as an optional course cut from the same cloth as personal development—something that you take to perhaps aid you in your personal life.

Making a course like budgeting be mandatory, would likely be counterproductive to demonstrating the value of the lessons such a class would teach—forcing students to study an unalluring topic that they have no interest will likely cause them to disregard the lessons being taught.

“Budgeting,” unfortunately, is not a sexy term; it’s not likely to pique the interest of those who weren’t already doing it.

A budget is the money you put aside for specific purposes and purchases. It really doesn’t seem like that would make for a curriculum extensive or impactful enough to justify making a class in budgeting mandatory. What would the lessons include?

In an article by Brad Sherman titled, “Why Personal Finance Classes Should Be Taught in

improvements to make business transactions, both cash and card, a more pleasant experience.

Also, if online is an option for purchase, it would be beneficial to have an option to pay online in advance to the semester and have it mailed to students, so that lines are avoidable all together. And for those who prefer to pay with cash or in-person, they can be accommodated in a fashion that is far more superior to the system that currently exists.

newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

College,” it is stated that budgeting courses could teach students about buying homes, understanding mortgages, putting money aside and filing taxes.

That all seems like something you’d be wiser to go to a real estate agent or an accountant for. One might argue that, by taking a budgeting class, you minimize the need to spend money on professionals such as these. But what is the likelihood that a single required class will make you understand nuanced financial information more than a credentialed professional?

In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Lauren E. Willis, a professor at Loyola Law School, wrote that students are made overconfident by classes that are meant to teach concepts such as budgeting and “often leave the classes excited to do their own financial planning, then craft poor plans.” Willis elaborates on the dangers caused by this overconfidence by stating that it is “linked to susceptibility to fraud."

And even if a budgeting class had a robust and informative curriculum, there is little consensus among financial experts on what the most effect saving strategies are.

“Financial offerings change too quickly for regulators to keep up, never mind educators,” Willis wrote. The benefits that can be taken away from a college course on the topic of budgeting are too little to justify making the class be mandatory.

afortincaldera.roundupnews@gmail.com

"Mymomalwayssaysto spendmymoneywisely.IfI earnacertainamount,just divideitequally,soIsave upbutalsohavemoneyfor thethingsthatIneed."

-MayleenRivas18, Psychology

Photo Illustration by Anna Clark and Randi Love / Roundup

“Don'tgetacreditcard, becausetheywillscrew youover.It'sgoodforyour credit,butdon'tspendyour moneyonstuffyoudon't need."

-Cesar Cedillo, 23, Accounting

“Investinyourself."

-NathanMissaghi,20, Anthropology

Con: It's money, not a crash course

"Startsavingearly,most definitely.I'vehadajob sinceIwas16andmy parentshavealwayssaid, 'Put50percentofyour paycheckaway.'"

-HaleyDowrsky,21, Philosophy

“When I opened up that ballot, I took a look at it and realized there was nobody who reflected who I thought should be there. I started to get ready to complain, and I cut myself off midsentence because I thought to myself, ‘Now, how can I expect anybody else to run if I'm not willing to do it myself?’” Robbins Kasson said.

Candidate and former Pierce student Jesse Gabriel said he wants to encourage young people to participate in politics because there are issues that directly affect them.

“We have a lot at stake in this election. We need young people to get involved and vote. I want to be in Sacramento to be a voice for our generation,” Gabriel said.

Three Senate candidates informed students how they would represent California in D.C.

Candidate Pat Harris said youth activism is amazing.

“Young people have to be involved in politics because you are facing what is going to be the next 20 to 30 years, the ultimate direction of this country,” Harris said. “We are either going to continue down the path we are going, which is disastrous, or we’re going to see a progressive vision, which is nothing like this country has ever seen. We’re going to see an explosion of ideas and innovation.”

Libertarian Derrick Michael Reid said the country’s youth has to be aware of political issues.

“We’re talking about your future. Young students should get involved and try to understand the issues because they got a personal stake in it,” Reid said. “It’s their future and it’s a government that’s going to be overseeing their existence.”

ASO President Efren Lopez said Day of Politics encourages students to become informed so that they vote for what best suits their interests.

Additional reporting by Richard Espinoza.

rortega.roundupnews@gmail.com

Need the green to be green

Developing grant will bring activism to promote a green initiative

DANIELLE PADILLA Reporter @dcxpadilla

There's no set price tag to be environmentally concious, but Pierce College will see what $12,000 can do.

College Associated Student Organization (ASO) is working to increase environmental consciousness among staff and students by implementing the Green Grant, a $36,000 award which, if given, will be disbursed among three departments.

Since its passing on Feb. 27, the Green Grant has promised to bring a new approach to environmentalism on campus through education. With ASO’s help, the grant will extend the responsibility of conservationism to faculty and staff to educate students.

“The Green Grant, while student initiated, will be the faculty taking initiatives to educate their students on proper environmental care,” said Erin Baker, the chair of the Sustainability Committee.

The goal of the Green Grant is for Pierce students and faculty to understand the importance of sustainability and realize what needs to change on campus, Baker said.

To achieve this goal, ASO has proposed a competition wherein different departments draft a proposal for a green initiative they wish to undertake and submit them for review and judgement.

“ASO will adopt the resolution and fund some of it for an implement for the next year,” said Lara ConradyWong, the Student Engagement Coordinator.

ASO President Efren Lopez introduced the Green Grant during an Academic Senate meeting in February. He said the it aims to provide students with experience and industrial leadership.

“These grants will be offered to different academic departments so they can develop their own proposals, initiatives and master plans to bring in industrial leaders within a particular academic field who would help these students pursue their careers while also helping them have an eco-conscious approach to every decision they make,” Lopez said.

Lopez said a major environmental problem on Pierce College is the lack of recycling.

“There is absolutely no recycling program,” Lopez said. “There is nothing that is going to be done about it, so it’s just making the problem worse.”

Lopez said that students buy plastic bottles on campus, but there is no effective program in place to properly recycle the plastic. He said that the lack of such a program on campus perpetuates the cycle of pollution.

Because the grant is still in the developmental stages, details are still awaiting approval by the ASO senate. However, the grant’s initial passing signifies a new era of environmental activism at Pierce College that students and faculty can partake in, Lopez said.

“ASO’s here advocating for students all the time, and they want to be sure student voice is represented not only in the Green Grant, but in anything that ASO is doing,” Conrady-Wong said.

dpadilla.roundupnews@gmail.com

North of Mall marquee remains dark for two years

Indirect connection with controlling computer prevents functioning of message board

@RebeccaRoundup

Spring 2018 marks the fourth semester in a row that the North of Mall’s marquee has been blacked out.

Before it was completely shut down, the electronic message board displayed outdated information. Pierce faculty are unsure how to connect the computer to the marquee.

Manager of Pierce College Information Systems Mark Henderson said he does not know

when the marquee stopped working.

“I’m not sure when it actually went offline, but we have to redo the physical connections. That project is on the list, we just haven’t done it yet,” Henderson said.

Henderson said his office realized that they had to rewire the marquee after it seemed to spontaneously cease functioning.

“The control mechanism was in some department that no one was able to find. Then somewhere in one of the student services departments, they had control over it, but they no longer have control,” Henderson said. “It was best to turn it off because the information was old.”

Henderson said that although the $5000-plus marquee is off, it is not broken.

Henderson said his office’s capacity to remedy the marquee’s technical dysfunction is limited by the other projects they need to focus on first. “The other projects that have been prioritized above it have been: installing AV in classrooms, expanding cable infrastructure in the nursing area, doing some data center work, and replacing the blue phones,” Henderson said.

Dean of Student Engagement Juan Carlos Astorga said the computer connected to the Mall marquee is in

his office. The connection between it and the controlling computer is not direct.

“There is a program that runs out of the computer. There is an external relay that is internally placed somewhere next to the marquee. The computer is here in this office,” Astorga said. “The relay is located somewhere out in the world.”

Astorga said that although he values the marquee as a communication tool, there is no sense using it if its information isn't timely.

“That relay is still only relaying information from two falls ago,”

Rundown Brahma Blotter

These incidents were reported between March 11 - March 17

Reported by: Jordan Nathan and Rocio Arenas

03/12

•Non-student Disturbance

A male walked into Birch 1100 and stated that he was looking for his wife. He was warned to stay off campus.

03/13

•Student Injury

A student reported that he was injured in his welding class in Applied Technology 3805.

Pierce College Sheriff’s Station

General Information:

Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311

Brief: Internet Down

Astorga said. “Until we’re able to relocate that relay to an alternate location, there’s no point because it’s relaying information from 2016.”

Build-LACCD’s Communication Manager David Vela said the marquee is Pierce College’s responsibility.

“Unfortunately, the marquee is not part of the Build-LACCD program,” Vela said. “It was purchased by the college and is being operated by the college.”

Astorga said Mark Henderson is aware of the problem and put in a request to have it fixed.

roneil.roundupnews@gmail.com

Internet access will be down at Pierce on Thursday, March 22, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., due to the campus migrating to another firewall, Information Systems Manager Mark Henderson said in an email.

Henderson said the procedure is part of an LACCD bond project for all nine schools in the district to incorporate consistent security protocols.

Administrators decided to have maintenance performed on a weekday because, had it been done on a weekend, Henderson said they would have less access to tech support. If they were to encounter a problem, resources would be unavailable until Monday.

Erick Salgado / Roundup

A student walks by a recycling bin at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif. on March 7, 2018. ASO is welcoming proposals to “accomplish the overarching goal of environmental responsibility."

Schubert Cello Quintet puts a twist on chamber music for the Thursday concert series

The room filled with students as the musicians tuned their instruments.

Glossed over faces appear scattered across the theatre as a 45 minute musical journey began.

The Thursday Concert hosted by the Performing Art Department featured the Schubert String Quintet that played three classical pieces.

Assistant professor in voice and choral music, Garineh AvakianAkkus, wanted to show students another way to enjoy and learn about the world and the music it provides.

This style of music is played by a small ensemble. It was created during the eighteenth century to be played outside of the theatre in a home setting.

Elizabeth Wilson, the first violinist, said that playing at a school gives students a different understanding of music.

“Not many of you have experienced this kind of music before. So she [Avakian-Akkus] said life is about different experiences and I think this is an experience,” Wilson said. “It's a really beautiful piece of music and you get to see how we're working together live.”

Avakian-Akkus said that she wanted students to hear something they don’t usually tune their

radios to, in order to have a unique observation of a style of music.

Arlette Cardenes, the second cellist, is the cofounder of the Culver City Chamber Orchestra. She said that the concert was something she was interested in doing bring

students something more personal and small in setting.

“One of the things that we wanted to do was to do something more intimate -- chamber music in its pure sense,” Cardenes said.

Wilson said it's different from

listening to a record because you get to see how people move as one and can ask questions about what you heard.

“You get to see how we're looking at each other and how it all fits together. Then actually ask

us the questions and I think that's important and we enjoyed it as well.” Wilson said.

Avakian-Akkus said a string quintet usually has two violas, so their ensemble was a different style than the normal setup.

“This is actually a rare piece because it's using two cellos. So there's not a lot of repertoire that's a quintet for strings,” Avakian-Akkus said. “This is one of the few, so that's why we wanted to showcase this.”

Although this concert revolved around chamber music, AvakianAkkus said that in the future there will be other styles and lessons to learn.

“I don't usually go into programming these concerts with a program set in mind,” AvakianAkkus said. “But I try to vary the genre and the styles of music that's being played so we can give a variety of styles available to students.”

The next concert is on Thursday, March 22, at 1 p.m. in the Performing Arts Building Theater Mainstage.

Brian Caldera / Roundup

Armen Ksajikian and Arlette Cardenes played their cellos in the Schrubert String Quartet on Pierce College's Performing Arts Building Mainstage at

music

see how we're working together live." -Elizabeth Wilson Violinist

Sheʼs running in her own race Club president and LAPD cadet serves as an inspiration to others

DANIELLE PADILLA Reporter @dcxpadilla

Running is usually considered a solitary sport, however Lisette Avila uses the activity as an outlet to socialize and make connections with people who share a common interest.

Whether she’s wearing running shoes or her cadet uniform, Avila is a leader in any element.

Avila’s passion for running has led her to become the president of the Pierce College Brahma Runners Club. Avila said she found her enthusiasm for running when she needed something to help her overcome hard times.

In middle school, Avila first started running as a way to cope with the challenges she was facing in her personal life.

“I was going through problems at home that I just wanted to run from,” said Avila. “So, every P.E. class, I would run all the track before class started. Then my teacher saw me and said I should join Students Run LA.”

Avila attributes her current success to the support she has received. She said the person who has supported her running the most was her high school coach. She said that he encouraged her to never give up on herself and expressed that he believed she was stronger than even she thought herself to be.

Since coming to Pierce College in the fall of 2016, Avila said she also feels encouragement from her teammates in her club. She said being a part of a community of runners is something that helps her feel that she is not isolated at Pierce College.

“It feels like I’m not alone at this college because I know I have friends with one thing in common with me: running,” said Avila.

As the president of the Brahma Runners club, Avila said she must take on the responsibility of being a model for people to follow and aspire to be.

Susan Armenta, advisor for the Brahma Runners club, said that since becoming president, Avila has grown as a leader and has become an example for other students.

Armenta said that upholding a certain standard of dignity and demeanor are important elements in a leader worth following.

“I think her nature of being a cadet makes students look up to her,” said Armenta. “I think, that way, she’s been kind of able to be the role model just by being who she is.”

Avila has been a part of the Los Angeles Police Department Cadet Program since the summer of 2013. For five years, Avila said she has upheld the core values and philosophies of the cadet program. Because of this commitment to the organization, she has risen to the rank of cadet lieutenant.

Danny Gonzalez, a fellow member of the Brahma Runners club, said that Avila acts as the support system for the team.

“You can tell the passion she has for the club,” said Gonzalez. “She’s super supportive; if someone is not feeling well or someone’s not feeling included, she makes sure that gets addressed as soon as possible.”

Armando Mercado, another Brahma Runners club member, said that Avila’s consistent care of her teammates is one of the ways she supports the club. Mercado recalled an incident where, during a run, he suffered a cramp, and Avila was there within an instant to check if he was feeling okay.

Mercado said that Avila also takes accountability for the team while on runs.

“Sometimes she’s in front, and when we get to a light, she looks back and makes sure everybody is caught up,” said Mercado. “And if someone is behind, she’ll go back to catch up with them and run with them to catch up to everybody else.”

Gonzalez said Avila has inspired those around her even before she was voted in as president for the Brahma Runners club. Gonzalez mentioned

a moment recalled by his team members where Avila gave a moving speech at the end of a running course. After the run, Avila talked about how running was more than just a sport; it was about running as a team and building a bond with the people who make the team.

Avila said that building a bond with the members of the Brahma Runners club is one way to make everyone feel included. Every other Friday, the club plans bonding activities to do outside of Pierce College.

Avila said activities range from trekking different hiking trails, movie nights or visiting a haunted place as a group. According to Avila, the purpose of these group activities is to bring all the team members together to have fun.

Armenta said that, as president, Avila has a responsibility to face problems as they arise. Armenta said that hse believes the challenges Avila is facing now pertain to the evolution of the club.

[For

“I ended up teaching English in South Korea and in China, and it gave me that global perspective of living somewhere else, teaching and seeing that generation react,” Patel said.

Patel said that his experience in teaching allowed him to observe how others are affected by the introduction of new ideas and modes of thought.

“People aren’t exposed to the diversity of ideas and thoughts, and I taught them about evolution. From a young age, you can bring people along, and that’s part of my motivation now.”

Patel credits his motivation to pursue a career in politics to

his studies of ecology, behavior, evolution, the planet and endangered species at UCLA.

“It was all part of the realization that we are destroying the planet,” Patel said. “We have a climate crisis, and this is actually happening because of so many corporations and established, political entities that are more concerned with short term profit than the long term health of the planet, people, species and everything.

PateI said his acknowledgement that corporations had a hand in affecting the environment led him to start a campaign with the goal of raising money to hire a lobbyist who would talk to an elected official about climate change.

Patel’s current campaign runs on the motto of “people power.” By applying this notion, Patel said he believes he is a better candidate than those running against him.

“We are that campaign that listens to regular people and issues,” Patel said. “We’re not taking that corporate money, and we’re not part of the Democratic Party establishment with elected officials who have supported other candidates in that same vein for too long. The people and the local, progressive energy of folks who have done work in the community are the people who are on board with our campaign.”

Bleu Briggs / Roundup

President of Pierce College Brahma Runners Club Lisette Avila, takes a breather outside of the Pierce Library in Woodland Hills, Calif. March 16, 2018. Avila is also a part of the Los Angeles Police Department Cadet Program.

[from Ankur on front]

Bleu Briggs / Roundup

Lissette Avila runs on Friday morning, March 16, 2018. Pierce College, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Nationwide, we are on your side

Above: A sign held by two students during the national walkout reads ‘Say no to the NRA’ on the Mall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 14, 2018.

by: Randi Love.

Students, faculty and staff march down the Mall during the national walkout at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 14, 2018.

Below: Associated Students Organization senate member Shanaz Khosti marches down the Mall with other students during the national walkout at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 14, 2018.

Students across the country staged the first of a series of walkouts on March 14 to protest gun violence.

It was one month after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.

It was also one week after a credible threat against Pierce College.

Students, staff and faculty gathered near the bull statue in the middle of the Mall to commemorate those that died, and to stand in solidarity with students across the country who fight for gun reform.

More than 200 students, faculty and staff were present at the walkout, which turned into a march down the Mall.

Associated Students Organization President Efren Lopez helped organize the rally with campus

clubs.

“It is really amazing that people are coming out and expressing themselves to really stand up for change. That is the most important part,” Lopez said. “We have our speakers and the support. It shows that we want to end gun violence.”

They chanted “Enough is enough” and “Say no to the NRA,” among other things.

Professor of Sociology Julio Tsuho spoke to the crowd about gun violence and what could be done to inspire change.

The event ended with 17 seconds of silence, one for each person that died.

Another nationwide walkout is scheduled for March 24. The primary rally is in Washington, D.C.

Left: Assistant Computer & Network Support Specialist John Millhone

Photos by Randi Love and George Apikyan

Copy by Randi Love

and Pierce President Kathleen Burke watch as students, faculty and staff gather at the bull statue on the Mall in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 14, 2018. Photo by: Randi Love.

Right: Students march down the Mall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 14, 2018 during the national walkout.

Photo by: George Apikyan

Photo

Left:

Photo by: Randi Love

Reserves depleted Broken Budget

For decades, the Pierce College budget has fluctuated, but remained in the black. That may soon change as a possible $5 million deficit may hit the campus in the next fiscal year.

The last time the college was in the red was in the 1980s, when dozens of classified Pierce employees were among at least 400 laid off in the district, in addition to a more than two-year salary freeze.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Sheri Berger said that winter and spring enrollment were down. The college is partly funded by full-time equivalent students (FTES), which has to do with lower enrollment and budget concerns.

According to a First Monday Report by college President Kathleen Burke, FTES is “every hour, whether credit or noncredit, in which students are enrolled is added up to create FTES. The total number of student hourly enrollments required to created a single FTES is 525 student contact hours.”

During an Academic Senate meeting in February, Treasurer Angela Belden said the school would be nearing zero reserves by the end of the semester.

“This was not new news,” Belden said. Pierce is among five of the nine colleges in the district that are projecting a deficit at the start of the next fiscal year.

Belden said Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher and Associate Vice President for Administrative Services Bruce Rosky have been keeping the Budget Committee and administration aware of where the fund reserves were heading.

“Starting last year, they've been saying we need to brace for impact. We need to be prepared,” Belden said. “This is going to be a problem: the way the funding structure works, the way we're funded. We're not going to have the money that we had in the past.”

Rosky said that Senate Bill 361 has historically been the way funds flow from the state to the community colleges.

According to the California Legislative Information website, the bill established a new community college funding system. It required the development of criteria and standards for the board of governors to achieve the recommended statewide minimum requirements.

Requirements include an allocation based on the number of colleges and comprehensive centers in the district and funding received based on the number of credit and noncredit FTES.

As of the 2006-07 fiscal year, the revenue allocated for credit FTES

could not be less than $4,367, as adjusted by subsequent cost-of-living compensations funded through the annual Budget Act, according to the website.

Noncredit instruction received a uniform rate of $2,626 per FTES, and career development and college preparation was funded at $3,092 per FTES beginning in the 2006-07 fiscal year.

Although the state allocation model has remained the same for more than 10 years, changes are being made that will go into effect July 1 that move the district toward performance based funding, according to Berger.

Berger said the change will be in the percentages for each funding method.

Half would come from FTES, 25 percent from completions of degrees and certificates, and the rest from the number of students that qualify for financial aid.

“There’s only one pot of money that the colleges have for getting money from,” Berger said.

There is uncertainty about the new allocation model because the impact is unknown.

Rosky said although the changes to the state are new, the district altered its distribution model in 2012.

Rosky said the allocation model provides a base amount of money to upgrade the college based on certain administrative fixed costs.

The district budget committee created the formula because there is a shared governance across the Los Angeles community colleges, Rosky said.

“They developed this chart of all the nine colleges with a base amount based on the size of the college,” Rosky said. “There's one president for each college that's required. Three vice president's for each college that's required.”

Rosky said there must also be one dean of institutional research, one director of campus facilities and then there is a “sliding scale” of how many

academic and/or student services deans would be needed based on the size of the college.

Former member of the Budget and Academic Senate committees Joe Perret said that enrollment may be down 9 percent, but the campus has to try to push demands for the following school year so a constant stream of students come.

Perret said the budget problem is districtwide and effects each campus in some way.

“Some colleges are meeting their base, but it won’t help them because the district as a whole isn’t meeting their base,” Perret said.

Schleicher said that the administration tried to maintain a 6 percent reserve fund as a buffer in times when enrollment may drop or stagger.

“Our budget's never been enough for years, and it's starting to negatively impact us,” Schleicher said. “We went from a reserve that we had two years ago to closer to like $12 million, basically using all that by the end of this year, and probably a little bit more.”

The student health fee is a benefit for those that use it, but make it difficult to pay staff that work there, Schleicher said.

Schleicher said we can’t generate revenue through cost per unit either, because it has stayed the same, this caused two separate issues.

“I have an allocation problem and a budget problem,” Schleicher said. “So to put it in context, the allocation means I have a lot of money that's restricted and a lot of this unrestricted general fund is unrestricted. I can use it for all kinds of things.”

Schleicher said the general fund budget is close to $8 - 10 million and is used for specially funded programs.

“That piece is being strained very heavily and we've been using reserves to keep that kind of a float,” Schleicher said.

Schleicher said the challenge is to

DANIELLE PADILLA Reporter @dcxpadilla

Pierce hosts a collection of extracurricular activities each semester. Events such as the film festival, speech tournament, Cinco de Mayo and Day of Politics are funded, at least partially, by the Associated Students Organization (ASO).

However, a small box on a form may result in changes to many of those events.

Due to the new Student Information System (SIS) enacted last spring semester, Pierce students have an option to not pay the ASO fee. As a result, the lack of payments has put a strain on ASO’s budget.

“We have all those precommitments that are consistent and that departments always come back to fund them again to make an annual thing,” said Efren Lopez, ASO president. “And obviously with the smaller budget, it’s unfortunate we have to cut some of those events that consistently happen.”

Clubs that depend on ASO for funding will see a decrease in financial support, with funds being allocated to events that have been in the budget since last spring.

Despite the reduction of financial aid from ASO, this new relationship will prompt clubs to utilize the fundraising training offered to them at the beginning of the semester.

find areas to cut back in order to save and that may end up being in labor.

“We have to figure out how we have to prune back because one of the things we've tried to do is set a threshold of six percent to start being kind of a buffer,” Schleicher said. “If things got more complicated and we spent more than we should, that trigger went off just this last year, but before we know it, we're through all that money.”

Hiring new staff and faculty is of high benefit to students, but isn’t the best financially made decision, Schleicher said.

“We have to hire smarter and deploy people better or changes will be made for us,” Schleicher said. “The market will drive us in the wrong direction.”

Schleicher said the student body is doing well, but the campus can’t properly support them.

“Our students are better than ever,” Schleicher said. “Our success rates are better than ever, but are we getting enough income to support all that? No, we're not.”

Although success rates are better, enrollment has dropped. The Enrollment Management Committee is looking for ways to bring different demographics to campus and see what barriers are present, Belden said.

“We could try to get more nontraditional students to come back,” Belden said. “More older students who've been out of the workforce.”

Perret said our close proximity to other campuses and what we have to offer needs to be considered.

“It’s a very competitive environment. You can choose to go here, you can choose to go to Moorpark, you can choose to go to College of the Canyons, you can choose to go to Pasadena,” Perret said. “There are certainly colleges that are within a reasonable drive that aren’t even a part of our district.”

“What’s under constraint right now is the contingency amount that we have to spend on more finance requests that come in,” said Matthew Aguilera, ASO treasurer. “That’s what has been lowered because of the new option on the SIS portal that allows students to opt out of the ASO fee. We have to be somewhat conscientious in terms of what we allot to specific requestors, especially for this semester.”

Requestors, usually clubs or departments, submit proposals to be approved by the ASO Senate and Finance Committee. If approved, full or partial funding is provided for the event. However, due to ASO’s limited budget, fewer requestors will receive approval for their campaigns.

Most returning requestors will have to compromise with the negotiated funding passed by the ASO senate. In comparison, newer requestors will not face the issue of partial funding, but the uncertainty if they will receive funding at all.

This training is led by Associate Vice President of Administrative Services Bruce Rosky and other head faculty members. The fundraising instruction is meant to help clubs better understand the fundraising process.

Topics covered in the training include how to fill out various fundraising forms, different techniques to fundraise and what can or cannot be sold on campus. The tools and knowledge clubs need to successfully fundraise and develop their own budget are provided during this training.

“Every time a club comes to ask for money, we try get them towards that path of learning how to fundraise and learning how to find sponsors,” said Kosar Afsari, ASO club council president. “There’s only so much that ASO can do. At the end of the day they need to find their own budget. Even if they come to ask for money, they ask for certain amounts that sometimes sound too big they get rejected.”

The federal government has been running financial aid audits at schools across the country, looking for positive online attendance.

The audits have found a lack of interaction between instructor and student in some classes.

These possible improprieties could cause some sections to be reclassified as correspondence courses, which, inturn, would have a financial impact on schools and students. Students could lose their full-time status if classes are changed, resulting in a loss of financial aid.

This change in student status would then effect the amount of funding the school receives for full-time enrolled students.

Fines, possibly into the millions, could also be levied against schools.

According to the minutes from the Los Angeles Southwest College Academic Senate Committee meeting on Nov. 14, nearly one-half of their courses did not meet the compliance requirements. Southwest may be fined, and the school asked for time to rectify the issue. At the time of publication, Southwest’s response is that fines have not been levied against the school because of online classes.

Photo Illustration by Joshua Manes

Photo Illustration by Natalie Miranda and Joshua Manes

Brahmas gore the Raiders

Men's volleyball overall record 6-6 with conference win

KARAN KAPOOR Reporter @KaranRoundup

Men’s volleyball built on its victory over Grossmont College last week with a win over the Moorpark College Raiders on Friday to open conference play.

The No. 9 Brahmas (6-6) won in straight sets (25-23, 25-13, 2519), ending Moorpark’s (6-6) twogame winning streak.

Cole Chea led the game with 12 kills and Bernardo Roese had 36 assists.

Head Coach Lance Walker described the Brahmas’ rivalry with the Raiders as a positive one and said that he expected his team to go out and defeat their conference rival in hopes of earning a higher position for the postseason.

“If we win conference, we go to the playoffs and get a bid into the final eight,” Walker said prior to the game. “Everybody on the team knows what it takes to win and succeed in the moment. A game can be won in the beginning, middle or end, and I am just hoping we go out there and give it our best game.”

The first set stayed close with neither team gaining an advantage of more than four points. Chea finished the set off with a kill to set the tone for the night.

The Brahmas controlled the second set from start to finish, taking the set 25-13 score.

Morgan Wadlow, outside hitter, said the Brahmas turned the game around after figuring out the style of play presented by the Raiders.

“The first set is always the one where you analyze and see how good a team is,” Wadlow said. “In the second set, we knew how to come out and play after beating them.”

In the third set, Wadlow

completed a hustle play that drew a reaction from the crowd.

“You have to stay ready,” Wadlow said. “Once it comes to me, my job is to put it away.”

Both Wadlow and Walker believed this victory to be an important point in the season.

“We haven’t been playing to our expectations lately,” Wadlow said. “This is probably the most pivotal game of the season, and it should set the tone.”

Walker said every player has now been cleared to participate.

“I believe this is our fourth

year in a row that we have had 100 percent academic eligibility, which is great,” Walker said. “Now, going into conference, we are at full strength, so I feel we have all the pieces we need to execute our game plans, and that’s exciting.”

Walker said he thinks highly of his players and wants them to play at the best of their ability when competing.

“I already know these players are fantastic individuals and great people,” Walker said. “I just hope players on both sides of the net

FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor @fgamino13

The Pierce College swim teams floundered to last place in the waters at Bakersfield College, finishing the second swim meet of the season on a low note.

The women’s team performed better than their counterparts, scoring 61 points compared to the men’s team, with a 46.5 score.

The day’s events began with the women's 200-yard medley relay, where the Pierce team placed last with a time of 2:15.63.

Yurdiana Martinez placed 10th with a time of 13:45.41 in the Women's 1,000-yard Freestyle.

In the men's 200-yard freestyle,

Juan Lopez finished last with a time of 2:33.79. In the race, Rowdy Feather of College of the Canyons was disqualified.

Kayli Hedges finished ninth in the women's 50-yard freestyle with a time of 29.18, while Cassidy Hoffman finished with a time of 30.03.

In the men’s 50-yard freestyle, Alonzo Noguera finished with a time of 23.55.

In the women's 200-yard individual medley, Lily Pang [See Pang story on page 10.] finished 13th with a time of 2:44.42. The next swim meet will be held on Friday, March 30, at Cuesta College.

Brahma of the Week

Bernardo Roese

Sport: Volleyball

Position: Setter

Class: Sophomore

Hometown: Brazil

Five kills and 36 assists in the game against Moorpark College.

play their best game, every game.”

Steven Blugrind, grey shirt, credited the connection his teammates have with each other.

“We’re very close with one another, all of us are friends here,” Blugrind said.

The Brahmas next game is away. They will play against the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros on Friday, March 23, at 6 p.m.

kkapoor.roundupnews@gmail.com

Your the states leader in assists this season. You had 36 assists in the game against the Raiders? How do you feel?

“I feel pretty good. I think we are playing the best volleyball right now. Especially since its conference, we are just going to continue to get better.”

If you weren’t playing volleyball, what sport would you be playing?

“I would be playing soccer. I don’t have a preference for a position, since I played in different parts of the field.”

Where do you see the team improving on?

“There is always room for improvement in every aspect.”

What are your plans after Pierce?

“To keep studying. I don’t know where at the moment. I’ll see after the season is over.”

Shae Hammond/Roundup

Pierce College's Max Petuhov hits the ball over the net against Moorpark College's Bradley Frveyder in a 3-0 win at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on March 16, 20 18.

Role model in and outside the pool

Lily Pang remains positive despite obstacles the team has faced over the season

DANIELLE PADILLA Reporter @dcxpadilla

Despite not having their main pool to practice, it doesn’t stop Lily Pang from diving into the sport she loves.

Since starting swimming as a freshman in high school, Pang’s love for the sport has not diminished over time. She joined the swim team two years ago.

Pang feels that being in the pool is an experience unlike anything she feels on dry land.

“When you’re in the water it’s you and the water,” Pang said. “You kind of block out everything from life.”

Pang swims in the women’s 200 yard individual medley and 100yard butterfly. She also participates in team races including the 200yard freestyle relay.

Pang said when she’s in the water, she gets a chance to truly be herself. Through her deep connection to swimming, her dedication to the sport has been taken to new depths.

“It basically just became my whole life,” Pang said.

While she dedicates most her time to swimming, she also puts effort into supporting other peers on the team.

Lindsey Duncan, assistant coach, said that Pang is a positive person and she motivates her teammates.

“Lily is always the one to push them by using her words, by giving them positive encouragement to continue going,” Duncan said.

Head Coach Judi Terhar said that even when faced with adversity, Pang is able to pull the team through.

“She encourages others, she remains calm when we up the

yardage and people are sore and tired,” Terhar said. “She never complains, she never whines and whatever races we need her in, she’s willing to swim in. She’s grown a great bit in the last two years with regard to those issues.”

However, strenuous training is not the only problem the swimming team faces.

The unavailability of the large pool to the swimming team is a

setback that Pang, Duncan and Terhar agreed was a problem this semester.

The pool has been unavailable to use for three months.

Features of the pool include deeper depths and a non-heated temperature, which is more suited for competitive swim training.

The current pool the swimmers are training in now limits their practices.

“They have not whined, they have not complained at all,” Terhar said. “But it’s a shame because every week we are hoping to be in the big pool and since December we have not been.”

With the lack of a proper pool to practice in, Pang is still determined to train this season.

“She really took it upon herself to go out on her own and do the work outs that we gave her,” Duncan

said. “Swimming at whatever pool she can get into, doing dry land workouts, doing weight room and studying film. We had them all study film and she was the one who always paid attention and took notes. She took that and ran with it even though it wasn’t the best situation.”

When met with challenges throughout the swim season, Pang rose to the occasion to overcome the

odds.

This is something Terhar believes is what sets her apart from most swimmers.

“Her ability to handle difficult sets has improved in the last two years,” Terhar said. “Some people are never willing to go through the pain barrier and keep working hard, but Lily is.”

dpadilla.roundupnews@gmail.com

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Lily Pang , a swimmer, practices in the pool at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., for the upcoming meet at Bakersfield College on March 14, 2018.