The Corsair - Volume 123 - Issue 7 (Spring 2022) by Santa Monica College

May 18, 2022 | VOLUME 123 ISSUE 7 | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Applied Music Program Shines in the Spotlight at The Broad Stage Read More On Page 6

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May 18, 2022

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FACULTY ADVISORS Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins | Journalism Adviser Gerard Burkhart | Photo Adviser Sharyn Obsatz | Social Media Adviser

CONTACT Editor-in-Chief | corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com

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WEBSITE www.thecorsaironline.com

Illustration by Katheryne Menendez

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR On Saturday, May 14, a gunman opened fire in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York killing ten people and wounding three others. When I got that notification on my phone, I was upset but not surprised. Shootings are not a rarity in a country with ineffectual gun control, but this particular shooting had a unique streak that separated it from many other shootings. The gunman, a white supremacist, specifically targeted people of color in a supermarket belonging to a predominantly black neighborhood. He violently took the lives of people for the simple crime of being a different color than he was. Learning this information deepened the hurt I felt. Shootings will always be tragic. But witnessing a mass hate crime yet again while people will claim to my face that we live in a post-racial society is a sharp stab in the back. The modern American political landscape is filled with false assurances that racism is a thing of the past. Claims of discrimination on the basis of race, they claim, are based on non-issues forged by a generation who scours everything looking for something new to be offended by. Hence, holding white people accountable for things that are claimed to be racist, but in actuality are not, is actually “racist” to white people. Through this logic, countless have turned a blind eye to the facts: racism is deeply ingrained into our society. It affects how people of color move through the world, and how they are viewed and treated. In the aftermath of the Buffalo shooting, I see responses that are familiar. People mourning, people being angry at the fact that racism has taken the lives of innocent people once again, people actively defending the shooter, and people who simply turn a blind eye to the racism that fueled this crime. The Buffalo shooting is not the first racism-fueled shooting, and it will not be the last. As thoughts and prayers continue to flood our media, it’s important to acknowledge the dogmas that made it possible for something like this to happen. Racism is deeply ingrained in our society, and we must start actively acknowledging that. When we ignore the failures of our political, socioeconomic, and cultural norms, we see the cost of a blind eye— the lives of innocent people of color.

Katheryne Menendez

FRONT PAGE Max Zwarchy, a Santa Monica College Music Program alumni, performs Morning Light (2022) alongside an ensemble at the Applied Music Showcase on Friday, May 6 in Santa Monica, Calif. (Karén Vartanian | The Corsair).

Editor-in-Chief

May 18, 2022

NEWS

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Round Two – A.S. Special Election Begins Jackson Tammariello | News Editor

he Santa Monica College (SMC) Associated Students (A.S.) is holding a special election this month, May, to fill vacant positions within its leadership for the upcoming Fall semester. Five out of 13 positions for the 20222023 A.S. Board of Directors were set to be unoccupied following the general election last month – Vice President, Director of Student Assistance, Director of Student Outreach, Director of Activities, and Student Trustee. Applications for candidacy opened Monday, April 25, and closed Wednesday May 4 at 5pm. The election will be held through Corsair Connect, from May 16 at 12 a.m., to May 19 at 11:59 p.m. Results will be announced on May 20. There are nine candidates running for positions – three candidates for Director of Student Outreach and two candidates for both Director of Activities and Student Trustee. The candidates for Vice President and Director of Student Assistance are running unopposed. “Normally, we hold special elections for constitutional revisions, ballot measures or things that students want us to vote on that are not director positions,” A.S. President Joshua Elizondo said. According to the A.S. Constitution and By-Laws, special elections are held if amendments to the A.S. Constitution are proposed by the Constitution

Committee or the student body, if students put forth petitions, or if students vote to recall a Director. Usually, the student body does not vote for candidates to fill in vacant positions. Rather, the A.S. Board of Directors holds committees to interview applicants and fill the positions. No candidates ran for the five positions available in the general election last month, so the positions were not listed on the ballot. “We were concerned that there were five vacant roles

in the general election, and I was particularly concerned that there was no Student Trustee running,” Elizondo said. Without any candidates running for those specific roles, they were not included on the general election ballot. Since those five positions were never on the ballot for an election, the A.S. Board was allowed to call for a second election to fill them, as doing so “allows us to ensure that student participation in student government is, across the

board, filled,” Elizondo said. Students will also be able to approve or reject proposed amendment changes to the A.S. Constitution and By-Laws. Over the last few months in public meetings, the Constitution Committee has been revising and changing the lan-

guage used throughout the A.S. Constitution. One of these revisions is regarding the current situation — to allow special elections in the event of a vacancy after a general

election. The revisions also proposed name changes for certain positions to better reflect their duties. The Director

of Student Advocacy, whose job is to establish relations between A.S. and local legislators, conduct legislative visits, and organise channels for civic expression, is being renamed to Director of External Affairs. The Director of Student Assistance, who is the liaison between A.S. and special programs and centers such as the Financial Aid Office, the Extended Opportunity Program & Services (EOPS), and the Adelante Program, is being renamed to the Director of Basic Needs. Another revision clarifies which students at SMC can be considered as part of the A.S. Currently, the Constitution states that only those paying the $10 Resource Fee are considered members of A.S. The change would indicate that any student enrolled at SMC is considered a member of the A.S., but only those paying the $10 Resource Fee may run for and hold office. Other revisions include defining the line of succession for student leadership and indicating that a Director who is recalled or impeached may not hold office in any capacity again. The full list of changes is available at www.thecorsaironline.com, under “A.S. Constitution Changes Proposed in Spring 2022 Special Election.”

Infographics by Katheryne Menendez

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A.S. Spring 2022 Speci

Jackson Tammariello | News Editor

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ial Election Candidates

Infographics by Katheryne Menendez

P H OTO S TO R Y

May 18, 2022

“I have met friends who have a passion for music and they inspire me. We have great teachers and private instructors who are enthusiastic to help students. . . I’m glad that I’m in this great program.” -Risako Harada

Dany Godoy (right) and Sang Hee Cho (left) play Four by Miles Davis. The Santa Monica College Applied Music Program Showcase at the Broad Theater in Santa Monica, California on Friday,

Daler Babaev performs Sweetfin (2022) by SMC student Cooper Gillespie. (Marc Federici | The Corsair)

Applied Music Program Shines in the Spotlight at The Broad Stage Maxim Elramsisy | Staff Writer

pplied Music Program students took to the stage on Friday, May 6, in a performance showcasing the prodigious program of dedicated students. The scholarship benefit concert raised money to support recipients as they transfer to four-year institutions.

Students must audition to apply to the Applied Music Program, which pairs students with faculty for private instruction in preparation for transfer to universities and conservatories. “I have met friends who have a passion for music and they inspire me,” said sophomore trumpetist Risako Hareda, “we have great teachers and private instructors who are enthusiastic to help students. There are many opportunities to perform on stage. I’m glad that I’m in this great program.”

Jodie (Yueun) Lee sings Lullaby of Birdland (1953) alongside an ensemble. (Marc Federici | The Corsair)

This year’s showcase featured music spanning across centuries and genres. Students of various instruments, including voice and composition, played pop music and original scores in solo and ensemble form, often with accompaniment of a pianist.

May 18, 2022

P H OTO S TO R Y

Jeffrey Smith performs Moon River (1961), a piece that involves multiple ensemble player swaps. ( Marc Federici | The Corsair )

Risako Harada perfoms Concertpiece No. 2 Op.12 (1910) with Gary Gray.

(Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair)

Nikki Iv plays Mozart's Violin Concerto in A Major: Adagio (1769). (Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair)

Stoyan Stefanov plays Morning Light (2022) by SMC Lincoln Mendell alongside an ensemble. (Marc Federici | The Corsair)

Kai Ambrose plays Moon River (1961) with an ensemble. (Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair)

Vzya Toledo plays Prelude, No. 1 (1983) on the marimba. (Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair)

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May 18, 2022

Kris Bowers Sets the Stage with Cue & A television to video games. The musicians recommenced the n April 26, house lights performance with Bowers’ medley dimmed and the audience’s from the Netflix series “Dear White murmurs hushed as sev- People.” With just a pianist, two violinen artists made their way ists, a violist, cellist, and bassist– the to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, score sounded as grandiose as though Calif. Among those artists were two it was played by a full orchestra. The award-winning composers and a quin- quintet then played Bowers’ scores tet of string musicians. Robert Kraft, the from projects including “Green Book,” event’s host, seated himself for prop- “King Richard,” “When They See Us,” “ B r i d g e r t o n ,” er viewing while and a short film the musicians directed by Bowprepared themers’ wife, Briana. selves with their Behind the muinstruments. The sicians hung a evening’s guest of screen displaying honor, Kris Bowmovie scenes of ers, broke the siclimactic, somlence. With creber, and heartscendoing piano warming nature. notes, he dove “Film scoring into the overture evokes emotion. and invited evIt snaps you to ery guest into his a very specific world of music. time, space, and Bowers grew up with classical and jazz training as visual cue,” Matthews said. By the end of the program, Bowers he studied at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts which he grad- asked the audience to shout out emouated from in 2006. He attended class tions. He planned to take that feeling alongside cellist Hillary Smith who later and fashion it into an improvisatory would sit amongst Bowers’ quintet. “He melody. “A baby’s love!” someone in went to New York and when he came the crowd said. Earlier that night, Bowback he called me to record on various ers shared that he and his wife had their projects and we've worked together first baby two months prior. For mere moments he pondered, then his finsince,” Smith said. In New York, Bowers advanced his gers began to play. The notes unraveled studies at Juilliard, until he earned his as though they had been thought out carefully and Bachelors in perfected for 2010 and Masweeks on end. ters in 2012. “[Bowers’ There, he met improvisation] the quintet’s just speaks to second violinwho he is and his ist, Stephanie perspective that Matthews. “I've we can hear in known Kris for his music. What many years, it's we're hearing is uniquely peran extension of sonal getting to him,” Matthews perform with said. Bowers’ friends who are final melodies also colleagues brought the auand people you dience to its feet admire,” Matin an uproar of thews said. On the Broad Asante Blackk, of the Netflix mini series “When They praise. The Cue & A Stage, Bowers See Us” projected on screen, April 26, at The Broad turned to face Stage in Santa Monica, Calif. (Rebecca Hogan | The series, hosted by Robert Kraft, the cheering Corsair). crowd with a modest smile. His over- is determined to advance the art of film ture, Kraft pointed out, was an entire- scoring by showcasing today’s comly different composition from one he’d posers, reputable and emerging. The heard Bowers practice before the show. production’s next installment will feaKraft then gave the young composer a ture songwriter and composer Michael well-deserved introduction. In his jour- Abels of “Get Out,” “Us,” and the upney thus far, Bowers has developed an coming film “Nope.” The Broad Stage impressive discography of soundtrack will hold the event on Wednesday, June compositions ranging from film and 1, at 7:30 p.m.

Aaliyah Sosa | Staff Writer

“[Bowers’ improvisation] just speaks to who he is and his perspective that we can hear in his music. What we're hearing is an extension of him,”

From Left, Kris Bowers accompanied by Alyssa Park, Jessica Guideri, Andrew Duckles, Hillary Smith, and Mike Valerio finish performing on Tuesday, April 26, at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, Calif. (Karén Vartanian | The Corsair).

May 18, 2022

SPORTS

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Trae Smith: SMC to Sports Agency CEO Celso Robles | Sports Editor

rae Smith is a former Santa Monica College (SMC) and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) student-athlete. During his last year at SMC, Smith decided to join the football team. Although he was not the starting quarterback, he was part of SMC's undefeated team that finished as state champions in 2015. He transferred to UCLA as a wide receiver in 2016. Today, along with being a sports agent, he is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder of Powerhaus Agency, a sports agency based in Los Angeles. "It's really an honor," Smith said. "I have a duty to make sure these guys are performing on and off the field." He created PowerHaus Agency just three months ago. Since the agency's inception, PowerHaus has hired seven employees and currently represents 14 athletes across the country from UCLA to the University of Alabama and University of Pennsylvania. Smith mentioned that he now also works with professional athlete Joshua Kelley, running back for the Los Angeles Chargers. "I love being a sports agent and working with all the athletes," said Smith. "It kind of showed me that there was another way to still be involved in sports.” Smith's experience with football began during his sophomore year at Birmingham High School, where he played quarterback until he graduated in 2013. He explained that "screwing up academically" was the reason he attended SMC. "Being at a junior college really was like the birth of all of my hunger to want to really succeed academically," Smith said. At SMC, Smith was solely focused on raising his grades and living a "4.0 GPA-student lifestyle." He was heavily involved in Associated Students. He

also formed his own non-profit student organization, known as Generation of the Future, with a group that held weekly meetings in SMC’s Humanities

team that finished as state champions in 2015. After graduating from SMC with two Associate Degrees, notably one in Business Administration, Smith

Trae Smith is the CEO and founder of PowerHaus Agency, a sports-talent agency that guides athletes on how to invest in their future while building their athletic careers. Smith visited at Santa Monica College on Monday, May 9. (Anna Sophia Moltke | The Corsair)

and Social Science building. During his last year at SMC, Smith decided to join the football team. Although he was not the starting quarterback, he was part of SMC's undefeated

transferred to UCLA and walked onto the football team. Smith credited SMC as support for his accomplishments at the time. "It was really the people, staff, faculty, and deans at SMC who really

encouraged everything I was doing," he said. After his time at UCLA, Smith hoped he would have a chance to make the National Football League (NFL), but he never received a call from any interested teams. Rather than sit around and cry, Smith decided to attend grad school and obtain his Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA). After receiving his MBA from Pepperdine University, Smith got the idea to start a sports agency. While shooting a commercial for Therabody, which is a company that produces wellness technology and therapy devices, he encountered other athletes, including Fresno State Quarterback Anthony Arnou, on set for the commercial shoot. During the second day on set, Arnou asked Smith to lend him a hand with developing his name, image, and likeness, which are the three elements that form a student athlete's right of publicity. Arnou also asked Smith to represent him and help promote Arnou as a product. "I made an Instagram post about it and then it started getting a lot of buzz," Smith said. "I started making a logo and the logo turned into a business plan. The business plan turned into a pitch deck and it turned into me having more meetings.” Smith gives SMC a lot of credit towards helping him get to where he is now. "It was the faculty at SMC, and the deans and associated students who really were my biggest resource and I’d credit a lot of my success and experience to that whole team and staff," he said. Smith is now scheduled to take his NFL agent exam in July and he is preparing by studying plenty. He also anticipates that Powerhaus Agency will represent 45 to 50 quality athletes by the end of 2022.

OPINION

May 18, 2022

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The Cost of Living is Stifling Gen Z Sydney Adams-Smith | Staff Writer

s of lately, Boomers and Gen Xers have been coming down hard on Millennials and Gen Zers, expressing that the younger generations are not “doing enough.” They argue that young adults don’t have anything to their name because of their overconsumption of trivial things. An example of this is in 2017, when millionaire Tim Gurner struck controversy by saying younger generations would be able to afford housing if they would "stop buying avocado toast.” Thousands of people from older generations agreed with him. Those Boomers and Gen Xers attack millennials and Gen Zers for failing to reach the same financial accomplishments that the older generations achieved in their 20s and 30s: owning property, owning a car, and paying off college debt. However, comparing the

cost of things back in the day versus the cost of things now, it is unsurprising that today’s young people are having a hard time supporting themselves. Rent annually rises, but the problem for young working people is that wages are not rising along with it. According to PropertyManangement.com, the average rent price in Los Angeles has risen 8.86% since 1980 and has consistently outpaced wage inflation. In 1980, the historical median monthly rent rate was $243. The monthly median rate alone for 2020 raised to $1,104. “I think it’s getting way too expensive,” Santa Monica College (SMC) sophomore Daniella Josephy said. “The goal was to move out on my own soon, but now I’m worried I won’t be able to do that because of the increase in price. Rent prices are hardly manageable with the minimum wage.” Rent isn’t the only expense that is getting unmanageable for young peo-

ple. According to researchers at University of Detroit Mercy, 2020’s average cost of living for a household in Los Angeles was $64,048 a year. According to gobankingrates.com the average minimum wage worker salary is $31,200 a year. With most good paying jobs requiring higher education and experience, that leaves younger people and those without college degrees with working for minimum wage part-time positions. Even the people who are fortunate enough to have work experience and degrees are finding it hard to land jobs that will allow them to support themselves. Many people are voicing that living paycheck to paycheck is infeasible no matter how many credentials one has. Dr. Titi Afolabi shared her experience with job hunting in a post on her Twitter account. “I have a Bachelor’s from Yale and a medical degree from

Harvard and I still live paycheck to paycheck,” she tweeted on May 2. Raising the minimum wage without raising the price of other living costs should be a start at fixing this problem. “As for job requirements and pay, I don’t think they line up anymore. We’re expected to do so much for our jobs and still don’t get paid decently,” Josephy said. America needs to do more to ensure young people do not have to overwork themselves just to have a chance at living a comfortable life. Some great ways to make life more affordable for everybody are raising the minimum wage without raising the cost of living, making jobs more accepting towards people with little experience, and providing more higher paying jobs for people who don't have degrees in higher education. It shouldn't be the norm for young people to struggle to live while doing everything they possibly can.

The Toll of War Hits Home Leo Gilad | Staff Writer

n April 13, right outside of a pedestrian border crossing point in San Ysidro, Calif., a relief camp sat waiting to assist Ukrainian refugees crossing the Mexican-American border. According to a sign, press was prohibited from entering the camp – though ‘camp’ may be a generous word to describe the motley of seating and canvas. Ukrainian arrivals received food and places to sit as they waited for their hosts to pick them up or for their buses to bring them to a nearby hotel. Interviewing the refugees was a challenge, as language proved to be another barrier they had to overcome since most spoke not a word of English. It was this relief spot in San Ysidro that finally conveyed to me the true cost of war. Despite having interviewed Ukrainian-Americans with their tears and anguish, it was only through the numbed silence of the refugees, through the realization that they would never see their homes again, that the cost of war truly resonated with me. “Now we are safe, fortunately, but in Ukraine, it’s a very difficult situation. Our other relatives are not safe now. They are hiding in some underground place,” said Dasha Yashchyshyna. Her family stood around her, protective in their body language. They seemed hes-

itant to trust the American reporters. In contrast, the young Yashchyshyna is more open to sharing her experiences escaping Ukraine. She has a cheery disposition in spite of everything she’s

travel across the Atlantic to seek refuge in the United States. When asked why her family had decided to come to the U.S., she said, “Because it’s one of the best countries in the world, and I think

A young Ukrainian girl is embraced by her sister outside of the San Ysidro Border Port Crossing in San Ysidro, Calif., on April 12. (Sarah Nachimson | The Corsair)

been through. Although many European countries, such as Poland and the United Kingdom, were accepting displaced Ukrainians, Yashchyshyna’s family chose to

that here there’s a good future for children, for me, and my parents.” As someone who grew up in the United States, I witnessed many of its gaping flaws firsthand. When I lived

in Europe, I’d see many people look down on the United States. The homelessness crisis. The lack of affordable education. The mass shooting epidemic. However, Yashchyshyna was convinced, like many other Ukrainians, that the U.S. was a place to one day call home. Yashchyshyna’s journey was long and arduous. “We left Ukraine and drove to Bucharest. From the airport, we flew to Madrid. From there, we flew to Bogota. From Bogota we flew to Mexico, then they said our flight was canceled. We waited there for 12 hours. Then we flew to Tijuana, and in the airport, there were volunteers that helped us. We went to a camp for Ukrainian refugees at night we went to the border and crossed.” Reporters reacted to this story with open-mouthed horror. When asked if it was a stressful experience, she said, “We were tired. My sister had a bloody nose because she was so tired. But I think everything will be okay.” The story of Yashchyshyna's family's journey is enough to completely change the way one views war. Rather than it being a distant conflict, it became real. It became something life-altering. Due to the onslaught of suffering in the news, people become desensitized to violence. Seeing the Ukrainian refugees in-person changed my perspective entirely. For the first time, I saw the true cost of war.

The Corsair - Volume 123 - Issue 7 (Spring 2022)

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