The Corsair Issue 7 Fall 2022

Elegance in a Nutshell

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Photo Story: pg. 6-7 Sports: pg. 8-9 Opinion: pg. 10

EDITORIAL STAFF

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During the Pre Finals Chill Out at Santa Monica College, puppies were brought to the school for students to pet and play with as a way to de-stress before finals week. December 6, 2022, Santa Monica, Calif. (Jamie Addison | The Corsair)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

My very first Corsair assignment was a beach clean-up ar ticle in Fall 2021. My partner and I were tasked with covering organizations responsible for beach cleanups, and how they were working to clean Santa Monica Beach. We were looking for one in particular, but the location online was vague and we nev er ended up finding it. What we did find were different people coming out and cleaning our beach, and we ended up interview ing whoever we could. It was during this assignment that I was first introduced to the field of journalism, and how it can be used to tell other’s stories.

As the assignments continued, I grew more and more in volved with journalism. This year, I was given the opportunity to be the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of The Corsair, Santa Monica Col lege's student run-newspaper. During my time as EIC, I learned that leadership is a lot more than a simple head of command that tells others what to do. A leader is nothing without their team— true leadership involves building your team members up and encouraging them to reach their potential.

The members of the newsroom I have had the privilege to work with are very determined to use their voices to tell stories that need to be told. Every time The Corsair publishes an article, captures a photograph, and creates an infographic or illustra tion, there are countless writers, photographers, designers, and editors working incredibly hard. And I am more than grateful to have been given the chance to help my team share their stories and the stories of others this past year.

Editor-in-Chief

SMC, Meet Your New Trustee

Saige Washington | Staff Writer

Emma Krul | Staff Writer

The new Santa Monica College (SMC) Board of Trustees mem ber Tom Peters was officially sworn in on Dec. 5. A first-time Trustee, Peters says he is very familiar with its members and practices. He went to hundreds of Board meetings while he was a member of the Student Affairs Commit tee, Faculty Asso ciation Executive Board, and the Center for Stu dent with Disabil ities’ Scholarship Committee.

“I'm not new to the board, I'm new on the board. So I think I have a nice advantage of just being able to meld in with them and get things done right out of the gate,” Peters said.

Before retiring in 2020, his efforts as a faculty member created what he called ‘universal design,’ which enables all classroom and online materials to be accessible to all students.

Peters ran as a candidate who sup ported Measure SMC, which was also on the November ballot. The measure allows the Santa Monica College Dis trict to issue $375 million in bonds that will go to facility renovations. Accord ing to Peters, these renovations are key to SMC continuing its services for stu dents after the effect COVID-19 had on

student's academic performance.

"Once we get the classrooms up to more that kind of technology that really make whether you’re at home or in the classroom a rich experience, that’s rev olutionary as well,” Peters said.

Peters said that even though SMC has the highest ratio of counselors to students in the California Community College system, 300 students per counselor, the counseling department

could use more resources due to trau matic times that pandemic caused stu dents who are returning to classrooms.

The fall 2022 semester is the first time many students are back for in-per son instruction since the COVID-19 pandemic forced all classes to be held online. However, most of the courses that SMC offers have a hybrid option, which Peters believes should continue for the betterment of students.

“Why not have the best of both worlds?” he said.

With all of his Santa Monica com munity experience, Peters says there won’t be many “growing pains” as he works with the Board, this time as a Trustee.

“I'm not new to the Board, I'm new on the Board."

Anna Sophia Moltke | The Corsair

Santa Monica College Board of Trustee member Tom Peters stands in the Cen ter for Media Design campus on Monday, Nov 28, in Santa Monica Calif.

Left, Sophie Wilson as Clara shrinking as the toys begin to come to life in the first act, second scene.

Right, Antonio Lo pez as Dr. Dross elmeyer fixing the toy nutcracker af ter it was broken during the first act, first scene.

Elegance in a Nutshell

Seals | Staff Writer

The curtains are closing for Westside Ballet of Santa Monica’s “The Nutcrack er.” This final showing of the year was held at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. stage.

The stage was filled with ap plause and the audience leapt to their feet as this year’s holiday tradition came to an end. Many of these performers have practiced for this show for several months, and some have done this same production for many years. For this show, rehearsing started in late August.

“It takes a long time to get six

teen people to all dance together,” Caprice Walker said, the Associate Artistic Director of Westside Bal let. Walker shared with the Corsair how difficult managing a team of performers can be “when it be comes their turn, we rehearse their roles so they can master those steps.”

Westside Ballet’s rendition of “The Nutcracker” was originally choreographed by the founders of the company Yvonne Mounsey and Rosemary Valaire. It has ad hered to this initial composition since 1973.

The months of rehearsing it takes to perfect this performance

have led some to have mixed feel ings about the last performance.

“Today’s a bittersweet day. It’s the last day, but I feel a little bit of relief because before you go on stage you always have that feeling of butterflies in your stomach,” Is abel Bugacov said.

Bugacov was one of the fea tured artists that performed for the show as a Spanish Chocolate, a Marzipan Mirliton, and a Flower.

“It’s the longest-running pro duction in Southern California, and it’s a privilege that we get to dance on stage.”

Caylo

Kalea Harrision (left) and Evan Swenson (right) playing

Lilly Olvera as the Sugarplum Fairy surrounded by performers playing Spanish Chocolate holding flower wreaths in the second act.

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"Today’s a bittersweet day."

Isabel Bugacov

playing the roles of Snow Queen and Snow Cavalier during the first act, second scene.

Jasime Harrison (right) and Maté Szentes (left) dancing together, as the characters Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, during the Grand Pas de Deux right before the finale.

Sophie Wilson as Clara clutching her toy nutcracker during the par ty in the first act, second scene.

Photos by Caylo Seals

World Cup Shouts and

TThe FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 contin ues to stoke an array of emotions from fans watching the Qatar games from around Los Angeles. Fans take to public settings like local bars to share in the specta cle by shouting for and against referee calls and jumping for joy at their teams’ scored goals.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, team USA fell out of the running for World Cup series contention in a match against the Neth erlands, Team USA scored

one goal against nents during the and lead the crowd the Santa Monica to chant, “USA, The crowd without celebration ter the team lost to the Netherlands Experiencing a in a public setting time, Elliot Lowell watch this match ta Monica Brew

“It’s as if rehearsing proximity to my

Anna Sophia Moltke | Photo Editor

Anna Sophia Moltke | The Corsair

Anna Sophia Moltke | The Corsair

Daniel Goba watches Cameroon approaching the goal making a winning score against Brazil 1-0 at South African-owned Springbok Bar & Grill in Van Nuys, on Fri., Dec 2.

Soccer fans rooting for team USA react when a referee does not call a foul during the second half of FIFA World Cup USA vs. Iran soccer match at the Santa Monica Brew Works, on Tues., Nov 29. USA beat Iran 1-0.

(R) Christian Granzow lets out a cheer while (L) Homs, an Iranian, shouts in frustration as the USA team scores this match at Busby's West sports bar and restaurant in Santa Monica, California. The USA team won the match,

Cup Calls for and Hollers

against their oppo the second half, crowd of fans at Monica Brew Works

“USA, USA, USA.” left the bar celebration af team ultimately Netherlands 3-1.

soccer game setting for the first Lowell chose to match at San Brew Works. rehearsing a sense of identity, pret

ty contextually nationalistic,” Lowell said following the game.

Team USA no longer qualifies for World Cup champion status, but supporters of the remaining qualifiers continue to watch in social settings in Los Angeles.

The quarter-final matches will be Croatia versus Brazil, Netherlands versus Argen tina, England versus France, and Morocco versus Portu gal. The two teams that make it to the final will compete for the title of FIFA World Cup Champion on Sunday, Dec. 18.

Elliot Lowell raises his fist as others cheer when team USA scores their first goal in the second half of the match versus the Netherlands on Saturday, December 3, at the Santa Monica Brew Works Bar. USA lost to the Netherlands 3-1.

Ee Lin Tsen | The Corsair

Ee Lin Tsen | The Corsair

Nicholas McCall | The Corsair

Anna Sophia Moltke | The Corsair

Jean Choi, Irene Choi, and Danny Shon, from Jean Ballet School, play drums and gong during the Koreatown Community World Cup Viewing Party at Koreatown Plaza on Monday, Dec. 5, in Los Angeles, Calif. Korea lost to Brazil 4-1.

(L-R) David Massey, Stephan Ruers, and Dov watch in anticipation as the USA soccer team play Iran in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at Busby's West sports bar and restaurant in Santa Monica on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

scores their first goal against Iran in the first half of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The two soccer fans watch match, beating Iran 1-0 on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.

Season Recap: Women’s

Sasha Funes | Sports Editor

The Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs wom en’s volleyball team finished off the season in second place in the Western State Conference (WSC) Southern division with a 9-3 record. They finished the season with a 19-8 overall record and that set them up to be the No.11 seeded team for the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California regional playoffs.

On Saturday, Nov. 26, the Corsairs played their final game against the No. 3 Moorpark College Raiders, los ing 3-1.

Unfortunately, the third round of the playoffs was as far as they’d make it but head coach Christian Cammyo felt the team had lots to be proud of.

“When the season ended, we were number one in the state in blocks, we were tied for 1st in the state for aces, and we were also top 10 in both kills and assists. These were all kinds of fantastical statistical measures,” Cam

The Santa Monica College Corsairs' Women's Volleyball team pose for the camera during the match against the Col lege of the Desert Roadrunners on Friday, October 7, 2022, at the Corsair Gym in Santa Monica, Calif. The Corsairs won 3-2.

“Now we’re under standing that the work we put in got us pretty close, and now we want to put in even more work to get even further,”

-Christian Cammayo

Emma Krul | Staff Writer

Santa Monica College Corsairs Women's Volley ball Coaches Paddy Pan (Assistant) and Christian Cammayo (Head) during the women's volleyball match against the Glendale Community College Vaqueros on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, at SMC Gym in Santa Monica, Calif. The Corsairs won 3-0.

Women’s Volleyball

mayo said.

Both captains, Anderson and Wolff, played their final season for SMC, leaving hard to replace spots on the roster for next season, but a season to look forward to.

Cammayo noted that one area of growth for the team next season is the mental aspect of the game, especially maintaining discipline as there were some sets where the team would lose focus and let the game go on too long.

Physically, the Corsairs always did a stellar job with practices and discipline in the weight room, which in turn helped develop team bonds. The season had its “highs and lows” as Cammyo put it, both physically and mentally but the final game left them hungry for more next season.

“Now we’re understanding that the work we put in got us pretty close, and now we want to put in even more work to get even further,” Cammayo said.

Photos By Nicholas McCall | The Corsair

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Halle Anderson during the women's volleyball game against the West Los Angeles College Wildcats on Wed., Oct. 26, 2022 at SMC Gym. The Corsairs won 3-0.

(Above) Santa Monica College Corsairs' Mackenzie Wolff bumps the ball during the volleyball match against the College of the Canyons Cougars on Friday, Oct 28, at SMC Gym in Santa Monica, Calif. The Corsairs lost 1-3.

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Savannah Haislip bumps the ball during the women's volleyball match against the Glendale Com munity College Vaqueros on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, at SMC Gym in Santa Monica, Calif. The Corsairs won 3-0.

Santa Monica Corsairs' Rain Martinez and So phia Lawrance hug after scoring against the Col lege of the Canyons Cougars on Fri. Oct. 28 at SMC Gym.Santa Monica, Calif. The Corsairs lost 1-3.

Stress Relief Never Tasted So Good

Krul | Staff Writer

People have long since practiced certain activities like yoga and meditation as stress reducing activities, but I’d like to add one more to the list — baking. As a student, daily life stresses can often feel ines capable. As finals week draws closer here at SMC, it’s more important than ever that I make the time to relax and clear my head. I’ve been able to find that escape in baking, and I think you may too.

Part of the reason I find it near diffi cult to relax is because anxiety-induc ing thoughts seem to never go away. Thoughts of upcoming deadlines, ex ams, essays, and looming college ap plications permeate my mind at every second of every day. Embarrassing mo ments and failures from days long past remain imprinted in my mind, there to haunt me whenever they seem fit.

This unwanted chaos leaves my mind when I bake. I become so con sumed by the baking process: careful

ly following instructions, meticulous ly measuring, all of those simple little tasks. It becomes near impossible for me to do or think about anything else.

“When you focus your attention on an activity like baking, you’re more present in the moment and less focused on the stressors of the past or future,” says Pamela Honsberger MD according to the Kaiser Permanente website.

SMC student Karina Duque has found this to be true in her own life when she bakes. “I think following in structions — just, for like, humans in general — having an order and a list to follow is pleasing… I find it a lot more therapeutic because I’m in control of everything.”

While baking with your friends and family can certainly be a good time, it doesn’t provide the same sense of self care nurtured during solitary bak ing. It wasn’t until this year I began to view baking as a great way to spend my alone time. While it’s certainly fun baking with my friends and family, I of ten find myself either relegated to the

sidelines looking on or trying too hard to delegate the tasks. The result is not very relaxing.

“I think the best thing about baking by yourself is that you are in full con trol … it’s kind of just your ‘me time’ — same as people do yoga and workout by themselves because you get into that like super focused mode where it’s just you are so at peace and focused on what you’re doing so you don’t have time to worry about anything else,” Duque said.

When I bake, I tune others out. Sometimes I’ll put on a podcast, listen to some music, or throw on an episode of “Gilmore Girls” in the background — but my sole focus is on the baking pro cess. I rarely even care how the finished product turns out, for me the enjoy ment relies more on those little medial tasks that fill the instructions. It's like I have a blinder on, unable to see the past or present, and all that matters is that I pour exactly a half teaspoon of vanilla extract in my mixing bowl.

I’ve found it a good mentality to

have, because I never said I was actually good at baking. I will never be ‘star bak er’ on the “Great British Bake-Off” (nor would I ever make it on the show). The last time I made cookies, they had the consistency of putty. When I pressed down on it, it slowly rose again. You don’t have to be good at baking to ex perience the positive feelings that arise from it. Despite its failure, it was still well spent time that cleared my mind and left me relaxed and rejuvenated.

While there’s no alternative medical and professional help, baking can result in a less stressed self, a delicious tast ing treat you can share with friends and family, and an all around good time.

“Getting to see what you made in the end, how it turned out, and then getting to share that with people close to you I think is also kinda self rewarding … not only does it provide a time to destress while you’re baking, but also at the end of if it you are satisfied,” Duque said.

Emma

Illustration By Cecil Alsanussi