Andre’a Brown | Jordan Brown | Kyla Downey | Klara Černe | Brenda Francisco | Phillip Friedlander | Audrey Keener | Rafael Lopez | Kayjel J. Mairena | Brandon D. Moore | Brandon Quinonez | Zachary Sanchez | Jordi Garcia Sosa | Yasmina Tyrnakova | Jasmine Villanueva | Vahid Zibae
Staff Photographers
Cover: Katherine Doge (Sandy) performs a scene from Grease on Thursday, March 28, 2025, at the Santa Monica College Theatre Arts Complex main stage, Santa Monica, Calif. (Mary Funsten | The Corsair)
Paulina Sahagun, an artist, educator and cultural producer, and member of the Santa Monica College community, blows a conch shell horn at the second annual César Chávez y Dolores Huerta ¡Sí Se Puede! Commemorative Walk in the main quad in Santa Monica, Calif. on Thursday, March 27, 2025 as part of the indigenous ceremonial offering to the four directions, performed at the beginning of the event. (Akemi Rico | The Corsair)
Charles Barber | Katy Santa Cruz | Silke Eichholz | Fai Fong | Nathan Hanson | Gregory Hawthorne | Caroline Monte | Masie Najafi | Leovijildo Sandoval | Christopher Schroeder | Ana Sanchez Venegas | Lisa Whitmore | Jiale Xian Victoria Cue | Priyanka Gupta | Crystal Gutierrez | Toni Guzzo, Keala Hadaya | Lindsay Kaplan | Alondra Lemus | Brianna Minor, Samiyah Williams | Ryan Ross
After what has felt like eight long weeks, spring break is finally approaching. This has driven me through this week in the midst of taking all my midterms, which has caused my focus to be on studying and completely forgetting that I needed to write up this letter.
Spring break serves as a period of rejuvenation, renewal and rest. It gives us a chance to step away from our daily routines for a short while and experience something new. Although in this career, I am not sure if I will truly “rest,” even while I am vacationing in Miami - there is always an event occurring and I know the Corsair will be present to cover it, and I will be there to give my fair share of edits.
April 8, 2025
Letter from the editor
A Taste of Freedom
While I have continuously praised our dedicated staff, I still am motivated by our staff that continues to show up each and every day. We have a staff filled with people willing to go out and cover a multitude of stories, from students enrolled in the classes to those who are willing to sacrifice their personal time for our publication.
No matter what occurs, I can assure that the Corsair will continue to serve the campus throughout the duration of our “break.”
With that, I present the third publication of the Corsair for Spring 2025.
It is an understatement to say that the nation’s freedom is being questioned now more than ever. We are witnessing an era that challenges our liberty as the press; it is difficult to know where the country will stand next.
Despite the madness, I remain motivated to come in each day and lead the publication. This job, for me, is more than just editing. I want to amplify the voices that are not heard within and extending beyond our community. I serve as a vessel for those who wish to tell their story and keep our audience informed of what happens within our community.
at City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025, during the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement. Over 1200 protests took place nationwide, being the largest anti-Trump protest since his second administration started.(Jake Crandall \ The Corsair)
Bottom: Protester dressed in a cougar costume holding a “Hands Off Public Lands” sign at the Hands Off, Pasadena Fights Back rally on Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (Tom Rosholt | The Corsair)
NEWS
2025-26 Associated Students Election results: Ortiz wins President, Li wins External Affairs, SJP resolution passes
On April 4, Associated Students announced 2025-26 election results, including two contested positions and a controversial legislative initiative.
Phoebe Huss | News Editor
Results are in: the student body voted Ailsa Ortiz as Associated Students (A.S.) President at Santa Monica College (SMC) for the 2025-26 school year. Ortiz received 382 votes, surpassing first runner-up Valeria Castillo, who received 292. Sameer Wason received 82 votes and Rico Santana received 77. Ortiz received 45.9% of the total student vote for President, which was counted at 833.
The student body also voted Liz Li as Director of External Affairs with 397 votes. Runner-up Ashley He received 370.
The legislative initiative sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) passed, receiving 623 votes for “Yes,” or 73.1% of total votes, which is an absolute majority; 229 “No” votes were counted.
The rest of the Director candidates that ran unopposed won by default, including Ireedui “Ike” Munguntsatsralt for Vice President, Sebastian Dennis Iuul for Director of Budget ManagemeWnt, Iman Ali for Director of Outreach, Martin Orea for Director of Basic Needs, Bryan Hartanto for Director of Instructional Support, Iman Ali for Director of Basic Needs, Gabriel Hernandez Perez for Director of Equity and Diversity, Sophia Manavi for Student Trustee, and Saif Alnaqbi for one of three Judicial Board seats.
The remaining positions, including Secretary, Director of Activities, Director of Publicity, Director of Sustainability, and two Judicial Board seats will be filled in a Special Election, similar to the General Election process with designated time for campaigning and voting.
Ortiz, a political science student in SMC’s Law Pathway, is the Indigenous Scholars vice president and the Communi-
Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Associated Students (A.S.) Candidates Valeria Castillo, Ailsa Ortiz, Sameer Wason, and Rico Santana running for the A.S. president position, answer questions from the audience during the Corsair’s annual A.S. Election Forum on Thursday, March 26, 2025 at Cayton Center, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif. The Corsair’s Editor-in-Chief Adriana Brady moderated the forum (far right). (Fai Fong | The Corsair).
“I believe with my background in community organizing and activism outside of SMC, I know how to clean up a mess and connect with a community,”
Ortiz said at the Corsair’s Election Forum on March 27.
Ailsa Ortiz, a political science major at Santa Monica College (SMC) and candidate for president of Associated Students (A.S.) spoke on how counselors at SMC are not case by case, leading to issues enrolling into classes, which is causing students to drop out of classes and the school at the Corsair’s annual Associated Students (A.S.) Election Forum on Thursday, March 26, 2025, at Cayton Center, at SMC, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
ty Outreach Supervisor for a public health nonprofit.
“I believe with my background in community organizing and activism outside of SMC, I know how to clean up a mess and connect with a community,” Ortiz said at the Corsair’s Election Forum on March 27.
Li, an 18-year-old psychology major, wants to use her position to network and build a platform for students to communicate with legislators.
“Students don’t have the opportunity to reach out to the officials, so that’s my job,” said Li at the forum. “I would like to build this strong foundation.”
Li and Ortiz both ran on the Big Idea slate, along with Iuul, Orea, Ali and Hernandez Perez. At the forum, Ortiz said the slate is working for “community, humanity, transparency, culture and enlightenment.”
The ballot resolution calling for the Associated Students (A.S.) to recognize “ethnic cleansing,” “apartheid” and “collective punishment” by Israel in Gaza passed in a landslide. Last week, criticisms poured in from students and campus groups about the resolution, both for content and accessibility.
Among other provisions, the two-page resolution requests that A.S. call for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the safe passage of substantial aid to Gaza,” “the immediate release of all Israeli hostages taken by Hamas,” and “oppos(ition to) all existing and any future military aid to Israel.”
Dr. Wilfred Doucet, SMC English professor and SJP’s faculty advisor, said the resolution intentionally distinguished between antisemitism and criticisms of the state of Israel.
“The resolution also explicitly rejects antisemitism and ethno-nationalism. It was important to be clear on that point,” he said.
At the forum, Ortiz said the slate is working for “community, humanity, transparency, culture and enlightenment.”
However, current A.S. Vice President Michael Helfand has issues with this particular provision.
“Jews consider themselves an ethno-religion, meaning that we do not just keep a religion and that’s where we find commonality. We also share heritage and history and ethnicity,” said Helfand. “So when this resolution seeks to both combat antisemitism and ethno-nationalism, which is ingrained into the Jewish identity, I find it to be oxymoronic, and harmful for the Jewish students on campus.”
The ballot measure is modelled almost entirely off of a resolution passed by the city of Richmond in October 2023, shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
Helfand argues that at that time, the quick adoption of an anti-ethno-nationalism perspective in the city of Richmond inextricably linked with anti-Zionism. Zionism, he believes, is commonly mistaken for an embrace of the Israeli government. “Zionism by definition, and this is how almost all Jews hold in their heart, Zionism, it is the Jewish people’s longing for a homeland in the state of Israel, point blank,” said Helfand.
In addition, Helfand said, the resolution is “poorly worded and does not fit what the current situation is in Gaza. It calls for a ceasefire, we have a ceasefire, we’ve come to an agreement.”
Ireedui “Ike” Munguntsatsralt, 20, a mechanical engineering major in L.A., running unopposed for A.S. Vice President, sits for a headshot on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at the Cayton Center at Santa Monica College, in Santa Monica Calif. (Gregory Hawthorne/ The Corsair)
Among
other provisions, the two-page resolution requests that A.S. call for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the safe passage of substantial aid to Gaza,” “the immediate release of all Israeli hostages taken by Hamas,” and “oppos(ition to) all existing and any future military aid to Israel.”
The resolution was initially proposed in June 2024. Per the A.S. Constitution, all valid legislative initiatives must be passed by A.S. or sent to a student-body vote. The latter option was selected in a 10-3 vote at a Board of Directors meeting on Sept. 23, 2024.
Before this decision was made, members of SJP presented to A.S. to make a case for the resolution’s immediate passage. Club leader Marjah Nee stated that passing the resolution would be a “pro human rights” action, and that sending the resolution to general elections was equivalent to “silenc(ing)” it.
“Their argument was that if we didn’t pass it, then we would be directly opposing their views,” said Helfand, recalling the presentation. “I felt that was misguided. As I stated in the meeting myself, it’s not up to us whether we should accept something like this, as it should be for the students to decide.”
At the Sept. 16 meeting, Nee specifically addressed Helfand, stating that though Nee believed Helfand opposed
Ashley He, a biology major running for A.S. Director of External Affairs, looks at Yu Xian ”Liz” Li (right), an 18-year-old psychology major, answering questions at the Corsair’s A.S. Election Forum on Thursday, March 26, 2025. at the SMC Cayton Center in Santa Monica, Calif. (Jake Crandall| The Corsair).
the petition, he was thankful Helfand would distinguish between antisemitism and criticisms of Israel.
Six months later, on April 2, Helfand expressed the same gratitude towards SJP for including distinction in the initiative: “I do appreciate that the resolution did stipulate between antisemitism and objections to the Israeli government. That is a clear distinction that I think is important to make.”
On March 31, the day polls opened, Chabad at SMC released a “Statement regarding anti-Israel measure” signed by Rabbi Eli Levitansky and Mirel Levitansky that describes the resolution as “a veil for antisemitism.”
“Instead of fostering unity, it deepens divisions among students and faculty at SMC, using anti-Israel rhetoric as a pretext for antisemitism,” the statement reads.
The statement also alleges the resolution is factually inaccurate and intends to “weaken and discourage” Jewish students.
“Let’s counter this negativity by bringing more goodness into the world - through performing a Miztvah, supporting a fellow student, and spreading acts of kindness,” the statement reads.
Another student expressing criticisms is Indigenous Scholars president Sequoyah Thiessen, who says she “supports SJP wholeheartedly” but has a problem with the resolution’s lack of actionability.
“I worry about making our college a target without actually providing any tangible solutions,” Thiessen said. “I want tangible solutions and not just performative words, because acknowledging that a genocide is going on is the bare minimum.”
Thiessen wishes the resolution addressed free speech on campuses and properly cited its Richmond origins. She also shares Helfand’s critique that the resolution is outdated: “I also think that it’s unfortunate that it was pushed off for so long, because it almost needs to be rewritten, because the circumstances are completely different now.”
“I’m just saying, sometimes you try to get justice and it goes the other way. And you actually become more subjugated afterwards,” said Thiessen. “And so I worry that something like that could happen with the resolution because of the way that it was written.”
And though the resolution passed, said Helfand, “I don’t think that in the grand scheme of things it will tarnish SMC’s and the Associated Students’ reputation as a trusted body.”
Polls closed on April 4. Shortly after midnight on Friday, SJP posted an Instagram story of a block of text, and didn’t name the resolution, but wrote about related concerns.
“As a club that acknowledges the importance of all students at Santa Monica College coming together, we want to make it clear that we firmly reject discrimination in all forms,” the post reads. “One of the core principles of SJP is fostering a safe environment for people of all backgrounds. We emphasize care and support for one another.”
Apart from Doucet, SJP has not responded to the Corsair’s repeated requests for comment.
Considering potential impacts of the resolution, Levitansky said the resolution “will embolden students that are anti-Israel, that’s for sure.”
“Passing the resolution may intensify campus politics, but this is already a politically tense and intense time,” said Doucet. “Moreover, in the context of the Trump regime’s antagonistic attitude and actions toward schools, colleges, and universities… passing the resolution takes courage because of the kind of scrutiny and negative attention it might incur.”
“For the Santa Monica College Students for Justice in Palestine, it means being on the right side of history,” said Doucet.
At an Elections Committee Meeting on April 4, current A.S. President David Duncan and Associate Dean of Student Life Thomas Bui thanked all candidates for participating in the election and learning from the experience.
“I know that running can be very stressful,” Duncan said. “I really want to say just how important it is that you all said that you’re willing to step up and lead.”
“I hope that folks are not discouraged as a result of this election and will consider one of the other open vacancies,” Bui said.
To hear from the new elects on their campaign goals, read about or watch the Corsair’s Election Forum.
Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Associated Students (A.S.) Candidate Sophia Manavi (for SMC Student Trustee) answers questions from the audience. Sitting next to Manavi on her left are Gabriel Hernandez Perez (for A.S. Director of Equity and Diversity), Bryan Hartanto, (for A.S. Director of Instructional Support), Ireedui “Ike” Munguntsatsralt, (for A.S. Vice President) during the Corsair’s annual A.S. Election Forum on Thursday, March 26, 2025 at Cayton Center, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif. (Fai Fong | The Corsair).
Trump, round two: largest protest of second admin draws thousands downtown
In a coordinated action described as the single largest protest against the second administration of President Donald Trump, “Hands Off!” rallies across the nation drew over half a million people at thousands of protests in all 50 states on Saturday. Downtown Los Angeles had a share of the action with a protest organized by 50501 SoCal, attracting an estimated peak of 50,000 people.
Early on Saturday afternoon, the event commenced at Pershing Square, where people met at the park’s North end, greeted by the aroma of sage and cannabis. By 3 pm., the crowd swelled into a giant ocean of people wielding anti-Elon-Musk and anti-Trump signs.
Trump and Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have been scrutinized over recent executive orders and mounting scandals. Trump has signed 111 executive orders (EOs) in 2025 addressing issues like healthcare, tariffs, and national security while also revoking past EOs, some dating back to the Civil Rights Era.
Musk has also been criticized for his role in the federal government and DOGE. To eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, he stated an aim to reduce federal spending from 7 to 6 trillion. DOGE has suggested or implemented mass layoffs and decreased funding to myriad governmental agencies and departments, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security, the Department of Education, and the National Park Service.
“I think what Musk is doing with all the departments and just slashing them is a bloody nightmare,” said Maggie Freilich, a Santa Monica College (SMC) alumnus.
“We’re out here to protest the executive overreach of the Trump administration. We have more people here than I could possibly count, more than the 10,000 we were expecting. That are all standing up to show that the American people are united against the rise of authoritarianism in this country,” said Hunter Dunn, press and public
Half a million rallied nationwide against Trump and Musk on Saturday; in Los Angeles, tens of thousands joined in at City Hall.
Top: Santa Monica College student Diego Camacho standing with a sign that says “Define Democracy” joining thousands at the “Hands Off!”, a rally against the Trump Administration on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at Pershing Square, downtown Los Angeles, Calif. (Fai Fong | The Corsair)
Right: A protester dressed up in a costume of the Statue of Liberty wrapped in chains marches from Pershing Square to City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025, during the anti-Trump, Hands Off Protest organized by the 50501 movement.(Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
Protesters gather at the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement outside City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Over 1,200 protests took place nationwide, being the largest anti-Trump protest since his second administration started. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
relations director for 50501 SoCal.
Around 5 p.m., protesters began marching down Fifth Street, following a white stake bed truck that flew a United States flag overhead and LGBTQ+ flags on the side. Sarah Durnesque, a 50501 volunteer, led chants as thousands walked towards City Hall.
Durnesque and protesters chanted to keep “hands off” Palestine, immigrants, Ukraine, Black lives, and Social Security.
“I’m a Holocaust scholar. I know the patterns. We are already way past step one… When you are here legally, even though you are not a citizen, you are guaranteed due process by the law, and in so many instances, they have already deprived people of those rights,” said Durnesque.
At their destination, the rallyers clustered, filtering around City Hall barricades, filling up Gloria Molina Grand Park and going as far back as North Broadway. The thousands of attendees heard activists speak on recent legislation and federal and local issues.
Along with opposing the current state, many were angered by the Democratic Party’s response, or lack thereof, to Trump.
“Let’s be real, there’s some imposters in the Democratic Party, too. Those who claim they’re fighting for us, but they confirmed all of Trump’s
nominees, they vote to give Trump everything he wants in his budget. Democrats, your time is up. Chuck Schumer, your time is up,” said Francesa Fiorentini, an American journalist and host of the Bitchuation Room Podcast, in a speech.
Diego Camacho, an SMC physics student on a gap semester, was especially moved by the Trump administration’s promises of mass deportations, recently including legal residents and students.
“I come from a family of immigrants and a lot of my family is undocumented,” said Camacho. “This administration is hellbent on the removal of undocumented people, and even those of legal status, as we’ve seen with the student visa… to me, it’s horrific.”
Camacho said, “If you’re afraid that by speaking out or by speaking your mind you’ll get deported, then, what kind of nation is this?”
“I’m very concerned that our free speech, our freedom to teach what we want, our equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts are under serious attack, as well as research money in the sciences and humanities that have been illegally shut down,” said Andrew Apter, professor of history and anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
To Apter, mass protest helps to rectify these
issues: “It’s important for Americans to realize that a free and open society requires a space of critical thinking that is not dependent upon government approval,” he said.
However, the attendees were far from united under one ideology.
“Obviously when you have 50 to 70,000 people in one area, not everyone’s going to agree on everything,” said Dunn.
“We are a hodgepodge of different ideas of people who have come together under the banner of protesting this administration,” said Camacho.
Although the message was broad, it was specific enough to generate resistance. Tucked in a leafy corner of Pershing Square, denim-clad punks, who claimed to have stopped by accidentally on their way to Hollywood, were donning postpunk merchandise and red “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) baseball caps.
These Trump supporters, Emmanuel Gutierrez and Tray Hicks, along with an apolitical half-brother, said they were attempting to engage in earnest dialogue with left-wing Hands Off! attendees. While speaking to the Corsair, passerby approached the squad to jeer and shove cameras in their faces.
Top: Konstantine Anthony, Burbank city council member and former mayor of Burbank speaks at the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement, and the Indivisible movement, at Pershing Square in Los Angeles Calif. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
Left: Sandy Reding, a registered nurse and president of National Nurses United speaks to the crowd at the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement outside City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
“Feeling a little bit exposed, you know,” said Gutierrez. “What we’re here for is to understand why people hate us.”
All he wanted, he said, was “a smaller form of government that will mind their goddamn business.”
Hicks, a Long Beach City College student, wore a Canadian tuxedo outfitted with Bauhaus band patches. He said the rallygoers were taken with the dichotomy of his political views and his support for the British gothics.
“I love this band right here. Two people came by and said, hey, if the dude (from the band) saw you, they would have burned your shit. And then they flipped me off. The other dude said, you’re not fucking punk, that that bullshit off, I don’t want you to be a part of punk,” said Hicks.
Hicks and Gutierrez said other rallygoers were racially profiling them, calling Hicks a traitor for being Black and a MAGA, and threatening to report Gutierrez and his half-brother to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“It hurt, because these are basically my brothers right here. I love them dearly. And it just sucks that they’re going to be racially profiled just because they don’t agree with what they’re fighting,” said Hicks.
“But those people won’t get to know us. They won’t open their hearts like we will. And that is, that is such a shame. That is sad,” said Gutierrez. “I want to spread love to people, and I want to let people know that not every conservative hates them.”
Conflicts, ideological and beyond, were inevitable, said rally organizers. 50501 SoCal was prepared, sending safety marshals and medics to hover near rallygoers with disabilities, marchers with medical emergencies, and even counterprotesters.
A protester dressed in an American flag court jester costume waves an American flag at the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement, and the Indivisible movement, outside City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
A protester holds a sign as they march from Pershing Square to City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on aturday, April 5, 2025, during the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
“We keep each other safe, is the basic philosophy behind that,” said Dunn. “People have disabilities and we want to make sure that they’re properly accommodated.”
Chris Kluwe, social activist and former punter for the Minnesota Vikings, gave the last speech of the night. Kluwe was recently arrested at a Huntington Beach Council meeting for protesting the installation of a plaque reading “Magical Alluring Galvanizing Adventurous,” a MAGA acrostic.
At the meeting, Kluwe said he would engage in civil disobedience, began approaching the council dais, and was handcuffed and carried out of the meeting by Huntington Beach Police Department Officers.
“I want our elected officials to understand the urgency of the time that we are in, because we are in an existential crisis right now. Our country is facing a choice, and that choice is, do we want to be America or do we want to be something else. I don’t know about you, but I want to be an American,” said Kluwe at City Hall.
“Do you want to be an American? Regardless of your race or your religion, regardless of who you are as a person, do you want to be treated with fairness, equality and respect? Good, because what we need to do is make it clear to people who oppose that, that they are fundamentally un-American,” said Kluwe. “We need to reclaim the American flag for us, the people. Not the asshole supporting a guy with a crown on his head.”
Kluwe then read the Declaration of Independence to the small crowd.
“That’s what America was founded on, those words,” said Kluwe. High-level organization allowed for speedy dismantling of the protest promptly after 8 p.m., where the massive crowd had shrunk to a thin line of audience members for self-described “conscious” hip-hop group the Neighborhood Kids.
Though Dunn said the protests will continue as long as Trump wields power, a recent increase in political action at SMC has demonstrated that students are requesting more from their supposed leaders.
“It’s not like SMC has the ability or the authority to sort of stop these abuses,” said Camacho.” I would say that just allowing students to know the SMC administration does not agree with what is currently playing out in our government, I think that’s good, and that’s unfortunately maybe all they can do.”
“America has a very dynamic culture of student resistance. It had an impact on the Vietnam War, it had an impact on the divestment of funds that brought apartheid down in the 80s,” said Apter.
For students, he said, “free speech and political rights for nonviolent protest is a guarantee of a free society of a university and a college campus. Do not compromise. That’s my message.”
Linda Yudin, a former faculty member of the Santa Monica College dance department, holds a sign at the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement and the Indivisible movement at Pershing Square in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
A woman holds her daughter up on her shoulders as she holds up a pink flag that says resist at City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025, during the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
A dog wears a sign that says, “Beware of Doge” in front of City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025, during the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
A protester dressed in a costume of Uncle Sam waves a Ukrainian flag in front of City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025, during the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
A protester holds an upside-down American flag at City Hall in Los Angeles Calif., on Saturday, April 5, 2025, during the anti-Trump Hands Off! protest organized by the 50501 movement. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
“Emilia Perez”, loved by critics, hated by audiences
Investigating the disconnect between the critic reception and audience reception to the film
Phillip Friedlander | Staff Writer
Emilia Pérez. The name is now synonymous with controversy and contempt. However when the world was first introduced to the film at the Cannes Film Festival, it was met with critical acclaim.
Renowned American critic Leonard Matlin wrote about the film, “Phrases like ‘game-changer’ and ‘cutting-edge’ can’t capture just how audacious and original Emilia Pérez is.” After its Cannes Festival screening, the film’s director, Jacques Audiard enjoyed an 11 minute standing ovation. Audiard also went on to win the Jury Prize, and actresses Karla Sofia Gascon, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana and Adriana Paz all shared the best actress award.
“Emilia Pérez” came out of Cannes being one of the most hyped movies of the festival. The film had a relatively quiet release on the streaming platform Netflix in November of 2024. Its adulations would only continue as it went on to be nominated for a record breaking 13 Academy Awards. However, these nominations, coupled with the film’s strong performance at the Golden Globes, would also serve as a catalyst that would bring viral attention to the film, and with it, viral controversy.
After the film gained the public’s attention for its nominations, curious audience members who watched the film found several issues with its portrayal of the Mexican and LGBTQ communities. The movie Emilia Pérez revolves around the story of Mexican drug trafficker, Manitas Del Monte, and their transition into womanhood and into the titular character, Emilia Pérez. Ironically, the film failed to capture the hearts and minds of either the LGBTQ or the Mexican community, with both of these communities having some of the film’s loudest critics.
Popular movie reviewing app Letterboxd has served as a means for many casual movie enthusiasts to express their issues with the film.
Many users found issues with the film’s authenticity, like Letterboxd user comrade_yui who wrote, “Liberal-centrists can seemingly only understand queerness as ‘the exceptional’ to their ‘normality’, so they make a hyperbolic spectacle out of us and then go on to say that it’s good optics, that it’s ‘representation’, when in fact it is abstraction and dehumanization -- Emilia Pérez is made to represent so many contradictory things that in the end the film situates her as an icon rather than a real person, it is a crude mystification of everything the film claims to care about.”
Emilia Pérez.
The exterior of the UCLA Nimoy Theater is illuminated before a performance in Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday, March 23, 2025. The theater, named after actor Leonard Nimoy who portrayed Spock in “Star Trek,” opens its doors at 8 p.m. for the event. (Photos by Jiale Xian |The Corsair)
Moviegoers line up at the ticket kiosks inside AMC theater at the Westfield Century City shopping mall , Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, March 23, 2025.
While comrade_yui was speaking specifically about the lack of authenticity and tact when it comes to the topic of the transgender experience, this same issue is echoed by users who found issues with the film’s representation of Mexico and the Mexican community. Like user Sergioab, whose thoughts have been translated from Spanish, “The idea of a story centered around a macho drug dealer who yearns to become a woman was extremely interesting. It could have touched on many themes with a strong social context, but somehow it ended up being a cringe-filled musical with completely uninformed reflections on Mexican issues.”
Reviews and discussions much like these propagated social media, and were how casual movie watchers like myself were first introduced to the film. My first viewing of “Emilia Pérez” came in the midst of this controversy. First and foremost, while not well equipped to delve into the lack of authenticity in the film’s portrayal of LGBTQ and Mexican stories, I did agree that many of the characters felt like tokens of their identity rather than real, fleshed out personalities.
Admittedly, I was not impressed. While interesting visually, the aesthetics of the film were not enough to outweigh an at times nonsensical and overall weak plotline. But beyond my initial disappointment, there was a curiosity. What did I miss? What did so many critics see that I and so many of those in the general public failed to appreciate? Was my opinion tainted by all the Letterboxd reviews and TikToks I had consumed prior to watching? As someone who has always had an appreciation for art house films, I wanted in on the hype.
OPINION
I spoke with Santa Monica College (SMC) professor and head of the film department Dr. Salvador Carrasco, and asked him about why there was such a wide disconnect between the audience and the critics.
“Not that it’s always the case, but in an ideal world the expectation is that critics approach a film bringing an arsenal of historical references, cinematic background or knowledge, exposure to all sorts of levels of artistic disciplines, and the basic goal of assessing what exactly the filmmaker is trying to do,” said Carrasco.
“Conversely, the average viewer tends to take on a movie with less of a framework and sparser references… Since all of us, critics and general audiences alike, are inevitably human-all-too-human, we can often get swept up in the cultural zeitgeist of overpraising and hating films. We are malleable, and many of us can easily walk into a movie with bad faith.” What Carrasco says here definitely resonated with my first experience watching the film.
I felt slightly vindicated in my preconceived notions of the film because I felt that it would otherwise be irresponsible of me to look past the sensitive discussions that fueled my notions.
However Carrasco had something interesting to say when it comes to the realism and authenticity of the film, “Emilia Pérez is a formalistic, highly stylized film that should not be assessed with the critical toolkit of realism (or traditional musicals, for that matter), lest we try to ‘understand’ Rothko through the prism of Raphael, only to get incredibly frustrated in the process.”
Carrasco’s comparison of the film to an abstract Rothko painting being held to the scrutiny of a classical Raphael painting was the proverbial “lightbulb” that helped me understand exactly what I was missing, the correct context.
When I first watched “Emilia Pérez” I approached it ready from the perspective of a skeptic looking to find the issues which others had claimed were present in the film. Of course if you go into a movie as stylized and aesthetic as this one looking for the realism and true authenticity of, say, a documentary, one would come back disappointed.
While the film does tackle sensitive topics in an extremely stylized and aesthetically subversive way, its goal isn’t to inform, it is to evoke emotion. The merit of the film lies less in the literal depictions of these hardships and more in depicting the abstract emotions that surround the story of “Emilia Pérez” and her co-stars.
This argument doesn’t invalidate the clear issues of authenticity and representation in the film, but it does show a perspective where accuracy may not be as important. When you see the film from this perspective, the story transforms into a story about the evolution of two women’s journey.
As Professor Carrasco says, “It is through a multiplicity of stories and viewpoints that society makes progress regarding truly diverse representation and the tolerance to otherness that can only result from openness and dialogue… more movies less canceling.”
“It could have touched on many themes with a strong social context, but somehow it ended up being a cringe-filled musical with completely uninformed reflections on Mexican issues.”
Corsairs’ volleyball team setter Ethan Lo (#14) serves the ball against Long Beach City College (LBCC) Vikings on their second matchup on Friday, April 4, 2025, at the Corsair Gym, at SMC in Santa Monica, Calif. (Jordi Garcia Sosa | The Corsair)
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Corsairs sweep Vikings, extending win streak to three
The Corsairs avenged their previous Week 13 loss, ending the Long Beach City College Viking’s nine-game win streak.
Kayjel J. Mairena | Staff Writer
Fans’ cheers ring through the walls of the Corsair Gym, while tension between the teams steadily brews inside. The referee blows his whistle, the volleyball flies over the net, and the sound of the player’s squeaky shoes begins to fill the gym. All eyes turn to the court, cheers escalate and suddenly — point for the Corsairs, 1-0.
“There’s a lot of personal rivalries in this matchup because their team has a lot of players who played for SMC last season. I think we just had a little extra energy and extra intensity for this game. So, it felt good to get a clean sweep, 3-0, and walk out here as champions,” said David Updegrove, volunteer assistant coach for the Corsairs.
The Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs men’s volleyball team (11-9) swept the Long Beach City College (LBCC) Vikings (13-6), 3-0. They ended LBCC’s nine-win streak in the highly anticipated conference rematch on April 4 at home.
Tension and competitive animosity rose when Viking’s Bryce Bowsher, Kody Castellon and Nathan Kramer, former SMC athletes, returned to the Corsair Gym representing a new team, division rivals, as the Vikings.
LBCC beat the Corsairs 3-2 in their Week 13 matchup. Since then, LBCC has climbed to first place in the conference standings, and SMC, on a three-game win streak, is in second place.
The Corsairs started strong, gaining a 3-0 in the opening set, but the momentum shifted when James Ban, the Corsair’s libero, was injured on the fifth rally.
Ban dove for the ball after an attack from Jared Preciado and was unable to stand afterward. He rolled on the floor, with a sour face, clutching his ankle.
As he grovels in pain, the room falls silent, only broken by shushes. He eventually stands on his own and limps off the court to the sound of applause, taking the team’s momentum with him. Vikings are given the point, the Corsairs lead 3-2.
“For us, we were so worried on number eight (Ban), like, is he going to be okay. Once we saw he came back in, that’s when it’s like, ‘okay, back to focus now,’ even though we probably should’ve done that when he went off. We started playing for it. Let’s play for him to get back here,” said Cameron Taylor, a Corsair outside hitter.
After Ban’s injury, the Corsairs’ hot start came to a grinding halt. Ban returned on the eighth rally, but the Vikings took the lead.
“I think we came out with extreme intensity and discovered that we couldn’t quite sustain that kind of peak intensity through the entire match,” said Updegrove.
LBCC didn’t hesitate to capitalize on Ban’s absence, scoring five of the next seven points. The Vikings carried the momentum but a service error by Kramer, one of the former SMC athletes, put the ball in the hands of Alen Petraev, a Corsairs’ middle blocker.
The crowd came alive when Petraev received the ball. SMC supporters began to stomp their feet on the wooden floor and slap their hands on the plastic bleachers.
As Petraev nears the serving area, chants of “Alen, Alen, Alen” fill the gym. After the rally, another point was awarded to the Corsairs.
The Corsairs bench, down by one, begins taunting the Viking’s bench with calls of “you can’t stop this.” Prompting LBCC to chant back, “We can’t hear you.”
The players’ smiles dissipated midway through the first set, now replaced with a scowl.
LBCC slightly expanded their lead but the game remained highly contested. The early runaway match disappeared, turning into an all-out slugfest, a back-and-forth, with both teams going on short point runs to tie and lead the game.
The Vikings went on a three-point run to take the lead, but momentum shifted after a huge block by Petraev.
The Corsairs carried their momentum late in the set. Soorya Raman, a Corsair middle blocker, hit the ball to cut the lead to one. The rally continued following a consequential kill by Petraev to tie the game.
Santa Monica, on a roll, scores seven of the next nine points before Joshua Nehls, head coach of the LBCC Vikings, calls for a timeout. The timeout proved to be inconsequential as the Corsairs had their foot on the gas, requiring Nehls to call another timeout after a sharp kill by Taylor.
A series of serving errors by the Vikings gave the Corsairs a four-point advantage, 24-20, late in the opening set.
As pressure rises, Vikings setter Willy Wang blocks the ball, giving them a burst of life. Kramer continues the point run by consecutively hitting the ball, bringing the game within a point.
After Kramer’s attack, the sound of Viking fans jumping out of their seats and Corsair fans jumping into theirs rippled through the gym. A successful block ties the game 24-24, with both teams needing a two-point advantage to win the set.
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The Vikings bench chants next to Wang, as he bounces the ball to their rhythm inside the service zone. Anxious faces with pit stains and their hands covering their mouth stand idly in the bleachers waiting for Wang to serve.
Wang’s serve is met with a kill by Raman to put the Corsairs up a point. With the ball in Taylor’s hand, the home crowd begins to cheer.
The Corsairs’ attack is met with a quick response from Kramer, who spikes the ball towards Taylor. A brisk back and forth ensues before Raman hits the ball for a set-winning kill. The announcer says, “Set. Santa Monica,” unleashing whistles and screams from the home crowd.
LBCC took an early lead in the second set, winning seven of the first 10 points. The Corsairs, now down 7-3, needed a change in momentum.
Vikings’ Kramer serves the ball, leading to another kill by Taylor. The crowd and Corsair bench come to their feet, cheering and applauding, creating energy.
A series of rally-ending points and service errors brought the Corsairs within one point of the Vikings’ lead. Corsair setter Ethan Lo then tied the game with an ace after a failed diving attempt by LBCC’s libero Castellon, former SMC athlete.
The game is deadlocked at 9-9 with both teams refusing to reduce intensity. LBCC’s Preciado scores a rally-ending point to put the Vikings ahead. The Corsairs respond by winning five points of the next seven.
Nehls calls a timeout as momentum drastically shifts toward the Corsairs. The Viking’s sideline sits in silence as the home crowd cheers.
Kramer scored the initial point for LBCC after the timeout, but the Corsairs remained unfazed. The Vikings played hard, bringing the game within one, still trailing 14-15, the closest they would get for the remainder of the set. The Corsairs scored 10 of the next 17 points with Taylor delivering the set-ending kill.
“I think we just had a little extra energy and extra intensity for this game. So, it felt good to get a clean sweep, 3-0, and walk out here as champions.”
- David Updegrove, Corsairs’ Assitant Coach
Entering the third set, both teams stayed competitive, with neither team gaining a lead greater than two, early in the set.
Taylor delivers a rally-ending kill to put the Corsairs in the lead, 10-9, marking the last lead change of the set.
The Corsairs scored seven of the next 11 points before the Vikings called a timeout. SMC immediately scores two points coming out of the break prompting Nehls to immediately call another timeout. As the Vikings reevaluated, Petraev begins hyping the crowd as he walks towards the bench, celebrating the team’s five-point run.
The Vikings immediately go on a three-point run after the timeout. The Vikings exited the huddle rejuvenated, but the LBCC supporters didn’t share the feeling. Taylor then kills the momentum LBCC was building by delivering another kill, bringing the game to 20-16 with the Corsairs in the lead.
The Santa Monica College (SMC) men’s volleyball team attempts to block the ball from Long Beach City College (LBCC) Vikings on their second matchup on Friday, April 4, 2025, at the Corsair Gym, at SMC in Santa Monica, Calif. ( Photos by Jake Crandall | The Corsair)
SMC continues to score four of the next seven points and the crowd is electric. The home crowd is on their feet, stomping and yelling. The referee’s whistle cuts through the cheers, signaling Sergio Garcia, LBCC’s outside hitter to serve.
The volleyball whizzes by the net to be sent back by Bon. A quick back-and-forth occurs before Garcia commits an attack error, sending the ball out of bounds. The referee blows his whistle as the Corsairs win the set 25-19 and sweep the Vikings.
Petraev falls onto the floor while the Corsairs bench rushes onto the court. Across the net, LBCC’s Kramer and Castellon immediately rush off the court, while Wang stands with his hands on his hips staring through the net in disbelief. The home crowd then rushes to the court to join the celebrating players.
“We were playing like we were down, because we did not want to get too comfortable and let them come back and push back against us. So, we started pushing four even more, so we could hurry up and sweep them,” said Taylor.
“It’s the chemistry of the team. This team works very, very hard, every day. Every day we show up, practicing in the morning, the afternoon. I was just ready, we prepared for this kind of ball. The guys, I’m very happy that all of them came today,” said Petraev.
Petraev finished the game with nine kills on 31 attempts. He also recorded three block assists and 13 digs. Raman played a significant role in changing and maintaining momentum, recording nine kills on 16 attacks.
Taylor contributed heavily on offense and defense. Taylor recorded 16 kills on 31 attempts. He also has four assists, 14 digs, and one block solo.
“Alen and Cam have just been great leaders all year. They’ve had some tough losses to Long Beach over the last couple of years, and they really wanted it badly. We’ve just been putting in the work for months to be ready for this moment, and I think they really stepped up,” said Corsairs’ head coach Chris Chown.
The Corsairs have two games left before reaching the first round of the regional playoffs. If SMC wins their next two games, they’ll head into the playoffs as the winners of the Northern Central Regional conference. SMC will be traveling to El Camino on April 9, looking to extend their win streak and secure their playoff position.
SPORTS
“They’ve had some tough losses to Long Beach over the last couple of years, and they really wanted it badly. We’ve just been putting in the work for months to be ready for this moment, and I think they really stepped up.”
- Chris Chown, Corsairs’ Head Coach
Cameron Taylor (#7) from the Corsairs, Santa Monica College (SMC) men’s volleyball team hits the ball while teammate Soorya Raman (#21) watches in a game against Long Beach City College (LBCC) Vikings.
Corsairs’ dreams shattered in semifinals
Silke Eichholz | Photographer
The Corsairs were defeated in singles and doubles Western State Conference Tennis Championship, Championships at The Ojai later in April.
OnFriday, April 4, the third day of the Western State Conference (WSC) Tennis Championship brought high expectations for the Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs, with Anaya Ayanbadejo seeded No. 3 in both singles and doubles with her partner Yesugen Ganbaatar. Ayanbadejo, feeling the weight of the pressure, entered the singles semifinals determined to surpass her performance from the previous year.
Facing Breanna Heibert, the No. 2 seed from Bakersfield College (BC), Ayanbadejo fought hard, but was defeated after three sets 6-3, 3-6, 0-6. “I am feeling pressure to perform as well as last year or even better,” said Ayanbadejo.
Ayanbadejo had to balance the fierce competition of both singles and doubles where she and her partner Ganbaatar were also contenders.
Ayanbadejo’s journey that day was nothing short of a marathon. Not only did she battle through the quarterfinals and semifinals in singles, but she and Ganbaatar also took on the doubles matchup in the quarterfinals.
“I am feeling pressure as well as last year
Their win in the doubles matchup was a hard-fought 8-4. Ganbaatar, struggling with ongoing injuries, played through the pain.
Anaya Ayanbadejo (L), and double partner Yesugen Ganbaatar (R) wait for the return of their opponent during their quarter-final doubles match against Ventura College’s Pirates Nicole Iannacone and Kira Branson. The Corsairs seeded #3 defeated the Pirates 8-4 and advanced to next day’s semifinals facing seeded #2 doubles.
Anaya Ayanbadejo (L), discusses strategy with Head Coach Richard Goldenson (R) during her semifinal singles match against Breanna Hiebert, Renegade of Bakersfield.
Anaya Ayanbadejo, focuses on the ball during her quarterfinal singles match against Vaqueros Katie Brown of Santa Barbara Community College at the Western State Tennis Championship in Ventura, Calif.
against State Conference
doubles matchups in the semifinals at the Championship, but earned a spot in the CCCAA State
However, on April 5, the Corsairs faced the No. 2 seeded doubles team from Santa Barbara Community College (SBCC) in the semifinals. Despite their best efforts, Ayanbadejo and Ganbaatar lost in two sets 1-6, 2-6, unable to match the intensity of their opponents.
pressure to perform year or even better,”
Despite the defeat in semifinals, the Corsairs’ journey isn’t over. Their performance at the Western State Conference Championship earned them a spot in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Cham-
SPORTS
the Western State Conference Tennis Championship at Ventura College Tennis Center in
pionships competition, which will be hosted at The Ojai Valley Tennis Club from April 23— 26. CCCAA finals and various junior divisions will take place on Sunday, April 27. With all three doubles teams and both Ayanbadejo and Sophie de Muelenaere qualifying for singles by competing in the Round of 16, the Corsairs have another opportunity to show their strength and determination.
While their dreams of a championship victory may have been shattered in the semifinals, their eyes are now set on The Ojai Tennis Tournament, where they will fight on the grand stage.
Yesugen Ganbaatarn serves during their quarter-final doubles match against Ventura College’s Pirates in
Ventura, Calif.
Anaya Ayanbadejo, records their quarter-final doubles win and score on the board after their match against Ventura College’s Pirates Nicole Iannacone and Kira Branson. The Corsairs defeated the Pirates 8-4 and advanced to the next day’s semi-finals facing seeded #2 doubles.
Anaya Ayanbadejo (L) walks off the court alongside her opponent Breanna Hiebert (R), after her semifinal singles match. Ayanbadejo won the first set but was defeated 6-3, 3-6, 0-6 by Hiebert and missed to advance to play in the finals.
The second annual César Chávez y Dolores Huerta ‘¡Sí Se Puede!’ Commemorative Walk was a chance for the community to acknowledge the history of this land and the farmers who till it.
Akemi Rico | Design Editor
Honoring César Chávez and Dolores Huerta’s legacy
Monica Sahagun, former Santa Monica College student and arts administrator at BroadStage, performs an indigenous ceremonial offering of copal incense to the four directions, at the second annual César Huerta ¡Sí Se Puede! Commemorative Walk in the main quad in Santa Monica, Calif. on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
Photos by Akemi
CULTURE
John Quevedo, faculty member of the mathematics department at Santa Monica College (SMC), and Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez, SMC trustee, share a glance as they lead the walk through campus.
John Quevedo, faculty member of the mathematics department at Santa Monica College (SMC), spoke in the main quad on the SMC campus to attendees of the commemoration of César Chávez and Dolores Huerta.
“In 2014, US President Barack Obama proclaimed César Chávez Day as a U.S. federal commemorative holiday,” he said. “We are here today to say thank you to migrant farm workers, undocumented workers, essential workers.”
“We are here in solidarity to resist the temptation to be divided and we will look to the example of nonviolent protest, the examples of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta,” Quevedo said.
SMC board members, faculty, staff and other members of the community were attended the event, seated on folding chairs and colorful Mexican blankets on the lawn.
Monica and Paulina Sahagun, sisters and members of the SMC community, opened the commemorative walk by making a ritual offering with incense from copal resin and the sound of the conch shell horn.
Monica Sahagun said, “It’s a representation of indigenous philosophy. It’s a teaching tool and a spiritual tool. It reminds us of our place in the universe.”
“We call to the four directions, which is really six, because we include the above and the below… First we burn sage in respect to the lands that we are on, we are on the Tongva-Gabriolino lands, and I also use copal, which is from Mexico,” she said.
César Chávez and Dolores Huerta were community organizers in the movement for civil rights for migrant farm workers in California. Together, they founded the National Farm Workers Association (NWFA) in 1962, a union that fought for workers’ rights and higher wages.
The NFWA later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) and they formed the United Farm Workers (UFW) union in 1966.
Dr. Kathryn Jeffery, president and superintendent of SMC, addressed the crowd: “The purpose of this event is commemorative, to recognize the contributions of two selfless leaders who fought for social justice, for the farmworkers who were being treated poorly, and in some cases today are still being treated poorly.”
Chávez and Huerta advocated, she said, “to give them (farmworkers) a voice, and speak out against the ways they were receiving unfair wages, working long hours, had no health benefits, no safety while planting and picking and delivering the food many of us eat.”
SMC students Katie Marquez and Maite Duran were sitting together on the lawn, listening as Jeffery spoke.
When asked what brought them to attend the event, Marquez said, “I think it’s just important to support, I have family who are farmworkers and I want to support them.”
“We both saw the importance of Dolores Huerta and César Chávez and the work that they put in for the unions,” said Duran, a nursing major.
Another student sitting on the lawn, Arman Walker II, said he didn’t know about the event beforehand, but was drawn in by the setup and stayed to listen to the speakers.
“Everything that was said in today’s speeches was very powerful and speaks to the heart of humanity,” said Walker. “It’s very impactful and necessary for the times that we are in.”
After the speeches, Quevedo and SMC trustee Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez led the assembled audience members away from the main quad on a walk around campus, in a counter-clockwise direction.
They stopped first at the Organic Garden. Emily Chavez, student services specialist for the Student Equity Center, said, “(The farmers) provide us with the fruits and vegetables that nourish our lives.”
CULTURE
Chávez and Huerta were instrumental in the fight for civil rights. “Through protests, marches, boycotts, hunger strikes, and dialogue, the United Farm Workers union (founded in part by Chávez and Huerta) fought the abuses of inhumane treatment of farmworkers by agribusiness,” said Monica Sahagun.
“I think that young people need to realize all the stuff going on in their country, they are not exempt... They’re part of the target, whether they want to believe it or not.”
After the garden, the group went on to stop at SMC’s Bodega, a place where students can come for food, supplies and other necessities at no charge. They continued the walk through the Math and Science Building. At the large fig tree that stands in front of the building, Quevedo instructed the group to split into two groups.
Dr. Nancy Greenstein, chair of the SMC Board of Trustees, said, “I was really struck at our last stop… We stopped at this big beautiful tree on campus, the tree of knowledge. They had half the group go one way, and half the group go the other way, to look at the difference and discord that we’re all facing today.”
“But then we came together, back as a group, and that just signified so much in terms of what we all need to be doing,” she said.
Quiñones-Perez, who had some final words to address the student body, said, “I think that young people need to realize all the stuff going on in their country, they are not exempt… They’re part of the target, whether they want to believe it or not.”
She said, “Me as a parent, we try to protect them, but they’re walking into some pretty hostile lands, and now it’s their turn to be able to make sure that the future is better, and those hostilities and attacks stop. They need to stop.”
The event was catered by Bludso’s BBQ, open to the SMC community and to anyone who wanted to eat. “You are all a part of this community,” said Quevedo, as he invited onlookers to get in line for food.
A meal from Bludso’s BBQ is served on a plate to a Santa Monica College student after the Walk.
Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez, trustee at Santa Monica College, speaks at the Walk.
Building strength: Inside SMC’s Women’s Self Defense class
By learning and practicing self-defense, female students gain the confidence and awareness necessary to defend themselves in everyday circumstances.
Jasmine Villanueva | Staff Writer
Early mornings at Santa Monica College (SMC) are often cool and windy. At this hour, there are hardly any students on campus.
Most students who are on campus this early have an early morning class. One of these classes is KIN PE 41, a self defense class meant especially for women. Every Monday and Wednesday at 8 a.m., female students meet on the second floor of the Core Performance Center (CPC) to attend. “It teaches us very important skills. One of the most important ones is to scream, to use our voice.”
The spacious classroom has a large window that overlooks the Corsair Field, which is located next to the CPC building. Two walls are covered with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. It also has a storage room that holds various equipment.
Blaine Eastcott, the instructor for the class, has been teaching for 18 years. He believes it’s important for women to learn self defense, and that schools should teach it as early as elementary school.
The class attracts students of all ages and from different backgrounds. During the class, students paired up with one another to practice. One person held up a black pad while the other practiced an elbow strike or a sequence of attacks, screaming, “Stop! Get away from me! Help, I’m getting attacked!”
Students spar in groups of two during Santa Monica College’s Women Self Defense Class on March 19. (Katy Santa Cruz | The Corsair)
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Olivia Warrior, an SMC student majoring in Criminal Justice, is the teaching assistant. Warrior took the class before and decided to become an assistant to help other women learn self-defense.
“It makes us more confident,” said Warrior. “It teaches us very important skills. One of the most important ones is to scream, to use our voice.”
While the students were focusing on yelling, Eastcott emphasized that shouting was important because it draws attention to the situation at hand and can also disrupt the attacker.
A series of incidents happened when the students were still practicing with one another doing elbow strikes. A student accidentally got hit and took a short break to recover, and others had their pad knocked out of their hands by their partner.
Students learn combat skills during Women’s Self Defense Class. (Katy Santa Cruz | The Corsair)
Students exchange roles of defendants and offenders. (Katy Santa Cruz | The Corsair)
CULTURE
“You need to learn how to do things even when you’re uncomfortable.”
Nevertheless, Eastcott said it was essential to know how it feels to get hit because, over time, the feeling gets desensitized. So if hit, the shock wouldn’t be as intense as to someone who has never experienced the feeling before.
Eastcott also emphasized that one of the most important things to learn from the class was not to look like a target and be aware of the surroundings.
“One of the things we learned is never to walk holding your phone and looking down,” said Warrior. “Because then you look vulnerable. He (Eastcott) told us that the FBI did a study that they showed all these guys in prison, the same scene of people walking, and they’re like, ‘Who would you attack?’ and they all picked the people looking down.”
When asked for advice for students who are hesitant about taking the class, Eastcott encouraged them to go for it.
“Just do it anyways,” said Eastcott. “You need to learn how to do things even when you’re uncomfortable.”
Students strategize would-be scenarios in case of an attack. (Katy Santa Cruz | The Corsair)
a scene from Grease on Thursday, March 28, 2025, at the
Jane Amador (Cha-Cha) performs
Santa Monica College Theatre Arts Complex main stage, Santa Monica, Calif. (The Corsair | Mary Funsten)
GREASE
: what to expect of the dive deep down into the 50’s
Bruce (Yichi) Zhang | Culture Editor
Cast members from “Grease” share their inspiring journeys with their roles and their uplifting experiences with Dr. Harrop, the director.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
After directing more than 100 shows at Santa Monica College (SMC), Director Dr. Adrianne Harrop has decided to bring “Grease,” the musical, back to SMC’s Main Stage theater for spring 2025.
“This is the second time I directed ‘Grease.’ I think the show is fun. It’s a good time,” Harrop said. The last time she put on “Grease” for the SMC Main Stage was in 2000.
Harrop chose “Grease” for its upbeat energy and timeless appeal to the audiences. “I wanted something that would be light and fun, not anything heavy and dark. And the further we get away from the 1950s, the more fun it is,” she said.
“Grease” brought out the director’s passion for seeing the theatrical space enjoyed by a new generation of audiences. “I like the reaction from the audience, and audiences love ‘Grease.’ That’s just the way it is. You can’t lose with ‘Grease,’” Harrop said.
The audience should not only be prepared for a production of theater when they step into the Main Stage hall but for dedicatedly crafted music as well. Harrop feels lucky to work with musical director Gary Gray to make “Grease”
happen. “Music is a big part of it. You gotta incorporate the music well into the story,” she said.
“With ‘Grease,’ no matter what kind of production it is, people enjoy it. It’s very often done – because it’s so enjoyable,” Harrop said.
“Grease” cast members shared Harrop’s spirits. Marin Halbert, an SMC psychology major who plays Betty Rizzo in the musical, feels excited about welcoming the audience with touching music and inspiring storylines.
“When Sandy and Rizzo have this cute little bonding moment, it’s our two biggest solo songs, back to back,” she said.
While Danny and Sandy’s romance remains the underlying text throughout the play, there is a storyline developed for each and every character. Those characters from “Grease” are designed to move the audience to tears in a fashion that the eponymous movie in a way falls short of, according to Harrop and “Grease” cast members.
“Everybody has their own little love moment. Like Rizzo and Kenickie have theirs; Jan and Roger; Frenchy and Doody. It’s a love story for everyone,” said Katherine Dodge, an SMC the-
atre arts major who plays Sandy Dombrowski, the protagonist in the musical.
“It’s certainly not as Danny-and-Sandy-focused as the movie is,” said Halbert, agreeing with Dodge.
Harrop and the cast hail a return to the originality of the play, one that can be “shocking” to people who come expecting the movie. “But it’s also a really refreshing take on ‘Grease,’” said Daniela Talleda, an SMC theater arts major who is assuming both roles of assistant stage manager and stage combat choreographer.
“We had a cast member sitting out to watch one day. And she said that people who go in expecting ‘Grease’ are gonna leave ‘disappointed’ – (because) it’s not the movie ‘Grease,’” said Ginger Simpson, an SMC theatre arts major who plays Patty Simcox in the show.
Simpson’s character, Patty, sparkles tons of fun when she appears on stage. She would mess around with the Burger Palace boys, Danny’s buddies. Her movements on stage that were not in the script or blocking would always make her castmates laugh.
Actors perform a scene from Grease on Thursday, March 28, 2025, at the Santa Monica College Theatre Arts Complex main stage, Santa Monica, Calif. (Mary Funsten | The Corsair)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
“Watching Ginger enter, be onstage and exit stage is definitely one of my favorite things to watch,” Halbert said.
“I told Ginger many times – I love whatever you did today! When it’s something new, something not in the script, I think it’s fun!” Talleda said.
“There is no small character or actor in ‘Grease,’” said Halbert, whose character is the leader of the Pink Ladies, and who felt “envious” about the fun Simpson has on stage.
Talleda, while observing the shows as choreographer, felt amazed by the interpersonal chemistry the actors developed on and offstage. From her perspective, “Grease” is more than the dialogue, which builds the relationships in the script; and more than the blocking, which Harrop has given to already set a great tone for the show.
“Then now the actors are able to, in moments when they don’t even have anything scripted,
come up with ways to develop the world even further,” she said.
Like Simpson, the creative freedom is enjoyed by other cast members. A subtle, deliberate approach of directing is taken by Harrop, who would give the actors “concepts” and notes on where to improve, instead of strict directions.
“She has a vision, and she wants to execute it. But she wants you to kind of ‘reach there,’” said Dodge, feeling intensely supported by what Harrop would always suggest – “go bigger.”
“It feels like she views the actors as artists rather than just vessels for her vanity project. And that’s so rare and important in a director,” Halbert said.
When Dodge started out with “Grease,” the film version of Sandy was still “stuck in (her) head.” As she progressed into the character, she saw her independence and resilience, just like Halbert who also found out about the
vulnerability in Rizzo, despite “the front that (Rizzo) does put on.”
“Actors are creative, and being given that freedom by a director to just try things out is like giving an artist an unlimited canvas,” Telleda said.
The cast and director share mutual appreciation for each other. The foremost challenge the cast has faced is that Harrop’s house burned down in the Palisades fires. “Even once I’m here (on set), I’m still dealing with the fire constantly – the insurance people, and the FEMA people,” Harrop said.
“But the cast has been really helpful and supportive, whom I’m loving. Couldn’t ask for anything more… and very talented!” She said.
What the director and cast all can’t stop talking about is how fun “Grease” is – “It’s a fun show, and fun songs, too!” Halbert said.
Katherine Doge stars as Sandy in the Santa Monica College (SMC) theatre production of “Grease” at the Main Stage in the Theatre Arts Complex. (Ana Sanchez Venegas | The Corsair)
SMC’s Symphony Orchestra and the SMC Theatre department collaborated to bring the “Carnival of the Animals” to life at BroadStage.
On March 29, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Symphony Orchestra performed a children’s concert in collaboration with the SMC theatre department at the BroadStage. Together, they brought to life “The Carnival of Animals,” a musical piece by Camille Saint-Saëns; “Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1 & No. 2” by Edvard Greig; and “Mambos,” a South American piece by Arturo Prado.
The orchestra was conducted by part-time music director Mercedes Juan Musotto, who has been a part of the SMC faculty since 2013. In an in-
the Animals,” many orchestra players throughout the sections wore different animal masks, headbands for ears, and even conductor Juan Musotto wore ears and a tail during this piece. Beforehand, the lobby of the BroadStage provided various animal masks and accessories for children to choose from to wear during the show as well.
After a short intermission, “Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1 & No. 2” was performed. Teamwork of the theatre and music departments, and the script-
“Orchestra musicians don’t necessarily get to do all the movements and be silly, but because it’s for children we get to find our inner child and express ourselves in a different way that we won’t normally express in a traditional concert.”
terview with Juan Musotto, she expressed her gratitude and inspiration towards this children’s show. “The grant inspired us to find a way of collaborating with other departments, because it’s supposed to be for that,” she said.
Last semester, the SMC music department was provided with a grant in support by the Ilona Jo Katz Chair of Excellence in Music for the following years of 2024-27.
The show on March 29 consisted of musical theatre aspects, which brought an interactive experience to the music, acting and narration for children and families. In “The Carnival of the Animals,” narrators introduced the orchestras’ depictions of various animals; a play performance by theatre students accompanied the musical piece of “Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1 & No. 2;” and the finale of the symphony orchestra of “Mambos” provided a lively end to the show.
These musical aspects made the show entertaining for the audience of energetic children, compared to other orchestra shows. “I think the fact that makes it unique is the fact that it’s for children, and it’s going to be very participatory… (It) invites children to like classical music, and to see classical music as something that is for everyone, and fun,” said Juan Musotto.
(In “Carnival,”) “there are swings and animals. Perfect for kids!” said Katreia Mori, a musician from outside of SMC who played cello in the orchestra.
Many details brought life to the performance. During “The Carnival of
writer, allowed this piece to come together. The audience follows alongside a young boy named Peer Gynt as he faces a journey of telling the truth to get back home. The performance seemed to captivate the eyes of the young ones, as the exhilarating performance and music collaborated with the energy of the piece.
“Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1 & No. 2”, incidental music pieces, are composer Edward Grieg’s writings for Henrik Ibsen’s eponymous play. “Peer Gynt is pretty famous. It’s a common one to play,” said James Kocher, an SMC student who played clarinet in the concert.
When asked where the collaboration’s idea came from, Meron Kerlos, an SMC theater arts major, said, “I think it’s an album from before and we just acted along with it.” Kerlos played Hilda, among multiple other characters, for the incidental music.
David Marcus, a non-SMC musician who played horn in “Peer Gynt,” said, “They built up a story that ran along with the music!”
The energy of the orchestra during “Mambos” was energetic, with choreographed movements of the violins lifting their bows, and fellow members lifting their instruments to the lyrics. In return, the audience of all ages danced along to the orchestra, and moved to the rhythm of the music.
To close out the show, they announced that the audience was welcome to attend an instrument petting zoo in the lobby. Performers of the orchestra demonstrated and answered questions from the children, and allowed them to play their instruments.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Music director Mercedes Juan Musotto conducts the orchestra during rehearsal on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Mary Funsten | The Corsair)
Santa Monica College Symphony Orchestra students and faculty members rehearsal on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 (Mary Funsten | The Corsair)
Santa Monica College (SMC) students Maite Duran (L) and Katie Marquez (R) sit on the lawn as SMC president Dr. Kathryn Jeffery speaks at the second annual César Chávez y Dolores Huerta ¡Sí Se Puede! Commemorative Walk in the main quad in Santa Monica, Calif. on Thursday, March 27, 2025. Marquez said, “I think it’s just important to support, I have family who are farm workers and I want to support them.” (Akemi Rico | The Corsair)
