NEWS
EL CAMINO COLLEGE
Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL RESOURCE CENTER, P. 2
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
FEATURES
SPORTS
PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTS AT EC, P. 6
SOFTBALL SPLITS DOUBLE HEADER ON TUESDAY, P. 8
THE UNION eccunion.com
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA
Smoking ban goes unenforced Alba Mejia Staff Writer @ECCUnionAlba
John Fordiani/ Union Construction crews are expected to complete work on the new Murdock Stadium within the next two months, senior superintendent of the Sinanian Construction Company Elio Lastorta said.
Murdock Stadium close to completion Selvin Rodas
Staff Writer @ECCUnionSelvin
After nearly three years without Murdock Stadium, graduating students can expect to walk the stage on the new stadium this semester. The Director of Facilities, Tom Brown, is confident that the stadium will be done by May. “We hope to have it completed
(by) then, we are making plans to have graduation in it,” Brown said. However, Elio Lastorta, senior superintendent of the Sinanian Construction Company, said that the stadium is expected to be completed by the end of March. “The play field is completed, (and) the bleachers are completed,” Lastorta said. “At the end of this month we will have the track coat-
ing which are all the lines. It will be finished.” Some students think graduating on the new stadium would be an “incredible” experience. Roxzana Banks, 32, deaf studies major, said that she hopes to use the new stadium. “I think that will be really cool because I’m excited to graduate this year,” Banks said.
Brown said that there is a lot of work to be done, but “[he’s] sure there will be a grand opening.” Other students think of the new stadium being a reward for their studies. “I think (this) is a great idea,” Fatima Maldona, 25, psychology major said. “Students should be rewarded. It’s kind of a motivation for them to walk (the stage), and
the pictures will come out great.” On the other hand, Rafael Salazar, 22, administration of justice major, thinks that the school could plan differently. “Personally I’m not excited to graduate at the new stadium because that’s a waste of money,” Salazar said. “Instead of building a science center, they are building stuff for football players.”
Student allegedly made multiple death threats to professor The Union Staff @ECCUnion
NEWS LINE
A Torrance judge denied a request for a restraining order, on Jan. 20, against a student who allegedly threatened to kill a professor if she didn’t change his grade. El Camino’s request against 28-year-old student Dashiell Porter was denied by Judge Carol Boas Goodson in Torrance Municipal Court, according to a Daily Breeze article. “It was denied because the judge is the one that makes that decision,” EC lawyer Michael Travis said. The college was seeking the restraining order after Porter allegedly sent multiple death threats to his English teacher, Cynthia Somin, via Facebook Messenger. According to the restraining order, on Dec. 26, 2015 Somin found
14 direct Facebook messages from Porter which he had sent from Jan. 6 – Dec. 8, 2015. The temporary restraining order was issued on Dec. 30, 2015, according to the restraining order recieved from Travis. Somin declined to speak to “The Union” on Monday, Jan. 25 as she didn’t want to “dirty the water,” prior to Porter’s hearing scheduled for Jan. 26. “The Union” reached out to the parents of Porter to get a statement. The Porter’s did not return the call, so a “Union” reporter visited the Porter’s home in Manhattan Beach on Jan. 25 and they declined to give a statement regarding the matter. Attempts were also made to reach Porter through facebook but his account was deleted. “According to her written statement, the messages from Mr. Porter stated that he wanted to kill me
for giving him a failing grade in my course,” she added. Associate Dean of Humanities Elise Geraghty was surprised by the decision and expressed concern for professor Somin’s safety. “It was an upsetting decision,” Geraghty said. “I thought based on what I saw, that a restraining order was warranted.” Geraghty has not spoken to Somin about the issue, but said that she is still on her regular teaching schedule for the spring semester. The college has yet to take any disciplinary action against Porter, and that decision will come from the Student Development Office. Student Development Director Greg Toya referred all questions to Ann Garten, who then referred information to the Torrance Police Department. Torrance PD did not release a copy of the restraining order be-
cause it had been filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown. After El Camino’s request for a restraining order was denied, students and staff weighed in on the situation. “I was very shocked and frightened for the professors and all of the students,” Allison Carr, English professor said. “She was one of my evaluators and she put in a lot of time here at El Co” La’Keysha Fairley, 19, creative writing major, expressed her concern about those around him in class. “This should be taken as a serious matter. Maybe he should be separated from class for counseling at that time.” While Brunei Terrell, 18, studio arts major, said that the matter needs to be known and looked into. “It is still a threat,” Terrell said. “People who don’t have autism or
any medical issues, (may not) take action. Whereas someone with autism may take action (with the threats).” “I haven’t heard about it but it’s shocking to me because that’s horrible,” Emily Horomitz, 21, child development major, said. “If you fail a class that’s on you it’s not the teacher’s fault. I feel less safe after hearing this.” Ana Rojas, 22, business major, said that she feels safe on campus, but that there needs to be information given to the students in a hastier manner. “It’s my first time hearing about it right now,” Rojas said. “I think he had the right to speak up for himself but not to threaten the teacher. I feel like students should be aware of what happened. There might be other students that don’t know about it. It’s better to publish what happened.”
No school Feb. 12 & 15
Marc Brown, ABC7 News co-anchor on campus
Central Avenue Dance
Rumors by Neil Simon
The campus will be closed tomorrow in honor of Lincholn’s Day and on Monday in honor of Washington’s Day.
As part of celebrating Black History month, the African-American student conference will have special guest, Marc Brown, on campus Feb. 18 in the East Dining Room from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A performance by the Central Avenue Dance at 8 p.m. is set for Feb. 20
Rumors by Neil Simon will be showing in the Campus Theatre ’
Early last year, a smoking ban was approved during a Board of Trustees meeting, and is still causing controversy. The smoking ban prohibits “cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, snuff, snus, water pipes, hookahs, chew and any other non-combustible tobacco product,” according to Board Policy 3570. Smoking is not only banned on campus, but according to this policy it’s also banned in any parking lot located on district property. “I just hope students know that there is a policy, and I hope they abide by the rules,” President of the Board of Trustees, Ken Brown said. With the smoking ban policy in affect, some are following the rules, but if others are caught smoking on campus it may not have any consequences. “We are not citing people, we are allowed to cite them but that has not been necessary because people are complying,” Chief of Police, Michael Trevis said. “People who are found smoking are told to just go smoke on the sidewalk, which is not district property, and so far everyone has cooperated with us, so there has been no need to cite people,” Trevis said. On another note, according to Trevis, “although there are still a few ash trays around campus, we already got rid of most of them. Whenever we find an ash tray around campus we call facilities and they come with a forklift... and get rid of it.” There are many that are satisfied with the smoking ban, but there are others opposed to completely removing smoking from the campus. “I’ve seen the signs, I’ve read the paper,” Christian Placencia, 21, math major said. “I think a ban’s too much, there should be areas specifically for smoking away from crowds.” Just like Christian there are many more students that disagree with this situation.
El Camino hires new athletic director
El Camino has hired Colin Preston as the new Director of Athletics and Kinesiology, Vice President of Human Resources Linda Beam said. Preston took over as director of athletics on Jan. 21 and looks to bring his expertise to the El Camino program. “I started a Division II program from scratch and had continued success there, so I thought it was a great opportunity to come here to EC,” Preston said.
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NEWS
2 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
How to prevent your car from being broken into
POLICE BEAT By John Fordiani and Lauren Liddle
Identity thief
Madison Brady
Jan. 26, 1:43 p.m. Officers responded to a call about a man trespassing in the Lot C construction site. When officers located the man near the Facilities Department he was found with multiple credit cards, bank checks, identification cards and driver’s licenses that did not belong to him. He also had $4,500 in cash. Officers transported the man who is not a student to the police station for questioning and discovered that the man is possibly connected to burglaries in the Carson area. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was notified and deputies took the man into their possession.
Staff Writer @ECCUnionMaddie
Didn’t make it to class Jan. 28, 8:07 a.m. A student who crashed into a concrete wall in Lot H was taken to an area hospital for a knee injury. The student told officers that he was pulling into a parking stall on the fourth level when he stepped on the accelerator and crashed into the wall.
The future of law enforcement Jan. 30, 4:02 p.m. A male student participating in the Police Explorer Program passed out during physical training exercise.
Just trying to go home Feb. 1, 10:12 p.m. Officers responded to a traffic collision involving two vehicles. The location of the collision was the 16700 block of Crenshaw Blvd. A staff member (Cosmetology) was stopped at a red light in the number two lane of southbound Crenshaw Boulevard, when a male non-student rear ended the staff member. The staff member complained of neck and back pain. Paramedics were immediately notified and arrived on the scene.
Special Resource Director Gary Greco started his postion on Jan. 4.
EC welcomes Special Resource Director Gary Greco Q: Did your family move with you or Q: What are your plans to make the are they still back in Connecticut? SRC better?
Alba Mejia
Staff Writer @ECCUnionAlba
Q: What was the hiring process like? A: “The hiring process was pretty stan-
dard like in any other institution.”
Q: I heard that you are from Connecticut, what brings you to EC? A: “Yes I am. What brought me here was
the position. There were many other institutions hiring for similar positions but what stood out particularly about the position here was the academic component as well as the support services. Most of the other positions just had the support services and didn’t really have the academic portion of the job and that is something I am very familiar with.”
A: “I’m still looking and observing and learning all aspects and positions that are here. It’s still a little too early to say anything as what I would do to make the SRC better. Although I must say I am excited about the future of SRC because we have a great group of people which makes me happy. I’m expecting good things for the future of the SRC.”
Q: Is there anything in particular that you would like students to know? A: “I’m very excited to be here and I look forward to teaming up with the new president. I haven’t met her yet, but I can’t wait to work with her. I am loving my job so far. Although I must say I’m kind of sad to see President Tom Fallo leave; I wish I could have gotten to know him a little bit better.
Licenses plates stolen Feb. 1, 6:35 p.m. A male student said that someone stole his rear license plate and frame from his motorcycle which was parked in Lot J. Feb. 2, 12:16 p.m. A female student said that someone stole her front license plate from her vehicle which was parked in lower Lot F.
Wallet stolen from backpack Feb. 3, 8:44 a.m. A female student said that someone stole her wallet and its contents from her backpack.
Police arrest cyclist Feb. 4, 12:23 p.m. A female was stopped by an officer for riding her bicycle on the sidewalk. The subject, a nonstudent, had a $2,500 traffic warrant issue out of Redondo Beach PD for being an unlicensed driver. She also had previous arrests for possession of methamphetamine, grand theft auto, and was arrested for the warrant and transported to ECPD jail for processing.
Cell phone stolen Feb. 4, 9:50 a.m. A male student said that his cell phone was stolen from the Center for Applied Technology Building after leaving it unattended in one of the classrooms for a few minutes.
A: My family will be joining me over the summer so that is pretty exciting. They will be visiting occasionally throughout the semester. As soon as my family moves out here, my son will be attending El Camino.
Q: Tell me about your family?: A: I am a child of deaf parents and my
wife is deaf. I also have two children, one of which is hearing and the other is deaf and like I said I bring a lot of experience to the table. I worked for 14 years as a special rehabilitation counselor. I would like for students to know that if they would like to come in for any of the services we offer, my door is always open.
DON’T LOSE YOUR BOARD OF GOVERNORS FEE WAIVER
Basketball players in the making Feb. 1, 12:38 p.m. A female student who was participating in her basketball class accidentally collided into another female classmate sustaining a one-inch laceration to her forehead just above her right eye.
Jo Rankin/Union
The El Camino Police and student body are joining forces to decrease the chances of student vehicles from being broken into. The ECPD have created the “gotcha tag” to help prevent any future break-ins. To be proactive about the situation, police officers carry the tags at all times. The “gotcha tag” is a bright yellow tag with the word “GOTCHA” on top and continues to read, “If this had been an actual ‘rip off,’ you would have been a statistic. Don’t give a thief an opportunity to rip you off.” “I’ve never gotten one but seems like a good idea,” said student, Roderick Wells, 18, communications major, said. If an officer patrolling notices an unlocked car or a sort of valuable left in plain sight they leave the tag as well. “It will be effective in the long run when more and more people get them,” Samantha Ruiz, 20, psychology major, said. To avoid having their car broken into, students need to be “hyperaware” of their actions before they leave their car unattended for a duration of the day. There are two common precautions that students should take before leaving their car: -Make sure their windows are all the way up. - Pull on the handle to make sure their car is locked. ECPD Officer Erika Solorzano works multiple twelve hour shifts a week. “I find at least three or four a shift and that’s just me driving around, not actually looking,” Solorzano said. “Students need to just take that extra second to check,” Solorzano said.
Greenhouse goes unused due to construction.
John Fordiani/Union
Greenhouse no longer being used Lilibeth Rodriguez Staff Writer
On the west side of campus there is an area where members of the Horticulture Club and Natural Science Division used to be educated on sustainable horticulture practices. The greenhouse used to flourish with the greenery, but for the past two semesters the greenhouse has gone unused by students, staff and maintenance workers alike. “(Because) it’s in a construc-
tion zone and because it is not a safe area where students and faculty can be in,” Amy Grant, dean of natural sciences, said. Tom Brown, director of facilities, said that from a division stand point the greenhouse isn’t being used because the facility location is inconvenient for those involved. “As far as I know the greenhouse can be used, its not closed down it’s just that the natural science division has decided not to use it right now,” Brown said.
Professor presents NASA Mars project Alba Mejia
Staff Writer @ECCUnionAlba
On Feb. 3, a campus mathematics professor presented his proposal for possible landing spots on Mars. Paul Yun who works closely with the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) spoke about the different attempts there have been to land on Mars. “I have been thinking about this proposal for about four to five years, but have been putting it together for about three months,” Yun said. Yun demonstrated with balloons the process that space crafts go through before and after the landing process.
Among the countries that have successfully landed on Mars, including the U.S., Russia and India. Yun also explained some of the challenges landing on Mars. He said that Mars is a planet with many freezing points and very few parts of it allow humans to reach it. One of the places that Yun proposed, for the landing on Mars, is called the Gale Crater. “This is a subject I am interested in and I thought his presentation was very well put together,” Sam Lozano, 23, geology, said. There were also students who were there for extra credit.
Starting Fall 2016, you must maintain academic and progress standards to keep your Board of Governors Fee Waiver (BOGFW).
ACADEMIC STANDARD
Sustain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0. If your cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 you may lose your fee waiver eligibility.
PROGRESS STANDARD
Cumulative satisfactory completion of more than 50% of attempted units. If your cumulative satisfactory completion of attempted units is 50% or below you may lose your fee waiver eligibility. Once you’ve qualified for the BOGFW, it is important to ensure that you are meeting the academic and progress standards in order to continue receiving the fee waiver.
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For information about the Board of Governors Fee Waiver, please visit: www.elcamino.edu/studentservices/fao/main_fee_waiver.asp El Camino College 16007 Crenshaw Blvd. Torrance, CA 90506 (310) 660-3936 www.elcamino.edu
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FEBRUARY 11, 2016
FEATURES
3 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
Lot L Best time to park: Before 8 a.m.
Lot H Best time to park: Before 7:30 a.m.
Worst time to park: Between 9 a.m. and noon Lot F Lower level: Before 8 a.m. Worst time: First three weeks of the semester, or after 9 a.m. Upper level: Best time: Before 9 a.m.
Worst time to park: Between 7:40 a.m. and noon (Actually all the time)
Worst time: The areas closests to the inner campus are filled faster than the center areas.
Clockwork: Parking on campus like a pro Alba Mejia
Staff Writer @ECCUnionAlba
D
uring the first week of school is when some students think parking is at its worst and in order to avoid the hassle some students go about it in different ways.
Peter Long is a 25-year-old fire technology major who takes the bus rather than go through the hassle of parking his car. One day, last semester, Long said he spent 30-40 minutes looking for parking as he went up and down all five levels of the parking Lot L. Currently there are about 3,500 spots for student parking, however there are about 10,000 passes sold per year, Police Services Technician (PST) Eric Mendoza said. “One thing that students have to understand is that not everyone has morning classes,” Mendoza said. “We take into consideration the fact that many students come in the afternoons and evenings.” Students cannot arrive five minutes before their class starts and expect to get there on time, Sgt. Dal Toruno said as he heard of the student complaints. Although students at El Camino complain about parking too often, Arturo Barba, 25, history major, said he doesn’t have any complaints about parking. He parks across the street from the golf course on Manhattan Beach boulevard and he doesn’t mind walking to campus from there. Barba said he arrives 10 minutes early and still manages to get there on time, unlike Randy Romero, 19, criminal justice major, who has get to campus 30 minutes before his classes.
“First day of class last week I got here late because I thought it wasn’t going to be a hassle,” Romero said. “But I learned my lesson (after the first day).” But besides student complaints, with ongoing construction on campus and other factors, even professors complained about the parking situation. There are over 900 parking spots for staff and 1,400 passesare given per year, Mendoza said. “I think it’s a hassle when it comes to parking when I have to arrive at least by 7:30 a.m. in order to teach my 9:30 a.m. class,” French instructor Evelyne Berman, said. “(The) staff has problems parking just like students.” As Sgt. Toruno heard about the staff complaints he chuckled and said that he doesn’t understand why they complain if they have the closest parking spots on campus. Parking permits can either be bought daily for $3 or for the semester for the price of either $20, with ASB sticker, or $35. Toruno and Mendoza both agreed that EC students are lucky because daily parking at Santa Monica Community College is $6. Alfred Labostrie, 23, computer engineering major, said he still hasn’t received his permit and he ordered it about two weeks ago. Labostrie said that he wishes there was an easier way to pay rather than having the exact change in his pocket. “Students don’t always have $3 on them but they do always have their (debit/credit) cards available,” he said. Mendoza said that the reason the school only takes cash is because of the credit card charges that students would have to pay extra.
John Fordiani /Union Cars parked in Lot L obstruct the road creating a traffic hazard. ECPD doesn’t ticket vehicles parked out of marked stall the first few weeks of each semester.
DO’s: - Display your parking placard. - If you hit another person’s car and the owner isn’t there, leave a note. Hit-and-run won’t make you a pro. - Parking further away always guarnttees you parking.
DON’TS: - Park in red zones, or block the flow of traffic. - Leave your car on campus overnight.
EDITORIAL
4 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
Warrior Pulse: Valentine’s Day Students out of the loop? Campus community is last to know about potentially dangerous situations
Should you spoil your significant other on Valentine’s Day?
Every semester, there seems to be an on-campus issue that causes concern for students, staff and faculty. From James Lemus’ alleged threats to “create a massacre” on campus in fall 2014, the officerinvolved shooting in spring 2015 and the most-recent alleged threats from Dash Porter to kill his former professor, Cynthia Somin; students have not received enough information or been alerted quickly enough to events like these. The Union has already stated that the Nixle alert system the campus uses is a weak and inefficient source of information for students, and there needs to be a better way for students to be informed in a more timely manner. Several students and faculty have said that there needs to be a change in how we get the information from those in charge. During the aforementioned incidents, most of the alerts sent out by the system were late, and because situations like these are ‘active’, legal gaps then create a delay between when something happens, and when students actually hear about it. Fifteen days passed before the campus was notified of James Lemus’ alleged threats, while three hours went by before anyone was notified of the officer-involved shooting on campus. While we understand that there are legal boundaries to get through, this still shouldn’t keep facts from the public for weeks at a time. Many students and faculty were not even aware that on Feb. 2, Dash Porter was on campus for his hear-
As St. Valentine’s Day comes upon us, it begs the question: should you spoil your significant other with gifts and fancy outings to celebrate the holiday? Some like all the glitz and glamour around their relationships, often in an effort to be tagged as ‘relationship goals’ by peers on social media. The Union went to students for answers, and the results were quite surprising. We asked 334 students, 167 men and women each, and the genders thought quite differently from what you might think.
62 percent of men think they should spoil their significant other, while only 54 percent of women agreed with them. •
This might come as a surprise, since most men traditionally could do without all the hoopla. So this ‘millennial’ generation of men either doesn’t mind being romantic, or maybe they’ve just finally surrendered to the holiday tradition.
58 percent of all students interviewed voted yes, are we getting caught up in all the materialistic VDay traditions? •
The answer is maybe. There are those who like to go out and have a special evening, but it doesn’t mean you need to dig deep into the wallet to do it. It depends on your relationship, but also on if you’re in one or not. You have to factor in the large amount of singles for this poll. Most singles unfortunately spend the holiday in envy, so of course they would want that kind of treatment. If only everyone could be in a relationship, it would make it easier.
ing regarding his future with the college, let alone that the restraining order filed against him was denied in court two weeks prior. A look into a student’s school email can confirm that nothing has been sent to them about Porter at all yet, but he’s on campus for a hearing and not a single student was informed. What about the faculty? They should have gotten a notice about it, especially since he allegedly targeted one of their colleagues. But we don’t know if they have, and if they were notified, why is no one talking about the situation? There are a couple of problems with our point of replacing Nixle, the first being that the school would have to abandon Nixle for a new program, which could be problematic. Second of all, in the situation of the officer-involved shooting, there is no need to cause a mass panic concerning a shooter on campus when the police handled it within five minutes. In any event, we can and should create a new system that students can use and be confident in. As a news organization, it’s our job to get information out to students as quickly as possible, and we would love to work with the school to create a better way for everyone to know what’s happening on campus. We can create an app, or a new system altogether, whatever it ends up being we just need to make sure that the campus community is aware whenever something dangerous happens at school.
Write us a letter
Letters pertaining to campus issues or responding to articles will have priority over commentaries or other letters on the editorial page, to the discretion of the editorial board. Letters may be from any El Camino student, faculty member, classified person or employee of the college. Letters from students have priority. Every attempt will be made to run all letters received before the editorial deadline, which is the Monday prior to publication, each week. In cases of sensitive circumstances, anonymous letters will be published. Depending on the gravity of the content of the letter, some anonymous letters may not be published.
Two cents’ worth: How safe is El Camino? Tayler Dahm
Staff Writer @ECCUnionTayler
Every semester it’s almost as if I ask myself, what scary incident will happen this time? I do believe that El Camino does a good job when trying to keep us safe, but it could be better. Although in reality this world is getting crazier by the day and it’s almost impossible to keep any public school legitimately safe. For a while now EC hasn’t had the best reputation when it comes to safety on cam-
pus. Before coming to this school I remember hearing and reading about crimes that took place here. Spending the last few semesters here it seems that the incidents are getting more intense and are happening more frequently. Events like the James Lemus story back in 2014 where he threatened to come to campus and kill faculty members and students. Multiple incidents of cars and car parts being stolen. The active shooter who said he had a gun held to a hostage and had the cops shoot him. Most recently the Dash Porter story where he allegedly threatened to kill his former professor multiple times over a year for failing him. Our parking lots need to be monitored much more strictly than they currently are. The amount of thefts reported over the last few years is ridiculous. In September 2015 during a 40 day span there were 10 vehicles that had their catalytic converters stolen. Motor vehicle theft in general went up from three in 2013, to seven in 2014. Unfortunately I didn’t find an updated
report for 2015 that I could compare it to. Despite the negativity, EC has made efforts to improve safety. Our campus has giant blue posts next to the parking lots that have a button you can press to alert the police. This is a fantastic service for students to have, but not all of them work. I have seen multiple posts that have been out of service for too long. Why even have them if we don’t care enough to fix them? EC also has campus police officers and cadets patrolling around campus. One thing I love is that officers offer students a free shuttle to their cars. More people should take advantage of this, especially those who take classes in the evening. It’s just one of a number of possible improvements that can be made to combat crime. I would love to see EC make more improvements, like putting more officers on duty or implementing better safety procedures. Our school should want the students here to feel as safe as they can. I think it’s time for a change to be made and for everyone to take our school safety more seriously.
THE UNION
Vol. 70, No. 1 February 11, 2016
Email: eccunion@gmail.com Newsroom: (310) 660-3328 Advertising: (310) 660-3329
Editor-in-Chief ����������������������������������������������������������������������������Sydnie Mills Managing Editor ������������������������������������������������������������������������ Phil Sidavong News Editor ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� Brenda Soriano Opinion/Editorial Editor ���������������������������������������������������������������� Roy Garza Arts Editor................................................................................... Grant Hermanns Sports Editor ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������Eric Ramos Photo Editor ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� John Fordiani Features Editor �������������������������������������������������������������������������� Phil Sidavong Advertising Manager ������������������������������������������������������������������� Jack Mulkey Adviser ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������Kate McLaughlin Adviser ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Stefanie Frith Photo Adviser...................................................................................Gary Kohatsu
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OPINION
February 11, 2016
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 5
CAMPUS VIEWPOINTS By: Selvin Rodas @ECCUnionSelvin
Should students be ticketed for illegal parking?
Adam Gomez, 18, biology “I think the first couple of weeks it should be fine if we park illegally depending on where it is. But after that maybe tickets would be fair because parking here is really ridiculous.”
Erin Geicey, 20, English “I just think that you shouldn’t be ticketed for parking in the wrong spot when there are no spots.“
Illustration by Eugene Chang/ Union
UP FOR DEBATE
Should students be ticketed for illegal parking? Students shouldn’t cut corners in parking lots Parking tickets need to be issued for illegal parking. The loose rules are making it hard for those who actually follow them. What if you’re running late to class and all of the parking spots are taken by students parking in red or yellow zones, or without a parking permit at all? Do you join them? Or wait to find an acceptable spot? Some students would dropout of school from their parking rage. If parking tickets were not issued on campus it would become a “Nightmare on Elm Street” in the Trent Ledford parking lot. Staff writer If you have a strict teacher that requires all students to @ECCUnionTrent show up to class on time, you would have to show up to the campus about one hour earlier every day just to find parking. Could you imagine how hard it would be finding a decent parking spot everyday if tickets were not issued for illegal parking? If the campus offered free parking for all students it would be a train wreck the first weeks of school. Students would be better off grabbing their books and throwing them in the trash to start a career at McDonald’s because there’s no way a student struggling to make it to class on time could survive a semester. Especially since most professors will drop students who are frequently late or miss the first session. Students that care about their education and students that actually attend the campus wouldn’t be able to find parking if there weren’t rules. After going around the campus and talking to students, the majority agreed that students without parking permits should park either across the street or in a neighborhood near the campus. Staff members would also have a hard time finding parking because without these rules students would park in the faculty spaces. Parking tickets not being issued for illegal parking could have an effect on students and the faculty in the long term. Some students might not be able to take a class that is needed, and faculty might show up late to teach classes due to parking. For those that want to avoid the problem, there are other options. A good alternative spot for students is the Crenshaw Station, It’s free to park there. After parking there students could either take the Torrance 10 bus for a dollar or the 210 or 710 metro bus for $1.75 to campus. According to the school’s website, parking regulations are enforced on campus 24/7, and parking illegally could leave you with a fine that’s a minimum of $40. Students have two choices, pay $40 for a possible fine or be patient and wait for the right spot. Make the right choice and save yourself the trouble. •Students can access the full list of parking rules and regulations on www.elcamino. edu/police/ParkingSvc/parkingregulations.asp
No tickets for those without parking options
Jerriel Biggles
Staff writer @ECCUnionJerriel
Students are constantly trying to find the best classes to fit their schedule, including being able to make it to them on time. However, the first few weeks of school are the absolute hardest weeks to find a decent parking space. Why should I waste time finding parking when I need to get to class? According to the parking regulations posted on the school’s website, parking permits are $35, or $20 with an ASB sticker. But even so, students need to pay a $10 fee for ASB, so students are still paying $30 or more to park every
semester. I mean on the first day alone a student will have to put up with the traffic just to get in a parking stall. And once you finally find a parking spot, you still would have to find a parking meter and pay $3 if you don’t have a permit. Or, you could park on the street. But parking on the street leaves your car exposed to theft and the residential streets near campus are often marked to restrict parking during school hours. Rather than park on the street, students want to park somewhere safe. The safest place to park would be the Lot H garage, it’s the closest lot to the center of campus so it gets more protection from campus police than the outer lots do. The problem with Lot H is that usually by 10 a.m. it will already fill up, forcing you to choose an outer lot, the whole process can make a student late for class. Nobody wants to be dropped from an early morning class, and you don’t want to be late on the first week or else you could lose a spot in a class that you might need. Teachers will drop a student after so many tardies. Believe me, it is hard enough trying to add classes that you desperately need. But if you don’t want to pay for a permit, or didn’t have time to get a good spot, you’ll get a ticket from the campus police. So what if I park in the yellow lines? They aren’t red fire lanes so it shouldn’t be a big deal. I would like to park my car in any spot that is available on campus and not be ticketed, especially if I don’t feel like parking on the street. I mean I’m already rushing to get to class on time. It creates too much of a hassle for students to pay for a permit. We also have classes we have to pay for and the books that come along with it; not to mention selling our old or rented textbooks back to the Bookstore and buying supplies for our new classes. Now with all that madness, does it look like I have money to pay for a ticket? Parking is already terrible as it is and giving more tickets isn’t going to change the situation.
Eric Alvarado, 21, communication studies “I believe they should (get tickets) because it’s their responsibility, not the school’s. If (Students) know there is no parking they should come early. Just like the famous saying: ‘the early bird gets the worm,’ the early student gets the parking.”
Jocelyn Rivera, 19, nursing “Yes, students should be ticketed for parking illegally because regardless if you’re a student or not the rules or laws are the same for everybody. I don’t think a ticket is worth being late to class.”
Cesar Castro, 21, kinesiology “I don’t think students should be ticketed if (they) park anywhere because first of all, it’s school. They shouldn’t even charge for parking.”
FEATURES
6 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
Photographer documents pimps and prostitutes Phil Sidavong and Jo Akira
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Managing Editor and Special to The Union @ECCUnionPhil and @eccunionjo
Marissa Roth is part of the Los Angeles Times spot news team that won a Pulitzer prize for their work on the 1992 L.A. Riots. Growing up the daughter of Hungarian refugees escaping the Holocaust, Roth has covered everything from the Oscars to a coup attempt in the Philippines.
ressed in a prim, white dress for cotillion, an 8 year-old little girl felt like a fish out of water. “At the time, all I wanted to do was wear blue jeans and climb trees,” Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Marissa Roth said with a smile, thinking about days past. But little did that girl know, her feeling of detachment foreshadowed a lifetime of journeys around the world, covering significant events for many of the major publications of the United States, including the L.A. and N.Y. Times. “Even though I was a graphic design major, my calling was in journalism and photojournalism,” Roth said. Roth, who has been invited by El Camino photography professor Darilyn Rowan, is currently on the advisory board for the photography department at EC and after 31 years of travel, her project was complete. “(It was like) I didn’t have a choice of my life, like I knew I had to do the project,” Roth said. “The project is now finished, it spans 31 years of photography, 15 countries... I’m happy to have the huge ‘Women and War’ project off my back.” A friend of Roth’s and former colleague during her career at the L.A. Times, Denise Hamilton, said that
her assignments with Roth were interesting in their own way. “A perfect example of how you can (view Roth) is when we went to Kiev, Ukraine,” Hamilton said. “We were there covering the rise of prostitution and the poverty of young women. We stayed at the nicest hotel and (staked it out).” Hamilton said that there was a “mafioso guy” who they assumed to be the pimp of all the prostitutes and instead of leaving, Roth decided to take the woman into the bathroom. “She was creative,” Hamilton said of Roth. “We literally did the interview in the bathroom and took the photos. She is so good at putting people at ease.” Knowing the work that Roth has done in her career, Rowan said that there is an incredible feel to the photos that Roth takes. “She’s passionate, devoted and heartfelt,” she said. Roth has the charisma of someone worldly and caring. She has experienced the hardships of many people firsthand and that gives her a view of the realities of this world. “The women I met were, I mean they really taught me how to live, how to cry… how to survive anything,” Roth said with a calm serenity in her voice.
People of El Camino Natalia Romo, 20, business management major: “My main motivation is persistence and dedication, so when you stay committed that’s when you’ll accomplish your goals and not take the backseat.”
Alejandro Jáuregui, 24, music major: “I’m trying to get back in school because back in 2009 I was on probation and I’m slowly getting out of it. I hope to get financial aid, once my probation is over. I like “vocalizing” and playing guitar. I’ve been playing guitar for about nine years and the band that really inspired me was AC/DC. Music helps me deal with all the stress that I go through in my life.”
Professor Randall Firestone, philosophy professor: “What I love about teaching philosophy, is that we get to open your minds. You get a different perspective from intellectuals, modern and ancient, which is different from the way you were raised.”
Johnathan Davis, 20, biology major: “Microbiology is interesting because it lets you look at things on a smaller scale and it gives you a different perspective of life. It’s interesting to see our bodies are an accumulation of smaller elements working together to create us, humans.”
For more People of El Camino stories visit eccunion.com
Devyn Madison, 18, studio art major: “Don’t procrastinate. It’ll bite you in the butt.”
Natalia Rubiano, 19, communications major: “I think the biggest influence in my life would be the idea of proving people wrong. When people doubt me, it makes me want to work harder. I know I am going to be successful and seeing the reactions of the people who doubted me will be the cherry on top.”
*Reporting by Jo Rankin, Alba Mejia and Lilibeth Rodriguez
SPORTS
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 7
Beach volleyball on path to success Le Valley Pattison (454-128 indoor-volleyball record as coach) and the returning Warriors prep for the 2016 season
Jed Fernandez Staff Writer
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@ECCUnionJed
ith the second season around the corner women’s beach volleyball aims to go back to state after having a successful inaugural season in 2015. The beach volleyball team’s record last year was 11-5 overall and 3-2 in the Orange Empire - Kerry Walsh Jennings conference, with one of the duos making it to the state semi-finals. The team will be playing in the Western State Conference this season. Coach Le Valley Pattison said that the team is much more improved from last season. “We will have five solid teams going into this season. Which is good for overall team success,” Pattison said. Pattison has multiple returners on this years team from both indoor volleyball and beach volleyball including sophomores Brooke Russell, Nickeisha Williams, Laynie Thompson and Sadie Fraker. “Having some of the indoor volleyball girls here just makes them a well-rounded player,” Pattison said. Pattison is still giving the team time to adjust to the sand because a majority of them have never played on the sand Pattison added. Returning players Russell and Williams are out to prove something after being eliminated in the Sand Volleyball Individual State Championships at Irvine Valley College last year. “I’m really excited about this season, we’ve been working really hard in practice,” Russell said. Another powerful duo returning to this year’s team is Thompson and Fraker. They were ranked the No. 2 duo on the team last year, but hope to make a leap into the playoffs. Fraker said she was a little rusty during the first practice of the season because she hasn’t played since the last. “It was a bit rough at first, but I got into it and now I’m playing
Jorge Villa/ Union
Michelle Shimamoto (left) attacks the ball during the beach volleyball team practice on Feb. 8. After the 11-5 overall record and 3-2 conference record from 2015, the team looks to make a splash in the 2016 campaign to the State Championship.
OK now,” Fraker said. Thompson and Fraker plan to continue dominating the competition, as much as possible, and secure the No. 1 ranking in state. “You got to strive for the best,” Thompson said. “We’ve been playing together now for awhile so it shouldn’t be too difficult securing the number one spot.” Pattison hasn’t assigned doubles’ teams yet and is currently watching how the team operates as a whole unit. Pattison always has an emphasis on competing everyday and
bettering team chemistry is very pivotal for doubles volleyball. “I’m going to give them a few (more) weeks before we start putting teams together,” Pattison said. Williams has been working hard to get back to the State Championships and she said that she and Russell are really focusing on the defensive side of their game. “Brooke and I made it really far last year. This year we want to go all the way and get that ring on my finger,” Williams said.
2015 Season finish:
2016 Season begins:
- 11-5 overall record
- March 4
- 3-2 Orange Empire Conference record
vs. Long Beach @ 10:30 a.m. vs. Cypress @ 1:00 p.m.
of Women’s basketball pummels L.A. Harbor in road win Athlete The Week: Eric Ramos
Sports Editor @ECCUnionEricR
With the women’s basketball season winding down, the Warriors needed a strong finish to make some noise in the playoffs. On Friday, El Camino got one step closer with a 71-35 rout of L.A. Harbor College. “We wanted to come out and play solid on the defensive end, play together on the offensive end and take care of business,” coach Steve Shaw said. “Our defense in the second quarter is exactly how we want to play.” The Warriors’ tenacious defense held L.A Harbor to four points in the second quarter. Freshman guard Meghan Peneueta continued her strong season play with 22 points while adding nine rebounds and five steals. Freshman forward Kourtney Noa had a Double-Double with 15 points and 16 rebounds. El Camino improves to 13-12 on the season and 4-2 in the South Coast Conference. The Warriors are back in action when they travel to Long Beach City College Feb. 12. Tip -off is at 5 p.m.
Jo Rankin/ Union
Warrior’s third baseman Maleigha Quintero (11) leads the softball team in hitting. Quintero comes from a family of baseball players and started playing when she was three.
Maleigha Quintero Freshman, Softball
El Segundo High School alumni Maleigha Quintero, 20, business, has been a force for Warriors softball team this year. She plays both catcher and third baseman for the Warriors. Quintero leads the team with a total of 12 hits and nine RBIs in eight games played this season. Question: What do you like to do outside of softball? Answer: Mostly I like to spend time with my family. I also enjoy running and hanging out with friends.
Women’s basketball:
- Third in the South Coast Conference - Overall 13-12 record - 4-2 in the conference
Q: What are your plans after El Camino? A: I do want to continue playing when I’m done here. Transferring to a university is one of my biggest goals right now. Jo Rankin/ Union
Warrior’s sophomore guard Ronice Williams (12) attempts to defy the Seahawk’s Alexes Anderson (1) from getting an open shot. El Camino’s women’s basketball came away with the win, 71-35, at L.A. Harbor College on Friday, Feb. 5.
Q: How do you feel about the team this season? A: I think we are solid team. We are all young and new to the team, but we have some pretty solid players.
SPORTS
8 EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
Men’s tennis shut out by Riverside Hector Gonzalez Staff Writer @ECCUnionHector
Elena Perez/ Union Centerfielder Kattya Calderon (3) swings at the pitch during the Warriors’ game vs. Santa Barbara softball. El Camino lost 4-1 in six innings after the game was called due to the sun going down.
Offense stalls in softball’s loss to SBCC Warriors fail to score after loading bases in fourth inning; game is called 4-1 after the sixth inning Matthew Sandoval Staff Writer
@ECCUnionMatthew
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oor offensive execution led to a sluggish start for the Warriors as they were unable to take advantage with runners in scoring position. The Warriors (6-2) were defeated 4-1 in the second game of their double header against the undefeated Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros (5-0) on Tuesday. Natalie Francis did not have one her best games on the mound for El Camino and received her first loss of the season. Francis allowed four runs and four hits in five innings pitched, while walking three batters. Earlier in the day, the team blew out Orange Coast College 10-1 in five innings, but the offense could not convert
the runners on base into runners batted in. The Vaqueros were able to take advantage of defensive mistakes by the Warriors to score the first run of the game in the second inning. El Camino would finish the game with four errors, while the Vaqueros had only two. “We didn’t do a good job of putting the ball on the ground,” Warriors head coach Jessica Rapoza said. “We kind of lost focus in this game and were not watching the ball all the way to our gloves.” The Warriors had very little trouble getting on base, but they were not able to execute and put runs up on the board when it mattered most. El Camino finished the game with a total of nine players left on base and Santa Barbara finished with five. “It was just a sloppy game overall,” center fielder Kattya Calderon said. “We made too many errors on defense and
got under the ball a lot. We did not play El Camino softball at all.” The Warriors recorded seven hits in 25 at-bats and zero RBIs in the loss. Santa Barbara finished with four hits in 22 at-bats and three RBIs. Catcher Brigid Antonelli and third baseman Maleigha Quintero produced most of the offense for El Camino. Antonelli and Quintero finished this game with two hits each in three at-bats. Quintero completed the double header with a total of four hits in five at-bats. Softball will travel to Citrus College (0-3) on Feb. 11 and it will conclude its week with a double header against College of the Canyons (3-1) and Fullerton College (2-4) on Feb. 12. “This game was a struggle offensively,” Quintero said. “We just have to learn from it and move on.”
Men’s basketball falters in road loss at L.A. Harbor College With the season is winding down, the Warriors find themselves at 1-4 in the conference Eric Ramos
Sports Editor @ECCUnionEricR
For the second time this season, L.A. Harbor College used its speed and athleticism to run past the Warriors. The Seahawks jumped out in front to a 10-0 lead with just under three minutes into the first half. The Warriors’ offense never got on track as L.A. Harbor College ran away with a 68-45 win on Friday.
“We put ourselves in the hole right off the bat,” coach Robert Uphoff said. He added that it’s hard to bounce back from that, “especially with the tempo we typically play in.” Sophomore guard Dreymon Jones and freshman guard Isiah Armstead scored 14 points a piece in the road loss. The Warriors fall to 4-18 on the season and 1-4 in the South Coast Conference. Up next for El Camino is a road game at Long Beach City College on Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Plagued by a few injuries, inexperience and poor performances, the struggles for the men’s tennis team continue as they get shut out once again, 0-9. But this time the domination comes from the hands of Riverside City College. El Camino men’s tennis falls to 0-3 on the season as Riverside gets its first win on Tuesday. The only player that almost scored a point in singles for the Warriors was sophomore Seth Abram. Unfortunately, he came up short when he lost his sets 4-6, 5-7. Samuel Mung, one of the few consistent players on the team didn’t play due to an elbow injury. Other injured players included Andrew Miyazato and Brandon Tsuha. Miyazato injured his ankle during practice the day before the game. He did play in today’s match, although he aggravated his ankle injury during the game which hurt his performance and he lost 6-0, 6-0 in singles. “It kind of is what it is,” assistant coach Darren Dunn said. “It’s not really an excuse for the result we had today, but we just have to deal with them (injuries) because it usually happens to every team. We just have to monitor them (injured players) and make sure that they don’t make the injuries worse.” With the injuries, improvement can’t be seen for the team just yet, but with just several matches played so far, head coach Steve Van Kanegan can hopefully look forward to the end result. “They have improved in doubles in terms of working together,” he said. “They are communicating more, they’re attacking a little bit more but we’re still getting out hit because of experience. This team (Riverside) is a more experienced team. We lack experience.” Although Angel Takahashi, freshman, is looking for something more simple than experience going forward. “Consistency,” he said. “Just consistency. Also getting the ball in and better shot selections and making the right choices in certain situations.” The men’s tennis team plays today at home against Orange Coast College on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m.
For sports updates follow
@ECCUnion and @ECCUnionSports
on Twitter. Jo Rankin/ Union Warrior’s guard Dreymon Jones (3) charges up-court to look for an open shot. El Camino’s men’s basketball lost to L.A. Harbor College, 68-45, on the Seahawks turf Friday, Feb. 5.
WARRIORS SCHEDULE WOMEN’S TENNIS: Today at Orange Coast 2 p.m.
TRACK AND FIELD: Friday, Feb. 12 at Orange Coast College 10 a.m.
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SOFTBALL: Today at Citrus 2:30 p.m.
BASEBALL: Today at Southwestern 2 p.m.
@ECCUnionPhil @ECCUnionMatthew @ECCUnionJed @ECCUnionEricR
Be sure to check out our returning weekly sports updates.
WARRIORS SCOREBOARD WOMEN’S TENNIS: Warriors 2 Riverside 7 SOFTBALL: Warriors 1, Santa Barbara 4 (Called after six innings)
MEN’S TENNIS: Warriors 3, L.A.Pierce 6 BASEBALL: Warriors 5, Hartnell 7
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