Dec. 7, 2012

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L E N D A L ECC O M M U N I T YCCOLLEGE OLLEGE GGLENDALE OMMUNITY

EL VAQ ONLINE www.elvaq.com

Christmas Parade Shines Through Rain, 8-9.

55%

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Photo by Chantal Bevard

Volume 100, Number 6

Associated Students Elect New Officers

By Chantal Bevard

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

T

he campus will have both new and returning Associated Student vice presidents and senators for the spring semester after students voted on Nov. 27 and 28.

Although the Associated Students invested in a new display board to promote the election and inform voters, only 946 ballots were cast out of more than 15,000 possible voters, compared to the 1,428 ballots that were cast during the spring election.

Taking over for Irene Ismailyan as vice president of administration will be Flora Martirosyan, who is currently a senator of administration.

“It was a very new experience for me,” Martirosyan said. “I met a lot of new friends and I think that’s most important; it’s the experience, the journey, not the winning that counts.”

Martirosyan was the clear winner with 494 votes as her competitor, Vedi Khachatourian, who is currently a senator of campus organizations, received 312 votes.

Darvill Rodriguez will be the next vice president of campus activities, replacing the current representative, Victoria Hagopian. Rodriguez is the current vice president of campus relations.

Rodriguez defeated Crystal Moreira, a senator of campus activities, and Martin Seyoung Jung, who had 257 and 61 votes, respectively.

Charlie Skaf beat out Jackie Tapia, a

L E N D A L ECC O M M U N I T YCCOLLEGE OLLEGE GGLENDALE OMMUNITY

Students Finally See the Light 50%

By Chantal Bevard and Sal Polcino EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITERS

P

olice evacuated the GCC campus Tuesday night shortly after the campus experienced the second power outage in a week.

The lights went off at approximately 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, leaving only the dim glow L EofNemergency D A L Elighting Ofor M M U N I T Y OLLEGE OLLEGE LENDALE OMMUNITY students and faculty to find their way to the exits.

“This problem was particularly difficult to unravel and required calling in two electrical contractors and Glendale Water and Power in addition to our own staff to analyze [the electrical problem],” said Ron Nakasone, vice president of administrative services.

Two electrical contractors and GWP engineers were called in to assist facilities staff and the IT department to Photo by Angel Silva assess the situation.

SHORT CIRCUIT: Manager of maintenance operaLate L Wednesday they E N D Aafternoon L E OMMUNITY O Mtions, MU NPadilla, I T YholdsOLLEGE Oovercurrent L L E Grelay E thatandmalfuncDan the LENDALE discovered an intermittent short in an tioned Tuesday, causing the campus to close. overcurrent relay, a small part in the electrical system. been related to Friday’s blackout, where the main Dan Padilla, manager of junction box, which feeds 12,000 volts to the campus, maintenance and operations, said that arced to the girder and melted a hole through it.

Tuesday’s power outage may have According to Padilla, the overcurrent relays have

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EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

R

Wii U

GIZMOS AND GADGETS: Entertainment and technology top

The only new gaming console out this year, and possibly the last manifestation of a physical game console as we now know it, the Wii U is

a strong attempt to breathe life into the ailing gaming industry.

It boasts a touchscreen controller that doubles as a handheld console as its claim

Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

[See Lights On, page 6]

$349.99 for deluxe 32-gigabyte model.

By Chris Rodd

Features.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10 Arts and Entertainment.. . . . . . 11-12,16

45%

Electronics Top El Vaquero’s Gift Guide

News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

IN THIS ISSUE

had intermittent problems in the past and the surge caused by the shortage on Friday may have caused the relay to fail a few days later.

Finding the failed relay was like finding a needle in a haystack, since there are multiple relays throughout the system.

“We replaced a faulty relay that I believe was also the problem to our power outage that occurred before last spring semester,” Nakasone said. “Last spring, our contractors were never able to identify the cause of the outage and we performed maintenance to our panels and simply brought the system back up.”

Under the direction of Nelson Oliveira, director of facilities, and the combined effort of the contractors and the GWP engineers, power was restored around 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday.

The blackout affected the entire campus, and was especially problematic since finals start on Wednesday, Dec. 12.

“It affected me because I couldn’t get onto Moodle and it delayed my final,” said ESL student Steffi Qian.

www.elvaq.com

unning out of gift ideas for your friends? Figuring out what to nudge your loving family into getting you? Take a peek at El Vaquero’s guide to all the gizmos and gadgets you’ll ever need. At least until the holidays roll around next year.

[See ASGCC page 2]

December 7, 2012

Nikon’s Coolpix S800c

holiday wish list for college students.

to fame. With HD graphics, television integration, and backwards compatibility with Wii games. Price: $299.99 for 8-gigabyte basic model,

A point-and-shoot camera running Android? That’s right, this 16-megapixel, Wi-Fienabled touchscreen camera runs Android 2.3, allowing you to download apps to seamlessly upload and share your pictures across your social networking platforms. Could it get you to ditch your smartphone? Maybe not, but it is an impressive piece of machinery nonetheless.

Price: $349.99 [See Gift Guide, page 12]

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Friday, December 7, 2012

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NEWS

El Vaquero Students Elect Officers for Spring Term EDITOR IN CHIEF Eric Bourse MANAGING EDITOR Angel Silva SPORTS EDITOR John Ferrara STAFF WRITERS Chantal Bevard Jonathan Caballeros Agnessa Kasumyan Rebecca Krueger Sal Polcino Ksenia Rabinovich Chris Rodd

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Allan Beglarian

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jane Pojawa

NEWSROOM MANAGER

Richard Kontas

DESIGN ADVISER

Charles Eastman

FACULTY ADVISER

Michael Moreau

mmoreau@glendale.edu (818) 551-5214 ADVERTISING Jeff Smith jsmith@glendale.edu (818) 240-1000, ext.5493 Send Letters to the Editor El Vaquero accepts story ideas in news, features, profiles, sports and entertainment from the public. To submit an idea or an article, e-mail the editor at elvaquero.editor@gmail.com or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349.

[ASGCC, from page 1]

current senator of campus relations, for vice president of campus relations.

Skaf is involved with the Helping Hands club on campus, but does not have any experience in the student government at Glendale.

“I like to aim high and with my abilities I feel that I can do more for the school,” said Skaff at the ASGCC candidate forum on Nov. 26. He also added that he needed to be involved with the student government so that he can look better on his USC application.

Davit Avagyan, a senator of campus organizations, was elected vice president of campus organizations with 423 votes.

Avagyan was the only candidate after his possible competition, current vice president of organizations, Kevin Dimatulac, had to drop out of the race early on to help support his family. He explained that he had to get a job and that he wouldn’t be able to put as much time as he would like to into his position.

“I believe that if you can’t give 100 percent, then you shouldn’t give any at all,” Dimatulac said.

The Associated Students Legislature will have three new senators of administration: Cameron McGee, Tatiana

LETTERS

Assemblymember Seeks Legislative Suggestions From Assemblymember Mike Gatto:

Member of the Journalism Asssociation of Community Colleges

Letters may be reproduced in full or in part and represent only the point of view of the writer, not the opinion of El Vaquero or Glendale Community College and its district. Letters must be signed and typed and include the full name and address of the writer.

El Vaquero is a First Amendment publication.

EL VAQUERO

1500 N. Verdugo Road Glendale, CA 91208 (818) 240-1000 ext. 5349

elvaquero.editor@gmail.com First copy free Additional copies $.25

Ratavosian and George Karapetyan, who beat out their competition, Nona Hovsepyan. McGee is currently a senator of administration and is heavily involved with ASGCC activities as the resident DJ. Ratavosian and Karapetyan are new to the ASGCC legislature.

John Oganian will return as a senator of finance along with Vahe Sargsyan, current senator of administration, and Sevana Hakopian, current representative Photo by Rachel Melikian of finance.

VOTERS CAST BALLOTS: Arman Maroukyan, president of the Associated Students While the senators of Glendale Community College, checks the student ID of Julia Tarverdova before she votes. of finance are all returning members of the Yeghnazarian and Yerikyan Contreras, a current representative ASGCC legislature, all three received 299 and 243 votes, of campus organizations, is the recently elected senators of respectively. only returning member of the campus activities are new to the Leah Bazik, current legislature. legislature. senator of campus activities; Arman Marukyan will be It was Ariga Moses’ first time Caroline Aghajanian, current returning as president/student running for office. representative of administration; trustee as he was elected to serve “I can’t give any notable and Aram Ter-Oganesyan were for a year during the spring examples of my experience,” said all elected senators of campus semester of 2012.

Moses at the candidate forum. relations.

Moses received 283 votes and All three candidates for senator will join Christina Yeghnazarian of campus organizations, Daniela and Harutyun Harry Yerikyan Contreras, Fred Seo Kim and Chantal Bevard can be reached at as senator of campus activities. Solene Manoukian, were elected. chantal.sophia.bevard@gmail.com

MIKE GATTO: The reelected State

Assemblymember is the chairman of the appropriations committee. He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood. His website is www.asm. ca.gov/gatto.

“There ought to be a law for that!” I try to seek bill ideas from regular Californians, including students. I have gotten some great ideas from sources as varied as local cops, utility ratepayers, and even my father.

For example, my friends in the Glendale Police Department came to me a couple years ago, and asked me to change an unsafe state regulation that forced cities to round up speed limits, if a given street had lots of speeders.

Last year, local utility ratepayers made me aware of an executive branch action that would have resulted in higher utility rates by forcing local utilities to undo their contracts for certain biofuels. And over the holidays last year, my father

came to me with an idea for ensuring that carwashes conserve water — enough water for tens of thousands of households.

This year, I thought I would broaden the net, and write pieces in respected student-run papers like El Vaquero, to let even more people know that my office door, and my mind, are open.

A couple of my colleagues have “There Ought to Be a Law” contests. This is not a contest.

If I receive multiple good ideas, it is possible that there will be multiple “winners.” Because I believe the real winners will be all Californians, when bill ideas come from regular folks and not just the traditional interests that dominate the process.

So unleash your creative spirits, your common-sense ideas, and even your anger. Do you have an idea for improving

California’s business climate or our local quality of life?

Is there a cause of which you are particularly passionate and knowledgeable?

Is there a law or regulation that has been outdated, that you think should be repealed?

I value your opinions.

You can send them to me at: AsmGattoSuggestionBox8@ yahoo.com.

?

What do you think

Send a letter to the editor at:

elvaquero.editor@gmail.com

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Friday, December 7, 2012

3

NEWS

Trustees Dispute Claim of Budget Surplus

By Rebecca Krueger EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

A

n audience of hecklers interrupted decorum at the board of trustees meeting on Nov. 19.

Current and former instructors as well as students took turns questioning the board of trustees’ financial decisions for the first half hour of the meeting.

“I think that the people of the district ought to know through all of these years of deficits, according to your report, that the budget is now $1.7 million dollars in surplus,” said Michael H. Miller, former debate coach and political science adjunct teacher at GCC. The board of trustees were baffled when Miller first spoke of a $1.7 million surplus. The board later stated that there was no surplus. On the contrary, there is still a structural deficit, said Jim Riggs, the interim superintendent/ president of GCC at the Town Hall meeting on Nov. 27.

“Right now my wife and my family are suffering immensely because of the kind of cutbacks that have been made,” said Greg Ross, husband of GCC Spanish professor Celia Simon-Ross.

“I am now addressing Isabelle Saber and I’m asking her if she will begin to act as a union president and negotiate strongly so that my wife and my family no longer suffer now that we have a $1.7 million increase.”

Nakasone also said in an interview that GCC still needs to find a way to make $350,000 in cuts.

Speech teacher Jean Perry brought up another issue.

She said the board agreed to pass a payment totaling $15 million in the month of October, and they hadn’t yet discussed it in front of the public.

Board member Anita Gabrielian responded that she was comfortable with the $15 million spent because she reviewed the information beforehand.

After Perry left the meeting early, the board addressed the issue. It was the second item on the consent calendar. It is a routine expenditure giving an issuance of warrants to payroll, employee benefits, student financial aid and other commercial warrants. Pages 80 to 85 of the board of trustees agenda, for the Nov. 19 meeting, reveal the budget allocation of the

$15 million.

“This is a rather unique month due to the size of the warrants issued are extremely large,” said Nakasone.

Financial aid awards accounted for $7.6 million out of the $15.8 million.

“Over half of our students are receiving the B.O.G. fee waiver and in addition they are getting

financial aid to help them attend college. Payroll is the other major category where we are issuing warrants for.”

Perry was also under the impression that the $15 million was spent in one month and that spending that much every month would result in $180 million per year in expenditures.

“The issue is that they

assume the board of trustees are recklessly spending $15 million every month,” said Riggs during an interview.

Capital construction in the consent calendar results in the money being paid in large increments.

“When someone says, ‘gee you’re spending millions of dollars a month’— it’s not all at

once.”

Ross said that he was unable to find information on payroll and salary for GCC employees on State Controller John Chiang’s website. The website contains wage and benefit data for public employees from 69 districts in California. GCC chose not to [See BOT, page 4]

FALL FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE FALL 20122012 FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12 -WEDNESDAY DECEMBER WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12 -WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19 19 Day Day

7:30-10:00am 10:30am-1:00pm 1:30-4:00pm 4:30-7:00pm 7:30-10:00pm 7:30-10:00pm 7:30-10:00am 10:30am-1:00pm 1:30-4:00pm 4:30-7:00pm All classes that start All classes that All classes that start All classes that All classes that start between 9:10-10:35amAll classes that start start between All classes that start start between between 9:10-10:35am All classes that start All classes that start between 12:20-1:30pm All classes that start between 12:20-1:30pm Wednesday daily, MTWTH, MWF, 5:10-6:45pm between 3:25-5:00pm Wednesday daily, MTWTH, MWF, 5:10-6:45pm W W between 6:55-8:30pm daily, MTWTH, between 3:25-5:00pm between 6:55-8:30pm daily, MTWTH, December or MW.OR MW, MTW, or W only oronly December 12 12MTW,MTW, or MW.OR aW aW anyor any W only.

MWTHF, MWF, MW, MTW, or W on W on only. onlybetween class between MWTHF, MWF, only. afternoon only class only. afternoon MTW, or MW. MTW, or MW. 10:45am – 12:00pm. conflicts.

10:45am – 12:00pm. conflicts.

All classes that start All classes that start All classes that start All classes that start between 3:25-5:00pmAll classes All classes All classes that start All classes that startbetween 3:25-5:00pm that thatAll classes All classes that start that start between 6:30-7:30am TTH or only a TH only start between start betweenbetween Thursday between 6:30-7:30am between 6:55-8:30pm between 10:45- TTH or Thursday a TH between 10:456:55-8:30pm TTH any TH only TTH or anyorTH only classstarts that starts 5:10-6:45pm 5:10-6:45pm December any TH only 12:10am TTH December 13 13 TTH TTH 12:10am TTH or THor TH class that TTH, TTH, or anyorTH only class between class between 7:35- 7:35between or TH only. class. only. between or TH only. only. class.

9:05am.

9:05am.

1:40-3:15pm.

1:40-3:15pm.

All classes that start All classes that start All classes All classes that startAll classes that start All classes that start that start between 1:40-3:15pmAll classes All classes All classes that start between 1:40-3:15pm that thatAll classes that start between 6:30-7:30ambetween between 7:35-9:05am between 6:30-7:30am 7:35-9:05am daily, MTWTH, start between start between at 5:10-6:45pm. at 5:10-6:45pm. or FridayFriday daily, MTWTH, or MTWTH, or 9:10-10:35am or 9:10-10:35am daily, daily, MTWTH, on on December 14 MWF, MW or M 1:40-3:15pm on 6:55-8:30pm Friday December 14 MWF, MW or M 1:40-3:15pm on 6:55-8:30pm Friday MTTHF, MWTHF, MTTHF, MWTHF, FridayFriday only. only. only. only.

FridayFriday only. only. only. only.

MWF, or MW. MWF, or MW. Saturday Assigned class Saturday Assigned class time Assigned Assigned class timeAssigned Assigned class timeAssigned class Assigned class time Assigned class time class time class time Assigned class time December 15 December 15 time time All classes that start All classes that start between 10:45amAll classes that start between All classes that 10:45amAll classes that start All classes that startAll classes that 12:10pm daily, All classes that start between 7:35-9:05am 12:10pm start between All classes All classes that start daily, between 7:35-9:05am start between that start Monday between 3:25-5:00pm Monday between 3:25-5:00pm MTWTH, MWTHF, daily, MTWTH, 5:10-6:45pm between 6:55-8:30pm MTWTH, MWTHF, daily, MTWTH, between 6:55-8:30pm December daily, MTWTH, 5:10-6:45pm December 17 17 MTWF, or daily, MTWTH, TWTHF, MTWTH, MW MWF,MWF, or TWTHF, MWF,MWF, MW, MW, MTWF, MTWTH, MWF,MWF, MW or M. or M. MWF, or M only.

MWF, or M only. or M only. or M only.

MW. MW. or M only. or M only.

All classes that start All classes that start All classes that start All classes that All classes that startAll classes that between 7:35-9:05amAll classes that start All classes that start All classes that start between 7:35-9:05am Tuesday between 12:20-1:30pm start between All classes that start Tuesday between 1:40-3:15pmstart between TTH orT any T onlybetween 12:20-1:30pm between between 6:55-8:30pm 1:40-3:15pm TTH or any only between 6:55-8:30pm December only, 5:10-6:45pm T December 18 18 TTH, TTH, T only,T or anyor any 5:10-6:45pm T on TTH or a T only. class between 6:35T class between 6:35T only. only. morning conflicts. on TTH or a T only. only. only. morning conflicts.

7:45am.

7:45am.

Make-Up Make-Up Make-Up Final Final Make-Up Final Final All classes that startMake-Up All classes that start Make-Up Final Exam Exam Exam All classes that start All classes that start Final Exam Exam Exam Wednesday Wednesday between 9:10-10:35am (Prior approval by the between 1:40-3:15pm (Prior approval by (Prior approval between 9:10-10:35am (Prior approval by the between 1:40-3:15pm (Prior approval by (Prior approval by by December December 19 19 TTH TH only. instructor instructor is necessary) on W on W only. the instructor is the instructor the instructor is TTH or THor only. is necessary) only. the instructor is is necessary) necessary) necessary) necessary)

• • •

• The above Exam Schedule pertains to only 16 13 andweek 13 week classes.

The above FinalFinal Exam Schedule pertains to only 16 and classes. nd nd 8 week you should be aware you continue will continue to meet you enrolled are enrolled classclass you should be aware that that you will to meet If• youIf are in a 2innda62or 62ndor82week during regular day(s) and time(s) during the Final during youryour regular day(s) and time(s) during the Final ExamExam week.week.

• Math For Math and Math 146 classes a common on Tuesday, For 101, 101, MathMath 120, 120, MathMath 141, 141, and Math 146 classes therethere will will be a be common finalfinal held held on Tuesday, December 18, 2012 4:30-7:00 December 18, 2012 fromfrom 4:30-7:00 pm. pm.

Final Exam Schedule above undergo some minor adjustments.

TheThe Final Exam Schedule above maymay undergo some minor adjustments.

ForFor the the mostmost up-to-date information on the Final Exam Schedule please check website up-to-date information on the Final Exam Schedule please check the the website at at http://www.glendale.edu/index.aspx?page=2595. http://www.glendale.edu/index.aspx?page=2595.

http://www.glendale.edu/index.aspx?page=2595.

4

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

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NEWS

Board of Trustees Meeting Becomes Heated [BOT, from page 3] report on accountability and transparency information.

“Nakasone said that he could not post this information because it was too expensive to do so,” said the speaker. “They [the chancellor’s office] indicated that the cost of so doing this would be minimal at best,” said Ross.

The website doesn’t have salary or wage information relating to specific job titles and GCC was not under the list of schools that chose not to submit data.

“There was an optional filing, it was not required, and it was going to take a lot of staff time to file it,” said Riggs in an interview.

“The issue was not to spend staff time there but that staff time was better spent elsewhere and thats all I know about it.”

“We put in our final budget documents for the permanent employees and how much they make so, it’s not like we are trying to hide anything,” said Nakasone.

“We didn’t do it because we didn’t have the time to do it, but we are planning on doing it next year.”

Miller breached decorum when he spoke out of turn and began berating the board of trustees. Miller said he believed that the board meetings were

supposed to be conducted by parliamentary procedure, and attempted to use the Brown Act for his reasoning.

“The Brown Act is designed to assure that members of the public have the opportunity to see what their elected officials are doing.

Members of the public are not participants in the board meeting in the sense of a parliamentary procedure, the parliamentary procedure applies to the members of the board,” said the board of trustees attorney Sally Holmes, later in the meeting.

“We don’t work for you,” said Miller. “You are public employees and public officials who work for the public, and once we get away with the idea that the president is your personal employee then this college will have a real problem getting off onto the right foot. I see us running back into the same old stone walling and the same old system.”

Miller excused himself. The other speakers left soon after, except for student Sammy Brandon.

Brandon attempted to question the board and interrupted on multiple separate occasions throughout the meeting. When the board refused to answer his questions during the meeting but told him that they would try to answer him in a private conference

with Riggs, or any other board members, he demanded to make an appointment with them at that exact moment.

The board explained that they could not make an appointment with him while their meeting was in session, only to be asked two more times during the meeting for an appointment to be made right then and there.

“We are here and we are accountable to you. That’s why we are here and we are serving you. In order to do this we get together, we have a born agenda, we have business to conduct and we have two places in the public meeting where the public has an opportunity to speak. We want to listen to you, but at this point we are conducting very important college business,” said Gabriellian.

The interruptions stopped when the board began discussing resolutions. At the end of the meeting, after the board finished their regular procedure, some board members and representatives of the Academic Senate and the Guild redirected their attention back toward Brandon and the other public speakers.

“Its really kind of distressing and sad to see what’s become of board meetings,” said John Queen, political science teacher

and former academic senate president.

“I was never under the impression that the audience had the right to interrogate the board and I believe that some members of the audience are under that assumption.”

Isabelle Saber, GCC’s guild president, seemed especially offended by the lack of respect from audience members to the board.

“I grew up in a country where freedom was not a given,” said Saber. “For people to take advantage of that and abuse that power and taking that and creating this kind of environment, being so interruptive, so accusatory, without really understanding what’s going on is really shameful.”

In a scheduled presentation, Edward Karpp, associate dean of institutional research and planning, presented GCC’s annual Statewide Accountability Report for 2012. This report includes percentage rates for eight different measures in comparison to other community colleges in the state, district and peer group.

The first measure was the student progress and achievement rate that looks at students that have a “ behavioral intent to complete by taking certain courses,” said Karpp. GCC was

ranked 15 out of more than 100 schools statewide, sixth out the peer group with 62 percent.

The other measures were: students that are taking 30 or more units per year, successful vocational course completion, basic skills and course completion, english as a second language (ESL) and basic skills improvement rate, career development, and college preparation progress and achievement.

GCC was above the state average for all of the measures, and was always ranked highly in peer groups and in the district.

Eric Bourse, editor-in-chief of El Vaquero, presented a powerpoint created by Jane Pojawa, editor-in-chief of the Insider, the student magazine, on the history of El Vaquero.

The board congratulated the journalism department on a stellar year marked by 32 awards in state and local competition and a cumlative total of 51 awards for the Insider over its 5-year history.

Eva Conrad, search consultant of Community College Search Services, made a special presentation to the board that reviewed the timeline to find a new President for GCC.

Rebecca Krueger can be reached at rkruege490@student.glendale.edu

OPINION

Youth Vote Deciding Factor in November’s Elections

By Sal Polcino

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

“W

e can change the world” was a slogan taken up by the youth movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. This turned out to be true as nationwide protests by student activists helped convince politicians to end the war in Vietnam and to take an introspective look at government, culminating in the impeachment and resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Even before 18 to 21-year-olds were allowed to vote, the voice of youth was heard loud and clear, perhaps for the first time in U.S. history.

A new and promising trend in young voter awareness began in 2004 when 50 percent of young voters went to the polls.

Unfortunately, the terrorist attacks

on Sept.11 2001 and the ongoing war in Iraq, frightened many of the older voting public enough to keep the Bush administration in office.

In 2008, with another unpopular president and two unpopular wars,history seemed to be repeating itself. Once again, the youth of America rallied around a call for change but this time they opted to exercise their right to vote and change the system from within.

This year young people came to the polls in record numbers.

According to a study conducted by the Center for Research and Information on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, nearly half of all eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 29 voted and about 67 percent of those votes went to President Obama.

The youth vote has become a powerful bloc and cannot be ignored. The study said over 22 million young people voted in the 2012 election. This was a recordbreaking turnout.

Before late 1971, males over the age of 18 were being drafted and shipped out to what was considered an unwinnable war in a strange land but were not yet allowed to vote. In frustration, many took to the streets in protest.

In cities all over the nation, police responded in riot gear with batons and tear gas.

The country was torn apart until more liberal politicians saw the light and began to put pressure on Nixon to end the war.

Radical groups were arrested or disbanded and the country sighed with collective relief. Youth felt they had won a huge battle and the movement simmered down.

In July of 1971, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, changing the minimum voting age to 18.

Despite this change, Richard Nixon was re-elected in 1972, to much dismay. Shortly after, he was accused of cheating in his campaign by wire-tapping opponents at the Watergate Hotel.

After Nixon’s impeachment, Gerald Ford inherited the office so the first election that really was affected by the youth vote was in 1976, when Jimmy Carter was elected. More than half of voters 18 to 25 voted for Carter.

Since then, the percentage of young voter turnout has fluctuated, usually in the 40 percent range but dipping as low as 34 percent in 1982. This may have been complacency.

The “Me” generation of consumerism and personal

introspection in the prosperous 1980s, where real estate could be acquired cheaply and the job market and the economy prospered. The Berlin Wall came down and Russia was no longer a threat. Voter turnout in general was low.

Next there was the tuned-out “Generation X” of the 1990s, where apathy was the rule of the day and fantasy games became popular, spilling over into real life with Goths and Emos. Young people were disillusioned and uninformed.

Television and newspapers were the principal sources of information in the late 1960s.

America was deluged with photographs depicting the atrocities of war. Photographs of naked children, limbs horribly [See Youth Vote, page 5]

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Friday, December 7, 2012

5

FEATURES

Homeless Program Seeks Volunteers for Census

By Sal Polcino

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

C

alifornia’s economy may be on the rise but homelessness is still a major problem throughout the state and the rest of the country.

Nationally, 21 out of 10,000 people suffer homelessness, but according to a report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, America’s homeless population has been reduced by 1 percent since 2009, despite a sagging economy and a rise in unemployment.

In Glendale, homelessness was down by 25 percent, from 412 in 2011 to 299 in 2012.

GCC alumna Ivet Samvelyan, the city of Glendale’s Homeless Programs Supervisor, said much of this is due to funding received by the Department of Housing

and Urban Development.

Samvelyan said Glendale receives between $2.5 million and $2.8 million annually. This funding helps set up emergency shelters, transitional housing and outreach programs that help those in need to eventually find permanent housing. There are also programs to teach basic health care, job training and job search, veterans services, homelessness prevention and mental health services.

Many of these services are also funded privately. Ascencia, at 437 Fernando Court in Glendale, provides help with housing, emergency shelter, health and mental health services as well as case management.

They are Glendale Community Service’s lead outreach program.

The Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army, the YWCA and

OPINION

Vote for Change [Youth Vote from page 4] burnt from napalm or missing limbs from American bombings were published in major newspapers and magazines. The youth of America were horrified.

With the voting age still at 21 and a lack of faith in government, young people felt they could only be heard through physical protest.

In the 21st Century, those media sources were joined by the convenience and popularity of the Internet where anyone with

a computer can report or pass on stories and photos with the touch of a button. Organizations such as Rock the Vote encourage young people to register to vote and keep them informed with massive email campaigns and social media.

Knowledge is power and there is also power in numbers.

Young people are more informed and once again moving towards change. Afterall, it is they who will inherit the earth.

Sal Polcino can be reached at apolcin587@student.glendale.edu

Write for El Vaquero or the Insider this Spring Glendale’s journalism department

invites you to our open house Tuesday, Dec. 11, 12:30-1:30 Refreshments provided Located in SG 140, under the San Gabriel footbridge

For information contact us at: elvaquero.editor@gmail.com or (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349

the Glendale Free Clinic have offices to provide assistance in Glendale.

The competition for funding begins again in January, when communities nationwide must take a census of their homeless population called a “Point-InTime” count. H.U.D. requires that this count be completed in one 24 hour period to establish how many people are without homes on any given night.

Glendale’s Continuum of Care program is seeking volunteers to assist in its upcoming 2013 census.

The point-in-time count must be accomplished in one day.

Besides looking in the obvious places such as shelters, twoperson teams, accompanied by a safety officer, will walk and drive through the entire city looking for homeless people and conducting a survey which helps to establish demographics important to servicing their needs.

The census is a difficult process and the one-day restriction sometimes causes problems. Samvelyan said, “If

I know a [certain] client and he can’t be found that day, he doesn’t get counted.” The count also produces an occasional duplication that must be caught during the data entry phase. Still, the National Alliance to End Homelessness believes the pointin-time count to be the most accurate measure available.

The next point-in-time count will be taken on Jan. 30, 2013.

Volunteers will be asked to attend a one day training program on Jan. 20, 2013 at 10 a.m. at 141 N. Glendale Ave., Room 202, Glendale, Perkins Community Room 118. Volunteers may also be asked to return for a few days after the count to enter additional content . The census is only one of the criteria used to compete for funds.

Glendale established a Continuum of Care program to provide services and housing for the homeless. Nationwide Continua were implemented in 1995 by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which requires

communities to submit only one application for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants. This is a highly competitive process and involves high standards to participate.

According to the H.U.D. website, Continua of Care must provide: outreach, intake, and assessment in order to identify service and housing needs and provide a link to the appropriate level of both; emergency shelter to provide an immediate and safe alternative to sleeping on the streets, especially for homeless families with children; transitional housing with supportive services to allow for the development of skills that will be needed once permanently housed and; permanent and permanent supportive housing to provide individuals and families with an affordable place to live with services if needed.

[See Homeless, page 6]

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www.elvaq.com

FEATURES

New Law Could Change Porn Industry Volunteers Needed

By Chris Rodd

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

I

t goes without saying that porn actors face unique workplace safety issues. For Derrick Burts, who was a porn actor for four months “an average career length,” said Burts, the hazards of the industry will now follow him for the rest of his life.

Despite the monthly STD testing required by his production company, he contracted syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes and HIV. “The only thing they had was monthly testing, and testing doesn’t do the trick,” said Burts.

“The industry says that testing is safety, but anyone with half a brain can figure out that 30 days is too long.”

It’s situations like the one Burts faced in his time in the adult entertainment industry that Measure B seeks to address.

Measure B, which passed in the Nov. 2012 election with

56 percent of the vote, is a Los Angeles County law that requires the use of condoms in pornographic films depicting penetrative sex. The measure also requires porn producers to purchase a health permit from the county, and authorizes officials to do spot inspections to assure compliance.

This is significant to the American porn industry as a whole, as at least 90 percent of pornographic films in the United States are either filmed or produced in Los Angeles, mostly in areas of the San Fernando Valley such as Chatsworth, according to Adult Video News, a trade magazine for the adult industry.

The measure was sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (ADF), the world’s largest AIDS organization. For them, such regulations are necessary to guard the health of porn actors.

“No one [at AHF] is against

porn, but just because you’re a legal industry, that doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you want,” said Mark McGrath, a public health consultant for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and one of the official proponents of the ballot measure.

Those in the industry, however, say the law will interfere with the type of porn consumers prefer, and drive business away from Los Angeles, according to the “No on B” website. It also mentions that porn sales dropped 30 percent after production companies briefly instituted a self-imposed condoms-only regulation in 1998, when the first known case of HIV infection in the adult industry was discovered.

The law faces a number of challenges in order for it [See Measure B, page 7]

[Homeless, from page 5] The rules are complicated and confusing, but Samvelyan said Glendale has done very well meeting the criteria for these grants.

In comparison, Samvelyan said Pasadena reported around 1,000 homeless in 2012 to Glendale’s 299, yet Pasadena receives approximately the same amount of federal funding.

Glendale has an overall population of 191,719 as of the 2010 census.

Anyone interested in helping with the Point-in-Time count may

contact: Ivet Samvelyan at (818) 548-3720 or email isamvelyan@ ci.glendale.ca.us.

Glendale’s Community Outreach is also seeking volunteers for their Homeless/ Senior Connect Day on Dec. 13 which will be held at the Glendale Armory, 220 E. Colorado St. from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. This will raise money for non-profit and government services. Volunteers may contact Elizabeth Tismeer at info@Ascensia.org or call (818) 409-0506.

Sal Polcino can be reached at apolcin587@student.glendale.edu

NEWS

Second Power Outage in a Week Disrupts Classes [Lights On, from page 1] Tuesday’s night classes along with all classes on Wednesday, were cancelled, causing students and teachers to worry about the upcoming classes and finals.

“We explored a lot of different options and there were no good solutions,” Mary Mirch, vice president of instructional services said. “There will be no rescheduling of classes.”

Wednesday was the last day of instruction before finals for the once-a-week Wednesday night classes, causing multiple problems for both students and teachers.

“I need to compose a new final exam schedule since the students missed an entire lecture,” said Louise Ghandi, a professor who teaches a history 117 class on Wednesday nights.

Aside from once-a-weekclasses, other class finals were affected as well.

“Our main concern was our English 120 classes because they take a common final and need to have the packet ahead of time,” Monette Tiernan, English division chair said. “We decided to cancel the common final, but every class will have a final, just individual finals.” She went on to explain that many teachers are extending their office hours and holding mini-Moodle classes to try to accommodate students.

The English 191 classes also have a common final, but this final will

continue as scheduled.

Although the intermediate algebra classes traditionally have a common final too, this final was not affected. Irina Shumakova, the administrative assistant for math division chair, Kathy Holmes, said that the common math final for Math 101 will continue as scheduled. “We’re ready to go,” Shumakova said.

The outage caused Glendale’s website to go down as well as Moodle, so each department and individual professors are dealing with the aftermath of the power outage in their own way.

“We have become more and more reliant on Moodle and the inability to grade papers [while the power was out] has been a problem,” Richard Kamei, Sociology department chair said.

“Each professor is dealing with it in their own by communicating with students through the email system or Moodle. Hopefully there will be some leniency for the students, because it [the power outage] wasn’t their fault.”

Due to the surprise power outage, El Vaquero was also affected. El Vaquero could not send the paper to the printer in its usual Tuesday night time slot since the computers shut down mid-production, and therefore is publishing today.

Chantal Bevard can be reached at chantal.sophia.bevard@gmail.com Sal Polcino can be reached at apolcin587@student.glendale.edu

www.elvaq.com

Friday, December 7, 2012

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FEATURES

Female Veteran Succeeds at Glendale

By Chantal Bevard

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

S

he may blend in with other students at Glendale Community College, but she is far from the average college woman.

Between starting life in the Philippines, partially raised in Thailand, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and South Korea and giving back to her community, Kristel Vear has led an exciting and interesting life and those close to her believe that she will go far.

“Any goal that Kristel sets for herself, I believe she will achieve it,” said Charles Shumate, GCC Veterans Association adviser.

Vear was born in Manila, the Philippines on March 3, 1984 to a Filipino mother and a Caucasian father from Chicago. She moved to Northern California at age 2, left the US for Bangkok, Thailand at age 7 and returned to the states to Scarsdale, N.Y. her junior year of high school. That’s where her life started to change.

The future Army sergeant’s father took a sabbatical from his job at a private school (where she

was attending) and did not want to homeschool his daughter, so Vear moved to Scarsdale with her aunt and uncle to attend school there.

She was living in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. Her aunt and uncle both worked in downtown Manhattan. Her uncle had a meeting that morning at a building near the north World Trade Center tower and saw it fall. Fortunately, neither were injured by the attack and Vear was at school, uninjured.

“I think Sept. 11 hit close to home,” Vear said. Many of her friends had family that either worked downtown or in the World Trade Center itself.

Although the terrorist attack helped influence her to join the Army, it was her high school’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program that made her want to serve her country.

She joined the program on a whim. “I needed an elective in high school,” Vear said. “And I didn’t want to do gym.”

The program ended up influencing Vear so much that she enlisted in the army at the beginning of her senior year

Measure B [Porn, from page 6] to fully go into effect. Adult entertainment companies are planning to sue Los Angeles County to block the law. If that ultimately fails, numerous production companies have openly discussed moving elsewhere, either to more sympathetic areas of California or out of the state altogether.

By most estimates, porn is a multibillion dollar industry, and employs 10,000 people in Los Angeles County, including performers, production crew, and other related jobs.

In addition, a number of cities in Los Angeles County, such as Vernon, Pasadena, and Long Beach, have their own health departments that can enforce the new law at their own discretion.

Pasadena city spokesperson William Boyer said his city will not be enforcing the requirement.

Despite these obstacles, AHF seeks to expand its effort statewide. A number of strategies are being considered, including a statewide ballot measure

or petitioning the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to regulate the industry to ensure worker’s safety.

“Despite how loud they are and opposed they are, this is a minimal standard of safety. It’s not outrageous to require condoms on set; it’s not outrageous to require a clean set,”said McGrath.

For Burts, who has become a porn regulation activist, his hopes are that the new regulations increase safety for porn performers. “[The risk] is very real and this can happen to you and once it does, there’s no going back,” said Burts.

Repeated calls to Vivid and Wicked Entertainment, two of California’s largest porn producers, and the Free Speech Coalition, a trade organization for the adult entertainment industry, were not answered by press time.

Chris Rodd can be reached at drodd857@student.glendale.edu

at Ramona High School in Riverside, Calif. in September of 2002, after she had moved back to California with her father.

Two months after she graduated in 2003, she left for basic training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. After basic training, she went to advanced individual training at Fort Lee in Virginia to learn how to be an Automated Logistical Specialist, primarily responsible for supervising and performing management or warehouse functions so that everything runs smoothly. After leaving advanced individual training, Vear headed to her first duty station in Hawaii.

“I had a rollercoaster experience there,” Vear said.

“You know you’re still young, straight out of high school and you’re an adult now, this is your job.”

Only a couple months later, in 2004, the new army private left Hawaii to serve in Afghanistan.

“I didn’t get to go home [in Riverside] before I left and it was hard because they want you to have a will before you go.”

Though most people don’t even begin to think about making a will until after they are well into their 40s, Vear had to write one before she was 21.

“I knew when I enlisted that I signed up during wartime and I knew there was a chance that I could deploy and I wasn’t worried about it, I was ready to do my duty,” Vear said. However she also added, “I left for Afghanistan and it was scary.”

“I didn’t know what to expect, I really didn’t. It was intense for a little bit when we got there.”

Vear explained that when her company arrived in Bagram, Afghanistan, they lived in what were basically plywood shacks at the foot of a mountain. “It was beautiful, especially when it snowed, but it was so cold,” Vear said. “It was very surreal to be in a horrible place and look up at the snow-capped mountain and it was beautiful.”

“A couple weeks later we got mortared, we got rocketed, and that was scary,” Vear said. “Then after awhile you just get used to it. After awhile instead of being in the bunkers, we were on top of the bunkers in a lawn chair going, ‘Hey, I bet you its going to land there or I bet you it’s going to land over there.’ It’s crazy, you get desensitized.”

Although the 5-foot tall

Courtesy of Kristel Vear

ARMY OF ONE: Kristel Vear, a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, is now studying to be a registered health information technology specialist.

Automated Logistical Specialist saw heavy combat in Afghanistan, she also had much time to herself.

“Being deployed, you have a lot of time to think,” she said. “You think about all this crazy stuff when you have time to yourself.

I don’t know about other people, but I picked apart my life a little bit.”

Vear explained that while in Afghanistan she had a couple close calls.

In the United States, a car approaching another car from behind usually isn’t a big deal, but in Afghanistan it can be a life or death situation.

Vear, along with other members from her company, had to go to a weapons range which was not on base. She explained that to get to the range they had to drive through an area that was “kind of secured.”

While in the last vehicle of the convoy, she noticed that a man was driving close to their convoy.

At first, her sergeant did not think it was a big deal, but Vear knew they had to be cautious.

As the car accelerated closer, her warnings were taken seriously and she was ordered to swing her rifle off the side of the vehicle to show force. However, the car continued to approach. Vear was then ordered to “light him up” if he got close enough to hit their vehicle. Luckily for the company, and for the man, he swerved away

right before he got too close.

Vear said that another close call involved her being shot at while in a helicopter.

While in the war zone, she was put in situations where her life was at risk.

Fortunately, she survived all of the close calls and returned to Hawaii in May 2005.

Although she suffered a streak of bad luck on the day she was supposed to see the specialist promotion board, she was promoted from private to specialist soon after she came back to Hawaii.

Vear’s military career was not over yet. In July 2006, she left Hawaii to serve in Iraq.

“That was interesting because it is a completely different place than Afghanistan—but believe me, it gets cold there too,” Vear said.

When she arrived in the Middle East for a second time, it was anything but cold. “When I stepped off the plane in Kuwait it was like a hair dryer beating down on me,” Vear said.

Although she didn’t see much action in Iraq, the specialist said that the rules were much more strict than in Afghanistan. The lack of action and the stricter rules were not the only differences between Iraq and Afghanistan.

[See Vear, page 10]

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www.elvaq.com

Community’s Holiday Spirit Merry and Bright Despite Rain

Photos by Chantal Bevard

By Rebecca Krueger EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

R

ain did not stop the 36th annual Montrose Christmas Parade on Dec. 1.

The parade started in the Honolulu and Rosemont Avenue intersection and had more than 150 supporters. The assortment of supporters ranged from GCC and Glendale Water and Power to Crescenta Valley Weekly and several local businesses.

The cars and streets were decorated with Christmas lights and tinsel as middle school and high school bands from all over the district played Christmas songs and cheerleading

squads performed different routines. Children sang and danced in the rain along with their chaperons.

Larger local commercial business joined in.

Trader Joe’s employees pushed shopping carts filled with boxes of food down the slippery road, encouraging the crowd to liven up despite the tiring weather.

The Robotics Team from St. Francis High School showed its first working robot. The robot, also decorated in Christmas lights, was rolled down the streets, throwing toilet paper at the tailing club members.

Other Crescenta Valley High School clubs joined in with a bike club that rode in two symmetrical ovals down the road and miniature motorcycles

decorated with vibrant lights that drove down the street.

Soaked parade participants would join their friends and family on the sideline.

The best was saved for last. Santa drove by atop a fire truck from the Glendale Fire Department and all the kids in the audience erupted into cheers and told Santa what they wanted for Christmas.

Watching all of the participants smile, sing and dance despite the cold rain brought a therapeutic energy to the crowd that stayed to watch their neighbors, family and friends march in the Montrose Christmas Parade.

Rebecca Krueger can be reached at rkruege490@student.glendale.edu

HOLIDAY SPIRIT: (From left to right) Santa Claus waves to an adoring crowd from a Glendale Fire Department fire engine, a Mark Keppel Elementary Drill Team

member shows her holiday spirit by sporting a Santa hat and a lollipop, a rhinestone cowgirl dances her way down the route, event staff lead the way for the parade, Glendale Water and Power employees light up the parade, ASGCC and GCC sports teams endure the rain to show their support,Glendale Community College cheer and dance preform acrobatics down the parade route.

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FEATURES

Sergeant Co-Founds Campus Club for Veterans [Vear, from page 7] “It was insane. In Afghanistan we were locked and loaded, we had two magazines, a full combat load,” Vear said. She went on to explain that in Iraq, during the mandated physical training, they had a spotlight on them. “If you did that in Afghanistan, we would have been dead, so a lot of us were freaking out [on the first day of training],” Vear said.

“Another messed up thing was that in Afghanistan, I had a flak vest, but they did not have plates for me,” Vear said. “So the flak vest is kind of useless without plates.”

Although Vear had a nonfunctioning vest in Afghanistan, where she saw combat, Iraq was different this way, too. “In Iraq, I got a vest, got combat plates, but we were not locked and loaded. We only had one magazine. It was a little different.”

Vear stayed in Iraq longer than she expected. While her company was packing to return to the states, they were notified that their deployment was extended for another three months. She

finally returned to Hawaii in September 2007.

Much like her break between Afghanistan and Iraq, she was only in the states for a little while until she served in South Korea in February 2008.

Vear said that the group she was with in South Korea was one of the best she had ever worked with because they worked well together. After serving a year, she returned to the states in February 2009.

When she returned, Vear was sent to Colorado Springs, Colo.

Although she spent about three years in Colorado Springs, she didn’t have many positives to say about the base.

Despite her negative experiences in Colorado, Vear was promoted from specialist to sergeant right before she was discharged in January 2011.

Vear now lives with her father, stepmother and a Boston Terrier named Jack.

One of Vear’s closest friends, Thomas Korth, who met her at basic training, said that she has definitely changed after serving in the military. “Of course she changed, anyone would have

changed,” Korth said. “I served one tour in Iraq and I came back a completely different person. Your outlook on life changes.”

If Vear’s outlook on life has changed, it has certainly made her more determined.

“My life right now is pretty busy, pretty hectic,” Vear said, and she wasn’t exaggerating.

Vear goes to school Monday through Thursday, volunteers at St. Joseph’s Hospital every Friday and has school again on Saturdays.

Vear has begun to return to civilian life by staying busy. “The thing is she’s active, and I think what happens with a lot of vets that come into the educational systems after they come back from such tough situations like that, tend to shut themselves off from the community and everyone else, they just want to go unnoticed and unrecognized,” Shumate said. “But Kristel has an agenda and wants to get out there and she wants to do it.”

Vear has also become a leader in more ways than one.

In addition to helping found the GCC Veterans Association, she is the vice president of the club

and is currently the only female member.

“I think that’s why she wanted to start this veterans club and being the vice president of it, especially being a woman and being in charge of that shows other women vets that they can come out and expose themselves as vets also,” Shumate said.

Korth, who is the president and started the veterans club at Lindenwood University in Missouri, said that Vear always puts other veterans before herself.

“She has a big heart,” Korth said.

The GCC Veterans Association vice president is on track to

become a registered health information technology specialist and hopes to work at a civilian, military or veteran hospital.

Vear also hopes to eventually move to Texas where she can buy some land, build a house and raise a family.

One thing about the former army sergeant is clear: the people around her support her and are confident she will be successful in life.

Korth said that Vear “has the world at her hands right now.”

Chantal Bevard can be reached at chantal.sophia.bevard@gmail.com

Spotlight on Past ASGCC Presidents: Victor Castellanos

By Angel Silva

EL VAQUERO MANAGING EDITOR

The following is the second of a series of articles on previous ASGCC presidents employed on campus. Featured in this issue is program specialist Victor Castellanos, who was ASGCC president from 2000-2001.

F

or program specialist Victor Castellanos, being ASGCC president involved several new changes to the college and a great deal of political action.

“There were a lot of firsts for that year that I’m very proud of,” said Castellanos.

One of the main highlights of Castellanos’ presidency was the opening of the J. Walter Smith Student Center in late 2000, which became the permanent ASGCC headquarters as well as a place for clubs to congregate.

“For a couple of years previous to that the legislature was kind of living off surrogate homes. We had the old campus center that used to be part of the first floor if what is now the Sierra Madre building, and from there we were relocated to trailer type bungalows like the San Fernando complex,” said Castellanos.

According to Castellanos, in 2000 GCC created a time capsule scheduled to be opened in 2025, with objects from the era placed in it as well as a letter written

by Castellanos addressed to the future students of the college.

“It’s definitely in front of the Administration building somewhere,” said Castellanos.

“If the building is modified or something, we’re going to find a steel case with quite a few things of our time. It was a ‘start of the millennium’ type of thing.”

Other firsts included the introduction of the Most Outstanding Club Award and the creation of the ASGCC website.

Under Castellanos, the student population was involved in political actions, similar to the recent push for voter registration and information prior to the election.

“In 2000 there were a lot of propositions and state initiatives at that time, we were involved with a lot of the phone banking and getting the students pumped about registering to vote – a lot of things that you see today,” said Castellanos. “We were very, very involved.”

He was the first to visit Sacramento with faculty to lobby for educational issues, an activity that continues to this day.

“They were up there to discuss their own issues, and [ASGCC members] went along to advocate on those issues and of course issues that we thought were important to ourselves,” said Castellanos.

The trip to Sacramento inspired Castellanos to move out of his comfort zone.

[See ASGCC, page 13]

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ARTS AND ENTERTANMENT REVIEWS

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‘Hitchcock’ Brings ‘Psycho’ Back

By Chantal Bevard

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

“H

itchcock” is about one of the most famous directors, Alfred Hitchcock, and the drama that engulfed the making of “Psycho,” perhaps his best-known film.

Many critics complain that “Hitchcock” is not entirely historically accurate, it is a fiction movie, and should be seen as just that.

The movie is based on Stephen Rebello’s non-fiction book, “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of ‘Psycho’(1960). ” The original movie is a suspense/ horror film, directed by Hitchcock and based on Robert Bloch’s book.

While “Hitchcock” is centered on the difficulties involved in the making of the iconic film, it also sheds light on the relationship between Hitchcock, played by Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins (“Silence of the Lambs” 1991) and his wife, Alma Reville, played by Helen Mirren, also an Oscar winner (“The Queen” 2006), and how his borderline obsession with his leading ladies endangered that relationship.

The film includes few scenes from “Psycho,” but the infamous shower scene is featured. The film focuses more on what happened behind the scenes and in Hitchcock’s life at the time of filming, rather than the film itself.

“Hitchcock” is director Sasha Gervasi’s narrative debut and on top of that pressure, was the pressure of directing a movie about one of the greatest directors of all time. However, what some may see as a mistake, his embellishment of many details creates an exciting movie.

The theme is that behind every great man there is a great woman.

Mirren plays that great woman as Reville and characterizes her as a strong woman who played a significant part in Hitchcock’s life and works.

Mirren delivers yet again, as audiences connect with Reville and understand what she is feeling. The film may be criticized for its embellishments, but the acting is nothing to sneeze at.

Through the magic of a fat suit and prosthetics, Hopkins is transformed into someone resembling Hitchcock without being a carbon copy of the original. Hopkins sounds like

“PSYCHO” IS BACK: Anthony Hopkins (Alfred Hitchcock) and Helen Mirren (Alma Reville) star in “Hitchcock.”

The film follows the production of one of the most celebrated horror films of all time, “Psycho.”

Hitchcock, almost perfects his distinctive walk and is an effective Hitchcock, if the film is viewed as fiction.

“Hitchcock” portrays the legendary director as a bit of a psycho himself. Throughout the movie, Hitchcock has hallucinations of Ed Gein, (Michael Wincott, “What Just Happened” 2008), the serial killer who inspired “Psycho,” and the character Norman Bates.

James D’Arcy (“Cloud Atlas” 2012) plays an excellent Anthony Perkins (who played Norman Bates in “Psycho”) and has an uncanny resemblance to Bates.

“Hitchcock” also features the type of relationship Hitchcock had with Janet Leigh, played

by Scarlett Johansson (“The Avengers” 2012), and Vera Miles, played by Jessica Biel (“Total Recall” 2012), the two leading actresses in “Psycho.”

Holiday Movie Favorites Bear Repeating

By Agnessa Kasumyan EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

F

inally, the season to watch Christmas movies with warm sweaters, hot chocolate and holiday cookies is here.

Although not everyone is a fan of sappy films about finding love or good cheer, holiday movies have the ability to warm the icicles around even the bitterest person’s cynically entombed heart and make us forget all the politics, work and school that tend to put us in a less than pleasant mood.

“Love, Actually” (2003) has to be a favorite holiday movie.

The British film features Academy Award-winner Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech,” 2010), and Academy Award nominees Liam Neeson (“Taken

2,” 2012), Keira Knightley (“Anna Karenina” 2012 ), and British heartthrob Hugh Grant (“Four Weddings and a Funeral,” 1994), among many others.

The movie incorporates several storylines involving different characters, which is a nice change from the usual single plots that tend to revolve around the same person and a cliché theme.

The beauty of this film — aside from the British accents and Hugh Grant — is that though it’s based on finding true love or reconciling with old ones, a common holiday motif, it’s not cheesy because the plotlines go beyond the sentimentality factor.

The screenwriter, Richard Curtis (“Pirate Radio” 2009), didn’t go out of his way to make grand, unrealistic finales that leave

the audience thinking “Too bad that doesn’t happen in real life,” though there are plenty of those guilty-pleasure scenes as well.

For example, Alan Rickman’s character (Snape, for all you “Harry Potter” fans out there) is a middle-aged man named Harry who is married to Karen, played

by Emma Thompson (“Men In Black 3,” 2012), a quirky but loving woman.

Despite his pleasant, though ordinary, life Harry has begun to respond to the heavy flirtations of his secretary Mia. With eight other heartwarming and slightly eccentric subplots, this is one film that won’t leave the audience bored, bitter, or with unrealistic expectations, except for maybe Grant, who plays a Prime Minister besotted with his

secretary.

Another holiday classic is “Scrooged” a 1988 modern telling of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Bill Murray (“Moonrise Kingdom” 2012) plays Frank Cross, a fairly cross—pun intended — and disillusioned television marketing executive who has quite literally lost the spirit of Christmas.

Like the original Scrooge, he is a wealthy but cruel and cynical man whose singleminded attention to his career resulted in him losing the love of his life, Claire Phillips played by Karen Allen (“Raiders of the Lost Ark,” 1981). The film will give [See Movies, page 12]

Hitchcock seems to lose it as his lack of attention toward Reville and obsession with his leading ladies drives Reville into the willing arms of Whitfield Cook, played by Danny Huston (“Stolen” 2012). Although this may not have happened in real life, it makes for good movie drama.

Hitchcock is then left to beg for Reville’s help to make a thenfailing “Psycho” successful.

Although Paramount only allowed “Psycho” to be released in select theaters, because of its shocking storyline, it was a huge success, thanks to Reville’s assistance, and is considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

Though “Hitchcock” may not be as successful or iconic as “Psycho,” it is definitely one to watch if not for the story, then for the excellent acting.

“Hitchcock” is like “Psycho,” as it is playing in only select theaters. It runs for 98 minutes and is rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content and thematic material.

 Chantal Bevard can be reached at chantal.sophia.bevard@gmail.com

elvaq.com

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Friday, December 7, 2012

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ARTS AND ENTERTANMENT

Cutting-Edge Technology Makes Coveted Gifts Boxee TV

[Gift Guide, from page 1]

The latest digital video player, Boxee TV delivers the same Netflix and Amazon Video Player that others do, but it differs from others in two big ways. One, it comes with an HD antenna, giving you access to live major broadcast networks, such as NBC or ABC. Two, it is capable of unlimited cloud storage service for recorded TV, though at an additional cost. While a good next step to what TV will look like in the future, this is not a replacement for cable; most of the major cable networks are still out of reach, and no access to premium networks such as HBO without a cable connection.

Price: $99 for the set top box and $9.99 per month for unlimited digital video recording Nikon’s Coolpix S800c

Surface Microsoft is making a big effort to compete with Apple for the youth shopper and with a huge marketing campaign, the Surface might do the trick. It doesn’t exactly revolutionize the tablet, however. It does make use of the same Windows 8 operating system found on your average PC or desktop, making cross device compatibility much easier.

The picture quality and smoothness of the touchscreen is admittedly better on the iPad, with the Surface only sporting a one megapixel camera against the iPad’s five megapixel camera.

Though you may want to wait for the HD Surface Pro, coming out in January.

Price: $499

New Trent iCarrier This is a beast of a portable charger, to put it lightly. It holds enough power to fully charge an average smartphone six times and can charge two devices at the same time. Great for traveling, conferences, or for a situation that will put you away from a wall outlet for any extended period of time.

Price: $76.95

Pivothead Shades Want to ski down the slope while recording all the action? Want to do it with a device straight out of “Mission Impossible?” These glasses contain an HD still and video camera right between the eyes, and even come with prescription lenses. Though the sound when it is recording is pretty noisy and lackluster, the film and video quality is gorgeous. It would be great if there was a way to review what you record, but that will probably have to wait for better technology.

Price: $299

Chris Rodd can be reached at drodd857@student.glendale.edu

Holiday Movies That Bear Watching Again [Movies, from page 11] holiday-stuffed bellies good exercise, as audiences will be laughing all the way through.

Murray does an impeccable job of portraying the ruthless, disillusioned Scrooge, or “Lumpy,” as Claire calls him, by adding a humorous sadistic edge to the character.

You cannot help but laugh when the antisocial Cross tricks an old lady carrying a bunch of bags and boxes into thinking she dropped something just so he can steal her taxi. The scene is strangely hilarious, especially after the woman proceeds to shout out a few choice words as he makes faces at her.

Staying true to the novel, this scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and Future. Though predictable,

Murray’s performance, the comical twist, and the story of how Cross grew up to be such a disheartened grouch won’t leave you feeling scrooged.

Another fun film to consider over the holidays in none other than 1992’s “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” which is one of the funniest adolescent movies of all time.

In the film, 10-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin “Richie Rich” 1994) utilizes his creativity and intelligence to outsmart the Wet Bandits, Harry Lyme (Joe Pesci “The Good Shepherd” 2006) and Marvin “Marv” Merchant (Daniel Stern “Whip It” 2009), who are out to get Kevin for getting them arrested when they broke into his home on Christmas in the first film. Once again, Kevin manages to get the best of the Wet Bandits

with his clever booby traps and with the help of a mysterious pigeon lady.

When people think of Christmas entertainment, they think of 1946’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The film stars James Stewart as a frustrated businessman whose life is forever changed by an angel.

These movies are four mustwatch Christmas classics. Fun and lighthearted, you won’t be left with sudden epiphanies about the mysteries of life, but you will be reminded to take it a little easy, something we tend to forget in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

However, if you are feeling particularly restless or in the mood for something violent this Christmas, I suggest watching 1988’s “Die Hard.” It may not be a holiday film per se, but at least it takes place on Christmas

Eve. Besides, what better way to brighten the holidays than to watch a trigger-happy

Bruce Willis who still had hair?

Agnessa Kasumyan can be reached at agnessakas@gmail.com

Classified Advertising ATTENTION IMMIGRANTS!

DO YOU NEED REPRESENTATION REGARDING • DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS\ • EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION • OR OTHER IMMIGRATION MATTERS? Contact: MR. BRADEN CANCILLA, ATTORNEY Law Offices of Braden M. Cancilla 1564 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103 626.765.6888 / BradenCancilla@aol.com www.CancillaImmigrationLawUSA.com Active member or the State Bar Licensed to Practice Law in California PROUDLY REPRESENTING IMMIGRANTS SINCE 1989 To place an ad in the El Vaquero, contact Jeff Smith at jsmith@glendale.edu or (818) 240-1000, ext. 5493

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Friday, December 7, 2012

13

SPORTS

Cross Country Teams Win Top Honors at All-WSC

By Chantal Bevard

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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ross country runner Grace Graham-Zamudio flew by the competition this season and was named Western State Conference female athlete of the year, continuing the program’s victorious tradition.

Graham-Zamudio joined two other runners on the All-Western State Conference first team. Abril Ramirez made second team and four runners earned honorable mention.

“I feel really accomplished,” Graham-Zamudio said. “I was hoping to contribute more to the team this season and I ended up doing more than I expected.”

Graham-Zamudio had won eight straight individual titles up until the State Championships, where she placed sixth.

“She deserves it [winning AllWSC athlete of the year],” head coach Eddie Lopez said. “She had a great season and I’m glad she won.”

Charlene Quintanilla, the women’s team captain, said that the team did so well this year,

not because of their talent, but because of their dedication and hard work.

“It’s all with the training,” Quintanilla said. “We knew where we were going to place is where we deserved to be. Placing on the podium is better than anyone else expected.”

Lopez led both the men and women’s teams to take second at the state championships in Fresno on Nov. 17.

While Lopez continued to lead both teams toward victory, he earned the title of Western State Conference Coach of the year for the men’s team.

“I tell them when they come in that it’s a partnership; when they do well, we do well,” Lopez said.

Although not all of the members of the teams qualified to run in the State Championships, the top runners embodied the entire program.

“The whole team is represented by the top seven, even if they didn’t run at the state [competition], the team is a family and supports each other,” Lopez said.

Lopez went on to say that getting the honors was just payoff

Photo by Chantal Bevard

RUNNING TO THE TOP: Lady Vaquero Lizette Gonzalez, No. 67, leads the pack as Charlene Quintanilla, No. 71, follows close behind at the Southern California Championships in Costa Mesa on Nov. 3.

for all of the hard work the teams had put in throughout the summer

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Jazz Bands Swing in Concert

By Sal Polcino

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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CC jazz ensembles turned in a dazzling performance at the campus auditorium Saturday night before an enthusiastic audience of more than 100 fans, families and friends.

The Vocal Jazz Ensemble, led by jazz faculty member Clare Delto, opened the show with its version of “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” a fun jazz-pop tune popularized by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The melody was beautifully harmonized with some question-and-answer parts trading licks with the rhythm section.

Benny Golson’s standard, “Killer Joe” followed with some nice scat solos and an electric bass solo by Marvin Paez.

The highlight of the first act was a sweet ballad from the musical “Wicked,” which featured solo vocals from Hanna

Song and David Kim. This was followed by the funniest moment of the concert when the men of the ensemble did a version of “I am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” a jug band song made popular in the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” The presentation included banjo and spoons.

The Vocal Ensemble wrapped up its set with a funky Earth, Wind and Fire tune, “Shining Star.”

Next up was the Saturday Jazz Tentet led by jazz instructor, Chris Coulter. This smaller version of a swing era big band opened with a swinging rendition of Horace Silver’s “Sister Sadie.”

Bassist Armen Mannazyan played along with the intricate melody on an odd shaped instrument, an acoustic bass that looks more like a guitar without frets. It sounded like a cross between an electric bass and an acoustic bass. Mannazyan said, “It was the best sounding acoustic bass for the price.” Upright basses

can cost between $6,000 and $15,000. Mannazyan has been studying jazz at GCC for two years.

The Tentet played some Duke Ellington and a calypso version of Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas,” which featured a nice solo by pianist Courtland Hayes. A bossa nova version of Silent Night delighted the audience.

The Tentet wrapped up its show with two swing tunes, “Yardbird Suite,” from Charlie Parker, a bebop tune that featured some fine piano work and “Tenor Madness,” a blues tune that featured a tasty solo from tenor saxophonist, Lorrie Freedman.

Freedman said she has only been playing jazz for a couple of years. “I was a marching band kid from public schools,” said Freedman. She has been taking music classes at GCC for a few semesters.

[See Jazz, page 16]

training and the season. “If you do well as a team, then the honors will come with it.”

Four runners from the men’s team made All-Western State Conference first team, two made All-WSC second team and seven earned honorable mention.

“It shows the kind of depth we had on our overall team and I’m really proud of the guys by making first team, second team and honorable mention,” team captain Isaac Diosdado said.

Diosdado joined three other runners, including sophomore

Kurt Lutz, on the All-WSC first team.

“It was really an honor [to make first team] because a lot of other guys were really talented,” Lutz said.

Diosdado, Lutz, GrahamZamudio and Quintanilla will join other members of the teams in running for the GCC track team in the spring and hope to do just as well throughout that season, too.

Chantal Bevard can be reached at chantal.sophia.bevard@gmail.com

Victor Castellanos of GCC [ASGCC from page 10] “Something told me that maybe this is what I wanted to do, and it was because of those lobby days that I decided to leave my home here and go to Sacramento and give it a shot,” said Castellanos.

After finishing his courses at GCC and earning associate degrees in art and science, Castellanos worked in admissions and records for a couple of years before transferring to Sacramento State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 2005.

Former ASGCC president and oputreach coordinator Henan Joof is featured online at www. elvaq.com

Angel Silva can be reached at writer_silva@rocketmail.com

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Friday, December 7, 2012

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SPORTS

Hoops Player Stays Positive Despite Tragic Past leadership by this year’s freshmen.

“He has become a very respected leader of the team,” said coach Brian Beauchemin. ealt a childhood shadowed “He’s developed a very good by the tragedy of his work ethic and as a result, we’ve parent’s murders, he remains rewarded him by making him a positive through the love of his co-captain.” grandparents and a passion for Johnson stands at an awkward basketball.

6-foot-5 with a raspy, passive When Mike Johnson was 2 voice that makes him years old, he lost his mother seem an unlikely and father in an unsolved candidate for the job, double homicide. However, however his character Johnson still chooses not to and his play thus far know the full details of his speaks for itself. parents deaths due to the In the team’s graphic nature of the crime. first preseason win, “Around seventh grade Johnson had 21 points my grandparents told me and six rebounds that my mom’s neck was cut against Pierce from one side to the other College, which was with a knife as she fought for previously undefeated her life … that’s all I could with a 3-0 record. handle to hear,” he said.

“A lot of our team’s Johnson’s father suffered a success relies on how similar fate. much he improves,” While most would be said Beauchemin. driven to learn all they The Vaqs currently could about their parents’ have a preseason deaths, Johnson is focused Photo by John Ferrara record of 2-2, on “staying positive” and avoiding the gruesome POWERING FORWARD: Starting forward Mike including an 87-36 Johnson overcame challenges and is now focused on his blowout victory over specifics, as he finds them education and basketball career.

Victor Valley College emotionally overwhelming.

He was adopted by his especially grandkids, they keep on Nov. 27.

Last year, Johnson was a role grandparents Rosalie Johnson you in a positive mind and prevent player off the bench, but through and Fred Watley following the you from feeling old.”

One day after returning hard work, was able to earn a spot tragedy, but has always been in their care and still lives with them from school at the age of 6, his in the starting rotation midway grandfather asked him if he through the season at the power to this day in Palmdale.

“Words can’t explain it,” said wanted to follow in his footsteps forward position.

“He plays a trail spot for us.

Rosalie Johnson, who believes the and play basketball.

“He said yes and I signed him He’s in a position where he has murder was a case of mistaken identity based on an odd up that day,” said Watley, who to blend outside skills with inside encounter that happened at her now faces difficulties attending skills and he’s done a much better Johnson’s games due to the long job of accepting that role this daughter’s wake.

“A mysterious man came up to distance commute, but still makes year,” said Beauchemin.

After graduating from me and said ‘you know this was time to go over the details of a mistake, right?’ But before I every game when Johnson gets Palmdale High School in 2009, Johnson was recruited to College realized what had happened, he home.

Now 21, Johnson leads the of the Canyons, but didn’t feel disappeared,” she said.

Though it was a tragic loss Glendale College basketball comfortable there and made the for the family, Johnson and his team with fellow sophomore decision to take time off to care grandparents have grown very close. Robert Henry, and looked to for for his grandmother who suffers

By John Ferrara

EL VAQUERO SPORTS EDITOR

D

“When they told me, it hurt, but they’ve raised me since I was a baby so I look at them as my mom and dad,” he said.

While some might find it difficult to continue raising children in their later years, Johnson has an admirable outlook on her situation.

“When you raise children,

Vaquero Sports Summaries Upcoming Events Men’s Basketball: Jan. 9 — at Citrus 5 p.m.

Jan.12 — vs. Bakersfield 5 p.m.

Feb. 9 — vs. Santa Monica 5 p.m.

Jan. 23 — at L.A. Valley 5 p.m.

Jan. 26 — vs. Canyon 5 p.m.

Women’s Basketball: Jan. 9 — at Citrus 7 p.m.

Jan. 12 — vs. Bakersfield 7 p.m.

Jan. 16 — at West L.A. 7 p.m.

Jan. 19 — vs. Santa Monica 5 p.m.

Jan. 26 — at Canyon 7 p.m.

For more information see: www.glendale.edu/athletic

from diabetes and at the time also had a broken leg.

In 2011, Johnson decided he would return to school. He researched multiple colleges and decided that Glendale would be his best fit. Johnson and Beauchemin seem to have a solid relationship, built upon mutual respect for each other.

“He’s the best coach I’ve ever played for,” said the power forward.

While his basketball career is back on track at GCC, it hasn’t been easy. Johnson commutes daily from his home in Palmdale, which is taxing, especially with the mandatory full class schedule required for all student athletes.

“After practice I go straight home to do homework, go to bed,

and I’m back here,” he said.

Johnson is also a talented volleyball player, who played four years at the varsity level for Palmdale High School.

He’s interested in transferring and earning a degree in kinesiology or business management, but would like to stay close to home. “[Transferring] will be good for him because he’s growing up,” said Rosalie Johnson, who admits it will be hard to see him go.

“He’s our whole world,” she said.

Glendale’s next home game is today, versus Cerritos College at 5 p.m. and the regular season begins on Jan. 9 at Citrus College.

John Ferrara can be reached at jferrar977@student.glendale.edu

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Friday, December 7, 2012

15

Calendar On Campus TOY DRIVE

and run though Dec. 19. For the complete schedule see page 3.

Toy Drive — The GCC Police Department and the Circle K Club is collecting new unwrapped toys for boys and girls, canned food and monetary donations to help less fortunate students and families. Runs through Dec. 20. Donations can be made in the large boxes located at the Police Department, Student Center, Library, Administration, or the San Gabriel and San Rafael building lobbies.

For information or to make a donation by check call (818) 240-1000, ext. 3031.

Winter Break — Dec. 22 through Jan. 2. No classes. Campus closed .

Winter Intersession — A limited number of classes start on Jan. 7 and run through Feb. 14.

SURVEY Smoking Survey — To participate in a short campuswide smoking survey, check your GCC email account. A Survey Monkey questionaire has been sent to all students and employees. It must be completed and submited by today.

REGISTRATION Spring 2013 Deadline — Today is the deadline to apply for admission for Spring 2013 semester and to be eligible for a priority spot.

Spring Registration — Check for the Spring 2013 semester priority registration appointment dates on myGCC Dec. 19.

DATES Final Exams — Start Wednesday

Grades — The Fall 2012 semester grades will be available on myGCC on Jan. 2, 2012.

MEETINGS Board of Trustees Meeting — Monday in Kreider Hall. 5 p.m.

For more information and to see the agenda, visit: www.glendale. edu/boardoftrustees.

OPEN HOUSE El Vaquero — The entire campus community, as well as aspiring journalists, is invited to an open house of the college newspaper to meet the staff and learn about opportunities to participate.

Refreshments will be provided.

Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in SG 140. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349.

DANCE Faculty/Alumni Dance Performance 2012 Concert — Dancers are GCC students with chreography by faculty, alumni, students and guests. No children under 5 admitted. Free, with limited seating available on a first-come,

first-served basis. Dec. 14 at 8 p.m., Dec. 15 at 2 and 8 p.m and Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. Auditorium Mainstage Theatre.

During the week’s power outage, the students performing in this concert found an off-campus studio for rehearsals.

THEATRE Student Showcase: Voice for the Actor — See the best of instructor Andrea Stark’s students present their final performance.

Free. Only 50 seats, first come first served. Today at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre (AU102).

Monologue Extravaganza — The GCC Theatre Guild is presenting a monologue competition. To compete, sign up in AU 201B today and Thursday from 12:20 to 1:30 p.m. Free. Monday at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre (AU102). For information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5612.

CONCERTS Glendale College Community Orchestra Concert — Conducted by Beth Pflueger. Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Auditorium Mainstage Theatre. General admission is $10 and $8 for students and seniors. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5621.

College Choir, Chamber Singers and Opera Vignettes — The performance will be directed by Jayne Campbell, featuring choral

works and opera excerpts. Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on the Auditorium Mainstage Theatre. General admission is $10 and $8 for students and seniors. For information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5660.

RECITALS Applied Music Recital — Conducted by Beth Pflueger. Featuring GCC student vocalists and instrumentalists. Free. Auditorium Mainstage Theatre. To be rescheduled due to the power outage. Visit www.glendale.edu/ music for the new date and time.

Student Piano Recital — Concert showcases students from the advanced piano classes. Coordinated by Lucy Nargizyan. Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Room 211. Admission is free. For more information call (818) 2401000, ext. 5622.

Chamber Music Recital — Concert showcases students from the chamber music classes. Coordinated by Gail Acosta. Free.

Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Room 211.

WORKSHOPS MLA Documentation — Learn about stylistic requirements mandated by the Modern Language Association. Free. Tuesday from 5 to 6 p.m. in AD 238. For more information, visit www.glendale. edu/learningcenter or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5341.

HEALTH Mental Health Counseling — Available to all students. For information or to schedule a free appointment visit the Health Center in the San Rafael Building.

Flu Shots — Shots are available in the Health Center at the bottom of the San Rafael building.

Cost is $15 for students, $20 for employees. Cash only. Walk-ins welcome, no appoiintment needed. Hours are Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

FIELD STUDIES Baja Program — The Baja Field Studies Program has two classes available to students for the winter intersession. Oceanography 115/116 from Jan. 7 to 27 at GCC and Jan. 28 to Feb. 5 in Baja. For more information call (818) 2401000, ext. 5517. Also Cultural Anthropology 102 from Jan. 7 to 20 at GCC and Jan. 21 to 29 in Baja. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 3123. Both classes cost $550 each plus standard winter enrollment fees.

PARKING Parking Lot Closures — The Civic Auditorium parking garage will be closed on Wednesday from noon to 10 p.m.

Compiled by Richard Kontas

Around Town EVENTS Glendale Pops Orchestra’s HolidayPop! — Alex Theatre. Featuring the Glendale Pops Youth Chorus and guest artist Danielle Sadd. Tonight at 8 p.m. 216 N. Brand Blvd. For information visit www.alextheatre.org.

GCC Concert Singers Fall 2012 Performance — First Lutheran Church. Featuring “Mid-Winter Songs,” holiday favorites and

other music led by Peter Green, director. 1300 E. Colorado St. Dec. 16 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 and $7 for students and seniors.

For more information call 818240-1000, ext. 5622.

Rose Parade 2013 — Pasadena.

The 124th annual Tournament of Roses Parade features numerous marching bands, floats and equestrian units. Begins at Green Street and Orange Grove Boulevard. Free. Jan. 1, 2013 at 8 a.m.

For more information visit www.

tournamentofroses.com or call (626) 449-4100.

Winter Solstice Celebration — Caltech. Broceliande, will perform a program of carols and songs of the season, featuring a blend of Celtic harp, cello, guitars, recorders, mandolins, oboe, flute and percussion. The group combines European folk tunes to Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque sounds. Tickets are $15, $5 for children. Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Beckman Institute

Auditorium. Caltech is south of Del Mar and East of Wilson Avenue, Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 395-4652.

THEATER “A Christmas Carol” — A Noise Within Theatre. The Charles Dickens classic will run through Dec. 23. Prices and times vary.

3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena.

For more information call (626) 356-3100.

SKATING Ice Skating Downtown — Pershing Square. Outdoor ice skating runs through Jan. 21, 2013.

Noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $2 and skate rentals are $6 per hour. Parking available, as are nearby stores and restaurants.

532 S. Olive St., one block from Pershing Square Station. Los Angeles. For information, call (213) 847-4970.

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT VAQUERO VIEWS

Jazz Ensembles Swing Into Holiday Season [Jazz, from page 13] Director Chris Coulter said he was more nervous than the students before their first big concert, but after the show, he added, “They did great.”

Up next was the very unique Jazz Guitar Ensemble, led by the head of the jazz faculty, Byron Delto. This combo consists of five guitars accompanied by a rhythm section of bass and drums.

Their performance ran the gamut from swing and bebop to modern jazz fusion and back again.

“Seven Come Eleven,” a Benny Goodman and Charlie Christian collaboration, was the opening number, which featured solos by all five guitarists.

This was followed by a fine arrangement of Woody Shaw’s “Sweet Love of Mine,” written by ensemble member, Steve Han. The five guitarists played nice tight harmonies on “Nostalgia in Times Square,” and a pretty ballad, “My Ship.” One of the audience’s favorite tunes of the night was, “Above it All,” a

Pat Metheny-styled fusion song written

by Fred Hamilton.

The Jazz Guitar Ensemble closed with a song from one of the greatest of jazz guitarists, Wes Montgomery.

The Vocal Jazz Ensemble came back to close the show, first with a fun version of Queen’s, “Somebody to Love,” that rocked the house. Next they sang a rousing arrangement of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,” their salute to the holidays.

The final song of the evening, “Swinging with the Saints,” was a gospel blues a la Take 6 or the Manhattan Transfer.

The show was a crowd pleaser and gave GCC’s music department the chance to show off what Cab Calloway called, “The College of Musical Knowledge.”

Sal Polcino can be reached at apolcin587@student.glendale.edu

Photo by Jonathan Caballeros

JAZZ IT UP: GCC’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble delight audience members with style and

panache at Saturday’s performance. Saxophonist Joseph Mehrabians, left, accompanies drummer Haybert Zadourian and vocalist Sarah Stone as they play to the tune of Benny Golson’s “Killer Joe.”

stories • pics • sports at www.elvaq.com