El Vaquero May 17

EL VAQUERO G L E N D A L E C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R May 17, 2017

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Volume 109 | Number 5

Skateboard Culture

alive and well in Verdugo Park See page 5

NEWS

FEATURES

SPORTS

ONLINE

ASGCC election campaigns have begun.

Former One Direction singer Harry Styles releases solo album.

Page 6

Vaqueros baseball alum goes pro in Mexico.

Page 7

Watch for continuing coverage of the ASGCC election at www.elvaq.com

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EL V EDITOR IN CHIEF Melody Shahsavarani REPORTERS Alex LaFosta Carolina Diaz Nicole House Nareg Atteukenian Mark Nassim Elena Jacobson Ken Allard Johnny Ruiz Nicholas Martinez Ricardo Nuño PRODUCTION TEAM

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LETTERS

Letter to the Editor: Elevators Need Attention Dear Journalism Editors,

I

am a part-time returning college graduate and business student, studying commercial appraisal. I have come across data in my textbook differentiating elevator repair as a variable expense and elevator maintenance as a fixed expense in the management of commercial enterprise.

I have been told that there was a severe elevator problem this last winter. As an older diabetic student the hills of the campus are somewhat of a problem and I need to rely on the operational efficiency of the elevators.

I noticed that more than one elevator on campus had no inspection certificate.

All the elevator certificates that I saw were either expired for one year or more or non- existent.

In addition, one of the two elevators from the parking structure, a great downhill distance to the campus was closed for repair last week.

When I contacted the Elevator Unit responsible for GCC, I learned that from administrative personnel that in this matter of life and safety, inspections from the Monrovia office responsible for GCC were administratively lacking and over a year behind (budget?). I was given the name of (an) inspector. He called me today, wanting to know where to park for GCC and then again to get into the elevator room. I

looked online and gave him the number of the office of the President.

I had just called [the Superintendent/President’s office] to try to find out how this could all happen and if Glendale, in fact, has an adequate elevator maintenance contract and facilities budget for an extremely hilly campus, that Monrovia Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) informs me has 22 elevators, and presumably a fair share of ADA needs.

I quickly learned the names of some the people sharing responsibility for continuing to allow this non-optimum condition to flourish, almost unbelievably and am copying them, while alerting the

campus press, at least.

Thus far, I have only spent about three hours attempting to do at least the minimum to call attention to a potential life threatening situation. I don’t know how it got this far for so long, and trust you will all your jobs to correct the situation in the local OSHA unit and at GCC. There is little point in good law or good policy, if the people don’t exist with the resources or the will to enforce it.

Best, Paul Gamberg

Sal Polcino

Editor’s Note:

Jayne Pojawa Rich Kontas faculty adviser Michael Fleeman mfleeman@glendale.edu (818) 551-5214 advertising Jeff Smith jsmith@glendale.edu (818) 240-1000, ext. 5493 Letters to the Editor El Vaquero accepts story ideas in news, features, profiles, sports and entertainment from the public.

Send an idea or article to the editor at melody.elvaq@gmail.com or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349.

Member of the Journalism Asssociation of Community Colleges Member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association

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. All letters must include the full name, address and phone number of the writer. You will be contacted before publication. El Vaquero is a First Amendment publication.

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l Vaquero spoke about the elevator issue with Nelson Oliveira, director of facilities and construction at GCC. “We are highly concerned about the functionality of the tower elevators, that’s the reason we take extra measures of having maintenance program,” Oliveira said The tower elevators, which seem to be the most subject to breakdowns, are maintained by KONE, an elevator manufacturer.

Oliveira said that Scott Elevator Consultant was also contracted for an evaluation on Jan. 5 and Feb. 10. The review found that controller maintenance, hoistway equipment and overall performance all came back above average, with housekeeping trailing at slightly above average.

The last elevator certificate posted for the tower elevators expired in May 2016, but this week a letter was placed in elevator to defuse any concerns. Eric Hoover, senior safety engineer of DOSH

Monrovia, stated the college’s request from last month has been recieved and are listed on pirority listening to be inspected,.

According to Oliveira, an elevator state inspector inspected five elevators on May 12, including the parking structure, tower and cafeteria elevators.

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On the Cover:

Glendale college student and skater, Atticus Lee, shows off his skills on the ramp at Verdugo Skate Park. Lee gives lessons to local skaters every week.

Photo by Ken Allard

IN THIS ISSUE:

News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Lifestyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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NEWS

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Student Government Elections Are Here Time to Choose Your Candidates

grabs this year in the campuswide election, which includes President, Vice President of lendale Community Administration, Finance, College students will elect Activities, Relations, and new members of their student Organizations. These executive government for the upcoming members then collaborate with year. This year’s election will be GCC staff and faculty to appoint held on May 20 and 21 in front 20 senators through an interview of the Administration building in process, four for each executive Plaza Vaquero. position, excluding the President.

Associated Students of These elected student G l e n d a l e government officials For more ASGCC form committees Community election coverage within College (ASGCC) their go to: elvaq.com Student Activities respective positions Coordinator Andre Manukyan and play an important role in told El Vaquero that the student maintaining a healthy, functioning government is also working with campus environment. the GCC IT department to get a The Administration Committee functional online voting system, organizes and maintains ASGCC much like other Los Angeles records, agendas and elections. schools.

Finance Committee develops “It’s meant to make things and manages ASGCC budget more convenient for students,” and makes recommendations Manukyan said. “An email would to legislature on revisions to be sent out to all students who are the Financial Code while the eligible to vote,” then students Activities Committee organizes would simply have to click a and hosts student events around link to guide them to the online campus. Relations Committee act voting booth. “Unfortunately, we as the student body’s historians don’t have a definite timetable and coordinate marketing and on when it would be available, recruitment activities whereas but we should have it for the next the Committee on Organizations election.” functions as liaisons for all The ASGCC Legislature is student organizations. the official student government The ASGCC Legislature meets for the Glendale campus that is every Tuesday at 7 a.m. in the responsible for initiating campus Student Center on campus. policy to address the various Ken Allard can be reached at Kenallard4@gmail.com concerns of the student body.

Six ASGCC executive Alex LaFosta can be reached at AlexLaFosta@gmail.com member positions are up for

By Ken Allard and Alex LaFosta

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El Vaquero is always looking for interesting story ideas. Do you know of anyone on campus with a compelling life story? Are you involved with an innovative campus program that the whole campus should know about? Do you have any ideas for improving the campus experience? Have you witnessed a possible news story that we may not know about?

Please contact us at:

Melody.elvaq@gmail.com or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349

Illustration by Aida Ohadi

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Wednesday, May 17, 2017

FEATURES

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Shredding to Success: Skaters Rise and Ride

By Alex LaFosta Photos by Ken Allard

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t’s been a long time since the likes of Stacy Peralta and Tony Alva were crowned Dogtown royalty, but the the art and profession of skateboarding has only picked up speed.

Since their rise of popularity in the ‘50s skaters have been treated as residents of the island of misfit toys, but much like the determination of skaters themselves, the enthusiasm for the culture has stood the test of time and mushroomed over the entire world.

With skateboarding recently being announced as a new sport for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Games by the International Olympic Committee, the sport is gaining more respect and visibility in the mainstream. But how do a bunch of rebels and rejects make a living out of having fun?

On May 11, the college held a panel discussion called Leveraging and Branding the Skateboard Culture in a packed auditorium. Organized by the Lean In for Entrepreneurs Club, the lecture invited professional skaters and entrepreneurs to share their experiences on how they turned their love for skating into a career, and how passion doesn’t have to be anathema to profit.

“Skateboarding has connections to everyone in this room.” said Sheldon Lewis, founder of sports and entertainment management for Lewis Brand Management. “Did you skate when you were a kid? Did your brother or sister skate? Did you laugh at a skater for falling?”

Making a living as a professional skater may be easier talked than walked, but as the panelists expressed during their talk, numerous career avenues have opened in the world of skating in the past decade.

Various media and apparel companies have not only been able to use skating’s popularity to advertise to skaters, but they also have capitalized on the fashionable appeal of skateboarding to non-skaters. Skateboarding has been used frequently in movies, television, advertising and even music.

Yosef “YoYo” Ratleff, professional skater and panelist at the lecture, knows this all too well. Ratleff spoke about how he was signed to American rapper Lil Wayne’s skate team “SQVAD UP” when he was just 15 years old.

“My cousin Dante who

was friends with [Lil’ Wayne], would always tell him, ‘You should check out my cousin YoYo. He can skate!’” said YoYo, who was born and raised in New Orleans, just like Lil’ Wayne.

“Now, skating has taken me all over the world.”

Skateboarding is unique in its duality as free form of art and a challenging athletic sport. “It’s really like an art form than a sport,” YoYo said. “It’s so individual...

There’s no right or wrong way of doing it.”

Though skating is a solo sport, the panelists reminded those considering a career in it that no one can do it all on their own. “From a business sense, surround yourself with the right people,” Lewis said. “You need a good team of people to accomplish your goals.”

Professional skater Spanish Mike spoke at the lecture about how he went from be-

ing an amatuer skater, to a blog, to the popular YouTube video series Spanish Mike TV, to becoming a Team Manager for Primitive Skateboarding -- one of the largest skate apparel companies in the world.

Skill and passion for the sport helped get Spanish Mike to where he is now, but what he attributed most of his success to his determination in the face of adversity.

“In school, a lot of teachers would tell me that skateboarding wouldn’t get me anywhere,” said Spanish Mike, who now works with his childhood hero, professional skater Paul Rodriguez. “If you love something, and it’s not immediately right in front of you, that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to happen.”

The boxer Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” In a sport

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like skateboarding where the shots to the face can be both metaphorical and literal, having a good support system is paramount. “That’s why it’s important to encourage the people you know who have dreams,” Lewis said.

“Your friend, your brother, your sister -- keep encouraging them to pursue their passion.”

Marisa Zakaria, business instructor and entrepreneur who teaches Business 101 and 106, hosted the business lecture. She reminded the attendees that finding your passion in life can be difficult, but you’ll know it when you see it. “When you find something you love and you find need in the marketplace that you can fill and you find something you’re good at: That’s your calling.”

Alex LaFosta can be reached at AlexLaFosta@gmail.com

ust across the street from GCC’s campus, employees at Verdugo Skate Park pride themselves on safety and encouragement of young skaters. GCC urban studies and planning major Atticus Lee says he takes every opportunity to motivate the younger skaters. Lee has been skating since he was 10 years old, so he understands the importance of helping young potential skaters stay interested and improve. “I push all the kids here,” Lee said. “I try to guide them [and] produce a good environment for learning and improvement.” Though, they do stop short of telling stripling shredders that they’ll be the next Tony Hawk.

“I don’t do it for money. I do it cause it keeps me sane.”

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FEATURES

Movie Review: ‘Baywatch’ Goes Back to the Beach Retro classic appeals to ironic millennials with escapist comedy

By Melody Shahsavarani

Jon Bass tells El Vaquero what floats Ronnie’s boat in ‘Baywatch’

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he iconic red swimsuits, slow-motion beach running, and America’s favorite lifeguards are back.

“Baywatch” hits the big screen as the reboot of the syndicated ‘90s television show that starred David Hasselhoff (Mitch Buchannon) and Pamela Anderson (C.J. Parker).

The two-hour film features slo-mo runs on the beach, action packed adventures and clever one-liners.

The film produced by Paramount Pictures has a raunchiness to it, bringing a fresh take with its comedic tone and not falling short on female empowerment.

It features a star-studded cast: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario, Priyanka Chopra, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach and Ilfenesh Hadera.

Buchannon, now portrayed

by Johnson, leads the elite team of lifeguards in Florida, but he’s been thrown a new member to

“Ronnie is the fact that he is the odd man out, and it’s an important part for the movie, for there to be one person who’s not the sexiest person in the world, showing people out there like all shape and sizes are welcome,” Bass said. “I do it in this movie with confidence and with love for my character and body. If I can make one kid feel more comfortable about taking his shirt off at the beach, I will feel great about my work in the movie.”

Bass attended Boston University College of Fine Arts, majoring in theatre. Bass, known in the Broadway world and recently seen in the film “Loving,” saw many similarities between him and Ronnie.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

NOT YOUR MAMA’S ‘BAYWATCH’: ‘90s sex and surf classic is reimagined as self-aware summer farce.

the squad. Matt Brody (Efron), a newly disgraced Olympic gold medalist, joins as a plea deal and a great PR spin to regain his image. His suave charm fails to hook in fellow colleague, the tough, smart-minded Summer Quinn (Daddario).

The group stumbles upon

a new drug that washed up on shore, invading the safety of their longtime residents and fans. Victoria Leeds (Chopra) plays the new owner of the Huntley Club, who is suspected of using her business as a front in smuggling drugs.

Director Seth Gordon (“Hor-

rible Bosses”) doesn’t fail to intensify the action scenes. It’s as if Johnson brought the pyrotechnics and dramatizations from the “Fast and Furious” franchise.

Buchannon bickers and lobs zingers at Brody, calling him a wannabe Bieber and cleverly slipping in a “High School Musical” reference.

One of the newcomers to the

team, Ronnie (Bass), attempts his third tryout to join Baywatch. He doesn’t stack up against the acts of Buchannon and Brody, but wins the heart of his love C.J. Parker (Rohrbach).

“Baywatch” hits theaters nationwide May 25. Rated R. Melody Shahsavarani can be reached at melody.elvaq@gmail.com

Album Review: Harry Styles Finds His Solo Direction

By Melody Shahsavarani

F

rom a boyband superstar to one of the most highly anticipated solo acts in music, former One Direction member and current heartthrob, Harry Styles, released his solo debut self-titled album on Friday.

The 10-track album is a complete switch from the generic teenage love songs the boy band would churn out for five years.

The 23-year-old superstar held back on any features, and simply executed the task of showing what he’s really got: pure talent.

From Styles’ vocals to his newly honed talent of playing the guitar, this Bowie-meets-Elton -meets-Beatles-meets-the-Stones album does it all.

The first two tracks set a steady pace, with a slow strum cohesively flowing through his soft yet sharp vocals. He opens with “Meet Me in the Hallway,” with creeping common patterns of country guitar strums. His echoing voice illustrates the emptiness and loneliness of Styles, waiting for his yearning lover.

This is followed by the debut

single “Sign of the Times,” which is headed for No. 1. This track creates the strong chain Styles needed to break through skeptics and gain credibility.

He assembled a band and with the helping hand of mastermind producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, “Uptown Funk”) and recorded most of the album in Jamaica.

He shared in a recent interview with Rolling Stone that the lyrics depict the point of view of a mother who’s not going to make it after labor but the baby will survive. Her message to the baby is “stop the crying, it’s the sign of the times.” It created the underlying message that the shedded tears, the constant downfalls, is not the beginning nor the end.

The halfway mark of the album takes a sharp turn on tempo and pace. Styles enrages in a rock ‘n’ roll phase in “Only Angel” and “Kiwi.”

“Only Angel” opens with a smooth trick, as if the gates of heaven are opening, the angels sing a harmonious key, but gets cut with Styles’ Jagger-esque screech. The sexualized song,

imaginably gives fans heart palpitations as he sings about his new dream girl, whose skirt is too short for mother to see. Their rendezvouses and sexual chemistry are marked with a key lyric “when it turns out she is a devil between the sheets.”

You can hear the adolescent girls faint in unison.

“Kiwi” is the edgiest the former boybander has gone. It’s a great ode to his idol and Rolling Stones frontman with a dash of Ramones. It’s just a complete jumble of rage and electric guitar riffs and solos inducing through the almost three-minute song.

Styles was in a whirlwind romance with pop superstar Taylor Swift in 2013. Swift is notorious for scripting lyrics about her past and infamous relationships (she has dedicated so far two on her last album to Styles).

The tables turn on her as “Two Ghosts” eerily depicts their sensationalized and rocky relationship. The subtly is uncanny as it opens, “Same lips red, same eyes blue. Same white shirt, couple more tattoos.” Fan bases from both ends immediately correlat-

Photo courtesy of Columbia Records NEW ALBUM, NEW STYLES: Harry Styles debuts solo record.

ed the lyrics to Swift’s “Style,” which fans easily concluded the man behind the love story.

Styles’ falsettos on “Sign of the Times” to “Sweet Creature” and the authenticity of his songwriting prove the album to have an eclectic presence. Compared to his former and equally vocally talented bandmate, Zayn Malik,

“Harry Styles” speaks at a higher volume.

The path to a longstanding solo career looks bright for the British crooner.

Melody Shahsavarani can be reached at melody.elvaq@gmail.com

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SPORTS

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GCC Alumn Lands Spot in Mexican Minor League

By Johnny Ruiz

F

rom the moment Angel Rodriguez, 23, stepped onto Stengel Field, he knew where he wanted his life to take him. Baseball is his passion and like every baseball player who has ever played the ultimate goal is making it to the big leagues.

After getting his start at GCC, Rodriguez played at CSUN, got a few starts for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays minor league team and now has signed a minor league contract with the Mexican triple A team Pericos de Puebla.

“It’s a great feeling knowing all your hard work and dedication is being looked at,” he told El Vaquero, “but it’s definitely much more work that’s needed to be put in once you do get that opportunity.’

Rodriguez is someone who can’t get enough of the game and who’s talent allows him to keep on finding opportunities to play. He credits GCC for helping along.

“Going to Glendale was definitely the smartest decision I could have made at that time,” said Rodriguez.

When he joined the Vaqueros baseball team in 2012, Rodriguez recorded a strong 2.00 ERA for

two years, helping the Vaqueros to back-to-back conference titles.

After transferring to CSUN Rodriguez continued to perform on the field, and in 2016 he put up excellent numbers. He made 18 appearances, had 70 strikeouts, and posted a 3.07 ERA. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Devil Rays in 2016 and posted an ERA of 3.00 in 21 innings, but was released later that year. Not too long after Rodriguez signed with the Pericos de Puebla.

As Rodriguez continues to progress as a player, he sets his mind on those around him.

“My ultimate plan, as I’ve always said before any of this was possible, was to have the ability to give back,” he said. “Being able to give back and pass down anything and everything I have learned along the way. Be able to give advice to those who feel that it’s not possible. Anything is possible as long as we set our hearts and minds to it”.

Rodriguez gave a couple of words of advice to any baseball player looking to reach the heights that he’s reached.

“Don’t try. Simply just do.,” he said. “That’s what I told myself with my time at Glendale and I still do. Don’t say you are go-

File photo: Kendall Faulkner

STRIKE 3: Angel Rodriguez pitching another gem, displays his technique for success. ing to try to do something or tell yourself that you are thinking of trying something new or say you

are going to be a better student.

Don’t try, don’t say it, be a better example of a man who just does

his work the right way.”

Johnny Ruizcan be reached at jruiz106@student.glendale.edu

May 24: 6th Annual Glendale Dodgers Night

By Nicholas Martinez

H

undreds of Glendale community members will come together at Dodger Stadium on May 24 to watch L.A. host the St. Louis Cardinals and support a great cause.

A select number of MVP tickets for Glendale Dodger Night are on sale for $40 through the event’s foundation website. The proceeds go to the city’s parks foundation.

“This event raises funds for the Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation,” Mayor Vartan Gharpetian said. “It provides funds for this organization in order for children to have afterschool and nature education programs. Also, it is a chance for the community to get together.”

It allows for the community to

learn about the different projects that this foundation facilitates and to ensure what the foundation does in Glendale.

During the game recipients of the Athletes with Character and Ethics (ACE) Awards are recognized. The award celebrates students and coaches who exhibit good sportsmanship, positive attitude, and strong leadership skills both on and off the field.

Glendale college athletes and a coach were recognized this week: Sydney Jones (softball), Jorge Monterrosa (soccer), Brooke Radcliff (basketball), and tennis coach Bob MacKay.

“Around 300-400 people usu- next one approached for a partally come. It is a fun event for the nership. community and it is fun for ev“We heard that Burbank parteryone,” said Kate Eberle, presi- nered with Dodger Stadium and we wanted something like that for Glendale.

So, [city clerk] Ardy Kassakhian made it happen,” said Dottie Sharkey, founder of Glendale Parks and Open Space foundation.

The city dent of the Glendale Parks and chose to support the current founOpen Space Foundation. dation, thinking it would help creNumerous cities around the ate stronger strides for the cause.

Los Angeles area hold their own The Glendale Parks and Open Dodger nights. Glendale was the Space Foundation Ronnie goes

from zero to hero in the film by the exuberant kiss from Parker. To suit up for the moment, he asked the ladies man himself for some advice.

It ensures children learn and retain information about the nature around them, while providing a service for their community and keep them active outside.

“These programs allow for children and parents to gain a better understanding of the habitats that are here in Glendale and even do work that makes Glendale a better place to live,” Eberle said.

“It is really fun event. Also, it helps the Glendale community greatly.” Gharpetian said.

For more information visit glendaledodgernight.com or call (818) 548-2792.

Nicholas Martinez can be reached at nrmartin2016@gmail.com

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LIFESTYLE ‘

Transfer Party Upcoming Grads Have a Ball

Photos by Carolina Diaz

ALL WET: Student government members take turns getting dunked at the transfer celebration on May 10 at Plaza Vaquero.

DANCE PARTY: ASGCC President and Student Trustee Emin Azarian tries to dunk a friend at the Transfer Party.

By Carolina Diaz

T

he spring semester is coming to an end and students are excitedly waiting to receive their transfer letters or are enjoying their last semester in Glendale College before they graduate on June 14.

To enjoy the last semester for the upcoming graduates the Transfer Center hosted its third-annual transfer celebration on May 10 in the student center. There were snow cones, hamburgers, snacks and a dunk tank machine.

“We want to recognize and congratulate our transfer students on this huge accomplishment,” said Nahal Ghodousi, transfer/scholar counselor and teacher.

There was a board so the students can leave advice for the other students that will start applying for their transfer applications.

“Work hard, the counselors help a lot, focus on your grades and do some extracurricular activity,” said

Tara Peroomina, who is transferring to UCLA. Transferring to a university is a very big step, and a lot of hard work and applying can be a hassle to some students. Once transfer season arrives the counselors start workshops to help the students with any advice or questions they have.

“Plan for more that one school, consider schools in areas you never thought about, not only apply to universities around home, but out of state also,” said Tanya Tufenkjian, a Transfer Center counselor.

Counselors can help students strategize on where the student wants to go and what they are missing.

“Check in every semester with your counselors, attend transfer workshops, and visit the school representatives when they visit the campus,” said Tufenkjian.

Carolina Diaz can be reached at itscarodiaz@gmail.com