Nov. 12, 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

Dodger Stadium Celebrates Obama Victory

55%

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Photo by Rebecca Krueger

Volume 100, Number 5

Campus Reacts to Prop. 30 Win With Relief

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

By Rebecca Krueger EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

G

CC students, faculty and staff breathed a sigh of relief after averting a financial pitfall when early in the morning on Nov. 7 it was announced that Proposition 30 passed with 53.6 percent of the votes.

Interim president of GCC, Jim Riggs, kept waking up throughout the night checking his iPad for the results until his hopes were finally confirmed around 4 a.m.

“I thought all night long, ‘What are we going to do if this doesn’t pass?’ We had plans but there is a human side to those plans,” said Riggs. “We know our direction now and we can avoid the catastrophic cuts that were looming out there.”

“I didn’t know until this morning,” said Ron Nakasone, executive vice president of administrative services. “I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up and saw that it passed.”

Nakasone flashed a wide, warm smile at the end of the day, which had, until recently, been replaced with a look of exhaustion made up of difficult decisions and hard work.

“I don’t think people or staff understood how drastic the cuts were that we were planning on making if the initiative didn’t pass.”

Cost-saving measures would have included up to 20 faculty layoffs, department cuts, service hour cuts, and a [See Prop. 30 page 6]

IN THIS ISSUE News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5 Features.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7,9 Arts and Entertainment.. . . . . . . . . 10-12 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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Photo by Ksenia Rabinovich

CULTURE CLUB: Members of the Armenian Student Association hosted an array of informa-

November 14, 2012

Opinion:

Swing 50% States Get the Blues

By Sal Polcino

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

S

even of the nine swing states turned blue giving President Barack Obama the electoral votes needed to remain in office for the next four years.

The popular vote, however, was too close for comfort. Obama won by a mere 2 percent. So close that if not for the Electoral College system, the election might be awaiting a recount.

Here’s how the electoral college works: The number of electoral votes of each state (and the District of Colombia) is equal to the number of members that state is entitled to have in Congress. Currently, the total number of electors is 538. There are 435 representatives and 100 senators, plus the three electors from the District of Columbia.

Each state’s electors pledged to a presidential and vice-presidential candidate and honor that pledge based on the popular vote. California has the most

45%

tive booths, performed traditional dances and sold kabobs — an Armenian delicacy.

[See Swing States, page 8]

Drama Department www.elvaq.com Revives Classic Play

By Chantal Bevard

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

I

n this time where women’s rights hang in the balance, Director Melissa R. Randel eloquently brings back, “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen, script was adapted by Christopher Hampton, a play that originally challenged women’s rights and roles in society when it first opened in 1879.

GCC’s version of “A Doll’s House” opened on Thursday night, immersing audiences into the world of Nora Helmer, played by Leela Loisel.

The play starts out as Nora bursts through the front door with her servant in tow carrying Christmas gifts Nora

Photo by Chantal Bevard

“A DOLL’S HOUSE”: Nora Helmer, played by Leela Loisel, argues

with her controlling husband, Torvald Helmer, played by Glenn De Bont.

bought while in town.

Although slightly contrived at some points, Loisel’s performance is fulfilling to

watch. Though this is Loisel’s third production, it is her first speaking part. This is surprising because, as a main

character, Nora appears in nearly every scene, talking almost continuously throughout each while Loisel never misses a beat (even if she did, the audience never knew).

The story takes place over three days: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas. As the days pass, Nora changes her views about her life and her role in society.

Loisel excels in this character progression, as her attitude and demeanor change to reflect how Nora feels about her life.

After Nora arrives home, her husband, Torvald Helmer, played by Glenn De Bont, then greets her after a short while [See Doll’s House, page 11]

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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NEWS

El Vaquero ASGCC Awards $23,000 in Campus Grants 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.

By Chantal Bevard

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

T

he Associated Students of Glendale Community College granted more than $23,000 to programs, projects and clubs around campus.

During the recent ASGCC legislature meetings, the Associated Students took the advisers’ advice and investigated which projects its grants would fund.

At the Nov. 6 meeting, the legislature thoroughly examined the finance committee’s recommendations for which projects would be funded by the Campus Project Support grants.

Campus Project Support was created by the Associated Students to fund innovative and sustainable projects that would benefit the student body and the college. Although the finance committee initially evaluates each application and recommends how much money should be granted to which programs, the legislature has the final decision.

The first application that the Associated Students debated was the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) club application. The finance committee suggested granting the club $1,250 for 25 Ralph’s gift cards at $50 each to give to students in need of grocery money.

“Don’t we already have the

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Arpa Shahijanian said that the Finance Committee thought the S.P.A.R.K. application was a beneficial idea because the increased revenue brought in by the club would create more scholarships, since the money raised at S.P.A.R.K. fundraisers goes to scholarships.

According to Shahijanian, the Finance Committee also thought it the idea would benefit the entire campus because the gift cards are for the bookstore, which brings in money for the campus.

Some legislators had concerns with this application because of its similarity to previous applications that were denied. “It’s like giving someone a scholarship to fund their basic needs,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think its fair if we deny this application because we denied previous applications that had similar concepts.”

Other Associated Student legislators defended the club’s application. “The S.P.A.R.K. program does a lot for the college,” Vice President of Campus Organizations Kevin Dimatulac said. “I feel that providing for these gift cards would help students already at the college and would help a program that helps GCC recruit students.”

After the discussion, the S.P.A.R.K. application was narrowly denied with nine legislators opposed, two abstaining and six in favor.

Other projects that were

denied included programs that had already been given a special organizational support (S.O.S.) grant for the same project, programs that already had funding for the project and programs that were too similar to programs already in place.

There were many projects that were approved without much discussion because the legislature agreed with the finance committee’s recommendations.

Some of these projects included: repair of the biology department’s microscopes, the Drug and Alcohol Studies T-shirts for a campaign against alcohol and drugs, the transfer center’s bus fees to take students on a tour of Southern California colleges and materials needed for the Rocketry Club’s recent rocket and weather balloon project.

“Great discussion today, I think towards the end you realized the importance of each of you here and what you bring to the table,” Oukayan said at the close of the meeting.

“I know that most of you are new and this is your first time doing this,” said Arman Marukyan, associated student president. “I’m really proud of the way it went. I think it went better than last semester, to be honest, so thank you.”

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

LETTERS

President Pleased With Passage of Prop. 30 To Glendale Community College Faculty and Staff,

Member of the Journalism Asssociation of Community Colleges

Food for Thought program that is similar to this?” Vice President of Campus Relations Darvill Rodriguez asked right away.

Student Activities Coordinator Tzoler Oukayan confirmed that the campus does offer the Food for Thought program that offers food assistance to students.

“I feel that this doesn’t directly affect students [physically] on campus,” said Senator of Administration Cameron McGee, continuing the discussion. “I understand that this is going towards a good cause, but it is called Campus Project Support and it doesn’t directly affect our students [physically] on the campus.”

Senator of Finance Armen Mardirossian defended the finance committee’s recommendation and said, “Basically this is a charity and they [EOPS] wanted to do something that would make them [the students in need] happy.”

After a vote, the grant application was denied with 12 legislature members opposed, one abstaining and four in favor.

Later in the meeting, the next controversial application was the Students Providing Assistance Resources and Knowledge club project. The finance committee recommended granting S.P.A.R.K. $625 for 25 bookstore gift cards at $25 each that would be raffled off to one S.P.A.R.K. student per fundraiser.

Vice President of Finance

With the passage of Proposition 30, we are now able to move forward and avoid several immediate and devastating cuts that would have occurred if the proposition had not passed.

The passage of Proposition 30 was clearly a vote of confidence by the people of California for our community colleges and the future of the state’s economic, social and cultural well- being. I am confident that this trust by the voters of California is well placed. I want to thank all of you for making Glendale

Community College such an important part of the community and the region.

In the short-term, the passage of Proposition 30 will help GCC avoid many devastating program cuts, budget cuts and layoffs.

We have been spared having to cut more than $4.6 million out of this year’s budget. This would have resulted in cutting 250 course sections, laying off as many as 20 staff members and suspending several support and co-curricular programs.

What the passage of Proposition 30 won’t allow us to do is go backwards. There is much work to be done, both in addressing structural budget deficit problems, and

programmatic and organizational system challenges at GCC. We will still need to realign many processes and services, staffing and the academic calendar as well as our budget allocation practices, to fit with the realities of what it means to be a community college that is charged with serving as the major economic, cultural and democratizing force for our community and region.

There are many issues that we will be facing over the next several years that will require not only new actions, processes and ways of operating, but a whole new way of thinking about how GCC can best serve the needs of students. In other words, we

have an exciting but challenging future ahead of us.

I look forward to meeting with the faculty next Tuesday during the college hour and with the classified staff on Thursday, Nov. 29 to continue the dialogue that has already begun on the future of GCC. Again, I congratulate all of you for the passage of Proposition 30, it was your hard work and dedication to the success of all our students that helped bring about this historic occasion for all of education in California.

Jim Riggs Interim Superintendent/President

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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NEWS

Revised Smoking Policy Draws Faculty Response On Oct.29, Dr. Gillooly sent an email to GCC faculty and staff about smoking on campus. The email drew a myriad of support. On Nov 1., Executive Vice President of Administrative Services Ron Nakasone sent a reply.

Dr. Gillooly’s email: How bad does it have to get before our current Administration understands that enforcing “GCC Board of Trustees’ Policy of Smoking in Designated Areas Only” is a priority?

Two years later, the ASGCC survey reporting that our student population wanted a total NonSmoking Campus has been eviscerated by the administration’s decision to ignore the ASGCC survey and to disregard the GCC Board of Trustees policy of July 13, 2010.

It has gotten increasingly worse with students and employees smoking all overthe campus.

In fact last week when I informed a mature woman that she was smoking in a non-smoking area, she told me in no uncertain terms to F-OFF. I explained that our police officers might come around and ticket her. She informed me that our “GCC Police are a joke.” She then blew smoke in my face. I walked away.

As employees of this campus we are working in an environment that is not safe. Working at GCC is hazardous to our health from the second and third hand smoke (how many more cigarette butts do we have to walk through on this campus?) which research shows does more health harm to non smokers than smokers.

Today, October 29, 2012, I walked to the top of 3rd floor INSIDE stairwell of San Rafael to find an older man SMOKING. He tried to hide it from me. I walked into the Social Science Division Office to tell Kit Crawford what I thought I saw, because I couldn’t believe it. She quickly walked out and found him smoking. She told him he couldn’t smoke inside and he said he knew it. He did not put out his cigarette, but instead walked outside tocontinue smoking by the door.

In spite of the non-smokers on campus best efforts to work with and be patient with our current Administration’s lack of desire to control the situation, our Administrators continue to be willing to subject us to a cancer causing, life threatening environment.

Here is some history which I think is of importance for us who want to work and have our students learn in an healthy and safe environment: On Wednesday, October 3, 2012, The El Vaquero newspaper published an article entitled, “New Signs Planned for Smoking Areas” by Chris Rodd. When I read the article stating that our Administration had decided once again to not enforce our Smoking Policy, I thought this cannot be happening. Is this a bad joke, a Halloween prank, but no, it has turned in a disgraceful and deadly failed GCC Policy.

Over two years ago, the El Vaquero published on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 in a big two column spread with red ink entitled, “Campus Smoking Policy CHANGED” that: “A new smoking policy went into effect on July 13 at Glendale Community College, making it a violation of district policy to smoke in any area not officially designated as a smoking area. The decision, according to the board of trustees, aims to maintain a learning and working environment that contributes to the health and safety of the students and employees of the district.”

During these two ensuing years when neither the former nor the current Superintend/ President has figured out how to enforce this Board of Trusteepolicy, the situation has gotten worse on campus.

Two years ago, in fall 2010, I contacted Mr. Ron Nakasone, Vice-President of Administrative Services, in charge of implementing the Smoking Policy and asked him to begin implementing the Smoking Policy. I have in writing from fall 2010, a statement that he would not have the Smoking Policy enforced until he had signs purchased to show designated Smoking Area. (Does this sound familiar to what was said in the October 3, 2012 El Vaquero article quoted above?)

We already spend money on signs and where is this new money in the budget? Do we need to spend more $$$$ when the previous signs did not help?

Health conscious members of this campus waited for the signs which finally came in spring semester,2011. Unfortunately, Mr. Nakasone had another reason why GCC was not enforcing its Smoking Policy. Nakasone told me “ the GCC Police had to get new ticket books with the correct ticket codes to issue warning and tickets for smoking in non-smoking areas and for littering”!?

Despite Mr. Nakasone’s bizarre statement, a member of the GCC Police Department came to my office at the end of Spring 2011 to show me that we do in fact have new ticket books for citations.

Yet no citations have been issued. I asked why? The response was that our Administrators could not decide how much to charge for the smoking violations. You can read in the October 3, 2012 El Vaquero that even though “Universities and colleges were authorized to issues citations for violating smoking policies by AB 795.” The leadership team at GCC has not figured out how to implement such a simple and straightforward policy at GCC. Our Administrators do not know how much to charge or where the money will go? Really! Go back and read the El Vaquero dated September 15, 2012. I quote, “The board of trustees authorized the college police to begin issuing warnings and citations, resulting in a possible fine of $35. To further enforce the policy, additional sanctions may be given through the Student Code of Conduct of Administrative Regulations as shown in campus policies and procedures.”

And now history is repeating. We are spending money we do not have on signs that will not work, if we have no enforcement. Next we will have to spend more money for more ticket books, and who know what else will be required.

Working at GCC is hazardous to our well being because students and people on this campus understand that our Administration is not effective in enforcing the Smoking Policy and therefore there is a climate of defiance for authority on this campus. This Administration is putting all of us at risk!

I am embarrassed to have colleagues from the city of Glendale, other colleges and universities, or guest speakers come to our campus because I subject them to second hand smoke and the embarrassment of facing their questions about GCC allowing smoking on our campus.

If you support this email, let our trustees and administrators hear from you.

Sincerely, Jessica Gillooly

Ron Nakasone’s response: There are three changes in smoking areas: • The area by the AA building has been eliminated.

• The area by the Planetarium has been eliminated.

• The area on the east side of CR has been added.

The Smoking Policy at GCC has been a long process for this particular attempt to balance smoking and non-smoking areas for students and staff. As you know, governance, board polices and administrative regulations play a large part in establishing parameters for what we do. For those of you who are interested, here is a brief history on the evolution of the current smoking policy up to today, based on the minutes of Administrative Affairs and Safety Committee. Your representatives can verify the lengthy discussions that took place.

The issue of smoking on campus was brought back to Administrative Affairs on Sept. 8, 2009 as a revision of AR 2610 Tobacco Sales which was last revised 3/14/06. This was revised as AR 3570 Policy on Smoking on Campus and approved by Campus Executive on July 13, 2010. This policy established “designated smoking areas” on campus. Board Policy 2600 had already been revised on 12/15/08 as BP 3570 Smoking Policy. Discussions on the smoking policy took place from 2009 through 2012.

While Government Code 7597 restricted smoking in buildings and within 20 feet of an entrance or operable window, it did not provide for fining violators. Assembly Bill 795 addressed that issue and was signed by the Governor on Oct. 8, 2011 and codified as 7597.1. This gave community colleges, the UCs and Cal States the authority to set enforcement standards and fines for their local campuses. Part of the provision to issue citations is that signs must be posted.

Unfortunately, the process was never defined.

The next hurdle was processing the citations. The Campus Police contacted the Superior Court for direction on how to proceed. This took a very long time for them to answer and the result was that the District Attorney would not accept processing of our smoking citations. The Campus Police also contacted the City of Glendale to request processing. After review by the City Attorney’s office, we were informed that the City would not process citations for violations of the Glendale Municipal Code (GMC).

Other arrangements had to be made and are now almost completed with an approved, outside company. For your information, when a citation for a smoking violation is issued in the near future, the violator will be required to pay the amount of the ticket. The person has the right to due process and can appeal a smoking citation following a similar format to the appeal of a parking citation. If, after the appeal, the person is determined to have violated the regulations against smoking, the amount of the citation will stand and the person will be required to pay that amount. If the violator chooses not to pay the citation amount, after 90-days, the matter will be referred to collections.

While signs have been posted in the designated areas, they have been removed by unknown persons. New signs have been ordered and will be installed as soon as possible. The new

[See Smoking Policy, page 13]

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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NEWS

California Elections Roundup

By Sal Polcino

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

C

alifornia voters made some very important decisions on Nov. 6, some of which will have a profound effect on GCC. Proposition 30 which would allocate much needed funds to state colleges. Proposition 32 would have prohibited unions and corporations to deduct money from employee’s paychecks for political purposes.

The death penalty was on the line in Proposition 34. Labels on genetically altered foods, changes to the “Three Strikes Law,” human trafficking penalties and clean energy funding were all on the ballot.

Election Results: House and Senate Races In the 43rd Assembly race, incumbent Mike Gatto ,D-Silverlake, took 60.46 percent of the vote to defeat Republican challenger Greg Krikorian.

In the 28th District incumbent Rep Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, acquired an overwhelming 75.96 percent of the vote against challenger, Phil Jennerjahn.

In the 25th District Senate race, Sen. Carol Liu (DLa Canada) retains her seat, defeating Republican challenger, Gilbert Gonzales with 60.3 percent of the vote.

Proposition 30 –— Passed In a close race, Proposition 30 squeaked by with 53.9 percent of the vote.

A sales-tax increase of onequarter cent will go into effect for four years as will a personal tax increase on annual earnings

of $250,000 or more for seven years. The revenue raised from this initiative will be allocated to schools K-12, community colleges, state universities and public safety agencies.

Proposition 31 –— Failed Fiscal responsibilities of local budgeting and oversight will remain with the state and not local government. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposition with 60.8 percent of the vote.

Proposition 32 –— Failed Prohibits corporations and unions from using payroll deductions to fund political agendas.

Voters rejected this initiative with 56.2 percent against.

Proposition 33 –— Failed Insurance companies cannot base their discounted auto insurance rates on how long a customer has maintained their policy with the insurer. New drivers and drivers who have not been insured due to legitimate reasons will not be forced to pay higher rates.

There were 54.7 percent who voted no.

Proposition 34 –— Failed The death penalty will remain in place in California. Voters chose not to abolish the death penalty with 52.8 percent voting against the initiative.

Proposition 35 - Passed A whopping 81.8 percent of voters decided to increase the penalties for crimes involving human trafficking.

Those

convicted of human trafficking will also have to register as sex offenders.

Proposition 36 - Passed A resounding 68.7 percent elected to change the “Three Strikes Law,” which will now prevent two- time felons from being sentenced to life if they commit a third crime that does not involve a serious or violent offense.

Proposition 37 –— Failed Manufacturers of genetically altered foods will not be required to specifically label their products as such. Fifty-three percent of California voters were against this measure.

Proposition 38 –— Failed This was another initiative to raise taxes to fund schools but did not include colleges. The tax hike would have affected anyone earning $7,136 annually. This proposal was rejected by 72.3 percent of voters. .

Proposition 39 –— Passed This prohibits multi-state businesses from choosing more favorable tax liability options based on property and payroll outside the state. Yes votes were counted at 60.1 percent.

Proposition 40 –— Passed This initiative allows the senate district boundaries certified by the Citizens Redistricting Commission to be used in the next election. Votes were tabulated at 71.4 percent in favor of the proposition.

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

Phone Bank Volunteers Ring Swings for Obama

By Chris Rodd

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

P

resident Obama won a decisive victory in his bid for re-election in the Nov. 6 election, and while common wisdom would have it that California voters played little role in the outcome, the president could owe quite a bit of his victory to volunteers in the reliably blue state.

In the final month of the election, hundreds of volunteers gathered in the J. W. Smith Student Center at GCC to call voters in swing states to persuade the undecided and make sure Obama supporters got to the polls.

“What the campaign likes to say is that California is an ‘export state,’ so we have a lot of people here who are energetic and want to help Obama get elected,” said John Maliga, Eagle Rock resident and site location director for the phone bank, who helps organize and train participants.

The phone bank was a joint effort of the Organizing for America offices in Burbank, Glendale, and Eagle Rock, which ran Obama’s campaign in those cities. Beginning in September as separate phone banks with only 10 to 12 volunteers in a living room, the three cities’ campaigns pooled their resources in October to attract a greater number of people. The phone bank attracted more than a

hundred volunteers a day in the final weekend of the campaign, most of whom were from Glendale.

Before the final weekend, the calls targeted undecided voters in states such as Iowa, Nevada, Colorado and Ohio, emphasizing Obamas record on jobs, healthcare, and women’s rights.

There was also an effort to counter common attacks, including the allegation that Obama was not born in the United States.

“If they stay on the line, they are actually listening to what [the volunteer] has to say and want to hear that personal story,” said Ysabel Jurado, GCC alumna and sub location director for the phone bank who helped train people to call voters. “That might be the only real thing that they hear.”

By Monday before the election, the focus was on convincing likely supporters to come out to the polls and vote as early as possible. Volunteers asked voters what time and how they were getting to the polls, and informed voters on new photo identification requirements in key swing states.

“Our goal isn’t to explicitly say there’s going to be a problem with the ID requirements, we just want to make people aware so they can obviate any problems” said Maliga.

Volunteers had a wide variety of motivations for participating.

For some, specific issues in Obama’s agenda pulled them to [See Phone Bank, page 5]

Campus Comments How do you feel about the election results?

Heather Moy, 19 Psychology “The only proposition I was paying attention to was the Prop 30 vote, and it passed, so I’m pretty happy with it.”

James Krusling, 44 Associate Dean, Library I am happy with the results.

The Democratic party reflects more what actually is happening in our country, it has more appreciation for racial, ethnic diversity and rights of women.

Vahag Shabani, 21

Scott Whitaker, 39

Computer Science

Hospitality Management

“They’re status quo candidates. I don’t think there would have been too much of a difference if Romney or Obama won.”

“I wasn’t surprised.

I voted for Obama myself, and I’m glad that he won.”

­­—Compiled by Chris Rodd and Ksenia Rabinovich

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

5

NEWS

Hurricane Sandy Closes East Coast Campuses

By John Ferrara

EL VAQUERO SPORTS EDITOR

T

housands of community college students struggle to complete their school semesters after Hurricane Sandy rocked the coast of New Jersey and New York on Oct. 29, shutting down many schools for days as cities were left flooded and without power.

“Nineteen hundred of our seventyfive hundred students live on one of the Barrier Islands and a number of them were displaced from their homes,” said Kathy Corbalis, Executive Director of College Relations at Atlantic Cape Community College in Atlantic City, N.J. Corbalis says that ACCC is more concerned with the welfare of its students than with the damaged facilities.

Atlantic Cape is offering the most affected students free amenities like bus passes and textbooks to help them complete their academic semester by means of $200 grants generated from a relief fund set up through its website.

The Press of Atlantic City reports that Stockton College of Galloway, N.J. is creating incentives for students to get back in the classroom by providing reduced housing at $20 per night

for the remainder of the semester.

The college’s unions have also raised more than $9,000 for employees affected by the storm.

Despite major flooding to the first floor, College of Staten Island was able to recover quickly.

“Of the New York community colleges, we were hit the worst because we’re in downtown Manhattan … this is our first day back in service and it’s going rather well,” said Barry Rosen, Executive Director of Public Affairs.

CSI graduate student, Marybeth Malendez-Perez, found local fame after she was featured on “Anderson Cooper 360” for setting up a major distribution center to feed hungry storm survivors despite suffering from blindness.

“I want to tell you that maybe God blessed me that I can’t see the visuals, because it hurts,” Malendez-Perez said in an interview with Anderson Cooper.

According to Rosen, CSI students are allowed to drop their classes without penalty for the remainder of the semester and the school has also offered stress counseling.

Ocean County College in Toms River, N.J. was devastated

by Hurricane Sandy and resumed school activities on Monday, two weeks after the disaster.

Volunteers Support Obama With Phone Calls [Phone Bank from page 4] For Lilian Tapia, that issue was immigration. Despite her initial misgivings after a comprehensive immigration bill was not introduced in Obama’s first term, she was moved by Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s strict stance on illegal immigration. Her deep passion for this issue helped her convince an undecided voter in Nevada, to whom she spoke entirely in Spanish.

“He was just giving away that right,” said Tapia in her first call made for the campaign. “I told him, you need to help me, you need to help me with your family.

Make them understand we are juggling our freedom here.”

In the frantic atmosphere of the volunteer room, Maliga waved

off any suggestion that their calls were anything less than crucial to an Obama victory.

“We do hard work here,” said Maliga. “Any volunteer effort gets a little messy, sometimes people feel that it’s chaotic or that their not accomplishing something, but every phone call we make is an important thing.”

Though certainly enthusiastic, participants seemed to be cautiously optimistic on the President’s chances of reelection.

“Nothing’s a foregone conclusion. I’m chilling my bottle of champagne, but it’s still in the fridge,” said Maliga.

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

“Many of our staff and students who live on the Barrier Island or near the Barnegat Bay have lost everything,” said Jan Kirsten, Executive Director of College Relations.

“Some have yet to be allowed back on the island to assess the damages.

The best estimate for those whose homes are still standing, is six to nine months of rehabbing before they are able to return.”

After New York, New Jersey and Connecticut declared a state of emergency, Glendale College reflected on its own procedures to better prepare for disaster.

On Nov. 6, Glendale College Police Chief Gary Montecuollo addressed the board of trustees with a PowerPoint presentation of Glendale’s current disaster policies, which were originally drawn up by former chief Steven P. Wagg and a privately owned consulting group.

“The idea of this particular plan, whether large or small scale can be used to monitor certain emergencies … and it’s a very cost-effective system, said Montecuollo.

The system is composed of a series of checklists designed to make tasks easy for those in charge.

Montecuollo and the new Director of Facilities and Construction, Nelson Oliveira, are currently working together to compile a telephone roster of emergency contacts, including local hospitals and merchants who have reached a memorandum of understanding with the college.

These businesses will donate services or supplies to Glendale College when called upon in an emergency situation.

During spring break of 2012, GCC experienced a major power outage, rendering the college police department’s emergency broadcast system useless. This problem was addressed by Montecuollo and the board of trustees, who worked together to find a donor for a mobile generator to power the police department during a blackout.

Walt Disney Co. agreed to donate the money needed for a generator with what board of trustees member Anthony Tartaglia called “a rather

large check.”

“I’m happy to report we will be receiving the check from Disney very soon,” said Montecuollo.

On the Glendale College Police Department website there is also a digital copy of the “Emergency Procedures Guide,” which is a pamphlet on surviving a variety of disasters, from nuclear explosions to snake bites.

Although most of the emergency directions are simplified to taking cover and calling the police, information on what to do during common California disasters like earthquakes and fires are more detailed and may provide valuable information in a life-threatening situation.

Anyone interested in receiving more information on the “Emergency Procedures Guide” should call the GCC police at (818) 240-1000, ext. 5925 or (818) 409-5925.

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

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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NEWS

Campus Exults Over Passing of Proposition [Prop 30, from page 1] reduction of at least 100 more courses had Proposition 30 failed to pass.

“I’m glad that we won,” said student Hebert Lucio, 22, a music major. “I didn’t think that we were going to win at first, we were down for a while.”

Lucio is taking general education classes at GCC but is concurrently enrolled in the California Institute of the Arts.

“If it [Proposition 30] didn’t

pass I would’ve stopped coming here,” said Lucio. “My sociology professor mentioned that she wasn’t going to be rehired next semester if it didn’t pass.”

A classmate of Lucio’s, Nicole Frial, 19, is a nursing major who has the same sociology teacher.

Frial admitted that she didn’t vote and, “didn’t hear about Proposition 30 until recently, about a week ago.”

Frial took interest in the tax initiative when her teacher had brought it up in class.

The adjunct sociology teacher wished remain anonymous.

Despite the encouraging passage of Proposition 30, the college still faces financial challenges.

“We can’t think that we’re out of the wilderness yet,” said Riggs.

“We still need to make some adjustments to our programs because we are really geared up for a much larger student population.”

Riggs continues to believe that GCC needs to become a

“smaller school.”

“We’re built for 4,000 to 4,300 sections, what we really have to do is go back to 3,500 sections,” said Riggs. “There is still a lot of planning to go, in order to get to the size of the institution we really are.”

Even though Riggs intends to keep the school smaller than the 4,353 courses offered in 2008 to 2009, he and Nakasone both confirmed that there will be 150 courses added back to this upcoming spring semester. Riggs

Overturned Truck Causes Fire

Photo by Lorentious Barry

By Chris Rodd

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

A

pickup truck overturned near the intersection of Glendale Avenue and Mountain Street Nov. 5, setting fire to a tree just south of the football field at GCC and injuring none of the occupants.

Carlos Rosales was driving down Mountain Street at approximately 8 a.m. with two other occupants, all construction workers, on their way from Azusa when his brakes failed.

Rather than driving into the cars at the bottom of the hill, he veered to the right, running the

truck into the embankment.

“Right now, it seems like he chose the best course of action that he was given, and possibly save a lot of people from getting injured,” said Lieut. Stewart Brackin of the Glendale Police Department, who was at the scene.

Concrete and cinderblocks were strewn across Mountain Street. The accident set fire to a tree on campus, sending smoke in to the air that could be smelled as far away as Plaza Vaquero.

The response was a combined effort of the Glendale Police Department, Glendale Fire

Department, and GCC Police. The truck was removed by 9:25 a.m., and shortly afterward men in a Dodge Dakota picked up the men and helped collect the few salvageable cinderblocks. Where were they heading?

“I have to get back to work,” said Rosales.

Both lanes of traffic reopened at 9:33.

hopes that doing so will make it easier for students to get the classes they need.

The interim president also spoke about integrating services of several different programs offered for students.

“Our learning support programs, supplemental instruction, tutoring, and other kind of support labs are being put together to save money but hopefully serve students better.”

As for the service and success of students it is good to hear that there will not be any layoffs, according to Seboo Aghajani, California School Employees Association’s public information officer and enrollment and services technician.

Before the CSEA knew whether or not the tax initiative was going to pass, department managers were told to pick one person from each department to lay off, according to Aghajani.

GCC’s staff is relieved now that no one is being let go, but emplyees are still sustaining 5 percent pay cuts.

CSEA’s president, Hoover Zariani, informed Aghajani, “Nothing is certain,” concerning negotiations about changes in pay cuts.

“We will comment next week when negotiations have come to a conclusion,” said Aghajani.

Nakasone shed some light on the topic.

“We’ve already agreed to a certain level of pay cuts for the faculty, classified employees and managers and it’s more than what we’re going to need. We’re going to have to stop the pay cuts earlier rather than going through the whole year.”

Confirming that there is presently a 5 percent pay cut, “Right now it’s looking like 1 or 2 percent cut is what we’re going to need. So we’re going to stop after three or four months,” said Nakasone.

All of GCC’s faculty and staff are still in negotiations and nothing is written in stone, but Proposition 30’s passing has lightened the load for many.

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

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

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

7

FEATURES

Campus Profile Shows Decline in Enrollment, Diversity

By Rebecca Krueger EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

S

ince 2010, there has been a drop of 4,627 full-time equivalent students and an 8 percent increase in the Caucasian population at GCC. “We have to keep diversity as high as possible on campus,” said Edward Karpp, associate dean of institutional research and planning. If other ethnic group populations continue to dwindle, he suggested that the student outreach program may need to target specific racial groups for recruitment.

In 2009-10 the total full-time enrolled students (FTES) was 19,897 and dropped to a total of 15,270 FTES from 201112. According to the Campus Profile, the number of credit and noncredit students at GCC dropped to its lowest point since 1994-1995.

The Campus Profile is a compilation of statistics provided by the Institutional Research and Planing Department.

The profile defines FTES as students who have 525 contact

hours. Contact hours are also considered as credit hours.

The crisis in the state’s budget, that resulted in GCC’s deficit, is considered to be the cause of the decrease in FTES and overall student attendance.

Even though the total number of students enrolled in GCC has dropped, the Caucasian population has jumped up 8 percent.

“We did change our database system in 2010 so some things may not be completely accurate,” said Karpp. “You think of the numbers as definitely being accurate because we get them from the database looking at all the students, but there are definitely some errors.”

The lack of ethnicities in the database was the cause of the errors.

“There were a lot of missing ethnicities when we switched over,” Karpp said. “I’m waiting to see if that is a long term trend or not, but it does look like there are more Caucasian students this fall than that of the previous years.”

The Armenian population is still the top racial demographic at

Spotlight on Past ASGCC Presidents: Samir Abou-Rass

By Angel Silva

EL VAQUERO MANAGING EDITOR

The following is the first of a series of articles on previous ASGCC presidents employed on campus. Featured in this issue is Glendale College police sergeant and speech professor Samir Abou-Rass, who was ASGCC president from 1988 to 1989.

H

aving first entered the college in 1985, Abou-Rass, 45, was ASGCC president from 1988 to 1989. He was director of special events before running for that position.

“I ran on the notion of ‘no apathy’ –— at the time the AS and the student body were not really connected,” said Abou-Rass.

“Students would pay for services but they weren’t receiving what they were supposed to receive as far as services, the things that [ASGCC] provided.”

As president, Abou-Rass made it a priority to lead ASGCC (then known as ASB) in engaging

the campus.

“My office, and it wasn’t just me, it was everybody in our legislature, we were instrumental in bringing a lot of the clubs together. We had lots of different activities, we had social events on campus,” said Abou-Rass.

“We brought ASB to a point where it was recognized in the sense that if students had a problem they would come to us.

We were really focused at that time in servicing the college community.”

The school’s finances were a problem at the time, although according to Abou-Rass it wasn’t as bad as the financial situation at GCC today.

To help students pay for the cost of books and classes, AbouRass’s administration set up a system of loans for students.

“We were trying in any way, shape and form to help students who were financially challenged,” said Abou-Rass.

[See ASGCC, page 16]

GCC with 32 percent, a 4 percent decrease since 2010, and the Latino population has dropped two points to 21 percent. The Asian/ Pacific Islander makes up 8 percent, Filipino is at 4 percent, African American is 2 percent and American Indian is below 1 percent.

The outreach program does not currently focus on any specific racial group, but it goes to different campuses throughout the Los Angeles region to recruit students for GCC. “Our goal is to have students continue their education and let them know that they have other options,” said Olga Tovar, student outreach services technician.

Regardless of GCC’s deficit and low FTES, transfer rates are higher than the region and the state average. The state’s community college average transfer rate is 41.6 percent, and the Los Angeles region has a transfer rate of 41.4 percent. GCC’s transfer rate is 49.1 percent.

“The transfer rate is the

number of students enrolling at a four-year institution within six years of attending a community college, divided by the total number of students in cohort,” according to the report.

Keeping in mind that community colleges are thought of as two-year institutions, “Most students who do transfer don’t take two years, they take longer. Six years are considered reasonable,” said Karpp.

To obtain the transfer statistics, a subset of students that takes 12 or more units are followed by the database. The 49.1 percent transfer rate comes from students starting in the 2005-06 year.

There has also been an increase in the male population at GCC. The Campus Profile hasn’t reported a change, keeping the male population at 44 percent to the female’s 55 percent for the past three years, but Karpp says there has been an increase.

“Gender used to be more varied. It was more like females were at 60 percent and men

were at 40 percent,” said Karpp.

Females continue to have clear majority in the population on campus.

Karpp believes that one of the causes for this increase in the male student population over recent years is a shrinking labor market. There are fewer jobs in the labor market so more males are coming to community college to start or change a new career.

“There may be other explanations for changes from one year to another,” said Karpp.

The Campus Profile doesn’t only include gender, ethnic, and transfer demographics, it also ranges from student success rates, student needs to faculty and staff demographics and statistics on the fiscal condition.

Copies of the 2012 Campus Profile can be found at Research and Planning located in SF100.

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

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

www.elvaq.com

OPINION

Politicians Need to Addresss Global Warming

By Agnessa Kasumyan EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

I

n the horserace that has been dubbed “The Presidential Election,” both Republican candidate Mitt Romney and incumbent Barack Obama made promises to improve the economy, yet did not address the one issue that will prove grossly damaging to our economic state.

Global warming.

Though advocates of climate change measures are often viewed negatively as hippie “treehuggers” who gather around campfires and sing “Kumbaya,” the cruelly laughable irony is that

humans are natural beings highly dependent on natural resources.

By contributing to the decline of the Earth and refusing to take action against global warming, we are only contributing to the impending decline of civilization as we know it today.

Pardon my “gloom and doom” tone, but scientific facts — not conspiracies — state that if we do not take elaborate measures to decrease the rise of Earth’s surface temperature, we will be heading toward dangerous times.

In fact, we already are.

According to a study published by the Enviromental

Protection Agency (EPA) at policyalmanac.org, the Earth’s surface temperature has increased by 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1901, with most of the warming having taken place during the past two decades.

Atmospheric greenhouse gases, including water vapor and carbon dioxide, trap “outgoing energy” from the Earth’s surface, absorbing and retaining heat.

However, being the meddlesome creatures that we are, human beings have managed to tamper with the natural chemistry and physics of the Earth, intensifying the greenhouse effect with our

Swing States Re-elect Obama [Swing States, from page 1] electors with 55.

Proponents of the Electoral College believe that the system protects the right of smaller, lesspopulated states.

This made the graphics presented by NBC News misleading.

The small blue portions of each undecided state, representing Democratic voters, were mostly concentrated near major cities whereas the red (Republican) precincts were mostly large rural areas. The wide red areas gave the mistaken impression that Mitt Romney was leading in almost all of the Midwestern states as well as the Eastern swing states.

But the more densely populated cities, where education and culture abound, turned the tide for Obama.

This may speak volumes for the American people. Big cities have more diversity than rural areas. They have better education, universities and colleges, more businesses and more money.

They have more media resources and spend more time on social media websites. This is where the Republicans’ association with religious fundamentalists, antigay sentiments and inequality for women hurt them the most.

Even in some red states where Republicans almost always carry the day, there were small pockets of blue dots concentrated near large cities.

But make no mistake — nearly half of the American voting public still committed

to Romney and the Republican platform.

So what makes the country so divisive? Is it really Republicans versus Democrats? Liberals versus conservatives? Religious people versus non-religious?

Rich versus poor?

Of course these are all contributing factors but the most critical issue is education.

This might well be the biggest difference between red and blue states.

Red states include the states with the worst education records in the country. Oklahoma, Nebraska, Nevada, Arizona, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are the lowest ranking for math and science.

Education does begin in the home. In many cases, parents decide early on whether their child will follow in their religious and political views. Children may become radical in their views with only one source of information (their parents) before they are fully developed. This is the parents’ choice but once children are in the public school system they have a chance to make their own informed decisions.

Maybe more classes in humanities and political science need to be taught at an earlier age. History has shown the terrible effects of prejudice and intolerance with genocide, repression, slavery and world wars.

More teachers and better schools are needed to impress these things upon young minds while they are still open to

receive.

President Obama is very pro-education. In his first term he created such programs as: •

• • •

•

The Race to the Top Fund which includes $4.35 billion to reward states that create comprehensive education reform plans.

Established the State Equalization Fund to build new schools.

Provided $77 billion to reform K-12 and secondary schools.

Provided $26 billion to a state aid package that saved 160,000 teaching jobs in 2010.

Provided over $2.3 billion in additional funding to Head Start and Early Head Start programs in 2009.

Obama has been busy helping to educate the youth who will inherit this nation and everything that comes with it: the multi-trillion dollar national debt, a dwindling social security system and a failing medicare program, and unemployment.

Education is the key. This is the true path to keeping this country great.

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

elvaq.com

excessive burning of fossil fuels, increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and the absorption of more heat.

This has led to the rise in surface and ocean temperatures, the melting of the glaciers, and the rise in water levels.

During the election, the decision to put global warming on the backburner was a political one, primarily due to the economic turmoil that has ravaged the nation. Who cares about the planet when we can’t even put food on the table or pay the rent?

However, by repeatedly neglecting the issue, we are only damaging the future of our economy even more.

Agriculture, a major player in the United States economy, has already taken a big hit and will continue to be affected by increasing temperatures.

According to a report conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), about 80 percent of agricultural land has already suffered from severe droughts, which has damaged fields and crops and increased the price of food due to the shortcomings. Imagine what the inflation rate will be when the Earth continues to get warmer and food supplies become more limited.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that the crops, livestock and seafood that are “grown, raised, and caught” in the country contribute about $200 billion to the economy.

The United States provides 30 percent of the wheat, rice and corn on the global market, but with 80 percent of our farming land dried up, how can we expect to keep putting out the same amount of food and taking in more profit?

The ecosystem as we know it may alter as well. The EPA states that because many fish cannot survive beyond a certain temperature, they have to migrate to colder waters. Though this will help them survive the climate, they may end up dying anyway, as they will have to compete with other species for food and resources.

Livestock are especially threatened with the rising temperatures. Heat waves and droughts will increase due to climate change, decreasing food

supplies for the animals, making them vulnerable to diseases and parasites and even putting them at risk of infertility.

As evident by recent storms, climate change will also lead to greater natural disasters. Despite the cost in human lives, the amount of money it would take to recover from the damages will be further detrimental to the economy.

A report by economists Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth A. Stanton of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) estimates that though droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters have cost us billions of dollars, the costs will only be amplified as the storms become more extreme and more frequent with climate change. Hurricane damages alone are expected to cost $422 billion, with real estate losses totaling around $360 billion, water costs $950 billion, and energy costs around $141 billion as the demand for energy increases.

The domino effect of global warming is mind-boggling, but the lack of initiative on behalf of the public — not just politicians — is even more so.

According to a report conducted by ABC News reporter Bill Blakemore in July, the United States has contributed to global warming more than any other country by far. Cumulatively, we have exerted the largest amount of carbon dioxide into the air, yet we are behind most countries in taking climate change measures.

As our political leaders, the Democratic and Republican parties should have fought to inform the public and make people understand just how serious of an issue global warming is during their bid for the Oval Office, especially since it’s an issue that will affect us more than anything else in the future.

Instead we have candidates (Romney) who joke about it.

The candidates may have tried to dodge the issue, but the Earth was not willing to let us forget so easily, as evident by Hurricane Sandy. Still laughing, Romney?

Here’s an anecdote: how many disasters does it take before people start taking global warming seriously? Anybody know the punchline?

We claim not to be able to afford climate change measures [See Global Warming, page 9]

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

9

FEATURES

Club Forms to Support War Veterans on Campus

By Chantal Bevard

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

T

here are more than 350 of them on campus; students walk by them every day not knowing that they are there.

These are the people who signed up to serve their country no matter what that cost might be; they are the veterans of the United States military.

A couple of determined veterans formed the GCC Veterans Association this semester with the help of their veterans’ certified official, adviser and fellow veteran, Charles Shumate.

“We wanted to start this a while back and it was just finding the veterans who wanted to get it started,” Shumate said. “But the thing is a lot of veterans don’t want to be noticed or put out there like that.”

Kristel Vear, the vice president of the club, said that Shumate “got the ball rolling” after a couple of veterans asked him if there was a club or somewhere they could go to connect.

Vear served in the Army for on campus is because of the lack eight years as a logistical special- of funding. Although there isn’t ist and left the military two years funding for a resource center, ago as a sergeant. “We want to there is a good amount of campus let veterans know, ‘Hey, there’s support for veterans. a place for “Every you, there’s a department place for you chips in for to get help ‘hey, services for and you’re not the vets on alone,’” Vear campus,” there’s a place for you, there’s a S h u m a t e said.

Thomas said.

He place for you to get help and went on to Wales, the president of explain that the club, was there is also one of the a panel on veterans who campus that helped create meets once the club. “The or twice a —Kristel Vear major goal is month to to make life as Vice President of GCC Veterans Association discuss difeasy for veterferent vetans coming here as possible,” said erans’ issues and what they can Wales. “In the short term, that do to make everything more commeans we are driving for funding fortable for veterans on campus. to open a veterans resource center Shumate and Vear said that the on campus.” main obstacle in recruiting memShumate said that the main bers for the club is that most vetreason why GCC doesn’t current- erans don’t like attention. “A lot ly have a veterans resource center of veterans are reserved,” Vear said. “We aren’t going to ask for help very often.”

This is why the GCC Veterans Association is going to start to have more events. “We want

“We want to let veterans know,

you are not alone.”

Opinion: Climate Change [Global Warming, from page 8] and reforms, yet we can afford to dry up six billion dollars, according to the New York Post, on campaigns.

Solving the problem means limiting our use of fossil fuels and increasing our use of natural energy like solar and wind power. According to the NRDC, investing in green, clean-energy industries like solar, wind and energy efficiency programs as well as retooling manufacturing plants can lead to a clean energy economy, one that is far more effective and healthy both financially and physically.

The manufacturing of solar and wind turbines can create jobs for

millions of Americans without increasing the federal debt and decreasing our dependency on oil.

Global warming needs to be taken seriously. I hate to be the Angel of Death, but denial and procrastination will only lead to disaster. Imagine having a burning fever but not having the medicine to cool your temperature? Eventually, you would die. We have the medicine and the solutions necessary to slow the onset of global warming, yet we are denying the very planet that gives us life proper treatment because the “insurance” is too high.

Agnessa Kasumyan can be reached at agnessakas@gmail.com

stories • pics • sports

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to have events on campus for the veterans so that we can get them all together so they can know there are other vets on campus,” said Shumate.

Wales, a Navy veteran who served for six years, explained that the club is about exchanging information, but also about providing support. “It’s our goal to help veterans and any veteran on campus that needs any type of help whether it’s with school, or finding a job, or they need somebody to talk to or that they need healthcare, they should come and find us and we will do our very best to meet their needs,” “We are here to support.”

Vear said that once veterans have a safe space to meet, it is easy to connect. “Once you’ve served in the military, regardless of what branch or what you’ve done, there that bond that is, ‘hey I did this, I served my country.’

It’s almost like an instant friend.”

As a veteran who saw combat in Afghanistan, Iraq and was stationed in South Korea, Vear said that providing support for other veterans is a crucial part of the agenda of the club.

“It’s good knowing that they’re coming back alive, but it’s hard, it’s very very difficult to

adjust. If you’ve seen combat or if you have post-traumatic stress disorder it’s a struggle to come back and integrate into society when you’ve been through trauma that you can’t relate to other people.”

For now, the GCC Veterans Association provides help for other veterans in the form of emotional and educational support, but hopes that eventually there will be a veterans resource center created on campus so that they can have their own space where all the resources and support systems are centralized.

For the upcoming holiday season, the club has cards for people to fill out if they want to send one to a service man or woman to let them know that they are appreciated.

The GCC Veterans Association’s next meeting is Monday at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Center.

The association can be contacted on Facebook at GCC Veterans Association or by email at gccveteransassociation@gmail. com.

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

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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ARTS AND ENTERTANMENT

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Craig Returns as Bond in Skyfall

By Angel Silva

EL VAQUERO MANAGING EDITOR

J

ames Bond utilizes his license to thrill audiences in his latest adventure, “Skyfall,” a revealing stand-alone in the series that takes viewers through the similar fates of Bond (Daniel Craig, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” 2011) and new supervillain Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem, “Eat Pray Love,” 2010).

Directed by Sam Mendes (“Away We Go” 2009) the film starts with Bond pursuing an opposing spy who had stolen a hard drive with crucial data files.

Assisting Bond in his chase is Eve (Naomie Harris, “The First Grader,” 2010), who follows

Bond and the spy through Istanbul. As the chase progresses, Eve takes a shot at the spy and ends up accidentally shooting Bond, who’s left for dead.

Meanwhile, MI6, the British counterpart of the CIA and Bond’s employer, comes under fire by a series of mysterious cyberterrorist attacks. Bond, taking note of the attacks, returns for duty and is put on the case.

Eventually the one responsible turns out to be Silva, a flamboyant and technologically-savvy man with a past linked to MI6 and its chief, M (Judi Dench, “Stars in Shorts”).

The action scenes in “Skyfall” are visually stunning. The train scenes are impressive

BOND IS BACK: Daniel Craig returns as the world’s most famous super spy. In his latest adventure, Bond takes on Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem. Judi Dench returns as M and Ben Whishaw plays a younger version of Q.

in their scale and ambition, from the first scene where he’s fighting on a moving train to a confrontation with Silva in the London Underground. The final showdown with Silva provides a lot of firepower and fireworks for the audience. Craig performs most of Bond’s stunts, making the acting feel natural - especially in scenes where Bond’s age begins to catch up with him. Mendes has really outdone himself this time.

The acting in “Skyfall” gives life to the story. The plot, although not as enthralling as previous Bond installments, is brought to life through Craig’s portrayal of Bond as a gruff, rogue agent.

Audiences can see how much Bond has grown and developed into the agent he is in “Skyfall” since his first portrayal in “Casino Royale.” His interactions with M and Silva are among the best in the series.

The movie separates itself from many action movies today with its character development.

Details about Bond’s mysterious past are revealed, and portions of MI6’s history are revealed as well.

M’s past becomes a crucial point in the film, as the decisions she made years ago are revealed to be what’s fueling Silva’s ambitions.

Dench’s final performance as M is full of emotion, a departure from the cold, calculated mask she wore in the previous two Bond installments.

Silva is a quintessential Bond villain, complete with tortured

past and iconic behavior. Silva’s pursuit of his goal, which isn’t lofty as those of previous Bond villains, is ruthless in its singlemindedness, and the things he does to make a point are what add to his character. In one point of the film, he flirts with Bond, who, oddly enough, flirts back.

It’s apparent that Bardem, an Academy Award winning actor, had a lot of fun with this role.

The film includes several references to the previous Bond installments. The most apparent nod is the Aston Martin that Bond won in “Casino Royale,” which returns during the second half of the film. Several lines of dialogue reference older Bond films as well, such as the scene where Bond meets the new Q (Ben Whishaw, “Cloud Atlas” 2012).

As Bond receives new gear, he’s teased by Q for wanting more equipment and asks him, “What did you expect, an exploding pen?”, making a reference to the 1995 Bond film “Goldeneye.”

In the end, “Skyfall” does a good job of capturing the Bond feel to the series while providing a great deal of backstory to the characters, all through a story that feels relevant to today’s world.

“Skyfall” is rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences, sexuality, language and smoking and runs for 143 minutes.

 Angel Silva can be reached at writer_silva@rocketmail.com

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

11

ARTS AND ENTERTANMENT REVIEWS

New Thriller by John Sandford a Must-Read

By Sal Polcino

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

H

ere’s a warning to serious fans of the mystery novel: do not open John Sandford’s “Mad River” at bedtime if sleep is on the agenda. Mad River roars along like the rapids, twisting and turning the plot and teeming with action.

“Mad River” follows detective Virgil Flowers as he chases a trio of young misfits on a killing spree in rural Minnesota. Five people are dead by page 40. Although Sandford reveals the killers almost immediately, the fun is in the chase, and of course there’s some unexpected plot twists along the way.

Flowers works for the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, an elite squad of investigators organized by the governor. Based in Minneapolis/ St. Paul, the BCA steps in when local police are stymied or when a case takes a political turn.

In this case, Flowers tracks a former high school bully turned psychopath and his girlfriend, a beauty with sociopathic

tendencies along with their weakminded friend as they blaze a path of death and mayhem through rural Minnesota.

The chase takes Flowers to his own home town and the surrounding area. Although he would rather be knocking back a beer with his buddies or pursuing his passion, fishing, than tracking three rampaging youths, Flowers is in his element.

The case takes on national attention in the press. Flowers’ boss, Lucas Davenport, informs him in a phone call. “You made all the national talk shows. They’re saying Bonnie and Clyde. They’re saying Natural Born Killers. You could probably sell an option on a movie, if you move fast.

Everybody in the world is headed your way, and they’re all hoping for a big bloody shoot-out.”

Working with local Sheriffs and police departments, Flowers follows the clues and discovers a sinister murder-for-hire conspiracy gone horribly wrong.

The popularity of Sanford’s novels is in large part due to his creation of likeable and believable characters. Each book reveals

more personalities, backstories, family members, philosophy and political ideas. After two or three books in the Prey series (22 novels featuring BCA chief Davenport) the characters seem to become part of the reader’s family. Flowers originated as part of that family.

In “Mad River,” the sixth in the Virgil Flowers series, more of the character’s inner workings are revealed. An unlikely detective, Flowers is tall, handsome and fit, with longish blond hair and a propensity to wear jeans and T-shirts featuring obscure rock bands. He looks more like a California surf bum than a cop.

He’s also a ladies’ man with three ex-wives and always working on another prospect.

But there is a deeper side. He is also a talented writer. Flowers has published several articles on sport fishing, and is now being courted by Vanity Fair to submit more serious feature stories.

Flowers also has a unique style of investigating. Unlike police detectives who like to keep information close to the vest, Flowers will talk about

his theories on a case to anyone willing to listen, sometimes sharing confidential information.

Like Colombo in the TV series, he will even let a suspect know what he’s thinking.

This is a must-read for Sandford fans and highly recommended to new readers.

With “Mad River,” Sandford has once again proven to be a master of the mystery/detective genre.

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

Theatrical Production [Doll’s House, from page 1] and immediately — though not obviously — shows that he is a controlling husband by remarking that Nora always spends his money.

Throughout the play, Torvald off-handedly reminds Nora that she is just a silly woman who needs him to help her through life.

A controlling husband is not all that Nora has to deal with; the audience learns that she committed forgery to qualify for a loan (since women at that time could not qualify for a loan by themselves, Nora forged her father’s signature). She used the money to save Torvald’s life years ago, but never told him how she acquired the money. Now the lender is blackmailing Nora because he found out about the forgery.

James Bernard Datu brilliantly plays the lender, Nils Krogstad. It is astonishing that this is Datu’s first production; Datu became

Krogstad and made the character both believable and relatable.

Krogstad reconnects with a lost love, Kristine Linde, played

by Ashley Regan, while he is blackmailing Nora. Linde is a friend of Nora’s who recently moved back to town. Linde eventually persuades Krogstad to stop blackmailing Nora; however, it is too late, Krogstad already delivered a letter explaining Nora’s forgery to Tovald.

As Tovald is reading Krogstad’s letter, Nora tries to flee, but Tovald catches her just in time. De Bont shines as an angry Tovald when yells at Nora for possibly ruining his reputation. But all is not lost for Tovald, as a second letter from Krogstad is delivered. This letter explains that Nora no longer owes him any money and he will not expose her forgery.

Tovald is overcome with joy and tells Nora that everything can go back to the way it was because he is saved. Finally, it dawns on Nora that she’s just an object to

Tovald, a doll in his dollhouse, when she asks him, “Don’t you mean we are saved?” to which Tovald replies, “oh yeah, you too.”

Nora then leaves Tovald and remains strong when he tries to persuade her to stay. The play ends as Nora exits and the door slams shut behind her.

While the performance is powerful enough on its own, the set, by Robyn Fishman; the lighting, by Guido Girardi; and the costume design, by Royce Herron, add to the authenticity of the performance.

“A Doll’s House” can be seen on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Auditorium Mainstage Theatre.

Tickets can be purchased at www.glendalearts.org or at the box office in the lobby of the auditorium building.

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

MURDER MYSTERY: Virgil Flowers hunts down a trio of killers in “Mad River.”

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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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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ARTS AND ENTERTANMENT

Kupelian Creates Armenian Graphic Novel

By Rebecca Krueger EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

R

oger Kupelian is the creator of some of the most iconic worlds in contemporary cinema, such as the “Lord of the Rings “trilogy, and he has constructed a new world in his latest endeavor, “East of Byzantium.”

With the job title of matte painter, it’s up to Kupelian to paint and digitally enhance the environments and backdrops of the movies he works on.

“East of Byzantium” is Kupelian’s recently published graphic novel series and he is looking to make it into not only a mini-documentary series, but into a major motion picture.

Kupelian promoted his latest project at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium on Thursday.

“East of Byzantium” spans 150 years of Armenian history starting at 301 A.D. when Armenia became the first Christian state in history.

“Persia and the Roman Empire were warring with one another and between this collision is Armenia,” said Kupelian. “Emperor Diocletian sent an exiled Armenian king back to claim Armenia as an ally of Rome. That changed that region of the world forever. It set a series of events in motion and altered not only the balance between empires, but the balance of religions and cultures.”

The story covers the aftermath of the Armenian king’s reinstatement and his people’s division by religious tension.

Armenia’s monarchy is soon toppled by the Persian army and the remnants of wealthy noble families become rivals. The warring nobility’s allegiance is deeply rooted in its pagan (Persian) or Christian (Roman) heritage.

The constant bloodshed leads into the year 451 A.D. and Kupelian’s interpretation of St. Vartan Mamigonian, the most venerated saint in the Armenian Orthodox Church.

“I wanted a Vartan that was very different than the one history depicts,” said Kupelian.

“I wanted a Vartan that I can relate to. I wanted someone that was in the mud, on the battlefield and was struggling for his life, because that moment is glory for a warrior.”

Kupelian painted his first

image of Vartan in New Zealand, on the set of “Lord of the Rings.”

Working on “Lord of the Rings” sparked Kupelian’s desire to write the screenplay for “East of Byzantium” that also prompted the graphic novel, but his foundation and passion for this story delves deep into his childhood.

Growing up in Sierra Leone, Africa, Kupelian was apart of the minority, being one of the very few African-Armenian kids in the region.

“You realize when I was growing up that I was a part of the United Nations. Out of a mixed group I was the Armenian kid in Africa,” said Kupelian. “That is where my sense of identity came from. My parents made sure that I understood our history, mythology and culture. I knew where I came from.”

During his childhood, Armenia was under the control of Soviet Russia.

When Kupelian was two and a half years old, his father took him to the harbor in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where there was a Soviet ship docking named Armenia.

“The ship was being sent around for propaganda purposes,” said Kupelian, “so, of course with a ship called Armenia there were soldiers from Soviet-Armenia.”

The Soviet-Armenians were exiting the ship when Kupelian was perched on his dad’s shoulders. His dad told him, “these are Armenians.”

In response the young Kupelian recited in Armenian, “I am armenian, I am son of Vartan, fear me.”

The small chant is a loose translation of a traditional Armenian poem about St. Vartan.

Kupelian recalls the power of his words, “There wasn’t a dry eye getting off that boat.

These people were oppressed and nationalism wasn’t allowed. They didn’t expect to hear something so free and patriotic from some kid in Africa and we all grew up with that poem.”

This experience has heavily impacted his love for his culture and people. He also derives inspiration from his culture through learning about the Armenian Genocide. Armenian culture has evolved over the years, according to Kupelian.

Armenians have gone from proud unicorns to helpless victims.

“A culture that is thousands

KUPELIAN’S NEXT PROJECT : St. Vartan Mamigonian leads his army in the battle of Vartanantz. (Original artwork

by Roger Kupelian.

and thousands of years old, one hundred years ago had to endure almost complete annihilation,” said Kupelian. “So we learned about the genocide in 1915.”

He was a nationalist stuck between two conflicting emotions that are a part of a culture that, seems to him, is always struggling.

Armenia was struggling again in 1998 when the NagornoKarabakh War started and Kupelian set out to film it. “Dark Forest in the Mountains” was Kupelian’s first documentary, and

the first time he directed a movie.

He started filming the war in the 1990s.

Avedis Sangigian is an Armenian-American veteran from the Nagorno-Karabakh War who attended Kupelian’s lecture. Sangigian fought for a year and a half and was one of many Armenian Americans that volunteered to fight.

Garo Kyahkidjian was a friend of Sangigian and is a main character in Kupelian’s documenatry. Kyahkidjian died after the war.

“I watch that documentary everyday,” said Sangigian, in memory of his old friend.

Sangigian and Kyahkidjian’s bravery makes them warriors, according to Kupelian.

“I want our next generation to see itself in terms of being a warrior,” said Kupelian. “We must once again embrace and embody what it means to be a warrior tribe.”

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

Writer Asserts That Books Will Survive

By Elina Muradyan SPECIAL TO EL VAQUERO

B

efore reading a 20-minute segment from his book “The Lost Art of Reading,” on Oct. 30, Los Angeles Times book critic David Ulin first spoke about the “level of distraction of contemporary culture,” such as the use of electronics and long workdays, which get in the way of more people wanting or having the time to pick up a book and read.

Addressing a gathering of students and professors in the student center, Ulin said people are distracted by our smartphones and social media sites, which take up more than enough of our time, leaving us with no time or desire to read a book. Reading has

almost become a task for many.

Readers don’t read literature just for the simple enjoyment of it. Ulin also expressed that he is not opposed to digital reading, because electronic books have made more people who don’t read books, want to read.

He explained that he does not think that digital is better or that print is better, they are just different and it’s the personal preference of the reader.

He said that “the way words are laid out on a page determine how we feel about reading the book.” Also, we need to use digital space “as a creative landscape for reading and literature.”

In the book, Ulin writes about the time his son Noah was assigned to read and analyze “The Great Gatsby” for an English

class. After growing frustrated with the book, Noah declared, “literature is dead.” This is what inspired Ulin to write his book.

After reading a section from the book, there was an opportunity to ask questions.

In one of the questions someone asked if digital books are going to replace print, to which Ulin replied that he believes print is never going to go away because there are so many books out there already in print, and there are many more people who prefer print over electronic books.

He made a strong case that “a book is not alive until a reader enters the text.”

Elina Muradyan can be reached at emurady579@student.glendale.edu

www.elvaq.com

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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SPORTS

Women’s Golf Team Returns to State Championships

By John Ferrara

EL VAQUERO SPORTS EDITOR

W

omen’s golf lost last season’s state championships by one shot. A year later the team has proven it can still dominate and heads back to state for a second chance at top honors.

Led by Pattraporn Silawanna, the Lady Vaqs have placed first in its league for a second straight year with a record of 35-1 and will play in the state championships Nov. 12 and 13 at the Temecula Creek Inn Golf Resort.

“There’s so much pressure off us, we wanted to justify what happened last year by getting to state again. I can’t say enough for what these girls have done.

It’s amazing,” said coach Greg Osbourne.

On Nov. 5 the team was defeated by its fierce rival, Irvine Valley College, and placed second in the Southern California Regionals. Although they didn’t win, the top two regional teams still advanced to state.

The best two teams from Northern (San Joaquin Delta and Canada College) and Southern California will compete, however Southern California’s level of competition is much higher and the championships are likely to play out as a rematch between Glendale and Irvine Valley.

“We’re going in against a team that is very, very, good, but win or lose we made it to state and we’re going to give it our best shot. This week is just gravy,” said Osbourne.

It’s been a stellar season for women’s golf, but the adversity that lies behind the success is what makes this team so remarkable.

After last year’s heartbreaking state championships loss, the team had to emotionally and physically recover.

Losing sophomores Diana Hernandez and Hannah Lee created uncertainty among returning players whether they could duplicate their success due to inconsistent play from the team’s freshmen.

“Last year we had four girls that could break 80. This year we have three girls that can potentially break 80 and the rest can play really well or really bad,” said Vicanda Ma. Ma has stepped up her play this season, and now leads the team alongside 2011 All-

DRIVE FOR SUCCESS: Golfer Vicanda Ma has worked hard to step up her game this season and the results paid off.

American WSC Player of the Year Pattraporn Silawanna.

During a practice round just before the crucial regionals match, Ma was shocked to learn that her father needed a fourth surgery to remove gallstones.

“It motivated me to do it for him and myself,” said Ma. Silawanna, who has not seen her family since the new year, carried a tremendous emotional weight this season. Her parents, who live in Thailand, booked a trip in advance to watch her play in the state championships. But if Silawanna failed to produce in the Southern California Regionals, there would be no match for her parents to watch.

“There’s a hell of a lot of emotion going on with our team,” said Osbourne, who remembers the moment his team clinched a spot in the Championships. “I had tears running down my face, everybody’s hugging each other, we accomplished exactly what we wanted to do and now enjoy state.”

The winner of the state finals will be determined by the sum of the four best individual scores of the six players each school is allotted.

Glendale will need consistently good play from all its golfers to win state. However, days away from the match, freshmen Jasmine Daniel and Chardae Hudson’s

clubs were stolen from their car, causing distress amongst the team.

“Jasmine was playing really well with her old clubs, she was playing low 80’s, but after her clubs were stolen it was really hard.

She’s mentally unconfident,” said Ma. Freshman Fanny Ostlund is also experiencing disaster just before the championships. Due to a bad case of scoliosis, Ostlund is unable to practice and may need back surgery.

Although the sky seems to be falling around the women’s golf team at the worst possible time,

the players have kept a positive attitude and seem happy to have earned the opportunity to compete with the best teams in California.

However, Glendale has certainly not given up hope.

Silawanna and Ma remain focused and continue to help Daniel and Hudson during practice, which they follow with extra practice for themselves.

When simultaneously asked what part of the game they need to practice most, “chipping!”

Ma said quickly. “Putting!” said Silawanna. “Everything!” both Ma and Silawanna said as they

Photo by Chantal Bevard

laughed.

The team may not be a favorite to win, but it does seem to work hard and have fun at the same time.

“You play your best when you’re having fun … They’re going to remember Glendale College for the rest of their life, especially going to the state championships,” said Osbourne.

“No matter what happens, I’m proud of my players.”

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

Campus Smoking Policy [Nakasone’s Letter from page 3] smoking areas were approved by Administrative Affairs as it was realized that some of the original areas were not be suitable. Some of the considerations for the sites were compliance with government and fire codes.

At the May 21, 2012 Administrative Affairs Committee meeting it was approved to remove the AA smoking area and ASGCC was asked to develop a survey for students and staff on the smoking policy.

If you are interested in this issue or other issues that affect our campus, you are welcome to attend any governance meeting and provide your input, however only appointed members can vote. Your voice and involvement in governance is important in addressing the issues that affect us all.

Minutes of Administrative Affairs can be accessed

at the Governance Committee Minutes webpage or by request from the recording secretary of the committee.

For Administrative Affairs minutes not posted to the website and audio recordings of the meetings, please contact Merrilee Ahaus at Ext. 5112 or by email at mahaus@glendale.edu.

Thank you for your patience and input on this important topic that affects us all.

Ron Nakasone Executive Vice President Administrative Services “You’re not going to fix the smoking problems here on campus without going to a non-smoking campus.”

–President Jim Riggs

Tuesday

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

www.elvaq.com

SPORTS

Cross Country Teams Prepare for State Finals

By Chantal Bevard

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

V

ictory was bittersweet for the cross country teams on Nov. 3.

Although both the women’s and the men’s teams are continuing on to compete at the state championships, neither team claimed the Southern California Championship title at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa.

The women’s team took second place in the 5K race with 105 points even with one of its top runners, Lizette Gonzalez, running with tendonitis.

Orange Coast, the hosting team, took first with 53 points and Moorpark took third with 130 points.

The team had to overcome another obstacle, which was losing its number-two runner, Nohemi Martinez, earlier in the season.

Grace Graham-Zamudio again took individual first place with a time of 18:09.43, an entire 18 seconds before the second place runner. She also improved her time by 29 seconds since she last ran the course in September.

After taking individual first place in nearly every race

this season, Graham-Zamudio continues to stay humble. “I was nervous before this race, we’re coming down to the last two that are all we’ve been training for,” Graham-Zamudio said.

Although team captain Charlene Quintanilla took 17th place with a time of 19:28.01, she improved her time by an impressive minute and a half since she ran the course in September.

“We don’t have talent,” Quintanilla said. “But we work hard and believe in our hearts that it’s possible.”

Head coach Eddie Lopez had to remind the women that second place is nothing to be disappointed about. “We’re doing well, very well,” said Lopez. “Anytime we take top three, I’m happy.”

“We went too fast the first half mile and the girls know that, we got [a good start], but we had to pay the price.”

Both the women’s and the men’s team took the Western State Championships on Oct. 23, but those wins did not translate into a win at the Southern California Championship.

The men’s team took sixth place in the 4-mile race with a score of 118. The competition was fierce as there was only a

Photo by Chantal Bevard

RUNNING TO VICTORY: Abril Ramirez, No.77, left, Charlene Quintanilla, No. 71, center, and Grace GrahamZamudio, No. 68, speed past the competition, leading the team to second place.

23-point difference between first and sixth place.

San Bernardino Valley took first with a score of 95, Cerritos came in second with 97 and Riverside came in third with 106 points.

Vaquero Sports Summaries Scores Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Nov. 3 — So. Cal Championships women — placed second men — placed sixth

Women’s Volleyball: Nov. 2 — lost to L.A. Pierce 3-0 Nov. 7 — lost to Citrus 3-1 Friday — lost to Bakersfield 4-0

Women’s Golf: Nov. 4-5 — placed second in So Cal.

Regionals at San Luis Ray

Women’s Soccer: Nov. 2 — beat L.A. Valley 3-2 Nov. 6 — lost to Santa Monica 4-0 Friday — lost to L.A. Pierce 2-0

Football: Nov. 3 — lost to Santa Barbara 36-18 Saturday — lost to L.A. Pierce 26-22

Men’s Soccer: Nov. 2 — tied Oxnard 1-1 Friday — beat Citrus 2-1

Upcoming Events Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Saturday — State Finals at Woodward Park in Fresno 10 a.m.

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

The top runner for the Vaqueros, Kurt Lutz, finished strong and took 10th place with a time of 20:30.08, a 50-second improvement since he last ran the course.

Lutz was trailing team captain Isaac Diosdado for most of the race, but flew by him towards the end. Diosdado took 14th with a time of 20:32.83.

“I wanted to get to him, not only to run with him, but so that we could surge to the finish together,” Lutz said.

Although all of the men improved their times from the last time they ran the Fairview Park course in September. Lopez thought they could have improved even more.

“We didn’t run to our potential,” said Lopez. “We should have had a trophy, but we didn’t.”

www.

For now, the team has to shake off this loss and focus on the state championship competition.

“I told them it’s better not to get a trophy at Southern Cal and get a trophy at state,” said Lopez.

“They can actually win it, because it’s only 23 points [between sixth and first place].”

Throughout the next couple of days the teams need to forget about the past races, good and bad, and focus on the next one.

“The physical work is already done,” Lutz said. “I just need to work on my mental state. I hope I don’t choke.”

The cross country teams will compete in the state championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday at 10 a.m.

l e

q a v

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

com.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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Calendar On Campus ELECTIONS ASGCC Spring 2012 Elections — To be a part of student government, sign up to run for various positions. Today through Friday at 3 p.m. in SC 201. No late petitions will be accepted. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 3033.

Candidates Forum — Prospective new student government representitives will hold a question and answer forum on Nov. 26 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Kreider Hall.

Spring 2012 Voting — Polls will be open on both Nov. 27 and 28 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

Election Results — Will be posted on Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. outside the Student Center.

EVENTS Get to Know ASGCC — Come meet student government members, learn about what they do and how to get involved. Sponsored

by ASGCC Campus Relations.

Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

Swap Meet — Upper campus parking lot. Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5805.

ASGCC Carnival — Join student government in celebrating the end of the semester. Featuring

food, music, activities and more.

Nov. 29 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

FUNDRAISERS Pizza Sale — A fundraiser for scholarships.

Sponsored by EOPS. Today from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

Krispy Kreme Sale — The Circle K International Club is having a donut sale to raise funds. Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon around campus and in Plaza Vaquero.

Taco Sale — The S.P.A.R.K. Club will be selling tacos to raise funds. Cost is $6 for a combo or $5 if you pre-order in SM 267.

Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

Soccer Tournament — A V.O.I.C.E.S. Club fundraiser for scholarships. Teams can be from 5 to 7 students each. Cost is $70 per team. The grand prize is $360.

Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sartoris Field. For more information call (323) 447-2371.

CLUBS Talent Show — The Hawak Kamay Club presents a talent show for and by students. Refreshments available. Saturday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Kreider Hall.

End of Semester Dance — Sponsored by the V.O.I.C.E.S., GSA and Leo Clubs. Nov. 29 afrom 8 to 11 p.m. in SC 212.

IOC Awards — The Most Out-

standing Club Award will be presented to the GCC club with the most impact on campus. Nov. 30 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

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

For more information visit: www. glendale.edu/boardoftrustees.

LECTURES Science Lecture Series — “News from the Large Hadron Collider.”

The speaker is David Naiditch, engineer, The Aerospace Corporation. Free. Nov. 27 from 12:20 to 1:30 p.m. in CS 177.

THEATER “A Doll’s House” — Written by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Melissa Randel and presented by the Theatre Arts Department. Tickets $15 general admission, $12 students and seniors. Auditorium Mainstage Theatre. Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For more information or reservations call (818)240-1000, ext. 5612.

CONCERTS GCC Vocal Jazz, Jazz Guitar and the Saturday Jazz Combo Ensembles — The performances will be led by directors Claire Delto, Byron Delto and Chris Coulter. Tickets are $10 and $8 for students and seniors. Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. in the Auditorium Mainstage

Theatre. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5829.

Association. Free. Nov. 21 from 1 to 2 p.m. in AD 238.

GCC Jazz Big Band and Saturday Jazz Combo Concert — The performance will be directed

by Craig Kupka. Tickets are $10 and $8 for students and seniors.

Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. in the Auditorium Mainstage Theatre.

Fragments — Learn about different kinds of sentence fragments and how to correct each; you will also work on practice exercises. Free. Nov. 26 from 3 to 4 p.m. in AD 238.

RECITALS Applied Music Recital — Conducted by Beth Pflueger. Featuring GCC student vocalists and instrumentalists. Free. Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Mainstage Theatre.

Guitar Recital — Program features classical and jazz guitar students performing along with the GCC Jazz Guitar Ensemble. Coordinated by Byron Delto Free.

Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Auditorium Room 211.

WORKSHOPS “How to Recognize and Correct Run-ons” — Learn to recognize a variety of situations in which runon sentences commonly occur; receive practice exercises. Free.

Tuesday from 1 to 2 p.m. in AD 238. Students are encouraged to register for the workshops online.

For more information, visit www. glendale.edu/learningcenter or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5341.

Quotation Integration — Learn techniques for integrating quotes into your work in this new workshop. Free. Nov. 28 from 10 to 11 a.m. in AD 238.

HEALTH Flu Shots — Are available in the Health Center. Cost is $15 for students, $20 for employees. Cash only. 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.

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

PARKING Parking Lot Closures — Parking lot 31 will be closed to students on Friday and Nov. 21 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

HOLIDAYS

MLA Documentation — Learn about stylistic requirements mandated by the Modern Language

Thanksgiving Holiday — GCC will be closed from Nov. 22 through Nov. 25. No classes, and all offices will be closed.

www.alextheatre.org or call (818) 243-2539.

ecentretheatre.com or call (818) 244-8481.

THEATER

WELLNESS

Around Town EXHIBITS “Think Again: Collected Artworks by David John Attyah and S.A. Bachman” — The Advocate and Gochis Galleries. Artists reception Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is free. Runs through Dec. 15. 1125 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.lagaycenter.org or call (323) 860-7302.

“Greta Magnusson Grossman: A Car and Some Shorts”— Pasadena Museum of California Art. This exhibit is the first-ever retrospective of her influential and rare accomplishments as both an industrial designer and architect. Runs through Feb. 24. Museum hours vary. 490 E. Union St., Pasadena. For more information visit www.pmcaonline.org or call (626) 568-3665.

EVENTS “15th Annual Three Stooges Big Screen Event!’ — Alex Theatre. This years theme is “Locations, locations, locations.”

Featuring archival 35mm prints and Stooges expert Jim Pauley, presented by the Alex Film Society. General admission $15. Nov. 24 at 2 and 8 p.m. 216 N. Brand Blvd. For more information visit

“And Then There Were None” — Glendale Centre Theatre. Agatha Christie’s classic mystery.

Runs through Saturday. Tickets $25, students and seniors $20.

324 N. Orange St. For more information, visit www.glendal-

Free Health Clinic — Tuesdays 5 to 8 p.m. by appointment and for limited walk-ins as space allows. 134 N. Kenwood St., third floor, Room 330. For information visit www.glendaleclinic.org or call (818) 245-8109.

Compiled by Richard Kontas

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www.elvaq.com

VAQUERO VIEWS

Samir Abou-Rass: Spotlight on Student Body Presidents [ASGCC, from page 7] The program was set up with the assistance of J. Walter Smith, who was dean of student services at that time.

Students applying for it would withdraw money from a special account set up for this program and would pay it back over time.

“Walter was at the time, the person in charge of the ASB, God bless him; he passed away, he was really instrumental with students,” said Abou-Rass.

“He was such a good leader in the way of Samir Abou-Rass doing business.”

Abou-Rass transferred to Cal State Northridge after attending GCC. He received his bachelor’s degree in communications and went to law school for two years.

“I didn’t like it,” said Abou-Rass. “It wasn’t my cup of tea.”

He returned to GCC and was hired with the police department as a student worker until 1997, when he was offered

a full-time position as a police officer.

From there he went to Cal State Los Angeles and received a master’s degree in public administration, and in 2006 started working on campus as a speech teacher.

Abou-Rass decided to return to GCC because of the bonds he made here.

“I practically grew up here,” said Abou-Rass.

“There were so many different staff members and teachers that I formed such a great relationship with over the years from the time I started school to the time I got hired. Glendale College has been like a second family to me. I think I spend more time here than I do at home.”

Next issue will feature outreach coordinator Henan Joof and program specialist Victor Castellanos.

Angel Silva can be reached at writer_silva@rocketmail.com

Photo by Chantal Bevard

LONG HAUL:Scholars club dominates the competition at the I.O.C. Olympics Tuesday.

From right to left, Vernes Okahovich, Michael Mikaelyan, John Paul Lionel, Ryan Roach and Chris Aguilar tug their way to victory, winning $50 for the club.