Oct. 6, 2006

El Vaquero Glendale College

Photo by Jane Pojawa

Tattoos are becoming a common trend among people of all ages and walks of life. Students show their skin art.

See story, pages 10-11.

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Volume 90 Number 2

FRIDAY OCTOBER 6, 2006

Dirty Bathrooms

Netsil

Global Warming

Students suffer strain of unsanitary bathrooms.

Underground street artist defies authority.

It’s getting hot in here, but there is some hope.

Page 13

Page 8 Photo by Sumaya Mehai

Page 16

Football Vaqueros defeat L.A. Harbor Seahawks.

Pages 17 and 20 Photo by Emmanuel Belviz

2

Friday, October 6, 2006

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NEWS BRIEFS

Club Rush Week Introduces Students to New Clubs

By Vartanoosh Kiourktzian EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

B

alloons, cookies, posters and Smoosh balls kicked off the beginning of Club Rush Week, which started Oct. 2.

During Club Rush, many clubs on campus set up tables to get new members. Many of them put up posters and gave out candy and muffins. Some club members approached students and enticed them to sign up by offering freebies. For instance, Game Club member Rodney Shaghoulian promised free cupcakes to anyone who signed up.

The Persian Club played music and sold T-shirts as a way to raise funds and at the same time attract

new members.

For many clubs, it is important to recruit new members for reasons such as funding. Robert Cannon, president of the Debate Club, said that new members are important because the administration did not award as much as they had requested because of low membership.

“We are very successful,” Cannon said. “We got third place at the four-year nationals, but we need to boost our numbers so we can get more funding. The more people we have, the more talent we have for our team.”

Andrey Seas, Vice President of the Game Club, saw Club Rush as a way to bring people that have similar interests together.

“Many students might not be

El Vaquero Glendale Community College

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Photo by Sumaya Mehai

Inter Originzational Council president Rodney Shaghoulian, vice president Andrey Seas and representative Narineh Shahinian promote the Game Club during Club Rush week.

aware of all the others on campus who share common ground with them,” said Seas. “My job is to network and bring people together, to provide a new venue for people to meet each other through the games we play.”

The Korean Christian Club uses club rush as a way to bring Christian students together. Vice President Jin Kim said “the club is open to all and any student who wants to worship.”

Some clubs use the week to raise awareness for a cause. The Justice Coalition hosted a film, “A Sol-

dier’s Refusal to Wage War: The Case of Conscientious Objector U.S. Army 1st Lt. Eheren Watada” on Oct. 3 followed by a discussion with Lt. Watada’s father, Bob Watada, to raise awareness for the lieutenant’s case. He is currently being prosecuted because of his refusal to go to war.

Armenian Student Association (ASA) member Sevada Simounian said that Club Rush is important because it raises awareness for the club.

“GCC boasts the largest population of Armenians on a school

campus,” said Simounian. “If everyone joined and gave five dollars, we could have enough money to send to Armenia to help students there. We’re a nonprofit organization so whatever money we raise goes to help out others.”

According to Simounian, ASA raised enough money a year ago to bring His Holiness Aram I, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to GCC.

Vartanoosh Kiourktzian can be reached at Vartanoosh_Kiourktzian@elvaq.com

State Bill Lowers Tuition Costs to $20, Equalizes Funding for Colleges

By Pauline Guiuan

EL VAQUERO NEWS EDITOR

S

tudents now have less to worry about when it comes to paying for college, as tuition fees all over the state have been lowered from $26 to $20 per unit.

SB 361, a college finance bill that provides a source of equalized funding to community colleges, paved the way for an allocation of $3 million to GCC for the academic year.

At a press conference held in the library on Tuesday, Senator Jack Scott, California Community Colleges Chancellor Mark Drummond, and California State Secretary of Education Alan Bersin, introduced the bill to a huge number of faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the college administration and the board of trustees.

President/superintendent Audre Levy greeted and introduced the legislators. “This is very exciting, especially for the students,”

Levy said. “We are lucky to have individuals in the legislature who look out for us.”

“SB 361 is the blockbuster of all blockbusters,” said Bersin.

“Community colleges at this juncture are the most important [part] of the educational system.

They are the recipients of a historic budget.”

SB 361, authored by Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena), who represents Glendale and Burbank, fully equalizes per-student California Community Colleges credit funding, allowing all community college districts to be provided with equal resources.

The new legislation specifies that the state budget will distribute more than $159 million to fully accomplish educational goals, such as funding non-credit courses, and that funding will continue to remain equalized in the future. Approximately $3 million has been allocated to GCC. Bersin commended Scott’s efforts to pursue the signing of

the bill. “There is no stronger advocate for community colleges in Sacramento other than Senator Scott,” Bersin said.

He added that the bill’s equalization formula “will ensure that we never grow those [funding] gaps again.”

Drummond, who heads the state community college system, said that the bill will supposedly solve “three major issues”: the unequal funding on a per-student basis throughout the academic year; the lack of funding for noncredit courses such as basic skills and citizenship classes; and the lack of assurance that funding will remain equalized in the future.

He expressed hopes that the increase in funding would encourage enrollment growth.

Scott, who has worked with community colleges for 23 years, said that he “vowed to carry this bill from the very beginning.

I vowed that I would be a great [See Senate Bill, page 5]

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Friday, October 6, 2006

3

NEWS

Board of Trustees President Unexpectedly Resigns

By Alison Geller

EL VAQUERO FEATURES EDITOR

I

n a surprise move, Kathleen Burke-Kelly, president of the Glendale Community College District Board of Trustees, submitted her resignation, effective immediately, to the LA superintendent of public schools on Sept. 19.

This was a shock to the other board members, Armine Hacopian, Victor King, Vahé Peroomian and Anita Quinonez Gabrielian, all of whom didn’t find out about Burke-Kelly’s resignation until Sept. 21.

“It is my understanding that [Burke-Kelly] would like to focus her energies on her new position as VP of Academic Affairs at LA Mission College,” said Hacopian, who stepped into

the position of president because she was the vice president.

When asked, though, BurkeKelly only said that she resigned for ‘personal reasons,’ which she would not elaborate on other than to say that “it just involved a lot of different factors.”

The position at LA Mission however is not a permanent one, as she is the acting VP of Academic Affairs, a position that will last at least until June 30, according to Burke-Kelly.

As to whether or not she plans to apply for the job permanently once it becomes available, she said “I have not made that decision.”

She also said that she has no other plans as to what she will do once she has completed her tenure in that position.

Burke-Kelly gave no indication of her intentions to resign to any of the members or at the board

meeting that took place the evening before.

When asked if she had been planning to resign she said no, it was a sudden decision that she made.

Resigning is not a common practice when it comes to board members. The last two times the board appointed anyone was because a member died and another was elected to city council and had to resign to assume that position.

“It’s [resigning] more common then it was before,” said Peroomian.

However not everyone is happy about Burke-Kelly’s resignation, or the way she did it.

“I think the element of surprise is never welcomed,” said Hacopian.

“It takes you a day or so to adjust, and then you get adjusted and you proceed and move on.”

“The timing of the resignation was somewhat inconsiderate,” said King. “We’re forced to appoint.”

“I would have preferred a public announcement because this is a public service position,” said Hacopian. “Had it been me at the board meeting I would have announced it, but then, it was not me.”

King was also unhappy as to the fact that the board was not informed immediately of her resignation and that Audre Levy, the superintendent/president, was informed before them but said nothing about the matter until two days after the fact.

According to Levy, BurkeKelly let her know on Sept. 19 that she had handed in her resignation.

She was unaware that the other board members knew nothing of Burke-Kelly’s decision, however,

she did set up a meeting as soon as possible with the other board members to discuss the situation.

“That’s totally inappropriate,” said King in regard to the fact that the board members knew nothing about the resignation until Sept. 21. “The governing board is who gets to run the college.

If the president resigns, then no one is running the college. So from Tuesday through Friday no one was running the college.”

On Friday a special meeting was held, and the Board of Trustees decided to go through a lengthy appointment process to find a new member.

Alison Geller can be reached at Alison_Geller@elvaq.com

[See Related Story page 5]

New State Bill Paves the Way for $3 Million in Funds

By Pauline Guiuan

EL VAQUERO NEWS EDITOR

S

tudents now have less to worry about when it comes to paying for college, as tuition fees all over the state have been lowered from $26 to $20 per unit. SB 361, a college finance bill that provides a source of equalized funding to community colleges, paved the way for an allocation of $3 million to GCC for the academic year.

At a press conference held in the library on Tuesday, Senator Jack Scott, California Community Colleges Chancellor Mark Drummond, and California State Secretary of Education Alan Bersin, introduced the bill to a huge number of faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the college administration and the board of trustees.

President/superintendent Audre Levy greeted and introduced the legislators.

“This is very exciting, especially for the students,” Levy said. “We are lucky to have individuals in the legislature who look out for us.”

“SB 361 is the blockbuster of all blockbusters,” said Bersin. “Community colleges at this juncture are the most important [part] of the educational system.

They are the recipients of a historic budget.”

SB 361, authored by Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena), who represents Glendale and Burbank, fully equalizes perstudent California Community Colleges credit funding, allowing all community college districts to be provided with equalresources.

The new legislation specifies that the

state budget will distribute more than $159 million to fully accomplish educational goals, such as funding non-credit courses, and that funding will continue to remain equalized in the future. Approximately $3 million has been allocated to GCC. Bersin commended Scott’s efforts to pursue the signing of the bill. “There is no stronger advocate for community colleges in Sacramento other than Senator Scott,” Bersin said.

He added that the bill’s equalization formula “will ensure that we never grow those [funding] gaps again.”

Drummond, who heads the state community college system, said that the bill will supposedly solve “three major issues”: the unequal funding on a perstudent basis throughout the academic year; the lack of funding for non-credit courses such as basic skills and citizenship classes; and the lack of assurance that funding will remain equalized in the future.

He expressed hopes that the increase in funding would encourage enrollment growth.

Scott, who has worked with community colleges for 23 years, said that he “vowed to carry this bill from the very beginning.

I vowed that I would be a great friend to the community college…it is the least expensive but most productive segment of education.”

Scott acknowledged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing the bill, adding that the governor “cares deeply about community colleges” and showed “wonderful cooperation.”

The senator also said that he has been

Photo by Graig Agop

Audre Levy welcomes the college community to the SB 361 press conference while state Education Sec. Alan Bersin, Sen. Jack Scott and Chancellor Mark Drummond (L-R) look on.

acquainted with GCC for many years and has observed its “tremendous physical transformation.”

He expressed hopes that the bill will help further the school’s quality of education. “I hope that it will enrich the life of GCC,” he said.

Students expressed their appreciation for the bill by coming to the conference with banners reading “Thank you” and “GCC for SB 361.”

ASGCC president David Arakelyan, who was present at the conference along with other members of the Associated Students, said that he believes students will greatly benefit from SB 361.

“Equalization is a big issue,” Arakelyan said. “Glendale [College] was among the

bottom four [in the state] when it comes to funding per full-time student [FTS].

Hopefully the bill will change that since it calls for making funding more fair.”

Steve White, Vice President of Instruction, agreed. “This bill is very big and very important, especially for our programs and our students.”

Board of Trustees member Anita Quinonez-Gabrielian said she believes that the bill will affect students “incredibly positively. It will allow us to have additional staff, additional classes, faculty, and technology…this will reflect in the number of graduates and the transfer rate.

The students are winners with this bill.”

Pauline Guiuan can be reached at Pauline Guiuan@elvaq.com

4

Friday, October 6, 2006

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NEWS

Glendale College Foundation Gets New Head

By Pauline Guiuan

EL VAQUERO NEWS EDITOR

A

Glendale attorney, Olive Magee Warner, is now in charge of ensuring that the Glendale College Foundation continues its mission of keeping the community involved in providing financial resources for the college’s programs and its students. Warner was elected president of the foundation in July.

“It’s quite exciting,” Warner said. “It’s an honor and at the same time a very big responsibility. I enjoy working with [the foundation’s] dedicated members.”

Warner has been on the 35member foundation board, which is composed of local community leaders, for the last five years. She was invited to be a board member, mainly because of her professional record and her community involvement, and was actively involved with several of the board’s

committees before she was elected to the presidency by her fellow board members, replacing former president Anthony Tartaglia.

She will serve as foundation president for a term of two years.

An immigrant from Northern Ireland, Warner came to the United States in 1960. Working hard to take advantages of the opportunities she found in this country, Warner received her master’s degree from USC and her law degree from Loyola Law School.

“She’s been involved in the Foundation for a number of years,” said the foundation’s Executive Director Ann Ransford.

“Her experience with us [Foundation] and with other organizations in the community prove that she’s very good at specific things.”

Ransford explained that these “specific things” include looking at financial reports and budgets.

“She brings credibility to the organization because of her professional and community background.”

Part the new president’s community involvement includes sitting on the board of the Glendale YWCA and being a member of

‘I’d like to build on the work of my predecessors.

We’ve raised a fair amount of money already, and I plan to further that.”

— Olive Magee Warner Glendale attorney

Soroptimist International of Glendale, an organization that fights discrimination against women.

“I believe in giving back to

the community,” Warner said.

Warner has been a lawyer since 1970, currently specializing in retirement and estate planning. She said that her career of more than 30 years has taught her to be “attentive to details.” “I’m always prepared to see the big picture,” she said.

Ransford added that Warner is “very enthusiastic” about her work and has a “nice [working] relationship with everyone” in the organization.

“She’s [Warner] wonderful to work with,” said Barbara Jordan, one of the members of the Foundation.

Board of Trustees member Armine Hacopian told the Glendale News Press that Warner “has a well-rounded understanding of the college and its needs.”

The new foundation president said that the main challenge she faces is the task of raising funds for the college. “Some procedures are already in place,” she said.

“But our goal is really to reach

out to more people and encourage them to donate.”

The Foundation donated $1.7 million to the college in the last fiscal year; Warner hopes to increase the amount during her term.

The Foundation, which was established in 1983, currently has $7.8 million in assets, including a $7.1 million endowment, Ransford told the News Press in a recent article.

“I’d like to build on the work of my predecessors,” Warner said. “We’ve raised a fair amount of money already, and I plan to further that.”

Warner added that she believes that GCC is “a terrific organization. Nothing can change your life more than a good education, and I’m pleased and proud to be a part of helping people get education.”

Pauline Guiuan can be reached at Pauline_Guiuan@elvaq.com

CLASSIFIED

By Kara Aranas

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

C

hristina Chavez, a community activist following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Mexican American labor activist Cesar Chavez, was the guest speaker at Tuesday’s AS meeting.

Chavez was present to promote and endorse a measure, proposing to the legislature to lower community college costs down to $15 per unit as opposed to the already lowered $20 per unit effective in winter 2007. Her goal is to get at least 12,000 signatures from GCC for the petitions

by December. One million signatures are needed from all the community colleges for the project to qualify.

“I’m trying to visit all 109 community colleges to make this goal possible,” said Chavez.

AS president David Arakelyan, believes that the measure will also improve GCC’s

financial situation when it comes to low enrollment.

A press conference was held in the library regarding the passing of Senate Bill (SB) 361, which reduces tuition fees from $26 per unit to $20 per unit. Senator Jack Scott and the chancellor of community college education, Mark Drummond, were present at the conference.

In addition to the presentation by Chavez, the student government reviewed the desire for longer library hours; the board of trustees vacancy; student worker pay; and upcoming campus activities.

Five-year Student Activities Coordinator and AS Advisor, Alen Robert Andriassian resigned from his position to become the new Program Manager for the Student Outreach and Assessment programs. He is replacing Kim Bryant who is living in Japan during her husband’s assignment with the US Navy.

“I’m only a phone call

away,” said Andriassian to the students after Arakelyan announced his withdrawal.

A special Board of Trustees meeting was held last Friday due to the retirement of board president Kathleen Burke-Kelly. Applications are now being taken for the open position and the deadline is on Friday, followed by an interview with the candidates on Oct. 24 and the final decision on Oct. 31.

Audre Levy, the new superintendent/president, is holding lunches with AS members on Wednesdays at noon at the Los Robles building (Culinary Arts).

“The purpose of the lunches is for students, faculty, and the classifieds to interact,” said Levy. “It’s an opportunity for both students and teachers to hear each other out.”

Some encouraging news for student workers is that they will be receiving an 11% raise from the minimum wage salaries that they are paid. This raise only ap-

plies to those that are getting paid minimum wage only.

The campus library wants to extend its hours of operation, to better accommodate students’ schedules. They are planning to take surveys to get an idea of what hours are best.

The library is also creating a resource tool called E-College. This program is similar to WebCT and is made to be more user friendly for both staff and students.

With Club Rush Week passing with a good turn out, having 39 registered clubs on campus and all the tables filled, more upcoming activities are planned for students.

Radio station KPWR106 showed up on campus Tuesday at noon. Local bands Avionic, the Mercenaries, and Jump Start are some of the upcoming performances on campus.

Kara Aranas can be reached at Kara_Aranas@elvaq.com

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ASGCC Petitions for Reduction in Tuition

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Friday, October 6, 2006

5

NEWS

Board of Trustees Seeks Provisional Member

Photo by Alison Geller

The four remaining board members at the special Board of Trustees meeting held Friday; Armine Hacopian, president, Victor King, vice president, Vahé Peroomian, clerk, and Anita Quinonez Gabrielian.

By Alison Geller

EL VAQUERO FEATURES EDITOR

D

ue to Kathleen BurkeKelly’s resignation the Board of Trustees held a special board meeting Friday where they unanimously decided to appoint someone into the vacant position as opposed to having a special election.

The board has 60 days from the date of Burke-Kelly’s resignation to fill the vacant seat and the process of appointing someone will cost under $10,000 as opposed to the $100,000 it would cost to hold a special election.

The appointed trustee will be in office until the April elections and if they wanted to remain on the board they would have to run for office, like all other candidates. This is only due to the fact that Burke-Kelly had been a board member for almost three and a half years and would be up for re-election, board terms are four years, otherwise they would finish however long was left of her term according

to Armine Hacopian, the new president of the board.

During the meeting the board also decided on their new hierarchy since Hacopian assumed the position of president, as she was the vice president, a new vice president needed to be chosen, Victor King was voted into that position and because he was the clerk they voted Vahé Peroomian, who will be up for re-election this April, to fill that position.

Hacopian suggested a process similar to the endeavor the school put forth in finding the new superintendent/president Audre Levy, as the school’s prior administration had no set procedure on how to handle this type of situation.

The board agreed to the suggested procedure. which can be found at length on the board’s Web site off of GCC’s official site.

“My goal is for the next 60 days to have a very fair and equitable process, to have a highly qualified cadre of candidates to apply for the position and to have the processes open and as equitable

as possible,” said Hacopian.

The assistance of Community College Search Services, which is a small company made up of five retired community college presidents/chancellor, will again be acquired. They have assisted in over 50 searches for community college presidents, including the search for Levy.

Jim Walker, who was one of the two consultants that worked with the board and search committee during the superintendent/ president search, will be the consultant working with the board and the paper screening committee in the search for a provisional trustee.

“This is not an employee hiring process,” said Hacopian. “This is a public office process and this is a board process. In the past the board was really never involved, things just happened.

And thank goodness Dr. Davitt did everything right, that we appointed the right people but this really needs to be a board process.”

“The prior administration didn’t make it a priority to clearly

spell out the process to the public and to the college community,” said King. “The process just sort of happened and sometimes people didn’t even realize that the process was underway.”

By tonight the paper screening committee should be formed, it will consist of seven representatives from different college constituencies, the Guild, Senate, California School Employees Association, Administration Management, Garfield Campus, Classified Management (Public Safety) and a Student Body Representative.

Following the formation of the committee, the members will meet with Walker by Oct. 13 to train and make a plan as to who they will be screening the applicants.

Applications for the position are available online or in the office of Human Resources and by the Oct. 13 all applications must be physically received by Human Resources.

The allocated time line is as follows: Up to six candidates will be chosen, by the paper screening

committee, by Oct. 20 for the board to review.

On Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. an open public forum will be held, the location of the forum will be decided on at a later time and at 5 p.m. a special board meeting will be held so the board can interview the candidates.

And on Oct. 30 another special board meeting will be held for the board members to vote and appoint a new trustee.

“We are in uncharted territory,” said Levy in regards to the process that the board is taking to appoint a new member. And Levy would not be surprised if other boards adopt a similar procedure in the future.

“It shows a real change in the past decade that we now have an open process with interviews,” said King, who has been on the board for almost 10 years.

“Anyone can look at this literature that we’re going to be generating and know exactly what stage the appointment process is going to be at.”

Alison Geller can be reached at Alison_Geller@elvaq.com

State Bill Lowers Tuition from $26 to $20 per Unit [State Bill from page 2]

friend to the community college…it is the least expensive but most productive segment of education.”

Scott acknowledged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing the bill, adding that the governor “cares deeply about community colleges” and showed “wonderful cooperation.”

The senator also said that he has been acquainted with GCC

for many years and has observed its “tremendous physical transformation.”

He expressed hopes that the bill will help further the school’s quality of education. “I hope that it will enrich the life of GCC,” he said.

Students expressed their appreciation for the bill by coming to the conference with banners reading “Thank you” and “GCC

for SB 361.”

ASGCC president David Arakelyan, who was present at the conference along with other members of the Associated Students, said that he believes students will greatly benefit from SB 361.

“Equalization is a big issue,” Arakelyan said. “Glendale [College] was among the bottom four [in the state] when it comes to funding per full-time student

[FTS]. Hopefully the bill will change that since it calls for making funding more fair.”

Steve White, Vice President of Instruction, agreed. “This bill is very big and very important, especially for our programs and our students.”

Board of Trustees member Anita Quinonez-Gabrielian said she believes that the bill will affect students “incredibly positively. It

will allow us to have additional staff, additional classes, faculty, and technology…this will reflect in the number of graduates and the transfer rate. The students are winners with this bill.”

Pauline Guiuan can be reached at Pauline Guiuan@elvaq.com

6

Friday, October 6, 2006

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NEWS

Lecture Informs GCC Community on Upcoming Elections

By Christopher Shewchuk EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

E

ight of the 13 propositions on the Nov. 7 ballot were explained to students, faculty and staff in the first of a three part Social Science Lecture Series in Kreider Hall last Thursday.

The lecture was presented by the League of Women Voters and coordinated by mass communications professor, Mike Eberts.

Eberts believes that proposition 85 is the most relevant to GCC students. Proposition 85 proposes parental notification about abortion. “[It’s a] young person orientated proposal,” said Eberts.

In California, as the law now stands, a pregnant unmarried woman under 18 years of age has the right to an abortion without first obtaining permission from her parents. Panelist Georganne Thomsen explained that if Proposition 85 passes, a doctor would be required to give 48 hours advanced notification to the parents or guardians of a minor seeking an abortion. According to the

Easy Voter Guide, Proposition 85 would “not require a parent to agree to the abortion. They would just have to be told about it”.

Because enough signatures were gathered, Proposition 85 was put on the ballot, making it an initiative. Also, it will change the California Constitution making it a Constitutional Amendment.

An audience of more than 100 attended the lecture. Eberts moderated a panel of two guest speakers from the League of Women Voters. Monica Marquez, president of the league, and member Thomsen, who explained that the lecture presented a nonpartisan view.

The League of Women Voters, whose founders marched and helped get women the right to vote, has been around since 1920.

Its purpose is to support citizen participation in government at all levels. Out of the 13 propositions on the upcoming ballot, the panelists spoke about eight.

After the lecture, at least one student disagreed with Eberts’ view of which proposition was the most important. Ailene Huang felt Proposition 86, regarding

adding a cigarette tax, was the proposition of highest concern for her.

“I’m against smoking, it’s irritating. It’s unfair to those other people who don’t smoke,” Huang said.

Thomsen gave some general advice for preparing for the Nov. 7 ballot.

“Pay absolutely no attention to TV advertising on ballot measures. Look at who the sponsors are,” she said. “Going on the internet is one source, and read reliable publications, but both sides.”

Marquez urged students to go on line and check out smartvoter. org, a Web site sponsored by the league, to provide information and tools for voters.

Connie Wilson, a volunteer with the league, pointed out that a student had told her earlier that she would not vote because she thought ‘what would one vote do?’ Wilson replied, “In 1921 it took one vote for women to earn the right to vote.”

Christopher Shewchuk can be reached at Christopher_Shewchuk@elvaq.com

Propositions Discussed • 1A. Transportation Funds (Constitutional Amendment) This would “make other changes to the California Constitution to ensure that gas sales tax funds are used for transportation. For example, these funds could be used for something other than transportation only twice in 10 years and would have to be repaid with interest to transportation within three years.”

• 1E. Flood Control Bonds

“Allow state government to sell $4.1 billion in bonds for flood control projects: $3 billion to repair levees and add flood protection in the Central Valley” and “$1.1 billion for flood safety projects elsewhere in California.”

• Proposition 83. Punishment for Sex Crimes (Initiative) “Increase penalties and restrictions for people convicted of sex crimes. Some sex offenders would have longer prison terms and longer paroles. Registered sex offenders would never be allowed to live near a school or park. Felony sex offenders would be monitored with electronic devices for the rest of their lives. More sex offenders could be kept in state mental hospitals.”

• Proposition 84. Bonds for Water and Natural Resources (Initiative)

“Allow state government to sell $5.4 billion in bonds for: safe drinking water, water quality and water supply”, “environmental protection and flood control”, “park improvements and planning.”

• Proposition 85. Parental Notification about Abortion (Constitutional Amendment / Initiative) “Change the California Constitution to require a doctor to notify a parent or guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor. The law would not require a parent to agree to the abortion. They would just have to be told about it.”

•Proposition 86. Cigarette Tax (Constitutional Amendment / Initiative)

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and your story could be here!

“Add another state tobacco tax of $2.60 per pack of cigarettes, making the total price per pack of cigarettes about $6.60. The new tax money could be spent only on hospital emergency care, children’s health insurance, and other health programs listed in Prop 86. The California Constitution would be changed to exclude the new tax from the state’s spending limit and the state’s required spending on schools.”

• Proposition 87. Oil Tax for Clean Energy (Constitutional Amendment / Initiative) “Change the California Constitution to set up a $4 billion program to reduce the use of oil and promote clean energy, funded by a new tax on oil pumped in California. This program would help develop and promote vehicles that use less gasoline, renewable energy such as solar or wind, and more efficient ways of using energy. The new tax would not be included in the state’s spending limit or the state’s required spending on schools.”

• Proposition 89. Public Funding of Political Campaigns (Initiative)

“Set up a system of public funding for political campaigns. Candidates for state offices could receive public funds for their campaigns if they: ∙ do not accept any contributions (except limited party contributions and start-up funds ∙do not use their own money for the campaign ∙ follow other rules, like appearing in public debates.

“The public funds would range from $250,000 for a State Assembly candidate to $15 million for a candidate for Governor. The money would come from raising the state income tax on corporations by 0.2 percent. Candidates not accepting public funds would have stricter contribution limits. Prop 89 also limits corporate contributions to campaigns for or against a proposition.”

www.elvaq.com Friday,

October 6, 2006

7

NEWS

Lecture Discusses How Earth Began

By Pauline Guiuan

EL VAQUERO NEWS EDITOR

T

he earth is held up by four elephants standing on the shell of a gigantic turtle.

It may be one of nine branches of a tree that holds up the entire universe. It may also have been created by a Supreme Being.

These are just some of the creation stories discussed in the “Creation Myths of the Universe,” a lecture presented by the science department on Sept. 26. This was the first in a series of science lectures for the current academic year.

Math, physics, and astronomy professor Paul Kazarian headed the lecture, commencing with an explanation of the term “myth.”

“All myths have some very significant basis in real events,” Kazarian said. “They can be controversial or non-controversial. You need to translate [myths] into something people can understand and accept.”

Kazarian discussed how early civilizations believed that the earth was flat and that the earth was considered to be the center of the universe.

The professor cited some myths accepted by early civilizations, such as the Egyptians’ belief that the world was a “primordial formless mound” created by the gods. Babylonians apparently shared a similar belief; they believed in the existence of gods who created the earth in three layers: the realm of gods, the actual earth, and the underworld.

He also mentioned that the “creation of the earth by a Supreme Creator is a concept shared by many religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Another significant myth that elicited some discussion among the audience was the Australian aborigine concept of “dream time,” which consisted mostly of the belief that “everything happens at the same time,” and that there was no linear concept of time.

Of special interest to the audience was the commonly publicized Hindu belief that a flat earth was being held up by elephants which stood on the back of a giant turtle, which, in turn, stood atop a gigantic snake.

Another interesting story was one from Norse mythology, which described a “universal tree” with nine branches. Each branch represented a different world or realm, three of which include the world of the gods, the underworld, and the earth itself.

Kazarian also emphasized similarities and connections between ancient myths and modern scientific theories and discoveries such as the Big Bang theory. He said that the “great light” mentioned at the very beginning in the Bible’s creation story may correspond to the immense amount of light generated during the Big Bang.

“What we know as science today might or might not turn out to be a myth one hundred years from now,” Kazarian said at the end of the lecture. “On the other hand, what our ancestors thought to be just fairytales might

Photo Illustration by Jane Pojawa

Every religion incorporates a myth of how the world was created. This illustration depicts the creation myths of Hindism, Navaho, Aztec, Egyptian, Christian, Aboriginal, Jewish and Islam.

turn out to be real.”

The lecture culminated in a questionand-answer session and an open discussion with the audience.

Heven Renteria, an atmospheric science major who was a member of the audience, said that the lecture was not what he expected it to be.

“I thought it was going to be more of a science versus religion kind of thing,”

Renteria said. “It turned out to be very different since it didn’t show any conflict between science and religion.”

“I like the blend of scientific explanation of the creation of the universe with mythological and Biblical explanations,” said math professor and Science Lecture Series Coordinator, Sid Kolpas. He was one of the many instructors present at the lecture. “I was gratified to find that in many

ways, myths are not at all incompatible with science.”

“The talk was non-technical and very interesting,” Kolpas added. “Dr. Kazarian delivered the talk with expertise and lots of humor. He is to be commended for a job well done.”

Pauline Guiuan can be reached at Pauline_Guiuan@elvaq.com

8

Friday, October 6, 2006

www.elvaq.com

FEATURE

Students Suffer Toll of Unsanitary Restrooms

By Diana Petras

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

A

large cup of coffee or a bottle of energy drink is usually what keeps many college students going throughout the day. While the clock ticks in class and food churns away in the stomach, the urge to use a restroom becomes top priority. Unfortunately, when the last few seconds of class end, a mad dash to the nearest restroom is not enough to bring relief.

All the stalls are occupied and the entire restroom reeks from one useless stall to another, with certain unmentionables that a previous someone left in the unflushed toilet bowl, complemented by haphazardly placed toilet paper and disfigured seat covers strewn across the floor.

“Gross” and “disgusting” are some of the most popular words students use to describe these bathrooms situations. This is definitely the worst-case scenario that most students have encountered in certain restrooms on campus.

The need for hygiene comes to mind when coming across what Art History student Jacqueline Strafaci calls a “toilet paper explosion.” Hygiene, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus, is a science of the establishment and maintenance of health, but in layman’s terms, it is a way to prevent infections through cleanliness.

Although the school’s custodial staff takes the responsibility of

maintaining the cleanliness of the campus, they cannot do it without students’ cooperation. “There are 23 custodians working on the GCC campus,” said Lew Lewis, Director of Facilities, “But we’re short eight people and there should be total of about 30 or 40 people on the staff.”

There is an abundance of restrooms on campus, but he said that there is no excuse for the bathrooms being filthy. It is strictly a management problem, which they are trying to solve through the day and night shift staff distribution of “policing” campus cleanliness.

According to Lewis, the day crew has a much harder time working because they get a variety of interruptions that makes it harder for them to focus on their work. Unfortunately, there are only five custodians working the day shift along with thousands of other people who make it difficult for them to keep the school in check. The school is going to redirect the day shift people and redistribute their workload throughout the entire campus so that the school is consistently being cleaned throughout the day.

Lewis said that when the night crew comes in for cleaning, they have fewer distractions, but management is going to try to change the cleaning schedule for the night shift. According to Lewis, the night shift would work from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. when there would not be any people on campus to

Unsanitary waste contaminates student restrooms.

interrupt them while they work to make the school as clean as possible.

Current GCC student Samuel Cruz thinks that some students might care about the cleanliness of the restrooms, but most probably do not even bother. However, Lewis said, “Restrooms, to me, are the number one priority.”

Students do not realize that the job of maintaining restroom hy-

giene is difficult. “When people are at home, they don’t throw the paper on the floor at their houses.

They don’t clog the sink with paper. They don’t clog up the toilets,” said Lewis.

“They [students] treat the school restrooms like they have their own personal servants. It is an ongoing thing,” he said. “The school is for the students. If it is treated like trash, it is going to

School Shootings Continue to Claim Lives

By Stephen Hotchkiss EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

O

n the fateful day of April 20, 1999, cited by CNN as precipitating one of the “bloodiest episodes in U.S. history,” two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, murdered 12 fellow students and one teacher before taking their own lives.

Since the beginning of the fall semester, there have been four incidences of fatal school shootings, three of which occurred in the last week.

On Monday, a man killed himself after shooting five girls at an Amish school house in Pennsylvania; in Wisconsin, a principal was shot by a 15-year-old stu-

dent last Friday; last Wednesday, six females were taken hostage by a man who sexually assaulted them before shooting one girl and himself in Colorado; and in Montreal, on September 13, a gunman shot and killed one woman while injuring at least 20 others before being shot by police.

Following the Columbine incident, as well as the most recent school shootings, a tidal wave of blame and scrutiny has been placed on everything from gun control and Marilyn Manson to child-rearing practices and video games.

The Bush administration has taken note of the growing threat of school-related violence and plans to hold a conference, bringing together law enforcement and

education experts, for the purpose of discussing what kind of federal action can be taken to prevent violence in the classroom.

President Bush said that he felt “saddened and deeply concerned” about the most recent string of violent episodes in the nation’s schools.

Many have come to think of this tragic trend as a uniquely American problem, including documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, whose “Bowling for Columbine” (2002) contrasted America’s cultural persuasion to violence with that of other nations that he deemed as being relatively peaceful.

The intent was to show how, for a myriad causes and effects, the U.S. was much more prone to

violence, thus leading to school shootings.

Canada was one such nation that Moore juxtaposed with the American social inclinations towards violence. Moore was seen walking into the unlocked homes of residents of Windsor, a Canadian city sharing a border with Detroit.

His point was poignant, if a Canadian city, only a few miles from the firearm-crime-ridden city of Detroit can exist with little fear of violence, it must be a result of a uniquely American bloodlust that ceases to exist north of the 49th parallel.

Louise Ghandhi, professor of cultural geography at GCC and [See School Shootings, page 12]

Photo by Sumaya Mehai

stay [looking] like trash.”

“Vandalism is another serious, serious thing that is happening to the restrooms, to a point where we’re taking mirrors out of the restrooms because they’re so scratched up and etched up that you can’t even see into the mirrors,” added Lewis.

Some students have not even seen what others have done in the student restrooms. People have thrown excrement on the walls and urinate on the toilets standing up in both the men’s and women’s restrooms. “It’s terrible,” Lewis said.

Trashing the restrooms is costing the school money to clean up the mess or replace damaged property. Each huge restroom mirror costs about $300 and the filters that are getting clogged up cost about $40 apiece.

It is even harder for the custodial staff to maintain the cleanliness of the campus when there are thousands of students who do not cooperate with keeping the campus nice, clean and pretty.

“Maybe [hygiene] should be part of the [GCC] orientation to take better care of and pride in the college, said Lewis. “This college is a pretty place and I really like it.”

Diana Petras can be reached at Diana_Petras@elvaq.com

www.elvaq.com

Friday, October 6, 2006

9

FEATURE

English Tutor Accomodates Deaf Students on Campus

By Michael Coleman EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

I

t is mid-morning and the Learning Center is pack with students and tutors. A young woman sits at a table using American Sign Language (ASL)with students; this woman is Katherine Firkins, GCCs first deaf tutor.

A native Californian, Firkins spent her early childhood years in Toronto. Her mother is from Canada. Both her parents decided to move back to Canada when she was 18 months old and they found out that she was deaf. Firkins also has a deaf sister and her parents wanted more support by being near family.

Serependity has led Firkins to work with deaf students at GCC. As a teacher’s assistant, she worked with Barbara Boyd, a deaf English professor, in teaching a university-level literature course to deaf students for a year

at Cal State Northridge In addition, she was an English tutor working with deaf undergraduate and graduate students. She helped students with their English papers for three years at the National Center on Deafness.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English with emphasis on writing, she received an e-mail from Elizabeth Barrett, an adjunct instructor in the English department and adjunct counselor in the Center for Students with Disabilities, showing interest in using her as a tutor and assistant in the deaf program.

“I had to grab the opportunity, and I’m glad I did,” said Firkins.

Being deaf has not kept Firkins from fulfilling her dreams to teach English. Aside from being an English tutor and helping Barrett in the classrooms, Firkins is also a graduate student at Cal State Northridge, working towards a master’s de-

gree in English with concentration on Rhetoric and Composition for college-level teaching.

Firkins has always been interested in English as a subject, but she never thought of becoming a teacher. She was geared more toward publication.

Through this interest, she is is helping people nationwide by writing for publication for the deaf, including SIGNews, published by the Communication Services for the Deaf; The GLAD News, by the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness; and NADmag, by the National Association of the Deaf.

When Firkins is not hard at work tutoring or assisting teachers, she is an artist on the side. She is currently working on a graphic designs for Sign World TV Inc. Firkins says she is always on the lookout for travel opportunities.

“I’m making arrangements to attend the World Federation of

the Deaf conference in Madrid, Spain next summer,” WFD is an international non-governmental organization representing approximately 70 million deaf people worldwide. Firkins also said, “In addition, I’m hoping to volunteer to teach English to deaf adults at a deaf school in Kingston, Jamaica for a few weeks nextwinter.”

New deaf student, Oushin Chetin says, “I think it’s cool that I have deaf tutors at GCC.” Barrett, who has been with GCC since 1998, took over The Deaf Program in the English department in 2000. At that time there were only eight deaf and hard of hearing students.

Enrollment for The deaf Program has grown over the past five years. As of now, there are approximately 40 deaf and hard of hearing students on campus.

GCC is the only community college in Southern California that offers specialized English classes by someone who is fluent in both ASL and English. In addition, GCC is the only college that offers deaf and hard of hearing tutors to the students.

The college has English classes that are designed for deaf and hard of hearing students with the instruction using ASL. English 150 is a reading course and English 151 is a writing course, both classes have a beginning and intermediate levels.

Chetin is currently taking English 150 and 151 taught by Elizabeth Barrett.

“Katherine is the first deaf tutor at GCC,” said Barrett, Barrett would love to see Firkins work here as an instructor someday after she gets her master’s.

According to Barrett, she began to realize that the deaf students were not comfortable with hearing tutors and interpreter, and felt it was vital for deaf students to be tutored by someone who was fluent in ASL and English. Firkins explained that ASL is based on the French language, not English.

“ASL has all the properties of any language and it is a fully realized language in all senses of the word,” said Barrett.

“ASL is the primary language in the deaf community, and English is second. It’s extremely important for instructors and tutors to understand the structures of ASL and English to address the language problems that deaf students face,” said Firkins.

Firkins explains more in-depth

that most deaf students deal with two languages, ASL and English, in the classroom, while hearing students only focus on English.

It’s easier for hearing students to learn English than deaf students because hearing people can hear the words, sound them out whereas deaf people cannot.

Christina “Cat” Parker, has been interpreting at GCC for the past two years. She said, “I think hiring a deaf English tutor will have a positive affect/impact on the students since they will be learning English from someone who ‘speaks’ their language.”

When asked if she thought it was better for deaf students to learn from deaf teacher/tutors or hearing teachers/tutors? Firkins said, “I don’t think it makes a difference if deaf students have deaf or hearing instructors as long the English classes are taught in ASL.” Firkins, believes it’s quite difficult for deaf students to learn English from instructors and tutors using sign language interpreters due to a high risk of miscommunications and misunderstandings.

For example, if there is a deaf student, a hearing teacher, and the interpreter at a table, the deaf student may use a sign that does not mean the same in English words or there a English word that has no sign so there could be some confusion. In addition, some sign language may vary from state to state or city to city.

“From my experiences in teaching and tutoring, it’s a pleasure helping deaf students understand the complication of English as a language.” Firkins said.

From the sixth grade up Firkins was mainstreamed. She had one deaf teacher when she was in middle school. She also took two English classes and one Public speaking class with Barbra Boyd at Cal State Northridge.

Jose Estrada, a third year deaf student who had tutoring sessions with Firkins last semester and is now taking mainstream classes with an interpreter, said, “I think I prefer deaf tutor, because deaf tutors are easier to communicate with me.”

Firkins was surprised that GCC did not have any deaf tutors or teachers. She said that Cal State Northridge has 250 deaf students and a very good deaf program, so she was very pleased to come and work at GCC. When Firkins was asked if [See Tutor, page 12]

10

Friday, October 6, 2006

www.elvaq.com 11

FEATURE

How to Avoid a Bad Tattoo • Only get tattooed in a reputable shop, never in someone’s home or garage.

• “Flash,” or the pictures commonly seen on the walls of tattoo shops, are only the beginning. A competent artist will be able to draw a custom design that is uniquely yours. Usually a deposit for drawing time will count towards your tattoo.

Bring examples of art you like.

• Adequate sterilization requires an autoclave, like the one pictured on the left. If you have any questions about the cleanliness of the shop, ask to see their autoclave.

• Tattoo artists only use fresh needles because old ones are too damaged to use, however, you should make sure that the needle has been sterilized before use.

• A $20 tattoo can become a $500 problem. Your tattoo will be on your skin for the rest of your life; don’t look for a bargain. Expect to pay $100 - $200 an hour.

• If your artist appears to be intoxicated, leave immediately. You’re paying for a professional’s expertise, not taking chances on someone who already started the party. You shouldn’t be drunk either, as you will bleed and squirm more.

• Do not ever pick at your tattoo or allow your clothing to rub on it and follow your artist’s aftercare directions to the letter.

• Bonus points if the shop is a member of an organization such as the National Tattoo Association.

It shows a commitment to the industry, and pride in the quality of the shop.

Tattoo Trend

Claims Student Skin Bottom, according to Baba, customers flock to Vintage Tattoo Parlour to get some “Bitchin’ Tattoos.”

- Compiled by Jane Pojawa

Glendale Students with tattoos include Lilliana Alexandrian, Bard By, Valerie Walker, Ollie Moore, Brett Adams, Kate Pollack, Joshua Avery, Susan Aksu, Stephen Hotchkiss and Jessica Moreno.

- Photography by Jane Pojawa

Vintage Tattoo Parlour: Above, Baba, owner of Vintage Tattoo, inks a custom phoenix on client Tanya Woodworth.

Left, Woodworth feels the pressure of the tattoo gun.

Photo Montage by Jane Pojawa

12

Friday, October 6, 2006

www.elvaq.com

FEATURE

Campus Police Chief Assures Student’s Safety In Case of Shooting [School Shootings from page 8] adviser of cultural geography at GCC and native of Montreal, disagrees with Moore’s sentiment that violence, including firearm related violence, is exclusive or any more likely to occur in America than in any other nation.

Ghandhi believes that violence cannot be justly correlated to culture or country. “If you think you are safe, think again,” said Ghandhi, “that’s the mistake the Canadians made.”

Referencing the 1989 tragedy in Montreal, where Marc Lepine shot and killed 14 women at the University of Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique engineering school, Ghandhi makes obvious where Moore fell short—the notion that violence, in particular school violence, is a global concern and not unique to the U.S. In fact, before the Columbine shootings in 1999, Canada alone had witnessed over 21 deaths in over seven related school shootings.

Shootings in Canadian cities lend to the idea that cities in the U.S. traditionally thought to be peaceful are as prone to school violence as any city thought to be a hotbed of violent crime.

The attack in the quiet Amish community of Paradise, Penn., where a 27 year-old man attempted to sexually assault five girls before killing them, is perhaps the most chilling verification of this; Aaron Meyer, a resident of a nearby village of Paradise told CNN, “many of these townships there have no police at all, because there’s no crime.”

Surely Michael Moore would have been as equally able to walk

into unlocked homes in Paradise as he did in Windsor.

Moore attributed lenient U.S. gun control laws as a primary, almost exclusive, cause of school shootings. Many have attributed video games and other sorts of supposed violent media as inspiring the killing sprees.

Disregarding the popular notion among critics that school shootings stem from relaxed gun

“To think that you have the right to go and kill other people, that’s a certain type of narcisism.”

— Wendy Fonarow Anthropology Professor control laws or from the impact of violence in media, Dr. Wendy Fonarow, professor of cultural anthropology at GCC has her own theories as to why school shootings are becoming ever more present.

“To think that you have the right to go and kill other people, that’s a certain type of narcissism,” said Fonarow, “you really have to think that you are owed to be treated in a really nice way.”

Tutor Facilitates Learning Through Sign Language [English Tutor from page 9]

being so young, 24, she found sessions at GCC, Barrett has it challenging teaching her hired three more deaf tutors, peers, she said, “I don’t see two for English and one for my age as a challenge or is- Math. sue in teaching or tutoring. I Firkins goal is to become a get respect from stuents and full-time English instructor to workers because of what I’m the deaf students by the time capable of doing on the job.” she obtains her master’s deFirkins believes that it’s gree which she is six classes good for deaf students to away from getting. have deaf instructors and tutors as their mentors. Due to Michael Coleman can be reached at the success of Firkins tutoring Michael_Coleman@elvaq.com

Fonarow ‘s opinion is that American education systems have developed a strong sense of what she refers to as, “child centered interaction,” where criticism, directed from a teacher to a student, is lacking.

According to Fonarow, with educational institutions shying away from offering criticism to students the result is the formation of a highly narcissistic generation of children—a foreboding hypothesis.

“What that produces, in adolescence, is either depression or anger,” said Fonarow, “if you’re the center of attention--not because of any accomplishments or any inherent qualities--just because you’re young, one day that stops because you are older and you want to look for why.”

When individuals enter adulthood and are no longer treated with the same unconditional approval they received as children and teenagers, they understand this in two possible ways. “It’s either my fault, and then you feel depressed,” continued Fonarow, “or it’s everyone else’s fault, and you’re really angry about it.”

Both Fonarow and Ghandhi claim to have had experiences with students suffering from mental anguish.

Ghandhi’s student, with positive encouragement from Ghandhi, sought professional help.

In Fonarow’s case, a student was developing onset signs of what she perceived to be schizophrenia. “ I just saw very abhorrent behavior that I saw as being potentially dangerous and other students felt it as well.” said Fonarow.

The anthropology professor claims to have spoken with authorities who were unable to legally take any action. “There was nothing the institution could do for me,” said Fonarow, “we don’t have any way to stop someone [from carrying out violent acts]... all I could do is urge them.”

Fonarow claims that this signifies another folly of American culture. “We are a very litigious society,” said Fonarow, “our ideas of individual rights are always placed over the rights of the group as a whole.”

Perhaps the urging was sufficient as the Mace Fonarow bought was not required. In fact, many students suffering from emotional stress may only require a simple push in the right direction.

For a GCC student, that push would be directed to the Health Center where an on-site therapist is available and able to aid troubled students, a note of this fact is made on every syllabus that Ghandhi hands out to students.

In fact, following in the fashion of her surname, Ghandhi belongs to the Ahimsa Center in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences at California State Polytechnic University. The Ahimsa organization is dedicated to nonviolence and the teachings of non-violent principles in family, personal, communal and national and international areas.

A main goal of the Ahisma Center is to bring a message of non-violence into mainstream education. The Center has designed courses for teachers of varying curricular levels, ranging from K-12 and even at the college and university level, to facilitate the teachings of Ahisma non-violence.

GCC students are privy to a nicely balanced campus geared towards understanding and forgiveness, yet firm, preventative measures.

When minor confrontations, such as fistfights or escalated arguments, occur, and are deemed isolated and mildly threatening, the GCC police are able to offer the involved individuals a less severe, and likely more therapeutic punishment than would city police.

Where city police would detain individuals and, depending on the situation, let them go or incarcerate them, involved students are taken to receive on-campus counseling.

This type of conflict resolution has had a tremendous efficacy in limiting violence from escalation and dispersing long, on-going rivalries on campus according to Chief Wagg.

GCC Police Chief Steve Wagg considers GCC to be a relatively safe environment. “We’re lucky we reside in a bedroom community… it’s nice and quiet,” said Wagg.

Although Wagg might feel the campus is not at high risk, he is not willing to take chances.

GCC officers possess the same authority as a municipal department and must comply with the same regulations. California State law mandates GCC officers to train with firearms four times a year; the GCC department trains

monthly.

Not only that, but twice a year GCC officers engage in what Wagg refers to as “active shooter training.” This type of training is specifically oriented to the typical school-shooting scenario.

This type of preparedness on behalf of the GCC police department shows that despite the safe history of the city and campus, discretion is an invaluable asset.

“We have the advantage of having police officers right here so we can get to the scene of any type of violent act,” said Wagg, “probably within a minute and take appropriate action.”

Stephen Hotchkiss can be reached at Stephen_Hotchkiss@elvaq.com

w w w . e l v a q . c o m

www.elvaq.com

Friday, October 6, 2006

13

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Underground Street Artist Refines Art in L.A.

By Carlos Villarreal

EL VAQUERO ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

A

local street artist is reinventing art, leaving his mark on street corners instead of a canvas.

In a dimly lit bar off of Glendale Blvd. in the Atwater area of Los Angeles sits a tall, skinny, 20-something-year-old male only known as Netsil, which is listen spelled backwards.

This mysterious figure is sporting a brown hooded sweatshirt, with the hood over his head, a black bandana over the lower half of his face and dark skinny jeans with white paint drips on the legs; a look that does not stand out in this part of town, where the hipster elite part of east Hollywood is. He chooses not to reveal his face, just pulls the bandana up slightly over his mouth every time he takes a sip from his Jager and Red Bull.

“I just want someone to be walking down the street and see something [Netsil’s art] I put up, and stop in their tracks,” he said, “There, in that moment, I caught their attention and maybe made them smile a bit.”

Netsil pulls out a small digital camera and shows an example of his work, an image of a humanoid figure wearing a black and white suit with two old Victorian era phonograph speakers for a head and a pair of Nike dunks on its feet.

The image was printed on paper, glued with wheat paste (a mixture made of water and wheat flower) on to a low-level sign overlooking the intersection of Alvarado Street and Beverly Blvd. in Echo Park.

The humanoid also made a brief appearance on GCC’s campus on a power box located by the footbridge where Canada Blvd. and Verdugo Road meet. The poster has been scraped off and painted over.

Another image shows a small black square in the corner of highrise billboard above Sunset Blvd. in Silverlake. The billboard is an ad for “The Grudge 2” and it has a small subtle addition in the top left hand corner, an image of Netsil’s own face with trademark bandana.

“That was my first billboard,” he said, “After I finished pasting the image, a guy that was watching me from across the street started to yell at me, ‘What are you doing up there?’ I got kind of freaked and ended up jumping off the roof to the street below for my get-away. It was about a 15-foot drop.”

Because of such acts, Netsil chooses to hide his identity.

Photo by Netsil

Netsil’s image peers out from the corner of a billboard on Sunset Blvd.

The choice of canvas for street artists like Netsil may not settle well with property owners.

“I would never deface someone’s private property, I choose to keep my work in the public domain,” he said.

The California penal code bans such art from public property, fining heavy fees and possible jail time on those found guilty of defacing public property.

As for the billboard, he was quick to defend himself. “The movie is going to suck anyway, so I’m doing them a favor and spiced things up a bit,” he said.

Aside from the legal aspects, artists like Netsil keep their identity secretive for artistic reasons as well.

“I like my art to represent itself. If people know who’s behind the work, I think it takes away from its meaning. The work is famous because of the individual behind it and not its substance.”

A good example of Netsil’s philosophy is legendary British street artist, Banksy, whose identity is also unknown. Banksy’s work is deeply political, so his alias keeps him out of hot water and allows his work to speak for itself.

“He’s an icon, but nobody knows who he is,” said Netsil, “He doesn’t want to be famous, just his work to bask in the limelight.”

Banksy hosted an exhibit in L.A. last month with a live painted Indian elephant and is infamous for pranking famed heiress Paris Hilton.

On the other side of the spectrum is Shepard Fairey, also known under the moniker of OBEY. Fairey started his career as a

street artist with his infamous “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” wheat paste posters back in 1989. After revealing his identity, Fairey became financially successful and artistically respected.

His empire now includes a graphic design company and clothing line. His work is currently on display at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery in L.A. through Oct. 14.

Street art has been growing larger in popularity in the last 20 years. More and more artists are turning to the streets to get a message across through what had become a worldwide phenomena. Sites like ecosystem.org and woostercollective.com showcase photo galleries of street artists’ work from around the world.

Along with the traditional wheat paste posters and spray-painted stencils, some artists like Mark Jenkins are making a name for themselves with art installations.

Jenkins makes sculptures out of plain, clear plastic tape, then dresses the figures in clothing and places them in strange positions on busy street corners. One such sculpture has the shape of a person sticking out the side of a building.

The headless figure makes the passersby do a double take; the look on their faces is priceless.

Images of his work can be seen on his site, xmarkjenkinsx.com.

Whereas some may consider street art as just simply a masking for graffiti, they are clearly two different genres.

“It’s true that street art grew out of tagging and graffiti but what is different is the mes[See Netsil, page 16]

Self portrait of the enigmatic street artist, Netsil.

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

6ix ...Bands on Myspace Worth a Listen

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Britain’s ‘Keeping Mum’ is to Die For

By Alison Geller

EL VAQUERO FEATURES EDITOR

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By Carlos Villarreal

EL VAQUERO ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

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ith all the garbage on the Internet, a large part of which is Myspace.com, the site that according to Wired magazine now receives more hits than web giant Google, it’s amazing that anything decent can be found. Myspace is now more commonly used as a massive promotional tool where a never ending stream of rubbish is being pushed down consumers’ throats.

The whoring (promoting) can take its toll on some, but like a diamond in the rough, a few things shine through— mostly small independent bands and acts as well as some major label contenders that use the monster to their advantage.

Ratatat, an electro hiphop duo from Brooklyn, NY, is giving the urban intercity crowd something to dance to.

Their sound can be described as instrumental riffs layered over rockin’ beats. Their influences span from unconventional underground hip-hop artists like Dr. Octagon, Kool Keith and MF Doom. They may be no Dipset, but hip-hop should not always consist of “bling” and “bitches.” (www. myspace.com/ratatatmusic) A three-piece that makes the rounds at local bars, Los Angeles’ Hello Fever is giving scenesters something to look forward to. The teeny angst punk rock meet Sonic Youth trio recently released their first full-length, “Broken Lines,” on indie label Sound Virus. Their influences range from the B-52’s to Christian Death, which would be the ideal soundtrack to a Sunday afternoon in the park. Hello Fever plays The Kitting Factory in Hollywood on Nov. 11.

[See 6ix, page 15]

n a small English countryside town, a reverend and his family get much-needed Grace and a few murders to go with her.

Rowan Atkinson (“Mr. Bean”), Kristin Scott Thomas (“Gosford Park” and “Life as a House”), Maggie Smith (“Harry Potter” series) and Patrick Swayze (“Ghost”) star in “Keeping Mum” a very funny and bizarre British dark comedy directed by Niall Johnson and written by Johnson and Richard Russo.

The film begins 40 years prior, following a young woman Rosie Jones (Emilia Fox) on a train. On this train ride, it becomes evident that her trunk is bleeding. It turns out that the dismembered bodies of her husband and his mistress are stuffed in there; a very pregnant Jones is put into a mental institution.

The film then skips ahead to present day, to the home of Reverend Walter Goodfellow (Atkinson), an absent-minded man who does not see that his family is falling apart. His wife Gloria (Scott Thomas) is on the verge of having an affair and running off with her golf pro, Lance (Swazye); his daughter Holly is, as Gloria puts it, a “nymphomaniac”; and his son Petey is continuously being bullied at school.

In walks his saving grace: a lovely little old lady with a very familiar-looking trunk, Grace Hawkins (Smith), becomes their housekeeper. Unbeknownst to the family, Grace has very permanent and deadly ways of disposing of what she feels are the problems that are ripping the family apart. Smith steals the movie as the adorable, killing-happy housekeeper.

Atkinson, as a Reverend, is far from his usual role as Mr. Bean, yet his character still manages to maintain the aloofness that is hard for most to capture on screen.

Goodfellow is about to go to a religious convention where he is to give the opening speech and seems more concerned with the speech and his ponds’ algae issues than with his children and sexually deprived wife.

Scott Thomas does an amaz-

“It was the first time I have been required to kill people, and I rather liked the idea of that,“ said Maggie Smith in regards to her role as Grace Hawkins, according to the Keeping Mum official Web site. “I have never had to do quite such violent things with great pleasure.”

ing job as the lonely housewife Gloria. She tries to keep her family together, although she has no previous concept of a “normal” family as she grew up in an orphanage. But with a rebellious daughter who is getting far more action than she is, a timid son who’s afraid to go to school and a husband who seems as useful and entertaining as a boat in the middle of the desert, it is difficult.

She finds solace and excitement with her oversexed and perverted golf pro Lance.

Grace, however, changes all that and things get better right away. The annoying barking dog

next door that has caused Gloria many sleepless nights suddenly becomes quiet - too quiet. And her feelings for her golf pro begin to fade as Walter loosens up and learns that he can be a man, as well as a man of the cloth. Holly finds something else to do, as well as someone else, and Petey stops fearing the bullies - all with the divine help of Grace.

Unfortunately, Grace isn’t as divine as Walter and Gloria think she is. In fact, she is a coldblooded murderer, with a killer sense of humor.

At one point, Gloria tells Grace, “You can’t just kill people be-

cause you disapprove of them!”

Grace replies, “That’s what my doctors kept saying. It was the one thing we could never agree on.”

In the end, the body count is only three, but the laughs are plentiful. The British have an amazing way with obscure comedies; this is by far one of the best.

If one must pay $9-10 to see a movie, it should be a good one, and this one is truly worth it. **** Out of 4 stars Alison Geller can be reached at Alison_Geller@elvaq.com

www.elvaq.com

Friday, October 6, 2006

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

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‘A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints’ Inspires Wishful Thinking

By Rachel Mills

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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hree rugged teenage boys walk down a street in an evidently lower middle class neigborhood. Teenage girls dressed in skimpy attire beckon to them seductively. Far off, a subway car drifts towards New York City, the only way out of the prison of Astoria, Queens, NY. This is the setting of the indie film “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.” The movie tells the semi-autobiographical story of Dito (Robert Downey Jr. “A Scanner Darkley”), a successful writer in Los Angeles who gets word from a friend that his father needs to be taken to a hospital.

Dito goes back to his hometown only to discover that very little has changed since he left 15 years ago.

Dito then flashes back to his teenaged days and sees himself (Shia LaBeouf “Even Stevens”) and his other friends go through the experiences that led up to his departure from his hometown.

His friends were Antonio (Channing Tatum from “She’s the Man”), Nerf (Peter Anthony Tambakis from “Igby Goes Down”), Mike O’Shea (Martin Compston from “Wild Country”), and Laurie (Melonie Diaz from “Lords of Dogtown”).

Writer and director Dito Montiel weaves the story of his childhood, where his friends and situation in Astoria keep him from realizing his full potential. That is until Mike O’Shea, his new friend, tries to encourage Dito to do better; telling him that it is just a matter of willpower and courage to get out of Astoria and away from everything that is holding him back.

Echoing this to a degree is Laurie who puts all her energy and efforts to get Dito to care for her as much as she cares for him.

Antonio practically lived in Dito’s house; Dito’s own father takes pride in Antonio throughout the movie as though he was truly his own son. Nerf is a bit stranger looking than the other two boys but now has a car that his mother lets him practice driving with.

Mike is the new transfer student who’s Scottish, but lived in Ire-

land, in Dito’s class. Laurie is the supposed “swimmer” who dated Dito before he left Astoria.

Helping to carry the story along are the young actors playing the parts in the film’s flashback sequences. Shia LaBeouf’s acting skills have surpassed those of his early days on Disney’s “Even Stevens” where because of his juvenile character, he was unable to grow as an actor. In this movie, LaBeouf’s teenaged portrayal of Dito may have even gone beyond the acting of Robert Downey Jr. as the older Dito. In every scene LaBeouf’s acting is captivating, especially the one right after his best friend is shot and killed by a little kid from the neighborhood.

LaBeouf’s acting even makes you wonder why Robert Downey Jr. is listed first.

Diaz plays the young Laurie just as well as the actress for the adult Laurie, Rosario Dawson.

Diaz plays the young naive girl in love with Dito, who she desires to do well in life. When one watches her, especially a female viewer, one can feel all the pain she endures for loving the wrong guy. From getting bruised by Dito by accident to being left behind when Dito leaves town without her, Diaz brings her best acting ability to the screen.

The dialogue is true to what would be said of teens in Queens.

It wasn’t clean, it wasn’t perfect, and at times it was juvenile in tone and manner. Hardcore Antonio spoke in a way that reflected his muscle over brain attitude; he used simpler terms and words than Dito. The whole cast uses politically incorrect terms and slurs for the other racial groups found in their neighborhood.

The movie’s script and cinematography style is very different from what a person would get from watching a mainstream film such as “Employee of the Month.” Different techniques are used within the movie.

In most of the scenes, there are five or six different conversations going on at the same time; a viewer may find it difficult to pick one out of the others. The camera constantly keeps changing focus and angles. Sometimes it would randomly zoom in on one character’s body part or action; at other times, it would broadly pan over

Dito (Shia LaBeouf) and friend Mike (Martin Compston) talk of escaping Asorita while on the subway.

the entire scene before settling on a character.

In a scene that takes place between Mike and Dito, they are on a subway car, and as it passes by old crumbling houses, it focuses on the outside scene sweeping by as though projecting to the viewer an idea of how swiftly life passes by as you get older. It also serves as a visual to the audience to il-

lustrate how much Dito wants to escape his hometown.

While each individual actor and actress had amazing talent, they also shone as a group. Paliminteri and Dianne West, who plays Dito’s older mother, worked well to portray the loving relationship that existed between Dito’s parents. It is no surprise that the cast received an award for best ensem-

ble performance.

The young actors shine and go beyond what is expected of them, the cinematography was fresh and new, and one would feel a sense of enlightenment in their own personal life as they leave the theater after seeing this film.

Rachel Mills can be reached at Rachel_Mills@elvaq.com

Myspace Bands Worth Listening Into [6ix, from Page 14]

Be sure to check them out and buy Sam (the guitarist) a drink if you see him. (www.myspace. com/hellofever) The streets of Winston-Salem, N.C., have something to praise: hip-hop rhyme slingers Brother Reade. The act consists of Jimmy Jamz and Bobby Evans, who recently remixed Rilo Kiley’s “A Man/Me/Then Jim.” Brother Reade recently performed at this year’s F@ck Yeah Fest to a packed crowd. Heavy beats and intelligent lyrics flowing over complex arrangements complete their sound, for fans of El-P, DJ Shadow and old Wu Tang Clan.

Brother Reade is a prime example of progressive hip-hop leaving out the filler “bling” and “bitches” can’t keep you on top forever. (www.myspace.com/ brotherreade) Malibu’s Simon Dawes is quickly making a name for themselves. The band recently appeared on MTV’s TRL flaunt-

ing their coolness and opened for label mates The Walkmen on their North American tour. The band takes cues from The Rolling Stones, T Rex, and The Talking Heads. Their classic rockish sound can be dubbed as a heavier version of The Eagles in a nutshell. Their debut album, “Carnivore,” is out now on Record Collection and would make a worthy addition, unless of course you hate The Eagles. (www.myspace. com/simondawes) Following in the trail of Depeche Mode, Ontario, Canada’s Junior Boys’ soft electro-pop sounds can soothe the undergarments off anyone. The fearsome duo blends soothing vocals over synthy-driven melodies. Fans of The Postal Service or Death Cab for Cutie should give them a listen and have a new soundtrack to cry to. (www.myspace.com/juniorboys) From Monument to Masses could perhaps start a revolu-

tion through Myspace. The instrumental three-piece, hailing from San Francisco, is putting out music with a deep meaning.

Carrying on where Rage Against the Machine and Fugazi left off, From Monument to Masses’ sharply political rock is drawing a lot of attention from across the nation. Political speeches by revolutionary figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr. are transposed over their multifaceted structured instrumental pieces, leaving listeners with a new train of thought. (www.myspace.com/ frommonumenttomasses) So hopefully, with help from the heartless soul sucker Myspace, these acts can get some of the attention they deserve. Otherwise they may have to resort to plan B, promoting themselves the old fashioned way before Myspace existed. Which is…I can’t recall either.

Carlos Villarreal can be reached at Carlos_Villarreal@elvaq.com

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Netsil Spreads His Message Beyond Gallery Walls [Nestsil, from Page13]

sage,” said Netsil. “Graffiti isn’t always negative, the common misconception is that all of it is gang related, which is not true, or at least the good stuff isn’t.

As for the case with street art, artists are using the streets to relay a message, be it political or simply artistic to the masses.”

One of Netsil’s messages includes an image of Vice President Dick Chaney holding a set of balloons in the shape of aerial bombs with children in the background, lining up for a free balloon.

As the definition of art is being reworked through a new generation of self-funded visionaries, art is now being used a means of communication, bringing to light issues such as politics to a broad population using the streets to convey the message.

“Art shouldn’t be confined to the frail walls of a gallery or museum, that charges a ridiculous entrance fee,” said Netsil.

“It should be on the streets for all to see, where it can invoke free thought in a person, free of interference.”

As street artists continue to entertain a new generation of fans through means of spray paint or wheat and paper, be it plastered to the side of a freeway overpass or hanging in a pricey gallery, it shows the world that anyone can be an artist. It just takes some imagination and a blank wall.

As for Netsil, he will continue to plaster his toils of love as long as he is able to, bringing his vision to the streets.

“I like to stay productive,” he said. “I’d rather be making art to entertain others, getting chased off rooftops and reflect a message, than wasting time standing in line at some lame bar in Hollywood.”

Carlos Villarreal can be reached at Carlos_Villarreal@elvaq.com

Photo by Netsil

Netsil’s humanoid figure made an appearance on a power box located by the foot bridge, near the GCC campus.

El Vaquero News Features Editorial Entertainment Opinion Sports Art Hot off the Press

@ www.elvaq.com

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Friday, October 6, 2006

17

OPINION

Global Warming Slowly Killing Planet Earth

By Jennifer Tinoco

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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any who drive vehicles do not consider what pollution from them is doing to the air and to the environment in Los Angeles, as well as globally. Cars and buses in the daily commute release gases that pollute the air that people breathe.

The media displays a variety of messages; the news and regular TV commercials mention the “Flex Your Power” campaign, urges everyone to conserve energy by turning off lights and appliances that are not in use. This is especially important in the summer, when people want to avoid blackouts and high electricity bills. What a lot of people are not aware of is that both these issues are connected. With the rate of gas usage for cars and electricity for hours-long usage of the Internet, the earth is getting a little too warm.

A greenhouse is a glass enclosure where plants are kept during the winter. The glass helps trap in the heat for the plants to survive on cold days. This is similar to what the interior of a car feels like when the windows have been closed on a hot day. It is also known as the “greenhouse effect.” The earth’s atmosphere is an invisible layer like the glass that covers the whole greenhouse, and it helps the earth stay warm.

The atmosphere is made up of several gases, one major gas being carbon dioxide. But too much carbon dioxide causes the atmosphere to get too hot.

Oil and coal are substances that make up fossil fuels; they are all substances that come from the earth. Fossil fuels are used for energy needed by cars, planes and some electric power plants. The burning of these fossil fuels gives off carbon dioxide.

The problem now is that people use products and machines that give off a lot of carbon dioxide.

For example, when they drive, all the fossil fuels released by their cars add to the gases that make the earth warmer. Trees play a major role in our ecosystem; they process carbon dioxide and in return they release oxygen into the air. It is therefore perilous to cut down trees, and even worse to burn them because doing so releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is the biggest component of polution known as greenhouse gasses. Methane, a naturaly occuring gas found in agricultural waste and landfills, and hydroflourocarbons and perflourocarbons, which are manmade chemicals, are also greenhouse gasses.

Everyone must become familiar with the fact that every time they watch television, turn on lights, or use the air conditioner they are sending greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Some of the energy needed for electricity comes from power plants that burn coal and oil to generate electricity.

The greenhouse gases released into the air affect global temperature. The climate is changing every year. The clumulative efffect of slight changes, that many may not even notice, through the years will become more evident. The climate changes will affect people’s health. The rising temperature will melt glaciers in the Antarctic, thereby making sea levels rise. It can hurt natural habitats.

In “An Inconvenient Truth,” a film released last summer, former vice president Al Gore said, “If you look at the ten hottest years ever measured [on earth], they’ve all occurred in the last fourteenyears, and the hottest year ever was in 2005.”

What Gore means is that there is existing proof of this “global problem”: the earth is heating up rapidly. The ice on the north and south poles is melting at such a rapid rate that polar bears are drowning, and according to Gore’s film, sea levels may rise up to 20 feet in the very near future. Many scientists agree that they had no idea that the melting of the polar ice caps would occur during this century.

People cannot be expected to stop doing daily activities like watching TV and driving to school; and college students will still continue to use the computer to type up a report or go online for a research paper. However, as all that continues, the problem of global warming will also continue to grow. What needs to be done is for people to gain a greater understanding of what lies behind their everyday activities and thus make wiser, more responsible choices to conserve energy.

Geography 101 professor Darren Leaver said, “There are ways to lessen the causes of global warming, and if we don’t start to

balance things out soon enough, there will be problems we will not be ready to face in the future.”

One way to help prevent this problem is to carpool to work or school. Walking to the store or to school will not only help the environment, but will also improve physical fitness. Public transit is also an inexpensive and convenient way to travel. In fact, it only costs 25 cents to ride the Glendale Beeline.

On Sept. 25, it was reported by the National Academy of Sciences that the “planet’s temperature has climbed to levels not seen in thousands of years, warming that has begun to affect plants and animals.” Despite the report, a few scientists doubt that the earth has warmed up at all, but some are already questioning and investigating the causes of the reported temperature change.

James Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, who led the research program, also said, “If further global warming increases 2 or 3 degrees Celsius, we will likely see changes that make Earth a different planet than the one we know. The last time it was that warm was in the middle Pliocene, about 3 million years ago, when sea level was estimated to have been about 25 meters (80 feet) higher than today.”

As inhabitants of a planet in danger, people must become aware that the earth has been plunged into intense weather changes. To eliminate all the causes of global warming is impossible, but there are ways of alleviating the problem.

For example, planting more trees will encourage the recycling of carbon dioxide from the air and produce more oxygen. Switching to flourescent light bulbs and other energy-saving products can greatly reduce the demand for electricity. This will lead to a decrease in the use of coal and oil in power plants, equally reducing carbon dioxide in the air.

If the human race keeps adding on to the pollution, industrialization, and all the elements that are causing the climate to change drastically, through the careless and irresponsible use of natural resources, the planet and everything in it will be in a global disaster.

Jennifer Tinoco can be reached at Jennifer_Tinoco@elvaq.com

Photo Illustration by Jane Pojawa

Industrial emmissions add to global warming with disasterous results.

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SPORTS

Vaqueros Take a Victory Against L.A. Harbor

By Lenin Lau

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

T

he Vaqueros defeated the L.A. Harbor Seahawks 1713 at San Pedro High School on Saturday night, improving their record to 5-0 for the first time since 1988.

The Vaquero defense bullied the Seahawk offense, holding the Seahawks scoreless for three quarters, and coming up with big plays on the third down to end the Seahawks’ scoring opportunities.

The Vaquero defense allowed only 36 rushing yards and sacked the quarterback eight times.

Leading the defense was defensive end Grant Valentine, who had 4.5 sacks on the night.

“It was a team effort; our [defensive] tackles made nice plays, our [defensive backs] were holding [the receivers], and I was fortunate to have my sacks,” said Valentine.

The Vaquero offensive power was also present on the field, with 407 yards of total offense. Leading the Vaqs’ offensive attack was Brendon Doyle, who completed ten of 14 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown.

On the first offensive play of the game for the Vaqs, Doyle hit receiver Juan Magallon for a 79-yard gain and a first and goal on the one-yard line, setting up a Shaun Kermah rushing touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Boyle hooked up with wide receiver Abraham Venegas for 64 yards and a touchdown to extend the lead to 17-0.

The Seahawks, who led the Western State Conference in scoring, scored only 13 points in the fourth quarter to come within four points of the Vaqs who had jumped to a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter to 17-13. With a minute left and the Seahawks encroaching on the Vaquero end zone, defensive back Josh Nesbitt

t e ac h i n g t i p # 9

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Photo by Emmanuel Belviz

The Vaquero defense smothers the Seahawks’ quarterback for a sack

intercepted the Seahawks’ pass to seal the victory for the Vaqs.

“Our defense played hard and aggressive,” said Coach John Cicuto. “I liked the way we made

big plays on defense.”

Cicuto hopes to have more success against L.A. Pierce College on Oct. 21 when the Vaqueros host Pierce at Sartoris Field.

Lenin Lau can be reached at Lenin_Lau@elvaq.com

[See related, Vaquero Views, Page 20]

www.elvq.com

Friday, October 6, 2006

19

Calendar On Campus sports

auditions

Women’s Volleyball — • The lady Vaqueros host Oxnard tonight at 7 p.m.

• GCC faces Santa Barbara Friday. Game starts at 7 p.m.

‘Phanatics’ — The GCC dance department will hold auditions on Friday for their annual dance production titled, “Phanatics.” Auditions are open to everyone and not limited to students involved in the dance department. Try outs will be held in Sierra Nevada 104 at 5 p.m. The actual show will be on Nov. 4. For more information on the dance department, visit www.glendale.edu/dance

Women’s Soccer — • Tuesday, GCC takes on Bakersfield. Game starts at 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer — • The Vaqueros take on L.A. Mission tonight. The game gets underway at 7 p.m.

lecture ‘Immigration’ — The cultural diversity program lecture series is proud to sponsor “Immigration.”

A lecture presented by professor of history, Peggy Renner, the role of immigrants in society will be discussed. The lecture will take place at Kreider Hall, Thursday at noon. Admission is free.

exhibition ‘Rocktobersurprisefest’ — An art exhibition featuring the works of Suzanne Adelman, Dewey Ambrosino, Roger Dickes, Janet Jenkins, Karen Lofgren, Daniel Mendel-Black, Mitchell Syrop and Andrea Teodorescu. “Rocktobersurprisefest” is a collection of diverse and obliquely seditious artworks which aims encrypted resistance at structures that have

intensified the problem of global income inequality and denied human and socio-economic rights to international populations. The exhibition will be on display in the art gallery from Oct. 14 through Nov. 18. The opening reception will be on the 14 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admittance is free. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5663 or visit www.glendale. edu/artgallery

health Mental Health — Counseling is available by appointment. To set up an appointment, visit Health Services located in the San Rafael building.

Diet — Dietary interns are available for appointments. Visit Health Services for more information.

other Club Rush — There is still time to join a club. For more information, visit Plaza Vaquero today.

Car Wash—Student organization Voces del Mañana will hold a scholarship fund raising car wash Saturday in San Rafael Plaza from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The car wash will help benefit a group of hardworking students who perform high school outreach and mentoring to local schools.

These scholarships, supported by the car wash, will help disadvantaged youth monetarily by helping them reach their educational goals. For more information, call faculty adviser Graig Perkins at (818) 240-1000, ext. 5571.

Swap Meet — The GCC swap meet will take place on Oct. 15 in the upper campus lot from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information, call

(818) 240-1000, ext. 5805.

Theatre and Speech Vocal Workshop—The first in a series of Vocal Workshops of the fall semester wil take place on Tuesday at Kreider Hall from noon to 1 p.m. Learn the basics of the Linklater Technique, the most used vocal progression in theatre, created for actors and vocal performers of any type. Other topics will include expression, vocal freedom, articulation and dialect awareness. The workshop will be conducted by Andrea Stark.

reminder 2006-2007 Scholarship Program — Students that have completed 12 GCC units are encouraged to apply for the 2006-2007 Scholarship Program. Applications are available in the Scholarship Office, located in Student Center 202. The deadline to apply is Friday.

Off Campus theatre ‘Pirates of Penzance’ — The Glendale Centre Theatre presents “Pirates of Penzance,” Saturday at 8 p.m. with Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets for the matinee are $20 and the evening show is $23.

Senior citizen price for matinee is $19. The Glendale Centre Theatre is located at 324 N. Orange St., Glendale. For more information, call the theatre box office at (818) 244-8481.

‘Pheadra’ — Based on Euripides’ “Hippolytus,” Jean Racine’s “Pheadra” reveals the devastating potential of love and the brutality of human nature. The show runs at A Noise Within through Nov. 19. Ticket prices range from $34 to $38. A Noise Within is located at 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale.

For more information, call (818) 240-0910.

comedy Mark Sweet — The Ice House Comedy Club proudly welcomes hypnotist Mark Sweet, star of the club’s longest running comedy show, for a one night only performance on Sunday. Tickets for the show are $14.50 each and res-

ervations are currently being accepted. The Ice House is located at 24 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena.

For more information or to make reservations call (626) 577-1894.

‘The Best of the Comedy Store’ — On Saturday, fourteen of the best comics gather for a night of laughs at The Comedy Store located at 8433 Sunset Blvd., L.A. The show will feature Aron Kader (Comedy Central), Argus Hamilton (The Tonight Show), and Hollywood favorite, Skippy Simon. Tickets are $20. The show starts at 9 p.m. For more information call (323) 656-6225.

exhibitions The ArcLight — • “Our World: Perceptions of an International Aid Worker, 1999 - 2003” is a photography exhibit

by Susan Tillou, a former international officer for the OSCE and the United Nations. From Southeastern Europe to Southeast Asia, political rallies to waterfalls, her photos capture great beauty in otherwise dispute circumstances.

The exhibit runs through Oct. 16.

• L.A. fine arts photographer Brad Buckman displays an array of photography in an exhibit titled

“Unnoticed.” The exhibit takes an arresting look at Buckman’s decade-long photographic journey from Prague to L.A. Each interpretation highlights his eye for the unsung and unnoticed, illustrating an ordinary moment in an extraordinary light. Buckman’s exhibit runs through Oct. 16.

Admission is free to all ArcLight visitors. The ArcLight is located at 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A. For more information on this exhibit or the Tillou exhibit, visit www. arclightcinemas.com.

music The Scene — • The Scene hosts Leon Catfish’s Birthday Bash Saturday, featuring John Schooley and His One Man Band, El Dorado and The Ruckus, The Husbands, The Guilty Hearts and Bamboula. There is an $8 cover charge.

•Buckfast Super Bee, Spell Toronto and others will be playing Sunday. Cover charge is $5. Both shows are 21 and over. The Scene is located at 806 E. Colorado St., Glendale. For more information call (818) 241-7029.

The Echo — • The Echo presents Darker My

Love, Asobi Seksu and Boyskout tonight. The show starts at 9 p.m.

There is an $8 cover charge. Admisison is 18 and over.

•Part Time Punks present Smith’s Night at The Echo on Sunday. A night dedicated to The Smiths and Morrissey gets under way at 10 p.m. The show is 21 and over and there is a $5 cover charge.

For more information on either shows, call (213) 413-8200. The Echo is located at 1822 Sunset.

Blvd., L.A. House of Blues — • Hatebreed with Black Dahlia Murder, Napalm Death, Exodus and Despised Iconon Monday.

Tickets for the show are still available through www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $22.50 not including applicable taxes.

The show starts at 7 p.m. and its for all ages. The House of Blues is located at 8430 Sunset Blvd., L.A. For more information call (323) 848-5100.

The Roxy — • MC Chris, Go Betty Go and The Hairbrain Scheme play the Roxy tonight. Tickets are $14, show starts at 9 p.m. The show is for all ages. The Roxy is located at 9009 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A.

film Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) — Running through Oct. 15, the 10th annual LALIFF presents a series of features, shorts and documentaries which celebrate the richness and variety of Latino culture by showcasing the latest and newest Latino productions from the U.S. and around the world. The films will be screened at the Egyptian Theatre. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the theatre box office or through www.latinofilm.org. The Egyptian is located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.

other ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ — The terror is real at “Halloween Horror Nights.” For the first time ever, step onto the Universal Studios backlot at night. The park is transformed into a living horror film straight out of the director’s sick mind. “Halloween Horror Nights” begins Friday and continues on Oct. 14, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 31. For more information, visit us at www.halloweenhorrornights.com.

20

Friday, October 6, 2006

www.elvaq.com

VAQUERO VIEWS

The Vaqueros get together in a huddle after a 17-13 victory against L.A. Harbor College at San Pedro High Schoool on Saturday.

Undefeated Vaqs 5-0 Photos by

Emmanuel Belviz

Julian Dewberry leaps over a Seahawk defender.

Grant Nierenberg pumps up the crowd.

O

“ ur defense played hard and aggressive.We made big plays on defense.”

Dexter Bryant breaks free for a first down.

— Coach John Cicuto

Eliot Jones chases down a Seahawk receiver.