Oct. 26, 2011

El Va uero l e n d a l eCC o m m u n i t yCC ollege GG lendale ommunity ollege

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occupy l.a. at gcc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . journalism brings home awards .. . . . . . . . .

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10-11

“shape of things”

at gcc .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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another loss for the vaqs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Volume 98, Number 4

October 26, 2011

Winter Classes Cancelled Due to Financial Crisis

By Isiah Reyes

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

T

hree years of severe budget cuts by the state has made the college cut classes this winter session to deal with the financial crisis.

“I don’t know when we’re going to get winter session back,” said Vice President of Instructional Services Mary Mirch.

“We’re trying to meet the needs of the students as much as possible but at the same time we have to operate within the budget we have.”

The final budget was board approved in the middle of September. It was an administrative decision to cut classes.

“The cuts are required to balance our budget,” said Ron Nakasone, executive vice president of administrative services.

“The college thought it was better to try and protect fall and spring as much as possible.”

There will only be a few winter classes offered this winter session, including nursing, athletics and fire technology.

The reason these specific classes are being offered over others is because the nursing curriculum is designed so that the introductory class is only served during the short sessions.

The fire academy also has a year-round curriculum.

As for athletics, there are requirements from the commissions that require individuals enrolled to log in a number of [See Winter, page 2]

IN THIS ISSUE News.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5 Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9 Center Spread. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 Entertainment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Photo by Jeanette Farr

SAY IT, DON’T SPRAY IT: Manouel Ohaneysan plays Adam, a socially deprived college student who finds himself unwittingly victimized by Evelyn

(played by Amanda Fontoura), a beautiful graduate student searching for a way to change the world vía art, in “The Shape of Things.” Theater season is in full swing on campus.“The Shape of Things” runs next week with shows on Nov. 3, 4 and 5 at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. on Nov. 6. “Autobahn,” a short-play cycle by Neil LaBute opens in the Glendale Community College Auditorium Studio Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. with a preview night special of $5 for admission. See “The Shape of Things” review, page 10, and calendar listings for show times, page 19.

California Dream Act Signed Into Law

By Vanessa Duffy

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

S

tudents are one in the same when it comes to meeting the education requirements, but many don’t have an equal advantage, until now.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Dream Act into law on Oct. 8.

The California Dream Act is not the same as the Federal Dream Act, which grants a pathway to citizenship.

There are two parts to the California Dream Act that will assist illegal immigrants in their goals to achieve higher education effective January 2013.

The first part of the bill, which Brown signed in July,

allows illegal immigrants to apply for private scholarships.

The second grants access to Cal Grant programs for UC and CSU institutions.

Before this bill, a student’s immigration status would determine whether or not he or she would pay in-state fees, which are $36 per unit at GCC, or the out-of-state fee which is $181 per unit, in addition to enrollment costs.

“The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us,” said Brown in a statement.

To qualify for the statefunded financial aid, a student LIVING THE DREAM: Gov. Jerry Brown signs AB 131, the second half must meet the requirements of of the California Dream Act, into law. This law allows students who qualify for a non-resident tuition exemption under AB 540, to be eligible to partici-

[See Dream Act, page 3] pate in state-administered financial aid programs.

2

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

www.elvaq.com

NEWS

El Vaquero Lawsuit Aims to Restore Prop 98 Funding EDITOR IN CHIEF Jessica Bourse COPY EDITOR Agnes Constante STAFF WRITERS

Eric Bourse Vanessa Duffy

John Ferrara Alex Gonzalez Marlon Miranda Isiah Reyes

Verzhine Nikoghosyan

Angel Silva Derek Stowe Lillian Wu

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Ian Cervantes Roger Lai

Shaun Kelly Tex Wells

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jane Pojawa

DESIGN ADVISER Charles Eastman FACULTY ADVISER

Michael Moreau

mmoreau@glendale.edu (818) 551-5214 ADVERTISING Jeff Smith jsmith@glendale.edu (818) 240-1000, ext. 1427 Send Letters to the Editor El Vaquero accepts story ideas in news, features, profiles, sports and entertainment from the public. To submit an idea or an article, e-mail the editor at elvaquero.editor@gmail.com or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349.

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

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By Vanessa Duffy

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

S

tudents might keep getting the short end of the stick if California keeps unconstitutionally underfunding education.

A lawsuit was filed on Sept. 28 by the California School Boards Association (CSBA) to restore more than $2 billion to California public schools, which was cut from the 2011-12 state budget.

The plaintiffs include the Los Angeles, San Francisco and Turlock Unified School Districts.

The respondents for the state of California are: Ana J. Matosantos, director of the department of finance; Tom Torlakson, superintendent of public instruction; and John Chiang, state controller.

The argument is that California artificially reduced funding for K-14 education for 2011-12 by not allocating the last minute budget additions to schools.

This exclusion amounts to about $2.1 billion and therefore violates Proposition 98 by not fulfilling the constitutionally required minimum.

Proposition 98, amended into

the state constitution by voters in 1988, guarantees public schools and community colleges a minimum of 40 percent of the state’s general fund. Community colleges typically receive a little more than 10 percent.

“The underfunding of Proposition 98 this year resulted from the last minute action of the legislature to increase the estimate of tax revenues by $4 billion,” said Ron Nakasone, vice president of administrative services at the college. “The $4 billion should have also increased Prop 98 funding, which the State did not do and consequently resulted in the lawsuit.”

The money is instead funding other services.

“The June budget shifted the burden of providing certain services (mainly the cost of housing and supervising low-risk prisoners) from the state to local governments,” said Rebecca Delfino, political science professor at GCC. Delfino says the defendant’s best argument is that the lawsuit is premature and it will take many months to resolve the case.

“By the time it works its way through the courts (next summer at the earliest) lawmakers will be working on the 2012-2013 budget which could restore all funding diverted this year, making the arguments in the lawsuit effectively moot.”

If the state doesn’t generate the anticipated sales tax revenue, school funding won’t be restored anytime soon.

“The $2.1 billion owed to schools amounts to $10,000 for every classroom in the state,” said CSBA President Martha Fluor at a press conference in Sacramento to discuss the lawsuit. “It’s money that could go toward restoring vital programs like sports, the arts, summer school, library services and after-school tutoring.”

The shortfall this creates for GCC is about $2.86 million, according to Nakasone. It’s a loss that he said contributes to the elimination of many classes, as well as this year’s winter session.

“I tried very hard to get into statistics and anatomy for about two to three semesters,” said Ani Avakyan, 24, psychology major.

“I wasted a lot of gas and time go-

ing to school everyday not knowing if I was going to get enrolled and these are classes that I need to transfer.”

The current economy has continually forced the school to compensate for the deficit. The allocation to community colleges has fallen short for years and is still spiraling downward.

“I believe that schools and colleges should be of the utmost priority to ensure a well-educated and functional society,” said Zach Barber, 27, fire tech major. “Budgetary downfalls impede many students from achieving their academic goals and prove to have dire effects on our future.”

GCC has already reduced classes and the state has increased tuition from $26 per unit to $36.

Without Proposition 98, there would be no regulation of how much funding will go to education. This would create inconsistency and could likely increase tuition to $66 per unit, as the school discussed earlier this year.

Vanessa Duffy can be reached at vduffy399@student.glendale.edu

Winter Intersession Cancelled With Exceptions [Winter, from page 1] hours in the class.

Regular physical education classes will not be offered.

Another class that will be offered is the oceanography class, which is held in Baja, Calif. Glendale College owns the field station there and it must be used during the winter session for seasonal reasons. It is an open class.

Other classes to be offered relate to contract education. They are business courses in a defined curriculum offered off-campus only to individuals involved in that program. Most of these classes are cohort programs.

When describing the funding formula for community colleges, Mirch said, “We have a base number we’re supposed to maintain.

The state is not providing any growth at this point so we don’t get paid for additional students. When students pay tuition, the money goes to the state.”

The state uses the formula to send money back to the college. When the state defers

money, the college does not have much recourse.

In the past, GCC was over-capped, meaning it served more students than the college was paid for. The college no longer has that luxury.

Mirch said that community colleges go through budget problem cycles that last between one to three years, and it may be another two years to go before the state actually sees money come in. The problem associated with not increasing taxes has been a big part of it.

“Without increasing state revenue, the state isn’t paying us the amount of money that they’re supposed to be paying us,” said Mirch.

Offering online classes costs money as well. The faculty pay scale is the same for those who teach on and off campus, so that is not a solution to the problem.

Correction: In the Oct. 26 issue, in the table of contents on page 1, Ron Harlan’s name was misspelled. We apologize for the mistake.

Summer classes are also in danger of being cut. Glendale College used to have two summer sessions, but for the last two years there has only been one. It is not yet known if next summer session will be cut.

Isiah Reyes can be reached at haisikin@gmail.com

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What do you think?

Send a letter to the editor, let us know what’s on your mind.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

3

NEWS

‘Occupy’ Movement Comes to Campus

By Eric Bourse

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

A

fter 33 days and more than 900 cities, the Occupy movement has now spread to GCC. On Thursday, more than 40 students and faculty members flowed into CR137 to attend the first meeting of Occupy LA at GCC and to show their support and solidarity for the ongoing worldwide protests.

Student Sarah Gould formed the group to inform students about the reasons and causes for the protests as well as to organize and do demonstrations of their own.

“There are no leaders in this movement and we are all equal,”

said Gould. “All of your opinions matter.”

After the group participated in brainstorming, the group continued to evolve and set its goals and agendas. Subgroups focusing on media, finances and events were formed to divide the workload and get as many students and faculty involved as possible.

The media subgroup is planning on making Facebook pages, Youtube videos and podcasts.

Another subgroup focuses on educating those who wish to go participate protests on such topics as dress apparel, conduct and how to respond to questions from news organizations.

Daniel Bowen, 23, psychology, who volunteered to be in charge of media, was among the

many and diverse participants that showed up for the meeting.

“I care about our country,” said Bowen. “I served in the Navy for four years and I’ve seen a lot of injustice. People are the most important part of our society and we should care for everyone. We should all be united for the right reasons.”

Gordon Alexandre, history professor and the group’s faculty adviser, said that he would offer his knowledge of historical demonstrations as well as experience as a protester from the 1960s.

“It’s great to vent and to have our voices our heard,” said Alexandre. “However, to make changes and to get legislature passed for financial reform, it will take months and most likely years. We

can’t give up and we have to keep going.”

During the meeting, a student voiced her skepticism as well as concerns as to whether the group is anti-corporation. Michael Reed, geography professor, replied to her concerns.

“What we want is a fairer share, not to eliminate corporations,” said Reed. “Many corporations are solely servicing those at the very top of the chain while those at the bottom are receiving less and less.”

The first goal of the group is to have a demonstration on campus to create more awareness about the cause as well as the group.

“Nov. 5 is going to be a huge day for everyone involved in the movement,” said Gould. “Cus-

tomers from mainstream banks such as Bank of America and CitiBank will be closing their accounts and opting for local credit unions.”

Gould also urged participants to boycott products from major corporations and to support smaller and local companies and businesses.

The group meets Thursdays at 12:20 p.m. in CR 137. The group’s Facebook page can be found under the name, “Occupy L.A. at Glendale Community College.” For more information on the ongoing protests in Downtown Los Angeles, go to http:// www.occupylosangeles.com.

Eric Bourse can be reached at ebourse741@student.glendale.edu

Governor Signs California Dream Act [Dream Act, from page 1] the AB540 waiver.

AB540 is a California law that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. There are several qualifications a student

can meet, but the most common is that the student graduated from a California high school or attended for three or more years.

That student will also be required to sign an affidavit.

While the AB540 legislation

has provided a certain amount of relief for illegal immigrants, students had to pay out-of-pocket for tuition before the passing of the California Dream Act. “I’m not Mexican enough to go to Mexico so I’m stuck in be-

tween two worlds,” said AB540 student Andres Aguilera, 19. “I don’t need anything given to me.

I just want the opportunity.”

Aguilera came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 4 years old.

He is a member of Voices Organizing Immigrant Communities for Educational Success on campus, which works to help pass the Federal Dream Act. The new law is opposed by many Republican politicians who say that it encourages illegal immigration and that it isn’t fair for legal students.

However, the California Dream Act states that qualified immigrants can receive state funding only after all the legal residents apply, thus creating competition among many students for a resource that has been significantly diminished.

“I know many students at this school who get financial aid and take it for granted,” said VOICES member and AB540 student Cynthia Gonzales, 19.

Although the California Dream Act encourages the futures of aspiring students, there are still some aspects that need to be clarified.

The VOICES club panel organized a presentation about the details of the new law on Oct. 13.

“It is still unclear whether the financial aid will be ready by January 2013 or if that is when students can apply,” said Greg

Perkins, counselor for the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services on campus. “If it means that financial aid will be open to apply, then students wont see the money until fall of that year.”

Perkins has a handful of stories of students he has worked with whose dreams have led to a dead-end road.

“A student came to me two years ago and she wanted to be a nurse,” said Perkins. “She had good grades in all her classes, glowing recommendations and hours and hours of volunteer work at hospitals. Cal State L.A. said she was accepted but they needed a copy of her driver’s license.... She never called them back.”

He also spoke of an Armenian student he worked with, who was studying to become a doctor. The student received high grades, was in the scholar’s program and was accepted into UC Berkeley. When she sent out letters requesting financial sponsorship, she received a letter from Homeland Security that her request had been denied and that she was on deportation investigation.

“America is not so rich that it can afford to waste all of its talent,” said Perkins.

Vanessa Duffy can be reached at vduffy399@student.glendale.edu

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Wednesday, Octobeer 26, 2011

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NEWS

Trustees Review New Science Grants

By Lillian Wu

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

G

lendale College was recently awarded two Title V science, technology, engineering and math grants worth $10.3 million, which will help basic skills students and transfer students achieve degrees in STEM fields.

Cathy Durham, director of Title V Grants, and Kathy Holmes, math division chair, also worked on the grants. Jan Young, division chair of continuing education, presented “From Basic Skills Through Transfer: How Title V will Help” at the Oct. 17 board meeting.

This started in 2006 when the board of governors asked the chancellors to focus on student success. The chancellor’s office provided supplemental funds to see how they could improve.

In 2009, transfer students were required to complete English 101 and Math 101.

Young explained that there is a gap from when students take the California Exit Exam in high school to when they enter college.

Many students are unprepared for college and must enroll in basic skills courses such as English, reading and math.

Students have a 91 percent chance of finishing the first year if they take 25 units in their first year of college. But if they only take 20 units, then there is a 45 percent chance of finishing.

The grant would bring in supplemental instruction tutors to ensure all students have access to help outside the classroom.

According to Young, many students do not know about the resources available to them, so the Garfield campus has printed a “Welcome Packet” in five languages to ensure students are informed. With Measure G funds, they have opened a library at the Garfield Campus to encourage reading.

Young said the GCC enrollment of students from Hoover and Glendale High Schools has decreased, whereas students from Garfield have increased by 20 percent.

Michael Ritterbrown, English division chair and co-chair of the Basic Skills Committee, explained the credit side and the Title V STEM Gateway grant.

The grant will be awarded $4.3 million throughout a five-year period.

The STEM Gateway grant will integrate and improve the the basic skills education at the college. Instructors and the student instruction will work together.

The English Impact Project makes learning more active in classes. The results showed an increase of a 66.5 percent success rate from 56 percent.

Tom Voden, associate professor in math, presented how another Title V grant is continued for the transfer level.

GCC’s Articulation with Universities for STEM Success is a grant that will be awarded $6 million through out a period of five years. It was named after the 19th century scientist and mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss.

The grant, also known as GAUSS, will focus on trying to create real interdisciplinary learning in STEM fields and is fitting because Gauss was an interdisciplinary scientist.

Voden, who is also the Title V STEM GAUSS grant coordinator, explained how there are three main parts to the grant, which are robotics, paring, and collaboration projects. They are trying to integrate the classes in hands-on collaborative projects.

Students are taking computer science, physics and math courses and do not see how they are related to each other.

Additionally, the grant will

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

Please contact us at:

elvaquero.editor@gmail.com or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349

Photo by Jane Pojawa

ROBOTS ARE JUST THE BEGINING: The campus robot, GCCR, is a prototype self-driving car built by the GCC Robotics Club last year. With two Title V STEM grants, science students can look forward to improved supplimental instruction. work with other colleges to see what classes transfer and collaborate with other colleges that have robotics programs “Building things and building robots. These have such motivational properties on students,” Voden said. “These students work hours on the robots.”

Additionally, the board approved the agreement between the Associated Students of Glendale Community College and Follett Higher Education Group Inc, which will now manage the bookstore.

Follett will rehire the current bookstore employees and retrain them. The six-year contract includes the option to extend and renew for two successive oneyear terms. All commissions will be paid to the ASGCC and will be based on gross sales.

Todd Hunt, the chair of the Measure G Oversight Committee, presented the committee’s findings about the updates of the funds in the 2010–2011 annual report. He has served on the committee since 2008 and was the chairman for the past year.

The Measure G bond was passed in 2002 and is a Prop 39 bond. Under that proposition, it requires a committee to have oversight over the actions. A committee reviews expenditures and makes sure that the funds are used only for projects.

The bond was used for the Garfield Campus, PeopleSoft and the lab services college building, which is on hold pending state

funding. The biggest project was Garfield.

“It is a beautiful and wonderful place,” Hunt said.

“It is a wonderful asset to our community especially to the south of Glendale. We should be very happy about what we accomplished.”

After reviewing the expenditures and having independent audits done, Hunt said the district is in compliance with Article XIIIA, Section 1 (b) (3).

Mary Mirch, vice president of instructional services, introduced some of the new faculty who were recently hired to the board and the audience.

The faculty members are Marcus Afshar, physics instructor; Tony Biehl, computer science instructor; Arevik Mikaelian, instructor of Armenian language and literature; Curtis Potter, instructor of aviation and administration of justice; Jeremy Talaoc, math instructor; Jessica Groper, English instructor; Elizabeth Kronbeck, social science and ethnic studies instructor; and Jeffrey Smith, speech instructor.

Mirch gave a professional and personal biography about each instructor. She also said that GCC is only the second college to have ethics in law enforcement offered as a course.

The next meeting is Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. in Kreider Hall.

Lillian Wu can be reached at lwu415@student.glendale.edu

Classifieds Free Pregnancy Tests

Are Available

• Visit or call the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture – a community health center.

• Family Planning Services (STD Testing, Birth Control Methods, etc.), • Emergency Contraception Pill (ECP), and • Free Pregnancy Tests (walk-ins available) APHCV 1530 Hillhurst Ave., Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323) 644-3888 www.aphcv.org

CHANCE MEETING: To the female GCC student I met at St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop on 10/4/11.

I have really exciting news!

Please Call Me: (213) 999-0571 To place an ad in the El Vaquero, contact Jeff Smith, the advertising manager, at jsmith@glendale.edu

elvaq.com

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

5

NEWS

Passengers See Beeline Fare Increase

By Lillian Wu

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

R

esidents and students who ride the Glendale Beeline buses saw the general fare of 25 cents increase to 75 cents on Oct. 1.

The transit and transportation commission and the Glendale City Council have worked on the issue for two years.

The department presented the council with its recommendations to close a $3.4 million gap between revenues and expenditures.

The $3.4 million gap came from how much money is received every year and how much it costs to run the service. Although they have achieved about $2.5 million to close the gap, there is still a gap left and the fare increase helps to close the gap.

On Aug. 30, the council voted 3 to 2 in favor of increasing the fare for the Beeline and Dial-aRide. Additionally, the ages of the seniors increased from 60 to 62 and their fare was raised from 15 cents to 35 cents.

For the last year, the department has been trimming service and knew that raising fares was necessary to earn revenue.

If the fare did not increase, then total routes or portion of routes would have been cut.

Avo Stepanian, a second-year art major, said he occasionally rides the Beeline Route 7 to get to the college from his home. He expressed surprise when he heard about the price hike. It was his first day taking the Beeline since the change occurred.

“It’s a surprise. Usually, I like 25 cents because it is cheap and it gets a very good distance from here. Did they really change it to 75 cents?” Stepanian asked.

Beeline driver Richard Gutierrez said some students were reluctant to pay the fare, but most of them paid. He had to remind each passenger with “Bus fare...75 cents!”

“The economy is bad, so they had to increase fares or decrease service,” Gutierrez said. “This has been going on for almost three years. They have been debating on it to the point where they had no choice but to increase the fares. I know it was unfair to students to begin with, but there is a pass for $22 to reduce the cost of the ride.”

Yolanda Zuno, food services worker at GCC, said she has been

riding the Beeline for 10 years. agencies that are about a hundred “The prices are fine as long dollars per hour. as they have the services,” Zuno In the past year, 2.7 million said. “If you are taking out passengers have ridden the stops along the way, then it is Beeline. By taking the operating inconvenient for the students who costs and dividing it by the have to start early.” number of passengers, Engel said Zuno starts from her home and the average operating cost per takes the Metro 92 and Route 3 passenger is $2.58. to arrive at the college before her “Fares have never paid a work begins. significant amount of the cost to To make the buses more operate the Beeline,” Engel said. convenient to riders, she said “Most agencies have a the department should think standard of 20 percent. We have about extending the hours of the been in 4 to 6 percent of the fare Beeline. Some students have no revenue. So if you are looking at way of getting home if the service the Metro or Foothill Transit or is cut. Also students who cannot any of that, they charge a fare that afford the Metro pass take the is 20 percent of their revenue.”

Beeline in Glendale.

The Beeline has been able to “It’s less expensive than taking maintain a low fare for so many the MTA,” Zuno said. “They are years because the funding comes going to lose customers because from sales tax revenue. With a lot of us are going to start going every dollar spent, one-fourth to the MTA. of a cent of It makes that dollar no sense. I comes back don’t mind to help pay as long as for Glendale’s they keep t r a n s i t and bring programs. back the There are stops in the two county morning. If ordinances in fact they for the local are here to transit tax, serve the which was students, done in then they different need to ––– Kathryn Engel, Tansit Manager years, but think about each one is a the evening half-cent. The kids also and not just the morning sales tax has declined due to less students.” spending in Glendale while the Kathryn Engel, transit operating costs have increased. manager of the Glendale Public The department researched the Works Department Traffic and fares of nearby transit systems Transportation Division, said and learned that most fares are an they would be happy to provide average of $1.10. The Pasadena more service if someone would Area Rapid Transit System also write them a check. charge a fare of 75 cents. Other “It’s really a matter of local buses charge $1.25 or $1.50. economics,” Engel said. “We “For 18 years, it has been a could do as much as we have quarter...For 18 years, we all had money to provide the service and a really good deal,” Engel said. we have had requests of ‘can you “The new generation is making run later at night’ or ‘can you do up for it, but we are still half more service on weekends.’” the price of Metro. We are the The Beeline’s operating costs cheapest of any of the regular for the 2010 - 2011 fiscal year was transit agencies.” $7 million. The amount is what The Glendale Beeline started it takes to put 32 compressed in 1984 and since then, its fare natural gas buses and four diesel prices have fluctuated between buses on the streets everyday for a free and 25 cents. year. This includes gas, insurance, Anne Brooks, who works at drivers’ salaries, safety training GCC, has seen the changes to for drivers and bus maintenance. the Beeline routes and fares. She The Beeline’s cost per hour has been taking the Beeline since of service was $77.57 last year, its inception and started taking which is lower than other transit various buses as a junior high

“For 18 years,

it has been a quarter; for 18 years, we all had a really good deal.”

PRICEY RIDE: The Glendale Beeline is still a great transportation value, but the price increase of 25 to 75 cents has left many passengers in shock.

student.

What was previously the Metro 177 has now become the route for Beeline Route 3. Brooks rides the Beeline to get to work at the college.

“I don’t take the Beeline that much anymore. Sometimes, it’s convenient,” Brooks said. “But they keep changing the stops and it’s not convenient anymore like when they take out the stop right here on Verdugo Road.”

Brooks has the Metro E-Z pass which allows her to ride the Metro.

“The cost is going up on everything, so you can see why they have to do it,” she said.

Route studies were done to see how many people board, what time of day and the peak time, and where more or less service was needed.

With the fare increase, the department hopes to achieve a 20 percent fare box recovery which means the passenger fares would equal close to 20 percent of the operating costs to balance paying for the service.

Yasue Tanaka, a television major, usually takes Route 3 before 7 a.m. to get to her job at the college and will take the bus when she returns from school in the evening. After riding the Beeline for a year and a half, she has become accustomed to the 25 cent fare.

“I used to pay 25 cents, now I have to pay more. It’s too much for the Beeline,” said Tanaka, an international student.

She added that she wanted to save money. “It’s cheaper than paying the Metro [fare], and I don’t have a car.”

Stepanian said that the hike will slightly deter him from taking the bus. Usually, he drives

to school, but on Fridays, he takes the bus. To make the buses better for the students, he wants the fees lowered.

“They could make it cheaper again because I could save up to $2 in quarters and that would last me for eight bus rides,” Stepanian said. “Now it’s like two or three bus rides with the $2 budget. With $2, you can get a lot more from 25 cents compared to 75 cents.”

Engel does not believe that there will be much change in ridership or that they will lose passengers. The cost is still reasonable compared to the other choices.

“It is still more expensive to own and drive a car and to pay for parking,” she said. “There may be people that live close enough that may choose to walk or ride their bike to school versus take the bus. There may be a few people that divert to other means but because we are still very inexpensive compared to Metro or other services you could take, the other alternatives are probably more expensive than riding the Beeline.”

The transportation department hopes students in the Glendale Unified School District and at GCC will use the student passes for the buses. The district is distributing passes to all of the schools for sale.

The 31-day pass can be purchased at the Glendale College Bookstore or at Tender Sender located at the Glendale Galleria. Student fare is $22 and the general public fare is $27.

Lillian Wu can be reached at lwu415@student.glendale.edu

6

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

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FEATURES

Search for Life at GCC’s Planetarium involved, she controls the size, angle and motion of the objects.

In “Exo-planets,” she traced he colorful dome atop the orbital paths of the planets the Cimmarusti Science in each solar system chosen by Building is an all-digital theater the audience. The color-coded for viewing star fields in four elliptical rings made the planets dimensions. Students, visitors easier to recognize. and faculty have been entering Most impressive was zooming the Sky-Skan dome to observe out beyond the Milky Way to see the universe since fall 2003. what the galaxy looks like from Computers simulate three afar. dimensions of space and one Early planetariums used olddimension of time while audience fashioned optical-mechanical members recline in seats by projectors using a dumbbellRecaro, the seat designer of shaped body with many tiny lenses Lamborghini, Ferrari and and an internal bulb. Compared Porsche. to digital LED stars, their focus A free 30-minute tour of is much crisper and brighter. outer space is being offered “But you can’t fly through every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. space like we did,” said Krestow Last week’s show was called referring to her ability to digitally “Exo-planets: Searching for zoom beyond the night sky Life-Sustaining Worlds.” The as seen from Earth. “Griffith planetarium was filled to capacity. Observatory still uses an antique “Exo-planets blew my mind,” mechanical projector, along with said astronomy student Harrison the newer digital system.”

Martin-Sandoval, 19. “It was Human beings have mass, breathtaking. I didn’t realize so by definition, traveling at there were so many other solar the speed of light will never be systems with planets just like possible, she said. Therefore, ours. I liked being able to see the taking a ride in the planetarium is different exo-planets up close.” the best way to experience what The latest advancements in that would be like. technology, such as the orbiting Besides “An Afternoon with Hubble telescope, have made it the Stars,” full-dome movies easier to identify planets orbiting designed for kindergarten to other suns. fifth grade are available through Some exo-planets lie within the Science Center Outreach the Goldilocks Zone, a temperate Program. Science center director zone where water would neither Jean Lecuyer, who holds a be completely frozen solid nor doctorate in astrophysics, said he steaming hot. Such planets may invites many K-12 students. be capable of supporting life.

“We get about 4,000 kids a “That’s kind of the Holy Grail year,” said Lecuyer, who hopes to for astronomers; we would love plant the idea in students’ minds to find life on other planets,” said that science is exciting. “The the planetarium director and host kids tell us, ‘Wow, this is cool.’”

Jennifer Krestow. “As yet, we Groups larger than 48 are split don’t know if any of these planets in two. While one group enjoys harbor life.” the planetarium above, Lecuyer “In the past few weeks, and other science instructors astronomers have found another direct science activities in the 124 planets, bringing the grand science center below. total discovered to 687,” said, Glendale Unified School Krestow, who holds a doctorate District statistics suggest that in physics from the University of the planetarium field trips and Toronto. “And Sky-Skan is good the teacher-training program about sending software updates.” provided by the college in 2005 Before Krestow dims the and 2008 contributed to the lights for each show, she asks astonishing gains made by gradethe audience to lean forward schoolers in science. while she reclines all the seats The percentage of students automatically. Then she explains who achieved an advanced score how nine computers drive the on their eligibility science test six projectors to super-impose increased from 12 percent in images of the night-time sky 2007 to 39 percent in 2011. The upon the underbelly of the dome. percentage of students who scored While discussing the astronomy below basic level decreased from

By Derek Stowe

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

T

Photoillustration by Derek Stowe

INTELLIGENT DESIGN: The mysteries of the Milky Way are explored in the Cimmarusti Science Building which features an all-digital planetarium dome.

19 to 11 percent, respectively.

“It was good and fun. We “It’s not all due to us, but we’ve zoomed into all the planets, and helped push them in the right we saw the stars and the sunset. I direction,” said Lecuyer. “We learned about the solar system, really like to see the expression the atoms we’re made of, and on students’ faces when they things we don’t know about.” discover each phenomenon we Briana Valenzuela, 7, said that cover in the science activities. It’s if she was going on a spaceship, a really good program.” she would bring her teacher.

The first field trip of the “Because I have snacks and semester was Bachy’s (a Oct. 11 when dipping sauce The hardest aspect of for a group of 72 snack third graders foods),” said arrived from Mizokami.

W i l s o n Zooming for is Elementary through outer School in San dealing with space will Gabriel. require plenty T h i r d of snacks. “A g r a d e r s one-way trip usually learn to Mars would —Jennifer Krestow about the take six months phases of with existing the moon, but teacher Jenny technology,” said Krestow.

Mizokami said her class had The hardest aspect of space been studying about the solar travel for humans is dealing with system and the elements. So, she zero gravity, she said. The heart, requested the fifth grade program, the muscles and bones begin to which focuses on the solar system atrophy within two weeks without and molecules. exercising against gravity.

Their experiments covered Staying informed about the light, energy, and the properties universe is important. According of gas when let out of a balloon. to JPL’s asteroid watch site, a “Coming to the planetarium 67-meter object will soon come was a perfect fit because they within 300 million miles of the got to see everything all tied in Earth. In 2029, another one, the together,” she said.

270-meter asteroid Apophis, may Andrew Ngo, 8, said he even collide with the blue planet. loved the planetarium and the “If it does, it would be enough “Molecularium” movie. to take out an entire city,” said

“ space travel humans zero gravity,”

Krestow. “Or, it could explode on impact with the atmosphere causing huge meteors to rain down. If it hits a shallow part of the ocean, there would be a much bigger wave than if hits deep.”

The free exhibit today and next Wednesday will explore the moons of the solar system, particularly of Jupiter and Saturn. Upcoming exhibits are posted outside CS 257.

“Spontaneous Fantasia, the Omnicentric Universe” is a monthly audio-visual concert performance and is scheduled for Nov. 12 at 5:30 and 7 p.m. Adult admission is $15 or $7 for children under 12.

In it, artist/programmer/ composer J. Walt Adamczyk dazzles the audience with live animations of his own universes, planets and trees. Adamczyk won an Academy Award in 2006 for technical achievement.

“The hardest aspect of being director of the planetarium is that people don’t know when shows are, or that we even have a planetarium,” said Krestow.

Due to a low turnout, the $15 planetarium show “Evening with the Stars” will not resume until February.

For more information on the planetarium readers can visit, www.glendale.edu/planetarium or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5275.

Derek Stowe can be reached at derekgem@yahoo.com

www.elvaq.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

7

FEATURES

‘Fest’ Brings out Best in all Cultures

By Lillian Wu

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

P

eople of all ages, ethnicities and walks of life gathered along Brand Boulevard in Glendale to celebrate cultural diversity for the 10th annual Unity Fest on Oct. 16.

“It started in order to introduce all the different cultures to each other because there is a better understanding once you learn about their music, song and dance,” said assistant public information officer Vicki Gardner.

“There’s a better understanding and it brings the community closer together.”

Gardner has worked with the festival for 10 years, first in advertising and marketing. Now she is on the committee and takes the pictures for the event.

Both sides of the road from Wilson Avenue to California Avenue were closed to traffic where families could stroll leisurely.

The event opened with a performance from the Glendale High School Chamber Choir followed by a lion dance from the Northern Shaolim Kung Fu Association. When they exited the stage, they went around the entire block with vibrant red lion costumes designed to scare away evil spirits.

“I think we have so many different cultures and so many different languages spoken in our schools,” Gardner said. “Glendale has a very large population of people from different cultures. So the more they know about each other, the better they are going to be able to get along both in the school, the professional world

and the business world.

She also said that it was especially good for the young children to come out and watch the different cultures sing and dance to learn more about others’ background.

Mayor Laura Friedman wrote in the program, “Although our residents represent our many different cultures, here in Glendale, we are one community.”

Around 2 p.m. Friedman and Glendale City Council member Ara Najarian spoke and thanked the audience for attending.

“I think this is the most colorful, most vibrant, and maybe the loudest fair that we had,” said Friedman, who also co-chaired Unity Fest.

“I’d like to thank you all for coming and celebrating what really makes Glendale one of the best cities in all of California and that is our rich ethnic diversity,” Najarian said. “From the Filipinos to the Koreans, the Armenians, the Arabs, the Latinos, the Native Americans, that’s what makes us great. We appreciate each other’s culture and that’s why we get along, live with each other, and enjoy the best parts of each of our cultures.”

Friedman introduced Mario Lopez, actor and host of the television show “Extra.” Lopez walked up the steps to the stage as the audience loudly cheered, applauded and snapped photos.

“Being a proud Glendale resident, I really support and look forward to this festival celebrating unity in the community and also the diversity. With all the beautiful cultures from the Armenians to Mexican culture to Koreans and so forth. I think it’s

such a great melting pot and it’s represented in the culture.”

Lopez first hosted the Unity Fest last year. Gardner said someone put them in touch with him and he volunteered.

“We found out last year that he lived in Glendale....he’s very proud of his community so he volunteers. This is a totally pro bono appearance. We are not paying him. He is out here to welcome the community and help promote our cultural diversity.”

Rep. Adam Schiff arrived at the festival in the late afternoon from another charity event.

At the Korea Glendale Sister City Association booth, Hannah Oh and Namgyu Kil showed traditional Korean instruments and board games displayed on the table. At a nearby table, Glendale Planning Commission Chair Chang Lee distributed information about culture and tourism in Korea.

“This is where we can promote our cultural relationship and diversity in Glendale,” Lee said.

“I think Korean-Americans are either second or third largest population living in Glendale.”

Numerous vendors and community organizations lined Brand Boulevard. One group from the Arabic Community in Glendale attracted numerous bystanders with their music. One of the members, Elias Tanous played the karba, an air pipe, and another member Amad Haddad drummed on the tabla. Other members joined hands while dancing and encircling the booth.

While they played, Marline Gorel danced a traditional dance from Iraq called the dabke. She wore a long sea foam green outfit.

Gorel, who has been dancing the dabke for 16 years, said she was happy to be there.

One member Bassum Buny said that this was their first time at the event.

“We are enjoying it; the people are out, the people are dancing and singing,” Buny said. “We are telling people about us.”

Instrumentalists in the AYO/ Spirit group played music on African drums for a large crowd.

The main singer encouraged participation from the audience with a call and response. He also said to come out to the front of the stage and dance. Only one man in a fedora and several young children took him up on his offer.

Other entertainment included performances from the Hayastan Dance Center who danced an Armenian folkloric dance medley, an Indian dance and a Persian dance.

Isabelle Sumayan watched as her daughters Aileen Sumayan and Jackie Sumayan performed during the Indian dance.

“They like to dance and they like to learn about the Armenian heritage,” Sumayan said. “[The event] is very important for the city and for the community.”

For the finale, Crescenta Valley High School’s marching band marched the length of the festival route and closed the show.

At California Avenue, there was rock climbing, games, and arts and crafts for the children.

One that was doing brisk business was the Aquawalk, where a child or adult could enter a clear inflated ball and walk, run and float on water. For $5, the staff would unzip the clear balloon and then ask the participant to step in.

Once inside, the staffers would zip the ball and inflate it until the sphere was about 6-feet-tall.

Six food trucks including Naan Stop were parked along the street.

The fragrance of smoked meat from the Original Kabob Factory and Surajung Korean Barbecue filled the air.

This is the third year the event has been in the downtown area since its inception at Verdugo Park.

This year’s Unity Fest differs from last year’s with the addition of more kids’ activities, tables and chairs, and booths that represent new cultures.

Zizette Mullins, Glendale’s community relations coordinator and Unity Fest coordinator, said its goal was to bring out new groups that had not participated previously. She noticed that many of the cultural booths have their own entertainment occuring at their booths.

“We accomplished what we were trying to do which was to bring in more cultural diversity groups to the event and have this more of a celebration and really learning about each other’s cultures versus just a food fest and walking around,” Mullins said. “I see a lot of families together. I see a lot of children really having a blast.”

Mullins estimated that there were 6,000 attendees throughout the entire day.

Mullins added, “That doesn’t mean that there’s no room for improvement; we can always do better next year. We set out to have more groups this year and we did.”

Lillian Wu can be reached at lwu415@student.glendale.edu

Campus Comments What is your opinion of the FCC’s decision to allow wireless businesses to police themselves rather than seeking legislation to regulate them, after their history of hitting subscribers with hidden and excessive charges?

Michael Cole 40 Political Science “They must be governed because they will not govern themselves. Profit creates a loss of integrity.”

Barbara A. Hunt 68 Business “I believe they are honest enough to regulate themselves. If the government gets involved, we’re going to have to pay them a fee I don’t think we should have to pay.”

Gor Matevosyan 21 History “I don’t think they’re honest because they always have hidden charges and most of the time you don’t know anything about those charges until you receive your bill.”

Mireya Macias 20 Criminal Justice “They just lie to you; I know that.”

­­—Compiled by Tex Wells

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

www.elvaq.com

FEATURES

Iranian-Born Woman Embraces Life and Culture

By Verzhine Nikoghosyan EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

L

eaving her life behind, she only packed two suitcases, not realizing that she would never return.

Catherine Yesayan an Armenian, was born in Tehran, Iran, in October 1948.

“It was the year that taxi cabs started working in Tehran,” said Yesayan.

Moving to the U.S. in 1979, she found herself in a position of a stay-at-home mother of three, two girls and a boy, facing new challenges.

Despite living under the Shah’s rule, life was full of happiness and content because of the love from her family and friends.

“I always felt Iran was my country,” said Yesayan.

Everything seemed perfect until a dark day in Iran’s history, known as “Black Sunday.” It was Nov. 5, 1978 when an angry mob took to the streets demanding the Shah’s resignation. Protesters wore white robes demanding that the monarch resign.

In Islamic tradition, dead bodies are wrapped in white robes before they are placed in a coffin.

The symbolism of the white robes meant that people were willing to die for the cause, said Yesayan.

Packing only two suitcases, Yesayan fled Iran for England with her husband and a 4-year-old daughter. Hoping to return, they left everything behind. It was 25 days after Black Sunday when they arrived in England, and they never returned.

“We didn’t really know what was going on and we went with two suitcases thinking that when everything quiets down we will be back,” she said.

While staying in a hotel in England, they learned that the situation was getting worse and decided to stay longer.

The crossroads took them to the U.S., their final destination.

“Friends in London advised us to look into opportunities and new beginning in the United States rather than in London.

So, after a week staying in the Kensington Hilton we flew to New York, where my uncle had a rug business. There, friends and family advised us to look into California. So, on January 6, 1979 we arrived in Glendale and had been living there since,” she said.

In the U.S. she found herself surrounded with a new life, full of changes and adjustments. It wasn’t difficult for her to get used to the new surroundings because she attended American University in Iran. Nevertheless the new life had its joys and challenges.

“When we came to the U.S. we were seven years married with one daughter but I had two more kids here. I was so busy with the kids, a new country, a new life.

I really didn’t have a chance to educate myself,” she said.

Her desire to continue her education never vanished. The missed opportunities didn’t make her give up.

While she doesn’t regret anything in her life, she does wish she was able to finish the Art school in Tehran. “Sometimes when you are young you don’t appreciate what you have. So I went back to painting by taking classes in Glendale College.”

Some time after raising kids and still being a grandmother, wife and a daughter, she decided to go back to school to pursue her dreams. “You think it’s much easier when the kids are gone, but I guess now I have my other responsibilities. I help my daughter with my grandchild, I also help my mother, who is here in the U.S. and my mother in law too. As a matter of fact I guess when the kids were young I had more more time to do what I wanted to do.” As every woman her life is full of things to be done but she finds time for herself too.

“I always strived to go to college, but it was not easy because my husband started an antique business and I had to support him. Then he went into real estate and I joined him.

Having three kids and taking them here and there, chauffeuring around is handful. You really can’t do much with three kids, but when everybody went away to college, I decided to go back to school.”

Yesayan sacrificed her dreams and career goals to raise a family but somewhere in between all this there were still dreams that remained hidden inside. There was still a burning passion.

“It’s a matter of having a passion,” said Yesayan. “When you have a passion in life then you want to pursue it. I realized that my passion is to write and I am writing. I write about what happened in Iran, my life and my

reflections.”

She took writing classes in Glendale College and now she is blogging.

Her blog, Beyond the Blue Domes, has 2,000 visitors m o n t h l y, according to her. The title represents the domes of the mosques in Iran which are usually decorated in blue tiles. She writes about the past, present and everything on both sides of these domes, about Iran and outside its borders. She plans to continue taking writing classes.

Her active life never stops.

She has been a member of Human Relation Coalition and working close with the city of Glendale, she helped realize number of projects.

She is a strong advocate of diversity and culture, which is why

one of her suggestions to the city of Glendale was to bring different c u l t u r e s together when the violence and gang clashes were overflowing.

S h e brings people together by organizing meetings at her home too.

Every month she opens her home for a club for women.

Photo by Ian Cervantes M a r i l y n G u n n e l , community activist, has known Yesayan for 15 years and attends her club.

“She is an unusual lady, she has many talents, and wherever Catherine is there is food for everyone. She is intelligent and experienced in many things and anyone who is around her loves it,” said Gunnel.

The Shades of Culture Women’s Club, created by Yesayan, meets at her home every month to discuss diversity issues.

She opens her doors with food and warmness to bring women of different cultures together.

“I started the club because I wanted to bring different ethnic groups together. I thought there was a need to break the barriers of different ethnic groups but as a matter of fact, now I don’t think there is that much of a difference.”

Karine Armen, teacher, writer, and friend said, “She is very caring, compassionate, and she has a passion for writing. The Shades of Culture Women’s Club was her idea and she opens her home for us. She is always welcoming and hospitable.”

There is still much more that Yesayan has accomplished and still accomplishes in her life, but the most important thing for her is not what she does but who she is.

Her work in the community is the result of her passion and strong feel for cause.

Those two suitcases were not the only things she brought to America, she brought her dreams, her passion and herself. This is encouragement for all women to pursue their dreams and passion.

Verzhine Nikoghosyan can be reached at VNIKOGH308@student.glendale.edu

www.elvaq.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

9

FEATURES

Campus Leads in K-12 Nutrition Training the California Department of Education approached Glendale EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER College to start a center for lendale Community nutrition education for public College is taking a school staff workers in 2008.

Glendale College met all leadership role in training frontline cafeteria workers in public the criteria to be the California Nutrition schools to ensure that students Professional Education and Training Center are getting nutritious meals.

Glendale College is now the for Southern California. This means the home to the college California has been Professional given the Nutrition leadership Education role to and Training design, Center.

Its implement task is to and teach ensure that courses children in for public Southern school staff California workers are fed well who handle and the food —Grace Huppert the food. is cooked by Donayan is professionals.

The child nutrition program developing and teaching the is being reauthorized and courses.

“Our job is to tackle the improved in order to ensure a healthy future for children in front-line workers in all schools and also child-care centers. It schools.

“Child obesity has been is for all the public institutions increasing astronomically that receive funding from the during last 20 years,” said USDA for lunch or breakfast Sona Donayan, dietary program reimbursement,” said Donayan.

The food requirements coordinator and CalProNET coordinator at Glendale established by the USDA College. “The rates of obesity include certain amounts of increase faster among children. calories in a meal, servings of fruits and vegetables, whole We are worried as a nation.”

Grace Huppert, nutrition grains, vitamins, minerals and education consultant in other things.

According to Donayan, if Nutrition Services Division of the California Department of the nutrition staff workers are Education, said that the quality not aware of servings of fruits of child nutrition needs to and vegetables or other details pertaining to this profession, improve.

“Many of the changes were they will not be able to comply made because of the obesity with state standards.

“California is getting ready epidemic,” said Huppert.

“Children who are fed well for the new regulations and learn better, and this program we are worried that the staff will improve their academic of the schools are not ready to achievements. Congress passed make those meals that comply a nutrition reauthorization last with the new guidelines,” said year and that’s the national bill Donayan. “That’s where we high standards that schools are come in as a higher education institution. Our job is to train required to meet.”

This was the major reason and educate.”

By Verzhine Nikoghosyan

G

“Many of the changes were made because of

obesity epidemic” the

elvaq.com

Donayan is currently working on three specific courses. All the courses are one unit and are open to the public.

The first course is “Healthy Cuisine for Kids,” and it is being remodeled by Donayan.

The course was originally created by the University of Mississippi.

The second course is named “Record Keeping for the Cafeteria Staff,” which will include information on how to keep all the paperwork involved in the process of ordering food, receiving, checking the temperature, and storing the food properly.

The third course is “The Child Nutrition Overview,” which will include the history of the National School Lunch Program that was launched after World War II. After going through these courses, the students will receive certificates, which will create new opportunities for them in their future careers.

“It is our hope and our goal

that the food service operation in the schools will encourage their staff to attend,” said Donayan. “These courses will be the core for the certificate program.”

Another objective of this program is to create a career ladder for those who want to be trained in nutrition. As those who take the certificate program increase their skills in nutrition, the schools will hopefully have openings to hire trained and knowledgeable people, said Huppert.

The program starts its first steps, but there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome. One of them is the industry of processed and prepackaged food. Some schools do not cook from scratch because vendors deliver frozen food to them.

These program requirements create disagreements among the schools’ staff because it will complicate the food preparation procedures and also will create new possible positions

for qualified personnel. This presupposes personnel changes and unprecedented funding for new full time positions.

“Recruiting schools to do some extra work is always a bit of a challenge, but we have a request for applications right now to engage school districts in this program and to work within this next year to spread this across the state. We are hopeful that we will have many promising school districts apply,” said Huppert.

This program is inconvenient for food vendors who are willing to sell cheap and processed food, but the program is up and running.

“Part of it is a federal mandate but the other part of it is to make sure that our children are getting the healthiest food possible so that they can be healthy and learn well,” said Huppert.

Verzhine Nikoghosyan can be reached at VNIKOGH308@student.glendale.edu

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

FEAT

Journalism Pro

Wins 11 Awards in SoCal Co the Insider: MAGAZINE GENERAL EXCELLENCE • Insider Spring 2011 MAGAZINE LAYOUT/DESIGN • HM Insider Spring 2011 MAGAZINE OPINION STORY • HM: Nicole Rubio for “Art or Vandalism?

Street Art has found a home at MOCA” MAGAZINE PHOTO ESSAY • HM: Roger Lai and Marlon Miranda for “Zombie Walk: Social Networking Leads to Invasion of the Undead” MAGAZINE PHOTO • Third Place: Roger Lai for “Zombie Walk: Social Networking Leads to Invasion of the Undead” MAGAZINE OPINION STORY • Second Place: Verzhine Nikoghosyan for “Talk About Race: Saving Cultural Diversity Programs”

El Vaquero and Insider W The two student-run publications brought home a total of 11 awards at this year’s Journalism Association of Community Colleges So-Cal Convention in Fullerton on Oct. 15.

The convention awards colleges in two categories of competition: on-the-spot contests and mail-in entries.

Due to budgetary restrictions, Glendale was not able to take part in the on-the-spot competitions, therefore forfeiting any additional awards to bring home to the Jewel City.

El Vaquero received five awards in the mail-in category, including: third place for tabloid cover, third place for photo illustration, two honorable mentions

www.elvaq.com • www.gl

www.elvaq.com

URES

ogram

ompetition

El Va uero GGl le ennddaal le eCCoommmmuunni ti tyyCCool l le eGGe e

www.elvaq.com

Volume 97, Number 4

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golf team gains first conference win. . . . . . . .

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April 27, 2011

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9 Center Spread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-18 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

El Vaquero: PAGE LAYOUT / TABLOID • INSIDE HM Kenta Yamashita and Lillian Wu for “Dance” INSIDE PAGE LAYOUT / TABLOID • HM Luis Rodriguez and Mario

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

ll GCC students who have been pulling their hair out about the possibility of no summer session can now relax slightly. The summer session was voted on by the faculty guild last Friday morning and was officially approved.

Many students will read this and have a smile from cheek to cheek, but with those smiles give your professors a pat on the back. GCC was able to have a summer session this year because of the contract negotiation made Friday between the faculty and administration, which resulted in a 40 percent pay-cut during the summer session for the faculty.

Mary Mirch, vice president of Instruction, said that GCC is looking at offering about 60 percent of the classes offered in summer of 2010.

“The schedule is being built on general education classes, career and technical education (CTE), basic skills and noncredit,” Mirch said.

It was not a surprise that the bulk of the classes offered would be general education classes. This is helpful for the students who are sweating to take that one math class they need in order to transfer.

Mirch said that the administration is anticipating that students will be able find out their priority registration by May 9 and

IN THIS ISSUE

lendalecollegeinsider.com

glendale wins 14 journalism awards. . . . . . . . . . . .

By Christine Gillette

News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Jessica Bourse can be reached at JBOURSE001@student.glendale.edu

4

A

Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

for inside page layout/tabloid, and one honorable mention for profile feature story.

The Insider received six awards, also in the mailin category, including: general magazine excellence, second place for magazine opinion story, third place for magazine photo, honorable mention for magazine layout/design, honorable mention for magazine opinion story, and honorable mention for magazine photo essay.

The next JACC Convention will include community colleges from the entire state and will take place next spring in Burbank.

3

students fast for darfur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Summer School Moves Ahead — With Limits

[See Summer School, page 9]

Win Accolades at Fullerton

board of trustees welcomes back incumbents . . . .

Camino for “Art Gallery” Photo by Kenta Yamashita

BOOK ’EM: Officer Rony Aharonian searches a car in parking lot B on April 4, following a stop for a hit-and-run accident. Medical marijuana was found inside the vehicle. The driver had an expired prescription for the drug, casting its legality into question. It is the policy of the campus police to issue a citation whenever drugs are discovered in the posession of a student; the courts ultimately decide legality. The campus police have been extra vigilant in recent weeks following a string of vehicle break-ins and vandalism.

Armenians Host Remembrance Day

By Luis Rodriguez

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

T

he Glendale Collge Armenian Student Association hosted an annual Armenian Genocide remembrance event in Plaza Vaquero on Thursday. The day was cloudy and somber, befitting the seriousness of the occasion.

The ASA commemorates the Genocide almost every year since it became a campus organization in 1974, in order to call attention to this crime against humanity by providing

information that is not generally known to the public.

“It is important for Turkey to accept responsibility for this Genocide, just as it was important for Germany to accept responsibility for the Holocaust, just as it is important for any perpetrator of any crime to accept responsibility,” said Marashlian. “It is particularly important for Turkey because the ongoing denial continues to stain Turkey’s image and Photo by Mario Camino hinders the development of a NEVER FORGET: The Armenian Student Association annually decohealthy democracy there.” rates Plaza Vaquero in remembrance of the Armenian genocide. This year, the flags of nations that have condemned the actions of the Ottoman Turks

[See Genocide, page 3] were honored.

FEATURE STORY • PROFILE HM: Alex Campos for “Nick Woodward”

• PHOTOILLUSTRATION Third Place: Ian Cervantes for “Facebook” ABLIOD COVER • TThird Place: El Vaquero

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

www.elvaq.com

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT / REVIEWS

Edgy Look at Art and Beauty in ‘Shape’

By Angel Silva

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

G

lendale College’s opening of “The Shape of Things,” Neil LaBute’s dark insight into the nature of art, beauty and relationships, opened Oct. 19 at the auditorium to a full crowd.

Written in 2001 and produced as a movie in 2003, “The Shape of Things” revolves around the relationship between Adam (portrayed by Manouel Ohaneysan), a socially deprived college student, and Evelyn (played by Amanda Fontoura), a beautiful grad student searching for a way to “change the world” vía art.

As time progresses, the relationship between the two begins to have life-altering changes on Adam and the people closest to him. Those changes end up dissolving the bonds between Adam, his old friend Phillip (played by Ryan Rogers) and previous love interest and Phillip’s fiancee Jenny (portrayed

by Mitra Pashayi-Marandi) — all

for the sake of Evelyn’s art.

LaBute’s plays aren’t known for happy endings or feel-good stories. They’re sordid, dark glimpses of the human experience — love, lust, betrayal, obsession over physique — and “The Shape of Things” is no exception.

GCC’s interpretation of “The Shape of Things” lives up to the expectations of what a LaBute play is supposed to play out.

Scenes are well acted, with a soft tonality that quickly shifts to one more sinister as Evelyn begins to work her way with Adam. The play begins with Adam meeting Evelyn at work at a local museum in Clarkson, a small college town, as she prepares to spray a penis on a censored museum sculpture. Adam, having little previous success with women, is taken aback when he manages to obtain Evelyn’s number and takes her on a date — an event that sets Evelyn’s plan to metamorph Adam into art in motion.

As the play progresses, Evelyn begins to work her way in between Adam’s relationships to Phillip

Photo by Jane Pojawa

BARNEY DOESN’T LIVE HERE: The L.A. County Museum of

Natural History has reopened its seismically retrofitted and renovated 1913 Rotunda, along with the new Age of Mammals exhibition and new dinosaur hall. The museum is located at 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Open every day from 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Students with IDs pay $9 admission, but the first Tuesday of the month is free for everyone.

Upcoming “free Tuesdays” are Nov. 1 and Dec. 6.

and Jenny, who are planning to get married. Arguments arise, betrayals occur and a simple visit to the local coffee shop is laden with suspicion.

The final scenes are what leave viewers murmuring and shuffling in their seats, as Evelyn raises questions on the nature of beauty that we’ve all asked ourselves at various times and in various relationships. Questions like “Why can’t my significant other change those irksome habits of theirs? Why won’t that person notice me? Should I try and change this person for the better?” leave the audience with a sense of guilt and longing.

The four actors (yes, it’s a fourperson play) support each other effectively and bring something unique to each of their roles.

Ohaneysan appears nervous at times, and his acting lacks believability on occasion (particularly when Adam is angry), although that may just add to Adam’s nerdy, insecure character.

His acting improves somewhat as Adam’s transformation from not to hot takes place, although flecks of nervousness can still be seen.

However, Ohaneysan does well for his first performance at GCC. Fontoura’s acting fully fleshes Evelyn’s character, etching out the saccharine mask in which a cold, calculated face of indifferent artiste lies. Her quips are accentuated by the way she makes facial expressions, rolling her eyes when facing an opposing opinion and making cutesy faces when cajoling Adam into making substantial life changes, such as getting a nose job.

Rogers’ performance fits Phillip’s overt, anxious persona well, acting like an angst-ridden teenager stuck in the body of a college junior. His over-the-top responses to any real or perceived attacks to his person (mainly coming from Evelyn) make him entertaining and painful to watch, depending on the context of his scenes.

Pashayi-Marandi portrays Jenny as a sweet, down-to-earth woman, insecure about herself and her future. Throughout the play, her insecurity about getting married and about Phillip’s characteristics play a pivotal role in her actions and decisions — a role that Pashayi-Marandi fits well.

The scenery is simple, consisting of wooden crates,

Photo by Jeanette Farr

BAD ‘SHAPE’: Amanda Fontoura and Manouel Ohaneysan star in “The Shape of Things,” a dark look at the human condition from “The Wicker Man”(2006) director Neil LaBute.

Art Deco stools, a replica of Michaelangelo’s “David,” a few props, and a set of walls that convert to a bed with the flip of a board. The walls aren’t always the center of attention, as the actors perform on and off stage.

Actors perform amid the crowd at times, giving the play a dash of interactivity that makes the audience a part of the cast. The penultimate scene breaks the fourth wall as Evelyn addresses the audience.

Music is limited to small snippets played during scene shifts and, although short, helps carry the pace along. Most of it sounds like something out of an Amon Tobin soundtrack mashed with classics from the Baroque era — perfect for capturing the sense that things can only keep spiraling more and more out of control than the previous scene.

Lighting is used to great effect, as various scenes are set by the patterns of the lights. A parkside chat, a lovemaking scene

and a visit to a plastic surgeon are all examples of what visuals the lights and the simple decor provide. A projector sets the backdrop for each scene, shifting from abstract backgrounds such as inkblots and Cubist squares to concrete ones like a courtyard or a doctor’s office.

All in all, “The Shape of Things” is an edgy trip into the nature of art and beauty. It’s not the best of plays to take a date to, but it’s good for those looking to question the nature of their relationships. Adult themes and language are the norm — audience discretion is advised.

“The Shape of Things” will run Nov. 3, 4, and 5 at 8 p.m. and on Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. General admission is $10, student and senior admission is $8. Groups of 10 or more people pay $6 each.

Angel Silva can be reached at ASILVA827@student.glendale.edu

www.elvaq.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT / REVIEWS

Artwalk Brings Bourbon Street to Los Angeles

By Isiah Reyes

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

E

very second Thursday of the month, thousands of people from all walks of life congregate at the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk to admire works of art.

That was the original intention.

But since the Art Walk began in September 2004, the artwork has become the second attraction at this event. The main attraction is now the music, food, and nightlife experience.

This month’s Art Walk seemed like an alternate version of Bourbon Street, with live music on street corners and tourists wandering around looking for things to buy.

For those who do go for the art, there is a lot to enjoy.

The artwork inside the galleries is fantastic. It ranges from photography, to paintings, to elaborate sculptures to pottery.

Some artists even create the work on the spot so people walking by can witness how it’s made.

The art in all the galleries differs greatly, from humorous pieces to sinister drawings. There is something to cater to every taste.

There is also live music in different galleries, such as The

Hive Gallery, which had a DJ mixing his beats. In addition, vendors sell jewelry, clothing and books.

Food is also a big draw at this event. Competition is strong as food trucks compete for sales in an alley that is packed to the brim with people. Some of the trucks include Lobsta Truck, Slammin’ Sliders, Slap Yo Mama, and the The Bun Truck.

In fact, the food has such a grapple-hold on the event that it could be called “Truck Walk” or the “Food Walk” and people still wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Inside the Temple of Visions art gallery, patrons really take in the art and the venue has a lot of space. The Hive gallery on the other hand is tight and gets hot and stuffy.

Every gallery offers its own ambiance. Most of the galleries are on Spring Street, but they scatter over the surrounding blocks. All the galleries are free of charge.

The police officers at intersections help pedestrians cross the street because there are just so many people. It’s the people wandering around with no interest in art who drag the experience down. All they add is

the smell of booze and marijuana that permeates the air. They block sidewalks and most of them don’t even enter a single gallery.

Back in July, a baby lost its life and a mother was severely injured when a Cadillac lost control during a parallel parking maneuver. Even though the car’s driver, about 22 years old, passed initial DUI investigations and didn’t appear to have been under the influence of anything, more officers are present than in the past.

More officers on patrol is a good thing. Once the Art Walk finishes around 10 p.m., the after parties begin in bars and nightclubs and go on as late as 2 a.m. With so many people in the area, things could get out of hand.

One trip to the Art Walk could either be cheap or expensive, depending on what you do. Street parking is free after 6 p.m. but with so many people, there is practically no street parking available. Parking in a lot is typically between $5 and $12.

The food is reasonably priced.

Although the event can be hectic and the focus has shifted from art to the nightlife, it’s good that such an event even exists.

It takes away the stigma that downtown only has homeless

Photo by Isiah Reyes

GOT BLOOD?: Every second Thursday the LA Artwalk brings food and culture (and sometimes anime vampires) to the masses.

people and nighttime zombies roaming its streets.

Businesses and restaurants near the Art Walk also want to impress possible patrons and draw attention, so they’ll possibly have better service that night. Not necessarily a guarantee, but one can hope.

Overall, those interested in art and want to see some really creative work, this is definitely

the place to be. Those not into art and just want a place to go with friends and have a good time, this is also the place to be. Either way, everyone should visit the Art Walk at least once before they can’t get the chance to.

For more information, go to http://www.downtownartwalk. org.

Isiah Reyes can be reached at haisikin@gmail.com

‘Holy Land’ Author D.J. Waldie Gives Reading on Campus

By Angel Silva

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

C

alifornian author and essayist D.J. Waldie spoke to a full audience in Kreider Hall Oct. 19 on his book, “Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir” and on his life in Lakewood in the 1950s.

“My story is very much about the experience of growing up for tens of thousands of Angelenos who came of age in the 1950s and 1960s, who grew up in the little houses on little lots like those in Lakewood,” said Waldie. “This book, though quite specific in terms of characterization of a particular place, is really about a lot of different places.”

“Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir” is an autobiography written in 2005 composed of sections — 316 in total — describing the day-to-day accounts and aspects of living in post World War II suburbia.

According to Waldie, all portions are a “typewritten page” of around 250 words and at least a sentence in length.

Sections are divided by loose associations, ranging from anecdotes about his life to the logistics of Lakewood. “‘Holy Land’ began as collection of bits; it was always in the form of bits,” said Waldie. “The bits stand alone like a little house, a little lot on the gridded street — [they’re] all connected to each other by the common fate they share.”

“Holy Land” has more than Waldie’s personal anecdotes on life in a suburban area. It includes facts and figures on the construction, development, and economy of Lakewood and the areas near it.

Composed of Waldie’s bits, suburban data and photos taken of Lakewood and the surrounding area, Waldie composes an argument for the merits of suburbia as opposed to the ideas that areas like Lakewood lack culture.

“I bring all of that into the story because I believe that deepens the implications,” said Waldie. “When we talk about who we are in a place and we don’t know enough about the physical realities of the landscape, we lack something in

our knowledge. In other words, placemindedness — becoming sensitive to the meaning of place — includes the seemingly insignificant details of landscape, water production, land use history, all of that.”

Waldie began his reading with “12,” an account of the developers of Lakewood asking the photographer William A. Garnett to take a series of aerial photos of the progress of the suburbs’ construction.

Waldie continued to read excerpts from “Holy Land,” including a story of a man dubbed as “Mr. H,” the neighborhood compulsive hoarder who collected broken appliances and strewed them on his lawn, the discovery of his dead father in the home’s bathroom (resulting from tachycardia, or excessive beating of the heart), and the death of an Episcopalian family’s baby and how his mother baptized the body to console the mother.

Other, more lighter topics included the display of childrens’ models of Cali[See Holy Land, page 14]

LAKEWOOD: Personal anecdotes and regional history combine in “Holy Land.”

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

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‘Paranormal Activity’ Returns for Third Scare

By Eric Bourse

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

A

fter becoming a success in 2009, despite its microbudget, Oren Peli’s “Paranormal Activity” has spawned its second spooky entry in two years, just in time for Halloween.

Duo Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost (“Catfish,” 2010) take over the directing helm in “Paranormal Activity 3.” The screenplay is by Christopher B. Landon who wrote the franchise’s first sequel in 2010.

Unlike “Paranormal Activity 2,” where the story began shortly before the first film but ended as a sequel, the latest addition is a full blown prequel.

The film, presented as stolen footage from VHS tapes from the 2010 movie, takes place in Carlsbad, Calif. in 1988. The sisters from the first two Paranormals, Katie and Kristie, are now young girls living with their mother Julie and her boyfriend, Dennis, in a new home.

Dennis, played by Christopher Nicholas Smith, is a wedding videographer who decides to set up cameras in the bedrooms after he notices strange noises. These

noises “coincidentally” occur after Kristi begins speaking to her new “imaginary” friend, Toby.

Julie, played by Lauren Bittner, is skeptical of her boyfriend’s suspicions and brushes Toby off as an innocent figment of Kristi’s imagination.

Little does she know that Toby isn’t an imaginary friend but instead an invisible and malevolent demon, as revealed in the first film. It’s a completely understandable mistake.

Schulman and Joost’s directing of the film is on par with the previous film’s, as are its cinematography and signature style of scaring its audience.

Most of the film’s scenes and ghostly commotions are filmed statically as the cameras are mounted on tripods in bedrooms.

The tension gradually builds up, sometimes at a snail’s pace, and pays off with a quick and sometimes violent attack from the unwanted spectral house guest.

A perfect example of this is the Bloody Mary scene, which is one of the best moments in any of the “Paranormal Activity” films.

In this scene, Dennis’ friend Randy is watching over Katie as the

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN: Creepy sisters Katie and Kristie are back and making more home movies in Halloween blockbuster “Paranormal Activity 3.”

two are all alone in the house.

Unlike Katie, Randy is fully aware of the fact that there is a supernatural force in the house because he has seen Dennis’ footage. Katie begs him to play Bloody Mary with him in the bathroom and he reluctantly agrees.

After repeating the famous ghost’s name three times in the

dark nothing happens. Tick tock tick tock tick tock. Suddenly, Randy is slashed by Toby and the scares come in full force.

Despite being a frightening scene, it has just the right amount of humor in it as Randy is frantically trying to keep calm to avoid panicking Katie while all hell is breaking loose.

While the film’s acting is nei-

ther ghastly nor fantastic, the main characters, Dennis and Julie, are likeable and are highly reminiscent of Micah and Katie from the first film. This is a welcome improvement over Kristi and Dan, from the second film.

Although the movie is a prequel and intended to answer [See Paranormal, page 15]

D.J. Waldie’s Holy Land, a Suburban Memoir [Holy Land, from page 13] shopping center and the constant rate of construction of the suburbs after WWII. Waldie finished his reading with the final week of Lent at Lakewood — entries “313,” through “316.”

“313,” an account of the ceremonies of Holy Thursday, particularly the washing of the feet of the Lakewood residents and the awkwardness that that brought to both the men of Lakewood and the priests.

“315” speaks about his participation of the veneration of the cross, and how the members of the church would go to the figure of Jesus and kiss the figure’s face.

“They came forward. . . and kissed the feet of the figure of

Jesus on the cross. If I was holding the cross I tried to keep it as steady as possible. If I was holding the square of starched white cloth, I was supposed to wipe the feet of the figure. I wasn’t sure if this was reverence or something that had to do with hygiene. The cloth I carried grew bright red from the lipstick I wiped from the feet of Jesus.”

“316,” speaks of the Latin verses spoken at the ceremonies, particularly Pange Lingua, a traditional Good Friday hymn.

“Sweet the wood. Sweet the nail. Sweet the weight you bear,” were the final words of his reading.

During the question and answer session, Waldie addressed the common stereotype of the “meaning-free, soulless, dehu-

manizing” suburb.

“It has been a common trope in American cultural criticism to regard mass-produced, post-war suburbs as [writer] James Howard Kunstler describes it. . . the place where evil dwells. I do not subscribe to Kunstler’s view,” said Waldie.

Waldie also commented on how the lifestyle that once existed during his childhood was vanishing today.

“The place I describe in ‘Holy Land’ seems to be a disappearing option for many young people and older,” said Waldie. “The better life that my parents found in Lakewood and the better life that their working class neighbors, men and women who worked with their hands manufacturing all the good things in life — that

good life is shifting away. I suspect that you should consider strongly how this country can modify its present political and economic structures to provide more of that good life that I had as a child.”

“Do you ever feel your father’s or mother’s spiritual energy?” an audience member asked.

“Oh, not in the way that you might be suggesting,” said Waldie. “But they end up in my prayers every day, so I suppose I might conjure them up every morning as I walk to work.”

Ultimately, the book focuses on locations and the effect that they have on people, said Waldie.

“Even though your life experience may be radically different, this book might have you think about how your place has influ-

enced your life,” said Waldie, “what marks the place from you come has placed on your soul, on your heart.”

Waldie hopes that readers are inspired by his book’s format of bits and apply it to their own lives. “[The different bits’ connections have] a quality that is material, it’s a real connection but it also has a lyrical, a poetic quality,” said Waldie. “So I’m suggesting when you walk out of this room and see the different bits of your life, you might compose a poem out of it.”

“Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir” can be found online at www.amazon.com.

Angel Silva can be reached at ASILVA827@student.glendale.edu

www.elvaq.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Harmon: A Pillar of the ‘Community’

By John Ferrara

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

T

he methods in which Dan Harmon tells stories and perceives his life are one in the same.

“If I’m having a bad day, I can take a step back and chart it on a circle and say, in terms of this experience this is the lesson I’m learning at this stage; then you can see it won’t be long now until I bounce back because this is where I’m at in the story,” said Dan Harmon, creator of NBC’s “Community,” based on his experiences at this college.

“I look at it all that way; that’s just the way I understand how to write.”

Harmon’s writing style and life have been heavily influenced by writer and mythologist Joseph Campbell, known for his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” which Harmon has read dozens of times. In his book, Campbell discusses his theory of the history of story structure, and the stages or monomyth that a hero must go through for an effective story.

“He wasn’t talking about movies, and he wasn’t talking about television. He’s taking about mythology and why it is we tell stories; so you’re reading

it and realizing you’re a human being, and you have an instinct for storytelling and people have an instinct for listening to stories; they crave them. That’s the first step to realizing that your life is a story and so you become deeply connected to your own work,” said Harmon.

According to Campbell’s monomyth, there must be a point of revelation in a hero’s life, followed by a transformation. For Harmon, his real life revelation may have occurred here at Glendale College.

At 32-years-old, Harmon was a moderately successful writer with ample free time. In order to revive a failing relationship, he decided to take a Spanish class at GCC with his girlfriend, as well as psychology and biology for personal fulfillment.

Acing his biology class, Harmon was asked to join a study group, which he reluctantly agreed to.

While studying with this group, he had what he calls “an emotionally positive experience,” during a late-night study session in the GCC library.

Harmon was perplexed to find himself bonding with these students. This led him to the realization that he had “only lived half of a real life,” spent focused on his career rather than

Movie Review [Paranormal from page 14]

questions raised in the previous “Paranormal” films, it ends up with more unanswered questions than ever before. This reveals the franchise’s glaring weakness is also what makes the films unique.

As a result of the plot being told solely by found footage, the story in each entry can only reveal a certain amount of plot details and unanswered questions because the story is bonded to the cameras. Consequently, it may take not only one more sequel to complete the story, but two or more.

This can be troublesome because while the series is popular now, the unwelcome guest may not just be a demon but the “Paranormal” films as well, if there is a sixth or seventh entry.

Those who didn’t enjoy any of the previous films in the series will not be convinced by the newest film whatsoever.

Audiences who enjoyed the previous “Paranormal” films will be delightfully scared to death.

Although the bar is set embarrassingly low, “Paranormal Activity 3” is one of the best entries in any horror movie franchise.

The film runs 86 minutes and is rated R for some violence, language, brief sexuality and drug use.

developing human relationships.

This revelation inspired Harmon to develop and pitch a story based on his experience with his study group at Glendale.

Now 38 years old, Harmon is constantly working to improve his show, producing original content which sets it apart from most other major network shows.

Episodes of paintball wars, blanket forts, and stop-motionanimation gives television a refreshing look for those bored with the same old sitcoms.

“I just thought we were going to do a regular TV show, I didn’t think were going to be allowed to do stylistic things,” said Harmon, when asked about the show’s more creative episodes. “That just happened, because at the end of the first season I didn’t feel like we were going to be coming back; the ratings weren’t there, and I thought it doesn’t matter, so I just started to go a little crazy.”

Thinking he would never have another sitcom, he began experimenting, the results of which generated a lot of positive reviews from fans and critics, saving the show.

On Oct. 3, Harmon visited GCC once again to share his experience and answer questions.

Mass Communications professor Sharyn Obsatz is responsible for first contacting him about a year ago after multiple attempts via Twitter. Her determination payed off as Harmon eventually responded and agreed to speak at Glendale.

“I was super excited,” said Obsatz.

“He likes to share his

Photo by John Ferrara

WHAT A MUG: “Community” creator Dan Harmon keeps finding inspi-

ration and cautionary tales of the human condition on the Glendale campus.

experiences and knowledge and I think going back to GCC is a great way to do that,” said Harmon’s assistant Daniella Beintema.

Harmon has been impressed with his interactions with Glendale students, who have been more interested in asking questions like “how do I become a writer,” rather than asking for a job.

Harmon’s advice to anyone interested in becoming a writer is to “follow your bliss,” quoting

Joseph Campbell. “Don’t think too hard about what you’re supposed to be doing,what would be the smart thing to do, what might profit you the most. Those are all bad ways to think about things fundamentally.

Know yourself and then write what you know.”

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

Social Networking? Zombies?

Four out of Five Stars

 Eric Bourse can be reached at ebourse741@student.glendale.edu

Read more at: www.glendalecollegeinsider.com Photo by Roger Lai

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Photoillustration by Eric Bourse

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SPORTS

Quarterback Kevin Hunter Carries On Family Tradition

By Marlon Miranda

EL VAQUERO SPORTS EDITOR

H

aving both a father and an uncle who were talented quarterbacks could be too much pressure for the average player, but for Kevin Hunter, it made him stronger and motivated him to make his own mark.

“By the second grade, I knew I wanted to play as a quarterback.

Having my dad and uncle around helped me understand football in a different manner,” said Hunter.

“My dad coached the Burbank High School team and my uncle was the starting quarterback at GCC.” The turning point in Hunter’s career came when he played a high school game at the Rose Bowl. A childhood dream became a passion when he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

Hunter’s football IQ and leadership abilities can be seen on and off the field. He can be seen talking to his skilled players on the sideline or coaching up the second string quarterback. He congratulates his offensive line

after every series.

Quarterback Coach Kevin Mills knows there is no denying the presence that Hunter brings to a football team. He has been coaching Hunter for one year and has been impressed by his growth.

“In one reason he has grown, the way the team believes in him shows his leadership abilities,” said Mills.

One of Hunter’s football mentors was Tim Loock, who helped Hunter develop the mental stability he is well-known for on the football field.

Loock was an All-League wide receiver for Burbank High who later became a volunteer football coach. As a coach, Loock showed Hunter the way of controlling emotions and staying calm.

“I owe a lot of my attitude to Tim Loock. He was always there for me and was always calming me down when I would lose my cool,” said Hunter.

GCC head coach John Rome thinks highly of Hunter. Rome knew that Hunter had intangibles that cannot be learned, you can

only be born with them.

“He is a fantastic young man. He has an excellent grade point average. With that type of intelligence it is easy to understand why he has great composure,” said Rome.

Hunter was having an exceptional season until his injury, which occurred when his pass was intercepted.

The defensive player was running back to score a touchdown. Hunter went from quarterback to linebacker and cracked the defensive player. The tackle caused the player to flip in the air, and also left Hunter a twoinch laceration in his liver and a hip contusion.

Hunter has missed numerous games since his injury. He will make his return on Oct. 29 against Santa Barbara.

His biggest love is football and he dreams of one day being a quarterback in the NFL. Being injured has been tough on Hunter but he has made the best of it by showing up every week and traveling with the team and becoming an extension to the

Photo by Seneyda Rodriguez

KEVIN HUNTER: Serious injuries have waylaid the Vaquero quarterback, but he’s hoping to return strong.

head coach.

“In life and in football. No matter what happens, you have to keep everything on a level field.

Always keep your cool and stay composed,” said Hunter.

Marlon Miranda can be reached at MMIRAND721@student.glendale.edu

Team Stymied by Injury of Star Quarterback

By Marlon Miranda

EL VAQUERO SPORTS EDITOR

T

he Vaqueros remained winless as they fell 35-13 to West Los Angeles College on Saturday at Glendale. Pre-game injuries forced GCC to convert Anthony Carter from wideout to quarterback.

“I would say it was a fun experience but it is never fun to lose,” said Carter.

Carter completed nine passes for 77-yards and threw one interception.

West LA put eight players in the box and forced GCC to throw the ball.

Carter, under constant pressure, threw the ball and connected with Timothy Broughton for a 52yard strike.

“The coaches did their job, I felt comfortable but I wish I would have played better,” said Carter.

Joseph Wiggan scored on a 19-yard run in the middle of the second quarter, giving the Vaqueros the lead. Wiggan ran for 145

yards and a touchdown. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his last three games.

Seconds after scoring a touchdown, GCC wasn’t even done celebrating when West LA ran back the kickoff for a touchdown and retook the lead.

Head coach John Rome was livid after the play.

“It was the turning-point of the game,” said Rome. “Giving up a touchdown, immediately after scoring, knocked the wind out of our football team.”

The Vaqueros didn’t score in the second half, allowing 28 unanswered points. West LA stacked the line with eight players, and on occasion 10.

GCC was forced to become one-dimensional due to injuries, and was forced to keep running the ball.

Ronnie Marquez, an offensive lineman, felt that the offensive line did a great job protecting and opening up holes for the running backs. They only gave up one sack and had no fumbles.

“Inside the trenches we did a

great job, our running game is always solid. We had to depend too much on the run. It made us less effective,” said Marquez.

Timothy Broughton had 102 total yards and averaged four yards per carry. He knew he was in for a long night, but he wasn’t discouraged and welcomed the challenge.

“They [West LA] knew we had

a new quarterback,” said Broughton. “They were stacking the box.

We played a hell of a game. There is no crying; you just have to go out there and play hard.”

The Vaqueros’ next game is away against Santa Barbara.

Injured quarterback Kevin Hunter has been cleared to play by his doctors.

With three games left in the

season, the Vaqueros are looking to finish strong.

“With Hunter returning, we will be able to go back to being a multiple dimensional offense,” said Rome. “Defenses won’t be able to stack the line and we can spread the ball around.”

Marlon Miranda can be reached at MMIRAND721@student.glendale.edu

Photo by Seneyda Rodriguez

BREAKING FREE: Joseph Wiggan runs for a touchdown to give the Vaqueros a temporary lead.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

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SPORTS

Lady Vaqueros Attacked by Fighting Owls

By John Ferrara

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

E

nding an 11-game losing streak is bittersweet, especially when you give up the tying goal seconds before the final whistle.

The women’s soccer team tied for the first time this season 2-2 on a foggy Friday night at Sartoris Field against the Citrus College Fighting Owls.

“It’s been the story of our season, so close and yet so far away,” said Glendale coach Jorge Mena.

The Vaqs started the game on the defensive, allowing Citrus to control possession and get multiple shots on goal early.

However, Glendale started to gain momentum towards the end of the half, and with five minutes left, freshman Emely Bustos scored her first goal of the season, putting the Vaqs up one to nothing at halftime.

“Play hard; challenge the ball,” said Mena addressing his players. “You can NOT let them dictate how we play.”

During halftime, referee Adam Savage advised each team to take its time and walk when retrieving the ball for throw-ins, after witnessing several players slip on the slick track. He let the teams know he would be “adding more time,” to the game in adjustment with the safety precautions.

In the second half, the teams traded possessions and goal attempts.

In the 33rd minute, the Vaqs scored for a second time off a throw-in to freshman Cecilia Martinez, taking a 2-0 lead.

Glendale continued to play aggressively and control the ball, making for an exciting game.

With 18 minutes to go, the Owls led a successful attack, finding the back of the net, however the goal was waived due to a penalty prior to the shot.

Citrus kept its poise, and with five minutes remaining, was able to score its first goal.

Tensions were high as the Vaqs tried desperately to hold on to their 2-1 lead.

The lengthy stoppage time proved to be costly for the home team. Citrus never gave up, and in the final seconds, scored a heartbreaking goal, ending the game in a 2-2 tie.

“It’s one of those games in which we were hoping to kill time and get out of there,” said Mena.

“We’re paying our dues right now, you can tell they’re trying, they work hard.”

Photo by Seneyda Rodriguez John Ferrara can be reached at jferrar977@student.glendale.edu

TIED UP AND BEATEN: Lady Vaquero Geyli Aguilar powers through the Fighting Owls during the 2-2 tie Friday night.

Vaquero Sports Summaries Scores

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Oct. 14 — Mt. Sac Invitational women — finished first men — finished first Women’s Volleyball: Oct. 12 — lost to Pierce 3-0 Oct. 14 — lost to Citrus 3-0 beat Santa Barbara 3-2 Oct. 19 — lost to Bakersfield 3-0 Women’s Soccer: Oct. 11 — lost to Bakersfield 3-0 Oct. 14 — lost to San Diego 2-0 Oct. 18 — lost to LA Valley 4-2 Friday — tied with San Diego 2-2

Women’s Golf: Oct. 17 — finished 2nd in the WSC Tourney at Brookside Monday — finished 1st in the WSC Twin Oaks Tourney Football: Saturday — lost to Pasadena 35-13 Men’s Soccer: Oct. 11 — lost to Canyons 4-2 Oct. 14 — lost to Allan Hancock 4-2 Oct. 18 — lost to Oxnard 7-1 Friday — beat Citrus 3-2

Upcoming Events Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Nov. 4 — So. Cal Championships, Ontario 10 a.m.

Photo by Seneyda Rodriguez

CLOSE, BUT NO WIN: Freshman Michelle Anacker takes control as the Lady Vaqueros end their losing streak with a hard-fought for tie.

elvaq.com

Women’s Volleyball: Today at Canyons 7 p.m.

Friday vs. Santa Monica 7 p.m.

Nov. 2 at West Los Angeles 7 p.m.

Nov. 4 at Pierce 7 p.m.

Women’s Soccer: Friday vs. Canyons 7 p.m.

Tuesday at Santa Monica 4 p.m.

Nov. 4 vs. Bakersfield 7 p.m.

Women’s Golf: Sunday/Monday WSC Finals at Olivas Links 10/8 a.m.

Nov. 7/8 So. Cal Championships at Twin Oaks in San Marcos Football: Saturday vs. East L.A. City 7 p.m.

Nov. 5 at Santa Barbara City 6 p.m.

Nov. 5 vs. Santa Monica City 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer: Friday vs. Mission 5 p.m.

Tuesday vs. Canyons 4 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Allan Hancock 3 p.m.

For more information see: http://www.glendale.edu/athletics

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

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Calendar On Campus HALLOWEEN Halloween Event — Experience a Haunted House a with maze to benefit Autism Speaks. Sponsored by the GCC Leo Club. Today from noon to 9 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

Halloween Open House — Learn about the Winter 2012 Oceanography class in Baja. The Baja Field Studies office hosts an open house. Refreshments will be provided. Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Santa Anita Building.

Halloween Costume Party — Win $100. Admission $5 or sign up to enter for $7 in the Student Center. Sponsored by the We Be Body Moving! club. Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. in SC 212A.

EVENTS IOC Fall Harvest Event — Various GCC clubs will be featured in booths with displays. Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero. Sponsored by ASGCC. Pizza Sale — The annual fundraiser sponsored by EOPS. Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

ASGCC Talent Show — Strut your stuff and show the campus what you’ve got. Prize to be

awarded. All students are welcome to enter. Nov. 3 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

Chess Tournament — Featuring a “blitz” style format. Open to all students. Sponsored by the GCC Advanced Chess Club.

Nov. 8 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in SC 212.

LECTURE “13 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Halloween Because You Didn’t Think to Ask” — Speaker is anthropology professor Wendy Fonarow. Free.

Thursday from 12:20 to 1:30 p.m. in LB 200. All welcome.

DANCE “Phanatix” — A dance showcase presented by the GCC Dance Club. Saturday at 8 p.m. Free in the Sierra Nevada Dance Theater.

THEATER “Autobahn” — A collection of one-act plays written by Neil LaBute and directed by Jeanette Farr. Contains subject matter not suitable for children. Auditorium Studio Theatre. 8 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations strongly recommended. No late seating.

Special preview tonight, all tickets are $5. Thursday through Sat-

urday at 8 p.m. tickets $10 general admission, $8 students and seniors. For more information visit www.glendale.edu/theaterarts or call 818-240-1000, ext.

5612 for reservations.

“The Shape of Things” — Written by Neil LaBute and directed

by Jeanette Farr. Contains subject matter not suitable for children.

Auditorium Studio Theatre. Reservations recommended. No late seating. Nov. 3, 4 and 5 at 8 p.m.

Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for students and seniors.

HEALTH Meditation — No experience necessary. Instructor will be Jeanne Townsend. Meets every Wednesday through Nov. 16 in AD 243 from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m.

Flu Shots — Are available in the Health Center while supplies last. Students $15, employees $20; cash only. Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PLANETARIUM “The Moons of our Solar System” — A lunchtime program to introduce the planetarium’s features. Today from 12:30 to 1 p.m. On Nov. 9 “Black Holes and

Quasars.” Free. For more information, visit www.glendale.edu/ planetarium or call (818) 2401000, ext. 5275.

WORKSHOPS Power Academy Orientation — Learn more about GCC’s Verdugo Power Academy Spring 2012 class. Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. in SF 102. For more information visit www.glendale.edu/power.

“Powerful Lead-in’s, Graceful Exits: Introductions and Conclusions” — How to write creative lures and titles for your essays and how to write meaningful conclusions. Thursday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in AD 238. Students are encouraged to register online at www.glendale.edu/learningcenter.

“How to Recognize and Correct Run-ons” — Learn to recognize situations in which run-on sentences commonly occur; receive practice exercises. Free. Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. in AD 238.

“Outlining” — How to write a clear outline from your brainstorming notes. Free. Nov. 2 from 5 to 6 p.m. in AD 238.

“Using Concrete and Specific Details” — Determine how to bring more specificity and color

to your writing. Free. Nov. 2 from 7 to 8 p.m. in AD 238.

“MLA Requirements” — Learn about stylistic requirements mandated by the Modern Language Association. Free. Nov. 4 from 1 to 2 p.m. in AD 238.

“Fragments” — Learn about different kinds of sentence fragments and how to correct each; work on practice exercises. Free. Nov. 4 from 11 a.m. to noon in AD 238.

“Proofreading Techniques” — Presents techniques for proofreading. Free. Nov. 7 from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in AD 238.

MOVIES Friday Flix: — A screening of “Young Frankenstein,” this Friday. A 1974 comedy directed

by Mel Brooks. On Nov. 4 “Dr. Strangelove,” a 1964 dark comedy, directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Mike Petros will facilitate a discussion after the films. Free at 12:30 p.m. in SG 334.

ART GALLERY “Proximetric” — Art Gallery.

An exhibition by Ginger WolfeSuarez. Ends Nov. 12. Free.

Tuesday through Thursday. Noon to 5 p.m.

Compiled by Richard Kontas

Around Town HALLOWEEN “Old Town Haunt” — Union Savings Bank Building. A new version of this sixth annual event.

Tickets from $15 general admission. Thursday through Monday only. 20 N. Raymond Ave. (at Colorado), Pasadena. For more information visit www.oldtownhaunt.com or call (626) 248-7652.

“L.A. Haunted Hayride 2011: Through The Eyes Of A Child” — Griffith Park. Tickets $25, includes admission to Haunted Hayride and The Human Menagerie Side Show area. Thursday

through Monday only. Old Zoo, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles. For more information and tickets visit www.losangeleshauntedhayride.com.

“Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor” — Queen Mary. Featuring five mazes, 160 monsters and 20-foot tall flames. Ticket prices start at $20. Thursday through Sunday.

1126 Queens Highway., Long Beach. For more information and tickets call (562) 435-3511 or visit www.queenmary.com.

“Halloween Horror Nights” — Universal Studios Hollywood presents the sixth annual install-

ment of the event. Open Thursday through Monday. Tickets from $62. 100 Universal City Plaza, Hollywood. For information visit, www.halloweenhorrornights.com or call (800) UNIVERSAL.

EXHIBITIONS “Al Weiwei: Circle of Animals/ Zodiac Heads” — LACMA. This Zodiac Project features Al Weiwei’s first major public sculpture. Runs through Feb. 12. Ticket prices and hours vary.

North Piazza, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.lacma.org or call (323) 857-6000.

“Pacific Standard Time: Crosscurrents in L.A. Painting and Sculpture, 1950-1970” — The Getty Center. This exhibition features iconic paintings and sculpures. Runs through Feb. 5.

Museum hours vary. Admission is free and parking is $10 per vehicle. 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.getty.edu or call (310) 440-7300.

“Beneath the Surface: NASA’s Juno Mission to Jupiter”— Pasadena Museum of California Art. The exhibition features an interactive installation intended to help museum viewers experi-

ence the mystery of Juno’s visit to the cloud-covered planet Runs through Jan. 8. Tickets $7, $5 for seniors and students. 490 E. Union St., Pasadena. For more information, visit www.pmcaonline.org or call (626) 568-3665.

COMEDY “Fritz Coleman Comedy Night” — Glendale Center Theatre. Featuring four top comedians. Proceeds to benefit the Glendale-La Crescenta Red Cross. Tickets from $25. Nov. 6 at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. 324 N. Orange St. For tickets or more information call (818) 243-3121.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

www.elvaq.com

VAQUERO VIEWS

Rep. Adam Schiff Hosts Business Fair

Photo by Tex Wells

TIMELY ARRIVAL: Congressman Adam Schiff arrives almost an hour early to host the “Small Business Assistance and Career Opportunity Fair� at the Glendale Pacific Community Center on Thursday. The popular congressman, a former adjunct professor at GCC, was introduced to the throng by Glendale Mayor Laura Friedman. More than 30 governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations and private employers participated in the well-attended event.