Oct 2 2013

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

Volume 102, Number 2

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NEW RESOURCES ON THE WAY: The new College Services/Laboratory building will house the Career Center, Disabled Student Programs and Services offices, EOPS, financial aid offices, open computer labs, creative writing labs and much more.

GCC Student Sworn LA Commissioner L E Nin D A Las ECC OMM U N I T YCC OLLEGE GG LENDALE OMMUNITY OLLEGE

By Alexander Davis EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

H

e rose from his wheelchair, straightened himself up and accepted an honor commemorating his tireless efforts to improve handicapped facilities on campus and elsewhere.

Glendale College student Jorge Acevedo, 42, was appointed to be a commissioner for the Arts, Parks, Health, Aging and River Committee of the city of Los Angeles. He took the oath of office on Sept.

25 at L. A. City Hall.

This comes after years of lobbying at GCC and surrounding areas of L.A. and Glendale to provide adequate facilities for the handicapped.

He has seen success in improving the campus and played a significant role in making Olvera Street in Los Angeles handicapped accessible.

Standing up is more than

w w w.elvaq .com

Photo by Kathy Bakowicz

RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND: GGC’s Jorge Acevedo was appointed as a Commissioner at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 25.

a significant feat for the new commissioner. Long before he became an advocate for change at GCC, he was a football player at Belmont High School and was aspiring to become a police officer. He passed his police academy exam and was well on his way to a career in law enforcement; however on Christmas day 1999 he was the victim of a carjacking in which

To everyone’s surprise two bullets were found. The result was that the pain he underwent for all those years is gone as he continues to stay active.

“Jorge is all over campus.

He will even personally bring new students to the center when he sees that they need help. He deserves anything he gets,” Students with Disabilities counselor Valerie Rhaney said.

For many years GCC did not offer adequate wheelchair access for some of its buildings and did not have working push buttons for doors or floor markers.

“Any handicapped people using the elevators used to cross their fingers and pray that they would not get stuck,” Acevedo said Acevedo is a well-known figure on campus where he is involved in sports. He is an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team and works with the

he was shot multiple times.

He lost his ability to walk, but found new ways to realize his goals.

For nearly 13 years, Acevedo lived with a bullet lodged in his head. He chose to avoid a dangerous operation to remove it until he began to experience excruciating pain last year. In April, he finally underwent surgery to remove the bullet.

[See Acevedo, page 3]

October 2, 2013

College Services Construction 50% Project Begins

By Araks Terteryan EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

A

fter 10 years in the planning and thanks to funding from local and state bonds, a new 90,000-square-foot, $50 million College Services building is set to rise up the hill beyond the cafeteria.

This site is located below the parking structure and will become the home of the largest building on campus. Once the new building is ready, all student service departments will move there, as well as all labs and some classrooms.

When the new building is ready, the Admission and Records department will relocate there.

According to Nelson Oliveira, director of facilities for GCC, the first floor of the new building will include the Disabled Student Programs and Services offices, open computer lab services and creative writing lab.

It will laso house Speech, ESL classes, and the journalism lab.

The second floor will contain classrooms, two anthropology labs, the culinary arts department with a full kitchen and offices. The third floor will house the admission and records office, the financial aid office, Career Center, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, and the Assessment Center.

The Campus Development Committee has already started working on a related project called Secondary Effects.

This project will help to figure out what to do with the empty spaces vacated when moving to the new building.

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[See Building page 2]

IN THIS ISSUE News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Lifestyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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NEWS

El Vaquero New Laboratory/College Services Building EDITOR IN CHIEF Sal Polcino MANAGING EDITOR Agnessa Kasumyan SPORTS EDITOR Jonathan Williams STAFF WRITERS Alexandra Duncan Aidan Rutten Ksenia Rabinovich Monica Tecson-Lopez Alexander Davis Araks Terteryan STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kathy Bakowicz Seneyda Rodriguez PRODUCTION MANAGER

Richard Kontas

NEWSROOM MANAGER

Jane Pojawa

DESIGN ADVISER

Charles Eastman

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

Member of the Journalism Asssociation of Community Colleges

Letters may be reproduced in full or in part and represent only the point of view of the writer, not the opinion of El Vaquero or Glendale Community College and its district. All letters must include the full name, address and phone number of the writer. You will be contacted before publication. El Vaquero is a First Amendment publication.

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[Building, from page 1] The final recommendation isn’t complete yet, but the committee is working on completing plans.

The Los Robles building is going to come down on Oct. 8 as it is positioned directly in the footprint of the new building, but the building will not be torn down in the usual way.

Prior to the demolition GCC police are working with the Glendale police and fire departments to schedule the use of the Los Robles building for a mock entry event. They will blow the building up while they will be training. They will do some practice of door breaking, window breaking, force entrance staff and more. It will last for about the half of the day.

Project manager Karl Aldridge is excited about the demolition event.

“You don’t get to use real life type experience too often, so I think it will be a fun thing to watch. This an exciting opportunity for the college to work closely with some of the communities finest,” he said.

During the construction, parking lot A will remain closed for the entire two years and will reopen when the new building is complete. One portion of the elevator tower will be closed and fenced off later this week, which

might cause a little congestion down through the pathway coming out of the elevator.

“There is going to be a lot of noise over the next four months,” Aldridge said. “I don’t think that the noise is going to impact our students.”

“Some big demolition already started last week which was a removal of some of the concrete.

That alone is quite noisy but we are going to try to do that early in the morning, so that we can accommodate some of the classes.”

The construction hours are from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. After Christmas break there will be 40 to 60 people working on site every day.

The entire building’s walls and subfloors are all concrete. It will take about 18 months to build just that portion of the building.

The air-conditioning system is all under the floor, which is very unique to this area and has never been seen before in a college building.

Aldridge said the trees that are being cut down will be replaced by a new beautiful landscape system with hardscape and decorative concrete.

“Basically, almost every tree we tear down we replace with another tree. It is something that is required within the city and within the campus,” Aldridge said.

Photo by Kathy Bakowicz

BREAKING GROUND: One of the faculty parking lots is being demolished to make room for the new building.

The trees are not just being removed, they are being replanted with new plants that are more accommodating to the new building and to the surrounding area.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. at a designated, tented area. This event will include local news, local and district dignitaries along with board members and city officials. There will also be a small catered event hosted by the contractor, Mallcraft, Inc., and

NTD, the architectural firm.

Aldridge said, “The project is running on schedule and a successful completion is expected in late August, 2015.”

“The college is really willing to work, move forward to accommodate students and make some new beautiful and innovative changes on campus,” said Aldridge.

See pages 6-7 for more pictures Agnessa Kasumyan can be reached at agnessakas@gmail.com

Student Government Discusses Club Grants

By Monica Tecson-Lopez EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

A

s ASGCC held its executive meeting on Sept. 23, the student government determined the budget for clubs, wrote review policies, and created programs and activities for students.

Among the several topics discussed was the Inter Organization Council orientation and its first meeting.

Registered clubs and organizations may apply for

the Special Organizational Support (S.O.S), which will provide $250, to purchase supplies.

Applying for Organization Event Support (O.E.S.) grant, which will be disbursed on a “first come, first serve basis,” will help clubs pay for events, field trips, guest speakers, and event costs.

Items on the agenda included the Campus Project Support, which allows students to host a campus project and receive funds from the ASGCC legislature. CPS

offers $2,500 for innovative ideas that will benefit the student body.

Last semester, the money was used to buy new chairs in the library in addition to new microscopes and chairs for biology classes. CPS applications are due Oct. 10 by 3 p.m. at the Student Affairs office or email to asvpfi@glendale.edu.

Another matter discussed was upcoming events such as the Fall Harvest, which will be held at the end of October, and Hispanic Heritage Day, to be held on Oct.

15. There will be food, games and music at both events.

Overall, ASGCC is pleased with what this semester has to offer and will be meeting occasionally throughout the semester to discuss issues that will make the campus a better place for students and faculty.

For more information on ASGCC visit www.clubs. glendale.edu/as.

Monica Tecson-Lopez can be reached at tecsonlopez.monica@gmail.com

WANTED: WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? Letters to the editor...

Jonathan Caballeros can be reached at jcaball942@student.glendale.edu

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NEWS

Commissioner Sworn In

Distance Learning Offers Benefits to Students With Commuting Challenges

By Aidan Rutten

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

W Photo by Kathy Bakowicz

PUBLIC SERVICE: Glendale College student Jorge Acevedo takes on new challenges in his capacity as a disability compliance advisor.

[Acevedo, from page 1] Police Department, working in the evidence room. When he is not working at the police department he frequently spends time at practices and games.

“His contribution to our team is invaluable: he is well spoken and outspoken. I know he does everything to make sure our campus is up to standards,” baseball coach Chris Cicuto said.

The work he has done on campus has directly resulted in many improvements for the disabled. Markers on the floor for wheelchairs, wider doors, handicapped spaces at lunch tables, and increased maintenance for elevators and push buttons are a result of his work. However, he says there is room for improvement.

“Little by little things are coming together, the administrators are very helpful, but there are still things that need to get better,” he said.

Acevedo’s work is not limited to campus. When he was young,

he would visit historic Olvera Street. At that time the site had no wheelchair access to many of its shops and restaurants and did not offer many of the essential things needed for disabled people to enter. Acevedo had developed many connections through his work with the Glendale Police Department and used them to pressure the city of Los Angeles to make a change in one of its most historic sites. Now that the street is up to code with wheelchair ramps, more handicapped parking and floor markers.

Juan Ramos of the City of Los Angeles Historical Monument Authority was the most prominent figure in attendance at Acevedo’s conformation. He worked with Acevedo extensively and played a large role in the transformation of Olvera Street.

“He has no limits, Jorge will obtain anything he sets his mind too, it’s all up to him,” Ramos said.

Alexander Davis can be reached at davis.alex60@yahoo.com

ant to attend a college class in your pajamas? Now you can do just that. Online classes, which can be taken entirely in the comfort of one’s own home, are spreading across college campuses everywhere.

There are three types of classes that distance education deals with: web-enhanced, hybrid and online courses.

Web-enhanced means that the class is taught face to face as usual, but the teacher uses a program such as Moodle to provide extra material.

A hybrid class requires going to one class face to face, then another part of that class is taught online and an online class is taken entirely online.

Fabiola Torres, the distance education coordinator, is at the forefront of this fast growing phenomenon.

GCC student Gabrielle Galaroza, currently enrolled in an online math class said she feels less pressure with the distance education system.

“The class is really cool. It’s the first class I’ve had that was fully online, and I feel much more free by learning on my own time,” she said.

“Distance education enables faculty to think outside the box

and to design effective classes in a non-traditional environment,” said Torres.

People often enter college and immediately become confused due to the overload of information given to them. Web-enhanced classes may help students when transitioning into this climate.

“For kids placed in online classes, it’s a vulnerable place to be,” said Torres.

These classes utilize both synchronous and asynchronous connections with students.

With a synchronous class, faculty can either meet with their class face to face, or through

Skype, or some other real-time connection tool. Then, with all of the information and assignments posted on the site, students at any point may access it to do work of various sorts. Asynchronous classes are conducted online with no face time.

Timothy Cazden is currently enrolled in a hybrid psychology class.

“It’s pretty fun. I have to remember to get on Skype on Tuesdays. There are five live sessions over the course of the semester on Saturdays,” he said.

Faculty are finding it useful to leverage learning. According to Torres, the tools provided

through distance education allow teachers to better gauge their students’ knowledge as opposed to giving lectures and hoping the information is understood.

One outcome of online classes is that it does not allow for students’ passiveness. When answers must be posted online to questions given in a real-time chat situation, it becomes apparent who is actually participating, which is essential to the grade.

This establishes regular and effective contact. If the same were true in a traditional classroom, it would mean every student would raise their hand for every question and have an answer for it.

T h e online course often renders p a p e r textbooks obsolete, as topicspecific content and information can be posted on the webpage directly, and research can be done online or with library books.

It may be difficult to imagine a world without classrooms, but online classes could be the future of education.

Aidan Rutten can be reached at aidanrutten@gmail.com

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Campus Comments How do you feel about the NSA’s surveillance programs?

Yamilet Gonzalez 18 Nursing “I think it’s invading our privacy. ”

Ricky Grajales 19

Yardley Vergava 23

Aviation

Political Science

“It’s going to be hard to protect us from terrorist threats, it’s impossible because anyone can fake a threat online”

“I think it’s good. After 9/11, I think it is good to an extent; we’re more secure.”

Susan Ejuryan 19 Political Science “It’s going to be hard to protect us from terrorist threats, that’s impossible because anyone can fake a threat online” ­­— Compiled by and photographed by Journalism 102

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FEATURE

Taking a Bite Out of Shark Hysteria

By Alexander Davis EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

F

or shark expert Ralph Collier shark week comes 52 times a year.

Collier has appeared as an expert on countless TV shows and magazines about sharks and has made it his mission to teach the public that sharks are intelligent predators with little interest in attacking humans.

During a Sept. 25 presentation at the GCC student center, Collier spoke to students and shark enthusiasts about his extensive research on great white sharks. He is the author of “Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century” and has appeared as an expert on National Geographic and the Discovery Channel on many occasions.

He was quick to disprove many stereotypes about sharks that are portrayed in the movies and the media.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a shark coming right at you, then you can go beyond the hysteria and media hype,” Collier said.

The packed student center hung on Collier’s every word as he recalled his more than 40 years of studying and interacting with sharks.

“I’ve always had an obsession with sharks, this guy really knows his stuff; it’s awesome,” freshman Raul Campos said.

He made it clear that despite being vicious killers, the great white is very intelligent and is capable of making calculated decisions while hunting. He said one hunting tactic used by great whites, called “spyhopping,” demonstrates their intellect. By sticking their heads out of water they get a good view of their surroundings and are able to smell prey from miles away, that would go undetected underwater.

Collier was adamant in dist inguishing between the behavior of sharks in the movies and the behavior he has studied for a large part of his life.

The reality is that sharks, including the Great White, seldom attack humans. When they do it is almost always because they have been provoked or backed into a corner. This by no means downplays the danger they pose to their pray.

GREAT WHITE: Science lecture cleared up misconceptions about sharks.

“They have a fabulous sense of smell that is constantly renewed, they have the had an hour to speak, but I think ability to see in great detail, they it was the most important part of really are the perfect predator,” his lecture,” professor Victoria Collier said.

Buresch said.

The sight of a 20-foot killing Besides appearing on TV and machine swimming at top speed and giving lectures to students, would strike fear into the hearts Collier has been called halfway of most, but for Collier, its all part around the world to investigate of the job. He showed a number a number of unexplained shark of pictures and videos of up attacks. A 5-star resort in Egypt close encounters he has had with requested his help after a number massive sharks. The highlight of tourists had had been viciously of the slideshow came when a attacked by a single shark. shark circled the diver’s cage and After investigating, Collier urinated all over the divers. concluded these attacks were the “That was his way of saying get fault of the resort employees, who out of here, I don’t want you here,” were using divers to feed sharks Collier said. to attract them close to the resort Collier’s knowledge of sharks for tourists to see. The divers had was on full display during the trained the sharks to associate short hour. Most shark experts humans with food, and their plan believe sharks eat exclusively had backfired. fish until they are big enough to Collier recalled how shocked eat marine mammals, then they the hotel officials were at hearing graduate to eating exclusively that they were responsible for the larger animals. Like many attacks. He recalled one official commonly held theories on asking how they could “untrain sharks, Collier proved this to be the shark.” wrong as well.

After a laugh, he revisited his “It all about availability and central point that most shark capability, a pup isn’t capable of attacks are the fault of humans, catching and eating a seal, and an whether we know it or not. The adult shark won’t pass up a chance misconceptions that many people to eat fish,” he said. have about sharks is a driving Despite being a fearsome force behind Collier’s research. hunter, many species of shark are He is out to prove that they in danger of going extinct. Collier need to thrive in their habitat was very clear to the audience without extensive intervention by that sharks need an untainted people. habitat where they are free to mate and hunt without human intervention.

Alexander Davis can be reached at “I am very happy he touched davis.alex60@yahoo.com on conservation, I know he only

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OPINION

The Government Is Watching You Read This

By Agnessa Kasumyan EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

Be careful what you say over the phone — you’re actually in a three-way call, except it’s the National Security Agency and you’re not supposed to know about it. Remember “Mean Girls,” when unsuspecting Cady Heron didn’t know Gretchen Weiner was listening in on her conversation with Regina George? Yeah, well, you’re Katie and the NSA is Gretchen.

Fetch, right?

The NSA, a United States intelligence organization, is under fire for its clandestine activities after former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked classified documents regarding United States and United Kingdom surveillance and spying programs.

Privacy in a world dominated by social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is sorely amusing, particularly when email and cellular phones are the most common devices of communication.

Unfortunately, these technological breakthroughs have allowed the world to more closely resemble a dystopian novel coming to life, with George Orwell’s fictional accounts of government surveillance in his novel, “1984,” beginning to slowly seep into reality.

Snowden’s actions have left the nation in a sensitive state of confusion, outrage, and hero worship.

In all honesty, if nobody guessed that the government could keep track of them through their witty Facebook statuses and aweinspiring Twitter rants, they’re probably too disengaged from reality to even care that they’re being spied on. Snowden’s actions only confirmed what most people already feared: a potential Big Brother hand meddling in their lives.

Whether or not one views Snowden as a whistleblower or a traitor, there is no denying that he has sparked unease among citizens concerned about their privacy due the NSA’s access to largely private information. In an interview with Glenn Greenwald, a columnist for The Guardian, Snowden claimed that the NSA intends to make “every conversation and every form of behavior in the world known to them.”

Through the NSA’s use of a software program called PRISM, created in 2007 under the Bush

Administration, both the NSA and its British equivalent, the Government Communications Headquarters, can mine data and gain access to material such as email content, file transfers, live chats, and so forth — all without obtaining a warrant.

A recent New York Times report states that since November of 2010 the agency has allowed the tracking of phone and email logs in order to study Americans’ foreign social associations for foreign intelligence purposes. Considering the U.S. is the land of immigrants, this should make most people feel uneasy when they’re speaking to friends or family in a different country through Skype.

However, it’s not only American citizens who should be concerned.

Brett Logiurato of The Business Insider reported that Snowden revealed that the U.S. “repeatedly hacked into Chinese computers” and spied on its allies.

Definitely not “fetch.”

Snowden’s intention in revealing NSA documents d o e s n ’ t matter in this case. If he’s a narcissist who did this for attention or a traitor who sold out for money we don’t know about, then he should have to face the consequences of his actions, but in terms of national awareness, his actions have slapped Americans back into reality and out of the cyber world that has created an illusory bubble around them.

However, it is important to note that Snowden prior to leaving the country and revealing the classified documents, Snowden lived a life of comfort in Hawaii with a salary of roughly $200,000 a year, a loving family, and a girlfriend, according to Greenwald. Yet, he left all that behind and put his livelihood at risk to reveal shady government secrets.

On July 17, Greenwald published an email between Snowden and former Republican Sen. Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire, in which Humphrey stated that, as long as long as Snowden did not reveal information that put intelligence agents at risk, he was right in exposing what

he saw as “a massive violation of the United States Constitution.”

Yet, despite the massive invasion of privacy, the Senate Intelligence Committee is trying to pass a bill that will allow the NSA to keep records of peoples’ phone calls, the New York Times reports.

The government and its operating organizations need to be held accountable for their presumptuous activities Photo by The Guardian/AP and access to the personal SPILLING SECRETS: Edward Snowden revealed classified NSA documents regarding information of citizens, as the agency’s surveillance programs, deeming its actions a violation of privacy well as the international community abroad. beings have an inalienable the importance of privacy, nor That is not to say Snowden’s right to privacy. should it be used as a valid excuse revelation of classified information Thomas Jefferson has no doubt to spy on citizens. has not been without risk. turned over in his Monticello grave Being cursed with an existence Governments ware entitled to several times by now called humanity, we all have secrets that benefit their people The world is a dangerous something to hide — but it’s our and the general place and, unfortunately, fearing right to have secrets and private population in terrorism, bomb threats, and school conversations without fearing that instances of shootings has become a common a third party has access. Whether terrorism or part of life. Some may argue that it’s an actual human being or a war.

Without if the NSA can stop potential computer doing the searches, the government mass killings by mining data and it’s still an invasion of privacy if taking certain having access to emails, phone the persons being searched have actions, including conversations, and so forth, then given officials no reason to suspect spying and it’s worth the assault on privacy. terrorism or acts of malice. surveillance, In some cases, it may be; Because the Internet is such American citizens however, allowing the NSA and a vast venue for communication may not be privy government agencies to have and research, it is essential for the to their mostly such uninhibited access to private legal system to catch up with the secure lifestyle. information is only asking for technological boom. Laws need According to trouble. It opens the door for a to be put into motion in order to NSA Director violation of basic human rights in protect individuals’ privacy online, Keith Alexander, the government’s the future. rather than allowing government surveillance efforts prevented many The public was not alerted agencies and other third parties to terrorist attacks in recent years, of PRISM’s installment and the exploit the Internet for surveillance including the 2009 New York City NSA’s search of metadata until and spying programs. subway bombing plot by Najibullah Snowden’s leakages. Though If the NSA is reading this, then Zazi. informing the public would have take note — just don’t put us on However, despite NSA claims alerted potential terrorist groups your target list. that their surveillance programs are and thus have allowed them to essential in fighting and detecting dodge efforts of tracking them, fear Agnessa Kasumyan can be reached at potential acts of terrorism, human of terrorism should not overpower agnessakas@gmail.com

Whether or not one views Snowden as a whistleblower or a traitor, there is not denying that he has sparked unease

Get: photos, breaking news, online stories, View: slide shows and broadcasts.

Join: online forums and discussion boards.

Add: events to the calendar, all at …

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New Laborat

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LEVEL

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LEVEL

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Architectural Rend

BRIGHT FUTURE: The new Laborator ous departments and services. The floor time, note that the third floor is a partial

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tory/College Services

uilding Planned for 2015

derings for L/CS Building Courtesy of NTD

ry/College Services building will house numerr plans shown are the latest available at press l plan. See related story on page 1.

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

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Review

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‘Don Jon’ Leaves Much to be Desired

By Alexandra Duncan EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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irst-time director and writer Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s (actor, “Lincoln”, 2012) directorial debut is predictable and tasteless. The film’s dialogue is riddled with unnecessary F-bombs left and right and misses the mark on originality and humor.

Gordon-Levitt’s usual boyish and dimpled charm shown in the film “500 Days of Summer” is replaced by a masculine, egotistical lover of porn who feels more comfortable with pornographic movies than he does with the actual living, breathing females he has the pleasure of enjoying almost every night.

Jon Martello, is a handsome, gym-obsessed, ladies man who is addicted to Internet porn.

“Don Jon” starts out strong, opening with multiple erotic sequences and shocking audiences by showing off the main character’s in-your-face

porn addiction.

“There’s only a few things I really care about in life. My body.

My pad. My ride. My family. My church. My boys. My girls. My porn.” This is Martello’s constant mantra.

Adult entertainment is so entwined in the faithful Catholic’s life that in every visit to the confession box he is compelled to list the number of times he has viewed porn. His confessions are often met with a bored, monotone response of “Say 10 Hail Marys.”

He finally breaks through his playboy lifestyle one night at a club when he spots Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson, Iron Man 2), by his accounting a perfect 10 after a night of sixes and sevens.

Sugarman, a gum-smacking Jersey princess obsessed with romantic comedies, brings another unhealthy addiction to the table. With both of their lives out of touch with reality, their relationship becomes fragile, especially when Sugarman

Photo by Anthony Walton

CLASS 16: The 2013 Verdugo Fire Academy cadets gave equpment demonstrations and welcomed GCC faculty members at a barbecue Thursday evening.

UNLIKELY ROMANTIC COMEDY: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlett Johansson star in “Don Jon” a movie about one man’s porn addiction and the unrealistic expectations of today’s relationships.

discovers Martello watching porn on his computer.

Jon and Sugarman’s

outrageously exaggerated “Joisey” accents add caricature-like qualities to the two characters but gives more substance to Jon’s two-sided character. Despite this, Gordon-Levitt and Johansson’s chemistry is spot on.

The comedic element that makes the film is Don Jon’s obsession with porn. A long-time relationship with Sugarman does not prevent his addiction from fading. With each pornographic viewing session, the audience takes a tour through Jon’s most frequently visited website as we see flashes of gaping mouths, bare bottoms and naked chests; the soundtrack punctuated with exaggerated moans and gasps.

One positive aspect of the movie is how it addresses the important issues of realistic versus unrealistic portrayals of relationships and sex and tackles the degradation of females, especially in porn. Martello goes from a demeaning playboy to a man who respects women.

Jon’s introduction to Esther played by Julianne Moore (The English Teacher, 2013), a woman he meets at a night class Sugarman coaxed him into, exposes a softer and deeper side to his character and reveals his hidden morals. Moore’s character

certainly brings more complexity to the movie but her chemistry with Martello is awkward and uncomfortable to watch. The pairing of the two actors seemed last minute and the plot twists around their strange relationship which eventually leads to Sugarman breaking up with Martello due to her objection to his porn addiction.

The rushed ending of “Don Jon” is a disappointment. There is no happily-ever-after but Martello does learn to break the mold on his unrealistic outlook toward sex as he discovers the art of making love.

This movie runs for 90 minutes is rated R due to language, sexual content and nudity. 2 out of 5 stars.

 Alexandra Duncan can be reached at alexandran.duncan@gmail.com

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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Human Figure Inspires Art Gallery Theme

By Araks Terteryan EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

L

azy Susan Part 3: Go Figure, a series of exhibitions highlighting figurative artists and their relationship to the historical art fabric of Los Angeles, is now on display at the GCC Art Gallery A lazy susan is a party dish — with compartments for condiments, which spins around in the middle of the dinner table. This name perfectly fits with this exhibition.

Mahara T. Sinclaire, who is the curator of the exhibition and one of the featured artists said, “I chose this name as a metaphor because I have various artists, and they all are spinning around this theme. I think it gives a loose framework when you say that artists orbiting around this theme.”

The artists don’t have to be

spot on with the theme. That is why the idea of a lazy susan ideally matches this type of exhibition. They are related, but they are not exactly the same. All the artists use the same style, yet their work is unique.

The main theme of this exhibition is L.A. artists who use the human figure in the surface of their ideas. Artists use a figure as a base for abstraction. The featured artists are: Judie Bamber, F. Scott Hess, Gegam Kacherian, Jim Morphesis, Mahara T. Sinclaire and Eloy Torrez.

Bamber uses a figure as an entryway into a world of unexpected terrain. F. Scott Hess is noteworthy for his exceptional figuration and paint handling.

Kacherian’s works evoke a strange world of a surreal and fantastic nature. Torrez lightens the Latino perspective in his works. Morphesis uses the human

Photo by Araks Terteryan

LAZY SUSAN PART 3: GO FIGURE, Mahara T. Sinclaire, curator of the exhibition and art instructor at GCC, explains the high points of “To Be Continued” by artist Eloy Torrez, 2009. figure expressively as well.

The most unique artwork is “Slick,” made by Sinclaire in 2010 in response to the to the 2010 Gulf

of Mexico oil spill when British fabric of Los Angeles and Petroleum’s (BP) Deepwater Hollywood’s legacy.

Horizon oil rig exploded. That This piece is named so, explosion led to a disaster in the because it is just the first half of ocean and enormous pollution.

Torrez’s artwork. The artist keeps In her artwork, Sinclaire working on this series of paintings expressed her feelings and and might add two paintings or emotions regarding this issue. more, it is “ to be continued.”

She was so disgusted at the This painting has a deep non-stop polluting and nothing cultural theme. His work has a seemed to lot of symbolism stop it, so she as well as “In my piece, I use tried to paint mythology in it. the figure as an her feeling of These L.A. revulsion. artists all share opportunity to talk “In my a belief that about issues the oil the figure is piece, I use the figure as an an effective spill, or just how it opportunity tool to express feels to be a part of to talk about their ideas and society.” issues the oil feelings. spill, or just The accent — Mahara T Sinclaire of the artwork how it feels to be a part of is really society. There figuration in is a lot of psychological feeling,” the surface, but also sort of a said Sinclaire. surrealism in some way. The The leading artwork of this artists all use the method toward exhibition is “To Be Continued” different ideas.

by Eloy Torrez, 2009.

Lazy Susan Part 3: Go Figure Torrez has long participated in runs through Oct. 17. the L.A. art scene, highlighting and honoring Latino personalities Araks Terteryan can be reached at terteryanaraks@gmail.com who have contributed to the

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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

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SPORTS

Vaqueros Fall Short in the Marauders Crusade

By Jonathan Williams EL VAQUERO SPORTS EDITOR

F

our kickoffs were returned for touchdowns at Sartoris Field on Saturday. Three of those came 30 seconds into the first quarter.

GCC returned the ball for two touchdowns—the most in school history.

It wasn’t enough.

GCC fell short and lost its first home game of the season 30-37 to the Antelope Valley Marauders.

Linebacker Noche Nwofer notched two tackles with one sack.

“It was a battle from start to finish,” Nwofer said.

The Marauders won the coin toss and elected to defend. GCC opened with the football.

GCC made a push downfield in the opening drive and pushed into Marauder territory. After three downs with no success, the Vaqueros attempted a field goal.

The snap was fumbled and recovered by Antelope Valley and returned all the way to the GCC end zone. After a Marauder penalty the touchdown was

waved off, but the next one was not.

Wide receiver and return man Alexander Byers of the Marauders found a hole through the special teams to tally a 65 GCC yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Vaqueros would respond with 20 more yards.

GCC special teams man Nathan Weston ran a whopping 85-yard kickoff return to tack on six for the Vaqueros. The point after was good to put GCC up one.

Antelope Valley wasn’t finished. Byers struck again. He returned the pigskin 88 yards for another Marauder touchdown, besting GCC by three.

GCC had the last laugh in the Marauder crusade. Weston would again return the kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.

The second quarter was less superhuman; both teams only scored a total of nine points combined. GCC went into halftime down 17-22.

The third quarter was highlighted by a Marauder 67yard touchdown pass to Byers

from quarterback Benji Philippe.

GCC failed to tack on any points and found themselves down 1729.

GCC gained some momentum in the 4th. Vaq quarterback Sean Murphy led the charge throwing both of his two touchdown passes to wide receiver Isaiah Bernard.

The crowd was split, both equally loud.

The Vaqueros attempted the point after only to come up short.

GCC was up 1 with 1:21 to go in the 4th. That changed.

“We let it slip through our fingers,” Nwofer said.

On a routine kickoff, Alexander Byers returned the ball down the left sideline to meet a

wall of defenders. He cut back and the wall toppled over.

Byers, like in the first half, took the ball 77 yards to crush any hopes of a Vaquero comeback.

“There’s going to be mistakes,” said head coach John Rome, “that was just a great play.”

GCC looked to run the ball in the first half.

“We need to become a better running team,” he said. The Vaqueros led the game with more than 200 yards rushing. “That was the game plan,” he said.

The GCC defense and special teams gave up a total of 751 yards. Alexander Byers had 292 of them. Nwofer was quick to defend his team.

“We’re out for blood when we’re on defense,” said Nwofer.

GCC did have six sacks in the game and two interceptions and returned for 225 yards on special teams.

“They can throw 100 picks and we’ll still have their back,” Nwofer said in regards to the offense.

“We’re here to make plays for them and us,” he said.

GCC looks to bounce back from the paralyzing home loss when it faces Santa Monica City College on Friday at 1 p.m.

Jonathan Williams can be reached at haxial.jonathan@gmail.com

Vaquero Sports Summaries Results Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Sept. 21 — Mustang Challenge

women — finished fifth

men — finished second Friday — Golden West Invitational women — finished first men — finished first

Women’s Soccer: Sept. 20 — tied Mira Costa 0-0 Friday — lost to Pierce 0-3

Men’s Soccer: Sept. 20 — beat Allan Hancock 3-1 Sept. 24 — lost to Mission 6-1 Friday — lost to Santa Barbara 2-0

Women’s Volleyball: Photo by Seneyda Rodriguez Sept. 19 — lost to Orange Coast 3-0 Sept. 20-21 — at S.D. Mesa Tourney won 2, lost 2 Wednesday — lost to Santa Barbara 3-0 Saturday — at Victor Valley Tourney lost 2

Women’s Golf: Sept. 23 — at Santa Barbara City College WSC placed 13th

Football: Sept. 21 — beat S.D. Mesa 41-6 Saturday — lost to Antelope Valley 37-30

Upcoming Events Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Friday — WSC Preview at Ventura 3 p.m.

Oct. 12 — Vanguard Invitational at Costa Mesa 9 a.m.

Photo by Kathy Bakowicz

KICKIN’ IT: GCC kicker David Rivera gives the ready signal to his teamates

on the opening kickoff in 30-37 loss at home against Antelope Valley on Saturday. There were four kickoff returns for touchdowns in the first quarter.

Correction

In the Sept. 18 issue football players Sean Murphy and Brandon Foley were mistaken. Quarterback Sean Murphy threw for three touchdowns and 245 yards with no interceptions. Runningback Brandon Foley ran 35 yards and a touchdown.

Women’s Volleyball: Friday — vs. Bakersfield 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 — at Antelope Valley 6 p.m.

Oct. 11 — vs. West L.A. 7 p.m.

Oct. 16 — at Citrus 7 p.m.

Women’s Golf: Oct. 9 — WSC Citrus at Marshall Canyons Kristine Tuzon can be reached at GC 11 a.m. ktuzon342@student.glendale.edu Oct. 14 — WSC Bakersfield at Stockdale CC 10:30 a.m.

Football: Saturday at Santa Monica 1 p.m.

Men’s Soccer: Friday — vs. Moorpark 7 p.m.

Tuesday — at Oxnard 4 p.m.

Women’s Soccer: Friday — at West L.A. 4 p.m.

For Tuesday — at Antelope Valley 4 p.m.

Formore moreinformation informationsee: visit: http://www.glendale.edu/athletics/ Oct. 11 — vs. College of the Canyons 4 p.m. www.glendale.edu/athletic

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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

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Calendar On Campus EVENTS Student Talent Show — Cash prizes for the winners. Sponsored

by ASGCC. Open to all. Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the cafeteria quad. For info call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5733.

seling Workshop — Learn how to apply for federal loans. Advance sign up is required at the Financial Aid Office in the San Fernando complex. Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. in SF 105, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. in SF 108, and Oct. 15 at 3:30 p.m. in SF 104. For information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5916.

Play Games for Prizes — The Scholars Program will host a contest of tabletop games and participants will win prizes based on a point system. Open to all students. Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in SC 212.

Free Money — Scholarships are available for students that have a 2.5 GPA and 12 completed units.

More than 500 scholarships totaling $300,000 are available. The deadline to apply is Oct. 16. For more information visit: www.

Bone Marrow Drive — ASGCC glendale.edu/scholarships or call and bethematch.org will host a (818) 240-1000, ext. 5591. bone marrow registry drive for those afflicted with blood cancer on Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MUSIC Hispanic Heritage Celebration — Cultural booths, food, music and performances. Sponsored by ASGCC Campus Activities. Oct. 15 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero.

Faculty Recital — Music department faculty will perform both solos and duets. Free. April 25 in the Auditorium at 12:20 p.m.

CLUBS

Friday Flix: — Students and faculty can attend a screening of part one of the 1960 French New Wave classic “Breathless,” directed by Jean-Luc Godard and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. Free on Friday at 12:30 p.m. in SG 334. Then on Oct. 11, Quentin Tarantino’s 1991 classic crime drama “Reservoir Dogs” will be shown. The film stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen. Students are encouraged to bring snacks and drinks. A discussion facilitated by instructor Mike Petros follows both screenings.

I.O.C. Meeting — The second meeting for club repesentatives will be on Monday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in SC 212.

S.O.S. Grant Applications — Grants are available to support registered clubs and organizations. The deadline is Thursday.

For more information visit www. glendale.edu/AS or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 3126.

FINANCIAL FAFSA Workshops — Get help filling out federal financial aid applications. Free. Friday at 9 am in SF 108, Oct. 9 at 9 a.m. in SF 107 and Oct. 14 at 3 p.m. in SF 108. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5384.

MOVIES

TUTORING

Learning Center — Tutors are available in a variety of subjects.

Referral from an instructor, counselor or librarian is required.

Computers are available. Monday Federal Entrance Loan Coun- through Thursday from 8 a.m. to

HAVE YOUR CAMPUS EVENT LISTED ON THE CALENDAR PAGE

8 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in AD 232. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5333.

Math Discovery Center — The newly remodeled facility offers increased computer access and drop-in tutoring for all levels of math. Students must be be currently enrolled in a math course.

Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in AS 103. For additional information call (818) 2401000, ext. 5362.

PLANETARIUM Afternoon with the Stars — Students and staff can attend a free lunchtime program highlighting the planetarium’s features. “What are Venus and Mars really like?” will be presented on Monday and Oct. 14 from 12:30 to 1 p.m. in CS 257. For information visit www.glendale.edu/planetarium or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5275.

ART GALLERY “Lazy Susan 3: Go Figure” — The exhibit showcases work by

by Judie Bamber, F. Scott Hess, Gegam Kacherian, Jim Morphesis, Eloy Torrez and Mahara T. Sinclaire exhibition curator and GCC art instructor The exhibit runs through Oct. 17. Free. For gallery hours call (818) 2401000, ext. 5663.

WORKSHOP APA Documentation — Learn about stylistic writing requirements mandated by the American Psychological Association. Monday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in AD 232. Free. Students are encouraged to register online. For more information, visit www. glendale.edu/learningcenter or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5341.

Fragments — Learn about different kinds of fragments and how to correct each; work on practice exercises. Tuesday from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. in AD 232.

MLA Documentation — Learn about stylistic requirements mandated by the Modern Language Association. Monday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in AD 232. Free.

Students are encouraged to register online. For more information, visit www.glendale.edu/learningcenter or call (818) 240-1000, ext.

5341.

Proofreading Techniques — Learn a variety of techniques for proofreading and practice editing passages. Free. Oct. 14 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in AD 232.

Avoiding Vague Language — Learn how to be more direct and less vague. Free. Oct. 15 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in AD 232.

RESEARCH Improving Library Research — This workshop focuses on identifying different types and sources of information, scholarly (peer-reviewed/refereed) journals vs. popular magazines evaluating search results for timeliness, usefulness, authority, etc. Register for all library workshops in MyGCC. Today at 10:45 a.m. and Oct. 11 at 12:30 p.m. in LB 313.

Research Strategies — This workshop focuses on the process of doing research using print and electronic library resources, choosing a research topic and keywords, searching using Boolean terms, identifying appropriate library resources for the topic, revising the research question, keeping track of search information and more. Today at 12:30 p.m., Saturday at 12:45 p.m., Oct. 9 at 10:45 a.m., and Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. in LB 313.

Library Introduction — This workshop provides a basic introduction to library resources and services. Students will also learn how to use online catalogs and databases. It has been developed for ESL students and other students who are new to GCC. Saturday at 11:15 a.m., Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., Oct. 12 at 12:45 p.m., and Oct. 15 at 11 a.m in LB 313.

Citing Sources — In this workshop, students will discuss and work on issues of ethical and legal use of information such as: how citations work, paraphrasing correctly, interpreting bibliographic information, how to a style guide to create a works cited paged and more. Tuesday at 11 a.m., Oct. 14 at 12:30 p.m.

Library Online Catalogs — This workshop covers basic and advanced searching in online library catalogs, keyword vs. subject heading searching, collecting bibliographic data, and more.

Thursday at 12:30 p.m., Monday at 9:30 a.m. and Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in LB 313.

HEALTH Meditation — Guided by insight meditation facilitator JoAnna Harper with no prior experience needed. Free. Oct. 9 from 12:20 to 1:30 p.m. in AD 223.

Mental Health Counseling — Free and available to all students.

For information or to schedule a appointment visit the Health Center in the San Rafael Building. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nutritional Counseling — Free.

For information or to schedule a appointment visit the Health Center in the San Rafael Building.

Compiled by Eric Bourse

• Email the event details to elvaqed@gmail.com.

• Call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349 and leave a message on our 24/7 event hotline, we’ll get right back to you.

• The deadline for the Oct. 16 issue is Oct 10.

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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

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LIFESTYLE

ASGCC and Volunteers Clean the Footbridge

Photos by Kathy Bakowicz

OPERATION CLEANUP: ASGCC gets a little help cleaning the Verdugo footbridge from GCC President David Viar and volunteers on Sept. 18. The middle photo shows the bridge during the cleanup and the bottom photo shows the results.