STUDENTS WEIGH IN ON SAFETY MEASURES
By: Matthew Garcia
As Rio Hondo College welcomes students back to campus, concerns over safety remain top of mind for many. While some students feel secure during the day, the campus’s nighttime atmosphere raises different feelings.
“I feel safe during the day because there are many students when I get to school and as I’m leaving,” said Alyssa Silva, a third-year student.
“But I don’t think I’d feel safe at night because there aren’t as many people, and it’s dark.”
Silva’s thoughts reflect a common sentiment among students, especially when it comes to the lack of noticeable security presence during later hours. Although she hasn’t personally had any safety-related incidents, Silva believes the campus could benefit from increased patrols and improved lighting.
“I’ve never had to interact with security, but I think more patrols could make a difference,” Silva said. Leading the efforts to improve
safety on campus is Todd Rogers, the newly appointed chief of Rio Hondo’s police department and current mayor of Lakewood. Rogers has been in the position for only three
during the day and at night. The department is also planning a swearing-in ceremony for the new officers once the task force is fully operational. Despite a relatively low number
weeks but has ambitious plans to enhance security.
He’s working to hire a new task force to strengthen the campus police department, which currently has just one officer on patrol.
“Our goal is to deter crime by being visible,” Rogers said.
In addition to preventative patrols, Rogers emphasized that his task force will focus on high-traffic areas to ensure that students feel safe, both
of reported crimes in the past six years, Rogers noted that unreported incidents, such as vandalism and hitand-runs, are still a concern.
The campus’s safety infrastructure, including security cameras, is another area undergoing maintenance. While most cameras are functional, some are in various stages of repair. Robert G., a librarian who
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH MORE THAN PINK WALK PREVIEW
By: Esmeralda Rodarte
To introduce this walk by susan komen, The more then pink walk is actually The largest fundraising event that has gone on for cancer awareness month.
People that are breast cancer survivors and every year they’ve hosted across us worldwide expansions of the Walk. They’ve had had some across the main states such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Texas, New York
This expansion of the Walk has gone around for 40 years and has just been throughout one organization but throughout having a lot of the walks that are between the US, they have also expanded within outside the country from interviewing the organizer from los angeles Sylvia Constanca, she has stated as well that “paris, has a walk there and it’s pretty cool that that has been seen coming from there.
As I stated earlier
I interviewed Sylvia Constanca, the Los Angeles organizer for this Susan Komen
walk and Another question I wanted to Ask her is “How much does this walk mean to you?” ? and she stated “This walk means a lot to me just because my mom Passed away from breast cancer and has really impacted me to just say that I’m proud that I’m still organizing and still
keeping this field up to date and she also states that Latinos especially her being Hispanic that it means a lot to her because she knows she comes from that type of background and how her background means a lot to her and how people are just impacted
by every day and even men she says are very impacted by every day” I even responded by saying how “does that mean it hits close to home?” She responded “Yes it does hit very close to home, and that Latinos are also the most Highest ranking with being diagnosed with breast cancer”, The other person i got to talk about breast cancer and being diagnosed with it was a mother named diane soto, she is a breast cancer survivor and has stated “most of my struggles come from mental health and having me be the warrior that i can be.”
This upcomings race is coming on October 5th! Located at the beautiful exposition park and will be accepting donations throughout the week at Komen.org there at 328,078 raised and 500,000 of their goal!!! Please consider donating and keep supporting a loved one, a friend or close acquaintance of breast cancer, support and appreciate everyone that is around you!
has worked at the college for 20 years, said the library has always been seen as a safe space on campus. “I can count on one hand the number of times students came to me with issues,” he said, noting that emergency evacuations have been the only significant safety concerns in his time here.
Freshman Saco Griego, who plays baseball at Rio Hondo, shares a laid-back
view of security on campus.
“I feel pretty chill during the day. You just gotta know how to act right,” Griego said. “I’d probably avoid being here at
night, though. Just to be safe.”
For Jamie, a bus driver at Rio Hondo, ensuring students feel comfortable is a priority. “I’ve never had any issues while working here,” Jamie said. “But more cameras and lighting would definitely help everyone feel safer.”
While Rio Hondo is generally regarded as a safe campus, students like Silva and Griego believe that increased security measures, especially at night, could go a long way toward making the college feel more secure for all who attend. With the upcoming addition of a new task force under Chief Rogers, many hope that these changes will help address students’ concerns. The task force will aim to increase patrols, enhance camera systems, and improve overall visibility, especially during the darker evening hours.
Students are optimistic that these efforts will live up to expectations and provide the extra layer of safety that many feel is currently lacking on campus.
MORE ON PAGE #4
The Rio Hondo roadrunners struggle against Cerritos Falcons.
Photo by Esmeralda Rodarte
Diane Soto and her dog named Baxter love to take walks together. A theraputic activity which helps Soto regulate her stress.
Photo by Matthew Garcia
“UNPLUGGED AND PLUGGED”
A RIO HONDO ART EXHIBIT
By: Jocleyn Mendoza
The Rio Hondo Art Gallery hosted the “UNPLUGGED/PLUGGED” exhibition from Aug. 26 to Sept. 25 displaying the works of six Los Angeles based artists: Tanaya Brodsky, Jamison Carter, Andrés Janacua, Tim Hawkison, Regina Herod, and Kristin Posehn. The showcase was mindfully curated by artist and professor at Rio Hondo College, Margaret Griffith. Griffith expresses her goal in exposing students to contemporary sculpture by displaying various ways to think about sculptures. Griffith explains the reason behind the title “UNPLUGGED/ PLUGGED” stating, “The title comes from my interest in the role of technology and sculpture today. I wanted to showcase artists that are using technology in interesting and innovative ways but I also wanted to show work that did not rely on technology” Carter implemented modern technology via a threedimensional printer that he used to fabricate his piece “Sisyphus’s Triumphs” - a display of 38 asteroids printed
with plastic materials. The resulting “asteroids” combined the concept of otherworldly material and future technology to produce a unique piece. Herod’s piece “Round & Round, Stomping on The Dream” uses a more direct approach in terms of application such as the melted wax and crushed up marbles, applying the unplugged aspect to her work with her limited use of technology with the exception of the welding of steel. This piece uses found material such as crystals and other decorative elements that can be found in and around one’s home. Posehn’s piece “Ghost Pearls” is based on abstraction of patterns found in lace. Posehn’s sculpture is made up of mirrored plexiglass where she used a handheld CNC router to individually hand cut the material. Brodsky uses the process of bronze casting in her mixed media work “Spitting in Corners” and uses conduit pipe for the “Outlet” displaying both accepts of plugged and unplugged.
Ivan Ortiz, a current student at Rio Hondo College, was drawn into the gallery out of his
curiosity for art. Ortiz was most captivated by one of Hawkson’s pieces titled “Ink drip tool”. The piece displayed a complex art piece made of up various mechanical components and tubing of variable dimensions - a piece of which can not be physically defined. Hawkinson created a machine with items that can be found around your home which created his other two works of art “Banub” and “Li” - a display of ink of synthetic paper. Ortiz enjoyed how the artist connected mundane items like a plastic bottle to make an art piece simply stating how “it looked cool”. When asked if he would recommend the gallery to others, Ortiz enthusiastically stated “Definitely.”
Janacua uses traditional
mexican weaving technique in creating his art pieces, reflecting the unplugged aspect of the showcase. Janacua also incorporates technology in using a CNC router to create the interactive designs on the side of the frame for his piece “Worm Fences”. Writer, art critic, and English professor at Rio Hondo College Zachary C. Jensen gave his thoughts on the recent exhibition expressing how ”the show does a great job bringing together various artists who reconceptualize and recontextualize the everyday object and transforms them into interesting works of art”. With his extensive knowledge in art Jensen was able to provide nuanced analysis. Jensen emphasizes the works of Juanacua stating how his pieces were “especially poignant with how they took the traditional Mexican/Indigenous art of weaving and transformed it into both a framed ‘painting’ and interesting interlocking sculpture pieces.” The pieces in the gallery demonstrate ways in which one can work with or without technology and in doing so Griffith hopes to create curiosity about art and to see art as accessible. She hopes to bring interest into the studio arts program and to take advantage of the three dimensional Design and sculpture courses offered at Rio Hondo College.
EMBRACING ONES CULTURE
By: Omar Lopez
Rio Hondo College hosted an event for Hispanic Heritage Month last Thursday in the main quad on campus. This was to celebrate hispanic heritage which usually takes place during mid September and early October. With Rio Hondo having a diverse pool of different cultures, groups, and backgrounds an event like this is rather normal for the college.
Rio’s student body constantly hosts events with the sole purpose of showcasing the diversity of their peers. So far as to even take pride in one’s background or to even learn more about where they come from. Even learning other cultures and traditions that may not be familiar to someone who isn’t part of that origin. It’s a great way to build a community and learn about one’s identity. Taking pride in where you come from and how you are represented can help build your own identity and
even make you appreciate the origins of your culture.
“It’s important to show our culture because everyone from community colleges come
come from. Carrancho also goes on to say, “Everyone is trying to fit in- It’s very important to spotlight the people here because obviously they need
from different communities and different ethnics- I think it’s important to embrace ethics here,” Chloe Carrancho, AS (Student body) member, said.
Embracing diversity and most importantly your origin can be so impactful in your life and overall enriching when it comes to learning about the world you
recognition also and to feel more accomplished in their society.”
Not only were there people who wanted to come out to show support to their own culture but also those who wanted to learn more about hispanic culture. “This is very important because it exposes alot of proudness and heritage in the community,” Alan Birdbear, full
time Rio Hondo student, said. Birdbear talks about how it can be beneficial to expose the community with this knowledge. He also feels a bit saddened by realizing that in his own culture he feels something is lacking in certain aspects when he said, “Unfortunately now I am seeing, Im native american, so in my generation I’ve seen us, slowly forgetting our language, our native language and I’ve seen a lot of hispanics lose their language and switch to english.” Some knowledge when it comes to one’s culture can get lost very easily with the times passing so quickly. Something that you could have known your whole life can be a completely new piece of information for others in different generations. Although, even with this realization Birdbear feels optimistic about how the school handles these events introducing and showing off different cultures. Birdman ends off saying, “If you’re latino it should not be something you’re shy of, it should be something you are proud of.”
Photo by Jocelyn Mendoza
Photo by Jocelyn Mendoza
Photo by Omar Lopez
Photo by Jocelyn Mendoza
LADY ROADRUNNERS STRUGGLE AGAINST CERRITOS FALCONS
By: Marissa Torres
On Wednesday September 25th Rio Hondo Roadrunners took on the Cerritos Falcons for women’s college volleyball at Rio Hondo College. The Roadrunners suffered a 0-3 loss against the Falcons.
The game was very intense and had a lot of amazing blocks, serves, and kills. It was the roadrunners first season game. 6 Maritza Flores, a first year at Rio Hondo College who has been playing volleyball for 4 years stated “today we didn’t play with confidence and normally we do play with confidence and we talk way more but I feel like it was just the nerves since it was our first game”.
First Set
The first set was a wake up call for the roadrunners. With the first ball being served the falcons aced the roadrunners a few times. The roadrunners struggled a bit with communication on knowing who was getting the ball. Meanwhile the Falcons were communicating and had a loud support from the players who weren’t playing in the game. Due to the lack of communication a few balls were dropped in the first set of the game which caused the Roadrunners to suffer a 7-25 loss in the first set of the game.
Second set
As the second set began the roadrunners had taken action and started to communicate and have amazing defense. In the first 8-10 points the Falcons and the roadrunners were tied 4-4 and 5-5 until the falcons took the lead but not for long. The Falcons tried to keep the ball up but unfortunately failed to do so which caused the roadrunners to catch up 12-11.
The rally in the second set continued and the score was 19-20. The Roadrunners started playing with more confidence and started to anticipate where the hits were going to go. The falcons and the roadrunners had a one point game the rest of the game. The Falcons ended up taking the win in the second set but the Roadrunners put up a fight with the final score being 26-28.
Third set
To start off the third set the Falcons started strong with amazing serves. It wasn’t looking good for the Roadrunners. The blocks from the Roadrunners was an all game thing and something that was very consistent. Eventually the Falcons had started to catch onto the blocks and started to read them. This ended up costing the Roadrunners points that could have possibly been theirs. Unfortunately the roadrunners did not succeed in keeping the ball up and took a really tough
loss with the score being 7-25. After the game when speaking to coach Wong, the new volleyball coach he stated “keep staying disciplined, their positive attitude is what’s driving them to do really good things on the court” when asked what the team needed to improve on.The season is barley beginning with many more games to go although it was a tough loss “we are not going to focus on what we missed but focus on all the good that we did” said coach Wong.
ADRIAN GONZALEZ BRINGS BUZZ TO PICO
By: Emilio Garcia
Fans flock to the local Pico Rivera Superior Grocery store for a chance to meet Adrian Gonzalez. On September 26, 2024, from 12 p.m until 1:30 p.m fans of Adrian Gonzalez and the Dodgers were able to meet, take a picture with him, and get his signature. Fans line up with dodgers memorabilia, with bobbleheads, baseballs, jerseys, and just about anything they could bring. This free event got the community excited about the Dodgers postseason by bringing an icon to Pico Rivera. As fans waited eagerly in line it gave them a chance to connect with one another as many talked to each other about their favorite Dodgers moments and what they were excited to see from the Dodgers in the future. Frequent Superior shopper Maricela Galvez knows all the employees and shoppers and was very excited about Adrian coming to town. Galvez said, “I have so many memories of going with my dad to watch Adrian play and it is special to see him up close and personal and not on the field.” Adrian Gonzalez is on the 2024 hall of fame ballot but many speculate whether he will make the cut. But, for many it does not matter
whether he makes it into the hall of fame or not because he is embedded into Mexican baseball culture already. I spoke with Chris Casillas, a fan and collector and asked how he felt about Adrian Gonzalez making it into the hall of fame. He said, “Adrian has already done so much for Mexican culture and has given Mexican kids someone to look up to. He may not be no Vinny Castilla but he is one of a handful of Mexican born players with over 300 home runs and he has a special place in our hearts.”
Chris Denney is the regional vice president for superior grocers and he said, “Adrian Gonzalez has a partnership with Jim Beam and asked us to set up this event to bring excitement to the community and for the Dodgers postseason.” A large portion of Pico Rivera has Mexican heritage and Adrian Gonzalez brings excitement to the area. Most fans said they waited a half hour in line to meet Adrian. Superior does events like this one to tie themselves with the community. Adrian is the second Dodgers player that Superiors has had this year, the first one being Andre Ethier. Andre did an event similar to this one at Superior Grocers in Lynwood. Superiors has a non profit
organization as well, where they give back to the community. They give back through their foundation by giving out books, backpacks, and school supplies at the beginning of the school year. The non-profit foundation is called Superior Grocers Re-Engineer and it was established in 1995 to help the local youth in the community.
#1 Megan Liggins dives to catch a ball and slighly misses. The roadrunners dedication is unmatched and still has that fighting spirit.
Photo by Marissa Torres
Photo by Marssa Torres
Photo by Emilio Garcia
Adrian Gonzalez meets with fans at Superior Grocers in Pico last Thursday. Gonzalez was here for a free event for the people of the community.
Photo by Emilio Garcia