Chávez celebration
Hot off the press
BVC now Pac-7
Story on the 2014 César Chávez Awards Recognition event — page 3
LMC Student gets cartoon strip published in the Brentwood Press — page 4
Update on shake-ups in the conference and next season’s schedule — page 5
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F.Y.I. Important Dates April is Autism Awareness Month April 7
Begin priority registration for EOPS, DSPS, qualified foster youth, CalWorks
April 8
Special registration for DSPS note takers, early graduation applicants, qualified athletes
April 23
Begin registration for continuing students by appointment
2014 summer schedule out Check out the 2014 schedule of classes for this summer online at losmedanos.edu/schedule
Career fair upcoming The Transfer Academy is hosting an Informational Career Fair Thursday, April 10, 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in L-109. Some career disciplines that will be topics on the agenda are health care, business, journalism, psychology, history and technology. Free refreshments will be provided. Contact Ashley Adams at aadams@losmedanos. edu for more information.
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Academy of excellence Teaches life skills for school success
Teachers from various Bay Area schools participate in an activity during the Day of ACE event last Friday.
attractive than college and giving up due to issues centered Teachers, students and staff around fear and anxiety and from throughout the Bay Area a feeling as though they are Photo by Cathie Lawrence came together Friday, March not “college material.” The ACE Program will 28 as Los Medanos College held A Day of ACE (Academy attempt to support students in their endeavors all the way of College Excellence). ACE is a full-time program through their college career. that helps underprepared com- It will attempt to “light the fire munity college students devel- for learning” with the student op the necessary academic while monitoring progress, motivating qualifications the student, and skills to dealing with succeed in behavior both college and helping and in life. the student To ingratithrough life ate the group problems of about 30 as they go people, LMC through their Math Profesacademic casor and ACE reer. Faculty MemAfter mulber Tue Rust titudes of and Berkeley slides that City College continued to ACE Faculty look at the Member EsACE Prother Suarez Photo by Cathie Lawrence gram and presented ACE faculty member how it goes slides showabout helping the vari- Esther Suarez times the ing students, ous statistics group during an activity. the group did the program is attempting to turn around. an experimental activity on The stats include evidence bio-reaction. Bio-reaction is the immedithat bachelor degree attainment by the age of 24 for high- ate response the human body er income students continues and mind have in reaction to to rise over 80 percent while an event using one of the four lower income students hover responses; fight, flight, freeze and appease. The goal of the around 10 percent. The percentage gap is due to activity was to understand the a number of reasons, as they reasons why a student would take into account the variety of react differently to potentially struggles and issues students challenging situations in their are going through individually, life and how they may not have such as having fragmented much actual control in their families and having unhealthy responses to diversity. Rust paralleled the example living situations. Rust and Suarez went over of a student failing a test and the three main root problems feeling like they are going to Photo by Irvin Trigueros of underprepared students; “die” because of their failure Life problems becoming when, in fact, that is not true. Math Instructor and ACE faculty member Tue Rust fields an answer from Janelle overwhelming, life being more See ACE, page 6 Tillotson during the Day of ACE event Friday, March 28 in room L-109. By BRENDAN CROSS
bcross@lmcexperience.com
Debaters place among top at tourney Three straight high finishes at nationals By SUZZANNE SPERRY
ssperry@lmcexperience.com
Deadline for STEM nearing
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The Los Medanos College Debate Team took third place at the National Parliamentary Debate Association Championship Tournament in Flagstaff, Arizona at Northern Arizona University over spring break. Assistant Professor of Communications Kasey Gardner said, “I’m very proud of our short but very successful history at LMC Debate. Over the three years the program has existed, we’ve taken third, second and third again respectively at nationals in our community college division.
Truly great work from our students and coaching staff including Dr. Dave Zimny and Professor Marie Arcidiacono.” The debate teams were issued their topics 20 minutes before the competition. LMC had four wins and four losses. The LMC Debate Team included eight students total, each of whom were paired with a partner. “During a debate, I remember me and my partner, Kevin Orozco, were up against a university team. There is this term called spreading where a team speaks their point really fast. My partner and I had to say ‘clear’ several times which makes the other team slow down and clarify their speech. At this point we knew we lost so we decided to go out with a bang and when it was my partner’s turn to speak he spoke his speech in Spanish. Everyone just stopped writing,” said debate team member
“I’m very proud of our short but very successful history at LMC Debate.” — Kasey Gardner
Miguel Mauricio. “In a way, it solidified us as a team because it showed we had good strategies too, despite coming from a community college. Our win was a collective effort from all involved, our coaches, the team members and the prep work everyone put into it,” he added. Assistant Debate Coach Marie Arcidiacono said, “The 2014 National Parliamentary Debate See TOP, page 6
5-year plan nearly ready
The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program provides scholarships for LMC students who are majoring in STEM fields. Scholars will receive between $3,000-$5,000 each year based on need. To apply, go to losmedanos.edu/stem/scholars. asp. The application deadline is April 7.
Final meeting aids in solving questions By BRENDAN CROSS
bcross@lmcexperience.com
Photo by Irvin Trigueros
Interim Dean of Student Services David Belman and Math Professor Erich Holtmann discuss questions raised during the third and final strategic meeting.
The third and final strategic planning meeting Friday, March 28 saw a mix of about 30 students, faculty and staff hash out the keys to developing a 5-year plan for Los Medanos College. Despite the lower than expected turnout, those who did attend were able to bounce ideas off of each other, as well
as Senior Dean of Research and Planning Greg Stoup for the District, who led the event. To kick things off, some statistics were shown that relayed the fact that LMC is in good shape in terms of meeting prior goals. The number of students for the 2012-13 school year who transferred to either a UC or CSU was 381, while the goal number was set at 362. Between the years of 2007 and 2011, the percent of students who completed developmental ed math has risen from 32 percent to 38.5 percent while the percent for developmental ed English
also raised from 58.8 percent to 64.8 percent. Afterward, the four different tables discussed questions raised by Stoup. In the first discussion, the questions asked were why, in the second district meeting, was it was brought up that LMC suffered from an inaccurate and outdated image as well as why the perception is that LMC’s first goal is to prepare students to work rather than to transfer. The overall perception of the group on that topic was that the image relates to members of the community See PLAN, page 6
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Jared Ambuehl
Is anyone else just completely worn out by the constant bombardier of “selfies� on social media sites? It seems like every day I go on Instagram and see a teenage girl taking a picture of herself trying to be super pretty, and it just sickens me. It’s not just the fact that they post pictures of themselves to get attention that pisses me off. These girls are dressing like streetwalkers, and that’s not even the worst part of it. The worst part about all this social media attention-seeking to me is that these girls get tons of “likes� on their photos. Often times, I’ll actually like these photos on my Instagram feed. This is so that later I can go back into my “Posts You’ve Liked� section and show my friends to get a kick out of their comments that usually go something like, “Wow, I can’t believe she actually posted that.� After all, they spend so much time crafting and photo-shopping their pictures to make themselves look perfect for the whole world, might as well give them a pity like. It may sound mean, but if these girls want to expose themselves to the whole world, I should be able to joke around with my friends about how stupid they look. And ladies, I don’t mean to only pick on you; guys can be just as annoying on social-media sites. It’s just different when it comes to guys. But, instead of seeking attention from girls by posting pictures of themselves, they post pictures of them and all their buddies at the coolest party of the weekend. The same kind of dynamic applies to guys. We all want attention; we just seek it in different ways. High school and college guys want all the people that are following them to know that they are really cool because they go to parties and you don’t, and they get messed up with their buddies and you don’t. Whatever happened to just going about your business? Why do we as a society have to let everyone know just how awesome we think we are? If you as a guy want to go to parties and get blasted with all your friends, I’m no one to judge. And if you as a girl want to take pictures of yourself and think that you are just God’s gift to the world, go right ahead. Just know that I will probably un-follow you if you are one of these ladies or gentlemen. Instead of making sure that everyone else in the world knows what you are doing at all times, maybe give this a try: Hang out with your friends. Maybe even put down the phone for one second and talk to your family. You might find out that they are more like you than you think. Do you really think when Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger created Instagram, that they thought this is what the content on their social-media site would consist of (with all the “selfies� and what not)? Don’t get me wrong, the picture that Ellen DeGeneres captured with the assist of Bradley Cooper at the Oscar’s this year was quite the star-powered photo. Cooper took the most re-tweeted photo ever as he, DeGeneres, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kevin Spacey, Jared Leto, Julia Roberts, Lupita Nyong’o and Channing Tatum all joined in on the fun that President Barack Obama jokingly called “a pretty cheap stunt� in an interview with Ellen. To quote Ferris Bueller, portrayed by Matthew Broderick in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,� “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.� I know everyone loves this quote and it’s totally overused, but the part that applies here is just put the phone down and live your life.
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Cartoon by Joseph Delano and Aishling Doherty
EDITORIAL
Roof leaves students soggy
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he campus leaks. The campus leaks in doorways. The campus leaks near the cafeteria. But worst of all, the campus leaks in the bathroom. With LMC’s central building being constructed of concrete, there is an illusion of the campus being safe and sturdy. Alas, when it rains it indeed pours inside our halls. Disturbingly, even the bathrooms aren’t safe, as the men who use the restroom near the business department will receive a steady drip of (hopefully) rainwater atop their heads. With all of the improvements being made to other parts of the campus, it seems as though the focus on new construction and/or repairs to the older, dilapidated campus has turned elsewhere. It’s dangerous to have the leaks in the campus, as it poses a safety risk for our college community members who transit the affected areas. Not only that, but the leaks are embarrassing. Having to utilize trashcans as buckets to catch the foul leakage leaves visitors of our campus wanting. It seems as though the leaks have been happening for quite some time, judging from the buildup of minerals under the ceiling crack near the cafeteria; the college seems content with the situation now, simply placing the makeshift buckets near the leak, often not under the actual drip. If our college can afford to rebuild quite a large portion of the central building, surely it can be budgeted to fix the cracks in our ceiling, preferably before the big one hits. The campus leaks, and it should made a priority of the administration to make available the necessary materials or monies to the proper people; if only to appease the students/staff who are stuck looking at them all day.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Students should take college seriously DEAR EDITOR: How necessary is a college education? Is it essential for living a decent life? I think college education is not only important, but also valuable. If you want to live a middle-class life, you would need a well paying job that requires a college degree of some sort. Our society is based on so many variations of jobs, most of them needing a college degree. For example, medicine, you need to obtain at least an associates degree to even get considered for any job in the medical field, including janitors. In that case, I believe college is necessary as well as essential for living a decent life because it allows us to be able to support our families. College also allows most people to fulfill their potential and achieve their career goals . But many people believe they don’t need college and they can survive with a high school diploma or GED. However, what they fail to realize is that you may be able to get a job at a fast food restaurant or local retail store, but those jobs do not pay enough to make a decent living to pay bills and support families. I feel that in our generation, associates degrees in college are the new high school diploma. College not only provides us with the careers we need to purchase our wants and needs, but it also allows us to earn more money. Therefore, college education is important because in the world we live in today, our so-
ciety revolves around competition and college can provide us with the skills we need to be successful. — Nyia Bostick
Let your feelings out
DEAR EDITOR: “I want to kill myself.� I would love it if someone would tell me that because people don’t say it enough. College students have so much stress in life and everyone around you will tell you to “deal with it,� but a lot of people are not equipped to “deal with it.� Many women tell me stories of rape, young students who’ve always had a good family support systems are away from the people they love for the first time, and veterans returning from deployments or readjusting to life outside of the military, are all around us everywhere. These stresses turn to depression, but a lot of people don’t want to talk about the feelings that accompany those experiences. As a community, we should be here for each other. I am impressed to write this because a lot of people open up to me about depression but the fear of reliving their situation in order to solve their problem, is real, and enough that it keeps them in submission of that fear. When you wake up in the morning and, “I wish I wasn’t alive,� comes to your mind, maybe you should say something. — Loren Keely
READER OPINION POLICY
The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the Los Medanos College community — students, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write. If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, bring your submissions to room CC3-301 and put them in the Perspectives Editor’s mailbox or mail them to Experience c/o Los Medanos College, 2700 E Leland Road, Pittsburg, CA 94565. You may also send them electronically through the Experience online newsite lmcexperience.com. Letters and columns must be typed, signed and include a phone number for verification. They may be edited for clarity, content, taste and length at the editor’s discretion.
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Online classes are effective Imagine a classroom where learning was not hindered by the pressure of time or the humiliation of fellow students. Where reading was done at the pace of the student, not the teacher. Where a student could sit and think thoughtfully before answering, without the distraction of fellow students. This is the kind of classroom unlocked through online classes. Los Medanos College should strive toward expanding and improving online classes because it is more cost effective, there is less pressure, they provide more flexibility in regards to time, and they allow the student to complete the course at his or her own pace. According to an article in the New York Times, a report conducted by the SRl International for the Department of Education concluded that, “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face to face instruction.� While online classes require a computer and an Internet connection, they also cut the costs of many materials required to run a classroom. For the student, paper, pencil, pen, notebook, binder, and many more school supplies need to be purchased due to all assignments being turned in electronically, and all notes can be taken on the computer. In regards to the school, the cost of electricity to run a classroom, paper and ink used for handouts, expo markers and chalk, and physical fatigue of the professor can all be saved through the use of online courses. Another advantage of online courses is the ability to communicate through writing, and not having to deal with the pressure of the judgment and opinion of fellow students. While some may argue that public speaking is an important skill that must be learned in order to participate in the workforce, this simply emphasizes that the subjects chosen to be online courses must be chosen carefully. Clearly, a public speaking class should be taught in a classroom, in order to effectively produce practical skills in the art of speaking in front of an audience, something that cannot be done behind a computer screen. However, in regards to math, science, and other less personal subjects, the lessons can teach just as effectively, if not more effectively. Online courses also free up time slots for the classes that must be taken in the classroom. Since the online courses are taken during the time the student wants to spend, there will be no conflicting times with other classes. This may also have a positive impact on the learning process of the student. The student will have to do assignments for the online courses on his or her own time, not in a scheduled mandatory time where attendance is recorded for points. This makes the student proactive in engaging with the class, purposefully putting him or herself into a learning state. In my own personal experience, I have found that one of the most attractive features of online courses is the ability to go at my own pace. Most of the time I can understand the content easily and can thus speed through the material I already know. Which furthers my progress toward the new and unknown material that I need to actually learn about. In contrast a classroom setting would have me tied down to the rest of the class and the class can only move as fast as the slowest student. Also, when I reach difficult material, I am not bound to a two-hour time slot to try and figure it out. In conclusion, LMC should strive to improve and offer more online classes because online courses are more cost effective. They also free up time and space and allow the student to go at his or her own pace. LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE
What improvements should LMC make in the next 5 years? C
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Member California Newspaper Publishers Association
“Within the next 5 years,majors such as criminal justice should have math eliminated from it as a requirement.� — Erik Castro
“LMC could benefit from improving in their security measures.� — Alicia Alm
— Johnny Depp
Christian Sendaydiego
REAL TIME WITH JARED
Live life not the media life
“I think the thing to do is enjoy the ride while you’re on it.�
“In the next 5 years LMC should fix the leaks around campus and make more building improvements.� — Eric Perez
“LMC should put in more vending machines and lower the prices of the food because its expensive.� — Lacey Nichols
“I feel that we should be allowed more money for our programs, so we can do more things and students could go farther.� — Herman Stampley
“More diversity and more classes to be offered.� — Jennifer Romero
“Were it left for me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.� — Thomas Jefferson
Editor-in-Chief .................... BRENDAN CROSS Perspectives Editors...... AISHLING DOHERTY and JAZMINE GORDON Campus Editors .................. JOSEPH DELANO and ALEXANDRA TAGLIAMONTE Features Editors .......................RATTANA KIM and STEPHANIE PATTISON Sports Editors .......................LUKE JOHNSON and DAKOTAH ZABROSKI Photo Editor ....................... IRVIN TRIGUEROS Web Editor ..................STEPHANIE PATTISON Associate Editors...............BERTHA AGUILAR and STEVEN LUKE The LMC Experience is published Fridays by students in the Journalism Program. The newspaper serves both as a laboratory for journalism classes and as a First Amendment forum for campus communication. Opinions expressed in the Experience are solely those of the students and do not represent the views of the college.
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“There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence.”
— César Chávez
Photo by Irvin Trigueros
Rafaela Mercado of the Fugitivos del Stress performs at the third floor College Complex during the social gathering before the awards ceremony Friday evening.
Chávez values awarded Community members’ efforts honored By IRVIN TRIGUEROS
itrigueros@lmcexperience.com
Four bright minds were recognized and awarded Friday evening at the 2014 Awards Recognition ceremony in dedication to one of America’s greatest civil rights activists, César Chávez. An enthusiastic group gathered in the College Complex quad where festive food and drinks were available. A Mexican group sang stirring songs to
the equally stirred crowd that occupied the floor. Inside the Little Theater was an audience of supporters, students and faculty who sat before the recipients. Los Medanos College Counselor Luis Morales won the 2014 East County Educator Award. Co-honorees Reverend Greg Osorio and Timi Tumbaga were awarded the César Chávez Award for Exemplary Community
Photo by Irvin Trigueros
Service. Finally, Felipa Gonzalez earned the Chávez Spirit Award. Each recipient each gave an emotional acceptance speech, detailing the experiences that resulted in their recognition. Morales, who was overwhelmed with strong emotions said, “I never in my life thought this would happen,” he said. “I almost broke down.” While his accomplishment exemplifies his progress as an
educator, Morales still feels he can learn a thing or two from his role model. “César Chávez has always been a role model of mine. I try to emulate some of his philosophies,” said Morales. “The philosophy of César Chávez is just to listen to people and try and see what we can do Photo by Cathie Lawrence to help out. But even if I can help out somebody a little bit, Left to right, William Pinnell, Claudia Vasquez it’s good enough.” and Karen Hernandez perform “Militants.”
Photo by Irvin Trigueros
Photo by Cathie Lawrence
Counselor Luis Morales is overcome with emotion as Ruben Rosalez presents a napkin brought in as a White Rev. Greg Osorio is presented the 2014 César he delivers his acceptance speech to the audience. House souvenir as a gift to Timi Tumbaga. Chávez Award for Exemplary Community Service.
NEWSWATCH
Triple Helping Hearts Heal
The Helping Hearts Heal Club is sponsoring a sale to support the Walking Miles Against Violence (WMAV) scholarship. Foods for sale include: Pineapple upside-down cakes and nachos. It will be held in the indoor quad on April 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the WMAV Scholarship.
Scholarships are being offered Los Medanos College offers many scholarship possibilities. These include: Spokeo Connections Scholarship deadline: 7/1. Amount: $1,000 For more information on any of the listed scholarships, visit the online scholarship listings available on the LMC website: www.losmedanos.edu and click on scholarships or financial assistance. You can also reach them at 439-2181 Ext. 3130.
R.E.A.D. Club selling coupons The R.E.A.D. Club will be selling Mountain Mike’s Pizza FundRaising Cards in the indoor quad on Wednesday, April 14 and Thursday, May 8. Other activities include a “wheel-spin” game for prizes and will have some riddles and jokes to answer for additional prizes. — compiled from press releases and staff reports
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Features MARQUEE LMC music events
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“I try to build a full personality for each of our cartoon characters - to make them personalities.”
—Walt Disney
Sketching for a dream
Los Medanos College is having a series of musical events throughout the semester in the Recital Hall located in the Music building, next to the Lot C parking lot. Q Concert Band Performance, Friday, May 2, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. with Concord High School. General admission $5 and seniors/students $3. Q Guitar Concert, Monday, May 5, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Free admission. Q Gospel Celebration Concert, Saturday, May 10, 7 to 10 p.m. Admission $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Q Piano Honors Recital, Monday, May 12, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Free admission. Q Concert Band Performance, Tuesday, May 13, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. General admission $5 and seniors/students $3. Q Jazz Studio Concert, Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Admission: TBA.
‘The Sound of Music’
The California Theater is showing the classic film “The Sound of Music” on Thursday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. This film is brought to life by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s great and enduring music, including “My Favorite Things,” “DoRe-Mi,” and the title song, “The Sound of Music.” All tickets are $5, available for purchase at www.pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com. The California Theater is located at 351 Railroad Ave, Pittsburg.
‘Dream’ to play again
The Contra Costa College Drama Department is performing the play, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare, directed by Linda Jackson-Whitmore. Hilarious events surround the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, to his kidnapped bride Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Four young Athenian lovers and a group of amatuer actors are bewitched and manipulated by the mischevious magic of the fairies that inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play will be showing April 30-May 3. Call (510) 235-7800 for more information.
Photo Illustration by Moses Lawson and Joey Fajardo
This photo illustration was Photoshopped by Moses Lawson after Joey Fajardo drew his characters to pose with him.
Artist gets recognized By MOSES LAWSON
‘Mousetrap’ is set
mlawson@lmcexperience.com
Agatha Christie’s play “The Mousetrap” is the world’s longest running play. It is now celebrating its 60th year and will be performed at the California Theater. During a snow storm, a group of strangers are stranded in a boarding house, one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include a newlywed couple who run the boarding house, a spinster with a curious background, an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef, a retired Army major, a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. The performances will take place May 9 at 8 p.m., May 10 at 2 and 8 p.m. and May 11 at 2 p.m. Ticket costs are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, $10 for children under age of 11. There is an additional $1.50 facility fee charge for all tickets. Purchase tickets at www. pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com.
Movies coming soon
Q “Rio 2” — April 11 Rated G; Genre: animation, adventure Q “Oculus” — April 11 Rated R; Genre: suspense, horror Q “Cuban Fury” — April 11 Rated R; Genre: comedy Q “A Haunted House 2” — April 18 Rated: R; Genre: horror, comedy Q “Transcendence” — April 18 Rated: PG-13; Genre: drama, mystery — compiled from press releases and staff reports
Comic by Joey Fajardo
This comic strip is a part of the series called “Artist Block” that Joey Fajardo currently creates for the Brentwood Press. Fajardo has been creating sketches like these for years and are now available to local readers.
REVIEW CREW
‘Coal Baron’ Game Summary: Coal Baron is a multiplayer, strategy game designed by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer. The players are miners, who go underground to dig tunnels and acquire coal. There are four levels of quality used to fulfill contacts. During three rounds, each player has an individual elevator shaft and will need to use workers to extract coal, while competing for contracts and cash. This game is available at randrgames.com for $44.95.
If you keep up with the Brentwood Press, then you may have come across recent issues that debut a new original comic strip titled “Artist Block,” created by second semester LMC student Joey Fajardo, 19, who said it’s “a comic strip about everything.” His work was first featured in their issue back on Jan. 31 and is now entertaining local readers with his vibrant characters every Friday. “I feel accomplished that my cartoons went somewhere outside of my own sketchbook and are currently being seen and read by several people,” said Fajardo. “I’ve been drawing forever,” he continued. He has been making comics for as long as he can remember. What gave him the determination to start his own strip at age 11 were role models like Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), Matt Groening (The Simpsons) and Charles Schulz (Charlie Brown), who have all made memorable careers out of doing what he had been doing on a consistent basis. Fajardo has taken Intermediate Drawing with Professor Judy Pettite and in the past he even branched out for courses at the Museum of Cartoon Art in San Francisco where he was instructed by professors who had worked on The Simpsons and several Pixar films. “I grew up on all kinds of cartoons, and I’ve really been making comics for pretty much my whole life,” he said. He added that “Artist Block” is a fictional version of his own life and the characters are based on his family, friends and cartoon characters he’s been cooking up for years. “Artist Block” was inspired by the frustration Fajardo felt over the years while trying to come up with an original idea for a comic strip. He See COMIC, page 6
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Brendan says: Strategic amusement
Joseph says: Long gameplay, but fun
Coal Baron is one of the more entertaining games I have played in a while. Despite the hour or so learning curve, once you get going, the strategy you can apply to your play style keeps the game enjoyable. While it is not reinventing the genre of games such as Settlers of Catan, the setting of the game as a 20th century coal supplier is an interesting way to frame this sort of game. I would not necessarily call this a flaw, but the shift clock is probably a part of the game that could have been inserted better. It helps you keep track of where you are in the game and what is to be scored, but I feel like the scoring would be better if everything was not continuously added from round to round. I played this game as a two-player game and can only imagine that when you add another player or two that it can get hectic, in a good way. I definitely recommend this game for people looking for something a little different, but still want to play something in the strategy realm. R&R Games has yet to disappoint with any of their more recent releases. — Brendan Cross
This game, Coal Baron, was a good game. There were a lot of pieces, and it took quite a while to learn how to play and get a good rhythm down. Once you did, however, the game went fairly smoothly and was joyful to experience. In general terms, each player acts as a singular coal conglomerate operating a shared mine. Each player has workers, their own mineshaft, orders and money to spend on actions. Paying for actions allows for the player to enter the mineshaft and collect coal types. Each order has a specific type and amount of coal cubes to “mine” in order to fulfill the card. Each player uses workers to get money, reserve time in the shafts, and so forth. As stated before, the set up time was quite lengthy, but probably not more than that of a similar game. The game was enjoyable, once we got our bearings and got into a good rhythm. I would definitely recommend that people give it a try. It make look a bit intimidating at first due to the vast amount of pieces, but it is fun nonetheless. For $44.95, its a quality game for the price. — Joseph Delano
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“When baseball is no longer fun, it’s no longer a game.”
— Joe DiMaggio
Washed away from first place LMC drops from first to third in BVC By STEVEN LUKE
sluke@lmcexperience.com
Baseball is a daily game. If you lose one day, you can always look forward towards the next. Right now the LMC Mustangs are looking on to the next game after being swept by the College of Marin. The four losses have dropped the Mustangs from first in Photo by Steven Luke the division down into a tie Wet conditions rained out a game against Solano. An for third. They play a series extra day off could be just what the Mustangs need. against the team they are
tied with, Solano College, this week and still have two of the teams who are ahead of them on their schedule. Baseball players and coaches are a superstitious bunch. When something goes wrong, such as a losing streak that now sits at four, superstitions kick in, and they find something to change. LMC Head Coach Anthony D’Albora fulfilled his superstitious need by shaving his facial hair. “I’ve got to
change something,” he said. As superstitious as baseball can be, the Mustangs are not going to get back to winning by making superficial changes. Acording to D’Albora, the Mustangs need to keep doing what they’ve been doing all been doing all season, with a few alterations. “Did we prepare the same way when we were losing? Did we act the same way in the dugout when we were losing?
Are we going to prepare the same today even though we’ve lost four in a row the same as we would if we’d won eight in a row? We’ve got to do a better job of being the same team all the time,” said D’Albora. The record is evident that the Mustangs have not, in fact, been the same team this season. Despite their two four game winning streaks the Mustangs
See WASH, page 6
Stangs move up to B league Shipe, “But after hearing about the possibility of having an Los Medanos College foot- opportunity to play for a state ball and the rest of the Bay Val- championship, along with having two bowl ley Conference has games at the end been boosted from a Schedule of the season... I C to a B league, and Date thought it was a has been renamed Opponent great idea.” the Pacific-7, or for @Merced 9/6 Last season, the short, Pac-7. Monterey 9/13 BVC had six teams The Califor nia Community Col- @West Hills 9/20 (Los Medanos, Con9/27 tra Costa, Shasta, lege Athletic Asso- @San Jose Redwoods, Yuba ciation has gotten City and Mendocino), rid of the C league CCC 10/4 but in this upcomentirely, dividing BYE ing season the Pac-7 teams into only A 10/18 will be accompaand B leagues, in Hartnell 10/25 nied by San Jose efforts to one day @Yuba City College. This have an A State Redwoods 11/1 means the MusChampionship and 11/8 tangs will still have B State Champion- @Shasta 11/15 to play schools that ship. The CCCAA Mendocino are 100 to 300 miles has also brought up the idea of rewarding playoff from Pittsburg, instead of a teams with two bowl games, school like Diablo Valley College, which is only 14.5 miles instead of one. Photo by Irvin Trigueros “At first I was real hesitant,” from LMC’s main campus. See MOVE, page 6 Former LMC running back Shawn Vasquez scores a touchdown against the Monterey-Peninsula Lobos. said LMC head coach Chris By LUKE JOHNSON
ljohnson@lmcexperience.com
THANK YOU
For helping us transform lives and communities for 50 Years We are grateful to our 15,000 alumni who carry forward our tradition of service.
Softball dominated by Solano By CHARLES ALEXANDER and LUKE JOHNSON calexander@lmcexperience.com ljohnson@lmcexperience.com
Bay Valley Conference’s first and last place teams in softball faced off last Thursday which proved to be a one-sided battle when Solano defeated Los Medanos 15-0 in the first game of a double-header. Solano extended its winning streak to 17 games and remains undefeated in conference play (10-0) while improving its overall record to 24-2 as of March 31. LMC dropped to a 1-9 conference and 3-22 overall record as March 31. Aleyna Benipavo provided the biggest offensive boost for
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the Eagle. The utility woman had three hits that included two doubles, three RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases. Shannon Mestas was lights out on the mound for Solano. The ace pitched all five innings, earning 10 strikeouts and allowing only two hits. Mestas is third in the state with 9.74 strikeouts per game. Both teams star ted out evenly matched with the game remaining close in the first inning when the score was 2-0. The second inning was the most difficult inning for the Mustangs as Solano had seven players crossing home plate. Over half of those runs were accumulated by a grand slam
Schedule Opponent
Date Time
Napa
4/8
1 p.m.
Napa
4/8
3 p.m.
@CCC
4/10 1 p.m
@CCC
4/10 3 p.m.
Lassen
4/15 1 p.m.
Lassen
4/15 3 p.m.
from infielder Amber Takeda. The Mustangs picked it up defensively in the fourth inning by not allowing the Eagles to add salt to their wounded score. In its next home appearance, LMC will square off against Napa Valley on Tuesday April 8, at 1 p.m. in a double-header.
lifestyles
HELPING YOU thrive
Sidestep unhealthy snacking By Mary Klemm, DO
A
health-building diet includes whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables, low-fat meats and dairy products…but not the fatty snacks loading the party buffet or the donuts someone just brought into the office. How can you stick to your healthy eating plan when temptation strikes? These tips can help you boost your willpower and survive unhealthy snack attacks:
' ' ' ' '
Be prepared. Bring along some sliced raw vegetables, an apple, or low-cal pretzels. You’ll have something to chew on without loading up on calories. Take a taste. Sometimes a bite is enough to satisfy. Savor one square of chocolate—slowly—instead of eating the whole bar. Focus on something else. When cravings for unhealthy foods strike, do an errand or make a phone call until the feeling passes. Walk it off. Walking and other forms of exercise burn calories while distracting you from overeating. Offer an alternative. At potlucks and office parties, bring a good-for-you dish, such as a delicious salad or spicy vegetable ragout. You probably won’t be the only one who’ll enjoy having a healthy option. For more tips on eating well and healthy recipes, visit my Web site at www.kp.org/mydoctor/maryklemm and click on “Get health advice.” This article is proudly sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Mary Klemm, DO, is a Physician Site Leader for the Antioch Medical Center.
L O S
M EDAN OS
C OL L E G E
E X P E R I E N C E
FRIDAY,
APRIL
4,
2014
A kiss for charity
Photo by Cathie Lawrence
Drama Department Chair Nick Garcia beat out five other contestants and kisses Houdini the bull frog in a charity event. Half the proceeds go to a charity of his choice while the other half goes to the LMC Honors Program.
ACE From page 1
mouth to a teacher who failed them, Rust said, teachers can take a step back and realize that the student is in a bio-reaction mode and see that, “it is not personal and has nothing to do with me at all. Their brain thinks that their life is in danger, they think they are going to die, it is not true but this is their reaction.” The group then moved on to another experimental activity about experiencing emotions based on prompts. The individuals in the group would walk to the emotion placard on the walls of the room that best fit what they thought of the prompt. The emotions were discomfort, mad, scared, sad, happy or comfortable. The first prompt was if you were to hear someone being
called a racial epithet. The group split off somewhat evenly to the discomfort, mad and scared portions of the room. The second prompt was what your reaction would be if a friend randomly came up to you and decided to give you $100. The group was more spread out as some people were in discomfort over why their friend might have done that while some were just happy because they received a very welcome sum of money out of nowhere. The third prompt saw the room venture to the mad and scared emotions, as the question was “what you would feel if a friend told you they were using drugs.” The exercise showed how people react in
different ways and feel differently about certain situations. “With the ACE Program we do really focus on emotional intelligence, EI, versus IQ. Why is emotion intelligence so important? It is because of bio-reactions. We need to be able to identify our feelings and why they are coming up due to unmet needs,” said Suarez in response to how emotions can affect the way people go about reacting to situations in correlation with understanding students emotions. For more information on the ACE Program, go to losmedanos.edu/ace or the official ACE website at academyforcollegeexcellence.org. You can also contact Tue Rust at trust@losmedanos.edu or 439-2181 ext. 3474.
appreciates the opportunity to reach readers “I see myself continuing this strip for as long as possible,” he said. But Fajardo doesn’t just focus on cartooning; He also has a huge interest in film, animation and television. He is Majoring in Broadcast Communications and he sees himself working for a news station and then later on possibly branching out into a field where his creativity can bloom. “I would love to one day take my cartoons and adapt them into film and TV” he said. “I see myself writing, producing and directing animated shorts and even live action films.” When deep in the creative process, one might be filled
with all sorts of emotions. Fajardo describes these feelings as relieving. “Whether I’m drawing a character or a comic, it’s kind of my chance to be as silly, bizarre, weird, funny, and as unapologetic as I want to be” he added “Normally I’m pretty laid back and to myself, but on paper, I’m loud and completely in your face.” Give Artist Block a look on Fajardo’s website dedicated to the comic strip http://artistblockcomics.weebly.com/ Or you could check it out in the next Brentwood Press paper and online version of the press http://www.thepress. net/features/article_788395de8d27-11e3-8a4b-0017a43b2370. html#user-comment-area.
COMIC From page 4
was creating characters without a purpose and settings without a back story and out of his fier y he came up with the concept for a cartoon about a cartoonist that couldn’t think of any good ideas, then Artist Block was born. “I would say his artistic style has a kind of a ‘retro’ feel to it. It sort of brings me back to my youth, growing up with ‘Calvin and Hobbes’,” said Ruth Roberts, managing editor of the Brentwood Press. “Local talent like his doesn’t come around everyday, and it’s been great that we can showcase Joey’s skills to the community.” The strip is a semi-autobiography that delves into the mindset of being a cartoonist. Fajardo
PLAN
WASH
From page 1
who went here 15 or 20 years ago and are not relaying the new changes seen at LMC in recent decades by the younger generation, such as the new buildings and facilities. The second set of discussion questions were whether the four current strategic priorities of LMC are still what we want them to be. The four current priorities are; increasing and accelerating student program completion, building stronger relationships among faculty, staff and students in order to increase engagement and student success, increase and accelerate student completion of basic skills sequences and improve the overall academic success of our African-American students. Some teachers shared their opinions on the discussion questions. Math Professor Erich Holtmann said, “People were saying we want to become a 21st century college, and the image is that we are not a 21st century college. We are moving in that direction in upgrading and becoming more modern and yet it is not one of our priorities.”
From page 5 Interim Dean of Student Success David Belman said, “The second priority not only talks about what the goal is, but the why. The others are just sort of a goal and they do not talk about how we are going to go about them and all of the activities or things involved in getting to that goal.” The next step in planning is to get all of the collected data and feedback written up and submitted to the three senates on campus, being the Classified, LMCAS and the Academic senates for ratification. “Although our original intent was to finish this by May, only if it is fully developed and makes sense will that happen. If that is not the case, and although the tie in is accreditation, we do not want to be doing this because of accreditation. We want to be doing this because it makes sense,” said Los Medanos College President Bob Kratochvil. For more information on the ongoing planning, contact Greg Stoup at 229-6827 or at gstoup@4cd.edu. You can also find more information on 4cd.edu on the Research and Planning tab.
TOP
MOVE
Association Championship Tournament was a memorable experience for all involved. I could not be more proud of the Nationals Team. Their hard work, dedication to excellence and tenacity, not just at the National Tournament, but all season long has been amazing. ” For more information visit www.losmedanos.edu/debate or contact Kasey Gardner at 439-2181 ext. 3689.
The last time DVC and LMC faced off was in 2011, a year that LMC does not want to remember. In that season, LMC went winless, and since then DVC has moved on to an A league to face the toughest of competition. “We feel at this time that the league we’re in fits us perfectly,” Shipe said. “ People forget to understand that in 2011 we were 0-10. We’ve done
From page 1
have a three game losing streak to go along with this four game losing streak. Getting back those winning streaks could be the key to move for ward, if this team wants to make the playoffs. College of Marin Head Coach Steve Berringer believes that the sweep was because of his team’s execution of their game plan, consisting of defense, pitching and to minimizing the damage by Mustang’s outfielder Matt Jacobson. “Matt Jacobson is in my opinion the best hitter in our league,” Berringer said. “We did a good job with the top of the order so when Jacobson got us there was no one on for him, and when he did get us in that third game with a home run we had a 5-0 cushion.” The Mustangs defense let them down but that was not the only issue. The pitching is down for the count. The team has allowed an average of eight runs during the most recent losing streak. A losing streak is hard on any team, but tomorrow is another day and there are still four more weeks left for the Mustangs to make their mark.
SAME
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FOG. CHANGE THE WORLD FROM HERE
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LEARN MORE
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From page 5
a tremendous job the last two years to make great strides.” In 2012, LMC was one win away from a conference title, and in 2013, the team improved to earning a co-Conference Championship. Shipe is now the reigning Conference Coach of the Year due to the teams feat. “If we decide in two years we’re ready to move up to the A’s, we have the luxury to petition to move up,” Shipe added.
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