Art honors the dead
‘Major’event held at LMC Stangs dominate Napa
The Day of the Dead art show is now on display at the Los Medanos College Art Gallery — page 4
Representatives from each LMC department tabled at the Majors Fair Wednesday, Oct. 26 — page 4
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F.Y.I. Important Dates October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Nov. 11
Veteran’s Day: College is closed
Nov. 18
Last day to withdraw from full-term classes with a “W”
LMC students talk success
As a part of the Innovation and Speaker series, LMC will hold “An Evening of Cultural Conversations” event Tuesday, Nov. 15 in L-109 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Five students will discuss their personal experiences and educational journeys at the TED Talks-inspired event. The entire LMC community is invited to attend.
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The Los Medanos College Women’s soccer team picked up another win with a final score of 9-0 — page 5
L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M
Poll lets students be heard 2016 election choices surveyed
By CASSIE DICKMAN
cdickman@lmcexperience.com
Based on a political sur vey about the election conducted by the Los Medanos College Experience over the past few weeks, the verdict is clear — students aren’t happy with their choices. This attitude coincides with the overall theme of how most millennials have been reported to view this election nationwide since Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump officially became their respective party’s nominee in July. “Either option is horrible,” said one student in the survey, who was not planning to register to vote in the upcoming November election. “It’s choosing between cancer and death.” Other survey respondents, who
also said they were not planning to register, cited the major-party candidates as the reason for their dismay as well. “Either candidate will make America shitty,” observed another student. Other respondents commented: “The candidates, to me, do not represent my values,” “I hate our candidates,” and “There is no right choice for these elections.” These comments represent the dominant theme of most of the responses given by the 115 LMC students surveyed between Oct. 10 and Nov. 2, most of whom fell in the millennial age range — 89 said they were younger than 26, 16 were between the age of 26 and 50, and 1 fell in the 50-64 age group.
Election 2016
Of those surveyed, 79 students said they were registered to vote, with 10 indicating they were planning to register in time to vote this November. Seventy-seven said they were actually planning to cast their ballots by Election Tuesday, with one maybe and two saying they would not be heading out to the polls. And while Clinton was the leader, with 36 of those who were planning to vote saying she was their intended presidential pick, none seemed too enthusiastic about the choice. Mia Warren, who volunteered to giver her name in the otherwise anonymous survey, said she was voting for Clinton, “though I really wanted Bernie.” But Warren wasn’t the only one to express they felt some See POLL, page 6
Who is most trustworthy? Of the 115 students surveyed, 69 answered this question regarding presidential nominees’ trustworthiness.
Hillary Clinton
32%
Donald Trump
13%
Third-party candidate
3%
Bernie Sanders
5%
“Funny question”
1%
Harambe
1%
Experience Graphic • Lissette Urbina
Celebrating the Panthers Faculty talks decor
Email brings up diversity
AMSA needs your help AMSA’s team Caduceus is raising money for the Light the Night Walk in Walnut Creek Saturday, Nov. 5. For additional information visit amsalosmedanoscollege.weebly. com/ or donate at pages. lightthenight.org/gba/ EastBay16/Caduceus
By ADRIA WATSON
awatson@lmcexperience.com
LMC offering a safe space Every first Thurday of the month, Student Life will hold “A Place to Talk” where students can express their thoughts and feelings about topics concerning today’s society. This month’s topic was the 2016 elections. the meetings are open to the whole LMC community and will be held in the Student Life Office. For more information contact lmc.studentlife@gmail. com.
Experience • Beatriz Hernandez
Original Black Panther Party members William Calhoun, Tairka Lewis and Saturu Ned (not pictured) answered questions presented by Instructor Tess Caldwell to celebrate the party’s 50th anniversary Thursday, Oct. 27 in L-109. Panelists discussed the history of the party and the experiences that originally lead them to join it.
Death penalty back on ballot By BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ
bhernandez@lmcexperience.com
Blood Drive on campus Student Life & Blood Centers of the Pacific will host another blood drive on campus Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in L-109. For more information contact the Office of Student Life at 473-7554 or to schedule your donation appointment visit www.bloodheroes.com and enter sponsor code losMC.
45%
Neither
A hot topic often discussed in class, the death penalty, is back on the ballot with two propositions. The first of the two, Prop 62, focuses on repealing the death penalty meanwhile a yes vote on Prop 66 looks to change the death penalty procedures to speed up the appeals process. However, this is not the first time it’s ever been discussed. In 1972, the CA Supreme Court ruled capital punishment as a violation of the constitution due to cruel and unusual punishment, causing others who may have been on death row
prior to the ruling to be commuted to life without parole. Some of these inmates include Charles Manson and Robert Kennedy’s assassin, Sirhan Sirhan. Following this ruling, Proposition 17 was enacted reinstating the death penalty in California. In subsequent years, it has been an issue heavily discussed on and off. “I am glad that Californians are revisiting this issue and I do hope that this elections will resolve the ambivalence surrounding the application of the death penalty in this state,” said Political Science teacher Milton Clark. At Los Medanos College some
professors such as Clark are open to discussing this issue in class. “I regularly have the discussion in my classes [about the death penalty], particularly during the study of civil liberties,” said Clark. “I never cease to be astonished by the number of young people willing to put someone to death, especially for crimes not as severe as murder.” As much as students are willing to talk about this topic however, teachers don’t always find it relevant or necessary to discuss in class. “I’m not surprised that it’s on the
See PROP, page 6
The Halloween spirit that had livened up the Student Service Building came to a halt just prior to the actual holiday, following a mandate from Senior Dean of Student Ser vices Gail Newman instructing the departments inside the building, including Admissions and Records, to be culturally sensitive about decorations. The action came after a suggestion from child development instructor Janice Townsend was made to Newman regarding a lack of cultural inclusion. After a meeting regarding Townsend’s suggestion, the majority of the Halloween decorations deemed divisive were removed from areas that were visible to students by the middle of the month. “I didn’t want them taken down,” said Townsend as she referenced cultural inclusivity. “I wanted an ‘and.’” “In the email I sent to the dean, I said there were two choices,” she added. “I suggested that she connect with the students, ask student life or the student government to help do the ‘and’ piece cause I don’t think it’s just the employees that should be doing it.” President Bob Kratochvil said people were not told to take down their decorations but to be sensitive. Townsend rejects the implication that her suggestions are about political correctness. She explained it’s about hav-
See DECOR, page 6
Debate team talks Prop 58 LMC students argue bilingual curriculum model By TYLER MORTIMORE
tmortimore@lmcexperience.com
Library Room L-109 was transformed into a debate hall Wednesday night as the Los Medanos debate team set out to argue the pros and cons of California’s Proposition 58, a ballot initiative that would repeal the 18 year-old Proposition 228 and allow schools to adopt bilingual curriculum models. “There are a lot of propositions on the ballot ... it gets very confusing, very fast,”
said debate coach Marie Arcidiacono in her introduction. “This is something that happens in bureaucracy, there is that vagueness of language and then we wonder later — what happened?” The debate was held in the British Parliamentary style, which has two teams of four competing against each other, with each Experience • Adria Watson team taking turns making their argument and refuting the opposition’s. Arianna Berumen gives her point of information as See TEAM, page 6
Randy Utz makes his opposing argument.
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“Wait for me, Audrey. This is between me and the vegetable.”
— Seymour Krelboyne
Kimberly Stelly
Aline Bales
SOCIALLY UNWELL
GUEST COLUMNIST
Shock value is no longer edgy
Having internal dialogue helps
One of my favorite things is when comedians make snide remarks about America’s political correctness “issue.” They think they’ve got millennials by the balls because they’ve been calling us out for being special snowflakes who can’t take a joke. You’ve probably heard dozens of funny people, including controversial comedian Jerr y Seinfeld, complain about college students and their violent aversion to humor. There’s always some person out there babbling on about how “you can’t joke about anything anymore.” Observational humor regarding taboo subjects is expected, but the topics aren’t the problem – it’s the way you go about commenting on them. When you make jokes trivializing terrorism, rape, gender expression, sexual orientation etc., you should expect some pushback. These people think young liberals have conspired against the entire world of comedy but the funniest thing about that, is that these people aren’t facing any consequences outside of comments left on social media. They’re not being persecuted for expressing themselves, so why behave as if this new generation rode in determined to strangle the life out of humor itself? Sure every time someone digs up old racist tweets from 2011 or old MySpace pics from your blackface days, you’re going to get a barrage of thinkpieces about why it’s not okay to do incredibly stupid things, but at the end of the day no one’s stopping you from living your life. The big problem with a lot of comedians, is that they think if they make some off-color remark, so to speak, that they’re edgy and ahead of their time, but there isn’t anything remotely original about approaching comedy in this manner. These individuals take it upon themselves to say the worst possible thing to get laughs, completely disregarding the fact that there are more inventive ways to approach these topics without making you want to slap the ever-loving crap out of them. It shouldn’t be hard to express a sense of humor without trying to offend people. After all, the only people who seem to be laughing are the ones who have been historically privileged. Comedienne Lisa Lampinelli is a primo example of this. She’ll talk about how much she “loves the blacks and the gays,” while simultaneously oversexualizing and insulting each group. She most likely isn’t a racist, but if she were, would you even be able to tell? On top of that, the things she says aren’t unique in any fashion because her humor is race-based and who isn’t doing that? One of the easiest ways to get cheap laughs is to make jokes comparing the behavior of ethnic groups based on stereotypes. Young, white and unoriginal Comedy Central brand comedians like Anthony Jeselnik and Daniel Tosh have made decent careers profiting off this low-hanging fruit. And so much of their audience spends time arguing on their behalf with the “they’re just jokes” defense, which stopped being sufficient long ago. People often forget that humor is rooted in reality. Even if these shock-happy comedians didn’t truly believe in the offensive things they say, it’s still allowing people to laugh at the harsh realities of the disadvantaged. If you can’t go without making rape jokes, then you’re lazy. What the hell are you even bringing to the field at this point? I’m not a huge fan of censorship –– say what you want. I’m not even saying not to laugh at horrible things, I’m saying be mindfu. People are offended, not because we’re soft, but because what you’re saying in regards to common sense is terrible. Whether or not these jokes make some people laugh, it shouldn’t be hard to comprehend why others can’t find the humor in them.
Cognitive dissonance is the state of having inconsistent thoughts or beliefs relating to behavioral decisions and attitude changes — it’s challenging long-held learned beliefs and structures ingrained in oneself. Have you ever wondered how many times a person changes their mind in a day? Does this make them more open to suggestion or is it that they can be flexible on thought and opinion? How about a person who never changes their mind? I suppose it would depend on what the subject is and how deeply a person believes in that subject. Your decision on what to eat for lunch is more open to change with passing suggestion than how you feel about abortion or how you may view a religion. Most of the people in the U.S. are brought up with the values, beliefs and structure of their parents. As a child, we might find ourselves in church every Sunday as well as Sunday school. We do not have a choice because that is our upbringing. How about a child who is brought up in a White Supremacist household? Are they to blame for the beliefs they have toward other people of different color? This is an extreme example but one that could best explain the importance of cognitive dissonance and the importance it has for growth in an individual. For example, students learn about other cultures in school or through the media. With this education, if an individual with a white supremacist upbringing is learning about culture outside of their own, they may come to realize that they are viewed as a racist in American society because of their previously held beliefs. What if they conclude that what they have learned about other cultures is not true and find themselves not agreeing with what was taught at home? This perspective puts them in a very big predicament. They experience cognitive dissonance and must take a hard look at the self and decide if they will continue with the belief structure already set in their mind from childhood or create a new set of standards due to the information and evidence they have been exposed to. Cognitive dissonance is uncomfortable and will cause tension, anxiety, and could take a long time to come to terms with. When you hold conflicting beliefs inside, trying to come to terms with them is very hard but necessary. People get disowned for going against family beliefs because of new information or provable facts being presented. You can imagine what kind of negative force an individual could face going home to talk with their mother and father to say they feel there is no difference between African Americans and Caucasian Americans. This way of thought would not be accepted in a White Supremacist home. But having this sort of internal dialogue is also a sign of growth. You must take a hard look at yourself and face things that you may love or hate about yourself. We must come to terms with the darkest parts of ourselves, discard what is not needed and embrace all the lessons learned. Through this dark and challenging time, we grow and become stronger with a better understanding of the self. To move forward with a new understanding we must understand why we felt the way we did before the new information opened us up to a new perspective. The process of cognitive dissonance is never an easy one but it does get easier the more open you are to understanding different perspectives. It can be an important tool for growth in an individual. It challenges the beliefs a person holds dear to their heart. When faced with this choice you gain a deeper knowledge of the self and the structure and premise of your core beliefs.
Experience • Cassie Dickman
Editorial
Get to the ballot boxes
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his presidential election season has been both unique and contentious — more so than any other in recent U.S. history — but everyone needs to remember it isn’t quite over yet and students should not go quietly into the political night. You need to get your local polling places and cast your ballots Tuesday, Nov. 8. Whoever is chosen to take the helm of this country at the beginning of 2017 will signify a turning point in our nation’s history, and this is our only chance to decide what path we want to travel down. In one corner, we have a seasoned politician, who knows how to play the game and get things done, or we can choose an overzealous bigot, who will most likely take society back progressively about 50 years and give other nations a reason to test out their nukes. One could make the argument that California is a solid blue state and has been for some time, but this election represents more than a contest that ends with one winner and one loser — it symbolizes what will be said to fellow citizens and other countries around the globe. Votes indicate the voice of a nation, and what will you have said when the polls close? Are you going to tell people they are not wanted here and only a select group deserves all that this country has to offer? Are you going to tell the world that America is going to be the planet’s schoolyard bully and beat up all the “little guys?” Or, perhaps you will say to the person next to you, “I care about you even though I may not understand you and I know everyone’s right are important, not just my own?” This is what’s at stake. But voting for a president isn’t the only way students can influence decisions the government makes. There are many seats up for grabs in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as in the California state legislature — after all, this is where the magic happens. Most of the laws that dictate everyday life come from these legislative bodies and those who work their need to be held accountable to the voters who gave them their jobs, because they represent their constituents’ views and opinions. Also, who is elected will decide the fate of the Supreme Court and whether its rulings will be challenged or upheld. In the last 10 years, the greatest number of California voters to show up at election ballot boxes — whether it was a primary, presidential or regular general election — was just over 60 percent. This is unacceptable. If it were a college course, the grade would be a D and the class would need to be retaken or a possible academic renewal would need to be performed on your transcripts. But there is no due over in this, no grade forgiveness; and a half-ass response to the call of your civic duty is reprehensible. As political science instructor Milton Clarke was quoted in our previous story regarding politics in academia, future generations are going to want to know what happened during this time. The voters, and non-voters, of this election cycle will be held accountable for the outcome. So, pay attention and vote!
Letter to the Editor
Textbook prices weigh on wallets
DEAR EDITOR: The top thing that irritates me about college is the price of textbooks. Why is it that about three textbooks cost almost or equal to the amount of college tuition for one semester? Not only do we need them for only like five months, but also when we sell them back we don’t get nearly as much back in our wallets. That’s crazy! For those of us college students that try to balance school and work too, most paychecks go directly to our college. Sometimes it’s not enough if you’re a full-time college student taking 15 credits a semester. I know some students at Los Medanos College
are trying to work full-time and be a full-time student, and I really don’t understand how they do it. I’m speaking for a lot of students, because I walked around the Pittsburg campus last week and asked a handful of random students what concerned them most about the school. When I finished, I really sat and thought about this issue and couldn’t help but agree. Some students claimed they keep the textbooks for future purposes and/or personal reasons, so I didn’t include them, but for the most part students end up giving them back to the library. — Gianna Carpinop
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.
Voices
What were some of the best and worst Halloween costumes you saw? C
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LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE
Experience L M C e x p e r i e n c e . c o m
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California Newspaper Publishers Association
Journalism Association of Community Colleges
“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
“My favorite was my daughter, she’s 4 and went as Poison Ivy. I hate when people just wear normal clothes and a mask.” — Amelia Leland
“The worst...I remember seeing a Sexy Bride of Chucky costume. But the best was a well-done Harley Quinn.” — Cody Smith
“I saw a good Pikachu and Ash couples costume. The worst one was a grown man as a baby, only wearing Depends.” — Le’Victoria Thomas
“Somebody was dressed up as a Samsung Note 7 which I thought was funny. Worst was obviously clowns.” — Erwin Rodriguez
“Worst was a guy dressed as Netflix & Chill. The guy in the [LMC] bookstore was rocking Joanne the Scammer.” — Meagan Jackson
“The worst I saw was a dude in blackface. The best was my friend, she and her kids went dressed as The Incredibles.” — Josh Alasker
Editors-in-Chief ..........BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ and KIMBERLY STELLY Managing Editor..................CASSIE DICKMAN Perspectives Editor.........TYLER MORTIMORE Campus Editor .......................ADRIA WATSON Features Editor ................SARAH GONZALES Sports Editor ....................... GARRETT BELME Web Editor .........................LISSETTE URBINA 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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FRIDAY,
A spooky evening at Los Medanos
NOV.
4,
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“Whoa. Sandworms. You hate ’em right? I hate ’em myself.”
— Betelgeuse
RC Kubota casts away an evil being represented by Mandy Creel in costume.
Future victim Manny Jimenez begged anyone to save him from becoming the scientist’s next experiment while confined to a cage during “Contra.”
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tudent Life hosted an “After Dark” Hallowen festival on the second floor of the College Complex, while on the first floor, LMC drama department’s Shenanigans terrorized at their haunted house “Contra” Friday, Oct. 28. The Contra haunted house was based on a scientist named Pierre whose experiments went wrong. His alter ego Sancto unleashed each of the creatures into the night, including his tortured daughter Angelica (Valerie Naranjo), his next victim (Manny Jimenez) and a heartless shadow creature (Jonathan Ramos). Both events began at 7 p.m. and throughout the night students spent their time participating in various games and activities put on by campus clubs and orginizations –– such as AGS, Pre Health Society, Business Club, Honors Club and Allies. From virtual reality games to gooey treats, the LMC student body started off the Halloween weekend with fun and fright.
Above, Jerry Gutierrez participates in the ring toss at the “After Dark” event. Right, Jeffery Kim and a festival attendee played the virtual reality game “Space Pirate Trainer” at the Computer Science Club table. Experience photos by Cassie Dickman and Adria Watson
Above, Valerie Naranjo and Jonathan Ramos act as the demented and dark creatures who roamed around the haunted house, scaring those who dared to enter.
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“I’m a homicidal maniac, they look just like everyone else.”
— Wednesday Addams
Day of the Dead lives in gallery Art honors tradition By CAMERON TOTH
ctoth@lmcexperience.com
The LMC Art Department and the Puente Club are hosting a Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, themed art gallery exhibit from Nov. 1 to Dec. 7 in the LMC Art Gallery. The décor includes welcoming colorful skulls, drawings, sculptures, paintings and a heavily decorated altar draped in bright colored cloth and pictures honoring the sacred Mexican holiday. This is the second Day of the Dead event in the Art Gallery. Art pieces were welcomed from the LMC faculty, staff and student body from multiple mediums. This year, one of the featured pieces was “Death” by Dennis Trammell, a statue made of rebar and bone. Trammel also collaborated with fellow artist Saul Flores on a dinosaur skull titled “Final Thoughts.” The layout of the exhibit
Experience • Adria Watson was carefully constructed. Art instructor Judi Petite Photo left, “Final Thoughts,” a skull, by Dennis Trammell and Saul Flores. Above, “Death” by Dennis Trammell. said, “Once work came in, we worked out placement.” In the first section, there was more traditional art, in the second part of the gallery; there was more of a “contemporar y revisualization of the theme.” Dia De Los Muertos is traditionally celebrated over the first two days of November. According to Stacey Miller, a coordinator for Puente, the holiday “is about honoring your loved ones.” The first day, the children who have passed away are honored and the second day is for honoring the adults. Miller said sometimes when in America, people use both days to honor all of the deceased. The original sentiment is still there, however. “The Day of the Dead Experience • Adria Watson means honoring our ancestry and the work that happened The LMC Puente Group came together to create the before us,” said Interim Stu- alter for the upcoming Day of the Dead exhibit ––
See ART, page 6
featuring photo’s of iconic figures and loved ones.
Students explore majors By PERRY CONTINENTE and LILLIAM R. RAMIREZ Staff Writer
Experience • Adria Watson
Student Maika Jimenez and Web Administrator Eloine Chapman at the Exploring Majors Fair event Wednesday, Oct. 26.
Marquee
Movies released
n “Doctor Strange” Rated PG-13 Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-fi, Fantasy n “Hacksaw Ridge” Rated R Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War n “Trolls” Rated PG Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Animation, Family, Musical
Campanil Theatre
n Hotel California: “A Salute to the Eagles” will be showing Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. Hotel California accurately reproduces the sound of the Eagles studio recordings while also maintaining a classical sound that pushes the boundaries of Rock, R&B, and country. n Vagabond Players present “The Trip To Bountiful” Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. The play follows the story of Carrie Watts, who dreams of returning to her hometown Bountiful, Texas. She believes that by returning home she will regain her strength, dignity and peace of mind. Upon returning, however, she realizes her hometown is not how she remembered it. n The Delta Veterans Group and Antioch VFW Post 6435 present “A Salute To Veterans” event to Celebrate Veterans Day Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. Funds from the event will be used for a “stand-down” 2017 that would provide services for homeless veteran. Entertainment will come in the form of Big-band “Vocal-ease” and a performance by “The Swingin’ Blue Stars”. The El Campanil Theatre is located at 602 W Second St. in Antioch. For ticket sales and additional information visit elcampaniltheatre.com or call 757-9500. — compiled from press releases and staff reports
The Exploring Majors Fair provided an informative and friendly atmosphere last week for students looking to investigate possible majors and careers. The initial quiet of the outdoor quad belied the dull roar of the indoor one, which was busy Wednesday, Oct. 26 with faculty, staff and students hurrying between tables and talking excitedly. Third-year student Jonathan Mendez was especially exuberant. “I want to see what else is here,” said Mendez, who was looking for a minor to supplement his art major. Much like Mendez, many students went from table to table conversing
with the program representatives about their future plans. Seventeen of the 33 Los Medanos College majors had tables decorated with posters, props and flyers, and many were designed to grab attention. The English Department’s table staffed by professor Jill Buettner-Ouellette, had a typewriter for students to collaboratively write a story. Buettner-Ouellette emphasized how studying English can build empathy, adding it “puts you in touch with your own humanity.” Justin Kirk and Rob Grantham, two Appliance Service Technology students came out to help promote their program. “With this you can transfer any-
where,” Grantham said. “We want to create opportunities for students and help them get jobs while they’re in school and after,” Kirk added. Also available to help students was Janice Townsend, a professor representing the child development major. “Every day you change lives,” said Townsend, explaining how vital child development and early childcare is. Townsend was also excited for a new spring course, “Teaching in a Diverse Society,” that deals with race and sexuality and emphasizes acceptance among educators and those who work with children. Director of Transfer and Career See FAIR, page 6
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Sports
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““The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.” — Ernie Banks
LMC dominates start to finish
Experience • Cathie Lawrence
Mariah Caitlin fights with a Napa player for the ball.
Team routs Napa 9-0 on home field By GARRETT BELME
gbelme@lmcexperience.com
The Los Medanos women’s soccer team notched a decisive victory over the Napa College Storm with a final score of 9-0. Napa drove down the field early, but a misfire had them coming up empty. The first goal of the day came when Mariah Caitlin passed the ball to an open Bubu Ayala who quickly got down the field and scored to make it a 1-0 game. “I can beat them with my speed and they were just sending balls to me, so that’s how I took it,” said Ayala after the game. Napa made an attempt to even it up, but the shot had too much leg on it and the ball sailed out of bounds. Napa kept the ball in LMC territory
and a good save by goalkeeper Bry’ana Wallace neutralized a Napa scoring threat. The Storm made themselves at home in LMC territory early on, however bad passes, errant shots and lock-down defense by LMC kept them scoreless. After struggling to get the ball into Storm territory, Ayala broke through the defense and got into a one-on-one situation with Napa’s goalkeeper and set a strike right into the net giving her a brace and LMC a 2-0 lead. LMC got into an offensive rhythm as not long after Ayala’s second score, Caitlin made a perfect pass to Carmen Diaz who promptly banged it in for another goal. Napa again had a prime opportunity to chip away at LMC’s ever-growing lead as
Experience • Cathie Lawrence
Los Medanos College’s forward, Bubu Ayala, blazes past a Napa defender and gears up to strike. they got set for a corner kick, but the LMC defense stood tall and preserved the shutout. Ayala again broke through the defense and was one-on-one with the goalie but the potential hat trick was put on hold as the refs deemed her offside. The Mustangs stuck around on Napa’s end of the field and when a Storm player fouled Diaz in the box, Haley Weder
stepped up to take the penalty kick. The ball appeared to be sailing too high but in the end was perfect as it squeezed between the outstretched hand of the goalie and the top of the goal post. The penalty made the game 4-0 heading into halftime. The second half played out much the same as the first.
Napa had lots of opportunities to put up points but couldn’t capitalize, and LMC’s offense picked right where it left off. Caitlin went on an absolute tear as she scored three straight goals giving her a hat trick. When driving to score she “was just hoping I didn’t shoot it at the goalie honestly,” said Caitlin with a laugh. Not to be
outdone, Ayala also knocked in another goal for a hat trick of her own. Weder would also score her second and final goal as the game ended with a 9-0 LMC victory. Next week LMC takes on Merritt College For more information on LMC soccer visit, http://www. losmedanos.edu/soccer/
Fourth straight win has Stangs rolling
Both sides of the ball come alive By GARRETT BELME
gbelme@lmcexperience.com
DON’T SCRATCH THE SURFACE.
BREAK THE GROUND. NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SPRING 2017 STAY ON TRACK.
GRADUATE AND START YOUR CAREER ON TIME. • Small classes, personal attention • $2,000 Los Medanos College transfer award • $14,000 Honors at Entrance Scholarships RSVP for the November 12 Fall Preview Day at smcadmit.com
Saint Mary’s College of California transfer@stmarys-ca.edu
(800) 800-4SMC
Los Medanos scored its fourth win in a row against the Foothill Owls in a game not nearly as close as the final score of 30-35 would suggest. LMC dominated on both sides of the ball at one point leading the Owls 28-0. The Mustangs didn’t start out firing on all cylinders however, their first drive ended with a failed fourth down conversion try which gave Foothill excellent field position at their own 34 yard line. The Mustang defense did its job and forced a quick three and out and on the ensuing punt, LMC’s Z’andre Givens almost took it all the way to the house but an illegal blocking penalty pushed LMC back to their own 45. The offense again couldn’t move the ball and on second down Gabe Taylor’s pass was intercepted by Foothill’s Chris Lundy who the proceeded to fumble the ball only to have it be recovered by Foothill. After the wacky double turnover, Foothill’s offense responded by going negative 25 yards in three plays and were forced to punt the ball back to LMC. LMC finally put together a drive and set up to take their three points with a chip shot field goal from just outside the Foothill 10 yard however the kick was blocked by the Owls as another LMC position ended with no points. Much like their previous positions, the Owls were not able to get anything going on their next position and punted it back to the Mustangs after only six plays. After struggling all game to move the ball down the field, LMC scored on a two play drive that was capped off by a 28 yard touchdown catch by Jacob Puente from Taylor
Experience • Cathie Lawrence
LMC’s Gabe Taylor celebrates with teammates. to make the score 7-0. For the third time in the first half alone, LMC forced Foothill to bring out the punting unit after just three plays. Building off of his last position, Taylor went 3/3 with another touchdown strike Puente again this time from 37 yards out. Foothill’s next drive started out promising. They showed signs of life and moved the ball into LMC territory but a clutch forced fumble recovery by LMC negated any possible Owl scoring threat. Aided by a few Foothill penalties, LMC moved the ball inside the Foothill 10 where Taylor completed the hat trick and tossed his third touchdown pass in as many drives, this time to Morgan Benjamin. Freshman defensive back, Charlie Ramirez Jr., notched an interception right before halftime setting up the Mustangs inside Owl territory. LMC made a quarterback change as Sohail Moshini came in and on his first drive found
Puente on a 30 yard touchdown pass giving Puente a hat trick of his own. The rout was on as LMC took a 28-0 lead into halftime. Foothill came out firing in the second half as their quarterback Ken Cross passed and ran the ball into LMC side of the field. Just when it looked like they were about to chip into the Mustangs four touchdown lead, they had a r ushing touchdown called back due to a penalty. On the very next play Cross was intercepted by Derek Crenshaw ended the Owls chances of breaking the shutout. The next Mustangs position ended in a three and out as the Owls took over at their own 29. Foothill’s offense got the ball moving but like a handful of drives before this one ended with a turnover just outside the LMC red zone. Foothill got the ball back and mounted an impressive drive that finally resulted in points. A Cross to Andrew Cairns pass See FBALL, page 6
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Back Talk FAIR From page 4
Ser vices Kristen Connor organized the event with the purpose of helping students see where the classes they are enrolled in can take them. “My goal for the majors fair was to expose students to the variety of majors and career options at LMC,” said Conner, reiterating the importance for students to be more knowledgeable and confident about the choices they make regarding their educational experience. There are a lot of students who have not declared majors and who have doubts about what kind of careers they can pursue within their program, she said, often leading them to take longer completing general education requirements. “I am undecided right now,” said third-semester student Maika Jimenez. “I’ve seen a lot of info and maybe this will help me make a decision on a major.” A second-year student struggling to understand requirements found the event helpful in solving her problem. “I knew that I wanted to take child development, but was unsure how to proceed with it. This is my third time changing my major within a year, I was worried that I would not be able to graduate on time,” Evette Gillard. “But I just spoke with a lady in the department of child development and she has already helped me map out what classes I need to take next semester.” Tyerisha Collins, who is majoring in Fine Arts, witnessed the event’s success first-hand. “I am only working as a student volunteer but numerous students have wandered to my table with ner vous and confused looks on their faces. By the time they finish talking
TEAM From page 1
The contest kicked off with the affirmative team’s prime minister, Hosnia Hasani, with their argument centered on the importance of diversity and inclusivity. Hasani illustrated the importance of communication with a personal anecdote from her job. A deaf man came in, his notepad ready for a protracted written interaction, and instead she surprised him with her ASL. “He lit up, he was so happy to have someone he could communicate with,” said Hasani. Opposition Prime Minister Tim Sellers introduced his team’s contention, which stated that Prop 225 did away with an ineffective bilingual education model and increased test scores of California students, some by measures of 100 to 200 percent. Hispanic students, said Sellers. “The valedictorians at my high school as far back as I can remember were all Hispanic, now they’re at Stanford, and I’m not,” Sellers joked. Affirmative deputy Diana Cobian argued that a bilingual education creates a more robust brain than a monolingual one, and doubled down on her team’s diversity argument. “It [Prop 58] will bring about an educational system that shows students to utilize their differences to their advantage,” said Cobian. Cobian cited the social isolation felt by students who are unable to communicate with their peers due to a language barrier. But opposition speaker Randy Utz countered that the current English-immersion program is the actual solution to language barriers. Utz also argued that the
to us, they seem generally interested in what we have to offer, It doesn’t have to be this major specifically, but at least they have sparked interest somewhere,” she said. The fair also worked as a platform for students to become more aware of the various resources available to them. Javier Leyla, who works in the Financial Aid Office, said he was eager to inform students about the money available to help them. “I feel that students are a lot more receptive in this specific environment, compared to when they are trying to meet deadlines for financial aid,” he said. The Library highlighted other ways to get info on campus about career choices. “We have books and resources for students trying to choose a career,” said librarian Leila Swisher. At her table were books like “Book of Majors” and “100 Fastest-Growing Careers.” Student activities and clubs were also well represented at the fair. Several sold refreshments and confections to support themselves, and club reps hustled back and forth hawking their wares. The Nurses Club sold bakery goods for a dollar to raise money for their pinning ceremony at the end of their program. First-year LMC vocational student Sheila Polynice said she appreciated the opportunity to participate in the fair. “Since the school doesn’t fund our pinning ceremony at the end of our program we are trying to raise as much money as possible to make it happen,” she said. Before leaving the event, students could stop by Connor’s table for a free flash drive in exchange for completing a sur vey, giving feedback on the fair.
— Ariel Stevenson and Cameron Toth contributed to this report.
problem isn’t one of curriculum models, but of socioeconomics. Immigrant families are more likely to be living below the poverty line, where the highest dropout rates exist. Brooke Samson said the immersion into other cultures would help students avoid cultural biases. “Racism and bigotry isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you learn,” said Samson. Samson also cited the limber neuroplasticity of young children, likening their developing brains to a fresh sponge, capable of soaking up vast amounts of knowledge — and if that happens to be a second language, those children could go on to reap financial benefits in their future career, she said. Opposition speaker Julio Campos contended that the current high school requirement that has students take two years of a foreign language is sufficient, and that a bilingual program could have California schools fall down a slippery slope toward segregation by language proficiency. Arianna Berumen retorted that the high school requirement isn’t sufficient. “Simply knowing ‘Donde estas la banos?’ isn’t good enough,” said Ber umen. “Our culture is held back by monolingualism.” Kyle Marshall wrapped the debate up by reiterating the opposition’s argument that 58 would simply create students who have rudimentary knowledge of English and Spanish. “It was hard to pick a side. I think being able to speak two languages is really important,” said Margarita Orozco. “But it’s hard to tell if [58] is the right way to go.”
FBALL From page 5
for a touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion, LMC led 28-8. Taylor took the field again and like he did during almost the entire first half, he lead the offense on a touchdown drive ending it with a 74-yard bomb to Tyrone Roberts. Foothill went on to score a few more times and make the final score a more respectable 30-35 but that box score undermines just how dominate LMC was over the Owls.
LMC now stands at 7-1 and is playing extremely well. Guard David Kinnicutt broke down the teams recent play. “I think the biggest thing is we are playing with heart. Regardless of the score or situation we know we have the ability t o change the game. I think that has been the key to our success this year,” said Kinnicutt. For more information on LMC football visit http://www. losmedanos.edu/football/
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POLLS From page 1
sort of trepidation with their intention to select Clinton on the Nov. 8 ballot. “Sadly — very, very sadly — Hillary,” said one surveyee, with another calling Clinton “the lesser of two evils.” Another student agreed, indicating a probable vote for her — although it might change before election time — because Trump was just not an option. And while 17 students said they were voting Trump — one of whom said “Clinton is scary” — most agreed neither candidate was the best option. “I’m Republican, but I dislike Trump,” said one student who was not sure who to vote for when the time comes, while others said things like “both are not very good options,” “anyone but them” and “they both suck.” Mattison Dellinger used commonly heard rhetoric to convey the point, which has been used repeatedly on the national stage. “Hillary for prison. Take a dump on Trump,” said Dellinger, who is opting not to vote this time around. Six students said they were unsure of who they were going to vote for — two said definitely not Trump — while three said they refused to vote for a major-party candidate and another three named third-party nominees. Jimmy Carter even got a mention. The Clinton-Trump saga has been at the forefront of this
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election season, which became more saturated when they each clinched their party’s nominations, and, even when asked about their concerns or interests on local issues and elections, most of the students could not separate what is going on nationally with what is happening in their own backyards. When sur veyed about what types of politics and government they followed, students selected local 28 times and state 44 times, with national coming in at 69 and international at 29. But only 32 said they knew the names of nominees running for local or state offices, with 63 saying no. And, while 29 people were named, two national figures rounded out the top with one other being mentioned — Trump had 10 mentions, Clinton had 11 and Bernie Sanders came in with 1. The local candidates mentioned were Steve Barr, who is running for Contra Costa County supervisor, U.S. Senate contender Kamala Harris, and the U.S. representative incumbent for California’s 9th congressional district Jerry McNerney. And, while 46 dif ferent issues or propositions were named when asked about what concerned or interested them most, students selected the next president as the third most mentioned coming in at five — taxation and medical/healthcare were third with eight mentions and educational issues were first with 10. “I’m concerned with the
DECOR From page 1
ing an environment on campus that values all students at the college throughout the year. “It shouldn’t be in addition, it shouldn’t just be the gallery and let the whole front office be Halloween because that’s where everybody comes in through,” she said. “It should be that everywhere you go, you know that there are people who have ... different cultures and that that’s being reflected here.” Townsend said that the Child Development Center, where she teaches, does not celebrate holidays in order to respect Jehovah’s Witness families on campus. Being an instructor of a class on diversity, though, she did not believe that was the best policy, although the policy existed long before Townsend arrived at Los Medanos College 13 years ago. “The best policy, I think, for our college around holidays would be to have the students share with us what holidays they celebrate and how they want us to reflect those holidays around the college so the college environment reflects the students that go here,” she said adding, “That’s called culturally relevant education and I think that’s what we should be doing.” Employees from the assessment center, admissions & records, disabled students program & services and financial aid declined to comment on record. A worker in the building, who asked to remain anonymous due to a fear of repercussions, commented that taking down the decorations made them feel suppressed. That person also said “some people are too sensitive.” The source explained that the Halloween celebrated in this country is diverse; that it’s a mixture of dif ferent social, religious and ethnic
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possibility of Donald Trump becoming president,” said one student, while others said “not having Hillary or Trump win,” “not Donald Trump,” and “who will become our next president — a liar or a racist.” One of the biggest issues in this election that voters have not been able to get past, especially millennials, is whether either candidate can be trusted with the powers that come with working in the Oval Office. The new Post-ABC News Tracking Poll released Nov. 2 has put Trump at 46 percent of likely voters citing him as the most trustworthy candidate, with Clinton trailing behind at 38 percent. Although Trump has an eight-point edge in this area over Clinton, both received what would be considered a failing grade — and students sur veyed here on campus agree with the national averages. Forty-five percent of those who responded to the question indicated they saw neither candidate as trustworthy, but the survey also revealed students had a different view of the candidates individually than the national poll — 32 percent of those who responded to the survey question said Clinton was the more trustworthy candidate, while only 13 percent chose Trump. “If I had to choose, Clinton but not by much,” said Stephanie Lutz, while another said Clinton was close enough of a trustworthy choice. But, again, other comments reiterated the lack of excitement for the candidates
ART From page 4
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ballot. It’s a really controversial issue. I know I have always had students who want to talk about it,” said Honors Director Jennifer Saito. “What I find about the death penalty is most people aren’t willing to change their position. Some people are adamantly in favor of it, others are adamantly against it, and there’s not a lot of budging that can happen.” Although she expressed that it is an important issue for people to know about, in her class she finds it difficult to create effective dialogue in an academic setting
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“I try to choose issues more where people can start to see the other side … I don’t talk about abortion in my classes for the same reason.” According to Saito, she said believes the reason why people become so passionate about issues such as capital punishment in this election is partly due to the state our country is in regarding justice. “We’re one of the only countries in the developed world that still does it. Like all philosophy teachers, I can see both sides very strongly,” said Saito.
dent Equity Plan Coordinator Eric Sanchez. One of the ways people honor their histor y is by building altars. This allowed Puente to create its own setup, lighting up the entrance of the gallery. The altar was dressed in vibrant reds and greens and the traditional skulls we scattered about, along with flowers, pictures of loved ones who have passed away and the Virgin Mary. Miller said the altar “was a class effort,” adding that 27 students from the programs collaborated on the design
backgrounds. “To me it’s a day of growth and transition,” said the source. “When I was younger I remember I got to dress up as whatever I wanted I got to be whatever I wanted … I could be somebody else … I got to change who I was for a short amount of time. That’s why it’s important to me.” Although people refused to publicly comment, it was a common theme that more
conversations about inclusion should be happening. “We don’t have a system [to display other cultures] because we don’t have a policy. It’s time we have that,” said Townsend. “In some ways our college is ahead of the game in these conversations, and in some ways we’re behind but we need to be having these conversations.” She explained that it’s hard to be the person who raises the
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chosen to compete to represent us for the next few years, including: pleading the fifth, it’s like picking your poison and the question was funny. And the first presidential debate didn’t seem to help these lackluster views improve, it only demonstrated the polarized hatred for one candidate or the other, with responses like “Hillary needs to be arrested” and “Trump has very many things wrong with him.” And they were also both described as “clowns” and “pieces of shit.” Of the 54 students who said they watched the first nationally-televised presidential debate between Trump and Clinton, only 25 said it had influenced their views of the candidates. “It did, I felt like it showed more fault within Donald Trump and showed some change policies with Clinton,” Stephanie Lutz. Warren echoed her sentiments. “Yes, though I don’t particularly like Hillary, I admired how she stuck to her guns and didn’t let the puckered asshole push her around,” said Warren. But 39 of the students said it didn’t have an effect on them. “Just showed the residing prejudice and ignorance our country upholds,” said one student, while Andrew Gonzalez said, “There was no chance I would vote for Trump, regardless.” Next Tuesday will bring this contentious and emotionally‑charged race to an end, and now all we can do is sit and wait.
and execution. “It was class-led and class-designed,” said Miller. Last year, Petite’s Art 20 and 40 classes participated in the decoration of the gallery by making skulls and decorating the altar. This year, the public is invited to add photos to the altar. Though it’s a culturally specific holiday, Miller said it’s important to learn traditions outside of your own group. “When we learn about other cultures, we become more sensitive to other cultures — we broaden our worldview.” — Adria Watson and Kimberly Stelly contributed to this report
issue and that she can’t imagine being the only person bothered by the lack of inclusion. “I thought it was going to go more collegial, like it wasn’t going to raise so many prickers — it raised a lot of prickers,” she said adding, “Holidays are very personal to people and so I think it’s something we have to work through. Every voice is important in it.” — Beatriz Hernandez contributed to this report
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