Vol. 83 No. 13 12-04-15

The giving tree returns

Getting tuned up

‘Ruined’ in Pittsburg

The LMC Angel Tree is now on display to commemorate the annual toy drive event on campus — page 3

Students in the Automotive Technology program are learning the tricks of the trade — page 4

The LMC Drama Department’s newest production is now playing at Pittsburg’s California Theatre — page 6

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F.Y.I. Important Dates December is Universal Human Rights Month Dec. 12 to 18 Final Exams

Dec. 22 to Jan. 3 Winter Recess — college closed

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UCs extend deadlines

By CASSIE DICKMAN

cdickman@lmcexperience.com

Just two days after the due date for applications to the University of California for Fall 2016, California community college students received unexpected news in the midst of preparation for finals — the deadline to apply has been extended to Jan. 4.

“The University of California proudly enrolls more community college transfer students than any other university of its caliber,” said

U.C. President Janet Napolitano in a news release from her office Dec. 2. “Giving transfer students more time to file their applications will help hard-working, eligible students across the state make their way their way to a U.C. campus next fall.”

According to news posted on the U.C. website from Nov. 19, the U.C. passed a budget for the 2016-17 school year which included a plan to add 10,000 California undergraduates over

the next three years to the U.C. system, with 5,000 of them being planned for next year. Due to this projected growth, the Dec. 2 news release from the president’s office said it decided to extend the original Nov. 30 deadline.

California Community College Chancellor also Brice Harris sent out a letter Dec. 2 urging faculty and staff to act quickly and encourage their students to take advantage of this second-chance

“Together we can encourage our hardworking and talented students to apply.”

— Chancellor Brice Harris

See UC, page 8

BOG to change in fall term

Finals week approaching

Performance now a factor

Finals week begins Dec. 14. Check with your instructor to confirm the correct date, time and place of your final exam.

Finals conclude Dec. 18.

By JOSEPH DELANO

jdelano@lmcexperience.com

music TV had gone online,” said Bamiro about his nearly six-year stint at MTV. When Bamiro left MTV, he briefly worked for VICE News prior to getting a job at Sky Media. Sky is a major broadcast company in Europe. It was during his nearly three-year employment

Changes in the Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver eligibility will be in effect for the Fall 2016 semester.

The state-mandated changes adopted will require students who apply to meet certain “academic and progress standards,” according to an email release from the Los Medanos College Financial Aid Office.

This addition will be in conjunction with the previous standard, income.

Historically, the BOG waiver has been awarded to applicants meeting income standards set by the state.

The new requirements mean that students must hold a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher.

Applicants of the waiver must also complete “more than 50 percent of your coursework,” this according to a release from icanaffordcollege.com Eligibility for the waiver, which pays the cost of a student’s tuition, will continue to require income standards.

This shift to include the standards may help to “ensure students meet academic and progress standards, so they can achieve their educational goal,” said Jennifer Ma, LMC financial aid supervisor.

Any student can apply to receive the BOG waiver.

Towards the end of April, students can check with financial aid to see if their current standings with the college are acceptable for the program.

If a student does not qualify for the waiver based on the requirements, they might choose to appeal the decision based on extenuating circumstances, according to a state handout on the changes.

Extenuating circumstances can include, but are not limited to: Injuries or illnesses beyond your control; if you lost a job or cannot obtain suppor t that is essential; if you are in the California Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids (CalWORKS), Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) and Disabled Students Programs Services (DSPS) programs and/or are a veteran student.

The changes are also new for LMC, as well as all community colleges in the state.

“We’re still working out the details,” said Robin Armour, director of Admissions.

See VICE, page 8

See BOG, page 8

Learn about PTEC careers The Process Technician program at LMC will be hosting informational sessions to provide students with an opportunity to learn about what PTEC is, how the program works and what careers they can get after graduating. The sessions will be held in Room L-109 Saturday, Dec. 5 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Wednesday, Dec 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 12 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. For more information and to register online go to http://www.losmedanos. edu/tec/.

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

Ruth Goodin (left) embraces Demetria Lawrence with a farewell hug during a reception Monday, Nov. 30.

LMC bids fond farewell Lawrence relocates to DVC for new position

By JOSEPH DELANO

jdelano@lmcexperience.com

Demetria Lawrence, who served Los Medanos College since 2007 as a member of the Student Life staff, has transferred to Diablo Valley College to work in its Student Life Office as interim student life manager, effective Dec. 1.

Her nearly decade-long time at LMC proved fruitful, as she was a driving force

Schedule out for spring ’16 The Los Medanos College Spring 2016 Schedule is now available for students who plan on registering for classes next semester. The new schedule can be viewed online at losmedanos. edu/schedule.

Daily updates For up-to-date information on class cancellations, campus events and other LMC related news, visit our online edition at lmcexperience.com.

behind numerous programs that originated from the Student Life Office, according to Dave Belman, dean of Student Success in an email sent Nov. 23 announcing her departure.

Programs that grew to maturity under her watch include: Student Ambassadors, Athletic Spirit Events, Bay Adventures and various health and wellness programs. Her transition to another college

in the district follows a recent transition from her tenure as adviser to the Los Medanos College Associated Students to other projects in the Office of Student Life.

A reception Nov. 30 held in the Office of Student Life was held to honor her time at LMC and to encourage her in future endeavors. Members of the campus community showed support for her transition at the reception.

“I am ver y excited for Demetria for these new opportunities,” said Ruth Goodin, director of College Advance-

ment at LMC. “We are going to miss her so much here at LMC.” She also added that Lawrence has been a beneficial member for the college in may areas.

Belman echoed Goodin’s sentiments.

“I’m incredibly thrilled for Demetria. She is so deserving of this opportunity,” he said.

“I’ll truly miss her,” said LMCAS President Darren Meeks. Meeks ser ved on the student senate as both a senator and now president un-

See FOND, page 8

Examining filmmaking ‘VICE’ visits campus

By ALEXANDRA RIVA ariva@lmcexperience.com

Yemi Bamiro, a producer and director for VICE Media, visited Los Medanos College Monday Nov. 30 to give students a look into documentary filmmaking.

“I actually started off as a journalist,” said Bamiro at the start of his lecture titled “Me, Africa, and Working for TV.” Bamiro first began working for The VOICE, dubbed Britain’s Favorite Black Newspaper, but soon discovered that it would be difficult to make a living there as he was paid by the word for every article he wrote, and London is very expensive.

“I worked for The VOICE for about two years and it was always in entertainment, so it was always interviewing music artists and speaking to actors and stuff like that,” said Bamiro.

When Bamiro left The VOICE, he began an internship at MTV, “when

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

Producer-director Yemi Bamiro speaks in the Little Theatre Nov. 30 it was still sort of cool,” he explained.

“When I graduated I realized I sort of wanted to go back into media. I got an internship at MTV, which is probably the best job that any 20-year-old could have working in TV. It was when TV was really cool, like MTV was really cool. It was before YouTube. It was before all

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“‘No way to prevent this,’ says only nation where this regularly happens.”

— theonion.com

Antonia Green

Vanessa Flores

GUEST COLUMNIST

VICIOUS VEE

Don’t fret about early adulthood

Stop abuse and bullying at work

Turning 16 made me realize how awful of a place the world could be. On a smaller scale, I began noticing different idiosyncrasies within schoolmates that made me a little nervous. Many of us, very immature, no chance at making it passed 21.

After noticing such behaviors, came the pressures of actually coming closer to 21, things like higher education, independence and becoming a real adult. Reality was coming in hot. But the thing is how should teenagers be so prepared to jump into the real world?

Sure there may be the couple few, but no teacher in high school ever taught or mentioned how to do taxes or register to vote. Of course I could learn how to do them myself, but let’s be honest what kind of teenager wants to spend leisure time looking up how to do taxes.

I came to the conclusion that there had to be some sort of further adult training somewhere between 18 and 30.

I consider the ages 18 to 24 adult puberty.

They are the awkward years that we once had as adolescents. We are considered adults, but truthfully, a lot of us don’t really know what the hell we’re doing.

Before I turned 19, I realized something: birthdays 19 and 20 are the worst — 18 was the beginning of something new. I could vote, go to clubs, and buy lighters from gas stations. Sweet.

As the year went on though, things got weird. I was supposed to be “figuring it all out”. I needed to know what I was going to be doing in the next two years. I had to plan for things I didn’t even know I needed to do. I thought it would just be as simple as going to school and working. No way, no how. There is a pressure to have an answer for everything, but how can we if our brains haven’t even fully developed?

Along with this pressure comes the thought of just giving up things such as school and work. I know for a fact that I’m not the only one who has flipped through one of many hundred-dollar textbooks and thought becoming a drug dealer would be a better idea than school.

It seems a bit dramatic from an older person’s point of view but it’s something a lot of people in this age bracket are facing.

Motivation is at an all time low. There doesn’t seem to be a point anymore.

Unfortunately, a promising job just isn’t enough to kick the brain into hyper speed.

It isn’t like we don’t have reasons to feel this way. Things seem to be becoming more demanding and there are too many what ifs. I’ve wasted so much time trying to fill in blanks in my head that won’t be filled for a while. Trying to figure out what was the real point of doing all the things that I was doing.

I asked myself why life seemed like it was just going through the motions, why were there no extravagant changes going on? As a popular culture fan, it’s a little discouraging to see all these people my age with millions of dollars, getting to do things they want, and little consequences at that.

What has the American Dream become?

Is there such thing as an American Dream anymore? Students today are just trying to make it past that 8 a.m. class and that 8-hour shift that is probably right after. The point I’m trying to get across is that it’s okay to be confused passed 18.

If you don’t know what you’re doing or want to do, chances are the person sitting next to you has no idea either. Don’t frustrate yourself by trying to understand the unknown. It’s unknown for a reason.

When trapped in your own head, just remember you’re not alone; it will start to all make sense. At least after puberty, we all end up hot!

In 2014, 27 percent of Americans suffered abusive conduct at work; 21 percent witnessed it and 72 percent were aware that workplace bullying happened.

That’s 37 million U.S. workers that reported being subjected to abusive conduct in the working environment.

Yet, the U.S is still ignoring workplace bullying because currently no state in the U.S has an anti-bullying law for the workplace.

It’s absurd to know that the US government hasn’t put a stop to it and that is why it continues because — there is no legal repercussion for it in most cases. Something needs to be done.

If you have been a victim, you know that bullying at work consists of intimidation and humiliation and in some cases, it could be worse than that. Workers that are being bullied at work won’t do anything about it because of fear and sometimes will put up with it due to financial reasons. 72 percent of American employer reactions either condone or sustain bullying, less than 20 percent take actions to stop it.

I faced humiliation at work by ignoring and putting up with it because I couldn’t afford to quit my job until it became too much and began to stress me out.

I had to do something about it and that was quit my job and look for a new one. That’s not an easy thing to do for most people, but working under that pressure can become unhealthy.

According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 80 percent of victims suffer from anxiety, 52 percent have panic attacks and 49 percent go in to depression. That is devastating. And that can all be prevented if we had an anti-bullying law to protect workers.

Basically verbal abuse is completely legal.

Sometimes words can be very harmful.

Verbal bullying can lower someone’s self-esteem and can have someone believe they aren’t any good. There have been many cases where people take their lives due to bullying, yet it is legal? That has to be the dumbest thing ever.

So what should you do to bring awareness of this issue? Take action and take control of the situation. Remember that your health must be your priority.

Don’t subject yourself in that type of work environment because they aren’t any good and can hurt you. Also we must educate people of this issue.

Even if you have never have experienced bullying at work, people need to become aware. And if you are the bully, then you need to stop. Some progress has been made since 2003; anti-bullying legislations has been introduced in 13 states. But more needs to done. Currently bullied workers have no legal right to threaten to file a lawsuit. And that is one of the reasons why workers feel hopeless.

There’s legal repercussion for sexual harassment at work but why not for verbal abuse? Why are we still letting bosses and coworkers get away with negative behavior towards people? These are questions we need answers to.

Founders of WBI Gary and Ruth Namie, say they are working hard to introduce a law that is against workplace bullying in the U.S. The WBI is the first and only U.S. organization dedicated to the eradication of workplace bullying that combines help for individuals, research, books, public education, training for professionals unions employers, legislative advocacy and consulting solutions for organizations.

Workplace bullying continues and it’s growing. People are getting away with it and that is not okay.

If you would like more information regarding this issue and/or take action against it visit healthyworkplacebill.org

Sarah Gonzales • Experience

Editorial

Are we numb to mass murder?

W

ednesday morning welcomed yet again news of another mass shooting this time in San Bernardino. There were 14 casualties and 17 injured which is certainly a tragic thing to have occurred, but because the 335th mass shooting of 2015, it’s hard to feel a truly deep sense of sadness due to the fact that this is a common occurrence.

Now there isn’t a general sense of apathy. This is obviously a tragedy that must be handled with the utmost care, however, think back to the first time you heard about a mass shooting to present day: do you feel as melancholic now as you did then?

Now it’s presumptuous to assume each of our readers are affected or not affected by tragedies but there is a collective feeling of pessimism. The fact that tragedies like this are practically a daily occurrence is extremely disheartening because it feels like no matter what, there will always be this sort of situation regardless of the countless conversations about gun regulation. However, it’s extremely important that we maintain a balanced sense of optimism and faith in the ideas that we the people can bring change.

Once people start feeling hopelessness, it can hinder any plans for change because they start to think, “What’s the point anyway? It’s going to keep happening.” While it’s normal to feel pessimistic, we can’t let it break our resolve to advocate for stricter background checks especially since the shootings have been getting closer. There are some who are worried that a tragedy such as what happened in San Bernardino will be hitting closer to home. We should use this time to raise our collective voice and see if we can do something about gun control rather than having them repeat empty promises but as the saying goes, “change doesn’t happen overnight,” so we must be patient yet active to ensure a better future.

Rethinking Hillary Clinton candidacy A few weeks ago, the students of my Human Biology class were taking a test, when it suddenly occurred to me that I had not included a bonus question on the exam. Normally I give them a question beyond the scope of the lectures, either for fun or to spark an interesting conversation when we review the test at a later date. I thought for a minute, and then quietly scrawled this exact information on the dry erase board: Bonus: name this candidate $7 million mansion Against free health care Charges $150,000 / hour for speeches Recently reported to be proud to have Iranians as enemies They slowly finished the tests and wrote bonus answers on the back of the final page.

At the end of few hours, I had 23 responses.

Would you, fair reader, like to take a guess at the candidate?

If you guessed Donald Trump, then you answered just like 22 of my 23 students! You are also wrong. Only one student answered correctly, because she wrote on the back of her test the name Hillary Clinton.

Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be. With a little bit of research, and through careful listening to the recent Democratic candidate debates, the descriptions above are easily revealed as fact.

Furthermore, if the results of my trivia game make you feel slightly uncomfortable, or even insulted, then get ready to squirm some more, because your would-be first female president has quite a way with words. Let’s take a look at some examples.

March 2008, while campaigning for president: “I certainly do remember that trip to Bosnia (in 1996), and as Togo said, there was a saying around the White House that if a place was too small, too poor, or too dangerous, the president couldn’t go, so send the First Lady. That’s where we went. I remember landing under

Voices

James Madden GUEST COLUMNIST

sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.”

Wow! Landing under sniper fire and running to safety in hostile territory! What a brave woman, huh? Too bad it was a total lie, one that you can see for yourself by visiting YouTube, searching the phrase “CBS Exposes Hillary Clinton Bosnia Trip,” and watching the report.

Next example…

April 2008, again campaigning for president: “(Iran’s) use of nuclear weapons against Israel would provoke, uh, a nuclear response, uh, from the United States which, personally I believe, would prevent it from happening.”

“Whatever stage of development they (Iran) might be in their nuclear weapons program, in the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them.”

A nuclear response? Total obliteration?

What kind of person is so quick to wield such destructive language? Better yet, how many Iranians do you think would like to donate to her campaign? We’ll come back to this soon enough.

October 2011, as Secretary of State: Upon learning that Muammar Qaddafi, former leader of Libya, had died: “[Laughing] We came, we saw, he died!”

If her utter enthusiasm isn’t clear from the quote, then let’s go to YouTube See JAMES, page 8

Should the district adopt a shorter schedule to match four-year universities?

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LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

Experience L M C e x p e r i e n c e . c o m

Delano

Member California Newspaper Publishers Association

“Yes. It would ignite the students to want to come to school.

Probably enrollment would go up too.”

— Xariah Oliver

“No, we get held at lower standards. I feel like CCs are easier, the longer schedule makes up for that.”

— Mauro Reynoso

“Yes. It helps you get used to the whole system, from community college to fouryear.”

— Alissa Castro

“No, it would affect the students that are taking harder classes.”

— Nathaly Borges

“Yes. I think it’d be a good idea to get closer to a four-year schedule. It might help some kids with the transition.”

— Alex Haas

“No. A longer semester gives you more time to make up for bad grades and harder classes.”

— Shelly Dixon

“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

Editors-in-Chief ...............DAMIAN LEWIN and CASSIE DICKMAN Perspectives Editor .....YETUNDE OGUNLEYE Managing Editor...................JOSEPH DELANO Campus Editor....................LISSETTE URBINA Features Editor............BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ Sports Editor.......................BRENDAN CROSS Photo Editor......................CATHIE LAWRENCE New Media Editor .................. JAMARI SNIPES Special Projects Editor..........LUKE JOHNSON Copy Chief ........................ KIMBERLY STELLY 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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“By giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.”

— Mark Zuckerberg

Honors ‘thanks’ at potluck

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

LMC Honors Club members dance at their international Thanksgiving potluck dinner and party Nov. 20 in Library, Room L-109, celebrating world traditions.

Club salutes traditions from different cultures

By KIMBERLY STELLY kstelly@lmcexperience.com

Los Medanos College students were encouraged to let their hair down at the Honors Club’s annual International Thanksgiving potluck held Friday, Nov. 20 in Librar y Room L-109 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Though most people didn’t show up until 6:15 p.m., there were multiple volunteers bringing in food and helping decorate.

Unlike last year’s event, members from other LMC sects and clubs, such as Alpha Gamma Sigma, as well as friends and family of those associated with Honors, were invited to join in on the fun.

Honors’ Social Ambassadors Kristen and Jerome Ner were key players in coordinating the event.

“We asked our advisor and she helped us rent the room for the night,” said Kirsten Ner. Though there was help from Honors’ Publications and Publicity Ambassador Janette Bustos Borocio, Kirsten Ner said, “it’s a student-run event.”

“It took about three weeks to plan,” said Jerome Ner, who, in addition to setting up the party, also made the turkey.

Those who planned to attend

were encouraged to bring food that reflects their “cultural background for a chance to win ‘Best Dish Contest.’”

Handmade decorations, flags, festive lights and tables adorned with colorful tablecloths filled the room as attendees spread out to join the different activities. In one corner by the door, a table was set up so students could play the game Marvel vs. Capcom.

There was a separate table set aside specifically for tabletop and board games.

There were also two sections for students to write letters of appreciation to teachers, veterans, wounded warriors, new recruits or deployed soldiers.

AGS and Honors member Addie Lyon, who wrote a letter to someone deployed, noted the party “had a pretty great turnout” and that she was indeed “having a lot of fun.”

Music from a Spotify playlist filled the room as students let loose and danced to DJ Casper’s “Cha Cha Slide” and Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie.” A steadily increasing group of people danced with one another as pop hit after hit played in the background.

Honors member Mariela Vega, convinced by her friends

to partake in that night’s festivities, seemed to enjoy her time there.

“I’m mostly looking forward to dancing,” she said. “I’m hoping they turn the music up even louder.”

Vega also noted the amount of people who showed up was more than she expected. One reason for the number of people in attendance could be due to the careful planning of the social committee.

“We tried to make it one day close to Thanksgiving, but also convenient for everyone,” said Kirsten Ner. “It’s getting to the stressful part of the semester,” she added, stressing the importance of quality bonding time. “We needed to make time so we can eat, talk and write letters.”

LMC student Todd Hirtler was a fan of the “comfortable atmosphere.” Though he hadn’t yet danced, Hirtler said he was looking forward to doing so and said the best thing about the evening was enjoying the “food and friends.”

Kirsten Ner fur ther expressed her opinion on the importance of such events because it gives students a chance to “get to know one another.”

Above, Honors club members engage in a fun dance during the potluck event. Left, Rubie Villela is writing a thank you note to an active duty member of the armed services who is stationed away from home during the holiday season.

Photos by Cathie Lawrence • Experience

Campus gets in the holiday spirit

Los Medanos to expand its STEM program

By GARRETT BELME

gbelme@lmcexperience.com

By TYLER MORTIMORE

tmortimore@lmcexperience.com

LMC held a “Spotlight on Success” meeting Monday, Nov. 23 in Library Room L-109 regarding the college’s expanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mechanics) program.

LMC President Bob Kratochvil warmed up the modest crowd of roughly 20 people by having them share their Thanksgiving plans before introducing STEM Grant Director and biology instructor Danielle Liubicich who praised the Brentwood Center’s lab.

“The Brentwood lab is up and running — I’d like to say it’s booming — if you’re a BIOSCI major, you can take your physics, you can take your math, you can take your bio all at Brentwood,” she said.

A total of “1,814 LMC students were enrolled in STEM and/or STEM prep courses in the Fall 2015 semester,” said Liubicich.

“Sixty-percent of last spring’s UC transfer applicants declared as calculus-based STEM See STEM, page 8

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

Eileen Valenzuela sets up this year’s angel tree in the hallway outside the Business Office on the third level of the College Complex.

This holiday season, schools in the Contra Costa Community College district are taking part in different ways to spread the holiday cheer.

Los Medanos College is taking part in the Angel Tree program, which was described by LMC President Bob Kratochvil as an, “annual campus event, which spans more than a quar ter centur y, highlights the generosity of LMC’s staff, faculty, and managers. It is a wonderful opportunity for Los Medanos College to ‘make dreams come true’ for boys and girls in our community – just as we do each day for our students.”

The Angel Tree program has been a mainstay on campus for almost 30 years.

“It started 27 years ago, and at that time, Linda Ferrante,

who is now retired headed up the project,” said office of instr uction member Eileen Valenzuela, “A year later, she asked me if I wanted to help.

Upon her retirement, I asked Linda Kohler if she’d like to participate. Linda Kohler and I have been heading up the Angel Tree program since 2002.”

Valenzuela went on the detail how students and staf f can participate in the Angel Tree program.

“The Angel Tree was decorated on Monday, Nov. 30 and is located outside the business office. It will be decorated with Angel ornaments that have a tag bearing the sex and age of a child, who is in need of a gift. Gifts of new toys or new clothing are desired. If you would like to participate in this program, please remove the tag See SPIRIT, page 8

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“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

— C. S. Lewis

’Tis the season to apply for aid Scholarships are available

By BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ

bhernandez@lmcexperience.com

Applications for scholarships at Los Medanos College are now officially open to help students who are either transferring, or looking for financial assistance for school.

Scholarships available include the Kennedy King Memorial with an award of up to $10,000.

This is open to any student of African-American, Latino, Native American or Pacific Islander descent, with a deadline to apply of Feb. 5.

LMC Foundation Scholarships is accepting applications as well.

“Students can apply for over 40 scholarships through one application,” said Scholarship Coordinator in the Office of Financial Aid, Tammy Oranje.

With the Dec. 15 deadline rapidly approaching, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, a highly selective scholarship for current community college students with GPA of 3.5 or above transferring fall 2016 and demonstrating unmet financial need, is also accepting applications.

A complete list of the scholarships accepting applications, or soon will be, is available online at losmedanos.edu/scholarships/list.asp.

“New scholarships are always being added to the scholarship webpage and students are encouraged to check back periodically,” said Oranje.

But it’s not just students who are transferring this upcoming semester.

“Students who are planning to transfer in the 2016-2017 or continuing Fall 2016, should be applying for scholarships now, many students wait until the time they are transferring to apply. However, donor’s begin their scholarship season months prior to the new school year,” said Oranje. To help with the application process, workshops will be held at the Pittsburg and Brentwood campuses.

The LMC Foundation Scholarship’s workshops are Dec. 9 at 11 a.m., and Dec. 14 at 9:30 a.m. at the Pittsburg campus. Brentwood workshop dates are still to be determined.

Other resources include the Center for Academic Support on campus, which can help review applications and essays.

Oranje made it clear that students looking for scholarships online should be wary of scammers.

“Many websites post scholarship opportunities, however they may not be legit. Student’s should keep in mind that they should never have to pay to apply or receive a scholarship,” said Oranje. “It is probably not a legit scholarship.

If in doubt … don’t apply.”

For any more information on scholarship opportunities or to schedule an appointment, visit the Financial Aid Office in the Student Services Building or 473-7518.

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

Fernando Vallejo changes and resets brakes as a part of brake day Wednesday, Dec. 2. at the LMC’s automotive technology department.

Auto tech drives student goals

Program gives real-world experience

By MICHAEL MARTINEZ Staff Writer

Walking into the Los Medanos College Automotive Technology Program’s shop is similar to an actual mechanic shop. Students can be found in groups huddled together working on anything from automatic transmissions and engine blocks to full vehicles while under the supervision of highly experienced instructors.

The shop is located in front of the Parking Lot B and is fully equipped with the technology necessary to educate students on the necessities of today’s automotive industry.

The goal of the program is to ensure students become Experience • Cathie Lawrence Automotive Service Excellence Automotive technology student Rene certified, though classes also Ayala tightens lug nuts back on to exist to help those already in the tire in the shop located front of the field enhance their skills.

Parking Lot B. “The students here are given

a very realistic experience of what it’s like to work in the field,” explained Clark Muir, the tool room supervisor, who can be found in the shop setting up appointments for customers and handing out the necessary equipment for students to get their work done.

The program is gives students a chance to experience working with actual customers by having the shop open to the public to bring in vehicles for service. Students are monitored by their instructors to make sure the work being done is without error.

Members of the college community and the public can get their vehicles worked on by students for a considerably lower rate than that charged by outside shops. Customers are not charged for the labor on the vehicle but pay a fee

that goes back into program itself. Students work on an average of 20 cars per week and spend about three to five hours per vehicle.

Despite many students and community members being unaware that such a service exists, the services are in high demand and it currently takes three weeks to schedule an appointment.

“The program has been very successful in putting students to work. We are constantly making references to shops and garages in the area,” Muir said.

Customers who have brought their vehicles in have been impressed by the professionalism of the student mechanics.

“We’ve had customers actually more pleased with our work than what they received See AUTO, page 8

LMC to employ 18 new faculty members

By JAMARI SNIPES

jsnipes@lmcexperience.com

Los Medanos College is looking to hire 18 new full-time faculty members, making it the highest number the college has ever hired at once since it opened in the 1970s.

The need to hire more faculty members came from the increasing demand for more programs and services on campus. LMC is able to hire more people because Californians have voted for it and the campus has received more funding from different grants

to hire more.

“With each of these new hires, we are thoughtfully adding to a diverse cadre of employees who are committed to creating culturally responsive services and learning environments that drive equity in student achievement and actualize our District mission to transform the lives of our students,” said Contra Costa Community College District Chancellor Helen Benjamin.

The largest hires will be counselors. Five full-time counselors will be hired to help a

variety of students, which include counselors for the following programs: MESA and STEM, UMOJA program, EOPS and CALWORKS, and the Student Success Re-engagement Team.

SSRT, a new program, will help students that are on academic probation or dismissal get back on track and connect them with resources to help them be more successful.

“There is an increased need for more full-time counselors. New state mandates require students to develop and maintain See HIRE, page 8

SPORTS MEDICINE

more teamwork Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a professional athlete, you deserve excellent care. Our talented team of sports medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists can help you stay on top of your game.* To learn more, visit kp.org/diablo.

*By referral only.

AGS sells for wounded

The Los Medanos College AGS students held a lumpia sale in the indoor quad Tuesday to raise money for wounded soldiers.

Above, member Wendy Ruiz serves lumpia to Georgette Fulk of Admissions and Records. “I think it’s nice to support our own clubs and get other cultures invovled as well,” said student Briana Solis, left.

Photos by Sha’rena Moore • Experience

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“Breathe in experience, breathe out poetry.”

— Muriel Rukeyser

‘Creed’ inspires new generation Jordan delivers a knockout performance

By TYLER MORTIMORE

tmortimore@lmcexperience.com

After the training montages and the unforeseen hurdles on the road to the “big fight,” there are two possible endings for a boxing movie. One, the main protagonist beats the reigning champ, usually one who’s a real jerk. Or second, they lose to the reigning champ, who’s still a real jerk, but they find out that sometimes winning doesn’t always come with a title belt.

I’ve never seen the original “Rocky.” Nor have I seen its sequels, other than drunken half-viewings of “Rocky IV” in which Rocky defeats Russian superman Ivan Drago and ends the Cold War. It’s early in this fourth film of the series in which Drago pummels Rocky’s friend, and former rival, Apollo Creed to death in the ring.

In the newest movie in the franchise, Ryan Coogler’s “Creed” opens with Apollo Creed’s extramarital son Adonis “Donnie” Johnson, born after his father’s death, locked up in a solitary cell in juvenile hall. Like his father before him, he’d been giving a beat

REVIEW

Photo courtesy of imbd.com

Michael B. Jordan stars as Adonis “Donnie” Johnson in the movie “Creed.”

down to a boy several years his senior. Enter Apollo’s widow Mary Ann Creed, played

by Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”), who steps in and asks the boy if he’d like to live with her.

Fast-forward to adulthood, Johnson played

by Michael B. Jordan (“Fruitvale Station”) is a self-trained boxer fighting in Tijuana by night and working an office job in Los Angeles by day. He decides to go pro, but Mary Anne Creed understandably doesn’t approve, and the gym his father trained in refuses to train him. This being a boxing movie in the “Rocky” universe, Johnson moves to Philadelphia and seeks out the underdog legend himself, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him.

Balboa, of course, requires some cajoling to come back to the world of boxing as he now runs a small Italian restaurant, named after his deceased wife Adrian, and seems to have been fending off training requests for some time. But Johnson has that champion’s tenacity, and ends up getting the old man to return to the gym.

Another item that is also required in a

boxing movie, is a pretty woman to show concern when her man is taking a beating, and so for this film Johnson meets Bianca (Tessa Thompson), his neighbor and a budding musician.

He trains and toils and hits snags in his relationships with Balboa and Bianca until we come to the big showdown with “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, who is, ironically, a lot less pretty than Michael B. Jordan.

While boxing movies — and all other sports movies — all use the same familiar tropes and plotlines, it’s the characters and direction that determine whether they triumph or die. Coogler’s fantastic debut “Fruitvale Station” showed us the last 24-hours of Oscar Grant’s life before he was killed by a BART police officer on New Year’s Eve of 2009. Here, dealing with myth instead of tragic nonfiction, his artistry flourishes along with long oneshots following Johnson from the locker room into — and around — the ring, as well as the spectacular title fight at the end, features some of the most gorgeous See CREED, page 8

Poetry via expression A poetry slam featuring performance poets Fiveology was held in the Recital Hall Nov. 19 as part of a series of events in preparation for the drama department’s production of Pulitzer prize-winning play “Ruined” currently showing at the California Theatre in downtown Pittsburg (see page 6 for review). Above, Fiveology member Shawn Williams performs during his segment of the show. Right, fellow member Andrew Tyree recites a poem. Far right, LMC student Brittany Hale opens the show performing one of her own creations.

Photos by Cathie Lawrence • Experience

Bieber releases CD on ‘Purpose’

By BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ

bhernandez@lmcexperience.com

Just two weeks ago, the Canadian vocalist Justin Bieber released his fourth studio album “Purpose,” and has already reached success with over 600,000 records sold, as well as debuting at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, surpassing even the hit British boy band One Direction’s “Made in the A.M.,” also released on Nov. 13.

Despite other remix and compilation albums released since his last album in 2012, this album is meant to be the successor to the third studio album “Believe.”

In recent years, the singer has gained a bad reputation in the mainstream media.

However, lately with various public apologies and the announcement of a new album, Bieber seems to be changing his ways — and in more ways than one.

To most, just the mention of the artist’s name would make a person feel hesitant to take a listen, as it seems

REVIEW

Courtesy of rollingstones.com

Justin Bieber perfoming at the Billboard Awards. that any music girls like — particularly teenage girls — is usually considered to be subpar compared the music tastes of other genders. But this album explores a new side of him that allows him to be able to garner See BIEBER, page 8

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“The quality of a play is the quality of its ideas.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Photos by Cathie Lawrence • Experience

Josephine (Alante Blackmon), Mazima (Shatori Hines) and Sophie (Elysse Green) during a Dec. 1 dress rehearsal of the LMC Theater Production “Ruined.”

Remaining showtimes are Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at Pittsburg’s California Theatre.

New production a spectacle ‘Ruined’ intense and awe-inspiring

By KIMBERLY STELLY

kstelly@lmcexperience.com

The Los Medanos College Drama Department put on a spectacularly intense performance of Lynn Nottage’s play “Ruined” Wednesday night at the California Theatre in downtown Pittsburg. Everything from the set to the costumes was awe-inspiring as the drama department really outdid itself.

It was obvious that a lot of hard work went into this production from both those on stage and those behind the scenes.

This effort was emphasized during an event previewing the play called “Getting Ready for Ruined” hosted by LMC instructor Josh Bearden and Honors Director Jennifer Saito. They gave background information on the play by providing an historical timeline of conflict in the Congo.

The lesson was followed by some of the main cast reading scenes from the play to give the audience of taste of what they were going to see the following night and the actors certainly lived up to expectations.

There were a few hiccups such as minor issues with sound cues, and athough the actors who spoke in Congolese accents were consistent, it was a little unclear as to whether or not all the characters were supposed to have one or not, given the setting. However, none of these things were noticeable enough to stifle the production. Every emotion the actors portrayed, resonated with the audience. There was boisterous laughter during the more humor tinged scenes and gasping and sniffling during the more dramatic scenes.

It’s difficult to say who the star of the play was because each actor brought something

REVIEW

interesting to the stage. Dee White’s portrayal of Mama Nadi invoked thoughts about the nature of human beings: are people warped by circumstance? If so, can they be healed?

And I found myself becoming the most emotional during scenes featuring Arionna White, who executed the perfect amount of intensity while portraying Salima, which isn’t surprising since she exhibited similar skill when she was in LMC’s production of “Fences.”

Alante Blackmon brought her character Josephine to life by showing that she can be equal parts funny and serious.

Though I haven’t gotten the chance to see Elysse Green in other productions, she expertly portrayed the lovable, romantic Sophie. Even the actors who didn’t have as big of a role such as Shatori Hines who played Mazima, did a great job of conveying their parts through facial expressions See PLAY, page 8

Top, Josephine (Alante Blackmon), flirts with Simon (Mario Castillo) as Fortune (Lawrence White) is repulsed. Above, Osembenga (Michael Burks) exclaims as Christian (Tre’Vonne Bell) and Mama (Dee White) look on. Left, Josephine, Kisembe (Jarrelle Tramble), Mama and Christian sit at the bar with Salima (Arionna White) and Mr. Harari (Clint Sides).

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“Hitting is timing.

Pitching is upsetting timing.”

— Warren Spahn

Powelson combats injury

Trainer delivers TLC to athletes

By GARRETT BELME

gbelme@lmcexperience.com

Los Medanos’ very own athletic trainer, Brian Powelson, took an interesting road to get to where he is today.

Raised just beyond San Francisco International Airport, Powelson decided to stay local when attempting to further his education and attended Sacramento State right out of high school.

“I was a student at Sac State and I was trying to figure out what I was going to study and I took a career assessment test and athletic training was one of the subjects that came up that matched my profile,” said Powelson.

After taking the career assessment test and being matched with athletic training, the rest was history.

“I’ve always been around athletics since I was a young kid so it seemed like a good fit. I ended up taking their care and prevention class and I enjoyed it so that’s kind of how I got started,” said Powelson. “That was probably my starting point, taking the career assessment, I did have some interest in the medical field and I was always more interested in science than I was in any other subjects.”

Studying athletic training at a school that is home to an NCAA Division 1 football team comes with perks, as Powelson recalls, “being a student at Sac State, going on trips for football games was memorable.”

After graduating college, Powelson was fortunate enough to have a string of interesting jobs, first of which was working for the Canadian football team stationed in Sacramento, The

Experience • Renee Smith

Athletic trainer Brian Powelson takes time out of his busy schedule to share a laugh with LMC athlete Jasmina Cross.

Sacramento Gold Miners.

“It was a good learning experience for me, I was pretty fortunate to get the job,” said Powelson.

While getting to work with a professional football team fresh out of college may sound like it was a sweet gig, it wasn’t always a walk in the park.

“The thing about those jobs is that they were six months of everyday.

Ten, Eleven hour a day jobs,” recalls Powelson.

After a year traveling around Canada and working with the Gold Miners, Powelson took his talents to a different city for a different sport.

“I spent a year in the minor league

baseball system,” said Powelson. “A lot of traveling, a lot of being on a bus driving around California and Oregon and Washington. It was a good experience.”

After Powelson’s time with Canadian football players and minor league baseball players, things seemed to settle down as he secured the athletic trainer position at Contra Costa Community College, a title that he had held for about 20 years.

Working at Contra Costa for that long seemed far from likely when Powelson first took over.

“I started at Contra Costa and I was just subbing for somebody and they ended up not coming back so I kind of

stayed in there for a long time,” said Powelson, adding “sometimes things happen and you get opportunities to work in certain situations where things just kind of fall into your lap and you gotta take advantage of it.”

After the athletic trainer position opened up at LMC, Powelson, who is now living in Concord, saw it as a natural fit and has been an athlete’s go-to since last January.

While reflecting back, Powelson noted that to get to where you want to be is never easy, and also detailed how he overcomes adversity.

“I don’t think anything is ever smooth sailing but there were times, especially during the fall seasons

He’s not a one trick Mustang

Jared Ambuehl REAL TIME WITH JARED

Possible MLB rule changes

Taylor masters two sports

By JARED AMBUEHL

jambuehl@lmcexperience.com

Gabe Taylor, quarterback for the Los Medanos College Mustangs football team, is a two-sport athlete, who also plays baseball at LMC. Taylor was not always a multi-sport athlete however. He grew up playing only baseball from ages 3 to 11 because his mom would not let him play football.

“My mom and dad put me in baseball when I was like 3 or 4,” Taylor said. “It wasn’t until my auntie took me to a football practice at 11 and the coaches persuaded my mom to let me play.”

At the beginning of the season, the freshman was not slotted as the starting quarterback for LMC. Sophomore Julius Mozee, from Pittsburg High School, was supposed to be the answer at QB this year but four games in, Mozee injured his shoulder, throwing Taylor into the fire.

“They gave me the nod in week five and I started to perform” Taylor said. “I give Julius credit, he is still battling a bad shoulder and continues to help us at wideout.”

Listed at 6’3, 180 pounds, Taylor is a relatively skinny quarterback.

When you see him, he looks no more than 170, but there is a reason why this kid is now the starter. Taylor has a rocket arm and the attitude of “I’m better than you.”

“I believed I had the physical skill to be the starter, but mentally I was not ready because I was a head case” Taylor said. “Coming from Clayton Valley, I didn’t know how to read coverages, but my coaches stuck by my side and developed me week-by-week as a better player and a better man.”

The Mustangs finished the season 5-5. They ended on a win but were not able to make a bowl game.

“We have overcome a lot of adversity this year” Taylor said. “We

when we have 3, 4, 5, maybe 6 sports going on at the same time. It’s a little bit hectic, you just gotta remember that the end of the day is going to come sooner than later so just push through and get ready for the next day,” said Powelson.

“Brian is probably one of the most patient trainers I’ve ever known,” said student athlete Renee Smith. “There is usually a lot of people inside his training room when I go in, but he makes time for everyone no matter how busy he is.”

No matter what is going on, you can always count on LMC’s very own athletic trainer to aid the student athlete’s in any way he can.

By JARED AMBUEHL

jambuehl@lmcexperience.com

lost seven starters due to injury at the beginning of the season, so our record doesn’t exactly show how good we are when healthy.”

At the beginning of the year, they lost sophomore Joshua Jackson from Liberty due to a torn MCL. He would have been the starting running back for the Stangs, but Taylor learned to play with what he is given.

“The greatest challenge is knowing you aren’t getting as many reps as your teammates during the offseason,” Taylor said. “You have to work that much harder on your own if you want to be ready as the backup. Working hard is what I’ve had to do my entire life though, so I’m used to it.”

On the baseball diamond, it is evident Taylor could be a twosport athlete, as he pitches, plays infield and outfield for LMC. At every position, Taylor expresses his strong arm and athletic ability, but working hard at two sports can get tiring.

“The best advice I could give a fellow two-sport athlete is don’t give up and stay determined” Taylor said. “Trust me, you are going to get tired, you are going to get stressed and you’ll have no free time, but in the end it’s worth it. You are doing something not a lot of people can say they did in college. So just stay focused and

Experience • Renee Smith

Gabe Taylor sports No. 12 on the football field and the baseball diamond. determined and you’ll be all right.”

As for which spor t Taylor thinks he is better at, he likes to believe he is the best at whatever he does, not in a cocky way, but a confident way.

“I wouldn’t say I’m better at one sport than the other because they are two different skills mentally and physically,” he said. “If I had to say one or the other I would say baseball. I mean hopefully I’m better at it than football, I’ve been playing it for eight more years total.”

It is not to say that Taylor likes one better than the other, both sports have their perks of exhilaration, but growing up he said baseball really came first.

“Growing up my dream was always to become a college baseball player and then a professional,” he said. “Baseball was night and day until I was about 11, then sports in general just became my night

and day.”

It can be very easy to lose track of why you do what you do when you are a two-sport athlete. Taylor has a very specific inspiration that he keeps him going and keeps him pushing through each wall.

“My drive is my mom because her and my family live in a homeless shelter in Bay Point,” Taylor said. “I can’t stand to see her there so she is definitely my motivation on and off both the football and baseball field.”

After taking over the quarterback job this season, Taylor looks poised to have a very good sophomore season with the help of some injured players getting healthy and returning. On the baseball field, he might not have a solidified spot where he can say he plays every day, but if he continues to put in the effort he does, his athleticism will show and See GABE, page 8

First it was replay, now it is hard slides, strike zones, designated hitters in both leagues and lowering the mound. Baseball is a game that can never stop evolving if it wants to compete with the NFL for the most popular sport in America.

Maybe it is because fans have liked what they have seen out of replay, but nowadays the average MLB fan is always thinking of ways to help make the game better. At the beginning of the year, talk of having the DH expanded to both the American and the National League ruled baseball chatter.

I did not think this was a bad idea, noting that there’d be a significant increase in hitting in the National League. But a more prominent issue at hand, if commissioner Rob Manfred wants to see the league as a whole become more offensive, is the implementation of electronic or robotic strike zones, or whatever you want to call them.

It has been tried in independent league games and no calls are ever missed. Now, this sounds great, but I for one am not for a robotic element to umpiring, as I think the human element of actual umpires making good calls and bad are part of the game. There is no doubt it would even out the game from hitting to pitching, but I am just not ready to let go of human umpires.

There are steps that can be taken to prolong maybe the inevitable of having electronic strike zones. The first would be to lower the mound.

This would not be the most effective way to even out play, but it certainly would not help out pitchers, as they would not have as much leverage to work with.

As long as MLB pitchers have something to push off of however, I think they will find ways to get batters out at a decent clip. That being said, the second item of business would be to get rid of shifts all together. I am a little keener on this idea, as forcing each fielder into a designated bubble when the pitch is delivered would add the element of “hard hit balls find holes,” something that does not always happen in today’s day and age of the shift.

This idea might take awhile to get through to the commissioner’s brain though, as he is just now starting to explore the idea all See BALL, page 8

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PLAY From page 6

and gesticulations.

Those who played the soldiers were extremely versatile and helped with the comic relief after the more emotional scenes.

The entire cast made me believe they had really gone through the sor rows and triumphs of the characters

they por trayed. After the play was over, there was a Q and A from members of a Contra Costa County crisis organization that specializes in dealing with rape and sex trafficking. The speakers of the organization thanked the actors multiple times for conveying the feeling associated with such topics so accurately.

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enrollment period.

“Many students may not see a U.C. campus as being within their reach, but together we can encourage our hard-working and talented students to apply,” said Harris.

Although this has presented an opportunity to students who may have been unable to apply to a U.C. before the deadline, it came as a surprise.

We don’t know anything more than students right now,” said Los Medanos College Transfer Services Coordinator Rachel Anicettie, adding that the thought process on the extension hadn’t been communicated. She said it is also not clear how the increased enrollment will be distributed — either equally between the U.C. campuses or based on each university’s current enrollment — and also added that some majors are off limits for the extended deadline, such as U.C. Irvine’s writing degrees and UCLA’s film degree.

But Anicettie said students are encouraged to ask questions and come by for help with the application process.

There will also be a workshop Wednesday, Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Transfer Center to assist students with applying to U.C.s as well to private universities that are still accepting applications.

Other transfer organizations are also offering help to community college students, such as Cal’s Experience Berkeley Program that assists minority students in their efforts to transfer to there.

Program Director Kenny Gutierrez sent out an email Dec. 3 to Experience Berkeley scholars announcing the extension, and offering advice and help for those students who hadn’t yet applied or want to apply to additional U.C. campuses.

“As we grow, we want to do all we can to reach the goal outlined in the California Master Plan to enroll one new transfer students for every two new freshman,” said Gutierrez.

The extension is part of a series of efforts the U.C. system is using to boost California student enrollment and aid students in transferring, including introducing Transfer Pathways for certain majors and the approval of the budget plan for the 2016-17 school year, which includes funding for the planned increased enrollment.

“Our transfer students typically do as well as, or even better than, students who entered a U.C. campus as freshmen,” said Harris in his letter. “This application extension will only help expand the pool of qualified applicants from our great system who will thrive at U.C.” Statistics from the U.C. website back up Harris and indicate 85 percent of U.C. transfer students graduate with U.C. freshman coming in at 83 percent.

LMC President Bob Kratochvil said the change in the application deadline could make admissions more competitive overall at the U.C. level but said he thinks it could be good for community college students.

der Lawrence’s advisership.

Lawrence is not the only staffing change being made in Student Life.

The other student life coordinator, Jamila Stewart, has voluntarily accepted a full-time permanent position as LMC Umoja Scholars Program coordinator. “[Stewart’s] efforts have led to great success for both programs that will have lasting impacts in the future,” said Belman. “We are excited for her opportunity to have deeper impact with Umoja in the future through this dedicated role.”

The transition of both Lawrence and Stewart away from the office leaves two coordinator positions unfilled.

Belman will be in charge of hiring new staffers.

LMC President Bob Kratochvil is confident in Belman’s abilities, saying that he is “very capable” of filling the open positions before the start of the spring semester.

He noted that he thinks the transition will be “interesting” in regards to bringing new workers into the fold on campus.

One of the new members of the Student Life Office will assume the role of adviser to the student senate, as both Stewart and Lawrence have done in the past.

While Lawrence is no longer on campus, Stewart will continue to provide limited support to the office of student life pending the hiring of new staff.

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SPIRIT From page 3

and buy an appropriate gift and return the gift(s) unwrapped to Linda in the business office, or Eileen in the office of instruction. You do not need a tag to participate. The last day to bring gifts is Tuesday, Dec. 15,” said Valenzuela.

Along with the Angel Tree program, Contra Costa Community College has already begun accepting donations for a toy drive of their own.

CCC police officer Timothy Thomas started up this toy drive back in 2010.

“Each officer was asked to generate a community project and so I had generated this toy drive. It was the beginning of everything we have now,” said Thomas.

This toy drive works similarly to the aforementioned Angel Tree toy drive. Thomas said, “is there are barrels in each police sub station and people can bring unwrapped toys to them, those barrels will then be collected and inventoried and they’re going to go out to a shelter in Richmond.”

Thomas also made it a point to mention the people behind the scenes stating, “All the people throughout the district behind the scenes at LMC, DVC and Contra Costa that made this toy drive a go, there’s a lot of people who play a big roll into making this successful.”

If you would like to donate this holiday season the Angel Tree is outside the business office at LMC.

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at Sky in which his work was focused predominantly around sports.

“I worked on Sky Sports, which is their formula one channel. It was a really good job because I was always interested in formula one,” said Bamiro. “You guys have NASCAR here, but as a kid I used to watch formula one.”

After his time at Sky, he returned to VICE and has been working there ever since.

“I had always been interested in what VICE did.

It’s always challenging. It’s always engaging. It’s always, you know, it goes against the grain,” he said.

VICE, founded by Shane Smith, is known for being an irreverent and brutally honest news source, geared toward a younger audience. VICE has taken Bamiro all around the world, but he spoke specifically of his travels to the continent of Africa.

“Last week we were doing some stuff in Japan for VICE Sports. The week before that we were in Chicago,” said Bamiro, whose position at VICE allows him explore subjects he loves, such as sports, as well as many others.

Bamiro shared a number of tips with the audience to help them learn to develop a stor y idea, starting with “Story is King.”

“Everything starts with an amazing story,” said Bamiro to an attentive crowd. “There are always stories that are nestled away, so yeah, story is king.”

One unusual story Bamiro discovered while working for VICE brought him to a maximum-security prison in Uganda.

“I found this article about a prison in Uganda that has a fully realized soccer league.

So, it’s a maximum-security prison in Uganda but it also has a soccer league. There are twelve teams in this league.

All the teams are named after European football teams,” said Bamiro.

A story as different as this one is bound to have a cast of enticing characters, bringing up Bamiro’s next point to “find strong characters.”

“They also have player salaries, so the inmates are actually paid, but they’re not paid cash, they’re paid by prison commodities, like soap and sugar,” he explained. “The players are also traded from one team to another as well, so it’s completely realized, completely functional.”

The documentary he and his crew filmed in the Ugandan prison is not yet completed, but it will eventually air on VICE Land, VICE’s television network.

Finally, Bamiro’s last pieces of advice were to ‘be patient’ when filming and developing a story and to ‘watch as many different documentaries as possible.’

“If you really believe in your idea and you really believe in your story, then you will make it happen,” said Bamiro.

cinematography this year. And the characters!

Coogler shared writing duties with friend Aaron Covington and the duo not only made a compelling figure out of Johnson, but filled their world with both well-developed primary characters and extras that give you a taste of “Philly” life. Stallone, in his trademark, prototypical “Future Hendrix” delivery, puts in some of his best work as the curmudgeonly Balboa, and produces most of the film’s great one-liners as well as its more poignant scenes.

Likewise, Thompson excels as the singer-songwriter love interest. Johnson is regularly warned of the short-term nature of boxing, and Bianca, a musician who has progressive hearing loss, mirrors his “getit-while-the-gettin’-is-good” attitude, and makes it perfectly clear to him that while he is terribly handsome, she has better things to do than be a man’s crutch. This isn’t to say she is some sort of ice queen.

To the contrary, Thompson and Jordan have great chemistr y together and Coogler takes care to make sure their relationship grows naturally.

Jordan shows again that he’s one of the finest young actors in the business. He brings great depth to a character in a movie that, again, is ostensibly about people punching each other in the head. Johnson is a complex character, a kid who grew up in group homes and juvenile halls before receiving the Creed silver spoon. This duality informs much of his character, and throughout the movie he struggles with trying to live up to his father’s legendary standard while running from his name.

With “Creed,” Coogler cements himself, along with the likes of Jeff Nichols and Ana Lily Amirpour, as one of the best young American filmmakers. It’s impressive to watch the 29-year-old Oakland native pack what could have been a fairly mediocre by-the-numbers movie, with tremendous amounts of pathos.

More impressive is that this “Rocky” movie, coming nearly 40 years after the original, is one of the best movies of 2015.

majors.”

Liubicich also spoke about the benefits of the STEM conferences students attend, the most recent being at Portland City College last spring.

“The aim is not to reinvent the wheel, but to get some of those ideas together, come home and figure out how to make some of those things work at LMC,” she said. “Everything they talk about, and the things we’re trying to do is to get students to act as the scientists. We’re trying to train them to be scientists, so we want them to be scientists in the classroom.”

Liubicich presented last summer’s bio session as an example, where students were able to do their own experiments.

Students looked at the effects of endocrine disruptors on developing organisms, in this case, freshwater sponges.

The chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), which has gained notoriety in recent years, is a chemical that is an endocrine disruptor that was commonly found in water bottles. Liubucuch stated that companies have substituted Bisphenol B (BPS) for BPA recently.

“There’s a lot of studies done on BPA, because that was all the rage for awhile,” said Liubicich, “But there’s not much done on BPS. It’s pretty cool to do something that actually has pretty big real-world applications.”

Students applied the chemical to the freshwater sponges and took progress photos of the organisms. The control sponges blossomed, ornate appendages growing out from their circular bodies.

The sponges with endocrine disruptors, however, either didn’t sprout appendages or sprouted one or two feeble looking parts.

“Within a summer, they produced results no one else had,” she said, “and that’s really exciting.”

From page 1

Professor Joshua Bearden talks to students about “Ruined” inside the Little Theatre Tuesday, Dec. 1.

F R I D AY,

GABE From page 7

baseball head coach Anthony D’Albora might not be able to keep him off the field.

“The only thing that goes against Gabe is the fact that he’s not out here everyday with us,” Miles Robertson, a freshman baseball player at LMC said. “When he is out here though, you can definitely see just how athletic he is, and that should bode well for him as not only a quarterback next year, but as a baseball player this year.”

BOG From page 1

She stressed the importance of maintaining student status, in good standing, with LMC for at least two consecutive semesters.

For more information on the changes to the BOG waiver, visit the state website icanaffordcollege.com.

For on-campus help with the transition, visit either the Financial Aid office or the Admissions desk, both located inside the Student Services Building.

BIEBER From page 5

a bigger audience.

My personal favorite off of the album is the cheeky track “Love Yourself,” a romantic sounding yet funny diss at an ex with lyrics such as, “My momma don’t like you and she likes everyone.”

Bieber worked in collaboration with singer Ed Sheeran on this track. Just listening to the song it is easy to hear Sheeran’s influence on the song.

Bieber’s vocals have improved over the years, and I’m hoping that he continues to experiment with his sound and record some old school R&B tracks similar to the covers he used to sing back when he was on YouTube in the future.

While his album is beginning to show a deeper truth to him, the pop sound of his music can overpower the overall meaning of the songs.

This happens on one of his latest singles, “Sorr y.” The song is about apologizing, but its upbeat sound makes it more of a dance track, and takes away any meaning was supposed to have.

But luckily this isn’t the case for the whole album. Calm piano songs such as “Mark My Words” and the title track “Purpose” give listeners a chance to appreciate his vocal ability.

Don’t let Bieber’s bad reputation keep you from recognizing his talents and listening to his albums.

AUTO From page 4

at an actual shop,” said Nick Emigh, a student enrolled in the program.

Students can expect to earn $35,000 a year within a couple years of graduating and a majority of technicians make over $60,000 a year, according to the Automotive Technology section of the LMC website.

BALL From page 7

together. If shift rules were put into place, it would only force the four infielders to be divided into two sides of the diamond, according to Manfred.

“Manfred indicated that he wasn’t talking about forcing infielders to maintain set positions; he was thinking more about dividing ‘the number of players who have to be on each side of second base’ –in other words, prohibiting the use of three infielders on the right side”, according to a foxsports. com story.

The number one way though to increase hitting productivity in the big leagues would be to shrink the plate three inches — an inch and a half off of each side. Umpires would really have to stick to the plate and not give balls off that are framed by the catcher well as strikes.

This would be the best way to do things without the viewer noticing a big difference with the game.

Another rule that deserves attention is roster expansion in September and the playoffs.

This season, the Colorado Rockies and the L.A. Dodgers played a 16-inning game, in which there were 24 pitchers, 58 players used total. This was possible because in September, when the game occurred, teams are allowed to expand their rosters from 25 to 40.

Instead of having 40 players from Sept. on, it needs to be 32.

What should happen is teams start with 40 on Opening Day, but by the time April is over, they cut the roster from 40 to 32. This way, teams can see what they have in a young player early in the season.

Who knows, if the rookie proves well, maybe the team keeps him up for the season.

At the very least, young guns will get the opportunity to play in games that matter early in the year.

This way, teams avoid having to bench the player at the big league level if they are in the playoffs. They also would not have to worry about what they really have in a player if they put up solid numbers during garbage time at the end of the season if the team is not in the playoff hunt.

Follow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.com

JAMES From page 2

again! Type in “Hillary Clinton on Gaddafi: We came, we saw, he died,” and watch as she chuckles while pumping her fists. If only she had some pom-poms to continue celebrating.

And finally, October 2015, when asked in the first CNN debate, “Which enemy that you made during your political career are you most proud of?”

“Well, in addition to the NRA, uh… the health insurance companies, the drug companies… um… the Iranians… um… probably the Republicans.”

Iranians again?! She’s proud to have an entire ethnic group as an enemy?! What kind of diplomat is this? And if you don’t believe me, then go to YouTube one last time and search “Hillar y’s Top Enemies...

Iranians and... Republicans?”

Perhaps just as unsettling is that the crowd loves her war mongering, but that’s a topic for a different article.

I told you that this would be an uncomfortable, cringe-worthy exercise. Now, let’s finish by talking about money, the focus of two characteristics that I provided to my students.

Does anyone remember back in 2010 when Mommy and Daddy Clinton showered little daughter Chelsea and her investment banker boyfriend with a three-million-dollar wedding? The floral arrangements alone reportedly cost $250,000. Just the flowers! The Clintons charge six figures for one hour speeches, spend millions of dollars on one wedding, earn millions writing books, and own multi-million dollar mansions.

Despite all that wealth, Hillary does not support free health care for all! She also does not support a $15 per hour federal minimum wage! If daughter Chelsea were rocking a hairnet and scraping clean the deep fryer of chicken joint in Pittsburg, California, then Hillary might have some pity for minimum wage earners.

Maybe.

Before throwing your support behind a candidate, and then voting next year, ask yourself at least these questions: How does this candidate represent our community?

Who is this candidate going to truly serve? Then do some additional research. You will find there are more candidates and political parties than just Hillary’s Democrats and Donald’s Repub

HIRE From page 4

an educational plan as one example. This mandate creates a need for us to increase the number of counselors we have to provide this service,” said LMC Vice President Kevin Horan. “Two of the positions in counseling will be working specifically with students that are academically at risk [on academic probation]. We view this as a critical need that we have not yet adequately met.”

“Because the five positions are very focused on different student populations, I think it’s very good because the students will have a dedicated counselor to work closely with to help them achieve their goals,” said David Reyes, Transfer Academy Counselor.

Recr uitment for the 18 positions will happen over a length of time.

“We are currently recruiting for two nursing and five counseling positions that we plan to fill by the end of the fall semester for a spring 2016 start. The remaining 11 faculty positions will be recruited during the spring semester for fall 2016 start,” said Horan.

Some of the other positions that will be filled are in the departments of appliance service technology, English, philosophy, Spanish, engineering and electrical and instrumentation technology.