LMC Experience Vol. 98 No. 5 - March 17, 2023

Important Dates

March is Women’s History Month

Today Happy St. Patrick’s Day

March 26

First day of a Spring Break. Enjoy the time off from classes

The Mustangs share how they fell in love with the sport

— Page 4/5

‘65’ connects past with future combining sci-fi and dinosaurs

— Page 6

LMC softball team starts season with walk-off win

— Page 8

Saint Mary’s visits Pittsburg campus

Saint Mary’s College representative Craig Means will be on the Student Union from 10 a.m to 1 p.m Tuesday March 21. He will be available to answer any questions students may have about transfering to the college.

Immigration relief interactive webinar

The Immigration institute of the Bay Area is hosting a webinar March 21 from 4 to 5 p.m about immigration relief. Visit https://us02web.zoom. us/webinar/register/ WN_rpCtoOMyTJi0GdalXL2-Xw to sign up to attend the zoom.

Fifa tournament in Student Lounge

A Fifa 23 video game tournament isbeing hosted Friday March 24 in the student lounge of the Pittsburg campus from 12 p.m to 5 p.m. The event will include food, refreshments and other activities.

More food truckin’ to campus

By JUAN CEBREIROS Staff Writer

The food trucks that have been coming to the Los Medanos College Pittsburg campus have been a success for the school and the businesses themselves. However a Request For Proposal went out from LMC in search for a vendor to fill the void of the campus cafeteria for the 2023 fall semester.

Vice President Carlos Montoya said it is currently unknown what will happen to the food trucks if a vendor is found to fill the cafeteria.

“The goal is to have access to food to provide to students

of this campus,” said Montoya.

Since coming back to campus in the 2021-22 school year, there has always been a demand for food at LMC.

The Pittsburg campus cafeteria is ready for a vendor to be working out of to provide food to the LMC campus, according to Montoya.

“The cafeteria is complete and built by its design, it’s passed the inspections. The only thing left is any improvements the tenant wants to make,” said Montoya.

After seeing the success of the food trucks from them coming to the campus just evSee FOOD, page 7

Got pied?

By RAY KOPF Staff Writer

The Los Medanos College Associated Students or the LMCAS is the acting student government at LMC. It is their mission to make life for students on campus as great as possible while looking out for all. Not only that but they also set up events on campus for the student body to enjoy.

The primary goal of LMCAS is to ensure that every student at LMC is represented and heard. Through their participation at district and college meetings and committees, LMCAS does their job to give the students at LMC a voice. They’re here to stand up for all students in all walks of life.

The LMCAS is open to all students who want their voice to be heard. If you want to have a bigger part in the school community and work together with others to make the school environment amazing, then LMCAS is open to you.

JEFFREY BUI

Jeffrey Bui is the Los Medanos College Associated Students president and has been in student government for a little over two years now. His job as LMCAS president is to facilitate meetings and keep track of representation of all students in LMC and district committees.

More than $800 was raised during the annual Pie in the Face event held on Pi Day in the Student Union. Music teacher Luis Zuniga raised the most money with $177 in his jar and therefore received a pan full of whipped cream to the face from one of his current students. See story on page 3.

Legal action considered

By JUAN CEBREIROS Staff Writer

Berkeley

Several Los Medanos College custodial workers have sought legal counsel and are planning to file a lawsuit against the college, the Contra Costa Community College District and their custodial manager.

This comes following an alleged incident that took place in June 2022 where custodial manager Frank Ichigaya supposedly made disparaging comments about workers Quinn Glenn and Sydney Morales during a meeting with fellow employee, Milo Mathis. Mathis claims

Ichigaya said in the meeting, “If I see them around my house, I will shoot them dead.”

According to a police report filed about the incident, Mathis, who took this comment as a threat to him and his team, told Glenn and Morales about Ichigaya’s See LEGAL, page 7

Bui was interested in improving the community which led him to joining LMCAS. He found the work emotionally fulfilling and it helped motivate him to continue his work. It became apparent to him that the work wouldn’t be easy and would be a huge responsibility.

“Being the President is rewarding in its own way, but it comes with many, many, many responsibilities,” Bui said.

He realized there are many duties that come with being LMCAS president and he found it difficult to manage his time. Despite this, Bui continued to work in student government and it has been a great opportunity for him to further his understanding in the concepts of unity, access and diversity.

“The many skills that I have garnered throughout my time at LMCAS have tremendously helped me grow as an See REPS, page 7

Katherine Mustar • Experience

Alexis Ramirez • Experience

Perspectives 2

Do we need the Supreme Court?

Anyone who’s watched the news in the last few months has probably seen the Supreme Court pop up more than once.

Ever since the controversial decision to overturn Roe V Wade in June 2022, the mostly conservative court has been under the watchful eye of personal opinion, with every case they take seemingly more disastrous than the last. Because of such intense scrutiny, a simple question emerges: do we really need the Supreme Court anymore?

This question isn’t new, in fact, it’s probably a debate as old as if the filibuster should remain in Congress. Unlike the filibuster and its time-wasting, the court dictates law, legislation and how we act on such ideas.

This ability is without a doubt one of the most impactful in the country, many people learned with the overturning and the immediate nationwide outrage, as well as the state legislation that followed soon after either banning or protecting abortion. Not only does the court have immense sway over the way the country is run, but they don’t answer to anyone.

The Supreme Court, written in the constitution, is meant to be the highest court in the country. However, that’s about all the constitution has to say about the court, and most of what we know about the court has been established since.

This court is constitutional and with a clear purpose, but the biggest stipulation is if it has maintained such a purpose in contemporary times.

The answer, as always, is hard to pin down, as the mere act of the Supreme Court being dissolved is one that would have immediate and widespread repercussions. It would require current cases to be pushed down to lower courts or simply be dismissed altogether and would remove the top position of an entire branch of government.

These are worthwhile repercussions, in my opinion, now let me explain.The Supreme Court justices are appointed by the President and are then reviewed and voted on by the Senate. The justices, if confirmed, serve for life with no way of removal besides retirement, impeachment or death.

If it isn’t apparent what the problem is, allow me to spell it out: the Supreme Court does not answer to the people of the United States. In fact, the people decided by law have no control over them whatsoever.

This issue is one that has been brought up very recently, with legislators pushing for an 18-year-term limit to be implemented. However, this is merely an idea, and the paperwork behind it is both new and unestablished.

Meanwhile, the court continues to take on more and more substantial cases, such as whether social media companies should be held liable for everything posted on their sites to whether or not student debt relief is something the President can constitutionally introduce.

Regardless of how you view the court, the simple fact remains: they’re the least democratic force in the country with the highest degree of power, and they show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. The morality of a body in government isn’t necessarily the issue either, a judicial body will always be necessary, but the implementation of such a body matters.

When the judicial branch ends in a court that answers to no one but its own ideology, it becomes an immediate breeding ground for abuse of power, with the question arising of the will.

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, drop them off in Room CC3-301 or email them to LosMedanos.Experience@gmail.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.

Paywalls frustrate students

By LIZ COLBURN Guest Columnist

Since going online and learning how to create revenue from simply being online newspapers and academic sources, have not let up about subscriptions.

If I try to read an article a friend linked to me on the New York Times website, Apple News or other media outlets like them, I’m bombarded with pop ups saying to sign in, create an account and subscribe to the website. If I don’t, another comes up, saying I can’t read the article without paying for it, or in the best case, that I only have 2 out of 3 articles left to read for free and beyond that I’m out of luck.

Unless, of course, I’d like to buy a subscription to each and every newspaper an article that interests me belongs to. I understand that most of the newspapers’ revenue comes from subscriptions, but when online, their ad spaces surely must make up for the lack of subscriptions.

The pop ups on the top, side and bottom parts of the screen obscure the text so that even when trying to read an article that I actually have access to, I need to turn on an adblocker just to see the screen.

Students in almost every level of school are at some point asked to write an academic paper and to cite their sources. Now this isn’t

Editor-in-Chief ................... JUAN CEBREIROS

Managing Editor ........... MOHAMMAD NAJIMi

Perspectives Editor ........... ALIYAH RAMIREZ

Campus Editor ............................... RAY KOPF

Arts and Culture Editor ........ JADEN FORTIER

Sports Editor ................ MOHAMMAD NAJIMI

Photo Editor ................. KATHERINE MUSTAR

Voices

“You shouldn’t tell women what to do with their body. It’s just like saying you can’t have tattoos and piercing.”

— Dena Rosa

a problem for students with sources given to them, as citing is just an exercise to practice for future use.

But for most students, creating a works cited page can become increasingly difficult as they need to look for sources they can access and read, without encountering five different pop ups.

When looking for an article to use for, say, an essay, I would usually use Google Scholar. But even when looking through completely academic papers, the bulk of the information I find is kept behind a payment wall, with a free abstract that summarizes the article, but provides no actual evidence that I can cite in my paper to support my argument.

Students need full access to academic journal articles but are locked out because of the capitalistic need to gate keep research unless paid to be unlocked.

As we move into the digital age, it may be hard for academic journals and newspapers to keep up with revenue as the amount people are willing to pay for a physical subscription to these sources drops.

Even The Atlantic has said that these outlets are looking for a way to make up the lost money through their paywalls. But they also said that publishers use tradition as a way to explain it away as well.

They publish their academic articles at a cost so they don’t have to charge their authors who work based on grant money and not as a job, but to get a job after being published.

For academics working toward getting a job in their field, which requires them to be published in a journal, their research should not have to be bought to be accessed.

Even then, the article isn’t actually in the possession of the person who bought access to it.

It’s only serving as a kind of ticket to view the article. If the account, or the ticket, is lost then that person can no longer access that article, and would need to pay again to see it.

“The

Ryan Hiscocks

The multiverse head-trip “Everything Everywhere All At Once” swept five of six major categories of the Academy Awards on March 12. Less than 10 years after #OscarsSoWhite, the undeniable talents of Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Daniel Kwan were invited on stage and awarded with gold.

Michelle Yeoh said her Oscar represented, “a beacon of hope” to children who “look like” her. Earlier, Ke Huy Quan proclaimed, “This is the American Dream!” The gratitude expressed for our country’s defining industries on its important night should have come as no surprise.

The U.S. film industry has been our most beloved exports. Immigrants regularly confess their expectations of life in the U.S. were shaped by the stories watched at their local theaters.

The American Dream for many is a reflection of the American screen. This places the film industry square in the middle of our current politics of inclusion. Since the end of WWII, the U.S. economy has been the largest. Industries in our country inherited, and continue, our legacy of racial and sexual discrimination.

Michelle Yeoh is the second woman of color to win Best Actress in a Leading Role and she was presented her award by the first woman of color to earn that honor, Halle Barry.

At its heart, the American Dream is no more complicated than the economic ambition of our futures. It is limitless aspiration shaped by the immense size of our economy.

It is the intrinsic opportunity to take part in a commercial ecosystem creating over $23 trillion of value annually. The living embodiment of this optimism is the fact that millions of people try to move here to live peacefully and work hard.

The reality of the American Dream and the opportunities that are denied is a complex issue. The denial of opportunity was front and center at the Academy Awards in 2015 when no person of color was nominated for best actor in any category, resulting in the #OscarsSoWhite.

The widespread belief that immigrants, especially those who are undocumented, are taking economic opportunity away from native born Americans is a driving narrative of our immigration debate.

This line of reasoning was best represented in the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump, who promised to build a wall that Mexico will pay for.

During the awards, three winners with family tracing back to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam showed another side of immigration.

99% of Americans have a family history that starts somewhere else and aside from our Native American population, we all come from immigrants. To deny immigrants of our “pursuit of happiness,” would embrace an unjust hypocrisy.

As I say to my students, “we will have a very real problem when no one is trying to come here.”

What are your thoughts on laws surrounding women’s bodily rights?

“Using religion to outlaw shouldn’t be a reason to dictate

“This shouldn’t be up to the court or any individual other than the woman.”

— Andrew Murphy

“Everyone with a uterus is oppressed. It’s heart-breaking to lose but we will keep fighting.” — Chimera Mohammadi

“The government wants to assert their political agendas. Abortion helps women and this law goes against it.”

— Jeffrey Bui

“I am not in favor! You can’t make laws based on religion. This law contradicts religion. It’s all about control.”

— Dabney Lyons

for every woman.”

— Adrianna Chavez

3.1415, I donated to see you pied Over $800 raised

By ALIYAH RAMIREZ Staff Writer

To celebrate Pi Day on March 14, the Honors Program put together its traditional Pie in the Face event, along with a baked goods and chai sale from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in the student union. The event raised over $800 in donations to support the program’s future events and resources.

Votes began a week before to see who would get a face full of cream, with the majority of the donations building up on the final day. Participants were able to donate money towards the person they would like to see pied in the face, chosen by the Honors officer board.

Ranging from students and staff: Sandra Mills from Center for Academic Support raised $9, Edward Haven, philosophy professor, raised $14, Rachel Anicetti from Transfer and Career Services raised $20, Jennifer Saito, Honors Director, raised $37, Jeffery Bui, LMCAS President, raised $74 and Luis Zuniga, music professor, raised $177.

Minutes after the voting was projected to close, final bids quickly came in, with Bui and Zuniga holding the

top two places with a $100 difference. After the donations were counted, Zuniga was the lucky participant to get pied. He got a pan full of whipped cream to his face from his current student and Honors officer Nina Manayon as she said “it felt wrong but so right.”

“I knew that I had a high chance of winning because I won already. I’ll do anything for my beloved honors students and I’m glad they enjoy these events more than I do,” said Zuniga, with a smile on his face.

To build up anticipation for the Pie in the Face fundraiser, music played and a sweet aroma filled the air, as the event included a bake sale. Ileanna Garcia described the environment as “extremely accessible,” and Heath Galiwango said it was “a really fun one.”

Fundraising ambassadors Muskaan Adeel and John Atoche started planning their second bake sale after the first event was a “huge success,” raising around $350 by selling treats to students and staff. Adeel explained how she was excited to put together another bake sale as she has always enjoyed “being

See PIE, page 7

LMC starts search for a permanent president

By JADEN FORTIER Staff Writer

Los Medanos College has begun the early stages of fulfilling the permanent role of President, which is currently held by Interim President Pamela Ralston. Yet the search continues as Ralston’s term finishes at the end of the Spring 2023 semester.

This two-and-a-half-month-long process was kicked off when the Presidential Hiring Committee had its first meeting on March 1, where they discussed the timeline for the president search.

Members of the committee decided by following Board Policy 2057, which states that for presidential hiring, the committee must consist of 14 total representatives from different disciplines within the community college. Representatives are proposed by groups such as Management, both the Classified and Academic Senate, United Faculty, Local One, the Associated Student Body President, the 4CD Governing Board and the College Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Council.

With the groups mentioned,

each gets a certain number of representatives they can propose for the presidential committee, with the Academic Senate providing the highest number at three. Faculty are volunteered or recommended to be put into the committee, with those recommendations then being forwarded to the Chancellor’s Office.

The first interviews for the position will be conducted all day on April 2425, and the final interviews on May 11-12. Interim Contra Costa Community College District Chancellor

Experience staff recognized

A

successful showing at the ACP conference

By MOHAMMAD NAJIMI Staff Writer

The Los Medanos College

Experience racked up a total of eight awards announced at the annual Associated Collegiate Press Spring National College Media Conference that took place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Embarcadero in San Francisco. Awards consisted of two firstplace, one third place and one fourth-place awards, among others. The Experience staff also won in General Excellence for the print edition of the paper.

The awards were distributed on the final day of the conference

that featured three different keynote speakers on each day: Rick Green, the executive editor and chief content officer of the Press Democrat, Odette Alcazaren-Keeley, the director of the Maynard 200 journalism fellowship program of the May-

nard Institute for Journalism Education and Elizabeth Smith, the director of Pepperdine Graphic Media at Pepperdine University. There were also many different activities for attendees to participate in, including workshops, round-tables, and both on and off-site contests.

Juan Cebreiros, current editor-in-chief of the paper, and Michael Benedian, former editor-in-chief of the paper, both won a meritorious award for enterprise news story coverage of an audio recording leaked on social media that contained what was described as insensitive

Mojdah Mehdizadeh will debrief with the Presidential Hiring Committee to decide on which interviewee is chosen to be the next LMC president on May 18.

Once that decision is voted on, contract length and compensation level for the president will soon be discussed.

The committee has 12 main characteristics they are looking for in the screening and interviewing process for choosing LMC’s next president. A few qualities the committee wants the future LMC President to have

are the ability to see the value in diversity, the courage to guide their students and faculty through difficult times, and the ability to lead both collaboratively and effectively, with the capability to embrace the mission of Los Medanos College.

“The ideal characteristics were developed in collaboration with the college council, so they articulate our collective thoughts,” said Mehdizadeh.

For now, time remains until the future LMC president is hired, but the process is on a steady track.

remarks by a college manager about Black people. “It’s just an honor to win

something that prestigious and get that level of credit for something myself and the whole staff worked

so hard on,” said Cebreiros. Michael Benedian also won

See JACC, page 7

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” — Abraham Lincoln

Photo illustration by Michael Benedian• Experience

Photo Illustration that gave Benedian honorable mention at the ACP spring conference.

Katherine Mustar • Experience

Nina Manayon hits Professor Luis Zuniga in the face with a pie for the Honors Pi Day event on March 14.

Cartoon by Kai Arellano • Experience One of the illustrations that won Arellano fourth place.

Sports 4/5

today consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

Heroes around the Diamond Players pick

incredible.

Most memorable moment: When he won the World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 2015, he was so excited for him.

FIRST BASEMAN MICHAEL WEBER

MLB legends

Members of the Mustangs baseball team shared with the Experience what drew them to baseball, their most memorable moments while playing the game, and who their MLB hero is at the position they currently play for LMC. Everyone needs a role model and for the LMC baseball players, following the careers of major leaguers gives them the strength to keep going, knowing they too can make it to the MLB.

Here are their stories, and their images on baseball cards paired with their heroes:

HEAD COACH JASON BRAY

Why baseball: He played since he was 4-years-old and his passion for the sport only grew. He didn’t just want to play, but also wanted to coach the sport as well. For four years in a university in Kansas, he coached little kids to play baseball which helped him more than the children.

Memorable moment: When he greatly helped an 18-year-old kid for three months before the Fall World Series and when the draft arrived, Bray chose him and worked with him for another two weeks and all this help worked out in their favor as that kid went 6-for-11 and won MVP in the series.

MLB hero: Ron Washington because of the relationships he had with his players. Ron worked out with each player and they, in turn, would do anything for him.

PITCHER AJ GAMBOA

Why Baseball: It ran in his family with three of his cousins and an uncle either getting drafted or played professionally.

Memorable moment: When he pitched a complete game in his last high school game on senior night earning the win. Also, when he won game MVP in summerball for pitching shutout innings and upsetting the tournament leading team.

MLB hero: Greg Maddux because he changed the game for pitchers as he threw slower compared to today’s pitchers. The speed of the pitches, the way he pitched and found success was incredible to him as he learned to be resilient from Maddux.

PITCHER JACK SAYLOR

Why baseball: He always had a strong tendency that pitching was the right fit for him.

Memorable moment: When he pitched in his first collegiate start against Fresno City earning the win against a great team. He also struck out the first batter he saw, which gave him even more confidence in himself.

MLB hero: Tim Lincecum because he always saw an older version of himself through Lincecum as he pitched. Saylor didn’t have only one moment from Lincecum that stood out as he would always be electric every time he went out onto the mound.

CATCHER KYLIAN MOK

Why baseball: Had a passion for the game that grew as time went on throughout his 15-year career playing baseball.

Memorable moment: When he won National Champions with Netherlands in 2020 as he was from there, which allowed him to play for them.

MLB hero: Salvador Perez due to his aggressive play from behind the plate. He also stated that his framing skills were

Why baseball: He had always loved the game and the thrill that came with it. He lives for the moment every time he steps out onto the field.

Memorable moment: When he won league at Pittsburg High School for the first time in 40 years, his entire team celebrated on the field.

MLB hero: Anthony Rizzo because he had incredible defense alongside his stellar production on offense that always stuck with him. Weber also is a firm believer that defense wins games so players with incredible defense, like Rizzo, would be a guy he would enjoy watching. He also knew how to always keep the game fun.

SECOND BASEMAN KAI ARELLANO

Why baseball: At first, he only wanted to please his parents and baseball was the only sport he really knew how to play well, but at time went on, his passion for the game quickly grew.

Memorable moment: When he made it to the NCS at College Park in 2018 when he came in to pinch hit and ran in to score the tying run.

MLB hero: Tony Kemp due to his explosiveness and no fear of injuries as he would always put his body on the line to get the out. He enjoyed that Kemp could make the game more fun.

THIRD BASEMAN ANTHONY MANUEL

Why baseball: His passion for the game started when he was four when his grandparents got him his first glove to play catch. He got better at the game as time went on and loved the game since.

Memorable moment: Hitting his first home run after being a skinny kid without power. The pitcher threw a hanging curve right in his wheelhouse that he sent out-of-the-park.

MLB hero: Nolan Arenado due to the effortless defense on the field whenever he played. He prepared himself the best defensively and it’s proven through his consecutive gold and platinum gloves.

SHORTSTOP COLTON TRUDEAU

Why baseball: He played a lot of sports to experiment, but baseball turned out to be his favorite due to its uniqueness and enjoyment.

Memorable moment: He was 12 and hit his first home run in a tournament in Cooperstown, NY.

MLB hero: Brandon Crawford because he’s really smooth at defense and a good person to learn from. In the 2014 World Series, Craword and Joe Panik turned one of the most iconic double plays as Panik laid out and flipped it to Crawford as he would barehand it getting the out at first.

OUTFIELDER SETH GWYNN

Why baseball: He played football, basketball, and baseball in high school but kept playing baseball after COVID-19 started.

Memorable moment: When he hit his first home run in his first college plate appearance.

MLB hero: Tony Gwynn and he played the same position while also coincidentally sharing the same last name. His most memorable moment of Tony was when he hit a home run off David Wells in the 1998 World Series against the New York Yankees.

OUTFIELDER BUBBA ROCHA

Why baseball: It drew him the most as he enjoyed it the most as a kid which helped him out the most today as his parents wouldn’t allow him to play football.

Memorable moment: When he was 12, he hit a walk-off home run in a tournament in New York.

Favorite MLB player: Julio Rodriguez because he was a stand-out athlete in his rookie year in the MLB. He won silver slugger and is dominant player in years to come, which caught his attention.

OUTFIELDER NICO TORREZ

Why baseball: He played football and baseball as a kid, but sided with baseball as time went on.

Memorable moment: When he made a diving catch against Ohlone this season.

MLB hero: Mike Trout due to his consistency on the field. Consistency is the biggest part about baseball for him so it was clear who he would root for.

Crawford 35 SF Giants SS Colton Trudeau 10 LMC Mustangs SS

Arts & Culture

‘Scream VI’ more brutal than ever

By JASMINE O’BYAW Staff Writer

The recurring film franchise “Scream” released a sixth film earlier this week, engaging and having audiences at the edge of their seat. Taking place after the events of “Scream 5” where Sam and Tara Carpenter survived the previous killers, the film’s opening alone was unpredictable and introduced a new bloodthirsty killer with a new motive.

A film professor is catfished by one of her students and lured into a dark alley where she is then stabbed to death by her student wearing a Ghostface mask, alluring the audience to visibly gasp. The student had something already plotted with one of his friends just for them to get murdered by another Ghostface, bringing in more gasps. Who might that be?

In this film, Sam and Tara have their own ways of coping with their trauma. Sam went to therapy whereas Tara partied. There was emphasis on Sam and her nature, considering her father was Billy Loomis, a killer in “Scream.” The killer also used a website claiming that Sam was a murderer for killing Richie Kirsch, a killer in “Scream 5.”

The killer was intelligent and had manipulated people into believing that Sam had perpetrated the killings by going after each one of her ali-

bis. This Ghostface is much different, leaving behind other Ghostface masks at crime scenes. Sam gets a call coming from Richie’s number to answer the phone for it to be the killer. They threaten her and try to attack Tara off guard, but they run into a bodega just for bystanders to get killed by a bloodlusted Ghostface who had gotten a hold of a rifle.

Characters from previous movies get a cameo such as Agent Kirby and Gale Weathers,

By MOHAMMAD NAJIMI Staff Writer

The new sci-fi and action film “65” showcased a unique, but similar plot to the trilogies of “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic World.”

It had the future combined with the past in an action-packed movie that impressed fans who watched it.

When the movie started, we saw a man named Mills, portrayed by Adam Driver, having fun on a beach with his wife and daughter. While his daughter is playing in the sand, Mills and his wife talk about his daughter’s illness that could kill her without surgery, which costs more

which made fans in the audience go crazy for little references to past movies in the storied franchise.

Everyone in Sam and Tara’s group were suspected and Mindy, a survivor from “Scream 5,” tried to figure out who the killer is and their motive. Previous characters like Chad are not suspected, but new characters like Ethan, Quinn, and Anika, are suspected. It only makes matters worse when the killer

could be in their group.

There were much more brutal kills and a higher body count compared to past films. There are plot twists left and right that make audiences curious about what’s to happen next.

Overall, this movie had a lot of violence and gore. The dialogue was weak, but the directing and acting performances overshadowed it. The movie is guaranteed to satisfy fans of the franchise as well as those who enjoy slashers.

action-packed experience

than they can afford.

However, Mills gets a job assignment to transport people in cryogenic pods back to their homes. He’ll be away from his family for two years and it has him on the edge, but later accepts.

Afterward, he is on the ship when the autopilot accidentally takes them into an asteroid belt that wasn’t in the GPS. The plane crashes and takes Mills 65 million years in the past when dinosaurs existed.

The movie followed a man from the future with futuristic weapons as he traveled back in time to find a way home. It gave the audience a different perspective on what the future could look like and presented

a unique plot to other movies with dinosaurs.

This film featured great acting from the two main characters Mills and Koa, as they played their parts well. These two notable standouts were played by Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt.

Koa was interested in Mills’ daughter, but it was too hard for Mills to see his daughter after finding out that she passed away due to an illness. After this, Mills was numb and didn’t show emotions, even after finding a little girl who survived the crash on the new planet, which is set to be the Earth of the past.

The movie showed that it could take the same plot

as other films, but also add a special outlook to make it stand out.

The dinosaurs in the movie were also different from the traditional-looking dinosaurs we are used to seeing, as the ones showed here all looked freaky, spine-tingling and more dangerous. The movie never seemed dull because every moment had the audience enticed.

This movie was better than I expected, and I would recommend anyone to watch it, as long as you can handle a few jump scares. It’s a suspenseful movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, which makes it an incredible movie for people of any age.

By MICAH SIMMS Staff Writer

Over the past week, famed popstar Miley Cyrus released her eighth studio album and first body of work since 2020. The album is called “Endless Summer Vacation,” and it sure felt endless.

Kid Harpoon and Mike Will Made It shared the production duties for this album.

Throughout the album, they made attempts — with varying degrees of success — to create a fun, summery vibe with Cyrus’s vocals in the same way that she appropriated hip-hop music in the early 2010s. The sounds of contemporary indie pop influenced Miley. It sounded like a cheap imitation of bands like Tame Impala and Animal Collective with her chill, summery sound.

The first track on the tracklist is the lead single for the album, “Flowers.” The instrumentation of this song is painfully mediocre, with a barebones bassline, buried synth lines, and overly reverbed guitars. The mixing and mastering of this song could have been much better than what was here. Her vocals on this track are immaculate. Though they sound like a rip-off of early 2010s Lady Gaga, she does a great job appropriating an older style and did it naturally, especially on the hook. Having said that, however, the lyrics are atrocious. They are super cliche and uninteresting, and she does not do anything new here.

Then we hit the first sign of filler on the album with the second track, “Jaded.” It’s passable but nothing too awful until we get to the third track, “Rose Colored Lenses.” This out of all the tracks is by far the worst.

The mixing is god-awful, with Miley’s vocals being super loud compared to everything else in the mix. The hook is redundant and not earwormy enough, and this is a clear rip-off of dream pop bands like Cocteau Twin and Slowdive. It’s a terrible showing of bad ideas coming together and being executed.

“Thousand Miles,” another filler song, was perfectly mediocre up until the background vocals at the song’s conclusion. Which led to the best song of the album, “You.” It’s a country ballad about how she calls you in the song to express how she feels complete with this love. Her twangy vocals fit the sweetness of the song perfectly.

Then Cyrus decided to pad the length of this album with five more filler songs that range from fine to mediocre. These five tracks feel

Photo courtesy of IMDB

A new Ghostface appears to terrorize the survivors of “Scream V” in the most recent installment of the slasher franchise.

Photo courtesy of IMDB Mills (left) and Koa walk through a dark cave.

Photo courtesy of Pitchfork

Miley Cyrus’ eighth studio album cover.

The Rest 7

FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2023

FOOD

From page 1

ery Wednesday, it was decided to bring on more vendors and have more days they visit the campus.

“More food trucks are wanting to come on board. They see that they are so successful that they wanted to come on more days,” said Montoya.

One emerging concern is the cost of the food students have to pay to get food from the vendors. However, Montoya has just been happy to find a way to sustainably bring food onto the campus.

The RFP was sent out March 10 and will be taking applications until April 11. Montoya said it is currently too early to say what is going to happen to the food trucks but they are now looking into food options for the Brentwood Center. He added it’s possible that campus goes through a food truck trial run similar to one the Pittsburg campus went through late in the fall 2022 semester.

“There was an idea of having the Diablo Valley College culinary program cook for the school, or even us starting our own culinary program similar to how they and Contra Costa Community College are, but it wasn’t included in a recent masterplan,” said Montoya.

Applications for vendors looking to work at the LMC cafeteria are being accepted until April 11. The goals of finalists being announced in early May and a final selection to be made around the time of the June board meeting, according to Montoya.

ROCHA

From page 8

high school to college baseball was a drastic change for Rocha as the competition heightened.

Playing at the junior college level, Rocha initially viewed each game as a “last chance,” fixated on his mistakes instead of his accomplishments. However, as a more experienced player, Rocha focuses on being more comfortable on the field and calming his mindset.

“Don’t let the game speed you up,” described Rocha. “Find ways to bring yourself back to what we call green, which is ‘be calm.’”

Rocha’s role on the team has evolved in his second year, from a designated hitter to leading roles both offensively and defensively. Now, Rocha plays as a catcher with a secondary position as an outfielder but did not know this would be where his season would begin.

The team faced multiple injuries at the top of the season, leaving vacant positions and quick replacements. Rocha was now behind the plate as he stepped up to be a catcher. Working with his assistant coach took him out of his comfort zone and built up the skills in his new position.

“He completely changed how I thought about catching, and I feel that improved how I received the ball and my whole perspective,” said Rocha.

Halfway through their 202223 season, Rocha describes the start of their season as a “learning curve,” with a new coaching staff and roles to fill on the team. Yet, despite the changes, Los Medanos holds a 10-6 record, leading with the most wins in the Bay Valley

Quotable

“There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.” — Pythagoras

Pizza Pi!

Conference.

While adapting to the new season, Matt Lisle became the new head coach in his 23rd year of coaching. After graduating as a past LMC student and growing up within the athletic department, it meant a lot for Lisle to return to a familiar team.

Lisle plans to incorporate strong values into the baseball program, focusing on developing “tough-minded, fearless competitors and [to] train them to be leaders for excellence and significance.”

Reflected in Rocha’s current role from player to one of the team captains, he has been able to be the leader he once looked up to when he began.

“Bubba has a lot of strengths, but one that stands out to me is his servant leadership,” said Lisle. “Even as a captain, he approaches leadership with the attitude of helping his teammates get better.”

When describing his team, Rocha sees them as “family” and built on a dynamic to “play for each other,” as he knows how to react and hold players accountable for playing in a strong season.

As LMC’s baseball performance continues strong, Rocha plans to commit to a school by this summer. He has gathered attention from college coaches for his performances offensively and defensively, with his top school being UC Riverside. However, he tries to “not be satisfied” and to “keep progressing through the season” as he works to take the sport he loves to the Major Leagues.

PIE

From page 3

involved in the community,” with her experience growing from helping organize events for the Brentwood Muslim Community Center and her mother’s catering business, Tsunami of Spices.

“It doesn’t take one person to do it, instead it takes a whole team,” said Adeel. “All I did was organize it, the rest is everyone else’s hard work with baked goods and volunteering.”

With the Pi Day tradition returning for the first time since the pandemic, students and staff were surrounded by a warm and cheerful environment to raise money in support of the Honors Program.

LEGAL

REPS

From page 1

individual, a scholar, and a community member,” said Bui.

JOHN ATOCHE

John Atoche is the vice president of LMCAS and has been in student government for two semesters. Atoche is involved in keeping track of student involvement within all LMCAS committees. He also has the ability to be granted the powers of president if the current president is absent.

Atoche was inspired to join LMCAS based upon his interest to improve the community at Los Medanos.

For Atoche; it is all about community.

“I believe that education isn’t the only important thing to have,” said Atoche. “I believe helping out the community is really important as well. Whether that’s the school community or the community around us.”

MARY GRIGSBY

As the treasurer, Mary Grigsby is responsible for keeping track of LMCAS’ budget and transactions. In her first semester on the student government, Grigsby was happy to step into the position. She had been interested in student government for many years and she decided to join LMCAS this semester after finding the time to do so.

She joined student government to get involved with students and she quickly found herself within a family. Grigsby is a curious and energetic person, always asking questions and taking notes about the current topic.

JACOB

BOYLE

After being elected Commissioner of Publicity and Outreach at the end of Spring 2022, Jacob Boyle went to work fulfilling the duties. He has been in student government for the last two years and has had an impactful time within LMCAS.

Boyle joined LMCAS in an attempt to get more involved with the campus. Upon arriving at LMC, He joined different clubs and committees; founding the LMC Art Club before taking up a role in LMCAS. Now, as the Commissioner of Publicity and Outreach, he is doing his part to alert the community of LMCAS events.

“My main goal is to spread any messages that LMCAS has. If there is any events or activities planned it’s my role to create flyers or send emails to ensure that everyone is aware,” said Boyle.

ARMON GONZALEZ

After being a part of student government since Fall 2021, Armon Gonzalez stepped into the role of Commissioner of Campus Events for the Spring 2023 semester. As the Commissioner of Campus Events, it’s his role to set up and allocate a budget for events happening around campus. He also coordinates and helps other clubs set up their events.

Gonzalez found himself in LMCAS when he returned to in-person classes. He felt nervous about attending in-person classes and had to overcome those nerves.

From page 1

“All of the parties involved in the personnel matter, including the manager, were placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation,” interim LMC President Pamela Ralston said.

College officials said at the time the college is “deeply committed” to creating an equitable and supportive environment for workers and students at LMC.

Glenn and Morales’ attorney, Martin Aarons, has criticized the college district’s handling of the situation

“The workers shouldn’t have been placed on leave because I feel they haven’t done anything wrong,” Aarons told the Experience. “You don’t remove the victims in those situations, you put the manager on leave.”

A lawsuit has not officially been filed but Aarons confirmed that the alleged death threats and racial remarks led to Morales seeking to take action. Mathis and Glenn claimed Ichigaya also made racial comments in the past, saying that “Blacks use a lot of cocoa butter,” as well as calling the way Glenn dressed being similar to one of a “thug.”

LMC Vice President Carlos Montoya explained that, because it is a personnel matter, he could not confirm whether any of the employees involved who were put on leave returned to work at the college.

However, according to Aarons, Morales returned to work in January. Quinn was fired in October of last year after allegedly failing to

pass probation, Aarons said, though he argues that Quinn was not given a fair chance because he had been placed on administrative leave. He added that Mathis was also allowed to return to work but his doctor advised against it.

Being the most fresh face in LMCAS, Grigsby is eager and ready to take part in student government and improve student life. alleged remark.

JACC

Montoya also would not confirm whether Ichigaya is still employed with the college or the district. However, according to February agenda and minutes of a district Governing Board meeting, Ichigaya’s retirement request was accepted and will become effective June 16.

“LMC has made changes to the work schedule of the department, enabling members of that team to be on site for an earlier shift, increasing their safety and engagement with the rest of the campus community,” said interim President Ralston.

Aarons himself has not had any contact with either Los Medanos College or the Contra Costa Community College District, but said Morales and Glenn reached out to him because, “they didn’t feel like they were getting consideration and justice from the district.”

The potential lawsuit is being considered as a result of a culmination of alleged death threats, racial remarks and mishandling of the overall situation by the college and district, according to Aarons. It’s uncertain where the legal process will go or even who the defendants might be but Aarons said it is possible the school, district and manager could all be defendants.

However, as of press timea lawsuit has not yet been filed.

From page 3

two other individual awards at the conference, including first-place in inside page layout and honorable mention in photo illustration.

“For me, hearing that I was nominated and won awards for my works as a journalist feels like I’m doing something right. I often lose sight of what my strengths are but these help with bringing confidence in myself,” said Benedian, also adding that, “I most definitely couldn’t have reached that point without the help from everyone in the journalism department and anyone else who supported me.”

Kai Arellano, the former managing editor last semester, placed in fourth for his editorial

MILEY

From page 6

strange, as the southern vocals from “You” somehow weave their way into every single one of the tracks, with most of them being these synth pop tracks. They also feel like they can be trimmed shorter, especially the eleventh track “Island.”

Then the closing song comes in with a more stripped-down approach to the songwriting. Called “Wonder Woman,” the ballad is about how strong women are and can be. Her

“I had to push myself to come to a brand new environment and feel comfortable again,” said Gonzalez, while adding, “I felt I just wanted to go back to a sense of normalcy and this was the first way I found to be able to.”

cartoon about the California propositions on the 2022 ballot.

“I’m just amazed that my work is still being shown and appreciated,” said Arellano adding that, “I’m glad that I can still have a part in journalism.”

Sarina Grossi, former editor-in-chief for the paper, won two individual awards, including third place in critical review and honorable mention in editorial.

Experience Managing Editor Mohammad Najimi won first place in the News Judgment and Page Layout contest.

“I didn’t expect to win this award honestly. When I saw my name come up as the winner, I felt overjoyed and a little bit embarrassed because it gave me the sense of accomplishment that I’m doing things right to win this award,” said Najimi.

vocals are absolute bliss on this track. This is what she should have been going for on this album instead of phoning it in and making radio garbage. Which there is a place for, but there is so much potential going on here with these two ballads.

All in all, this album was pretty mediocre, with some sparks of good ideas. Cyrus is an incredible ballad writer, but that is not the entire album, and there are a lot of flops or filler songs. This led me to give this album a three out of 10-star review.

Katherine Mustar Experience

The Los Medanos College Mathematics building was the site of a free pizza giveaway in celebration of Pi Day on March 14. This event was part of other activities that happened on the Pittsburg campus such as a bakery and chai sale.

Katherine Mustar • Experience

Nina Manayon prepares a whip cream pie tin to throw in the face of teacher Luis Zuniga.

Women open season with a win

Game ends in extras

By JUAN CEBREIROS Staff Writer

The Los Medanos College softball team won its opening game of the season 6-5 in extra innings. The decisive momentcame in the bottom of the eighth inning with a walk-off sacrifice fly to defeat Lassen Community College.

The Cougars took a 2-1 lead in the second inning but in the fourth the Mustangs were threatening to score and make a big impact.

Two runners were on with one out when LMC hit a three-run homerun to take a 4-2 lead. The Mustangs added on one more run in the sixth inning that turned out to be an important insurance run later in the game.

The Cougars had one last chance to tie or take the lead in the top half of the seventh inning. Los Medanos Colleges’ pitcher worked herself into a jam loading the bases on an infield hit that was followed by two walks without recording any outs.

A walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch allowed for the Cougars to tie the game at five. However, LMC was able to work out of the jam without allowing anymore runs to cross home plate.

LMC’s manager had previously used a timeout to calm the pitcher down during a jam, but this time she held back. She said she wanted to give the pitcher a chance to battle out of the jam and kept the team’s timeout in case

she had to change the pitcher.

The Mustangs failed to score in the bottom of the seventh which sent the game into extra innings.

LMC’s pitcher was able to get her confidence back and she retired Lassen in order in the top of the eighth inning, giving the Mustangs another opportunity to walk off the Cougars.

LMC’s leadoff batter reached first base, putting the winning run on plate. She stole second and an infield hit allowed her to advance to third, putting runners on second and third with only one out in the inning.

A flyball was hit to left field and the Mustangs runner from third tagged up and appeared to be thrown out, but the Cougars catcher was unable to keep control of the ball while applying the tag which allowed the winning run to score.

This run gave the Mustangs a 6-5 victory over the Lassen Cougars.

The Mustangs had four games scheduled before this one, but all were postponed due to the team dealing both with injuries as well as inclement weather.

LMC won its opening game to start the season 1-0. The next game is scheduled for March 28 against Solano Community College.

For more information on women’s softball, please visit https://www.losmedanos.edu/ softball/.

Catcher dreams of going pro

By ALIYAH RAMIREZ Staff Writer

Since Bubba Rocha was young, he was drawn to baseball–from watching his favorite players, Buster Posey and Yadier Molina succeed on the field. Initially, he saw the sport as a pastime, but it was not until he began to play competitively, that it evolved into a dream of going pro.

Within the competitive sports environment, Rocha played in school and travel ball, competing

at the same level and sometimes better than other players around his age, leading him to “never look back.”

Part of the Los Medanos Baseball Program since he was a freshman, Rocha continues to stay motivated for his team, coaches and parents. Consistently working to better his game and learn from past teammates, Rocha aspires to reach the D1 level and secure the chance to play in the Major Leagues.

“I compare myself to past

teammates and see how far they can get. It shows me that going to the D1 level is possible,” said Rocha. “When I see these things being an achievable goal and other people are able to do it, you don’t have to be superhuman to go D1.”

Working towards becoming a well-rounded player is not easy, especially when contrasting opinions about oneself overtake. The transition from

Men

win

against

Napa LMC contest not close from the start

By MOHAMMAD NAJIMI Staff Writer

The Los Medanos College baseball team blew out Napa Valley with a final score of 21-5. Yet, the game wasn’t close from the start as LMC got the lead and didn’t look back.

AJ Gamboa was on the mound for the Stangs and he went on to have a good pitching appearance in the game. He struck out six batters while allowing two runs in five innings, bringing down his earned run average to 5.48 on the season. His splits show that he pitches much better at home than on the road as he has a 3.43 ERA at home and a 27.00 ERA on the road. Despite pitching in one away game so far, he gave up six runs in two innings in that start.

Going into the offensive side, LMC immediately brought it to Napa with a two-run home run by third baseman Ryan Pierce, giving them a 2-0 lead. Three batters next, Jeremy Hill, outfielder for the Stangs, got a sac fly and increased their lead to 3-0 after the first inning.

The runs kept piling on for LMC in the second inning as Bubba Rocha grounded out to second, while Kris Leffle scored. The next batter was Ryan Pierce, and he got another two-run home run in two straight innings, giving LMC a 6-0 lead.

Three batters left with Nico Torrez at second base, Khamani Blakney walks as Torrez steals third, but scores as the Napa catcher overthrows the ball into left field. After two innings, LMC had a 7-0 lead with the game looking to be a blowout.

The third inning didn’t stop LMC, with a 10-0 lead after a run scored by a passed ball, a solo home run by Seth Gwynn, and an RBI single by

In the top of the fourth inning, Napa Valley finally got on the board after an RBI triple by Napa Valley’s Raisean Avila-Dorsey. In the bottom of the fourth inning, LMC got that run back after an RBI double by Kris Leffle. The fourth inning ended with LMC leading 11-1. Showing no mercy as LMC was pouring on the runs with Napa trying to lessen the damage. LMC displayed their strength, speed and grit to win the game.

For more information on men’s baseball, visit https://www.losmedanos.edu/baseball/index.aspx.

Michael Weber.

FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2023

“Winners never quit and quitters never win.”

— Vince Lombardi

Photo courtesy of Bubba Rocha Bubba Rocha, No. 11,

from his pitcher.

Mohammad Najimi Experience Ryan Radkey, #35, releases a quick pitch.

Above: LMC’s pitcher Charlize Howay, No. 3, prepares to run to home to get the Lassen Cougars’ player out.

Far left: Pitcher Howay releases her throw to the batter.

Left: An LMC player keeps her eye on the ball to get an out.

Juan Cebreiros • Experience