Vol. 90 No. 11 - May 10, 2019

Alumni showcase art

Celebrating 25 years

The heist of the season

The gallery’s newest instillation displays artwork from former LMC students — page 3

The 25th Silver Gospel Choir Reunion Concert brought back many familiar faces — page 4

Last weekend’s playoff games saw one of the most intense comebacks for the Mustangs — page 6

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F.Y.I. Important Dates May is Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month May 13

Students can pick up cap and gown, as well as tassels in the student store.

May 20

First day of finals week. Good luck.

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Budget brings issues New formula to cause funding cuts

By MARC LOPEZ @KaptainMarc

The Contra Costa Community College District is currently advocating for an extension on the implementation of a new budget formula.

The changes were discussed among Los Medanos College faculty and staff in the 14th annual budget forum that occurred Monday, April 22nd.

The forum featured Chancel-

lor Fred Wood, Executive Vice Chancellor Gene Huff and Associate Vice Chancellor Jonah Nicholas who all spoke about the new formula.

In the forum, faculty was informed that enrollment is estimated to shorten by 1.2 percent for LMC alone. That percentage is roughly 94 students loss out of LMC’s full-time equivalent students goal which is a total of 7,951.

That shortfall is equivalent to $1.275 million in losses, which could potentially mean cuts in faculty and programming.

The current budget formula, Senate Bill 361, allocates $5,151 per credit for every FTES in the fiscal year 2017-2018. But with the new budget formula, called the Student-Centered Funding Formula, the previously mentioned number dramatically

decreases to $3,856 per FTES in fiscal year 2019-2020. The new formula is tethered to State Chancellor Oakley’s “Vision for Success” initiative.

The SCFF formula is a point incentives-based formula where if schools reach several metrics, they will receive a point. Each point is equivalent to $455. The incentives relate back to student completion

“ [The formula] should’ve recognized different costs... and challenges and it didn’t do that.”

— Fred Wood

See FORUM, page 5

Puente gets down

LMC picks new VP

Plan your future courses

By LILLY MONTERO @lilly_montero3

After an extensive hiring process, numerous interviews and an open forum Dr. Tanisha Maxwell of Estrella Mountain Community College has been chosen as Los Medanos College’s new Vice President of Student Services.

Dr. Maxwell will begin her tenure June 24 following the district Governing Board’s official confirmation of her appointment.

“After a competitive nationwide search and thoughtful input from our campus community, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Tanisha M.J. Maxwell as LMC’s new Vice President of Student Services,” said LMC President Bob Kratochvil in an email.

Dr. Maxwell was one of four final candidates which included Contra Costa College’s Dennis Franco, as well as Dr. Char Perlas from Cañada College and LMC’s current Dean of Student Success Dave Belman.

Dr. Maxwell has nearly 20 years of experience in the higher education system and currently serves Dean of Students at EMCC. During the forum, she pulled from her experiences at Estrella and in previous roles in counseling, participatory governance and even from her background in psychology.

Both the summer and fall schedule are available online for students to flip through. With the semester coming to an end, returning students should be sure to go online or speak to a counselor to plan their future courses.

The schedules include degree specific information, as well as information for general education courses.

Get help before finals week

The Center for Academic Support will be holding a Study Slam Thursday, May 16 from 2 to 8 p.m.

There will be peer tutors on hand for subjects from accounting to speech, as well as general reading and writing consultants.

No appointments are required to attend the event.

Experience • Brandon Orozco

Puente and United by Dreams club members dance to “Mi Pobre Corazon” as part of the festivies Monday May 6 in the outdoor quad to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and raise funds for both clubs. For the full story go lmcexperience.com.

Circle K recognized by reps

By BREANNA CRAWFORD @Lyniece_

Moving on up in the world

LMC’s Circle K International Club has been doing all they can to help the community, while also pushing students to do more for themselves and their neighborhood. Reactivated in the fall of 2018, Circle K was recently recognized for their efforts.

On April 24 during their club meeting, their Kiwanis club advisers and

Come celebrate graduating and transfer-bound students. There will be a celebration on the fourth floor of the Student Services building Thursday, May 16 between 1:30 and 3 p.m. Activities will include food, cap decorating, a photo booth, a caricaturist, games, trivia, resume assistance and more. Students should be sure to bring their own caps.

Keep up with us online This is the final print edition of the paper for this school year. Print will resume in the fall semester. Keep up with the latest stories at https:// lmcexperience.com.

Follow us on: @lmc_experience @lmc_experience @lmc_experience

sponsors Argentina Davila-Luevano and her husband Angel Luevano, came in to visit and surprised them with certificates for all the officers as well as two outstanding club members.

One of the certificates was signed

by California Congressman Jerr y McNerney, and the other was given to them by the California Legislators State Assembly and was signed by State Assemblyman Jim Frazier. Angel

Luevano was a crucial part of getting the club the recognition.

“He refers them and tells great stories about the work they do and what they do for the community and for themselves,” said club president Brianna Sanchez.

For club president Brianna Sanchez, the awards come as a big surprise as she and other members of her team did all they could to reinvigorate the

See CLUB, page 5

See VP, page 5

Corteva holds safety drill Public gains insights about precautions during leaks

By CRISTINA GONZALEZ Experience • A.R. Broom

Opposition member Felero Smith raises a POI.

Debate team explores the future of space

By A.R. BROOM

@AlexanderRBroom

Students gathered in the science building late afternoon Wednesday, May 8 to break down a highly contested topic of discussion — space exploration.

Energy levels in the room were high prior to the start of the public debate, as students and participants lined up to sign-in.

The debate was put on by coach and Communications Department Chair Marie Arcidiacono Kaufman and fellow debate coach Star Steers.

According to Arcidiacono Kaufman, the purpose of the event was to showcase the college’s award-winning debate team’s skills.

Student Jasmine Rieger See SPACE, page 5

Staff writer

Corteva Argiscience held its regular Community Awareness Emergency Response Drill, May 1 and invited students at Los Medanos College to participate and observe the way an emergency could potentially unfold.

Sitting on 650 acres, Corteva Argiscience, formerly Dow Chemical, specializes in the production of agricultural chemicals, seeds and other products that help with the production of agriculture.

Referred to as “The Plant,” the entire faculty of Corteva, as well as first responders and members of the community, acted out an emergency chlorine gas release.

Photo courtesy of Corteva Agriscience

Corteva Agriscience workers in hazmat suits work to address mock gas leak emergency.

An ear-shattering gas alarm went off for anyone in a fivemile radius to hear and the button that initiated the alarm also closed off all pipelines on site. All employees evacuated the building and were told to carpool and get as far away from “The Plant” as possible

and stay indoors. Everyone still onsite was given a handheld mouth/nose respiratory machine for protection. “The Plant” has its own EMT and firefighter units that tackled the leak right away.

“One thing is to be scared See DRILL, page 3

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Perspectives

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“Waste no more time arguing what a good man is. Be one.”

— Marcus Aurelius

Spencer Batute

Krys Shahin

GRAY AREA

K BUT NOT KARDASHIAN

Mental health misunderstood

Data mining can be helpful

It’s no secret that mental health is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue in today’s social landscape. According to the National Alliance on mental illness, one in five adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness in a given year, and one in five youth ages 1318 experience a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. Some of these rates are increasing.

Mental Health America’s annual assessment on the state of mental health in the U.S. reported an increase of youth experiencing a Major depressive episode from 11.93 to 12.63 percent in the past year.

Fortunately, the rise in numbers of people affected by mental disorders has brought increased awareness and de-stigmatization of mental health issues.

Sponsorship of events like Mental Health Awareness Month by big-name organizations like Instagram, and greater support offered by many American colleges are among the myriad of ways in which the general public have been perceptibly educated about mental health issues.

Discussion of mental health is quickly becoming the norm among young adults, one of the groups most impacted by rising mental illness rates in recent years.

Unfortunately, this increased awareness is frequently misled by the medical model of mental illness.

All too often, people are taught that all mental illnesses are bona fide diseases or conditions of dysfunction, just like a cancerous growth or a broken leg.

While the research is still out on some areas like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the idea that conditions like depression and anxiety—two human and very natural emotions—are purely pathological, is absurd and even downright dangerous.

While the move to greater understanding has been mostly positive and well-intended, the medicalized nature of the movement has set the stage for mass misinformation of mental health.

The medical model of mental illness operates on the assumption that mental illness arises from biological or physical causes. Because a mental illness, under this lens, is just another medical condition, it’s symptoms are often handled the way doctors usually treat their patients.

However, medical practitioners primarily psychiatrists focus on individual details and forego the role played by environments and situations.

This mistake, dubbed “Viewing Symptoms as Diseases” by American evolutionar y physician Randolph M. Nesse, is particularly common in the field of psychiatry.

The impact of such an approach to mental health is nothing short of disastrous. By discounting the educational role of symptoms medical practitioners are glossing over a problem’s roots.

The damage caused by the idea of mental illness being an innate, pathological condition does not stop here. Instead of being given a holistic framework for self-improvement, people are told that their brains are defective as a result of neurotransmitter imbalances and that they must take certain medications.

And what constitutes “mentally ill,” anyway? Is it a DSM diagnosis? Is it an abnormal length of time spent in a depressive mood?

What about the context behind the symptoms?

The subjectivity of mental illness is a topic not explored nearly enough in the broader discussion and is yet another example of why the medical model does such a disservice to those with mental health concerns.

For as long as the medical model of mental illness continues to be the championed explanation of mental health issues, there will be consistent misunderstanding over the field as a whole.

The “gatekeepers” of social media and television know how to get the public to consume their products and use their services in order to make a profit. Some may think this is a privacy breach but it’s not. Here’s why data mining is good for consumers and why we should stop fighting it.

Research shows the data-aggregating industry is not a threat to privacy or individual liberties because the user agrees to the terms of service, targeted advertising works and is suitable for consumers and can bring people and governments together in ways that was not possible years ago.

Data is collected and sold in many ways but this is normally done in legal, safe and subtle ways so it does not hinder a person’s use of app or site. Data mining, or data-aggregating, allows companies, people and governments to gather information around them.

Data mining is, “a process which is useful for the discovery of informative and analyzing the understanding about the aspects of different elements,” said Chitra Reddy, a job recruiter for multiple companies.

Data mining is the gathering and analyzing of data that is online about any topic. To put it another way, companies could have employees walking door to door in order to gather this information.

But that is slow and ineffective if people wish not to participate in informing companies about certain things.

“The job of data scientist didn’t exist five or 10 years ago,” said Duncan Ross, the director of data science at Teradata. Companies that specialize in data-aggregating simply collect data that consumers give them.

Every like, share, click and comment gives the company information that they gather and group together. This helps to find the most suitable advertisements for that specific consumer and those who seem to enjoy similar things to them.

There are many ways companies can retrieve this type of data, even without the person’s explicit permission.

“Your state Department of Motor Vehicles, for instance, may sell personal information— like your name, address, and the type of vehicles you own—to data companies,” said Lois Beckett, a ProPublica journalist who covers the intersection of data, technology and politics.

The DMV is selling “personal” data and it may be concerning to some but it is actually not a threat because these are things anyone would sign or write on hundreds, if not thousands, of forms every year.

“Two-point-five exabytes - that’s 2.5 billion gigabytes (GB) -of data was generated every day a few years ago,” said Matthew Wall, a business reporter for BBC News. In reality this is far too much data for anyone to possibly go through.

Even with machines doing the work for those who needed the data, it is unlikely that much data can be accessed or analyzed, therefore it is unlikely your specific data will actually be analyzed in depth like some seem to believe.

Connection with the world matters because this directly affects trade, governments and many other things. “Everyone in society benefits from digital data,” said former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Governments can better measure the success of their programs and media. Other nongovernmental organizations can use data to support their work and check facts.” Data mining is shown to enhance tech users experience, create new jobs, advance technology and be something the government uses heavily.

Too much data is collected every second in everyday for it to be a threat to the average citizen in the world which then makes it safe and not a worry we should be concerned about.

Experience • Isabelle Ortiz

Editorial

Met gala triggers the net

T

he 2019 Met Gala, held in New York every year did not disappoint. What many don’t know about the event, is that it’s formally known as the Costume Institute Gala. It also serves as an annual fundraiser. What it’s more commonly known for are the eccentric costumes worn by celebrities from all walks of entertainment.

This year’s gala was different with some boundaries pushed by designers. Some pretty noticeable envelopes being pushed were in the men’s fashion in terms of costumes. Notably, NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. wore an outfit that set the internet chat boards ablaze.

He wore a black outfit that was strikingly similar to a woman’s skirt with cut off sleeves and high top boots. Predictably, whenever manhood in its typical form is challenged, controversy follows. Many people online were musing about conspiracy theories about the “gay agenda” and other hyperbolic theories.

This is not a new concept as Billy Porter already shook up the academy awards with an extravagant outfit, and that was a formal event and attire. The Met gala is literally about costumes and creativity. But the internet never fails in putting “a two on the proverbial ten.”

This type of controversy had calmed down in recent years, especially since pop star Rihanna sent shockwaves with her costume in 2018. Last year’s Gala had a Roman Catholic theme and Rihanna wore a papal mitre.

Critics on social media called it “blasphemous” and “sacrilegious cosplay” and many people accused the singer of making a mockery of the Catholic church. So where do we draw the line between costume and fashion etiquette? Or even cosplay?

More importantly, how is it that an event meant to explore costume creativity, by celebrities nonetheless, ends up turning into a forum on concepts like “masculinity?”

America should ask itself about the running contradiction of questioning the influence of celebrities and in the same breath puts them under the microscope based on fictional costumes.

Odell Beckham’s masculinity is not on display nor in question.

But let the internet tell it, he’s been subject to some sinister experiment and complex plot that has been hatched to emasculate men. All are perfect examples of toxic masculinities reach in pop culture.

One could argue that in 2019 it sounds ridiculous to even have debates on these issues, yet here we are. You also can’t help but wonder what next years Met gala will bring and how many heads in America will explode, again.

Good sleep can benefit students The issue of American students not getting enough sleep is not treated with the severity it deserves. This needs to change.

The U.S. needs to update its educational standards to accommodate the scientifically proven biological needs people, especially adolescents, have for sleep.

It needs to encourage students to get more sleep and possibly start school later. With more sleep we’re better prepared to handle the rigors of the educational system.

The U.S. has a tendency to glorify the action of doing of doing work for its own sake.

One hundred and thirty-four countries have laws setting the maximum length of the work week; the U.S. does not.

The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, propose that school should start at 8:30 a.m. or later, considering any less would be detrimental to students’ health. Sleep is needed for students to function throughout the day and stay healthy in general. Sleep deprivation may not sound like a big deal to many people.

Images of people being slightly cranky or absent minded would probably come to mind when people hear of the problem and brush it off as not a significant concern. But its effects can and often do make a lot of people’s lives harder. “Long-term consequences of sleep disruption in otherwise healthy individuals include hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, weight-related issues, meta-

Voices

Dante Harrold HOPEFULLY USEFUL

bolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and colorectal cancer,” said the National Bureau of Biotechnology.

The negative health effects lack of sleep can have on a person’s weight is especially troubling given the obesity epidemic plaguing the nation. The Center for Disease Control has classified insufficient sleep to be a public health epidemic.

When adults do not get enough sleep, 21 percent reported feeling more stressed. On average, teens reported sleeping far less than the recommended amount — 7.4 hours on school nights and 8.1 hours on non-school nights, compared with the 8.5 to 9.25 hours recommended by the National Sleep Foundation.

“Nearly one in five teens (18 percent) said when they do not get enough sleep, they are more stressed and 36 percent of teens reported feeling tired because of stress in the past month,” said the APA recounting the finding of a survey about the stress levels of students and what causes it. Sleep is a vital component of life. It’s time the U.S. starts treating it as such.

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

Experience

What is your spirit animal and why?

B Y J O R DY N T O S C A N O SPECIAL TO THE EXPERIENCE

FROM

H E R I TA G E H I G H S C H O O L

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

Member California Newspaper Publishers Association

“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 .................... LILLY MONTERO & MARC LOPEZ Copy Chief ................................... A.R. BROOM

“I think I’m a wolf because I took a test once that told me I am. I’m also into ENFP too.”

— Aidan Schoch

Grade 12

“I would be a goat because I aim to be the greatest of all time, especially when I play basketball.”

— Christian Damas

Grade 9

Perspectives Editor............. NICK CAMPBELL

“My spirit animal would be a cheetah because I’m super fast.”

— Dinali Washington Grade 9

“A deer because it’s been my favorite animal since I was a little kid.”

— Ezaria Hollis Grade 11

“Similar to a wolf because it’s a pack animal and they’re loyal to their friends.”

— Mackenzi Mehlberg

Grade 12

“A turtle because I’m slow physically and a slow learner. I also have green streaks in my hair.”

— Miranda Gutierrez Grade 12

Campus Editor............BREANNA CRAWFORD Features Editor.......................... MARC LOPEZ Sports Editors ....................HUGO CALDERON & JESUS CANO Social Media Editor ................... JESUS CANO Photo Editor.................. ANTHONY MARTINEZ Multimedia Editor................. KELLY WILLIAMS 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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Campus Newswatch LMC graduation ceremony

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“Life is too short to miss out on the beautiful things like a double cheeseburger.”

— Channing Tatum

Artists return to LMC

The ceremony will be held on May 24, at 2:15 p.m. inside the LMC Football Stadium. Students should plan to arrive no later than 1:15 p.m. for check-in and line-up on the Softball Field.

The ceremony is general admission and no tickets are required to attend. There is no reserved seating at the stadium. The stadium bleachers have wheelchair access; some chairs will also be placed below the bleachers for additional seating and accessibility. Guests should arrive early for optimal seating.

Cash for textbook buyback

The Pittsburg LMC Bookstore will be buying back used textbooks May 20-23 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and May 24 from 9 a.m. to noon. Textbooks should be in good condition — no water damage, broken bindings or ripped pages.

Free clinic for the uninsured

John Muir Health Family Medicine residency program offers free community medical services for uninsured individuals and families every other Wednesday 9 a.m. to noon. The mobile clinic is located at St. Vincent De Paul, 2210 Gladstone, Pittsburg. They offer primary care, non-emergency care, blood test and many more.

For more information, please call (925) 941-7940.

AST program classes open

Would you like to train for a career as an appliance service technician in one year or less? The Appliance Service Technology program at LMC uses lecture and hands on lab to teach students how to dignosis and repair household appliances. You could learn how to operate, test, dissasemble, repair and reassemble many different brands of both gas and electric appliances.Summer classes start June 3, fall classes start Aug. 26, and Spring 2020 classes start Jan. 24. For more information on these classes please visit www.losmedanos.edu/appliance.

Positions open at EBMUD

The East Bay Municipal Utility District is looking for motivated students who are willing to learn and grow within the water industry. No experience is necessary because new staff will be trained on how to read and calibrate water meters at homes, troubleshoot problems, and repair broken meters, as well as other related tasks.

There is opportunity for increased pay up to $73,000 per year over three years. For more information contact Cynthia Perez-Nicholas at cperez@losmedanos.edu.

Ambassadors are needed

The Transfer and Career services are looking for students who would like to join their staff and become a student ambassador.

You can develop networking abilities and learn practical skills that will elevate your sucess throughout and beyond college, while making money only a few steps away from your classroom. You can apply online at www. collegecentral.com/losmedanos/.

Manufacturing interns wanted

The California Community Colleges advanced manufacturing team is working to connect students with internships for up to 150 hours.

Pay would be $15/hour. Students will work 15-20 hours per week around your school schedule. Applications are now open. For questions contact Mark Martin at markmatin@peralta.edu or call (650) 284-7728.

Child care opportunities

Child Care Careers (CCC) are looking for students and staff who want the opportunity to become preschool and afterschool teachers. CCC is dedicated to giving the experience and personal growth LMC members are seeking in the early childhood education field. They are offering competitive pay and tuition reimbursement.

For more information visit www.childcarecareers.net.

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

DRILL From page 1

of the chemicals we work with, another thing is to respect these chemicals. And that’s truly what you need to do because these chemicals could kill you,” said Cenobio Magana, who has worked at “The Plant” for more than 30 years.

Though this was just a drill, no one acted as if it was in order to mimic a real-life emergency.

There were about four different sensors checking the air for levels of toxicity.

Firefighters directed their water hose directly where the gas was coming from as they suited up in Level A Suits, which are completely encapsulated with face masks and oxygen tanks so that no one fixing the leak becomes contaminated.

There are also showers on site for further washing, or if an employee comes in contact with chemicals at any time.

Nurse Practitioner Laurie Wolf, who works on site, knows it may be an odd process to strip and get hosed down in front of ever yone but said, “You don’t die from embarrassment; you die from not being cautious.”

A hazardous materials response team arrived shortly after the alarm went off, as well

as members of the Pittsburg Police Department, Pittsburg Fire Department and EMT from local hospitals. The hazardous materials response team provided the firefighters with the resources needed to fix the leak and they were successful two hours later, then everyone began to clean up and congratulated each other.

“It’s a great learning experience. We involve the whole community, police, EMT, Fire Department and that’s how we are so successful each time we do a drill. We are prepared if it ever gets real,” said Jag Chadha, who works as a Logistics Engineer.

After the mock event, a press conference was held to let reporters know what happened during the drill and the outcome. \ According to The Plant’s Public Information Officer, there were nine acting “victims” either treated on site or who needed extra attention at a local hospital. All “victims” were employees who were on site and released before the gas spill was resolved.

Corteva Public Information Officer Gill Azevedo said, “Our number one focus is always the safety of our coworkers and our community,” as he wrapped up the press conference.

Experience • Lydia De Jesus

Sculpture by Saul Flores of a 3D self portrait.

Alumni creativity inspiring

By KRYS SHAHIN Staff writer

Touchable artwork, interactive galleries, mannequins dressed in ar t pieces and many more pieces of ar t were displayed at the Alumni Exhibition Thursday, May 2.

Students and visiting alumni attended the art gallery to meet some of the alumni artists Experience • Kristina Zuroff and admire their work in the Los Medanos College student Emanuel Bravo reading “Good Company exhibition.

“It is important that young Magazine Vol 2” by LMC alumni Ali Cameron. people can see where people alumni. Seeing people who made the leap go from college,” said gallery Director they are in the real world.

“People can see that it’s not just the from community college to the real world Rebecca Talley.

Art was displayed alongside snacks such fine arts that can be published, it can be or adult life,” said artist Ali Zoe Cameron as cheese, crackers and cucumber water. cartoony styles too,” said artist Nicole who graduated in 2015.

Many of the artists hoped to inspire “I really enjoyed seeing people wan- Barakat who graduated from LMC in 2017.

Multiple alumni who had their art fea- those who wish to follow in similar steps der around and learn new things,” said Kristina Zuroff, a Los Medanos College tured in the exhibition were at the event to them, but some just wished to help to talk to students and guests who may students however they could with their student in attendance. studies with words of encouragement.

This event is a good way to allow have had questions for them.

“I came to school here, it’s nice to “There’s a point of pride for seeing former students to promote themselves and current projects after school or when the success story of LMC students and See ART, page 5

Students present research

Panel discusses justice

By YESENIA MENDEZ Staff Writer

By KIRSTEN HAUN Staff Writer

Faculty and staff were treated to a recap of the Los Medanos College STEM Research Symposium during a assembly May 6 to review the success of STEM initiatives on campus.

The May 3 symposium gave students the opportunity to present their research to members of the college community in hopes that it would peak students interest in the STEM program and provide them information about opportunities it provides.

The summary of the symposium included brief presentations made by science, technology, engineering and

Photo courtesy of Briana McCarthy

Sana Saleem (left) and Kat Elera present their poster about research on Daphnia to students. math professors who help put on the event. About 40 people sat and watched as Nicole Trager, MESA program director, announced there were around 170 people in attendance during the symposium.

“We almost doubled the number of students in the last two years at the symposium,” said Biology professor Briana McCarthy. “It turned out amazing.”

The recap also explained the purpose of the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative of STEM to promote student-lead research.

“We could talk at them for hours,” said Brentwood Math Professor Scott Hubbard, but ultimately students “learn best by doing.”

This statement was underSee STEM, page 5

Los Medanos College was given a new perspective on justice May 6th when Antioch Police Depar tment Chief Tammany Brooks and Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton spoke at the “Understanding Justice” Panel.

LMC’s History department coordinated this event at which the guests spoke about their unique backgrounds, their roles as African American leaders in the criminal justice system, and how to make a difference in the community.

The event opened with a shor t motivational speech

by LMC’s newly elected Vice President Shagoofah Khan.

“I was motivated to get

See PANEL, page 5

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“When can we fall in love again?”

— KYLE

Celebrating 25 years of gospel Reunion concert rocks out

By HILLARY HETRICK Staff writer

The Los Medanos College Recital Hall was filled with inspirational music and motivational words May 4 for the 25th Anniversary Gospel Celebration Reunion Concert featuring LMC’s Gospel and Reunion Gospel choirs.

Local and regional guest performers joined in on the celebration, as well as celebrity vocalist Kyla Jade, a top contender from NBC’s “The Voice.”

LMC’s gospel celebration began as a way “to show the nation the value of urban music as it relates to higher education,” explained Gospel Choir Director Silvester Henderson, who conceived of the event 25 years ago.

Henderson took his position at the piano as soloist Carol Bussey, a member of the LMC Gospel Reunion Mass Choir, stood center stage to lead the first selection of the evening, “That’s When You Bless Me.” LMC President Bob Kratochvil congratulated Henderson for “25 years of just an incredible institution for the community.”

Henderson used the occasion of a packed house to recruit new voices and add a bit of levity to the program.

“We found a researcher that...says group singing is cheaper than therapy,” he said to the audience which responded with laughter.

“Think about it. Healthier than drinking, and certainly more fun than working out. So

Experience • Lilly Montero

Alumni music major Casey Pringle delivers passionate vocal runs while the LMC Gospel Reunion Choir claps to the beat. instead of some of you going to a therapist, you [should] come and sing in a gospel choir. Now come on, that’s your therapy.”

The Gospel Choir then chimed in with “Psalm 117” — The Choral Praise Anthem, and Henderson quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness — only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate — only love can do that,” adding, “Doesn’t that make sense? We love you, thank you, Psalm 117.”

This year’s event was not only a celebration of gospel

music, but also a Celebration of Women’s Diversity, and three women were recognized for their contributions: Pamela Haynes, vice president of the Board of Governors of California Community Colleges; Dr. Yvette Gullatt, vice provost of Diversity and Engagement at the University of California’s Office of the President; and Chelsea Esquibias, regional coordinator for Guided Pathway at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

Motivational speaker Kirk Anthony James, from New

Juana Chavez talks activism

York University’s Silver School of Social Work, focused his remarks on the stor y of a young man sent to prison 25 years ago for possessing a few ounces of cocaine.

“The judge told him, at 18 years old, as a first-time offender, that ‘I’m doing you a favor by only sentencing you to seven years to life,” James said. “He would ultimately be released in 2003 after serving nine years in prison.”

James explained that sentence was equivalent to a sentence for eight counts of murder, adding that, “During

those nine years, he got educated...He read... he went to school, he had an opportunity to get an associate’s degree.”

When released from prison, the man continued his education, earning bachelor’s, master’s doctoral degrees, and studying how prison systems treat people who look like him.

“That story, if you haven’t put it together yet, is my story,” James said, adding, “The umbrella that I work under is ‘evolve.’ If you look at the word ‘evolve,’ it has ‘love.’ To evolve, we must love.”

The rest of the inspirational

Rapper embraces her wild persona

Special keynote opens eyes

By NICK CAMPBELL @TheNCExperience

As a child growing up during the zenith of the labor movement, Juanita Chavez, niece of César Chavez, embodies the movement started by her mother Delores Huerta.

Her mother, Delores Huerta is the head of the Delores Huer ta Foundation.

The non-profit is a community benefit organization that organizes at the grassroots level, engaging and developing natural leaders.

Huerta, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, received her education from the University of the Pacific.

“My family’s path to education started at the community college level,” said Chavez.

The students of Professor Joshua Bearden’s histor y class, having watched the documentary “Delores” about the life and work of Delores Huerta, were treated to a keynote speech by Chavez to further examine the finer points of the film.

Among the topics explored about the event ranged from intersectionality, the power of women organizing and Huer ta’s work challenging gender norms.

At the heart of Huerta’s work was “helping ordinary people do extraordinary things” and the documentary chronicled the rise of the United Farm Workers union.

The UFW worked hard to fight for civil rights of migrant farm workers.

That work continues today as UFW currently fights for worker’s rights and to ban poisonous pesticides on fruits and vegetables.

Founded in 1962 by Huerta in partnership with Cesar Chavez, they were often paired with the Civil Rights Movement of that era. Huerta was often in the company of Coretta Scott King and Robert Kennedy.

Describing her philosophy behind her mother’s community activism, Juanita Chavez reflects on the advice passed down to her: “If you can move 5-10 people to action, we can have a movement.”

Today, the Delores Huerta Foun-

ALEX CAMILLI @A_Carnation

Experience • Lilly Montero

Juana Chavez (left) talks with student Dianna White about activism and education following the keynote. dation is thriving and located in Bakersfield, California with field operations throughout the state.

Chavez, a board member since its inception in 2003, has been dedicated to continuing her mother’s advocacy.

Some of the social injustice issues the organization addresses include ending the school to prison pipeline and her organization was instrumental in passing Proposition 30, which helped to increase state funding to local schools.

This keynote speech was part of a series of educational events held

by Professors Joshua Bearden and

Courtney Goen.

“Ms. Chavez has been great to work with. She was very accessible and willing to come speak to our students,” said Goen.

The students were receptive of the film and the keynote by Chavez.

LMC student Karina Gomez walked away from the speech inspired by the documentary.

“I love learning about my culture as well as other cultures,” said Gomez.

As the event wrapped students met and took pictures with Chavez and she left them with a call to action: “Si se Puede! Si se Puede!”

D’Amico’s artistic journey LMC student spills the paint

By SPENCER BATUTE @batutie_

Photo courtesy of Matthew D’Amico

LMC student artist Matthew D’Amico in front of his painted utility box.

evening unfolded with selections from the Los Medanos College Gospel Reunion Choir, including “LMC Gospel Reunion Medley” and “Rock of Ages.” Then the guest performers took their turn in the spotlight. Celebrity vocalist Jade wrapped up the evening’s musical entertainment and encouraged the audience to join in if they knew the words.

The audience was inspired all evening with the words and the music, and many were on their feet, frequently lost in the moment, dancing, clapping and singing along.

They say life imitates art.

With this aphorism in mind, one can easily spot where student artist Matthew D’Amico’s vibrant, flowing personality takes inspiration from.

From the azure waters of rolling waves to the rosy sweetness of cotton candy, D’Amico’s art has been described as “bright,” “dynamic” and “aesthetically pleasing.” A 19-year-old connoisseur of color, D’Amico strives to keep his work playful in nature, explaining, “There’s too many serious things in the world, why be contributing to that?”

However, the imaginative creator who was voted Most Artistic in high school was not always so pronounced in his passion.

Growing up, D’Amico’s family was “just like any other family that would try to get their kids into sports.” Despite his four siblings all being athletically inclined and competitive, D’Amico and sports never clicked.

Although D’Amico’s artwork rarely stood out from the rest of his elementary school classes, his creative spirit was apparent from the beginning. D’Amico’s aunt, an artist herself, saw the underlying artistic interest within him.

From a young age, D’Amico’s aunt would often invite him over to her house and bring out different arts and crafts in her backyard, nurturing D’Amico’s passion for art.

“They shoved paint in front of my face and said, ‘Do whatever you want,’” D’Amico remembered.

Over time, the artistic freedom given to D’Amico by his aunt blossomed into a fullblown passion. In developing this love for drawing and painting, D’Amico found that sports wasn’t the only thing that you could do.

“Art is cool too,” D’Amico realized.

Throughout elementary and middle school, D’Amico honed the techniques taught to him by his aunt, practicing on his own and learning from online resources like YouTube.

Come high school, D’Amico had committed to enrolling in “pretty much every art class that you could possibly take.” Slowly but surely, the boy who once didn’t stand See PAINT, page 5

In a genre saturated with artists who drown in their influences, an artist that fills a specific niche has become rare. DMV rapper Rico Nasty embraces her “wild child” persona on her latest release “Anger Management.”

Nasty was born Maria-Cecilia Kelly in New York on May 7, 1997, before relocating to Maryland as an only child. Nasty was 15 when she decided she would pursue music through writing poetry and freestyling for her parents before they divorced in 2016. That same year, she released her debut mixtapes “The Rico Story” on June 2, 2016, and “Sugar Trap” on Aug. 19, Album art courtsey 2016. of Apple Music In June of last year, she released her mixtape “Nasty” which was integral to her growth as a rapper in the male-dominated genre of hip-hop. Her abrasive delivery on “Nasty” can become exhausting on some tracks, but “Anger Management” reveals how versatile Nasty can be through delivering verses over producer Kenny Beats’ aggressive production.

Released in late April “Anger Management” the album comes out to only 19 minutes worth of content.

Nasty kicks off the album with the song “Cold” that features a brief skit before hitting the ground running. A calming synthetic vocal can be heard uttering, “Aren’t you tired of the same old thing?” before Nasty’s signature “Kenny” is shouted prompting the distorted 808.

The clarity of the various elements in the track can be credited to mixing engineer Alex Tumay who stylistically gave the ad-libs and lead vocals just enough presence to be distinguished amongst the chaos. Nasty disproved critics who’ve called her aggressive style “predictable” in the next track “Cheat Code,” the most notable change stylistically.

“Cheat Code” features a slower

REVIEW

See ANGER, page 5

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BBALL PANEL From page 6

reached its peak leaving D’Albora to gather the team together for a team meeting in the fourth.

“We gotta forget the other stuff. Our big thing is that the next pitch is what matters the most,” said D’Albora recalling what he said in the huddle.

“Baseball is too hard of a game, you are gonna fail too much offensively, you are gonna make physical mistakes. The message was simple just play for each other and find a way to finish for each other.”

As soon as the Mustangs got the chance to go on offense, they brought the momentum back to their side of the field.

Mijanovic and Taylor Maldonado scored two members of the Mustangs baseball team with singles in the bottom of the third. The following inning, Jared Hedrick then grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Trevor Fletcher from third base.

The Mustangs remained scoreless until the eighth inning where the heist of the season began.

Fletcher was the man to start the comeback when he singled with the bases loaded to drive in Vince Lontz. After his clutch single, Fletcher then was subbed out for a pinch runner. Jake Guzman was then walked to score in Maldonado from third base.

Bases still being loaded, a new pitcher is subbed in for Mission College and then Jesus Hernandez singles to give the Mustangs the lead scoring two runs.

“We were just doing quality at bats,” said we got the bases loaded and just took it pitch by pitch.”

Hedrick then extended the lead further with a bases-clearing double to center field. Then to cap off the rally, Lotz reached base on an error which also scored Hedrick.

“They gave me to sign to sacrifice bunt but they also gave me the option to slash if I saw too many people crashing,” said Hedrick. “I saw the second basemen was charging in and the shortstop was leaving his position so I took a hack.”

The explosive comeback gave the Mustangs the lead, the win and the series win to advance to round two of playoffs with the final score being 11-7.

“It’s a good day to be a Mustang,” said D’Albora.

ANGER From page 4

tempo with pitched ad libs placed in odd positions within the song’s arrangement.

Electronic producer Baauer who has worked with hip-hop greats like producer Just Blaze and rapper Jay-Z, is credited on the track which explains the unconventional production that better suits the techno or house genre.

Nasty’s raspy voice paired with the glitchy hook and synthesized ef fects makes the song feel overproduced.

Paying homage to Jay-Z, the sample used for the song “Hatin” features the signature horns heard in Hov’s hit “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” off his 8th studio album “The Black Album.”

Beats simply added triangle wave synth effects during the hook and his trademark drum samples.

After the “Nasty World” skit the tape takes an introspective turn, removing Nasty’s blaring ad-libs in place of more space in the instrumental.

“Relative” is the shortest song on the tape but is a favorite, because it proves that Nasty can execute a charismatic verse without screaming into the microphone.

Finishing off the mixtape are the tracks “Sell Out” and “Again” that are auto tuned trap ballads that carry a soothing quality despite the explosive introduction at the top of the project.

Nasty can be heard rapping about growing up an outcast and turning to God in her times of desperation. Nasty deconstructed her own enigmatic image by expressing her real-life hardships, a topic worthy of further exploration in her future releases.

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involved in the student government and my community because I saw injustice” Khan said, “I am young, only 18 but our age should not discourage us from being the change you want to see in the world.”

The room was filled with a diverse crowd of students and staff.

“The questions and answers were on point. This was a conversation we should have more often,” said Professor Reggie Lemay, who attended the event.

Becton and Brooks were given a platform to answer questions related to criminal justice, impacts on African American and Latinx communities, and their roles as leaders. Although some prepared questions were given to them prior to the meeting from students and professors, audience members were also able to ask questions on the spot.

“What are your thoughts about current discussions around police brutality?” was one of many, blown up on a projector in front of the room to read and discuss.

“Training requirements need to be improved. Some agencies train once a month and some only once a year,” said Becton “I do not approve of it and I do not know a chief who agrees with police brutality,” said Brooks emphatically.

Technology advancements and social media are important resources for the Antioch Police Department to get a look at the hostilities and abuses that are taking place in today’s society by police.

Brooks used those resources to show his department what changes they need to make in their community.

Their department is taking measures to be more transparent with the city such as making public records free of charge online.

He said his goal as chief is to gain the trust of the community by building relationships and that things are different than

out in class developed his skills and style to a point of recognition by his fellow peers.

Following the lead of his older siblings, who all attended Los Medanos College to save money and transferred in two years, D’Amico started his own LMC journey with a plan “to get in here and get out as fast as possible.”

While attending LMC, D’Amico was commissioned by the Brentwood Press to paint a utility box near the new LMC Brentwood Center. During the process that spanned multiple weekends, D’Amico often found himself in his “own little world,” zoning out and focusing only on the brush strokes before him. The event inspired by D’Amico’s taste for lighthearted images.

By experimenting with various art classes in a trial-and-er ror process, and through researching many art fields, D’Amico eventually settled on animation as a major.

To D’Amico, animation struck the perfect balance between job security and personal fulfillment.

“I wanted to do something that I was really passionate about but at the same time I wanted a job that pays well,” he explained, adding that some of his biggest inspirations are Disney animators, making the field a perfect fit.

D’Amico will be transferring to Azusa Pacific University with a major in Animation and Visual Effects in fall 2019, two years after he started his first term at LMC. Given Azusa’s location in Southern California, D’Amico will also have plenty of opportunities for internships. The program director of D’Amico’s major has more than 30 years of experience in the animation industr y with high-profile companies like Sony Pictures and Disney Feature Animation, animating such films as “Aladdin” and even co-directing “Mulan.”

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FORUM ART what they used to be.

“I don’t want to hire someone who will discredit Antioch’s organization and enforcement,” said Brooks.

The issue of relationships was a huge and surprising theme in this panel.

“In order to get past the image of animosity towards police enforcement, it’s important that we are communicating with the public, being involved within our communities, deep diving into our data,” said Becton adding it is important to be accessible and available. “We cannot and we are not hiding behind our shields.”

Becton said she wants to make sure their system of justice does not pick sides and is fair to all. A product of Oakland, she is the first woman and person of color to ever serve as District Attorney for Contra Costa. She was elected for her ideas of change.

“When people walk into a police department or a D.A.’s of fice and see people like them, it builds relationship and comfort,” said Becton Brooks had his fair share of struggles growing up in San Francisco’s high-crime Bayview Hunters Point. A high school dropout with no parental guidance, he beat his odds and became Antioch’s first African American police chief.

“How many people in this room want to be a cop?” asked Brooks. Not one person in the room raised their hand.

This is an important role for Brooks because he wants to build a diverse police force so more young people of color will want to join.

The panel went a little over schedule because the room was so engaged and impressed by Brooks and Benton’s presence, that they did not want the conversation to end.

Professor Idris Archuleta expressed satisfaction with how the panel went and enjoyed the opportunity for them to share their knowledge and to get to know the community.

“They make me proud to be African American,” said Archuleta.

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of degrees, classes and certificates.

If a student completes an Associate degree, the college receives a total of three points worth $1,365. Completion of an ADT gives the school four points worth $1,820. Credit Certificates of 16 units or more equals two points worth $910. Completion of nine career technical education units equates to one point.

Transfer to a four-year is 1.5 points worth $683. The completion of transfer math and English classes are two points worth $910 and the attainment of a regional living wage is one point.

Wood is tr ying to lobby for an extra year of a “hold harmless” which would give more time to make changes to the new formula.

“I think that’s fundamentally a flaw for a funding formula. It should’ve recognized different costs of living, different regional needs and challenges and it didn’t do that,” said Wood. “So I stepped back from getting into much of the details of what we can do immediately to help match those metrics and try to say let’s challenge those metrics a little bit.”

With the hold harmless in effect, some faculty believe that there isn’t anything to worry about at this moment.

“I think it’s too early to tell. We are funded through taxpayers and federal dollars so when we talk about us being beholden to our community,” said lab coordinator Eric Sanchez. “I think the biggest thing is our students the center [of attention] when we look at this new formula. Or our students becoming dollar signs.”

Chancellor Oakley will be visiting Contra Costa College on May 13. With this visit President Kratochvil and Chancellor Wood hope to meet with Oakley to discuss the formula.

“We are tr ying to have a meeting with him about specifically the effect on the Contra Costa Community College District,” said Kratochvil.

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have my art up. I hope people expand and experiment and stop being afraid of doing things in school,” said Stephanie Gomez, an artist who graduated in 2016, “a lot of courses teach art a certain way, hopefully people break away from the cycle and break out of the boundaries. This was out of my comfort zone, I was a painter but now I’m making wearable art. I just hope it inspires some students.”

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scored by student Estrella Castaneda who came from a campus where STEM was not offered. This is an opportunity, Castaneda said adding that it is “great for future careers to have this experience.” At LMC, STEM provides a “community of students and staff on campus who are interested in science and math”, Trager said. “We have an amazing group of faculty and staff who are passionate about helping students.”

Students such as Zachary Lowe who went to the 2019 CCURI national conference in Glendale, AZ, with his poster on Green Oxidation of a-Pinene, and got an internship to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory credits the STEM program for these opportunities.

Being involved in STEM “helped me get my internship,” Lowe said. “The support you get is amazing.”

Suppor t not only comes through the MESA Club (Math Engineering Science Achievement) and the Math Lab filled with passionate teachers willing to help students with classwork, but also through connections made with other STEM students.

“I’ve met a lot of people,” said Gabriella Morton, a student involved in the MESA club as well as Women in STEM. “I’ve made some really great friends.”

After the presentation recap, 13 out of the 70 student researchers’ posters from the symposium were made available to view. The students who were eager for a second round of review stood and presented their research posters that From page 1 ranged from antibacterial waste When asked what she would in cow feces to discovering do within the first 100 days chemical reactions. of her tenure, Dr. Maxwell proposed a listening tour.

“That’s my first goal is to just go around and see what’s important to everyone. What From page 1 are we working on? Where are our priorities? What are the club last semester.

“I took the initiative to get challenges? How can I be an advocate,” said Dr. Maxwell. together a team who were “So my goal is not to come in all interested in re-activating and completely change things, the club in the middle of fall but really to add to what it is 2018 semester,” said Sanchez.

Eventually the hard work that’s already being done.”

She also had some ideas paid of f and the club has about how to keep a good seen major growth since its flow of communication going activation. The club now holds between the governing bodies, 50 members and has over 200 something that’s important services hours for both fall to current LMCAS President and spring semesters, which Priscilla Tatmon. At Estrella has had a big impact on the College they often host coffee community. “[Circle K] has really been talks, said Dr. Maxwell. She also suggested further engage- active in giving back to the ment on social media to ensure community and volunteering to help all of those in need,” consistent communication.

Among other things, she said Sanchez.

Circle K Club Officer Chrisemphasized that equity is just important for faculty and tian Ortiz has also been proud staff members as it can be for of the progress they have made with the club, and is students.

“I think that there also needs excited to see more events to be an employee experience organized.

“This semester we’ve finwith equity as well. Sometimes that’s not always talked about,” ished the process of recharsaid Dr. Maxwell. “Not only tering and finished setting do students need to have the up officers so in the summer experience of having equi- and fall we can really get to table opportunities but our work with the main goal of the employees also need to feel club — service,” said Ortiz.

With rechar tering the that they have some equitable club and recruiting officers, opportunities as well.”

LMCAS Senator Christian the club hopes to have even Or tiz is satisfied with the more growth.

“We plan on doing monthly, pick and is looking forward to Dr. Maxwell joining the if not weekly service events from clean-ups to walks to LMC family.

“Dr. Maxwell was ver y fundraisers for charities and much a person-oriented can- more. We also plan on doing didate. Her answers and more bonding events on and interactions with the crowd off campus,” said Ortiz.

The recent acknowledgein the open forum were very personal,” said Ortiz. “She will ment by such influential people fit like a glove into the position has really encouraged the club.

“Even though we are young from her previous positions in community colleges mixed and still students in school, with that personal touch she we still want to empower our community for the better and will bring.”

Students can look forward want to show leadership to to meeting Dr. Maxwell in the help everyone around us,” said Sanchez. fall semester.

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some exposure to that world,” D’Amico said.

However, this exposure would not come without some challenges. The application to D’Amico’s major required him to assemble a portfolio of his best work in different subject areas. Though D’Amico had a collection of previous work that fit the bill, he decided to start from scratch.

“I wanted to make sure I was putting my best work out there,” he said.

Star ting such a body of work while juggling a full load of classes was no easy task. Through experiences like building his portfolio for Azusa, painting the utility box and creating personal work, D’Amico has improved on his time management skills and technical abilities.

“If you looked at my art from a few years ago to now, it’s the biggest transformation,” said D’Amico.

Jessica Montez, longtime friend of D’Amico, added that she has seen his growth firsthand over the years.

“Matt has gained this impenetrable confidence,” she said.

“He’s a great guy, and I think that shows through his art.”

Another childhood friend and artist, Victoria Vers, also weighed in on D’Amico’s growth, commenting that his style has become more cohesive while staying true to his personality.

Moving forward, D’Amico is eager to finally be living on his own after 20 years with his parents in Brentwood. Given his experience as summer camp counselor at Hume Lake Christian Camps, a place he spent many summers at while growing up, D’Amico is prepared to live alone.

In pursuing his studies at Azusa Pacific, D’Amico hopes to make it to an animation studio and share the same honors as some of his most admired animators from Disney. His goal is to use his experiences to breathe life into his creations.

Art could imitate life after all.

CLUB

Though this exhibition is not an annual one, Talley thinks having an event like this that showcases creativity from former or current students is important.

“It’s good for students to see because ar t speaks to life. Art is all about passion and chronicling our world.

Honestly, STEM should have an A for art in it. This is where the creativity comes from in our world, without the creativity, people won’t do what they do,” said Talley.

The exhibition is free to the public and will run from Monday through Thursday 12:30-2:30 p.m., and 4-6 p.m. from May 2 to May 23 in the Library Building by parking lot A.

SPACE From page 1

stepped up to the podium first to explain some key terms of the debate, while Nia Russell, Luis Martinez and Joseph Briggs spoke about the various formalities of the academic sport.

Survival of the human race was the main goal according to the Prime Minister, Allen Hagerbaumer, who gave that criterion as what the winner of the debate should provide.

Resource scarcity, he claimed, along with climate change would be the end of the human race, and was reason enough for exploration to find a new home for humanity. In addition, he claimed that great new technologies would come from the exploration.

Leader of Opposition, Gadai Bulgac, refuted by noting that humanity would simply be running away from our problems. The crowd seemed to agree with his statements.

The opposition suggested proper resource management as a possible solution.

As the leader of the opposition went over time a thunderous pounding of the desks noted his time was up.

A whole slew of refutations was brought up by Aria Mallorca, the Deputy Prime Minister, from environmental concerns to losing a second space race, which was immediately argued as colonialism of space by the opposition.

Emily Cabral spoke as the Deputy Leader of Opposition bringing up the idea of life on Mars is much worse for our quality of life, and also brought up the idea of violence in outer space not having strict guidelines.

“If you want to actually have a future,” said Cabral, “stick with side [Opposition}.”

A buzzword of the government, #BigTech, was used at least once in each speech, but especially in the third speech

by Government Member Melissa Torres who argued for their side noting the benefits of trickle-down technologies.

But the cost of going to space was a major turning point in the debate with resounding agreements from the audience. Opposition member Kelly Williams claimed only the wealthy would be able to escape to space in the event of a world-shattering disaster.

Government Whip Jensen Ready equated the cost of VCRs to what might happen to the cost of space travel technology. The way he saw it, the only way to save Earth would involve setting it into a nuclear winter, which would result in the death of billions.

Agreeing with the government in a strong final speech, Opposition Whip Felero Smith brought back the idea of adapting or dying, noting once again that leaving to Mars would be running from our problems.

Instead, he argued that the solution to our problems lies in the depths of our oceans.

In the end, the audience decided the win would go to the opposition. Directly after the victor y, the floor was opened up for questions.

Spanish professor Laurie Huf fman was quite vocal asking questions and offered advice for students who have interest fields related to space and its exploration. Huffman came into the event in favor of exploration but left on the side of the opposition.

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“There are only two seasons — winter and baseball.”

— Bill Veeck

Experience • Marc Lopez

The LMC baseball team celebrates after it beat Mission College 11-7 May 4 to advance in the California Community College Athletics Association playoffs.

LMC advances in playoffs Big seventh inning for the Mustangs

By MARC LOPEZ @KaptainMarc

The ultimate comeback victory was achieved at the end of Los Medanos College baseball’s first round of playoffs.

LMC played its first round of California Community Collge Athletics Assocication playoff baseball against Mission College in a three-game series. The series began Friday, May 3 and came to an end with a doubleheader scheduled on Saturday, May 4, with the best of three moving on to the next round.

LMC took game one 4-3 and Mission College took game two with the final score of that game being 5-4,

pushing the series to a third game.

Joshua Cerejo was the starting pitcher for the Mustangs and pitched 5.2 innings with two strikeouts. He allowed four runs across home plate, including a home run to center field.

Mission College’s starting pitcher Nate Loro threw a no-hitter through six innings.

The Mustangs bats were not able to find the holes in Mission College’s defense until the seventh inning when LMC’s Neko Capsaliaras broke the no-hitter with a single to center field.

By this inning, the Mustangs began to make a comeback after a few good base running decisions and a sacrifice fly to drive in Casaliaras

Experience • A.R. Broom

Justin Roper runs to second base during Friday’s game. from third base. In the eighth inning, Trevor Fletcher drove in the Mustangs second run of the game with a sacrificed line out to center field to drive the second run of the game.

UKULELES = HEALTH Music can lower blood pressure.

The last scores of game two came in the ninth inning for the Mustangs.

The hopes of a walk-off victory were cut short after Justin Roper struck out for the final out of the inning

leaving Milan Mijanovic stranded on first base.

“The last one didn’t go our way and you can be angry about it, you can be sad about it, you can let affect the way you play but the games are separate,” said head coach Anthony D’Albora following the game two loss to Mission College. “The better we can do of attacking, making all of our defensive plays in the routine, executing our pitching and making our quality at-bats, the better chances we have to win that next game.”

LMC’s Jacob Jackson took the mound to start game three. However, Jackson ended up only pitching a full two innings allowing four runs to cross the plate for Mission College.

His relief pitcher, Scott Meylan threw for four full innings allowing three runs and five walks.

During the beginning of Meylan’s outing, Mission College’s momentum See BBALL, page 5

LMC for ‘Last Chance U’

Los Medanos College football is the ideal full-time students and athletes.

While some of the athletes on “Last Chance program to be featured on the Netflix series U” are former Division I recruits out of high “Last Chance U.” If you are unaware of the series, Netflix school that even played some NCAA games documents the life of a community college like Malik Henry and Carlos Thompson. LMC football program. So far, Netflix highlighted two has a lot of underdog athletes that never were community colleges, Eastern Mississippi and on the radar even of any schools. Some factors Independence College in Kansas. It’s a series that lure in is being overshadowed by other I felt so much excitement to watch because it players, or simply going to a school that did gave the spotlight these athletes deserve on not have a strong presence in the recruiting a national level. But as a realist and someone game. Despite LMC being in the backyard of the Bay Valley Athletic that’s covered community League, potentially the best college football, it didn’t high school football league tell what really goes into in all of Northern California, this level of the sport. The LMC still gets out recruited series is great, but it does by other schools as far as not reflect the real JuCo City College of San Franstruggle. The students who cisco and Laney College. are barely surviving to get While LMC may not send by, some that are barely E COUNTY NO. 1 athletes to prestigious footgetting by in life. ball schools like Alabama The only thing those teams have in comparison is the fact they are and Oregon, the Stangs coaching staff has looking for their last chance to play D1 football. done an excellent job getting a lot of these But other than that, this series paints an kids to the next level.

These JuCo football players don’t have the inaccurate picture of what JuCo football, or fan support system they once had in high athletics, really is.

In the series, Independence has an Adidas school. Feeder schools like Liberty, Pittsburg sponsorship where many of the players receive and Clayton Valley have explosive home cleats, hats, shirts, and so on all for free. They crowds with electric environments that the essentially all get the NFL treatment when it players can draw from. It’s not the same here comes to gear. For many schools, it’s just the at LMC. Opening night draws people in, but after that, it’ll be a miracle for LMC to crack opposite.

LMC football has no sort of brand sponsor- 250 people in the stands. “Last Chance U” ships. During spring ball practices, these athletes shows these enormous JuCo stadiums with are wearing old game jerseys as practice jerseys. heavy crowds, jumbotrons and much more. If Along the rest of the equipment, players have someone were to go to an LMC football game, to find a way to pay for cleats, gloves and other they would not be greeted with any of that. equipment out of their own pockets.

Not to mention, there doesn’t appear to be a Other things LMC athletes don’t receive are strong community presence at LMC just like athletic scholarships or free housing like the there is at the other colleges such as CCSF show presents on Netflix. Many of the football or San Joaquin Delta College. players at LMC often have to work full-time If Netflix really wants “Last Chance U” to jobs to feed themselves, and sometimes their show what the real JuCo struggles, they should own families. They do all of this while being bring their crew to LMC.

Jesus Cano