Appreciating police aides
‘Captain Marvel’ falls flat
Stangs lose to CCC
A deeper look at what police aides are doing to keep the campus safe — page 3
The final movie before ‘Avengers: Endgame’ was cool, but not that cool — page 4
LMC’s baseball team kicks off Bay Valley Conference with a loss — page 6
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By LILLY MONTERO & JESUS CANO Staff writers
March 17
March 20
Last day of classes before Spring Break.
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L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M
How things have changed since Parkland
St. Patrick’s Day. Wear green.
March 31
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Campus safety reexamined
March is Women’s History Month
First day of spring.
M A R C H
“You have to do anything you can... to not get hurt.” — Lt. Wehrmeister
To the date of this publication it will have been exactly a year and a day since the full weight of the Parkland shooting and the subsequent March for Our Lives movement touched down in East Contra Costa County. On March 14, 2018 the National School Walkout had students across the nation exiting their classes. Schools around East County including Freedom, Heritage, Dozier Libbey, Pittsburg, Antioch and Deer Valley high schools as well as LMC walked out for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 people lost in the Parkland shooting and advocated
for stricter gun control. So, exactly a year ahead from that and a year and a month since the Parkland shooting how have things changed? Following Parkland, more than half of the states passed “at least one” gun control measure, according to the New York Times. The hike is the largest expansion of control legislation since the Newtown shooting in 2012 and three times the legislation passed in 2017, continued the news outlet. California itself passed a slew of restrictive gun laws in the 2017-2018 legislative year, pointed out the Sacramento Bee, with a handful more going into effect this year. The laws included a ban on bum stocks and
burst triggers, a bill preventing those with a misdemeanor domestic violence record from owning a gun, and a law prohibiting those under the age of 21 from owning a gun. Many states’ legislatures were quick to pass laws restricting access to guns in the wake of Parkland, but their was also a shift in how we think to best prepare students for this worst-case-scenario. In Contra Costa County last year, the Grand Jury published a report entitled “Minimizing School Casualties During an Active Shooter Incident” in which they found that the Acalanes Union High School District had no written guidelines available See PARK, page 5
Come enjoy Spoken Word Umoja and the BSU will be hosting the Spoken Word Showcase in Room L-109 March 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. The showcase will feature the duo Jackhammer Serenade as well as other poets from LMC. There will be a workshop from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by food and music from 6 to 6:30 p.m., an open mic session from 7 to 7:30 p.m., and finally the showcase from 7:30 to 8 p.m. For more information about the show contact Umoja/BSU at BSULMC2018@gmail.com.
Active shooter awareness The second week of April, from April 8 to April 11, will be dedicated to presentations and activities to help prepare students and staff on what to do when there is an active shooter present.
LMC members to be awarded The ceremony will be held Friday, March 29 at 6 p.m at LMC. A specific location for the ceremony is to be anounced. Honorees will include LMC students, faculty and community members who have a strong track record of leadership and dedication to the Contra Costa County community. Awards include the LMC Cesar Chavez Award, the Cesar Chavez County Educator Award and the Chavez Spirit Award. Those honored will be exemplify the core values Cesar Chavez fought for like service to others, sacrifice, acceptance for all people and more.
Follow us on: @lmc_experience @lmc_experience @lmc_experience
Experience • Anthony Martinez
Austin Hernandez delivers a raunchy poem.
Poets spit truth and rhymes By ALEX CAMILLI @_Carnation
Los Medanos Colleges’ Little Theater housed an all-inclusive spoken word presentation by Sister Spit, a lesbian-feminist art collective based out of San Francisco, who has intrigued the audience with vivid poetry. Professors Liz Green and Morgan Lynn made this no cost event possible which provided free food and beverages during the reception which began at 6 p.m. Funding was provided by the Office of Equity and Inclusion here at LMC. The doors of the Little Theater opened at 7 p.m., and in only a matter of minutes, the venue was packed. The revisited themes detailing the performers struggle with identity, homosexuality, and poverty that gives members of the LGBTQ community a sense of unity. Even though the artists come from different cultural backgrounds each poem introduces their bout with hardships. Professor Green expresses the need for acts such as these stating. “I think art and social change go together and when people express their own experiences See SPIT, page 5
Experience • Anthony Martinez
Imani Sims gives an impassioned performance on the Little Theater stage.
Veterans meet, talk resources
Deans share insights
By D’ANGELO JACKSON @DAngeloJackson_
By NICK CAMPBELL @TheNCExperience
Los Medanos College has a rich and diverse ensemble of talent in its ranks. This year for Women’s History Month, two deans share their journey in education and offer some feedback for the next generation of women. What was their journey like being key women in leadership? What obstacles did they face? Equally important, what advice to they have for young women here at LMC? A little over 53 percent of the student population are women, and that gives our respective deans quite the audience. Natalie Hannum, MPA, is the Dean of Workforce and Economic Development for the college.
Experience • A.R. Broom
Deans Chialin Hsieh (left) and Natalie Hannum laugh about their early experiences in their careers. Hannum, a faculty member since July of 2013, cites her biggest influences in her career, her former fire chiefs. Hannum started her career as firefighter and eventually moved up to a fire captain with Cal Fire. While in this career, Hannum received invaluable mentoring from her fire chiefs.
These chiefs instilled the value of constant improvement and professional development to remain relevant. She also learned the value of mentoring and continues in that tradition to this day. Some early influences in her career at LMC are former Vice See DEAN, page 5
The Los Medanos College Student Veterans Club had the to meet with Congressional District Representative R yan-Thomas Brown to discuss veteran use of resources. The meeting held in the Veterans Recreational Center, was broken up into a morning and an afternoon session. The first meeting and the beginning of the second centered around Veterans Club President Michael Moran. He discussed future events as well as upcoming fundraisers, ways to make the club’s presence more well known on campus — not just among the general student public but also to the
population of other student veterans on campus. “There are 335 student veterans according to Admissions and Records attending Los Medanos College,” said Moran, “which means that there are 335 students, and a speculated much more not part of the Veterans club and not utilizing all that’s available at the Veterans Resource Center.” The remainder of the meeting consisted Representative Brown along with fellow guests Representative Tito Ramos, and UC Berkeley social worker Bryan Vargas , all of whom spoke in detail the types of services available to student vets that they may not be aware of as well as See VET, page 5
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“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”
— Malala Yousafzai
Alex Camilli
Dante Harrold
ALEX’S ANTIDOTE
HOPEFULLY USEFUL
It might be time to unplug
Typecasting should cease
Entertainment is an aspect of mass media that is heavily impacted by the use of social media, but when we’re repeatedly keeping updated on what is happening in other people’s lives, it can negatively impact our own. Smartphones such as iPhones and Androids have made social sites accessible to the point where our attention is focused on a plethora of different events in a short time span. Twitter and Facebook enable individuals to peer into the lives of their favorite public figures, which can create a strong sense of envy due to the disparities between their two separate lifestyles. Studies done by Margaret Duffy, a professor at the University of Missouri, and Edson Tandoc, an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University, found how lack of self-awareness can lead to depression among users. “We found that if Facebook users experience envy of the activities and lifestyles of their friends on Facebook, they are much more likely to report feelings of depression,” Duffy said. Social comparison is due to following trends we commonly see on social networks, especially on Instagram where “likes” reflect a degree of status. The gratification from the masses interacting with your posts is short-lived but can create a need for more, which can affect how we perceive them. To have our emotions succumb to algorithms is detrimental to our perception to the point it can feel rewarding to just see notifications on our profile. Dr. Mark Griffiths, distinguished professor of behavioral addiction at Nottingham Trent University, conducted research in 2017 on what can be linked to excessive social media use. “Most people’s social media use is habitual enough that it spills over into other areas of their lives,” said Griffiths. “Social media use for a minority of individuals is associated with a number of other psychological problems as well, including anxiety, depression, loneliness, and attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder.” One can argue that the demographic most affected is the younger population which is in the most vulnerable stage. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Vital Statistics Report of 2016 indicated that among ages 10-24 suicide was the second most common cause of death. In addition, the lasting impact can affect productivity and lead to time management issues, especially in the workplace. Educational institutions attempting to regulate cell phone use has been ineffective in curbing it. Whether it’s for entertainment or social interaction, smartphones are the unofficial swiss army knives of distractions. As this problem persists, it is difficult to accurately determine what application consumes most of an individual’s time. Associate Director of Clinical Training Melissa G. Hunt studied the analytics of modern smartphones that have an app-monitoring feature compared to the rudimentary format of surveying various age groups. In an interview with University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Today, Hunt explained how this feature can monitor the impact on an individual after limiting their social media use. “Using less social media than you normally would leads to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness. These effects are particularly pronounced for folks who were more depressed when they came into the study,” said Hunt. Overall, just taking time away from digital media can reap benefits that improve your quality of life.
Many of us can probably recall at least one gay man typecasted in various forms of media as being less manly than their hetersexual counterparts. In love with theatre, gossipy, and obsessed with with fashion; essentially they are the idea of the stereotypical woman in a male’s body. We can also recall instances where lesbians have been depicted as especially masculine, or bisexuals shown as especially sexual. But few would probably recognize a lot of these examples as problematic. ABC’s “Modern Family”, the Emmy award winning and critically acclaimed praised progressive show has multiple gay characters throughout its 10 season run, yet nearly all the non-heterosexual characters that have been introduced have largely conformed to the stereotypes assigned to them by their sexaul orientation. The two main gay characters are both prissy and obsessed with fashion. One of them is habitually joked about by other characters, that it is obvious from his effeminate mannerisms, that he was gay since a young age. This is a mistake. Non-heterosexual men can be great warriors, they can also be slobs. Not all lesbians are masculine, and not all bisexuals want to have sex with everyone. The prejudice being shown in media is far from harmless. It’s hurtful to the LGBTQ+ community and to society. It reinforces the toxic idea of there being certain careers, or interests as being acceptable to non-heterosexuals. For example dancing. There are many heterosexual men in ballet but many assume they are hardline homosexuals, much to the chagrin of the straight ballets. “People assume that if you’re a male ballet dancer, you’re gay. And I think it’s quite silly because let’s think about it. You are working around beautiful women all day that are half naked. It’s a great job for straight guys,” said Zach Hench, a straight dancer. Putting these stereotypes on non-heterosexuals depresses the ability for people to come out. If there’s this idea that being gay means being less of a man or a woman, many may struggle with coming out due to the idea of their sexual orientation determining their masculinity or femininity. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Wade Davis, a gay former NFL player who serves as the executive director of the You Can Play Project, explains the link between gender roles, and homophobia: “I think the root of homophobia is sexism,” Davis said. “It’s so insidious and pervasive, it’s everywhere. Anytime you exist in a space where you understand that being gay is correlated to being weak and like a woman, anytime you hear sexist language, it almost feels the exact same way.” These stereotypes stifle the much needed discussion about homophobia and sexism. Instead of asking why many gays are found in certain professions, many people take it as proof being non-heterosexual necessitates liking certain things. To be clear, this is not to say there are no members of the LGBTQ+ community who have certain personality traits that tend to be associated with people of their sexual orientation. There are gay men who love theatre. There are lesbians who are carpenters. But one must acknowledge these sort of things cannot be generalized. There are Asians who do martial arts. Yet that isn’t an excuse to treat it as a given that every Asian you see is some Kung-fu expert. Though many see 2019 to be a much more enlightened time in the US in dealing with LGBTQ issues, the US still has a long way to go in in terms of properly dealing with its LGBTQ citizens.
Experience • Isabelle Ortiz
editORial
When cheating backfires
T
he FBI indicted over 50 people in a bribery scandal which involved the rich and famous buying their kids way into college. “Operation Varsity Blues” involved Stanford University, USC, Boston University and many other elite schools. In an interesting twist, a couple of actresses and CEO’s are included into the scandal. Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are among some of the people arrested. For decades the ultra-rich have used their wealth to circumvent the rules. In this case, admission standards. “Legacy” students have been admitted to colleges based on their parents. Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump, is a good example of legacy admittance. Kushner’s father donated Harvard University $2.5 million dollars for his admission. Jared Kushner on his own merits wouldn’t qualify for admittance to Harvard with a mediocre GPA of 2.5, yet he was admitted. The current scandal involves photoshopped athletic submissions, fraudulent application data, and bribing entrance exam administrators. The payments were then shielded under fake charitable contributions, thereby injecting tax fraud into the mix. A Palo Alto couple paid $25,000 to have a proctor take the SAT for their son. In the past the rich and powerful pull these type of stunts all of the time and will continue to do so. The majority of students across the country don’t have the advantages that are given by having wealthy parents. These same students have to study twice as hard and overcome a lot more obstacles to earn their way into college. Much of the same crowd who relentlessly attack Affirmative Action have been eerily silent about this scandal. How can one attack Affirmative Action in college admission, when this clearly shows how the ultra wealthy are actually the ones getting unfair admission by cheating?
letteR tO the editOR
Sugary drinks are harmful to us DEAR EDITOR: Last Thursday, I walked out of my last class of the day and stopped in the student store for something to drink, the same thing I do every other day of class. I purchased an Arizona Sweet Tea, drove home and proceeded to drink said tea. My eyes were drawn to the total sugars that the beverage was made up of: 22g of sugar per serving. “Not bad,” I thought. It was shortly after that I realized the can itself contained three servings of tea. Meaning I had actually been consuming 66g of sugar several days a week, every week for the past several months. For reference, the average male should only have 38g and women 25g of sugar daily. Much like myself, there are plenty of others who indulge in sugary drinks and snacks. It was then I decided to research the facts behind sugar content. In my research I found that, according to several polls, specifically the Washington Post, America is the leading consumer of sugar
worldwide, with the average person consuming more than 126 grams of sugar per day. The runner up is Germany, which holds 102.9g per day. According to the UC San Francisco Sugar Science research team, the sugar intake of Americans typically adds up to 57 pounds consumed by a single person per year. Aside from all the additional sugars of snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages, it bothers me even more that we can’t escape from the presence of added sugars in our regular “meal time” food and condiments. Foods like yogurt, granola, canned fruits, tomato sauces, orange juice, breakfast cereals all contain sugar. All of this doesn’t even count the presence of natural sugars found in fruits and other actual healthy products. Overall, my main issue with this problem is that there is no awareness to how much we intake on a regular basis, nor do we have many convenient substitutes to prevent us from eating a product with added sugar. — Justin Fialho
ReadeR OpiniOn pOlicy
The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the Los Medanos College community — students, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write. If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, bring your submissions to room CC3-301 and put them in the Perspectives Editor’s mailbox or mail them to Experience c/o Los Medanos College, 2700 E Leland Road, Pittsburg, CA 94565. You may also send them electronically through the Experience online newsite lmcexperience.com. Letters and columns must be typed, signed and include a phone number for verification. They may be edited for clarity, content taste and length at the editor’s discretion.
Voices
LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE
Do you like pineapple on your pizza? COMPILED
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Experience L M C e x p e r i e n c e . c o m
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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
“Disgusting. It’s awful. I remember the first time it came out. I wanted to cry.” —Alfonso Camu
“I like it. I just really like it!” — Araceli Aguilar
Perspectives Editor............. NICK CAMPBELL
“I like pineapple on pizza.” — Brooklyn Phillips
“I like pineapple on pizza... that’s where it belongs.” — Ceasia Moore
“No, I am not a fan of pineapple on pizza. I think it’s a disgrace.” — Dyana Ner
“I guess it really depends on how the pineapple feels about the pizza.” — Jen Saito
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 Food drive donations wanted
FRIDAY,
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“Life shrinks or expands in proportion with one’s courage.”
— Anais Nin
Feeding the future
Student Life is holding an MLK Jr./ Cesar Chavez food drive to help support the LMC food pantry. Bring your non-perishable items to the office of Student Life or LMC Food Pantry through March 29.
Blood drive March 26 at LMC
Blood Centers of the Pacific will be holding a blood drive at LMC March 26 from 11 a.m to 3 p.m in the Library, Room L-109. To schedule your appointment, contact the Office of Student Life at (925) 473-7553.
‘Lake Lovers’ establish club
If you love LMC’s lake and its natural inhabitants and are interested in making the LMC lake path a safer and cleaner place, or if you just want to learn more about out the campus, then you should join the LMC Lake Appreciation Club. The club is open to students, all employees, and community members. For more information please contact Catt Woods at cwood@losmedanos.edu or call (925) 473-7569.
Speaker for graduation needed
LMC is currently seeking applications for graduating students to give a brief three-minute speech at graduation. This is an opportunity to share your “pearls of wisdom,” “words of encouragement” or “advice for the future” with your graduating classmates. The deadline to apply is April 24. To apply to become the next speaker please visit, https://www.losmedanos.edu/graduation/ceremony.aspx
Scholarship up for grabs
The Academic Competition is a one-day event designed to motivate students to achieve scholarly excellence at LMC. It is also a fun and interactive way for students to compete academically. Students participate in teams of four in the following subject areas: English, Science and social Science. The competition will be held on March 30. In the LMC Gymnasium. Scholarship awards from $500 to $2,000 will be given to the winners of the competition. For information visit the office of Student Life.
Veterans hosting dance party
The Veterans Resource Center intvites members of the LMC community to stop by the LMC Recital Hall April 17 to celebrate the third anniversary of its opening with the Golden Gate Radio Orchestra. This is a USO dance-themed event with a costume and dance competition with music presented by the LMC Music and Recording Arts departments. For more information visit losmedanos.edu/music/ events.aspx or call (925) 473-7805.
Manufacturing interns sought
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 their school schedule. Applications are now open. For questions contact Mark Martin at markmatin@peralta.edu or call (650) 284-7728.
Child care opportunities open
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 expericence and personal growth LMC members are seeking in the early childhood education feild. They are offering competitive pay and tuition reimbursement. For more information visit www.childcarecareers.net or call (510) 888-9666
Saxophonist performs at LMC
The Music Department and Honors Program will be presenting An Evening with Grant Larson. An active recitalist and proponent of new music, saxophonist Larson will be performing at the LMC Recital Hall, Room MU-720 April 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold for $5. For more information contact Luis Zuniga at lzuniga@losmedanos.edu or call (925) 473-7810.
Positions 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. Applications start in March. For more information contact Cynthia Perez-Nicholas at cperez@losmedanos.edu.
Lost and Found
LMC lost and found has numerous items found on campus. If you have lost an item, check with Police Services, which is located in the Campus Safety Building at the front of the LMC campus.
How to report news
If you have a news tip for a story, or a short item you would like considered for publication, here’s what to do: stop by the Journalism Lab (Room CC3-301) on the main level or email the editor-in-chief Lilly Montero at lilly. montero3@gmail.com News Briefs: If you are involved in an event that you would like publicized or have a short announcement for the newswatch column, go to the Journalism Lab and fill out a news form. No items will be printed without the name and phone number of someone the staff can contact to verify information. Publication can never be guaranteed. — compiled from press releases and staff reports
Experience • Isabelle Ortiz
Mothers seek room for lactation By A.R. BROOM
@AlexanderRBroom
A topic of recent discussion on campus, the need for comfortable places for recent mothers to nurse around campus, is now receiving support and hard-pushing representation from Los Medanos College Student Life. “It was brought up during a public comment meeting,” said John Nguyen, Student Life Coordinator and LMCAS Adviser. “They said it would be appreciated — having spaces where they would be able to...basically spaces for a lactation room.” “The CDC Guide to Breastfeeding Interventions” published in 2005 by the Centers for Disease Control goes over the recommendations for what these rooms should contain. The guide notes that a Nursing Mother Room (NMR), Lactation room, or
Lactorium as they are called by some, would be centrally located with adequate lighting, ventilation, privacy, seating, a sink, an electrical outlet and possibly a refrigerator. The issue found at Los Medanos College would likely be the school’s size, and potential number of users of the rooms. Angela Fantuzzi with Child Development frequently sees the need for the rooms on campus. “Really having a place for them to be able to do it, whether to pump or breastfeed their babies, you know where they’re calm...I think it’s needed,” said Fantuzzi. Noting that Child Development can already provide semi-comfortable places to pump or nurse, Fantuzzi emphasized that while having dedicated space is better than not, because of the known advantages of feeding newborns breast milk, it would be ideal to have multiple
locations around campus. “If you ask me in the perfect world, I would do it in different areas, because the more we allow people to do it, probably the more people will do it,” said Fantuzzi. “If we were able to offer it throughout campus where it’s easier for mothers to lactate, it would be ideal.” Fantuzzi emphasized the time sensitivity of newborns need to feed and explained why one room, even if centrally located, would not be enough for parents. “For a baby, when they need to feed, they need to feed within a few minutes; they cannot wait for somebody probably to cross the whole campus to find the one room.” If you would like to further voice your need for a lactation room on campus as well as help others who are in need, reach out to the Associated Students or through Student Life at (925) 473-7554.
Police aides work to keep you safe By ADRIANA IVANOFF Staff Writer
They unlock the school before you come, are here when your semesters have ended and even stayed during the smoke crisis that happened last semester that shut the campus down. They keep you safe if you take you night classes, They are on constant watch over the campus, waiting for when people need their help. Police Services aides work with little appreciation. Student police aide Phillip Rollins, who has been with Police Services since last June says “taking the small complements go along way.” Police Services have relocate into a new building which is
located at the front of the school near parking lot A. Students can also signal them with a whistle or even a “hey!” Teachers who are in need of assistance can even call Police Services with the press of a button in all classrooms. Police Services will be more than willing to help you. Police Ser vices faced an emergency when a pregnant student fell from one of the high stools in the Los Medanos Science Building. The teacher responded by pressing the emergency button and Rollins was able to respond to the call faster than the police officers due to his close proximity to the area. He was inside the library at
Experience • Kelly Williams
Phillip Rollins stands by Police Services Building. the time he got the call. This allowed him to be able to assist her and report in to the officer the details of the situation. The student was okay at the end of the ordeal. Her mother took her to the emergency room to check on the baby rather than have her ride in an ambulance. Emergency circumstances are rare. Most students only contact
the police aides for directions to a certain building or room. In other events teachers may call on them to unlock a room. Aggravated students sometimes tr y to persuade the police aids to change their parking policies by arguing and yelling. They sometimes complain that a golf cart goes by them too fast and makes See SAFE, page 5
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“Love and respect others and pursue your dreams. You can do it!”
— Logic
‘Captain Marvel’ falls short ‘Endgame’ awaits
By MARC LOPEZ @KaptainMarc
The final movie in “Marvel Cinematic Universe” before the next Avengers movie has finally been released. Brie Larson is on a mission to prove her haters wrong in Captain Marvel. Yet, does Captain Marvel leave a marvelous feeling for audiences after seeing the movie? The answer, sort of. “Captain Marvel” takes place during the 90’s, far away from the fate the Avengers faced in “Infinity War”. She is apart of a group of warriors known as the Kree and suf fers from constant nightmares of a life she’s never known. She finds her way to earth where her true journey alongside Nick Fury, played by Samuel L Jackson, becoming Captain Marvel begins. Right off the bat the audience is introduced into the charming side of Larson as Captain Marvel, but for some reason her charming side isn’t as consistent compared to other heros in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One part of the movie she will be an absolute charm, but the next she kinda feels awkward or out of place. The weakest part of her charisma is during the first act of the
REVIEW
movie and it is the same awkwardness from the trailers. It was sad to see these moments featured in the final product. However, Captain Marvel, for those who know her character, is supposed to be an highly overpowered superhero and that is translated extremely well with the movie’s third act. She takes down the unexpected villains of the movie with ease and it is a sight to see how powerful she is. Leaving this movie and thinking ahead for Captain Marvel in Avengers Endgame is highly anticipated. The computer generated imagery for the movie is something that must be appreciated as well. CGI is consistent and beautiful throughout the entire movie and there are slow motion shots in the movie that resonates even a couple days after seeing the movie. The most mind boggling CGI that must be highlighted is the de-aging machine Marvel has used on occasion. Samuel L Jackson looks insanely good returning to his younger self, as does Agent Coulson, played by Clark Gregg. The twists in the story were hinted very well at the beginning, but the deceit played throughout the movie still gave the feeling we would get more twists. Besides the twists and
Photo courtesy of Entertainment Weekly
Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson, leads the way alongside her fellow noble Kree warriors. turns the story takes, we still have a very cliche superhero origin story, but there is no way to avoid that. Comedy is also a hit or miss. There are some laugh-out-loud moments in “Captain Marvel” but there are also comedic parts that just did not stick.
“Captain Mar vel” is also breaking records in the box office but it didn’t come with a little controversy. A week before “Captain Mar vel” debuted, Rotten Tomatoes had to take down user reviews and create a new policy in which user reviews
cannot go live before a movie’s release. Reasoning behind that was internet trolls bombarding the site with negative reviews. The negative reviews didn’t stop anyone from seeing this movie and rightfully so. “Captain Marvel” does have a few hiccups with Brie Lar-
son’s awkwardness portraying Captain Marvel and the cliche story may bother some movie-goers but nethertheless, “Captain Marvel” is an okay movie that’s probably worth re-watching in theaters. We are at “EndGame” now. Avengers, assem---.
University of San Francisco
P L E A S A N TO N
Photo courtesy of IMDB
The six members of the Umbrella Academy as their younger selves.
Grab your Umbrellas Netflix’s new hit show is gruesome By CHRIS RUIZ Staff writer
LEARN TODAY. CHANGE TOMORROW. PROGRAMS IN: MANAGEMENT | NURSING (925) 867-2711 | usfca.edu/pleasanton 6120 Stoneridge Mall Rd., Ste. 150, Pleasanton, CA
CHANGE THE WORLD FROM HERE
If Marvel’s Netflix shows weren’t bloody, messed up, edgy and grand enough for you, don’t worr y, Netflix’s new show, “The Umbrella Academy,” won’t let that rain on your parade any longer. “The Umbrella Academy” is
about seven out of 43 children that were born all on the same day, though their mothers weren’t pregnant at all when they woke up that morning. After this unprecedented phenomenon, eccentric millionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves, went around the world and managed to purchase seven of these miraculous children. From there he designates each child a number rather than a name, from numbers one to seven. Sir Hargreeves raised the children for one purpose, to stop the apocalypse from
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Upcoming music events The Los Medanos College Music Department will be holding a series of Spring events showcasing the talents of LMC students and special guests. All events will be held in the Los Medanos College Recital Hall and will range from free admission to low cost. n Thursday, March 28 — First Spring Jazz Concert at 7 p.m. Admission: $8 n Thursday, April 11 — An Evening with Dr. Grant Larson, Saxonist at 7:30 p.m. Admission: $5 n Tuesday, April 16 — The Spring 2019 Choral/Vocal Master Class Recital at 7:30 p.m. Admission: $5 n Thursday, April 18 — The Big Dance Party at 6 p.m. Admission: free n Saturday, May 4 — 25th Silver Anniversary Gospel Celebration Reunion Concert at 7 p.m. Admission: $27
happening. This leaves little time for the kids to have a childhood, or social life, since Sir Hargreeves only allowed the children to have fun rarely. With that and Sir Hargreeves only calling the children by their numbers instead of their names (which have been given to them by children’s robotic nanny they call mom) it’s lead these children to grow up to be dysfunctional. From the wonderful mind of Gerard Way, the singer from See GRAB, page 5
New art show A new art show featuring the work of more than a dozen members of the Art Guild of the Delta will open in the Los Medanos College Art Gallery Thursday, March 28. An opening reception will be held at 4 p.m. in honor of the artists in the show. The guild is a non-profit organization based in the San Francisco East Bay. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p. m.
Get ‘Connected’ Los Medanos College Drama Department will stage “Connected” by Lia Romero and directed by Nick Maccarone March 21-23, 25, 27-29 at 7 p.m., and a 10 a.m. matinee March 25. The play is a series of situations displaying the modern world and our constant connection with the Internet. The shows will be held in the LMC Little Theater and general admission will be $15.
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for students or faculty. And though AUHSD made the recommended changes suggested by Grand Jury after the report, we’ve seen that written guidelines are only the beginning when it comes to preparedness. Right in our own backyard we’ve seen how much threats can impact students, especially when they feel relatively unprepared. Pittsburg High School experienced a school shooting threat last September. Sunday afternoon, a threat was circulated online about a potential active shooter. After some investigating the police found that the threat had been “joke” but knowing that didn’t ease the paranoia felt by faculty and students that following Monday. “Our teachers would reassure us and made it clear that we would be safe, but it’s still a scary thing to go through,” said Pittsburg High student Robert Hernandez. “Something like that should never happen at our school, even if it’s just a ‘joke’.” Heritage High School also experienced a bomb threat last year that turned out to be a hoax. “[Campus safety] has definitely gotten a little bit better over the years with the past school shootings, but the students themselves haven’t really had training for what to do if there are shooters,” said Heritage student Jordyn Toscano. She continued, “They talk a lot about how we’re supposed to stay in our classrooms and barricade, but that’s actually the opposite of what you’re supposed to do.” This is what Lieutenant Wehrmeister is calling a “par-
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Biology at the wetlands
SAFE them nervous, when they are in a 20 mph zone the smallest golf cart can’t go over 14 mph do to its engine and the bigger golf cart can only go 10 mph. Rollins describes how dealing with tense situations of the overly vocal complaints helps him in being able to diffuse a stressful situation and how “It’s exhausting for being constantly berated for what we can’t control.” Corporal student police aide Diana Galbez who star ted working in Police ser vices after graduating high school in 2017 formed a different opinion than her colleague about the interactions with other students. She expressed that what she was most improved on was communicating with other students and professors. That it made her feel more social. Some students like Emma Wingate don’t have real interactions with the police aides, “I rarely see them actually, I only ever see them in the parking lot. I’m sure they work hard though.” The student aides are enforcing the district rules that they did not make, such as not taking back parking tickets, even though there have been students that yell at them, they can’t change their rules. Police aides are only trying to gain experience that shows they are able to handle similar situations before they go into actual police training because the hire ons look for these experiences. The police aids are also hopeful to earn a letter of recommendation that can help them in the policing career. Another confusion that causes distance between students and police aides is that students also seem to think that the one week grace period is longer than it actually is. The grace period is where you do not have to pay for parking only at the beginnings and ends of a semester. Students can ask for a ride if they see a police aide driving around in one of the golf carts,
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they can ask to go anywhere they need to go on campus, It is believed by Rollins that this action will have students better understand that the student police aides are students just like they are and make mistakes. Rollins explained the distrust of law enforcement do to stories circulating within the news and the fact that most students didn’t even recognize that the aids are students themselves. Rollins while driving the smaller black security golf cart with flashing yellow lights overhead expressed a visible distance he felt from other students who looked his way. One look at the faces driving past and you could see it was the truth. There were several quiet long stares that spoke volumes without words from several students that passed. It was obvious those students felt that police aides and themselves lived in different worlds. There were two people, though at different times, who parked in the fire lane in the front of the school drop off zone that day. Two people that tried to ignore the little golf cart that had pulled up beside them waiting for them two to move. That was trying to be prepared for an emergency that could happen in a little act that could in a dire situation save lives. The first was a teacher who showed Rollins her ID card after finally putting down her phone from a long scrolling session, during the second time he had to pull up behind her. The second couple in the car were more compliant and respectful, the man in the car with the girl pointed to where Rollins had and cruised over there. A sharp whistle broke out in the parking lot as Rollins drove past, as he stopped for the man leaning against his shiny dark blue car to hear him say that the parking pass machine wasn’t working. Rollins then replied its okay you can park and won’t get charged a ticket for now.
“Our teachers would reassure us and made it clear we would be safe, but it’s still a scary thing to go through.”
— Pittsburg High student Robert Hernandez
Experience • Anthony Martinez
Jean Erick Rakotoarisoa’s BIOSC-007: Ecology and the Environment class went on an outing Monday, March 4 to collect live samples and check chemical levels for their in-class work. LMC students Enrique Ioa (left) and Jacob Turner gather samples of species native to the area at Dow Wetlands in Pittsburg.
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President Kevin Horan, who recently departed to Crafton Hills in San Bernardino county. Also, Kim Schenk at Diablo Valley College is cited as another professional influence in her career. “They really made an impact on my career in education,” says Hannum. However, the path to success is always beset with obstacles. For me, it was overcoming low expectations. It can come from family expectations or social norms,” said Hannum. “Regardless, pushing past low expectations is one of the biggest obstacles I’ve had to overcome.” For the upcoming generation of women she has some key advice. “Be comfor table saying
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‘no’,” said Hannum. “I’ve watched male colleagues for years in professional situations that require negotiating and they are comfortable with saying no.” Initially, this skill was uncomfor table for the dean, who as a middle child, and often had to play the role of the occasional negotiator and peace keeper. Reflecting on the best advice she’s received in her career, Hannum emphasized patience and never underestimating the power of managing expectations. With people being aware of what you can and cannot do, they can gauge their expectations accordingly. “Negotiations and interactions often fall apart when expectations fall short of what can actually be delivered,”
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it creates a bond between the per former and audience,” said Green. Some poems featured are unfiltered and may overwhelm some attendees with raunchy comedy. With that said, “the rawness featured in poems like Austin Hernandez’s “10 2 10” remix that touches on adversities growing up as a transgendered Hispanic in San Antonio, Texas. Living in a state bordering Mexico Hernandez recounts through stanza rhyming. “So I woke up working like a Mexican, to racist stereotypes in the country that I’m in,” said Hernandez, “and I’m accidentally participating again and again.” Performer Imani Sims hosted the show in between each act which provided a satirical or heartfelt narrative. Sims’ involvement in the arts began when she participated in theater at the age of 8 and started writing her own poems at 14 about being labeled as “whitewashed”. She frequently switches into other people’s’ perspectives to tell tales regarding touching subjects.
she said. Chialin Hsieh, Dean of Planning & Institutional Effectiveness, has been with LMC since 2017. Her department provides effective leadership by managing college wide planning efforts. The department promotes student learning and success and coordinate the data LMC uses to achieve district wide goals. Hsieh credits Dr. Wayne W. Dyer as a key influence in her professional career in education. Reflecting back on the obstacles she faced in her career path, she reconciled these obstacles with a unique philosophy. “We are the changing agent. When a system or environment was not working the
way we want, we have to change ourselves. We can then gradually modify or fix the system itself to better serve us,” says Hsieh. Some of the best advice Hsieh offers to young women at LMC is simple, yet poignant: “When you can be right or be kind, always choose kind. It may not be easy but just try your best to be kind. Ask someone how may I serve you?” These two deans are a shining example of strides made by women at LMC. We tried to reach out to other deans at the college but they were unavailable for comment. However, their contributions to the college are not overlooked and are appreciated by staff and students.
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From page 6 The LGBTQ Faculty Staff Caucus holds a different event each year celebrating the community of individuals gay, lesbian, or transgendered. In fall of 2017, there was a Queer Comedy Showcase and the following year they held a National Coming Out Day event with writer Deb Cuny as a guest speaker. Ending the evening of the artists divided some time to interact with the audience while selling their published works. The items available for purchase included art and poetic novels that were not featured in the performances. When attendees were not purchasing goods they were sharing experiences with the poets. The hour-long event appeared to be enjoyed by ever yone who attended, as the theater cleared out groups of friends shared their thoughts. High school student Taylor Perez expressed her admiration. “It was really interesting because I’m in high school and I was introduced to different people ’s experiences,” said Perez.
adigm shift” in emergency preparedness. “The days of us telling people to prioritize hiding… those days are over.” said Wehrmeister. Now, emergency preparedness looks more like what’s called the “run, fight, hide” method. Rather than focusing on bunkering down, people are encouraged to do whatever necessary to survive these emergency situations. “The answer is there might not be any answers. Sometimes the answer is you have to do anything you can to increase the likelihood [of] not getting hurt,” continued Wehrmeister. In an effort to spread awareness about new safety methods like these, LMC student Esperanza Rojas, LMCAS and Police Services are putting on an Active Shooter Awareness week in April. Rojas, who is also a Brentwood Police Explorer felt like students on campus were ill-prepared for the absolute worst-case scenario. The majority of emergency training is given to faculty, Rojas said. And while there is information online for students, she felt more should be done. “I really just don’t want the students to be afraid anymore,” said Rojas. “I want them to be able to speak about this with anyone… [They shouldn’t] be scared, but prepared.” The awareness week will include a handful of survival classes as well as a day of remembrance. So, a lot has changed since Parkland. Our laws look different on the state level, our schools look different, and the Experience • D’Angelo Jackson student experience is notably Veteran Bryan Vargas (left) listens as different. And hopefully that’s representatvie Thomas-Brown shares. for the best.
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him the most, he was there. On the other hand, for Lebron that is not the case. For example, in the 2013 NBA Finals, Lebron and the Heat were down 3-2 in the series. Guess who saved the day? Not Lebron. With closing seconds in game 6, Ray Allen hits a clutch three to save the Heat from a Finals defeat. Another example is in the 2016 NBA Finals where who hit the go ahead game winning shot? Yet again not Lebron, it was Kyrie Irving. Lebron James’s NBA Finals record is 3-5, meaning he has won 3 championships and lost 5 of them. Now what G.O.A.T has a negative Finals!? Not Michael Jordan who is 6-0. A real G.O.A.T! To be completely honest, Lebron isn’t even better than Kobe Bryant who is 5-2 in the Finals. I believe the debate should be between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In my own experience, I have witnessed and observed that people who actually play and study the game of basketball say Michael Jordan is the G.O.A.T.
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their own experiences being veterans themselves. Vargas touched upon how he utilized some of these same resources years ago. Vargas has spent the last four and a half years of his life to helping veterans, but he attributes a great deal to the resources that were made available to veterans, student veterans especially, as well as the G.I. Bill. These resources helped him transition back into civilian life. He spoke to the insecurity newer vets can feel sometimes about taking advantages of certain veteran resources. “They are indeed for you,” said Vargas, “Living your best life by way of these resources is what you deserve and you are honoring those before you by doing it.”
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My Chemical Romance, comes this wonderful, refreshing and new tale of a dysfunctional family that must save the world while they navigate through their issues. The show starts off strong with the first episode, which sets the plot, characters and tone of the whole show. The Umbrella Academy isn’t a show that does a lot of exposition. It launches the viewer right into the plot. From spontaneous pregnancies, robotic mothers, dysfunctional families and questionable relationships, this show gives us everything we wanted in a comic show, but didn’t know we wanted or needed. If there’s ever been a show that made you feel like you’re reading a comic, this is the one. From fantastical visual effects, shown with Pogo, the chimpanzee butler, who is made by the same team that worked on planet of the apes. To looney dance numbers that helps remind us that anything can happen in a comic book world. Also with beautifully done camera work and an awesome cinematic look that involves split screens, slow motion and an amount of gore that flows so seamlessly in the show, Umbrella Academy doesn’t seem go over the top with cinematics. More necessarily, the cinematics help push the show further than it’s other cookie cutter comic book show families. “Umbrella Academy” is a brutality gor y show that is straight to the point and a whole lot of fun. Make sure to sit back, relax and get ready to binge watch your new favorite show.
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“I like criticism. It makes you strong.”
— LeBron James
Softball suffering from rain
Field left unplayable By MARC LOPEZ @KaptainMarc
Experience • Jacob Mejia
The LMC softball has not played a single home game this season due to the unplayble field conditions.
It is safe to say bad weather and softball do not mix well. Especially when you lack the proper tools and equipment to combat the weather on the field. Los Medanos Softball has not been able to play a single Bay Valley Conference game this season nor has had a full home game. The constant downpour from the past few months has kept the softball team out of action. You may start to wonder how has the baseball program been able to play their conference games? The answer, the baseball program has the proper equipment to handle the rain. “We’ve now rescheduled previously rescheduled games,” said head coach Tim Rognlien. “It is very frustrating for the coaches because ours kids want to play bad. They are hungry.” The softball field struggles with drying off after the rain has passed. The outfield, specifically right field, is the biggest issue since due to the gigantic trees next to the field. Since the trees tower so high, the sun light doesn’t drain right field as much as compared to left and center field. Mud accumulates and if not dried properly, the coaches are faced with a safety hazard for all players playing on the field. In addition to the outfield, the infield -which was recently renovated according to coach Rognlien- is not properly covered compared to the baseball team. The baseball team has a start of the art tarp that covers
the entirety of their infield. While for softball, they have to resort to sandbags and cheap, blue colored tarp that is extremely flimsy.“I feel like we are the only sport that gets our games canceled,” said Hailey-Ann Vollbrecht. Alongside to the constant cancellations, players personal lives are also affected. Luckily Most of the players said their teachers and places of employment are understanding of the rescheduling but most of the players feel troubled having inconvenienced them. “I feel like I just keep changing everyone’s plans according to mine,” said Vollbrecht Simple tools are all the team needs in order to help combat the weather and help maintain the field. Tools such as rakes and wheelbarrows for the field can lend a big help. The use of sand to can help the team absorb the water in the outfield and not have any issues. A new tarp is also needed for the softball team. According to coach Rognlien, he has asked the athletic department for these items before but has of yet has to receive a reply for his request. “I really hope that the athletic department really takes us serious on getting equipment so we can be able to manage our field,” said co-captain Priscilla Tatmon. All the softball players are anxious to start their season. However, with the weather and without the proper equipment to combat the weather, they must continue to be on the sidelines and wait for their opportunity.
Raazhel Watkins ISO ZEL
Michael Jordan best to ever play It has come to my attention that people nowadays think that it is acceptable and respectful to confidently say that Lebron James is better than Michael Jordan. These people really have the nerve to say that this man James is the G.O.A.T of basketball. It is a real life disappointment when I hear this. This is blasphemy. Now I am not trying to disrespect “The King James” or downplay his greatness at all but calling him the greatest basketball player of all time is a stretch. Jordan is well known as the greatest basketball player of all time and that fact doesn’t need any backing to support it. This man played during the toughest era of basketball of all time, and still made everything he did look easy, smooth, and buttery. His game was graceful and elegant to watch while simultaneously being the fiercest and most feared player on the court every single game. His post fades, fakes, and reverse layups were a sight to see and he made them look effortlessly, while many others couldn’t even attempt to do what he did on a regular basis. The real G.O.A.T Michael Jordan is 6-0 in the NBA Finals. He has never lost a Finals, flawless, untouched, unmarked! A real king. He has done this and he never had to join other teams with other superstars in order to win a ring, something Lebron has done and continues to do. This man Jordan won three championships in a row, retired from the league to play professional baseball, came back to the NBA to then win three more championships in a row. If that doesn’t show how he is the best basketball player of all time I don’t know what is. In addition, I would bet all my money that he would have went on to win more championships while remaining undefeated if it weren’t for Jerry Krause who broke up the bulls, in which Jordan made the greatest team ever. When the going goes tough, a person’s true colors show. And when I tell you Jordan showed out, I mean he showed out. Jordan is the definition of clutch, whenever his team See MJ23, page 5
Photo Courtesy of Casey Manuel
LMC shortstop Milan Mijanovic recorded a walk, where he eventually scored in the Mustangs 6-3 loss to CCC.
Mustangs lose to underdogs By HUGO CALDERON @HCAL09
Contra Costa College came into the opening Bay Valley Conference game against Los Medanos College on a 0-13 record. What could go wrong for the Mustangs? Almost everything, the Stangs lost 6-3. The Comets went zero to 100 real quick in the first inning, putting three runs on the board. Darlus Foster almost single handedly scored the opening run. Foster reached first on error and he wasn’t done there. He stole both second and third base before ultimately scoring an unearned run on a wild pitch. The highlight of the first inning was courtesy of Bryan Perez. Perez hit a triple, placing the ball in the sweet spot of the outfield and driving in Ben Jungbluth for a run. Perez would then put in a run of his own before the ending of the inning, putting his team up 3-0. “I don’t think it changed anything (being 3-0 down in the first). I think we didn’t execute
pitches and we didn’t make a defensive play in the first inning and that was huge,” said head coach Anthony D’Albora. Contra Costa’s Andruw Shaw and Foster kept the pressure on LMC in the following inning. Foster showed reminiscent of his previous run, getting a base hit and stealing second with two outs to his team’s name. Shaw stepped up to bat, hitting a single and recording an RBI thanks to Foster. The duo then gave the Mustangs a sense of deja vu combining again in the fourth inning. Foster’s hit managed to get him to second base. The Contra Costa freshman then stole third base, his sixth of the season. Foster also leads the Bay Valley Conference in steals. Los Medanos left it late, but still showed that it wasn’t out of the game. The first run of the Stang’s started and ended with Zach Ellsworth. Ellsworth gained a single. He followed it up with using one of his strongest tools in his arsenal, his speed.
Ellsworth flashed to second base, then perched up on third base. “I feel like [the speed] puts pressure on the other team; especially the pitcher and the catcher. I think speed is a huge part of the game. It definitely changes the way people thinking about hitters and base runners. So I like to utilize my speed a lot. ” said Ellsworth. “I feel like I’m more dangerous on the bases. But i have had a hit every game so far so I just gotta keep it rolling” CJ Sneath grounded out allowing Ellsworth to touch home plate and Milan Mijanovic to reach third. With the bases loaded Contra Costa pitcher, Conner Rudy walked Neko Capsaliaris which put up the Stangs’ second run. Being 6-2 down in the eighth inning, Conner Capps stepped up to bat. With two outs to his teams’ name and runners on both first and third, Capps hit a single driving in a run courtesy of Jared Hedrick.