Vol. 86 No. 12-May 12, 2017

Fighting the Man

‘Guardians’ are back

Stangs eliminate No.1

C.A.W.S. student Marcelo Clark shares his journey of standing up against injustice in society — page 3

The second installment of the comic book space opera delivers a delightful time — page 5

The Los Medanos College baseball team wins series against the best team in Northern California — page 7

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F.Y.I. Important Dates May is ALS Awareness Month

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F R I D A Y ,

Last day of regular classes prior to finals

May 26

Last day of instruction and graduation

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L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M

LMCAS sees new faces President and treasurer chosen to lead for next year

By SARAH GONZALES

May 19

M A Y

sgonzales@lmcexperience.com

Following the 2017 spring election, the Los Medanos College’s Associate Student Senate will see new leadership for the next year star ting June 1.

The voting window came to an end May 10 for the LMCAS executive of ficer positions, concluding with the appointment of LMC students Marco McMullen as president and Dale Satre as treasurer.

Both Satre and McMullen were involved in the LMCAS as senators prior to the beginning of the campaign — a requirement to being nominated for an officer position — and both had expressed great enthusiasm for their designated positions during the election.

“As President, I hope to increase the par ticipation rate of students in clubs and programs throughout this campus. I will try to do so by providing an informative

packet to current and incoming students. This packet will tell them about all of the extracurricular activities offered by LMC,” said McMullen, “Based on experience, I feel as though a lot of students don’t know about these opportunities because the information is hard to find. I will make it easier.

There are a lot of other things I want to do to help the student body, such as give voice to marginalized students and help reduce our deficit, but

“I hope to increase the participation rate of students in clubs and programs throughout this campus” — President-elect Marco McMullen

this is something that I am currently working on.”

During his campaign, Satre shared his own aspiration as treasurer in a statement posted on the LMCAS web page.

“I want to be your Treasurer because certain expenditures

May 22 marks the start of finals week for the spring semester. A reminder: classes that start at 4 p.m. and into the evening will hold finals at normal time. Confirm with your instructor for the specific times for your finals.

Theft common in science area

By PERRY CONTINENTE

pcontinente@lmcexperience.com

Academics tested at LMC

Study session in CORE The bi-annual study slam session will be held the week before finals in the Center for Academic Support in the College Complex Room CO-300 from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 17. For additional information call 473-7590.

No appointments needed.

Planning for fall semester The Los Medanos College fall 2017 Class Schedule is now available for students who plan to register. It can be viewed online at losmedanos. edu/.

See LMCAS, page 8

Robbery shakes STEM

Finals week upcoming

Sponsored by the Office of Student Life, LMCAS and the LMC Foundation, the annual academic competition will be held in the LMC Gymnasium from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13.

Students participating in the competition will be competing in four subject areas — math, science, social science and English. Cash prizes will be given to each team that places.

in the past have put LMCAS in a deficit that it is still coming out of, and I hope to expedite our financial recovery,” stated Satre. “To do this, and prevent future problems, we need to aggressively scrutinize our

Experience • Beatriz Hernandez

Coordinator for the Men’s Empowerment Network Marques McCoy expressed his gratitude for members of the program during a dinner in the indoor quad Wednesday, May 10.

MEN program empowers Club hosts end-of-semester event to honor men of color

By KIMBERLY STELLY

kstelly@lmcexperience.com

Los Medanos College’s Male Empowerment Network celebrated their accomplishments by displaying their camaraderie proudly in the indoor quad Wednesday evening, May 10. The MEN program, meant to push men of color attending LMC to further their education, has created an outlet of resources for these students to thrive in their educational journey.

This end of the year celebration was to toast to the achievements of everyone involved in the program, including an assortment of LMC faculty, students and staff.

The event started with dinner and dessert. Students sat at the tables and socialized with one another as they ate.

The crowd quieted however when it was time for speakers to come up.

Minority Student Retention Specialist Marques McCoy who led and coordi-

nated the event was the first to express his satisfaction with the program.

McCoy said the program has come a long way. He also pointed out that this event was “a testament of all the work being done.”

McCoy acknowledged the growth of the program noting that the program jumped from 32 members to 54 since last year.

Afterward, President Bob Kratochvil gave a charismatic speech echoing the sentiments of McCoy, speaking on the importance of having such a source of information and encouragement on campus.

MESA honors transfer

See CRIME, page 8

Drugs cause of Nejedly death

By TYLER MORTIMORE

tmortimore@lmceexperience.com

By BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ bhernandez@lmcexperience.com

The MESA program held a transfer night social event where they handed out sashes and certificates to celebrate students who are moving on to four-year institutions Wednesday, May 10 in Library Room L-109.

To star t of f the event, students gathered to enjoy dinner and socialize with each other as they viewed the slideshow presentation of the honored students and where

See MEN, page 8

An LMC student was assaulted and robbed by an unidentified individual in the Science building Wednesday at approximately 11:45 a.m.

The criminal entered the study room where LMC student and member of AGS club Jerome Ner was counting money.

“A few days ago we were doing a lumpia sale,” said Ner “I was counting the money to see just how much we made.”

Ner was approached by a man he had never seen before, “When he headed in I didn’t think anything bad would happen,” said Ner. “When he put his hand on the money I tried to stop him.”

The assailant and Ner briefly struggled for the money.

“He shoved me against the wall, I hit the ground and tried to keep the door closed, but he opened it and ran, that’s when I started calling for help,” said Ner. The assailant is described by a mass text sent by police services as “a black male adult, mid twenties, with a medium build. The suspect was wearing an orange ‘hoodie.’”

Ner was robbed of not the whole cash box, but only a portion of it. “I was counting the fives,” said Ner, “It amounted to about $280,” said Ner. According to the campus

Experience • Beatriz Hernandez

MESA director Nicole Trager speaks to transfer students and their families Wednesday, May 10. they would be transferring to next semester.

“It’s a close learning environment so it’s always hard having them leave,” said MESA Director Nicole Trager. “They get close to one another, but then they leave and that’s a fact of life,” she

said adding that the event was a “bittersweet” one.

Students got the chance to reflect on there time in the MESA program and give advice to students who are planning on transferring or those who are looking to join

See MESA, page 8

The late Contra Costa Community College District Trustee John T. Nejedly died from an accidental “multiple drug overdose” in New Orleans Oct. 9, 2016, according to an Orleans Parish Coroner’s Report recently obtained by the Contra Costa College Advocate and posted online.

Nejedly was attending a national convention of college trustees at the time of his death.

The coroner repor ted traces of cocaine, opiates and alcohol were found in

the body of the long-serving trustee.

Nejedly, who was 52 years old, was the most senior trustee on the board at the time of his death, which was a shock for many in the district.

“I’ve known Mr. Nejedly for over a decade,” said District Board Member Greg Enholm. “ I thought he’d be serving long after I left.”

It has been reported in the East Bay Times that Nejedly faced drug addiction in the past.

Other board members contacted for this story were unavailable for comment.

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Perspectives

FRIDAY,

MAY

12,

2017

“I thought being President would be easier than my old life.”

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— Donald Trump

Joseph Delano

Austin Herrington

PERSNICKETY PROSE

4 THE BOYS

Music culture divides, dejects

Athletes can be misunderstood

I adore all people. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what your skin color or sexual orientation is, or what your political beliefs are, I respect you. I respect you as a person who is just trying to live your life, just as I am.

I wanted to say this, because I feel that in defense of what some would call an imagined state of “reverse racism,” I fear I may come across as narrow-minded and ill-informed.

I have been thinking about, and discussing amongst friends, the idea of reverse racism.

I struggled to articulate what exactly it was that I perceived to be this “attack” on white culture.

For the most part, I agree that because white society has both historically and modernly been the oppressor, it cannot be the victim of racism.

There is definitely a deep-seated sense of resentment toward whites from people of color, including the black, Asian and Hispanic communities, among others, but that can rarely be interpreted as blatant racism.

That being said, there are certainly some avenues of expression that I feel are tools to separate my race from that of others. My best example lies within the music industry.

Beyoncé dropped “Lemonade” in 2016 and lit the world on fire. Clearly an expression of power, fragility, fortitude and vulnerability, the music resonated deeply with black women.

Here’s the problem — I love that album.

I sang it at home, in the car and had lengthy discussions about its themes with friends.

All that time, I was told by people of color close to me that the music “wasn’t for me” and that I wasn’t able to understand and/or relate to the struggles depicted or implied in the lyrics.

Do you know how disheartening it is for a person who is all about expression through music to be somewhat shamed for having the audacity to enjoy music meant seemingly for black ears only?

But it is not only about implied struggle.

For me, listening to hip-hop, R&B or rap these days means wading through a sea of superfluous N-words.

To use that word as often as most people say “fuck” is problematic when all races are listening to your work. Why? For one, only a certain population is “allowed” to say the N-word. All others are called racist if they use it, for the most part.

Secondly, and most importantly, the same people who are producing this music and knowingly inserting that word, which only a certain group of people may “enjoy,” are the same people benefiting from the revenue from the outside races who purchase the music.

Are whites allowed to enjoy hip-hop/ rap? That depends on your meaning of enjoyment.

For me, I like to sing and rap along to whatever I am listening to. But that’s where things get tricky. Do I say the words that could, and probably would, turn others against me, if only in the back of their minds?

Or do I sing/rap all of the other words and skip over the forbidden verbiage? To me, that is not enjoying music, but running a constant filter, making it souless.

That leaves just two options. One is that I listen but don’t participate. (Hint: I don’t not participate) The other is to avoid the music.

To that end, I tend to avoid those genres.

I would rather not listen to those songs than have to continuously struggle through my own moral and ethical code.

This kind of cognitive dissonance messes with me, and is a pain I’d rather not deal with. I know this may not seem terrible, and it most definitely is not racism, but there is certainly a chasm between what I can listen to and what others have decided am I allowed to enjoy.

A common misconception for athletes is they are students who just play sports in school to become popular and well known throughout campus. But the biggest one yet is that people believe athletes are not smart and have that stereotypical face on them known as a “dumb jock”.

Athletes are one of the most disciplined students you will ever find. They spend over 30 hours a week devoted to their sport and still find time to juggle not only schoolwork but possibly a part-time job as well to pay for expenses. Student athletes are expected to be a good student because in order to actually play for your team, you have to have good grades. The grades also matter for many, in case they don’t end up going pro in their sport. If you look at where professional players went in college and how they performed you would be surprised about what you would see.

Richard Sherman, a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks went to Dominguez High School and was an outstanding student, graduating with the second-highest GPA in his class with a 4.2, while playing football and track and field. He then continued his football and academic career at Stanford where he finished with a 3.9 GPA and not only obtained his undergraduate degree in communications, but he returned in his final year of eligibility to get his master’s degree as well.

Being able to juggle the life of an athlete, student and working a part time job is harder than you think. I have played baseball ever since I was 5 years old and as I got older I started to realize how much harder it was going to get for me. The constant late nights because of homework I was behind on because I had a late game or I worked until 10:30 pm that night started to wear on me. There have been times when I thought not playing would be best for myself and I would become less stressed. But what good comes out of quitting? I have learned through playing baseball that you can persevere through anything. Whether its beating your older sister in a video game or it’s the last inning of the championship game or worse when its 10 at night and you have a paper due at midnight, you just have to be able to tell yourself you can do it.

Nobody said it was going to be easy that’s for sure. But it’s not about taking the easy route but instead taking the one that’s harder for you with the better success. Not everything is going to get handed to you in life.

You actually have to work for the things you want. I know that I’m not always going to have baseball in my life, but instead of looking at it as a negative, I look at it more a positive to work for a career other than baseball. Being able to put food on the plate for my family will be my ultimate goal.

But again where does all this stem from?

It comes from being a student athlete. I bet you that if you gave an athlete the benefit of the doubt, you will be surprised about what we can accomplish. We as athletes don’t get that much free time and the free time we do have is generally doing homework because we want to be able to play the sport we love. We all know how fun sports are to watch but the work we put off the field is what really matters.

The next time you think that athletes don’t have much going on with their lives just know that we are working harder than you think. We want a good career just as the average Joe does.

We are constantly working 24/7 on things that sometimes might not even involve our sport. Let the athletes know that they will and can get through the stress, late nights and the torture of school.

Champions are made when no one is watching.

Experience • Beatriz Hernandez

Editorial

We need more answers

E

verything is consistently in free fall with the Trump administration. Every week, if not every day something happens, causing more and more American citizens to ask themselves ‘Was Hillary really the lesser of two evils?”

The latest issue causing Americans everywhere to collectively facepalm however, has been the firing of James Comey, the now former director of the FBI. This is important for a few reasons: he was spearheading the investigation into Trump’s “relationship” with Russia. That’s weird right? Firing the guy who’s investigating you seems a tad suspicious does it not? And that’s been the hot topic as of late, because it really calls into question just how far can a president can go without serious consequences for their actions.

Of course everyone is shocked and confused about the decision to fire Comey because after all, if not for him, Trump might not have even been elected. For the uninitiated, the projections for Hillary winning the presidency were fairly high until Comey re-opened the investigation. He came up with nothing but the damage was already done. Clinton was once again, deemed Satan and Trump became the new and exciting choice to lead the country.

And while it has been speculated that if Clinton had won the presidency, she too would have fire Comey for incompetence, however, people have pointed out that her reason might have been a bit more legitimate. Regardless of the reason Comey was let go, once again, we must drive home the point that it’s crucial to pay attention in times like this because this is a situation relevant to the rights of both we the people and the rights of those in power.

It gets talked about consistently that Trump isn’t your average politician, but in times like these, an “average” politician would have been a better fit for some of the problems this country has. At least in that instance, we’d have one person, with the aid of a functional and competent cabinet. Keep in mind, we still have with no solution in the near future. Mike Pence has never been looked to as a better choice than trump and neither has Paul Ryan. So our only hope is the drive of the American people.

What happens after we graduate?

By this time in your life you are likely being bombarded with the expectation to do something fantastic whether it’s caring for your family, starting a new career or transferring to a 4-year institution. I mean, you have a degree and that’s an accomplishment, but where do we go from here? Fears loom over us with questions of: is this the most I’ll ever accomplish in life? Or is what my degree entails even what I want to do? What do I want?

There’s something called “Imposter syndrome” which many people feel as they graduate from college. For these people they feel like frauds, like one day we will find out they’re not actually as good as others think they are.

And thus, they feel the constant pressure to achieve and seek validation for their personal accomplishments.

When I first enrolled in the fall of 2014 I, like many others here, dreaded the thought of going to a community college. However, the more and more I became entangled in the programs here from journalism to honors and drama, the more I began to find myself and my own identity. At some point in your college career, this school manages to somehow work its way into our hearts and change our journeys, hopefully for the better.

From the moment I took my first journalism course I was convinced I was going to be a writer, and although I’ve retained this dream, along the way I’ve gained new passions. There are opportunities and skills I have gained along the way would never have been possible if not for the support this community has given me.

My fascination with photography began while working with LMC alumnus Anthony Ferrante, most notable for being the director

Voices

Beatriz Hernandez THE BEA WORD

of the “Sharknado” films. It was working on the newspaper here that has taken me all the way to being granted first place feature photo in the state by Pulitzer prize winning photojournalist Kim Komenich at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges convention. The experiences I’ve had have taught me that going to a big name school isn’t everything, it’s about making the most out of the environment you’re in.

Although my newfound skills have brought me joy, my curiosity has complicated what I want as far as my career path. We’ve made it this far, but our voyages are far from over.

It’s okay to graduate with a degree and still not know what you want to do. It’s okay to graduate and feel like you’re still not skilled enough — obtaining your degree doesn’t mean you stop learning. This worrying and terrifying feeling is important, because it means you care enough about your future to be scared.

For once, instead of hiding behind a reporter’s notebook or camera, I’m here to say how proud I am of the stories I have witnessed here at LMC. Thank you for all of you who shared your journey with me. Here’s to our next chapter in life.

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

Experience

What are your plans after LMC? C

o m p i l e d

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

av i s

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

“I plan to move to Berkeley after LMC.” — Kevin Gordanos

“I plan to transfer to a four-year university and after open up my own business.”

“I plan to transfer to CSU East Bay to get my bachelor’s.”

— Rolando Rodriguez

“I plan to transfer to University of Chicago, Illinois.”

— Sanjay Hunt

“After LMC I’m looking to do freelance work in graphic design.”

— Michelle Bollard

“I plan to open up a Catholic school.”

— Sanyik Petab

Editors-in-Chief ...........BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ and KIMBERLY STELLY Managing Editor.....................ADRIA WATSON Perspectives Editor............VANESSA FLORES Campus Editor ......................TERESA GAINES Features Editor ................SARAH GONZALES Sports Editor ....................... GARRETT BELME Graphics Editor...................LISSETTE URBINA Photo Editor ..........................CHRISTIAN RUIZ Copy Chief ...................... TYLER MORTIMORE

— Lacy Lopez 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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“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change; I’m changing the things I cannot accept.”

— Angela Davis

Students of LMC ‘woke’ by Clark Passionate sociology major tackles issues “I never really had a male figure in my life,” recalled Clark. “My teachers It was a spine-chillingly cold day would notice that I would do really before Thanksgiving in North Dakota, well (in school) when my dad was but instead of spending the holiday in around, but when he’d be gone my the warm comfort of his home with grades would slip.”

Clark struggled with his grades in family, Marcelo Clark was protesting school from elementary through to at Standing Rock.

Thrust between the natives wear- high school, but once he got to LMC, ing gas masks and goggles and the things started to look up.

He decided to become a sociology unforgiving police officers, Clark stood his ground in the fight for social major during his second semester justice, willing to risk it all to protect at LMC after taking Sociology and English 100. These courses taught the land of the Native Americans.

“I was prepared to be arrested,” said Clark about police brutality, racism Clark. “I didn’t come to get arrested and white supremacy, and after formbut that’s just something I had to ing a close bond with LMC sociology prepare for when standing against professor Alex Sample, he decided this field was what he the police.” to pursue.

A politically “I didn’t come to get wanted “When I would and socially pasgo to (Sample’s) sionate student arrested but that’s at Los Medanos just something I had office hours, he would tell me ‘you College, Marcelo remind me of a Clark has been a to prepare for when strong voice on standing against the young me and you need to take campus. The somy position when ciology major has police.”

— Marcelo Clark I’m gone,’ and I dedicated his time honestly think and efforts into giving his all to the LMC community that played a major role in choosing through being an Enrichment Officer my major,” said Clark.

Clark took his passion for sociolfor the Honors Club board, starting the California Association of Woke ogy and social justice to a new level Students (C.A.W.S.) club at LMC and when starting the C.A.W.S. club at LMC this spring. After attending an tutoring sociology students.

He plans to transfer in the fall of impact conference last fall at LMC, 2017 to UCLA with a Kennedy-King Clark realized that many social issues scholarship, and hopes to teach needed to be addressed on campus.

“How are we a Hispanic-serving sociology when he completes his institution yet we rarely address things education.

This long laundry list of activities that are happening in communities of and goals did not come without hard color?” questioned Clark. “I wanted work, and in Clark’s case, a supportive to start a club that dealt with that.”

Designed to make students aware school environment.

On Christmas morning in 2004, of social issues prevalent in the world, Clark’s parents split up and their the C.A.W.S. club organizes events eventual divorce began a rough that address heated topics and makes period for his family, losing their students politically aware.

During the semester, Clark orgahouse, their car, and their stability.

After moving in with his grand- nized multiple panels including one parents, Clark’s life improved, but on Black Lives Matter. This event without a father to look up to, he discussed and celebrated black carried his struggles with him to history and featured Dan Siegel, a school every day.

See WOKE, page 8

By BRENNA ENOS Staff Writer

Experience • Chris Ruiz

C.A.W.S. Club President Marcelo Clark during the post-inaugural protest at Los Medanos College in the Outdoor Quad Monday, Jan. 23.

Newswatch It’s good Write a message to students to be back Transfer and Career Services is holding a Transfer Celebration May 18, from noon to 3 p.m. in the Indoor Quad. A part of the celebration includes a message wall to transferring students that is written by faculty, staff and managers of LMC. The notes are formatted as “To: Our Transferring Students, Sincerely, LMC.” You may email Transfer Services and Transfer Academy Coordinator Rachel Anicetti at ranicetti@losmedanos.edu with your message and she will print it and display it in the indoor quad.

Study Slam is available to all

Students are encouraged to take advantage of the Center for Academic Support’s end-of-semester Study Slam. The Slam is open to all students and offers peer tutoring on a variety of subjects and reading and writing consultants for essays and other assignments. The Slam is taking place Wednesday, May 17 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Room, CO 300 on the third floor of the College Complex. There is no appointment needed to take part.

Honor LMC counselor’s life

The Counseling Department invites faculty, staff and students to celebrate the life of EOPS Counselor Laura Subia during a plaque ceremony in her honor Friday, May 19 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in SS4-412.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a dessert dish and to email Melissa Pon at mpon@losmedanos.edu for more info.

Celebrate donors and scholars

The annual Donor Reception and Scholarship Ceremony will be hosted by the Los Medanos College Foundation Friday, May 19.

Although separate events, the Donor Reception will take place from 1:45 p.m. in the Library, Room L-109 and immediately after the Scholarship Ceremony will be held in Recital Hall 720, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. More than 40 scholarships will be handed out thanks to the generosity of donors.

Transfer coaching is offered

If you need help figuring out how and where to transfer, stop by the Transfer and Career Services desk for help.

Students may schedule an appointment with Director of Transfer and Career Services Kristin Conner or Transfer Services and Transfer Coordinator Rachel Anicetti.

Get your updates on the ‘Go’

With Ellucian Go, students can now check their class schedules, register, manage education plans, manage waitlists and more. The Ellucian Go app is available to download for iPhone and Android phones.

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

Experience • Azi Carter

Re-entry students Linda Jones (left) and Jules Means (right) smile and share their academic experiences.

Re-entry students prove it’s never too late to grow

By AZI CARTER Staff Writer

“Opportunity knocks once, sometimes it knocks again, this time I answered it,” said, Los Medanos College re-entry student Linda Jones. With her broad, contagious smile she went on to say, “I’m living my best life. Academia fulfills me because I just love to be challenged.”

Jones gets up early, having to commute to LMC from Fresno twice a week. But she said she doesn’t mind because the effort brings her closer to her goals.

She is majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology and plans to transfer to CSU Fresno in the fall of 2018.

After researching transfer possibilities, school was the primary reason for her move to Fresno. After rearing her four

children, “three boys and one-girl ages 27 - 41,” Jones said, “It is my time to shine and I am definitely enjoying my journey.”

An age epiphany was the greatest motivator for Admissions and Records Director Robin Armour, who decided at age 40 to return to school for an AA degree, that eventually led to a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

“I realized one day, I didn’t have that piece of paper, knowing then it would make all the difference in my world,” she said. “So I undertook the challenge and never regretted a single moment of the process.” “I got my AA from Lake Tahoe Community College in Computer Science, Bachelors in Business Administration at National University, and my Master of Science Instructional Technology also

at National University, “ she said.

Armour now finds herself welcoming those considering returning to school and possibly making LMC their choice.

“The re-entry student is more focused, demonstrating the drive and ambition, key elements for success. They are so willing to do whatever it takes to succeed and they don’t waste time,” she said.

Armour spoke candidly about her own experiences as a student and remembered what it was like.

“It’s never too late to fulfill your goals.”

She said. “It makes you feel good about yourself, and especially knowing that returning to school is for you.”

Returning to school is a major decision for the working adult who has been out

See ENTRY, page 8

HelpHub helps students help others

By JOSE PANTOJA

jpantoja@lmcexperience.com

Students looking for extra tutoring support and tutors looking to make some extra cash may wish to check out the online platform HelpHub. Students and tutors can create an account on the HelpHub website to connect to a peer-to-peer network which

boasts students at over 1,500 schools across North America and over 12,000 tutors in over 65 countries. HelpHub users can communicate via instant message, video chat, and even by phone.

HelpHub’s approach to tutoring compensation is an open marketplace system where tutors are able to set

their hourly rates or negotiate prices with prospective students. A visit to the website’s tutors’ page lists numerous tutors with rates anywhere between $20 and $60 an hour each with a profile including work experience, qualifications, and user ratings.

Students are also able to post questions about the subjects in

which they require assistance that can be anything from short clarifications to more extensive sessions. The benefit is that students can set any budget they wish to pay and wait for tutors to respond before choosing a tutor. Students and tutors communicate through HelpHub at all times and pay See HUB, page 4

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“Distracted from distraction by distraction.”

— T.S. Eliot

Social media affects social norms

By JESSE GOMEZ Staff Writer

It is 2017 and technology use is at an all-time high. A new Nielsen Company audience report reveals that adults in the United States devoted about 10 hours and 39 minutes each day in front of a technology device screen in 2016. The devices include smart phones, video games, TV, radios and personal computers. To put this hours per day technology use into perspective, most Americans can’t even manage to get eight hours of sleep a day. This suggests that technology has a huge impact on people’s lives, especially in the realm of communication.

The Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Springs conducted a study to determine the communication competence of college students in a technology-rich 21st century.

The study focused on 223 firstyear college students ranging from ages 18-25, all born after 1990. The questions used in the study not only determined social skills and communication competence, but also the self-perceived communication skills of the students.

Study researchers determined that smart phones and social networking sites were the most commonly used technology platform by the college students. Although students in the study reported they prefer face-toface communication with their peers, results proved that is not the reality.

When it came to personal conversations and situations with friends, the results showed that texting was used more often than face-to-face communication. Students reported feeling more efficient when communicating using technology because it allows them to feel more in control as well as more productive than face-to-face conversations.

62-70 percent of the 223 first year college students said they are never nervous talking to people but 55-70 percent admitted they are nervous about public speaking. Study theories using social networking to communicate gives a false sense of

“Social media gives us the option to isolate ourselves while still feeling connected.”

— Marie Arcidiacono

Photo illustration by Lissette Urbina

connection with people and in turn makes people feel social isolation.

Marie Arcidiacono, a communications professor at Los Medanos College, said that technology has done more good for this generation than bad, but sometimes there are unintended consequences. Although she has seen an increase in communication majors over her 9 years as teacher, she said she’s noticed behavioral differences with students.

“Face to face conversations are on the decline,” said Arcidiacono. She highlighted how student behavior has changed with the advancements in technology.

“There was a time earlier in my career, and even when I was a student, where before the teacher came in we would have conversations with each other and be roaming around the classroom,” she said. “Now

more often than not when I peek into my classroom all I see is the tops of student’s heads as they stare down at their phones and no one is interacting with one another.”

Despite that, she said it is hard to generalize that technology is affecting social skills in a bad way when phones and social networking sites also help people maintain relationships as well.

She added that it can be helpful to talk online but people should try to make sure it’s not the only way they communicate or express themselves.

“Social media gives us the option to isolate ourselves while still feeling connected,” she said.

First year LMC student Danielle Mendoza, who was born after 1999, said that because her generation grew up with smart phones and technology being the norm, it creates a world tough for them not to be dependent

on such things when communicating.

“I use social media at least four to five hours a day between Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter,” said Mendoza. “I got my first phone when I was 11 years old, so having technology with me everywhere I go is what I’m used to.”

Although social networking and texting is convenient, she still prefers to talk to her friends face-to-face.

While agreeing that speaking is an important interpersonal skill, Mendoza believes people understand the challenge her generation faces.

“I feel that most people don’t judge if you aren’t anymore but being a good speaker is something we should all strive to be,” she said.

A study done by careeraddict.com reported that manager’s rate on a scale of 1 to 5 interpersonal skills as a 4.37, just below the ability to work

well in groups at 4.49.

“I don’t like public speaking but understand it’s needed in the real world and try to put myself in uncomfortable situations so my social skills can grow,” she stated.

Returning LMC student Sterling Seymour was born in 1986 and says he does his best to distance himself from social networking sites and technology dependence.

“I am one of the few people out there that has probably never had a Facebook account,” he said.

“Facebook relationships aren’t as genuine.” He describes his decision to distance himself from those types of sites because they don’t mean anything to him.

“Social media isn’t real communicating, if you want me to know all about how bad of a day you had See MEDIA, page 8

Library lets students ‘can’ the book fines

support — librarian Catt Wood estimated about 75 percent of students with library fines paid Want to know a good way to can those them off via donations during the month.

“When I see someone has a fine on their overdue librar y book fines? Find canned goods ­­­and donate them to the Los Medanos account, a lot of times, the students won’t have the money on them, or they won’t have it at College food bank.

The LMC library instituted a program for the all,” Wood said. “They’ll come back later and month of April allowing students with library have the cans.”

Donations quickly added up. Student Life fines to pay them off by donating canned goods to the food bank, at a rate of approximately $1 Coordinator John Nyugen mentioned the credit per can, as an alternative to the usual donations the library collected in just one month ended up being enough to completely fill method of paying off fines with cash. several shelves.

The program “When they was proposed by “We want our brought it Electronic Restudents to be able over, we were sources Librarian ecstatic,” NyuKim Wentworth, to focus on their gen said. The who said she took studies, and it’s hard fledgling Food inspiration from to do that if you Bank has been discussion on a relying more on librar y listser v, don’t have enough the generosity an emailing list food to eat.” of students and and forum for li— Kim Wentworth faculty than anybrarians, during thing else thus late March.

“Fine forgiveness is often a part of National far, including food drives.

While the librar y food drive ended last Library Week,” Wentworth explained. “I thought this was a twist on that, that could support month, it’s not too late to help the Food Bank. our food bank. Another library was doing it, Donations of any kind of non-perishable food that I saw, so I thought that was a great idea.” can be turned in to the building, which is to The program, originally intended to only run the direct left of the cafeteria on Level 2 of the the course of National Library Week, proved to College Complex.

The library is considering holding anothbe popular among students and was extended.

“We’ve never done anything like it,” said er food drive in November, just in time for Wentworth. “But it was very popular, and we Thanksgiving.

“We want our students to be able to focus decided to continue it for the whole month of April. We recognize that a lot of our students on their studies, and it’s hard to do that if you are low income and have food insecurity, and don’t have enough food to eat,” Wentworth said. “The library is always trying to find new we wanted the library to support them.”

The library’s efforts certainly did offer some ways to help our students.”

By ROBERT PIERCE Staff Writer

DON’T SCRATCH THE SURFACE.

BREAK THE GROUND.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2017 STAY ON TRACK.

GRADUATE AND START YOUR CAREER ON TIME. • Small classes, personal attention • $2,000 Los Medanos College transfer award • $14,000 Honors at Entrance Scholarships (3.5 GPA minimum) • $10,000 Transfer Gael Scholarships (3.26 GPA minimum) RSVP for the May 25 transfer information session at smcadmit.com

Saint Mary’s College of California transfer@stmarys-ca.edu

(800) 800-4SMC

HUB From page 3

-ment is also handled through the platform.

HelpHub also provides another option for students who are unable to take advantage of tutoring at Los Medanos College.

Tutors may also find the platform to be a useful source of additional income. Pay is calculated as the tutor’s rate multiplied by the time spent tutoring.

HelpHub’s claim of satisfaction is that virtually all academic subjects are tutored and nine out of ten students would recommend their tutors to friends.

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“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

— Charlie Chaplin

‘Guardians’ reunite for good time ‘Vol. 2’ is fun but flawed

By TYLER MORTIMORE

tmortimore@lmcexperience.com

“Guardians of the Galaxy” burst onto the blockbuster scene in 2014, a breath and a half of fresh air. Sure, it was a superhero movie, but the jokes were actually pretty funny, the direction was outside the box

by Marvel standards and you weren’t sure if all of the ragtag, unknown-outside-of-comicbook-store characters were going to survive the obligatory Big Battle at the end.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is tasked with both maintaining a now established franchise-within-a-franchise and continuing to be that breath of fresh air, and while it doesn’t always succeed, it’s a mostly enjoyable, very fun film.

We find our heroes working as premium hired muscle, famous throughout the galaxy after saving it in the first movie. When Rocket (voiced

by Bradley Cooper) steals the goods they were meant to protect, the golden high priestess of the Sovereign (Elizabeth Debicki) decides to kill them.

Following an outerspace chase through an asteroid field—the “Empire Strikes Back” parallels don’t end there— which leaves their ship crippled, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and his friends crash land on a forest planet, where Ego (Kurt Russell) shows up.

Ego says he is Peter’s long-lost dad, and invites the gang to his

REVIEW

Photo courtesy of imdb.com

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) sits down with Ego (Kurt Russell) at a campfire during a scene in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” home planet, but things may not be as straightforward as they seem.

Writer and director James Gunn provides dazzling visuals, including an escape from a ship that, like the prison escape in the first film, lets you know you’re watching something not quite as artistically stifled and corporate as “The Avengers.”

While the visual aspect of

the movie improves on its predecessor, the writing unfortunately comes up a bit short.

An overabundance of jokes undercuts some of the more dramatic scenes, and like “Deadpool,” it could have afforded to cut a fair number of DOA lines. Gunn also forces some character development, or has characters state the obvious. “You and me are

New Play Festival set to start

By JOSE PANTOJA

jpantoja@lmcexperience.com

sell and incredibly likeable Pratt are distracting enough to smooth out most of the dramatic shortcomings.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” remains the most pristine of the Marvel franchises, having avoided a rocky start (“Thor”) and now a sophomore slump (“Iron Man 2”).

A talented cast and a director who drives Marvel suits a little

crazy is a good formula for a delightful time at the multiplex, even if “Vol. 2” doesn’t reach the high bar set by its second-in-the-trilogy ancestor, “The Empire Strikes Back.”

That said, the Guardians will make you laugh and cry and — perhaps most importantly — won’t make you regret paying $10 to watch them save the galaxy again.

University of San Francisco

P L E A S A N TO N

The Little Theater, located on the third floor of the College Core Complex will be the venue for Los Medanos College’s eighth annual Play Festival from May 15 to 17.

The New Play Festival is a cohesive effort by the entire drama department from actors, set designers, and even creative writing students to construct 14 entertaining and experimental one-act plays on May 15 and 16. The content of the plays to be performed range from drama, comedy and science fiction.

“Expect to have fun,” said Drama Department Chair and Festival Director Nick Garcia.

“Every ten minutes will bring something new to the audience.”

Drama students are on a rigorous two-week timeline to craft and rehearse the plays they will be performing for the event.

“In preparation, we rehearse during class, we rehearse in sessions with Nick Garcia and we rehearse even more in our own personal sessions,” said student and actress Kahla Bulls.

“It’s a chaotic process that leaves us all exhausted,” said fellow student and actor Jonathan Ramos.

“It’s exhausting but fun!” echoed fellow actor Andre Igadula. “You get to build great relationships with the students involved.”

Austin Trenholm, a drama student and writer of one the plays to be featured describes his play, “Works Every Time” as an amusing

the same,” Yondu (Michael Rooker) redundantly says to Rocket after illustrating their many similarities.

This exchange and a handful of others are less deft than they ought to be, and the 138 minute runtime somehow feels simultaneously too long and rushed when it comes to plot and character developments.

Luckily the magnetic Rus-

See PLAY, page 8

Marquee Movies released

n “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” Rated Pg-13 Genre: Epic n “Low Riders” Rated PG-13 Genre: Drama n “Snatched” Rated R Genre: Comedy n “7 Witches” Not Rated Genre: Horror n “Generation Iron 2” Rated G Genre: Documentary n “The Wedding Plan” Rated Not Rated Genre: Romance, Comedy n “Absolutely Anything” Rated Not Rated Genre: Comedy Photo courtesy of pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com

Campanil Theatre

“Hairspray” is on stage in Pittsburg.

n The children of the Campanil Theatre bring the ‘The reluctant dragon’ on stage May 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. The Play centers around the meeting of a peaceful dragon who enjoys tea, poetry and afternoon naps and a famous dragon slayer named Saint George arranged by a young lad. A comic battle ensues. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for youth and under. n Join the contra costa chamber orchestra and Then and Now Saturday may 13 at 2 p.m. Sit down for a concert featuring Musicians ranging from 15 to 94 of the Contra Costa community and Mendelssohn’s ‘Reformation symphony’ to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the reformation and the world premiere of the bay area composer Noah Luna’s new work “a Might Fortress” based on Luther Hymn that Mendelssohn used. Tickets are $15 for adults $12 for seniors and $7 for students The El Campanil Theatre is located at 602 W Second St. in Antioch. For ticket sales and additional information visit elcampaniltheatre. com or call 757-9500.

California Theatre n The infamous family-friendly musical “Hairspray,” will be visiting the California Theatre stage. The musical follows lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turnbald who aspires to be on the popular and trendy Corny Collins Show. Overnight, Tracy goes from being a social outcast to sudden star. Showtimes are as followed: May 12, 13, 19 at 8 p.m. and May 14, 20, 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, $18 for seniors and students, $10 for children and $12 for military and vets. n Dennis Rowe Entertainment Presents “Don’t Mess With God...He’ll Wash Your Feet.” The play retells some of the most famous biblical stories live on stage in a fashion that is guaranteed to blow your mind. Showtimes are June 3 at 3 & 8 p.m. and June 4 at 4 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $25 to $30.

The California theatre is located at 351 Railroad Ave in Pittsburg. For ticket sales and additional information visit pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com or call 427-1611.

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

LEARN TODAY. CHANGE TOMORROW. PROGRAMS IN: MANAGEMENT | NURSING Call to make an advising appointment today (925) 867-2711 pleasantoncampus@usfca.edu usfca.edu/pleasanton 6120 Stoneridge Mall Rd., Ste. 150, Pleasanton, CA CHANGE THE WORLD FROM HERE

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“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”

— Don Marquis

Star Wars fans musically rejoice May 4th brings tribute

By BRENNA ENOS Staff Writer

To some, May 4 is an ordinary day, but to die hard Star Wars fans it is a day of homage.

For the music enthusiasts at Los Medanos College, May the 4th Be With You was not only a recital of “Star Wars” music, but a showcase for the transferring sophomore Music 006 students.

The Music 006 class, made up of 10-12 music majors, is designed as a recital preparation course that provides students with a weekly time and place to perform their privately learned music. A showcase of this nature was also done last semester, but the Star Wars theme is a fun new adaptation.

Opening the doors shortly before the 7 p.m. start time, the audience trickled into the recital hall, anxious for the show to begin. LMC music professor Luis Zuniga, warmly greeted the crowd and made sure to explain that this night was dedicated to sophomores, Marcela Zaragoza, Craig Robinson and Raquel Taylor, who are transferring at the end of the semester.

Trumpet player Zaragoza opened the show, captivating the audience with the short and visibly challenging songs she had chosen to play. Each song played was taken from a difference era — from “Air on the G String” composed in 1720 to the semi-modern piece composed in 1985, “Etude #98 from Getchell 2.”

Zaragoza’s 10 years of prior trumpet experience had trained her nimble fingers for this moment, and while she was nervous for the opening song, her showcase was a success.

She explained that “Etude #98” is a “short tune but with

REVIEW

Experience • Brenna Enos

LMC student Marcela Zaragoza plays the trumpet during the “May the 4th Be With You” concert last week in the Recital Hall. the articulation and stuff like that, I really didn’t know how it was going to go, especially since it was my first song,” said Zaragoza adding that her “favorite song of the night was ‘Trumpet Tune in D’ because it’s very fun and bouncy.”

As the second student to take the stage, Robinson captivated the audience with his eerie-sounding percussion skills, playing both the marimba and snare drum. Robinson’s song choices were long, intricate pieces, all composed in modern times that required him to switch between using three to four mallets on the marimba in two of the songs,

and finishing his performance with the snare drum. While his solo performance was complex, his favorite part of the night was simple.

“Tonight, I was just looking forward to having a good performance in all of the parts that I had,” said Robinson.

Long-time music player, Robinson found his love for music in his seventh grade band class at Black Diamond Middle School, and his passion will now continue as he transfers to University of the Pacific in the fall.

The last featured student of the night, Taylor was accompanied by piano but used her

voice as an instrument and sang multiple opera tunes.

Beginning her performance with movie classic “Porgy and Bess,” Taylor sang the song “Summertime,” instantly captivating the audience with her spine-chilling vocals and maintained this level of attention throughout her entire performance.

Planning to perform opera professionally someday, Taylor will be attending San Francisco State University in the fall to continue her music studies.

While she sang opera during the recital, Taylor also plays French horn and has a passion for all things music.

“I’ve been studying music all throughout elementary school and it was the one thing that I’ve always really been interested in over the years,” said Taylor.

“Since then, I’ve pursued it in multiple ways like playing in the band, playing French horn, singing and performing jazz and classical music. There’s just so many different outlets and so many things that I’m willing to try.”

Ending the show with the theme of the night, 15 LMC music students dressed head to toe in “Star Wars” attire, joined the three transferring sophomores to perform the “Star Wars” song, “March of

Man and ape make music

By KIMBERLY STELLY

kstelly@lmcexperience.com

If you were trying to figure out how to categorize the Gorillaz, you’d have a difficult time doing that. A band as popular as this one can usually be associated with specific genres, but not the Gorillaz.

If you’re asking why, you needn’t look further than the collaborators they’ve chosen to work with for their fifth studio album “Humanz.”

From working with hot artists in the hip-hop scene — Vince Staples and Danny Brown — to working with artists big in the alternative R&B scene — Kalela and Kali Uchis, the versatility

REVIEW

Photo courtesy of stereoboard.com

Album art for Gorillaz’s “Humanz” released on Friday, April 28.

Gospel choir and Hope hits the stage

By STEPHANIE YOUNGER Staff Writer

The 23rd annual Gospel Celebration took an educational spin Saturday, May 6 in the LMC Recital Hall. As 7 p.m. drew near, seats became scarce and people were packed in like sardines.

The celebration began with Professor Silvester Henderson greeting the crowd and sharing proverbs about education among them.

“Education is what you know, not what’s in the book,” he said.

The musical program then proceeded with Ricardo Alexander, guest tenor saxophonist, sending chills down the audience’s backs with his rendition of “Jesus What A Wonder You Are.” LMC’s Gospel Ensemble took the stage and wowed audience members with their outstanding talent.

The Living More Christian Ensemble put a spin on classic gospel songs “How Great” and “Better is One Day” by weaving both songs together with precision.

The night took a short halt

from music as Dr. Ameer Thompson stepped on stage to talk about the close relationship music and education has with each other.

“Science and the arts offers the means for humans to make sense of the observable world,” he said. “ Both provide depth, clarity and a way to communicate — a way to rejoice in our common humanity.”

Thompson then talked about the importance and significance of S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/ Music and Math) programs and the way it benefits students.

Then Henderson talked again about the importance of training and education.

“At the end of the day if you don’t have any skill you can’t make a living,” he said.

LMC’s gospel ensemble took another step onto the stage to again wow audience members this time with the moving and intricate song “Jesus died for you.”

In the midst of his presentation thanking everyone who made the gospel performance

REVIEW

See CHOIR, page 8

the Resistance” from the 2015 film “Star Wars VI: The Force Awakens.” While this night is over, Zuniga and the LMC music department offer many music courses and provide multiple music-based events throughout the year.

“There’s a lot of new and exciting things happening in the LMC music department such as the variety of classes we offer that are not just for music majors, that anyone can join to fulfill their (General Education) requirements,” said Zuniga. “I invite students to give music classes a chance because, I mean, who doesn’t like music?”

that is this animated group is evident.

The best collaborations on the album come from unexpected sources. Who would have ever put Carly Simon, Pusha T, and Grace Jones on the same album?

In the past, they have worked with artists like De La Soul, Andre 3000 and this album is no different in showing the Gorillaz’ ability to adjust to the modern music scene.

Though each track on this album is unique, there is one consistent element to ever y Gorillaz album: Damon Albarn or 2D’s sleepy, monotone voice dispersed through each track, Though the spotlight is meant to focus on the

See APE, page 8

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“One day of practice is like one day of clean living. It doesn’t do you any good.”

— Abe Lemons

Photo courtesy of Deborah Meylan

The entire Los Medanos College baseball team celebrate the first-round playoff series win on San Mateo’s field after the game ending double play.

Stangs upset the Bulldogs in three No.17 LMC takes down No.1 San Mateo in the first round

By CARLOS RUIZ

cruiz@lmcexperience.com

The Los Medanos College baseball team shocked the California college baseball world after defeating the No.1 seeded College in Northern California—San Mateo. The 17th seeded Mustangs edged out the Coast Golden Gate division champions by winning the series 2-1 away.

After extending their postseason with a head-to-head battle against Sierra College last Tuesday, the team awaited a challenge in a best-of-three series versus the College of San Mateo later on in the week.

The San Mateo Bulldogs finished first in the Coast Golden Gate conference with an 18-2 record and in the Top 10 in offensive categories such as extra base hits, runs,and walks. With all their contributions in the regular season, San Mateo was given the top seed in the Northern California

Regionals. Meanwhile the 13-8 Stangs got themselves in the 17th seed after finishing second in the Bay Valley Conference.

The opening game of the first-round series saw LMC lose by their biggest deficit, 18-0. The Stangs had little- tono offense and were a victim of a pitching shutout with only four hits in the entire game.

The Bulldogs however had a total of 17 hits and had three innings where five or more runs were scored.

“Obviously it wasn’t how we wanted to start off but one game is one game and one loss is one loss.“But we kinda expected something of that caliber from a good team like San Mateo,” said head coach Anthony D’Albora.

“Even though we lost 18-0 we needed to clear our minds yet have the same routine we’ve been doing all season long and be ready for the next day to prepare ourselves to win

the next two games with no breathing room for error.”

All San Mateo needed to do was win again, call it a day and move onto the next round.

Yet that wasn’t the plan in the hearts and minds of the LMC players. They faced a win-or -go-home challenge in game two and if it they won,an impromptu game three would happen later on in the day.

Game two had the Mustangs act as the home team and the Bulldogs away so they were the first to begin the at-bats.

Starting pitching duties belonged to LMC’s Spencer Vincent, having gone 4-1 in the regular season. Right off the bat, San Mateo gave early trouble to LMC by grabbing a 1-0 lead and quiet bats in the early portion of the game. In the meantime, Vincent kept the Bulldogs lead to just a run giving hope for a comeback that the Stangs were yearning for.

The views from the sixth

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Photo courtesy of Deborah Meylan

The players pose for a group photo shortly after their late inning win. inning saw Vincent’s pitching continue to be on point and gave a glimpse of the Stang’s first run. After Riley Cleary’s walk and third baseman Antone Self’s single, center fielder Jonathan Allen reached base on an error at first and brought the Mustangs their first run of the game.

First baseman Jason Kreske

got the team in front on another defensive error and got the Mustangs their first lead in the entire series. “It was good to bounce back from the 18-0 loss and show that we were still in it to win it in the next game,” said Kreske who later went to score the Stangs third run of the game after a single by Cleary to make

it 3-1.

Pitcher Llewelyn Slone took over for Vincent on the mound after allowing one earned run and four hits in seven innings.

“It was my time to do my thing and achieve something great with a strong group of guys behind me,” said Vincent.

“We played like we had nothing See BASE, page 6

Giants in a giant slump The San Francisco Giants are in the second month of the season are at the bottom of the NL West division with a record of 11-23.

The Giants on paper have one of the best infields and one of the strongest starting rotations in the league but can’t string together any wins.

One of the main reasons the Giants haven’t performed well is because of the injury bug.

Early on in the season the Giants lost key contributors Buster Posey, Jarret Parker, and Denard Span.

All world pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, was injured in a dirt bike accident which sprained his non-throwing shoulder and bruised ribs.

Bumgarner is expected to miss the next 3-4 months due to that injury. Since the accident the Giants starting rotation has been in shambles.

Recently, on Tuesday May 9 it was announced that new closer Mark Melancon will be placed on the 10 day disabled list with a forearm strain.

So many injuries in such a short period in time has really set the Giants back in their goals.

Looking away from the injury bug the next big aspect that has continued to bring the Giants down is their offense. They haven’t been able to score runs in Colorado, Cincinnati, and now in New York, and all those cities are known for housing hitter’s ballparks.

The Giants were shutout in Colorado, one of the most improbable events to happen. A game in Colorado averages 10 runs between both teams, and the fact that the Giants were shutout is a crazy thought.

On Tuesday night, it was more of the same; the Giants couldn’t score runs as they lost to the Mets 6-1. The only run the Giants could get was a Posey solo home run. This year it seems as if Posey is going on a tear by hitting the cover off the ball, but the other guys around him can’t get on base for him to score them.

Baseball is a team game and Posey does all he can to get on base, and to make sure that the next guy can score him. But the Giants

Jonathan Little A LITTLE LOVE

offense ranks at the bottom of the league in batting average, extra base hits including home runs, and runs batted in. The Giant’s offense has been horrible.

The Giants had many opportunities to sign a power bat to put in the middle of the lineup but they didn’t do it. Posey is not a power hitter; he’s a great hitter but not a power hitter. Hunter Pence is a great hitter but the power that he had two years ago is not there, and the other guy that can be considered a power hitter is Brandon Belt, but hasn’t hit over 20 homers yet in his career. Now their next opportunity to improve the offense is in the next two months is to find a trade, if they want to stay alive in the NL West.

Time is the only way the Giants will be able to get out of this slump. Soon the Giants will have a healthy Brandon Crawford, Bumgarner, and Melancon back on back on the diamond.

The next problem that has been with the Giants is the pitching. With the Giants you wouldn’t expect them to have problems with their rotation or bullpen. However, no run support on the offensive side has pushed the starters to their limit to keep the Giants in ball games. Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Moore, Matt Cain, and now Ty Blach have all pitched great games but they can’t pitch nine innings every time.

It seems the same problem from last year has followed into this year. The bullpen can’t hold a lead to get the closer in the ninth or hold the lead for the Giants to get the win. A bullpen See GIANT, page 6

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Follow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.com

ENTRY BASE From page 3

From page 7

MEN

CRIME APE From page 1

From page 6

CHOIR

of school for more than 10 years, especially for those with family and rearing children.

Recovering from an illness that left her incapacitated was the motivating factor for Jules Means who suffered a debilitating stroke that left her needing to learn to walk again.

Having given up on life with all her dreams seemingly shattered. LMC opened its arms to her as a re-entry student and Means hasn’t looked back.

“My ultimate goal is to be able to provide for my family, not only financially, but as a role model,” she said. “I realized my life wasn’t over after my stroke, merely that I was moving in a new direction.”

Her four adult sons have been her biggest motivators and since being a student at LMC she has earned a 3.9 GPA and plans to transfer to UC Berkeley or U.C. Davis as a psychology major.

Going back to school means a lot of challenges for students, whether just out of high school or as a re-entry student. Learning to adjust school, work and family is an acquired skill.

The re-entry student at LMC has the support of staff, counselors and advisers to direct them and provide assistance.

“All my professors bend over backwards to help me if I go to them and ask,” said Jones, “My relationships with staff and programs like EOPS, DSPS, and the Financial Aid staff have all played an integral part of my success as a student here.”

She explained, “EOPS assisted with her books and parking, and DSPS provided visual and audio modalities to assist with her disabilities.

Although Jones found Student Ser vices to help her, she would like to see student activities geared toward the re-entry students.

“It would be nice to have an over-50 club where the more mature student would have a club of their own,” she said.

Older students often find themselves in the role of parent to the younger students on campus, Jones said there have been times when she had to help a student resolve personal problems, which she said was easy since she has four children of her own.

But, she admitted there have been times she has been disrespected.

“Showing respect is one of the values I have instilled in my children and when I am disrespected it is a hard pill to swallow,” said Jones.

Developing good coping skills toward the younger millennia has been a challenge for some re-entry students.

Watching students coming in late to class or being on their cell phones in class are many of the pet peeves.

“I want to be a role model for the younger student,” said Jones. “While I wasn’t attending college, I was dealing with life on life’s terms, which taught me to value my education.

I get to class on time, making a habit of being attentive and interacting with both my professors and classmates.”

Means knows from growing up in the 50’s with a family of nine that education is what you need to elevate your life and brighten your future. She learned some hard lessons growing up where education was not emphasized.

Her victories in life overcoming challenges is what makes her an advocate for higher education and a mentor for others as she volunteers at a homeless shelter for women in Brentwood.

“Forty was the magic age for me,” said Armour. “I know how difficult it is and I always look for the re-entry student, I’m tuned in to them and can see how nervous they are and I want to encourage them because I know personally what it feels like being a re-entry student.”

LMC extends its arm to welcome and support them.

Lifelong learning is a buzzword in academia and these women are examples of the success re-entr y students can find.

LMC welcomes re-entry students to challenge themselves and work toward their dreams in a comfor table learning environment.

sweep after a 3-1 Stangs win.

“Our goal is always to win every week yet the challenge was tougher and I was happy that the team relaxed and went out there and played the game as a new opportunity after what happened the day before,” said D’Albora.

For the second time in the span of a week, LMC was in a position where their season could’ve ended— or they could’ve ended someone else’s in a decisive game. It just so happened to be that the team they faced was the top seed in North California.

Hours after the second bout, game three had San Mateo return to the role of the home team with LMC’s David Qunitero as starting pitcher yet despite the fact he had not started a game all season long.

“It was by far my biggest performance in the season, especially in such an important game for the school,” said Quintero.

The Mustangs continued where they left off in the previous game, getting ahead in the second inning off a single by outfielder Sawyer Olson and later scored on a passed ball for a 2-0 lead.

San Mateo got a run yet was stalled by Qunitero’s pitching.

A breakthrough moment occurred when LMC’s Allen hit his seventh home run of the year with a two-run blast in the fifth inning givinghe Stangs a 4-1 lead.“ It meant a lot because I knew that I helped out the team have a bigger lead when we needed it the most,” said Allen.

The Bulldogs remained in the battle offensively getting run and making the game 4-2.. The bottom of the eighth spelled bad news for The Mustangs, as San Mateo came back to tie the game at foura-piece. The drama continued once the game went to extra innings after no winner could be decided in nine.

The top of the 10h inning was the moment that the whole squad was hoping for after Kreske’s RBI fielder’s choice brought shortstop Jason Ochoa to score for a 5-4 lead.

“Everyone came through, from the bench to the bullpen and we all played with top quality to get the lead in the 10th,”said Ochoa.

Kreske described the experience of regaining the lead in extra innings.“It’s been the best baseball we’ve played all year because we left it all on the field and we proved it in the 10th inning.”

Slone was recalled the pitcher’s hill and was assigned to save the game and break the hearts of the Bulldogs. With a runner on first with one out, a ball that was in Self’s path in third base and ended the Coast Golden Gate champs season with a double play.

“I wanted to scoop the ball as quick as I could so we can get it over and celebrate with everyone,” said Self.

D’Albora dedicated the Stangs pulling off a major upset in the Northern California Regionals to all those who contributed all season long.

“This for our program, the players, coaches and to anyone that has been on the team in previous seasons who’ve been close to super regionals,” The team is scheduled to face No.2 seed Santa Rosa Junior College away May 11.

“If we can beat the No.1 seed why not beat the second?” said D’Albora.

The emcee of the event, student Rodney Kelley then called on attendees to testify to the many way the program has helped them. Student Keymere Brown said, “This program really helped me,” he said holding back tears.

“I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for this…. this is a great program” Student Services Manager Carlas Rosas was coaxed into saying a few words about her experiences with the program, thanking those who had a hand in making it a successful and worthy cause.

“I wanted to thank you all for your commitments,” said Rosas, also expressing gratitude for members of the organization for “always making it feel like a family.”

She acknowledged that this familiar closeness is a key factor in both her culture and the cultures of the members of MEN. At the end of her reflection, she added, “Nothing has been more impactful than to hear all your stories,” said Rosas.

The mentors working for the program as well as their protégé’s got a chance to voice their gratitude and acknowledge what it has done for them.

After certificates were given out, MEN members gathered around the podium for group pictures, which President Kratochvil volunteered to take.

After group pictures was a raffle in which several students won games for either a Playstation 3 or 4 game console.

Before the crowd dispersed, McCoy left the audience with this final thought saying “Remember the people who believed you and the person who believed you.”

alert, the assailant fled towards parking lot A then made a right towards Delta Fair Boulevard.

This crime is by no means normal for the science building or time of day, MESA director Nicole Trager commented on crime in the science building.

“We have had a lot of backpack theft,” said Trager, “we have had a lot of times where people steal things, but not assaults.”

STEM student and friend of Ner, Cliven Daluz heard the incident. “I was in lab and I heard a scream,” said Daluz, “we didn’t know what was happening, then Jerome screamed the professor’s name,” said Daluz.

Daluz, who is also a part of the AGS club expressed his relief at Ner’s safety, “money can be replaced, I’m just glad Jerome is ok.”

This robbery has shaken students who frequent the Science building, shaking their tight knit community.

“We were not expecting something like this to happen here,” said Daluz, “This is where the MESA center is, and most of our classes, it’s a community.”

Ner was similarly surprised that a place of safety for the STEM community was so brazenly violated.

“I was ver y confor table there,” said Ner, “I’m a STEM major.”

STEM professor Abbey Duldulao commented on the crime.

“The study rooms are locked normally, said Duldulao, “it is common for students who don’t know each other to get together and study in them.”

If anyone has further information about the robbery please contact police services.

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local civil rights attorney in Oakland.

LMC Honors Director Jennifer Saito witnessed the hard work Clark not only dedicated to C.A.W.S . during the semester, but to the Honor Program throughout the school year.

“He has been a very strong presence to the program this entire year,” said Saito adding, “He’s had such wonder ful ideas.”

Despite conquering the feat of starting the club, Clark has faced problems running it due to his hefty 15-unit school schedule that includes three honors classes, volunteering, tutoring and trying to find some time for himself.

“I pulled an all-nighter the other day because I had to study for my chemistry test,” said Clark, adding with a chuckle “the class is really, really hard. It’s been difficult to run the club on my own.”

Nevertheless, Clark has remained positive about C.A.W.S future, hoping that it will continue to run after he graduates in a few weeks.

While Clark’s time at LMC will come to an end after he graduates in a few weeks, LMC has made a big impact on Clark’s life — and Clark made a big impact on LMC. “I think my overall high school graduating G.P.A was a 2.2” said Clark. “I’ve really transformed myself here at LMC— I now have a 3.8, I am in 4 clubs, I tutor and I’m an Enrichment Officer (for the Honors Program). I never would have thought that I’d be this person.”

with Melancon, Hunter Strickland, and Steve Okert should be fine, but the other half hasn’t been able to get them into ballgames because the lead is already lost at that point.

The bullpen has looked better in the past few weeks.

In a game against the Mets Samardzija pitched seven great innings, nine strikeouts, but gave up 5 earned runs, and the bullpen couldn’t hold the score enough and they ended up losing the game 6-1.

It’s really hard to watch, because the Giants are a team that’s supposed to be challenging for a first-place finish and to go deep in the playoffs.

It’s been hard to ignore the negatives, but there are some positive aspects of the squad.

First, the Giants brought up their number one prospect Christian Arroyo, who has hit the scene by storm and brought a new energy to the clubhouse.

Then there is Posey who is fourth in the lead in batting average and his on a hot streak at the plate. Cueto looks like master on the mound carving hitters back and forth. That’s only a few positives, but they are some to build off.

People have been saying, it’s still early in the season, and it’s too early to tell where the Giants will finish.

No it’s not early anymore.

Early is April and the Giants are now in May and are 11-23 that’s 34 games into the season.

With only two months until the all-star break the Giants are going to have to win 12 games to get over a .500 winning percentage, and in baseball it’s hard.

Now Giants fans don’t lose faith.Injuries have hit them hard, and once the main pieces come back together, the more they play as a full team, the more improvement us as fans may see.

Keep watching, and don’t stop believing, the game of baseball has it ways with teams, and it’s only a matter of time before the Giants do find their stride.

Remember it’s just a game, and they’re professionals, as fans all we can do is wait and see.

My prediction at the beginning of the season may have taken a turn, but the game is still fun to watch, and it’ll be exciting to see what the Giants are capable of in the coming months.

collaborators, one can’t help but experience a bout of nostalgia when hearing his voice on any song especially the melancholy “Busted and Blue.”

This album has proven to open a new chapter for the Gorillaz. The preparation for this album was different even in its advertising stage.

First came the sudden creation of Instagram account by the band, then came the Gorillaz phone app which allows you to explore the “Spirit House” referenced in the album’s music video for their first single “Saturnz Barz” featuring Popcaan.

The animation of the characters has also changed. Instead of co-creator Jamie Hewlett’s signature 2D style of animation so to speak, there is a simpler three-dimensional style, which has gotten criticism for its simplicity.

However, the visuals are still relevant to the songs they accompany add more to the long, intricate backstories of the Gorillaz.

Though not every song has had official videos released, there are “placeholder” visuals to accompany their songs that still manage to capture the mood and tone of each track.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about this 26-track album is the fact that there is zero filler. The closest the album comes to filler tracks are the interludes — there are seven total.

Outside of that, there are no bad songs. Some of them like “Momentz” featuring previous collaborators, De la Soul and the two-minute “Circle of Friendz” aren’t particularly catchy, but they aren’t terrible to listen to.

But this still puts “Humanz” as one of their most stylistically diverse albums. I’d say it’s hard to listen to the album all the way through because different moods and messages are conveyed through each song.

If you’re in for a night of existential contemplation, you’ll be into “Busted and Blue” or if you want to get work done however, you’d be better off listening to the more upbeat tracks like “Ascension” or “We Got the Power.”

Whichever way you’re feeling, there’s a song for every occasion with this album.

possible Henderson quoted a proverb from former President Barack Obama.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

Aliya Hall, a vocal performance major, brought life to the audience with her soulful performance of “God is”, before the LMC Gospel Ensemble took to the stage one last time with “Rock of Ages”.

Local guest performances included the Faith Chorale from Cere, who provided songs audience members couldn’t help but dance to.

Casey and Erica Pringle from Hayward, a husband and wife duo, sang the socks off of everyone in the building.

Other local guest performances were Sons of Mr. Gospel, from the San Francisco Bay Area, who provided funky and groovy vibes for everyone to get down to.

Ricardo Alexander, a saxophonist from Brentwood whose passion was undeniable, gave a spectacular performance.

The Tri-Valley Component Community Choir from San Joaquin County was the last of the local guest performances but it certainly wasn’t the least, and the technical challenge of the songs left audience screaming for more.

Grammy-nominated recording artist for “best album,” Anita Wilson, was the last act of the night.

With one verse Wilson captivated audience members with her raw and heaven-sent talent.

Almost ever y person in the room stood up to dance and sing with Wilson as she sang her songs to perfection.

“I think the night was amazing I love how we come together to celebrate God and music said Wilson after the gospel celebration.

As the event ended as Henderson reminded the audience that , “Music is a good pathway to learning.

Consider music courses, consider becoming a music major and consider music being a science.”

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the program.

Those moving on from the program also shared their gratitude for the suppor t MESA has provided them.

“They have a really good support system and mentors to help you along the way,” said student Ashley Belt. “I actually was able to receive several scholarships and an internship for two years through [MESA].”

Fellow MESA student Michael Riddler echoed similar sentiments “I really try to stay active in the MESA program,” said Riddler, who has plans to transfer to CSU Chico. His

wife Alexandria was there to celebrate alongside him.

“When you have support, it makes it easier to achieve your goals,” she said.

Students in attendance expressed their appreciation for the event.

“There was just a lot of love going around and Nicole seemed very proud of all of us,” said student Chelsea Denos who is planning on majoring in Nutritional Science at UC Berkeley in the fall.

For more information on the MESA program or how to join visit the MESA center in the Science Building in Room SC2-202.

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comedy about what happens when an incompetent officer solicits a full confession from a perp.

The final day of the event, May 17, is reserved entirely for an improvisational showcase focused on comedy.

“They will get the audience involved,” said Trenholm. “It’s definitely worth seeing if you want to laugh a lot.”

“The festival is really a celebration of student collaboration and achievement,” said Garcia. “The process is all about bonding and working toward a shared goal.”

Showtime begins at 7 p.m. each night and tickets are $5 at the door.

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or that you just got a new girlfriend, give me a call and we can talk about that stuff face-to-face,” he said, adding how important he thinks people skills are.

He is pursuing a career as a firefighter medic, and public speaking and social skills is the name of the game in that field.

He described being too dependent on technology as dangerous and said it could breed social anxiety when your adults and thrown into real world situations.

“I take pride in my people skills and body language,” he said.

Although the students in the study and here at LMC all instinctively know face-to-face is the most beneficial form of communicating, technology in the 21st century is steering us away from that path.

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expenditures and habits, which I intend to do This year’s election saw few candidates in the running.

McMullen and Satre had been the sole senators vying for executive positions this semester.

Despite all officer positions being open for the campaign, drawing some concern about the lack of student involvement from previous LMCAS president Isreal Castro.

“I am worried about the visibility of LMCAS,” said Castro, “Last year, we had 200 people vote, but this year, we have had much, much, much less.

I’m just worried that instead of keeping this momentum going – of witnessing that engagement from the rest of the LMC community – there will be a lot of back-stepping.”

Castro also shared his thoughts in regards to the new LMCAS term.

Due to the remaining of the officer positions having been left vacant – McMullen will be starting his term with an entirely “brand new executive board.”

Meaning, all officer positions will need to be filled by other eligible and willing nominated senators before or after fall 2017 classes begin.

Despite this, Castro seemed ver y optimistic about the growth of members in LMCAS. “After speaking to many High School students during ‘Senior Saturday’ in April, I have a lot of students who are interested in LMCAS,” said Castro.

“On our sign-up sheet, we have at least 12 people who signed up with their name, address and phone number so hopefully we can contact those people, inform them about LMCAS and start fresh and start strong,” “LMCAS is an outstanding community and I want to help it flourish, whether I am elected or not.”