Steele rocks on
‘Beauty’ captivates
Stangs back on top
Los Medanos College student Julia Steele shares her passion through her talents — page 4
The live-action adaptation of the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast expands on story — page 6
LMC defeats Mendocino College 4-3, to continue their solid start to the season — page 7
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F.Y.I. Important Dates March is Women’s History Month April 3-8
Spring break: Campus closed
April 28
Last day to withdraw from full-term classes with a “W”
LGBTQ+ mixer in the library ALLIES will host an LGBTQ+ mixer for students, staff and faculty Monday, March 27 from noon to 2 p.m. in Library Room L-109. The event celebrates the new LGBTQ Studies major as well as the publishing of the online campus “Out List.” Free food will be available at the event.
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District ‘reaffirms’ support Moves made to protect students
By SARAH GONZALES
sgonzales@lmcExperience.com
The Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board approved a resolution Jan. 25 in response to concerns from staff and students in relation to federal actions targeting undocumented immigrants. The Resolution No. 1-S, also titled as “Reaffirming Support of Contra Costa Community College District Students and Employees in Defense of Diversity and Inclusion in the Contra Costa Community College District,” is a list of statements district employees may refer to should they be asked to assist in aiding the application of any federal immigration laws.
Chancellor Fred E. Wood of the CCCCD sent out an email to employees district-wide containing details of the Resolution No. 1-S, including the list of the five resolved statements. “Be it resolved, that the [district] police will not detain, question, or arrest any individual solely on the basis of undocumented immigration status, whether actual or suspected,” it said. “Be it further resolved, absent any applicable laws, no [district] employee, including police, has the authority to enforce federal immigration laws and accordingly, shall not participate in any immigration enforcement efforts of federal authorities.” Additional resolved statements include the CCCCD implementing a policy requiring any
“I think we work very hard to create a community here for staff and students.” — JoAnn Hobbs
federal immigration enforcement authority who wishes to access a campus or acquire information on a student to be “forwarded to the Chancellor or designee who will review and respond in consultation with the District’s legal counsel.” The CCCCD will also not create a registry of individuals based on religion, ethnicity, sexual See GOV, page 8
‘A Train’ now boarding
Lecture in the Recital Hall The LMC Music Department and Professor Silvester Henderson are presenting an Academic Scholarship Lecture featuring post civil rights and African-American speaker Dr. James Lance Taylor. The event will take place in the LMC Recital Hall Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. Admission for the presentation is free.
Earth Day festivities The Los Medanos College Sustainability Committee, Environmental Sustainability Club and the Office of Student Life are putting on an Earth Day event Wednesday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the outdoor quad. For more information email studentlife@ losmedanos.edu
Planning for the summer
Experience • Cathie Lawrence
Michael Alexander and Ariel Sandino perform as Lucius and Valdez in Los Medanos College’s latest production, “Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train,” directed by Diablo Valley College Drama Department Chair Nicole Hess-Diestler. The production centers on main character Angel and touches on race issues within the prison system. For photo essay, see pages 4 and 5.
Fire engulfs clippings Vandalism on campus raises questions By BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ
bhernandez@lmcexperience.com
A case of vandalism occurred on the second level of the College Complex outside Instructor Laurie Huffman’s office last Thursday, March 16. Lt. Chad Wehrmeister describes the situation as a small fire that burned up the articles posted outside of Huffman’s door. “Apparently sometime before 2 p.m., somebody burned a series of postings on the wall,” said Wehrmeister. Around that time, Police
Services was having a meeting about safety in Room CC2225 around the corner of where the crime took place moments before. Because of construction going on at that moment, they didn’t think anything of the smell until someone caught on to what was going on. Huffman herself had not even noticed the wall was damaged when she first walked in to school Monday. “I was in a meeting in my office and [Teresea Archaga] walked by … and she said ‘oh
The Los Medanos College Summer 2017 Class Schedule is now available for students who plan to register. It can be viewed online at losmedanos.edu/.
I came by to see your burned wall,’” said Huffman. “But then now when I look at it, it’s obvious it was burned and my articles are gone.” She had put up the article about Senate leader Kevin de Leon published in the Sacramento Bee where it references issues surrounding the topic of immigration as well as other postings with a similar subject matter. “I’ve been here 32 years … I’ve always posted articles from major newspaper publications — international,
Experience • Beatriz Hernandez
Laurie Huffman places a new article outside her office after her previous ones were destroyed. Latin America [and] United my wall?” said Huffman. States — outside my door to As a result, there has been my office all the time. What increased visibility in the social would be the chances of it sciences wing of the College accidentally burning up on See FIRE, page 8
Leaders address gender By JORDAN NEEL Staff Writer
Experience • Jordan Neel
Susie Quesada, Dr. Janet Schulze, Cassie Simental and Dori Stevens speak at Ladies in Leadership event Wednesday, March 22.
LMC Outreach hosted the Ladies in Leadership event that showcased “The Empowerment Project” documentary directed by Sarah Moshman. In the 2013 film, Moshman and her three friends went on a 31-day road trip to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and New York City. Some of the women in the film included a math professor, pilot, astronaut and Navy Admiral. What they all had in common were
the lack of women in their profession. Sandra Clifford, a San Francisco pilot, was a victim of sexism even though she was the most qualified when she first started could not get hired because she was a woman. The film’s messages were all about empowerment and discussed equal rights for men and women. It brings up the idea of gender in the workplace explaining no matter what your gender is; do not let anything stop you from being able to do what you love as a See LEAD, page 8
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“The trick to forgetting the big picture is to look at everything close up.”
— Chuck Palahniuk
Vanessa Flores
John Castillo
VICIOUS VEE
GUEST COLUMNIST
“Adulting” is hard at times
Violence in any way is not ok
Who knew “adulting” would be so hard? Well let me say, it’s really hard. Oh, and don’t tr y looking up “adulting” in your dictionary because you won’t find it. It’s not really a word – except millennials have used this word the last couple of years to describe the struggles of becoming an adult. Urban dictionary defines “adulting” as “to do grown up things and hold responsibilities such as a 9-5 job, a mortgage/rent, a car payment or anything else that makes one think of grown ups.” I feel silly saying “adulting” but it seems like the appropriate word to describe someone who feels so unprepared as they get older. And that person is me. I remember back when I was in high school, I wanted to be 21 so bad. As a 17 year old, I didn’t know how good I had it – I took my high school years for granted. I wanted to be 21 because all I thought it meant was being old enough to do whatever I pleased. And that’s true, and technically you can do that at the age of 18 – but I quickly learned turning 21 wasn’t what I thought it would be. I turn 24 this year and “adulting” has hit me hard. Maybe because becoming an adult didn’t come with a “user manual” like other things do - so you learn as you go. Which makes the process very dreadful at times. For instance, why didn’t someone teach me about taxes, or the importance of maintaining a good credit score or how to create budget plan, etc.? I’ve had to learn some of these the hard way. I got bought my first when I was 20. I went into the whole process with no knowledge on cars, interest rate, prices and so on. Back then I just wanted my own car because I was tired of arguing with my brother about who’s turn it was to take my moms car for the weekend. So now I’ve learned that buying a car is the worst investment ever – well its not even an investment since cars lose so much value as you drive it – which means you will never get back what you paid for it. Almost four years later I’m still paying for that car, and I still have two more years to go. And on top of that my payments are really high, and so is my interest rate. Which sucks really bad. All of that because I rushed into buying a car without preparing myself – which looking back, I now realize I could have waited on buying a car. Also unnecessary credit cards and spending. That is just one of the many problems I have encountered as a young adult. I’ve been in many inconvenient situations where if I had known certain things, growing up wouldn’t be so difficult. There’s nothing wrong with learning as you go but you may end up in situations you cant get yourself out of for months or maybe years, like me. I guess it would have been really nice to have been taught some of these life skills in high school instead of taking those classes or electives that don’t come in handy in the real world. I understand that paying bills, buying your own home, having a job, etc. is expected from everyone as they enter adult hood. I guess the problem here is that being a young adult, trying to figure things out as you go is stressful. I’m not really sure if it gets easier the older you get, which for me it only seems to get worse at times. Why aren’t schools teaching these skills that will be beneficial to us later in life? Some might say that it is the responsibility of the parents to inform and teach their kids everyhing that is expected from them as they become adults. True, but we know that most don’t listen to the advice given from their parents and once we go to our parents for advice as adults, we’re already in a messy situation. So take my advice, and prepare if you can, because you’re going to wish you did.
We live in an age where passion rules our impulses, where people on both sides of the political spectrum believe themselves to be fundamentally under siege by the rhetoric and policies of the other, and in this environment, clashes between two First Amendment rights can be drawn out, writ large and made violent. Two recent events on college campuses on opposite ends of the country, the protests of former Breitbart editor Milo Yanniopoulos from a speaking gig at UC Berkeley in February and the ejection of Charles Murray, author of Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010, as well as the 1994 The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, from Middlebury College in Vermont have been characterized as out-of-control riots and attacks on free speech, sparking a larger debate on the clash between free speech and free protest in a polarized age. In the case of UC Berkeley, protests against Yanniopoulos’ planned invitation sparked into damages up to $100,000 worth of property and six injuries, according to college officials, which UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof claims was the result of the intervention of an Antifacist anarchist collective known as the Black Bloc. In the wake of this, writers from CNN and the LA Times were quick to label the backlash against Yanniopoulos as an attack on free speech, that despite his inflammatory rhetoric, censorship of any kind is a dangerous precedent. The idea here is that free speech is sacrosanct even for what may be considered hate speech—in the case of Yanniopoulos himself, this defense was undercut upon revelations that Yanniopoulos had been planning to name and call out undocumented immigrant students during his speech at UC Berkeley, as when he used his platform at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to shame a transgender student, and that he had once publicly defended the merits of pedophilia, which eventually lead to his ousting from Breitbart News. In the case of Middlebury College, students raucously protested the invitation of Charles Murray mostly because of ideas espoused in his 1994 book, The Bell Curve, which linked the class disparities of African Americans to the existence of genetic differences between races that attribute to intelligence. During the protests, organizers and Murray himself were said to fear for their safety as protesters disrupted the speech and forced the session to be finished through a live stream, after which the professor who conducted the live stream, Allison Stanger, was injured. In both cases, the violence was regrettable and unconscionable—violence undercuts the message of these protests, as is clearly seen in the media response focusing on the violence rather than the root causes of the protests. The main argument of allowing these talks on college campuses is the promotion of free speech, the idea that stifling any kind of free speech for one may be an attack on all. There is credence to this idea of free-flowing and intelligent debate, especially on college campuses. A diversity of viewpoints in the marketplace of ideas is important, and promotion of that is a laudable goal. However, the crux of the protests is not against free speech, but in free platform. Neither college was in any real obligation to showcase the viewpoints of highly polarizing figures such as Yanniopolous and Murray. On our own campus, and on campuses throughout America, both students and administration should curb the threat of violence and find the balance between passion and rationality, free speech and free protest—perhaps not the Middlebury path, but somewhere in the middle.
Experience • Sketch Choice
Editorial
More than just a meme
A
n excited Meryl Streep during last year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards probably didn’t think a photo of her would have made her the next meme victim two years later. The image circulating of her cheering on the late Debbie Reynolds at the
awards has now turned into her shouting the rest of the lyrics to popular
songs nearly everyone, at some point, has sang at the top of their lungs as well. Meme culture has caught some flack over the years for being elongated to the point of
ridiculousness. But what makes these Internet infections significant are how relatable they are and them existing at the perfect time — becoming a beacon of light in this political climate. Additionally, memes have helped educate people about the society we live in. They are cultural markers that help those who might not usually spend a lot of time paying attention the news understand alarming events or information from a humorous and engaging point of view. When the infamous Cincinnati Zoo gorilla Harambe was killed, people across social media came together to create a variety of memes in honor of the animal. This also was an instance where the jokes and cultural ties embedded in the meme were played out — it happened nearly a year ago and people have moved on, let him rest in peace — and why memes, at times, are dubbed nonsensical. But that’s what makes this process unique. Next time you see Meryl Streep screaming the lyrics to “Don’t Stop Believing” at you via twitter, don’t slander it. Memes exist for entertainment; no one is too cool to not enjoy them.
Preparing for what’s next to come Black History month is once again over and a lot changes for the Black community this year. At the Oscars, Viola Davis won an award for best supporting actress. Mahershala Ali won an award for his role as best supporting actor and “Moonlight” won Best Picture. But just because the Academy has honored black creators, doesn’t spell out happy times for the rest of the community. Since the Black community no longer has a Black man standing in gap for us as President of this country the rest of us must continue to stand strong and together still fighting for the freedom we still have not received. There is so much drama coming to the surface in his life as President. That is all right because time will tell and people will see what kind of a person we have allowed to take control of this country. Many of you may remember the song “Back Stabbers”. President Trump does not smile much so that is why we have to be aware of those “smiling faces.” His wife, she will never be the woman that Michele Obama was in the White house as the first Lady. President Trump and his wife don’t even hold hands in public so I can imagine how they must be when they are not in the limelight. No she will never fill the shoes that Michele Obama wore in the White House, so she will have to create her own shoes. I observed ex-President Obama cooling it out in his leather jacket and jeans. He did not look like he had a worry in the world. No drama Obama. He did his years and he is enjoying getting back to reality.
Voices
Madeline Henderson MAD MAXX
To be a top leader of a country and especially the most powerful country in the world you will definitely have to be prepare for the drama and the stress that comes with that type of job. As for me taking it easy, I cannot wait for May for that’s when I will be calling it a day and many years goodbye. I have enjoyed my time here at Los Medanos. My family is excited for me because I will be the first oldest person to graduate from college. The value of life is very important to us as human beings. We never realize how much we have to offer to life not only helping ourselves also helping others. I have really grown mentally emotionally and spiritually during my school years. It is hard to believe that my time at Los Medanos will soon be over and I am going to have to have plan my future I am so thankful that the door was open for me here at Los Medanos. I would like to take a vacation but with school letting out at the end of May does not give a girl too much time to play in the beautiful sunshine.
LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE
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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
“Just chill and relax, and work on my poetry.” — Robert Brown
“I was thinking of hanging out at the beach with a group of friends.” — Rachel McElroy
“I got a job shadowing opportunity.” — Al-Ameen Ishola
“Chill with my boyfriend, watching movies.” — Bryana Wallace
“Travel to Australia, to see new places I’ve never seen before.” — Jared Tamondong
“Probably do homework and go to San Francisco to visit my best friend.” — Kelly Barnes
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 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 not going to die, I’m going home like a shooting star.”
— Sojourner Truth
Spotlight shines hot on Steele Lyrics give her life Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles of women in honor of Women’s History Month. By ADRIA WATSON
awatson@lmcexperience.com
When she utters the word “music,” that passion Julia Steele stays true to radiates from her words to her expressions. Her face lights up, noticeably showing she knows she has found what she’s meant to do, no matter how fearsome the road may get. “Sometimes the best thing you can do in your life is something you’re afraid to do. I am super afraid to get on stage, but I do it because it makes me feel good … The pay off in the long run is much better than just staying at home and listening to all the artists I love,” said Steele about her continuing pursuit to become a professional singer, “I want to be there. I want to be on stage.” Music has always been a big piece of the 19-year-old’s life. Having an opera singer as a mom, and a dad who embraced the likes of classic rock bands such as Pink Floyd,
Steele’s love for music began at an early age. She grew up being exposed to a variety of genres, which shows in her musical influences: St. Vincent, Beyoncé, The Strokes and Led Zeppelin. Despite professional opera being a part of her family, Steele knew rock was the path she wanted to follow. “I’ve always loved guitar and I always wanted to play the electric guitar and be cool and be a rock star,” said Steele “I still want to be a rock star, which is kind of funny. A lot of people make fun of me for it, but that’s OK.” She recalled a time she and a few friends attempted to begin the journey to rock stardom. They tried to form a band by the name of Rock Candy and she wrote a song for them titled “Some People.” “We were in third grade and we thought we were so good,” Steele laughed, adding that her friend “had a rap verse and was like ‘I go to the street, then I get some meat and then I go and Imma do me.’” By high school, Steele had joined a band with her friend Cameron whom she met while
Photo Courtesy of Isabela Angus
Recording artist and LMC student Julia Steele performing at the Red House in Walnut Creek last June. in the Music is Medicine club at Heritage High School. “We played like two shows together and one of them we played ‘Across the Universe’ by the Beatles and we just knew we wanted to be in a band,” said Steele, who added that their friend Justin came aboard as drummer, the final piece to their group Recordline. They’ve performed in battles of the bands and released an album together titled “To the Moon” in 2015 — created in Steele’s garage. But when two of the members had to leave to resume their education in Southern California, Recordline came to an end.
“This past summer was the last performance… and it was really sad for me,” she said. “There comes a point where you just have to accept everyone’s moving on but I’m still 100 percent pursuing music in my life.” And Steele remains persistent. Ever y night she writes poetry; the songstress said she’d take out her journal, pick out a poem and start writing a guitar riff to match. Her songwriting process comes from the poems she writes but she explained that after facing a drastic event that almost led to her death, her
writing changed for the better. “I was in a really bad car accident my freshman year of high school,” she said adding she was in the passenger seat when it was T-boned. “That completely changed everything in my life.” She turned to words to cope. “I use poetry as a form of therapy almost. There was so much that I wanted to say that people couldn’t comprehend,” she said. “You can’t imagine yourself in a situation like that unless you actually go through it.” Because most people couldn’t handle what she
was going through emotionally at the time, Steele created an outlet for those emotions through songwriting instead of letting them fester. “It made me able to voice my pain better because I had felt so much. I had more anger, more sadness … I could say things that a lot of people don’t necessarily have words for but I had them because I felt them so strongly at the time.” Steele performed on her own for the first time a few weeks ago at RPM Records in Brentwood, describing the experience as being “so different alone because all See MUSIC, page 8
The blood flows at LMC More than expected donate at drive By XAVIER VALLE
xvalle@lmcexperience.com
Experience • Xavier Valle
LMCAS Adviser John Nguyen donates blood at the Ceasar Chavez Blood Drive.
Newswatch Club Day welcomes students
Come out to the Indoor Quad (by the Bookstore) Wednesday, March 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to learn about student clubs and organizations on campus. More than 30 clubs are on campus and their members will be tabling, telling you what their clubs have to offer.
Counselors ready to assist
Looking to make an educational plan, or review your current one? LMC offers general counseling at both campuses. Drop-in hours are offered weekly. Students must have a student ID number and a photo ID to meet with a counselor. Appointments at Pittsburg can be made in person, by calling the Counseling Department at 473-7449, or by visiting losmedanos.edu/counseling and clicking on the Make an Appointment link. Appointments at the Brentwood Center can be made in person, or by calling 513-1625.
What’s lost may be found
Los Medanos College’s lost and found has numerous items found on campus. If you have lost an item, check with Police Services, which is located on Level One. Inquiries must be made in person.
HBCU tours available
Students and staff will be traveling by airplane departing from the Oakland Airport Sunday, April 9 and returning Saturday, April 15 to historically black colleges and universities on the east coast. The tour application is available on the LMC website. — compiled from press releases and staff reports
Los Medanos College students and staff were given the chance to save lives this week as drives for blood donation were held on campus. “This has always been a part of my bucket list,” said student Sarah Puno, “It feels scary at first but thinking I’m saving a life makes it worth it.” LMC partnered with Blood Centers of the Pacific for a blood drive Tuesday March 21 in Community Room L-109. Participants were asked to sign up for an appointment, then give a blood analysis by providing a blood sample that can then be potentially matched to someone with the same type of blood. Blood Centers of the Pacific is a non-profit, community based organization that provides blood to hospitals across California and aid
for over 50,000 patients per year. Donations are given to 50 hospitals including UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital of Oakland and San Francisco. “Donating blood saves lives and I really want to be a part of that movement,” said Student Life Coordinator John Nguyen. During the procedure, students have the choice between the 15-minute long blood donation or the half-hour Alyx donation that filters blood through a machine, consuming a cup of red blood cells and returning the plasma and saline back into the body, leaving the donor less dehydrated than they would be after the whole blood donation option. John Lopez, an Emergency Medical Technician who volunteers for the organization was grateful for all the people who donated. See BLOOD, page 8
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Actor Nick Murphy studies his lines for the play.
Set worker Caleb Salmon puts the jail together.
Artist Allie Kranyak creates a custom wall to look like concrete.
Tracking ‘A Train’
Guest Director Nicole HessDiestler teaches gesturing.
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“Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.”
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On set is Anya Johnston, who plays “MaryJane,” the Defense Attorney for Angel Cruz, the bike messenger.
ngel Cruz is a bike messenger from New York City who recently lost his childhood friend to a religious cult. He’s angry. He’s charged with first degree murder for killing the cult leader. He’s in jail trying to pray to an almost forgotten God. You can watch his story unfold, but you will need a ticket to Jesus Hopped The ‘A’ Train by playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. However, before the curtain rises opening night, much has to be done whether you are performing on a Broadway stage in New York City or at the Little Theater at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg. The right actors must be picked for the part during auditions. Once picked, the actors must study their lines during what may seem like endless hours of rehearsing. Costumes must be selected and alterations made by the costume designer to fit each actor properly. Scenery must be constructed, painted, assembled and ready to go to make sure every detail of the show meets expectations. Hopefully, tickets for opening night are sold out. Theater seats are filled as the curtain rises with both the audience and actors filled with great anticipation. It’s show time! Prisoner Michael Alexander, who stars as “Lucius,” is being led out in handcuffs to the exercise yard by Ariel Sandino, the brutal and direct guard called “Valdez.”
Christian Williams audtions for the lead he ultimately got.
Stephen Adly-Gurigis’s play is read aloud.
Above: Set workers used a section of the chain link fence for the jail. From left are: Adeeb Nazam, Angela Cannon and teacher Clint Sides.
Above: Costume designer and seamstress Nicole McGraw sews an outfit for one of the cast members.
Jonathan Ramos and Rachel McElroy paint a door for the interrogation room. Ariel Sandino gets makeup applied by Darien Tiner before dress rehearsal. Photos by Cathie Lawrence • Experience Sitting to the far right, LMC Director Nick Garcia listens to Guest Director Nicole Hess-Diestler as she speaks to the cast.
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“If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.” — Mark Spitz
Andrew Gonzalez ANDREW’S ANGLES
Upsets bust brackets in tournament
Experience • Carlos Ruiz
LMC’s Jonathan Allen hits a sacrifice fly to right field late in the game allowing Antone Self to score in the 4-3 victory over Mendocino.
LMC lands Mendocino Stangs sit atop Bay Valley
By CARLOS RUIZ
cruiz@lmcexperience.com
Experience • Carlos Ruiz
Los Medanos College’s Riley Cleary pitches against Mendocino Eagles.
The Los Medanos College’s men’s baseball team continues its strong start in the Bay Valley Conference, securing a 4-3 victory against Mendocino College despite a late comeback effort by the Eagles. The Mustangs came into the game boasting the best team ERA in their conference and continued their pitching dominance against the Eagles. Which led them to soar into the top spot in the division with a 3-1 record. The Stangs put workhorse Riley Cleary on the mound to face Mendocino and started the game with a three up, three down inning which set the tone for the game. LMC responded with a base hit by catcher Jason Hare with one out, but adouble play ended the rally early. The game began as a pitchers duel as both Riley Cleary and Mendocino’s pitcher Jeff Piver matched each other pitch for pitch. Eventually the opening shot was fired for LMC in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Cleary helped his own cause by hitting a lead-off single. However, controversy suddenly arose on the next play. The scenario involved catcher Jason Hare attempting a sacrifice bunt to move Cleary into scoring position. Instead he was hit in the head by a high in-tight fastball but was called foul by the umpire instead and couldn’t advance to first base via the hit by pitch rule. Arguments arose among between the whole
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*By referral only.
LMC baseball coaching staff; however the home plate umpire said he offered at the pitch and the original call was not overturned. Hare shook off the hit to the helmet and had a lengthy at-bat,which led to a single up the middle to put the Stangs in a position to score. “ Hare staying focused on the at-bat is more important than the call that should have been right because he finished a strong way after what happened to him,” said head coach D’Albora. The Mustangs broke the ice in the next play as Cleary scored via the sacrifice fly by third basemen Antone Self giving LMC a 1-0 lead going into the fifth inning. The Mendocino Eagles answered back in the sixth inning after a two-run RBI double made it 2-1 as Mendocino took the lead. The Mustangs started the comeback as Hare and center fielder Jonathan Allen singled to start off the bottom of the sixth. Right fielder Gabe Taylor stayed hot by lining a single to right center, and bringing Hare from second to home to tie the game at two a piece. The Stangs cashed in on a Mendocino throwing error which sent Allen sprinting all the way home to give the Mustangs the 3-2 lead and making the home team erupt as the momentum swinged in their favor. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Mustangs batted around as Allen hit a sacrifice fly to send Antone Self home making it a 4-2 ball game going into the top of the ninth. Mendocino battled back when a RBI single put them in a position to potentially tie the game and send it to extra innings. Mendocino’s comeback bid ended when a pop up to shortstop Jose Vazquez ended the game, effectively sending the Mustangs to a three-way tie for first place in the Bay Valley Conference. “Whether we have a good or bad offensive day, our quality pitching, defense and well execution matters most and that’s what we saw in this win against Mendocino” said D’Albora. For more information on LMC baseball visit http://www.losmedanos.edu/baseball/
While the film Beauty and the Beast opened this month, a different kind of fantasy may be brewing by the end of March and into April. The NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament kicked off what is now known as March Madness, which typically produces a “Cinderella stor y,” or an unlikely team making a run at the championship. Only two rounds in, with the field of teams down to 16 after starting with an initial 68, there are some candidates for who that lucky team will be this year. One obvious choice is the Wisconsin Badgers, seeded at eight out of the low of 16 in the East region, who managed to knock out the number one seeded Villanova Wildcats. The Wildcats won the tournament last year with a miraculous game winning shot in the championship, but in their three-point loss to the Badgers, they couldn’t even manage a final shot attempt to tie. The Wildcats’ loss certainly crushed many bracket predictions for the tournament across the nation. Beside the basketball being played, many people have found themselves playing to attempt to predict the tournament perfectly, a phenomenon which increases more and more every year in popularity. The odds of this occurring are set at 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,777,808, or 9.2 quintillion according to Forbes. Warren Buffett famously offered $1 billion to whoever could complete the feat a few years back, and despite the prizes are not as lucrative this year, there’s always a chance and people will certainly try. A factory worker in West Virginia was one pick short of predicting the first two rounds correctly and winning $1 million, but the South Carolina Gamecocks had other ideas. The Gamecocks won their first round matchup against Marquette by 20 points, but their win set them up to face the Duke Blue Devils, led by legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K has captained the Blue Devils to 5 championship wins, leading to Duke’s rise as one of the most prominent basketball teams in the nation. The Blue Devils have made 22 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and are always considered a championship contender. But on March 19, seventh seeded South Carolina had no interest in any of these things, and instead focused solely on basketball, managing to defeat second seeded Duke 88-81. The Gamecocks only put up 23 points in the first half, but they found their stride in the second, putting up a whopping 65 points. The team takes their unlikely story into the sweet sixteen, but the biggest winner of the tournament reigns from Cincinnati, Ohio. The Xavier Musketeers were placed as the eleventh seed, in the west region, and expected to make an early exit against sixth seeded Maryland. The Musketeers battled back and forth with Maryland, but once they went onto a 14-0 run to put them up 61-50 in the middle of the second half, they never looked back. Yet while many saw them as a “one-hit wonder,” the sports world found out they still hadn’t shown their best when they faced off against the third seeded Florida State Seminoles. Xavier only found themselves trailing when the score stood at 4-5, surely uninspiring Seminole fans everywhere, as the Musketeers went on to capture victory with the final score being 91-66. The team at this point can and should not be taken lightly, despite their low rank, as they are now awaiting a game against the second seeded Arizona Wildcats. If Xavier were to advance, they would be See NCAA, page 8
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“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.”
— Marcus Garvey
Satirical production takes ‘shape’
Image issues at play
By PERRY CONTINENTE and KIMBERLY STELLY Staff Writers
“Shapeless,” a dark satirical play with a social justice bent, is coming to Los Medanos College in April. The play focuses on body image issues and societal pressures that woman of all shapes and sizes face. The play, written by Sean Car thew, and directed by LMC’s own Du’Praiseja Smith, is a one-act play with a small cast about three women — Carol, Donna and Peggy — and their friend Mike. Together, they’ve written a play stylized as a series of sketches. Smith, a first time director is excited to put on such a socially relevant play. “Body image isn’t really talked about ever,” said Smith “It shows how people of different body types are looked at by society. Smith’s excitement about he film’s social justice leanings is shared by Stage Manager Junie Durling, who says that the play deals with “something we don’t usually talk about.” “I hope people think about the way they criticize others,” said Durling going on to say that she hopes the play makes people “more aware of things they say about people.” Austin Trenholm who plays Mike, is returning for his third play at LMC. Trenholm says Mike is a bit of a jerk and that this is the first time he has had to play a character that is “essentially
Experience • Adria Watson
Los Medanos College Drama students Cierra Nelson and Valerie Naranjo rehearse a scene from the upcoming play “Shapeless.” the bad guy.” Beatriz Hernandez plays Donna. “She’s probably the nicest, which isn’t saying much because they’re all kind of jerks,” said Hernandez. Hernandez’s previous experience with the theatre was in the previous play Brother Gary. “I had only done a mono-
logue,” said Hernandez going on to say that her expanded role is “overall a good experience.” One of the characters “level-headed” Donna is the “sensual and seductive” Eve in the play within a play, which Hernandez admitted is far outside of her comfort zone. Hernandez also mentions that the play is progressive in
its depictions of the struggles with body image faced by not only by the larger women but also for more average sized women, skinny women as well as men in general. Cierra Nelson plays Carol, another character who also struggles to accept herself. According to Nelson, Carol “doesn’t eat anything — food
makes her feel gross.” Nelson had some trouble relating to her character, as the two are wildly different people. “Sometimes I don’t understand where she is coming from,” said Nelson whose personality clashes with the waifish Carol. Part of what drew Nelson
to the play was its message of body positivity. “If there are people like Carol in the audience, I hope she sees that she is beautiful and it doesn’t matter what shape you are,” said Nelson, “Its better to just embrace the size that you are.” The play is tentatively scheduled for April 11, 12 and 13.
Marquee Movies released n “Life” Rated: R Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy n “Dig Two Graves” Rated NR Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Thriller n “Power Rangers” Rated: PG-13 Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/ Fantasy n “The Levelling” Rated: R Genre: Drama n “Chips” Rated R Genre: Action/ Adventure, Comedy n “Wilson” Rated R Genre: Comedy n “Victor” Rated PG-13 Genre: Drama
LMC Concerts
The Los Medanos Music Departmemt will be hosting two concerts one March 30 at 7:30 p.m. and the other April 1 at 7 p.m. Both concerts will take place in the LMC recital hall. The March 30 concert will include the LMC Jazz Studio band and Concert band while the April 1 concert will be featuring multiple musicians from nearby highschool bands in the East Bay Area.
El Campanil Theatre
n Chicago: The Tribute, will be playing March 25 at 8 p.m. emcompasing 20 songs the original band’s Top 10 hits to the 15 platinum albums. The Tribute, having fused rock, jazz, funk and soul into a sound all their own will leave the crowd dazzled in their wake. Ticket prices are $27 for adults, $25 for seniors and $10 for youth. n Nominated for the Best Animated Film at the 2017, “My Life As A Zucchini” will be featured at the Campanil Theatre March 26 at 2 p.m. The film follows a 9-year-old boy who goes by the name Courgette (Zucchini) who befriends a police officer named Raymond, following his mother’s disspearance. Raymond accompanies Courgette as he struggles to adjust to his new foster home and find his place in a strange, new and somewhat hostile environment. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $7 for seniors and 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. — compiled from press releases and staff reports
Photo courtesy of imdb.com
Actors Tom Hiddleson, Brie Larson and John C. Reilly during a scene in Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ new movie “Kong: Skull Island.”
‘Kong’ fails to wow but entertains By TYLER MORTIMORE
tmortimore@lmcexperience.com
Dense jungle, insect-infested bogs, napalm and an underestimated enemy who just won’t quit. It’s not the Vietnam War, but Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ not exactly sly allegory for the mid-century quagmire, “Kong: Skull Island,” a delightful B-movie romp starring the gigantic ape who has been resurrected yet again, twelve years after his fatal fall from a New York City skyscraper. The film kicks off amidst the end of our involvement in Southeast Asia. Pseudoscientist Bill Randa (John Goodman) and geologist Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) have discovered an island in the South Pacific. They have vague notions about what calls it home and enlist the help of an ex-special forces tracker (Tom
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Hiddleston) and the protection of a U.S. Army air cavalry unit, led by the bitter Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), who doesn’t much believe in Nixon’s ‘peace with honor’ talk. Also along for the ride is esteemed “anti-war” photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson). She and Packard have some disagreements. Vogt-Roberts kicks off the action almost as soon as the gang arrives on Skull Island. Seismic charges dropped from helicopters, meant to give geologic information, make Kong real angry, and he makes short work of the fleet of helicopters with a few quick punches and some throws that would make Tim Tebow jealous. Once scattered, the characters stumbling upon stranded World War II pilot Hank Marlow (the excellent John C. Reilly), who has been living with the island’s indigenous people for nearly thirty years. Marlow helps them to understand
that — despite the still-burning helicopter wreckage strewn about the island — Kong is actually a good guy, defending the island from a crew of unkind lizard behemoths. From then on, it’s a group effort to escape the island, except for Col. Packard, who is solely focused on avenging his fallen men. He doesn’t want to Cut & Run, you see. It’s a metaphor. “Kong” is decidedly lighter in tone than its sister film, 2014’s “Godzilla.” Between the troops’ banter and the off-the-wall dialogue from Reilly, the movie packs a lot of laughs in between primate homicides, and though the main characters aren’t very developed, Vogt-Roberts makes sure the big ape comes around regularly enough to stave off any stagnant stretches. Shakespearean-trained Hiddleston and last year’s Best Actress Oscar-winner Larson are See KONG, page 8
‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a nostalgic trip for viewers By BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ
bhernandez@lmcexperience.com
The elaborate musical sequences and joyful characters are back in Disney’s live-action adaption of “Beauty and the Beast,” taking viewers on an emotional rollercoaster filled with nostalgia. A classic tale, the original animated film was released in 1991, telling the story of a selfish Prince who gets turned into Beast after refusing to help an enchantress disguised as a hideous beggar. She gives the Prince a rose, warning him that when the last petal falls he would be doomed to remain a
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Photo courtesy of imdb.com
Actors Kevin Kline and Emma Watson as Maurice and Belle during a scene in “Beauty and the Beast.”
Beast forever. His only way to break the spell is to find true love. Admittedly I was a bit skeptical about the film adaption at first. From Emma Watson’s casting as Belle to how they would choose to bring the house servants to life, I was afraid a real life adaption would never be able to capture the magic of the original. Despite my feelings going into the movie, I was pleasantly surprised by the film’s theatrics. Although the story is essentially the same, there are small changes, such as making Belle the inventor instead of her father, making all the difference. See BELLE, page 8
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Furry friends lend a paw
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Experience • Chris Ruiz
Los Medanos College students got the chance to alleviate their stress over midterms during the Hug-a-Pet event held Wednesday March 22 in the MESA Center. Cooper the Dog was one of the many pet therapy dogs in attendance that students like Garret Visaya, Anaclara De Matos and others who attended were able to pet, hold and hug.
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orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected traits. Additionally, the district will not release any information on students that include any data related to immigration status unless they received consent from said student or if such an action is required by law. “We hope this communication clarifies what elements of the resolution may impact employees and what information employees may need should enforcement actions be witnessed or experienced,” said Wood. Resolution No. 1-S aims to help protect students and staff across the district from established immigration actions by
providing its employees with a revised procedure to follow. LMC Student Equity Plan Coordinator Eric Sanchez added that the resolution works as a way to provide a safe space for students. “If someone from ICE came on campus, went to Financial Aid and asked a District Employee for information on a student, that employee would contact their manager, who would then contact the College Chancellor, who would contact a Lawyer all before that ICE agent can get to that student,” he said. While the Resolution can make it harder for outside forces to get information on students, Sanchez said they have not yet decided on how to handle a situation if students were to encounter deportation
officers on campus. LMC faculty and staff members had also shared their own thoughts in regards to the Resolution No. 1-S. “I think we work very hard to create a community here for staff and students,” said LMC English professor JoAnn Hobbs. “I feel we have a certain community where we honor and suppor t students and that we wanted to make a statement that we’re here to protect them.” Hobbs explained she overheard from fellow teachers about students becoming visibly upset following President Donald Trump’s election. A number of students expressed concern regarding what his administration would mean for themselves or family
and friends who are undocumented. “Students are afraid that their information would be used against them to get them deported,” said Hobbs. LMC, alongside Contra Costa College and Diablo Valley College, are considered diverse in regards to its student population. Through this resolution, the Board could very well be taking vital steps to protecting that diversity. “The district should be very proud of this work as it moved quickly and passed through the board as policy,” said LMC World Languages Department Chair Laurie Huffman. “I continue to work in the effort to make certain that our undocumented are informed and provided security and assistance as needed.”
BELLE From page 6
The changes give Belle more depth rather than only being dif ferent than other Disney Princesses because she’s considered strange in her village due to her literacy. Still, a showing of “Beauty and the Beast” would be nothing without the “Be Our Guest” sequence. On screen it was just as magical with a colorful over-the-top performance. Additionally, the movie features an array of new tracks that add to the storyline. It was a brilliant decision to give the Beast his own song, “Evermore,” in the live adaption. As arguably the best of the new songs in the movie, it clearly shows his perspective and makes his transition in character more believable. One of my issues with the original film was Beast’s transition from angry and selfish
LEAD From page 1
career. The question the director asks in the very end of the film is “What would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail?” After the film concluded Michelle Mack, LMC athletics counselor, introduced the five women in the panel. They included Mayor of Pittsburg Merl Craft, President of Ramar Foods Susie Quesada, Superintendent of Pittsburg Unified School District Dr. Janet Schulze,
to kind and loving. Much of the animated version lacks the Beast’s perspective and his motivation to love her, but “Evermore” is able to beautifully sum up just how much the Beast cares for Belle. Even though he believes she will never come back to him, he cares about her happiness more and is content with his beastly fate because he was able to learn to love someone else. The raw emotion put into every word makes you root for Belle and Beast, even if you already know the happy ending is coming. My biggest critique of the movie is the huge controversy over LeFou’s sexual orientation. For someone who is supposed to be canonically gay, the film makes no clear indication of his sexuality other than a few suggestive comments made toward Gaston and the look on his face given when he dances
Sergeant of Pittsburg Police Department Cassie Simental and CEO of Sutter Delta Hospital Dori Stevens. All of the panelists were asked questions from members of the audience. Many of the topics during the discussion were about social norms, mentorships and what it takes to get the job of your choice. “I was one of the three officers that was female when I first started,” said Simental. “The social norms with people in public not used to seeing
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Belle and Beast in the famous ballroom scene. with another man at the end of the movie. This poor attempt at LGBTQ+ representation in a family movie is pathetic. If the author or director has to tell you a character’s sexuality, then it’s not real representation.
Still despite this, the bothersome depiction did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the film. In a world filled with remakes, sequels and reboots galore, I am glad this film was able to beautifully satisfy our nostalgic needs.
a woman in uniform, my partners felt the need to be protective like they were my big brothers. I had to come out of my shell and deliver assertiveness that wasn’t too abrasive to let people know it’s not just a man’s job. “We have a str uctured program for young people to get an experience, not just what they see on TV. Don’t get discouraged if your direction changes. If you’re seeking perfection you’re seeking the impossible.” “25 percent of the people
that have this job are women,” said Schulze. “The importance to seek mentors no matter what field it is impor tant to find. Don’t put so much pressure that you miss out on the experience of college.” “To be in food business while also an entrepreneur is not something women have done,” said Quesada. “Some strong models were many math teachers in my school. We can’t continue the stat that was on the film. It won’t be changed unless all of us change.”
KONG From page 6
eyes are on you and there’s no way someone’s looking at a different person performing.” Her confidence in herself and her ability not only got her through that first-time solo performance, but is also the mindset behind why she became a Recording Arts major. Steele made this decision after having the technicalities of music explained to her and having a hard time understanding the terms the audio engineer she was speaking to was using. “I want to be independent. I don’t want to have to rely on a major music label to help me make it,” she said. “If I have to I will but I want to be able to do everything myself. There are a lot of musicians who have made it that way but I just want to be self-sufficient. I want to be the best and whether I make it there or not, it really depends on how much I want it and how hard I try.” She understands traveling the road to her end goal will take time. But she is grateful that she made the decision to go to college before rushing into her career. Steele said being at Los Medanos College allows her to develop her talents, learn more about the technical side of music and build connections. “Making it” for Steele, however, is not measured by the amount of money a person can earn. “I don’t care if this makes me money or not. I know I want to do it and I know whether or not I make it, it is going to bring me happiness in my life and that’s really the mindset you need to have.” Large crowds singing songs she wrote or people getting tattoos of her lyrics means more to her than money because what she has written is “near and dear” to her heart. Who would her future self thank in a Grammy acceptance speech? The singer-songwriter expresses her gratitude toward family, old band mates, those who doubt her capability —and the accident that nearly took her life. “I’m thankful for all my sadness I had to go through,” she said because now “I can help people who are also going through the same thing.”
given curiously little to do aside from giving world-class reaction shots to massive creatures yet to be drawn in by the visual effects artists. The show is mostly stolen by outsized character actors and rivals Goodman and Jackson, as well as the lovable Reilly, who looks good with a castaway beard. This is Vogt-Roberts’ second film after his inspired debut, 2013’s coming-of-age indie flick “Kings of Summer.” The 32-year-old director certainly doesn’t shy away from the film’s big aesthetic influence, From page 7 the seminal Vietnam film “Apocalypse Now,” but his the second lowest seed to style is slick enough to make reach the elite eight, and if they the film work on its own terms. advanced further, they would Perhaps the most unfortunate tie the lowest seeded team to element is the film’s licensed reach the final four. Yet, history soundtrack choices, which lies beyond that point. mostly contains songs taken The lowest seeded team to from the “Best of the Psyche- reach the championship game delic ‘60s & ‘70s” CD in your was Villanova as the eighth dad’s truck. seed in 1985, leaving Xavier 2017 has already produced the opportunity to etch their some fantastic films — “Get names into basketball lore. Out,” “Split,” “Logan.” “Kong: Surely the team has gained Skull Island” is not on that level. fans along their run so far, But it is a rollicking good time, even if temporary, they have propelled by some adventurous the support of thousands now. filmmaking, fun performances Everyone loves a good underby a few of Hollywood’s best dog story, and the Musketeers supporting actors and a large have set themselves up to write monkey who uses a tree as a one of the greatest ever. Only club. It won’t change your life, time will tell if the odds prevail but it’s an entertaining use of once again. two hours.
NCAA
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Complex, especially during the times when the incident occurred. Since it is a high-traffic area they encourage anyone with any information to come forward if they saw something. “It’s still very much an open investigation,” said Wehrmeister. “We take vandalism and arson very seriously.” “What I’m going to do is I’m going to go home, pull those articles, print them and put them back up,” Huffman. Before she left the school, she made sure to put up another article on immigration written on the reality of illegal immigrants by the New York Times “I will not allow someone to burn my articles,” said Huffman. Police recommends that in the future people report situations to them immediately and to contact them at their main line at 439-1505.
BLOOD From page 3
“This exceeded the amount of people than I expected to donate blood today,” Lopez said as he put down a needle and happily handed Oreos to a finished donor. A major donation of blood can help remedy a critical shortage of blood in the future. All blood types are needed, especially Type O negative, which is a blood type that can be universally used for most recipients despite their blood type. Students may contact Blood Centers of the Pacific at www. bloodcenters.org/locations/ and donate at the Antioch donor site at the Bluerock Center on Mondays.