Vol. 87 No. 4 - Sept. 15, 2017

MESA speaker educates

Festival heats up

Volleyball starts strong

Kelly Subramanian visits Los Medanos College’s MESA program to discuss cellular research — page 3

The Pittsburg Seafood and Music Festival featured exotic foods and high temperatures Sept. 9 and 10 — page 4

The Mustang volleyball team opened up the season with a 3-0 win against the College of Alameda — page 5

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F.Y.I. Important Dates September is National Suicide Prevention Month Sept. 22

Native American Day: College campus is closed in observance of the holiday

Oct. 2

Last Day to Apply for Fall 2017 Graduation

Learn to lead effectively Hear from local activists fighting for a wide range of issues at the IMPACT Leadership Confernce Oct. 6. Attendees will their stories and learn from workshops about how to enact change. The conference will take place in Library Room L-109 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free lunch and T-shirts will be provided.

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New route goes the distance

Students get quicker access

By ADRIA WATSON

awatson@lmcexperience.com

Los Medanos College students will have the opportunity to visit Downtown Pittsburg during their leisure time by hopping on Tri Delta Transit’s new Route 381 starting Sept.

25, and will be free for students until Dec. 31.

According to Tri Delta Transit Marketing Director Mike Furnary, the 20-minute bus ride was developed by both the City of Pittsburg and LMC to address the new Pittsburg Center BART station and with the needs of students traveling to and from East County to Pittsburg in mind, cutting “their travel time to school considerably.”

“We think the frequency of this route and the short duration of the route really makes it quick for [students] to get away from campus and go do something different, “ said Furnary.

“Pittsburg has put a lot of effort into their downtown and it’s very nice place to be.”

Although the invitation for students to ride for free is only until the end of the year, Furnary said that Tri Delta Transit supports the idea for LMC to create a program that

would allow students to pay a fee ever y semester for a universal pass.

He explained that in order for this to happen, students would need to have a referendum and vote on whether or not they would be willing to pay an additional student fee for the pass — not exactly being free of charge because they would be paying for it in the fee, but still having that automatic process.

“We’ve been supportive of this for years,” said Furnary adding, “We’d like to see it happen, we see tremendous value in it and we think it’s great for the students out there.”

LMCAS Adviser John Nguyen said that there isn’t a plan to create universal passes with Tri Delta Transit at the moment but students Marco Jimenez and Tayadi Bush would be willing to have the pass as long as the student fee is reasonable.

“I think it’s beneficial,” said Jimenez adding, “I see it as a good thing that can help the people who can’t afford transportation.”

Bush echoed similar sentiments explaining that it would be beneficial, but at the end of

Downtown Pittsburg

Los Medanos College

Experience Graphic • Lissette Urbina

See ROUTE, page 6

Artistic creation

Films, fest celebrate heritage

Conference for undocumented

By ANDREW GONZALEZ

agonzalez@lmcexperience.com

Diablo Valley College is preparing a free conference for undocumented high school and college students, parents, educators, and their allies to learn about the oportunities and resources available. The conference will take place Saturday, Oct. 21. To register and find out more visit: www. dvc.edu/dreamers.

Blood drive on campus The Blood Centers of the Pacific will be hosting another blood drive in their truck outside of the Library Wednesday, Sept.

20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To register your donation appointment online, visit www.bloodheroes.com, click “Locate a Blood Drive” and enter sponsor code LosMC.

Daily class cancellations Save yourself from making an unnecessary trip to campus for a class that has been canceled.

Professors cancel classes unexpectedly and often can’t tell their students in person.

The LMC website offers a daily class cancellation page to see if any class has been canceled. For the list of cancellations, visit www.losmedanos. edu/classcancel.

Experience • Lissette Urbina

Los Medanos College students Ashley Martinez and Gianna Di Ricco engage over Ken Alexander’s painting called “Eve” during the Faculty Art Show reception Thursday, Sept. 7. The painting is a reference to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. For the full story on the art reception, see page 4.

The Los Medanos College community is made up of a diverse group of students, faculty and staff. In efforts to celebrate and recognize a part of it, Latinx Heritage Month will take place starting Sept. 15.

The Student Life, office LMCAS, Puente, Equity and Inclusion, La Raza Club, Society for Advancement of Chicano/Hispanic and Native Americans in science (SACNAS) and MESA, are all sponsors of the celebrations throughout the month.

The “Flavor of Latin America” club day event will kickoff the festivities Sept. 19 in the Outdoor Quad from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Students are invited to attend club day to see if any of the many clubs fit their interests — especially one’s like La Raza, a Latinx based club that focuses on the culture.

Director of Student Life and the International Students Program, Teresea Archaga, helped bring the month and events to life with See MONTH, page 6

Bill allows CCs to offer BA degrees Students push to include LMC

nity College District, have been pushing for the program created Enrollment at a community by SB 850 to expand beyond the college is traditionally seen as 15 pilot campuses, and two local stepping stone toward a degree students – Joseph Cariaso and Dion Powell are pushing for LMC to be from a four-year college.

However, California Senate a part of that expanded roster after studying the Bill 850, passed inner workings in the fall of of SB 850.

2014, aimed to “There’s a huge “I came upon eliminate the demand of fourthis when I did middleman by some research allowing 15 pi- year, degrees but on community lot community not everyone has colleges offercolleges, including Bachelor’s ing Foothill Col- the money to go a lege and Skyline traditional four year.” degrees,” CariaCollege, to offer — Joseph Cariaso so reflected.

“I thought it Bachelor’s degree programs for a handful of would be really interesting for majors, such as dental hygiene LMC to do the same thing, help get students into the workforce.” and respiratory care.

“Joseph informed me about it,” Several big names within the various governing bodies of the Powell explained. “I looked into it, California Community College Dis- did some more research about it, trict, such as Chancellor Constance and I was genuinely surprised about Carroll of the San Diego CommuSee BA, page 6

By ROBERT PIERCE

rpierce@lmcexperience.com

Experience • Jordan Neel

Luis Zuniga teaches Marie Arcidiacono how to conduct music.

Honors conducts retreat

By JORDAN NEEL

jneel@lmcexperience.com

Three-dozen Honors students and faculty had the opportunity to bond at the 13th Annual Honors Retreat last weekend at Camp Tuolumne Trails in Groveland.

LMC Activities included workshops, eating s’mores, hayrides, a bad poetry contest and a hike

in Yosemite National Park.

LMC astronomy professor Scott Cabral, who has been to all but one of the 13 retreats, presented a stargazing activity Friday night. The event had students stand in one giant circle using blue and green lasers to point out the different constellations. Cabral even brought telescope so

that students could view a sky full of stars and, for the first time, a planet.

“I was glad we got to see Saturn,” he said, “We never had a retreat where we got to see a planet and Saturn is the best planet to look at through a telescope. I’m glad it was so clear in the sky since in the past, due to fires, See TRIP, page 6

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Perspectives

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“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

— Mark Twain

Kayla Wells

Jesse Gomez

GUEST COLUMNIST

GAME OF WORDS

Smoking hurts all involved

Courtesy is too uncommon

Smoking cigarettes hurts not just the person smoking but also everyone who is around them.

According to lungs.org, there are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes that, when burned, create more than 7,000 chemicals, at least 69 of which are known to cause cancer.

Another awareness site, smokefree.gov, indicates that smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. While it is common belief that the lungs and the throat are the most affected parts of the body, they are not.

Nicotine from cigarettes is as addictive as heroin in the brain. When the brain stops getting nicotine it is used to, the result is nicotine withdrawals. Smoking cigarettes also raises your blood pressure and puts stress on your heart. Carbon monoxide from inhaled cigarette smoke contributes to a lack of oxygen, which makes the heart work even harder, increasing the risk of heart attacks and heart disease.

Smokers have bigger stomachs and less muscle mass than non-smokers and are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes even if they don’t smoke every day. Smoking also makes it harder to control diabetes once you have it, and diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to blindness, heart disease, kidney failure, and amputations.

In 2014, I was in class when I received a text from my mom. She told me that she hadn’t talked to my Grandpa in a few days and asked me to go to his house and check on him. I felt something wasn’t right immediately because they talk to each other on the phone almost every day.

I went to his house after school and knocked on the door. I didn’t get a response as I normally would so I banged on the window.

My Grandpa was lying on the floor pretty much motionless and in pain. He told me that had been lying on the floor for a few days as a result of a fall. We really did not know what caused him to fall and hurt himself until we got to the hospital.

My Grandpa has diabetes, so he had an open sore on the bottom of his foot that he could not tend to due to the fall. It ended up getting infected to the point where he had to get half of his leg amputated. If not treated it would have killed him.

We had been telling my grandfather to stop smoking cigarettes for a long time and after this happened it changed his perspective on smoking cigarettes drastically.

Smoking cigarettes contributed to this incident and made it worse because he already had diabetes.

My Grandpa is now needs care 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and can no longer live on his own. In addition, he has to contend with an amputation that could have been prevented.

If you do not want these things to happen to you or someone whom you love, you should not pick up a cigarette.

Other reasons people shouldn’t smoke cigarettes: n Cigarette smoke produces a bad smell which makes your breath, clothes, car and other items stink. The use of cologne or perfume does not always eliminate the smell; it just masks it. n Smoking cigarettes creates pollution.

People throw their cigarette butts everywhere, which can be harmful to animals. n Inhaling the smoke from another person’s cigarette, even if you are not the person smoking, is also harmful. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that second-hand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 37,000 heart disease deaths in non-smokers each year.

Please do not smoke cigarettes because it can severely impact your own health as well as the health of others.

Is it just my imagination or has common courtesy become a not-so common practice?

Why have our values and courtesy toward others taken such a decline? Are we too busy, swept up in the everyday hustle and bustle that we forget to take a second and look out for our common man?

Or maybe it’s our surroundings — the entertainment industry showing us always being nice and courteous isn’t as cool as not caring.

I spend a lot of time out and about in the world, and it gives me time to observe others and witness firsthand how little effort people put into common courtesy and general politeness.

It has almost become a daily occurrence for me to see both youngsters and adults pass up the chance to be courteous to others.

Now maybe they aren’t being deliberately rude, but they act as if they oblivious to the impact their behavior can have on others.

Whether it’s not holding the door open for people with their hands full or simply opting to pay attention and not scroll through your phone while someone is mid-conversation.

These are small things, but still rude and I know we can do better.

I may be an old-fashioned soul but I still look for opportunities to hold the door open for others when I leave a room.

I was taught at a young age that when you reply to someone you answer with a yes or a no, not yup or a mere shrug of the shoulders, and always look someone in the eye’s when speaking or being spoken too.

If you ask for something, say please, if you receive something, say thank you.

Seems like the basics, right? In our current society, it may not be so basic as most would assume.

Some of you may think that politeness and decency are out dated and would go unnoticed anyway so why put in the effort?

Well, you’re wrong.

I’ll never forget the appreciation I received from a clerk for merely taking off my hat.

My number was called and I walked to her window for assistance and before I could speak she stopped me and said, “I really appreciate you doing that.”

I was unaware of what I had done and replied with “for what?”

She explained that people my age come in and out all day with hats and sunglasses on and never take them off when conversing with her. She shared how important it was to her to look in the eyes of the people she helped and that she was glad to see manners still existed.

All I did was unknowingly take off my hat before I began to speak and I made this woman’s day a little bit brighter. Imagine if we took responsibility for our everyday actions and put some real effort into common courtesy.

Although we live in a technology-driven society that takes us away from human interaction more and more we must not forget what it truly means to be human.

We aren’t here for a long time and while we are it’s important to try to leave it better than we found it. It all starts with treating one another with more care and being aware of the power of human kindness.

Regardless of the reason for our society’s apparent decline in common courtesy it’s important to remember that being a kind and caring person doesn’t cost anything, it is free to mind our P’s and Q’s and do something nice for someone other than ourselves.

It’s easy to assume that your kindness will go unnoticed but I promise you it makes a difference and people will appreciate it.

We all must co-habitat in this world and if we all give a helping hand from time to time the journey will be a pleasant one.

Experience • Solomon D. Uhuru

Editorial

Sex assault a huge deal

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very 98 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted and 33 percent of women and 13 percent of men who are raped attempt suicide. These statistics compiled by RAINN. org shatter our feelings of safety considering how often it occurs.

And it happens to everyone, adversely affecting children, men, women and the LGBT communities. The victims of sexual assault are incredibly diverse and it’s frustrating because anytime someone is assaulted, there are people willing to conspire to cover these things up whether it’s a loved one or an authority figure.

One of the most harrowing things besides the sexual assault itself, is that people don’t even feel comfortable speaking up about their experiences. Sexual assault often results in victim-blaming even if the offender is convicted.

According to nsvrc.com, rape is the most unreported crime. Only 63 percent of sexual assault is reported to the police as wll as only 12 percent of child sexual assaults.

And since we’re at a collegiate level, sexual assault is a huge problem on college campuses.

One in six women will be assaulted in their time spent in college and one in 16 men will be assaulted. 90 percent of those sexual assaults go unreported.

Some people feel guilt when these acts of violence are committed against them and there’s something incredibly wrong with that because regardless of the circumstances no one deserves to be violated.

And if you’ve been a victim of sexual assault, you don’t deserve to be silenced.

If you’re looking for local support, contact Bay Area Women Against Sexual Assault (BAWAR) or you can contact East Bay Area Survivors of Sexual Abuse Support Group at SAsurvivors@ gmail.com or find their twitter page at twitter.com/SAsurvivors. For more stats and resources, visit nsvrc.org or RAINN.org.

All people deserve to be happy regardless of the heinous things that happen to them.

Major uncertainty? Don’t stress Your first two years in college is a time to narrow your interests to select a major.

Choosing a focus isn’t something we should rush or allow outside sources to dictate. This decision is based on individuality. “What sparks our interest? Where can we express ourselves creatively? Where do we see ourselves in 10 years?” These are the questions that determine what we will pursue as careers. The wrong questions I asked myself were “What makes the most money? What are my peers pursuing?” I was looking for a quick fix so that my time at a community college could be short and sweet. Without asking myself the nitty-gritty questions, I was squeezing myself into a fabricated box.

It’s important to realize that it usually takes two years to finish your general education.

Instead of forcing yourself into a so-so major, you can use this time to take elective classes that appeal to your interests — also opting for ones you wouldn’t normally take. Doing this allowed me to find an area of interest and still knock out general education courses.

While Penn State reports that roughly 75 percent of college students will change their major by graduation, we are rejecting this statistic by exploring multiple avenues until we are confident enough to make the big decision. I know sharing with your peers that you have uncertainty about your major may seem like you are shouting that you are a morbid human being whose future is gloomy, but don’t let this hold you back from flying your hazy flag high. Although some students may have their future planned out from career to lampshades, how long did it take them to get there? Comparing only holds us back from our personal experience.

Voices

Haylee Stevens CHANNEL BLOND

By giving myself four semesters I was able to develop as a young adult, and expand interests that changed from 18 to 20. By giving up on fitting into a forged box, my future started to align itself. Removing the toxic pressure of “You don’t have a set major yet?” allowed me to start taking classes I enjoyed.

The course catalog allowed me to get glimpses of classes I never heard about. Why was the world hiding these intriguing courses? They weren’t, I just wasn’t using it as a tool. Voicing my newfound experiment with my counselor saved me from erratic studies.

Establishing an Ed Plan with a counselor is important to rule out aimless class taking, as well as sharing with them your uncertainty within the majors. A counselor can assign you to career workshops and give you resources to make your process as smooth as possible.

While taking random courses as electives sheds light on newfound interests, you can do so with a sturdy foundation.

The community college experience is meant to provide a pathway to the next destination.

This is a time to assess all the resources Los Medanos College has to offer. Don’t cheat yourself from finding your destiny. After all, your studies are meant to give you the tools for your career. Stay calm and unwavered.

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

Experience

If you could create any course to teach what would it be?

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California Newspaper Publishers Association

Journalism Association of Community Colleges

“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’d teach children a class on dance because body movement and body language are so important.”

— Ashley Fissore

“I’d teach coaching.

Some coaches need to learn how to be a coach. Some don’t even know where to start.”

— Jerone Simmons

“I’d probably teach a course on animals to preschoolers.

Children should be more aware of the animals on Earth.”

— Jessica Nasca

“I’d teach a class on life skills “How to Adult” I guess you could say.”

— Lucas Montenegro

“I would do some sort of twist on a math class... something more fun like math games instead of lecturing.”

— Kelsi Chesnut

“If I had to teach a course, it’d be a magical place where people could come together and create.”

— Leonard Gordon

Editor-in-Chief ........................ADRIA WATSON Managing Editor.................KIMBERLY STELLY Perspectives Editor..................JESSE GOMEZ Campus Editor ..............PERRY CONTINENTE Features Editor ........................BRENNA ENOS Sports Editors .......................CARLOS RUIZ & ANDREW GONZALEZ Graphics Editor .................LISSETTE URBINA 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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“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one learned in school.”

— Albert Einstein

Researcher speaks for MESA UC Davis alumna discusses education

By KIMBERLY STELLY

kstelly@lmcexperience.com

UC Davis Researcher Kelly Subramanian came to Los Medanos College to speak to a group of Math Engineering Science Achievement students about the composition of cells, with a focus on the mitochondria.

The event, hosted by LMC’s MESA Department Friday, Sept. 8 in room SC202 was filled to the brim with students inquiring about Subramanian’s work.

She started, however, with giving background information about her own education. She first attended the College of William and Mary, a public research institution where she discovered her love for biology.

When she entered UC Davis however, she found her focus – though that wasn’t the only good thing that came of her

attending the school.

Subramanian said a few of the benefits of entering the Master’s program at UC Davis are the health insurance and monthly stipend.

She also heavily recommended students try and find schools that assist the students with payment.

“If you’re interested in a Master’s program, see if you have to pay for it, or if they can help pay for you,” Subramanian said to the assembled students.

MESA Director Nicole Trager asked Subramian, “What brought you to UC Davis?”

Subraminian replied that big part of it was how welcoming the UC staff and faculty is. She said she also visited before making a decision. “They fly you out to see if the program is the right fit for you.”

After taking more questions from the

audience, she said she’d readily make herself available to speak to anyone who’s interested in specifically attending UC Davis.

She acknowledged that getting into schools like this can be competitive, though she isn’t sure what made her stand out exactly.

She said though she had little experience as an undergraduate, she put her heart into working with the people around her.

Regardless of what school you end up at, Subramanian advised students pick a school that feels right.

“It’s really what best suits your needs and what you want.”

For more information on upcoming Experience • Kimberly Stelly MESA speakers, visit losmedanos.edu/ mesa and look under the tab labeled Kelly Subramanian lectures MESA students about ‘announcements.’ her research and educational history.

Documentary humanizes

Construction: engaged

Campus gets culture

By PERRY CONTINENTE

pcontinente@lmcexperience.com

Experience •Adria Watson

Arntz Builders worker Joe Beres makes sure the fencing that surrounds the area where the future Student Union will be located is sturdy enough to take on windy weather. The groundbreaking for the construction on the Student Union will be Tuesday, Oct. 3 and the entire project is planned to be completed Fall 2018.

Communications event this month

By TAMARA SEWARD

tseward@lmcexperience.com

The “Speech Department Majors Faire” will be coming to the Los Medanos College campus for the second time Thursday, Sept. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m in Room CO-102.

Hosted by Directors of Forensics Kasey Gardner and Marie Arcidiacono, the event is expected to help guide communications majors to figure out if being a part of the program

is the right path for them and introduce the department to prospective students.

Attendees will be able to ask questions to a panel of communication department faculty members, alumni and community members — who are currently working in the area of communications — who will be discussing stories, reflections and opportunities the field has to offer.

In 2013, when LMC began

Newswatch Get MS Office for less

Microsoft offers two exclusive discounts for California Community College students.

For Mac users, Office Home and Student 2016 for Mac includes Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote and PowerPoint, and for Windows users, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016 includes all those programs as well as Access, InfoPath, Publisher and Lync.

Both bundles are available for $39.99 digital download at www.CollegeBuys.org.

Arts and Humanities tutoring

The Los Medanos Medanos College for Academic Support is now offering free Arts & Humanities tutoring.

On the Pittsburg campus, hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 3 to 5 p.m. and Thursday noon to 3 p.m. in Room CO-300 by appointment only. To make appointments, call stop by the Office of Student Life or call (925) 473-7590. At the Brentwood Center, tutoring is available in Room 13 on a drop-in basis Monday 3 to 6 p.m. and Tuesday noon to 3 p.m., no appointments needed.

Appointments for the Pittsburg campus must be made at least 24 hours in advance, and will most likely be shared.

One on one tutoring is not offered at either campus.

LMC recruits ambassadors

Los Medanos College is recruiting outreach ambassadors to represent LMC through campus tours and outreach.

The job boasts a starting salary of $10.50 an hour and a flexible schedule in addition to providing experience for jobs and college admissions. Students can apply at the office of student life.

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

offering a Associate of Arts for Transfer degree in Communication Studies, Gardner organized the first Speech Majors Faire as a way to raise awareness for the new opportunity for students.

“It was a great event which connected a number of students to alumni and faculty through sharing of advice and experience in the field,” said Gardner. “The first faire was a smashing success with

30-40 students in attendance, many of whom completed their degree.”

Arcidiacono explained that hosting a second faire would help with the growth of the department, one of the motivations for this year’s event.

Communication majors will also have the ability to check out transfer options to schools that offer degrees in communication at the event.

See FAIRE, page 6

“Human,” a documentar y that examines the depth, complexity, triumph and tragedy of the human condition, was shown Wednesday by the LMC Office of Student Life.

Student associate Tammy Smith and Student Life Advisor John Nguyen organized the showing.

Smith described the documentary as “an inner journey to the heart of the human soul.”

This was an apt description as the film paired artistic, sweeping shots of human endeavors, both beautiful and terrible, with emotionally honest interviews with people from a variety of backgrounds about everything from love to spousal abuse to economic disparity.

This pairing emphasized both the personal and collaborative journey humanity takes.

Nguyen characterized the documentary as a study of “how different people in different countries react to the same question.”

The people answering these questions ranged from a man serving life in prison for the murder of a woman and her son to a survivor of the Hiroshima bombings to a beleaguered textile worker struggling to get by.

By analyzing these vastly different situations, the film strives to find the heart of what makes us human. Each interview, while wildly different, features enough emotional honesty that everyone in the audience can see a part of themselves in every person on screen.

The documentary’s interviews were all devoid of context and did not denote the country of origin, economic status, or vocation of the interviewee, allowing them to be viewed more objectively.

Dale Satre, a student at LMC, was moved by the documentary. “It was very much an eye opener,” he stated. “I really liked the portraits of the people, and the small quotations.”

“The idea behind the simplicity was they wanted everyone to be seen equally,” Smith observed. “Regardless of country.”

Nguyen was a big proponent of the effects of the film, stating, “It encourages dialogue.”

“Its cool to have an open mind,” Nguyen stated.

The Office of Student Life, which also puts on the “A Place to Talk” functions, where students can gather in a safe environment and discuss current events, has recently shifted the focus of many of its functions.

“We are currently focusing on social justice and you can expect to see more from the Office of Student Life,” said Nguyen.

The next section of the three-part documentary will be shown Sept. 22 in Room L-109.

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Features

“Best not to look back.

Best to believe there will be happily ever afters all the way around.”

FRIDAY,

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— Stephen King

2017

Attendance lower, exotic food pleases

By AZI CARTER

acarter@lmcexperience.com

Photo by Lissette Urbina

Los Medanos College student Rizabelle Hilario muses at the artistic creativity during the Staff and Faculty Art Show.

Strokes of inspiration Artists share their creativity

By AZI CARTER

acarter@lmcexperience.com

A constant flow of art enthusiasts filled the Los Medanos Art Gallery for the sixth annual “Faculty and Staff Art Reception” Thursday, Sept. 7.

Cheese and crumpets with grapes and fruit -soaked water refreshed the connoisseurs of fine art as they browsed and conversed over their favorite pieces.

The artists were on hand to chat with gallery visitors and explain the concepts of their masterpieces.

“This is the best way to meet faculty,” commented Pamela Tabel. “I’ve been working in the ceramics department for years as Lucy Snow’s teacher’s assistant.”

Having retired as an art teacher herself two years ago, Tabel worked to instill in her students the value of appreciating all art — whatever the medium. She believes that there are sometimes pieces that guests will connect with right away when visiting the gallery.

For Tabel, the artwork that she connected with the most at the gallery was large-scale drawing “Poplar” by Judi Petite. This drawing captured Tabel and left her feeling an overwhelming feeling of déjà vu.

Julee Richardson was one of the artists who had artwork displayed at the show. One of the pieces that Richardson showcases was a sculptured ceramic piece titled “Mamma.”

Photo by Lissette Urbina

Art Gallery guests admire work at the Faculty and Staff Art Show reception.

This artwork paid homage to her beloved grandmother who was the respected matriarch of her family.

“Mamma didn’t take no stuff, she didn’t have to say a word. She just had a way she would look at you and you knew it was time to straighten up,” Richardson explained. “She wore dresses made of cotton that had flowers and small print.”

To effectively recreate her grandmother, Richardson used different mediums.

“I had to use a special tool to get the effects I wanted —I textured the hair, and the eyebrows.”

“Mamma” started from humble beginnings with 1-½ bags of clay, making up the 28 pounds that the sculpture weighs. Three months later, when the material was hard enough to hold it’s shape effectively, “Mamma” was cut in half to fit in the kiln.

Richardson’s finished masterpiece sat on its own pedestal in the gallery where everyone could easily admire it.

This show closed on Thursday, Sept. 14.

Preparations are underway for the next upcoming show featuring Karrie Hovey on Sept.

26 to Oct. 26.

Composer to speak at LMC

By BRENNA ENOS

benos@lmcexperience.com

Los Medanos Honors Program and Music Department students will get the rare opportunity to meet with music composer Adrienne Albert at “An Afternoon with Adriene Albert” Thursday, Sept. 21 at 4 p.m.

The free event with Albert will celebrate the 99th birthday of the famous composer Leonard Bernstein. Achieving

worldwide acclaim for his compositions, Bernstein has also had success with conducting, music lecturing and playing piano. He has composed numerous pieces for films, opera and musicals including the well-known Broadway musical “West Side Story.”

While this event celebrates Bernstein and his accomplishments, it will also focus on another successful composer.

Studying music composition

since the age of 10, Albert’s own compositions now reach a broad audience in countries such as the United States, China, South Africa and Europe. Albert studied music performance at UCLA and also attended the Aspen Music School before spending the majority of her music career Photo provided by Adrienne Albert performing music in both Los Adrienne Albert, who is seen here in Angeles and New York.

Alber t has also worked an earlier photo with Igor Stravinsky,

REVIEW CREW

‘IT’

Photo from IMDb.com

Movie Summary: “IT,” based on Stephen King’s terrifying novel, hit American theaters Sept. 8, 2017. This horror film is directed by Andrés Muschietti and features Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise, and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard as Richie, who plays one of the seven young outcasts in the movie. “IT’ is rated R.

See MUSIC, page 6 will visit LMC Sept. 21.

Seafood and good music kicked off the annual Pittsburg Seafood and Music Festival, which has ran for 33 years. The Pittsburg High School Spirit Squad opened the Sept. 9 and 10 event on the community stage while other band members volunteered on the grounds directing parking.

The festival has long been one of the keystone events in Contra Costa County, featuring lots of tasty treats. With chowder, gumbo, crawfish, fish and chips, oysters, mussels, steamers, lobster rolls, alligatoron-a-stick and more on the menu, there was something to suit every pallet.

Alligator was the hot item this year, with many coming from as far as San Leandro and San Francisco to savor a taste that is “like none Photo by Azi Carter other,” according Raziya Polk enjoys Raziya Polk from the hottest item Pinole. of the festival: Alligator enthusi- alligator. asts could buy two kabob sticks lined with savory samples of the delicacy sold for $9.

“This is my fourth year since I’ve found out about the festival,” Polk said. “I save the date and look forward to the event all year.”

The festival provided a safe and enjoyable environment for the whole family, with a wide variety of arts and crafts on display, amusement and pony rides for the kids, jet ski demos, water slides and merry-go-rounds. Four live entertainment stages featured bands playing jazz, R&B, blues and funk, as well as vocalists, to entertain the crowds.

Temperatures soared into the triple digits Sunday, causing many event-goers to head for the two covered pavilions to get out of the heat. Volunteers armed with giant water bottle sprayers were misting the crowds down, offering momentary relief from the scorching sun.

The beer pavilion was also an area of refuge from the heat, offering a place to relax with TV coverage of the NFL games and cool food treats like ice cream and snow cones.

John Javidan of Evpon, an event survey company, labeled the extreme heat as a reason why not as many people attended this year’s festival as did previous ones. Evpon offered an incentive to visitors to complete a survey: two round trip tickets for an all expenses paid trip to Disneyland, with a winner selected for each day of the event.

“This year’s attendance was way down in comparison to last year,” Javidan stated Sunday as he tallied surveys. “About half the number of people showed up.”

Other potential reasons include The Lathrop Bacon and Beer Festival, which was the same weekend and therefore cut into attendance via competition. As well as lack of vendors - many online reviews considered this year’s festival to be a disappointment because there were just half as many vendors than usual.

Genevieve Dace, a representative from Revitalize Yoga and Wellness, a local business on Railroad Avenue, felt marketing played a huge factor in the crowd turnout, suggesting that a broader outreach to include neighboring cities like Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Brentwood and Sacramento might have improved this year’s attendance.

HHHHH

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Perry says: Young actors steal show

Brenna says: Completely captivating

Jordan says: Funny not scary

The film “IT” adapts Stephen King’s towering, 1100-page opus about a shape shifting sewer clown well.

The fact that the film juggles seven main characters along with the clown shenanigans is nothing short of miraculous.

While the monstrous aspects of the story are what many are coming to see, it is the young actors who steal the show.

From Beverly’s quiet strength to Richie’s inappropriate jokes, almost every character is given ample room to grow. The only exceptions would be Stan and Mike, characters who deserved more screen time.

The horror elements certainly work, however, early in the film the scares seem almost mechanical.

Despite these pacing issues, almost every aspect of “IT” is as good as one could have hoped for.

From the moment the film begins, “IT” is utterly captivating throughout its entirety.

“IT” starts off with an introduction to the town of Derry and the misfit group of pre-adolescent kids that are bullied in school. One by one the kids are terrorized not only by their bullies, but also by Pennywise the clown and it is not until they band together that they are able to overcome their fears.

While Pennywise is definitely more terrifying than the original, it is the group of outcast kids that truly steal the show. One of the kids, Richie was definitely a stand out character in the film with his jokes that provided a comedic relief.

The film managed to effortlessly blend the comedic dialogue of the young characters with the horrifying scenes of Pennywise into an enjoyable experience for all.

“IT” is one of the best scary movies to come out this year because of its great blend of humor and horror, which is perfect for a film like this.

The child actors were one of the most surprising aspects of “IT.” With children as the main characters, the movie is reminiscent of films like “E.T.,” “The Goonies” and “Stand

By Me.” A character that stood out to me was Richie (played by Finn Wolfhard); every other line he delivered had me cracking up.

Bill Skarsgård truly brought in many creepy moments as the antagonist Pennywise, making the kids very fearful on how they were going to stop him throughout the film.

Although the movie was more humorous than scary at times, “IT” is an incredible film with amazing visuals and storytelling that will have you rooting for the main leads.

— Perry Continente

— Brenna Enos

— Jordan Neel

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Sports Volleyball gets the W

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““If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?”.

— Joe Namath

Left: LMC photographer Cathie Lawrence captures a unique juxtaposition of the action-packed volleyball game, and the dynamic poster of student athlete Caitlin Sadler.

Below: Middle hitter Ayanna Burnett goes for the kill on Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over the Alameda Cougars.

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

LMC opens 1-0

By CARLOS RUIZ Staff Writer

The Los Medanos College women’s volleyball team cruised to an easy 3-0 sweep over College of Alameda.

Wednesday’s win gives the Mustangs their first Bay Valley Conference victory of the season against the Cougars.

After a beautiful rendition of the national anthem by middle-hitter Nuru Boone, the Stangs were locked in and determined to grab the first set win. Play began with a simple serve by the Cougars and a ball set-up for opposite hitter Vei Finau to kill the ball for the first point.

Everything from then on was smooth sailing for the Stangs as they didn’t make many errors and gelled well as a team. With kills too power ful for the Alameda defense to stop, the end was drawing a near. Sure enough, a bad touch of the ball by an Alameda player was the last play of the first set and gave the Mustangs a 25-18 win.

The success kept rolling for the Stangs as an ace by setter Erica Wilder began the second set. The dominance was a repeat of the first set success. Offensive plays like another Finau kill, another ace

by Wilder kept the Stangs away from any potential trouble.

After opposite hitter Ashley Dixon’s hit was too strong for any of the Alameda players to stop, it got Los Medanos to get the precious 25th game-ending point to win the second of the See VBALL, page 6

Sophomore captain no stranger to big plays

By JESUS CANO Staff Writer

Mustang linebacker Charlie Ramirez Jr. may have made an early impact in the 2017 season by intercepting a pass during the opener against Reedley College and returning it for a touchdown, but the sophomore stand-out has been making big plays all of his career.

“That play not only set the tone for the game, but for the entire season,” said Ramirez, who was named one of the team captains this year.

The title is one LMC Head Coach Chris Shipe said Ramirez rightfully deserves.

“Charlie was voted a defensive captain by his teammates,” Shipe said. “His hard work, commitment, and his leadership are the reasons his teammates voted for him.”

Ramirez’s original choice was to attend college at Diablo Valley College, but he said that the shorter commute was key factor in him

instead choosing to go to LMC and become a Mustang. He also said that he felt a much closer bond with the coaches and was already familiar with several members of the team.

A journey always starts somewhere, and in Ramirez’s case it all began in the Pittsburg Jr. Pirates football system, where he developed skills that helped him early in his career.

“They helped me find myself,” Ramirez said.

One of the coaches who had the most influence on him was his father, Charlie Ramirez Sr., an LMC alumnus who serves as the defensive coordinator at Pittsburg High School.

“Certainly isn’t easy growing up the son of a coach,” Ramirez Sr. said. “For me it’s been great to watch him play in college because I just get to sit back and enjoy watching him – as a dad and not his coach. That pick six he had was the first time I’ve been able to cheer as a parent for him since he was in junior high!”

Ramirez Jr. said that having his dad as a coach served mainly as an advantage because he was able to to learn knowledge both on and off the field.

“I always had a call on defensive downs,” he said, adding that when his dad was planning what to tell the team he would “usually have input as a player.”

Even the tough times were helpful.

“Taking the conversation home, it becomes debates on which is which… they would be very productive conversations at home,” he said.

“But just the fact that we would always have voices on each other’s actions was stressful, yet productive.”

Like any other junior college athlete, Ramirez’s ultimate goal is to play college football, especially Experience • Cathie Lawrence at the Division 1 level. However, according to gobigrecruiting.com, the average college line- Los Medanos College’s linebacker See CAPT, page 6

Charlie Ramirez Jr.

Mustangs falls to West Valley Vikings 3-0

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Staff Writer

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Experience • Cathie Lawrence

Los Medanos College’s Emma Spears battles with Vikings players.

The Los Medanos College Mustangs faced off against the West Valley College Vikings Sept.12 in what should have been a friendly preseason exhibition to prepare for the upcoming conference games.

After a frustrating 3-1 loss against Skyline College Sept.

5, the Mustangs were looking for a bounce back game to gain momentum going into the regular season. But it was not to be as they succumbed to the Vikings 3-1 in a game with high tension that lead to two brawls.

West Valley had the ball to start the first half, but the Mustangs brought a physical defense to try to control the tempo of the game. Through the first 20 minutes both teams

showed a strong defense that held the contest scoreless.

Then at the 24th minute West Valley’s Alex Spatola broke the 0-0 tie with goal that split through the Mustang defense.

From the time of that score through the rest of the first half the Vikings took control of the game, and continued to press the LMC defense. By the end of the first half West Valley’s momentum led them to a 2-0 lead after a goal in the 39th minute from their midfielder Karla Arias.

Overall, it was another physical game for the Mustangs as both teams were taking bumps and hits, creating high tension going into the second half of the match. Facing a two-goal deficit, LMC showed little momentum or energy.

“In the first half, we let them

be the aggressors, and I liked how we had some fire in us.

But when the other team is playing, we’re a little hesitant, ”said LMC Head Coach Zach Sullivan after the game.

Although the Stangs started with the ball, West Valley’s offense kept pressuring them and in the 55th minute of the game there was a collision between LMC center Mia Castro and West Valley’s Alejandra Nuno, causing a brawl between the two players. Both teams got into it, and the refs had to find a way to break up the madness. Once everything was cleared up, both players received yellow foul cards sparking a bit of fire on both teams to continue to compete for the rest of the game.

Around the 67th minute a See WEST, page 6

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colleagues, explaining that they’ve been “working toward [Latinx Heritage Month] since last semester,” and it being the first time they’ve come together to have something like this.

A Latin America themed Music and Art Festival will be held Sept. 21 in the Outdoor Quad from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities such as dance lessons, arts and crafts and as open mic where anyone is encouraged to go up and speak their mind. For those wanting to stop by and enjoy the show, they will also find a taco truck in the midst of the event available to all.

Maya Cinemas will be showing the Dolores Huerta documentary Sept.26 starting at 5 p.m. — the viewing it free to those who pick up a ticket at the Office of Student Life.

There will be another free film screening Sept. 27 of MacFarland USA, from 8 to 10 p.m. in the outdoor quad — or L-109 if it happens to rain.

The annual Impact Con-

ference will be held Oct. 6 in Library room L-109 from 9 am to 3 p.m.

“Because of the success of last year we wanted to do it again,” Archaga said about the event being focused on student activism as it was last year.

A Columbus Day conversation with LMC Histor y Professor Josh Bearden will take place Oct. 9 in L-109 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The event will include a keynote speaker and panel with lunch provided for those who attend, as the conversation focuses on Columbus’ impact on the Latin community.

To close out the Latinx Heritage month events, there will be a game of Loteria — similar to bingo — Oct. 11 in L-109 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Prizes for the winners and a folklore show at 8 p.m., will cap off the night and be the end of the months festivities.

For more information about Latinx Heritage Month, stop by the Student Life office or contact Teresa Archaga at tarchaga@losmedanos.edu.

WEST

CAPT

corner kick by Castro drew a crowd of players around the net. LMC’s Sydney Torrano took advantage of a collision to send the ball in for the goal. The collision involved West Valley goalie McKinly Yeager and Mustang co-captain Autumn Kish, and the refs wound up overturning the goal because they believed Kish intentionally ran into the goalie.

Kish who received a yellow card on the play, voiced her opinion on the incident. “I feel like we hit each other hard,” she said. “I was just bigger than her, so she fell and I didn’t, and I got the yellow.”

After the incident, another play involving Kish and a West Valley player colliding led to a penalty kick for the Mustangs.

In the mix up after the second collision, both teams got into it again and the refs struggled to deal with the high tensions. No fouls were given for the second argument and the penalty kick proceeded.

Emma Spears handled the penalty kick for the Mustangs, and as she took a look at the placement of West Valley’s goalkeeper, she shot the ball past Yeager to shorten the deficit by one, with the Vikings leading in the 79th minute 2-1.

After a couple more high-tensioned arguments between the two teams the Mustangs found an extra spark toward the end of the second half as the defense stopped any type of offensive advantage West Valley College tried to offer.

However in the, 84th minute the Vikings were able to find a hole in the LMC defense as West Valley’s Daniela Mendoza split through three Mustang defenders to score and put the Vikings up 3-1.

The game continued its physicality as both teams kept knocking each other hard, and even though the Mustangs tried to put pressure on the Viking defense the effort fell short.

Team captain Vanessa Kualapai, offered her thoughts on the two brawls. “Once you experience it, you have to be physical back, but have to be smart about it, keep composure,” she said.

“I mean we’re playing soccer, we’re not out here to fight. We just need to play the game.

And something like that can give us fire but we need that throughout the whole game.”

Sullivan said the team needs to work on consistent play. “For next game we need the soccer aspect to be better,” he said.

“Our positioning that we work on in practice hasn’t been there yet. We’ll play good for 10 minutes, then have a bad 10 minutes, and we just need to work on gaining consistency in our play.”

The next Mustangs home game will be Tuesday, Sept.19 against the Lassen College Cougars. For more information visit http://www.losmedanos. edu/Soccer/ .

backer is 6 feet 2 inches and 220 pounds – Ramirez is just 5 feet 10 inches, 200 pounds.

He acknowledges that many college recruiters will take his size into consideration, but Ramirez said that fact fueled him to perform better on the field.

“It made me play like I had a chip on my shoulder,” Ramirez said. “I played like I had something to prove, and it really made me grind even more.”

Despite being seen as an undersized linebacker, Ramirez is regarded to be one of the best at that position in Pittsburg’s history.

As a Pirate, he was able to combine for 244 tackles and seven interceptions. Along with those accolades, he was named First Team All-BVAL two years in a row. He was even able to reel in offers from colleges such as Sterling in Kansas and Hastings in Nebraska.

His name is now forever in the Pittsburg record book, as he broke his own father’s record for most tackles in a single season (132).

“I didn’t even know it was his record,” Ramirez Jr. said.

“I just played every game like I wanted to break every record possible.”

Beyond football, Ramirez has a dream of serving the public. An uncle, who passed away five years ago, was a firefighter and Ramirez hopes to follow in his footsteps via LMC’s Fire Science program.

As for the rest of the season, Ramirez hopes to become an All-State player, a step toward achieving his dream of playing Division 1 football at any school where the oportunity is given.

From page 4

F R I D AY,

Follow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.com

From page 5

MUSIC From page 4

along side very famous music composers such as Igor Stravinsky and Leonard Bernstein and after many years in the field, she has become very experienced.

Dr. Luis Zuniga an LMC music professor has worked with Albert off and on for ten years and stresses the importance of students taking advantage of this rare opportunity.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. It’s worth it for people to be able to see her,” said Zuniga.

“It’s quite unique to get to meet someone who’s worked with Stravinsky and Bernstein.”

Aside from Albert’s talent and experience in the music field, Zuniga also thinks highly of her in other regards stating that she is a “radiant, energized, beautiful musician.”

For more information on “An Afternoon with Adrienne Albert,” contact Zuniga at 4377805 or via email at lzuniga@ losmedanos.edu.

— Kimberly Stelly contributed to this report.

corn-flake-sized ashes floating down like snowflakes and we couldn’t see any stars.”

Saturday morning music professor Luis Zuniga talked about how to conduct, philosophy professor Edward Haven delved into the philosophical view of beauty, and art professor Curtis Corlew shared tips on taking good photos.

There was even free time in the afternoon for students to participate in archery, play ping-pong and frisbee, and swim in the pool.

Honors student Julia Steele, who has been on the retreat twice, said it is a great opportunity for people to make new friends and bond with one another and with nature.

“I just love being in nature,” said Steele.

“Being surrounded by intelligent people who become your friends is awesome.

There’s different workshops every year so you learn something at each retreat.”

Student Joshua Estrada said it’s a trip every Honors student should go on at least once.

“Swimming is really the best part to

me,” said Estrada, “Everything from the icebreakers to playing card games like UNO with friends helps us bond closer together.”

Some students in Honors attended on the recommendation of others.

LMC student Arren De Manuel is in that category.

“The people I knew last year that went to the retreat came back and told me how fun it was,” he said. “I felt like I missed out so I didn’t want to miss it again.”

Interim Honors Program Director Marie Arcidiacono, who has taken over while Jennifer Saito is in Barcelona as part of the district study abroad program, had a multitude of emotions when she realized she was the leader of the retreat since it’s such a pinnacle event for the program.

She wanted to make sure it was a retreat that would make Saito proud.

“There was a lot of excitement but also nervousness,” said Arcidiacono. “There were very big shoes to fill.”

The biggest highlight for her is the Yosemite visit since it gives faculty and

students the option to either hike or just relax and enjoy Mother Nature.

Her advice for students in Honors who are apprehensive about going to the retreat is that they can make new friends they never met before and are able to get out of their comfort zones staying in a cabin rather than just in learning an Honors classroom.

“When you think of a camping retreat you may think ‘oh no there’s no running water, we have to cook hot dogs over the fire’,” she said “but the facility makes it more comfortable to be camping since we have bunk beds, running bathrooms, we can eat inside the lounge and so much more. We make the hikes accessible to your fitness level so that you’re not doing anything you’re uncomfortable with whether you want to go to Yosemite and hike up Half Dome Village or do any easy hike so that students have options.”

Those who are curious about joining Honors can contact Arcidiacono (marcidiacono@losmedanos.edu) or administrative assistant Maureen Willhoite (mwillhoite@losmedanos.edu).

VBALL BA From page 5

three-game set.

Although the Mustangs took the first two sets easily, it didn’t stop their always-win attitude. Another Finau kill opened the third set and continued the Stangs’ streak of obtaining the first point of the game. However back-andforth dives and saved kills by both teams highlighted their performance. Ultimately the Mustangs continued to work hard doing whatever they needed to get closer to the magic number 25 to finish an impressive conference opening game. Boone’s kill was the last and final play of the entire game and brought the third set to a finish with an impressive final score of 25-8.

“We started off a little sloppy in the first set” said Head Coach Lou Panzella, acknowledging the team and a few errors but “we made that up for it as we cleaned it up with our ball control.”

Jolero Sophia Clavido, said that despite “the team did really well as we continued to be consistent throughout the game.”

For more information on the Los Medanos College women’s volleyball team go to http://www.losmedanos. edu/volleyball/default.asp.

ROUTE From page 1

the day, the students would still be paying for transportation.

“On one hand, it would help the school but on the other…

[Students] are still paying to take the bus,” said Bush with Jimenez adding, “It’s a double-edged sword.”

For additional information regarding Tri Delta Transit’s new 381 Route, visit trideltatransit.com.

From page 1

this development... What inspired me was Constance Carroll and her associates, students who fought hard in having their Community College District start handing out Bachelor’s degrees.”

After doing r esear ch throughout the 2016 academic year, the duo began lobbying the LMC Academic Senate in the 2017 spring semester to apply for a Bachelor’s degree program. The two are now collaborating directly with the Academic Senate, Cariaso himself being a former Los Medanos College Associated Students Senator, to attempt to increase their chances of being approved for such a program, which could benefit the student population immensely.

“There’s a huge demand of four-year, degrees but not everyone has the money to go a traditional four year,” Cariaso stated, showing his reasoning for trying to bring a Bachelor’s program to LMC. “Should LMC get selected as one of the colleges to be participating in this program, we could be seeing an increase in graduation rates.”

“If we do get the approval of offering Bachelor’s degrees, the first [one offered would be a] Liberal Arts BA pilot program,” Powell noted. The specific major was chosen for its traditional prestige and for its practicality as a general, non-specific degree that helps

with several career paths.

“With Liberal Arts, it’s more flexible for students,” Powell explained. “If they haven’t really figured out what they want to pursue in their careers after junior college, with the Liberal Arts program, they will be able to figure out what they want to do.”

If LMC does get the authorization to offer a BA in Liberal Arts, students would be able to join the program by applying to it after receiving their Associate’s degrees, much like a conventional transfer.

Upper division classes needed for a Bachelor’s degree would cost $83 a unit, as instructed

by California legislature. Students would be able to apply to the Bachelor’s program only after obtaining their AA, like a conventional transfer program.

If ever ything goes as planned, Cariaso predicts that this hypothetical program could be a reality by the end of the 2019 academic year.

“LMC needs to do job interviews with instructors, see who can fill those upper division roles,” Cariaso explained.

That would be sometime down the line, however. The immediate next move for the two is working together with the Academic Senate on an effort to get data from LMC students in order to gauge student interest in a Bachelor’s degree program.

FAIRE From page 3

“Students will learn how courses in that major transfer to 4-year colleges and universities and how they will ‘count’ for transfer — even if they ultimately choose a different major,” explained Dean of

Liberal Arts Nancy Ybarra.

For more information about the “Speech Department Majors Faire,” contact Arcidiacono at marcidiacono@losmedanos. edu or Gardner at kgardner@ losmedanos.edu.

Many other community colleges beyond LMC want in on the Bachelor’s programs, especially since SB 769, a bill that would eliminate the ‘sunset date’ of 2023 and allow the 15 pilot colleges to operate their Bachelor’s programs indefinitely and self-evaluate them instead of undergoing government evaluation, is currently “going back and forth between different assemblies” according to Powell and Cariaso. From their perspective, having actual numerical data as a way to prove that a Bachelor’s degree program would benefit their campus would help their case in asking to be approved for one.

“If it is passed, we will be facing more competition from the other community colleges trying to get in as well,” Cariaso explained. “So what we are trying, is that we are presenting data on LMC students who are willing to… [get] a Bachelor’s degree from here.”

They speculate the survey will be available on the LMC website for students to take “some time in October”, as they are currently polishing it and submitting it to the Academic Senate for review.

Stay tuned to the Experience and to the LMC website for details if you are interested in taking the survey – and studying for a Bachelor’s here at LMC.