Celebrating the end
Staff succeeds at JACC
Stangs rally late
Staff and faculty members rejoice for those approaching the end of their time at LMC — page 3
LMC student newspaper team has work rewarded at journalism conference — page 3
Football comes back late in the game to grab win over San Jose — page 5
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F.Y.I. Important Dates October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Nov. 10
Veteran’s Day: College campus is closed in observance of the holiday
Nov. 17
Last Day to withdraw from full-term classes with a “W”
Documentary coming soon DJ “Deej” Savarese will bring the documentary “Deej” — a young man’s dreams of autistic civil rights — to the LMC campus Monday, Nov. 6 in Library Room L-109 at 11 a.m. For details, contact Nina Ghiselli at nghiselli@losmedanos. edu
Showcase to bring laughs
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L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M
‘Z-Degree’ to turn pages Grant to help students save By ROBBIE PIERCE
rpierce@lmcexperience.com
Los Medanos College could be spending less money on textbooks fairly soon – perhaps no money at all, as a matter of fact, as several LMC faculty are working together to implement a program by the end of 2018 that will allow students to finish a degree pathway without spending a dime on textbooks. The funding for the project comes from the California Community Colleges State Chancellor’s Office, which has been allocating money for
‘Zero Textbook Cost’ or ZTC initiatives for some time now. LMC faculty members Scott Hubbard of the math department and Edward Haven of the philosophy department collaborated to apply for a grant as part of Phase II of the statewide ZTC Program, and were successful, as LMC will be working to make the Philosophy Associate of Arts for Transfer degree a Zero Textbook Cost Degree, or “Z-Degree”. “The grant is providing funds for developing a zero textbook cost degree,” said
Haven. “What this means is from day one to completion of the philosophy degree students will not have to pay for any class resources other than the printing of their textbooks. All of the resources will be provided for free digitally.” While digital textbooks do have drawbacks, the money saved would drastically lower the monetar y stress on students. “This includes the General Education courses needed to complete the degree,” he continued. “So its impact will go far beyond just the
“This grant project has the potential to have an enormous impact on students by reducing the high cost of attending college.”
— Dave Belman
degree-seeking students.” In other words, while Philosophy AA-T majors will be the ones to reap the full benefits of this project, many other students from many other majors may be pleasantly surprised
Orchestra goes back in time
Partnership for wellness By LILLY MONTERO Staff Writer
Experience • Adria Watson
Student Ambassador Alexander Chavez
LMC recruits ambassadors
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, visit www.losmedanos.edu/
See GRANT, page 6
Interns offer support
LGBTQ+ Faculty and staff Caucus and the Allies students group are hosting a free Queer Comedy Showcase Thursday, Nov. 9 in the Little Theater at 7 p.m. with a recpetion before the event outside the theater at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public and five stand-up comedians will be performing and panel discussion will follow. For more information, see preview on page 4.
Los Medanos College is recruiting outreach ambassadors to represent LMC through campus tours and outreach. The job boasts a flexible schedule in addition to providing experience for jobs and college admissions. Students can apply at the Office of Student Life.
with the knowledge that one of their general education courses next year doesn’t require a paid textbook. Of course, students still need educational materials –
Photos by Adria Watson • Experience
Los Medanos College Music Professor Luis Zuniga conducts the Golden Gate Radio Orchestra during the dual concert performance with Heritage High School Tuesday, Oct. 24. The band performed jazz from present day back to the early 20th century, with songs such as 1917s “Ching Chong.” In the top photo, Kenzie Belver from Heritage High School performs a sax solo at the show. See story and photos, page 4.
In the fall of 2016, Sketch Choice was struggling to keep it together. His family was having a hard time, and though LMC was a safe place for Sketch, he was finding it difficult to keep what was going on at home out of his academic life. After an impromptu session with an academic counselor, he was told that the Student Wellness Program would soon be coming to LMC. That information has made all the difference. According to the LMC website, the Student Wellness Program is a par tnership between the Contra Costa Community College District and John F. Kennedy University. Through this partnership, interns from JFKU studying to be marriage and family therapists, clinical counselors, or psychologists, can provide short-term therapy sessions to the students of LMC. The Coordinator of Communication Programs for the JFKU Communication Counseling Program, Jessica Moniz, emphasizes the teamwork it takes to support students. “We really want to work in collaboration with faculty and academic counselors, anyone who refers a student See HELP, page 6
Transfer Day gives insight Students check out four-year universities By JORDAN NEEL
jneel@lmcexperience.com
Students hoping to transfer to four-year colleges and universities filled the indoor quad Tuesday for LMC’s annual fall Transfer Day. More than 50 colleges representing both in-state and out-of-state institutions sat at tables lining the hallways. Colleges both CSU and UC systems — like Sacramento State and UC Berkeley — as well as schools such as the University of Idaho handed out information and talked with prospective students. Interim Director for Transfer & Career Services Rachel Ancetti coordinated the event and reached out to a wide
variety of transfer institutions. Although there were no attendance estimates, Ancetti said it appeared that more students attended the event than previously and they seemed more enthusiastic to learn about the colleges on hand. “Sometimes it’s helpful to call or go online to a school’s admission office,” said Ancetti, “but sometimes you need to see what your options are all at one time. That’s why this day is so great if you’re not sure what college you want to transfer to or don’t know where to start this is the perfect opportunity.” LMC transfer counselor David Reyes attended the event to help students who want to
know about transferring, explain what classes they need to take that are transferable, and inform them about campus tours that are being offered. “It’s really great we have representatives here to talk about the programs they have on their campus,” said Reyes. “Students who attend get a better idea of what they plan to do after LMC. It’s never too early to start planning ahead.” Students had the chance to connect with representatives of a variety of colleges, and LMC student Cecilia Garcia said she was glad she took the opportunity to find out more about the Academy of Arts Institute.
Experience • Chris Ruiz
LMC student Simi Purewal speaks with UC Irvine See UNI, page 6 representative Norma Peniche during Transfer Day.