Vol. 88 No. 2 - Feb. 09, 2018

Steeltown impresses

Oritz’s road to teaching

Norris commits to NAU

The LMC Debate Program hosted the Steeltown Debate Tournament on campus Feb. 3 and 4 — page 3

Automotive Instructor Earl Ortiz shares story about how he found his passion — page 4

Offensive lineman Keenan Norris sets out to Flagstaff, Ariz. to continue his college football career — page 5

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F.Y.I. Important Dates February is Black History Month Feb. 16-19

Lincoln and Washington’s Birthdays: College closed in observance

March 1

Last day to apply for Spring 2018 graduation

Food Drive makes way Los Medanos College Student Life is hosting the MLK/César Chávez Food Drive event in support of the LMC Food Pantry.

Starting Monday, Feb. 5 until Friday, March 23 students, faculty and staff can drop off canned goods or non-perishable items at the Office of Student Life or the Food Pantry. For more questions, contact Student Life at studentlife@losmedanos.edu

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LMC gets backed up Sewer blockage closes bathrooms

By PERRY CONTINENTE

pcontinente@lmcexperience.com

A blocked sewer line caused a brief outage of bathroom and cafeteria services Wednesday, Feb. 7 at Los Medanos College.

The cafeteria and all bathrooms connected to the school’s plumbing were temporarily unavailable, leaving a single port-a-potty the only restroom available for students until the block was resolved.

The block caused the outages around 12:30 p.m., and they lasted until just before 1 p.m., when the line was sufficiently cleared for services to resume.

Facilities Manager Russ Holt spearheaded the effort and President Bob Kratochvil was present in parking lot A. Work-

ers from the city of Pittsburg supervised the operation.

“The city got here within ten minutes,” said Holt, “that was a quick turnaround, I’m happy with that.”

The city sent two vacuum trucks to clear the line, one stationed in parking lot A near the entrance, and another stationed across the street near a housing complex.

The two trucks worked in tandem, using tubes inserted into the sewer line to remove the obstruction.

Vice President of Business and Administrative Services Alexander Porter sent an email to all LMC employees at 1:01 p.m. reporting that the problem

Experience • A.R. Broom

See BLOCK, page 6 City of Pittsburg Public Works Department worker tending to the clog Feb. 7.

Nursing advises caution

Nominations being taken

Flu outbreak moves local

The annual César Chávez Recognition Awards are now accepting nomination applications for people in the LMC community who have been commited to community service, in honor of human rights activist César Chávez. Apply at www.losmedanos.edu/ chavez/nominate/.

The deadline to submit nominations are Wednesday, Feb. 28.

By BRENNA ENOS

benos@lmcexperience.com

Experience • Adria Watson

Student Ambassador Alexander Chavez.

LMC recruits ambassadors Los Medanos College is now hiring Student Ambassadors to work at high schools. Students can gain leadership and networking skills, learn about LMC programs and support services, have a $10 an hour pay and more. If interested, students can pick up an application at the Welcome Desk.

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/

Experience Archive

Former Los Medanos College Automotive Instructor Mike Miller (right) in his early years in the auto lab.

Miller’s legacy remembered

By A.R. BROOM

abroom@lmcexperience.com

Archive photo

Mike Miller built LMC’s auto program.

Michael Joseph Miller, known affectionately as “Master Mech” by many who attended the Los Medanos College Automotive Technology program, died Jan. 23, at the age of 70 after a long battle with cancer. Miller, who built LMC’s auto program from the ground up, spent more than half of his life teaching, most of it at LMC. Miller’s career began after graduating cum laude with a degree in Industrial Arts from Chico State in 1970. After he got his teaching credential, Miller began working at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, where he met colleague Jeff Frates and discovered they were

neighbors. The two quickly became close friends, and later worked together at LMC. Frates, who later taught computer science at LMC, said at Miller’s Celebration of Life Feb. 3 that his friendship with Mike was his strongest. Over the years their companionship included diving for abalone, trips to Mexico and dirt biking adventures over the hill to a large construction site in Pittsburg.

“It was literally all empty fields to this big construction site,” said Frates. “We’d spend hours running through that place.”

They later found out in a newspaper that the construction site would become LMC. Miller ended up getting hired by the Contra See MIKE, page 6

Classroom safety increases

By D’ANGELO JACKSON djackson@lmcexperience.com

A new classroom notification system will be installed at Los Medanos College this year as part of a district-wide project aimed at increasing communications on the three college campuses.

According to Buildings & Grounds Manager Russell Holt the system will be installed primarily into classrooms and

a few other select locations such as conference rooms and librar y rooms where the appliances will serve the secondary purpose of a clock during normal operations.

“These units will also be able to use that digital display to convey messages to the entire campus and they will each have a button that will automatically dial the District Police at the location,” said

Holt. “The speaker that is a part of the display will allow the person that pressed the button to speak directly to the police.”

World Languages Department Chair and Spanish instructor Laurie Huffman raised the need for such a system of communication while she say on the Shared Government Council. MemSee SAFETY, page 6

Experience • Adria Watson

System flyer in CC3-301.

It hasn’t felt like a true winter in Nor thern California for the past few weeks, but the effects of the seasonal flu continue to remind the populace that winter has definitely not ended. While each winter brings an inevitable flu, this past season has been particularly dangerous and contagious according to several publications, such as Los Angeles Times.

According to a Los Angeles Times article published Jan. 9, 2018, 33 people died in L.A. County and a staggering 91 people in San Diego County. In California, the virus began in the Southern half of the state, but after multiple deaths in Contra Costa County due to the flu, it is clear that the same virus has indefinitely spread.

At the Los Medanos College campus, some nursing faculty members, like Mel Herman, have witnessed an increase in those with the flu this winter in comparison to past seasons.

According to Herman, the increase in those with the flu this year is “probably a third more” than previous years, from what he has witnessed in hospital patients.

What makes this season particularly deadly stems from the different strains of the virus itself, referred to as H3N2 and H1N1. However, vaccines can help to prevent the more deadly strains of the virus.

“It is a bad season,” said LMC Associate Dean of Nursing Sharon Goldfarb.

“To prevent the flu, get the vaccine. Avoid sick people and wash your hands thoroughly and often — you should sing the Happy Birthday song twice (while washing your hands).”

For those who have not taken preventative measures by getting vaccinated and do have the flu, “it’s too late” See FLU, page 6

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“I recognize we will pay more attention when we have different leadership.”

— Octavia Butler

Perry Continente

Robert Pierce

JUST THE WORST

AND NOW, THIS

Film length is very subjective

Acknowledge representation

Film is an amazingly versatile medium.

Directors can radically change tone, style or even genre by altering angles, the length between cuts or music. These techniques set film apart from other medium and create an entirely new way for creators to communicate themes to their audiences.

Despite this wonderfully varied nature of the art form however, creativity in film is being strangled and progress prevented by an arbitrary limitation: length.

It is rare to see a film under an hour and 20 minutes or over three widely released.

This often forces directors to radically shorten or artificially lengthen their art to fit arbitrary and outdated limitations.

The film that best exemplifies this is the Sci-Fi thriller, “Circle.” “Circle” is about a group of abducted people who have to vote every minute for someone to die by an unseen, possibly alien force. This would have made for a fascinating short film or episode of “The Twilight Zone”, but the film goes on far too long and begins to drag.

The truly disappointing par t is that they even nail the ending, providing an intelligently coded message about human nature and morality, but the rest of the film is bogged down by obvious padding to meet a duration standard.

Historically, there has not been an outlet for varied length, highly produced material, but that is thankfully changing. Services like Netflix frequently put out shows that dramatically vary length. “Game of Thrones”, for example has one episode that is 50 minutes long while another, in the same season, is 80 minutes.

This provides the show runners with a large degree of freedom, instead of cramming episodes into neat boxes that would dramatically affect flow and pacing.

The creative freedom allowed HBO to tell the story in the best way possible, leaving room to breathe between the larger, shocking, moments while keeping the pace entertaining.

This shows how a program with flexible length and a good budget can allow for more nuanced approaches to storytelling to properly tell a nuanced story.

“Game of Thrones” is a serialized show, but for an example of a more anthology approach to variable length one needs to look no further than the Netflix show “Black Mirror”.

Episodes of Black Mirror were initially 44 minutes when the program aired on the BBC until picked up by Netflix where it adopted a much looser.

Episodes grew longer, more complex and better produced in this new format. The show also became much more popular and gained relevance with American audiences, partially due to its adoption by the ubiquitous Netflix, but also because of the creative freedom afforded the series that coincided with a noticeable increase in quality.

While these two platforms are great for film of nontraditional length, I want to see it become common in traditional cinemas.

Hollywood needs to embrace more flexible lengths, possibly alongside flexible pricing.

It is odd that a film that lasts for an hour and a half costs the same to see as a threehour film. Pictures that run for a short period of time could cost significantly less and provide different sorts of experiences.

Short horror films could provide bite-sized entertainment, while drama and romance could produce works about a single interaction or event.

This format would widen the range of experiences available for cinema. It is strange that this step has not been taken given the often-experimental nature of film that duration is perhaps the least experimented with aspect of the medium.

Over the past few days, many have celebrated the rising tide of positive representation and diversity that Black Panther depicts on Twitter with #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe. And yet, every silver lining has a cloud — at least a few commenters flocked to the hashtag to talk about how representation is a non-issue and that everyone else is overreacting, with some even accusing them of being ‘racist’ for celebrating an actor/ character based on their race.

It’s not just limited to discussion about Black Panther, superhero movies or movies in general either. Many reactionaries dismiss works of media with protagonists who are some combination of non-white, not-straight and/or not-male as pandering or “SJW bait.”

The positive effects on the mental health and self-esteem of people who are able to see themselves positively represented in media have been confirmed in various studies. In recent years, changing social trends and rising levels of societal awareness — as well as companies realizing the potential profits — have led to more and more diversity in our media: from T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Finn in the Star Wars sequels to Korra in the Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel series, to the joy of many.

However, as stated, many reactionaries — specifically, straight, white, male reactionaries — have clamored against diversity, claiming it to be an unnecessary, obnoxious and forced trend. We live in a society and culture whose media has been dominated by white male protagonists, largely white and cisheteronormative supporting casts and extremely stereotypical, if not downright caricature-like, depictions of characters from minority groups for centuries. White people have never had to live with not seeing themselves in media or constantly seeing portrayals of themselves that lack substance.

We don’t understand why representation is important, and don’t see a need for it.

And realistically, we — cishet white men — need to do better and be more understanding, especially young people that make up the next generation of media content creators and consumers. When people from groups not normally represented go out of their way to explain what being represented means to them, whether it’s through a hashtag on social media or any medium, we need to take their voices seriously and at face value instead of constantly demeaning and doubting them. People of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community have just as much of a right to heroes and idols that straight white men do.

And even if you’ve never experienced a lack of representation among the lines of race, gender or sexuality, it’s still not too difficult to understand how important representation is if you keep an open mind.

For example, I’m all of the things I’ve been talking about — straight, white and male.

I see people who at least somewhat look like me all the time. But there are specific things about me that are rare; when I see a heroic journalist, for example, like Ben Urich in Marvel’s Daredevil Netflix series, I feel proud seeing that character on screen and automatically love them way more. As someone who plays fighting games a lot, one of my game characters is Charlie Nash from Street Fighter, one of the only fighting game characters that wears glasses and isn’t built like an absolute truck.

I imagine the feelings I have seeing those characters doing cool things and multiply it by a dozen, and I begin to understand the joy a Black person might feel when they see a movie whose main character is an African prince, scientist and superhero at the top of the Rotten Tomatoes list. And I begin to understand why representation matters and what it means.

Experience • D’Angelo Jackson

Editorial

Postgame riots a problem

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oth football fans and non-football fans came together this past Sunday to cheer on the Philadelphia Eagles in hopes of defeating the supposedly unbeatable Tom Brady. They did just that, bringing home their first Super Bowl ring. However, this historical win was overshadowed by the their fans doing what everyone suspected they’d do — destroy Philly.

Eagles fans have amassed criticism from people all over the country. Unfortunately, for every person who criticizes the rampant vandalism and overall chaos caused by Philly natives, there are just as many people dismissing these antics.

This raises the issue: who among us is allowed to protest without facing consequences?

When someone marches in opposition to an unjust law, society is quick to label these individuals as nuisances. When Freddie Gray was killed in 2015, protests erupted in Baltimore. No one wanted to acknowledge that they were protesting for good reason. Instead, people who disagreed with what the demonstrations were fighting for. But when those same people gave sports fans a pass, they showed themselves to be hypocrites. The recent women’s marches had their naysayers, too. Those opposed argued women were already equal to cisgender, white men.

But someone wins a sports game and suddenly it’s okay to go around destroying property.

It’s true that when there are protests or marches about more serious topics, it can also result in riots and property damage. But in that case, it’s a symptom of a bigger problem, not the result of something that is trivial in comparison.

People were so incredibly enabling with the Super Bowl riots to the point that even the cops went out and celebrated. We don’t have to tell you that this is a rarity and that even in situations where people are peacefully protesting, police action is often questioned.

We’re sure the cops are arresting people and we’re sure they use safety precautions in the form of necessary gear, but in comparison to what sometimes happens at peaceful rallies related to social issues, police action in Philly after the game was fairly lax.

At what point do we begin to see this for what it is -— punishing marginalized groups for trying to make the world a better place for themselves, yet celebrating another priveliged group who are just “a little rambunctious?”

Follow dreams, not expectations I’d like to speak to the person who decided it was okay to pressure teenagers and young adults to decide their entire lives before they turn 25. I promise, I just want to talk. How are you going to plan the next 60 years of your life when you don’t even know who you are or what the world will look like when you finally figure it out?

Society will have you believe that if you don’t obtain success by 31, you might as well give up, because any chances of you achieving your dreams after 30 is impossible.

For young people to be criticized for being entitled, participation trophy-having punks, we carry a constant anxiety about not achieving success by a certain age.

According to Unilad.co.uk, we spend more time pursuing education and taking gap years than any generation before us while still pursuing the same aspirations as our elders, leaving us confused about our place in society.

It doesn’t help that there’s this pressure to be self-relient by a certain age, especially when economic hardships make it hard to do so. An article in Time magazine estimates that one in three millennials — still live at home. The millennial work ethic has been criticized as baby boomers struggle to give us a chance to prove ourselves, yet our anxieties and collective values paint a picture. Not of laziness, but of sheer uncertainty. We might admire our parents, but the way they live is indicative of the era that raised them. Society may have its parallels to the past but it’s still quite different in the modern ages. It doesn’t make sense

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Kimberly Stelly SOCIALLY UNWELL

for us to grow up in a new age by using old methods of doing so.

Millennials interest lie in self-improvement and self-employment, but it’s hard to do any of that when structures put in place by previous generations still color every institution in this country. Tradition is cool and all, but have you ever heard of valuing your own happiness and doing what’s best going to suit the life you want to live?

Articles about millenials talk about how we prioritize happiness over financial security, but why can’t we have both can’t theses things coexist? Not currently.

And it all relates back to our parents priming us for a predictable life based on practicality. It’s incredibly heartbreaking to be a young person who still has growing up to do, but also has to spend every moment worrying about the future. If you live your life for the future, you set yourself up for a lifetime of dissatisfaction because at the end of it all, you’ve spent your entire life trying to prep for unforeseeable circumstances and only when it’s too late, do you realize you didn’t even enjoy the journey

Has the flu affected you?

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“Not yet, but I’m concerned because people be coughing in class and that shit be scaring me.”

— Benny Maldonado

“No, and I guess I’m just lucky because I’m not vaccinated.”

— Sam Jideh

“I’m just really surprised I haven’t been affected by it because I’m not vaccinated.”

— Inas Hassan

“I have never gotten the flu.”

— Joseph Chao

“No, I just stay away from people that seem to be sick, along with hydrating.”

— Natalia Gonzalez

“I was sick for less than a week. I had a huge headache and lost 10 pounds.”

— Marina Mendiola

“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

Editor-in-Chief ........................ADRIA WATSON Copy Chief..............................LILLY MONTERO Perspectives Editor..................JORDAN NEEL Campus Editor ..............PERRY CONTINENTE Features Editor ........................BRENNA ENOS Sports Editors .......................CARLOS RUIZ & JONATHAN LITTLE Social Media Editor ............. ROBERT PIERCE Photo Editors .............................CHRIS RUIZ & A.R. BROOM Web Editor ........................ KIMBERLY STELLY 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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“Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”

— James A. Baldwin

Newswatch ’Stangs aim for victory CSU East Bay helps transfer

Students wondering about transferring are in luck, because California State University East Bay will be in town to help this spring. Students at both the Pittsburg campus and Brentwood Center will be able to make an appointment with an East Bay representative to offer transfer advice and address questions.

PITTSBURG n Tuesday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. n Tuesday, Feb. 27, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. n Thursday, March 15, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

BRENTWOOD n Tuesday, Feb. 6, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. n Thursday, March 8, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Appointments on the main campus will take place in the Student Services Center on the fourth floor. Appointments on the Brentwood campus will take place in the Transfer and Career Center.

Scheduling for these appointments are not available online, so call Transfer and Career Services at (925) 4737444. For more information about this or other transfer events go to losmedanos.edu/transfer and check out the calendar of transfer workshops and events.

HBCUs to hold transfer fair

A transfer fair for historic black colleges will be held at DVC this Wednesday, Feb. 14 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the DVC commons.

Interested students can meet one on one with recruiters to discuss transferring, scholarships and the colleges themselves.

Colleges attending include Alabama A&M University, Howard University, Jackson State University and Tuskegee University.

For more information contact DVC Umoja at UmojaProgram@dvc.edu

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

LMC player CJ Sneath (#4) provides some comic relief during Los Medanos College’s recent series against Fresno City College’s men’s baseball team. In Saturday’s double header on home turf the Mustangs were on target and came back from a Friday loss to sweep the day with two wins.

Black history honored

LMC events celebrate culture

By LILLY MONTERO

lmontero@lmcexperience.com

Register for basketball league

Los Medanos College will be holding a recreational, intramural basketball league for students during the spring semester. Games will be held Feb. 27 through March 20 every Tuesday in the LMC gymnasium from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Registration is being held through Feb. 23 in the Student Life office. For more information, visit the Office of Student Life in person or online at studentlife@losmedanos.edu or give their phone line a call at (925)473-7554.

AGS sells cookies

Alpha Gamma Sigma will be hosting a Valentine’s Day cookie sale Tuesday, Feb. 13 in the indoor quad. The sale will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. raising money for the organization.

Collegebuys.org offers deals

Los Medanos College students, faculty and staff can visit CollegeBuys.org for information on a host of exclusive deals on popular software programs such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud, as well as discounted hardware from phone cases and charges to full laptops at up to 50 percent off. Visit the website today for more information.

Collegebuys.org is sponsored by the Foundation of Califonia Collunity Colleges.

Botany classes offered

Several botany focused classes are being offered by the Friends of the Regional Parks Botanical Gardens. These classes include a workshop on how to tend to a native garden, seed propagation of native plats and even a five day trek through Joshua Tree National Park.

For more information visit www.nativeplants.org and check under the classes, field trips and workshops tab.

Those interested can also contact Linda Blide at bgardenreg@gmail.com.

How to report news

If you have a news tip for a story, or a short item you would like considered for publication, here’s what to do: Stop by the Journalism Lab (Room CC3-301) on the main level or email the editor in chief Adria Watson at awatson@lmcexperience.com.

News Briefs: If you are involved in an event that you would like publicized or have a short announcement for the newswatch collumn, stop by the journalism lab and fill out a news form.

No items will be printed without the name and phone number of a person the staff can contact to verify information. Publication can never be garuanteed.

What’s lost may yet 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 1.

Inquiries must be made in person or no pick-up will be made. A brief description of the missing items will be expected by people wanting to pick them up.

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

In a collaboration between the Office of Student Life, the Umoja Scholars Program, the Brothers of Excellence Program, the Men Empowerpment Network and the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Los Medanos College will be hosting a variety of events for Black History

Month throughout February and ending March 7.

The library will be paying tribute to African American Veterans in their display case entitled “African Americans in Times of War.” The library invites students to participate by bringing photos of their African American relatives that fit the theme.

Students will also have the opportunity to participate in the MLK-Cesar Chavez Spring Food Pantry Drive sponsored by the Interclub Council. The drive will begin on February 5 to March 23, giving students plenty of time to make a donation.

LMC also made big moves by renting out Maya Cinemas

LMC debates at Steeltown

By AZI CARTER

acarter@lmcexperience.com

The weekend long World Style Debate Competition, the 2018 Steeltown Invitational, hosted by Los Medanos College, brought more than just home advantage. The warm springtime weather welcomed debaters from as far as Wheaton, Illinois. Visiting teams included Cal Poly, Dominican University, UC Berkeley, Humboldt State University and Wheaton College.

Saturday’s registration and breakfast kicked the event into gear with Experience • Azi Carter formal introductions from faculty and Genaro Mauricio and other members of facilitators. LMC Debate Coach, Marie See DEBATE, page 6 the LMC debate team confir at Steeltown.

for an early showing of the upcoming Marvel film, “Black Panther,” Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.

The showing will be free to all LMC students, faculty and staff. To reserve a seat go to https://goo.gl/VZZPCz. Umoja will be hosting a “Read In,” highlighting African-American authors at Foothill Elementary Feb. 15, 20 and 22.

Toward the end of the month, BOEP and the MEN

See BHM, page 6

Praxair supports science

By JESUS CANO

jcano@lmcexperience.com

The Los Medanos College Science and Engineering Program struck gold to start off the spring semester when the department was awarded a $7,500 grant by Praxair, the third largest worldwide industrial gas company based on revenue.

The donation came from a Pittsburg refinery just down See GRANT, page 6

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“As a women of color, we’re raised to know we have to be twice as good.”

— Tracee Ellis Ross

Spring program engages students Dept. gets ready for the semester

By LILLY MONTERO

lmontero@lmcexperience.com

Experience • A.R Broom

Automotive Technology instructor Earl Ortiz sandblasts a transmission component in LMC’s Auto Shop last November.

Ortiz realizes his destiny LMC auto instructor passionate about cars

By A. R. BROOM

abroom@lmcexperience.com

Born in 1957, Automotive Technology instructor Earl Ortiz is right in the middle of the baby boomer generation, which set him up to experience the golden age of American muscle cars.

Ortiz fondly recalled that as young as 6-years-old, he was attending drag races just down the street from his childhood home in Fremont.

“I just loved the smell of that fuel. I used to stand right behind the water box and get sprayed with rubber and I had to wipe it off when I got home. My mom wouldn’t let me in

the house,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz estimates he had around 300 model automobiles that he built, painted, mixed and matched parts for inside that house, but at the age of 12 he decided it was time to upgrade.

In 1969 Ortiz purchased his first vehicle, a 1937 Ford pickup truck, which he still owns to this day. From that point on, Ortiz started gaining experience repairing, maintaining and restoring vehicles.

Ortiz later joined an owners club of Ford Skyliners, a popular hardtop convertible, after another owner approached his own Skyliner.

“When I joined that club it got me dialed in… Here I am 16, 17 years old repairing their cars,” said Ortiz.

As satisfying as it was to have all that know-how as a teenager, Ortiz found himself wanting to be more than a mechanic.

“Back in that time if you worked on cars you were considered as really nobody,” said Ortiz. “That term grease monkey really did stick in my head.”

After another club member told him computers were going to be the future, Ortiz decided he needed to have a part in that and shunned away the side of him that enjoyed working on cars.

“I went into the Air Force,” said Ortiz, “I looked for something computer related and I wanted to be on an airplane.”

In the Air Force, Ortiz worked

with and repaired the Bomb Navigation Computer Systems on B-52 Stratofortresses, but he found that the work wasn’t engaging.

Eventually Ortiz wound up with an injury that resulted in a discharge from the service, although he doesn’t look back on that time with disdain.

“I had to go try that computer deal try that air force and it all of a sudden set me free,” said Ortiz.

“The moment that I wrapped my hands around the idea that I belong to cars my whole life changed, because I did resist it. I just didn’t feel like that was my career path,” Ortiz added.

After Ortiz came to that realization, he went all in and learned everything he could about repairing and restoring automobiles.

“There’s nothing on a car that I See EARL, page 6

‘Death Cure’ better than predecessors JONATHAN LITTLE

jlittle@lmcexperience.com

The latest post-apocalyptic young adult film “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” the third installment and adaption in the ‘Maze Runner’ series, hit theaters Jan. 26. The film stars Teen Wolf star Dylan O’Brien returning as the main character Thomas to continue the fight against WCKED that put him and his friends in the maze and gain their freedom.

The movie, in my opinion was the best of the three, and it had everything a film looks for when it comes to a concluding film in a series. It had drama, it had comedy, it had action, and it had a bit of realism to it as well. Coming from someone who wasn’t impressed with the second movie, “The Scorch Trials,” this newest addition is the film the series needed

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to rekindle interest from its audience.

Regardless of its Rotten Tomatoes rating, the people who plan to see the movie should do so with an open mind because it has been two years since the last Maze Runner hit theaters. It is also the last of the post-apocalyptic young adult films to come out.

The first Maze Runner movie debuted in a time when the Hunger Games movies were still at their hype, and the rising popularity of the “Divergent” films that eventually failed to finish initially drowned the “Maze Runner” movie.

Now that this third installment doesn’t have the other two movies lingering among them, it offers its own feel and entertainment. If the first movie had the popularity of ‘The Death Cure,’ it would have been received better.

‘The Death Cure’ film was

also the longest of the three, as it told a compelling story, drwing in viewers. One thing that caught my eye was the character development of the film.

For a movie that was expected to come out a year ago, it seemed like the extra year of editing and reshooting helped the film at a whole, ending this trilogy on a high note.

For the readers, if you haven’t seen any of the “Maze Runner” films, I urge you to start from the beginning and see the progression of the films. Take notice how each actor and actress has grown throughout the series.

With wonderful performances from Dylan Obrien, Kaya Scodelario and Rosa Salazar, this film is a must see, and is underrated in my opinion compared to the many young adult films that have been released in the past five years.

REVIEW CREW

‘Cloverfield Paradox’ Movie Summary: Third movie in the “Cloverfield” series, “Cloverfield Paradox” was released Feb. 4 on Netflix. Set in the future with a team of astronauts in space who are trying to find more resources for Earth, this movie cast is composed of well-known actors such as Chris O’Dowd, David Oyelowo and Daniel Brühl.

ECourtesy of IMDb

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) stand side-by-side during an intense scene in “Maze Runner: The Death Cure.”

Los Medanos College’s Music Department has a variety of exciting events for students this semester.

The department has an event for every music lover ranging from large orchestral concerts, to smaller solo performances put on by graduating students.

On March 20, a Master Class Recital put on by professor Henderson, will include speaker Burr Cochran Philips, a professor at University of the Pacific and a guest performance by professor Ivanna Filipenko. Student vocalists will not only have the opportunity to see a performance, but will also receive a bit of coaching from the two mentors.

Following the recital, there will be two night-time Jazz Band concerts.

The first will be on April 11 and the other on May 16. More details such a tickets and times are to be announced.

Also to come, are various sophomore recitals for graduating music majors.

Aaron Nakaji, the Music De- “The par tment Co- theme ordinator said, “Any graduat- of the ing music major semester needs to have a is to be sophomore recital performance involved.”

— Luis Zuniga where they plan a repertoire of music and perform a concert.”

The free-of-charge student concerts are an opportunity to come and support fellow LMC students.

The dates for these recitals are April 19 and 26, as well as May 3 and 10.

Though there are other big events the details of which are to be announced, two of the largest will occur in May. May 5 is the 24th annual Gospel Celebration concert. May 14 will be yet another collaborative event, much like last semester’s “Beethoven No. 1,” this time with Cal State East Bay’s orchestra. Both of these will be ticketed events the details of which are to come.

Most of these events will be performed in the Recital Hall and it has both music and recording arts majors excited for these upcoming events.

Abraham Quecan, a music major, says that he looks forward to the collaborative events in particular.

Reflecting on the “Beethoven No. 1” event last semester, Quecan is thankful for the broader community experience that came from reaching out to different bands in the area, something he says you can’t get from LMC alone.

For Zuniga, “Beethoven No. 1” was just a stepping-stone for achieving that goal of creating a broader, more connected music community in the See MUSIC, page 6

HH

HHHHH

HHHH

Brenna says: Not overly interesting

Jordan says: Decent but could be better

Jonathan says: Great storyline but strange

For those of you who have not watched the previous “Cloverfield” movies, such as me, this review is aimed for you.

From the moment I star ted watching “Cloverfield Paradox,” I felt like I was viewing a “Black Mirror” episode, a popular sci-fi series on Netflix. As someone who loves “Black Mirror”, I naturally became excited, but that excitement began to fade as the movie progressed.

While I am all for space-based films and the sci-fi genre, this movie didn’t stand out to me nor maintain my attention — perhaps it’s because I’m new to the “Cloverfield” series?.

Who knows.

There were some good jump scares, but overall it felt pretty bland.

On a positive note, this movie is essentially free if you already pay for Netflix services so you won’t be wasting any money on it.

The “Cloverfield Paradox” is a decent watch in the trilogy of “Cloverfield” films. I’ve never seen a movie after finding out about it three hours prior to watching it. Since the Super Bowl advertisement was vague, I will avoid spoilers.

However, in the ad it’s marketed that we will “find out why” monsters have shown up ever since the first “Cloverfield.” Yet the film does a mediocre job of exploring that.Then, to top it off it introduces new plot devices including space travel that opens the doors for the movie to do a lot. However, the movie shows scenes that are never explained later on. The film does a solid job of keeping your attention on the characters and its narrative so it’s never boring.

Unfortunately, there are way too many flaws that prevent the film from surpassing its predecessors.

This movie, being the third installment, had to find ways this time around to keep viewers engaged with the movie. Earth needs a way to produce unlimited resources, and a space station is testing resource experiments. However, after one of these tests go wrong, the “Cloverfield Paradox” begins and shifts what the crew in space believed was reality.

At that moment, the movie hit its pre-climax as the crew searches for a solution to their problem. It brings in moments that are a bit spooky and others that make you shake your head. To an extent, this movie was good for it was; a thriller/horror film that was made on a short budget, but it was also very cheesy.

This film is perfect for movie fans that love thriller and horror, and it is a good movie to watch on a Friday or Saturday night if you just want to stay indoors.

— Brenna Enos

— Jordan Neel

— Jonathan Little

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“It doesn’t matter what they say about me, I weather the storm.”

— Terrell Owens

Stang is Arizona bound

O-lineman to become a Lumberjack

By JESUS CANO

jcano@lmcexperience.com

LMC’s offensive lineman Keenan Norris has set his sights on Northern Arizona.

Junior college athletics provides a second chance for those who want to play at the NCAA level, and Los Medanos College offensive lineman Keenan Norris was able to make his dream become reality.

The left tackle committed to Northern Arizona University, where the team is coming off a 7-5 record and placed third in the Big Sky Conference, the same league that California schools like California State University, Sacramento and California Polytechnic State University compete in.

After speaking to NAU offensive line coach Tim Davis, he took an official visit to the school located in Flagstaff, 145 miles north of Phoenix.

He said he wasn’t planning on committing to become a Lumberjack during the visit, but over the progression of the trip he knew that it is where he wanted to continue his athletic and educational career.

“I got a great feel from the school, a good group of the players and the coaching staff,” Norris said “I had a little hesitancy due to the distance from home, but I talked it over with my parents and the fit felt better and better, so I committed.”

Most players who reach the collegiate level begin their football journey by starting their freshman year of high school, or even earlier as Pee-Wee. But for Norris, it was his junior

Experience • Alex Broom

year of high school when suited up in pads and helmet for the first time and donned the red and yellow colors of Liberty High School in Brentwood.

Instead of starting him off at the junior varsity level, the Lions coaching staff had enough trust in his ability to place on him the gridiron at the varsity level, despite Liberty playing in the Bay Valley Athletic League, one of the toughest leagues in Northern California high school football.

Like any rookie, he struggled at adapting to a new sport. In addition, he had to compete against other lineman who were much bigger and more experienced.

“It took some time but eventually the nerves were replaced with a love for the game and a desire to better myself at the craft,” Norris said. “You’re never as good as you want to be but that’s part of working hard. By my senior year I was confident enough in myself to play closer to how I wanted to.”

Some of the coaches he attributes his growth to was then Liberty he said formed head coach at the time, Jeff Walters and offensive line coach Rod Beaver, were key to his growth as a player.

“The opportunity that Keenan has is a testament to the hard work that he has put in these past few years honing his craft,” Beaver said. “He is truly harvesting the fruits of his labor.

His story embodies the idea of

being accomplished by applying himself.” Beaver said.

When he started his football career, Norris weighed 220 pounds. Not only has his size increased, but so has his talent Beaver said.

He now stands at a towering 6 feet 6 inches tall and has bulked up to 300 pounds. His large frame is one of the reasons why Mustang head coach Chris Shipe and his staff heavily recruited to play for LMC. “Keenan stood out because of the type of personality he demonstrated,” Shipe said “We knew he was a solid student academically in high school plus his ability on the field, and with his size, it was a no brainer.”

Norris said that strength and conditioning coach Saleem Muhammad lit a fire, motivating him to get stronger to improve results on the field. Additionally, he said that LMC offensive line coach David Reinders helped improved his game by helping him learn how to correct and analyze mistakes.

Shipe said Norris was an influential part of LMC’s historic 2018 season with its 5-0 start and victory in the Living Breath Foundation Bowl.

Norris, said he is planning to ransfer at the end of the spring semester. While he is excited to play football at the next level, he also looks to focus on his education. While he isn’t sure about what he wants to do after completing college education, he will major in biology at NAU.

Baseball has busy weekend

Tough loss Friday, DH win Saturday

By ALEX CAMILLI

acamilli@lmcexperience.com

Los Medanos College baseball endured a hard fought loss against Fresno City College on Friday, Feb. 2, which showcased a solid performance from both teams. Austin Cannedy pitched the majority of the game earning eight strikeouts against Fresno and only allowed four hits for the entirety of the game to benefit the rest of his team.

The final score between the Mustangs and the Rams was 6-4, in which Fresno didn’t gain a true lead till the later innings. It wasn’t until the second inning a Fresno player hit a double with runners at second and third and earned its first run of the game. The Mustangs quickly responded a run earned by Vince Lontz when Jack Downing hit a single in the bottom of the third inning.

Cannedy skillfully earned his team another opportunity to score and Mustang Jose Vasquez took advantage of Riley Clearly’s single and gained the Mustangs their second run of the

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

LMC second baseman Jose Vasquez leaps in the air to catch the baseball during the Fresno City game on Friday. game and the lead. Momentum seemed to shift in the later innings when the Rams tied up the score 2-2 in the top of the fifth inning as a result of stealing bases to eventually earn a run.

In the sixth and seventh inning each team was successful limiting the runs of one another by staying vigilant when base steal attempts

Women lose in a nailbiter

were made and catching any fly balls. In the last two innings was when the momentum shifted and the Rams managed to earn runs through tricky doubles and singles that the Mustangs narrowly missed.

To close out the ninth inning the Mustangs proceeded to finish strong, earning a couple runs along with the Rams to end the great

game that unfortunately may have not completely been in the Mustang’s favor. LMC Head Coach Anthony D’Albora added, “ The seasons still early and there will be players moving around different positions.” This competitive spectacle concluded with the Mustangs able to grow as a team from this See STANG page 6

Mustangs soar past T-Birds

By HUGO CALDERON

By HUGO CALDERON

Los Medanos College lost to Merritt College by a single point in overtime, with a final score of 80-79. Ayreauna Williams’ final free throw of the game gave the T-Birds the win in a game that came down to the wire.

Coming into the bout, LMC had a record of 11-2 although despite the loss, they did retain its’ place at the top of the Bay Valley Conference with Laney College following in suit.

In the opening minutes Merritt looked like they were going to take a comfortable lead, going full offense against LMC. Despite this, the Mustangs slowly got back into the game, closing down the point difference between the teams.

The Stangs only took the lead twice throughout the game in regular time, the first coming

Los Medanos College blew out Merritt College on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 88-54.

LMC took control of the game early on, scoring 20 unanswered points in the first half.

By half-time they had a 31 point lead, with Quincy Smith leading the way putting 16 of his 19 points on the night in the first half. Raazhel Watkins followed up with 12 points The Mustangs had a comfortable 51-20 lead at half-time.

“I felt like I was able to attack the basket a lot more, it was falling really good for me” said Smith “A couple shots went in that I didn’t think were going in went in. It felt like the bucket was an ocean.” The Stangs picked up right where they left off in the second half, keeping

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

Elsa Ross makes her way to the hoop against the Merritt College Thunderbirds. in the second quarter through Adorah Buggs’ 8 points that she put up in the quarter.

As halftime approached, the T-Birds led the way 53-43 taking advantage of the Stangs’ wasteful shots.

After the second half started, it was just as it left off, with LMC slowly but surely closing down the cap. They took the lead for the second time in the game in the fourth quarter. Again it was See WBALL, page 6

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

Los Medanos College’s forward Charles Jones gets points on the board over Merritt. the T-birds at bay. One of the highlights of the second half was produced by Merritt’s Isiah Davis’ dunk which sent the crowd into an uproar.

“That (Dunk) was something special” said a spectator at the

game. LMC still took control of the game throughout the second half, keeping at least a 20 point gap throughout the half. Smith and Watkins were always ready to pounce See BBALL, page 6

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Back Talk

F R I D AY,

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Follow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.com

MIKE

EARL

SAFETY DEBATE GRANT BHM From page 1

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From page 3

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Costa Community College District before the school’s construction was completed, along with two other instructors, Leonard “Len” Price and the late Bob Sysum.

“We star ted teaching a class at the college in the spring of ‘74 before the official opening,” in the fall said Price.

“Everyone else was at DVC.” According to Price, there were no phones and little access to tools and electricity.

“There was nothing there, we had to work from scratch.

And that was the fun thing about it is you just got to build a program. Free reign,” said Price.

Miller began with teaching small engine, motorcycle, and marine engine maintenance and repair.

“Mike had a knack for making connections with industry that got all kinds of contributions to the program,” said Frates. “It was a model for other teachers, because he was really good at establishing connections with local businesses.”

Eventually, however, Miller noticed that the job market was shifting and that the demand for automotive repair was growing.

“He turned that program from a small engine and motorcycle mechanics to a full blown automotive program,” said Price.

Miller became widely known throughout the local area and beyond for sending well-trained techs into the industry.

“Any place you went in the community that had something to do with engines they knew who Mike was,” said Frates.

Miller’s reach of influence went beyond his students, as he was always willing to assist those in need.

“Anybody who had a broken car, it didn’t matter if you were the custodian or the college president, they brought in their car and he’d fix it,” Price remembered. “And they never charged for anything but the parts. That’s why they called him ‘Mr. Fix-It.’” If a person’s car was broken and they didn’t have any money, Miller found some way to get it back in running order.

“He would find some way to take care of them, so that they would get their car taken of,” said Price.

Miller’s generosity went far beyond his passions for all things internal combustion.

His son recounted during the celebration, that even in his father’s final weeks he was still helping others.

“I was getting ready to visit him in the hospital while he was battling cancer and he asked me to bring him a new sweatshirt from my own college, Cal Poly. I had just given him a new sweatshirt for Christmas, so I was confused,” said Ryan Miller. “He explained, ‘Oh, it’s not for me.

There’s a guy down the hall fighting his own battle…but he doesn’t have any family. It gets really cold here at night.’

That’s just how Mike rolled.”

“He had a big, big heart,” said Earl Ortiz, one of Mike Miller’s students and a current instructor in LMC’s Automotive Technology program.

Ortiz also spoke during the Celebration of Life ceremony.

“Everything I have today, I owe it all to him,” he said.

Miller had a vast and substantial reach in his community, but his time at LMC became his pride and joy.

“He was driven to create innovative curriculum knowing that it meant opportunities for a better life for several generations of mechanics.

And his time at LMC wasn’t only about academics,” said Ryan Miller. “Throughout his career, he welcomed students back to our house for advice on their projects, he took their calls about complex mechanical issues late in to his retirement, and in the last days of his life still called many of his colleagues his closest friends.”

According to Miller’s obituary in place of cards or gifts, those who so desire may make memorial donations in his memory to the American Cancer Society by donating online at www.cancer.org

cannot fix,” Ortiz said, “I did everything just by pure, true grit.”

Eventually Ortiz opened up his own shop with success, but while he enjoyed working on the cars, he found he didn’t want to deal with the owners who liked to linger around the shop while he worked. Ortiz decided he had had enough and in 1995 he enrolled in a summer course at the Los Medanos College to obtain a license as a smog technician.

“I’m gonna be the smog monkey in the back and I’m never gonna talk to another customer,” said Ortiz.

After completing the course, Ortiz decided he would take another the next semester.

Around six weeks in the course’s instructor approached Ortiz with a job. Ortiz assumed there was a car to work on, but when the instructor responded saying there was no car, Ortiz was surprised.

“I am a grease monkey. I am a car guy. I am not a teacher,” said Ortiz.

His instructor continued to try to sway Ortiz’s position until he said to himself, “You know what, it’s worth a shot.”

In the spring of 1996 Ortiz began teaching full-time at LMC. “I found my life mission, I found my home. It was absolutely from like heaven; it answered all my requests,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz has taught at LMC ever since, but his story doesn’t end there. Almost every day Ortiz can be seen in the shop, helping students get the hands-on experience they need to make it in the field. As students were finishing their work, Ortiz paused to interact with them, sign-off on jobs well done, and even test the brake pedal-feel a student wasn’t sure about. His expertise immediately shows as he notes it was normal for the manufacturer to have the soft initial pedal-feel during that time.

“They are my students, but to me they are like grandchildren,” said Ortiz. “There are times where I stand here and I look around and think, ‘Wow I get paid to be here.’ It is amazing.”

Although Ortiz hasn’t been part of LMC’s Automotive Technology program from the start, he has seen the program grow over the past couple of decades.

“I watched this program grow from being a small, oneroom place,” said Ortiz. “I wanted to make this as professional as possible. I wanted to make sure that we were a full-service shop working on real jobs.”

The live-shop aspect makes the education even more valuable. “When I see that this place made a difference it makes everything in my life worthwhile,” said Ortiz.

Some of Ortiz’s students even decided they liked the program so much that they come back to teach. “It was very rewarding to have my fellow students come back,” said Ortiz.

Looking ahead, Ortiz shows concern for the cars of today being more like appliances.

“These old cars will still be around,” he said but, “as far as the future goes, who knows?”

Looking back, Ortiz said, “I had a passion for cars, but my brain was telling me ‘No, no, no.’ I needed to embrace what I was meant to do—work on cars— I was set free. I followed my passion and it brought me to this wonderful place.”

His advice for those looking to find their calling: “You’ve got to experiment.”

bers of the college community, she said, have been concerned about safety as far back as the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings.

“I mentioned the importance of having a hard wire phone system installed in each classroom. Each time there was another similar incident, I mentioned again, the need for a hard wire phone access in every classroom,” Huffman said, “I’m heartbroken that since Columbine, the shootings at our nation’s schools have increased just this year to almost one a day.”

The Director of Police Ed Carney has been responsible for leading the roll-out of the new system.

“We are very aware that ever yone’s main source of communication is their cell phones,” said Carney. “The District has established an emergency notification system, termed ReGroup, that reaches every student and community member via email, text and voice message by cell phone.” But this relies on a cell phone or computer being immediately accessible, which is not the case in many of LMC’s classrooms.

“We understand that this can be a challenge in the classroom, where cell service may not be dependable and where cell phone use may not be appropriate,” he said. “In order to ensure redundancy, this classroom notification system adds another means of reaching our community quickly and effectively.”

The project has been in the works for about two years. The district has been engaged in a great deal of discussion and research in determining the most effective way of getting information to or from a classroom anywhere on campus.

The estimated cost for the project district-wide is $ 1.15 million.

Los Medanos and other Contra Costa Colleges are in the later stages of the activation timeline with completion expected by summer.

Meanwhile, Diablo Valley College is nearing completion and testing. The new system will be incorporated in new LMC construction projects, including those underway.

Arcidiacono, was at the helm, organizing and preparing the two 12-hour days with the assistance of professors Star Steers and Edward Haven, who also coach the team.

Haven, who has been assisting Arcidiacono since fall 2017, said “It looks like we’re on a really good trajectory and we have a really great mix of experienced people, as well as younger, kind of new people coming in.”

Haven continued, “What’s really cool about the format that we do and the style that we do is that it’s very open to anybody. You don’t have to have some great background or experience.”

According to Haven, debating is something you can easily pick up and participate in. He says arguments are really more about the actual quality and substance. Haven appreciates the talent he’s found in the debate team. He says it’s amazing to see how much they support each other and work together.

There was chatter, laughter and lots of excitement filling the second-floor halls of the Math Building as anxious competitors seized a upon moment of calm before the battles of the wits ensued. Many students who had competed together at prior tournaments found it easy to decompress after blistering rounds of competition.

LMC entered five two-member teams in the tournament: Dylan Lee and Richard Stanfield, Gadai Bulgac and Hailey Solares, Ayesha Khan and Brian Kiar, Felero Smith and Marco McMullen, and Genaro Mauricio and Kyle Marshall.

UC Berkeley took home the Steeltown Championship. Ironically, Dennis Tekell, a former LMC debater, founded the UC Berkeley Parliamentary Team.

He loved this style of debate so much that he started the program when he transferred to UC Berkeley, according to Arcidiacono.

The Steeltown Top Community College Team Award went to LMC’s Dylan Lee and Richard Stanfield. Stanfield also won the fifth place Individual Speaker Award.

“Our wins are a reflection of our coaching staff, “ said Stanfield. “We did a lot of practice sessions.”

He was comfortable going into the debate because he had been working with his debate partner for two semesters prior and they “had gotten pretty used to each other.”

About winning, Stanfield said, “It was good. It’s always nice to get recognition.”

Hailey Solares won second place Novice Individual Speaker Award.

“You never know what motions you’re going to get,” said Solares. This was Solares’ second tournament ever and her perseverance paid greatly.

She said, “I was pretty confident, but I had a new partner so I was a little nervous. It’s a great experience.” She added, “It’s hard at first, but just keep going.”

The LMC debate team competes next at the United States Universities Debating Championship at Stanford University, April 14-16.

the street off Loveridge Road.

The money will primarily be used to tackle an issue that the program has always had, a shortage of equipment in the classroom.

“We’re very excited for this,” Paul West said. “There will be a better efficiency when it comes to lab times for the students.”

Items that will be replaced include flasks, graduated cylinders, crucibles and tubes.

West says that these sets of equipment are a crucial part of some of the class’ lab requirements.

This is not the first time the S&E department was able to reel in a grant like this, and specifically from Praxair. Last year, the Connecticut based corporation granted $5,000 to the S&E. The road to get this grant started with a simple application that the Science and Engineering depar tment submitted to the Praxair foundation. Out of hundreds, they were selected. West credits LMC’s Foundation Development Officer, Trinh Nguyen with helping them receive the grant.

“They realized that our project was working and gave us more money,” said Nguyen.

“In this case, Praxair’s focus was education and science so there was an advantage.”

Chemistry instructor Dennis Gravert said that students would often times have to share much of the equipment, in addition to having tools that cannot keep up after being used for so many years.

But now, that is a thing of the past.

And a new correlation that many professors expect to see over time is an increase in student participation, and better results in the classroom.

Graver t says that many times, Due to the shortage of equipment, some students had the tendency to rely on the more determined students to get the work done.

“Now with having more equipment, our students can have more interaction with the work ahead,” Gravert said.

“The results in the classrooms should grow.”

The LMC students that are focused on a career in the science field feel like that this will help them do even better in the field of study.

“This definitely going to help us students do better in the classroom because we will have enough equipment to go around,” LMC student and chemical engineering major Zakk Lowe said. “Plus it’ll make class time a lot easier.”

This isn’t the end of the road for the S&E department, as West says that they are always looking for donors to assist in a better learning experience for the students at LMC.

program will be having a leadership workshop aimed toward empowering men of color. The workshop entitled “Skills that Tie into Success” will be on February 24 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in library L109.

And finally, Umoja will bring the events to a close with a Sisterhood Circle March 7 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. in library L109.

Though many of the events take place in February, the ones that leak over into March emphasize that black history and ethnic history are subjects that cannot be contained within a single month.

Student Life Director Theresa Archaga said that big collaborations like these help to achieve that goal and “spread it throughout the year. Not just for African-Americans, but for other students, too.”

In the previous fall semester, Archaga helped put together events for the LatinX community, which only further reinforced her idea that ethnic history and culture are subjects that people should engage with all the time. In doing so, Archaga said, faculty and staff can “bring more of the world” to students who might not otherwise seek it out.

Brothers of Excellence Director Steven Freeman and MEN Coordinator Marques McCoy also want to bring the idea of continuous growth to men of color on campus.

Speaking about their workshop “Skills that Tie into Success,” Freeman and McCoy emphasize the importance of critical thinking and the conscious effort it takes to grow into capable and confident men.

Laughing, Freeman said, “Men in general struggle with constructive criticism” but it’s a particular problem for men of color who are often “missing goals by not critically thinking.”

Critical thinking, according to Freeman and McCoy, entails taking the time to listen to critical advice and appropriately preparing oneself to succeed — something they go over in both of their programs for men of color and in their upcoming workshop.

The events in honor of Black History Month at LMC will be events of understanding, growth, and celebration.

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thanks to Buggs’ three pointer that put the Mustangs at 66-64.

It would then turn into a two point game for the rest of the quarter. In the dying seconds the T-Birds were awarded two free throws.

With the score 69-68 with the Mustangs in the lead, Williams converted one of the free throws to put the game into overtime.

Elsa Ross put up 17 points in the game, with some of those being crucial three pointers for her team.

The game once again became a two point game. LMC looked to have won it when Buggs made a three pointer which put her team ahead by three with only 40 seconds left.

With the score 79-77 Merritt pulled through with three consecutive free throws narrowly edging out the mustangs 80-79.

“The game was for first place and it was an overtime game. And we missed some free throws and we missed some layups” said head coach Richard Villegas “It was a good game and someone had to lose.”

LMC travels to Mendocino College Friday, Feb. 9.

STANG From page 5

experience and improve executing essential tasks prepare for games in the future.

“Our overall improvement was definitely our hitting, we struggled the first three games to getting base hits and staying out of the air, said James Biles.

Mustangs are at thebeginning the Spring Training, correcting any possible errors and confident in the overalls teams growth.

“Being able to pick each other up and capitalize every moment is really good, and that’s what we did,” said utility player Riley Cleary.

Coming off of Friday’s loss the Mustangs had a doubleheader Saturday against the Rams in which they were victorious which returned the teams momentum and will be ready to take on the College Of the Redwoods at home Sunday Feb. 10.

BBALL From page 5

on the counter attack, always being open for a pass from teammates. Despite keeping their lead the Mustangs only scored 37 points in the second half, compared to the 51 that they put up in the first. “We went over the game plan, exactly what we wanted to do and the players did a great job of executing it.” said head coach Derek Domenichelli.

Domenichelli praised his players for keeping their focus throughout the whole 40 minutes. “You can’t play for 30 and then not play for 10 and win in this league” continued Domenichelli. Speaking on his personal goals for the season Smith wants to take his athletic career beyond LMC.“I want to make it in the next level playing basketball.

I’d be happy to play anywhere in the next level.” Said Smith.

Los Medanos travels to fourth place Mendocino, who are one place under LMC in the Bay Valley Conference, on Feb. 9.

FLU From page 1

to get vaccinated,” explained Herman.

“And if you don’t get better go see a doctor,” he said adding, “because in seven to ten days it could turn into a bacterial infection — the people who are dying are dying because they have a bacterial infection on top of the virus.”

The people who have been dying from the combined virus and bacterial infection are not just those with weakened immune systems, but young and healthy people as well.

“It’s the young people too,” From page 1 Herman said. “Most of the time we don’t think of young had been solved. people dying from the flu but “All campus bathrooms are the flu has killed more people now open,” said Porter in the that any other disease.” email. “The City of Pittsburg and our campus facilities staff have corrected the sewer line issue.”

Although the blockage was cleared from LMC early, it From page 4 proceeded down the pipe obstructing the line in the condo Bay Area.

“The theme of the semester complex across the street.

The line was eventually is to be involved with other cleared by the City and brought community groups at the colback to campus in the bed of legiate or high school level,” a pickup truck. City officials said Zuniga.

He is especially excited for were also on site to inspect the collaborative orchestral the blockage.

The blockage resembled a performance with Cal State fire hose and consisted entirely East Bay in May. “It’s a big deal for us to have of a single black plastic tube with a canvas-like texture, a four-year college concert band capped at both ends with metal to come here. It’s good because attachments roughly six inches our students can get experience in diameter. It became tightly performing with prospective knotted and formed a large schools,” Zuniga said.

Bringing it back to the LMC ball that ultimately obstructed community, Julia Steele, a rethe line.

The blockage was far too cording arts major, says that large to be flushed down a she hopes more people will toilet or enter the line through come and see the Department’s events because, “the music any sort of drain.

“The pipes are around eight majors are really cool … and inches, flushed trash couldn’t work really hard.”

Whether you enjoy musical block the pipe,” said Holt.

When asked if he knew performances big or small, how the obstruction entered keep an eye out for upcoming the pipe, Holt stated, “that is events and come support the something [facilities] are going most musical mustangs on campus. to look into.”

BLOCK

MUSIC