3-On-3 at LMC
Drama takes Washington Softball falls short
The annual 3-On-3 basketball tournament will continue every Tuesday through March 20 — page 3
The LMC Drama Department traveled to the annual theater festival from Feb. 18- 24 — page 4
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F.Y.I. Important Dates March is Women’s History Month March 26-31
Spring Recess
April 27
Last day with withdrawl from a full-term class
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. through 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 regarding the food drive, contact Student Life at studentlife@losmedanos.edu
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LMC softball loses both games in a double-header against Lassen College — page 5
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District trustee resigns By ADRIA WATSON
awatson@lmcexperience.com
Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board President Timothy Farley, who represented Ward III, unexpectedly resigned as trustee Monday, Feb. 26. “It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter officially resigning as a member of the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board,” said Farley in an official letter addressed to board Vice President John Márquez. “This resignation will take effect today due to a pressing personal family matter that requires my immediate attention.”
His term was due to end in December, but he had been expected to run for re-election. “I’m shocked,” said Ward IV Trustee Gary Walker-Roberts. “He only has 10 months, I thought he was running again and I just hope everything is OK with him.” Farley’s resignation was of ficially announced during Wednesday’s board meeting, where other members of the governing board and district Chancellor Fred Wood expressed sentiments of sadness at his departure and appreciation for his service as a trustee. “It was a surprise for me to receive Trustee Farley’s resignation earlier this
week,” said Wood during the meeting. “I can tell you he was very helpful to me during my first year.” An emotional Ward II Trustee Vicki Gordon said “a tearful, heartfelt goodbye to Trustee Farley” and spoke highly about his advocacy and support for DACA students in the district. “His heart was really doing what was best for our colleges,” said Gordon. District Director of Communications and Community Relations Tim Leong echoed similar sentiments about Farley, explaining that his “his commitment to students was never in doubt.” See TIM, page 6
Timothy Farley
Senate makes a vote Says no to web block By PERRY CONTINENTE Staff Writer
Blood Drive at Los Medanos Student Life and the Blood Centers of the Pacific will have a Blood Drive on campus Tuesday, March 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Bloodmobile in front of the library. To schedule your donation appointment visit www. bloodheroes.com, Click ‘locate a blood drive’ and enter sponsor code LosMC. For additional information, contact the Office of Student Life at studentlife@losmedanos. edu.
The Los Medanos College Academic Senate voted unanimously Monday, Feb. 26 to pass a resolution opposing the recent implementation of web filtering software, despite a request from administration to delay voting on the issue until a later date. Librarian Roseann Erwin and History Professor Joshua Bearden drafted the resolution, which calls the practice of URL filtering “censorship” and “contrary to academic freedom,” before recommending the suspension of the software. Administration requested that the Senate avoid voting until after Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, who is returning to the district office as Executive Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology, could speak to the campuses about the blocks. Contra Costa County College District Chancellor Fred Wood passed the request to College President Bob Kratochivil, who passed it along to the Academic Senate where it was not well received. “It is in my mind inappropriate for any administrator to interfere with our process,” said Bearden. “I think that Mojdeh should go to the council with this resolution in hand.” See RES, page 6
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.
Experience • Adria Watson
CCC President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh speaks during the Wednesday, Feb. 28 governing board meeting.
CCC president back to district Leader to guide education, tech By ADRIA WATSON
awatson@lmcexperience.com
Contra Costa Community College District Chancellor Fred Wood recently announced to the district that Contra Costa College President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh is returning to the district office as Executive Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology effective March 15. According to Wood and Mehdizadeh, there had been ongoing conversations over the past year between the two, and between Wood and other district community members, regarding the need for Mehdizadeh to return to her previous position, but the final decision
was made only a few weeks before it was announced. “Let me also say that in no point in any of these conversations was there anything about Mojdeh not doing a fabulous job at Contra Costa College,” Wood said adding, “Because I know that’s something people wonder. ‘Did she do something wrong?’ She is fabulous. She’d be fabulous as a president anywhere. She’s a fabulous person so that’s the circumstances.” Wood acknowledged that there has been a void in the area of education and technology since Mehdizadeh left the district office to become CCC’s president in 2016, before he assumed the district
as chancellor. He added that because many in the district spoke highly of Mehdizadeh’s skills in the area of education and technology, he reached out and, in the end, left the final decision up to her. “She is one of a kind as executive vice chancellor, and she sure is deeply missed,” said Wood. Mehdizadeh said she was torn about the decision to return to the district office in Martinez because she will miss having the opportunity for daily in-person interactions with students. “There is a real genuine caring between and among members [at CCC] and the students,” said Mehdizadeh. “When you are part of helping reinvigorate that culture, it becomes very difficult when
Office brings awareness
See EVC, page 6
Insite app provides access
FinAid helps in event
By ROBERT PIERCE
rpierce@lmcexperience.com
By BRENNA ENOS
benos@lmcexperience.com
Financial aid assistance and prizes were offered to Los Medanos College students via pop-up tents in the Outdoor Quad Tuesday, Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In conjunction with Financial Aid Awareness Day, this event, with the help from Financial Aid Office worker Penelope Murphy, helped students learn how to apply for free college money. Murphy explained that during the event, the financial aid office was “instructing [students] and guiding them on what they need to do and where they need to go.” Experience • Brenna Enos She added that students have had many questions and through visiting the event Financial Aid Office Student Worker Andrew Gonzalez and LMC See AID, page 6
student R.C. Kubota during the Financial Aid Awareness Day event.
The Contra Costa Community College District released a new InSite app for mobile phones, available on all app stores —with a companion desktop website available at m.4cd.edu/. The app includes access to Canvas, the Los Medanos College librar y, daily class cancellation lists, faculty director y, bus routes to and from campus and more. The InSite app’s user experience is presented through customizable “tiles” that the user can See INSITE, page 6
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“The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.”
— Vince Lombardi
Veronica Zesati
Tammy Seward
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Youtube needs restrictions
Keeping our minds focused
YouTube has gone from a small platform hosting low-quality videos of cats to a massive collective of news, entertainment, and information shared worldwide. With over 1 billion users watching over 5 billion videos every day, the sheer amount of content being shared is unparalleled by any other library of knowledge in history. However, unlike any other library, YouTube has the potential to provide one thing for those who take part in the creation of media: an extremely lucrative career. With such a massive audience, YouTube has a problem with incentivizing those who are willing to do anything for a few minutes of attention through ad revenue. Users compete for their videos to have most controversial title or the most scandalous headline to get as many views as possible and to make as much money as possible from the ads that come before or during the video. The more people click on the video, the more YouTube’s algorithm suggests that video to other users, giving them an even larger audience. Eventually that video may even make the front page, giving it even more attention, more views, and more ad money. However, this begs the question, is YouTube clickbait all that bad? Humans have always been creating content for attention; before YouTube there was television, before television there was radio, before radio there was live theater, so on and so forth all the way back to hoping someone would see the cool cave painting you put on a wall. It may be more profitable than ever before, and there may be new tools and new platforms to attract attention with, but it is all the same isn’t it? If people need to make a living off of something, creating videos that are intentionally misleading or capitalize on shock value cannot be wrong, can it? I believe it can. The mass scale on which content can be created and shared is unlike anything humanity has even seen before, and with it comes the power to impact an entire country’s worth of people. No longer are media ethics a concern for journalists alone, it should become a responsibility of YouTubers as well, especially those with large audiences. The Internet does not exist in a vacuum, and no longer is it a niche little club that most people are unaware of and bears no consequence on society. It is estimated that 80% of Americans use the Internet, and 80% of people watch YouTube. With almost the entire country watching, we need regulations. When we don’t effectively regulate, people will abuse the platform in order to further their own careers, regardless of the ethics. Take for example, the case of YouTube star Logan Paul. An incredibly successful YouTuber who made multiple YouTube videos that were meant to attract attention with shock value, the most controversial of which featured the dead body of a man who committed suicide. The body, completely uncensored, appeared in the thumbnail of the video. Within the video itself, Paul and his friends stand around filming the body while joking and laughing, showing the man’s face over and over again. This video was eventually taken down, but not by YouTube, by Paul himself after the backlash threatened his popularity. YouTube hosted the video on its front page, allowing it to rake in millions of views before it was removed, and did not penalize Paul’s channel in any way. A real person, who took their own life, was exploited for views on YouTube. There need to be restrictions put into place to prevent something like this from ever happening again. Some may have concerns over their freedom of speech being taken away. However, we already have similar regulations on television and radio. These rules are the reason why you don’t turn on the TV and see graphic footage.
As I sat down to write my column, I had so many distractions that I kept forgetting what I wanted to write about. Not distractions of an emergency nature either. Things like my folks’ new dog, kids needing things, family issues, my work schedule and other homework kept filtering into my mind as I wrote. The world itself is full of distractions, yet we all must keep pushing along day to day. It’s no wonder years seem to fly by and the semesters come and go. Then it hit me. There are so many distractions in our lives how do we keep going? Aside from being an LMC student, I work full-time and am also a single parent of three amazing kids. But distractions in life are plenty, whether you’re a parent or not. I wish I could stop and shut down for a day like the government often does and still get paid. Yet millions of military personnel and other government employees did not get paid. I, however, do not have that luxury. I must put on my big girl panties, breathe, count to 10, be an adult and keep going whether I like it or not, especially when I don’t agree with someone. I wonder if the government realizes what we all go through daily. Do they remember what it’s like to be one of the people they are supposed to be serving? Do they read the same news we do? Now we can receive news stories from other countries even ones from years ago, as if they were current news. Reports and studies by experts are now everywhere and on such random topics as, ‘what a person should or should not wear after the age of 53.’ I shall wear what I am most comfortable in. Sorry, not sorry. Keeping a balance in life now seems so much harder than it did growing up. Think about it, social media brings the world to your fingertips. How do you balance life with the information overload you receive on a daily, if not minute-by-minute, basis? Social media can be an awesome tool. For example, I keep in touch with family and friends on Facebook, but I also see so much drama that does not pertain to my family nor me. I took it off my phone, and now I wait until I get home to check it. Fake news stories are shared everywhere. Before sharing, double and possibly triple check the validity of its sources. You never know when you might share a story that is false. I almost miss the days without social media, but I have a few ideas and suggestions. Time yourself on social media; see if you really need to see what you’ve seen, or hear what you hear. Set your phone aside for a few minutes. Yes, I know you feel naked without it. Find what helps you stay focused and on task, especially when doing homework, with family and friends or at work. There is a time and a place for everything. Don’t hunt me down or anything, I just wonder how we can keep going and stay on track with all the distractions in life. If you have anything to add, feel free to get in touch with me. I’m willing to listen to all suggestions. Hope to hear from you soon.
Experience • Hillary Hetrick
Editorial
Reform before violence
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wo weeks after 17 teachers and students were murdered at Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida, class is back in session. Since the shooting, the survivors have advocated not only for stricter gun laws, but for the removal of elected officials being bought by the National Rifle Association. Despite facing widespread opposition from President Trump’s paranoid, Second Amendment obsessed lackeys and various other conservatives nationwide, their voices have brought a significant change so far. These aren’t just small changes, either. In the last two weeks, various big name corporations have officially cut ties with the NRA, including United and Delta Airlines, rental car companies like Avis, Rent-a-car and Hertz, MetLife, hearing aid company Starkey and medicine manufacturer Paramount Rx. Also, as of this week, two of the largest gun sellers in the United States, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Wal-Mart, have made it illegal for people under 21 to buy guns at their stores. Dick’s specifically is no longer selling military-style assault rifles. Naturally, the gun nuts are shaken. In response to these changes, a wave of conspiracy theories about the Stoneman Douglas kids have flooded social media. They are being accused of being actors and conservatives are rifling through every anti-gun social media post to find mistakes to gripe about. They don’t realize how ridiculous it is for people this old to be attacking children. According to USA Today, Oregon legislature “banned people convicted of stalking and domestic violence or under restraining orders from buying or owning firearms and ammunition.” Stoneman Douglas Student Activist Emma Gonzalez applauded the bill, but acknowledged that this was only the beginning. This is true for all of the changes enacted so far. There’s still work to be done, and we can’t just sit back and let children do everything. At the end of the day, it’s up to generations X through Z to use our voices however we can. At the very least, we could be educating the uninitiated on the things that matter to us. Us millenials will continue being allies and fighting injustices alongside Generation Z activists. We may not know how long it will take or how far we have to go to get the change we want to see, but we do know the next generation is a persistent one. We all want to believe in something, so we’re choosing to believe in the youth of this country.
Letter to the Editor
Gun violence solution is fragmented DEAR EDITOR: We have been inundated with calls to “do something” about gun violence since the most recent school shooting tragedy. This “something” boils down to proposals to restrict firearm ownership. The current public debate on what we ought to do is (mis)guided by two principles: that the most important thing is to “do something,” and the second is that we should have high school students driving our gun policy. Nevermind we were begging them not to eat laundry detergent not too long ago. If you don’t agree with them, you are seemingly OK with mass shootings, as Sen. Marco Rubio found out in a CNN town hall. Restricting “assault weapon” (the legal definition conveniently changes with public opinion) ownership and punishing legal gun owners even more than they currently are, will not solve the problem. If we raise the gun ownership age to 21, why not raise the voting age as well? Why not raise the age for owning a smartphone to 21, since eleven teens die every day from texting and driving? Why not take everyone’s car keys away, since vehicle accidents kill more people than firearms every year? There is little evidence that gun control correlates to less violent societies. All too often, these tragedies are committed
Voices
by people who slipped through the cracks of the laws we already have in place. Why don’t we commit to enforcing the current laws and systems we already have in place? The shooter killed seventeen students and faculty after the FBI failed to forward a tip, the local sheriff’s office ignored nearly two dozen calls about the shooter’s volatility, and then responding deputies hid outside while the shooting happened. But public attention blames the NRA and its members, when not a single member has been responsible for these shootings. After these failures, the government is considering curtailing our rights to “keep us safe”? The Second Amendment is not outdated due to technology — by that logic, the First Amendment should be regulated as well because the founding fathers didn’t have keyboards and WiFi. In the end, gun regulations will be enforced by men with guns. Gun control advocates are very pro-gun, they are just in favor of one group having them. The slippery slope of government expansion and erosion of our rights will be obvious to the public when it is all too late. As for myself, and other constitutionalists, we refuse to have to be the ones paying for other peoples’ violent actions. — Dale Satre
Reader Opinion Policy The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the Los Medanos College community — students, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write. If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, bring your submissions to room CC3-301 and put them in the Perspectives Editor’s mailbox or mail them to Experience c/o Los Medanos College, 2700 E Leland Road, Pittsburg, CA 94565. You may also send them electronically through the Experience online newsite lmcexperience.com. Letters and columns must be typed, signed and include a phone number for verification. They may be edited for clarity, content taste and length at the editor’s discretion. LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE
Have you applied for any scholarships? C
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“I haven’t because I always forget before the deadline but I plan on doing some over the summer.” — Josie Blubaugh
“No. There are some available, but I haven’t registered for any of those yet.” — Lanell Cheney
“Well, my major is nursing so hopefully something that’s based on that.” — Tiffany Smith
“No I haven’t done any scholarships. My GPA isn’t high enough yet.” — Alex Rivas
“It seems like more of a hassle because when you think of a scholarship, you think of essays but in the end, it’s all worth it.” — Arianna Beruman
“I haven’t done any scholarships. I haven’t gotten to it. Plus my parents saved up a lot of money so I’m just saving that money.” — Kyle Vanderstrom
“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 ........................JESUS CANO & HUGO CALDERON 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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“When I want to understand a problem, I want to understand it from the ground level.”
— Matthew Desmond
Newswatch 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: Thursday, March 15, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. BRENTWOOD: 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.
Master Class Recital in March
University of the Pacific Associate Professor of Voice & Opera Burr Cochran Phillips will be making a special appearance on campus at Los Medanos College Tuesday March 20 at 7:30 p.m. for a Master Class Recital and Vocal Performance in the LMC Recital Hall, located in the Music building. The recital is being held by the LMC Division of Vocal/ Choral and Professor Silvester Carl Henderson, and in addition to Phillips will feature performances by the LMC Vocal Students as well as guest performer and operatic mezzo soprano Ivanna Taratula-Filipenko. Admission will be $5 for all. For more information, call (925) 473-7805 or (925) 565-6107.
Clubs on display March 6
Students looking for clubs will be able to gather on Tuesday March 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Club Day. This is a day to learn about all the clubs available on campus. It will be located at the indoor quad in the Core building. In addition to recruiting new members, another function of this event is for clubs to have an opportunity to fundraise. Various clubs will be selling food, the proceeds of which will go toward club funding. The money will be used for trips, conferences, club shirts, sashes, and other club materials. It is up to the clubs to determine what the money should be spent on. Some of these will also go towards foundation scholarships. For more information about Club Day you can call Teresea Archaga, Director of Student Life, at (925) 4737552 or call the Office of Student Life at (925) 473-7554.
S.A.C.H.E. club looks to help
The Students with Abilities Coordinate to Help Each-other or S.A.C.H.E. club is looking for students who are either already a part of Disabled Students Programs & Services or have an intererst in helping to spread the voices of students with disabilities to join their service-based club. All students, staff and faculty are welcome to join, and you can email the club’s administrators at sache.club@gmail. com for meeting dates and times. For more information, visit their website at www.lmcsache.weebly.com.
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 Community 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.
CTE drop-in counseling
The Career Technical Education Program will be offering drop-in counseling for all of their program subjects. The table for dates, times and locations is as follows: n Wednesday, March 21: Child Development Center, CS1-110, 12:30-2 p.m. n Tuesday, April 10: CC2-255-Etec Lecture area, 11 a.m.-12 .p.m. n Thursday, April 19: CC3-505-Appliance Service area, 4:30-6 p.m. Appointments are also available. For more information, visit the fourth floor Student Services building or call (925)473-7449.
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 guaranteed.
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
Experience • Lilly Montero
Antione Tanner (left) and Jahari Kirkendoll (right) participating in the 3-On-3 basketball tournament at LMC Tuesday, Feb. 27. The competition culminates with a Championship game Tuesday, March 20.
LMC goes for three By LILLY MONTERO Staff Writer
LMC’s annual 3-On-3 Intramural basketball tournament started off on a high note Feb. 27 in the afternoon. Eight teams of three with creative names like Team Hollywood, Big Ballers and Nike Boys flocked to the basketball courts ready to have a good time. Once everyone’s paperwork was in order and t-shirts were handed out, the group gathered around Student Life director Teresea Archaga and M.E.N. Program Coordinator and Student Success & Retention Programs Coordinator, Marques McCoy for quick
pep talk. “Get to know each other. Sweat and have fun!” said McCoy. And with that it was time to play ball. Although Tuesday was the official start of the tournament, it was more of a day to relax and get in the swing of things. A total of 12 teams signed up, but only seven made an appearance, with and additional team of players who never filled out paperwork for an official team but wanted to play nonetheless. All of this was a little chaotic for Student Life director, Teresea Archaga. It may be LMC’s fifth year putting on this event, but it was her first time being the organizer
for it. However, with a bit of help from her “more athletic friends” she was doing fine she said. McCoy, one of the Archaga’s “athletic friends”, was excited about the event on the whole. For him this event is all about “getting the student population, faculty and staff communicating” as well as providing a “stress reliever outside of the classroom”. With Team McCoy playing on Court 2 and taking the opportunity to talk to students after the games finished, he seemed right in his element. See THREE, page 6
SACNAS cleans the lake By A.R. BROOM
abroom@lmcexperience.com
On Monday, Feb. 26, 2018 students and members of the community gathered at Los Medanos College’s waterfront to clean up litter. The event was put on by the campus’ chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) via Student Life and was inspired by the previous lakeside cleanups. SACNAS’ Ricardo Black helped to keep the event running smoothly. “The event is hosted by SACNAS and inspired by the Rotaract club,” said Black. Black said he was saddened by the amount of litter around the lake. “It’s kind of inconsiderate of all the animals and people that use this lake,” said Black. “I know a lot of faculty
Experience • A.R. Broom
Student volunteers help to clean up the LMC lake on Monday, Feb. 26. The event was put on by SACNAS who were inspire by the Roteract club. and even students come down to kind of mellow down and just enjoy the little part of nature that we have.” One of the possible reasons for the litter appeared to be a lack of waste bins for lake-goers to leave their garbage. “I think putting more garbage cans would be nice. When
walking around you can’t find many,” said fellow SACNAS member, Tannya Vargas. The sustainability committee that Black is working with is planning to go around campus and put color coated recyclable trash and compost bins on campus. Black is hoping the effort will put a dent in
the amount of litter found on campus. Vargas thinks that adding bins may not fix the problem. “The way some people interact with nature, they think it’s their personal landfill,” said Vargas. Black agr eed adding, See LAKE, page 6
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“Be great in act, as you have been in thought.”
4 Delta Guild puts on show
— William Shakespeare
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By LILLY MONTERO
lmontero@lmcexperience.com
Photo courtesy of Priscila Rodriguez
LMC director Nick Garcia and Senior Lab Coordinator Eric Sanchez talk with “Hand to God” cast members Jason Miller, Trevon Nelson, Ariel Dunn and Avishan Saberian at the college theater festival in Washington.
Theater festival enlightens By BRENNA ENOS
benos@lmcexperience.com
Bundled up in their warmest winter coats, 22 Los Medanos College drama students flew out to Spokane, Washington for the annual Kennedy Center for American College Theater Festival Sunday, Feb. 18 through Saturday, Feb. 24. A main attraction of KCACTF every year is also the workshops that are provided for attendees. Among these workshops that LMC students attended were Mask Performance,
Russian Games, Comedia Del Arte and Character Analysis. In the Comedia Del Arte workshop, students learned how to safely lift, twirl and throw other students. This was a fun workshop for many students as it was very hands-on and provided attendees with a unique experience. “Trust me, we all had the time of our lives with all these strangers throwing us on their backs,” said Yazmin Rahimi on her experience in the Comedia Del Arte class. LMC students also watched sev-
eral shows put on by other colleges throughout the duration of the conference, including Diablo Valley College, California State University East Bay and University of Idaho. The plays “were all incredibly moving this year,” said Rodriguez. “A lot were about personal and social problems which I loved.” When LMC students weren’t attending workshops or plays, they also had the opportunity to be a part of social gatherings that not only allowed them to mingle with
each other, but also gave them the chance to meet drama students from other colleges. “I got really close to a lot of my friends and I made a ton of connections outside of our school,” said LMC drama student Priscila Rodriguez. “I’m normally shy and try not to interact with people I don’t really know, so it was great to break out of my shell.” As the only playwright from LMC attending the festival, Rodriguez not only enjoyed connecting with fellow
Pete’s ‘Precious’ tale
See DRAMA, page 6
LMC student discusses his life in novel By JORDAN NEEL
jneel@lmcexperience.com
LMC student Alton Pete, 50, released his book “Life is So Precious” an autobiography about his life on April 1st, 2017. In the book he showcases his time growing up in the Bay Area, joining the United States Army for over 25 years — in which he fought in the war in Iraq for 18 months — and eventually retiring from the army. Pete’s favorite thing about writing the book was how therapeutic it was for him. He was happy to spread a genuine love and concern for people, as he felt so graciously compelled to provide a powerful message to restore the hope, the love and the peace into this nation and all around the world. Pete said he wants people “to persevere and not give up”. “Don’t throw in your towel,” he said. “Instead hold on to your towel just a little while longer. Things are going to get better for you. There
is your light at the end of your tunnel.” Since the release of the book that took him three years to write, he is now officially an author in accordance with the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. According to Pete, sales for his book are climbing tremendously every day and he has been receiving such great praise from many people through email, text messages, phone calls and through in-person interactions. He has also had opportunities to be on television. “I have received so many requests for radio interviews, magazine covers, and waiting to hear back from some TV shows,” said Pete. “Everyone seems to love the title of the book — I get that everywhere I go.” Pete’s service in the Army plays a big role in the book. While in the military, he made some sacrifices, but it was all worth it to him Photo provided by Alton Pete as he got the opportunity see the world from Alton Pete during his time in the United States Puerto Rico, Iraq, Kuwait and more. See PETE, page 6
Army, which he discusses in his book.
Independent artists from the Art Guild of the Delta will be showcasing their work in the Los Medanos College Art Gallery Tuesday, March 6 — Thursday, April 5. The gallery will be open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:30-2:30 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. The reception for the show will be on Thurs., March 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. The Guild is a non-profit organization that works to bring together a community of artists from around East Contra Costa County. “I bring all kinds of independent artists to the galler y… but Artwork “Green I w a n t e d Banded Swallotail” to bring in by Beverly Turner. community artists as well,” said Gallery Director Judi Pettite. “It’s important to show art that’s happening in the community.” Since its founding in 2013, the guild has fostered a strong partnership with LMC that has helped grow a community of young artists. It supports LMC students by providing funds for the LMC art scholarship and offering internship opportunities. The guild’s secretary Pamel Tabel said, “The guild has a huge, strong, support for LMC” with a partnership like “one big revolving art door.” Whenever the Art Guild of the Delta gives, LMC gives back. While LMC is showcasing artwork from guild members, the student art show will be showcased in the gallery in Brentwood. Showcasing student artwork in the gallery in Brentwood is a big opportunity for students to build their portfolios and resumes, something the guild knows can be hard to do as student. Having artists from the Art Guild of the Delta in the gallery is LMC’s way of keeping that “revolving art door” turning. Food and drink will be provided at the reception and there will also be a drawing for a handmade floor vase made by a ceramic student at LMC. Students can expect to see a variety of media from oil paintings to sculptures and ceramics. The artists will be selling off various pieces as well. “You’re going to come in and go, ‘Oh wow! Those are really gorgeous,’” Tabel said.
More than meets the eye ‘Annihilation’ tackles time By JONATHAN LITTLE jlittle@lmcexperience.com
“Annihilation” features actors Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson and Oscar Isaac in a two-hour sci-fi thriller that will leave a viewer a bit confused. The movie is centered on Portman’s character, a biologist sent into a bubble with three other researchers to see how the environment has taken over part of a regional park, and what it has done to the organisms inside. As the movie treks on it bounces back and forth between past and present as Portman’s character tells the story of what happened in the bubble. No other researchers who have gone into the area have ever made it out alive, leaving her team to wonder if they will make it out as well. Little did they know as they went through the chaotic environment, they would be faced with obstacles they have never seen before, and would test them mentally, physically and emotionally. The only way for the group to sur vive was to put their differences aside and work together, but the challenges along the way may have been too much for the group of researchers.
REVIEW
Image courtest of IMDb
The Biologist (Natalie Portman) observes an alligators’ features in “Annihilation.” As a viewer going to this movie, be prepared for a lot of jumping between past and present as it is easy to get lost in the shuffle when the story reaches its climax. “Annihilation” is the type of film that if you turn away for a second something major has happened so it’s best to be attentive to what’s going on in the story to fully understand what is happening to the characters. Viewers may draw comparisons to “Inception,” “Looper” and “Arrival,” as those are all movies in which the story unfolds throughout the movie, and all have a similar eerie
feeling as the movie comes to a climax and as it concludes. “Annihilation” follows the traditional, science fiction story telling formula and offers something mysterious that will have the viewer guessing what’s going to happen next. However, it also adds spice with the thriller/horror component. “Annihilation” is well made, and it’s a good change of pace in a movie season when the Oscars are right around the corner. Fans of science fiction and horror genres will enjoy it and just like “Inception” there may be more than meets the eye.
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“Dream big, because dreams do happen”
— Alex Morgan
LMC finds success with six
Team pulls through
By JESUS CANO
jcano@lmcexperience.com
The Los Medanos College women’s basketball team has battled through adversity its entire season. There was always one common obstacle for the Mustangs, only having six players on their roster. The blow came early in the season, as the team started with 11 players on the squad, but as time progressed head coach and LMC Athletic Director Richard Villegas said that players quit due to personal reasons, forcing the team to play with six women throughout league play. “We worked with the six players we had and tried to make them better,” Villegas said. The team had to work on its discipline on the court according to Villegas, specifically when it came to avoiding fouls. But in spite of the short roster, the team ended with an overall record of 19-9, and ended 13-3 in Bay Valley Conference play. LMC finished third in conference play and made the last seed in the playoffs, where it’s season came to an end after losing to Merritt College 66-49. With only six players, the ‘Stangs managed to put an average of 72 points a game throughout its entire season. One of the key players for
the team was the MVP of the BVC, freshman Adorah Buggs, who in addition to receiving the award had the honor of being named second team All-State Player, after taking a two-year hiatus from playing. Buggs recorded 23 points per game, leading the BVC. She additionally had 96 offensive rebounds and 141 defensive rebounds. “Having the honor to be league MVP as a freshman is beautiful to me because it was all heart,” Buggs said. “When you only play with six — sometimes five — players all season, it’s not about the talent it’s about how much heart you have. It definitely puts a lot of pressure on me for next year.” The ef for t of the other players didn’t go unnoticed, as sophomores Elsa Ross and Chr ysa Ray were awarded All-Conference awards. Ross was third in BVC with 17.3 points per game, while Ray also placed third, but in the field goal percentage. Jayden Tolentino, Danielle Daniels and Candra Smith made up the rest of the team, and with the minimum players on the roster, stayed committed and executed their plays well. “There are no most valuable of the six, because they’re all most valuable to me because without them we couldn’t finish the season,” Villegas said.
Experience • Cathie Lawrence
First baseman Shaylyne Siino stretches out to attempt to record an out against Lassen College.
Saturday slump for Stangs
By ALEX CAMILLI
acamilli@lmcexperience.com
Los Medanos College’s softball team battled Saturday, Feb. 24 against Lassen College but came up short both games of a double-header, 8-3 and 8-5. In the first game, Mustangs player Shaylyne Siino started off on the mound and teammates Sage Ford, Ashley Derby, and Sierra LaMunyon remained vigilant and acted upon every hit from the first three Lassen batters. To take advantage of the opportunity to quickly rack up outs for the opposing team, Mary Borlongan and Siino showed in the bottom of the first that they could respond to a pitcher they have not yet faced. In the top of the third inning Mustangs player Brittney Bangert and Sara Rodgers
Split double header
showed great team chemistry limiting Lassen to only one run home with the bases loaded. When the Mustangs got back into the batter’s box in the bottom of the third inning Borlongan hit a double. The team effort remained unwavering and was rewarded when they tied up the score in the bottom of the fourth inning on a hit by Rodgers that sent Shayna Lee home. With momentum on their side, Lee made a stunning catch in the outfield alongside teammate Ford. Siino earned Lassen its third out which created an opportunity for Derby to hit a spectacular home run that earned her team the lead for the time being. LMC remained consistent until fly balls gave Lassen an opportunity to capitalize on
those missed catches to get five of their base runners home. Lassen led 6-3 in the sixth inning until they managed to earn a couple more runs near the end of the exhibition to win 8-3. In the second outing, the Mustangs improved their offense but still lost 8-5. Head Coach Tim Rognlien attributes the loss to inconsistent application of skills. “If you can’t catch and you can’t throw it to get the out you’re going to wind up getting beat” said, Rognlien. Despite the loss, team spirit remains high and they will be ready to face Solano Community College Tues., March 13 in their home territory. “We all worked together to put each other on base and keep each other’s spirits high” said Derby.
University of San Francisco
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Experience • Cathie Lawrence
Los Medanos College split a double header against Monterey Penisula on Saturday. LMC won the first game 12-8 but didn’t have the same success the second time around falling 9-3. In this moment from the game, Jason Ochoa attempts to tag out Monterey runner on second base.
Oakland A’s spring outlook Around this time last year I boldly stated growth of Olson and the other players who the A’s were a sleeper team to make an impact brought light to a dark situation for the A’s in the 2017 American League teams such as last year. the Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and One prospect who shouldn’t be overlooked Cleveland Indians. Obviously, many A’s fans this year for the A’s, is fireball left-hander soon found that didn’t turn out to be the case. A.J. Puk. The Oakland Athletics finished the season The southpaw was drafted in the first round in last place in the Amerby the A’s in 2016 and ican League Western has impressed many division with a record baseball fans since, with of 75-87— the third his incredible fastballs worst record in all of that can hit upward of Major League Baseball. 95 to 97 mph. He is now However, the A’s did drawing comparisons to show some life toward recent Hall of Fame inA LITTLE LOVE the end of the season as ductee Randy Johnson, they finished on a 17-9 with his tall stature on run that saw an emergence of young players the mound and the intimidating presence he who are here to make an impact in Oakland. brings every time he takes the bump to begin Prospects such as Matt Olson , Matt Chap- the game. Fans should be excited as the youth man, Franklin Barreto and Brentwood’s own, movement is beginning to pay off. Paul Blackburn, who burst onto the scene last For A’s fans patience, has been hard since the year, all bring a ray of hope to the green and trading of Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Donaldson gold fans in Oakland, as their young squad and Sean Doolittle, but with this young group looks to take on the tough American League of players it should be fun to watch baseball in 2018. in Oakland for years to come. One of bright spots toward the end of the One of the keys for the A’s to be successful season was first baseman Olson who, in his final this season is for their young squad to keep month, hit 21 homers, the most by any rookie growing as they play their first 162 game-season in a single month. Now baseball analysts are together as a whole team. The Oakland A’s saying that Olson is the next big thing to hit have the youngest starting rotation in Major Major League Baseball and has the potential League Baseball as well as the youngest lineto hit 40 home runs and drive in more than up, but it’s both a rotation and a line-up that 100 runs for the A’s in the coming years. can be electric as the season goes on. It should be exciting for A’s fans to see the See OAK page 6
Jonathan Little
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it comes to leaving a culture like that.” Although her love of Contra Costa College and desire to see the “hustle and bustle of students coming and going” were important considerations, in the end, Mehdizadeh said she understood Wood’s notion that her skillsets are needed district wide and her final decision came down to wanting to be able to give back to all three colleges. “She’s going to fill a huge void,” said Los Medanos College President Bob Kratochvil. “She has been an incredible colleague in the president’s seat and she will be incredibly valuable in her new role.” According to Wood, a national recruitment process to find a permanent CCC president will begin this spring, for now, the role of interim president will be filled by former Contra Costa College student and retired Santa Monica College president/superintendent Dr. Chui Tsang. The decision for Mehdizadeh to move from CCC to the district office is happening mid-semester because that is when Tsang is available to take the reigns on an interim basis. “Chui is excited to come and join us, and people have asked ‘well why do the this right now? Why not start in June or at a better time? And the reason is that Chui is a highly sought-after consultant, and he right now is consulting with a number of universities in Asia,” said Wood. “He will return in mid-March and he’s available until the beginning of September. So that’s his availability to serve as interim and we wanted to take advantage of that.”
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theatre students, but she also had a fun learning experience through bringing a show she had written, “Some Things are Just Scarier,” to the festival. “I felt really scared [about the show] but after seeing it being presented and watching people enjoy it, it made me gain a lot of confidence said Rodriguez. The LMC drama students recieved positive feedback — and even callbacks for other colleges. “Almost all of us competing had people constantly coming up to us and telling us how much they loved our scenes,” said Rahimi.“We brought the talent this year.”
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rearrange at will. The district is optimistic about its potential to help students. “Students will definitely benefit from using the new app, because our goal was to bring all the various functions that students may need in one place under single login,” said District Director of Information and Technology Satish Warrier. “The new app features a tile that shows a dashboard into classes that use Canvas from where students can directly access the course… Students will also have the ability to re-arrange and/or hide certain tiles they are not interested in.” Warrier explained that the app was created to provide better access and service to students, faculty and staff around the district and having a feature that “would work consistently across devices and would look very similar no matter what device is used.” “I think the app as a concept will benefit me because it allows me simpler access to my registration and class planning ser vices,” LMC student Arren De Manuel said. “It’s useful that all of the ser vices provided by InSite… are all in one place for students to check-out.” The app and website were created to completely replace the old InSite website as well as the Ellucian GO app. CCCD will run both the new and old InSite sites until July 1, at which point only the new versions of InSite will be supported. “The cur rent InSite is
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“Awareness of what it’s costing the environment is something we probably need to spread.” “If you pick up trash you could benefit all these animals, or if you throw trash on the ground you’re possibly harming a lot of wildlife and that might not be your intention, but it’s happening,” said Black. The event had a turnout of about a dozen volunteers within three hours. One volunteer, Mary Abusafieh, was able to spare some time to come to the event. “You don’t have to come here all day to make an impact,” said Abusafieh, “I know a lot of people don’t want to be seen picking up trash, which is silly because there’s nothing wrong with cleaning the area around you.” Maggie Rajo, another LMC student, had to make time for the event. “This is important to me; it’s definitely something
to prioritize,” said Rajo. The most common items picked up during the event were cigarette butts, bread clips, bottles, swisher packets, and clear plastic. Until people quit littering, there will continue to be trash, but Black gave a bit of advice for those who could not make it to the event. “If ever yone picked up garbage on their walks there would be a lot less garbage in the lake,” said Black Christopher Wilson lives in the areas surrounding LMC, but visits the area around the lake often. “Yeah I always pick stuff up and throw it away if I see it,” said Wilson. But the environment in and around the lake isn’t so bad according to Wilson. “I’ve noticed the fish are doing a lot better,” said Wilson “The Grebes, it has to be really clean for them, so the environment is getting really good.
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From page 1 meant for desktop computer use,” he explained. “Although students have been using it on mobile devices, it does not work well consistently and it is not mobile friendly. The Ellucian GO app was one step better than current InSite, but still lacked a lot of features the new one provides.” The development team for the app is eager to make chang-
es and updates based on user suggestions before the cutoff date and Warrier concedes that the app, compared to the desktop sites, still has a few ways it could improve. “We encourage students to provide us feedback thru the app on what they like or dislike,” he said. “And any feature they would like to see as well.”
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“To meet thousands of wonderful people has taught me the sentimental value of how much we can conquer by sticking together and suppor ting each other,” said Pete. “The military has also provided the motivation, the discipline, the leadership… the confidence, the courage, the benefits, and the skills to do anything in this world.” His biggest inspirations for the book were his mom, who he lost 22 years ago, and his sister Yvette, who he lost 7 years ago. They were two people who believed in him, and he misses them because that’s where his drive and ambition were derived from. Now that his book is out, Pete plans to start a foundation in his mother’s name to give $200 gift cards to single mothers and fathers, struggling families and homeless people. His mother was a giver and he inherited that from her. For Pete, “mothers are a jewel.” Lastly, Pete wants everyone to get his book. “It will move you, groove you, touch you, make you smile and you may want to cry,” said Pete. The book is in available in stores where books are sold. For more information on Alton Pete, check out his website altoneugenepete.com
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With a starting line-up that features Khris Davis, who comes off another 40-homerun season, the A’s just need to find ways to score runs and get outs as the season goes on, and they should see more success than they had last season. By no means does this suggest the A’s will be playoff contenders right away— it took the Houston Astros seven years to put all the pieces together with their youth movement, and now they are World Series Champions. For the A’s there will still be rough patches, but this is a team that will not be easy to put down. They’re young, hungry, and ready to showcase what the green and gold are capable of for years to come. In addition, they’re the only team in Oakland not chasing relocation to other cities like the Warriors and the Raiders. Oakland fans be ready, be excited, but also be patient, because the green and gold are on the rise, and sooner or later we will see the them sitting back on top.
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McCoy also noted that one of the benefits of this event was that it drew out athletes from all different sports. Pointing out football player, Antione Tanner, McCoy emphasized that this was really just an opportunity to play a game with your friends. Another student athlete, Sierra Humphrey, who was a part of the eighth team to join said that she decided to join because she was boredThe tournament will continue for the next three Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the LMC Gymnasium. In the first block, Big Brown Ballers won against Team MMM; Team McCoy won against Team James Flor Williams 21-13; Team ABB won against TEAM Galacio 21-15; and Team Nike Boys won 218. However, no teams will be eliminated until rounds begin next Tuesday. The final two teams left standing will battlle it out for the championship on Tuesday, March 20.
and they have been able to get answers. Students were also informed on what they needed to fill out in order to obtain financial aid as well. Those that came the event with their completed FAFSA or Dream Act applications were also able to put their name into a raffle ticket drawing. Prizes in this raffle included $50 gift cards to Target, MOD Pizza and Panera Bread, and the grand prize of an iPad. The winners of the prizes will be announced on Friday, March 2. Aside from the financial help and raffle, a brightly colored pinwheel at the table also drew in some crowds. By spinning the wheel and answering questions such as “Can you use the Pell Grant to buy books?” or “Do you have
to pay to apply for FAFSA?” students could also win small prizes such as wristbands or candy. Running the pinwheel at the tent was Financial Aid Office Student Worker Andrew Gonzalez. “It’s been good so far,” said Gonzalez on his experience in the Financial Aid Office. “People are really friendly and it seems like a family.” For those who did not attend the event and are interested in learning about financial aid or need assistance with their financial aid applications, help is available in the Financial Aid Center at LMC. The priority-filing deadline for the FAFSA and CA Dream Act applications is Friday, March 2.
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From page 1 “Tim is a DVC graduate so he knows the importance and contributions that community colleges can play on our students,” said Leong adding, “I think he really felt that this was his home, that this was a place where he understood what we were trying to do and achieve — as much student success for all of our students as we possibly can.” During the meeting, Márquez also voiced how difficult it was for him to talk about Farley’s resignation. “I’m going to miss him a lot,” said Márquez. “I’ve known him,
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in the ballpark, for 35 years.” Given the unexpected vacancy, a special board meeting will be held March 12 to discuss the next steps in filling Farley’s position. Because Farley’s letter of resignation was submitted after the 72-hour window required by the Brown Act for posting agenda items, the board has to wait for the March 12 meeting do decide whether or not to appoint an individual to fill Farley’s spot or maintain a four-member board until the upcoming election this November.
Wood responded to the backlash to the request, “I was disappointed because I think that Mojdeh will bring a fresh perspective to it. I think that she will be able to answer questions. I’m confident that she will be able to address some of the concerns.” Mehdizadeh spoke about the implementation of the blocks, “oftentimes when you make decisions by bringing people into the fold prior to the decisions you make better decisions and ultimately people are a pat of the decision making process so it doesn’t feel like something was done to them, but that they are part of the process.” Wood spoke to the future of the blocks and explained that he is “still confident that we can land somewhere where everyone’s needs are met.” “I look for ward to continuing the conversation,” said Wood. Bearden views the resolution as simply the first step. “The entire Senate is behind the resolution,” he said. “What we need to do now is follow up.” When discussing the resolution at the Senate meeting, Bearden called on LMCAS President Marco McMullen for a student perspective on the blocks. “The message we are getting from the student body is that we would like to pass the resolution,” said McMullen. “The ideal situation is that the district does not get rid of this entirely. I hope for the district to compromise.” Bearden echoed McMullen’s call for communication, “We need dialogue with the district and Mojdeh.” A lack of communication has been brought up by Wood repeatedly as a regret about the implementation of the blocks. “Things could have been handled better in the preliminary talks,” said Wood. According to Wood, Mehdizadeh will be coming to speak at the campuses about the URL filtering in March when she retur ns to the district office. —Adria Watson contributed to this report