Vol. 88 No. 11 - May 4, 2018

Fair prepares students

‘Computer’ impresses

Coston’s journey up

LMC Nursing, EMS and Fire students get informed about prospective careers at the job fair — page 3

Janelle Monáe gets personal in her third album “Dirty Computer” — page 4

LMC baseball player Myles Coston talks about making a return to a Division I university — page 6

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By PERRY CONTINENTE @perrycontinente

Last full day of class prior to finals

May 25

May 21 marks the start of finals week for the spring semester. A reminder: classes that start at 4 p.m. and into the evening will hold finals at normal time. Confirm with your instructor for the specific times for your finals.

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L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M

Student trustee election underway

May 18

Finals week upcoming

M A Y

District set to decide

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Last day of instruction and graduation

F R I D A Y ,

Jocelyn Villalobos

Elections will soon be underway for the Contra Costa Community College District’s student trustee position. The student who will fill the office will act as a voice for Los Medanos, Contra Costa and Diablo Valley colleges on the district’s governing board.

Two students are running for the

position, LMC Associated Students senators Jocelyn Villalobos and Ruben Rocha.

LMCAS adviser John Nguyen was complimentary of both candidates, “It is a position that is very much needed,” said Nguyen, “the candidates are up for the job.”

He did however, express concerns with Rocha’s safety citing his recent absences from meetings

and school.

“I’ve been trying to contact him through email and phone,” said Nguyen, “I’m worried about him.”

Nguyen explained that Rocha had been missing from the weekly LMCAS meetings and school in general for around a month.

This worr y was echoed by Rocha’s colleagues in LMCAS

Ruben Rocha

See VOTE, page 6

Take a swig of mystery

Planning for a new semester The Los Medanos College Fall 2018 Class Schedule is now available for students who plan to register. It can be viewed online at losmedanos. edu/.

Photos by Brenna Enos

The student-written play “Torn Pages,” directed by Drama Instructor Nick Garcia, is a murder mystery set in the 1920s at a speakeasy and is now playing in the LMC Little Theater. Top: Teryn Macallan rehearsing as his character Donatello Ricci in the play. Above: Jimmy Darling and Teryn Macallan rehearse a scene from the show where their characters, Detective John McGregor and Donatello Ricci, discuss the murder that occurs in the play during a drunken and comedic scene. Read the review page, 4.

District teams up with JFK Therapists from JFK University have partnered with the Contra Costa Community College District to offer free therapy sessions on campus to students at LMC, DVC and CCC. For appointments, referrals and further information, contact WellnessLMC@ email.4cd.edu or call (925) 473-7449. To make appointments at the Brentwood location, call (925) 473-7459.

Advisers celebrated

Debate heads to Bwood

ICC recognize aide

Team prepares for annual event

By PERRY CONTINENTE @perrycontinente

White tables and colorful balloons adorned a usually drab and businesslike room in the library as clubs and their advisers jovially conversed over the buffet of Chinese food in Library L-109 Wednesday at the Inter Club Council’s Adviser Appreciation event.

The event ran from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and was an opportunity for Los Medanos College’s clubs to recognize their advisers for their work supporting the student organizations. ICC also provided the clubs with funds to purchase their advisers gifts, like Debate Club’s matching gifts of lotions and slippers to their advisers, Marie Arcidiacono and Star Steers. Similarly, Art Club provided Eric Sanchez with a personal sketch.

In addition to the free food and gifts,

By ANTHONY MARTINEZ Staff Writer

Experience • Azi Carter

LMCAS Adviser John Nguyen, Vice President Tammy Smith and President Marco McMullen during the event. the event concluded with an opportunity for each club to talk about their adviser and what they mean to them.

Tammy Smith, a fixture in many clubs around campus including ICC, LMC Associated Students and SACHE (Students with Abilities Coordinate to Helping Each-other), kicked off this

portion of the event by thanking the advisers and the club system on campus for helping “students like myself who were painfully shy.”

The clubs were then introduced in alphabetical order with the advisers being given a certificate of thanks.

See HONOR, page 6

The Los Medanos College debate team is holding its annual Public Debate May 9 in a new location — the Brentwood City Hall. While it has traditionally been held in Pittsburg, either on campus or at city hall, the decision was made to reach out to students and the public in the home city of LMC’s satellite campus.

This move comes right after groundbreaking for the new LMC facility in Brentwood which the team hopes will See DEBATE, page 6

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“Self-esteem is as important to our wellbeing as legs are to a table.”

— Louise Hart

Tony Cuellar

Nneka Maduewesi

GUEST COLUMNIST

GUEST COLUMNIST

Millennials are misunderstood

Put an end to domestic abuse

A candidate seeking election for public office in Maine recently made a grave miscalculation. Leslie Gibson, running unopposed for a seat in Maine’s House of Representatives, chose to align himself to the narrative that assumes the youth of today are “snowflakes.”

Millennials are quite often denigrated in the public sphere, described as entitled and lazy. Yet the narrative fails to provide evidence, and current events certainly question the frame our youth is placed in.

Gibson assumed the above to be true.

While one might conclude that human rights in relation to gender issues have been settled, a diatribe was launched into the digital world of social media, with sexual orientation as a Trump card to dismiss a movement deemed insignificant.

That was March 14. It took two days to crystalize into Gibson dropping from the race. While not solely the action of our youth, their passionate resolve and strength of character is the motivating force that has the veracity to wake many of us up. Or at least give us hope.

While there are a variety of issues to consider, my own focus rests on the raw power of social activism currently in the public sphere. Yet to allocate our energy to Second Amendment arguments alone or disperse into the white-male identity of Gibson would bury the tree in the forest.

What takes center-stage is the courage and resilience of the Never Again movement, that attempts to deny both individuals and ideas that challenge the institutional structures seeking to disparage our new generations.

I do cringe a bit at using labels such as Millennials, yet distinguishing a segment of the population for clarity is unavoidable.

Millennials stand accused of being incapable of understanding, writ large, by most of my own generation. Yet Pew Research studies as recent as March 18 of this year finds this generation to be the most educated generation to date. Women now outnumber men with bachelor’s degrees. Millennials are by far the most generous of generations, giving to causes and supporting community at substantial numbers. Millennials are the most diverse, tolerant and supportive generation regarding human rights than we have seen since the early days of the Civil Rights movement of the ’50s and ’60s.

Pew Research reveals Millennials are protective of human dignity in relation to gender differences, which is a life-saving quality for those who would be otherwise vilified by ideology such as the candidate from Maine, and his “skin-headed lesbian” ad hominem attack on one of the student activists who survived the recent school shooting in Parkland, Fla. As a father of a millennial, I’ve lived vicariously through Occupy Cal, seeing the bruises on my own daughter’s body for doing nothing more than standing for an idea. I experienced the outrage of the U.C. Davis pepper spraying, and the solemn, arms locked, heads bowed willingness to suffer for meaning and a life with value.

I’ve heard stories of lock-stepped police and the intimidation of the sound of boots approaching in a Black Lives Matter protest.

That’s real courage, the real thing.

That is this generation, yet it appears to have a different velocity. Perhaps that comes with knowing that you, the Millennial generation, outnumber any single voting demographic. And what happened in Maine was not the result of violence, but of passionate civil engagement.

This is not a foray into idealizing this generation. Complacency and apathy are the powerful forces that inhabit us all, young or old. Distractions abound, a life to be made and adventures to be had.

More than 70 percent of domestic violence cases go unreported. You know why? Because it is simply not what the public thinks about in terms of crime.

We regularly hear people speaking of the need to have more police officers on the street to protect them from harm. But what about the harm being suffered by people in their own homes?

Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior in any relationship used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner.

The abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional or psychological actions.

Domestic violence can be against a man, woman or child — though women are much more likely to be victims of intimate partner violence. Women make up 85 percent of domestic abuse victims.

Here are some statistics: A woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds.

One in three women and one in four men have been in abusive relationships. Twenty people are abused by an intimate partner every minute, adding up to 10 million victims each year. More than 200,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines every year.

According to a Psychology Today article, abuse is common and about a generation ago, many victims were often terrified of coming forward, worried they would appear weak and be blamed for their abuse. Thanks to the growth of the women’s and victim’s rights movements, this is changing.

My aunt was a victim of domestic violence for more than 13 years.

I watched her husband, the father of her three children and whom she loved, hit her on several occasions. She couldn’t and didn’t do anything for so long. Why? Because he was afraid of the unknown.

Living in Africa was completely different from living in the United States, although the country you live in shouldn’t be make a difference.

But I know what she was afraid of. She was afraid of people judging her. She worried about who was going to take care of her kids if she left. She was scared of getting a divorce and how her family would react to it. All this made her stay married to a monster for 13 years.

My little sister and I lived with her and her family for eight years and even after we came to the United States the abuse continued. But she finally escaped.

The last time he hit her and pushed her down the stairs, she was rushed to the hospital with a broken left leg. It was then she made up her mind never to go back to that house.

Instead, she was determined to start her life all over again with her kids. I wish I had been there to give my aunt a big hug and tell her she didn’t deserve a life like that and I am glad she left.

As I sit here typing this, I worry about the men, women and children been abused right now and how it will affect them in the long run.

I think of how I could have helped my aunt, but I was only a kid and there is really nothing I could do to help in a country like Nigeria.

So what can we do to help here in the United States? It’s not easy to know what to do when someone you love is in an abusive relationship.

You can offer your loved ones a safe place to stay, or help them get to a shelter. You can be there for them emotionally, and if childcare or finances are a concern, try offering financial assistance or help them to find some.

Most importantly we should be aware that domestic violence is a crime and we should do everything we can to combat it.

Experience • Oscar Guzman

Editorial

Focus on mental health

H

ave you ever sacrificed your mental health due to an overload of school assignments? Perhaps you’ve kept yourself awake into the early hours of the morning to finish a project. Maybe you’ve pushed away your relationships, because they’ve become too distracting. Or you have even had a mental breakdown, because you have multiple exams to take in a week.

If you can relate to having these mental health issues with school, you fall into the 80% of other college students who too feel overwhelmed by their college responsibilities, according to a study conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This is a startling number of students who feel overwhelmed by college, and with Los Medanos College entering into its final exam period in two weeks, it is important to take time to focus on mental health.

When students become stressed by schoolwork, they push out positive mental practices since they are hard to fit in with a hectic schedule.

During these stressful times, positive mental practices are really vital. “Positive mental practices” can include, but are not limited to: getting enough hours of sleep, spending time with loved ones, eating regularly and allowing for down time.

Engaging in these practices makes it a lot easier to maintain a good wellbeing when combatting school assignments and can overall lead to better success. Doing so can be tricky however, especially when schoolwork is taking up a large amount of time. If figuring out how to balance positive practices and getting schoolwork done is difficult, LMC provides helpful resources to students to assist them with the demanding task.

The Mental Wellness Program at LMC services provides on campus free, confidential therapy to students in a safe and welcoming environment. The services are provided throughout the academic year and are offered twice a week at the Pittsburg campus and once a week at the Brentwood center.

It is important to focus on mental health and use additional resources especially as LMC approaches finals week. For more information on the Mental Wellness Program please visit www.losmedanos.edu/counseling/wellness.asp or email wellnessLMC@email.4cd.edu. For more information on LMC counseling services, please visit www.losmedanos.edu/counseling.

Letter to the Editor

Voting is essential to seek change DEAR EDITOR:

Can we please start talking about the 2018 California midterms? In a little over six months, California voters will head to the polls and cast votes for Governor, Senator, and 53 U.S. House of Representative seats.

Yet, in recent volumes of the LMC Experience, there hasn’t been even the slightest mention of this.

I don’t think I should have to stress the importance of voting, but it seems LMC needs a reminder. The 2020 presidential election will be the first election where millennial voters will outnumber baby boomers and have the potential to shape our government for the next 30 to 40 years.

This is undeniably significant. Millennials represent a substantial voting population at LMC, but so far, crickets from the school paper about this crucial midterm.

This is LMC’s opportunity to start spreading the word about voting and how to register.

For a state with 38 million people and only two senators, we’re already at a disadvantage,

which makes the decision of who we elect so critical. California is at the front-line of some relevant issues such as immigration, technology and climate change. Who we vote to represent us will be our voices in Congress shaping future policy decisions. This will no doubt have lasting impacts on the direction of our state in the coming years.

No matter our political affiliations or leanings, our vote is our voice. It is our opportunity to affect change. It is at the ballot box where we, as everyday citizens, come together and hand down our judgments on the performance our delegates.

I hope this letter is a call to action. I think it would be meaningful for the Experience to write bios on some of the candidates running in this election, and maybe talk about what they stand for or hope to achieve if elected.

Also, including information about how to register would be worthwhile, as this isn’t always given knowledge. Let’s start getting the word out.

— Elizabeth McLaurin

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.

Voices

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

Experience

What should be the goal of humanity?

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Member California Newspaper Publishers Association

“Our goal should be to change.

Change the way we think about each other, change society around us. Change, period.”

— Alyicia Teal

“The goal of humanity should be to spread love and kindness.”

— Karinne Nevarez

“To coexist and work together on any issues that come up.”

“For each of us to do what we can for our fellow humans.”

— Oliver Morgan

— Tyler ZybachDeboer

“To be able to serve... our environment, ’cause we are living on it. [The environment] does not serve us and we need to protect it.”

— Victoria Alexander

“We should all just stop giving a fuck about some things but just care about the things we find important.

That’s the goal.”

— Zac Mendoza

“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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Campus

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“Anybody who is openly gay and visible is powerful... you are helping people.”

— Portia De Rossi

Newswatch Industrial Tech class offered

LMC is offering an Industrial Technology class this summer. The six-week course is worth two units and runs Monday through Thursday 1:30 to 4:20 p.m.

Students taking the course will experience a variety of industrial technology trades and careers including appliance technology, automotive technology, electrical and instrumentation technology, process technology, and welding technology.

This one course will be listed under all of the following course numbers, AUTO-100, APPLI-100, ETEC-100, PTEC-100 and WELD-100.

Students may register for this course using any one of the provided course numbers, through any of the standard registration methods.

For more information, students can call the LMC directory at (925) 473-2181 and ask about the course.

Core Club focuses on re-entry

LMC’s new club, Core Club, is here to help re-entry students better succeed at LMC. The club’s goal is to assist students re-entering college no matter how long it has been since they were last invloved with academics, or in what context.

Many students have difficulty navigating financial aid, course planning and other quirks of academia, and Core hopes to offer guidance.

For more information or to add your name to the list of members interested, you can contact Michelle Curtis, Chief Operating Officer and Secretary at mcurtis651@ insite.4cd.edu

LMC Rotaract looks to help

Rotaract is an organization for students and young professionals looking to take action through community and international service that creates sustainable solutions to local and global challenges. Rotaract connects with the global community of Rotary via the Rotary of the Delta in Antioch.

The club’s sponsor helps facilitate the efforts to expand professional networks, exchange ideas with leaders, and cultivate lifelong friendship around the world with a diverse group of students.

Members work together to assist in the development of life long skills to become community and global leaders in addition to making friends locally and globally while having fun and recognizing the importance of service above self.

Students can contact President Lucas Stuart-Chilote at lucassc212@aol.com if they are interested in joining this club.

Experience • Chris Ruiz

Professor Josh Bearden, draped in a rainbow feather boa, laughs during the Allies club’s Coming Out Party.

Degree ‘comes out’ Club cheers LGBT studies

By WILLIAM DUNTON @WillDunton

The Coming Out Party held last Thursday, April 26 in celebration of the newly available LGBTQ Studies Associate Degree for Transfer was lively and included a table of refreshments and free condoms.

After brief intermingling, short speeches began about the event itself and what is in store for the future of the degree and the Allies club.

LGBT Studies professor Jeff Matthews and librarian Kim Wentworth took the floor to welcome and thank everyone for coming out to the event.

“Because the LGBT movement has come of age it’s no longer just sort of a fringe thing that not a lot of people know about,” said Matthews.

He also gave wise advice to LGBTQ students: “Only by knowing your past and how you got to where we are that

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.

The LMC International Student Club is a group for study abroad and international students. The club meets in the Office of Student Life located near parking lot A behind the childcare center.

The club meets Friday from 2 to 3 p.m. For more information students can send an email to lmcinternationalstudentclub@gmail.com.

Alternatively, students can contact president Marayah Guinto at (925) 434-8643 or Vice President Odochi Nwokochah at (925) 206-8643

Awesome Sign Legends

Help students of sign language practice and help educate the public about deaf culture and American Sign Language with the Awesome Sign Legends club.

Club meetings are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Room CC2-213.

For more information, please contract Taydi Bush at tbodley551@insite.4cd.edu or Yessenia Marquez at ymarquez941@insite.4cd.edu.

New class offered for nurses

A new class will be offered this fall focusing on students who are nursing majors.

Students who take the class will learn about interpreting medication lables, calculating drug dosages, calculating IV flow rates and metric system conversions.

This class will take place fall semester on Thursday evenings from 5:05 to 7:10 p.m.

Interested students should sign up for course number VoNur906.

For more information students can look to the online student course catalog at www.losmedanos.edu/catalog/ or call the LMC directory at (925) 473-2181 and ask about the course.

What’s lost may be found

Los Medanos College’s lost and found has numerous items found on campus. If you have lost an item, check with Police Services, which is located on Level One of the College Complex. Inquiries must be made in person to recover lost items.

Found items should also be turned into Police Services for their owners to retrieve.

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.

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

See OUT, page 6

Cyclical event honors cyclists

Collegebuys.org offers deals

Club crosses borders

you can learn how to go forward with social political struggle.”

After, the degree was explained and it was said it was a long time coming and had been in the works for years. Program handouts were also given to students who were interested in the degree.

Wentworth said she wants students to feel safe and comfortable in the library and that it is a safe space with a ton of resources on LGBT issues.

Next to speak was Allies President Akila Briggs who spoke of the club’s

By D’ANGELO JACKSON @DAngeloJackson_

Experience • William Dunton

Firefighter Keith Baraka speaks about fire fighting.

Fair highlights jobs

By WILLIAM DUNTON @WillDunton

Students of Nursing, EMS and Fire backgrounds had an oppor tunity to connect with potential employers at a Job Fair this week. More specifically, the job fair was meant for Licensed Vocational Nurses, Registered Nurses, Emergency Medical Service students, Fire Tech students, and Alumni.

The fair took place Tuesday, May 1 in the gymnasium.

There were 29 employers in attendance. Students were given the opportunity to connect with employers and learn about open part and full-time positions, and volunteer opportunities.

When the doors opened, students got right down to business and dispersed to different employer tables with questions immediately ready. There was a professional atmosphere to the entire event.

See FAIR, page 6

Bike To Work Day is an event held every year with the attempt to unite local communities through bicycling. This year, the 24th annual Bike to Work Day is Thursday, May 10. According to the BTWD mission statement, they’re aiming to increase bicycling as a main mode of transportation to 10 percent by 2025.

This year LMC student Lucas Stuart-Chilcote will be working at and managing an “energizer station” just outside of campus for cyclists. The location will be at the corner of Mustang Drive and E. Leland Drive (near the E. Leland Drive bus stop.)

Stuart-Chilcote has been involved with Bike To Work Day since he was a freshman back in high school at Dozier-Libbey Medical High School. He will also be providing a separate vendor for his charity, the Aids/ LifeCycle that aims to raise money for AIDS awareness

and medical research.

“This is a monumental experience that will occur for me personally in my biking career/hobby, because I have never worked at or staffed one before but rather participated as a patron cycling by,” said Stuart-Chilcote.

He has also said that he wasn’t able to do this without the support of his close friend Reiko Kubota, who he has described as someone who has had his back since he signed up for AIDS/LifeCycle.

“I don’t know what I could do without her and her dedication to my ideas and passion,” said Stuart-Chilcote.

The station will open at 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. for the sole purpose of aiding cyclists at the table with snacks like protein bars, fruit and refreshments, as well as providing merchandise for this event. This event is biker focused so those approaching the stand without a bicycle will not receive the same services of those who do.

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“I assure you, brother, the sun will shine on us again.”

— Loki, “Avengers: Infinity War”

‘Man in the Woods’ stuns

By JONATHAN LITTLE @jonathanglittle

Justin Timberlake’s “Man in the Woods” World Tour was a once in a lifetime experience from one of the best performers in the music industry today.

The last time Timberlake was in the Bay Area was four years ago when his album “The 20/20 Experience” hit the charts. His last album was probably the best he has released since 2006, and his latest album “Man in the Woods” had understandably high expectations.

The “Man in the Woods” album got its first taste of worldwide attention when it was released on February 2 of this year, just two days before Justin Timberlake took the stage at the half-time show of Super Bowl 52. The only flaw in his performance at the Super Bowl was that he had about 25 minutes to sing some of his greatest hits, and as good as the performance was it felt rushed.

However, on April 25 he took the stage at the SAP Center in San Jose and stole the show.

From the start of his performance, the electricity that came from him and his team spread throughout the whole arena.

One of his first singles “Filthy,” from “Man in the Woods” had the crowd dancing. The connection Timberlake had with the crowd on Wednesday night was amazing.

After his first song, the smooth flow of hits continued with him performing songs like “Rock Your Body,” “Mirrors,” and “Summer Love” right after songs that were released in his newest album. Additionally, outside the music and dance performances, the light show and set designs were beautiful.

There were curtain screens similar to the ones he used for the Prince performance at Super Bowl 52 and during the “Mirrors” portion of the concer t they reflected his image in black and white, and portrayed his image when he was in between the curtains. It was one of the top set scenes of the night, and when talking with some of the people around me at the concert they were amazed at how the whole set was designed so beautifully.

By the end of the concert Timberlake had the crowd in the palm of his hands, and he ended it with one of the most popular songs in 2016 going into 2017 “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” The pop of the crowd was deafening as everyone was singing, and dancing along. It was one of the better concert per formances I have seen in a long time. Timberlake’s control of the crowd helped him steal the show and left fans buzzing about his fantastic performance.

REVIEW

Experience • Brenna Enos

Jeremiah (Jason Miller) and Amelia’s (Yessica Morin) characters have a heated argument in the speakeasy during “Torn Pages.”

Who did it?

Journal’s ‘torn pages’ reveal big secret in murder mystery AZI CARTER Staff Writers

The Los Medanos College Little Theater delivered a masterpiece in the original play “Torn Pages.” Drama Professor Nick Garcia’s current directing class wrote, auditioned and casted the production bringing to life a murder mystery that had the audience breathless as the actors weaved a spell of murder and suspense with songs that entertained and mesmerized the theatergoers.

The set design was especially impressive. The stage, lighting and costuming of the Roaring ‘20s during Prohibition, brings the audience into a Chicago speakeasy where entertainment held high stakes, even murder.

Many of the actors had worked together in previous LMC productions and from those experiences were able to take “Torn Pages”

REVIEW

to another level of commitment.

Assistant stage manager, prop master, and one of the play’s writer’s, Pricilla Rodriquez, saw how the play progressed into a cohesive production.

“There was a level of trust established between the cast and their developed maturity caused the process to flow without any major mishaps, “ Rodriquez said. “We’ve become a big family and are dependent upon on each other to make our productions a success,” she added.

Rodriquez is a seasoned playwright, director, and actress having independently written plays and has participated in collective collaborations like “Torn Pages”.

The talent displayed in this production inExperience • Brenna Enos cluded singing in the opening scene, signaling more impressive feats to come. The audience Donatello (Teryn Macallan) and Emilia (Jyessica See TORN, page 6

Morin) in an embrace on stage.

‘Dirty Computer’ mirrors real life

By KIMBERLY STELLY @kstelly1994

The album “Dirty Computer,” a political, afrofuturist epic from the mind of triple-threat Janelle Monáe, aims to deconstruct your typical idea of science fiction and rebuild it to be an intersectional blending of mediums.

Just like her previous albums, Monáe takes real life social issues, and turns them on their head by adding a technological spin. Though the emphasis with her previous two albums seems to mirror race relations in the United States, “Dirty Computer” aims for a more intersectional approach,

REVIEW

not only discussing race, but gender and sexual orientation as well.

This change is marked by Monae’s own stance on politics and social discussion. For years she’s been vocal about her support of social movements and events including the Women’s March and Black Lives Matter as well as advocating for other marginalized groups outside of her own.

The entire album is an ode to people of color and LGBTQ folks, as well as anyone falling anywhere on the gender spectrum.

This album couldn’t have come at a better time as 2018 has so far been an integral year in black artists exploring futur-

istic themes. Marvel’s “Black Panther’s” female warriors, Panther” got audiences excited the Dora Milaje. not just because it’s another Like her previous albums, superhero movie, but because there is a cohesive storyline comic book fans which becomes of color have apparent in the been looking for accompanying representation visual “Dir ty in the world of Computer: An science fiction.

Emotion Pic“Dirty Computture.” The story er” is a part of follows android a narrative that Jane 57821, Photo courtesy of her lover Zen aims to include Pitchfork the historically played by “Thor: unincluded. There’s even a tie Ragnarok” star,Tessa Thompbetween the two works as the son and a group of their “dirty song “Django Jane” — a track computer” friends – “dirty” in which Monáe reminds her meaning anyone who stands audience just how skilled a out in society or questions the lyricist she is — is dedicated way the world around them and inspired by the “Black works.

REVIEW CREW

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Movie Summary: Third in the Avengers series, “Avengers: Infinity War” hit the box office April 27. Battling it out against their most feared enemy Thanos, this movie features a loaded cast with many Marvel stars including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Spiderman (Tom Holland), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and more.

The visual component, directed by music video giant Alan Ferguson, cuts back and forth between scenes where the protagonists are enjoying each other’s company and scenes in a facility where there is an attempt to cleanse the people society has deemed “dirty.”

Though the visual is backed with sleek, vivid futuristic imager y, there is a vintage cyberpunk feel which also shows up in songs like the Prince-inspired “Make Me Feel” and “Americans.”

And though the visual can help viewers interpret the storyline, the album has plenty of tracks that stand on their own.

Songs like “Screwed” featurSee ALBUM, page 6

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Brenna says: I’m shook and also emo

Alex says: Don’t expect big awards

Jordan says: A definite must-see

“Avengers: Infinity War” has already surpassed its Marvel movie predecessors, not only in terms of grossing box office success, but in its content filled with more action, more Marvel character cross-overs and a shocking ending like we’ve never seen before. In this movie the Avengers, along with their fellow super heroes such as the Guardians of the Galaxy, fight against Thanos, who is their biggest rival yet. The battle scenes will seriously have you sitting on the edge of your seat and the comedic aspect is a nice break between all of the intense action. If you are unfamiliar with the previous Marvel movies, the characters and subplots may be a bit confusing to follow as they are already established. However, the overall content is an enjoyable expereince for everyone and definitely worth seeing while in theatres.

Six gallons of cameos in a five-gallon bucket, “Avengers: Infinity War” was almost that, with nearly every hero featured in the past 19 movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a whole, the movie was undeniably good, but with a budget so high, it certainly could have benefitted from another month or two of production. Parts of the film seemed too intrusive, such as the score lasting too long and some of the screenwriting’s awkward foreshadowing. Having seen a little more than half of the previous movies, Marvel Studios did good to make the film easily understandable to those not in-theknow. The creators threw in some wonderful character groupings, and brought everyone together in the end for an interesting battle, but certainly left quite a lot to be desired on the empathy front.

“Avengers: Infinity War” further proves that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) — that is now 19 movies in — can tell stories with multiple characters at once and be an amazing movie.

The 10 years it took to build up for these 20 characters from “Iron Man” to “Black Panther” to “Guardians of the Galaxy,” going against their biggest threat, Thanos had me on the edge of my seat. There is a great balance of humor and darkness that is needed in what could be considered the d arkest MCU chapter.

The one downside to the film, is that some characters aren’t on screen as much as I would like them to, yet putting all of them in the movie can be hard to do.

It is definitely worth the price of admission, especially if you get a chance to see it in IMAX.

— Brenna Enos

— A.R. Broom

— Jordan Neel

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“Winning is a habit.

Unfortunately so is losing.”

— Vince Lombardi

Myles Coston returning to Division l

Player heads to NCC

By HUGO CALDERON @HugoCalderon09

Myles Coston has spent his baseball career climbing the baseball ladder. He started with tee ball, went on to high school and climbed further making it to Division I baseball. Then he dropped down to community college baseball making for an unusual journey. After two years playing at the junior college level, Coston is now rising back up to Division l.

Coston’s journey began at the age of four playing tee ball and he took it a step further at the age of six playing at Pittsburg Peanut League.

“My dad got me interested in baseball at a very young age,” Coston said. “I like to take after my grandfather.”

His grandfather played basketball at the University of Portland and is a big influence not only on Coston but also on his whole family.

Coston went on to the prestigious De La Salle High School in Concord, known for producing and recruiting top athletes in the Bay Area.

He did well enough to earn a Division I scholarship to California University of Fresno.

But his time at Fresno was short

lived. Coston decided to leave Fresno’s baseball program because he didn’t feel at home and believed there was no point in staying for four years if he wasn’t enjoying it. Being away from his family was something that he was not accustomed to since his friends and family are such a big part of his life. “The toughest obstacle I had to face so far was having to leave the Fresno State baseball program, See MYLES, page 6

Stangs suffer heartbreak Los Medanos College baseball had the opportunity to win its first conference title, but failed to capitalize on it. They lost the threegame series against Marin College, getting outscored 30-6 in the first two games April 24 and 26. LMC won the last game of the series, landing a play-in game for a playoff spot April 27.

Experience • Cathie Lawrence The Mustangs had to hit the road to Taft College, where they saw the season end, getting routed by Taft 12-3 on May 2. LMC ended the season in second place in the Bay Valley Conference. In the April 27 game, Miles Robinson throws a pitch (left) attempting to strike out a batter.

Jason Ochoa (above) tags out a Marin player before he makes it to base.

WWE in a headlock Saudi Arabia played host to WWE’s Greatest that isn’t the case.

Royal Rumble, and while the event lasted five The question of interest people are starting hours, the amount of controversy sparked by to ask is this — was it best for WWE to put it will leave people talking about it for decades business over equality in this case? to come.

Something people have to be aware of is that The women of WWE have made headlines WWE has zero control over what goes on in over the past couple of years. The first ever another country. Just like when you enter a Women’s Elimination Chamber, Royal Rumble school or public building, there are rules you and Wrestlemania battle royal had happened have to oblige by. A prime example is the use within a four month span. of electronics in public schools. Teens, like That is a lot of history in such a short amount myself, love our technology. But in class you are of time, and WWE required to stop using your should be proud of phone during instruction. It’s it. Especially the fact not something controllable. when I started watchHowever, WWE did coming pro wrestling back pensate the women by giving in 2008, Women used them pay, as they performed to be seen simply as at the event. Plus, WWE got eye candy, and their paid close to 200 million BEAST OF THE EAST dollars just to put on the matches would be the bathroom break event, and that’s excluding for many fans. But in profit sales and other reverecent years, there has been a bit of controversy nue sources. after WWE announced the match card of its Another spot of controversy is WWE not Greatest Royal Rumble event. booking Sami Zayn to be in show. It wasn’t There were eight matches on the card. because of his recent performances, or lack We get to see the return of the Undertaker, of spot on the card. While Zayn is billed from multiple championships on the line and 50 Montreal and Quebec, Canada but he is of man Royal Rumble won by Braun Strowman. Syrian descent, which promoted WWE to keep Unfortunately, none of them were women’s him off the card for that specifically. matches, and people are furious about this.

Syria and Saudi Arabia have had a very bad But before you hop on the bandwagon of relationship with each other of late, and by inequality in this particular case, remember the way both countries settle its problems, it where this event is taking place — The King- wouldn’t be smart to send Zayn to that coundom of Saudi Arabia. The same country where try, especially since he is a person of interest. women were barely given the right to drive, Despite the hot debate anyone may have, cannot go out accompanied without a man it won’t stop WWE from making its money. and just in 2016, were given the right to vote. Vincent McMahon, the owner of WWE, has To me, this is strange because the first ever repordetley decided to do another show in women’s wrestling match in the United Arab Saudi Arabia as early as November. At the Emirates took place in 2017 when the Raw end of the day, people need to be reminded women’s champion, Alexa Bliss, defended that WWE is a business, and the goal is to her gold against Sasha Banks. I would assume entertain, but to also make money — ­­­ millons Saudi Arabia would sort of oblige, but obviously of dollars like it has in the past.

Jesus Cano

CALL IN. CLICK IN. OR COME IN. CARE, THE WAY YOU WANT IT.

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Follow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.com

DEBATE

MYLES

The employers had different ways to entice students into coming to their tables with handouts like candy, pens and key chains available.

The San Jose Fire Department even had a fire axe on display as well as instructional videos playing.

“I’ve seen lots of high quality candidates walk through here,” said Mitch Matlow, the Public Information Officer for the San Jose Fire Department. The fire departments were a popular spot for students to drift to.

Tara Sanders, who is the Community Partnership Liaison for LMC, coordinated the event.

For Sanders, the event is “an actual outlet for students that are in those prospected programs that are either about to graduate or have graduated to actually get them career employment.”

A great part about this event is that on the spot hiring is a possibility, according to Sanders. She said that it isn’t as common, however.

Employers were surprised about the good turnout and it really showed — there were students at virtually every table.

Undergrad nursing student Charles Miral had success.

“A lot of places are willing to hire new grads and that’s an advantage for me since I just graduated last semester so I’m pretty stoked about that,” Miral stated.

He even came prepared with a resume ready to go and said he wanted to apply everywhere.

Job Fairs like this one aim to provide students with job opportunities as they approach graduation, as well as information and resources for students thinking about what to do with their lives.

further emphasize the college’s presence in the area.

“It’s a good opportunity to establish ourselves with the Brentwood community,” said Head Debate Coach Marie Arcidiacono.

She said they are hoping to rotate among all the large city halls in the surrounding area in the future adding, “We would like to have one in the Antioch and Oakley City halls.”

The topic of the Brentwood debate has yet to be confirmed, but Arcidiacono said it will be relevant to the community. The topic was chosen by the debate team, she said, and is not endorsed

by Brentwood in any way.

A total of eight team members will be at the event and the team hopes both to inform the public about an important issue and encourage students to join the debate team. They are excited to branch out to the other cities.

“We were able to just bring it home and talk about something that literally af fects our community,” said Hailey Solares adding, “I just want to represent the LMC debate team” and encourage those at the debate to think critically.

Team members recently competed in the U.S. Universities Debating Championship tournament in Stanford where they were able to strengthen their skills for the upcoming Public Debate.

Debater Chris Chu learned a lot from the strongest debaters from some of the best known colleges in the country by watching and competing against them.

If intereste, visit Brentwood City Hall May 9. The doors open at 5 p.m. and the Public Debate starts at 5:30.

reminiscent of the ‘20s with wards a genuinely authentic touch of modern genres of portrayal of a character,” said music, set the stage for the Macallan.

“Torn Pages” is a bitterwas immersed in the ambiance elements of surprise. sweet moment in Macallan’s of the speakeasy, with the piano Ter yn Macallan, cast as performance career at LMC, and vocalist performing their personal renditions of classic Donatello, displayed his mul- as he prepares to transfer to tifaceted talents. His voice San Diego State University ragtime banter.

The who-dun-it was cloaked smoothed and soothed the in the fall. “’Torn Pages’ couldn’t be and shrouded in mystery, as the audience, lulling them peacecrime scene became a place of fully into scenes only to be more momentous time in my remorse and restitution leaving riveted out of their seats as life as truly this play as a whole the audience on the edge of the full disclosure of his char- feels like the perfect send off for acter began to manifest right my final performance,” he said. their seats.

“This is a show that is like a before their eyes. Macallan The next show times for “Torn movie playing out before your spent time researching his Pages” are Friday and Saturday character to better understand at 7 p.m. General tickets are eyes,” Rodriquez said. $15 and tickets with a student From the time the the- his motivation.

“This is the only path to- ID or service ID are $10. atergoers were seated music

OUT

VOTE

HONOR

excitement about the new degree.

“I believe that we will have more people that are aware of who they are in terms of their sexuality and maybe even gender identity,” she said about the Allies club. “Allies is kinda that gateway where they can still come and hangout and meet people of those orientations they’re curious about and meet people that I think are all around a good group of people to hang out with.”

After the introduction, everyone dispersed. Some who attended came to suppor t friends, catch up with each other and talk to faculty.

“I think it’s really cool and it’s exciting that there’s a degree coming out for this,” said student Danielle Cooper.

“It’s really cool to see it be so supported.”

LMC President Bob Kratochvil had some words about the event, “They’ve been at it for several years. I know and the fruits of their work are now upon us and this is really a great event to celebrate all their hard work.”

When asked how the faculty feels about the addition of this degree he said, “When it went to the board the governing board members were very, very happy about the curriculum that was put forward in this new program.” the event was an introduction for students who are interested in the program and provided for all who attended.

President Marco McMullen saying that he hadn’t seen Rocha in weeks, and candidate for Vice President Marayah Guinto saying that no one had seen or heard from Rocha in about a month.

The Experience was able to contact Rocha who cited vacation and family issues for his absence and confirmed his candidacy for the position.

Villalobos was excited about the prospect of representing the student bodies and “helping students holistically — mind, body and soul.”

Villalobos elaborated, giving her work with both the zero textbook cost initiative and the proposed reflection room, a quiet room for prayer and meditation, as examples of her efforts with LMCAS. Rocha meanwhile explained his reasons for pursuing office, saying that he “hopes to be the change” for the community.

Rocha also mentioned the current divisive political climate. “In this historic time it is of great importance to advocate for education rights, public school funding and school safety,” Rocha said. “I also support access and equity of education for all students, I proudly support dreamers.”

One of the most important aspects of the position is that the student will represent all three districts.

Villalobos had given thought to the prospect of representing multiple schools.

“I’m not just representing LMC, I’m representing the entire district,” said Villalobos.

She continued by saying that she had plans to visit the student governments of all three schools periodically as each meets on a different day of the week.

“It wouldn’t be every week but I would sit in with student governments from all three schools,” she said.

While Rocha did not elaborate on any specific plan, he did say that he hoped to “represent all students equally.”

Voting is open to students from all three schools from May 8 to May 10. LMC students can visit www.losmedanos.edu/studentlife for the link to the vote.

Students can also contact John Nguyen at knguyen@ losmedanos.edu or call (925) 473-7553

While not every club had someone in attendance, many students gave passionate, emotional speeches including Art Club’s Micah Judah who waxed poetic about Sanchez.

“I can never repay you,” said Judah before explaining the way Sanchez stepped up to the role when no other members of the Art Department would.

Genaro Mauricio of the Debate Club also took the podium to speak about Arcidiacono and Steers, describing Arcidiacono as “like a second mother,” and saying that “there is no way I can ever repay her.”

He also gave credit to Steers, a recent addition to the club, for quickly becoming a vital member of the

because I worked so hard to earn a Division I scholarship out of high school,” Coston said. “Mentally and emotionally it was hard for me to take a step back but I trusted God’s plan.”

His next stop was LMC. Coston decided to enroll at a community college closer to home to continue to play ball.

Coston finished the LMC season with 39 runs, 29 RBIs and 64 hits for the Mustangs.

“He was a key piece for the top of our lineup and he also was our closer on the mound and helped us finish up a lot of big wins,” D’Albora said.

The Mustangs’ season ended May 1 after losing 11-3 against Taft College, which eliminated them from qualifying for the playoffs. However, this does not mean the end of Coston’s time on the baseball diamond.

The third baseman feels like he’s been able to add a new perspective for all his teammates.

“I’m able to talk to the guys about different experiences and how to handle certain things,” said Coston.The team talks about things like experiencing pressure or getting too emotional during a game and it affecting the players.

The next step in Coston’s journey has him traveling 2,792 miles away to North Carolina Central University, a historically black university in Durham, North Carolina.

“I chose the school because I was comfortable with the coaching staff,” said Coston. “I liked how they were with their players and the philosophies they taught.”

He also thanks the Los Medanos College baseball staff for their guidance, which he feels has prepared him to make the leap. He also got a better sense of independence and freedom during his time here, which he feels will also help him.

Coston has his faith in God to thank for taking him this far.

“I dove deeper into my faith last spring and that helped me a lot on the field,” said Coston.

“I just go out there now and try to represent God well.”

He was first introduced to religion last May by Jayden Tolentino, a long term friend of Coston’s and LMC basketball player.

She invited him to attend a service at the Fellowship church. He was immediately intrigued and has been frequently attending for the past year.

“The closer I got with God the more clarity He brought to my life,” Coston said.

Now wherever his baseball career decides to take him, he will have God by his side.

FAIR From page 3

From page 3

ALBUM From page 4

ing Zoë Kravitz and “Take a Byte” are upbeat, R&B infused tracks you can jam to without context, though the lyrics are worth paying attention to. It’s a multidimensional album because it gives you a little of everything — songs to jam to intertwined with unfiltered social commentary as well as thoughtful, slow and mid-tempo ballads.

“Dirty Computer” is the queer cinematic experience that was missing from contemporar y pop music, and though it’s a love letter to the marginalized, you don’t have to be a part of any particular group to appreciate the genius behind the music.

From page 5

From page 1

From page 1

Experience • Brenna Enos

Actors from the student play “Torn Pages” rehearse a scene from the show.

TORN From page 4

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organization.

Similar appreciative speeches were given for a plethora of clubs, including LMCAS President Marco McMullen’s talk about the work adviser John Nguyen.

The last club to speak was the newly formed Young Americans For Freedom, a club for students with conservative political opiniona.

While adviser Kurt Crowder was not in attendance, club member Jessica Anderson did speak to his importance to her and the club.

“We had a hard time finding an adviser,” she said. “We look forward to bringing the conservative cause to LMC.” Teresa Archaga, head of ICC and Student Life and

organizer of the event, was happy with the result.

“This is the biggest turnout we have ever had,” said Archaga.

While happy with turnout, Archaga was hopeful that even more clubs would join the program, emphasizing the importance of clubs to create a campus culture.

To create a club, students need a total of four officers for the club along with an adviser. The adviser can be a full or part-time employee.

Once these requirements are met, students can download a form from www.losmedanos. edu/studentservices/clubs/ default.asp and turn it in to the Office of Student Life is located to the right of parking lot A.