Vol. 89 No. 2 - Sept. 14, 2018

Mustangs score a win

Nik Filardo talks football

Play out of this world

Volleyball racks up an impressive win, beating out Yuba College in a tense home game — page 4

The Experience debuts a new sports Q&A featuring Nik Filardo — page 4

“Constellations” follows star-crossed lovers across universes exploring love and destiny — page 6

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F.Y.I. Important dates September is National Suicide Prevention Month Sept. 15

National Hispanic Heritage Month begins.

Sept. 28

Native American Day, college closed for holiday.

Books Alive tells a story

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Club remembers 9/11 Posters anger some

By ROBERT PIERCE @RobertP_EXP

The new Young Americans for Freedom club at Los Medanos College held a 9/11 memorial event on the anniversary of the attacks, placing 2,977 miniature American flags on a patch of grass in the main quad near the library and holding a panel from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to answer any questions student had about the display.

However, their memorial, which was created by their parent organization the Young Americas Foundation and performed at over 200 schools according to YAF Chairman Jessica Anderson, drew controversy due to posters used to promote it, also created by the parent organization.

The memorial itself, the first 9/11 memorial held by the college in several

years and officially titled the “9/11 Never Forget Project,” was set up by YAF club members Monday afternoon after receiving clearance and support from the Office of Student Life, LMC President Bob Kratochvil, Police Services and groundskeeping. The Office of Student Life paid for the flags used in the memorial, which was designed to remind people of the impact of the original attacks.

“I would say it went fairly well because we had a lot of people stop by, and a lot of people took pictures,” said Joseph Tompkinson, Vice Chairman of Young Americans for Freedom. “You had people who stopped and looked like they were taking a moment of reflection because… when you really stop and look and realize, ‘Holy moly, that’s a lot of people,’ then that’s kind

Experience Perry Continente

Young Americans for Freedom’s 9/11 memorial stands in front of the Library Sept. 11 of when it hits you, and I think that’s alive in the minds of younger generwhat we were going for.” ations who did not directly witness Anderson hoped the memorial would the attacks, and noted many older See FLAG, page 5 allow memories of the victims to stay

Surge in students at LMC

Books Alive is coming to the LMC. The event consists of students interacting with and learning from “human books,” people from the community with interesting life expereinces.

The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 9 in Library L-109, 2-4 p.m. and on the Brentwood campus Wednesday, Oct. 10, 3-5 p.m. in Room 3.

If you would like to serve as a book contact Librarian Roseanne Er win at (925)473-7572.

By NICK CAMPBELL Staff Writer

Blood drive is coming soon

Blood Centers of the Pacific will be on campus to run a blood drive Tuesday, Sept. 25 in the Library Community Room, L-109, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To schedule an appointment contact the Office of Student Life at (925) 473-7553 or register online at www.bloodheroes.com.

Click on “donate blood” and enter sponsor code LosMC.

College builds future

New facilities near their completion

By LILLY MONTERO @lilly_montero3

Day reads you your rights The Office of Student Life will host Constitution Day 2018, an annual event that encourages citizens to understand their constitutional rights.

Students will be provided free United States Constitutions as well as other giveaways. Those interested can contact the Office of Student Life at (925) 473-7553

Construction for the Kinesiology/Athletics building and Student Union Complex made significant progress over the summer. Both structures can be seen looming large and proud, facing parking lot B. The Kinesiology/Athletics building will house a physical education facility, including classrooms, a weight and cardio room, offices for faculty as well as other much needed accommodations. The Student Union Complex will be a center for group meetings and various learning communities.

@lmcexperience @lmc_experience @lmc_experience

Photos by Lilly Montero Experience

Above: the new gym/student union. Below: Police Services’ new headquarters. of a new Police Ser vices building has been well under way for some months now.

The project, which officially broke ground last April, is projected to be finished and available for use this coming

October. Construction of the Police Ser vices building has a sooner finishing date than the Kinesiology/ Athletics and Student Union Complex construction, not

See BUILD, page 5

TAG ensures transfer success

By LILLY MONTERO and DALORREIN BURKS Staff Writers

Follow us on:

“The Student Union is going to be a tremendous addition to the campus in support of student life, clubs, and organizations,” said LMC President Bob Kratochvil.

The project is expected to finish on its projected date of August 2019.

“We are working closely with our project management team and the general contractor to make sure we minimize any negative impacts to the campus community,” said Alex Porter, Vice President of Business and Administrative Services.

Additionally, construction

Transferring to a four-year university is a stressful process, from meeting requirements to figuring out the financial cost, to worr ying about getting accepted to your dream school. However, the Transfer Agreement Guarantee program, better known as

TAG, helps students in the process of transferring.

According to the University of California website participating in TAG offers you an early review of academic records, early admission notification and specific guidance about major preparation and general education coursework. Six UC campuses, including UC See TAG, page 5

“We have specially trained students and staff to help students check requirements.”

— Rachel Anicetti

Los Medanos College student population continues to grow at record levels.

The growth of the schools surging enrollment can be linked to multiple factors. With the launch of a new program, FT3, the incentive for new student to enroll in school has boosted the already growing population.

Student enrollment data per Kevin Horan with the Instruction and Student Services department, currently show that student enrollment is currently at 103% of full time enrollment targets.

That is an increase of 9% over the Summer 2018 semester. This increase has created a sense of urgency in the Student Services department.

Senior Management in the department has reached out to school faculty to ensure students can be accommodated. The surge in enrollment numbers can suggest dueling theories. One, the FT3 program is successful and the college is reaping the rewards of the resulting boost in enrollments.

Or, conversely, the boost in enrollment has put a strain on parking availability, lottery type odds for add codes, and overall pressure on school faculty and resources.

But one question still remains: What is driving this surge in enrollment? The looming presence of the new FT3 program is worth investigating.

However, according to Rikki Hall in Registration services, the results of the FT3 program are not yet available. “The impact of the FT3 program can’t be measured until the campus census data is updated” says Hall. So if FT3’s impact on enrollment cannot be measured, other factors must be at play. To explore this theory we can compare LMC to other community colleges in the Bay Area.

LMC is well known for its certification programs and the reputation its earned for quality and job placement.

With a renowned certification avenue in a booming job market, this could possibly explain the massive increase in students at LMC. According to Fahimeh Faridnia, Counseling, See SURGE, page 5

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Perspectives

FRIDAY,

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“Think of all the beauty still left behind you and be happy.”

— Anne Frank

Alex Camilli

Dale Satre

ALEX’S ANECDOTE

UP IN THE AIR

Losing talent from addiction

Globalization is incomplete

The music industry is prosperous and features prominent artists and upcoming talent distributing songs for the fans to enjoy. Just like any other occupation there are stressors that can lead to detrimental coping methods. The most well-known coping method is drug abuse either prescribed or bought on the streets.

Recording Artist and Rapper, Mac Miller, passed away Sept. 7 due to an accidental drug overdose in his San Fernando Valley home. Miller mentioned his reliance on substances and his introspection in a documentary with Fader Magazine called “Stop Making Excuses.”

“Overdosing is just not cool, you don’t go down in history because you overdosed you just die,” said Miller.

For the hip-hop community, Miller continues to be influential, deeply mourned by contemporaries such as Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Snoop Dogg and fellow Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa.

Outside of hip-hop, multi-instrumentalist Prince Rogers Nelson suffered a similar fate on April 21, 2016 when he overdosed on fentanyl at his Paisley Park home, which was prescribed to him for his chronic hip pain.

Nelson was a relatively private person but leading up to his death his closest affiliates became increasingly worried when he overdosed on opioids mid-flight on a chartered jet. The jet had to make a stop in Moline, Illinois and Nelson had to be rushed to the nearest hospital for drug testing, only to be released the same day.

The passing of English singer Amy Winehouse was due her thrill-seeking demeanor which lead to alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011. Eventually, Winehouse wouldn’t perform without smoking crack cocaine.

She suffered episodic fits due to heroin use.

Blake Fielder-Civil, who is Winehouse’s ex-husband, regreted enabling her access to harder substances.

Fielder-Civil revealed in an interview with The Guardian, “We used heroin together as addicts for like four months.”

Fielder-Civil observed her dependence leading to her death to where she would smoke out of her crack pipe after every song she performed live. Winehouse’s album “Frank” also details her alcoholism on the track “Love is Blind.”

Winehouse’s first manager Nick Shymansky recalled attempting to convince her to get into rehab once her health began to decline.

Instead she released a song called “Rehab” which had her fans singing along, oblivious to the poor condition Winehouse was in.

After her passing the legacy she left behind was full of ridicule by the media and comedians who viewed her as a junkie, as opposed to a artist who had her bouts with depression. Mental health issues continue to be prevalent to this day due to the party lifestyles and pressures of losing all success .

Whitney Houston had a difficult childhood, experiencing her parents repeated infidelities before leading to a divorce. Houston’s brother Michael introduced her to marijuana and cocaine on her sixteenth birthday, due to drug culture becoming popular in East Orange, New Jersey.

Clinical Director Janelle Westfall at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Arizona analyzed the passing of Whitney Houston in February 11, 2012 and attributed her heavy drug use to her rough childhood.

Westfall added, “A child who endures traumatic events like those experienced

by Houston is at a much higher risk for developing substance abuse and health issues later in life.”

With the loss of so many creatives to drug abuse, it is important to recognize mental health issues and the disease of drug abuse before another legacy is cut short.

Starting a few decades ago, there was a dramatic revolution in how the world is governed and wealth is created. Beginning in the early 1970s the number of electoral democracies rose from 35 to over 110 by 2010. World economic output quadrupled, and the proportion of people living in extreme poverty withered from 42 percent in 1990 to 18 percent in 2008. This can be attributed to globalism, as the explosion of products, people and capital crossing borders empowered populations politically and economically.

And then came the year 2016. The year of Trump and Brexit.

If anything, that year showed us globalization has not helped everybody as much as we like to think. The working and middle classes enjoyed high wages and steady jobs before globalization, but buying power was demolished as employers took their factories overseas to cheaper labor. The biggest blow to the “system” as we know it was the Great Recession of 2008. Bankrupt Americans saw their tax-dollars bailing out banks whose recklessness cost them their jobs and dignity.

The number of democracies has actually fallen since then, as authoritarian countries like China and Russia challenge America’s world leadership.

The twentieth century was defined by the battle of economic ideologies, but our own century is shaping to be a battle of identity politics. This plays out in America as the left represents the interest of various marginalized groups, such as immigrants, women and LGBT people; and the right, representing largely the American working class and the cultural status quo. Both sides have grievances against each other and segregate themselves into tribes shaping how they see the world. The feedback loop of grouping ourselves into identity tribes threatens the ability to collectively act as a society, which is what democracy depends on.

We must safeguard minority groups, but there also has to be goals for us to achieve together. Identity politics divide the public into tribes, but it’s also possible to provide identities that share values and aspirations.

Although our country celebrates diversity, we cannot build national identity and values on diversity itself. There has to be a cry to integrate different groups when undertaking national campaigns. This would not be based on ethnicity, gender, occupation, etc. but instead values that everybody can benefit from, such as constitutionalism, equality under law, and the fair application of the law.

Stopping immigration, or opening the floodgates of immigration, are neither politically nor economically acceptable. The real conversation should be about how to assimilate natives and immigrants around a national identity of values and citizenship.

Immigrants bring diversity to our country.

This should start in public schools teaching basic civics, not just to immigrants but also to native students. A concern in America and Europe is that immigrants strain our welfare resources, without contributing to the system. This leaves many natives feeling betrayed by the government and taken advantage of by politicians trying to buy their votes. Reforming the welfare system around contribution, instead of being eligible just by presence, would add fairness and take the steam out of populist taking points.

President Lincoln said that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” A unity around constitutional values that made our country great is a starting point. We shouldn’t be a two-party political class so bogged down in battling each other that we don’t represent our constituents .We cannot have our Oval Office be a pendulum of right wing, left wing leaders. Let’s recognize our shared histories and similarities that bring citizens together.

Editorial

The far reaches of racism

O

n Saturday, Sept. 8, the U.S. Open gave us a historical match up. Serena Williams going for a record tying 24th Grand Slam title against Naomi Osaka who was vying to win her first Grand Slam title and be the first Japanese player to accomplish the feat.

The controversy attached to this match became well known after umpires penalized Williams for a coaching violation. Her interactions with the umpire afterward exposed the ugly face of not only sexism in sports, but a racist history in how black women are portrayed in the media. Normally, a player being penalized in a sport is not breaking news. However, Williams was furious and unleashed on the umpire, just as several men in her sport have in the past to little or no fanfare.

This is the sordid history of sexism in sports. A man exploding at umpires is seen as passionate, a woman is seen as emotional. Then, the racism came storming in. An Australian newspaper ran an editorial with an image of Williams and Osaka. Williams was displayed in full racist caricatures while they transformed the half black-half Japanese Osaka into a white woman. The caricatures used to draw Williams are rooted in racist and stereotypical media portrayals older than Jim Crow.

Australia, known for its mistreatment of its aboriginal people and people of color in general, didn’t start this trend but exacerbated it. If you are curious about the origins of racist caricatures you might research “Sarah Baartman,” and find out why this editorial and political cartoon is offensive and indicative of how far white supremacy reaches.

Sarah Baartman was a black woman from South Africa who was put on display in a circus type setting for the amusement of white tourists.

Known for her large buttocks and other rich physical features associated with African women, her likeness birthed the trend known as Minstrel and blackface artistry here in America. It fueled racist stereotypes for decades. The Australian artist took a page from history and was deliberate in his depiction of Williams.

Here in America, as expected, many on the alt-right have rushed to defend the picture. Naturally, those with a sense of history, decency and opposition to racism have condemned it. Ironically, even in a simple tennis match, we are reminded of the global impacts and reach of white supremacy. Sarah Baartman and Serena Williams are inadvertently teaching us that.

lEttEr to thE Editors

Show morality, no cat-calling DEAR EDITOR: Being safe and feeling safe is something many students and staff value when attending classes and walking around the Los Medanos College Pittsburg campus. We feel safe and we also hope for actual safety from our forces to protect us from possible violence.

While physical violence is an issue we could all agree should be stopped, the issue of catcalling is often overlooked. “Cat-calling” is defined as a whistle, shout or comment of a sexual nature to a woman or a man passing by.

In other words, “cat-calling” is a form of sexual harassment that is very much prevalent over the world and on our own campus.

Ever since the beginning of my college career, the anxious feeling of having to ignore or find a way to deal with the cat-calling has been an issue.

Personally, I’ve dealt with men forcing me into giving my cell phone number and even having someone follow me to class in an attempt to persuade me into letting them “take me out.”

After talking to a few of my female classmates, I found out this form of sexual harassment is a school-wide issue. One classmate shared her experience when a male student followed her all the way to her car until she gave him her number, which caused trauma and the feeling of not being safe on campus. During this

Voices

discussion, suggestions were thrown across the room as many angry women shared their traumatic experiences with cat-calling. Many suggested women should wear earphones as soon as they exit their vehicle and enter the school campus to avoid any interactions with men who decide to speak up or try to engage in any kind of conversation that root from cat-calling.

Another suggested finding a less congested way to class to avoid interaction. However, it should not be on the woman to change her ways.

The simple solution is having men learn what is the appropriate way to approach a female.

Although many of the suggestions made were useful, it’s disheartening many women have to go to this extent just to walk peacefully around school. Catcalling should be dealt with and men who engage in it should face some kind of consequence when caught or reported.

Cat-calling has been normalized in our society because of how common it is in everyday life. As a result, the issue is overlooked and seen as a joke. But it is a form of sexual harassment and should be dealt with. I urge everyone who has been a bystander of this form of sexual harassment to speak up or take action by alerting the police or simply telling the aggressor to stop.

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

How has 9/11 impacted your life?

COMPILED

BY

ANTHONY

MARTINEZ

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A LV I N

JACKSON

Experience L M C e x p e r i e n c e . c o m

Member California Newspaper Publishers Association

“I was 7 at the time, but I thought joining the army would help the world change.”

— Joe Tompkinson

“Devastating because I get searched more in TSA.” — Odochi Nwokochah

“The way we perceive people has changed. If it didn’t happen people would be less scared.”

“My parents got us out of school early and we didn’t understand why.”

“I visited New York a year before, so it was scary to see what happened.”

“It impacted all of the United States. It was a big loss. It impacted the government because of deaths and irreversible damage.”

“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

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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@HillaryMHetrick

The Office of Student Life will be holding several free movie screenings for LMC students throughout the months of October and November at 7 p.m. in Room LCC-114. The following movies will be shown on the following dates: n “The Pursuit of Happiness,” Tuesday, Oct. 16 n “There Will Be Blood,” Tuesday, Oct. 30 n “Inception,” Wednesday, Nov. 28 For more information, you can contact the Office of Student Life any time at (925) 473-7554 or studentlife@ losmedanos.edu

Antioch Food Truck Thursdays

The City of Antioch Recreation Department and The Foodie Crew hold Food Truck Thursdays every week at the Antioch Community Center and Water Park parking lot located at 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, CA, across the street from Deer Valley High School. The last Food Truck Thursday of the season is scheduled for Oct. 25.

The events, advertised as “Family Fun,” run 5 to 9 p.m. and include music and games in addition to the food trucks, which sell craft beer and wine in addition to a large variety of local restaurant food.

Get your scare on this October

“Local family-owned haunted attraction company” Nite Terrors Productions is seeking out actors to audition to particpate in a series of haunted houses it will be holding throughout the month of October.

The events will be held every Friday and Saturday night during the month, and the selected actors will be featured in the company’s media campaign as part of the “Haunt Season Scare Team.”

No experience is necessary. Interested applicants can email vanitybunnzo@niteterrors.com or call (925) 325-1920.

New club waxes philosophical

“I’ve been helping for about a year... It’s a good program.”

— Jaime Orozco

Free college tours this fall

Los Medanos College will be providing five college tours free for LMC students. The following campuses will be toured at the following dates: n CSU Monterey Bay, Friday, Sept. 14 n CSU East Bay, Saturday, Oct. 13 n Sacramento State University, Saturday, Oct. 13 n San Jose State University, Friday, Oct. 26 n UC Santa Cruz, Friday, Nov. 16 Reservations are required and can be made at losmedanos.edu/transfer/CampusTours.aspx

Church giving food and clothes

Hillcrest Congregational Church at 404 Gregory Lane in Pleasant Hill is giving out food and clothing to any and all students, veterans and/or residents of Contra Costa County who need some.

The church allows anyone to take a three-day emergency supply of food up and clothing up to four times a year.

The only thing required to receive a donation is an ID card, though the church does record names to make sure the limits are followed.

For those needing more information, call the church’s office phone (925) 689-8260. The church’s poster announcing the donation program also names two other contacts, Outreach Coordinator Bill Cunningham at (925) 326-1567 and Board Member Flor Cruz at (925) 325-1567.

Coffee and snacks with cops

Police Services is holding a “Coffee with a Cop” event Tuesday, Sept. 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the library in Room L-109.

There will be free coffee and snacks for all who attend while supplies last, and the whole event is an opportunity for students to meet with officers and police aides to ask any safety questions and learn more about the role of police on campus.

For more information, contact the Office of Student Life st (925) 473-7554 or studentlife@losmedanos.edu

Student Activism Impact

The Office of Student Life will be holding the Student Activism Impact event Friday, Oct. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Library in Room L-109.

Attendedees will be given information on leadership skills, how to be an effective activist and how to give back to your community.

Free T-shirts and lunch will also be provided.

For more information, you can contact the Office of Student Life at (925)473-7554. Space is limited, and RSVPs must me made by Oct. 3 at www.losmedanos. edu/studentlife — compiled from press releases and staff reports

Students need more than books and money to succeed at college. Like everyone else, students need adequate food in order to stay alert and not be hungry in class. With this new economy, money is limited, how is a student supposed to eat? This is a problem no one should have to go through.

That’s why student Life has a program to help any student with this problem. The Los Medanos College Food Pantry is here on campus to help.

Student Life Coordinator John Nguyen is pleased with what the program stands for.

Students who are having a hard time in life can get a little extra help with getting access to food. “Students can get food for free, no questions asked,” Nguyen said.

LMC staff members have the option to help out as well.

According to Nguyen, staff can have $5 a month taken out of their paycheck to go to the Food Pantry fund.

The Food Pantry was founded in Spring of 2017. Nguyen is one of the founding staff members. Nguyen emplains, “the cool thing about it is that it’s community-based.” The program gets most of its funds from outside sources. Those funds are then used to stock the food pantry shelves.

However, clubs on campus who want to contribute to the cause can donate canned food. Clubs have a “semester competition to see which club donates the most cans.” Which

Pathway gives Ocean of talent students a boost @alexanderrbroom

A view of CSU Sacramento’s campus.

— David Bowie

Pantry provides food

Fall Movie Nights

Los Medanos College philosophy department instructor Bequia Sherick is holding meetings for the new Philosophy Club on campus a Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to noon in Room CC2-229.

Topics will be decided by students and the instructor.

Potential topics include “the good life, purpose and meaning, ethics, religion, truth, politics, race, gender, art, beauty, nature, love, death and any other philosophical topics that interest particpants” according to a poster.

All students are welcome to attend, and for more information you can email the instructor at bsherick@ losmedanos.edu

“Taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I’m a writer... I write.”

Over the summer, the Los Medanos College Guided Pathways Advisory Committee held a Focused Flex Workshop attended by about 90 faculty, staff and student speakers. The goals of the workshop were to better understand the student experience at LMC, determine some of the best practices of other college pathway programs for local implementation and understand the scope of options available.

Guided Pathways is an effort to create a clear route for students from education to career.

Led by LMC professors Julie Von Bergen and Rudolf Rose, the workshop was a morning and afternoon affair involving group discussion activities.

“We came up with related research questions...we analyzed existing models for guided pathways in place at colleges around the county,” said Von Bergen.

Von Bergen continued, “We discussed which models for organizing majors and courses are the most student-friendly.”

During the presentation the attendees were informed by statistics and data that the Guided Pathways Program hopes to boost.

“Thirty-six percent of LMC students are full time students.

The average course success rate at LMC is 74 percent.

Sixty-four percent of LMC students persist from one semester to the next semester, and the average number of units attempted in one year is 19 units,” said Von Bergen.

After obtaining the grant money from the federal level, an amount that totals nearly $1 million to be distributed over the next five years, the Guided Pathways Advisory Committee hopes to use the information gained from both previous and future meetings, workshops and forums to better allocate the funding. The funding for

Artist Jaime Tamrakar’s piece “You are not a Drop in the Ocean, you are the Mighty Ocean in the Drop,” is centerpiece at the annual faculty and staff art show. “Roll Call 2018” is open for viewing, 12:30-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday in the Library gallery.

Marayah Guinto

Priscilla Tatmon

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Opening vball win

“The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.”

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— John Madden

Experience Anthony Martinez

The Mustangs were on the verge of a sweep but Yuba came up to force a fourth set.

LMC wins first conference set

By HUGO CALDERON @HCal09

Los Medanos College volleyball team kicked of f conference play with a bang against Yuba College.

The Mustangs came into the game with a 4-9 non-conference record, but won the match 3-1.

The team finished the last set strong, eight points ahead of their opponents.

They could have also sweeped the 49ers in the third set, but narrowly lost by four points with the final score in the set 25-21.

The start of the game did not reflect the outcome as LMC was trailing Yuba for most of the set, at one point down eight points, but were able to fight back and claim the first set.

“We can handle adversity well,” said Mustang Mercedes Nicholson. “I think we all came out and worked together and

got it done.”

Nicholson, who got 13 kills, was a constant nuisance to the opposing team.

During the second set Los Medanos came out strong putting five consecutive points on the board. Jazlyn Avelino was constantly involved in the play, finishing off kills for her team, getting eight in total for the game.

The Mustangs were almost always in control and never looked like they were losing their grip on the game.They finished the set 25-19 and set themselves up nicely for the sweep, but the 49ers had other thoughts in mind.

Yuba’s Iibero Connar Lopez got a hat trick of aces to start off the set. Afterward, LMC kept it close throughout with the lead going back and forth.

Yuba was able to capitalize on some errors made by the Mustangs towards the end and

Experience Anthony Martinez

Nuru Boone leaps up for the spike during LMC’s conference opener against Yuba College. won 25-21.

The final set was where LMC showed what they are made of. Again, LMC asserted its dominance with Avelino delivering a big set for her

team. Yuba also helped dig its own hole by making multiple errors that ultimately ended in its downfall.

“When we control the ball and eliminate our errors. We

do pretty good when we don’t do that we don’t do so good. At times we’re our worst enemy and at times we’re our best friend.” said head coach Lou Panzella. “Both teams battled

Equal play but not equal pay The best player in the NBA and the best player in the WNBA should make the same amount of money, but it’s never going to happen.

It certainly is disappointing to see the constant gender wage gap translate into sports, but honestly it isn’t surprising. It is a very easy business model. The more consumers, the more money is in a business.

LeBron James is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever

live, and he has the salary to reflect it. During the offseason he found a new home, signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for four years, a contract worth $154 million. This deal makes him one of the highest paid players in NBA history. And that is just his playing salary.

Meanwhile, the 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart only made $54,000 last season. Six figure salaries is the limit for these female athletes, as their

max out salary is $110,000. And most of the players have to play overseas at the end of the season in order to keep on making money. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry and James Harden get to chill at home during the offseason.

But it’s a simple business model, the more money a company produces, the more there is to be handed to the players. It’s basic economics.

The average WNBA attendance is 7,768 people, meanwhile the Golden

State Warriors filled up Oracle Arena every game last season, averaging 19,596 fans.

But what happens when two different genders are under the same branch? Enter the United States Women’s National Soccer Team.

They have won three World Cups, most recently coming first in the 2015 one hosted in Canada. If you ask me, that’s a really good dynasty.

And then there is the United States

pretty well.”

For the Stangs’ next game they will be hitting the road to take on Napa Valley College for their second Conference game on Sept.19.

Jesus Cano DROP OF JUICE

Men’s National Soccer Team, who got to participate in the 2018 World Cup just like I did, by sitting on their couch and enjoying it on TV. They have never won a World Cup. The men’s and women’s teams during their World Cup stints made different money, and to much surprise

See PAY, page 5

SPOTLIGHT

CHARGE UP A chat with Nick Filardo YOUR MOBILE DEVICE. Spotlight is an occasional Q&A feature with a member of the LMC Mustang football team.

By CONNOR HORSFIELD Correspondent

Linebacker Nick Filardo had quite the debut for the Los Medanos College football team Sept. 1 against Gavilan College recording an interception and two sacks. Experience correspondent Connor Horsfield caught up with the Heritage High School alumnus after LMC’s 21-7 victory.

Hey Nick, I was asked by the LMC Experience student newspaper if I could get a quick interview with you.

By the way, I like the cleats.

(Laughs a bit) Thanks, and all right.

Also, I just heard when I got here, but how does your knee feel? I heard that you went to have a shot in it?

Eh, it feels all right.

Q A Q A Q

All right, now for what I actually had planned for today, after asking about your health and admiring your cleats (laughs a little). You had a great game this past weekend with seven total tackles, two of which were sacks, and one of those was a safety. You also

Photo courtesy of Alex Filardo

Nick Filardo (No. 10) was an anchor on defense during his time at Heritage High School where he recorded 82 tackles, five sacks and one interception. got an interception, and rushed Gavilan’s quarterback enough to force another interception.

How do you plan to keep up this pace?

How do I plan to keep up this pace? Well, I gotta work hard every day at practice, and fine tune my game as much as possible.

This week LMC plays in San Jose, what have the coaches said to you guys to get you ready for this game?

All of the coaches have done an excellent job in preparing us for this game, now it’s up to us executing

A

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on Saturday.

Have you played any other positions or have you always been a linebacker?

I played a little bit of tight end and guard when I was younger, but it’s mostly been linebacker.

The guys at the LMC Experience said to make this more of a Q&A this week, so let’s have a little fun. Who is/was your NFL hero? Any linebackers who you look up to or try to emulate on the field?

Oh, that’s a hard question, but I’d have to say Bill Romanowski.

Q A Q A

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TAG From page 1

The New Gym/Student Union building under construction. The building will replace the adjacent older gym

BUILD From page 1

construction, not only because it is a smaller building and but also because the structure was built off-site first.

Building the structure this way has been beneficial to ensuring a timely finish to a much needed update for the campus..

“This method is a lower cost method to construct quality buildings that are somewhat

simple in nature,” Porter said.

Senior Traffic Officer, Michael Hotton expressed that the project has been a long time coming. The current Police Ser vices building is a small office located on the bottom most level of the college complex.

Twenty employees working in such a small space has not been conducive to visibility and safety, Hotton pointed out.

“The absolute benefit for us is that we are visible…

Visibility is huge on [an open

campus,]” Hotton said. “It gives people peace of mind just driving by and seeing that there’s a police station that’s accessible to them and everybody knows where it is.”

With the new Police Services building facing parking lot A, campus police will also have a better response time to emergencies, Hotton said.

The placement of the building is located within what is sometimes considered the most active area on campus.

Their current building in

comparison, is isolated in both location and communication from the majority of campus.

The concrete buildings often disrupt communications via radio or phone.

Police Services hopes that the new building will help aid, if not completely eliminate these issues and increase campus safety.

Together, these two projects will bring much needed improvement to an ever improving, and expanding, campus.

VICTOR From page 6

which made him more comfortable.

This motivated Coronado to apply and made it more of a reality for him. He flew through the application/interview procedures until he had to teach to the committee.

“They loved my teaching demonstration,” he said.

This lead to a final interview with the Vice President of instruction and President of the college, which he passed.

“I’m a person who has been accomplishing his goals step by step,” Coronado said. “I use myself as an example for people in our community.”

The aforementioned low enrollment numbers combined with negative stereotypes have made things difficult for the Latino community.

“They think we’re taking advantage of this countr y,” Coronado said. “If you’re an illegal immigrant you don’t qualify for anything.”

In addition, the legal way to enter the country has become increasingly difficult, and with the element of time being an issue some individuals or families are left with no choice but to cross illegally.

The Latino community faced even more issues this year regarding education and the removal of DACA despite the fact that “sí se puede” and “tener ganas” (have an urge) are the two phrases driving his success, Coronado understands many young adults in the country are now restricted because the government refuses to support them anymore.

Coronado is vocal about the change in policy and believes the wall is “not a good thing” for either the United States or Mexico, emphasising that both countries need each other to be successful. There are examples of foreigners being successful on both sides of the border.

American companies such as Walmart, Costco and Ford thrive in Mexico, and in return America receives a lot of Mexican workers through programs. Many teachers and doctors from Mexico are even sent to American cities to attend seminars, then go back to their country to use what they learned, explained Coronado.

Now at the age of 36, Coronado has accomplished a lot.

He earned his Master’s degree, married an Argentinian woman and now has one daughter and two sons who he will always push toward the path of success. He lives happily with his family in Sacramento and continues to accomplish his goals step by step, day by day.

Young Americans for Freedom club members Matthew Wieland (left) and Joseph Tompkinson set up flags for their Sept. 11 memorial.

FLAG From page 1

people on campus expressed positive sentiments about the memorial.

“That flag right there, that’s somebody’s dad that didn’t come home,” Anderson said.

“That flag right there, that’s a firefighter that went down with the tower.”

While the memorial was generally seen as being tasteful and powerful, some students and faculty took issue with the campaign poster which depicted not only 9/11 but also seven other terror attacks from Islamic extremist groups on predominantly American victims.

“The event was good, but the advertising was deceiving... when you celebrate Native American day, you’re not saying ‘Look what all these Europeans did,’” said LMC student Ricardo Black. “My question to the club would be… what were you trying to make people feel when they saw that?”

Fellow students Natalie Yoshimoto and Odochi Nwokochah also felt the posters didn’t accurately depict the event.

“It didn’t make sense to me,” LMC student Natalie Yoshimoto said. “It made me not want to go… it didn’t make it feel like a safe event.”

An unnamed classified staff member was seen taking down several copies of the

poster lacking the Office of Student Life stamp of approval the day after the memorial, remarking she saw several Muslim students in the ESL office in tears and stating she felt a copy of the poster posted nearby was “targeted.”

Nwokochah, who is affiliated with the Office of Student Life, stated that those posters were authorized to be placed there, but that some were accidentally left unstamped.

“I can understand where her concerns may come from,” Anderson said in response to the claims of targeting. “[But] we have no control of where they go up… I would not have put it there personally.”

Anderson also mentioned the club originally had the poster submitted and approved Tuesday of the week they were posted, and was told on Thursday that they were too big despite finding in the Office of Student Life handbook that there is no explicitly stated maximum size, and presented the issue to campus administration before they were eventually put up.

“I firmly believe that they were using ‘it’s too big’ as an excuse because they disagreed with the content,” Anderson stated.

The Office of Student Life is not allowed to prevent a student from engaging in expression based on content

unless it is deemed to be obscene, libelous, slanderous or inciteful.

“Typically the Student Life Office attempts to post materials within one day. However, occasionally it can take longer,” Director of Student Life Teresea Archaga stated on the subject. “When YAF submitted the posters for posting, initially Student Life was unsure how to handle them due to the size being larger than many bulletin boards can accommodate. Due to this need to identify places that could accommodate the size of the posters, it contributed to a slight delay in posting.”

Young Americans for Freedom maintained both the poster and flag display were “just for awareness” about 9/11, stating many students who passed by the panel the day of remarked they originally forgot about it.

“Sometimes you have to use a shock factor to catch someone’s attention,” Tompkinson stated. “These posters were designed to catch your attention by saying, ‘hey, look at these horrible things that happened’… Nowhere on there was there placing blame on any specific group of people or... saying these people are terrible. It was saying that terrorism is terrible and that we do not forget those who lost their lives to these terrorists.”

PAY

From page 4 in the sports world, the women made money when they won the World Cup. Alex Morgan and her squad brought in $6.6 million in profit, while the men only brought $2 million.

Who was getting the fatter paycheck though? That’s right, the men.

In instances like this, that is absolute blasphemy that

Riverside, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz and UC Irvine, offer the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program for California community college students who meet specific requirements “The fact that admissions is so competitive… it’s really amazing that there’s this clear cut pathway to give students not only the access, but also the opportunities to also to get the same preparation that they would at a UC,” said UC Irvine representative Norma Peniche.

However, there are limitations and caveats Peniche noted.

Students can only apply in their last year at a community college in the fall and only within the month of September. Additionally, the program allows student to apply only to one school.

Applying students need 30 units completed and have 60 units completed by the end of the school year in order to apply. A GPA anywhere from a 2.4 to 3.4 GPA, depending on the school’s requirements, is preferable.

Each school is different and so students should make note of these variations before they decide to use the TAG option on one of their applications.

Using the TAG program is a strategic decision, valuable for more challenging or competitive majors. Peniche suggests that students refer to the TAG Matrix, a pdf available online which can help clarify these differences and ensure student success. However, using the Transfer Admission Planner makes ever ything easier, as is congregates all of the information needed for the application process. “[The Transfer Admission Planner] is pretty easy to navigate… You can fill in your grades from every semester, which is really helpful ‘cause then you’re not cramming it trying to fill everything in,” said Martinez.

Students should also be sure to refer to the Transfer Center for help.

“We have specially trained students and staff to help students check requirements and fill everything out,” said Transfer Director Rachel Anicetti. “I’ve worked with students who’s GPA was lower than the average accepted GPA for their major, but because they met TAG requirements, were still accepted to their UC campus.”

Students interested in the TAG program should follow these steps: Use the UC Transfer Admission Planner to complete the TAG application, and review it with a community college counselor and/or UC campus TAG adviser.

Submit the application between Sept. 1–30.

Also fill out the application for admission to UC and submit it Nov. 1–30.

Students will be notified of their TAG approval in November. If approved, students should be sure to fulfill all remaining coursework and GPA requirements articulated in the agreement. Those not interested in TAG or who don’t meet the requirements, should apply to UC colleges in the month November.

Many who are not eligible for TAG are still exceptionally well-qualified and are strongly encouraged to apply for admission to UC’s through the regular application process during the filing period.

SURGE From page 1

the women are winning gold but making coal compared to the men who just earn a pat on the back.

What can be done? Honestly nothing, people are always going to invest in the men more than the women. The NHL, MLB and NBA will always be juggernaut companies.

The only solution possible is to attend these games. Buy

a ticket.

However, finding a full professional women’s team in the Bay Area is hard, as there are no WNBA teams. The last pro team came from soccer was FC Gold Pride out of Santa Clara.

They folded in 2010.

The gender pay gap will always be around in sports, and it’s a damn shame pay will never be at an equal level.

seling, and the impact of the increased enrollment has been felt by her department. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in appointment activity, especially for drop-ins” said Faridnia Only time will tell if this enrollment growth sustains.

It will either end up as a boom for LMC or a burden but in either case, the new enrollment data shows that LMC has experienced staggering growth over the years.

Follow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.com

FOOD From page 3

makes helping our fellow students much easier. Giving them the much need nutrients to get through the day to day struggles students face.

Students needing food can stop by the Los Medanos Food Pantry, located just left to the Cafeteria.

Los Medanos student, Jaime Orozco is one of the volunteers who helps in the Food Pantry.

Sometimes he can be seen pulling a large across campus filled with boxes of food.

He stocks the Food Pantry whenever there is a delivery.

The cart is often heavy. It gets stuck on corners. Although the job could take 2 people to complete, Orozco is content to complete it alone.

“I’ve been helping for about a year,” Orozco says. He does his part to keep the Pantry stocked, and he agrees that, “it’s a good program.” Furthermore, Orozco explains that “it’s good that we inform people about the Food Pantry.”

Students who walk by can stop in when the Pantry is open to get information not only about Los Medanos’ program, but where to get food from sources in the community.

Azi Carter, another Los Medanos student who volunteers in the Food Pantry, is happy to be involved. “This is my first semester [volunteering] and it is very rewarding to be in a place that serves the students at LMC.” Carter hopes that “more students will take advantage of it.”

Carter agrees that some students need some extra help. She says, “Just knowing there is some place on campus a currently enrolled student can feed themselves and their family is a wonderful community service.”

The food of fered to the students is all healthy. There are also healthy snacks. Students wanting to partake in receiving food from the Food Pantry only have to follow 3 eligibility requirements. They must be a currently registered LMC student, they must have a current LMC ID and they must be willing to complete an intake form.

The Food Pantry is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Students can get healthy food if they need it. If receiving is not an option, people can also donate food or money to help. Remember that donations cannot be expired or open.

Money can be donated via check payable to “Los Medanos Foundation” or online at www. losmedanos.edu/foundation.

Make a reference by putting “Food Pantry” in the notes.

PATH From page 3

the 2018/2019 school year is $285,017 and can be spent in a vast number of ways to increase full time enrollment, student persistence and graduation rates among other factors.

Full time LMC Student Jessica Wilson believes that issues like ability for students to make it to campus may be affecting some numbers, in addition to the overall awareness of programs and assistance available to the students.

“Informing people on things like the child day care, or finding more ways for transportation for students that find it hard to make the trip to school, whether its due to not having a car, or not enough money for things such as Uber or BART. These broader forms of assistance may help treat the whole issue of student enrollment, boost the number of units students can take, and keep the students on campus so that they may graduate. As for how the bulk of the money will be spent, there is still quite a bit of uncertainty.

“We will have additional student forums this semester and in the spring, and we will work with Associated Students to include students in all committee meetings,” said Von Bergen.

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“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.”

— William Shakespeare

From Mexico, with love

Coronado is a class act staff writer

“Sí se puede.” These three words of inspiration have pushed people in their toughest times, lead civil rights movements and even helped a senator become president of the United States of America. Translated as “yes we can” this simple yet powerful statement has touched the hearts of many people around the world, including Los Medanos College Spanish professor Victor Coronado.

Coronado, a humorous, kind-hearted professor, has been teaching students Spanish and the traditions of Spanish-speaking countries since 2011. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Coronado lived on his grandfather’s ranch surrounded by farm life and the outdoors. It was in his hometown of Camargo where he found his love for bicycling, horseback riding, teaching and most importantly, hard work.

Although he describes his early years as an excellent childhood, he acknowledges education was not the greatest priority in the eyes of the Mexican government at that time.

“The most important thing was

to work,” he said, explaining most people were too focused on the work they had in front of them to pursue an education.

This mindset was fairly common in Mexico and his mother, for example, only made it to the fourth grade.

However, she came to understand the value of knowledge and pushed him to pursue an education.

As a teenager, Coronado moved to Mexico City and attended Mexico’s largest college, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexíco (UNAM).

This was a giant leap for him, as life in Mexico City was not easy to get used to. He studied there for a few months before heading back home in search of something different.

When Corenado was 12, his father had moved north to work in the United States; his father worked in the poultry business to earn visas for for the family. Since Coronado had just left UNAM and was trying to figure out what to do next, he felt as if he did not fit in at UNAM nor in his hometown anymore.

He said to himself, “If I’m not comfortable here, I might as well

try los Estados Unidos.”

Once in California, he headed back to school in Redwood City, attending Cañada College in 2001. Once again it was a challenge for him to fit in. But this time he found himself fitting in with students from other countries who were also learning English.

College attendance for Hispanics is relatively low, with many members of the Hispanic community working low paying or blue collar jobs. But Coronado sees himself as a role model for them.

Coronado began his teaching career with one class at Sierra College in 2011. He then started teaching at another college for one other class while working full time at Whole Foods as a pastry chef.

He counts his current job at LMC as a blessing, because it was not easy to find a full time job teaching at a college. After a friend told him LMC was hiring, he did some research and liked all the positive reviews attributed to the school. Another thing he loved was seeing the large percentage of Latino students attending the school,

“I’m a person who has been accomplishing his goals step by step.”

— Victor Coronado

Shooting stars

Play tackles destiny Staff Writer

Above: Marianna Pitzer gives an impassioned speech to the audience in a dramatic moment.

Above and right: Jonathan Ramos’ character slaps Pitzer during a tense scene.

Watching the play “Constellations” was like watching the same movie multiple times with completely different outcomes as each scene plays out. It may sound like a drag to see the same scene over and over, but in each version something is subject to change, whether it’s a subtle or major difference such as a reaction to a question or a change in a character’s name.

That being said, if you watch the play without knowing the stor y behind it, you may be confused as the scenes are constantly looped with varying aspects over and over again, especially if you’re not paying close attention to what is being said.

“Constellations” had a small cast of two actors, Marianna Pitzer and Jonathan Ramos, playing characters named Marianne and Roland. The two characters put the audience through a rollercoaster of emotions as they watch their “love story” from different perspectives, endings and beginnings. The set is fairly simple with nothing but the two acto rs and a black box on stage, making it easier to keep the focus on the actors without the distraction of a large set.

This stylistic choice is great when you have to pay attention to each scene word for word to notice what has changed.

There were also scenes with plenty of comedic humor that could make anyone laugh. Even scenes where characters crack bad jokes could make you chuckle a bit or put your head down and shake it in despair.

After a couple of go-arounds, viewers will begin to realize the play is based around string theory mixed in with a love story.

String theory is the idea that we as people live in a universe with at least 10 different dimensions or 10 different versions of ourselves. For example, in this dimension you are a student attending LMC who has a younger sibling, but in a another dimension you’re a doctor and now who once was your younger sibling may just be a patient of yours.

When you combine string theory and a love story together the outcomes can be limitless — which is exactly what this play explores. For the audience it often seemed like you were watching a movie unfold right in front of you.

“Constellations” had great acting, plenty of jokes to laugh at and was an enjoyable show for all who attended. If you are into jo kes about fire crotches or a sap for deep love and heartbreak stories then this play is for you.

For more plays like this, students can visit the Little Theater for information on upcoming plays and performances.

‘Pop Food’ delivers potent ’90s nostalgia @RobertP_EXP

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based, YouTube-popularized surrealist animator and musician Jack Stauber re-released three of his albums, previously only available on his YouTube channel or as digital downloads, on CD format last month.

Of the three, “Pop Food” offers a unique synth-laden, funk-infused, nostalgia-driven electronic experience with some serious art, emotion and charm behind and throughout it. The CD comes in a special case designed to look well worn and stained by coffee. “Pop Food” features several tracks with heavy, almost overpowering low bass notes, high feedback electric pianos, subtly distorted vocals and noise filters giving the album the distinct air of “late 90s/mid 2000s pop hit being played on your mid range car stereo with the bass knob at max.”

The opening track, “Buttercup,” made popular

in part by a fanmade music video, sets the stage for the rest of the album while having enough individuality to scream “single material.” The track features the trademark harmonic low bass notes paired with bright melodies and poppish but abstract lyrics about painful love that instills a sense of bittersweet joy.

This odd mix of emotion also resonates through the next few tracks on the album, “Oh Klahoma” and “I Love You Verne Troyer,” the latter of which starts with an audio recording of the late “Austin Powers” actor and features sections of both thumping percussion and trancelike, haunting guitar.

“Koi Boy” slows things down, centering itself around a simplistic and recurring sleepy acoustic riff, and contrasts perfectly with “Dog Nightmare,” a more upbeat funk/rock track with a handful of sampled sound effects and spoken lines of dialogue that is easily the most high-energy piece of the album.

“Bothersome” opens with the sound of

radio static dissipating ala Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and returns to the romantic acoustic sound explored in “Koi Boy,” marking a departure from the electronically filtered aesthetic a few of the remaining songs dip back into, but not all are bound to going forward.

Track eight, “My Plea,” is a comedic and peppy snack break, telling the story of a man who is mugged and uses the last of his change to use a payphone to beg an old friend for money to buy candy bars. Despite the absurd plot, the track features Stauber’s voice at its most genuine, with no accents or modulation.

Track 10, “I Understand,” introduces a more videogamey chiptune feel to the album, and also features sharp and progressive laser synth melodies unlike anything else on the disc.

The final track, “Candy Eyes,” offers a very clear, slow, contemplative, almost R&B like sound that offers the perfect end to the short-but-sweet jaunty trip the 36 minute album represents.

“Pop Food” and much more of Stauber’s content can be found on his YouTube channel at JackStauber where he posts not only songs and albums but also short animation skits done through various mediums.