A FIRST AMENDMENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF LAS POSITAS COLLEGE MAY 15, 2019
VOL. 30 ISSUE NO. 8
FIRST COPY FREE; ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS EACH
A Haven of Redemption Las Positas has been a second chance for many, local and abroad. And Nikki Liu made the most of hers. PAGE 8
Timothy Cech/Express Yingzhe "Nikki" Liu in the tutorial center on May 13, 2019. She was born and raised in China, where she planned to go to school before Las Positas became the opportunity of a lifetime.
Newly elected student gov't officers sworn in Page 12
Swimmer becomes new Page 6 state champion
2 NEWS Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief Emily Forschen Managing Editor Kirstie Burgess Sports Editor Devin Bradshaw Opinions Editor Arion Armeniakos Editorial
and Production Staff Ruben Banuelos Sean Brooks Timothy Cech Nicolas Despotakis Thiha Naing
Adviser Melissa Korber Business Manager Marcus Thompson II Technology Manager Jeff Bennett Lead Design Mentor Brianna Guillory Design Mentor Jennifer Snook Director of Events/Social Media Mentor Christina Vargas
© 2018 Express.* Reproduction in any form is strictly prohibited. The Express is a First Amendment publication of the students of Las Positas College. It is published most Fridays during the academic year. The students who staff the Express run an editorially independent newsroom. Unsigned editorials reflect the collective opinion of the editorial board. Other opinions express the views of individual writers and artists are not to be considered the views of the publication’s staff, editorial board, advisors, the associated students, the college administration or the board of trustees. *Students retain copyright ownership of the content they create, including words, photographs, graphics, illustrations, cartoons and other work. The Express retains copyright ownership to advertisements the Express creates. The Express retains the right to use all material in all forms in perpetuity.
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BART officials approve use of license plate readers By Nick Despotakis @NICK__DESPO
fter nearly five years A of lengthy discussions and debates, the Bay Area
Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors has unanimously approved the use of license plate readers in their parking lots. The BART Board approved the policy on Thursday, April 25 to install cameras that can capture images of vehicle license plates at the transit system’s parking garages and lots. BART aborted their previous attempt to do so in 2016, but this time the vote was unanimous. According to NBC Bay Area, BART Director John McPartland said, “This has been a long time coming. In fact it’s been too long. It’s long overdue.” The policy states that cameras will operate 24 hours a day and will be used “for BART criminal investigations and to monitor activity to protect against harm to persons and property.” BART wants to limit car break-ins and vehicle thefts. “The security of our patrons and riders is our top priority,” said BART Director Debora Allen. BART statistics show that the items lost in car theft or car break-ins in parking lots amounted to an estimate of $7 million in losses to BART riders in 2017 and 2018. The Board hopes that using the license plate readers will help bring that total down. With these new license plate readers, students and other com-
Photo courtesy of The Richmond Standard
BART parking garages are expected to begin implementing the systems soon, although officials have not yet stated when or where.
how this will work, but whether you want to do this at all.” Another member, Mike KatzLacabe was very pleased with the Board for engaging in a public process when drafting the new policy and for caring about privacy concerns. The initial attempt in 2016 failed to do so. People are wondering how these new license plate readers will effect immigrants in the Bay Area. The new policy specifically states that information collected by the cameras won’t be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement “or any agency conducting immigration enforcement or removal operations,” but people are worried BART will not have the power to prevent immigration agencies from accessing data.
The new policy prevents the license plate information from being stored for longer than 30 days- barring a subpoena, court order or ongoing investigation. It will still take several months for new cameras to be cropped up. There is a pilot program going on right now that located in the MacArthur parking lot in Oakland. If the results are promising, they will apply more pilot programs at other stations around the Bay Area. They will then propose to the BART Board of Directors to buy what the data shows to be the necessary amount of cameras with updated technology at a future board meeting. BART officials estimate that each fixedlocation camera will cost $15,000 to $22,000 to install.
Remembering Hyman Robinson and Donald “Dobie” Gelles
Letters to the Editor The Express is a public forum newspaper that seeks to encourage robust discussion among members of the college community. Letters to the editor, editorial and opinion pieces, freelance articles and photographs may be sent via e-mail or U.S. mail. Pieces must be typed and signed and include contact information, including a daytime phone number. Anonymous submissions will not be printed. All submissions are edited for space and clarity, and upon publication become the property of the Express.
muters who use BART to travel will be able to learn comfortably knowing they do not have to worry about their cars getting broke into while they are at school. If they do get broken into, there is a good chance of recovering the items. According to Bolaffi, license plate readers have been shown to lead to the recovery of half of all vehicles stolen from areas that have used the technology. “The technology will also serve as a crime deterrent,” said Bolaffi. “It will put criminals on notice that if they come into our (parking) lot, their vehicles will be identified.” Skeptics call it “mass surveillance” and point out that the cameras can lead to intrusions into law-abiding riders’ privacy and civil rights abuse. There are concerns from the public after a high profile incident occurred last year when BART was accused of sharing information with federal immigration agents. More than 57,000 photos of license plates were taken from surveillance cameras inside MacArthur station in Oakland. BART admitted that some of that information was sent to a law enforcement database called the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center unintentionally. They said it was not shared with ICE, though. J.P. Massar, a member of an advocacy group called Oakland Privacy said, “You should be thinking not about whether or
Express/Archives Hyman Robinson in November 2018.
On April 27, Hyman Robinson passed away at age 77. The sociology professor was a civil rights activist and in 1959 studied under Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and worked alongside César Chávez in the 1960s. Robinson served in the U.S. Navy and worked with the California Migrant Ministry before going back to CSU East Bay to complete his master’s degree. He worked at Las Positas College for 36 years. Don Carlson, Dean of Social Science, Library, Public Safety and Career Education said of Robinson, “He was a well respected instructor by students, faculty, staff and administrators at the college. Mr. Robinson was very committed to his field and the success of his students in Sociology.”
On May 2, 2019, Donald “Dobie” Gelles passed away at age 81. Gelles was Trustee 5, representing Castro Valley and parts of Oakland on the CLPCCD Board of Trustees. He served in the U.S. Army for 11 years and moved to California in 1964, beginning his education career. He worked as a teacher, principal, counselor and director of Castro Valley Adult School. In 1998, Gelles went on to work on the Board, serving for 21 years, with two of his terms serving as Board President. Current Board President Dr. Ed Madruli said, “We are deeply saddened and send our condolences to the Gelles Family. We will remember Dobie for his two decades of service, dedication and leadership to our students and community.”
Photo courtesy CLPCCD
Donald “Dobie” Gelles, trustee 5.
NEWS 3
MAY 15, 2019
Vice President search reboots following failed first search By Emily Forschen @EMILYSCHEN
as Positas College adminL istration is ready to walk down the aisle again, fresh off of running from the altar. The search for a Vice President for Academic Services didn’t have a great first run, getting their final two candidates to the last stage before ultimately deciding they didn’t want to hire any of them. The second search has begun and ended quickly, with only six weeks standing between the opening and closing of the position. According to Diane Brady, Vice President of Administrative Services, the public forums for the search will take place on May 22. Brady, who also serves as the chairman of the search committee, has said that the position has since received over 20 applications. The committee is hopeful to make a permanent hire by July of this year. While the search may be on its second go, Brady remains confident that it will be successful. So far, her prediction of the amount of applicants has been proven correct, showing that one unsuccessful search did not discour-
age crowds from applying. The search is the third administrative search that has occurred in the past academic year. When the district looks to hire an administrative position, CLPCCD creates a hiring committee whose responsibility it is to open a position, outline it and see the search through ultimately to a hire, unless otherwise struck down by the Board of Trustees (which happened in the December 2018 search for a chancellor). The hiring committee will sort through the applications, which are scored on a rubric. The rubric scores determine who will move on. First level interviews will take place throughout the week of May 13, 2019. The public forums are the second round of interviews, in which students and employees of the college or district are able to ask questions. “It was disappointing that we didn’t get a person the first time, so we wanted to start (the search) up again,” said Brady. “Sometimes we might keep it open longer. Sometimes we might keep it open for almost two months, somewhere between six to eight weeks for someone at the vice president
LPC JAZZ ENSEMBLE WINS THE RENO JAZZ FESTIVAL
The Las Positas College jazz ensemble “Vocal East” has been awarded first place in the two year college category at the Reno Jazz Festival 2019. The ensemble received unanimous “superior” ratings from all adjudicators with an additional “Outstanding Soloist” medal awarded to Allison Middlekauff. They received third place last year and they are the first LPC vocal ensemble to place first in their festival.
CHANCELLOR RELEASED THE “DREAMERS PROJECT REPORT” The Chancellor’s Office released The Dreamers Project Report, a landscape analysis of the current state of support that community colleges provide for the estimated 50,000- 70,000 undocumented students in Calif. The report reveals that undocumented students need increased financial aid, legal services and mental health support systems. The report will be presented to the Board of Governors of Calif. Community Colleges on May 20, 2019.
level. But we wanted to make sure that we got the process going before the end of the semester, while faculty (and students) are still here.” Ultimately, Brady said, they chose to open the position back up for the stability of the college. Her sentiments echoed those of Interim President Roanna Bennie. Bennie had previously served as Vice President of Academic Services before she was offered the interim presidency. After she became the Interim President, she continued in both roles before deciding that there needed to be a permanent fill-in. “We’re really excited to have a permanent Vice President of Academics,” Bennie said in January, when the search initially began. “I really think it was the right decision, for the stability of the college, to have the same person carrying out tasks and duties.” Public forums with the candidates when they are chosen will be held at Las Positas College on May 22, which Brady hopes will have a large audience. She encourages anybody with any questions or concerns to come to the forums and meet the candidates.
Express/Archives Jeff Drouin, Chabot College Athletic Director, reads a question that he had for chancellor candidates during the public forums at Las Positas College. This search reached a conclusion with no candidates chosen.
4 NEWS
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Instagram picture spells doom for upcoming ‘super bloom’
Photo courtesy of Gregory Bull/AP Images A woman poses in field of blooming poppies for a photo shoot in Lake Elsinore, Calif. Critics say she and others are ruining the poppy field in order to get the perfect picture for Instagram.
By Nick Despotakis @NICK__DESPO
beautiful explosion of poppies has A exceeded the typical spring blooms people in California are used to seeing.
Fields came alive with vibrant orange poppies, and it has Instagram fanatics excited. Maybe a little too excited. It’s called a “super bloom.” It is a massive burst of poppies that started in Southern California due to 2019’s heavy rainfall. People are going nuts over this rare burst of wildflower blooms and are doing whatever it takes to get the perfect pic for the ‘gram – even if it means killing the flowers. People are not used to seeing such healthy and eye-popping poppy fields after the nearly decade-long drought. In May and June, the sight will be migrating north, much closer to Livermore. Authorities are trying to continue spreading awareness about keeping these precious poppies safe, so the second act
of the “super bloom” doesn’t face the same fate as the first. The state flower, the golden poppy, is one of the earliest wildflowers to grow. It has historical value as it is a remembrance of the First World War and is sacred in California. Critics say Instagram is ruining these sacred flowers for likes. The hills of Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore, a city between Los Angeles and San Diego, are full of blooming orange poppies. Instagrammers swarmed to Walker Canyon which caused an absolute headache for city officials. Lake Elsinore has a population of 60,000, according to Mashable. On one weekend in mid-March, about 100,000 people visited the popular canyon. Traffic was out of control, as you can imagine, forcing the city hall to make a decision to shut down freeway access and access into Walker Canyon all together. The following day Steve Manos, the
Mayor of Lake Elsinore, posted to Instagram saying, “Walker Canyon is full. City is evaluating all options. We must remain flexible to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and crisis facing our city.” Walker Canyon was forced to reopen due to state laws, but the mayor encouraged people to choose other options for the sake of Lake Elsinore. Manos is sure that the city will figure out a solution. “We’ve gone through fires and floods, we’ll get through the flowers,” he told CBS. The next day on Tuesday afternoon, Lake Elsinore was once again forced to close the freeway ramps, but this time the decision was made by California Highway Patrol. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, located in Lancaster, is another victim to the destruction of the delicate wildflowers. On an average day, the park has about 60 visitors, according to Vice News Tonight. During this semi-rare super bloom outbreak of golden poppies, the number of visitors has skyrocketed to approximately 2,000 people per day. Large numbers of families, including swarms of kids, run through the poppy fields ruining the poppies as parents attempt to take the best pictures of their kids to post on Instagram. “They don’t care if they’re damaging the habitat. They just want their picture,” said longtime interpreter at the reserve Jean Rhyne, according to Vice News Tonight. “This park was created specifically because of the poppies that are here,” Rhyne said. “And if they get stepped on or sat on to take a picture, it compacts the soil and then the roots from the seeds of the next year can’t get in. So we’ll have scars in the habitat for many years to come.” Since the massive rise in visitors, the reserve has tried to adapt to the situation.
They hired staff from other California State Parks, providing numerous trails and walkways, but not even park rangers could stop a unique problem that occurred in March. A couple decided to land a giant helicopter in the middle of a field of poppies. A park ranger approached the couple, but they took off. The reserve responded to the incident in a since-deleted post on Facebook, saying, “We never thought it would be explicitly necessary to state that it is illegal to land a helicopter in the middle of the fields and begin hiking off trail. We were wrong.” The employees created a hashtag #DontDoomTheBloom on Instagram to inform future visitors about the potential harm before they visit. Don’t fool yourself, though. People are still determined to get the perfect shot for the gram. Fewer than 300 Instagram posts have the #DontDoomTheBloom hashtag while more than 147,000 posts are hash tagged #superbloom with people posing with the precious poppies. As the first act of the “super bloom” comes to an end in Southern California, a second act is starting in Northern California, closer to Las Positas. You can see the progression of blooms showing up in places such as Sacramento. In the coming days, the beautiful blooms will come alive up and down the Sierra Nevada range. According to Blake Engelhardt, forest botanist at Inyo National Forest, “Relatively cool temperatures through March seem to be delaying emergence of plants so far, but when it starts to warm, it should green up pretty quickly,” he told Travel + Leisure Group. “With so much snow above 8,000 feet, peak wildflowers at the higher elevations may not be until late July or early August, when they get unburied.”
Professor’s novel named finalist in prose competition By Emily Forschen @EMILYSCHEN
eda Levine doesn’t exist, but L she’s at Las Positas College. She comes to school with Gavin
Cheng-Johnson, Rona Gomez, Liam Stump and plenty of others who also aren’t real. They all follow Karin Spirn, LPC English faculty, everywhere she goes. They’re the main characters of some of her creative writing projects. She keeps a blog of short stories and has self-published two novels and a graduate dissertation about post-modern American literature. Spirn’s most recent novel, “The Divine Sharpness in the Heart of God,” advanced to become a finalist in New Rivers Press’ Many Voices Project, a competition for emerging creative writers. Only 10 prose pieces were selected from the bunch to advance, and the final winners will be announced by the end of May.
Art changes constantly. Culture, events of its time of creation or individual experiences inspire artists and creatives to form their artwork. Spirn, however, decided not to take her novel topical – instead, she looked at what would last even longer. “I have always been interested in how people decide what is meaningful in their lives, how they will define themselves,” Spirn said about her inspiration, “so (the subject matter is) a timeless topic for me.” The novel touches on topics close to Spirn, following an English professor (the aforementioned Cheng-Johnson) who has lost his passion for literature. He trudges on through life, just trying to write his Ph.D. dissertation and to get through teaching his classes when he is challenged by a student. Then, he’s led on an intellectual journey making him rethink not only his perspective on life but the plans he had set for himself as well.
“I thought the business end of being a professor – what types of writing you had to do to get a job, how professors weren’t encouraged to focus on teaching but just on their research – was really depressing,” Spirn said. She got her Ph.D. in English from the University of Michigan, much like her protagonist, Cheng-Johnson, who studies in Indiana in “Divine Sharpness.” The setting is what prompted her to submit the novel to the Many Voices Project in the first place, since the sponsor of the contest is based at Minnesota State University. Michelle Gonzales, one of Spirn’s fellow English faculty at LPC, is not only a friend listed in the gratitudes on Spirn’s writing blog. She’s also a fan. “Karin is a great writer whose details about the worlds she creates keep you truly engaged in the story,” Gonzales said. “She is also not afraid to write about people who are different than her.
She writes from the perspective of men and people of color that exposes truths about our shared humanity, and she takes care not to over-generalize or rely on lazy stereotypes.” The novel took Spirn five years from the first word to completed, current version. She says that the greatest challenge was the ending – something she has completely reworked and rewritten twice. The ending, of course, meaning the entire last 25% of the manuscript. “The Divine Sharpness must be read by many. I have always believed that,” said Gonzales. She said the book is funny and touches on topics that everyone can identify with, including power dynamics between men and women, students and teachers and how people can learn from those younger than them. “Divine Sharpness” is currently available on Amazon for Kindle. Some of Spirn’s other works can be found on ledalevine.com.
Artwork by Karin Spirn Karin Spirn’s self-portrait, shown above, is one example of the style of illustration she uses to accompany her short story blog, ledalevine. com. The short stories follow the life of Leda Levine.
SPORTS 5
May 15, 2019
Diver breaks out of his comfort zone to thrive
Devin Bradshaw/Express
Las Positas diver Joey Argoncillo has devoted his life to tackling new challenges in his life through his iron willed determination.
By Devin Bradshaw @DEVINBRADSHAW_
e walked along the edge, H shaking, trembling scared for his life. He looked out into
the open blue, such a long way down. He conjured the courage and jumped in. This was the beginning of Joey Argoncillo’s diving career and just a piece of what he stands for. He became one of the best divers in California at the community college level by stepping out of his comfort zone. A comfort zone is a psychological state where things feel familiar to a person. Where they are at ease and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. Doing things that he’s not comfortable with has become a staple in his life, something he uses to push himself and grow. “I live my life out of my comfort zone. Because if you’re out of your comfort zone, it’s a really memorable experience when you do something that scares you. Because of the fact that you overcame it, makes life more meaningful.” This attitude was not always the norm for Argoncillo. Most of his life he struggled in school, he didn’t have that person behind him pushing him. Most people end up falling by the wayside and letting life pass them by, falling into depression and dark periods in their life. Argoncillo’s response to stagnation was frustration. For a year after his graduation from high
school trying to figure himself out. Looking at others’ lives and wondering why his wasn’t clicking. “One day I was so frustrated and I ran outside of my house from Lathrop to Tracy. I wasn’t prepared at all, I just woke up frustrated at life and thought ‘I’m so much more capable than I give myself credit for.’ And that’s when I started realizing things. So I ran outside my house and to the next city. There were some issues in between but I got to where I needed to go. Something about it was so liberating. “Knowing most people wouldn’t do what I did. But I overcame that run and have never felt more alive. It was one of the most intense feelings and moments, and I realized that this is what it means to live life on your own terms. So I try to apply that feeling to my everyday life.” Living his life on his own terms stuck with Argoncillo. It wasn’t clear to him in high school but when he took that run, it changed everything for him. Bringing the best out of himself to help other people. This life change started with attempting to join the Airforce, but that didn’t work out for him. Next was pushing his music further beginning to perform in front of people. That helped him grow further, in himself. Argoncillo had to be his own support, he had to be the one in his life to push and encourage himself. That can cause many people
to fold but Argoncillo’s strength to continue to endure wouldn’t let himself stay down. When Argoncillo got to Las Positas College his drive to tackle new challenges was at its height. As a kinesiology major, he ended up taking a class with head swim coach Jason Craighead. “I was looking for something that was out of my comfort zone, that I could push myself to do. So my teacher (Craighead) every once in a while would mention swimming. But he would never mention diving. “I’ve always been afraid of the water. Jumping into beaches and into pools that had water beyond my height.” Finally at 22 years old he decided to face his fear. “I walked over to the gym and saw the pool and saw swimmers doing their thing, swimming super-fast. I felt like I was missing out on a whole aspect of my life. Seeing people using jet skis and going scuba diving. I watched a dude jump off the board, and I told myself ‘that’s it, let’s go’ and I can’t even swim but I joined the team right then and there.” Argoncillo said. In sports you start slow, in basketball you start learning how to make layups before shooting three pointers. In soccer, you start learning to kick before you ever learn to dribble and shoot. But Argoncillo bypassed all the traditional swim lessons and went right to the big leagues in diving. “We had to teach him how
to swim in a few weeks, well, get him water safe at least.” Craighead said. The biggest challenge for Argoncillo was not getting him in the water, it was teaching him to get back up to the surface. “It was a gradual process for him. Especially in diving because if things don’t go right, it hurts a bit. You take your lumps and have good bruises and scrapes. But it takes the right attitude.” Argoncillo had the right attitude his life until this point has brought him here and allowed him to qualify for the State div-
ing championships in his first year of swimming. Out of 37 teams he finished 17th in the state. Argoncillo’s defining quality will help him in his diving career and in his life moving forward. “He’s so determined, he just has a positive mindset. When he decided he was going to do it, he did it,” Craighead said. “More power to him, it’s just awesome. A lot of people would have quit, wouldn’t even have made it past learning to swim and just said ‘forget it it’s not for me’ but he’s just so determined.
Photo courtesy of Alan Lewis Joey Argoncillo at the 2019 Hawk Invite. Argoncillo finished 17th at the state championships in May 2019.
6 SPORTS
lpcexpressnews.com
Hawks swimmer makes school history
LPC speedster takes the coveted state crown in the 100 By Arion Armeniakos @ARIONARMENIAKOS
steban Perez Del Rio does E not shy away from challenging himself every time he dives into the water. “One of my main goals is to break team records for the events that I swim in,” he said this past offseason as he prepared for his second year at Las Positas. On May 4, one of the ambitious goals Perez Del Rio set for himself became a reality as he clinched the first men’s state championship in program history. Just two weeks after the Kimball High School graduate led the swim and dive teams to their fifth consecutive Coast Conference championship, it was time to lock in for one last outing as a member of the Hawks. It was the time for Perez Del Rio to reap the benefits of all the hard work that he has put in over the last two years — and he delivered. Perez Del Rio shook off the early disappointments of coming fifth in the 50 and 200 free races, and looked at the top of his game as he swam to a dominant victory in the 100 free — the race that he has been training for throughout his entire collegiate career. “It is a surreal feeling to me,” Perez Del Rio said when speaking of how he felt about becoming a state champion. “It is still really hard to believe. It’s hard enough to make it to state, but to win an event brings me a lot of pride. And not only to myself, but to my team, and everyone who has been with me during this journey.” When it mattered most, Perez Del Rio recorded a school record time of 45.09 to claim the lone gold medal of the event for the Hawks — and only the second in the nine-year history of the program (2013, McKenna Stevulak). Head coach Jason Craighead looked back with pride on the progress that Perez Del Rio made
Timothy Cech/Express Esteban Perez Del Rio’s standout season has him high on the list for NCAA Division I scouts, with offers from UNLV and UCSB already on the table.
in his time at Las Positas, and credited his swimmer’s success entirely to the sophomore’s hard work and dedication to his craft. “He was not exceptionally fast when he came here as a freshman, but after he swam pretty well during his first year, we set some pretty high goals and standards for ourselves in terms of what we wanted to try and achieve,” Craighead said. “We were really focusing on that 100 freestyle, and he put in a lot of effort, energy, and commitment to stick to the plan and do everything he needed in order to be successful, and it really paid off. “He’s a great kid, a hard worker. He was willing to put in the time and effort, and he surpassed those goals, which is fantastic.” The last few weeks were testing for Perez Del Rio. He was put in a lot of high pressure-high expectation situations in relatively quick succession; but it is something that all standout athletes have to go through at some point in their careers — and that was his time. It is a process that is earned through the level expectations that the athletes set for themselves with their performances. For Perez Del Rio, the time of adversity hit during both, the conference and the state championship meets. As a captain and leader of the Hawks, the freestyle specialist had to learn how to deal with those emotions on the fly in order to be able to come good for himself and the team at the most high-profile events. Perez Del Rio explained that the anxiety and the pressure, which first paid him a visit during the conference meet, returned during the state championships, particularly before the 100 free. “I definitely felt a lot of pressure and some of that anxiety as the event came closer,” Perez Del Rio said. “I was seeded pretty high in all of my events, so I felt
like the team and the coaches had high expectations for me. To deal with it, I just tried not to think about the race too much and just focus on my breathing and trying to relax, and it paid off.” Having just experienced a similar feeling two weeks prior when he managed to secure three individual conference championships, and lead the Hawks to the championship — Perez Del Rio was better equipped this time around. And with the level of competition and the stakes significantly higher, Perez Del Rio retained his composure, and walked out of the De Anza College Pools with gold hanging around his neck — and ready for more. “My performances at the conference meet already left me excited to see what’s in store for me next,” Perez Del Rio said. “Now, I feel that all the work I put in finally paid off, and it leaves me wanting more.” Perez Del Rio’s consistency throughout the campaign and the high level of performances during the seasons most defining moments have now opened up the doors for the sophomore to do just that. The golden season finale has left the Tracy-raised swimmer with plenty of opportunities to choose from as he plots the next step in his career. Perez Del Rio holds a dual citizenship as he was born in Puerto Rico. As a result of that, his standout season may grant him a chance to represent his home country in the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo. In addition, the Hawks men’s captain has been recruited by two NCAA division one schools in University of Las Vegas and UC Santa Barbara. And so even though his time as a Las Positas Hawk is coming to an end — chances are this is not the last time you will hear of Esteban Perez Del Rio.
SPORTS 7
may 15, 2019
2019 Hawks Athletic Recognition Ceremony
Photos courtesy of Alan Lewis
Top Left: Hawks Athlete’s of the Year with their coaches. Bottom Left: Former women’s soccer head coach Paul Sapsford with players.
Photos courtesy of Alan Lewis
Top Right: Hawks Coaches of the Year Bottom Right: Men’s basketball team standout Michael Hayes with coach Giacomazzi.
CCCAA Swim and Dive State Championship Results Esteban Perez Del Rio: 100 Free – 1st, 50 Free – 5th, 200 free – 5th Joey Argoncillo: 1M Diving – 17th Niko Cory: 100 Breast – 3rd Andrew Doss: 500 free – 21st, 1650 free – 14th Drake Southern: 100 Back – 6th, 200 back – 10th Alexa Bui: 100 back – 7th, 200 Back – 17th Brooke Christian: 500 free – 8th, 200 Free – 11th, 1650 free – 6th Charlotte Goddard: 1M diving – 5th, 3M diving – 3rd Negar Tehranian: 1 meter diving – 16th Sydney Magann: 50 free – 7th, 100 free – 16th Hannah Tsui: 100 Breast – 8th Women’s 200 Medley Relay (Alexa Bui, Hannah Tsui, Negin Tehranian, Sydney Magann) – 3rd (New Team Record) Women’s 200 Free Relay (Brooke Christian, Negin Tehranian, Alexa Bui, Sydney Magann) – 5th (New Team Record) Women’s 400 Medley Relay (Alexa Bui, Hannah Tsui, Negin Tehranian, Sydney Magann) – 6th (New Team Record) Women’s 400 Free Relay (Negin Tehranian, Brooke Christian, Alexa Bui, Sydney Magann) – 12th Women’s 800 Free Relay (Negin Tehranian, Brooke Christian, Alexa Bui, Sydney Magann) – 13th Men’s 200 Medley Relay (Drake Southern, Niko Cory, Mat Kuan, Esteban Perez Del Rio) – 2nd Men’s 200 Free Relay (Drake Southern, Luke Severs, Niko Cory, Esteban Perez Del Rio) – 4th (New Team & Coast Conference Record) Men’s 400 Medley Relay (Drake Southern, Niko Cory, Matt Kuan, Esteban Perez Del Rio) – 5th (New Team Record) Men’s 400 Free Relay (Drake Southern, Luke Severs, Niko Cory, Esteban Perez Del Rio) – 3rd (New Team Record) Men’s 800 Free Relay (Andrew Doss, Drake Southern, Luke Severs, Matt Kuan) – 15th
FEAT
8 lpcexpressnews.com
7,000 miles and counting: Las Pos
Timothy Cech/Express Yingzhe “Nikki” Liu celebrated her 21st birthday on May 13. She spent her day at Las Positas, working in the tutorial center between classes for 12 hours.
By Emily Forschen @EMILYSCHEN
hen Nikki Liu graduatW ed high school, she had university in mind.
She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for. Like many fresh graduates, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to pursue. She just knew college was the next step. The results came back: she didn’t score high enough to get into a university. Uh oh. Wait. Let’s go back further. She was born Yingzhe (YINHjuh) Liu, raised in Guangdong, a province right outside of Hong Kong, China. She began learning English in elementary school. She said reading and writing it wasn’t difficult but speaking it was hard. She got into physics and biology in middle school. China legally requires kids to attend nine years of education. After completing 1st through 9th grade, students who want to continue their education — to what would be the equivalent of America’s sophomore, junior and senior years — apply through a high school entrance exam. Those who graduate can apply for universities by taking the highly competitive Gaokao, also known as the National College Entrance Exam. The nine-hour standardized test outweighs every other determining factor for college entrance and thus determines eligibility and priority for students. “I was so nervous the day before (the exam),” Liu said, “I
did not get a good grade.” So began the quandary. The daughter of a computer science teacher and an engineer failed the college entrance exams. The pressure, from herself and her family, weighed on her like an anchor. She felt tied down to the number on the paper, the only clear definition of her future. She was worried. She was lost. The thought of letting her parents down was drilling an emptiness inside her spirit. But a reprieve was waiting for her. In Livermore. Her aunt lived in Castro Valley. She learned of Liu’s predicament and told her about community colleges, how they are a second chance for Americans. It could be hers, too. It might seem hard to fathom at first, this school being the apple of someone’s eye — all the way across the globe. Las Positas has been nicknamed “Lost Potential” and mockingly dubbed the “University Behind Costco.” Locally, some parents consider their children landing here a failure. High school counselors rarely, if ever, Many students who attend even have a hard time seeing the value in Las Positas and go through their time on campus underneath hoodies with their headphones in. But for some, this school is not just picturesque because of its scenery, but because of the way it helps bring dreams into focus. Las Positas represents
more than just the neighborhood school or a backup plan. It can bring clarity. It can give people chances at a future they never knew they could have. To these students, LPC is an open door to put the world at their fingertips. “If I had stayed in China, I would know what I would become,” Liu said. “But now, I think I have better potential.” The first thing Liu will do is get the door for you. After you have entered, she’ll apologize for her English, insisting it is more broken than it actually sounds. She’ll take her black, shoulder-length hair, that’s so straight and shiny as to look synthetic, behind her ears and cross her hands on the table, waiting for you to speak before she does. She has a distinct elegance given to her by her high cheekbones. When she smiles, her cheeks give her a youthful energy– she looks younger than she is, but her composed demeanor makes her It is clear almost immediately Liu was not raised here. Her mannerisms, the polish of her movements, the humility in her tone. This isn’t a girl who grew up on Disney Channel and Doritos. She has a routine for everything in her life. She operates with precision and purpose. These days, she is the vice president of the math club, known as the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society. She is also a STEM tutor on campus and an award-winning mathematician.
She will graduate on May 25. Most of all, she’s discovered her passion. There is a certainty about Liu, the kind of quiet confidence that comes with success. The vibe she gives off is of one who is in control. But getting here was a journey, one that highlights the benefits of community college. She is also a shining example of how California’s system, and this school in particular, has been a beacon for international students. Liu — a 21-year-old computer science major in her second year at LPC — is the only child in her family, a product of the strict one-child policy that ruled China for 36 years. Her parents imprinted an interest in technology in her. Her country instilled a set pathway for her life. She was given the opportunity to choose her career, but she was only given one chance. “When I was in high school, my parents,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “put so much pressure on me. I didn’t know why I was studying.” She didn’t get the grade on her college entrance exam she needed to study computer sciences at the university in China. That left her with two choices. Option A: stay in China and study at a trade school and go straight into the workforce. Option B: alter her life completely and travel to the United States to attend a community college. Option A didn’t inspire her. She knew the path. It was all-too familiar. If she stayed, her life was certain to follow a common projection. Go to college. Get married at 25. Work a “regular job.” Live a stable life. Such wasn’t the life she envisioned, didn’t match the blueprint of the future she diagrammed in her dreams. Liu doesn’t like change. Uncertainty is like an allergy to her skin. But this was change she knew she needed to endure, because in this case it meant opportunity. It meant a second chance. It meant the life she wanted becoming a feasible reality. She packed her bags, got a plane ticket and escaped across the Pacific Ocean. Option B took her nearly 7,000 miles from home to the Bay Area. Her aunt offered her a room in her home in Castro Valley. Liu started at Las Positas in the spring of 2017. She was terrified. Part of her resented the move. But all of those feelings took a backseat to
her gratefulness for the opportunity to dream chase. “Nobody’s life ever follows a straight line,” said Michael Peterson, one of Liu’s former math teachers. “There are lots of twists and turns, successes and failures. It always inspires me when I see students working hard to tackle their challenges and eventually overcome them.” When she arrived, she was lonely. She found it difficult to make friends. Fluent in Cantonese but struggling in English, she had to learn social norms and mores on her own. Quickly. Her cousin, and now roommate, Rachel helped her as much as she could. She took classes with Liu so she wouldn’t feel so alone. But Liu started to flourish when she took a chance on a club. Joining a campus club may not seem like such a big risk. But for someone who constantly worries about her words, who feels like her social fate rests on not offending her peers, the idea of a club is nerve-wracking. Especially for someone who doesn’t like change. Her risk paid off. Liu fit in seamlessly into Mu Alpha Theta Honors, gaining a community she now couldn’t imagine being without. These were her first friends at LPC. She was secretary before becoming vice president. The social hurdle was out of the way. But the financial one was lurking. College is more than just a taxing mental and emotional investment for students like Liu. Tuition is another beast. Regular students pay $46 per credit, which for a full load costs $552 per semester. But for international students, LPC costs around $4,000 per semester, according to Cindy Balero, International Student Program Coordinator. That’s more than 700 percent higher than regular students. And that cost is before adding the living expenses, textbooks or additional supply fees. After her first year at Las Positas ended, Liu needed a job. International students can only be employed on campus, so when expenses started increasing, she had to figure out what she wanted to do. She thought back to one of her computer science classes when she had one of her friends help her out weekly. Liu went to the tutorial center and quickly became one of the most beloved tutors in the room.
TURE
sitas is Nikki Liu’s second chance She taught math and computer sciences. Immediately, she had a new love. What she thought was just a job turned out to be something much bigger — something that made her international trek more than worth the challenge. “I get so happy when (my students) get something,” she said, really leaning on the word ‘happy.’ “I think I can help find an easier way to learn the materials. When I am tutoring, I usually am very patient because if people see you and you’re tired of something, they will be tired of it, too. “But if you have passion,” she beamed, “then they will get excited too.” Liu gets an undeniable glow when she talks about her students. It was through tutoring that she discovered even though she is well-equipped to be a full-time computer scientist, her true passion is teaching. Now, she wants to teach at the college level. She abandoned the forecasted life waiting for her in China and took the opportunity to change her stars. Now, she knows exactly what they look like. “I’d think a university would be lucky to have Nikki as a researcher and later as a professor,” Peterson, her old math teacher, said. “She always asks the right questions, showing an already strong understanding of the material but wanting to dive deeper. Nikki was very curious about learning new topics and loved sharing her interest in mathematics with others.” On May 13, Liu turned 21. She spent almost the entire day in the tutorial center. When she wasn’t in class, she was volunteering to help students. “I think pretty much everyone here at this school has the intellectual ability, not everybody has the work ethic,” said Alain Olavarrieta, Liu’s former elementary linear algebra instructor. “I think she has that work ethic, where no matter how difficult the problems get in front of her, she’ll figure out a way to solve it.” Her latest problem to solve: what’s next. She said she is perfectly content to stay — she repeated countless times how much she didn’t want to leave Livermore — but her journey has taught her to answer when opportunity knocks. After she graduation, she has to choose another school to attend. She has already been accepted to UC Santa Barbara
and UC Davis. She was waitlisted for UC Berkeley and UCLA. She is leaning towards Davis but undecided. Her concern isn’t the academics, but the relationships. She is more worried about making friends as her English isn’t as polished as she’d like. Still, she has no plans to return to China anytime soon. “I miss China a lot during finals,” she said, flashing a sly grin. Her classic, plastic-rimmed glasses can’t hide the mischief in her eyes every time she makes a joke. “I’d like to stay here after I graduate. But if I cannot get a job, I will go back to China.” She missed home the most when she first moved here, before she had classes to fill her time, friends to appreciate her sharp wit or a true confidence in her passion for teaching. She said that it didn’t take long, though, before she had pushed herself into finding community. Ultimately, that’s a tribute to her family — the parents who give everything for their child to have a shot at doing what she loves. Her parents have always been supportive of her, even if it came with weighty expectations. Now, they’re paying for her tuition and housing. Her mother even came to visit last summer. Liu gave her a campus tour. “My parents do so much for me. I want to do everything to give back to them,” Liu said. Now, as Liu prepares for her next big step in life, she’s spending a lot of time reflecting on Las Positas. What she’s most proud of now are the relationships she’s built. Her instructors all know her and are familiar with her. She’s surrounded by people everywhere she goes. “Everybody loves Nikki,” math club member Emre Goktas said. “She’s the perfect mixture of brilliance and hard work. Everybody loves her. Everybody who crosses paths with her just loves her. She’s so amazing.” Liu’s life right now is nothing like she saw it five years ago. She never would have foreseen finding her purpose in Livermore. But she now is a testament to the transformation that can happen at community colleges, to Los Positas and the potential it finds. Liu’s comfortable routine is about to undergo another shift. While she’s nervous, she knows she can do it. She’s done it before. The first thing she will do is get the door. This time, it’ll be for herself.
may 15, 2019
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Timothy Cech/Express Liu is shown in the tutorial center, solving a problem on the board with Emre Goktas, a friend of hers in the MATH club. He said that she is multi-talented and took the club on a trip to San Francisco, where she set him up with his girlfriend. “We love Nikki,” he said repeatedly.
10 Arts and Entertainment Five festivals to rock to this summer
Bottle Rock Napa Valley May 24-26 Napa, CA Headliners: Imagine Dragons, Neil Young, Mumford & Sons, Santana, Pharrell Williams, Logic
Second Sky Music Festival June 15-16 Oakland, CA Headliners: Porter Robinson, Madeon, Kero Kero Bonito, Anamanaguchi
ALBUMS TO GET THROUGH FINALS By Kirstie Burgess @KIRSTIEBROOKEEE
lpcexpressnews.com
im Coan psychologist at University of Virginia J tested the Mozart effect with five participants and had them listen to classical music and then rock music
after and then tested the participants on puzzles of the same nature. As it turns out listening to any music can temporarily improve your brain’s spatial performance through a phenomenon known as ‘enjoyment arousal.’ Your brain responds strongly to the enjoyment derived from music, releasing endorphins and other chemicals that allow you to temporarily improve your focus, your reasoning abilities, even your creative skills. The Mozart effect is a misconception because it doesn’t matter what music you listen to, as long as you like it,” Coan said on an episode titled Misconceptions of National Geographic’s “Brain Games.” Eighty college students were surveyed about their opinions about the effects music has on their academic performance As a whole, music can help relieve stress, help clear the mind, and enable focused studying,” a study published by Drug Invention Today in 2018 said. Some of the students surveyed stated that when they study, they don’t listen to music because they feel they wouldn’t be fully concentrated. These two studies are not an accurate representation of the entire population of people who listen to music while studying or working, but it is an interesting take to see how people respond to music when doing different concentrated tasks. Here are my picks for best albums to get you through homework, studying and most importantly: finals.
Arroyo Seco Weekend June 23-24 Pasadena, CA Headliners: Neil Young, Jack White, Kings of Leon, Robert Plant
Vans Warped Tour July 20-21 Mountain View, CA Headliners: NOFX, Bad Religion, Face to Face, Ozomatli, The Offspring
Outside Lands Aug. 9-11 San Francisco, CA Headliners: Paul Simon, Childish Gambino, Twenty One Pilots, Flume, blink-182
The soundtrack to “Baby Driver” is a good album to listen to while doing your homework or studying because it’s mostly slow tempo beats that are mostly instrumental.
The Killers. Everyone knows them. Their Direct Hits album is sure to get you motivated to get homework done as you belt out the lyrics to Mr. Brightside.
Ukulele Friends is a nice album to just have playing in the background as you organize your thoughts and due dates. This album is just ukuleles being played softly.
Who doesn’t remember the hit 2011 song “Tongue Tied?” This is what I call a pure jam. The rest of the album follows the same version of indie pop.
This is a playlist with all of The Beatles’ hits, which if we’re being honest, is all of them. This is just a nice playlist to listen to when you want a light sing-a-long.
This five song EP was released in 2016 but still bops. This EP is for when you’re taking a break and want some light electronic pop music.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT 11
may 15, 2019
Jazz music program plans for a new career certificate
Thiha Naing/Express The Las Positas College Orchestra and Jazz ensemble perform at the Barbara Mertes Center for the Arts on March 21, 2019.
By Thiha Naing @LPCEXPRESSNEWS
rom the streets of New Orleans, to F the clubs of Chicago, to the halls of the Barbara Mertes Center of Las Positas,
jazz music is known for saving itself by constantly changing. It’s lasted for decades while still constantly evolving, preserving the classic sound while updating and refreshing itself in every new environment. With a catalog that contains energizing dance swings and soul-touching blues, the versatility of jazz has lasted against the test
of time. With a steady number of students picking up jazz studies across America, it can be said that the future of jazz is bright. The jazz program at Las Positas is no exception to this trend. The program has gained so much traction that in the upcoming fall semester of 2019, for the first time, the music department will be offering a career certificate for jazz studies. “We have a very strong vocal jazz program and instrumental combos,” said Rosefield. She’s not alone in thinking that. Vocal East, the group of jazz students under the instruction of LPC instructor Ian Brekke,
won first place in their category at the Reno Jazz Festival on the weekend of April 26, 2019. The award was the first ever top prize win for the LPC chorus. The certificate was formed in conjunction with the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, Calif. The classes in the program will transfer right into the CJC’s bachelor degree program, pending a successful audition from individual students. The agreement guarantees LPC students an audition as well as direct articulation of the classes taken. The classes at CJC are small, with only 120 students admitted into
the program per class. CJC’s President and Dean of Instruction Susan Muscarella, Ph.D., told The Independent, “We’re thrilled to have a partnership like this.” Her enthusiasm was underscored by the reputation that LPC music has created for itself, saying, “We know that the students coming from Las Positas College already meet a high academic standard.” Cindy Browne Rosefield, Ian Brekke and Daniel Marschak are key jazz faculty members at Las Positas. The three instructors have been focused on growing the program. Throughout the year, jazz ensembles, such as the Vocal East jazz choir, have given students the opportunity to compose and showcase their own original pieces while also building a connection between LPC and the community of music lovers outside the campus. When admitted into the programs, students will be given partial scholarships as they continue on in their studies. Furthermore, Marshack’s hard work has seen that students, upon completion of the Jazz certificate, will have also completed requirements needed for an associate degree. As more and more students march toward this opportunity, Rosefield hopes this new partnership will help the Jazz Program continue to grow and strive. “They’re very creative students and they’re hungry to learn all the styles of Jazz,” said Rosefield.
Finish your bachelor’s at night in Tracy Campus Spotlight – May 9,2019
Thiha Naing/Express
On Thursday May 9, students participated in a free African dance and drumming workshop. The guest artists included Cheza Nami and LPC alum, Phil Didlake. The free workshop was made possible by a grant from the Las Positas College Foundation.
NEW Business I Human Services I Criminal Justice
enter to learn. leave to excel.
Start fall 2019 tracy.ndnu.edu
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Fully-accredited, accelerated programs
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Associate’s not required
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Scholarships and financing options
Office: 209.833.5020 Opera House building, 902 N. Central Ave., Suite 1
Partners in higher e d u c at i o n not for profit
12 campus life
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New student government officers elected
Blessing Nkrumah
Alina Verdi
Shayari Saha
“I want to improve student representation. Be the voice of students who are often underrepresented … My goal is to create a sense of community.”
“I really want inclusivity. I really want this college to be more than just a college. We have to put the community into the college.”
“I want to improve the sense of community in Las Positas. This is our main campaign anyway but since I managed to win, I already have managed a couple things going along with some clubs where we make bigger events. Las Positas will actually feel like a social campus and not just a place that you can get your education done in two years and then transfer.”
President
Vice President
Blessing Nkrumah – 196
Alina Verzi – 189
Jakob Massie – 170
N’Namandi Nassor – 163
ICC Chair
Shayari Saha – 198 Victor Sandoval – 147
Sahna Das
Shahaf Dan
Rodrigo Saucedo
“I really want to improve student voice and involvement. I feel like it’s not fair for us to be a representative body for not actually representing students so I really want to have more student voice and input into the legislation that we are doing into our actions.”
“Cultural identity can be impacted by increasing student participation, amplifying students will and desire and actually participate in events and that could be done by approaching them personally.”
“I just want to improve student life and involvement throughout the next academic year cause this community college a lot of people commute. I’d say there’s a really broken sense of community.“
Director of Legislation
Director of Events
Dan ran unopposed and received 336 votes.
Director of Communications
Saucedo ran unopposed and received 337 votes.
Das ran unopposed and received 343 votes. PHOTOS BY RUBEN BANUELOS, INFOGRAPH BY JENNIFER SNOOK
Campus Life 13
may 15, 2019
Alumni reflects on journey from LPC to NYC By Kirstie Burgess @KIRSTIEBROOKEEE
as Positas College. San L Francisco State University. Columbia University.
What do these three schools have in common? Julian Lim attended all three. The college behind Costco sure seems to have some fine produce. Lim is an example of the gems these halls produce. He started his path at LPC, cultivated his talents and birthed his dreams on this Livermore hill. And now he is an Ivy League graduate already with an Emmy nomination in his pocket. His journey, his hustle, the guidance has produced the kind of story Las Positas College prides itself on cultivating. Lim was the editor-in-chief of both student-run publications on the LPC campus: The Express and Naked Magazine. During his time on these publication, he mostly wrote pieces about the board meetings, the way we consume media and big business mergers. He was also the page designer. During his time at LPC, he bought a flip camera and would make videos everyday, or as we now would call it, “vlogging.” When he was making videos, YouTube was just starting out– he was one of the first to get on the trend. Lim then took a mass communications class for video journalism to learn how to edit and make his videos with higher quality. Lim took the class with Jin Tsbota who, at the time, was an instructor for the Mass Communications program and is now the Tutorial Center Director. “His work ethic reminded me of someone who should be in graduate school,” Tsbota said
looking back on Lim’s time at LPC. Lim transferred from LPC with an Associate’s Degree in Mass Communications and Photography to SF State. At SF State, Lim did the same thing he did at LPC: wrote and did page design. He wrote pieces on culture, screen printing and old versions of media becoming trendy. It wasn’t until his last semester of SF State that he took another video class and found his passion for video journalism. But by then, it was too late. He couldn’t change his major to video production. Lim graduated from SF State in 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Print/Online Journalism with a minor in Asian-American studies. He applied for an internship at the Dow Jones News Firm and got through the very selective process. Out of 600 applicants, he was 1 of 92 to get selected. He then got placed at Gatehouse Media for page design. According to an article published in May 2015, the DJNF trained and sent, “undergraduate and graduate students to work this summer as business reporters, digital journalists, news and sports copy editors in paid internships at 56 of the nation’s leading news organizations.” From there, he moved on to the Philadelphia Inquirer as a Sports Page Designer. Lim’s plan was to move laterally to the multimedia team however, the Philadelphia Inquirer was very “old school” in their thinking and business model. Lim says that The Inquirer relied on old journalistic ways rather than new upcoming ways of consuming news. “Videos don’t get page views,” he said.
Campus 17 Calendar 8
After working their for a few months, Lim was laid off. He then realized that graphic design wasn’t where his passion was: he found himself in Philadelphia with no job and nothing keeping there. At that time, he could have moved back home to the Bay Area or go to New York and attend Columbia and “make a dream happen.” Lim had a friend who was in grad school making documentary films and that is what he wanted to do, so he applied. Because he went to LPC and SF State, he was in a good place financially and didn’t have any student loans. Although he’s now in debt, he is, “happier now, than I was at the Inquirer.” After graduating from Columbia, Lim got a fellowship with McClatchy Video Fellow. He was then sent to St. Louis. Through an online video series called “Then I Knew.” Lim and Cara Anthony, his partner for the project, went around St. Louis and Southern Illinois and asked black people when is the moment they realized they were black. Lim said he wanted to show what it was like to be black in America. He didn’t want to show the police brutality part of being black, but the budget cuts, the racial tensions and the subtle nuances. Lim and his counterpart worked on this documentary until the last day of the fellowship. “Then I Knew” was nominated for a Mid-America Emmy in 2018. Although they lost, the two of them never aimed to get recognition or accolades for it– they just wanted to tell a compelling story. Creators at BuzzFeed don’t have a lot of creative freedom in
“Color My World” Adult Coloring Event Robert Livermore Community Center. $16 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
17
Theater Arts Master Class Weekend $100 for both days 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
17
Photo courtesy of Julian Lim Julian Lim went to Las Positas, San Francisco State, joined the work force then went to graduate school at Columbia University.
terms of ownership. The company owns the statements and creations of their employees even after they leave. Lim didn’t want this. He wanted his work to be his own, so in 2018, Lim co-founded 511C Productions. “511C Productions does a mix of corporate, social impact and journalism videos and the prime goal is to make our own documentary passion films,” Lim said. With filmmaking, there is a
power behind holding the camera. Hunting for the best shot. Watching scenes happen before you. Lim’s favorite part is shooting the film or editing. He compared it to gardening, taking care of the plants that have grown in a prepared environment in order to watch the results flourish. “Sitting behind a desk,” he said, “you can create something powerful.”
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Women of the Game $65 for first 50 to sign up, $80 for regular 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
21
Essay Structure Basics Monday and Wednesday 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
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May Which Math to take Smartshop Math Lab Center 603 building 10 a.m.
The Market 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
June CyberPatriot Camp for high schoolers $100 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
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Hawk’s Athletic Training/Sports Medicine Camp Room 104 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
14 campus life
lpcexpressnews.com
From LPC to NYC: Trevin Smith anticipates Columbia By Kirstie Burgess @KIRSTIEBROOKEEE
hen Trevin Smith was 10, W he wanted to act like a grown up. So, he read an article
in The New York Times. The writer reported on various issues all while traveling the world. After reading it, he ran into his living room and told his mom that is what he wanted to be when he was an adult: a journalist. His mom brushed it off. But now, he’s doing exactly what he said he wanted to do, and more. Life after LPC usually funnels students to California State Universities. Rarely do we hear about LPC alumni go to Ivy League schools. The mass communications program is about to produce its second in Trevin Smith. Who’s long, path has led him to Columbia University. When he was little, Smith would record videos of the things he would do and the places he would go. Sometimes he would make music videos out of them and practice editing. “I just love good stories,” Smith said. In 2010, Smith came into Las Positas knowing he wanted to be a journalist. He was at LPC for five years, getting up close to the field for a much cheaper price. Smith took his first video class with Jin Tsbota who is now the Tutorial Center Director. “I immediately felt I could trust him,” Tsbota said, “he’s very honest and transparent.” After graduating from LPC, Smith went to San Jose State University and majored in journalism with a minor in political science and graduated in 2018. There, Smith wanted to focus on
video journalism but their program was more geared to print journalism rather than video. To graduate from the journalism program at SJSU, students are required to study abroad and to have an internship in order to graduate. In 2017, for his study abroad program, Smith went to Greece and Italy to report on the Syrian refugee camps with other students and professors. “That was the hardest thing I had to do as a journalist,” Smith said. Smith was split up into small groups and had to film interviews at all the camps they visited. In more than one instance, Smith and his group had to interview adults and children who were captured by ISIS. Smith and his group happened to come across an Afghan soldier who also sold drugs. At first, the soldier was hesitant with the group because they were filming, but then he became receptive. One thing led to another, and the soldier told the group that if they follow him, he can help them get footage. They ended up at a park and the professor who was with them, who Smith said is fearless, told them to stay close, don’t venture away from the group and stay close to the door. The professor who was with them, walked into the middle of the park and was quickly surrounded by men. However, the soldier was met with respect and the professor was in a safe situation. The soldier told them that he hates drugs but has to sell them to get by. Just over three weeks later, their study abroad was over and
collectively the entire group got 265 hours of footage. There was too much footage to go through, so they created a website and put some of the vignettes on it. Because of how taxing the program was on everyone involved, they changed how long the program was and where the students went. After it was finished, Smith traveled alone for around two weeks and went to Rome, Munich and Paris. All of a sudden, the summer of 2018 was starting and he was running out of time for his internship requirement. He applied to over 40 internships including NBC. NBC hires students in multiple different departments and one of Smith’s friends was already an intern there and told him there was a spot available. Starting in May of 2018, Smith interned at NBC Bay Area News on the newsfloor writing scripts for anchors on the nightside shows at 5 and 6 p.m. Even though TV isn’t the part of journalism he wants to focus on, he said, “It’s important to learn skills even if it’s not in your field.” NBC, Smith said, was a factor to him achieving his dream of attending Columbia that he made in 2016. Smith was friends with LPC alum, Julian Lim. The two worked together in the mass communications program at LPC. Although they were peers, Smith learned a lot from Lim. “I looked up to him,” Smith said, “he’s like a brother to me.” Seeing Lim get accepted into Columbia and follow his dreams, encouraged Smith to do the same.
Photo courtesy of Trevin Smith Trevin Smith, alumni of LPC, will attend Columbia University in the fall.
So at the end of 2016, Smith decide to commit himself to applying to Columbia for grad school. Last October, Smith applied to Columbia, and in December, he applied to UC Berkeley. Then in February, he had to take test for both programs and go through an interview process. “Aim high, you never know what will happen,” Smith said. His inspiration for applying to Columbia? Seeing Julian Lim go there. Smith and Lim were in the mass communications program at LPC together. Although they were peers, Smith learned from him most of all. “Julian is the best, he’s like a brother to me,” Smith said. Instead of going to a school he was used to and grew up visiting, he chose to have the experience of a lifetime. “I knew in the back of my head that if Columbia accepted me, I had to go,” Smith said. However, attending an Ivy
NOSY NICKEL What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done for fun?
Adrianna Mercado Counseling Student Assistant Would you rather go to a tropical island or the arctic? “Probably the arctic, and I only say that because hot weather is like the worst. I rather be cold.”
League school wasn’t always on his mind. “I made a promise to myself I would give my very best to transfer,” Smith said. He was one letter grade away from failing out of Las Positas. This same ambition followed him to SJSU. He would try everything he could to get into Columbia and if he didn’t get accepted, at least he would know he did his best. Luckily, his ambition led him to the right place. Next fall, he is moving across the country to attend Columbia. Although he’s nervous to leave his family and his girlfriend, he’s devoting himself to learning 24/7 and getting every experience he can. His ultimate goal: working for Vice or The New York Times. He started watching Vice when they were just starting out with low quality video production. For Trevin Smith, the saying find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life, reigns true.
“Probably roller coasters. The first time I went on one was at Great America with a friend. We went on those wooden roller coasters, and hearing the wood creak is very unnerving.”
If you had your own talk show, who would be your first guest and why? “Lisa Eldridge, someone who is big on makeup, because she’s somewhat like a historian. Talking about the history of makeup, what materials are used and why are really interesting to me.”
Five questions. Five answers. What is your real favorite movie and what movie do you pretend is your favorite to sound culture?
“‘Gattaca.’ I know it’s super corny, The one that I say is good to sound cultured probably is ‘The Shape of Water.’ It’s a good movie, but I feel like I say that because people know Guillermo del Toro like right away.”
What childish things do you still do as an adult?
“I went with my nephew to those public things where kids do chalk drawings, and I would still get into that full-out, chalk all over myself drawings. ”
Opinion 15
May 15, 2019
Amazon is listening to your chats with Alexa By Ruben Banuelos @ZRUB3NZ
n thousands of homes across I America, hundreds of tenants are living rent free. It’s not a
squatter crisis. They’re teams of Amazon employees, getting paid to listen to what people say to their Amazon Alexa devices. According to a survey from Coldwell Banker and CNET, primary users of smart homes such as Amazon’s Alexa or Echo, Google Assistant or Apple Home Pod are young people. The race for the latest and greatest technology in the last ten years has been more ramped up than ever. The companies then have no problem getting into the homes of millennials– they’re in 47 percent of millennial homes. If privacy wasn’t a concern for them at the time, it is now. Amazon got in some hot water once the story broke in April that Amazon employees were listening to recordings of commands given to Alexa. The employees listened to the commands, transcribed them and fed them back to the device. Amazon said it did this to help “train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems, so Alexa can better understand users’ requests, and ensure the service works well for everyone.” It would be easy for someone, especially someone who doesn’t use these smart home devices, to say that the users are at fault. Surely, one could read the User License Agreement in depth before taking a device out of a box. Anyone could scrutinize the terms and conditions before opening their freshly updated iTunes. The user can be held responsible for understanding these lengthy and often compli-
Illustration by Alexa Lowe
Amazon employees have been specifically designated to listen to, and transcribe, recordings from Amazon Alexa users. This is as bizarre, and should be as taboo, as people sitting in your kitchen listening to your conversations.
cated legal documents, but much more practically, they shouldn’t be. Companies are duping their consumers into giving up privacy to the extent of recording them in their homes without their consent. They need to be held accountable for this. In the end, they are the ones responsible for protecting the consumers. The User License Agreement, also known as the loophole that companies use to rope users into giving up more than they think, is the little piece of paper that comes in a package. It’s the fine print, written in legal and technical jargon. On a practical level, no one should be expected to read it. It can be thousands of words long and hides clauses in complex language the average reader wouldn’t understand. Technically speaking, the User License Agreement
is a contract that you “sign” once you open the package. You are agreeing to the company’s terms. This is an outrage to anyone who owns a smart home device. Your information is being stored by these huge companies so that they can be able to dissect and learn. The buyer is a lab rat’s and the company are the scientists. Nobody wants to be secretly listened to for someone else’s convenience. Privacy became a basic right at the very founding of America when the colonists decided they didn’t want British soldiers in their homes. Now, those strangers have entered disguised as convenience in a box. Having some type of smart home device around makes doing general activities such as reminders, alarms and even as simple as asking to turn on the lights a lot easier by using your voice. The
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downfall to this is that the devices listen out for you. Right now, the only solution is complete exclusion. Just don’t purchase any smart devices and you will be safe. It is most likely your best shot so that your privacy remains private. If companies are going to listen and gather data from us, for the next generation our private information will be no more. Technology is growing each day. There are smart refrigerators, toilets and even trash cans. Pretty soon everything that a person owns is going to be some type of smart device that will gather data from us. It’s up to companies to make sure that this pattern doesn’t continue. Amazon confirmed that divisions of its staff had the specific job of listening to other recordings for transcribing. It claimed
that doing so would help with the “understanding of the human speech,” which sounds like it was written by someone from another planet. Amazon promised that it took the “security and privacy of our customers’ personal information seriously.” Clearly, though, it’s just a statement. Not unlike another company that’s also under scrutiny for this. Facebook, which also claims to take their users’ privacy as seriously as Amazon, recently underwent an entire investigation, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had to testify before Congress. The scandal was the sale of user information to a Russian information bank. The response? Some ads that said “I’m sorry” and then a product release of a smart device with a camera. The definition of privacy is “the state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people.” Listening to conversations is the whole meaning of being observed. Amazon must have a different definition to what the word privacy means to them. Even if Amazon’s claims are true that employees get no other identifying information, it’s worth mentioning that banks often use voices to verify identities. Having your conversation secretly recorded and played to Amazon workers isn’t just an invasion of privacy but it’s inhumane. Amazon has shipped 6.3 million Echo units in 2018 alone. So next time you want to discuss a serious personal matter with someone, make sure that you are aware of the surroundings because you may never know whether or not you are a victim of Amazon’s plan to “understand human speech”.
What are you most looking forward to this summer?
I play baseball, so probably playing more baseball over the summer.
Probably going on vacation. It’s not decided yet, but my family wants to go to Europe. I have family in Holland.
Some of my friends are coming back from college, so I’ll be able to hang out with them.
Sleeping. I didn’t really get a lot of sleep during the semester just because I work all day.
Getting to see (my friend) Yas. I haven’t seen her in a while but I’ll be with her every day.
– Evan Wolfe, Undeclared
– Victoria Nejal, Business Administration
– Aidan Jones, Business Administration
– Holly Anderson, Graphic Design
– Tremaine Omar, Business
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Flavored Juul are a wolf in sheep’s clothing
Photo by Sarah Johnson/ Flickr Despite being invented to help people quick smoking, Juul’s have recently become the cause of lung diseases — “popcorn lung” being one of them.
By Nick Despotakis @NICK__DESPO
uul flavors are now banned J in the state of California, and the state’s decision to do so
will certainly be a benefit to its residents.. The Senate Health Committee passed the SB38, which prohibits retail stores and vending machines from selling tobacco products that smell and taste of candy, dessert or fruit. People over the age of 21 will still be able to purchase Juul pods, but they will only be available in tobacco and menthol flavors. Law makers advanced the bill to ban the sale of certain Juul flavors that are targeted towards teenagers. This is because many kids would may feel tempted to try something that tastes and smells like Blue Raz Cotton
Candy or Watermelon Wave. Numerous kids all around the state have Juuls, or some sort of vaping devices. Owning a tasty flavor and a cool vape is the new fad. They are even involved in kid’s fashion decisions. Kids do not care as much about having the coolest looking shoes. As long as they have a cool vape that tastes good, they will be okay. Teenagers have different color vapes and pick what vape fits best with the outfit they are wearing that particular day. They also pick flavors based on the color of the vape. Blue Raspberry with blue vapes, watermelon with the red ones, so on and so forth. It’s exactly how tobacco companies targeted children back in the 1950’s. They made smoking look cool, and it resulted in many people becoming addict-
ed to smoking cigarettes. Now, they make vaping seem cool and harmless, when in reality people who vape are playing the role of the lab rat in a scientific experiment. There is not enough data out on vapes yet to see what it truly does to the body for the long term. But considering the fact that vape juice is full of chemicals, it is likely to be harmful. Vaping was created as a way to help people to quit smoking cigarettes. And even though it is somewhat successful, this may not necessarily be a good thing. Teenagers are already developing lung problems from vaping, and they have only been popular and available to kids for a few years. They call it “popcorn lung.” The medical term being bronchiolitis obliterans. It is caused by inhaling chemicals that scar the lungs, and in effect stop them from working properly. It takes approximately 10-15 years for a regular cigarette smoker to develop some sort of lung disease, according to CNN Health. It has only taken a couple of years for kids to start developing lung problems such as “popcorn lung” from Juuls and other vapes. Juul flavors being banned is a step in the right direction, but it is not good enough. If Calif. does not ban vapes altogether, then many people in the future will be further exposed to getting bronchiolitis obliterans or perhaps even more severe medical problems. As more information about vapes becomes available to the public, there is so much more information that doctors lack on the negative medical consequences that vapes can cause.
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Letter to the Editor
Earth Day is every day: palm oil hurts everybody I think it’s important to know about ongoing environmental issues, so I would like to address one most people might not know about. When people learn about it, they can know how to locate this substance in their products and how to remove it from their daily lives. Palm oil is a substance used in most products we use including food products, detergents, beauty products, and biofuel. Overall, almost half of U.S. packaged products contain palm oil, with 66 million tons produced annually. The environmental costs of palm oil is massive. The palm oil production happens by clearing out land, leading to major deforestation in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. As the deforestation grows at the same rate as demand for palm oil, illegal plantations and shipments are created to meet this demand. The overall health of both animals and humans is at risk from palm oil. Too much consumption in humans leads to cancer, and multiple human rights are violated when natives are forced off their land for development. The animals most at risk are endangered species, like the Borneo elephant, Sumatran tiger and orangutan, which face extinction by deforestation. If the biodiversity of these areas is permanently damaged, we could see total loss and degradation of natural ecosystems. The negative impacts are overlooked since palm oil is needed for making all products it’s incorporated in. The best way to lower demand is to stop using products containing palm oil. Look for ingredients with the words “oil” or “palm,” look out for “contains: palm oil,” or don’t use biofuels made from palm oil. We need to be aware what goes into our products, and use this information to make better decisions in our future. This is clear for everything that happens in our lives, as we must be aware of any environmental and health costs of what we buy. The difference between using less or more palm oil can determine how long these ecosystems can survive. – Kenneth Schlegel, student
Who is your favorite Marvel superhero?
Actually, Loki. He’s sarcastic and funny. I just resonate with him.
Dr. Strange. He has a swagger about his smarts, but not super douchey like Tony Stark.
Iron Man. Straight up Iron Man. Like, he’s a daddy. His brains, too. He has witty comebacks.
Spider-Man because he’s kicking your ass and roasting you at the same time.
Tony Stark because he’s a billionaire, and he’s smart as hell, so Iron Man.
– Namra Zazar, Biology
– Loren Holmes, Retail Management
– Morgan Szymczak, Kinesiology
– Milan Merchant, Psychology
– Christian Gonzalez, Psychology