April 2017

Mt. San Jacinto College

THE TALON THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER

APRIL 2017

VOL. V

ISSUE II

MSJC Goes Green with New Solar Field

By Noah Colome On March 16, Mt. San Jacinto’s Board of Trustees, students, and local community members gathered to announce the end of a 4 month long alternative energy project starting in early November. This was one of the first projects to be finished using the funds from the $295 million Measure AA building grant the voted on in 2014.

MSJC used Measure AA along with Gov. Jerry Brown’s prop 39, Clean Energy Jobs Act, which uses $550 million annually from the General Fund to create Clean Energy related jobs donating a specific amount to the California department of education, affecting K-12 and community colleges.

By utilizing 6 of the 130 unestablished campus owned acres, MSJC managed to come just under their budget. The cost of the solar field reached a total of $2.7 million, almost nearing its full budget of $2.8 million.

“It’s a good example of the college being willing to think outside the box,” said Tom Ashley, Board of

MSJC Students Walk for Peace Amidst Nationwide Rallies

By Chris Malandrinos

Photo courtesy of Refinery 29

Switchboard used to activate new solar panels (back-left) at San Jacinto Campus during ‘Flip the Switch’ ceremony Trustees President.

The event was marked by a large inflatable eagle in front of a seating area. Next

to the speaking podium at the front, a series of switches showed when activated a series of light bulbs repre-

senting the success of the field.

“We’ve already generated 93 Megawatts of electricity,”

Photo by Noah Colome

Brian Orlauski, Interim Associate Dean of Information Technology reported.

The field has a 99% perCont’d on page 3

CSU Students Erupt in Protest After $270 Undergraduate Tuition Hike

In the wake of one of the most divisive years in recent history, the Diversity Committee of Mount San Jacinto College went forward with its second annual Unity Peace Walk as part of a week-long celebration of Cesar Chavez’s civil rights legacy.

Just as the name suggests, this “peace” walk was not created to highlight any one particular group as much as it was designed to highlight everyone’s ability to peacefully work together to create a stronger, more unified world starting with our own MSJC campuses.

While, the political chaos of recent may have helped to inspire this event’s push for inclusion, Rafael Reynaga, a Tutorial Service Specialist for MSJC and one of the week’s leading organizers, made it perfectly clear that this was not to be a Cont’d on page 4

Forensics Team Makes Historic Win

By Chris Malandrinos

Photo Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times

By Serena Steele Discord sounded out across California State University campuses during the week of March 22 after the CSU Board of Trustees approved a $270 increase in undergraduate student tuition during the 2017-2018 academic year making it the first tuition hike in 6 years.

According to CSU public affairs director, Toni Molle,

the increase would help fill a current budget deficit for the next school year.

She said the board submitted a support budget augmentation to the state in November because there is a $186.5 million gap between what the CSU system needs and what the governor's budget proposes: $343.7 million and $157.2 million, respectively.

The system-wide tuition

increase for the 2017-18 academic year will vary depending upon student level, degree, or certificate program. Undergraduates who currently pay $5,472 will soon pay $5,742, while graduate students who currently pay $6,738 will be required to pay $7,176 for the 201718 academic year.

CSU officials have said financial aid programs will keep roughly 60 percent of

CSU undergraduates immune from these tuition hikes as CSU undergraduate students with an annual household income of $70,000 or less shouldn't be affected by the increase.

According to the CSU website, “The CSU is critical to California's future and additional funding is needed to achieve our ambitious goals to increase graduation rates and eliminate the graduation

gaps for underrepresented students. This will require us to add more faculty, advisors and additional classes and address other pressing needs.”

Students who meet financial aid eligibility will continue to have their tuition—and any increase—fully covered by state waivers, Cal Grants, and the CSU's State Cont’d on page 9

What do Rick Perry, public lies, and rape culture all have in common? No, they’re not just key components to the Trump administration, they also happen to be three of the major topics of discussion that led the MSJC Forensic Speech & Debate Team to a 2nd place victory at the Pacific Southwest Collegiate Forensic Association (PSCFA) Spring Championships. Feb. 26 marked a key turning point in the school’s history as students Cole Rauch, Josh Slama, Destiny Caperon, and Addison Martin all made it through to the final round of their respective speaking categories, three of them taking home medals for the first time since the team’s initial creation two years ago.

The MSJC Forensics team (“forensics” here referring to the dissection of argument, not crime) was first established by Mt. San Jacinto College’s professor of Communication Studies and current Director of Forensics, Ron Newman, in 2015.

However, until recently, the Cont’d on page 2

Logan Review

MSJC Professor Explores Life Abroad

The end of the Wolverine Saga is out and a new hope for mutant kind is born page 10

Dr. Suzanne Uhl shares her experiences working with children Kathmandu, Nepal. page 3

Former Eagles Wins National Former Eagle Basketball players win NAIA Division II National title page 6

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THE TALON, APRIL 2017

“Don’t Touch the Art Let the Art Touch You”

By Noah Colome

Photo by Noah Colome

MSJC Foundation’s 9th Annual Gala Recognizes Community Members and Organizations

One of Mt. San Jacinto’s many hidden gems presents itself in the form of an art gallery across from the café on the San Jacinto Campus. This gallery showcases several exhibits a semester, with its most current,” Don’t touch the art, let the art touch you” running from March 6th to April 13th.

Students volunteer on a regular basis with guidance from Curator and Professor, John Knuth. He promotes the success of the gallery remarking,” We do great shows, it’s very active and we get a lot of people through here a day” When walking through the gallery one can simply peruse the collection or inquire about a guided tour.

While simply enjoying the art is encouraged Knuth remarks, “Every show I do has a teaching aspect to it.” The

first show of the semester focused on video art, with a dark room and projector.

The exhibit remains in a varied and changing state with the new exhibit featuring paintings sculptures and interactive art. “It was a way to show a big range of work and create an environment that was supposed to be inviting for people to come in sit down pick up books” said Knuth.

When walking into the exhibit one is confronted first with a coconut stalagmite sculpture deriving roots from classic stone sculpting style while remaining modern with choice of execution. Behind the sculpture lies an interactive sculpture composed of the curators many art books piled on top of a desk along with a chess board. All those who enter are encouraged to move and examine chess pieces, books, and chairs.

Books stacked on the table encompass a large summation of artistic knowledge with authors such as Gustav Metzger and his theory, “The art of destruction,” and modern social experimental art such as Burt Rodriguez’s book in which he shaved his head and eyebrows printed out pictures of himself and allowed the public to draw on other details.

Moving on through the gallery one sees a modern trophy sculpture by Ry Rocklen and a 1972 oil painting by Meg Courtney depicting a comfortable armchair being overtaken by plants. The exhibit continues with posters, paintings, modern sculptures, and curiously paint filled clocks invoking a sense of wonder.

Knuth is planning more exhibits with a student showcase a regular for the end of the semester.

Forensics Team Cont’d

Courtesy of MSJC Addison Martin (left-top), Destiny Caperon (left-center), Ron Newman (left- bottom), Josh Slama (middle-left), Cole Rauch (middle-right), Renee Orton (righttop), Whitney Shaw (right-bottom)

Photo courtesy of MSJC President Schultz honoring Band of Luiseño Indians at Monte de Oro Winery in Temecula

By MSJC Staff On March 18, the Mt. San Jacinto College Foundation honored outstanding individuals and organizations and raised funds for student scholarships during its 9th annual gala at the Monte de Oro Winery in Temecula.

The theme, “A Night of Vintage Glamour,” was a nod to the heyday of radio and TV of the 1940s and highlighted the college’s television and radio programs that prepare students for work in today’s dynamic media.

This is the MSJC Foundation’s signature event to raise scholarship funds for students and mini-grants to support college programs.

Each year, the gala offers an evening of fun with an elegant meal, live music, dancing and a silent auction.

The MSJC Foundation honored John Cox (Outstanding Alumni), Jim Da-

vis (Outstanding Faculty Member, Martha Hall (Outstanding Staff Member) and Bob Botts as a Special Recognition. In addition, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians were recognized as Outstanding Community Members, with Andrew Masiel, Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro, and Councilman Russell “Butch” Murphy accepting the award.

Thank you to the following sponsors: Balfour Beatty Construction, The Riverside County Board of Supervisors Third and Fifth districts, Francis Domenigoni Trust, LPA, p2s, Pepsi, The Soboba Foundation, Tilden-Coil Constructors, CR&R Inc., Edison International, C.W. Driver, Element Consulting, Inc., Gensler, Morgan Stanley, Keenan, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, and ConvergeOne.

“debate” in “Speech and Debate Team” was pretty much silent due to lack of advisorship. It wasn’t until the spring semester of this year that they could finally claim a fully functional debate team thanks to the team’s new coach, Professor Renee Orton.

When most people think about speech and debate, they usually think of a politically charged environment full of future law students and aspiring politicians, but for many on the MSJC team, this actually isn’t the case as participants’ majors range from nursing to environmental studies to any number of things in between.

The one thing these members do have in common is a strong desire to learn and a passion for whatever topic they choose to speak about.

“None of us match each other and I don’t watch a single day’s worth of politics, but at the end of the day, we can all come together and make a fantastic team,” said Addison Martin, one of the team’s MVPs. During the Spring Championship Tournament in February, at which the debate team took 2nd place with head speakers Cole Rauch and Josh Slama at the helm, the team was forced to defend everything from nuclear weapons to sanctuary

campuses. One of the major victories to bump up their standing, however, came in supporting the position that Rick Perry, the current Secretary of Energy, was the “most dangerous secretary in Trump’s cabinet.” The team usually has no say over what positions they’re told to defend, but in this case, were allowed to choose the cabinet member they believed would be most helpful to their argument; and this proved to be one of the moments where the team’s ability to work together was really put under the spotlight.

By the end of the tournament, both speakers came out with near flawless scores, with Rauch coming to a finish only one point short of perfect.

“Without Addison and Cameron, we probably wouldn’t have made it to finals,” Slama stated, refusing to take all the credit.

This statement refers to Addison Martin and Cameron McLain, the team’s only researchers, who brought it to the speakers’ attentions that no one would expect them to argue Rick Perry as most dangerous, which in turn, led the team to a victory in that round.

But even with such intimidating speaking scores and dramatic twists and turns faced head-on by the team’s

researchers, what is most impressive is the team’s size in comparison to other competing schools. In a true “David and Goliath” fashion, MSJC’s measly, little team not only fought valiantly against top competitors like Northern Arizona University (a four-year university), the team is also near microscopic when compared to almost every other team in the league.

“During finals we saw a room with twenty people in it just sitting there brainstorming with the other guys, meanwhile, there’s the four of us. We don’t have prep. We don’t have cell phones. We’re flying by the seat of our pants,” Martin described.

But in a true underdog manner, MSJC prevailed, though the debate students weren’t the only ones to do this considering that another huge victory came from the team’s persuasive and impromptu speakers as well.

In addition to the debate team, Destiny Caperon and Martin, also went on to represent MSJC in the final rounds for public speaking, with Caperon coming into play by earning 2nd place in novice persuasive for her powerful speech criticizing rape culture in society. Both her and Martin proved to be some of the strongest

contenders throughout the day, wiping the floor with the competition with Martin achieving top rank for novice impromptu during the first two rounds. Martin’s only defeat coming during the stiff final competition where, with only two minutes to prepare, he presented a thought provoking speech about the importance of staying true to your beliefs when confronting the public.

In the end, MSJC showed to be a dark horse at this semester’s Spring Championships, but it wouldn’t have been possible without such a tight-knit team. When asked what recommendations they had for those interested in joining the team, Cole Rauch describes joining as a learning experience that’s useful for everyone, and no matter what a person’s interests or views, everyone is a valued member.

Now, thanks to the forensics team, MSJC will be seen as a serious contender at future PSCFA competitions, the next of which will be held on April 30th at Saddleback College.

“Everyone has their politics, everyone has their views; and if you want to have an open discussion about it, this is the place,” Cameron McLain, one of the team’s newest members, stated.

MSJC Diversity Committee Hosts First Annual Women’s Empowerment Day

By Serena Steele On March 30, Mt. San Jacinto’s hosted several local successful women of the Inland Empire, celebrating their accomplishments and will to overcome gender barriers.

Sponsored by the MSJC Diversity Committee, Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center, Center Against Sexual Assault, and the MSJC Judicial Affairs Office, audience members had the privilege of listening to speeches

by women trailblazers Dr. Sherrie Guerrero, Amber Fransik, Judge Rachael Marquez, Virginia Blumenthal, and Valerie Hill.

Judge Marquez is the presiding judge of the Superior Court’s Appellate Division, and served as Riverside County and the Inland Empire’s first ever Latina judge in 2011. Marquez attended Santa Clara University where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Politi-

cal Science with a minor in Spanish and emphasis on Ethnic Studies. Subsequently, she went on to earn a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA).

In addition to her title win for both women and the Latino community, Marquez was awarded a YMCA Riverside Women of Achievement Award soon thereafter.

“In Riverside County, there

are two million Latinos and one million Latina women,” said Marquez after she was sworn in in 2011.

“I’m a bracero’s daughter.

To be a judge here, in the Inland Empire, means everything. “ Also in attendance was trailblazer, Valerie Hill, who was the first female in the Riverside County Sheriff ’s Department in 118 years of history to be appointed to the position of undersheriff,

where she was responsible for more than 4,000 employees and a half a billion dollar budget. Futhermore, Hill became the first female assistant sheriff, first woman hostage negotiator, and first female field training officer in Riverside.

Over the years, Hill has been recognized for her service and has received awards such as the ATHENA Award from the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce,

2010, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Law Enforcement Appreciate Committee (LEAC), 2007, and has been recognized by Inland Empire Magazine as ‘Woman Who Made a Difference,’ 2004.

The Planning Committee would like to give sincere appreciation for their sponsors, supporters, and vendors Operation Safehouse, Gracie Hemet Jiu Jitsu, and Planned Parenthood.

THE TALON, APRIL 2017

CAMPUS | 3

When Adventure and Awareness Collide

Dr. Suzanne Uhl, Co-Chair of MSJC’s Communications Department, expounds upon her journey of self-discovery in Nepal

By Suzanne Uhl I’m a college professor, a responsible home-owner with two dogs and two nearly grown young men at home. When I’m not at MSJC, I relax in the garden with a good book or spend time with my husband. My crazy years of adventure are long gone…or so I thought.

My boys are in that age of adventure. They’ve spent the past two summers traveling out of the country on service trips. Each time, they came back inspired and changed by the experience.

I was reminded of trips I took, when I was a college kid, to India, Australia, England, Singapore and the like. Suddenly, I felt rather old. I abruptly, and somewhat defiantly, decided that I was NOT dead yet, nor was I too old for some more adventure of my own. I researched and came up with a plan.

With the support of my family, December 18th 2016, two days after I submitted my final grades for the fall semester, I boarded a plane to Kathmandu, Nepal. I would be in Nepal for two weeks, working at a school for severely impoverished kids, spending Christmas with strangers, insanely hiking the Himalayas for 3 days/nights, and spending the last few days at a retreat center. Then off to Hong Kong for a shorter adventure, before flying home.

O.M.G. Kathmandu is an amazing place of simplicity, profound poverty, enormous smiles, crazy drivers, unending kindness, lousy water, and staggering beauty. It is a paradox in so many ways and it just might be the most captivating place on the planet.

The people are generally kind, happy and love their country. There is no color that the Nepalese dislike and vivid color is everywhere, even if it’s under a layer of dirt. A wide grin, large laughing brown eyes, above a brightly colored turquoise shirt…one can’t help but smile in return. It is the perfect antidote to my normal life.

I’d decided to work with a non-profit organization, HOPE Worldwide. They have many projects around

Photos by Dr. Uhl (Top) Uhl with Nepali school children, (bottom left) Nepali women sits outside her home, (bottom right) Uhl playing jump-rope with her students the globe, from leper colonies in New Delhi to a medical clinic in Bolivia.

In Nepal, HOPE supports Asha Vidyashram School for children whose families can’t afford their education.

The school provides lunch; for most of the children, this was the only meal they would eat all day. In December of 2016, HOPE sponsored a 2-week service trip to help support the school and the children. In the end, there were nearly 50 of us, from around the world,

choosing to spend our holidays with these kids.

At the school, I did many things. I played, I trained, I painted, I taught, I organized, I sewed, I fed, I cleaned and I was changed.

Playing with the kids was unforgettable. They taught me Nepali songs and clapping games. We played Ninja and danced in a game that was part “Ring Around the Rosie” and part spin the bottle. I discovered that I could still play jumprope! My face hurt from constant smiles.

I worked with the teachers, most of whom had never had any training. We talked about teaching strategies and learning styles. Their gratitude for my smallest suggestion was overwhelming.

One day, all the parents came to the school and I was in a group asked to address the parents, through an interpreter. The school administrator asked us to speak about the value of education and keeping the kids in school. The irony struck me as I have had

conversations with my own adult students on the same issue. However, there is a remarkable difference in trying to convince a 19 yr old to stay in school and trying to convince the parent of a 9 year old to keep the child in school. I painted walls and murals, swept cement floors, cleaned benches and organized books. One day, I shadowed a young teacher, who taught many subjects with many grade levels. I sat with the 5th graders while he taught the subject

of Moral Science. 5th grade is the highest class of this school and “Moral Science” is one of seven subjects in the curriculum. The room was 8’ by 8’ in size, with cement walls and floor. The window was without glass or covering. The teacher taught with a dry erase marker and a broken piece of white board that leaned against the wall. The kids, in their crumpled uniforms, diligently worked in their booklets as he taught. The next day, it was my turn to teach the class. My lesson was “Duty to Parents” and a Hindu fable was to be my illustration. It was an amazing experience, nearly impossible to put into words. What I do in carpeted, high-tech, college smart-rooms, these intrepid teachers do in unheated, cement boxes: they educate.

The poverty in Nepal is everywhere. The kids that I played with at school went home to single room shacks that they shared with multiple family members. Here in the US, I can drop $5 on a White Mocha, double-blended, Frappuccino without thought. In Nepal, that money could feed one of the kids for a week.

These families survive on the equivalent of $60-90 per month; up to half of that amount pays for rent in a home that is far, FAR below US standards. When you come face-to-face with this, it gives you pause and a reason to re-evaluate life’s priorities.

I don’t have time to share about Monkey Temple or Patan or the strangely intimate experience of singing Christmas carols with new friends from around the world or the epic lessons learned from the 3 day, 26.5 mile trek in the Himalayas or the deeply spiritual encounters to be had in a place like Nepal. I certainly don’t have time to share about Hong Kong…but I can share this: I don’t complain about silly things anymore. I don’t take the blessings in my life for granted anymore. Nor do I consider myself too old for adventure anymore. Life itself is far more profound.

Namaste.

MSJC Goes Green with Solar Field Cont’d metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to removing 225 cars from the road.

“It will save us money and it makes us more environmentally friendly. It just made financial sense,” Orlauski continued.

This is by no means the end of campus construction at MSJC. Plans to create a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics building are now being drawn out for the Wildomar campus to be created within the next decade. To add to this, an $8.9 million project affecting the athletic facilities on the Menifee campus is currently in the works.

“We’ve got a decade’s worth of projects ahead of us,” Dr. Roger Shultz, President

of MSJC, commented.

The Menifee Valley Campus may see a similar alternative energy project heading its way as outlined in extensive MVC Master Design Guidelines. The guide includes solar fields, buildings, wind turbines, gas microturbines, and fuel cell related energy to make the school more self-sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Not only do these programs gain funds and momentum via the AA bond and prop 39, MSJC also plans to take advantage of a large summation of incentive and rebate programs ranging from the “self-generation incentive program” to the California solar initiative.

Photo by Noah Colome

april 11 12:30 video and panel

SANCTUARY

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THE TALON, APRIL 2017

MSJC Students Walk for Peace Amidst Nationwide Rallies Cont’d politically charged demonstration.

“We’re literally going to have signs that say ‘This is not a protest. This is not political,’” Reynaga explained.

“Basically we’re just all walking together to show that we have unity.”

As the students marched around the San Jacinto Campus, some holding a banner spelling out the exact words quoted by Reynaga, they stood to continue the progress initially set forth by Cesar Chavez more than fifty years ago. And they weren’t the only ones.

All over the country, most notably in California, schools and businesses closed their doors as farmers and activists took to the streets to participate in local demonstrations geared towards helping immigrants affected by discrimination and poor employment conditions.

As far away as San Antonio, Texas, thousands gathered for a march that was co-sponsored by the city itself. Students at El Monte High School in Los Angeles County were treated to a visit from Cesar Chavez’s son, Fernando Chavez. No matter where you were in the United States, there was more than likely some event taking place in your area to honor the man who devoted so much of his life to fighting for the rights of not only farm workers, but humanity at large.

Of course, these events weren’t all as politically unbiased as those being held at Mount San Jacinto College,

Students emphasize that the Peace Walk is not political. with many taking the opportunity to raise awareness for those affected by President Trump’s tough stance on immigration; but nevertheless, most of these activists went forward with goals to gain support from their peers rather than fight opposition, ultimately sharing in the peaceful outlook held

by Cesar Chavez himself.

“My dad didn’t change things by himself,” Fernando Chavez told the students of El Monte High School.

“It was a contribution from society.”

When students at MSJC were asked their thoughts on unity versus politics, they made their stances very clear, with many of them referring to diversity as a crucial element for the survival of any species.

Student Danielle Bawit,

who has seen the struggles of diversity in her own life, said, “[People need] to be more patient and kind to others, especially to those who have less than us. Kids with disabilities, people with autism.”

“With the current political agenda, more people are becoming aware of how much influence diversity has when it’s in danger of being disrupted,” said Austin Rietsch, a student who takes part in many of the school’s humanitarian efforts. “We must rely on each other to free ourselves from hate.”

Much in the same way that Cesar Chavez tried to unite people of all types for the common good, MSJC’s Diversity Committee made sure to unite with fellow clubs and organizations to help turn their ideas for

Photo Courtesy of Diversity Committee Cesar Chavez Legacy week into a reality. That said, the week’s events took place on both the San Jacinto and Menifee Valley campuses and were hosted by not only the Diversity Committee, but also the Puente Project, Black Student Union (BSU), International Club, and Spanish Club.

After a brief delay caused by poor weather, the week of unity kicked off on March 28 with a workshop designed to teach students about the struggles being faced by undocumented students and ended with a night of poetry that featured guest speaker, Devra Weber, a history professor from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) who has devoted much of her time to studying the struggles faced by Mexican farmworkers and

their impact on the country.

Throughout the week, people were encouraged to engage themselves not only socially, but academically as well with events focusing on both raising awareness and teaching students how to work with the current legal system to help those in need. On Tues., March 28, a forum co-hosted by the UCR’s organization Providing Opportunities Dreams and Education in Riverside (PODER), featured a lawyer as a guest speaker who covered everything from current policy changes affecting undocumented students and residents, as well as taught them what measures they could take to improve their standing in this country.

After this forum, the official peace walk took place on the morning of Wed.,

March 29, directly followed by a screening of Eva Longoria’s Food Chains: A Documentary, a film that focuses on the Fair Food Program, a program that partners with growers and retailers to improve working conditions for farm workers, helping them in their fight against the $4 trillion global supermarket industry.

The group of clubs ended their week-long extravaganza on Fri., March 30 with the Cesar Chavez Blood Drive, which preceded their ‘Evening of Poetry: Words to Unite Us’ that centered around guest speaker, Maria Weber’s lecture about the struggles of migrant farm workers. Students were later encouraged to recite poetry they had prepared on the topic of their choice, ending the week on a tranquil note with hopes students will remember that before anything else, we are all humans first.

This may have only been the second time MSJC has hosted the Unity Peace Walk, but with the need for unity becoming more and more relevant, it certainly won’t be the last. As the next few years continue to bring their challenges, the students involved will continue to learn what can’t be taught in a classroom as they work to improve conditions for all people.

As Cesar Chavez himself said, “Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?”

Pura Vida! MSJC Student Studies Mu Alpha Theta Hosts 9th Abroad in Costa Rica Bi-annual Math Competition

Courtesy of Iron Post Media

By Patrick Arellano Courtesy of The Essential Costa Rica

By Serena Steele Partnered with Education First (EF) College Tours, Mt. San Jacinto student and food blogger of The College Fitness Foodie, Cheyenne Coorough, had the opportunity to spend her spring break hiking to tops of active volcanoes and zip-line through the rainforests in the lush landscapes of Costa Rica.

“I had a great time with a beautiful group of extraordinary people,” said Coorough. “I traveled far, searched far and wide, learned and taught, explored and discovered. Not only about Costa Rica, South America's ecosystem, and about the culture there.”

For 9 days, EF Tours provided students from both MSJC and Cal Baptist University the opportunity to explore the Central American country, which boasts an epic landscape that is home to nearly 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity.

“My trip to Costa Rica was a success,” Coorough exclaims. “I realized that traveling is pretty simple and natural to me, even though it was my first time on a plane, traveling, and being out of my state and country.

The SoCal students touched down in San José, the capital of Costa Rica, and spent their second day traveling to Arenal while taking in the sights of INBioparque, home to tarantulas, frogs and bees, various flora, and a butterfly garden.

Day 5 featured an exploration through the Santa Elena Cloud Forest on a canopy tour. Students were able to view rare orchids and the elusive quetzal birds that thrive in the perpetual soft mist. EF Tours also provided students with the opportunity to leave a positive mark on the Earth, where the group planted a tree in the EF reserve.

“I learned more about myself and discovered a bit about more about who I am along the way. I figured out that I'm not that afraid of heights when I went ziplining, I found out the hiking is something I truly and enjoy and need to do more of,” Coorough explained.

The following days consisted of treks to the Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast, where the beautiful scenery and exotic wildlife attract visitors from around the world, mornings Manuel Antonio National Park, one

of the most popular national parks in Costa Rica, trips perusing the colorful, local markets in Sarchí, a major crafts center, famous for its brightly painted ox carts, or carretas, and a boat tour through the Tempisque River in search of crocodiles.

“I learned how to face my fears. In doing so I realized I can be the life of the party, and found out I was a pretty damn good salsa and reggaeton dancer and could keep up with the locals at Los Amigos bar and club.

Most importantly, I made friends who I shared once in a lifetime memories with, just by being myself,” Coorough lamented.

“I'm glad to be home now, sleeping in my own bed, hanging out my dog and mom; but I know a week from now, I'll be missing Costa Rica and the people I had the time of my life with.

For 9 days, we didn't think about yesterday, tomorrow, or even what happened a few hours before-- we lived in the moment.”

Follow Cheyenne on Instagram @thecollegefitness or subscribe to her blog at cheyennecoorough.wixsite. com/thecff

On a sunny March 31st, the Menifee Valley Campus held the 9th bi-annual Mu Alpha Theta Math competition to see which students were tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties. In teams of three, students were tasked to solve the most devious Math questions that Mu Alpha Theta could muster. The Competition, a collaboration between Mu Alpha Theta and the Stem Club, was held in Room 805 from 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM. The MSJC Mu Alpha Theta Math competition is an event held by the Math Honors society every semester. Recently, Mu Alpha Theta had made the decision to hold the competition at the San Jacinto campus during the Fall semesters and the Menifee campus during the Spring semesters. Hosting the competition were Math professors Alex Cuatok and Patrick Martinez.

In the days leading up to the 9th competition, Supplemental Instruction (SI) Coordinator, Janice T. Levasseur, claims that she received registration forms for a whopping 39 contestants.

According to Alex Cuatok, “It was a very successful event. This is the highest number of student participation.”

Cuatok has hosted several previous competitions and he claims that the amount of contestants for this one exceeded even his expectations.

He states that, “We had 74 participants, and that is more than double the amount last fall.”

Any student who competed would be able to treat themselves to free concessions. The only tools competitors had at their disposal were writing instruments (pencils, pens, and erasers), scratch paper provided by Mu Alpha Theta, and a scientific (non-graphing) calculator.

The rules were as follows: answer as many questions on the forms as possible within an Hour and thirty minutes. Every incorrect answer would receive a deduction of half a point, but every correct answer would garner two points. Once the time was up, there would be a brief intermission followed by the results. Whichever teams had the most points would be the winners.

The top 7 teams would be able to receive a gift bag containing Stem Club merchandise and a gift card to Chick Fil A. Cuatok was very happy about the prizes this year, stating “We were very fortunate to have many donors providing our prizes for the top seven teams.”

President of Mu Alpha Theta, Rama Charr, said, “I thought it was a great turnout. We had great prizes and I think everyone had fun.”

Team “Triple A” snagged first place above 74 contestants.

Some might say that in this current climate, Math and Science are now more important than ever, so it’s very comforting to know that an event that promotes enjoyment and stimulation of Mathematics among community college students would have a very good turnout. Having competed in previous math competitions myself, my experience has been overall positive, and I am most assuredly satisfied with the outcome of this semester’s competition.

*-*.G $-E+ . -"

6 | SPORTS

THE TALON, APRIL 2017

Men’s Golf Wins PCAC Match 7

(DeeAnn Bradley/MSJC).

The MSJC men’s golf team picked up a first place finish at Twin Oaks on Wednesday in PCAC Match #7 to move them into sole possesion of second place in the conference standings.

By MSJC Staff The MSJC men’s golf team turned in their best performance of the season with a team score of 369 to take first place in PCAC match number seven at Twin Oaks Golf Club.

The Eagles were led by Kieran Blundell who shot a 72 Wednesday. MSJC was the most consistent they have been all year as three players all turned in 73’s. Richard Schweitzer, Sam Proctor, and Austin Crenshaw posted 73’s to help the Eagles climb within three wins of first place College of the Desert. Vincent Brunet had a 78 and Tyler Galleher rounded out MSJC’s scoring with an 82.

MSJC is now 20-8 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference standings in second place all alone after moving ahead of Palomar. Palomar and the Eagles were tied for second heading into Wednesday’s match.

The Eagles will play at the College of the Canyons Tourna ment on Monday April 3rd, before returning to conference play on Monday the 10th when they travel to Palm Desert to play PCAC match #8 at Desert Island Resort.

PCAC Standings through 6 matches: Desert 21-3 MSJC 16-8 Palomar 16-8 Cuyamaca 7-17 El Camino 0-24

Lady Eagles Can’t Hold On Lose In Regional Final

By MSJC Staff The MSJC women’s basketball team led at halftime and led going into the fourth quarter, but could not hold on Saturday night as they lost in the CCCAA Southern California Regional Finals 71-65 at Mt. San Antonio.

The Lady Eagles fell behind 23-17 after the first period, but dominated the second quarter outscoring the Mounties 20-8 to take a 37-31 halftime lead.

The second half was a back and forth battle as there were 14 lead changes and 6 ties in the contest. MSJC clung to a one point lead 55-54 at the end of the third quarter.

The Lady Eagles unfortunately, went cold from the field in the second half while Mt. SAC got some timely baskets to pull out the victory.

MSJC was seeking their third Elite Eight appearance in the past five sea-

sons, but came up short against a team that is making their 11th straight trip to the Final Eight.

Lady Eagle freshman Delacy Brown led all scorers on the night with 24, while sophomore Crystal Malveaux recorded a double (DeeAnn Bradley/MSJC) double for MSJC MSJC’s Delacy Brown scored 24 points, but the Lady Eagles came up with 11 points and short with a 71-65 score in the CCCAA Regional Finals against Mt. 10 rebounds. Randi SAC. Johnson also reached The MSJC sophomore class of; Maldouble figures in scoring for MSJC with 10. MSJC was av- veaux, Johnson and Nokomis Cabrera eraging just shy of 93 points per game finished their two-year careers with a entering the contest, but were forced to record of 56-7.

Their 56 wins make them the winwork for every basket on Saturday.

The loss concludes the Lady Eagles ningest players in Lady Eagle basketball season with a record of 26-5, Mt. SAC history. improved to 30-2 with the victory.

Former Eagle Basketball Players Win National Title

By MSJC Staff Former MSJC men’s basketball players Lavon Harper and Sam Natt earned an NAIA Division II National title on Tuesday along with their teammates at Union College in Kentucky.

Union defeated Cornerstone College from Michigan in the Championship game 72-69. Natt was a member of the MSJC teams from 2011-13, while Harper played for the Eagles from 2012-14. Natt played 10 minutes in the championship game for Union scoring 2 points. In the quarter-finals of the National Tournament Natt scored 11 points in his team’s victory and in the semi-finals had 9 points. Harper was having a strong season as well, before a season ending injury sidelined him three weeks ago.

Along their way to the NAIA title, Union pulled off a one point victory over The College of Idaho in a second round Regional game. The College of Idaho featured another former MSJC player, Roosevelt Adams. Adams, a local product from Hemet West Valley

Former MSJC men’s basketball players Lavon Harper (left) and Sam Natt (right) helped their new team Union College to an NAIA National Championship on Tuesday night.

Union defeated Cornerstone College 72-69 to capture the crown.

HS, played for the Eagles from 201416.

One other former Eagle also played in the NAIA Regional Tournament.

Blake O’Donnell, who also played for

the Eagles from 2014-16, represented Eastern Oregon in the tournament.

UNLIMITED BUS RIDES WITH YOUR STUDENT ID

Thanks to the Go-Pass program, students at Mt. San Jacinto College get unlimited rides on Riverside Transit Agency buses. Whether it’s a lift to class, work or the movies, or a CommuterLink express bus to the beach, just swipe your student ID for endless rides anytime we operate, anywhere we go. For schedule and route information, call RTA at (951) 565-5002 or go to RiversideTransit.com.

THE TALON, APRIL 2017

SPORTS | 7

Eagles Baseball Proves Their Grit Despite Bumpy Season

By Chris Malandrinos It’s been a bit of a rough season for the MSJC Eagles baseball team, but with the amount of fight present throughout their games, it’s impossible to watch without feeling a sort of electricity in the air no matter whether they’re at bat or in the field.

Throughout the season the Eagles have battled it out with teams from all over Southern California, and even though many of these games went against their favor, no one can deny that the team has a great amount of talent and a large share of heart just waiting to be tapped into. This was especially notable during their game against the College of the Desert’s Roadrunners on March 18.

With Kaycee Garcia as starting pitcher and everyone finding a strong beginning pace, the game got off to fierce start, only two runs being scored to the Eagles’ one by the time of the fourth inning.

For every hit made by the Roadrunners, you could be sure that at least one Eagle was waiting in the outfield to catch it, or another was present at their respective base ready to swoop in at any time to take out an incoming opponent, and by the end of the third inning, both teams had built up enough pressure to blow a hole in the diamond.

Despite the Roadrunners squeezing in three runs during the top half of the fourth inning, pitcher, Nick Harding, managed to strike out their fifth player at bat turning the tables in the Eagles favor as the team reached their second wind; and by the time they got up to bat, the Eagles were at what would have seemed to be their peak performance if it weren’t for the plays to follow.

With both Brian Wolford, second baseman, and Marino Rojas, first baseman, getting in two RBI’s a piece, the College of the Desert had to grow up fast to stop MSJC from plowing too far ahead, and by the end of the inning were faced with an even tie of 5-5.

Courtesy of MSJC

For the entire rest of the game the field was alive as the Eagles poured on the heat attempting to reach ahead of their opponents, but nevertheless, by the end of the fifth inning, the Roadrunners had managed to get in a seemingly devastating total of six runs putting them at almost double to that of our Eagles, one of their players managing two RBI’s before being forcibly caught at second

Lady Eagle Softball Team Drops One To SBVC

by Eagles second baseman, Steven Ybarra.

What followed, in what was probably the most gut wrenching part of the game, was tough to bear with, but despite this writer’s “optimistic” spirit, the Eagles stood to prove that this game was not going to end here.

By the bottom half of the inning, before the Roadrunners could get too far ahead, third baseman, Anthony Garcia nearly leveled the

playing field with a grand slam that not only rekindled the hopes for the team, but also shook the bleachers with the amount of ferocity in that one hit.

The last few innings of the game proved to be a bumpy ride for both teams as the heat continued to increase, but sadly, despite the valiant efforts of the MSJC players, the College of the Desert managed to prevail with a 17-10 win, still ahead from that first spike in their tallies. Nevertheless, this one game managed to show just what kind of strength lies dormant in the MSJC team just waiting for the opportunity to reach its full potential, and Head Coach, Steve Alonzo has much to be proud of.

When asked about how the team would fare for the final duration of the season, Pitching Coach Mike Wolford commented on how the team would continue to keep playing at their best no matter what.

“We’re going to continue to keep working and going about our business the right way,” said Wolford in regards to his team, “keeping ourselves in the best position possible to be successful, and we’ll just keep grinding it out.”

And if any of the future games continue to play out as this one did, there is little doubt that all of their hard work will eventually pay off.

With such forceful players as third baseman Anthony Garcia who knocked in all the bases with his home run, or first baseman Marino Rojas who has one of the most consistent batting averages on the team, or really any one of the team’s members who have all had their own share of moments in which to showcase their skill, it’s only a matter of time before all of the parts begin to really click and the machine that is the MSJC Eagles really begins to tap into the tremendous amount of talent that was hinted at today.

Nottingham All State For 2nd Straight Year

Courtesy of MSJC

Courtesy of MSJC

By MSJC Staff

By MSJC Staff The MSJC softball team scored first on Wednesday, but could not hold on as they lost a road conference game at San Bernardino Valley 10-2 The Lady Eagles scored in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead, but gave up four runs in the bottom half of the inning and could not recover. MSJC did add a run in the top of the third to cut

the lead to 4-2, before the Wolverines pulled away with four more in the bottom of the third and two in the bottom of the fourth for the victory.

Amanda Munoa continued her hot hitting as she went 1 for 2 with a pair of runs batted in. Kerry Hernandez added two hits for the Lady Eagles while Jordan Sage and Natalia LeDesma had one hit each.

Alissa Erl and LeDesma

teamed up to do the pitching for MSJC. The loss drops MSJC to 11-4 overall on the season they are 2-7 in Pacific Coast Athletic Conference games.

San Bernardino improved to 13-10 overall and 4-4 in conference play. The Lady Eagles return to action next Wednesday April 5th when they travel to Chula Vista to take on Southwestern at 3 pm.

MSJC men’s basketball player Tre Nottingham was named First Team All State for the second straight season after helping the Eagles to their fourth straight conference championship.

Nottingham becomes just the sixth player in MSJC men’s basketball history to be named All State in both seasons he competed for the Eagles. He is the first since DeWayne Green earned All State honors in both 2005 (Honorable Mention) and

2006 (First Team). He is the first in the program since Jamaal Tinsley, 1998 and 1999, to be named First Team in back to back seasons.

Nottingham averaged 19.2 points per game this past season while leading the Eagles to a 22-11 overall record as they reached the second round of the CCCAA Southern California Regional. Tre also pulled down 6 rebounds per game and led the team averaging 5.4 assists. Nottingham, who has signed a scholarship to play next season at NCAA Divi-

sion I Texas State, made 141 three pointers in his MSJC career. He will also leave with the 14th most points scored in a career with 1,158 total over two seasons. The Eagles went 48-17 over the past two campaigns.

The three other players in MSJC’s storied history to be named First Team All State twice were; Gerald Sims (1976 & 1977), Otis Mixon (1989 & 1990), and Don Leary (1991 & 1992).

8 | NATIONAL

THE TALON, APRIL 2017

California ‘Super Bloom’ Sparks Controversy

By Chris Malandrinos If you haven’t already noticed, a sea of wildflowers has recently invaded the Southern California countryside. Thanks to the downpour of rain we so graciously just received, nature lovers and photographers across the state have been treated to a massive influx of poppies, peonies, primroses, and dozens of other flowers bringing international attention to the humble stretch of desert we call home. However, even though this “super bloom” is amazing news for California, especially after our long state of drought, it doesn’t come without at least a few concerns.

Of the areas affected by this sudden influx of color, the Anza-Borrego desert and Lake Elsinore happen to be the two most heavily hit by this phenomenon.

Anza-Borrego State Park describes the event as a rolling bloom, meaning that different flowers will bloom at different times making it possible to see them as late as mid-April.

Death Valley experienced a bloom similar to this in 2016, where they originally coined the term “super bloom”; but don’t expect to see much there this time around as, due to the nature of these blooms, seed reserves have been exhausted and invasive. Non-native species of weeds have begun to overpower their native counterparts, as will most likely be the case for Riverside county in the years to

Photo Courtesy of Ocean Light Website follow this bloom.

Of course, these flowers will likely return at some point in the not-too-distant future just as they’ve done in 2005 and 1998, but this doesn’t relieve the concern felt by many environmental advocates aware of the threat posed by invasive species, a very real threat that happens to be one of the largest causes of extinction in our world today, second only to habitat destruction.

“This year’s record rainfall only set the stage for the seeds dropped by new weeds,” said Andrew Sanders, curator at UC Riverside’s herbarium in an interview

with the Los Angeles Times.

“If we have another wet winter, invasive grasses will go berserk and flowers will be harder to find.”

To help combat this problem, many conservationists, including botanist Naomi Fraga, have resorted to mass weed pulling campaigns in areas such as along highways and roads that are most likely to provide easy transport for these weeds to move from one town to another. According to Fraga, if we don’t act quickly in eradicating these weeds, it will be too late to stop them from spreading further as their seeds are carried by the cars

rushing past.

In addition to the spread of invasive weeds, cars have also been involved in some slight controversy in Lake Elsinore in particular, as the attention drawn by the oceans of vibrant purples and reds popping up across nearby hillsides has led to traffic jams along nearby freeways and highways.

Not only are these cars spreading weeds throughout the desertscape, they’re taking their sweet time doing it and affecting everyone from commuting citizens to police officers attempting to keep the traffic moving steadily along. This is espe-

cially noted in the way that passersby have been both slowing down pulling over to take pictures of the spectacle.

While local officers are more than happy with drivers taking an interest in the natural beauty of their landscape, they also want to make it clear that stopping on freeways, shoulders, and medians in non-emergency situations is not only illegal, but also very dangerous.

“We want to encourage people to legally exit the freeway and park in a legal space, then they can walk around and enjoy the poppies,” said CHP Officer Lassig when

talking to the Press Enterprise.

However, despite the minor controversies being raised during this particularly glorious opening for spring, it is important to remember that this is an event that only takes place once every 5 to 10 years and should, therefore, be taken advantage of to the utmost. Not only is it a great time to head outside to appreciate this sudden burst of nature, it’s also worth noting that this is one of the few times Riverside County has made international headlines drawing in eco-tourists from all over the globe.

Anza Borrego State Park, the largest state park in California, has been packed throughout the month of March as nature enthusiasts have crowded to see this incredible sight, risking dehydration during the state’s first summer preview. Hikers have literally gotten lost in the landscape just trying to get a glimpse of this rare occurrence. So rare, in fact, that seeds that have spent decades waiting underground are finally sprouting according to park ranger Steve Bier.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can check the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association’s website for information on bloom time or just take a look out your window the next time you’re driving out of town (just don’t stop traffic). Whatever means you use, as a Riverside resident, don’t miss your opportunity to literally stop and smell the flowers.

MSJC Professor Weighs in on The Ocean Cleanup Project

By Noah Colomé In late 2016, the Ocean Cleanup Project, founded in 2013 by 18-year old Boyan Slat, undertook an in-depth survey attempting to measure the largest and most harmful of ocean debris.

Within the course of just two and a half hours the survey had already discovered over 1000 debris items sized at a half a meter or larger. “[Pollution’s] roots go back to increased material consumption and overall affluence following the industrial revolution,” stated Dr. Hlebakos, Professor and Department Chair of Environmental Studies at MSJC. “It really becomes a magnificent sort of problem with the advent of plastics and the ensuing throw-away culture.

The greatest effect on wildlife is that plastics are mistaken for food. When they

are consumed, they tend to accumulate in the digestive tract and in extreme cases lead to starvation.”

The mission employed a C-130 Hercules aircraft, expert spotters, and a large array of experimental plastic scanning equipment. In addition to measuring quantity, the researchers wanted to understand the shape and size of the debris in order to have a better suited plan for hauling the pollution away. When surveyors started their investigation, they found that previous studies had thoroughly underestimated the amount of large debris.

The Ocean Cleanup Project began their survey in late July 2015. They employed 30 vessels in a Mega Expedition and began to prepare for a large-scale cleanup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) collecting in the Pacific Ocean. The

vessels departed from Honolulu, Hawai’i covering 1.4 million square miles from Honolulu to the west coast of the United States. The expedition sought to create a high-resolution map of plastic in the Pacific, with more data collected in its 3-week lifespan than 40 years of combined oceanic pollution study.

“To further develop our cleanup technology, it is essential to know how much plastic is out there. The Mega Expedition should answer that question for us,” said Ocean Cleanup CEO and Founder, Boyan Slat.

“My sincere thanks goes out to the crews of the participating vessels for making this crazy idea a reality.”

At the end of the Expedition on Aug. 23, 2015, researchers had foreboding words to share about their findings.

“I’ve studied plastic in all

the world’s oceans, but never seen any areas as polluted as the [GPGP],” stated Dr. Julia Reisser, lead oceanographer at The Ocean Cleanup.

In late June 2016, the program unveiled its North Sea prototype. A 100-meter-long floating barrier of artificial coastline was installed 23 km from the Dutch shore.

The project sought the use of long, floating barriers that would remain stationary in the water allowing natural storm currents to cause debris to accumulate on it. This was in lieu of using nets and vessels, which could take thousands of years and billions of dollars to complete.

Though the project has been dealt a blow from unanticipated numbers of debris, prototypes are still being developed and the program hopes to see the oceans cleaned by year 2020.

Less optimistically Dr. Hlebakos commented, “I am

very pleased by all ambitious approaches to addressing ocean pollution. There are a couple of real challenges though. One is that any filtration method is going to impact wildlife. The other is that much of the plastic in the sea has broken down into microplastics and is already integrated into the food chain.”

“The Ocean Cleanup is an inspiring example of how we can tackle the growing problem of ocean pollution,” said Sharon Dijksma, Dutch Environment Minister. “I hope that with the help of the Dutch government, Boyan’s prototype will turn out to be the successful solution for cleaning up the mid-ocean gyres. This is crucial to prevent permanent damage to the environment and marine life, due to the degradation and fragmentation of plastic waste materials.”

Photo Courtesy of The Guardian When asked what students interested in aiding in environmental concerns could do to help, Hlebakos responded by saying, “Become mindful of your level of consumption. The next thing would be to raise awareness and consider becoming active. Visit our coastal ecosystems not simply as a beachgoer, but with an eye for nature. Join an organization that promotes healthy oceans and coastal ecosystems. Get some friends together and volunteer for a beach clean-up.

“Nature is incredibly resilient. If we work hard to address ocean pollution, we may never see a day when oceans are plastic free, but we will see a day when oceans are well on their way to recovery. Spread the word. Engage the people around you. Keep the conversation going.”

THE TALON, APRIL 2017

NATIONAL | 9

Students Protest After Tuition Hike Cont’d

Researchers Discovery Changes Evolutionary Narrative

Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times University Grant.

Students who do not meet the financial aid eligibility for the programs listed above may still receive a full or partial offset through various grants, scholarships and other assistance.

Following an 11-8 vote by the CSU Board of Trustees, several CSU students provided passionate testimonies describing their experiences working long hours, providing financial support to relatives, and even being on the brink of homelessness while taking university classes.

Protesting students, many of whom attended the meeting dressed in black graduation caps and gowns, frequently interrupted Wednesday’s meeting to shout at trustees who supported the tuition hike.

Their repertoire of chants

included “The more we pay, the longer we stay,” suggesting that higher tuition rates will force them to spread out the costs of their educations over more time than they would otherwise need to earn.

“Although it’s far from unexpected, I can’t say I agree with their advertising it as only impacting less than 2 of 5 students (those students who pay out of pocket actually),” said Jeana Robbins, a Child Development undergraduate student at CSU Fullerton. “In fact, I’m angry at the fact that once again people who do not qualify for state aid will be overlooked to ensure that others have access to virtually free education.”

Raising tuition at the CSU is projected to bring in a net $77.5 million. Prior to the

final vote, trustees adopted an amendment from Trustee Jane Carney calling for all of that money to be spent on classes and other student support programs with connections to CSU’s graduation initiative.

Although there is a chance that the governor’s May revision may call for different funding levels for the CSU, White said trustees could not have waited until their May meeting to decide on tuition.

CSU legally requires any vote on a tuition increase to take place at least 90 days before it goes into effect. White said a May vote would come too late to meet that obligation, and a delay would also complicate CSU staffers’ work to compose financial aid offers for 201718 students.

Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Buena Park, has also submitted a bill that would bar CSU or Community Colleges from increasing tuition or enrollment fees before the end of the 2019-20 school year.

“I was thrilled to find this year, for the first time since I started college in 2011, I will receive financial aid in the form of grants and not unsubsidized loans, but paying out of pocket for 6 years has made me sympathetic to those ‘less than 2 in 5’ students,” Robbins continued.

“I am genuinely angry with the price of getting an education in California, and think that raising costs is not the way to help students overall.”

Transgender Laws Under Trump

Courtesy of All-len-All

By Jamee Menez A statement from the White House in late January claimed that Donald Trump will continue to be “respectful and supportive of L.G.B.T.Q. rights” and that “the executive order signed in 2014, which protects employees from anti-L.G.B.T.Q workplace discrimination while working for federal contractors, will remain intact.” The statement temporarily eased the minds of those in the queer community, however, soon after that, another statement was released which rescinded some of the rights for transgender students in public schools.

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice sent out a “Dear Colleague” letter stating that not allowing students to use the facilities or programs that matched their gender identity in a public school setting violated Title IX of the Education Amendments Act, a law that prohibits discrimination in education based on sex “Schools across the country strive to create and sustain inclusive, supportive, safe, and nondiscriminatory communities for all students,” the letter reads.

“This prohibition encompasses discrimination based

on a student’s gender identity, including discrimination based on a student’s transgender status.”

In order to be in compliance with the law and to continue to receive federal funding, the letter pointed out that K-12 schools cannot treat their transgender students any differently than gender conforming students. For the community, the letter represented the increasing recognition and rights for transgender students, and since students were finally being granted the right to express their gender identity, the community was given hope for future rulings.

This hope however, was deflated when President Donald Trump rescinded the “Dear Colleague” letter from 2014. In defense of his repeal, two federal departments claimed that Obama’s letter did not “contain extensive legal analysis or explain how the position is consistent with the express language of Title IX, nor did they undergo any formal public process.” While President Trump’s overturning does not change the law, it allows the states to choose their interpretation of the Title IX law which to many means that states are allowed to discriminate against certain citizens.

President Trump’s views and actions towards the Transgender community are still unclear to many. His refusal to sign an executive order allowing businesses to refuse service to those whose views did not reflect their own made many believe that he would not have such a conservative view on issues regarding the Queer community. Others believe that his refusal to accept the order was merely because of the importance he places on state rights and had no reflection on his own views.

Despite the recent legislation, students and community members fear that their troubles with the new president are only just beginning.

Shiji Yuan, an LGBTQ activist and student at MSJC told The Talon, “By filling his cabinet full of people that have very negative views about LGBTQ people and communities, especially Mike Pence who is keen to curtail LGBTQ rights and liberties, Trump’s actions evidently speaks louder than his words, and those words are definitely not on the lines of LGBTQ protection.”

Undeterred by those in opposition to LGBTQ rights, Yuan believes that the sense of unity in the LGBTQ community on MSJC’s campus is always there for students to turn to.

“Although most students at MSJC attend their classes and goes home,” Yuan continued, “there are some active clubs like Spectrum Space (LGBTQ rights group) and Amnesty International (human rights group)... that combats discrimination not only locally on campus but also globally.”.

Many students believe that the queer and queer ally voices on campus are strong giving reason for them to believe that our campus will continue to be a safe space for the community and its members.

In response to the changing transgender laws in North Carolina that could possibly California’s future as a result, Yuan added, “Unlike North Carolina, California already has a working policy that protects LGBTQ peoples’ and students’ bathroom rights... California’s governor Mr. Edmund G. Brown Jr. is known to be an active advocate and ally of LGBTQ rights and communities. He will surely defend LGBTQ people and their rights probably until the federal government forces down the military on the state.”

Stereomicroscopes.org

By Noah Colomé Penn State Elberly College of Science released a statement earlier this march announcing a breakthrough discovery in nervous system evolution. Experiments at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences found that a specific component of vertebrate neurons, the axon initial segment (AIS), which regulates nerve cell output may be much older than previously thought.

The neuron cell begins with a cell body and small branching dendrites, or branches used to receive incoming chemical signals.

Running down from the cell body, a large branch called the axon finds its way to more distant parts of the body. The axon is utilized to pass messages from the cell body to other cells.

In between the dendrites and the axon exists a small membrane conjoining the separate segments. The AIS is the particular part of the membrane that exists between the axon and the cell body. This segment determines what inputs will be allowed to travel down the axon to affect other cells. “[This] segment provides a barrier to separate the membrane of the cell body and the input end – the dendrites – from the axon, which is critical because this membrane has a different role, which is to initiate and then carry the action potential – the output of the neuron,” commented Tim Jegla, one of the researchers heading the experiment. “You’ve got all these inputs coming in from the cell body and the dendrites, and it’s at the axon initial segment where the decision is made whether all those inputs warrant signaling the next cell, or not.

So it’s the decision point for neurons.”

Protein isoforms or protein variants are used to identify forms of proteins coded from the same gene or with similarities in amino acid structure and function.

The function of the AIS is dependent on the protein isoform Ankyrin G. While studying fruit fly biology the team found that there was a diffusion barrier at the beginning of sensory neuron axons, specifically the AIS which is Ankyrin G-dependent. Finding this link in a species that far predates our own certainly sparked some excitement and, more importantly, helped Jegla

piece together information concerning the evolutionary history of Ankyrin via phylogenomic analysis.

“When I started to look at that, it became clear that the accepted story of the giant isoforms of Ankyrin, such as Ankyrin G, being recently evolved and vertebrate-specific was completely wrong,” Jegla said.

Researchers credited Changye Feng, a graduate student in molecular, cellular, and integrative biosciences for using a method known as Fluorescent Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP.).

FRAP is way to track molecular movement where certain molecules are tagged with fluorophores. When these fluorophores are exposed to intense light, they deactivate, allowing them to stick out amongst other molecules. Utilizing this technique, researchers observed that the proteins at the base of the axon and dendrites diffused quite differently. While the proteins at the base of the dendrites migrated back and forth, the proteins at the base of the axons migrated and did not return.

“The way FRAP works is that if we tag a plasma membrane protein with a fluorescent molecule[or fluorophore], we can shine an intense laser light on a region of the neuron and inactivate all the fluorophores in that region; then over time we can look to see whether other fluorophores migrate into that region, which gives us an idea about diffusion and whether these things are mobile in that particular region,” Jegla explained.

“So we compared how these tagged proteins moved at the base of the dendrite and the base of the axon, and we could see it was very different. The fluorescent proteins come right back in in the dendrite, and in the axon they just don’t.”

The discovery changes the story on how nervous system evolution has occurred and could lead to important medical advances.

According to Jegla, “Knowing which features are conserved in simple, genetically tractable model organisms affects how we can do experiments to help understand, for example, what role the axon initial segment might play in neuronal injury response – things that ultimately are highly relevant to people and health.”

10 | ENTERTAINMENT

THE TALON, APRIL 2017

Don’t ‘Switch,’ or Beauty and the Beast’s “Gay at Least Not Yet Moment” Highlights Inequality Nintendo Switch Review

Courtesy of Coming Soon.net

By Rian Oliver With the release of Nintendo's 9th generation hardware, Nintendo has made plans to try and recuperate from their own losses after the massive success of the Wii. This has been a double edged sword for the company ever since the Wii U was released to horrible reviews while using typical gimmicks to entice players for the short haul but not for the long haul. YouTubers have criticized the power, design, graphical problems and console screen failures that have plagued the Switch, and despite droves of failed gimmicks the company continues to disappoint even with successful sales and hype.

Yep, the stereotypical, family-friendly console fails to address the graphical or actual requirements of great games with problems ranging the scope of mediocrity, seniority and even biased gaming journalistic reviews of its former nature.

The Nintendo Switch is an underpowered, grossly designed, ridiculously priced piece of garbage that doesn't succeed in the true sense even with the gimmicks used to sell them.

From the limited 32 GB of RAM, onboard 4GB of memory and system space, horrible online services, and lack of other apps for things like movies, Nintendo is style floating in a madness of failed ambitions. By most standards, Microsoft and Sony with their upcoming PS5 and Xbox Scorpio, possibly recently leaked that the Xbox X has potential to, in graphics and games, destroy Nintendo's once fabled image of family fun for everyone as YouTubers have discussed.

Making the "Switch" will be painful for gamers who are used to emulators and other features that are fully available on PC and don't want to sacrifice performance in multitasking or other operations. Nintendo's Switch cannot even consistently hit a perfect 30 or 60 fps with a few titles meaning later games will, more than likely, have terrible performance unless there are hidden graphical powers within the weak Nvidia Tegra Octa Core, 1 teraflop graphics and computer processors. Screen failures are common with the poorly made design, scratched console screens, and broken performance in highly praised games like Zelda from day one which is unacceptable.

In order to fix these problems, Nintendo needs remodeling as a corporation and even as a console bred winner of the last several decades ever since the release of NES or even the legendary SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). Nintendo needs to stop fooling around with Joy-Con controller gimmicks that look aesthetically low quality from a skeptical perspective.

This stereotypical "I don’t know how to build a Gaming PC" or "console games are too complex or simple" phenomenon used to appeal to Nintendo Gamers must end. If a company with legendary household names like Super Mario, Link, Star Fox, and now Sonic (due to Sega’s collapse) is going to succeed in a business plagued by season passes, poorer graphics, worse performing and unfinished games, and the onslaught of micro-transactions, it must start and end with Nintendo.

Unfortunately, this means changing hardware, changing platforms, and even calling out for help to chip Manufacturers like Intel and Nvidia and other gaming companies like Microsoft and Sony to help pull back the spiritual side of gaming that once dominated the 1980s and 1990s. Beautiful games on less powerful hardware, spiritual awakening, multi-culturalism, and classic nostalgia helped Nintendo create some of the greatest games ever created that are still somewhat unmatched by today’s money obsessed and corrupt business practices. If Nintendo and the gang want to make it, they’re going to need to have another spiritual awakening and an all new chance at glory.

Courtesy of CNN

By Chris Malandrinos All my life I’ve wondered what it means for a movie to have an “exclusively gay moment,” and apparently, according to Disney’s newest remake, Beauty and the Beast, it means a 3 second clip where two men touch hands before the scene cuts out.

For those unaware of what I’m talking about, during the weeks that preceded the movie’s release, director Bill Condon boasted in an interview with British magazine, Attitude, that Beauty and the Beast would include an “exclusively gay moment” for Gaston’s manservant, Le Fou, making him the first ever openly gay character in a Disney movie. However, as progressive as this sounds, it has been consistently noted that this is far from the “step forward” many have hoped to expect from a company as diverse as Disney.

First of all, let’s address the two elephants in the room, the first being that the scene is so short that you could literally blink and miss it, and the second being that, as with so many of Disney’s “gayest” characters, Le Fou is technically a villain of sorts (although, Condon did try to redeem the character by the end, so this is kind of

excusable). Now, I’m aware that this is a remake and that Bill Condon did an incredible job at creating a masterpiece in terms of diversity while staying true to the source material, but when it comes to the LGBT+ community, the movie inadvertently highlighted just how underrepresented these people are. Yes, there are quite a few movies that include gay or lesbian characters, but most of these fall into the “token” category and are often lacking full development, and don’t even get me started with the lack of transgender representation.

At this point, it might be worth explaining why this actually matters as this point often goes over the heads of many people, both gay and straight.

For starts, one of the most common myths that needs to be “busted” here is that minority representation in movies should be proportional to the percentage of the population that these minorities occupy (i.e. said minority represents x% of the population, and should, therefore, be represented in x% of mainstream movies). To understand why this is wrong, it’s necessary to first realize that cinema does not represent the world as it is, but rather how we see it. It’s commonly accepted

that members of a minority should be seen as equals to everybody else even if they only represent a miniscule percentage of the population, so that being the case, if we really do see them as equals, we should have no problem representing them in equal proportion to the rest of us in the imaginary world’s we create.

That said, it is also necessary to understand how important it is to these people, themselves, to see other people like them on screen. For this, I am reminded of a little black girl who purchased a “Princess Tiana” doll from the department store I used to work at.

Now, she could have just as easily reached for a “Belle” or “Rapunzel”, but as most would expect, she went straight for the princess that she most identified with, and honestly, it bothered me knowing that, for so many years, other little girls like her had to grow up with the idea that “princesses” didn’t usually look like they did, and it works the same way for those people of the LGBT+ variety.

Whether we want to believe it or not, people from the LGBT+ community were children at one point.

There are kids all around the world growing up feeling different, alone, and unac-

cepted, and for them, it is more than important to see real, fully fleshed out characters representing them on screen; not just sidekicks, certainly not just villains, but princesses and superheroes and all manner of characters in between. Children of all minorities don’t deserve the lip-service of people telling them that they are equal, they deserve to see that the world views them as equal in the films that the majority uses to mirror their perspective of it.

Granted this may seem like a dangerous move on the part of major studios like Disney who depend so heavily on audiences overseas, but now that they’ve taken that first step with Beauty and the Beast, let’s hope that they continue to go boldly into the darkness of foreign governments that still criminalize entire groups of people. Let’s hope that more directors like Bill Condon, who is gay, keep inching society forward in spite of “controversy”, because no matter how much countries like Malaysia wish to erase the gay scenes from films like these, they can’t erase the fact that gay people created them. All kinds of people will forever exist in this world, and it’s about time for us to treat them like the people they are.

Logan Gives Perfect Send Off for Wolverine Legacy

Courtesy of SlashFilm

By Patrick Arellano

Courtesy of The Verge

Switch Specs: -6.2-inch LCD Screen -CPU/GPU NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor -Storage 32 GB (expandable up to 2TB) -1080p Video

-2.5 - 6.5 hrs Battery -Lithium-ion battery/4310mAh -Charging time approximately 3 hours

It’s safe to say that the Superhero Film genre owes a lot to Hugh Jackman’s portrayal as the Wolverine.

Simply put: Jackman IS Logan. All of Logan’s rage, all of his pain, all of his humor, and all of his humanity owe a lot to Jackman. Much like Christopher Reeve and Robert Downey Jr, Jackman will always be the face that almost everyone’s mind races to when they think about that hero. With a legacy such as that, this cinematic sendoff could have easily been a disappointment. But by cutting loose of that PG13 leash and prioritizing character development over excessive CG spectacle, Logan more than makes up for X-Men Apocalypse and provides a sad and poignant end for the faces of this series.

It’s the not too distant future and the state of Mutantkind is at its bleakest. With mutants not reproducing

and dying out, it seems as if Charles Xavier’s dream of coexistence with humanity is dead. Not only that, but he’s suffering from dementia and has to receive medication from Logan, who also has to shoulder the burdens of a soul crushing job as a chauffeur, the memories of his fallen comrades, and his deteriorating healing factor.

It’s then that Logan catches the attention of a cybernetically enhanced human named Pierce, who pries him for information on a little girl he’s pursuing named Laura. When he finds out that this child is a mutant like him, he gets caught up in a run from the law that will determine the fate of him and what’s left of his mutant brethren.

One thing to know before going in: this is not really a superhero film. It’s more of a drama with characters who happen to have superpowers. In fact, to call the main characters “superheroes”

would be a bit of a stretch.

The last thing Logan wants is to save the day. This is a fight for survival and he has no qualms about violently dispatching anyone who threatens him or his friends.

That’s not to say that Logan lacks morals; in fact, quite the contrary. We see him at his most nuanced and vulnerable in this installment.

There’s a great exchange between him and Laura when he asks if she’s killed before.

When she replies that they were bad people, he retorts that they were still people and she has to live with that.

It’s also quite sad to see how Xavier has turned out. The once calm and wise leader of the X-Men has been reduced to an emotionally unstable wreck whose dementia makes his powers more dangerous and out of control.

Patrick Stewart shows us a more desperate and exasperated side of Xavier that we haven’t seen since Days of Future Past. Whenever he

and Jackman are on screen together, it’s always a great breather from the doom and gloom that surround them.

Other standout performances include Boyd Holbrook’s darkly comedic take on Pierce and Dafne Keen as the quiet and stoic Laura. Keen is nothing short of phenomenal, saying so much with expressions rather than words. When she does speak, it’s so wonderfully to the point and blunt.

In short: Logan is quite possibly the best film in the series and any comic book fan would do themselves a disservice to miss it. Highly recommended.

Word of caution: with strong graphic violence and harsh language, Logan does not go gentle into that good night. Parents would be well advised to leave their gifted youngsters at the mansion and maybe rent X2 or The Wolverine instead.

THE TALON, APRIL 2017

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | 11

Student Spotlight: Stepheny Estes Stepheny Estes is a student at MSJC, previous Student Government Association(SGA) senator of Public Relations, Second Chance secretary, and current Black Student Union(BSU) President and Inter-Club Council representative.

Estes has worked as an art and dance teacher and has been selling her art for 20 years through her self started company, Second Glances.

Contact her via Facebook and Instagram at Stepheny Clarke or email her at sestes973@student. msjc.edu.

MSJC CLUB BLURBS

The MDSJC BSU is a club for all students wishing to be educated on and help celebrate the culture of all students of African Descent from around the world on our MSJC campuses. We welcome everyone! Meetings are every other Wednesday at 2pm3pm and you can reach us by email BSU@student.msjc.edu or on Facebook at MSJC’s BSU. Hope to see you soon!

The Criminal Justice Club is a club for students who want to pursue future careers in criminal justice, legal, law enforcement, social work, or any other related fields. At this club we will discuss and learn about various criminal justice topics.

We will also make available to students career opportunities (such as internships) in the criminal justice system. We will sponsor and conduct events and demonstrations that inform the campus community about local crime issues.

This club is a good place to meet other criminal justice mided people! Our advisor, Professor Farrar, has multiple connections in the law enforcement field. If something interests our members, (such as passing the police physical tests or how to become a crime scene technician) Professor Farrar can help us get information or even a hands-on exercise on the subject! If any of this interests you, we hope to see you at one of our meetings!

Meetings: every other Monday in Room 1212, 3:15pm4:00pm.

For more info, contact Mark Lurenana at mlurenana795@ student.msjc.edu or Professor Farrar at wfarrar@msjc.edu.

For many years, Mu Alpha Theta has dedicated themselves to inspiring passion and interest in Mathematics, developing strong scholarship in the subject, and promoting the enjoyment of Mathematics in high school and two-year college students. The organization of Mathematics clubs serves over 108,00 student members in more that 2200 schools in the United States and 20 foreign countries. Mu Alpha Theta offers more than $300,000 in scholarships, grants, awards, and prizes yearly. Meetings are held on Fridays at the Menifee Campus in room 453 at 10:30 AM.

Student Spotlight: Maryanne Malandrinos

Maryanne Malandrinos is a senior in high school who will be attending Mt San Jacinto College next semester. While photography is one of her favorite hobbies, she is ultimately hoping for a career in dietetics so that she can work with those interested in improving their diets and help to remove the negative stigma associated with healthy eating.

To Maryanne, the best things in life really are free, and she tries her best to capture photographs that highlight the unique qualities in every moment that make each partic-

ular experience unlike all of the others that most usually take for granted. If given the opportunity, she definitely would love to work as a nature photographer, but until that chance arises, she just wants to stay afloat and focus on the people close to her. Ultimately, no matter where things take her, she just wants to get through life without stepping on anyone’s toes. So long as she can remain a positive influence in the lives of the people she meets, there really isn’t much more she can think to ask for.

Animals don’t know how to talk, so tt’s kind of hard for them to get their points across when discussing things with humans. There have even been instances where an animal is wandering through the forest and gets shot by a potential friend, all because of a simple miscommunication.

Here at MSJC’s Animal Rights Club (ARC), we work hard to prevent these tragedies from taking place by working as translators for these voiceless companions, but due to the difficult nature of this job, we are always in need of new members willing to help us in our duties.

Help give animals a voice and join the only club on campus dedicated to real animal rights activism. Talk is great, but here in the ARC we believe that actions speak louder than words. That’s why everything we do involves tangible goals specifically designed to help animals live happy fulfilling lives just like the rest of us.

To get involved, simply come join us on Wednesdays at 2:30 in Room 479 on the MVC, or if that conflicts with your schedule, just keep your eyes open for any events we may be holding that do work for you. With your help, we just might be able to help those in need one barnyard at time, because a better world for animals is a better world for everyone Contact us at MSJCanimalrightsclub@gmail.com

What is the first rule of Communication Club? You talk about Communication Club! In fact, you talk about literally anything.

Do you love hot dogs? Are you a math major? Do you wish our campus had a real Fight Club? If any one of these things does or does not describe you, come on down and join MSJC’s Communication Club where we strive to create a fun environment for people of all interests.

No matter who you are, the most important skill you posses is your ability to communicate with others, and we at the Communication Club are here to help you better develop that skill!

No, we don’t teach or discuss communication theory here (unless you want to). We also don’t use the word communication half as much as it’s written here. Instead, our goal is to build relationships through hands on experiences ranging from games and discussions to movie nights and intercultural events.

We meet up every Tuesday at 12:30pm in the Menifee Campus Comm Lab (Rm. 479). If you can make a meeting every once in awhile, great! And if you can’t, be sure to keep your eyes open for any events we might be hosting!

This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time; so don’t waste another, and join Communication Club!

For more information email us at MSJCcommunication@gmail.com.

12| BRAIN GAMES

THE TALON, APRIL 2017

Sudoku

Word Up R P H T M B G W E T P Q F Z S F D W Y N

D L Z X O W L A R J P U J G W W Z T K I

A K L R N Z D A L E J J H C I E V S S B

C R L B R Q K J O A Z L G B T Q D V Q V

M E L E S N R F F L S N U S C E U G P G

S R E W O L F S L C N E V L H J V X B W

J V T P Z O T A F I C P S N O L A T B S

Q X P Z G U B H Q S R A X D B I N Q W L

J E U B I T V R T N M L V Y E A S G H F

D W H T E W R B M E E E Z D G S T X A Z

W P I K Q J U A E R Q I Q O G R O P O M

V O S R M M M T S O R T L L U F I P U A

N A X C X M N D T F W Q O M H Y H Y X Y

B O K X Y B Q Z R N C J P U B N U C N E

GALA LGBTQ LOGAN MATH NEPAL OCEAN

ART BASKETBALL BEAST EXPOSED FLOWERS FORENSIC

A V X L N G J L T A V F G N T S Z D L N

C N U K I S V E Q E L Z B V N Z K U B Y

S A J K F F O D X C O O F E V I M A T H

K F R P Y M M L W O Y N S D A O P T D V

C N O Q Y A B W Q X S H Y V M S E V F J

O V P Y X K C Y U J Q Z V H N I T W O B

SOLAR SWITCH TALON TRUMP TUITION

Mystery

Riddles

1. Wednesday, Tom and Joe went to a restaurant and ate dinner. When they were done they paid for the food and left. But Tom and Joe didn’t pay for the food. Who did?

2. Mr Brown was killed on Sunday afternoon. The wife said she was reading a book. The butler said He was taking a shower. The chef said he was making breakfast. The maid said she was folding clothes, and the gardener said he was planting tomatoes. Who did it?

3. A clever thief was brought before a king to receive his punishment. The king, feeling merciful, asked the thief how he would like to die. The thief told him, and the king let him go. What did the thief tell the king?

4. A boy fell off a 100 foot ladder. But he did not get hurt. Why not?

5. Mr. Smith has 4 daughters. Each of his daughters has a brother. How many children does Mr. Smith have?

6. I go in hard, I come out soft. You blow me hard. What am I? 6. Gum 5. He has 5 children, all of the daughters have the same 1 brother.

4. He was only on the first step.

3. He wanted to die of natural causes.

2. The chef. Mr Brown was killed in the afternoon and yet the chef claimed he was making breakfast.

1. Wednesday (the name of the third person in the group, not the day).

Across 1. Political figure who appeared in "Home Alone 2" in 1992 4. The capital of Nepal 6. Concentrating solar power(CSP) harnesses thermal ____ to generate power.

8. 394 billion dollars a year is spent on ___ in America growing in cost 233.4% since 1995 11. James Howlett, first appearing in November 1974 is also known as 12. Baseball term for getting across every base immediately after hitting the ball

Down 2. "___ cannot be achieved by force; it can only be changed by understanding."- Albert Einstein 3. Exposed News event on MSJC, with the next installment on April 11th 5. a once small Japanese company, founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi in 1889 that produced and marketed Hanafuda cards 7. A cultural and educational establishment that has existed on the SJC campus for 30 years 9. Local Information source giving insight to MSJC since 2012 10. The time to get started with an internship at the critically acclaimed, longstanding Newspaper at MSJC

Crossword Craze

Talon Staff James Hodge President & Treasurer Serena Steele Editor-in-Chief & External PR Noah ColomĂŠ Director & Historian

Patrick Arellano Vice President & Secretary Kyle Selby Assistant Editor Matthew Maitrejean Graphic Design Jamee Menez Internal PR

Chris Malandrinos ICC Rep Rian Oliver Contributing Writer Brando Ligayo Member Anthony Herrera Member Alex Cuatok Adviser

msjctalon@gmail.com Doug Spoon Journalistic Adviser

msjctalon

Meetings: Every Thursday and Friday 12:30pm-2:00pm

Mt. San Jacinto College Talom

Thurs: Rm 1007 Fridays: Rm 418

MSJCTheTalon msjctalon

Disclaimer: The Talon is a production created and published by the Talon student newspaper club members. The Talon is not an official production of the Mt. San Jacinto Community College District. Its producers and contributors/reporters are students and are not officials of the college district. The views and opinions expressed in the Talon are those of the specific student writers and contributors/reporters. The Talon student newspaper does not represent the views and opinions of the Mt. San Jacinto College District or any of its official employees.