PCC Courier 03/27/14

The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena since 1915

PASADENA CITY COLLEGE

COURIER

VOLUME 109 ISSUE 9

INSIDE: PARTY WITH BIRTHDAYGIRL Listen to the band whose music defies the boundaries of genres.

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CIVILIAN LIFE Discover the inspiring stories of veterans returning home.

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ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM

Antonio Gandara/Photo Editor Caleb Wood receives second place at the Redlands Invitational with a distance of 55.02 meters in the men’s javelin throw.

The track and field team finished first in three events and placed in four other events.

New ‘Fab Lab’ is a world of endless 3-D creation Emma Koffroth Staff Writer

From toys to space travel and candy to body parts, the grand opening of the “Fab Lab” this month showcased the groundbreaking technology that PCC offers in the emerging realm of 3-D printing.

The creation possibilities are limitless. The 3-D printers used by the Fabrication Laboratory can build machinery such as model airplanes and furniture.

More advanced versions of the printer reproduce materials at the forefront of medical advancement.

“You can 3-D print organs and bones. The future is really in the field of medical advancement,” said David Harbottle, a member of the PCC Engineering Club.

Christine Michaels Editor-in-Chief

Do you think the war between the administration and faculty should end?

Vote at PccCourier.com

March 27, 2014

Throwing the distance

The most typical version of “Plastic filament comes into 3-D printing is fuse deposition the printer through a heated modeling (FDM) and uses plas- box that heats the plastic and tic resins to create layers that lays down layer on top of layfuse together. This is the type er,” said Sandy Jisun Lee, who of printer used at PCC in the

FABLAB page 6 “Fab Lab.”

Benjamin Simpson/Courier Daniel Ngu creates a dog to test the setting on the RapMan3 3-D printer in the new Fab Lab, located in the IT building.

Deans set in new school structure SPEAK OUT!

A new dean structure has been implemented at the college and all former interim deans have been appointed as associate deans of their respective schools, according to the administration.

“The Associate dean will provide support faculty. Not just the faculty of former division,” said Robert Bell, vice president of academic and student affairs..

All five school deans, who ran unopposed for their positions last semester, will maintain all responsibilities and management of their respective

schools, according to Bell.

The deans seem to find this model much more efficient, but the official jobs of the associate dean and the school dean are flexible depending on the needs of each school.

Joseph Futtner, associate dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, said that he and Jim Arnwine, the dean of Visual and Performing Arts, are working toward creating an organic model for their school.

“In terms of official job placement, we are still negotiating that,” he said. “We’re still navigating. There are very different programmatic needs.

It’s a little unusual for us all.”

Salomon Davila, the dean

of the School of Career and Technical Education, explained that with the structure change he is able to focus on outside sources and vendors to help ready the school for the labor market demands.

“Most deans would do a lot of clerical work” in the past, but his department is now “running more efficiently,” he said.

“If you don’t go out, you become a bit myopic. But in this new model, it allows a good transformation.”

Davila also explained that in the former division model, where there were three DEANS page 2

Faculty Association rejects proposal Daron Grandberry Sports Editor

The PCC Faculty Association rejected the latest contract proposal from the district Friday when the two sides sat down their second negotiation meeting this month..

According to a letter written by the PACCD negotiating team, the district recently agreed to implement a Supplemental Early Retirement Plan (SERP) this academic school year if the PCCFA also agreed to an interim arrangement on the 2014-2015 academic calendar year without a winter intersession.

In addition, the rejected proposal provided that nothing in the agreement would preclude either party from proposing a different calendar year. The letter also stated that it was unlikely that a Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) decision would be issued in the next few months and in the absence of a binding decision the current calendar configuration was unlikely to be changed for the 2014-2015 academic year.

In rejecting the recent proposal, the PCCFA indicated that returning to the former calendar configuration was significantly more important than a SERP, according to the PACCD negotiating team.

On Thursday, members of the Faculty Association met in the C-Building to discuss a variety of topics from the ongoing Campus Climate Survey to the lack of financial compensation of professors and faculty. The survey is NEGOTIATIONS page 2

NEWS

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March 27, 2014

Senate to send president’s evaluation to Board John Peters II Asst. News Editor

The Academic Senate unanimously approved a resolution to send the results of the president’s evaluation to the Board of Trustees at a special meeting Monday.

The vote also postponed a decision on whether to make the information public. That issue will be decided at the senate’s next meeting.The separation of the two issues, making the evaluation results public and sending the results to the Board

of Trustees, allowed the resolution to pass.

Two earlier motions tying the issues together in the same vote were narrowly defeated after long discussions. Kathleen Uyekawa moved to keep the results private and share them only with the board and the president. It failed in a 16 to 11 vote.

Treasurer Dan Haley was one of the dissenting voices stating the result should be made public.

“I don’t think giving them the results of this is going to do anything,” Haley said. “And I don’t think giving it to President Rocha is going to do anything.

NEGOTIATIONS Continued from page 1

intended to independently examine the relationship between shared governance groups and the administration.

“I haven’t actually taken the survey yet, but I am going to take it,” language professor Mary-Erin Crook said. “I just find it kind of curious that we need to pay around $25,000 to conduct this survey. It seems like the administration could find out what faculty and staff are thinking by just asking. It’s no big secret.”

In an attempt to let their voices be heard, the Faculty Association conducted its own survey in February, listing its priority issues for negotiations, which began March 7. Some of the priority issues include: salary increases, receiving full cost of living adjustments and fair compensation for extra work duties.

“To me the survey is kind of a waste of money,” Crook added. “I’ve heard others state that there were pretty good questions on the survey, so I plan on answering the survey and giving my opinion.”

Although members of the Faculty Association were hesitant about the independent survey, the FA passed a motion to encourage all full-time and tenured faculty members to participate in the independent campus survey.

After several professors expressed their interest, or lack thereof, in taking the independent survey, English professor and Faculty Association President Roger Marheine turned the meeting over to psychology professor Julie Kiotas. As the lights were dimmed, professor Kiotas presented the findings from her own statistical research in which she compared PCC with other area community colleges from the 11 local school districts.

“Professor Kiotas is an expert in statistics and statistical research,” Marheine said in an email. “Her work is always impeccable.”

As Kiotas presented her findings, the biggest response came when faculty members were informed of their salaries and how they compared with other area community college professors.

DEANS Continued from page 1

divisions in the past in the IT building, miscommunication was rampant.

“It runs more smoothly,” he said.

“There was no accountability or communication in that model …The communication is much clearer now,” he said.

Futtner explained that with the new

I think if anything we should make it public.”

Senator Kris Pilon joined him in voting against the motion.

“I see six large instructional areas that voted to make this information public,” Pilon said.

“I feel like it’s a betrayal of the interest of the faculty members on this campus that we represent if we let our personal feelings overwhelm us.”

Pilon proposed a motion to make only the statistical data available on the Academic Senate website and that they provide the Board of Trustees the full report.

Of the 73 local community and junior colleges compared, Kiotas’ statistical research ranked PCC faculty 61st in average professor salary. The administration, however, ranks among the top three in the same category. Although the news of the comparable college findings were met with dismay and chuckles from faculty members, professor Kiotas defended the administration’s salary because it was comparable to that of other administrators at other area community colleges.

Kiotas went on to discuss the faculty’s pay and benefits.

According to Kiotas’ statistics, the average salary of PCC faculty members is $76,019 per year, whereas Mt. SAC faculty members are paid $93,993 per year, on average.

“We’re not here to lower or disagree about salaries of administration,” Kiotas said. “Their pay is comparable to other area college administrators. Yes we have good benefits, but our benefits and salary are not comparable to that of other area colleges.”

Charles Winners/Courier Roger Marheine encourages PCC staff to take a survey that will help voice their opinions at an FA meeting on March 20. Marheine argues the survey will help iron out discrepancies.

school model, there is a much bigger group of faculty to work with, which can be challenging at times.

“There’s a sharply pronounced difference in who your faculty are. There is bicultural negotiation,” he said. “It’s going to organically emerge depending on the circumstances and needs.”

The organic part is where people learn to work together in the best way,” Futtner added.

Her motion failed 13-12 with four abstentions.

“Just as when our students fill out evaluations,” said Senator Matthew Henes, “we ask them to do it and keep it private between management and faculty members.”

Once the third motion was approved, sending the results to the Board and postponing the decision to make the evaluation public, Academic Senate President Eduardo Cairo suggested that senators for the next meeting ask their constituents to vote on one of three options.

“Ask them if they want every-

thing made public, ask them if they only want statistics, or they don’t want anything at all (made public),” he said.

During discussion of the third motion, Senator Kaitzer Puglia expressed her concerns about the multiple votes.

“We were given directions (last week) to go to our divisions and to find out what the divisions wanted,” she said. “Wasn’t that the initial direction and vote that should have gone through?”

No one answered her question and now the senate will continue the discussion at its next meeting.

President Rocha accused of ‘degrading’ behavior Jessica Arceo Staff Writer

A member of the Academic Senate accused President Mark Rocha of “unprofessional, dismissive, degrading and sexist” behavior during Wednesday’s Associated Students meeting after he allegedly called her “crazy” in an email.

Melissa Michelson, the Academic Senate’s ad hoc town hall committee chair, read a speech at the Associated Students meeting and said she was subjected to intimidation and rude remarks by General Council Gail Cooper and inappropriate words from Rocha in a recent email exchange.

Michaelson sent an email last Tuesday to the Board of Trustees and Academic Senate and insisted the board had not been holding Rocha accountable for not holding open Committee on Academic and Professional Matters meetings.

Cooper emailed Michelson that her comments were “misplaced” and suggested that she turn her energies to more productive exchanges, telling her to “cease your efforts to be critical.”

Michelson responded to Cooper and stated that bullying from a lawyer has no place in the work place.

Cooper responded that she was happy her explanation was clear and understandable to her, but she could not say the same for Michelson’s attempts at deductive reasoning with regards the Senate’s boycott of CAPM. In between the two emails sent by Cooper, Michelson received an email from Rocha reading: “Yikes, she is crazy.”

Michelson believes the email reached her in error.

“It was patronizing, unprofessional, dismissive, degrading and sexist,” Michelson said.

Michelson said that nobody deserves to be dismissed with degrading language, especially through publicly funded communication channels.

Michelson stated that a male in such a high position referring to any female in any such a manner is, “inherently and structurally sexist” and that his comment, no matter how innocuous, carries the weight of males in power who dismiss the work of women.

In the meantime, she has asked for an apology and has not gotten one.

Sarah Belknap, the Associated Students vice president of sustainability, spoke about the environment of intimidation on campus and how she has been told

Benjamin Simpson/Courier Melissa Michelson at the Associated Students meeting in CC212 on Wednesday.

time and again during Board of Trustees meetings that making a public comment that went over five minutes was rude and disrespectful, which she found ironic.

“There is a huge double standard here in the use of politeness on campus… On this campus, we have politeness that has been weaponized,” Belknap said.

Belknap said that there is no amount of politeness from a faculty member or students that seem to be acceptable when criticizing the administration, regardless of tone or temperament.

She asked that the executive board request a formal apology on Michelson’s behalf, as they are students get hurt when their caught in the middle of conflict between faculty and administration.

Student Trustee Simon Fraser thought the language in the email by Rocha was clearly not meant for her.

That may have made matters worse, he said, as it was evidence of internal discourse that was taking place that should not be happening.

He encouraged her attempt to ask for a public records act request, as it is important to see what kind of communication was taking place on campus.

“Civility on campus has to go both ways… from every group to every group,” he said.

Fraser said that this incident serves as a good reminder that we all “temper our discourse.” He said he formally put in a request to the Board of Trustees to respond to the comment and would report it to the other members.

March 27, 2014

Courier

2012 JACC General Excellence Award-Winner

Editor-in-Chief Christine Michaels Managing Editor Philip McCormick

Asst. News Editor John Peters II Online Editor Justin Clay Asst. Online Editors Tiffany Roesler, Aerika Dave Opinion Editor Raymond Bernal Asst. Opinion Editor Tiffany Herrera A&E Editor Samantha Molina Asst. A&E Editor Lucy Patrikian Features Editor Aubrey Quezada Asst. Features Editor Monique LeBleu Lifestyle Editor Paul Ochoa Asst. Lifestyle Editor Janel Leonard Sports Editor Daron Grandberry Asst. Sports Editor Andrew Salmi Photo Editor Antonio Gandara Asst. Photo Editor Nagisa Mihara Online Photo Editor Benjamin Simpson Scene Editor Billy Skelly Social Media Editor Concepcion Gonzales Staff Writers: Jessica Arceo, Matthew Kiewiet, Emma Koffroth, Mary Nurrenbern, Robert Tovar, Kristina Wedseltoft Staff Photographers: Joseph Adajar, Josh Balmadrid, Jorell Brittenum, Victoria De La Torre, Andrew French, Chris Martinez, Mary Nurrenbern, Barney Soto, Daniel Valencia, Rocio Vera, Charles Winners Faculty Adviser Nathan McIntire

OPINION

The forgotten students Has the faculty leadership done enough to help bridge the gap between themselves and the administration? Judging by the endless games the faculty leadership seems to be playing, the answer is probably no.

While PCC transfer rates dropped 20 percent, the games began.

It goes without saying that it’s ridiculous and shameful for the college to spend thousands of dollars on a third-party consultant just to tell the administration and faculty to do their jobs and play nice.

But as soon as the consultant announced that they’d be conducting a survey on campus climate, the battle of the surveys began.

The faculty leadership also wanted to conduct a survey of their own.

This is despite the fact that members of the Academic Senate were having concerns about “survey fatigue.”

“I feel that there is an advantage being taken here, where I am being used just to be a warm body for a statistic,” Senator Gloria Horton said on March 11.

Faculty leadership tried to justify their survey by spinning it. “I’m not measuring campus climate, their [survey] is going to do that.

Ours is to get information to help guide us in the town hall,” Academic Senator Melissa Michelson said to the Courier on March 11.

And this brings us to yet more nonsense: the town hall invitations war.

Just like a five-year-old having a hissy fit because not all of his friends who were invited came

to his birthday party, the faculty leadership had the same tantrum.

Invitations were sent, letters were written, statements were issued and tempers flared, all because the Board declined invitations from the faculty leadership to attend town hall meetings. The Board cited its bylaws and the Brown Act in declining the invitations.

But the Academic Senate themselves also declined invitations from the college to attend the Council on Academic and Professional Matters (CAPM) meetings, for some of the same concerns the Board had for not attending the town hall meetings. “On No-

COURIER

climate’…” Michelson’s invitation reads. But Michelson said she wasn’t measuring campus climate.

So which is it? Is the faculty leadership measuring campus climate or not?

Who has authority to conduct an evaluation of President Rocha also became an issue of contention lately. Faculty leadership said they do, but the administration said no way. “This is clearly set forth in Board Bylaw 1680,” General Council Gail Cooper said to the Courier on Feb. 3. “Should the Academic Senate attempt to proceed with an evaluation of the Superintendent/President, it would be an

performance.”

An issue of where some money came from also became a hot topic lately.

The faculty and the administration have been busy playing a popular children’s game with a $400,000 hot potato.

The administration offered the faculty the money for “professional development,” but the Academic Senate had concerns about the source of the funds. “Where did it come from?” asked Academic Senate President Eduardo Cairo.

“Nobody from the senate asked the board for the money…and are there strings attached to the money?”

And meanwhile Cartoon By: Aimee Sholz students can’t get classes they need to transfer or graduate.

But lets not forget the administration also has a long list of questionable issues.

Those include the cancelling of Winter Intersession, implementing Extended Spring, realignment of the college’s academic divisions, Pre-Wreck, PERB decisions, cease and desist orders, unauthorized infringement on the and no confidence votes, just to exclusive province of the Board name a few. and therefore be ineffectual.”

Meanwhile, students’ best interLawyers for the faculty counests seem to have been forgotten. tered and said the faculty does Just as it is harmful for children have the authority. “Obviously, it to see their parents fight, the facis the Board of Trustees that hires ulty and the administration must and fires the college president as be aware that it’s just as harmful well as conducting formal evaluations of his work,” Faculty Associ- for students.This endless fighting, ation lawyer Lawrence Rosenzweig bickering and public verbal brawling between the faculty and the said. “But you cannot seriously administration must come to an contend that other members of end. We all must find a better way the campus community and the community at large cannot express to communicate with each other and not make our students feel opinions about the president’s they have been forgotten.

Looking a trojan horse in the mouth?

VOICES:

vember 4, 2013 the faculty senate upheld the decision not to attend CAPM meetings until they were conducted with transparency and were open to the public-essentially, until the meetings followed the Brown Act,” Michelson said in a letter to the Courier on March 18.

It’s interesting to note the contradiction of what Michelson said in her invitation to the Board opposed to what she said about her survey. “In a collegial effort to address this need, the Academic Senate invites you to participate as a panelists. The theme is ‘campus

Should race and gender be considered in employment and college applications?

Photography Adviser Tim Berger Advertising Coordinator Daniel Nerio

The Courier is published weekly by the Pasadena City College Journalism Department and is a free-speech forum. Editorials and comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the institution and its administration, student government or that of the Pasadena Area Community College District. The Courier is written and produced as a learning experience for student writers, photographers and editors in the Journalism Department.

Phone: (626) 585-7130 Fax: (626) 585-7971 Advertising (626) 585-7979 Office: 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., CC-208 Pasadena, CA 91106-3215 © Copyright 2014 Courier.

All rights Reserved.

“It shouldn’t be, because race and gender don’t have anything to do with the work.”

Jasmyn Shakoor, English

“No. I think if there was a way to have a blind application, that would be ideal.”

Matthew Gold, psychology

“No. It should just be based on qualifications unless the job is gender specific.”

Nel Almaguer, architecture

“If someone can do a job, it should not matter what race or gender they are.”

Jose Blanco, business administration

Reporting by: John Peters II

Note to Readers Letters to the Editor The Courier welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be about 300 words and may be edited by Courier staff. All letters must contain your full name and a correct daytime phone number. Letters can be delivered to the Courier office in CC 208 or sent by email to raymondjbernal@gmail.com Corrections The Courier staff endeavors to ensure accuracy in all aspects of its reporting. If you believe we have made an error, please contact us at (626) 585-7130 or via email to michaels.courier@gmail.com

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“It shouldn’t be on an application, it doesn’t matter.”

Liz Kim, chemical engineering

Photos by: Daniel Valencia

ONLINE POLL RESULTS Online, we asked: Will you be going to the new Chickfil-A? Results as of 5 p.m. Wednesday:

Of course! The honey mustard is amazing!: 42 % No, they have bad morals: 42 % Maybe, is it well priced?: 16 %

Vote at PccCourier.com

SCENE

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March 27, 2014 COURIER 5

James Lukius attemps to burst baloons at the Society of Women Engineers booth.

(Benjamin Simpson/Courier)

CARNIVAL

Jessica Bruno sprays silly string in the Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) Scholarship Games tent in the PCC Quad. (Benjamin Simpson/Courier)

Daniel Legat, left, and Jeremy Backman from the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society at their “Don’t Blow the Joker” station.

(Nagisa Mihara/Courier)

Marissa Davis, part of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society, at the Awesome Blossom Carnival. The carnival is held every year at PCC on the first day of spring. (Benjamin Simpson/Courier) Candy apples sold at one of the stations.

(Nagisa Mihara/Courier)

View of the festival from above.

(Andrew French/Courier)

The Cheer and Dance squad pose for the camera . (Billy Beans Skelly/Courier) Students play “Ninja” in the PCC Quad. The Carnival is held every year at PCC on the first day of spring.

(Benjamin Simpson/Courier)

President Rocha plays Connect 4 with Joseph Ben Garcia in the PCC Quad. (Benjamin Simpson/Courier)

A performance by Cheer and Dance.

(Rocio Vera/ Courier)

Gali ley Kwong (left) and Bruce Su’s Jenga tower falls down at the U.S. Green Building Council’s display.

(Benjamin Simpson/Courier)

Students have earned a free food ticket from participating in one of more of the games during the carnival at the Piazza.

(Victoria De la Torre, Courier)

Steven Hernandez tosses a ball into the cups to win Kale grown on the PCC campus.

(Benjamin Simpson/Courier)

Representative from the Engineering Club dancing. (Nagisa Mihara/Courier)

FEATURES

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March 27, 2014

‘Boots to Books’ provides tools for vets Robert Tovar Staff Writer

For veterans returning from one of the longest conflicts in U.S. history, stepping out of the military can be as challenging as when they first put on the uniform.

The challenge of readapting or assimilating back into a civilian lifestyle is that there is overwhelming potential to fail when soldiers used to operating as a collective return home alone.

“There is no working together to achieve their objective. They don’t have a sense that someone’s got their back,” said Kari Fujiwara, a counselor assigned to the PCC Veteran’s Resource Center (VRC).

There was a time veterans returning from a war simply had limited options offered to them by the same government that placed them in harm’s way in the first place.

Enter the VRC, where councilors like Fujiwara can serve as a lifeline between the struggling veteran and the multitude of resources that did not exist prior to 9/11.

Programs such as the “Boots to Books” can help students focus on achieving their goals by giving vets the tools necessary to complete the basic tasks their non-veteran counterparts contend with on a daily basis.

Patricia Perez, a seven-year veteran with the Marine Corps still serving as a radio operator part time as a reservist, is part of the “Boots to Books” program.

In 2008, she was a vital member of Operation Iraqi Freedom and she later returned to Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

It was there that Perez volunteered to stay a full year before she returned stateside where she had started to attend college. At first she attended Mt. SAC before the experience overwhelmed her.

Then she came to PCC where she said

FAB LAB Continued from page 1

teaches design technology. “Like ink being the most expensive component of a normal printer, the plastic filament is the most expensive part of a 3-D printer.”

In addition to all of these possibilities, a 3-D printer can also accomplish a task atypical of most machines: reproduction.

Some 3-D printers are capable of making more working 3-D printers. One of several 3-D printers in the Fab Labis handmade, meaning students printed it with another 3-D printer.

To accomplish this, they print necessary parts with the existing printer, which are then used to create another. The original machines cost between $20,000 and $30,000, but printers can make new ones for about $700.

Though the technology was developed in the 80’s, in the last two or three years the use of these machines has taken off. A recent article from Bloomberg news by Elizabeth Lopatto reported on an actual example of this technology being put to use to create body parts.

“Last year, a 3-D printer was used to create a structure from moldable polymer that replaced

Billy Beans Skelly/Courier Veterans listen attentively and are given new skill set tools in the “Boots to Books” class at PCC on Feb. 11.

she felt more structure and support.

Currently she carries more than eleven units, which is one of the requirements in the program that the student must be enrolled full time to stay in the program.

The program itself was designed for returning veterans like Perez, who have difficulty adapting to the lack of structure and tempo the military once provided.

There are some noticeable differences between a regular class and a “Boots to Books” class. Students are predominantly male and most sport varied sizes of tattoos.

You can easily picture these folks sitting in a tent in a forward camp collecting grid coordinates or intel about an objec-

more than 75 percent of a patient’s skull,” wrote Lopatto.

Not only used to better life on Earth, 3-D printing aids the possibility of life beyond this planet. NASA will be sending a 3-D printer into space for the purpose of creating parts in case of emergency. Astronauts won’t have to wait for new parts to arrive and can potentially journey further from Earth with less risk.

The idea that anything can be put into a printer to create something new now exists as well. A small machine called a Filabot can take recycled plastic bottles and refine the material into the plastic filament needed to create new materials with the printer.

Though several classes use the printers as part of their curriculum, the Engineering Club uses the printers the most. Charles Song, another club member, explained that learning in a formal setting is not necessary.

“You actually don’t need class to learn how to create things, the rubber meets the road in the engineering club,” said Song.

Harbottle who has also been in the club for four years, didn’t have to take classes in order to learn how to create items with

tive in Iraq or Afghanistan. For some, the battlefield was exactly where they were several months ago.

Now they find themselves in class learning about the best and more effective methods of taking notes or how to use social media for their classes.

Harold “Doc” Martin, who has taught the class, is the founder of the Veterans Club.

“We started getting veterans back from the so called ‘Long Wars,’ Martin said.

“In 2006 I founded the Veterans Club in PCC so they didn’t feel like I did when I came back.”

“I wanted for this generation, what I didn’t see happen to mine,” said he

this mind-blowing technology.

“In the club I learned how to make things,” Harbottle said. “In classes they typically teach you in theory how to build objects, but they don’t really practice creating things.”

The school offers engineering technology design classes that teach students the 3-D printing software, which they then use to create blueprints for pieces that get printed. These classes can definitely be helpful when learning how to craft objects with the printers, but students don’t get as much hands on practice, according to these members of the engineering club.

With all of the beneficial possibilities that these printers possess, they can be used for fun as well. PCC student and engineer club member Daniel Ngu presented some of the souvenirs club members gave away at the opening.

“We made little figurines, small cats and rabbits, for the Fab Lab opening we gave them away to people who attended” said Ngu, “You can also engrave things. You can even 3-D print candy.”

Currently the Fab Lab is only for students in the technology department or involved in the

added.

Martin served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He served as both a non-commissioned and commissioned officer. He is well aware of the difficulties service members are facing now.

Additionally, he has the informed experience and skills that will be invaluable to returning vets.

Because of efforts like Martin’s, Fujiwara, and those in the VRC, veterans have a fighting chance to be as successful in school as well as with their families. It is the VRC’s intention to eliminate the failures of the past and create success stories.

Benjamin Simpson/Courier Ted Steiner watches the laser cutter carve the acrylic pieces for his paddle boat for Engineering 10 class in the Fab Lab on March 20.

engineering club. This summer the lab will be offering classes open to the community, that teach people how to use the printers.

“The ultimate goal is that the

community can have access to the lab,” said Lee, “Students and members of the community can mentor each other.That would be great.”

March 27, 2014

A&E

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BIRTHDAYGIRL breaks barriers

Christopher Martinez/Courier BIRTHDAYGIRL is a five-piece band of students from PCC consisting of (from left to right) Jose Box (guitar), Cole Hoover (synth), Ryan Montez (bass), and Angel Cabral (drums). Their fifth member, Thomas Jefferson, the sax player, wasn’t able to make it.

Samantha Molina Arts and Entertainment Editor

“We are not a Birthday Party cover band,” guitarist Jose Box said, shooting down a common misconception about his band BIRTHDAYGIRL. BIRTHDAYGIRL was originally formed by PCC students Angel Cabral and Jose Box, who were later joined by fellow students Ryan Montez and Cole Hoover and a friend, Thomas Jefferson, who is also in the band Gorgon Zoloft.

Box met Montez on campus and the two instantly bonded over similar music interests. Montez knew he wanted to be in the band and he soon took on the roles of bassist and vocalist. Hoover later joined the band after meeting Montez.

“I met Ryan at a show and he told me he was in this band so I went to go see them and they asked me to play second guitar,” Hoover said. “But I felt that the band needed a synth player so I switched

to that.”

Jefferson, who plays saxophone, joined the band last December. The band describes him not only as a band mate but also as a father-type figure and manager because he is a few years older than the rest of them and keeps them in check.

BIRTHDAYGIRL is not only made of its five core members but all their friends that support them.

“We have an awesome fan base through our friends they always go to our shows and support us,” Hoover said. “We’re like an entity or collective.”

Overall the band describes their sound as noisy but BIRTHDAYGIRL has developed a unique sound of there own, something that they themselves cannot define.

“Basically I’d say we are a post-punk band but at the same time we’re not,” Hoover said. “We don’t have that one Joy Division beat.”

“There is a definitive sound we’re going for but we don’t even know what it is,”

Montez added. “We just play whatever we feel like.”

From jazz to dub to black metal, BIRTHDAYGIRL draws influence from various places like movies, philosophers, personal experiences and the writings of Aleister Crowley.

“We are influenced by the Birthday Party but we’re not trying to be like them,” Box said.

“We’ll never cover them live because people just think we’re trying to be Birthday Party,” Hoover added.

BIRTHDAYGIRL has played shows at local venues and around the LA area at venues such as the Smell and Pehrspace.

“Our music is about seeing us live and feeling this pure sort of tribal energy that comes from our music,” Montez said.

“We like to improvise when we play live,” Cabral added. “ If we were to play two shows in one night they would be the same songs but sound completely different.”

They also host and play shows at the their house and a practice space known as the “Industrial Estate.”

“We created the ‘Industrial Estate’ to give other people like us a place to see cool band that aren’t the typical Burger Records bands that play around here,” Cabral said. “It’s kind of like a secret haven.”

“On a small scale we’re trying to take over the music scene in LA,” Montez added.

The band is in the process of recording a six to seven track tape but do not have a definite release date.

BIRTHDAYGIRL does not have any upcoming shows scheduled but often play impromptu shows at the “Industrial Estate.”

“If you got to our show with any preconceived notions of what our music is or could be you’re bound to be disappointed, which people have been,” Cabral said

Ensemble provides exceptional entertainment Kristina Wedseltoft Staff Writer

The PCC concert band and percussion ensemble hosted a fantastic evening of music last week that included a collection of diverse pieces meant to appeal to any audience.

“This is one of the best groups I’ve had, very mature,” said Kyle Luck, PCC’s band director. “We’re playing an eclectic range of pieces with challenging repertoire.”

The 65-member ensemble of woodwinds and brass comprised PCC students as well as members from the community.

Students rehearsed twice a week for eight weeks to prepare for the concert.

The percussion ensemble, under the direction of Tad Carpenter, opened the show with the lively tune “Theme from New York, New York.”

Elaine Ngo was performing for her first time as a member of the ensemble and felt a tad nervous but prepared.

“Everyone’s different so we help each other out to become

Barney Soto/Courier The Lancer Concert Band and Percussion Ensemble give their last bow of the night at the Sexson Auditorium on Friday, March 21.

one,” Ngo said. “This is nothing like I’ve ever experienced before.”

Keith Cerrato is the principal trumpet player and was featured in three of the pieces as a soloist. “[I take] pride and ownership in my solos,” Cerrato said. “It puts you in the hot seat, and even though it’s challenging, people are expecting you to play well because they want to hear something good.”

Jose Ortiz Jr. and Robert Ullrich were also featured trumpet soloists in selected pieces that

allowed them to demonstrate their mastery of the music.

“It’s your time to shine,” Ullrich said. “It’s always interesting to hear how we sound the first time we play it and how well we develop over time.”

Alyssa Esparza has been in the concert band for three years and has been the principal flautist for the past two years. She hoped the audience members would enjoy the music the band presented because they have been working very hard to prepare for the concert.

“You may or may not like the people you’re playing with, but you’re creating one sound,” Esparza said.

Some of the selected pieces

included selections from “The Symphonic Duke,” “Variations on ‘America,’” and “Crown Imperial.”

Luck selected these pieces because of the variety they offered and to make the most out of the music the band plays.

He believes it’s part of his job to broaden the students’ horizons in the music they play because that is what his mentor did and that is an essential part of the educational curriculum.

“We’ve had great rehearsals,” Luck said. “I hope everyone enjoys the music we’ve created and enjoys the variety of works.”

The next free concert is scheduled for April 27 at 6 p.m. in the Jameson amphitheater.

Lucky Baldwins Trappiste 1770 E. Colorado Blvd.

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8

COURIER

SPORTS

March 27, 2014

Lancer runner dashes past life’s obstacles Clark said that it’s her love for music that takes her other time when she isn’t Being good at a sport is doing homework. She said tough and being the best that she can play music by at it takes a lot of talent. ear.

Not only is Lancer runner “I sing, I dance and I play Breanna Clark one of the the piano,” Clark said. “I best in Southern Califorplay tunes by ear. When I’m nia at what she does, but not running, I always listen she also has to overcome to music for fun. I just hear an obstacle not many a song and try to repeat it other runners have to take on the piano.” on; autism.

Rosalyn Clark said Clark has no problem that she would tell other blowing by the competiparents who had children tion and recently came in first place in the women’s with autism to reach out Benjamin Simpson/Courier and try to find a support 400-meter race at the Breanna Clark won the 400-meter race at the Redlands University Invitational on Friday.

Redlands Invitational group. She said that a better Saturday. However, some understanding of autism autism is not a death sentence,” one of the most positive people strong,” Clark said. “It keeps me of the more routine Rosalyn Clark said. “These peohe knew. fit, and all. Coming here to PCC could help a parent be a better parts of running can sometimes advocate for their child. ple who have autism can func“Clark brings a passion for helped me improve.” prove challenging for her.

“I think that Breanna helps tion. Breanna knows that she has this sport,” Hill said. “She has Clark has taken a strong liking “Some challenges I had to other athletes and students here a disability. If I were to pretend a work ethic that is unparalleled to music and that she listens to overcome were pumping my at PCC,” she said. “When they arms and opening my strides and that everything was OK and not to any other individual. She does certain types of music before reach out to help her, I think have talked about it with her, I exactly what is asked of her out getting to an event, helping her such,” Clark said. they in turn find out there is would be doing her a disservice.” on the track.” focus on the task at hand.

Rosalyn Clark, Breanna’s a lot they can learn from her Track and field head coach Breanna said that the thing “I play the song in my head mother said that she was very strengths, especially those who Cedric Hill said that Clark was she likes most about running is when I’m running,” Clark said. proud of what Breanna was inspirational and motivational to just being out exercising.

“Certain parts of the song make have siblings or other family doing.

“I want people to know that watch run. He said that she was “It makes me feel kind of me pick up the pace in a race.” members with autism.”

Philip McCormick Managing Editor

Mt. SAC sinks PCC swim team

Baseball edged by LA Harbor College

Daron Grandberry Sports Editor

Andrew Salmi Asst. Sports Editor

Up against some of the top swimmers in South Coast Conference, the Lancers women’s swim team proved they are on the rise in Friday’s double dual meet against swimming powerhouse Mt. San Antonio College and host East Los Angeles College.

Facing some of its toughest competition of the season, the Lancers women began the dual meet by winning the first five events and led the Mounties in overall scoring, 66-65.

“Overall it was pretty fun but we have to focus on finishing strong.,” sophomore swimmer Shannon Cheung said.

In the meet’s first race, Cheung helped the Lancers (1:53.47) edge Mt. SAC (1:54.55) in the 200-yard medley relay. Cheung’s impressive 24.66-second anchor leg was the third fastest split ever in that event by a Lancer, according to 15-year head coach Terry Stoddard.

“I think the girls team is improving every meet,” sophomore swimmer Arolyn Basham said.

After a successful start against the conference leading Mounties, the Lancers were not able to keep up with the firepower of Mt. SAC, losing in overall points, 153-118.

Although the Lancers (3-1 in dual meets) were unable to defeat Mt. SAC, they beat East LA College 147-98 and finished the meet with six event victories.

Cheung also won the 1,000-freestyle (10:49.90), swam her personal best in her first-place victory in the 200-freestyle (1:57.47), and won the 500-freestyle in 5:19.15.

The Mounties finished the meet with five event winners and the Huskies totaled four event wins.

“I am really proud of the girls because of their team unity and spirit,” Stoddard said. “They came to win, but came up a little short against Mt. SAC. We are swimming better than ever at this point of the season.”

The Lancers other event wins came in the 50-backstroke by freshman Connie Peng (28.55) and in the 50-breaststroke by Basham (32.60).

Peng also finished second in the 100-backstroke

Defensive struggles and a lack of offense to back up great pitching proved costly for the Lancers baseball team, which lost its series opener 4-2 on the road against LA Harbor on Tuesday, despite their recent 9-5 win on Saturday over Long Beach to break a losing streak.

Freshman starting pitcher Jason Marquez, who got into some trouble in the first inning by falling behind 2-0, pitched seven strong innings after only allowing six hits and four runs, two of which were unearned.

“Marquez came in and did a great job of managing the game,” said head coach Evan O’Meara. “Instead of trying to press, we executed our pitches we wanted to throw.”

The unearned runs given up by the Lancers yet again brings up the “what if ” factor at the end of the game, as PCC committed five errors that led to two extra Seahawk runs.

The Lancers scored their only runs of the game in the top of the sixth inning. Down 3-0 with one out, freshman third baseman Eric Grajeda smacked a double to right field. Sophomore shortstop Bobby Fraijo then came through in the clutch with an RBI double down the left field line. With two outs, freshman center fielder P.J. DeZotell singled up the middle to drive in Fraijo.

After cutting the LA Harbor lead down to 3-2, the Lancers weren’t able to reduce the

Benjamin Simpson/Courier Luis Morales competing in the diving competition in the in the Double Dual meet at ELAC against both ELAC and Mt. SAC on March 21.

(1:02.11) and Basham finished second in the 100 individual medley (1:05.79). Basham, the school record holder in the 50 and 100 breaststroke last season, took third in the 100 event (1:10.41).

Freshman swimmer Mohammed Esmaeilian was the lone bright spot in the Lancers’ 232-36 dismantling at the hands of Mt. SAC. Esmaeilian finished second in the 50-yard freestyle (22.44) and the 100 freestyle (48.26) in a photo finish.

The Lancer freshman was barely edged by Mt. SAC’s Bennett Yuan (48.24).

Luis Flores finished second in the combined 1-meter and 3-meter diving with 118.55 points.

deficit any more. Following their second unearned run given up to the Seahawks in the bottom of the seventh inning, both teams went scoreless in the eighth inning.

Down 4-2 entering the top of the ninth inning, the Lancers tried to mount a furious rally to take the lead. Freshman left fielder Dylan Kicken and DeZotell both led off the inning with consecutive singles. However, the next two at-bats for the Lancers would involve crucial base running gaffes to quickly end a PCC comeback.

“The two base running errors really took us out of the inning,” said Fraijo. “Otherwise it would have been bases loaded with nobody out.”

The unraveling began as freshman designated hitter Nick Perez hit a bloop single into shallow left field, but Kicken was not able to get to third in time as Seahawk left fielder Tyler Vaughn threw him out, allowing DeZotell to advance to second base.

Any chance of a comeback victory would end during the following at-bat, as freshman right fielder Steven San Miguel hit a sinking line drive caught by LA Harbor shortstop Anthony Canjura, who then threw out DeZotell when he was unable to get back to second base on time.

The Lancers look to rebound from the when they host LA Harbor on Thursday with the first pitch slated for 2:30 p.m.

The series with LA Harbor concludes on Saturday at noon as the Lancers travel to Seahawk Field in Wilmington.