PCC Courier 10/24/2013

The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena since 1915

PASADENA CITY COLLEGE

COURIER

VOLUME 108 ISSUE 9

WHAT’S INSIDE: COSTUMES Is your Halloween costume sexy or scary?

PAGE 7 >>

MAKEUP Handsome in pink!

Guys can wear makeup too

PAGE 6 >>

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM

October 24, 2013

Gypsy jazz trio jam in the Quad

Story on Page 6>> Mary Nurrenbern/Courier Francesco Canas, music (left), on violin, Bryan Dedlow, music, on guitar and Alex Heflin, music, on mandolin, of the group Strings Attached play gypsy jazz in the quad at PCC on Oct. 17.

Faculty blasts academic reorganization forum Christine Michaels Editor-in-Chief

The college’s academic reorganization plan has encountered strong opposition from some faculty who believe the administration is unilaterally appointing new dean positions without input from shared governance groups.

An open forum for the academic school dean candidates was held on Wednesday, where members of the public could listen to their goals as possible heads of the new schools.

However, members of the faculty were confused as to how the candidates were selected.

Robert Bell, senior vice president of student learning services, explained the forum would give the faculty more input in the selection process for the deans and more responsibility in terms of the new academic school model.

“It gives people a chance

to hear the person [up for the position],” he wrote in an email.

“The goal of reorganization is to establish a model in which the faculty within each School assume a lead role in the formation of decisions that are of direct importance to faculty.

The input of faculty will be central to the final selection of the School Deans.”

But according to a letter written by Academic Senate President Eduardo Cairo, faculty was not given a chance to be involved in the selection process.

“Their selection has not been an open and transparent procedure; in fact we have no idea how these candidates were selected,” Cairo said. “These positions are to all appearances new positions with new responsibilities. We do not understand why the normal hiring process (PCC Policy 6300) is not being followed.”

According to Policy 6300, a

set of procedures must be followed in selecting an in-house candidate to an appointed position. However, the governing board has the final say in hiring.

Bell explained that the forum was simply an informal way for the public to hear what the candidates had to say, and a formal hiring process may still go into place.

Joseph Futtner, interim dean of visual arts and media studies, thought the reorganization was long anticipated and that shared governance groups were mistaken in their belief that they had more power in the decision-making process.

“There are certain underlying approaches to decisions,” Futtner said. “If you look at the policy, [reorganization] is part of the administrative decision.

People should treat the process with the respect and gravity it needs.”

The forum candidates FORUM page 7

Senate leader accused of violating meeting policy Justin Clay and Madison Miranda Staff Writers

Academic Senate President Eduardo Cairo has been accused of violating state law as well as board policy by not attending meetings of the Committee on Academic and Professional Matters (CAMP).

PCC General Counsel Gail Cooper sent a letter to Cairo informing CAIRO page 2

Antonio Gandara/Courier Academic Senate President Eduardo Cairo at a meeting on Monday.

Campus participates in Great California ShakeOut SPEAK OUT! Do you think 4-year degrees should be offered at 2-year colleges?

Vote at PccCourier.com

Philip McCormick Managing Editor

The clock hit 10:17 a.m. when the alarms went off in the library and C and D Buildings on Thursday morning. Students and staff scrambled for the exits in the C Building as PCC campus police officers and cadets held the doors open for them, ushering them to safety.

A massive earthquake had just hit Southern California and it took police officers fewer than three minutes and thirty seconds to get everyone out of the C building, according to Chief of Police Don Yoder.

Good thing it was just a drill.

“It went well,” Yoder said. “It was

good to prepare for something like this, and actually have a drill. Also, it educates these students in case a large earthquake ever happens.”

Students, administration and staff in the designated buildings participated in the Great California ShakeOut drill. Although only the C Building was evacuated, cadets and officers instructed students and staff in the library and D building to drop to the ground, take cover under a table or desk and hold on for 60 seconds, according to Sgt. Bill Abernathie.

The students in the C Building were directed to gather near the Mirror Pools until campus police had searched the SHAKEOUT page 5

Benjamin Simpson/Courier Sepideh Salimi hides under a desk during the ShakeOut earthquake drill on Oct. 17.

NEWS

2 COURIER

October 24, 2013

Senate argues over Town Hall procedures Madison Miranda Online Editer

The Academic Senate squabbled at its Oct. 21 meeting over a miscommunication involving a letter inviting the Board of Trustees to participate in town hall meetings designed to improve communication on campus.

The letter, sent without the approval of the senate, invited board members to participate in town hall meetings to try to alleviate tension between the two bodies.

The Board sent a letter in response to the Committee’s invitation, on Oct. 17, declining to take part in the town halls.

The letter cites the Brown Act and the Board’s bylaws as one of the reasons for deciding not to participate.

“The Brown Act does not permit the Board of Trustees or the Academic Senate to hold unagendized or impromptu public meetings,” reads the Board’s letter. “Our bylaws and the Brown Act require that we speak only as a Board.”

The letter was sent to the Board on Oct. 11 in an attempt to show the Senate’s willingness to help improve communication.

“We hope these community meetings will demonstrate to the community, as well as to the accreditation board, our dedication to the college,” reads the letter.

The letter was signed “Academic Senate Ad Hoc Committee for Town Hall Meeting” followed by the five Committee member’s names.

“The letter should have gone to the Academic Senate [for approval],” said senate president Eduardo Cairo.

Most senators agreed that they wish the letter had come to the Senate before being sent to the Board.

“If you are going to send a letter for the group, then you would think we would at least get to see it,” said senator Kathleen Uyekawa.

Senator Matt Henes proposed that the committee write a letter of apology to the Board to explain the situation. “I think it’s incumbent that the Board of Trustees know the Academic Senate did not sanction that letter,” he said.

Senator Melissa Michaelson, one of the members of the committee, said that the committee would be more than happy to apologize to the Board.

Some worried that sending apology letters would lower the credibility of the Committee in the eyes of the Board.

“As soon as you start writing letters … it implies a ‘rogue’ committee,” said senator Martha House. She expressed concerns that a letter would send a bad message and undermine the committee.

Others argued that the Senate should be the one to send a letter to the Board to show that it is still in control of the committee.

“I think the credibility will go up by sending an explanatory letter,” said senator Gloria Horton. “It shows that we are capable of policing ourselves.”

The Senate unanimously approved the writing of the two letters: an apology to the Executive Committee and an explanation to the Board. The letter to the Board will be brought back to the Senate to be reviewed and edited.

A few senators questioned the accuracy of the Board’s interpretation of the Brown Act. “My opinion is that it is not correct … they have participated in many events,” said Cairo.

“To say they can’t have a meeting that is not a Brown Act meeting is erroneous,” said senator Mary-Erin Crook.

The general understanding was that the attendance of two or three Board members at the town halls would be in accordance with the Brown Act. Another thing the Board mentioned in its letter was how the Committee did not include President Mark Rocha in the invitation to the town halls.

“In that regard, I noticed that you did not include the Superintendent-President on your email,” reads the response. “In

Antonio Gandara/Courier Matthew Henes proposes the Ad Hoc Town Hall Committee write a letter of apology to the Board of Trustees.

the future, please first direct any and all correspondence to the Board to our Secretary, Dr. Rocha.”

The Senate noted how con-

cerned the Board seemed with Rocha not being addressed in the letter. “The Board jumped on Rocha not being included,” said Henes.

Day laborer winter coat drive underway on campus Benjamin Simpson Staff Writer

The second annual Day Laborer Winter Coat Drive is underway. Coats, sweaters and jackets are being collected on campus to be delivered to the Pasadena and Cypress Park Day Laborer Centers. Last year over 100 items were collected.

“This started out as a really personal project for me,” said Grace Santiago, education advisor for the Upward Bound Program.

Santiago’s brother worked at Home Depot and mentioned that a number of the day laborers were suffering.

“My thought was that I was just going John Novak/Courier to buy some clothes at the thrift store Student Affairs Advisor Juan Pablo Carreon and Educational Advisor Grace Santia- and take them to the day laborers, but go donate the coats that students donated for the Day Laborer Winter Coat Drive. when I became a part of the Association

CAIRO

the administration will listen to them. He also said that ending these meetings altogether would be in the best interest of the faculty and Senate.

Cairo explained that he felt Superintendent/President Mark Rocha was using the Senate to give the illusion that the senate consents with his actions.

“The president would go to the Board saying ‘I met with the Senate.’ Meeting with us does not mean we agreed with him.”

According to Cairo, Rocha would present the meeting as an agreement between him and the Academic Senate.

“It’s difficult to go to a person we don’t trust,” said Cairo.

When Cairo informed the Senate of

Continued from page 1

him of the alleged violation on Oct. 17.

The letter cites the violations of Board Policy 2000.60 as “your refusal to attend meetings” of CAMP. The letter sent to Cairo by Cooper said he was in violation of the Brown Act. Cairo disagreed.

“We are not violating anything,” Cairo said in Monday’s Academic Senate meeting.

Cairo explained that his decision was his own, and not reflective of the Academic Senate. “This was a unilateral decision, with the support of the Executive Committee,” he said.

Cairo said boycotting these meetings is the Senate’s way of gaining leverage so

his decision at its Oct. 21 meeting, it was received with mixed reactions.

Some senators worried this could potentially cost PCC its accreditation and wondered if gaining some leverage was worth that.

“I fear that trying to hold accreditation hostage will not do any good,” said senator Matt Henes.

He compared not going to the meetings to cutting off the nose to spite the face.

“You not going to the meetings without bringing the decision to the Academic Senate first is troubling,” said A.C. Panella.

Cairo assured them that it was not his intention to cause the college to lose its accreditation.

of Latino Employees [at PCC], I thought it would be really neat to open it up to the entire campus,” said Santiago.

Last year, while collecting men’s clothes, Santiago realized that the laborers have families so people began to donate women’s and children clothes, as well. “It was really nice to see people taking things not just for themselves but also for their families,” said Santiago.

There are three places to donate clothing. PCC has purchased a large green donation box and it is now sitting in the Quad in front of the D Building.

Donations are also accepted in D114 Upward Bound Office and in IT224 MESA Center.

The last day of donations is Dec 2, “but if they come in later I am not going to reject them, I will just make another run,” said Santiago.

“We want our college to succeed,” he said. “We don’t want to fail accreditation.”

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for instant updates about what is happening on campus and in the community.

October 24, 2013

Courier 2012 JACC General Excellence Award-Winner Editor-in-Chief Christine Michaels Managing Editor Philip McCormick Online Editor Madison Miranda Asst. News Editor Justin Clay Opinion Editor Raymond Bernal Asst. Opinion Editor Aubrey Quezada Arts & Entertainment Editor Paul Ochoa Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Samantha Molina Features Editor Emily Chang-Chien Lifestyle Editor Luis Rodriguez Sports Editor Daron Grandberry

OPINION

COURIER

U.S. War on Drugs is an expensive exercise in futility Justin Clay Staff Writer

Decriminalization means that drugs would still be illegal, but instead of mandatory prison sentences for personal drug use, users are required to attend drug therapy.

The War on Drugs has been a costly failure since its inception in the 1970’s, costing the country $1 trillion with very little effect on the illegal sale of narcotics.

According to drugpolicy.org, the U.S. War on Drugs has cost the country more than $51 billion dollars annually. That’s money that can be used for other government duties like schools or emergency services.

All that money spent, and the results aren’t promising.

A 2013 study published in the British Medical Journal found that the price of drugs has gone down in the last 20 years, even though the potency of the drugs themselves has actually gone up.

Twelve years ago personal drug use was decriminalized in the European nation of Portugal. According to a report by the CATO institute, Portugal has some of the lowest rates of drug usage in the EU. We should focus more resources on trying to cure the disease that is addiction than locking people up for it. We wouldn’t spend millions of dollars trying to lock people away for having cancer, so why incarcerate people for addiction?

According to the Drug Police Alliance, 1.5 million people were arrested in 2012 for nonviolent drug offenses. Those 1.5 million

bodies are partly the reason the U.S. has the highest number of incarcerated people, according to prisonstudies.org To make matters worse, some of the most harmful drugs statistically, are already legal.

Alcohol contributes to approximately 75,000 deaths per year.

What’s the point of locking people away for certain substances while others are allowed to freely use others while running the risk of being punished with a much less severe penalty?

The government needs to take a hard look at its drug policy. Instead of incarcerating people at our current staggering rate, we should be trying to help them cure the scourge of addiction. Prison should be for violent offenders and not for people suffering from sickness.

VOICES: What is the drug of choice for students nowadays?

Asst. Sports Editor Andrew Salmi Photo Editor Antonio Gandara Asst. Photo Editor Anthony Reyes Online Photo Editor John Novak Scene Editor Matthew Chan

“My friends have taken E because they enjoy it and they see visions.”

Gaston Au, business

“Weed because it does not have many consequences to the brain and body.”

Claudia Ng, phycology

“Those ecstasy pills that they take to raves because it’s not much fun without them.”

Irving Morales, international business

“I think the most suspicious drug is steroids because the student athletics take them in hopes of making the big leagues.”

Daniel Gomez, automotive tech

“I don’t do drugs, but if I did I’d do coke so I could get things done.”

Nahun Ochoa, international business

“Adderall in college is an epidemic.

Students take it to stay up all night and study.”

Caius, anthropology

“I would say weed.

It depends on the individual. Some people do it for fun or for ‘medical’ purposes.”

“If I had to guess, Molly (ecstasy).

Isn’t that what all the singers are singing about?”

James Le Veque, law enforcement

“I think it’s marijuana. Some people use it as a stress reliever and for fun.”

Crystal Quinonez, nursing

“There are so many designer drugs now. I don’t know the choice now. I can’t tell if they are drugs or desserts.”

Pat Krause, intermediate account clerk

“I think it’s marijuana. Easy access, easy to get.”

Franco Pineda, psychology

“The G-Pen, they put a capsule of THC in it and it vaporizes [the THC].”

Andy Galves, business

“Weed. Some people might use it as an escape.”

Helen Martinez, undecided

“I don’t actually know. Maybe Adderall?”

Edwin Rodriguez, history

“Weed probably.

It’s the most accessible and excusable.”

Max Fernandez, business

Social Media Editor Concepcion Gonzalez Chief Photographer Benjamin Simpson Staff Writers: Bryan Acosta, Aerika Dave, Tiffany Herrera, Talia Karaalp, Tiffany Roesler, Benjamin Simpson Staff Photographers: Justin Clay, Corey Harris, Rene Henriquez, Teresa Mendoza, Mary Nurrenbern, Meg Symanow, Caitlin KellyThompson, Daniel Valencia Faculty Adviser Nathan McIntire

Ramon Barajas, business

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 2013 Courier.

All rights Reserved.

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Reporting by: Madison Miranda and Raymond Bernal

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

Photos by: Conception Gonzalez

ONLINE POLL RESULTS Online, we asked:

Should all drugs be legalized on a federal level?

Results as of 5 p.m. Wednesday:

Yes: 25 percent No: 7 percent No, just weed: 68 percent

Vote at PccCourier.com

U S HAKE O T SCENE

4 COURIER

October 24, 2013 COURIER 5

Benjamin Sim pson/Courie r Huang Xu (l eft) and Dan ie l Yip hide und Assistance C er a desk in enter during the Learning the ShakeO ut.

SHAKEOUT

/Courier ia c n le a V l d staff on n a Danie ts n e d tu vises s A poster ad ing an eathquake. dur what to do

Megan Sym anow/Couri er PCC Preside nt Mark Roc ha outside th

Caitlin Kelly Thompson/Courier Students in the Library participate in the earthquake drill.

Continued from page 1

entire building to make sure everyone was out and safe.

“The whole purpose of getting involved in the ShakeOut is to get people to think about what they would do if an earthquake were to happen right no,” Abernathie said.

The 2013 ShakeOut drill was the largest preparedness event in U.S. history, according to www.ShakeOut.org.

Approximately 9.6 million residents in California registered and participated in the drill.

“We just want to have the safest campus possible,” Yoder said. “We will be having similar drills at the Community Education Center and the Child Development Center.”

The Great California ShakeOut began in 2008 primarily in Southern California but has now been expanded to the entire state as well as more than 20 regions.

According www.ShakeOut.org, five million more people

e C Building

.

Megan Symanow/Courier Volunteers at the ShakeOut. t. e ShakeOu

th ding during ourier il C u / B ia c C n e le th a ide Daniel V gather outs ts n e d tu s Staff and

FEATURES

6 COURIER

October 24, 2013

Jazz trio relieves midterm-induced stress Luis Rodriguez Staff Writer

Mary Nurrenbern/Courier Alex Heflin, music, playing the mandolin with his group, Strings Attached on Oct. 17.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of midterm week, with sights such as students bolting across the Quad with a Scantron in hand, a small jazz trio eased the tension.

Composed of three music majors— Francesco Canas, Bryan Dedlow, and Alex Heflin— the group calls itself “Strings Attached.”

The camaraderie that exists between the musicians suggests they spent years playing gigs together, but the group actually formed at the beginning of the semester.

“One day we just got together with a couple beers and were playing and we were like, ‘we should do something,” Canas said.

Heflin laughed his way through

every set and exchanged banter with his band mates.

“That’s just his face, when he plays stuff,” Dedlow said. “Like he’ll just laugh like ‘oops didn’t mean to do that’ or ‘that was cool.’”

The type of jazz they were playing loosely falls in the subgenre of gypsy jazz but is more contemporary than anything. They explained that real gypsy jazzers wouldn’t take them too seriously. Playing a violin, mandolin and guitar, this group obviously favors strings and brought a taste of New Orleans to PCC. Many students took a minute out of their day to stop and listen but one person, Kendra Dalton, stayed for almost the entire hour they played.

“I’ve never seen musicians talk and play, they’re really good,” she said remarking on the groups trademark

Women don’t feel the need for cleanliness in the restroom Samantha Molina Staff Writer

Who has the cleanest restrooms: men or women? The ultimate judges should be the people responsible for cleaning them up.

It is believed that women are naturally tidier than men but one look into the women’s restroom will change that belief.

“The women’s restrooms are a lot dirtier because of the feminine products and they just throw everything on the floor,” said facilities worker Desiree Ramirez.

Dirty restrooms have the

some female students with no choice but to opt out from using them at all. ”I’ve never used the restroom at school because of the smell and they never have seat covers,” student Brianna Pounds said.

“The restrooms on campus are gross I would never use them,” added Anissa Gonzalez.

The men’s restrooms are certainly not free of filth either.

With urine on the floors and stalls that don’t have locks, male students aren’t too keen about using the restrooms on campus.

“The R building always smells and sometimes the ground is wet and you don’t really know what it

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John Novak/Courier The women’s upstairs bathroom of the CC Building is left a mess on Monday. The floor is littered with toilet seat covers and toilet paper.

Writer in Residence concludes visit

Jemel Thomas ’12

Leadership

is,” Justin Llamas said. “The new Center for the Arts building definitely has the cleanest restrooms because everything is new.”

“The worst restrooms are in the C building,” said Jesus Morales. “The stalls don’t even close properly and some are missing locks.”

From toilet paper and urine on the floor to clogged toilets, Facilities Services has to clean it all.

“The C building has the busiest restroom, they get dirty fast so you have so you constantly have to be on it,” Ramirez said.

“The grossest thing I’ve had to clean up was an overflowed toilet and the floor after someone that had just used it as a toilet,” Ramirez said.

Both the men’s and women’s restrooms seem to have lingering stenches that keep students away.

multitasking.

“I like classic jazz myself. I saw on the calendar that they were having this concert, so I decided to come I like this style of jazz,” Dalton said, who works in the Human Resources department.

As hundreds of students walked by, those who didn’t have their earphones in got to listen to actual instruments.

One student passing by inquired if they would be there all day and walked away visibly disappointed when they replied no.

The trio packed up and said they would be playing Lancer Radio on Oct. 29. The jazz had stopped but the banter continued on.

“Dedlow is a super jazzy name.

When you die they’re going to bury you extra low,” Canas said to his band mate.

15089

Crime novelist and former Los Angeles Times reporter Denise Hamilton spoke to students about the writing process and read from her latest novel Damage Control last Thursday in the Creveling Lounge.

Hamilton spoke of the influence journalism had on her career as a novelist and recommended students interested in writing try it out.

“Being a journalist taught me how to write fast, how to take criticism, and editing. It also taught me how to write, how to pull a story apart and put it back together,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton was here as part of PCC’s Writer in Residence program. The program, which is in its second year of existence, is funded by the Pasadena Festival of Women Authors.

As part of her week long residency, Hamilton also paid a visit to a couple creative writing classes and interacted with students at workshops. Hamilton’s overall experience at PCC was a positive one she said.

“This program was really well organized and the students asked really good questions,” Hamilton said.

With the majority of the audience being composed of English and creative writing students, Hamilton had advice for those interested in be-

coming professional writers.

“Use all of your five senses when you are writing and I recommend you join a writing group. If you write one page a day, at the end of the year what do you have?” Hamilton said.

From the lecture David Smith, undeclared, gained a different perspective on the creative writing process.

“It’s vastly different than the way we’re being taught to write fiction in a creative writing class,” Smith said.

Hamilton’s love/hate relationship with Los Angeles and its influence of her novels was also something she touched on. She said the city plays the role of “the ultimate femme fatale” in her novels.

The actual reading itself had an impact on Michelle Ordiway, English, who gained a different perspective on the text after listening to Hamilton read it in her own voice.

“I read the excerpt before but listening to the way she read it gave it a different feeling,” Ordiway said.

Manny Perea, coordinator and English instructor, feels the Writer in Residence Program is good for students because it lets them interact and learn from professional writers but it also shows them that writing can be a profession.

“A lot of young writers, rather than wanting to write great art or literature, they want to make a living,” Perea said.

LIFESTYLE

October 24, 2013

COURIER

Costumes: sexy or scary?

Daron Grandberry Staff Writer

Halloween is almost here and the ghosts and goblins are making their appearances in storefronts, on billboards and many homes are already in the spirit.

Although pumpkins and witches are usually synonymous with the month of October and Halloween, adult costumes of today are all about being sexy, and being someone you wouldn’t normally be.

“Fashion-wise Halloween hasn’t changed much,” said cochair of the fashion department Hollie Luttrell. “Students are a little more political than past years, but it seems as if formal has been ousted. Students are not just wearing something silly for Halloween anymore.”

If you look hard enough, you can find some silly costumes and funny presidential masks

at RIP Halloween, a costume store located just one block west of campus, but most of the costumes for the ladies are small and sexy. For those interested, the store offers three plus aisles of costumes for the ladies, from a sexy baseball player entitled “nasty curves,” to a Playboy playmate.

Instead of the usual homemade silly nerd costumes and dressing up like the opposite sex, students are letting it hang out more and being more creative as well.

“A lot of women like to show off their sexy side on Halloween,” said Jene Kemp, business.

“I think it has a lot to do with the way the media glorifies sex and the way they portray women as sex symbols. I also think for some women Halloween is all about confidence, some of my friends who are more apprehensive about what they wear

come up with some creative costumes.”

For students like Kemp, Halloween has turned into a holiday for both adults and children.

“Growing up Halloween was all about the children and making sure they had lots of candy and lots of fun,” added Kemp. “Today Halloween is mostly about the parties and sexy outfits; but when else can a girl be a French maid or sexy nurse?”

However, store manager at RIP Halloween, Alisa Rivas implied that children costumes continue to sell because kids have their minds more made up on what they want to be for Halloween.

“Some of the more popular costumes for younger kids are the minions from the movie Despicable Me as well as Sully and Mike from Monster’s INC.” Rivas said. “For adults, the costume choices vary because the

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Daniel Valencia / Courier Bargain Bookstore converts itself into a Halloween store. All your holloween needs are found on 1285 E Colorado Blvd.

women are trying on everything in the store to see what exactly works for them.”

For students like Robert Hines, kinesiology, Halloween is about getting creative.

“I usually don’t dress up for Halloween, but I want to dress up this year, said Hines. “I want to be someone or something that will stand out and make people

laugh; I’m still on the fence about it honestly. My girl wants us to be Tarzan and Jane, but I don’t know.”

Like a college student’s major, Halloween trends are always changing. One can argue that trends don’t exist when it comes to Halloween costumes because adults always want to be different and stand out.

Rob Zombie brings nightmares to life Philip McCormick Managing Editor

The smell of rotting corpses hangs heavily in the air along with the sounds of chainsaws and...live music? One would expect nothing less from the mind of musician and horror director Rob Zombie.

“It’s great working here,” performer Darin “Dangerous D” Malfi said. “[Zombie] has brought his horrors to life ... The mazes will scare a lot of people.”

Taking place every Thursday through Sunday at the Pomona Fairplex in buildings 6 and 7 until Nov. 2, “Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare” offers three terrifying mazes and a variety of concerts every night.

‘Haunt of 1,000 Corpses’ is the final Cicely Chisholm/Contributing Photographer attraction in the building 7, but might Darin “Dangerous D” Malfi and Mia Morte be the most bone-chilling out of the are professional carnival sideshow performers three.

Like the movie it was inspired whose act includes stapling money to his chest by, the maze is grotesque. at Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare.

Unlike the first two mazes, which

play with audience’s minds, this one doesn’t mess around. It’s unique because it allows attendees to decide whether or not they want to let the performers interact with them.

It has straightforward scare tactics.

Brutal scenes in some rooms from Zombie’s movie, ‘House of 1,000 Corpses’ distract patrons while the real scares come from where you least expect them.

Outside of the mazes, other attractions include Bloody Boulevard (located between the two event buildings), which holds lots of scares itself. Performers with chainsaws chase attendees up and down the pathway, while others aim to freak them out.

“I come out here and do a few things to freak people out,” Malfi said.

Malfi is hard to miss. He would be the man walking around without a shirt.

With money stapled on to his chest and arms.

“I make a living off of having tips stapled to my flesh,” Malfi said.

The first maze offered, which is likely to scare fright-seekers the most,

is “Lords of Salem Total Black Out.” Based on Zombie’s horror film, the twist with this maze is that you have a black bag placed over your head and have to stumble through the dark maze filled with creatures aching to give a scare.

Of course, there is always the coward’s way out. A pathway leads to the second maze if total darkness is too much.

The second maze is bizarre, to say the least. “The Haunted World of El Superbeasto 3D” (another of Zombie’s films) has attendees in 3-D glasses before they head in. It’s vastly different from the other two mazes.

With half naked women all the way through, it’s definitely not for children.

Neon paint on the walls and black lights keeps visitors unbalanced all the way through.

If the mazes aren’t enough, there are always the live concerts in Building 6, where headlining bands such as The Used, Vampires Everywhere, and Rob Zombie himself will perform on Nov. 1 and 2.

Norton Simon museum is an overlooked gem Benjamin Simpson Staff Writer

Hidden in plain sight on Colorado Boulevard, nestled behind reaching trees, sits the Norton Simon Museum, quietly holding its 12,000 objects of art.

On Friday night, the Norton Simon opened it’s doors to college students, giving free tours, art posters on the exit and a panel discussion on the art of becoming an intern.

The Norton Simon shows off Monet, Renoir, Degas, van Gogh, Cezanne and many more.

And it’s even free for students with a current ID. Along with the masters of impressionism, the museum houses deity carvings from India, 14th to 18th century European paintings, and modern art, which is always intriguing and confusing.

On the stage of the lecture hall, five employees and ex-employees of the Norton Simon

each spent 10 minutes talking about ways to become an intern.

Two of the members of the panel discussed how they got into museums work. Manny Guardado and Carol Togneri said that they simply went to museums and volunteered. Once in the doors they worked for free, and got to know the people. Creating bonds and friendships and will last.

Because it is now the world of the internet, Guardado mentioned a necessary Yahoo! group for those interested in art and museums. When he mentioned the group, all the other panelists nodded their heads.

The Yahoo group is “Los Angeles Culture Net.” It’s the place to talk about artists, curators and everything art in LA. Prior to the panel discussion, the museum gave five different tours. The Modern Art and Beyond tour was given by Tom Norris, curatorial associate of

FORUM Continued from page 1

Benjamin Simpson/Courier Tom Norris, curatorial associate of the Norton Simon Museum, gives a modern art tour in front of DeWain Valentine’s Large Wall on student night on Friday.

the Norton Simon. The tour began upstairs, where the sculpture was more traditional, with a recognizable face or angle of view.

But downstairs the art became more abstract, with an aluminum floor to walk on, a foam covered wall, and a wall made from clear

acrylic.

Norris described it very simply: the modern art attempts to describe not things, but ideas.

At the end of the tour Norris said that the museum is available to students who want to learn more about art or the world of museums.

include Jim Arnwine, current dean of performing and communication arts for the School of Visual Media and Performing Arts, David Douglass, current dean of natural sciences for the School of Science and Mathematics, Salomon Davila, current dean of career and technical education for the School of Career and Technical Education, Barbara Freund, current dean of health sciences for the School of Allied Health Services, and Amy Ulmer, current dean of English for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Davila thought the forum would help keep communication more open between the deans and faculty.

“I think this is very important part of this campus to hear us out so we have our moment to share our thoughts with every one of you,” he said.

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SPORTS

COURIER

October 24, 2013

Volleyball bounces back against ELAC Daron Grandberry Sports Editor

Lancer Noralia To’omalatai spikes the ball in the third set of the game at East Los Angeles College gymnasium in Monterey Park, Friday.

PCC won 3-0.

Teresa Mendoza/ Courier

With its first conference loss of the season behind them, the Lancers volleyball team was back to its winning ways against East Los Angeles College on Friday.

The No. 16 ranked Lancers (6-8, 4-1) defeated the Huskies (3-11, 2-3) in three close sets 2624, 26-24 and 25-18.

The Lancers were again without freshman middle blocker Kendra Logan for a second consecutive game after Logan suffered a concussion during practice last week.

“Not being able to play was frustrating,” Logan said. “I wanted to be out there to help my team, but I learned a lot from the sideline. We dig ourselves into our own hole and we have to work on that.”

The Lancers are now tied for second place in the South Coast Conference with Mt. San Anto-

nio College, the only conference opponent to defeat the Lancers.

“I think we were more prepared,” said outside hitter Thula Parks. “I was more comfortable in the middle, we worked on getting more sets and being consistent with my setter and everything just seemed to come natural.”

With the absence of Logan, the 5-foot 6-inch Parks has been moved to the middle blocker position. While Parks has stepped over and maintained her leadership role, she admits to being excited to get Logan back in uniform for their next game.

“I’m more excited to be playing back in my position,” Parks joked. “I’m excited that Kendra will be back on Wednesday because we definitely missed her production and I feel that I can help my team more playing outside.”

Nora To’omalatai led the Lancers with 15 kills and nine

digs while Parks added 12 kills, nine digs and two serving aces.

“Friday was a tough game,” said sophomore Briana Hilton.

“It shouldn’t have been as close as we allowed it to be. We made some stupid errors again, but it happens. We will continue to work on our communication in practice, but our heart was there and allowed us to win the game.”

After a season best, 14 kills in the loss to Mt. SAC, Hilton once again picked up her production in Logan’s absence by recording eight kills and six digs. Sophomore setter Tiffany Roesler added a double-double with 35 assists, 10 digs and three serving aces.

“Having Kendra back will change the game and how we play definitely,” To’omalatai said. “We’ve all stepped up in her absence but having her back on Wednesday will make a big difference.”

Cross country prepares for SCC championships Teresa Mendoza Staff Writer

The PCC cross country teams succeeded once again at the Cougar Challenge held on the California State University San Marcos campus on Saturday, meeting high expectations with outstanding performances.

The Lancer women placed fourth out of eight teams from the San Diego area. The Lancers total of 98 points gave PCC a distance over the rest of the field.

“It was nice to compete against teams we rarely see,” said cross country head coach Armand Crespo.

Team members Cristina Shamirian, Kailadnni Chavez, Ashley Medina, Kate Manzke and Marina Flores ran their personal best times in the 5K distance race, according to Crespo.

Sophomore Christina Sham-

irian led the women in the 5K/8K challenge with a finish of 19:18. Finishing not far behind was Kailadnni Chavez with at time of 19:56.

The men’s team placed seventh out of nine teams in the 8K run.

Coach Crespo noted that the team was missing three of the top five runners due to school obligations.

“Brendan Greene, Abraham Esparza, Chris Alagala, Faustino Gil, Pedro Lopez, Sergio Andrade and Adam Akopyan all stood out because they too ran personal bests for the 8K distance race,” said Crespo.

The race was also open to the public and members of the local San Diego Dirt Dog Series, who brought several talented runners from the community to participate in the event.

The preparations for conference games are going well

Photo courtesy of Sherri Cortez/Cal State San Marcos Lancer Ashley Medina races at the Cougar Challenge cross country event at Cal State University San Marcos, Saturday.

especially since more than half of the athletes are running their best times later in the season, according to Crespo.

“This gives us confidence and motivation to continue to achieve new heights for our program,” said Crespo.

The teams will return to action at the SCC Championships on Friday, Nov. 1 at Heartwell Park, Long Beach.

Water polo overwhelmed by Mt. SAC in 10-2 loss

Daron Grandberry Sports Editor

Still looking for their first conference victory of the season, the Lancers water polo team fell to conference rival Mt. San Antonio College 10-2 on Wednesday at the PCC Aquatic Center.

The Lancers, still recovering from injuries, could not handle the defensive pressure from the Mounties, losing their fourth straight game.

“We’re learning how to cope with all the injuries,” said team captain Mariana Silva. “We try to get around it and do the best we can. I think we’re starting to really come together.”

The Lancers were able to get freshman defender Scarlett Bonilla and utility player Jazmine Hernandez back in the water after missing last week’s game due to injuries.

“We’re really glad to have Scarlett and Jazmine back in the pool,” said head coach Terry Stoddard. “Their timing was a little off, but we’re always better with those two in the pool.”

The conference leading Mounties showed why they’re undefeated in conference play with an early 6-0 lead after the first quarter.

Rene Henriquez/Courier Lancer Jazmine Hernandez looks to pass against Mt. San Antonio College on Wednesday.

In the second quarter, the Lancers showed a big improvement on the defensive end. Freshman center-forward Stephanie Velasco recorded an early steal at the six minute mark, but could not capitalize on the offensive end.

“We’re all improving defensively,” Velasco said.

“Compared to the beginning of the season we’ve

improved a lot. Everyone knows where they should be and everyone knows they’re responsibilities we just have to work on our execution.”

A bright spot in the Lancers play had to be the defensive play of Stephanie Velasco. Velasco led the Lancers with two goals and five steals and Scarlett Bonilla added five steals and one assist.

“We looked at that scoreboard and we told ourselves that we had to get on the board,” Silva added. “We had to score in the fourth, our pride would not let us go scoreless. We played pretty well against the number one team in the conference, we never backed down.”

The Mounties were led by sophomore utility player Emily Randall who scored three goals.

“We are getting better,” Stoddard added. “We’re going to finish strong. It’s too bad that we haven’t been at full strength, but we’re a pretty close-knit group and we’re only going to get stronger and stronger.”

The Lancers water polo team will be back in the water this Friday as they battle Cuesta College in the Battle at the Beach Tournament. The game starts at 8 a.m. at Cypress College.