Volume 140 Spring 2024 Roundup Issue 6

Five-year-old Ayla Kamil dances during the first Pierce ASO Block Party at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on

Benjamin Hanson /

Myraneli Fabian /

6201

Woodland

CA 91371

Room: Pierce College Village 8211

Phone: (818) 710-4115

Phone: (818) 710-4117

Website: www.theroundupnews.com

Email: newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

Editor-in-Chief...........Raquel G. Frohlich

Managing Editor....Christian Castellanos

Copy Editor.......................Brian Khoury

Online Editor.................Brandon Harrell

Online Editor......................Violet Garcia

Photo Editor.......................Emil Rizkalla

Photo Editor..................Myraneli Fabian

Opinion Editor........................Tyler Hale

News Editor....................Delilah Brumer

Campus Life Editor......Gerardo Escobar

Campus Life Editor........Olivia Espinoza

Sports Editor......................John Ormeno

Sports Editor......................Sadie Shields

Social Media Editor........Alfonso Vargas

Reporters

Benjamin Hanson

Fabiola Carrizosa

Marcus Nocerino

Raiden Vazquez

Spencer Fuller

Taj Robles

Xavier Boyston

Photographers

Abraham Elizalde

Finn Andrade

Icy Smith

Karla Delgado

Kyle Camacho

Megan Arana

Melanie Jurado

Owen Meza-Vandermeer

Sophie Lotterstein

Veronica Rosas

Advisers

Jill Connelly

Jeff Favre

Tracie Savage

*For advertising, call: (818) 710-2960

Corrections?

Email us at newsroom.roundupnews@ gmail.com

Volume 140 - Issue 5

In the opinion, “Should college tuition be free? Yes: free education leads to a better society,” “equality” was miswritten as “inequality.”

In the article, “LAPC Theatre previews first production of spring semester,” a student actor’s name is Rocio Ibarra.

Editorial: From the desk of the Roundup Pierce can be better at identifying students’ needs and advertising campus services

It would be an understatement to say that a typical college student has a lot on their plate. On top of school, they have work, family and other important obligations. Although Pierce College offers orientation for new students to help answer their questions, there is not much that comes after that to guide them.

This is why Pierce should be better at identifying students’ needs.

According to TimelyCare, “The Hope Center defines students’ basic needs as access to nutritious and sufficient food; safe, secure, and adequate housing; healthcare for mental and physical well-being; affordable technology and

transportation.” Students who were surveyed overwhelmingly stated that they did not know how to access services.

Pierce offers many services that may be difficult to access. One way to make it more apparent is by updating signage and publicizing these different services throughout campus. This way students can feel like their needs are being acknowledged and recognized.

When most people think of basic needs, food and shelter come to mind. However, according to housingmatters. urban.org, “students define basic needs as more than minimal food and shelter.”

Surveys have shown that nearly a quarter of community

college students had experienced homelessness in the past 12 months, according to a 2022 housingmatters.urban. org study. Currently, Pierce does not offer housing assistance. LACCD is exploring the feasibility of building student housing on the unused parcels of land on the Pierce campus. If approved, housing would be available sometime around the year 2028.

Santa Monica City College offers students a comprehensive list of resources available for those experiencing homelessness. These resources are displayed under the “Health and Wellbeing” tab on its website.

Although Pierce has success

A look into the archives:

70 years of the Roundup

On this day 11 years ago, the Roundup published Volume 118, Issue 5.

The front-page story of the issue was Pierce’s Elite Cheer Squad firstplace win in a cheer and dance competition in Long Beach. Additional stories covered included—the LACCD Board of Trustees approving a $10 million increase in funding across the nine colleges redirected from their reserve funds, a tax-preparation service for low-income residents hosted on the Pierce campus for two days and an art exhibition of Los Angeles-based artist Peter Liashkov.

There were three features in the opinion pages —how then-Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal of a 90-unit cap for community college students would

Copy by Tyler Hale.

coaches on campus to help guide students, the program is not widely advertised. Santa Monica City College offers a “peer navigator” program, which is prominently visible on the website along with their mission and services.

College students face many obstacles and often don’t know where to find the proper resources.

Pierce offers many basic services, but some crucial services are lacking. In many cases, these basic services are available, but they aren’t easily found or accessible.

have negative effects, a recommendation for student tutors while a criticism of the connectivity issues of the Wi-Fi on campus and a list for students to recommend what they can do during spring break.

Among the campus briefs were the delayed opening of the food court in the new Library and Learning Crossroads Center, the extension of application deadlines, rent and sale of caps and gowns, the beginning of spring break, the summer schedule becoming available and the student art contest accepting entries.

The issue also featured a photo essay detailing students and staff sharing their tattoos and coverage of Brahma sports stories.

Do robot workers benefit the economy?

By Spencer Fuller Reporter

RHarnessing technology for the future

obots can’t catch COVID-19, so college campuses throughout the country used this to their students’ advantage during the pandemic.

When working with students, from the college’s perspective, robots during the pandemic offered safe delivery options on campuses, according to CEO of Starship Technologies Alastair Westgarth.

Westgarth asserts there is also an environmental benefit.

“The first and most significant impact that autonomous delivery can provide is its carbon emission reductions,” Westgarth said.

Economies can easily accommodate robot workers without charging for their services, though they must not replace human workers.

Higher pay for college students in place of robots will benefit students if they want to increase productivity. Students are working on time management, and robots can help students with interpersonal communication skills and job readiness.

In an article for Associated Press, Paul Wiseman addresses concerns about the benefits of the economy using robots or

By Delilah Brumer News Editor

Tartificial intelligence to close the unemployment gap.

“The result has been an unexpected productivity boom, which helps explain a great economic mystery: How has the world’s largest economy managed to remain so healthy, with brisk growth and low unemployment, despite brutally high-interest rates intended to tame inflation but typically causing a recession?” Wiseman said.

In an article for CNBC, Kate Rogers supports the job growth due to AI and robots.

“Sixty percent of companies operating in information and technology services expect jobs to be created due to robots in the next five years,” Rogers said.

Creating energy boosters for prospective college students can help with social situations and academic challenges.

In an article for Penn State, Stephanie Koons suggests that students work with robots to improve social learning while attending college.

The majority of public schools may not have the necessary resources to utilize technology such as social robots as effectively as the classroom in our study did. However, the results demonstrate that these AI systems could be beneficial instruments in

improving problem-solving skills and technology education. They also provide an understanding of how work input is meant to be successful in job interviews.

College students outside of their classes are able to make better connections through AI by working through interactions using pronouns with peers.

“Elementary and middle school students who interacted with one of these robots in the classroom for ten weeks showed curiosity about aspects of the robot—including gender identity—that make them appear ‘social,’” Koons said.

Understanding gender identity is a benefit of robots and teaching how to use gender pronouns in daily conversations with friends and family.

“Both the convenience provided by the service and the design of the robot, with 75 percent of people considering it ‘friendly/cute,’ contributed to its popularity,” Westgarth said.

The design of the robots is important for college students, and the service can also be from academic prep for classes.

Robotic therapy provides emotional support to students, similar to that of a counselor, and can be used as a coping strategy for stress management.

In an article for the New York

Times, Alina Tugend advocates that robots can assist prospective college students in developing social and emotional support.

Professor Scassellati and his colleagues recently conducted a study on an early robot prototype named Jibo. As a model for adolescents, it can boost output with social development and assist in the mental health and emotional well-being of human relationships with social robots.

Jibo is just as important as if he were a part of the family.

“The robot wakes up with a shaking of his round head. A tinkling noise is emitted, followed by a yawn. Jibo’s twopart body twists and stretches while his face, sporting a single digital eye, turns on and gazes at us. He appears to be a character straight out of a Pixar movie,” author Han Hodson wrote in an article for NewScientist.

Robots are a time-consuming but efficient tool for the United States economy. Robot workers can manage the timeframe of a busy schedule for prospective college courses. Having a partner to improve mental health and reading skills can benefit the working college student.

Do you think Artificial Intelligence is beneficial or detrimental to society?

“I feel mixed about it. I feel that there are some benefits to it but it also has a lot of negative effects on the way society works. It has the potential to make things easier but also can destroy things.”

Martin Reyes - Forensic science major

Overuse of technology comes at the expense of humanity

he technologies that shape the world are rapidly evolving, from generative artificial intelligence breakthroughs to improvements in robotics and manufacturing. Although it is important to harness technological advancements, global leaders in business, science, politics and other fields should prioritize ethics, workers’ livelihood and human creativity over efficiency. Automation can be beneficial, but it shouldn’t come at the

expense of people and jobs.

According to a 2023 study by the McKinsey Global Institute, “activities that account for up to 30 percent of hours currently worked across the US economy could be automated—a trend accelerated by generative AI.”

In addition, the financial firm Goldman Sachs predicts that “roughly two-thirds of current jobs are exposed to some degree of AI automation, and that generative AI could substitute up to one-fourth of current work.” This trend is troubling and exemplifies the need for having a mindset that focuses on

“I believe it’s a good thing and a bad thing. I think people are going to take advantage of it and they’re going to start making everything digital and computerbased and that’s not good because it will make humans not feel real. It might be good if it helps in certain things.”

Engelbert Peraza - Theater design major

supporting workers.

As college students enter the workforce, they shouldn’t have to worry that their jobs will be obsolete in a few years. Instead, as explained in an article published by American Progress, they should be trained to understand and use technology, enhancing the students’ work—but not replacing them altogether.

Beyond the economic and job implications of new technologies, there’s also the problem of ethics. As generative AI begins to create art and writing, these platforms take away from the beauty and authenticity of human creativity.

In addition, these platforms often base their creations off of prompts made in relation to existing artwork, raising a plethora of legal and ethical questions about theft, according to a New Yorker article.

Generative AI, robots, automation and other technological innovations aren’t going away, nor should they. However, there needs to be increased regulation of these fields so that workers and artists aren’t negatively impacted.

“I feel like it depends on the place or occupation. For example, in the film industry it could be detrimental especially for the writers, but in other areas it could help. It could also become the cause of jobs being lost everywhere.”

Kayla Sondhi - Film major

“I think it is detrimental because it could hurt the artists and the actors. There’s a lot of things you can do with it that you normally can’t do like building sets and imitating people.”

Bill Rockwood - Parent of a student

“I think we all benefit from our phones, computers and cameras and that includes artificial intelligence. I think people are cautious because of movies and stuff with our government, but overall, it has benefited us.”

Nataly Mendez - Commercial music major

Quotes gathered by Benjamin Hanson

Photos by Karla Delgado

Tyler Hale contributed to this story.

Interim President updates Academic Senate about Welcome Center issues

By Xavier Boyston Reporter

Interim President Ara Aguiar spoke about ongoing issues at the Welcome Center— which is still open but has been slightly restructured—during Monday’s Academic Senate meeting in Building 600.

“One of the things that was happening is we had a small group of people from financial aid downstairs and we had a couple of people also from A&R available for student support,” Aguiar said. “And unfortunately, we had a couple of incidents. The place is just not structured to really serve students one-onone.”

Aguiar moved to create more room by opening the Financial Aid office to serve students, and to do the same for Admissions and Records.

Dean of Academic Affairs Sharon Dalmage will be stepping down to transfer over to Los Angeles Southwest College in the coming weeks.

“Ideally the best thing to do

is not to have this position go without anyone in place and then bring in someone as soon as possible,” Aguiar said.

There will be an acting position for now until a permanent decision is decided, which can take up to six weeks.

Academic Senate Treasurer Kalynda McLean—who is also a Umoja Coordinator and Counselor—spoke about the budget committee meeting on March 5 regarding the school budget for the remainder of the year, going forward into the next academic school year.

“Looking forward into 20242025, the budget forecast looks challenging for Pierce College,” McLean said, noting that more information will be presented as it comes. “Pierce is projecting an eight million dollar deficit at this time, with no carry forward balance to offset that. Basically, moving into the next academic year we should expect to see reductions in a lot of different areas.”

The Career and Transfer Center is having a rollout of

News Briefs

High school students get a glimpse of Pierce

Students from Cleveland High School, John R. Wooden High School and Taft High School visited Pierce College on March 20, as part of Los Angeles Pierce College Day. They toured the Pierce campus and several academic departments including Theatre and Automotive Technology. The high school students also had the opportunity to learn about Pierce services during a resource fair on the Mall.

LACCD accessibility update

LACCD Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez sent an email on March 25 updating the LACCD community on the district’s efforts to “improve accessibility for students with disabilities.” This affirmation was in response to the federal court case Roy Payan and Portia Mason v. LACCD, which alleges that LACCD violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by “not providing adequate academic accommodations.”

Copy by Delilah Brumer.

events when students return from spring break, starting with a job fair on April 17 where students will have the opportunity to take professional pictures for their LinkedIn accounts for free.

“We’re going to have about 50 employers, 19 of them have signed up and we’re still recruiting,” Career Center Director Judy Lam said.

Lam, also the Guided Pathways coordinator, spoke about the opportunity students will have on UCLA and CSUN Day, which will be on campus May 15 along with Brahma Fest.

“It’s a celebration for all transfer students to come get their transfer cords,” Lam said. “We’re also bringing incoming seniors who are graduating high school seniors who have committed to coming to Pierce already. We do have a transfer fair in the fall that is usually around Halloween time that’s going to have tons of different schools that are coming in that students can meet with.”

Brahma

Blotter

For the week of March 18-24.

Reporting by Christian Castellanos.

Voices to address the silence

Student Health Center partners with NAMI to educate about mental health

By Xavier Boyston Reporter

In a world where stigma often shrouds discussions of mental health, a presentation on ending the silence and fostering open dialogue, understanding and support was brought to the Pierce community.

Last week the Student Health Center at Pierce College partnered with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to organize an event called “Ending the Silence” with presentation speakers Danielle Brahinsky and James Wolff.

Brahisky talked about how children and teenagers do not always receive treatment for their mental illness.

“It is important to never give up hope,” Brahinsky said.

The

Research from NAMI finds that 22.8 percent of U.S. adults— representing one in five adults— experienced mental illness in 2021. Among U.S. youth aged 6-17, 16.5 percent experienced a mental health disorder in 2016, according to NAMI.

A June 2020 CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) survey reported that almost 41 percent of Americans were struggling with mental health issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CNN article, “Americans are not getting the mental health treatment they need, report says.” These issues included depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

Brahinsky also discussed how the negative stigma around mental health causes people not to speak up.

“People tend to believe that those mental health conditions are dangerous, violent, crazy. And this is an example of stigma,”

Brahinsky said “Stigma can be hurtful, it can make people feel ashamed and criticize, leading to not seeking help.”

Wolff helps lead support groups Saturday through Monday every week via Zoom through National Alliance on Mental Illness in San Fernando Valley.

He talked about how losing his father at three-years-old played a significant part of his mental health as he became a teenager.

“As a child after my dad’s death, I displayed rapid onset of language disorders, depression, and memory issues,” Wolff said. “My first two diagnoses were depression and generalized anxiety. Depression to me was not feeling things.”

Ozzy Portillo, a student services assistant, was in attendance for the event and spoke about the importance of mental health awareness.

“Mental health awareness is important because if we’re not aware of how people could be suffering different symptoms that you may be experiencing, there’s no way to get help,” Portillo said.

Wolff closed with a message to the audience about having grace for those that suffer from mental illness and providing help for them.

“Never underestimate the power of being gracious towards someone who is suffering,” Wolff said.

If you are someone who is currently experiencing mental health issues, there are resources available at the LAPC Student Health Center, www.lapc.edu/ student-services/spr/healthcenter, and NAMI San Fernando Valley, www.namisfv.org/.

Myraneli Fabian / Roundup News

Students Elizabeth Mateos (L) and Michael Calmo (center) from John R. Wooden High School talk with Tamera Brown (R) from the Athletics Department about sports during Pierce Day on the Mall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 20, 2024.

James Wolff speaks to the audience about mental health in LLC 5111 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Mar 20, 2024.

Icy Smith / Roundup News

New wave cinema, timeless humor

French Film Festival shows 1969 romantic comedy, followed by Q&A and discussion

By Raiden Vazquez Reporter

The Multicultural Center got a taste of 1960’s French New Wave cinema and even though it’s dated, the laughter from the audience proved that some humor is timeless.

On March 21, the French Film Festival held a screening of the romantic comedy “Baisers volés (Stolen Kisses),” and more than 80 people were in attendance.

The film follows a man named Antoine Doinel, played by JeanPierre Léaud, and the difficulties he faces as he jumps from job to job while finding himself and falling in love with multiple women.

These events for appreciating French culture are being encouraged by France itself.

“We have a grant from the French Embassy,” French Language Professor Denis Pra said. “They give us a selection of 14 movies more or less, so I have to watch everything,”

Pra then selects a movie for the festival with the help of his colleague Donna Accardo based on what types of themes and topics they would like to cover. In this case, “Stolen Kisses” is a film in the style of French New Wave, a filmmaking movement started in the late 50s that was

contributed to by the director of “Stolen Kisses,” François Truffaut.

This is the fourth year the French Film Festival has been organized, according to Pra, and they are also working to present newer movies.

“I believe we have 50 percent of the movies that are done in the 2020s. Even the first movie was from 2023, so it’s very recent.” Pra said.

Before the movie, Film Professor Kenneth Windrum provided some background details to

point out some of the more obscure aspects of the production that were specific to the time.

“I like how we got a history behind the movie and certain

Easter eggs to look out for beforehand before we saw it,” film major Christopher Rubenstein said. “It gave a lot of context to the film because I know who Truffaut is, but I’ve never seen any of his films before. To kind of get a background on him and his movies and how some of them are connected, it made me more excited for it.”

Attendees watch a screening of “Stolen Kisses” at the French Film Festival held in the Multicultural Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 21, 2024.

After the lights came back on, Professor Windrum opened the floor to questions and discussed the film with the audience.

“I think there’s an

analytical, philosophical quality to French culture that is very unique in this world,” Windrum said. “As a literary culture, French literature is incredible.”

Architecture majors Myka Peruch (L) and Alejandro Alcala (R) work on a precast model for class outside of the Alder 1000 building at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2024.

Sophie Lotterstein / Roundup News

Finn Andrade / Roundup News

Finn Andrade / Roundup News Chris Rubenstein asks a question during the Q&A portion of the French Film Festival in the Multicultural Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 21, 2024.

Sophie Lotterstein / Roundup News

By Benjamin Hanson Reporter

Building 600 is usually reserved for academic meetings, seminars and award ceremonies. But as the clock struck 5:30 p.m. last Friday, it transformed into a dance floor for students to boogie their stresses away. Much like the fairy godmother magically transformed Cinderella into a princess, the Associated Student Organization (ASO) sprinkled their own magic on Pierce College.

Pierce’s ASO hosted the first Block Party event on the Mall in front of the Library. The party was the brainchild of ASO President Gayane Zazyan, who wanted to help build a sense of community among students during her final semester at Pierce.

“I hope this is something they remember me by,” Zazyan said.

Brahmas take the block

“I hope this is something they continue doing.”

Zazyan said she wanted to help students unwind as midterms and Spring Break approaches.

“I felt like the students needed something to de-stress,” Zazyan said. “They needed this good vibe, so I brought it to Pierce.”

The party was sponsored by Raising Cane’s and also had food from Pizzasaurus Rex and The Stand. Churro Man, a churro food truck, and DD Catering, a bartender mixing “mock-tails,” were also present.

On the dance floor, DJ Raz Davidov manned the turntables. He played hits and remixes ranging from Rihanna to Usher, although it was the Cupid Shuffle that drew the most participation.

Outreach and some administration staff were on-hand to make sure things ran smoothly.

There were hula hoops, glow-

sticks and games such as cornhole and connect four. The Brahma Bull mascot walked around highfiving people and taking selfies like Spongebob Squarepants at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Zazyan said she hopes that future ASO students will host another block party after she is done at Pierce.

“I’m glad to see how much feedback I got from students,” Zazyan said. “I think that’s making all my hard work and effort definitely worth it.”

Dean of Student Engagement Juan Carlos Astorga served pizza to party-goers.

Astorga said ASO utilized social media to promote the event and try to get as many people as possible to join.

“I think it was an amazing idea to just do something for our campus,” Astorga said. “We can celebrate and spend time with each other.”

Former Pierce and current CSUN student Mariana Alvarado said she attended the block party with her boyfriend to meet new people.

She made an unexpected friend in Markus, a pigeon.

Girls Who Code Club Vice President Daphne Tenne brought

Markus along and the bird spent the party meeting many students. Tenne would hand over a little fluffy bee toy and off Markus went to play with his new friend.

“It was so cool to have him on my shoulder,” Alvarado said. “I could hear him coo and he was so in love with his toy.”

Zazyan said she was happy the party was a success after it was over.

“Everyone was having an amazing time and that’s all I wanted from the beginning,” Zazyan said. “I didn’t expect so many people to show up but I’m really proud.”

Benjamin

Math major and Vice President of the Girls Who Code Club Daphne Tenne sits at a table with her pigeon Markus on the Mall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2024.

Bartender and nursing major Dmytri Smyrnov makes mocktails in Building 600 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2024.

A board of affirmations is on display at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2024.

Business administration major Julian Sims dances during the first ASO Block Party at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2024

Owen Meza-Vandermeer / Roundup News

Kyle Camacho / Roundup News

Benjamin Hanson / Roundup News

Owen Meza-Vandermeer / Roundup News

Baseball players JJ Torrente (L) and Will Lewin (R) play cornhole on the Mall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2024.

Owen Meza-Vandermeer / Roundup News

ASO President Gayane Zazyan (center) records a video as she dances during the first ASO Block Party at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2024.

Benjamin Hanson / Roundup News

Campus Life

REVIEW: Sisters, romance and boogeymen in “The River Bride”

LAPC Theatre performs a tale of realistic family complications

By Fabiola Carrizosa Reporter

Something old, something new. Something sad and shocking blue. Weddings are supposed to be a time to celebrate love, a time to dance as libations flow.

One Brazilian play proves that it only takes one person to drive a wedge between a family in the lead-up to a wedding.

Marisela Treviño Orta’s “The River Bride” premiered at the Dow Arena Theatre on Friday, presented by LAPC Theatre and directed by Esdras Toussaint as the first play of the spring semester.

“The River Bride” has a plot centered around grounded, real-life familial problems, while having an element of the supernatural that comes from beneath the surface of one of South America’s wonders—the Amazon River.

“The River Bride” is not a feelgood love story with a typical, expected ending. The River Bride forces viewers to face uncomfortable family situations, like when love triangles involve one’s own close-knit family.

The stage is set at the dolphinrich Amazon river, which is a character in itself. The men in a small family, Duarte (Angelo Rosales) and Sr. Costa (Jacob B. Gonzalez), who are fishermen by trade, scoop up a strange, fullydressed dapper man from the Amazon. Meanwhile, bride-tobe Belmira (Emelysse Paez) and Helena (Rocio Ibarra) banter and chit-chat as sisters commonly do.

There are two stand-out monologues in the scene. Gonzalez as Sr. Costa monologues about his dream of the river and his swift courtship with his wife. The Costa relationship is “#goals.”

Moises (Trevor Bowens) washes up to the fishing boat as if dead. The limp Moises is taken to shore like a mermaid. Bowens is convincing damsel-in-distress material in the first scene, but by the third scene, viewers may take Duarte’s side and lose trust in the stranger.

Sra. Costa (Pahola Godinez) has the perfect “there there” moments with her daughters as they declare grievances about one another. Godinez pulls off the chill mom vibe that any daughter would like to be comforted by.

The second notable monologue comes from Ibarra as Helena. Ibarra delivers her lines with pain and insinuates unwittingly that she will not have the ideal

life like her mother had.

The river was represented with rippling blue lights projected on the stage floor. Ominous purple lightning bolts were projected onto the jungle backdrop to warn the viewer that something, or someone, was not right.

The lighting through slatted wood panels and on people eavesdropping on conversations is reminiscent of 1940s’ noir films. The only difference is that while most of those classic noir films were in black and white, the noir shadows cast in the scenes in “The River Bride” were juxtaposed with the rich, tropical juicy color story.

There were no elaborate changes in sets, as the single set piece was the magical river with its tempestuous mood. There were a few minor changes in set dressing between scene changes. All-in-all, “The River Bride” was less about set changes and much more about dialogue, character surprises and melodrama.

There are a few moments of dry humor in “The River Bride,” but the story produces more sighs and gasps than chuckles.

Paez brings the complicated Belmira to life with enthusiasm, fiery-ness and innocence. Paez pulls no punches, especially when she as Belmira is “punching down” verbally to her older sister.

Belmira crushes Helena’s dreams and hopes for a happy future. While it was not intentional, Belmira steps on the signature flower that Helena wore on her hair for all of the first two acts, but discards to show her dismay for her failed past relationship.

Helena, the meeker, selfless sister, is seen one year later in the next stage of her adult life, expecting someone new. By the looks of her disheveled hair (a departure from perfect braided hair throughout the first two acts), her happiness is a ship that has sailed down that doublecrossing river.

“The River Bride” will leave audiences wondering how family life could be filled with so much complication when living in a quaint, paradise. “The River Bride” should end with “they lived happily ever after,” but instead, even with the supernatural element, it ends in a way that hits closer to reality and to the tough decisions that people make in love and sacrifice.

Myraneli Fabian / Roundup News

BOTTOM: Rocio Ibarra as Helena at the dress rehearsal for “The River Bride.”

Myraneli Fabian / Roundup News

BOTTOM: (L-R) Angelo Rosales, Emelysse Paez, Pahola Godinez, Jacob Gonzalez, Rocio Ibarra and Trevor Bowens (laying down) perform on stage during the dress rehearsal of “The River Bride” in the Dow Arena Theatre at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 19, 2024.

Myraneli Fabian / Roundup News

TOP: Trevor Bowens (L) as Moises expresses his love for Rocio Ibarra (R) as Helena during the dress rehearsal for “The River Bride.”

New beginnings with Nowruz

Persian food, refreshments and a Haft-Sin arranged by the Iranian Student Club and faculty members were open to all in the Multicultural Center for a Nowruz Celebration—meaning “new day”—on March 20.

Mehran Ensan, a political science major and an ASO representative for the Iranian Student Club, explained elements of Nowruz.

“We believe that the Iranian New Year is the beginning of the life,” Ensan said. “In our geography it’s when the snow is gone, the rain is gone and everything comes back to life. All the animals come out of their sleep and move around again. It’s the beginning of spring and it’s the beginning of life.”

Copy by Raquel G. Frohlich. Karla Delgado contributed to this story.

Karla Delgado / Roundup News

(L to R) Maya Refua, a biology major, explains to Winn Huynh, a chemistry professor, what the Haft-Sin is and what each item represents during the Nowruz Celebration in the Multicultural Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 20, 2024.

Karla Delgado / Roundup News

ABOVE: (R) Anosha Mahmoodi, an ESL Level three major, poses alongside other students and staff for a photo during the Nowruz Celebration in the Multicultural Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 20, 2024.

Karla Delgado / Roundup News

LEFT: (L to R) Anne Tongson, a nursing major, Dara Hernandez, an intern, and Jasmine Chuieh, a nursing major, discuss the selection of foods during the Nowruz Celebration in the Multicultural Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 20, 2024.

ABOVE LEFT: Half Moon Baklava is one of the many traditional sweet Persian New Year foods served during the Nowruz Celebration in the Multicultural Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 20, 2024.

Karla Delgado / Roundup News

Cougars inch out win over Brahmas

By Taj Robles Reporter

The Pierce College softball team battled against the Cuesta College Cougars, taking the lead in the first inning of the game, before Cuesta came back with the win of 4-3.

As they approach the halfway mark in their season, the team has progressed immensely and are “trailblazing” their way into revamping softball at Pierce, as said previously by their head coach.

According to Head Coach Brett Marschall, he is proud of the continued improvement of his team and seeing how much closer they’ve gotten throughout this season.

“They definitely competed hard and played a great game,” Marschall said. “They’re walking with their heads high today. It was a superb effort.”

Kaylie Zenan (#35) doubled to the left field at her first at bat, allowing their pitcher Kristjana Lewis (#23), who was on second base, to score.

Zenan said she fed off her team’s energy as she walked up to home plate ready to tackle Cuesta’s pitcher. The Brahmas could be heard across the field cheering as she straddled home plate ready to lead her team.

“I think that’s what really pushed us to play harder,” Zenan said “Everyone looks at Cuesta as like the top team in the league, so for us to score first, that just gave us that push and energy that we can win.”

As the innings progressed, Cuesta fought just as fiercely as the Brahmas, scoring a run in the second inning of the game, leading to a tie. The pressure could be felt by both teams as Pierce came back with two more RBI’s, Runners Batted In, taking the lead for the third and fourth innings of the game.

Reese Tartaglia, Cuesta’s shortstop, came into the game feeling the heat from the Brahmas but said she was able to put that pressure into her swings, getting a homerun against Pierce.

“For sure [we felt the pressure], last year was the same,” Tartaglia said. “Our second game against them the score was the same.”

Alexis Menchaca, who played second base, stopped two line drives that hit her way.

Lewis was grateful for the support she felt from her defense as she continued to pitch the rest of the game.

“I tried to put the ball in play so that my defense could help me,” Lewis said. “We had some good outs.”

Pierce plays a home game against the Oxnard College Condors on Thursday, March 28 at 2:30 p.m.

Baseball win 5-4 against the Condors

Aiming for the playoffs

Women’s basketball reflects on their season

By Sadie Shields Sports Editor

With the season at an end and the towels hanging, the noises from the fans on the court seemed to diminish after the women’s basketball team took home a final victory against the Cuesta College Cougars.

Head Coach Thara Innocent reflected on her goals from this past season.

“My goals for this season was to make it to the playoffs and possibly win the championship because I felt like we had enough talent and skill,” Innocent said. “In midseason, three of my starters had season-ending injuries so that kind of made a change to our team dynamics, and unfortunately we were not able to make it to the next round.”

Derricka Millinghaus, freshman point and post guard for the Brahmas last season, got injured in an away game against Cerritos College. With her recovery going smoothly, she looks forward to participating more in the upcoming season.

“I’m recovering quicker than normal so I should definitely be ready by the time it comes,” she said, explaining she had a torn ACL and meniscus.

Miracle Millinghaus, sister to Derricka Millinghaus and freshman shooting guard for the Brahmas last season who was injured in the same game, talked about what games she wishes she could’ve been in to help the Brahmas score.

“All the games really, I feel like I could’ve helped a lot, I feel like we would have gone to the playoffs if we were not hurt,” Miracle Millinghaus said. “We would have been still number one, because we were number one in the conference before the injury. We were 9-2 and then the injury happened and then it just messed up the flow.”

The Brahmas had a record of 15-13 this season, 10 of those wins at home. Throughout the season, Innocent noticed improvement from the team.

“I definitely feel we did have improvements through the season with different individuals, some people still have some work to do but I definitely see the improvement as a group and a team,” Innocent said.

Sophomore point and post guard Chassen Gutierrez was honored for her skills throughout the season, being named a

member of the 1st team Western State Conference. Yet, she did not feel that being named on the 1st team really changed the opportunities she was given.

“I was definitely looked at quite a bit throughout the season. I am not 100 percent sure if that list had something to do with maybe more people reaching out,” Gutierrez said. “We did have a sophomore showcase recently so I think I grabbed about four opportunities there as well, but I am pretty sure that they were looking at me throughout the season.”

Innocent also mentioned how proud she was of Gutierrez and her accomplishment.

“I am very proud of her she worked hard, she is a transfer from another school so I was very glad to see that she was able to get that accomplishment and it is going to help open doors for her to get to the next level to possibly get a scholarship somewhere or advance with her basketball career,” Innocent said.

With the women’s basketball season beginning again in November, new athletes will fill in the shoes of the sophomores who will be gone next year.

“Be ready, be serious, work hard, stay humble, keep your grades up and be ready to work,” Innocent said.

With a new season coming up, Innocent’s aim to win the championship remains the same.

“I definitely want to win the league and move onto the next level,” Innocent said.

Innocent’s other goals include recruiting enough talent, making sure the team’s academics are in good standing and getting a motivated coaching staff that is “self driven” to help alleviate the workload.

“If we have everything aligned as far as having everyone disciplined as a core group, have my staff disciplined and have the athletes disciplined, then that will give me a better opportunity to get to the next level,” Innocent said. “Just find people that are serious about what they want to do, and serious about basketball and serious about their jobs.”

Catcher Melissa Zaragoza throws the ball back to the team during a game against Cuesta College at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 21, 2024. The Brahmas lost 3- 4.

Icy Smith / Roundup News

Outfielder Logan Kim (#4) slides to third base in a game against Oxnard College at the Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 19, 2024. The Brahmas won 5-4.

Abraham Elizalde / Roundup News