Volume 114 Spring 2011 Roundup Issue 2

ROUNDUP UP

Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday.”

The French Club lived up to the meaning when they hosted Pierce College’s first “Pre-Mardi Gras” festival Monday.

The club provided homemade Cajun foods like jambalaya, crepes and King Cake; a round cinnamon- roll like cake with colorful sugary icing that was imported from Louisiana. Pierce student Michelle Basche was impressed with the tarot card reading.

“I think the tarot cards are the most fun,” said Basche. “Very New Orleans.”

Gabrielle Mellibosky, French Club president, said the event was essentially a parody of the real New Orleans celebrations.

Handmade beaded earrings, a mini donut maker and a “Taste of Italy” themed basket were placed on tables lining the wall and available for auction Saturday, in the Great Hall at the 21st annual Cabaret Dinner Fundraiser.

The event, hosted by the Pierce College Philharmonic Choir, began at 6:30 p.m. and included dinner, a silent auction and 18 scheduled performances.

Students showcased songs ranging from musicals to country music.

The majority of performers are enrolled in Music 531, taught on Monday nights by Terry Danne,

“We are the French Club, and Mardi Gras is celebrated in New Orleans which has a huge French history,” he said.

Mellibosky added that this historical celebration has never been brought to Pierce and is excited to make it the club’s first big event of the semester.

The club captured the Mardi Gras party scene with colorful décor, including images of masks, poster drawings of places in France, and lively music (both American and European).

The party provided henna tattoo, face painting, raffle tickets, and beads.

Beads were granted to people who purchased food or participated in any of the activitie. The male and female with the most beads were crowned Madri Gras King and Queen.

Winners of the royal titles were Ana Bautista who won with 27 beads

the musical conductor of Pierce College’s Philharmonic Choir and Master Chorale.

“Students got the opportunity to perform a variety of music,” said

Theresa Danne, a member of the master chorale and wife of Terry Danne. A total of 120 tickets were sold in advance, while another 15 were sold at the door.

Additional chairs were placed around the original tables to accommodate the number of guests present.

Andria Smith, 18, opened the evening with an acoustic performance of “Gray,” a song she composed.

“I wrote this song about six months ago,” Smith said. “It’s about growing older.”

Entertainer David Williams served as master of ceremonies for the event. Williams marched down the Great Hall impersonating the late Sammy Davis Jr. David Hallbauer, 61,

and Steven Claude who won with 20.

All the activities were free and food and beverages were priced at one dollar or less.

The guests weren’t the only ones able to join the fun; all members from the French Club were allowed to participate and run for prizes.

Demetrio Landeros, recent French club member said he became interested in getting involved.

“I’m pretty excited about being in the club. I’m not a French major but I would like to learn more,” he said.

A new batch of hot food, cake, and fresh coffee was brought out for the guests that joined the event in its last hours.

The second half of the event had a very lively group willing to participate in a Macarena dance and unexpected balloon fight.

The raffle winner, Pierce student Matt Watkins, took home an old-time record player.

started his college education at Pierce College before eventually graduating from CSUN. He relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii, to earn his master’s degree.

Now retired, he moved back to California a few years ago and since then has enrolled in more Pierce courses.

“If it wasn’t for Pierce College, I’d be a garbage man,” Hallbauer said. Hallbauer was one of the last to go on stage. He sang and played, “He Walked on Water,” a country song by Randy Travis.

Dinner was provided by Stonefire Grill; it included chicken and tri-tip for the main course.

The silent auction that continued through the evening included 85 items donated by members and friends of the Philharmonic Choir.

Frank Rosales, 68, who was one of several people in charge of selling additional tickets at the door, also attended the fundraiser in

“We have a budget of, I believe $900 for this event,” said Mellibosky. “We are planning on asking the school to give us $300.”

French club treasurer, Jonathan Fackler estimated a $600 profit. “We hope to make this Mardi Gras celebration an annual thing,” said Fackler. “We had a wonderful turnout today.”

Some students like Nathan Schroeder were enlightened by the event.

“I didn’t know much about Cajun food before today” said Schroeder. Many people who stopped by the celebration agreed it was well planned.

“I was actually born and raised in New Orleans . . . this is the closest thing I have to home,” said Emerald Ivy. cgarcia.roundupnews@gmail.com mhernandez.roundupnews@gmail. com

support of his wife.

Diana Rosales, a soprano in the chorale, was scheduled to sing but could not attend the event due to a family emergency.

“This [event] was very fruitful for us,” said Rosales.

David Hallbauer also expressed enthusiasm for the event.

“There was great support; a lot of people put a lot of work toward this,” Hallbauer said.

Cynthia Garcia/ Roundup

Michaia Hernandez/ Roundup

In need of President

Pierce College is rapidly becoming one of the best community colleges in the country.

With that in mind, great organizations need great leaders, a person with enough power to represent it, the staff and the consumers [students] and who will be there to help make the most important decisions regarding that organization’s future.

The issue is that we do not have that leader.

Not yet, anyway.

Pierce College’s 21st President Kathleen Burke-Kelly took over as interim president at Mission College on Feb. 1. She is staying there until April 1, according to a press release from the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Chancellor’s office.

A college president has administrative and academic-related duties, college development and public relations responsibilities, and questions that have to be addressed every day for an educational institution to run properly.

Filling in for Burke-Kelly and seving her second period as interim president is Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Joy McCaslin.

McCaslin has done a great job so far running this college; however, the “interim” title before her name does not help her much and implies that she can take some decisions regarding the college’s near future but not for the long-run.

This means that every important administrative decision regarding Pierce’s future can’t be made without consultation with a leader who is not even here to see what is exactly happening in and about our campus.

The general consensus among professors and college staff is that it is a very irresponsible decision to have left Pierce without a leader in this time of budget crisis and transformation which our campus is going through.

I strongly believe it’s the wrong decision because the LACCD is not helping an institution, but harming both of them in the process.

Now there are two administrators who cannot fully administer the colleges they’re running because they do not have “enough” power to do it.

Why not put a Mission vice president in as interim president?

That would make more sense since that person is actually there and knows exactly what happens in their college. Now there are two institutions without a long-term representation who can actually “administer” the college they are running because they won’t be in that position for long.

rcarbonel.roundupnews@gmail.com

Prepare yourself

Let’s raise awareness for awareness week

Engage your senses

There is so much more blood than you thought there would be, and you are fading fast as people start to gather around you.

Only a moment ago, you were jamming out on your iPod and status-updating on Facebook. Now you are laying face up in a crosswalk after being struck by one of the thousands of vehicles zooming around Pierce College.

Congratulations, you are dead.

You were in the crosswalk. You had the right-of-way. You are dead. The driver didn’t stop when they should have. They could go to jail. You are still dead.

You willingly gave up the use of your most valuable defensive weapons (your eyes and ears) in a location that commands your attention; you never saw it coming.

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, a pedestrian is injured every eight minutes in this country. Every two hours, one dies. This time it’s you.

Remember how mommy told you to look both ways? She was doing what mammals worldwide do: nurture the self-preservation instinct of their offspring.

See, now you’ve let your mom down.

Relax. This isn’t actually you. This is what could happen though, if you don’t look up from that cell phone once in a while.

It would be a shame for an equally unaware student to drive around the parking lot dragging you under their car because your severely overactive sense of entitlement dictates that you walk in slow motion down the middle of every street on campus.

Every day, students walk the streets here like they are strolling down the Mall.

It’s a paved road, complete with automobiles.

Contrary to popular opinion, there is a hierarchy of dominance at work here that must be respected; 2000 plus pounds of moving vehicle and 200 pounds of walking student should never, ever meet.

With all the frustrated drivers searching for an empty spot, even the should-be-safe parking lots are scary if you’re paying attention.

Here at Pierce, we have laws that regulate traffic speed and pedestrian rights.

Painted lines, signs and lights do draw attention to the dangers, but you still have a responsibility to pay attention to all these attention-getting schemes.

The folks who put up the crosswalks had your best interests in mind when they did it. It is the same with those who laid out the sidewalks.

These are the safest, most regulated sections of the otherwise not-so pedestrian-friendly roads here on campus. Why must you insist on putting yourselves in so much danger?

If the blood and guts, the logical presentation and the mommy reference has yet to open your mind to the possibility that you too might be a discourteously oblivious pedestrian, perhaps you aren’t one after all. Good for you.

There’s no easy solution for this issue, save for that rudimentary understanding of our susceptibility to being smashed by big moving things like the ones your mother drilled into you while you were still in diapers.

That understanding is what you must re-engage. It begets the proper amount of respect, like one should always give the ocean or a mother grizzly bear. No sense of entitlement excuses complacency. Being in the crosswalk does not promise safety.

You must take up the cause of your own safety, especially while on campus. The false sense of security displayed is both ill advised and dangerous.

Pick up your head and look around, because how it happens and why it happens-even whose fault it ends up being¬—is academic. If a vehicle hits you, you stand an excellent chance of dying. Kindly unplug your headphones, plug in your senses and get back on the sidewalk.

—Letter to the Editor—

Most important concert overlooked

The March 2 edition of the The Roundup reviewed two concerts presented over the previous week, and included a schedule of upcoming performances for each.

However, the most important concert of last week, the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra, was omitted. The concert took place Saturday evening, February 26 on the Performing Arts Building mainstage, and included works by Borodin, Prokofiev, Glazunov, and finished with Tchaikovsky’s beautiful Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy.

The first class San Fernando Valley Symphony orchestra, led by Maestro James Domine who teaches at Pierce, provides a rare opportunity for students and the community to enjoy the best of classical music, presented close to home and at much lower prices than downtown. This cultural resource should be highlighted in the Roundup.

The Roundup should send a reporter to the next concert to be sure

that there is proper coverage of the event. The next performance is scheduled for April 23, 2011 at 8 PM in the Performing Arts Center and will feature works by American Composers. The program, copied from the published schedule, will consist of:

Bernstein: Three Dance Episodes from On the Town Grofé: Excerpts from Grand Canyon Suite Gershwin: Suite from Porgy and Bess (arr. by R. R. Bennett) and the inaugural performance of a piece by our own conductor Domine: Symphony No. 3 in E minor, “Made in America” Further details on the next performance and on the orchestra can be found at www.sfvsymphony.com, in the music department brochure at www.piercecollege.edu/media/pdf/Arts_ Calendar_2010-11.pdf, or call 818.347.4807 for tickets. I for one will be there.

-Richard Lewis Pierce Encore student

More than 30 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the world today. Approximately two million of those will die according to AVERT.

Although deadly, the infection is both preventable and manageable.

Pierce College is hosting their biannual HIV/AIDS Awareness Week March 21 through the 25; a week dedicated to informing students and staff on the campus on what precautions to take.

In the past, the week could have been deemed a success on how aware Pierce’s students were, but unfortunately, no can do.

Health Center Director Beth Benne has reiterated the importance on how health issues and concerns should all be addressed. It’s not only life saving but helpful.

In California alone, there is an estimated 67,000 people living with an AIDS diagnosis as of 2008, according the AVERT Organization.

Beginning on March 21 speakers from Being Alive, an agency designed with supportive services and education tools, and HIV/AIDS testing will be offered.

First, take advantage of the free and anonymous testing. Although the vans are located in Lot 1, it’s worth being safe and knowledgeable about your own life.

Second, the Mall should be lined with posters and booths offering locations of all happenings about the week as well as handouts on facts and figures.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Benne should work with as many professors on setting up mandatory meetings within the classrooms on bringing speakers from Being Alive to share their story.

After sitting in on a speaker two semesters ago, the impact of hearing a real-life story put into perspective the hurdles patients go through and highlighted the importance of raising awarness to the cause.

With the clubs involvement on the week, students, professors and faculty can be brought together to cause change within the Pierce campus.

What’s the point of having an awareness week if no one knows?

Let them know!

Last year, the Roundup conducted a random poll that showed out of 500 students, 341 of them were unaware it was HIV/AIDS Awareness Week.

This semester, the same poll showed that out of 150 students, only 33 knew the week was approaching.

It is never too early to start promoting special events, especially with regards to HIV/AIDS.

It was too little too late in the past on getting the word out. Let’s not make the same mistake again.

sgrossman.roundupnews@gmail.com

Rodrigo Carbonel / Roundup

Sydney Grossman/ Roundup

There’s no future with no president

Maria Salvador/ Roundup

Budget cuts are hitting community colleges throughout the state of California.

Professors at Pierce College will be debating budget cuts and possible solutions in conjunction with the “March in March” hosted in Sacramento.

James McKeever, assistant professor of sociology, and Dr. Pamela Brown, instructor of political science, will debate the issues in the Great Hall on Monday March 14.

“Fees are skyrocketing, thousands of classes have been cancelled,” reads the news and event page for iwillmarch.com. “It’s time to do something about it.”

“I Will March” is a student-run website that keeps California community college students informed about upcoming advocacy events and efforts.

Faculty educated on workplace violence

A local psychologist, members of the Sheriff ’s Department demonstrate warning signs

like never leaving anything of value in your car and treating every threat with equal importance.

“If you have a title, it does mean people are going to treat you with respect.” said Dadourian during the lecture.

Joseph Dadourian, a psychologist who is specialized in workplace stress management and trauma, discussed on-campus violence in the Great Hall Thursday.

Deans and faculty attended the lecture, which taught them how to recognize violence warnings and how to prevent and intervene when an act of violence occurs.

“Violence is about awareness, because people do not know the other person’s background and value system,” said Dadourian.

It was said that bullying, teasing, video games and love related relationship were the main and most common causes of violence.

Alcohol and addictive drugs also exacerbate acts of violence in the workplace.

A video clip screened at the lecture noted that people are protected from the government on the 1st Amendment, but not from other citizens.

For example, people are not free to say things like, “I’m going to kill you!”

The lecture talked about how to identify acts and warnings of violence, going on the say that silence or ignorance are also forms of violence.

Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Nohles also made an appearance at the lecture, going over basic safety tips

The lecture covered acts of violence in the workplace and also disruptive, threatening violent behaviors.

Faculty members present at the event were most concerned with outdated phone records that would prevent the Sheriffs from knowing who to rush to in case of an emergency.

Deputy Nohles assured the audience that the Sheriff’s Department is ready for any emergencies.

“In case of a real emergency, I can have 30 squad cars out there in 15 minutes,” said Nohles. “Please only say ‘man with a gun’ if and only if there is a man with a gun.”

It was also mentioned in the lecture that places with the most acts of violence are often hospitals and medical clinics.

Anger was a main sign of an act of violence and the most visual.

Anger translates into angry gestures, and the volume and tone of the voice are indicators of a threat.

It was said some common warnings before physical acts of violence are silence or ignoring someone.

McKeever and Brown will share their personal views and thoughts on budget cuts, rising tuition fees and cancellation of classes, to hopefully lead to possible solutions at 4:15 p.m. Directly after the debate there will be a candle light vigil for “the death of education.”

“We don’t do it to make money,” said McKeever. “I’ll have to cap classes at 45 [students] with the way things are going.”

Both professors are looking forward to the deabte and encourage students to attend to have questions and concers answered.

The debate is planned to be approximately an hour long.

“All questions [about the debate] will be answered on the day of the debate,” stated Dr. Brown in an email reply.

Sheriff’s blotter

• 3/3/11-GRAND THEFT- A bicycle was stolen from the Center for the Sciences at approximately 5:30 p.m.

• 3/3/11-PETTY THEFT- A bicycle was stolen from the front of the library at approximately 4:30 p.m.

• 3/3/11-GRAFFITI- The Victory marquee was vandalized with graffiti at approximately 6 a.m.

• 3/4/11-MISCELLANEOUS- Parking Lot 3 was vandalized at approximately 7 a.m.

• 3/5/11-MISCELLANEOUS- A verbal altercation took place near the farm stables at approximately 10 a.m.

Sage Lynn/ Roundup

Budget cuts and fee increases leading to a faculty debate to find better sollutions

Jose Romero / Roundup

Law professor to shoot in Beijing

Larry Kushner plans 2nd photo workshop in China during this upcoming summer

To say that a law professor wanting to conduct a photography workshop is unusual would be an understatement, but that’s exactly what Larry Kushner plans on doing.

The 64-year-old adjunct assistant professor of political science and law is holding a photo workshop in China, a threeweek-long photographic essay seminar in Beijing this summer.

According to Kushner, who taught advanced photography and video production at Pierce College from 1974 to 1978, the workshop isn’t just about giving people the opportunity to take pictures in a foreign country.

“It’s about getting American and Chinese students to meet and work with each other,” he said. “The Chinese know everything about us, but we know almost nothing about them.”

The workshop, which begins July 15 and ends Aug. 7, is limited to 20 American participants, and the trip will cost around $2,840 per person.

“Actually, the workshop itself is free of charge,” said Kushner. “It’s the actual trip to China, as well as the living accommodations, that participants will be paying for.”

Kushner admits that the most difficult part in the process of getting the workshop together is attracting enough people to attend.

“I’ve been sending e-mails to as many photographic instructors as I can,” he said. “Just to get 20 people to go, you’re probably going to have to give notice to about 20,000 people.”

This is not the first year that Kushner is holding Photo WorkShop China.

The first one was held three years ago, just a few months prior to the commencement of the 2008 Olympics.

“While lecturing in Renmin University of China, I found out that their photojournalism instructor was preparing her students to become the photo staff of the Olympics,” he said. “I thought that the workshop would be a great opportunity to get them ready.”

For this year’s seminar, Kushner is partnering with the College of Art and Communication of Beijing Normal University.

The school is making the workshop a credit class for its students.

“I was surprised by that,” said Kushner. “It’s a good incentive to get the Chinese students to attend.”

According to Kushner, one of the deans of the school also promised that he would reserve the university gallery in order for the photographs taken by the participants to be publicly exhibited.

Professional photographer Michael Stern is Kushner’s co-instructor for the workshop.

Kushner said that he wanted to work with somebody who had an expertise that was different from his.

“I didn’t think he would be interested in doing it,” he admitted. “I don’t get paid for doing this so it’s hard for me to ask someone else to do it for free, too.”

Stern, who met Kushner in one of the professional photography clubs they are both part of, is looking forward to the trip.

“I do get lots out of being part of it,” he said. “The experience itself, in addition to the knowledge I’ll gain and connections I’ll make, are what I’m looking forward to.”

Stern plans to focus on teaching the participants how to “build a better photograph.”

He wants to get the student-taken pictures ready for display at the end of the workshop.

Herbert Camey, a 30-year-old sociology major and one of Kushner’s students, is looking forward to the trip as well.

“I’m not usually too open when it comes to other cultures,” he said. “So I think that this will be a great opportunity for me to get to travel and familiarize myself with the way of life of the Chinese.”

Photojournalism major Juan Gutierrez thinks that the entire project is a good idea.

“If I could go I definitely would,” he said. “This is an amazing opportunity for anybody who’s really passionate about photography.”

Another endeavor that Kushner is currently focusing on is the publishing of his first book, Portraits of China: a Photojournalistic Exploration.

He expects it to be available for distribution through Amazon.com by next week.

“I don’t really expect to sell too many copies but you never know,” he said. “Through this book, I hope to give people a bit of insight as to what China is really

about.”

The book, which he says will cost $20 a copy, is a compilation of choice photographs he has taken in China throughout the years.

Each photograph is accompanied by a short description.

“The photos generally represent some evolutionary event in the culture: changes that have come about in the country,” he said.

Of all the accomplishments he’s made throughout the course of his life, the 2008 Photo WorkShop China is what Kushner is most proud of.

“Thinking about it always makes me smile,” he said.

mhernandez.roundupnews@

International student reaches out

A Pierce College alumn, Adrian Sondhi, presides over the CSUN outreach center

Sipping on his vanilla latte from the Freudian Sip, 21-year-old Pierce College alumn sits at the transfer center waiting to assist future CSUN students.

Adrian Sondhi is from Malawi, Africa and is currently an international student at California State University Northridge (CSUN), he plans to double major in finance and psychology.

Leaving home at 17, he started

working at the Pierce Financial Aid office to support himself.

“ I lived by myself,” said Sondhi. “Basically, I was on my own”

Mike Martinez is Sondhi’s co-worker at the financial aid building, and says that Sondhi is the go to guy for electronics, and he works very hard at everything he does.

“He wont flinch to get the job done,” said Martinez

Eventually Sondhi completed his requirements at Pierce, and was accepted into CSUN.

Still working at the financial aid office,

Sondhi was offered a job with CSUN’s outreach recruitment program, which included going to community colleges in the area and helping prospective students apply or following up on their applications.

“ It feels great to help students,” Sondhi said

According to Sondhi, transferring from a community college to a four-year university is a huge culture shock, and it is a completely different world.

“

Your in a room with 150 other students,” Sondhi said “ It’s the real deal” He goes on to say that community col-

lege is more like high school, and he never had a problem keeping up.

On the other hand, he struggled at first to keep up with the university’s work load.

“ You need to be on top of your stuff,” Sondhi said His main advice to students is time management

“ You spend five hours a day on Facebook what are you doing,” Sondhi said.

Students confide in Sondhi because he has been through it all. Randal Dang, a 20-year-old biology major waits in line to get his question answered about his submit-

ted application.

“ Am I supposed to do anything else?”

Dang said Dang asks his questions, and after ten minutes of conversing back and forth Dang was able to leave with piece of mind that everything was submitted correctly “ Pretty much he cleared up everything,” Dang said, “ He’s a huge help.”

aantoniadis.roundupnews@gmail.com

Devon Trammel / Roundup

Reading: Larry Kushner, founder of Photo Workshop China presents a proof of a book he is trying to publish in the Pierce College Botanical Garden.

Devon Trammel / Roundup

China: Larry Kushner, founder of Photo Workshop China presents a proof of a book he is trying to publish.

Michaia Hernandez/ Roundup

After-noon musical escape

Dow Arena fills with classical sounds as concert series completes 2nd performance

As the audience filed into the Dow Arena Theater, bass and piano music filled the room with harmonic sounds.

Showcasing classical music, double bass player Thomas Harte and pianist Timothy Durkovic captured the audience as the Thursday noon concert series continued.

The Concert

The concert began with performances from selections such as Sonata: Allegatto, Schezo-allegro assai and Molto adagio-lied and Allegretto Grazioso from composer Paul Hindemith.

Harte and Durkovic concluded the free show by performing Sonata: Allegretto be moderatro, Allegro, Recitativo Fantasia and Allegretto poco mosso by composer Cesar Franck.

Both musicians have played together before and traveled to Guatemala City and performed in a string quintet together.

“It feels amazing, and it [the concert] is a lifetime highlight,” said Harte.

Professor Jim Bergman, who conducted the concert, said that both musicians were fantastic.

“I loved it [the concert], he

[Harte] and the pianist [Durkovic],” said Patti Thompson, sociology major.

Thomas Harte

Harte received his first double bass during his senior year of high school.

“I have been playing for almost 20 years,” said Harte. “Although I’m 32 years old, I feel like a 16-year-old.”

From Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Harte attended Southeast Missouri State University where he earned his bachelors and received his masters from Juilliard, where

he studied under bass player Homer Mensch.

Harte was later chosen to go on a tour in Japan and Korea and has also recorded “Concerto From My Childhood” with famed Violinist Itzhak Perlman.

He later moved to Los Angeles where he attended USC’s Thornton School of Music.

Now, he has worked with known pop artists such as Taylor Swift and Andrea Bocelli.

Timothy Durkovic

Durkovic is from Guatemala and received his musical education

High school music fest teams up with LA Winds

Students from Granada Hills Charter High School and the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies visited Pierce College to perform for the 17th Annual High School Music Festival.

The event took place on Friday, March 4 in the Performing Arts Center. There were dozens of students running around the event trying to locate and assemble their instruments moments before the performance began.

“I am somewhat nervous, only because I have a solo,” said Jared Green, who is the only tuba player in the Sherman Oaks band.

According to Green and his other band mates, they practiced at least three times per week since January, and about two hours of practice on their own time.

James Tang stuck out from the crowd with his mohawk hairstyle. The 16-year-old flute player is a member of both the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, and the Los Angeles Pierce Symphonic Winds.

“I like [Pierce] more, it’s more advanced music,” Tang said.

music professor Dr. Hume critiqued the students, and gave them words of encouragement.

“The journey, that is what music is all about, the journey,” said Hume.

Hume continued to praise and advise the “young people,” and urged them to keep listening to the music and to have a good time playing.

“The more you have fun with it, the better you play it,” said Hume.

from the National Conservatory of Music in Guatemala. Similar to Harte, Durkovic also attended Juilliard and USC’s Thornton School of Music, and has won national and international competitions.

Durkovic has chamber music collaborations throughout countries including The United States, Canada, and continents like Europe and Asia.

R U online? Check out theroundupnews.com for the schedule of concerts.

ncarrera.roundupnews@gmail.com

Tang has been playing the flute since the 5th grade, and has been practicing with the Los Angles Winds since last summer.

The director of the Los Angles Pierce Symphonic Winds, Stephen P. Piazza hosted, directed, and also performed at the event. His expectations for the night were high, and he was exited for the students to perform. He was also grateful for the variety of people that showed up to support the high school students, as well as the Los Angeles Winds.

“It’s a different audience entirely,” said Piazza.

After each band finished their performance, Piazza and retired

The event concluded with the Los Angles Pierce Symphonic Winds, and the duet of Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which starred Stephen Piazza and Helen Goode.

The high school bands were relieved that the performance finally came to an end, and they were all able to hang out and enjoy themselves with pizza.

Overall, the students were satisfied with their performance as were their conductors.

“I mildly messed up,” said Green. “I can’t wait for next year.”

aantoniadis.roundupnews@gmail.com

Nelger Carrera / Roundup

Joesph Kukuczka / Roundup

CONDUCT: Stephen Piazza conducts high school students at concert in PAB March 4.

Alexis Antoniadis / Roundup

Cesar Monge / Roundup

TUNES: Double bass player Thomas Harte and pianist Timothy Durkovic perform classical selections at a free concert in the PAB on March 3.

Calling Dr. Dolittle

Nestled between the fast-paced campus and the San Fernando Valley’s equivalent to a quintessential English countryside, visiting the Pierce Farm is like stepping back in time.

The modern agricultural science behind the farm is hiding just under the surface of this sprawling collection of livestock, farm equipment and and dedicated staff.

Students, staff and faculty all share the work load of the full-time, full-functioning farm and we all enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Live births, growing crops and rolling hills of green sprawl across the western side of campus providing a serene escape from the high tempo of activity throughout the academic community here at Pierce.

Providing fresh vegetables, fresh air, and a fresh perspective, the farm offers a unique and invigorating view of not only our little corner of Woodland Hills, but of the entire valley.

Visit now and witness the next generation of farm animals being born.

Photosby: StephaniePardo Joe

GOT MILK?: After being welcomed by students into this world several days ago, a newborn calf is gently nuzzled by its grazing mother yesterday at the Pierce College Farm while waiting for its next meal.

Joe Kukuczka / Roundup

LONELY ONE (Above): A lone burro waits quietly in a pen at the Equestrian Center for someone to purchase him during The Bureau of Land Managementʼs Adopt-A-Horse and/or Burro event .

Joe Kukuczka / Roundup

GOOD OLEʼ BOY (Below): Art DiGrazia, wild horse and burro operations specialist (BLM California Desert District) , speaks with potential buyer Audrey Schwartz at theAdopt-A-Horse and/or Burro event .

Stephanie Pardo / Roundup

HAY IS FOR HORSES (Above): Josh Evans brings an afternoon snack of hay to the horses living at the Pierce Farm Equestrian Center on Feb. 16. Evans cares for many of the animals housed on campus.

Stephanie Pardo / Roundup

CHEESE (Below): Goats greet anyone who approaches as they gather in one of the many pens at the farmʼs Equestrian Center. Mothers are expected to give birth throughout the next few weeks.

Ready, set, go

Swim team impressive at first meet of season

The Pierce College Brahma swim and dive teams had their first scoring meet of the season Friday at the Santa Monica College Swim Center where they competed against the Bakersfield College Renegades, Ventura College Pirates, and Santa Monica College Corsairs.

The Brahma’s own Sareen Hagopian won the 200-yard individual medley and Samantha Elam won both the 200 and 500-yard free style.

“I’m still a little pumped,” said Elam between her two victories.

Many of her teammates share the same attitude.

“When I’m in the water, I’m not thinking; I’m in the zone,” said Ryan Orphan.

Orphan is in his second year of college and plans to transfer to California Maritime Academy in Vallejo where he plans to continue swimming competitively while studying to become a ship captain.

Diving coach Josh Foster has high hopes for the Brahma dive team.

A couple of rough dives didn’t deter first year diver, Kenna Worthen, from doing well according to Foster.

“She struggled with challenging new dives and had a lot of painful dives,” said Foster. “When you land wrong, it hurts.”

Danielle Williamson swam two events, as well as diving. Williamson swam one race, went straight over to the diving area to compete, and then went back to swim another race.

“It can be very challenging switching gears between two disciplines,” said Foster. “[Williamson] improved considerably over last week.”

BASEBA LL —BASEBALL—

Giovanni Mazzola

Mazzola, a sophomore had two of the Brahmas’ four hits Saturday during the team’s 4-3 home loss. All-in-all, the outfielder was 2-4 with an RBI and a walk.

SOF T BA L L —SOFTBALL—

Daniella Cotilla-Delgado

Brahma third basemen CotillaDelgado has been an inspirational asset for the improving Pierce softball team. The freshman smashed a two-run go-ahead single during the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday afternoon leading her team to a 6-4 victory.

S W I M M I NG —SWIMMING—

Samantha Elam

Samantha Elam dominated the field at Friday’s swim meet held at SMC. The freshman won both the 200 and 500 yard events in what was the first timed meet of the season.

Worthen and Williamson’s teammates, Ryan Anderson and Oren Steuer, also performed well.

Ryan Anderson placed first in both the onemeter and three-meter dives, and Oren Steuer is working on new dives for the three-meter dives that have a high degree of difficulty.

All four divers are first year diving competitors. This has everyone associated with the program very excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Head Coach Fred Shaw. “The men have a lot of depth, and we have a very powerful girl’s team.”

The next meet for the Brahmas will be a two-day event on March 11 and 12 at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo.

slynn.roundupnews@gmail.com

“When I’m in the water, I’m not thinking; I”m in the zone.”

-Ryan

Orphan Pierce College swimmer

Sage Lynn/ Roundup

Jose Romero / Roundup

GONE: Off the blocks and breaking into the water March 4, 2011 at Santa Monica College, Pierce College placed 2nd during their quad meet.

Compiled by Mark Gillman

Jose Romero / Roundup

UD and Joe Kukuczka

and Joe Kukuczka

Two for one

Softball team splits double-dip with COD

The Pierce College Women’s Softball

Team hosted a double-header Saturday welcoming the College of the Desert to town.

A call at third base was at the center of controversy when the ball hit a College of the Desert player in fair territory and the Brahmas’ infielder tagged both third and home base for a routine double play. Instead, the runner at third was left on base and only one out was counted.

Later that same inning, the bases would be loaded and a grand slam would soon follow to make the score, 7-1, blowing the game wide open. The Brahmas’ would not be able to recover from that second inning.

“I think the call was wrong, but now I could be wrong so it’s not like it cost us the game,” said Head Coach Pat Grennan on the controversial call at third.

Many players in both dugouts and fans in the stands were shouting their opinion to the umpire about the controversial call at third.

The Brahmas’ would eventually lose the first game, 11-2, with the lone bright spot in the blow out being Rosie Venegas’ three hit performance.

The second game was a tale

Four and counting

Losing streak extended with loss to

Brahmas’ left-hander

Ryan

Santhon recorded

eleven strikeouts in seven innings of work, but to no avail as Pierce lost at home in extra innings to the Bakersfield Renegades Saturday, 4-3.

The loss is the fourth in a row for the Brahmas, whose record now stands at 7-6. Bakersfield improved to 9-5 for the season.

Pierce came out strong with a great opening performance by Santhon who had five strikeouts in the first two innings. The Brahma bats, however, did little to help their pitching ace as they only had four hits in eleven innings of play.

“We’re not hitting; we had two hits through nine innings, four hits total. We’ve really been struggling offensively for about seven or eight games now,” said Head Coach John Bushart. “Pitching did a good job today; it’s hard for the pitching to keep holding the opponent down.”

The main reason for the Brahmas’ bat struggles on Saturday was the Renegades’ starting pitcher, Marcos Reyna, who allowed only two runs, two hits, and recorded five strikeouts in his seven innings of work.

This has been somewhat of a recurring theme over the last four games. The team has hit a wall.

Hits, hits and more hits are should come with time. Hopefully, for the Brahmas’ the bats heat up alongside the weather.

“Most of the hitters at Pierce are mostly dead-pull hitters, so I just had to keep everything down and away, especially with Richard Stock, I know he is a real power hitter,” said Reyna.

The game was tied until Renegades outfielder Mike Spingola delivered a two RBI single in the top of the 11th inning off of Pierce’s reliever, Dominic Archey.

The Brahmas had a chance to win in the bottom of the 11th inning when they loaded the bases with one out but could not come through.

Second baseman Fernando Gallegos flied out to right field for the final out of the game.

The only Pierce bat who did not struggle against Reyna was outfielder Giovanni Mazzola, who went 2-4 with an RBI and a walk.

“I was just timing it well; I was putting my foot down early, I was looking for that fastball and when I saw it, I just put a good swing on it,” said Mazzola. “We just didn’t hit today, that’s what it comes down to.”

The Brahmas’ next baseball game will be on Tuesday March 8, at LA Valley College at 2 p.m.

of two different teams, and the coaches singled out the reason.

“Pitching,” said Assistant Head Coach Danny Moore. “Our pitcher did a good job.”

Players and coaches alike know that old saying that pitching wins championships.

“We wanted it and we got what we wanted,” said Rosie Venegas.

Heather Krahling for most of the second game shut down the College of the Deserts’ offense. The Brahmas’ jumped out to an early 3-0 lead that held most of the game.

Things got a little interesting

when College of the Desert tied the game, 3-3 in the top of the sixth inning.

“We got a little cocky and started celebrating a little too early,” said Moore.

The tied game did not last long when. Daniella Cotilla-Delgado hit the eventual game-winning tworun single in the bottom half of the sixth inning.

“I felt relieved, and that I made up for all the mistakes,” said Delgado.

The Brahmas would go on to win, 6-4, splitting the doubleheader.

The Brahmas’ next game will be Tuesday at Pierce College at 2:30 p.m.

“We wanted it and we got what we wanted.”

-Rosie Venegas Pierce College Softball

John Gutierrez / Roundup

SMACK: Pierce Collegeʼs short stop, Rosie Vanegas strikes the ball during game one against College of the Desert.

Joe Kukuczka/ Roundup

SAFE: David Pennington slides in safe against Pierce Collegeʼs Fernando Gallegos Mar. 5, 2011 at Joe Kelly Field. Pierce College went on to lose against Bakersfield College, 4-3.

Gutierrez / Roundup I

Pierceʼs Rosie Vanegas (left) and 2nd Basemen, Jessica Mejia (22) clash while attempting to tag out a C.O.D player sliding into second base.

/ Roundup