Volume 115 Fall 2011 Roundup Issue 5

Keeping the campus safe

Despite a rise in campus crime, Pierce remains safe thanks to dedicated professionals

Lior Haykeen/ Roundup

On a college campus the size of some small towns, two sheri ’s deputies aided by 13 security ocers and 11 cadets are commi ed to keeping the peace.

Half way through the semester, Pierce employees and students have already been exposed to a bookstore manager accused of embezzlement, a burglarized office, arrests, and thefts.

“With the economy going down and people losing their jobs, it wouldn’t surprise me if [crime rates] go up,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Nohles.

During September there has been a 25 percent rise in thefts, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD).

“Petty thefts are crimes of opportunity,” said Nohles. “People leave cells, purses and wal-

Safety Tips:

* Never walk alone in a parking lot.

*Always try to travel in areas that are well lit and provide high visibility.

*Make eye contact with those around you.

*Lock your car and make sure all windows are up.

*If you suspect you are being followed, go to the nearest populated area, find the closest blue phone or go to the Sheriffʼs Office.

Provided by LASDʼs Personal Safety Tips

lets, and other people take them.”

“For the size we are, I think we’re one of the schools with the lowest crime rates.”

Do we feel safe here?

The sheriffs and cadets take different roles to ensure our safety.

While cadets enforce parking laws and issue parking tickets, the sheriffs are called when a vehicle burglary or vandalism take place.

Cadets lock and unlock doors, help out at the Sheriff’s office and escort disabled students. Sheriffs, however, search and

chase after suspects, enforce criminal laws and pass on information to Los Angeles Police Department and other detectives.

“We’re here to keep the staff and students safe,” said Nohles.

The campus’ sheriffs and cadets makes some students safe.

“There’s always someone to help you at the Sheriff’s office,” said Danielle Dagan, Pierce student. “The cadets are always around campus, and, if you look, there’ll always be someone there to ask for help.

Blue lights

The 26 security personnel cannot cover every part of the campus at all times. For this reason, the school has developed the emergency blue phone system, a campuswide access and emergency line meant to keep the safety of students and staff.

Commonly referred to as ‘blue lights,’ the phones are actually large blue poles with the word ‘emergency’ printed on their sides, and a red button accompanied by the words ‘push for help’ in the center.

There are 21 blue phones spread throughout campus, which are available for students’ use around the clock.

The Sheriff’s Office receives at least one call from a blue phone on campus every couple of days, according to Nohles.

Even so, most of the calls are from lost students looking for directions and information.

Once the red button is pushed, the call is transferred directly to the Sheriff’s Office, where the operator is notified of the caller’s location.

Then, the sheriffs make sure that the caller is no longer in danger, make a report and start looking for the suspect reported.

“People usually come up to the Sheriff’s office to complain about crime, they don’t know that it’s much easier to just push the [red] button,” said Nohles.

Watching Cameras

Hidden cameras are not a part of campus security. They are not monitored around the clock, but only when deputies or security officers find the time to look at them, according to Nohles.

“People are programmed to know that everywhere they go they are on camera,” said Nohles.

Although visible security cameras are common, there are several parts of campus that entirely

Deputies, security officers and cadets on patrol

A ride along with one of Pierce’s security o cers o ers an inside look at the college sheri s

pretends he’s leaving. After reaching the designated exit he makes his way back to the middle of the parking lot.

and their strategies for embracing the peace

The deputies, cadets and security officers have no set routine to abide by when patrolling the campus, according to Ramos.

During his routine patrol of the college campus, the sheriff’s security officer encountered three individuals placing flyers for a weight loss program on car windshields in Lot 7.

After approaching the group, officer Justin Ramos, asked the men to stop placing the flyers and leave the campus if they are not students.

It’s a move Ramos refers to as a “double back.” Today, he used it to make sure the group has left and are no longer placing their flyers on student windshields.

from the outside and locked by the sheriffs from the front.

On foot, officers can cover the Mall and the building hallways. Those who choose to patrol on foot have to remain close enough to a patrol unit in case any trouble arises.

Patrolling: Sheriffʼs Security Officer

the campus in his car. Daily and unpredictable patrols keep criminals on their toes and help students stay safe.

“They [could be using] placing flyers as a way to look into cars,” said Ramos. “They’ll see what they have and break in.”

Resuming his patrol, he heads to the other side of the parking lot and

Encounters like these are not uncommon for the green shirted sheriff’s deputies, white shirted security officers and blue clad cadets that routinely patrol the college campus to ensure the safety of the students.

“We can go months and months where nothing happens and then the next day we’ll be really busy,” said Ramos.

They begin their patrol wherever they please, spend time where they feel they’re needed and have no set route; as long as they cover the entire campus. This ensures that criminals will not be able to predict the officer or cadet’s next step.

Deputies, cadets and security officers can go either on foot, by bike, cart or patrol vehicle during patrol.

Anyone unfortunate enough to spend time in the back seat of patrol car soon discovers it has no door handles or locks. The doors are opened

Security officers will react to a situation depending on the individual’s attitude, according to Ramos. Cadets, however, they are not allowed to engage any individuals. They must call their superiors to handle any problems they encounter.

Jose Romero/ Roundup

Safety: Sheriffʼs Security Officer Bryan Chavez poses outside the Sheriffʼs Office in a patrol car. He has worked on campus for one year and five months. He said the hardest part of the job is going home.

Emmad Abbasi/ Roundup

Bryan Chavez patrols

Get out of your carts

Sure, we have a 24-hour Sheriff’s Station on campus and we’ve seen cadets around a few times, but most of the time we find them riding through campus on their carts and sweeping by all too quickly.

What’s more, there are places where trouble could occur and those carts won’t fit.

Riding around in carts is fine but only occasionally walking about isn’t enough.

They need to patrol on foot, enter the buildings where students attend class and seek out the dark places where criminals lurk.

Since we have a public, 426-

acre campus, more coverage and regulation by security is necessary.

Students should be able to see campus security as they walk to class.

Each cadet and sheriff has three different eight-hour shifts, according to Security Officer Justin Ramos.

During morning ballet in the North Gym, “creepers” sometimes hang around the doorway and hall just staring into the class.

When it’s over, they finally leave and when asked if anyone knew them, the dancers usually say no.

Such situations make students uncomfortable and disrupt their learning environment.

And that’s just during the day.

A typical evening class at Pierce ends at approximately 10 p.m.

Ramos prefers working the night shifts because they get better calls and things get a little more interesting.

At that time, the campus is often deserted, with the exception of the occasional night school student leaving class and making their way across the dimly lit campus.

The last thing one wants to see is a creepy man or woman lurking

COMICS

Dear Editor:

I am writing to follow up on a story that was printed back around May 2011, regarding the care of the horses housed at Pierce College, and the fact that one was in such poor health, that it had to be euthanized due to the lack of care it was getting by the keeper, who was subsequently suspended from his post for attempting to cover up the fact that the horse was in such poor condition.

2.0 GPA! I believe this is what is keeping the competent students (3.0 and above) to come forward and represent the ASO. Low entry requirements mean low standards.

A student who has “maintained”

2.0 GPA is barely capable managing his or her own schoolwork. If these students join the ASO, it is most likely for the reason that they need to add it to their application, and not for the reason of the betterment of the campus or the student body. In your editorial you mention, “Having a genuine interest in becoming a student leader wouldn’t hurt either.” This statement sounds like the college is literally “begging” students to come forth, in which case we have a fundamental problem. Where are the students from the list of students who make it to the Dean’s list every semester? Is it the ASO’s reputation?

Pierce and Smokers

I have noticed that the horses are back at the stables and I want to make sure that we don’t forget about what happened to them last year. I am hoping that someone at the College will continue to monitor the conditions that the horses are kept in to ensure that they are treated humanly and that this does not happen again. I would appreciate a follow up story highlighting what has changed in their treatment and care.

If we are interested in bringing forth change, then it must start with the standards being revised; dedication, competence, and scholarly achievements must be given importance. The “drivers of the vehicle provided by the ASO” must be above the rest of the student population in terms of their achievements and certainly not below.

Every semester I have witnessed students standing at every nook and corner of the campus asking for endorsement to become a senator. When asked their goal for the student body, most do not even know what ASO stands for; leave alone their role as a senator.

Sylvia DSouza

behind them in the parking lot.

On the contrary, the sight of an armed sheriff patrolling would be comforting.

There are supposed to be sheriffs patrolling throughout the evening, but they are rarely visible to students on campus after 7 p.m.

They must make their presence known by walking through the halls, parking lots, behind and around our buildings during the day as well as in the evening.

As students we should be able to feel safe no matter what time of day it is.

If you are a smoker, Pierce is not an easy place for you. Most of the old “smoking areas” are gone and you are relegated to smoking in the parking lots. Even these sanctuaries are under attach and may be gone in a year or so.

Let me say that I am sympathetic to your addiction. It is difficulty dealing with the added stress of school and using tobacco seems to help. Your cravings can cloud your good judgment and your natural friendliness. They can even make you down right mean. To help, when Pierce put in the Non-Smoking Campus rule it also offered free Stop Smoking help at the student

health center. The subject came up again last week at the Faculty Senate, with one of the faculty pointing up the difficulties of trying to police the smokers. Lots of other faculty joined in with their stories and pointing out that one of their own faculty members was one of the big offenders. It was also noted that a new law AB-795 was passed that allowed Community Colleges to set and enforce penalties for smokers. The result will be to put some teeth into the law.

Joseph Parret Professor of Computer Applications

Thumbs Up Thumbs Down

There will be a new Student Informational Syestem coming Jan. 17, 2012.

Starting today Made With Love will be holding a food drive every other Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Mall.

Ars Poetica, French Club, 4-Corners Co-Op, Latin American Culture and Literature Club, and Performing Arts Club are organizing Halloween Feast in The Great Hall Monday, Oct. 31, from 1 to 9 p.m. It’s free and open to the public

Cancellation of Winter session at Pierce has been finalized

The marquee on The Mall is still not being used.

There are going to be less physical books in the library.

Crime is up on campus. There is still no cafeteria.

Maria Salvador / Roundup

Maria Salvador / Roundup

Sheriffs and cadets are seen on campus in carts, but they need to patrol on foot to secure places that carts don’t fit

Board of Trustees moves to protect taxpayer dollars

Lorrie Reyes/ Roundup

Two major construction contractors received letters from the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) indicating that their contracts could be terminated, according to a press release issued by the LACCD Tuesday.

In the letters, FTR International (FTR) and Gateway Science and Engineering (GSE) were notified that they’ll participate in hearings later this year to determine whether they can continue their building projects across the district.

“We will aggressively move to hold contractors accountable, no matter what the consequences,” said Daniel LaVista, chancellor of

“Insuring that we take great care in the spending of precious taxpayer dollars and that we hold all of our employees and contractors accountable for their actions [are] among the top priorities of the Board of Trustees.”

- Miguel Santiago President LACCD Board of Trustees

the LACCD, in the release. “Our taxpayers, students, faculty and staff deserve no less.”

FTR’s letter indicated that the company could not only lose their current contract, but they could also lose the right of “bidding, contracting, subcontracting or performing any work on any District project” for five years due to “misrepresentation” and “substandard work” at Los Angeles Valley College’s Allied Heath and Science Building. They also requested payment of an incomplete job, according to the press release.

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Sheriff’s Blotter

Kevin Reynolds/ Roundup

• Sheriffs responded to a report of a homeless person showering in the women’s locker room Oct. 17. The person turned out to be a Pierce College student.

• A petty theft occurred in the pool area Oct. 20 when a woman’s phone, credit cards, and cash was stolen from her purse.

• A verbal dispute was broken up Oct. 1 by Sheriffs in Parking Lot 1.

• Another petty theft was reported Oct. 20 when a woman allowed a man in a car to borrow her phone who then drove away without returning it, according to Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Nohles

• Sheriffs helped someone who sprained their knee in the North Gym area Oct. 20.

There will be less hard copy books available in the new campus library due to fewer shelves for books according to Librarian Paula Paggi.

Currently the library has 100,000 books. The new library it will have 80,000. There will be more e-books than there are currently, which is 17,000 according to Paggi They will be clearing out all outdated book that are no longer being used in classrooms. And they will be acquiring new hard copies, according to Paggi.

There are some students who don’t like the library getting rid of books or even moving to a new

place. Javier Ramirez, 21, major in Performing Arts, said, “They should buy new shelves,” since they are spending so much money in the new library. Ramirez also wants the library to be kept where it is, with repairs made.

Ricardo Reynoso, 18, major in Law, said that the school should just remodel the current library instead of moving it into another building. He does like the idea of having more computers in the library, since there are long lines of people waiting for the computers.

There will be 100 computers in the lab and a classroom full of computers for classes and presentations, according to Paggi. The library will continue to

have book sales and offer free books.

On Fridays you can get unlimited free books even the ones that are offered for sale. Before you could only have 10 books for free. They are doing this so they can get rid of the books that are outdated and that people don’t use. The magazines are ten cents, paper bag books are 25 cents, and hard cover books are 50 cents. The new library should be ready for next Fall semester. It will be located above the food court in the new building that is being created near Parking Lot 7, according to Paggi.

Media Arts Dept. wins big at SoCal competition

The Roundup staff won 29 award Saturday, Oct. 15, during a journalism conference hosted by California State University Fullerton.

The Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) event, conducted once a semester, was attended by colleges across the southland and included mail-in and on the spot contests.

Professional journalists were also on hand to host workshops instructing students in the finer points of working as a professional journalist during the two day event.

Bryan Melara received honor-

able mention for mail-in profile feature story

UD received honorable mention for mail-in sports feature photo.

Maria Salvador won third place for mail-in editorial cartoon, fourth place in magazine illustration, second place for on-the-spot editorial cartoon and second place for mailin photo story/essay.

Joe Kukuczka won first place for mail-in sports action photo, first place for mail-in sports feature photo

Melody Soto won first place for mail-in feature story.

Mark Gillman received honorable mention for mail-in inside broadsheet design.

Tessa Miller received honorable

mention for on-the-spot feature photo.

Kevin Reynolds received honorable mention for on-the-spot opinion.

Arash Rod received honorable mention for on-the-spot news photo.

Jose Romero won second place for photo story/essay and second place for mail-in photo story/essay.

The Roundup news staff received honorable mention for mailin front-page layout broadsheet design as well as general excellence for their online edition.

cpalmer.roundupnews@gmail.com

Coburn Palmer/ Roundup

Tessa Miller / Roundup

Exercising her eyes: Pierce College Art major Aimee Malgapo looks for books in the Library

Partners not in

Eduardo Razo / Roundup

Patrolling the campus, handing out tickets for parking violators, and ensuring that nothing unusual occurs, cadets Javier Gutierrez and Al Guerrero are always on the lookout.

“I didn’t really know law enforcement as a whole, but when I [became a cadet] I learned how to use a radio, and about dispatching since we also work in the office,” said Gutierrez.

Gutierrez has been working as a cadet for two years.

Before assuming his position as a campus cadet and moving into law enforcement, he was a criminal justice major.

Handing out citations is an important task for cadets. During the mornings and afternoons Guitierrez and his partner, Cadet Al Guerrero, patrol Pierce during its busy hours, when students are coming and going to class.

Gutierrez was Guerrero’s training officer when he first started out.

“It’s kind of like having a big brother. We know each other’s moves,” said Guerrero, who has been patrolling alongside Gutierrez for a year and a half. “He taught me everything I know.”

The pair patrol the parking lots car by car, making sure students are not parked in staff parking and checking if each one has a parking permit.

“A couple this one time was making out and they didn’t have a parking permit, so we kindly put the citation in front of their windshield where they can see it,” said Guerrero.

Giving out citations isn’t the only task Gutierrez performs. He also provides assistance by opening classroom doors for professors, escorting students to their car and assisting sheriff officers in some situations.

“I have a blast here; everyone I work with is really cool. I love coming to work,” said Gutierrez. “I am lucky to love coming to work. It doesn’t even feel like work.”

Gutierrez has recently been accepted into The Los Angeles Police Academy to further his training, according to Senior Lead Deputy Ron Nohles.

Club 411 Alpha Gamma Sigma and Phi Theta Kappa encourage community service and provide scholarships

Arash Rod / Roundup

Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) are two clubs at Pierce College that help students serve the community and get scholarships for higher-level education.

AGS is an honor society and statewide organization of community college societies since 1926 that serves the community both in and outside the campuses.

“It serves as an extracurricular activity for members,” said Pamela Hayati, president of the AGS society. “Most universities do look for extracurricular activities when you apply to them.”

In order to join the club, students need to have minimum GPA of 3.0. On the other hand, if interested students have just recently graduated from high school, they need to have a GPA of 3.5 from their high school transcript. There is also a $10 semesterly fee for joining the club.

“I knew that I wanted to be involved in something that is more important than a cooking club,” said Isaac Hernandez, 18, anthropology major, who joined the club this semester. “I feel good about it and it is very important for me.”

AGS usually has 100 to 150 members, and they all have to do minimum of 12 hours of community service.

There are different activities and programs both within and external to Pierce that coordinate with AGS: fundraisers for different organizations, carnivals, bake sales, food drives for shelters, toy drives, and Teacher Appreciation and Staff Appreciation banquets.

Once participants of AGS complete their 12 hours of community service and become official members, they get transcript recognition, which is a positive point for their transferring, according to Hayati.

“It gives you an extra point when you are going to transfer to the universities,” said Afsatu Metzger, 19, one of the board members. “Besides that, it keeps my grades up to stay in the club.”

PTK, on the other hand, is an international society with the main goal of providing scholarships to its members. The club raises funds that amount to approximately $33 million per year to give out as scholarships to two-year college students.

Members of PTK have to complete at least 12 units before gaining eligibility to join the club, and pay a one-time fee of $80.

The monetary investment breaks down to $50 for dues to PTK International and $30 for the academic regalia purchase, according to Professor of Criminal Justice Kathy Oborn, PTK adviser.

“I would say that the $80 investment to join PTK is well worth,” she said. “It is an organization that speaks loudly.”

Members of the PTK can be actively involved with the club’s activities both on- and off-campus, but they aren’t required to do so.

“No member of PTK is required to do all of those activities,” said Oborn. “They can still be members. This is the main difference between AGS and PTK.”

Oborn said PTK members get transcript recognition as well. Any community service and activities members participate in will also be provided in their transcripts.

Most of the time, applications to universities in the northeast, East Coast and midwest have special boxes for members of PTK to get scholarships, according to Oborn.

“PTK is all about scholarships and helping students to go to the next level,” said Oborn. “But AGS is more [of a] service organization. It is a great thing to be a member of both of the honor societies.”

Students who are interested in gaining membership to AGS can fill out an application online through their website.

PTK applications, on the other hand, are available in Oborn’s office, located in the first floor of the Library in Room 1.

arod.roundupnews@gmail.com

Javier Zazueta / Roundup

cadets Javier Gutierrez (not seen in photo) and Al Guerrero

the latter spots a car with the wrong parking permit and

Spotlight:

Paint, canvas, art

Art professor Monika Del Bosque stays active both in and out of classroom

Pierce College in 2009.

She considers herself a painter.

In addition to teaching

2D design, drawing and exhibition design at Pierce College, Assistant Professor of Art Monika Del Bosque is also responsible for directing the college’s art gallery.

Del Bosque, who was born in Virginia, graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with an emphasis in science, and got her master’s of fine arts in studio art, certificate in museum collection management and certificate in dream studies, and art education track in 2005 from John F. Kennedy University.

“My education probably started when I was a child,” Del Bosque said. “I drew from the time I was little, like two years old.”

Del Bosque started her teaching and directing the art gallery at the

“My painting includes a lot of drawing and mixed media work,” Del Bosque said. “Over the past three years my work has become increasingly interested in looking at paying attention to the seasons, and how we grow and transport our food.”

Del Bosque is very diverse in her interest in the arts. She loves music from country to jazz, folk, hip-hop, rock and blues.

“It is the same thing with art,” Del Bosque said. “There are many different forms of visual art that I love just as much as many different forms of music.”

She also spends a lot of time outside going to museums, may it be art cultural or history museums.

As a faculty member of the Art & Architecture Department, Del Bosque always tries to find the

best artists in different fields of arts to bring them to the Pierce art gallery.

“I always keep my eyes and ears open for that,” she said. “We are always interested in showing works from a wide variety of artists. We want to help expands our students horizon.”

Del Bosque believes that students have to think creatively on how they can be an artist in the world.

“Don’t abandon your artistic goals or your creative side,” she said. “Continue to pursue your artistic career.”

Those who are interested in viewing the art of Monica Del Bosque can visit her website at www.monikadelbosque.com.

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GALLERY DIRECTOR: Assistant Professor of Art Monika Del Bosque has multipul titles on campus, off camups sheʼs an active artist who indulges in music in

Melodies in the distant Winds

LA Winds performs first of two semester concerts at CSUN

Diaz/ Roundup

The Los Angeles Pierce Symphonic Winds performed a show at CSUN’s Plaza Del Sol Auditorium Sunday, Oct. 23.

The theme for Sunday afternoon’s concert was “The City of Angels,” a unique blend of performances that Director Stephen Piazza calls, “the breadth and depth of a multi cultural metropolis,” and celebrated the various cultures and people who live in Los Angeles.

The performances were a blend of Brazilian, Irish and Mexican music. Special guest artist, Jens Lindemann, a celebrated trumpet soloist, also performed Sunday afternoon.

He brought energy to the stage as he performed three solos with the LA Winds after arriving from Seoul, Korea two hours prior to the performance.

His captivating solo sparked a standing ovation from the crowded Plaza Del Sol Auditorium.

This was Lindemann’s first experience performing with the LA Winds, which he dubbed, “Professional amateurs.”

“They [LA Winds] play because they love playing music, not because there is a paycheck involved,” said Lindemann. “They came at it with the greatest experience because they really want to be here.”

LA Winds will be performing their next concert of holiday classics at the Valley Performing Arts Center on the campus of CSUN Sunday, Dec.11 at 3 p.m.

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Angela P. Tafoya/ Roundup

Arash Rod/ Roundup Eli

—SOCCER—

Emily Streb

The freshman defender scored twice from set pieces for the Brahmas in their impressive win against conference rival Los Angeles Valley College on Friday at The Pit. Streb leads all defenders in the team with three goals so far in the season.

—FOOTBALL—

The second string quarterback was sacked twice, however he completed a touchdown pass and made four out of his seven pass attempts for 104 yards on Saturday’s game against Santa Monica City College. Rasumussen has two touchdowns in five games so far in the season.

—VOLLEYBALL—

Danetta Boykin

The freshman middle spiked 17 kills for a game high at home against College of the Canyons on Friday. Boykin leads the team with through 54 sets with 184 kills in 351 attempts and averages 3.41 per game so far in the season. She now ranks 17th in the state in that category.

Brahma on international duty Soccer player represents home country in World Cup qualifiers

“Oh my god, oh my god,” were the only words that could come out of Robinette Ramirez upon finding out she had been invited to play on the El Salvador Women’s National Soccer Team.

“It got me by surprise because I didn’t think I was going to make it,” said Ramirez, who had been contacted by a family friend informing her of tryouts taking place in Los Angeles.

“I wanted to prove myself how talented I was in soccer and if soccer is going to get me some place,” Ramirez said.

Furthermore, upon learning she had made the cut all she could tell her family friend was “Really?” because she had no idea how to react to the news, but once it all sank in Ramirez just wanted to represent her parents’ country and play soccer.

Consequently, all of her friends and family members had expressed how proud and happy they were for her.

“I was excited for her and I believed her, but did not know that was her plan of attack,” said Emily Streb, who has been playing with Ramirez since the age of 12.

She continued by stating how good the team and players actually were after practicing with them upon her arrival.

“I wasn’t expecting the team to be great and I wasn’t expecting the players to be awesome, but when I got there everything was different from what I thought,” said Ramirez.

Soon after the first game against Guatemala had arrived, nerves and

anxiousness fell upon her.

“That game I was a nervous wreck I was so nervous I kept thinking I didn’t want to mess up and disappoint anyone,” she said.

Coupled with her first game

Ramirez was able to score two goals in separate games against Guatemala and Nicaragua.

“My goal was to score, I needed at least to score once because I can’t go over there [El Salvador] and not

score,” Ramirez said.

But even though Ramirez was pushing herself to score goals it was the help from her mother that had given her that extra push.

“My mom especially was very proud of me because that was the only thing she kept telling me, you need to score, you need to score,” she said.

During her time in El Salvador, Ramirez experienced the same routine as here; eat, sleep, and play soccer, and she would experience the life as a professional soccer player.

“I need to improve on balls up in the air because girls over there are aggressive and getting stronger,” she said.

Brahmas’ assistant coach Jose Mejia said that she does need to work on a few things to improve her skills like working on the pace of the game, work on her left foot since she is right footed, and speed.

“She already has a step in and now it’s up to her to take it to the next level so she definitely has the potential to go far,” said Mejia.

Ramirez looks forward to be called up again to represent El Salvador and continue to grow as a soccer player but most importan, as a person.

“I am crossing my fingers,” said Ramirez waiting for a call from the head coach of El Salvador so she can be able to earn a spot on the team next year. “He is still looking for players and he said no ones spot is 100% secure, so hopefully.”

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Soccer team crushes Valley

The Pierce College women’s soccer team showcased their offensive power in a lob sided game against Los Angeles Valley College at home on Friday.

The Brahmas displayed their offensive power in the second half, where they scored five goals to defeat the Monarchs by a total of 7-0.

“We took care of business,” said assistant coach Gil Aguirre. “We capitalized on the opportunities.”

Aside from displaying great offense, Pierce also showed outstanding defense.

During the first half the Monarchs struggled to get past midfield being forced to clear and turnover the ball several times only for it to be recovered by the Brahmas’ midfielders.

Pierce’s first goal was scored in the opening minutes of the game by freshman forward Edith Dominguez, who also had three assists.

Dominguez now has five goals and leads the team with nine assists for the season.

The second goal came off a

corner kick which was headed in by Emily Streb.

Pierce College soccer head coach Adolfo Perez stated that the team’s offensive success had to do with the new formation they began to use.

“It’s a new system called flat four,” said Perez. “It’s my first time using this formation in 11 years, it’s modern soccer.”

Much like in the first half Pierce came out strong.

Joandra Ramirez scored in the first ten minutes, soon after, Streb added her second goal and Pierce’s fourth of the game.

The score heading into the 20th minute of the half was 4-0, but that quickly changed as sophomore midfielder Jessica Gonzalez and forward June Dean added to the count.

Ramirez added Pierce’s seventh and final goal from a penalty kick coming off a hand ball in the penalty area from one of Valley’s defenders.

“This was our best game soccerwise.” said head coach Perez.

Pierce applied defensive pressure throughout the entire game allowing Valley only a couple of opportunities which they failed to capitalize on.

The Brahmas took to the field wearing pink shirts and socks to raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer.

The field also had a makeover for this match. The center of the field had a pink ribbon painted on

and the nets for both goals were pink as well.

The Brahmas will travel to Bakersfield for their next match on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m.

cislas.roundupnews@gmail.com

Matt Rasumussen

Eduardo Razo / Roundup

Carlos Islas / Roundup

Jose Romero / Roundup

Robinette Ramirez: Came back from El Salvador where she was called up to play soccer for the National team.

Emad Abbasi / Roundup

Control: Forward Arely Blanco dribbles away from Valley College’s Marisol Huerta.

Compiled by Rodrigo Carbonel and Navid Khoi

Emad Abbasi / Roundup

Angela Tafoya / Roundup

Angela Tafoya / Roundup

Heading in the wrong direction

Brahmas’ football loses conference game to Santa Monica, record now falls to 2-6

Only 26 yards away from the end zone, an incomplete pass thrown by quarterback Jake Basmajian ended the chance of winning for the Pierce College’s football team against Santa Monica City College on Saturday.

The Brahmas were down from the beginning and came back to tie it at 31 with nine minutes left, but couldn’t complete the task as they dropped their second conference game 37-31.

A 46-yard pass completed to wide receiver Joseph Morris put Pierce on the scoreboard within the first five minutes of the game.

Brahmas received 10 penalties creating a total loss of 107 yards.

Both touchdowns scored by Santa Monica in the first quarter were made by opportunities missed by Pierce’s offense; one being an interception and the other a fumble recovery by the Corsairs.

Quarterback Jake Basmajian completed only 11 of his 29 attempted passes, however gained 65 rushing yards throughout the game.

“We played a pretty bad first half, we were behind from the get go. We showed some heart and some effort in the second half and almost came back but the damage was already done,” said Basmajian. “We turned the ball over way too much in the first half, five turnovers isn’t going to get you a win.”

Due to offensive mistakes, second string quarterback Matt Rasmussen came in to take over for Basmajian.

Running back Gregory

Wanamaker accounted for two of the four touchdowns made by Pierce, one making up for yards lost by a touchback, rushing for 80 yards into the end zone.

“They [offensive line] really tried hard. I talk to them after each

play and they always tell me their going to open up holes for me and I believe in them and I have great confidence behind my line.” said running back Josh Johnson.

Defensively the Brahmas held it together and played well causing the Santa Monica Corsairs to lose a total of 46 yards in rushing attempts.

Safety Gerald Bowman made a total of eight tackles as well as an interception for 20 yards.

“The coaches told us to come

out, execute our assignments and play fundamental football, so we came out with the right attitude and played football.” said Bowman.

Pierces conference record now falls to 2-2, and their overall record is 2-6.

The brahmas have two games left on their on the schedule.

Head coach Efrain Martinez made a promise after week three that if they fixed their wide receiver problems, they would not lose another game the rest of the year.

Volleyball stays undeafeated

Diaz/ Roundup

The only undefeated team in the state, the Pierce College women’s volleyball team, improves their undefeated streak to 20-0, winning all three sets against College of the Canyons on Friday.

The Brahmas did not have it easy as the Cougars fought back in every set but could not ultimately deliver against a dominant Pierce team which posted scores of (25-16, 25-17, 25-19).

Freshman Danetta Boykin led the team with 17 kills.

“We kept the pressure on them,” said Boykin. “We served tough, hit hard, and just communicated.”

The Brahmas have only dropped two of the 62 sets they’ve played so

far, with no signs of slowing down.

COC came into the game in hopes of crushing the Brahmas impressive winning streak.

Setter Janelle Futch provided 35 assists in the game.

“We focused a lot on getting the ball where we need to get it defensive wise so we can get our offense running,” said Wright.

“We knew COC was going to come in here with a lot of intensity and determination to beat us but we overcame those challenges.”

Last time Pierce played COC they had trouble communicating with 17 errors in that game, however, Friday night was a different story.

The team wore pink uniforms and hair bands in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Head coach Nabil Mardini believes the success for his team so far it’s due to the dedication and effort his players put it day in and day out.

“There is a lot of things that play a factor in being successful, one of them is getting the horses in there, working as a team and understand that there is an ultimate goal which is to win a state championship,” said Mardini. “As long as everyone is ready to lose themselves for the good of the team, a lot of great things can happen.”

The Brahmas will face another challenge as they travel to Citrus College on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

Pierce has won two games and lost three games since this promise was made by their confident head coach.

Brahmas will travel on the road for the last time of the year as they travel to LA Southwest College on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m.

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Sacked: Freshman quarterback Matt Rasumussen is trying to avoid a sack from Santa Monicaʼs sophomore defensive lineman Perry Martin. UD/ Special to the Roundup

Flipped:

Sophmore cornerback Eric Frain makes a interception in the endzone to stop a Santa Monica drive.

Alexandria Smith/ Roundup

Eli

Angela Tafoya/ Roundup

Playmaker: Freshman safety Austin Stewart is running with the ball against Santa Monica College.

Javier Zazueta/ Roundup

Block: Sophomore Veronika Ban and freshman Jessica Burns are going up for a block against College of the Canyons freshman Kelsea Hundtoft.

Angela Tafoya/ Roundup

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