Volume 116 Spring 2012 Roundup Issue 2

ROUNDUP

Early enrollment offered to foster students

Priority registration for adopted children

Melissa Trahin mtrahin.roundupnews@gmail.com

Foster youth members will be offered priority registration and special services starting summer 2012.

LAUSD to vote on adult education

Hundreds protest the possible cancellation of adult education

Kevin Reynolds kreynolds.roundupnews@gmail.com

Nearly 200 people gathered outside West Valley Education Center to protest the possible cancelation of adult education programs in the Los Angeles Unified School District(LAUSD).

The crowd, which was comprised of the school’s faculty, staff and students, held signs with slogans like “Dump Villaraigosa” and “No more cuts” while chanting “Save our

schools”.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is doing nothing to prevent the cutting of adult education programs, medical billing student Stacy Stein said.

The protest was prompted by an upcoming vote on Tuesday March 13 that would decide the fate of the district’s adult education programs.

The LAUSD board will vote to reduce funding to adult education by $200 million.

“I think they should just raise our tuition,” Stein said. “We need the schools to stay open so that unem-

ployed people can learn skills to help them become employed.”

The rally began at 10a.m., and already had a large crowd of protestors by 10:15a.m. including faculty and staff members.

“We want the community to know that we want to be here,” Deborah Thompson, teacher of adult education for 35 years, said. “We are an invaluable part of the community.”

Adult education schools provide vocational education for veterans, young adults, and laid-off workers.

“We have been doing a huge letter writing and email campaign to board members,” Karen Hribar, adult education teacher for 27 years, said. “We serve a very important part of the community.”

The protest was scheduled to last until noon.

For the two hours it lasted cars drove by honking there horns while protestors continued their loud chanting.

The voices of the protestors could be heard by students across the street in the Village area at Pierce College.

Future of college farm now in question

Animals may be sold, Pre-Vet classes possibly canceled due to budget cuts

The Pierce College Farm, the only urban community college farm in Southern California, is undergoing a financial crisis as a result from budget issues plaguing California community colleges.

If the farm does not gain resources within a month, Pierce will have insufficient means to feed the cattle, sheep and chicken, according to Dr. Leland Shapiro, head of the Agriculture Department.

The college will be forced to shut down the farm, which is home of dozens of animals and many dedicated students.

“It will be wrong to raise animals here if we can’t treat them humanely,” Shapiro said.

“But we’re broke.”

The college administration, on the other hand, insists that there is no intent to close the farm.

“There is no imminent threat of the farm being closed down,” Dean of Research, Planning, and Enrollment Management Carol Kozeracki said.

If the farm does close, it would leave agriculture, pre-veterinary and veterinary tech-

nology students in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles without an opportunity to obtain hands-on experience in treating animals.

“No one is going to go to a doctor who’s only watched surgeries on television or in movies,” he said. “Likewise, no one is going to hire a manager of a farm or operation unless they have the hands-on experience.”

Without the farm, students would be incapable of competing against other students in the country when applying to graduate schools, UCs or CSUs, Shapiro said.

“I love my students,” Shapiro said. “They have to work so much harder than any other student just to get the work done.”

Tanisha Naido, pre-veterinary major, chose to attend Pierce over a community college closer to her hometown of Redwood City, Calif., because of the Pre-Veterinary program and the tools it offers its students.

“[The farm] has helped me a lot,” Naido said. “ [We have] the animals, and get handson experience. If the farm closes, we won’t be able to learn the way we do.”

When Shapiro began his work at the farm 40 year ago, it provided a home to 450 cattle, 250 sheep, 250 pigs and 6,000 chickens.

Today, the farm has 20 cows, 12 sheep, no pigs, 33 chickens and only 3 workers.

“There is no imminent threat of the farm being closed down,” Kozeracki said.

The cost of feed per day for the animals is about $90.

“We could feed more animals with that money, but we don’t have enough workers and I don’t have money coming down from the sky,” Shapiro said.

In past years, the farm earned money from movie shoots on the farm and a profitable dairy.

Eventually, the college requested to receive a part of the income from the movie shoots. Today, the farm only receives 20 percent of money paid for usage of the farm for filming.

In addition, when on-sight filming causes accidental damage to the farm, the Agriculture Department is forced to pay to repair it, Shapiro said.

The school also decided to close the Pierce College Dairy to save money, Shapiro said.

“Actually, this costs money because the dairy was the only part of the farm that was profitable,” he said.

[See Farm on page 3]

The foster youth services program provides support services to children that have been through events in their life that caused them to suffer. Some of the problems with these children have to do with the displacement from family, schools and multiple placements in foster care.

“The goal is to give them a fair advantage with all the other students,” David Follosco, dean of Students Services, said. “In order to do that priority registration was put into the program.”

Priority registration allows qualified students to register for classes ahead of new students.

In addition, special services like counseling, tutoring, note-taking assistance and seating arrangements will be offered.

There are four groups of students that can take advantage of priority registration and they must all qualify under their programs: disabled students, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services students, veterans, and foster youth.

Although there are many factors in students that can be taken into consideration to be given special services such as early enrollment, some students agree that it is necessary and fair to the groups that are given that chance.

“I may not always get the classes I need, but the people that get the benefit [priority registration] deserve it, they should feel just like any other student,” Carol Medel, a marketing major student, said.

Many students on campus struggle to get classes every semester due to budget cuts. Some think early enrollment for these certain groups can also affect the amount of time it takes to graduate.

“Many students that are given this opportunity don’t take advantage of it and its not fair to the rest of us. Seniors and students with a high GPA should also get priority to pick classes,” Andrea Meneses, 20, a political science major student, said.

According to Follosco, the college follows the decisions of priority registration under the state law mandated by the California education code.

Priority registration serves a purpose for these groups and that is to help them achieve their educational goals with less difficulties; the foster youth program will be given that opportunity to the students that qualify under the requirements.

Jose Romero

Horse: Horse in stables at Pierce College Farm near De Soto Avenue at night.

Ava Weintraub

Save Education: Nearly 200 students rally outside of West Valley Occupational Center against the upcoming vote by the LAUSD to cancel adult education programs.

Ava Weintraub

the number of citations distributed, passes sold or parking spaces available this semester.

Kraus added that the plan was to install meters in lots 5 and 6 East because they get the most traffic, but the project lacks funding.

The six existing meters on campus generate a combined total $60,000 a year, that is $10,000 each.

According to these numbers, installing meters in lots 5 and 6 East would pay for itself in less than two years.

Until then, perhaps parking enforcement could sell passes instead of citing students that have much more to worry about than where to park.

The Academic Senate has a number of task forces addressing the campus’ problems and this is an issue that affects a significant number of students as well as visitors.

Parking has gone unaddressed for too long.

Maria

Opinion

Paid parking is nothing new for college students, but is preferred parking really worth the extra $7 when parking on campus is anything but preferred?

College is difficult enough with the rising tuition costs and education cuts, but now students may face a $3 increase for preferred parking depending on the upcoming March student elections.

This would take the cost of a preferred parking pass from $27 up to $30, bringing the total ASO fee up to $10.

Which makes me think, what is it that we are we actually paying for?

Are we paying for a preferred parking pass or an Associated Student Organization (ASO) membership?

As stated in the Business Office’s section of the Pierce College website, administration is in an agreement with the ASO: “To encourage membership in the Pierce College Associated Students’ Organization.”

If this is the case then it should be clearly stated that the $7 preferred fee goes to funding the ASO, perhaps then students would find the fee reasonable.

Possibly, but not likely when students find themselves burning gas in the endless search for decent parking only to be condemned to lots 3, 4, 5, and 6 up by Pierce’s unfinished and incredibly distant Shepard Stadium.

Though most students are aware

Volume 116 - Issue 1:

Nadim Abu-Hashmeh nabuhashmeh.roundupnews@gmail.com

of the terrible parking situation on campus and are experienced enough to deal with it, it no longer makes sense to buy a parking pass when off-campus parking is free. The Metro Orange Line parking lot is now used as free Pierce overflow parking, so why should anyone spend? This struggle for parking puts students in a difficult position, requiring them to travel further distances with less time to get to class. It does not help when kicking skateboards and riding bicycles across campus is not permitted. Students pay for tuition and books to attend school and learn, this burden of paying extra for undesirable parking is not worth our precious time or money.

On the front page story, “FTR leaves jobs incomplete,” the Division of the State Architect was accidentally refered to as the “District State Architecture.”

Maria Salvador

Taylor Rouch trouch.roundupnews@gmail.com

Associated Students Organization President Shane Mooney is spearheading the development of a film that will be created wholly by the student body, from script writing to final edits.

Budget cuts affect farm

[Farm: Continued from page 1]

Today, in addition to the 20 percent it gets from movie shoots, the farm earns its money from selling baby animals.

“If we don’t get our animals pregnant, we’ll have to sell everything here,” said Shapiro.

The farm receives no money for feed, veterinary care or repairing of fence lines. It does, however, get money for but only for the two full-time laborers, one part-time worker, and the

water bill.

“It pains me to see the distruction of the farm,” Shapiro said.

The farm has sent a proposal to the Resources Advisory Committee to restore some of its funds, Kozeracki said.

“I don’t know if it’s been approved by the president,” Donna-Mae Villanueva, a member of the committee, said. “I do know that it’s moving along.”Pierce College President Kathleen BurkeKelly was unavailable for

comment.

“Taxpayers put money into this facility,” Pierce agriculture technician Russ Schrotenboer said.

“It’s really the people’s land. It’s a multipurpose facility for families to get a feel for what real farm is like.

A shutdown of the farm would be a great loss to the Pierce’s community, Schrotenboer said.

“Where else is a child going to have the opportunity to see what a real farm is like?” he said.

The Pierce College Farm will be hosting a Farm Walk April 22 for students, staff and community members to raise money for the struggling farm, and to benefit the animals and the students.

“We’re really hoping that the community will come forward,” Shapiro said. “It is unbelievably important.”

Contributing: Michaia Hernandez

1671 - Farm owned 450 cattle, 250 sheep, 250 pigs and 6,000 chicken.

1989- The farm’s pig unit was shut down. 1990 - The farm’s dairy was shut down, and 114 heads of dairy cattle were shipped to be slaughtered.

2012- The farm owns 20 cows, 12 sheep, no pigs and 33 chickens. The farm needs $50,000 to feed these animals each year.

Mooney is partnering up with Robert Hovanisian to form the leaders of the project, but any Pierce student or faculty member can be involved.

“I’m trying to get a bunch of creative people together to brainstorm on it,” Mooney said.

The movie is set to be played in the fall, and the idea is to have the film centered on accreditation standards and how they show up in student life.

Shane’s idea for the film is to follow a “student” from the first day of college until he/she graduates or transfers. The story will touch on some standards.

The group will meet in the ASO Conference Room until they need a bigger space.

“We might be up to 100 students,” Mooney said.

He will be talking to Cinema Club, the students involved in the Theatre Department and generally anyone who is interested in making a movie.

As of now, Mooney seemed inspired to make a comedy/faux-documentary of the film.

“I think it should be funny because it pulls people in when it‘s funny,” Mooney said.

Faculty Accreditation Coordinator Mia Wood is helping with the film in any way she can.

“The students run the show and we [the faculty] are just here to serve you,” Wood said.

She agreed with Mooney that the film could use some humor.

“We already have so much serious stuff going on right now,” Wood said. “Sometimes a laugh is needed.” Mooney is inviting anyone interested in being part of the film to show up for a meeting March 9 at 1 p.m. in the ASO Conference Room.

Ava Weintraub

Sheep: Agriculture technician Russ Schrotenboer feeds bales of hay to the sheep at the Pierce College Farm. Schrotenboer is a full-time farm employee.

Ava Weintraub

Movie: ASO President Shane Mooney.

Blue phones need repairs

Aurora Ramirez aramirez.roundupnews@gmail.com

Various campus-wide blue emergency phone poles, which are meant to keep students safe on campus are not functioning.

The inconvenience is a result of the campus-wide construction, units needing to be repaired, Director of Facilities Paul Nieman said.

The blue phones, also known as ‘blue lights’ are meant to provide a method for students and staff to contact the Sheriffs for help in case of emergency.

Although not all 26 blue phone units on campus have been blocked, those that have been were blocked for time frames while repair work was taking place, Nieman said.

Writing for success

English Department offers a series of free writing courses

The first in a series of free writing lab workshops offered by the English department and designed to help students improve their writing skills took place Feb. 29 in Village 8310.

“The point here is to educate, not to fix papers,” English professor Jeanine Brown said. “We fix students.”

Brown, who has worked in the lab 19 years, teaches the writing lab workshops, of which there are four.

Each workshop has its own topic: paragraph development, punctuation, intro paragraphs & essay writing and words in context.

“[Workshops] are for any person who’s writing and finds themselves concerned about preparation, or they need someone to look over the first page for error patterns,” Brown said. “That’s the time to come.”

Students sat in a small group with the professor, and learned the work-

times, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon, to accommodate students schedules.

“I’m taking all of them [workshops]. I think I will feel more comfortable because English is my second language,” registered nursing student Hilda Morella said.

Students can attend workshops and make writing lab appointments to prepare for English placement testing and to possibly increase their Grade Point Average.

Skills: English professor Jeanine Brown teaches at the writing lab workshop.

shop topic as a group through questions, discussion, and analysis.

Each workshop topic is offered four

Schedule of upcoming writing lab workshops

“If a person understands the basis for those errors [in the beginning], that person is empowered to go through and fix the rest of the errors,” Brown said. “That, many times, will raise the grade a letter or two.”

The next workshop in the series will be a paragraph development workshop.

Math class to be cut in fall 2012

Committee eliminates College Algebra from schedule

Kevin Perez kperez.roundupnews@gmail.com

Students looking for a three-unit math class to fulfill their requirements will have to look elsewhere starting next semester, as Math 245 will be eliminated at Pierce.

College Algebra, which is a transferable course to both UCs and CSUs, will no longer be offered after a decision reached by Pierce’s Academic Scheduling Committee. The committee recommended changes in course offerings across all disciplines, said Bruce Yoshiwara, the Mathematics Department chair.

The committee made changes to address the redundancies in the num-

ber of classes offered by Pierce and the number of classes needed by students to transfer.

For mathematics, the committee chose between two options, one being reducing the number of transfer math units by 12 in both the fall and spring. The option they ultimately decided on was eliminating Math 245.

Math 245, despite fulfilling a general education requirement for transfer, is not required for any specific major. It is however, the only transferable three-unit class that fulfills a math requirement.

All other offerings consist of fourunit to five-unit classes.

The difference in workload between a three-unit class and five-unit

class makes a difference to students like political science major Matthew Oh, 21.

“They can’t cut the class. It’ll be hell,” he said.

Oh, who is currently enrolled in Math 245, said that not having the class on the table for him would have been equivalent to leaving him with no options at all.

If the class had not been available, “I would have been petitioned,” he said.

Other Math 245 students like computer information technologies major Karl Rojo, 22, consider the decision to be a step in the wrong direction.

“There were only two other sections for this,” he said, referring the

The units that are currently not functioning are three units in Parking Lot 7, one near the North of Mall Project in Parking Lot 1, which is located in an area that is unavailable to students due to construction, and one in the Swine Unit of the farm.

“We are working to have the wiring re-pulled [in the Swine Unit] so they will be functional,” Nieman said.

The Sheriffs can still receive calls from students in case of an emergency from the active blue phones, or from cell phones.

“Students can [still] approach a Sheriff on campus and request help in what they might need, or locate us through the blue emergency phone poles they see on campus and even their own cell phones,” Deputy Sheriff Bill Dunkin said. Some students feel safe on campus despite of the blockage of the blue phones.

“I feel secure when I drive into campus, see the Sheriffs’ vehicles and see the cadets in their carts in the parking lots and throughout campus,” Pierce student Kaitlin Allen said.

Mall construction still delayed by state

Administration awaits approval for projects

Jonathan Tucker jtucker.roundupnews@gmail.com

Pierce College needs permission from the Division of the State Architect, who has continuously rejected plans, that says the conditions under which the buildings north of the Mall are being constructed meet their standard.

“All of our projects are a year and a semester old,” Chapter President Don Sparks said. “They should have been done by now and we can’t seem to get the DSA to approve them.”

Each rejection delays projects 6 to 8 weeks leaving a lot of time where no physical work can be done leading to semesters worth of time with little to no progress.

“It’s unfortunate because it is out of the college’s control,” Co-chair of the Pierce College Council Curtis Smith said. “The college is held hostage by the DSA. We just have to wait.”

The Pierce College Council hosted a special meeting March 1 to discuss at length future and current projects on campus.

During the meeting Walker made of point of letting the council know that they needed to invest in the proper items that the maintenance crew would actually be able to maintain.

“I’ve been here 18 years,” Lock-

smith Lawrence Walker said. “This is my home and you want things comfortable in your home.

Walker wants to make sure the college continues to make steps in the right direction.

“We’re working through getting all the proper hardware installed,” Walker said. “We’ve done well. They just gotta continue hearing the endusers point of view.”

Currently the district believes that the user-groups should not be involved in the construction phases because once the budget is set the will need to stick to the budget, it is important.

The panel discussed the point of view of the district and said that would not be a problem if the finished product always came out the way that it was planned in the pre-production phases. There were multiple instances cited by the panel regarding to the plans that changed.

These changes affected the outcomes of certain building projects in a negative way.

“The purpose was to provide a forum to give feedback from the college constituency,” Chairperson Lyn Clark said. “And now the President will receive these comments and take them to the chancellor.”

Sonia Gurrola

Writing: English professor Jeanine Brown helps students improve their reading and writing skills at the writing lab workshop.

Todd Rosenblatt Phones: Emergency phones lay out of service to students.

Todd Rosenblatt

Crime drama based on true events

Kevin Perez kperez.roundupnews@gmail.com

Spring play ‘The Exonerated’ features a diverse cast Show Times:

Pierce College’s Theater Department will be showing “The Exonerated” beginning March 23 in the Temporary Performing Arts Center near parking lot 7.

The play is a drama based on the true story of six people sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit, and freed years later. The awardwinning drama was written by Eric Jensen and Jessica Blank.

The play is an adaptation of several interviews, case files, and other documents, and since opening in New York in 2000 has been performed across the country.

The play highlights the flaws of the criminal justice system by focusing on five men and one woman who were wrongfully put on death row, only to be exonerated after spending varying years in prison.

For Valorie Grear, the director of the play, the story behind the play resonates with her, having come from Memphis and seeing the controversial imprisonment of the West Memphis Three in 1994.

Those events, she said, influenced

$12: Students and seniors $15: General admission. Contributing: Martin Torres

her stance against the death penalty and her decision to direct the play.

Besides the message behind the play, the racial diversity present in both the play and the cast at Pierce also steered her interest towards doing the play.

“It’s a great acting opportunity for a multiracial cast,” Grear said.

The actors at Pierce have taken great strides to immerse themselves into their roles, with many poring over documentaries and articles about their respective characters.

Chase Fulton, who will be portraying Kerry Max Cook, said that the biggest challenge behind playing his character is stepping into the shoes of a man 15 years older than him who’s suffered so much. To prepare himself, he read the memoir of

the real figure, in attempt to familiarize himself with the traumatic experiences of the character.

On the other hand, Cody Bailey, the actor playing the role of David Keaton, has purposely not delved as much into his character’s life.

“It’s not about finding out about the character, but finding out how you’re going to play him,” Bailey said. His character is typically portrayed as a sad, gentle, and spiritual figure in the play, and Bailey wishes to focus and expand on that. He often sits in front of the mirror going over his lines.

For more information about the play and upcoming theater events, visit: http://info.piercecollege.edu/ theater/

Choir will host silent auction

Aurora Ramirez aramirez.roundupnews@gmail.com

The Pierce College Philharmonic Choir will host their annual Cabaret and Silent Auction Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall.

The event will consist of a sitdown dinner catered by Stonefire Grill and a cabaret show at 6:30 p.m., to be followed by a silent auction at 8 p.m.

Around 25 volunteer jazz choir performers will perform, allowing them the opportunity to demonstrate their solo work and group impromts.

“Many of these performers are also the ones helping to put together the cabaret for patrons and for themselves to enjoy,” Philharmonic Choir Director Terry Danne said. The silent auction will be hosted by comic impersonator Perry Lambert.

Prices of the items are not expected to exceed $40 to $50. Most of the items silent auction have been donated and given by members of the choir.

Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for children.

The event is being hosted to raise money for the choir’s concerts.

Tickets may be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/228523 .

Photo Salon awards cermony will reveal winners

Monica Velasquez mvelasquez.roundupnews@gmail.com

The photographers of the 29 entires that adorn the white walls of the Pierce Gallery will soon discover if their hard work has earned them an award, during the 1st Photo Salon Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 8 at 7 P.M. in Art3301.

Jill Connelly, chair of the Media Arts Department, was part of the group that created the Awards Ceremony.

“We thought this would be a good way to highlight our student photog-

J O B B O A R D

raphy,” Connelly said.

The photographs were sorted in categories such as: Best Photo Journalism, Best Portrait and Best Landscape. All entires will be considered for Best in Show and Best Creative Photograph.

Photographer Joshua Cowan had an early prediction when the gallery first opened of his own photograph entitled “Protester.”

“That’s going to win best photo,” Cowan said hopefully.

One of the judges this year was Paul Myers, a member of the advisory board for the Media Arts De -

partment and a Professor at Brooks Institute of Photography.

“A photo makes me stop and wonder what is going on beyond composition, “ Myers said, “We can see the photographer found a great moment.”

Prizes have been donated from both Canoga Camera and Woodland Hills Camera. Agata Dziatlowicz whose work is entitled “Dancer” glowed when students gathered around her work and admired it, even taking pictures with their phones.

“It’s great that my work can inspire, “Dziatlowicz said.

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Todd Rosenblatt

Rehearsal: Chase Fulton, portraying Kerry Max Cook in the critically-acclaimed fact based drama “The Exonerated,” which is debuting on Pierce College’s campus Friday, March 23, 2012.

Sarah Storey

Proud artist: Photographer Joy Sindel stands in front of her entry on display at the Photo Salon’s opening ceremony

Going

Baroque for

The Pierce College Thursday

Concerts hosted the Los Angeles Baroque Players (LABP) March 1. Playing in front of a packed house, the LABP performed a variety of baroque music from composers like Telemann, Biber Bodin de Boismortier and Geminiani. The group performed with authentic baroque instruments and stopped to explain to the audience how they differed from their present counterparts. The instruments used included a baroque flute, oboe, violin, cello and harpsichord. The group has performed on many West Coast and East Coast chamber music series, according to the group’s flyer. The next Pierce Thursday Concert on March 8 will feature percussionist Bard Dutz in the Music Building, room 3400.

TOP PHOTO:( From left) Jeffrey Lavner, Adriana Zoppo, and Frances von Seggern Bach perform bwwaroque music

MIDDLE PHOTO: Paul Sherman plays his oboe while flautist Anthony R. Brazier looks on during a break in performance.

BOTTOM: Thursday Concerts audience waits for the Los Angeles Baroque Players’ performance.

Photos by Ava Weintraub

Defense needed

Five errors accounted for ve unearned runs as baseball team gets thrashed by Valley College

Defensive errors and lack of productivity cost the Pierce College baseball team their first conference loss of the season against rivals Valley College Saturday.

Even though the Brahmas’ outhit Valley during the game, the Monarchs came on top with a final score of 8-3.

The game started off slow as each team did not score any runs until the Monarchs broke the ice in the fourth inning with an RBI double by right fielder Marcel Chavez off of Brahmas’ starting pitcher David Carver.

“Our starters had a good tone in the beginning but games aren’t won in the first innings they’re won in the last three innings and [Valley] won the last three innings,” said Pierce College head coach John Bushart.

Carver allowed five runs on three hits while striking out four batters in seven innings of work.

“We knew it was going to be tough,” said Valley College player Dave Mallas. “We’re just fortunate we came out on top.”

A wild pitch from Carver at the top of the fifth inning allowed the Monarchs to add another two runs making the score 3-0.

The Brahmas came close to tying it at the bottom of the fifth as they loaded the bases and catcher Greg Koll’s two run single brought Nicholas Bobbs and Kevin Torres home making the score 3-2 Monarchs.

Tough season ahead

So ball team has not won at home and stands with a losing record when away

Eliezer Diaz ediaz.roundupnews@gmail.com

making more mistakes than hitting balls.

Ava Weintraub

“[Greg] Koll had three hits and [Nick] Murphy had two hits which was a plus,” shortstop R.J. Randal said.

It was a tough game until the eighth inning, when Valley added a total of five runs taking advantage of the three defensive errors the Brahmas committed.

“That five run inning really killed the tempo of the team,” Randal said.

““I felt the intensity wasn’t up. [We] died a little through the game.”

Greg Koll started off the Brahmas’ ninth inning by walking to first, Matt Sanchez had gotten out, and Christian Tobias, Nick Schmidt, and Cody deSpain got bases on balls bringing Koll home.

Brandon Rapoport and Kevin Torres both struck out looking ending the game 8-3 for the Monarchs.

Defensive miscues and no communication among the players prevented the Brahmas’ softball team to stay in the game against Southwestern College last Tuesday.

The Brahmas suffered a 6-1 loss the Jaguars in a hard fought battle.

Pierce held the Jaguars’ powerful offense in the first few innings, sustaining defensive momentum up until the 5th, when with the score remained at 1-1, the Jaguars got two runs.

With Pierce down 3-1 they continued to push off a relentless Jaguars team.

The Brahmas did there best to get as many hits as possible to score, but Southwestern’s defense stopped Pierce in its tracks.

The Jaguars added three more in the 7th to increase their lead to 6-1 and take control of the match.

“We didn’t hit enough,” head coach Pat Grennan said. “I’m encouraged that we’re a better hitting team than that.”

Unfortunately, the team was

“We really need to turn it around, we’ve been working really hard during practice and I expect a lot more this semester,” sophomore Katie Kargari said. “Minor errors were killing us.”

The Brahmas are looking to improve on lessening their mistakes

We really need to turn it around, we’ve been working really hard during practice and I expect a lot more this semester

-Katie Kargari

and maintaining their strong defense going into important conference matches.

“I think we did really good today, our defense was hard,” freshman Candice Lujano said. “I think we’re ready for conference as long as we take it one step at a time.”

Head coach Pat Grennan is expecting his team to pull together and step during the tough conference matches.

“These games are getting us ready for the games that count, we have to keep building up momentum,” Grennan said. “I’m optimistic right now.”

The Brahmas have one more game at Chaffey College on March 6 at 1 p.m. before going into an important conference match against Citrus College on March 8.

Go

Angela Tafoya SLIDE: Southwestern College softball catcher Andrea Soto (7) stands poised as she tags out Los Angeles Pierce Brahmas infielder Janette Torres (3) as she attempts to score in the last innings of the game held at Pierce Feb. 28, 2012.

Struck out: Brahmasʼ second baseman Nick Schmidt stands dissapointed as he struck out leaving the bases loaded.

Ava Weintraub

Kal

Valasek

vs Mt. San Jacinto

Thursday Mar. 8 @ 2 p.m.

Menʼs volleyball team celebrates its alumni

when the current team won 25-21, 25-20.

“We have to rise up and play for the team today,” men’s volleyball hitter Alex Jones said. “The alumni have some former national team, but they’re older, so we have to see about their shape.”

@ Mt. San Jacinto

vs

@ 2:30 p.m.

Angela Tafoya

SPIKE: Brahmas mens volleyball setter Ray De Leon (22) sets a ball up for middle Ian Zavala (1) to spike during one of the games in the Pierce volleyball alumni game held on Saturday March 3, 2012

Jonathan Sierra jsierra.roundupnews@gmail.com

Surrounded by conference titles, coach of the year awards, and a John Lennon poster, Pierce College Athletic Director Bob Lofrano sits comfortably at his desk at the South Gym.

“I can’t wait to wake up and go to work to make sure Pierce is headed on the right direction athletically,” Lofrano said. “It’s my job to ensure students have an opportunity to play intercollegiate sports.”

He attended Pierce as a student athlete during 1968-69. He played as the Brahmas’ second baseman during those years before transferring to California State University of Northridge (CSUN) to graduate with a Physical Education major.

He coached the Chatsworth High School baseball team where he led them to a city championship.

In September 1989, Lofrano came back to Pierce, this time as the head baseball coach.

“Almost half my life has been at Pierce,” he said “It’s a good gig.”

He led the Brahmas to the regional playoffs seven times making it once to the state final four and earning five Coach of the Year awards in the process.

After 35 years of coaching he decided to try new tasks.

“It was time to do something else and I haven’t looked back,” Lofrano said.

Under his term as athletic director and with the help of head coach Nabil Mardini, the women’s volleyball has won back-to-back state championships.

“He’s been doing great,” Secretary of Athletics Pat Croal said. “He was a

good [baseball] coach and that helped him transition to athletic director.”

Lofrano’s current main focus is “keeping our head above water,” as he responds to the proposed budget cuts affecting every college in California.

“We’re on the same boat, as everyone else we might even take a bigger hit,” he said. “We’ve given the administration and school some

proposals to ensure Pierce doesn’t lose the number of sports or any teams.”

Colleagues praise his work as Pierce athletics head man.

“I’m a fan of him, he’s up-front and tells you how it is,” assistant basketball coach Charles White said. “[Were] headed in the right direction.”

Former Pierce College Men’s volleyball team members, disputed a friendly tournament against the team’s current roster Saturday on campus.

The alumni ranged from those who graduated from Pierce only a few years prior to the event to graduation dates over 10 years ago.

“There are some good students on the team but a lot of alumni are All-American,” 2008 Pierce graduate and former men’s volleyball team member Thomas Butler said.

The alumni team lost in the tournament to the school’s current men’s volleyball team.

Four teams, two alumni and two current students played through the afternoon until the final game,

The men’s volleyball team used the tournament to further prepare for their game Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Long Beach City College at Pierce.

“Today will exponentially help us with our game against Long Beach,” Daniel Williams said. ”Playing a team who doesn’t play often, they really want it. It’s like playing a tough team who wants every point.”

Wednesday’s game against the Long Beach Vikings is a Western State Conference Southern Division Game.

“Long Beach’s a hotshot team. We have better pull control,” said Jones.

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The Pierce College Tennis team continued their winning ways Thursday by defeating Bakersfield College.

The

and leaves the Brahmas with a record of 6-9 for the season and 4-4 in conference games. The Brahmas won eight of the last nine matches. According to head coach Rajeev Datt Bakersfield players were of a different caliber. “We could have won them all,” Datt said “but one of our players was a bit nervous.” Head coach Datt attributes Pierce’s big win to the players strength and conditioning. “My opponent was fun and interesting,” said Tennis team member Sean Dullaghan “I won 6-1, 6-1.” Two in a row for Tennis team Joe Kukuczka SHOT: Royce Pasilio of Pierce College, returns a shot Carlos Islas cislas.roundupnews@gmail.com Paying Too Much For Your Auto Insurance? You’re probably not insured with us! Saving students money on their car insurance for more than 25 years! We work with dozens of companies (Mercury, Progressive, Safeco, Infinity, GMAC, to name a few) and match you with the most affordable. Student and Faculty Discounts Offered. Call For our Free, No Obligation Quote Request the Brahma Plan (818) 222-5595 CA Lic.#0660396

ALUMNI SPIKE: Former Pierce College menʼs volleyball team member goes up t block a spike attempt in one of the games at the Brahmasʼ volleyball alumni games Saturday Mar. 3.