Volume 119 Fall 2013 Roundup Issue 4

Theft at Shepard Stadium

West LA football team’s locker room gets raided at last game

Kashish Nizami

“I think their whole coaching staff and their whole team could’ve handled it better, and we could have handled it in a beter way too.”

-Bobby

West LA’s football team realized they lost more than just a game on Saturday night at approximately 10 p.m. when they returned to find their valuables missing from the visitor’s locker room at Pierce’s John Shepard Stadium.

Sometime during the second half of the football game between the two schools, the locker room was broken into and an undetermined amount of property was stolen, according to Campus Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Gary Novelich, though some players claimed to have lost large sums of cash, iPads, iPods, cell phones, and car keys. One player on the team said he lost $2000.

“At the conclusion of the game, once people from West LA College

determined that their property was stolen, a [verbal altercation] occurred,” Novelich said. “I started heading up this way a couple minutes after 10 [to respond to the confrontation].”

There were 10 to 15 squad cars and a helicopter in response to the altercation and not in response to the theft, Lofrano said.

Sheriffs lined up in a barricade with batons in an effort to keep the two teams away from each other, however, according to Sheriff’s Deputy Al Guerrero additional assistance was necessary from the LAPD, Lost Hills, the Transit Services Bureau, and the College Bureau after the crowd overflowed to the parking lot.

Out of frustration, the players also damaged mats and air vents, broke windows and a fence, and wrote on walls, according to Pierce wide receiver’s coach and Assistant

equipment manager Torry Hughes, Athletics Director Bob Lofrano, and Pierce head coach Efrain Martinez.

At one point a player from West LA College, defensive lineman Michael Addison, picked up a long metal rod and headed toward the crowd before a coach physically stopped him and tore it from his hands.

The opposing team’s coaches shouted and cursed at authorities and reporters on the scene, and families of the players varied in levels of shock and anger.

“That’s bull,” West LA’s head coach Marguet Miller yelled at police before turning to another coach. “They don’t want to hear nothing; let’s go.”

“Don’t talk to me ever!” he shouted at officers before grabbing another screaming coach to re-enter the locker room.

Pierce publishes annual campus crime report

Kat Wilson

Reporter

The Jeanne Cleary Report reflects crime statistics about Pierce over a three-year period and is posted and updated annually by the sheriff’s department, according to Associate Vice President of Administrative Services Larry Kraus.

The report gives the students and the public information about how safe the campus is in regards to specific areas of issues including rape, assaults, and robberies, Kraus said.

Along with the Cleary Report, the Security Report - a report that is attached to the Cleary Act - is

produced and posted on the Pierce College website, Kraus said.

Both reports benefit all students and anybody who has an invested interest in the college and its safety and security, Kraus said.

“It’s extremely important to us,” Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher said. “It’s important to make sure that we have a safe environment for not only our students, but faculty and staff as well.”

Crimes on campus effect Pierce’s reputation, so this report is issued to let the school know what areas need to be improved, Schleicher said.

“Our goal is not just to serve [the student body] daily,” Schleicher said. “But to also make sure that we have a college that’s being

recognized in the industry, too.”

In regard to reputation, a lot of students get jobs based on where they have gone to college and the reputation the college has, Schleicher said.

“We’ve had so many incidents on the campus in the last six months,” Schleicher said.

Crime seems to be escalating slightly, and it might be because of economic times that are making going to school difficult for students, Schleicher said.

The report will help the Sheriff’s Department and the Administrative Services prepare better, Kraus said.

“I think the Act will help because we look at the trends,” Schleicher said. “We look at what’s going on.”

Recently, 10 cadets have been

brought back into the Sheriff’s Department.

The Administrative Department said that the budget was difficult to deal with, and that having the cadets on campus provided a physical constraint where money was concerned, but they are an important element to the campus.

“They make sure people are secure and safe here,” Schleicher said. “Especially since we have 20,000 students, some here at night. Some areas are really dark.”

Therefore, the cadets were returned to the campus to learn and gather experience through handson work at the campus.

“They’re the eyes and ears of the department,” Schleicher said.

Senate

addresses accreditation

issues

New accreditation coordinator

Tracy Wright News Editor Caleb Johnson Roundup Reporter

In the Academic Senate meeting on Monday, Oct. 7, members discussed a resolution acknowledging potential wrongdoings of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges’ (ACCJC) decision to close San Francisco City College and revoke their accreditation.

The decision was made in July, affecting roughly 90,000 students and faculty, according to Senate member Kathy Holland.

The ACCJC is one of seven regional accrediting commissions and accredits community colleges and other associate degree-granting institutions in the western region of the U.S., according to their website.

“The CFT (California Federation of Teachers) has taken a leadership role in fighting against the ACCJC for their somewhat brutal tactics that they’ve leveled against some of the campuses,” Holland said.

“Fortunately for us, here at Pierce we’ve been doing such a good job that we have not been at the receiving end of some of the harsh treatment that they’ve given to other campuses.”

Pierce College is newly reaccredited by the ACCJC after over a year of working to meet the ACCJC’s strict compliance codes of accreditation.

According to Accreditation

Chair Greg Gilberston, the ACCJC will be back in March to make sure Pierce has followed through with their requirements of adjusting Pierce’s integrated planning, authentic assessment of student learning outcomes, and internal control (grants, and financial aspects).

The lack of control over the ACCJC and their practices seems to be the biggest problem the Academic Senate and other community colleges are finding.

“Well that’s the issue, nobody seems to be watching the ACCJC,” Holland said. “That’s why we’re having this resolution. We’re trying to get the DOE to actively look into and investigate the practices of the ACCJC.”

While Pierce College has currently met the ACCJC’s strict requirements, the Academic Senate fears any new repercussions affecting the campus and students in the future.

“We’re asking the dept. of education to step forward and take a leadership position in looking at and investigating ACCJC in terms of ethical violations, bad practices and so on,” Holland said in the meeting.

In other Senate news, the vote for the upcoming accreditation coordinator lead to two ties before the president had to decide in favor of one of the candidates during Monday’s meeting.

The tie was between Constance Moffatt and Margarita Pillado, first 17 - 17. When other viable voters arrived, a revote ended 19 - 19.

Pierce’s President Kathleen Burke tipped the scales in favor of Margarita Pillado, and broke the second tie. Pillado’s activity and experience made her stick out slightly above Constance Moffatt in Burke’s eyes, though she affirms all the candidates were equally skilled and capable.

Margarita Pillado, a professor of Spanish in the modern language department, was voted by the senate as the suggested upcoming accreditation coordinator, and will be shadowing under the current coordinator so she can be eased into the work-filled position.

“It’s a way to serve the institution in ways that go above and beyond serving in the community level,” Pillado said. “I hope to serve the institution very well.”

The position handles the followup reports for the recommendations given by the ACCJC. To do so, various committees, organizations, and stakeholders must be brought together to get a detailed look at the school and its operations.

Greg Gilbertson, the current accreditation coordinator for this year, will teach Pillado how the job works and what must be done. Gilbertson just recently came back into the position, having occupied the position from 2004 to 2007 previously.

“I think the candidates were all excellent choices,” Gilbertson said. “I think the college will be in good hands.”

Meet Your Major // Online

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

DEFENSIVE LINE: Coach Kort Huettinger holds back West L.A. football players after they discovered their valuables were stolen.

Roundup

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

MAJOR: Anndy Ardon, 23, talks to Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Sociology James McKeever in the Great Hall.

Roundup Reporter

Sojka Pierce Safety

-Le er to the Editor-

Re: “Senate ignites tobacco laws,” Sept. 25, 2013

Dear Editor,

I’d like to thank the Round-Up for years of Health Center coverage. Without your reporters writing and broadcasting health center news many students would not be aware of our services. However, I need to clarify an article published September 25, 2013 titled “Senate Ignites Tobacco Laws”. The written tobacco regulation I mentioned during the Senate meeting on September 23rd was not for Senate approval. It was simply an announcement that the proposed written regulation would go before the PCC (Pierce College Council) for a vote that would send it to the President for approval. I also need to clarify our S.T.O.P. program. Smoking and Tobacco Off Pierce (S.T.O.P.) is a tobacco cessation program the Health Center has created to help those students, faculty and staff who want to quit smoking. It is not run by our Addictive Studies students but we have 6 Addictive Studies students who will be participating in the program this fall, helping us test the effectiveness. S.T.O.P. will be offered campus wide next spring. My final clarification point is about the comment that E-cigs may become a “valid tobacco sedation tool”. E-cigs are being considered and researched as a valid form of nicotine replacement therapy, like the patch or gum currently available. Until the FDA approves E-Cigs for this purpose the Pierce College Tobacco Regulation will include them on the list of tobacco products prohibited.

Anyone interested in our tobacco cessation program can contact the Health Center at 818-710-4270. We’ll make sure you have access to the campus wide program next spring.

Thank you again for your efforts to educate and inform our students and community!

Beth Benne Director, Student Health Center Gustavo Sandoval

-DOUBLE umbs Up-

UP: AA transfers to CSUN

Despite the spring 2014 enrollment closure at CSUN AST and AAP transfers are still allowed.

Canʼt we all just get along

There are enough problems on our campus as is already

Over the last month two qualified woman, Vice President of Academic Policy Kathy Oborn and Vice President of Curriculum Margarita Pillado, placed senators and students in an awkward positions as they each claimed to be the rightful Academic Senate president.

While students crashed classes and continued to deal with unfinished construction and no cafeteria, the senate fought over who got to lead meetings.

The agenda for Sept. 9 included 24 other items that were not addressed.

UP: Rapid response Law enforcement officials arrived at Shepard Stadium Saturday within five minutes.

-Poll Results-

Pierce bookstore - 19

Amazon - 19

W.H. Textbooks - 16

Other

None

Students - 38

Facility - 33 Dep

- 7 - 5

-Corrections-

Volume 119 Issue 2

Page 2: Comic artist Lauren Vellvé name is misspelled

Page 3: “Campus assault suspect arraigned,” Branden Saighe is currently charged with making criminal threats and simple battery; Van Nuys Municipal Court is properly named Los Angeles Superior Court, Van Nuys; Photo caption, Omar Barillas’ name is misspelled

Page 4: Photo caption, Jonathan Andrino-Vela’s name is misspelled “Women’s soccer

Instead, the senate took 20 minutes to adopt an agenda, and over two hours debating bylaws and what constituted as official and unofficial, only to postpone any final decision for another meeting.

The Academic Senate is the official voice of the faculty in academic and professional items of campus-wide concern according to the President’s First Monday Report released on Jan. 7, 2013.

This all started in mid-August with the sudden resignation of newlyelected Academic Senate President John Zayac.

What followed were countless emails exchanged by different members of the Academic Senate Executive Board that soon became a “he said, she said” regarding who would replace Zayac.

All of this was done behind closed doors, but it was soon brought to

light when the Academic Senate met for their first official meeting.

It was then that it became even more evident that a successor would not be named without shouting matches.

Outside sources such as representatives of the District Academic Senate and a parliamentarian from Los Angeles Valley College were brought in to draw lines in the sand and became referees for what should have been a simple conversation among the Executive Board.

Director of Cooperative Education Ronald Smetzer, who said that he previously served as secretary of the Academic Senate and vice president for the District Academic Senate, describes the events that took place in August as “shameful.”

“There’s a total lack of understanding of the Robert’s Rules of Order and the [Academic Senate] constitution. There’s a lot of learning that needs to take place with this body,” Smetzer said during a September meeting. “I know how the parliamentary process is supposed to work and this isn’t it.”

When the smoke cleared Kathy Oborn was named the new Academic Senate President, but the possibility of an election in the spring of 2014 has the potential for another round of name calling.

The Senate must now come together - if not for their own good, at least for those that they represent - leaving aside the immaturity displayed by some of its members.

Campus film production is productive

Opinion -Con-

Chaez Pearson cpearson.roundupnews@gmail.com

Movie and commercials are often filmed at Pierce College, but many students and faculty members feel as though their daily activities are being interrupted.

Movies play a large role in our society’s culture and watching them brings enjoyment and entertainment, but the process of creating and bringing that film to life takes a great deal of time.

When a director chooses a location to film his movie, a great deal of people are affected, including students who may feel like the movie crew is in the way of people walking on campus and getting to their classes.

Recently, a movie crew was on campus occupying the student center where many go to purchase food during their breaks in between

classes. The crew was filming a scene in which they were simulating the student center as a different high school and took the entire day, as well as others, to complete their filming tasks. Some students feel that a movie being filmed on campus creates an atmosphere that they think isn’t suitable for a place that should be all about education. When the crew is on campus they take up more space with trucks, equipment, and more people in general. This causes the alreadycrowded campus at Pierce to feel even more clustered. Students have a tough time finding parking spaces during peak class time hours, so when crew trucks block spaces it causes congestion and more dismay. The school should not allow outside film production during peak hours of classes sessions and should limit the amount of time that a production is on campus. While there are positives to film production such as money, Pierce can do a better job of taking their students and faculty into consideration when issuing permits.

Opinion

Roundup reporter

Mike Washington mwashington.roundupnews@gmail.com

Most students will not be on the silver screen, but a film shoot on campus gives them the next best thing: being on set while a shoot is taking place.

People are excited by the buzz of Hollywood filmmaking and the chance to see their school be used as a location on a favorite show or movie is something not everyone can claim.

Shows such as New Girl, Bones, The Office and 24 are just a few of the hit shows that Pierce College students can say have been filmed on campus. Filming at Pierce does not directly affect students. There is little downside, even on weekdays, except maybe a slight detour on the way to class.

When Pierce shows up in

-COMIC STRIP-

charged with criminal threats and simple battery; “Transfer degrees for CSUs,” Genna Gold is News Editor Page 8: Correct Team Standings, W. Soccer 4-W, 3-L, 2-D / W. Volleyball 4-W, 8-L, 0-D / W. Water polo 2-W, 1-L, 0-D

the backgrounds of scenes, it gets publicity on the screens of thousands of viewers. People who see the beautiful campus might look up where it was filmed and decide to attend classes here.

The cost for a feature film to shoot on campus for a single day is $3,000, not including the days it takes for the crews to be on campus to dress the sets or tear down.

Some buildings have another cost on top of the regular fee to shoot. The Performing Arts Building costs $500 to shoot four hours. Production companies must also pay fees for on-site security personnel and specialty technicians.

These usage fees do not seem to make a dent in the major Hollywood production companies budget, but the fees totaled up is quite a sum of cash going straight into the school.

So don’t protest film crews on campus when the film money and school pride it brings in is good for Pierce.

Visit

Roundup reporter

Lauren Vellvé / Roundup

Maria Salvador / Roundup

incident report

Sept. 29 - Oct. 5

9/30 - Student ill - Student feeling ill in Room 3312

9/30 - Student ill - Student feeling ill in Parking Lot 1, paramedic was called.

10/1 - Disturbance call - Faculty and ex-student got into an argument at the Farm Center.

10/1 - Suspicious person - A male was screaming at people walking by in the Village. He was warned and advised he was trespassing.

10/1 - Traffic collision - Student ran into a planter with her vehicle in Lot 8.

10/1 - Locker burglary - Student received her license back after her locker was broken into in the North Gym back in February.

10/2 - Ill student - Student feeling ill in front of the old library and escorted to the Health Office.

10/3 - Ill student - Student was feeling ill and treated at the Health Office.

10/3 - Petty theft - Student left her silver and diamond ring in the bathroom by the new library. When she went back for it, the ring was gone.

10/5 - 415 fight - Shepard Stadium locker room was broken into and items were stolen. Around 30 - 40 players and fans were about to fight over the incident. LAPD, the Transit Services Bureau, and the campus Sheriffs were on the scene.

* 415 - Penal Code which describes an incident where a person unlawfully fights in public, maliciously and willfully disturbs another person, or uses offensive words in public which were meant to provoke an immediate violent reaction.

Visitors lose more than the game Saturday

[THEFT, cont. from.page. 1]

Some loved ones of the players’ whose valuables were stolen wanted serious action to be taken, like Carolin Hyman, there to support Al Buckley, a defensive backer whose iPad was among one of the missing items.

“Since it happened here, on their turf, I think they should not be able to play again,” she said. “[Pierce’s] whole season should be ended.”

Similarly, according to Sheriff’s Deputy James McKain, on Sept. 21 sometime between 8:30 and 10 p.m. in the second half of the football game between Valley College and Mt. San Jacinto College, the home team’s locker room was burglarized as well.

An undetermined amount of items were taken from the building, which is a short distance from the field, after a break-in through a window.

Pierce is the fourth college after Cerritos College, Santa Monica College, and Valley College to be hit by robbery according to Lofrano.

According to Southern California Football Association Commissioner Jim Sartoris, who sent out an email warning colleges of the increasing amount of theft this football season, several locker room break-ins and robberies have occurred in the past three weeks and “thieves are targeting locker rooms when the teams are out on

the field.”

In the email, he recommended that precautions for the host colleges should include reviewing security procedures and station extra security personnel at locker rooms; he recommended that visiting team members should not carry valuables to away games; perhaps creating a “valuables bag” to be kept on the sidelines to prevent theft.

Bobby Sojka, #43 safety for Pierce, did not believe it was his team’s fault; he said while they were having a meeting on the field, a few of the players on the other team decided to enter the home team locker room, which is why he believes the confrontation came about.

“I think their whole coaching staff and their whole team could have handled it better, and we could have handled it in a better way too,” Sojka said. “[But] it’s not our fault that somebody on Pierce campus decided to break in there.”

Ean Katz, #54 defensive end, said that he did not believe it was anyone from the Pierce team because they were all on the field or on the sidelines, and that it could have been a worse situation had they not been calmed down by their coach.

“[Coach Martinez] talked to us, [and] he told us to keep our composure—you know, show some class,” Katz said. “Bad things happen when you’re upset.”

Former Pierce president dies at 89

A former Pierce College president died on Thursday, Oct. 3. Dr. Herbert Ravetch, who led the college from 1979 to 1985, was the last one to hold a term in office for at least five years according to a 2007 Roundup article. Ravetch started as an English professor before moving on to the administrative route, which led to his presidency. He was also the founding president at Los Angeles Mission College. Transfer Center [10/9 & 10/21]

Representatives from UC San Diego and UC Irvine will be having workshops at the Transfer Center on Oct. 9 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Representatives from UCLA will be on campus on Monday, Oct. 21 and CSUN representatives will be here Wednesday, Oct. 23. Students are encouraged to schedule appointments online.

Screening of “Chicago 10” [10/9]

The Humanities Department will be hosting a screening of “Chicago 10” for the second film in their Resistance Documentary Film Series in the Great Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m.

$1 taco Thursday [10/10]

The Hot Sauce Truck near the South Gym will be offering chicken or beef tacos on Thursday, Oct. 10 for $1 to show appreciation to students and staff who support their food truck. This deal “is anything but a tease.”

Annual security report released

[REPORT, cont. from.page. 1]

“I feel it’s a great service they can provide,” Schleicher said.

Gabriela Gomez, 20, is a new cadet that was hired three months ago. She was searching for volunteer work at Pierce’s Sheriff’s Department, and applied for an interview, leading to her current position as one of the cadets.

“I love being a part of the cadet program,” Gomez said. “I feel like it’s going to help me out a lot. I want to be a sheriff, and this program is a big stepping stone.”

Gomez said the cadets patrol, cite tickets, open doors for teachers, and in emergencies, notify the dispatcher.

The cadets provide information that not only keeps everybody safe in the immediate situation but also, in longer terms, it helps keep up with the trends of which crimes occur most often on campus, Schleicher said.

Lofrano explained while the back and front entrances had been unlocked during half time for the players, one of the doors had been broken into, and he suggested that he could see why they were disconcerted.

“This is the first time that I know of that [the locker room] has been broken into during a game— not in the history of Pierce that I know of, and I’ve been A.D. for seven years,” he said. “And I think they told me they were broken into two weeks ago at Santa Monica –the same team.”

Martinez alluded that although he understood the team’s frustration because this has happened to his team in the past, he did not appreciate the chaos that ensued.

“They were very upset, and their head coach is really the culprit of everything, which is pretty embarrassing,” Martinez said. “They are just upset and angry, so they’re not thinking rationally—they want answers.”

Kelcie Davis, a 20-year-old who attends West LA College was one of the people who wanted answers, and she felt that the section should have been more secure.

“Where is the administration at this point?” she asked. “Why is there not a person patrolling? Why don’t you know things like that? Why don’t you know who locked it last? Why is that

News Briefs

SIA Expo [10/19]

The Science Imaging & Astronomy Expo will be holding an all-day event for the community at Pierce on Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. through 9 p.m. The event will be showcasing new technologies in telescopes and lectures from world-renowned astronomers, and culminating in a night sky viewing party. This will be the first time the Pierce College Planetarium will be open to the public and events will also take place in the new Library/Learning Crossroads Building. The first 400 students to attend will receive a free slice of pizza and a drink with a valid student ID. The SIA Expo is sponsored by Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes.

Volleyball players dig for pink [10/11]

The Pierce women’s volleyball team will be wearing pink shirts, socks and ribbons for their game against Ventura on Friday, Oct. 11 in support of breast cancer awareness. Parents and fans will be fundraising for every “kill” and “dig” made during the game, with money going directly to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This will be the sixth year the team has participated in events for breast cancer awareness.

confusing?”

Lofrano explained that officials plan to have more security, portable generator lighting in the back of the bungalows, and to make better sure that all doors are locked at appropriate times, but that even then things can still go awry.

“We were broken into at Citrus College three years ago—not to justify this [situation]—but it just happens,” he said. “Even with locked doors it happened.”

Officials did not leave the premises until approximately 11:40; Novelich said the campus sheriffs made a report of the damage to the room and the players’ stolen property, and currently the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s fingerprint technicians were called in, along with detectives who will look further into the crime.

Additional reporting by Kate Noah and Raymond Garcia.

Sheriffs have requested that anyone with information regarding this incident contact the Sheriff’s Community College Bureau Detectives at (323) 669-7555.

- Compiled by Tracy Wright

New vice president of Student Services

[11/1]

Earic Peters will be welcomed as the new vice president of Student Services on Nov. 1. Peters recently served at Los Angeles City College as the associate dean of student life and also served as the associate dean of students at Occidental College. Anthropology lecture series [10/15]

The Department of Anthropological and Geographical Sciences and the Associated Students Organization will be hosting their first in a series of lectures titled “Snow White Live in Kinshasa,” by Leslie Nicole Braun. The lecture will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 1- 2 p.m. in Behavioral Science, Room 1308.

Proposition 20

California Proposition 20 was a measure passed in March 2000 which distributes state annual lottery revenues to K-14 (Kindergarten to TwoYear-Degree) public schools for “instructional materials.”

The proposition generated up to $1.28 billion for the school district last year, with roughly $430,000 of those dollars going to Pierce. This revenue is generally spent on upgrading textbooks with the current curriculum and funding different school departments. Although these resources go toward advancing certain departments, they do not fund the schools’ constantly expanding infrastructure or the growing employee salary.

The information is then used to further student and faculty collaboration to better handle crime situations on campus, Schleicher said.

“When an incident happens, we want everyone to come to the aid of the person being victimized so we can diffuse that,” Schleicher said.

The Cleary Report helps manage statistics, which in turn helps figure out which areas need more pressure and attention, Schleicher said.

“The main goal is to prevent things from getting out of hand,” Schleicher said. “If everyone stands back and doesn’t do anything, you’re going to see more crime.”

– Compiled by Genna Gold

Program aids students to 4-year university

Honors bene ts include smaller classes, transfer agreements, and transcript recognition

to be in the program,” Anderson said. “You just need to be motivated enough to keep your grade point average up to a certain level and work hard.”

With dreams of transferring to a four-year university, students have the educational support of a program offered at Pierce College that strives to meet the needs of motivated students.

The Pierce College Honors Transfer Program works to prepare, inspire and empower students to achieve their maximum potential.

The program has requirements for joining such as having a grade point average of 3.00 or better, and students must be eligible for English 101, according to the Pierce College Honors Transfer Program website.

Director of the Honors Transfer Program Mitra Hoshiar strives for students to be ready for transfer.

“We are expanding our honors program and our goal is to help students transfer to universities, such as University of California, Los Angeles, feeling prepared to take on vigorous classes and succeed,” Hoshiar said.

Barbara Anderson, the dean of Academic Affairs, used to be the director of the Honors Transfer Program. She agrees with Hoshiar that the main focus has always been to recruit and help enable students to transfer to their dream school.

“You don’t have to be a genius

The benefits of being an honor student include smaller class sizes of a maximum 25 students, university transfer agreements, scholarship opportunities, orientation visits to universities, transcript recognition and so on, according to Anderson.

“We give the student an opportunity to be in smaller classes, which then allows more dialogue and interaction with the professor,” Anderson said.

Pierce College Professor of Biology Raymond Wells is part of the Honors Transfer Program faculty and was always interested in teaching honors.

“I like the program because it is very well-known throughout California. It is pretty solid, and the small class sizes just allow teaching to be that much better,” Wells said.

There may be a misconception about honor students focusing solely on grades, according to Wells.

“Honors students need to understand that their education is a major process and not just about the grade,” Wells said. “The Honors Program is not just about having good grades but how well you understand the information.”

To be in the program the student needs to be motivated and ready to study a lot, according to Hoshiar.

“Even though the Honors Program is difficult, students come out of it feeling more prepared to take on the world and really appreciate the opportunity given,” Hoshiar said.

Some students are not aware of the program or take advantage of the program until their last semester, but because of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society more people are learning of the program.

Iona de la Torre, a 22-yearold music history and literature major, found out about the program through members on the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society, and she has been part of the Honors Program for a year now.

“Originally I wasn’t in the program but when I took an honor class I found it to be a really nice experience,” de la Torre said. “The honor classes are very agreeable environments with smaller classroom sizes, less chit-chat and more motivated students.”

There was a longitude study over 10 years for UCLA students that showed honor transfer students did as well or better than the native students, according to Anderson.

“Our main idea is ACT, which stands for applying yourself, committing to it and transferring,” Hoshiar said.

A workshop about the Honors Transfer Program that will explain the program as a whole is scheduled for mid-November but the exact date and location is still in the

planning process.

Candidates must complete and submit the Honors Transfer Program application that can be found on the Pierce College website.

The Honors Transfer Program office can be found in Village 8340.

DEDICATED:

Pierce College is a place where many nationalities roam the campus and where diversity exists in a melting pot of culture.

International Students club meets

every Tuesday in English 1202 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday in English 3805 at 12:30 p.m.

A curious student may ask the question: where do these students come from? Where do they live? What do they eat? Why do they dress the way they dress? All these answers can be found at the International Students Club every Tuesday in English 1202 at 1:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays in English 3805 at 12:30 p.m. . Marketing major Abdullah Alawaja, 29, is one of these students at Pierce that stands out.

Meet the ASO Club Council president International student rises in student government

4: It’s rare for Ayungao to have a day off.

He dresses in traditional Saudi Arabian clothes which include a thawb: a loose-fitting, longsleeved white garmet around his body, white pants called a sirwal and a white headdress called a ghutra. He loves coming to Pierce not only to learn in school, but to get a multi-cultured experience at the ISC.

“This club is a great club because I get to learn about other cultures,” Alawaja said. “Not only do I get to learn about other cultures, but I get to teach about my culture as well.”

ISC not only introduces other cultures, but also breaks the ice with people from two rivaling countries. Such is the case with

Pedram Kazemi, a 19-year-old engineering major who is from Iran and has lived in the U.S. for only three months, and Omri Gabay, a 19 year-old computer science major from Israel.

Both countries have had political tension dating back to 2005, but these men look past the politics and have become very good friends.

“Omri has helped me a lot in my calculus class,” Kazemi said. “He helped me get the correct calculator for my class and helped me in getting other classes as well. I don’t care about the politics.”

Gabay described the relations between Iran and Israel as a lovehate relationship.

“On the surface it seems like the countries hate each other because of all the politics,” Gabay said. “But in reality, there’s love under the surface.”

Such is the love at the ISC where students coming from other countries can not only make the transition but also make some friends along the way.

“This is a healthy group environment for students who have just moved to the U.S.,” Gabay said. “The club acclimates new students to American culture, yet at the same time allows others to share their culture as well.”

To learn more about this and other clubs visit theroundupnews. com.

Six things to know about newly elected Associated Students Organization Club Council President Krishna Lou Ayungao.

1: Ayungao emigrated from the Philippines.

KA: “I moved out here when I was 17, therefore I needed to have a guardian, and my aunt lived in Los Angeles, so I came to Pierce because it’s a lot cheaper.”

2: She served on the ASO Senate for two semesters and is now the Club Council president.

KA: “For Senators we need 80 signatures from the representative department, and after that we need to finish 35 hours, so that we get transcripts recognition, but for officers or president the students at Pierce need to vote for us.”

3: Her main project as Club Council president is called the “Pierce College Experience.”

KA: “Most students treat Pierce with contempt since it’s a community college, despite it being part of your college experience, so I’m working on team building for the clubs and raising more funds that we desperately need.”

KA: “I find consolation hanging out with friends from church, or my family. I go to youth group every Friday and I do a little bit of community service on the weekends, where I am a discipleship facilitator for homeless people. I serve them meals, pray for them and try to refer them to job opportunities.”

5: She is planning on hosting a screening of “Girl Rising” on Oct. 10, which is a film about human trafficking.

KA: “I’m Passionate about human trafficking, for personal reasons. No one should experience that, especially girls. The Philippines is a country that is exposed to that immensely and they don’t pay attention to prostitution and social injustice, which happens a lot in Asia.”

6: Her educational goals after Pierce: KA: “I would love to be a professor. Or if not, work for a nonprofit organization and do cultural research for other countries. Since I’m a human trafficking abolitionist, I want to find effective ways to stop social injustice, or make policies, as long as it involves culture and helping others”.

ELECTED:

is the Club Council president who won with 339 votes in favor and 58 against, on Oct. 2.

Ethan Hanson Roundup Reporter

Monica Campos Roundup Reporter

Nelger Carrera/ Roundup

Krishna Ayungao

Nelger Carrera/ Roundup

Stage is set for upcoming musical play

Members of set design class prepare for season opener

Kat Wilson Roundup Reporter

The set-building crew works hard every Monday and Wednesday to bring the stage together for theatrical productions on campus.

Michael Gend, professor of the stage production class, distributes the workload to the eight or so students who sit before him each week in the fenced workshop and then sends them on their way to work in their groups.

The students get off their stools to start their projects, some staying outside while others follow Gend into the white theater tent.

Inside the tent, the crew worked on the set for “The Fantasticks,” a musical that will start the end of this month.

“It’s a very stylized set. Its design includes an aged-wood foundation, old trunks and rolling platforms,” said Ed Salas, a theater technician who helps Gend supervise the students. “We’re trying to incorporate some tricks for the show.”

The crew started gathering their materials as they moved chairs and props around the stage.

Gend stepped on a rolling piece of platform to test its structure. The platform would be Salas’ project for the afternoon.

With the help of two students, Salas was able to disassemble the platform.

Nursing major Stephanie Pineda, 18, helped Salas hammer and saw off bits of wood and nails.

“I can’t cut with this arm anymore,” Pineda said to classmate Kevin Tamay as she flopped it around. “It’s too tired.”

Tamay, 18, who is doublemajoring in medicine and sound and lighting, laughed at Pineda.

As they continued, the deafening noise of a hand-held power saw temporarily muted conversation

in the tent as Salas cut off a few wooden corners.

“That thing just doesn’t want to be cut,” Tamay said. Salas grunted as he jiggled the saw. After a few seconds of struggling, a wooden piece had flung off, getting lost among the trunks.

The rolling platform will hold a

screen that will enable interactive projections to operate throughout the musical, to add to “The Fantasticks” magical element, Salas said.

As Salas and his two students whittled away at their project, three other crew members started painting.

They swept a raised platform,

Free Thursday afternoon concerts for October:

The Pierce College Music Department hosts free music concerts every Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the Music Building room 3400. The concerts are open to the public. Doors open at 12:45 p.m. and will be locked once performances begin.

preparing it for a layer of paint and touch-ups.

Rachel Goodwein, 19, theater arts major, crouched next to safety goggles and paint buckets as she gathered sponges and paintbrushes.

Her crewmate, Karen Ashley, 18, also a theater arts major, positioned herself beside Goodwein, popping the buckets open so she could stir

old trunks, and

“The Fantasticks”

Fact Box:

Tickets:

• $15 for students & seniors

• $20 for general admission

Parking:

Lots 7 and 8

Showtimes:

• Friday, Oct. 25 & Saturday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m.

• Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.

“Stop ruining my masterpiece,” Goodwein joked.

“Your masterpiece that I made a lot better,” Ashley said in return.

Pertaining to “The Fantasticks” set, it’s originally supposed to be simple and minimalistic, Salas said.

“The director is trying to modernize it,” Salas said. “To make it more interesting.”

HH

O U S I N G

the paint inside.

Goodwein and Ashley carefully slid thin pieces of plywood underneath the platform to protect the smudged, dark floor of the theater before they began painting.

As Goodwein smeared black paint onto the platform, Ashley followed closely behind with a glob of brown.

“The Fantasticks” will open on Oct. 25 and run through Nov. 3, according to the Theater Department’s website.

Two other productions, a dance show and “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Life Radio Play”, are upcoming events that are sure to keep the building crew busy for the semester, Salas said.

SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT PRIVACY!

WARNER CENTER TOWNHOMES

Roommate Friendly and Walking Distance to Pierce!

All our 3 bedroom apartments have 3 full bathrooms! With side-by-side (not tandem) parking and your own washer/dryer, you can keep your privacy . . . while living in luxury!

Amenities include:

• Stainless Steel Appliances & Granite Countertops

• 6-Jet Roman Spa & Gas Fireplace

• Central Air Conditioning & Heat

• Gated Entry & Parking

• Fitness Center

• Pet Friendly

thewarnercentertownhomes.com

(818) 961-5234

“It’s a very stylized set. Its design includes an aged wood foundation,

rolling platforms.”

-Michael Gend Stage Production Class Professor

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

DETAILS: While Karen Ashley, 18, paints the stage deck, Rachael Goodwin, 19, blends in a different paint color using a cloth in order to get the deck to the correct shade.

Trio - clarinet, viola, piano Music of Mozart, Bruch and Brahms

Dr. Steven P. Niles - pianist Masterworks of the Romantic Piano - Brahms, Schubert, Chopin, Bartok, Debussy

Ji Young An - violin

The Four Seasons -Antonio Vivaldi

Ray-Kallay Duo

Vicki Ray - keyboards and electronics

Aron Kallay - keyboards and electronics Charles Ives, Colin McPhee, Jason Heath, Enno Poppe

Chance to dance

From jazz-modern and salsa to hip-hop, students express themselves through the art of dance, practicing for the Fall Dance Concert at Pierce College.

Nelger Carrera / Roundup

MODERN DANCE CLASS: Dance major Sarah Louise, 19, accounting major Cassandra Godinez, 18, and dance major Jessica Uthus, 18 practice their dance routine in Dance Studio 5601 in the North Gym at Pierce College on Friday, Oct. 4.

Monica Salazar / Roundup

SIZZLING SALSA: Dancers Jesse Pineda, 30, CharʼDonaiʼ Brooks, 21, Joel Avarez, 31, Erika Figueroa, 34, Bryan Garcia, and Camila Medel, 22, turn up the heat while practicing their salsa dance piece in Dance Studio 5601 Monday, Oct. 7.

Nelger Carrera / Roundup

BREAK DANCER: Xavier MacCum does a hand stand under the shady structure on the Mall in front of the Business Building on Monday, Oct. 7.

Coaching from the classroom

Football head coach teaches match at local high school

Michaia Hernandez Online Editor

Efrain Martinez feels just as home in the classroom as he does on the Pierce College football field.

Martinez, who is head coach to the Brahmas, teaches mathematics — from algebra and geometry to pre-calculus — at El Camino Real High School.

Even as a teenager, Martinez knew that he wanted to be involved with football when he grew up.

“I knew I wasn’t going to play it forever, so I asked, ‘How do I stay with it for a very long time?’ Coaching,” he said. “How do you get into coaching? You teach.”

Martinez was torn between choosing to be a physical education teacher — which is the typical route coaches go for — and teaching math, which he says has always been his favorite subject.

“Do I get a degree in P.E. or do I get a degree in math? Which one would benefit the kids more? The math would,” he said.

Martinez earned a master’s degree in mathematics at California State University, Northridge, the same school he attended as an undergraduate. In 2009, he received another master’s degree at University of Central Missouri.

Meanwhile, he began his football training career as a junior varsity coach at his alma mater, Van Nuys High School, from 1996 to 2000. He then moved up to coach at Los Angeles Valley College for a year before heading to El Camino Real to train its football team for two years and then ending up at Pierce. He was a math instructor at all of the schools he coached at.

“All I wanted to do was coach high school football,” Martinez said. “That’s what I wanted to do. One thing just led to another and I wound up here.”

Martinez knows that math isn’t one of the more well-liked subjects by high

school students, so he tries to make it fun and relatable for them.

“I try to make it interactive and not very conventional. I try to make it relative to whatever is going on in life; I try to make connections. It’s really a lot of entertainment,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong — there’s a lot of teaching going on, but you have to keep the kids entertained. You have to get their attention.”

Martinez also says that as a teacher, he is the same on and off the field.

“The way I treat those kids is the same thing. I care about the kids, you know,” he said. “They see it out there; they see it in there — caring for these

kids and nurturing these kids and giving them opportunities to help them become lifelong contributors to society.”

James Hubbard, a defensive back for the Pierce football team who has taken a math class with his coach, says that Martinez teaches just as well as he coaches.

“If you took a class with him, you wouldn’t even know he was a coach. He’s just like a regular teacher,” Hubbard said.

Martinez says that coaching football and teaching math aren’t as dissimilar as they seem to be at first glance, not just because of the problem-solving aspect of it, but also because both cater

years of successful goals

soccer has made playo s every season

Mike Washington Roundup Reporter

The Roundup: Your team is doing fantastically well considering they have been making the playoffs almost every year.

Adolfo Perez: 206 wins, 35 losses, and 38 draws. We have made the playoffs every year since 2001.

RU: Not many teams can say that.

AP: I think it’s just us and Ventura in the whole state of California that can actually say that.

RU: So you took over the team in 2001?

AP: Yeah. Actually, I’ve been the first and only coach. When I got hired on 2001 there was no program. I actually got hired in May which is recruiting season and as I like to say, we did not have a soccer ball. I mean we literally started from scratch. There was no soccer ball, no field, no nothing. We got our field halfway through our second year. It was rough.

RU:

So there was no soccer at all here?

Not even a men’s team?

AP: There was no men’s, no women’s. There was nothing.

RU: Why do you think that is?

AP:

At that time, our ex-Athletic Director Bob Lyons wanted to make a women’s soccer team here for the community. So I applied, I got the job, and I’ve been here ever since. That first year we won 15 games. We went 15 and 4 and then we made the playoffs. And it’s tough because in a junior college, every year is a different team.

Everybody thinks it’s every two years but it’s actually every year. For instance, we only had three players from last year’s team come back this year.

RU: Why Pierce? There are so many other options out there to take up a coaching position. Why did you choose Pierce?

AP: Because of the proximity. I’m a Cal State Northridge alumni and I played there. I actually got offered to coach at the University of Idaho in 2003 and that was my third year here. It’s one of those things that an opportunity came and at that time I was not ready. I didn’t know it but opportunities like that are very hard to come by, Division I jobs. I don’t regret it because I really enjoy the kind of kids that I coach here at Pierce, because I also

coach club soccer teams and it’s a different breed of player.

RU:

Would you say that your coaching style is different from other coaches?

AP:

I think we make our players believe. It all starts with work ethic. We don’t cut corners. We try to have every one of our players be at every single practice session and we go above and beyond with having our girls wear the same colors even during practices, or you cannot train that day. Everybody has to be wearing something “Pierce.” We take pride in that. We also fundraise because it’s been tight with the budget in recent years but we somehow have managed to make it. It’s been tough for me because I used to teach two summer soccer classes and a spring class but now I only teach the fall class and one spring class. With the work that you put into it, you don’t make a rewarding amount of money, but it’s rewarding in another sense.

RU:

Final question: how would you describe your experience at Pierce over the last 10 years?

AP:

Definite change. The kids are different. It used to go from us winning six straight years winning Western State Conference, we have won it a total of 8 times, which is very hard to do, and I think we take it for granted. There are some years, two specifically, that we not only lost a conference, but we did not even allow a goal. I look at that nowadays and think, “How did that happen?” When now it’s so hard just to win a game.

to his role as an educator.

“Coaches are teachers; teachers are coaches, regardless of how you look at it,” he said.

Martinez credits his time management skills in his success in both of his teaching endeavors.

“You have to be able to delegate to keep it balanced. Otherwise, you’ll go nuts. You have to be able to time manage,” he said. “I have a concept of

time. I know that there’s an importance to time, regardless of how anybody looks at it.”

According to Athletic Director Bob Lofrano, because of the many players on the football team, Martinez’ time management and organization are his strongest points as a coach.

“It’s really needed when he ends up not being here until [3:30 p.m.]”

Despite the long hours — Martinez

teaches at El Camino from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and attends practice from 3:30 to 10 p.m. — he says he enjoys his jobs.

“There’s more pressure in doing [football] but I don’t consider one more difficult than the other one,” he said.

“People ask me, ‘How’s work?’ I say, ‘I don’t work.’ In fact, what I do is fun; it’s enjoyable, I get up and enjoy it. I come here, I enjoy it. I just enjoy not working.”

Jonathan Andrino / Roundup

CALCULATING YARDS: Pierceʼs football head coach Efrain Martinez holds up a TI-83 calculator during practice at John Shepard Stadium tying in his life on and off the field on Thursday, Oct. 3.

Carlos Carpio / Roundup MAESTRO: Head coach Adolfo Perez directs the soccer team during practice on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Women’s

Big 1st quarter leads to landslide win Football team improves to 4-0

Kate Noah Copy Editor

In the game that ended in theft on Saturday, the Brahmas dominated the football field in a 41-16 win against West LA College at Pierce’s Shepard Stadium.

Pierce started out strong with four touchdowns in the first quarter. It was the first time all season that the team scored on the first drive, but quarterback Nicholas Arbuckle said the highlight of the game was that tight end Tyler Kolodny caught five passes and scored two touchdowns in the first quarter.

“He went into the game with only one catch all season, so the opportunity to get him the ball a lot and see what he could do was really good,” Arbuckle said.

West LA scored a field goal in the second quarter, but Pierce fought back when running back DeShawn Jones scored the fifth touchdown of the night with a pass from Arbuckle and a 75-yd run, bringing the halftime score to 34-3.

The third quarter of the game brought one more touchdown for the Brahmas by running back Calvin Howard. In the same

quarter, defensive end Lonnie Parks grabbed his first sack of the season: the highlight of the game for him.

“We’re off to a great start. I feel like we could go undefeated,” Parks said. “I think we played a good game on both sides of the door: offense and defense.”

West LA showed their potential when they scored two touchdowns in the final quarter, but Pierce was too far ahead.

West LA football coach Marguet Miller said that although his players’ turnovers were holding them back every time, he felt hopeful for the

Kate Noah / Roundup

BREAK AWAY: Running back DeShawn Jones, wearing pink on his arms in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, runs toward the endzone for a touchdown at the end of the first half of the game

remainder of the season. He said his team would continue working hard, and it wasn’t the other teams that were beating West LA. “They don’t stop us. We stop ourselves,” Miller said. “You can’t beat two teams.”

Team Standings

Team

With a final score of 41-16, the 2013 team starts the season off 4-0, which only the 1984 team was able to accomplish in the history of the school according to Athletic Director Bob Lofrano’s Oct. 6 Sports Flash on Facebook.

“Hopefully we’ll keep it going and win every single game,” Arbuckle said. “That’s something Pierce has never done before, and so that’s always been our goal and hopefully we can accomplish that.”

According to Arbuckle, Pierce

will have to play hard to keep their winning streak as they play against Moorpark College on Oct. 12. “Moorpark is from a really good division,” Arbuckle said. “They’re better than they were last year and they were good last year.”

Offensive showcase fuels win

Women’s volleyball team extends win streak to 4

Pierce women’s volleyball team was able to beat Moorpark College 3-1 at an away game on Friday, Oct. 4.

Pierce was able to dominate the first and second sets of the game 25-9 and 25-11, then Moorpark stole the third set 25-20. Finally, Pierce won the game in the fourth set 2520.

Pierce’s women’s volleyball team head coach Nabil Mardini said his team did a great job.

“We actually served the ball real well. We did a good job. We

Pierce ties with top conference team

Genna Gold News Editor

The Pierce College women’s soccer team opened its conference play with a 1-1 tie on the road against Santa Barbara City College Friday, Oct. 4.

Going into the game, Pierce’s Athletic Director Bob Lofrano was confident in the progress the newly formed team was making even with SBCC being one of the top-ranked teams in the conference.

“We might have our hands full,” Lofrano said. “It should be interesting.”

This is nearly an entirely new

team for Pierce, except for three returning players, so it has taken some time for the girls to get used to playing together, according to Lofrano.

Pierce opened the game scoring in the first half in minute 38 with a goal by freshman forward Michelle Somers assisted by freshman midfielder Jessica Castillejo.

Pierce maintained the lead into the second half when SBCC tied the contest with an unassisted goal at the 78-minute mark by forward Briana Lopez.

“It was a bit tough at the beginning,” Head coach Adolfo Perez said. “The girls are starting to

work much better together.”

Assistant coach Diaz felt that Somers and Shawnie Moore, freshman midfielder, showed great effort throughout the game and were a few of the shining stars on the field that night.

“It was a great first half,” Assistant Coach William Diaz said. “We definitely battled it out.”

Note: The Brahmas are hoping to duplicate the strong season they had in 2012 when they posted a record of 12-5-4 advancing them to the Southern California Regional Playoffs for the 12th consecutive year earning the eighth seed.

Volleyball team wins in sweep

Improvement was the theme for the Pierce College women’s volleyball team on Wednesday, Oct. 2.

Pierce went on to beat Antelope Valley College in three straight sets of scores: 25-12, 25-13, 25-21.

“The numbers are off the charts right now for us,” head coach Nabil Mardini said. “We have improved tremendously since the beginning of the year.”

Outside hitter Kira Guarino explained why she believed the

team was getting exponentially better.

“We’ve definitely improved a lot since the beginning of this season, and I think every game we get a little bit better,” she said. “And [we] build a little bit more of a team experience and team unity.”

Head coach of the Antelope Valley team Mark Cruz explained he did not take the loss as an extreme setback, but instead as a learning experience.

“We still have a lot that we need to work on,” Cruz said. “We executed some of our plays, but our passing broke down, and we have

little errors at crucial times that kills our momentum, so that’s what hurt us.”

One player who garnered noticeable attention by dominating the court with her scores in this game was freshman left outside hitter Alyssa Chulak, who also noticed the growth of the team.

“We started off rocky this season, but we’re finally starting to learn how to compete and how to actually win,” Chulak said.

For the complete story and photo slideshow, visit theroundupnews.com.

managed the game very well. We won in four [sets]. I thought our middle did a very good job,” Mardini said.

Some of the players from Pierce who stuck out in the game were: Paige McFerran, who scored eight kills, Jordan Canole, who scored six kills, and Brooke Rudebusch, who contributed with eight aces.

Head coach of the women’s volleyball team of Moorpark College Steve Burkhard didn’t have much to say about his team’s performance.

“I thought it was a very up-anddown kind of thing. We were very inconsistent. Pierce played well,” Burkhard said.

Mardini said his team was able to win even though they lost the third set.

“When the game is on the line, when it matters the most we made the big plays,” Mardini said. He thought some of his players stuck out in the game.

“I thought Paige McFerran and Jordan Canole had a good match,” Mardini said.

Before Pierce faces against Santa Barbara, Mardini said there is one thing his team certainly has to do.

“We have to attack better on the left side, that’s all we need to do,” Mardini said.

against West LA College on Saturday, Oct. 5.

“They don’t stop us. We stop ourselves. You can’t beat two teams.”

-Marguet Miller

Head coach of West LA

Jesus Castro Roundup Reporter

Kashish Nizami Roundup Reporter