Pierce College is evicting the company that runs the Farm Center on the corner of De Soto Avenue and Victory Boulevard after nearly a decade of community service, citing financial and college program support reasons.
Asylum Productions runs the Farm Center and is currently in a legal battle with the college administration and Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) to save its business after
At promptly 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, the entirety of Pierce instructor Kim Rich’s criminal justice class instituted the first top-to-bottom scrubbing the Village 8330 classroom has known in her time teaching there.
Rich, who has been in the temporary Village structures for four years, said that the only type of janitorial support she receives from Facilities staff is the emptying of trash cans.
“We were only supposed to be out here [in the Village] for a year, then it became two, three, four,” Rich said. “Half the stuff doesn’t work. We’re just kind of out here.”
Fed up with the dirty work environment, Rich spent $200 of her own money on brooms, longhandled deck scrubbers, blue Nitrile gloves, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, muck buckets, a variety of liquid cleaners, donuts and candy and asked her students to help clean the classroom after their quiz – and they did, she said.
Working a deck scrubber against the tired plastic thatch wallpaper covered in bits of gum and dark mystery fingers of dried liquid was
Jesse Cortez, who has been taking Rich’s classes in the Village for two years and hadn’t seen any improvement before their cleaning..
“It’s pretty disgusting,” Cortez said. “It’s always been like this.”
Also helping out her classmates was Samira Noorzad, an 18-year-old criminal justice major, who was cleaning the door that leads outside to the soccer fields, which is blamed for some of the mess.
“I didn’t even think it was this dirty until I started cleaning. It’s really gross,” Noorzad said. “Some classes have carpet, so imagine how dirty that is.”
[See DIRT, pg. 4 | See PHOTO ESSAY, pg. 6]
Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher served a 30-day eviction notice on July 10, 2013, according to public documents.
The owners of Asylum, Robert and Cathy McBroom, hired legal counsel Roger Stanard, who demanded in a July 19 response letter that the notice be retracted:
Even if the contract can be interpreted to have expired on December 31, 2012, the interim contract was renewed by operation of law in accordance with Civil Code §1945 … if a leasee continues to occupy the leased premises after the expiration of the hiring, and the landlord accepts rent, the parties have presumed to have renewed the hiring on the same terms and for the same period of time.
Stanard said later in an interview that Best, Best & Kreiger, which represents the college and LACCD, has offered to mediate the matter and that the McBrooms have
Genna
News Editor
A normal morning for an HIVpositive person begins with a hefty cocktail of numerous medications and enough water to last for a trip through the desert.
For Hillel Wasserman, a 57-yearold motion picture marketing specialist, this has been his reality for the past 26 years.
“I have more physicians than I have friends,” Wasserman said with a laugh.
Fighting a deadly illness makes it a daily challenge to stay positive, but Wasserman has found a way to continue to live each day to its fullest by being a speaker for an organization called Being Alive. His speeches assist others by helping them deal with their illness and provide insight and education to the public about an illness that seems to remain a step ahead at all times.
“The purpose of Being Alive is to draw HIV-positive men and women out of the isolation and hiding that tends to come with this kind of devastating diagnosis and bring them back into the real world again,” Wasserman said.
Being Alive was created 27 years ago and was the very first peer-led,
non-profit HIV/AIDS organization in the country, with everyone connected to the association being HIV positive. The group has a dynamic mental health program and is the only HIV/AIDS organization in the entire country that offers free one on one counseling to all of their members.
These first hand accounts are more personal than a description from a doctor.
“Our mission is to try to tell a personal story,” Colin Hadlow said, chairman of the speakers bureau. “We’re not trying to educate people on AIDS 101.”
accepted that proposal with new counsel, Paul C. Bauducco. Asylum was under a joint occupancy contract with the Foundation for Pierce as a fundraiser project when college administration took control of farm oversight, representatives from the Foundation said.
The Foundation for Pierce College has been a non-profit organization since 1970 and currently manages 32 scholarship funds and assists 84 departments with resource and financial support. generates revenue for scholarships and school support through grants, donations and fundraising endeavors like partnering with Asylum on the Farm Center.
“I hope an agreement can be reached and they will be allowed to continue,” Nancy Pearlman, an LACCD board member, said.
According to public tax records from the years 2008 through 2010, in the last three full years, the Farm Center contributed a total of $1,312.351 in revenue to the Foundation.
The amount the Farm Center was compensated by the Foundation and the cost to the Foundation to run the project is not clear as accountants and the tax reporting changed, said Kathy Zanghi, financial manager for the Foundation.
The revenue in 2011- after Pierce took on oversight for the Farm Center- dropped from the hundreds of thousands down to $58,268 for the fiscal year..
Over a decade of service could be coming to an abrupt endGold Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup AIDS: Hillel Wasserman displays his daily medications while speaking to students on Oct. 30, 2013. [See EVICTION, pg. 4] [See BEING ALIVE, pg. 4] Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup DUNK: Trey Archambeau (33) jumps over teammate Tatsyuki Suenagasi (1) to perform a dunk during the slam dunk competition portion of Midnight Madness event in the South Gym on Wednesday Oct. 30.
UP: Clean campus users
Proactive teachers and students take it upon themselves to clean up their work areas and keep them clean.
DOWN: Trashy attitudes
Custodial services could use all the help it can get, but instead some irresponsible people trash bathrooms and classrooms.
Do you know sheriffs will escort students to their cars?
Do you know the speed limits on campus roads and in parking lots?
No - 21
It’s easy to place blame on the custodians for lack of cleanliness on campus and in classrooms, but too often we neglect our own responsibilities as students, or simply even as adults.
The secret is out: our campus is filthy. While students and faculty look to the custodial staff for help, it’s important to remember the root cause of this dirty problem is the student body itself.
Custodians have limited access to classrooms with computers and other expensive equipment, so less frequent visits in these rooms is understandable. But restricted classrooms represent a small number of dirty rooms.
Restrooms are cleaned twice daily but it barely makes a difference as the flood of bodies that channel through sprinkle irresponsibility and trash common courtesy.
The lack of attention to classrooms and common areas begs to ponder how Plant Facilities directs their custodial staff and groundskeepers to handle the output of approximately 20,000 staff and students.
Yes - 54
Do you know the college’s campus smoking policy?
No - 8
Yes - 29
No - 46
Do you know the college’s campus biking and skating policy?
Yes - 67
Yes - 43
Budget cuts and rising enrollment, which spans the past several years -- coupled together with new construction from school bonds -- lead some to question how the school administration failed to foresee this crucial element of campus operations.
The windows of new administration buildings are washed, bathrooms
No - 32
Do you know what the blue phones on campus are supposed to do?
No - 33
Yes - 42
* Answers out of 75 responses from students on campus as compiled by news editor Genna Gold.
Issue: 6
Volume 119
Page 1: “ASO to move into new library” was written by Jasmin Miko
Page 3: Photo caption, “Robin Barker, sister of Gary Moratz, embraces his finace, Amber Jones after the memorial service on Oct. 26.”
are regularly stocked, and tumbleweeds of trash aren’t hitting your feet as you walk through hallways.
Hidden behind this pristine façade, trashcans overflow, floors have layers of dirt and grime, and tables are stickier than a Chuck E. Cheese on a Saturday afternoon because of many students who completely forget, or simply neglect, to follow the rule that food and drinks are forbidden in classrooms.
Most teachers are required to pass out a syllabus or code of conduct for their classroom during the first week of classes, and the majority of these policies include no food or drinking in classes, yet rules are rarely enforced.
The floors of classrooms do need to be mopped and the paper towels need to be refilled more often than not, but students and faculty should be able to sit in a classroom for two hours at a time and not consume food or drinks.
The bathrooms do stink and supplies do run out, but students and faculty need to treat the facilities responsibly like they would when visiting friends or family.
Teachers and students are so eager to complain about the less-thansparkly status on campus, but they should also be just as quick to enforce guidelines for their classrooms and take personal responsibility.
-ConRoundup reporter
Chiara Perbil cperbil.roundupnews@gmail.com
California community colleges’ main goal is to provide learning opportunities, which is difficult with full and reduced classes, but the law resulting from California Legislature Assembly Bill 955 is not the answer.
The “Community colleges: intersession extension programs” law permits students to bypass the masses by paying full tuition, $236 per unit, to access popular classes during summer and winter sessions leaving those without the money to wait, which is why it has become the so-called “two-tier” law.
Every one of the students fighting for high-demand classes wants to graduate or transfer from community colleges within two years. This law is unfair because it limits the access of needed classes to the poorest students. The law will create a discriminatory gap between the students who can pay the high cost
of tuition and those who cannot.
Many dedicated students who strive to get ahead cannot tolerate tuition of $1,180, before books, for a five-unit class. So students statewide are petitioning against the two-tier law.
Students who could pay the $236-per-unit fee, but think it is crazy, may try to find an equivalent at a university, change their educational plan or just drop out.
More than 600 students at Long Beach City College signed a petition against the bill, according the Orange County Register, and more have started online petitions.
The law states the classes affected include highly sought after transfer-level English, algebra and history courses. Students who make an extra effort during summer and winter sessions to take these courses shouldn’t bear an extra financial burden – the extra classes should be at standard tuition.
California State Legislature should protect public education by keeping the unit fees of $46 for summer and winter intersession and not limit the access to students with economic disadvantages.
Securing the public education system in California will secure the future of the state.
Every college that is eligible should create extension programs under the new law because it gives students access to more of the courses they need to graduate or fulfill benefit requirements.
California Legislature Assembly
Bill 955, signed into law on Oct. 10, allows six community colleges to create full-tuition classes during winter and summer sessions.
It seems there is typical rhetoric about this law turning what is supposed to be a plan to give students more classes into something of a caste system.
No low-cost classes are allowed to be cut, shrunk or displaced by these new extension classes and there is no penalty if an eligible college does not participate in the program.
Many veterans, who clearly deserve our help for keeping America safe, may not be eligible to receive the financial assistance
because they must be enrolled in college courses to receive housing benefits, according to the law.
The more open class sections there are, the less students have to beg for an add card while they sit on dirty floors in old bungalows hoping to win the enrollment lottery.
One only needs to recall the fight more than 100 students had trying to crash a single English class last semester to fully appreciate the elegance of the new law.
It’s true that classes which cost $236 per unit is hard to swallow, but regular fee courses will be given priority over higher fee classes and they will not be offered against $46-per-unit courses in the fall and spring semesters.
Within the law there are strict guidelines that state one-third of the enrollment fees must go to financial aid for these classes and students eligible for regular tuition fees will be given priority registration for the extension classes.
There is no apparent harm with this law, despite the conversations between many students and faculty at California community colleges who misunderstand or misrepresent it.
We are going to school to learn and grow, not to fret over adding classes.
– Compiled by Genna Gold
Oct. 27 - Nov. 2
10/28 - Attempted burglary - An unknown suspect tried to break into students’ vehicles by punching out the door locks in Lot 3.
10/28 - Injury - A vehicle crashed into the gate located on El Rancho Road and De Soto Avenue. The student complained of pain so the paramedic was called but the driver refused transport.
10/30 - Hit and run, parked vehicle - A student said his vehicle was parked in Lot 7 and was hit with no note left.
11/2 - Suspicious person - A suspicious person was hiding in trees and had his dog off its leash by the Plant Facilities building. He was warned and advised that he was trespassing.
11/2 - Ill visitor - A high school student participating in a track meet collapsed on the Cross Country Course and was transported to Kaiser Hospital.
(818) 719 - 6450
Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311
[BEING ALIVE, cont. from pg. 1]
The group has been speaking at Pierce for the past 20 years and will be on campus again for two weeks starting Nov. 12 until Nov. 22 on behalf of HIV Awareness Month.
Hillel and other speakers will be available for all teachers to reserve a time for them to speak to their classes.
“We really want Being Alive on campus the week prior to testing and the week of testing, so we can give teachers two weeks to choose a time to invite a speaker to their class,” Beth Benne said, director of the Student Health Center.
Pierce is the only campus that Being Alive works with that offers free HIV testing to all students and faculty. According to Hadlow, Pierce is by far the most proactive school that Being Alive teaches at as far as getting involved with the student body in AIDS intervention and prevention.
“Although I realized it would be unrealistic to expect my doctor to be HIV positive also,” Wasserman said. “I wouldn’t have minded someone sitting next to him saying, ‘you know what, this isn’t good but it’s not the end of the world, we’ll find a way through this together.’”
When HIV first leached its way into society, it was seen as the new boogeyman after the fall of communism. People were tearing whole pages out of their phonebooks due to the number of deaths and doctors were left scared and puzzled with a disease that was smarter than them.
A new vice president of Student Services was elected at Pierce College and began his term on Friday, Nov. 1.
Earic Peters finished his term as an associate dean at Los Angeles City College and arrived at Pierce on Friday, Nov. 1. David Follosco, a long-time staff member and a current dean of Student Services, was holding the reigns as current acting vice president while Peters finished work at L.A. City College. Follosco has worked at Pierce for the past seven years, as well as holding various positions across five total campuses in the valley.
“I’ve done the position before,” Follosco said. “There was a period that I did it for about a year as an acting position.”
The vice president of Student Services is in charge of problem solving and organization of all student services, as well as budget decisions and planning for the future of Pierce in relation to student services. Student Services also deals with emergencies on campus, making sure students are safe and taken care of.
“We want to be able to support students when they’re coming into the campus so you don’t really think about it,” Follosco said. “I look forward to working with Mr. Peters.”
The Wi-Fi at Pierce College will be password-protected beginning spring 2014.
Currently, Pierce’s internet services are open to anyone with a laptop or mobile device, but starting next semester, the only way to access the Wi-Fi will be through having an account with the school, according to Wendy Bass, distance education coordinator for PierceOnLine.
Students and staff will have individual accounts that they will be required to use to log in. Logging in
will require the Pierce ID number and password that is used to access the Student Information System, according to Bass.
The Wi-Fi will be accessible for the first three weeks to guests or anyone not enrolled at Pierce.
She hopes that this will allow for more bandwidth for the Pierce community trying to access the Internet connection.
“We don’t know if it’s going to get better but we’re hoping that maybe if you have a login, it’ll get rid of people that don’t belong on Pierce College that may be using our Wi-Fi for free,” Bass said during an Academic Senate meeting on Monday, Nov. 4.
[EVICTION, cont. from pg. 1]
In recent meeting minutes it was revealed that in June 2013 the Foundation only managed to bring in $268.
The McBrooms were the only proprietors to apply for an LACCD joint occupancy proposal by the deadline. On July 11, 2012, LACCD Board of Trustees passed to “Authorize intent to award and
LACCD will be on the Pierce College campus Wed., Nov. 6 and will hold their bi-monthly meeting in the Great Hall at 3:30 p.m.
Chemistry department seminar [11/6]
The Chemistry Department will be presenting a seminar “Frontiers on Science” on Wed. Nov. 6 in CFS 1126 at 4:30 p.m. Dr. David Tirrell, a chemistry professor from Caltech will be speaking about reinterpreting the genetic code. For more information, contact the chemistry department chair, Dr. Izzy Goodman at 818-719-6464.
Veterans Day [11/11]
Campus will be closed on Monday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.
Anthropology lecture series [11/12]
The Anthropological and Geographical Sciences Department will be hosting Dr. Brian Pierson on Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 1-2 p.m. for their second lecture of the 2013-2014 Lecture Series entitled “Facial Reproduction: How and Why it’s Done.” The lecture will be held in Behavioral Science room 1308.
- Compiled by Tracy WrightDrop date approaching [11/17]
The last day to drop classes is Sunday, Nov. 17. All classes must be dropped online through the student information system (SIS). For short-term classes and PACE classes, students are advised to speak with their professors as they may have different drop days.
Workshops available on campus
The Center for Academic Success has over 40 workshops available for students needing help in many areas of academic studies. Stop by room 5130 in the Learning Library Crossroads or contact Crystal Kiekal at 818719-6414 for workshop schedules and additional information.
A new program seven years in the making that will provide incoming students more resources was wellreceived with a unanimous vote in its favor by the Pierce College Academic Senate Monday, Nov. 4.
The First-Year Experience will be implemented for matriculating students for the fall 2014 semester if they have registered on time in April 2014, according to the President of the Academic Senate Kathy Oborn.
It will offer incoming students support through resources like counseling and tutoring. These resources will help freshmen to decide which classes to take and which to avoid to aid in choosing a career path.
“It provides our students with opportunities to be more successful,” Oborn said. “The FirstYear Experience is, in essence, a one-stop shop where students can receive counseling and assessment and student success workshops.”
Senate executive Izzy Goodman said that he believes the plan is well thought out and necessary for students to move forward.
“Students ought to spend a little more time on planning their education,” Goodman said.
Joanna Zimring-Towne, director of the Career Center, hopes that the program will positively affect the next generation by aiding in a faster transfer and graduation rate than previous years.
“We have students come to us and say that they want to get out of here as quickly as possible,” Towne
said. “What we are trying to do is to get students to reach their goals.”
The First-Year Experience is being implemented across a growing number of public colleges across California and Pierce College will be receiving funding to support the program and a new counselor.
Additionally, an area in the downstairs section of the Library/ Learning Crossroads building was set to be a center for the program. And after years of dedication, Towne joked that she could not imagine this plan not following through even if, for some reason, the financial support was taken away.
“I am not going to live in that world,” Towne said. “That is a sad world—where this does not get funded.”
negotiation of a joint occupancy lease agreement with Asylum Productions, Inc. for operation of the Farm Center at Pierce College.”
The office of the vice president of Administrative Services were asked by the Roundup if they have a definitive plan for the farm land that required the eviction of the McBrooms, but they declined to answer any questions.
[DIRT, cont. from pg. 1]
Kathy Oborn, who chairs the criminal justice department and also spent personal money on mini-blinds for the classroom, said she’s noted the classroom is always unlocked on weekends and that there have been kids in the room watching league games.
“Some kids came in on the weekend, took the fire extinguishers and decorated the whole classroom,” Oborn said. She went on to say that she acknowledges that the college is “terribly short-staffed” in custodial services and that students nowadays aren’t as socially conscious of their surroundings.
Further, Oborn noted that the number of custodial staff has not increased commensurate with the
increase in square footage from new construction.
A Facilities Advisory Committee-approved Action Item #FAC 9162013 does seem to forecast a need for human resources to maintain newly constructed buildings. But, whether or not that item is carried to fruition is another matter.
In March 2013, the Work Environment Committee noted in its meeting minutes that faculty in the Village had complained about excessive filth. At the same time, the WEC posed no apparent solution to the problem of reduced custodial staff in the Village at that time.
“I’ve talked to everybody and they’re all fed up, but they also know that nothing is being done about it,” Rich said.
Pierce worker considers the campus to be his second home
Manuel Rios Roundup ReporterUp and working by 5:30 a.m., the beginning of a 10-hour shift, he has never been more optimistic.
In a place he has called home for the past 10 years, wearing a white Harley-Davidson T-shirt, white pants and brown work boots, Juan Rodriguez smiles as he begins painting in the South Gym.
Rodriguez considers working on the Pierce College campus an opportunity for him to provide for his family and give his children the opportunity for a college education.
Growing up in Southern California, Rodriguez has been painting for the past 35 years.
Over the years he has garnered a passion for music as an opera singer, sometimes singing before Pierce football games as well as other sports.
“I’m a tenor,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve sang about four or five times for the football games. I love it.”
Not all good work goes unnoticed, as Athletic Director Bob Lofrano acknowledges Rodriguez as something special.
Lofrano says that due to his painting ability, Juan has the ability to “brighten up the place.”
“He goes above and beyond to help out Pierce,” Lofrano said. “He sees something that maybe needs to be painted, he’ll paint it because it is dirty, because it needs to look better. This is a learning environment, and he makes this a better learning environment.”
Working a 10-hour shift Mondays through Thursdays, Rodriguez first starts his day by logging into a computer to check if there are any work requests. He then spends about two hours each workday checking the graffiti around the campus.
When finished, he goes around campus to figure out what else can be fixed.
Believing that Pierce is like a second home, Rodriguez always puts in the extra effort to make sure that the campus is up to par.
He wants to make sure that his job is accounted for and that everything that needs to be completed is.
“This should be like a home. That’s how I feel it should be and that’s why I do so much,” Rodriguez said. “Every time we see something
Associated Students Organization, Vice President Mariella Valdez has been with the group since spring 2012
What responsibilities fall to the vice president?
The responsibilities that I have right now is to manage the Senate meetings on Tuesdays, and basically appoint who speaks and basically keep order in the meetings. I make sure the four committees are running smoothly and that the committee chairs are doing what they are supposed to do.
What would you say to someone who is considering running for ASO?
If you are considering to run for ASO, I would suggest that you become a senator first so that you know how everything works, and then for the next year to run for one of the offices. That way you can have support from the ASO and know what you are getting yourself into.
How has being the vice president been for you so far?
Its…stressful. Being VP is so stressful. I have to run and get
Nelger
DEDICATED: Current Associated Students Organization, Vice President, Mariella Valdez, on Monday Oct.7. She won with 293 votes during the spring 2013 elections.
things ordered before the meeting and I have to make sure that I know everything like all the parliamentary procedures and I’m still getting the hang of it.
Right now I’m not the best but I’m working hard to improve my ways.
What would we most likely be seeing you do in your spare time?
That would be dancing. I practice 24/7. I do folkloric dancing. I’m from Bolivia so I also do Bolivian dancing. So I’m either at school studying or at work or I’m at dance practice. I’m a busy, busy person.
Did you run for any student politics in high school?
I was never interested in politics. I began to be interested in the ASO because I was the Latin American Cultural president and for one of the meetings I had to come to a Senate meeting to inform myself to other things going on, and that’s when I met Kevin and everybody else from the ASO and that’s how I became interested in student politics.
How did you come into position of Latin Cultural president?
MV: Basically when I first got into college, somebody approached me and said that I would be a good candidate to be part of their club, especially since I love culture. So I joined the club, and a couple of times after that they decided that I would be a good president.
A lot of people see Pierce as a stepping stone what will you be doing after your time her?
MV: I definitely would want to go to UCLA or CSUN because they are close by and I could just stay at home.
So after Pierce what are your goals?
MV: After Pierce I would like to transfer and find a good job, and then after that, I have always wanted to build my own organization. Something that I could use to help poor kids from other countries.
that needs to be done it’s got to be done. Nobody has to tell us what to do.”
Maintenance man Emmanuel Jimenez enjoys working side-byside with Rodriguez on a daily
basis. He says that every time they get together, they enjoy telling jokes. He calls Rodriguez a “very nice guy.”
“He’s honest, caring. If I were in any trouble I would go to him,”
Jimenez said. “He is very humble.” Rodriguez lives with a “never give up” mentality.
Believing that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible. “Just keep it up. Don’t ever give up,” Rodriguez said. “Just make
Nelger Carrera / Roundup
UNITED: We Bringing Unity to Immigrants and Life to their Dreams (We B.U.I.L.D.) members Emanuel Gonzales, 19, graphinc design, Willy Morales, 21, psycholgy, Edgardo Roncgliolo, 21, manufactuing engineering, Cinthya Murillo, 22, sociology, Jaclyn Orellana, 23, pre vet on Tuesday Oct. 15.
Whether they know it or not, enrolled undocumented students have a safe haven where all their questions can be answered in association with a club on campus.
We Bring Unity for Immigrants and Life to their Dreams (B.U.I.L.D.) is a campus organization that is dedicated to support the undocumented students on campus. These students can come to the club in search of solutions to their financial, academic, or social lives.
“We support AB 540 undocumented students. Being undocumented is who we are,” said We B.U.I.L.D President Cinthya Murillo, 22. “It’s different struggles that are different from anybody else. We do the best we can to overcome these struggles and succeed academically.”
AB 540 is a California state law that allows qualified undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rather than out-of-state tuition at California’s public higher education institutions, such as Pierce.
According to Murillo, a former undocumented student, the club will accept any fresh face to join the club in its mission statement. Whether the student is documented or undocumented, any student is an ally. We B.U.I.L.D secretary
We B.U.I.L.D meets Tuesdays from 121 p.m. in Business Education 3201 and Wednesday from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in North Gym 5601
-Cinthya Murillo We B.U.I.L.D president
Jaclyn Orellana, 23, majoring in preveterinary science joined the club four semesters ago to help the students on campus fight for their rights.
“They deserve their rights. We’re a family and we support everyone,” Orellana said. “If you need advice or help with school or outside of school, this is a place that you could trust.”
According to Murillo and Orellana, the club offers tutoring, workshops, and conferences to educate students on how to use any state or government law to their advantage and succeed academically. Orellana also said that the club is currently opting to fundraise a scholarship for one of their own club members at the end of the semester.
“I joined because I’m in the same situation where I’m undocumented,” said Willy Javier Morales, 21,
majoring in psychology. “It’s good to know there are other undocumented students. During the meeting, we get together and there’s good stability.”
The clubs hosts its yearly conferences, said Morales. These conferences are workshops such as “Immigrant Rights” or “Know Your Rights” that take place in oncampus classrooms as well as the Great Hall.
“I know on campus there are thousands of undocumented students,” said Murillo. “We advise, counsel, tutor. We help students transfer to UCLA and Berkeley. I want to do what people didn’t do for me when I was undocumented. If students are having financial needs, they can come to us and we can help them. ”
The club focuses on educating the community, supporting undocumented students, and advocating pro-immigrant legislation. Meetings take place Tuesdays and Wednesdays in BUS 3201.
Jasmin Miko Roundup Reporter
“I want to do what people didn’t do for me when I was undocumented .”Mike Washington Roundup Reporter Carrera / Roundup Nelger Carrera / Roundup FOCUSED: Lead painter, Juan Rodriguez, paints a section of the stage in The Great Hall early in the morning, on Tuesday Nov. 5
“Every time we see something that needs to be done it’s got to be done. ”
The annual Pierce College Fall Dance Concert will feature around 15 different choreographed pieces that will attempt to bring the heat from Nov. 15 through 17.
Audience members can expect more personal performances this year, according to Denise Gibson, adjunct instructor of physical education.
“We’ve all sort of taken elements of our personality and made signature dances off it,” she said. “Each piece represents that person, and a lot of the pieces are a little personal.”
Audience members of all ages sat in the Madrid Theatre to watch multiple outstanding musical pieces the Pierce College Philharmonic Choir and San Fernando Valley Master Chorale performed Saturday, Nov. 2. The performance began with “A Tribute to Kathryn Grayson,” a compilation of the 1940s MGM singer and actress’ songs as interpreted by her granddaughter,
Kristin Towers-Rowles.
Opening with “Hollywood Baby,” Towers-Rowles made the stage her own as the soprano hit every note and pitch in a gleaming effort to represent the family talent. If there was to be any indication of her related talent among her family ancestry, she made it obvious in this first act.
When Towers-Rowles sang “I Hate Men!” from the “Kiss Me, Kate” production, she comedically pointed to conductor Terry Danne as well as other male musicians in the orchestra pit. Her final tribute to Grayson
was “Our Story Goes On.” Her introduction to this song began with her telling of her ancestry and her descendants. Aside from her grandmother, Towers-Rowles’ grandfather was Broadway leading man Johnny Johnston. It was heart-warming to hear her talk about her three young girls going into the media industries and following in her footsteps.
On the backdrop behind the soloist was a slideshow of headshots and stills of Grayson along with pictures of the Grayson/Towers-Rowles family.
In “Our Story Goes On,” the
Pianists Vicki Ray and Aron
Kallay played a classical piece by Charles Ives and two newly composed works that are tailorsuited to their dual-electronic keyboard style on Oct. 31 for the weekly free Thursday concerts at Pierce College.
Known for reinventing the classical genre for the modern age, the Ray-Kallay Duo uses electronics and alternate tuning systems to produce a range of sounds that cannot normally be played in a conventional manner.
Before the concert, Kallay said why the use of electronics helps the duo perform compositions with numerous octaves and pitch shifts.
“The thing with classical music is it’s different in every region,” Kallay said. “We use keyboards in order to play various tones. Part of what we try to do is explore the different tuning.”
Opening with “Three-Quarter
Tone Pieces” by American classical composer Charles Ives, the duo performed a piece on keyboards that was originally intended for two quarter-tone pianos.
Before beginning, Ray told the audience that this piece was chosen for a specific reason.
“This piece is a staple of the genre’s modern era. Charles Ives was one of the first to use unorthodox tuning,” Ray said.
Their second piece was one of their newly acquired compositions from a composer named Jason F. Heath, who just so happened to attend the concert.
“I’m really excited to provide
a piece for Aron and Vicki. I’ve admired them for some time now,” Heath said. “This is the first time I will hear my composition live.”
Heath’s “Water Clock/Music Box” accents the Ray-Kallay Duo’s style of expanding tones with electronics, composed to resemble two grandfather clocks ticking at different pitches and speeds unintentionally creating an offtempo melody.
The other newly-acquired piece “All Sense of Proportion” by composer Bill Alves was modeled after a translated statement that Plato made regarding how theorists search for meaning through their ears, twisting strings on pegs to find the truth.
Alves’ interpretation of Plato’s statement is played throughout his composition, constantly “twisting” harmonics and intonation.
The next free Thursday concert at Pierce is scheduled for Nov. 11, and is the first of two Pierce Student Concerts that will showcase students’ musical talents for an open audience.
melody and the perfect pitches the soprano sung won the crowd over with the charming photographs of three young girls sitting beside a Hollywood Star with the name “Kathryn Grayson” chiseled across it. And, of course, she didn’t let her lineage down as the starlet took the audience’s breaths away with her final note. It’s as if Towers-Rowles took the vocal chords of Grayson and made them her own.
To read the review on the revue of “Les Misérables,” visit theroundupnews.com.
One of the dances that are being performed is “The Beautiful Dead,” a modern dance scene featuring five dancers. The music is composed by Robert Allaire, and the piece is choreographed by dance faculty member Natalie Metzger.
“I want the audience’s reaction to be gut-wrenching and breathtaking when watching the piece,” Metzger said, referring to her choreographing style.
The main role in “The Beautiful Dead is taken on by 21-year-old Cassandra Godinez. She has an explosive and dramatic character that includes a two-minute solo performance filled with explosive movement and emotion.
“We’ve been training for the piece for the past eight weeks,” Godinez said. “The two-hour sessions and the one-on-one with Metzger really helped me to prepare for the role.”
Tickets for the Fall Dance Concert are now on sale. For inquiries, call (818) 610-6598.
-“Each
Denise Gibson Adjunct instructor of physical education
Approximately 35 students and one determined teacherturned-vigilante-sanitizer pounded around funiture on the raised floor of temporary room in the Village as they battled their enemy: germs. Criminal justice instructor Kim Rich on Tuesday, Oct. 29 led her Concepts of Criminal Law class to clean room 8330 after years of neglect have began to show.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
WIPING DOWN: Students in the Concepts of Criminal Law class all pitch in to clean up room 8330 on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Kim Rich, who teaches the class, was fed up with her failed attempts at getting a custodian to clean up the classroom, so she, along with her students, proactively decided to clean up the classroom on their own.
BROOM: Student Miguel Menjivar helps out by sweeping the floor of the classroom.
GETTING READY: The class stacks up the classroom chairs in preparation for their chore.
DIRT: Kim Rich, who instructs the criminal justice class, holds up a towel filled with dirt and grime after cleaning one of the window sills.
WALLS: Using a brush dipped in water and cleaning fluid, Aislinn Cardona
Samantha “Sam”
Buliavac, 19, has been a stat-sheet-stuffer for the Pierce College women’s water polo team throughout the entire season. Buliavac has scored 12 goals, made 6 assists and grabbed 4 steals to help the Lady Brahmas go 2-1 in its last three games according to jcwaterpolo. com.
How did you get started in Water Polo?
I was a softball and volleyball player and after an ankle injury
my parents told me to play a new sport. I had friends who were going to try out for water polo and they asked me if I wanted to go with them.
Why did you end up coming to Pierce?
I didn’t know where I wanted to go and Moriah [former women’s water polo head coach for Pierce and sister of current head coach Sarah Van Norman] reached out to me to come play for her.
Who is an athlete you admire
the most?
Moriah, I was watching her play in the Beijing Olympics where she won a silver medal on the US women’s water polo team when I just started playing water polo
What are your plans after Pierce College?
I’m hoping to transfer to Ohio State and major in game design and development.
When you’re not in the pool or at school what other hobbies do you have?
Video games, I’m a big gamer.
What is your favorite video game?
Assassin’s Creed. I beat Black Flag in two days.
What is your favorite movie?
Pitch Perfect, I can quote almost the whole movie, or Step Brothers.
What is your favorite color?
Purple. I just saw the color and I was like, this is my color. Also maybe because it is the color of my birthstone.
with quality competition,” Kolodny said. “There’s nothing like practicing and training with your teammates. The camaraderie is awesome.”
coach and offensive coordinator Jason Sabolic has known Kolodny since his days at El Camino, when Sabolic coached the baseball team. He said that Kolodny could pick up any sport within a matter of weeks and play it at a high level.
While he knows that going back to the minor leagues in March is an option, Kolodny is enjoying the feeling of being on a winning football team this season.
Most football players spend years on the field practicing their skills and working hard to get ahead in the game, but one Pierce College player took a slightly different route: through baseball.
Tyler Kolodny, 25, spent his high school years playing varsity baseball at El Camino High School and then played for the Baltimore Orioles with its Minor League affiliates for six years and the Frontier Greys in 2013.
Kolodny also played with the Orioles in the Gulf Coast League with other top prospects in his first year after being drafted in 2007.
However, four hand surgeries and a broken thumb affected his ability to swing a bat, and he decided to give football a shot, despite never having played before walking onto the field at Pierce. He said he is loving this new chapter in his life.
“There is nothing that compares
That cohesion is apparent in the team as they encourage and cheer each other on. After Kolodny scored his first two touchdowns in one game, quarterback Nicholas Arbuckle said that Kolodny’s accomplishment was the highlight of the game.
“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.
The Brahmas’ assistant head
Pierce College’s women’s basketball team was functionally dysfunctional last year, finishing fourth in the Western State Conference north division barely making the playoffs for a team that lacked both the communication and depth to compete at a high level.
Assistant coach Bell Jordan hopes that will all change with the season starting in just a month.
“For the first time in the three years since I’ve been coaching here,” Jordan said. “The players are really
showing each other love on the court, cheering each other on and playing for one another. The energy that the players are bringing is incredible.”
The Brahmas this year have six returning players, including sophomore guard Monica Jackson and sophomore forward Amari Hampton, although niether played last season.
Overall record : 17-13
Conference record: 4-6
Points per game: K. Jones 20.6
Assists per game: N. Henderson 2.0
Rebounds per game:
K. Jones 11.9
Blocks per game:
G. Sarkis 1.7
Steals per game: N. Henderson 1.8
Hampton tore her ACL and was recovering from her surgically repaired knee. She has been waiting a long time to get back on the court since injuring her knee and hopes to return to form in time for the 201314 campaign.
“Quitting was never an option for me,” said Hampton, who is known for her tenacious defense and accurate three-point shooting. “It was just about going to rehab and coming back.”
Jackson, on the other hand, ran into problems outside the court where she was involved in a offcampus incedent. The former elite high school basketball player from Chatsworth High School who averaged 28.9 points per game in her senior year and was the Western State Conference MVP
Still, Hampton and Jackson bring tremendous experience as they led the Brahmas to its best record in the program’s history, finishing second in conference in 2011. Then, Jackson was the team’s leading scorer and Hampton was second in scoring.
“I’m proud of those two,” Jordan said. “I’m so happy. These two never quit, and I’m glad that they brought basketball back into their lives.”
To add to an already experienced basketball team, the Brahmas also bring back former assistant coach Jackie Johnson who last coached Pierce in 2010.
Johnson played under current head coach Jim Couch during her high school career at Bell-Jeff High School in Burbank where she helped him win the CIF Division IV southern section championship in 1997.
From there she went on to have a successful collegiate career at the University of Kansas. During her
time with the Jayhawks she started all four years and helped them get to the Sweet 16 in 1998.
After playing for Kansas, she played professional basketball for 10 years playing for the former WNBA franchise Orlando Miracle.
“I have a lot of respect for Jackie,” Jordan said. “In fact, I saw Jackie the first time I came to Pierce at open gym and that was what kind of lured me to coming to coach at Pierce. I respected her as an athlete, as a pro. I love her coaching style and I love her work.”
Johnson has an active role in coaching the team. During practice she can be seen playing with the team whether it is sitting a hard screen or hitting a player with a no look pass.
“The main thing I always want to do is to always be a positive influence,” Johnson said. “I want to give 100 percent to the kids. The thing is everyone learns at differently, but by coaching them and giving them different options they get a respect for me as a coach.”
This season is going to be difficult, as the Brahmas will be playing in one of the most competitive conferences in the south. With the addition of College of the Canyons moving into the Western State North Division, Pierce will be playing in the company of four teams that finished last season ranked in the top 20 in the southern rankings. This includes Ventura College who finished ranked second in the state.
If that weren’t enough, the Brahmas are also scheduled to play top ranked and two-time defending state champions Mt. San Antonio College at home on Dec. 13.
“Every night is going to be a battle,” Couch said.
“He is one of the best athletes I have ever had the pleasure of being around,” Sabolic said. “He’s extremely hard working. He will work until he achieves it. He’s unfaltering. He doesn’t like to rest, or take time off. He is just a consummate professional athlete.”
Now that Kolodny has added football to his realm of experience, he has broadened his career possibilities, and hasn’t decided what he wants to do next.
He said that he is going to play this season and then take a few weeks after it’s over to really figure out the best game plan.
“My coaches tell me everything I’m doing should get me to the next level. I’ve spoken to a couple of Division 1 colleges,” Kolodny said. “Everyone asks me what I’m going to do. Am I going to do Division 1 or go back to baseball? I’m not going to make that decision now because right now I would lean toward football.”
“It feels special because I am starting at tight end and I have been a significant role in our six and one success,” Kolodny said. “Knowing that I am contributing to our team’s goals and success definitely makes it that much sweeter.”
Whatever Kolodny decides, he knows one thing for sure: he wants to exhaust his playing career, whether on the baseball diamond or on the football field, and go on to have a long coaching career. He has already started, and is coaching at Calabasas High School this year. He also coaches club teams of seventh and eighth graders, developing their skills and getting them ready to play high school baseball. He said that every time he coaches, he realizes how much he loves it.
“I am definitely gonna stay in the game. I love sports and I will be in it until my grave,” Kolodny said. “To make that a job, I will never have to work a day in my life.”
EditorNelger Carrera / Roundup TRANSITION: After six years playing minor league baseball, Tyler Kolodny made the switch to play football. Sam Buliavac - Position: Set
“He is one of the best athletes I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around.”
-Jason Sabolic Offenensive coordinator.
“The energy that the players are bringing is incredible.”
-Bell Jordan Assistant coach
Raymond Garcia Sports Editor
Santa Barbara City College showed up in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Friday Nov. 1 to catch Pierce College in the conference standings.
Pierce was holding onto a 7-0 record in conference before Santa Barbara defeated the team 3-1 giving the Brahmas its first loss in the last 11 games.
Santa Barbara is now tied with Pierce in conference play but has the better overall record at 13-7 compared to Pierce’s 14-10 record.
The win marked a 1-1 split in the season series, Pierce had previously beat the Vaqueros in Santa Barbara 3-1.
Santa Barbara came out strong winning the first set decisively by a 25-12 score to put the momentum of the game in their favor.
Somers scored a hat trick and sophomore forward Jackie Hilario added a goal on a penalty kick.
The Brahmas showed its grit, grinding out a 25-22 victory to split the first two sets, but Santa Barbara was more than Pierce could handle as the Vaqueros won the next two sets by scores: 25-21 and 25-12.
Santa Barbara showed itself to be a model of consistency this night
against Pierce, posting a .311 kill percentage compared to .070 by Pierce.
Santa Barbara also had 15 errors through the game while Pierce tallied 34 on the night according to cccaastats.org.
Freshman middle blocker
Kristy Kearney led Santa Barbra offensively, driving in 16 kills for the night while Sophomore right side hitter Jenna Anderson had 17 digs.
Pierce head coach Nabil Mardini said that Santa Barbara had flipped the script on his team out serving Pierce.
“We didn’t perform well,” Mardini said.
Pierce will be looking to bounce back from this loss as the team prepares for its next match at Ventura College on Wednesday Nov. 6 with playoffs coming in the next few weeks.
Pierce College women’s soccer team defeated Allan Hancock at home 4-0 to remain unbeaten in conference play and pushed their winning streak to seven games on Friday Nov. 1.
Freshman captain and team leading goal-scorer Michelle
The Brahmas got off to an early start in the second minute as Somers crossed a ball to the right post to score the game’s first goal.
However after the goal, the Brahmas got lackadaisical going the whole half without scoring despite Hancock being overmatched and playing without substitutions.
“We just got really lazy in the first half,” head coach Adolfo
Perez said. “They were thinking that because Allan Hancock was playing with very few players that we could just sleep walk through the game. We had to get back to playing Pierce Brahmas champion soccer.”
The Brahmas got back to business in the second half scoring three goals in the first 18 minutes by playing more physically.
For full story and photos visit theroudnupnews.com
The Pierce College women’s water polo team traveled to Fullerton to participate in the Fullerton College Mini Tournament, first beating Mt. San Antonio, 11-7 and losing to Fullerton, 13-3 on Friday Nov. 1.
Pierce opened the tournament in a match up against Mt. San Antonio. Coming into the game with a record of 14-8, Mt. San Antonio was defeated by Pierce, 11-7.
This was the Brahmas first ever win over Mt. San Antonio, according to Pierce head coach Sarah Van Norman.
Beating Mt. San Antonio for the
first time, coach Van Norman said that she felt some key players were sophomore Samantha Buliavac, freshman Blake Stringer and sophomore Sara Booth.
Coach Van Norman said it was a “huge win for us.”
“They have a high ranking in state and they have for a while,” Van Norman said. “It looks good for our record. It could potentially help us out in the long run in terms of So Cal Regional’s and the tournament there.”
Following their big win over Mt. San Antonio, Pierce would next, face Fullerton who entered the game with a record of 24-3.
Pierce was defeated by Fullerton 13-3. Coach Van Norman said that the Fullerton game “was a tough
game for them.”
“I’ve known the Fullerton coach for quite a while. He’s a great coach and always has fantastic players.”
Van Norman said. “So I was really proud of our team for staying tough and playing tough the entire game through.”
At the end of the Fullerton Tournament, coach Sarah Van Norman talked to her team and told them she was “really proud of them.”
“Some losses are good losses,” Van Norman said. “I’m never going to be disappointed when they give 100 percent.”
The Pierce water polo team will next be in action during the WSC Conference games at Santa Monica college from Nov. 8-9.
