Volume 120 Spring 2014 Roundup Issue 2

Technology: Classes o er practice in specialized subjects, Page 6

Free tax preparation available weekly Program o ers ling assistance

Marissa Nall Roundup Reporter

New and returning students and administrators gathered in the Business Education building Saturday morning to serve their community by preparing tax returns at no charge.

As one of many locations that teaches and participates in the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), Pierce College invites local community members to have their taxes prepared for free every Saturday morning.

“It’s one of the ways in which we serve the community,” said Norachai Chawareewong, an administrator and former board member for Cal CPA. “We have many taxpayers who have been returning clients for many years.”

Budget is in the black Council properly manages money amid district-wide scarcity

Lynn Levit Features Editor

Pierce College has no deficit and will meet its 2013-2014 budget, according to the Budget Committee.

The body of the committee is made up of twelve members, co-chaired by vice president of Administrative Services, Rolf Schleicher and physics/astronomy professor, Don Sparks. The committee’s focus has helped control funds by limiting frivolous expenditures.

“We must make sure the budgeted funds are monitored from top to bottom and that there is an even line of communication to make sure there are no discrepancies or areas of over-spending,” Schleicher said.

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) decides budget allocations for the nine colleges in the district from funds granted by the state of California.

“The allocation of funds to

budget for 2014-15 is $57,676,126,”

Associate vice president of Administrative Affairs Bruce Rosky said.

Schools who operate outside of the realms of their budget are supplemented by money allocated from schools without a deficit, including the Pierce College Contingency Fund.

An issue schools are facing is a scarcity of funds and these campuses may now rely on Pierce

College for monetary support.

“The desire is greater than the money allocated, but the budget must balance,” professor Joe Perret said.

One budget discrepancy that Pierce College needs to further explore is the money allocated to the Library/Learning Crossroads.

“The Library is over budget by 3 times,” Perret said. “Why and where did the approval come from?”

The library needs additional full

and part time staff during Library hours.

A major problem in distributing funds properly is the allocation model the LACCD uses. The model was recently changed to give more money to smaller community colleges and less money to bigger community colleges. This money is paid out from the Contingency fund.

Additional issues are associated with financial aid. The administrator grants money to those students with financial needs. If that student does not show up for class, the money must be returned. Students continue to abuse the system by misrepresenting their enrollment status.

Pierce does receive a small amount of income on campus from parking fees, the farm rental, leased land for the Metro bus line, and filming on campus.

The final adjustment for the budget must be presented back to the LACCD by April, so that the 2014–2015 approved budget can go into effect July 1, 2014 and run through June 30, 2015.

The program at Pierce receives as many as 700 applicants filing returns each year, filed on paper and online. In previous years, the volunteers would work both Wednesday and Saturday, but due to a shortage of available lab space they are limited to one day per week and are already operating at full capacity.

“I’m sure there are people that are coming on Wednesday nights that have been Wednesday night clients and finding it not open,” said Hugh Laughlin who has been volunteering with the program for over 20 years. “We won’t know until the end of the season how this has affected us.”

Sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the California State Franchise Tax board, the class provides

certification and experience with simple tax returns at no cost for books or materials.

Students who speak Spanish and Farsi are participating this year, making it even easier for community members to get their returns filed.

“We try to service the community even if English isn’t their first language,” Chawareewong said. About half of the clients are repeat clients and many of them come back as students and volunteers, according to administrator Ian Hall. Only a small portion of these applicants are students.

“We do get Pierce students and we should be getting more of them,” said Francisco Ortega, a teacher at Northridge Academy High School and Cesar Chavez High School who volunteers with VITA after taking the Business 10 course. “We could even show them how to do it. We’re more than happy to do that.”

It is also a good experience for the students taking the class.

“Some of us do it to make a career out of it. Some of us, like in my specific case, we do it because we want to be able to manage our future business endeavors,” Ortega said. “It’s a very complementary course to take for any students out there for any major.”

Chawareewong stressed the importance of tax knowledge to students when applying for jobs and scholarships, both for the technical and real-world experience.

“In fact, it’s beneficial for any students because everyone, unfortunately, has to pay taxes,” he said.

This program will continue through April 5, in BUS 3218.

Peer Assisted Learning program provides tutoring alternatives

The Center for Academic Success (CAS) is working on implementing a program called Peer Assisted Learning, which is aimed to facilitate academic aid to students beyond a tutoring session.

Crystal Kiekel, director of the CAS, wants to develop a community where students help each other gain a better comprehension of subjects

they may be struggling with and to extend that community across the campus and beyond the tutoring center.

“We don’t want the students to come to the tutoring center just to come to the professor when they need help,” Kiekel said. “The role of the faculty really is there to empower and to inform the students so the students can help each other.”

The goal is also to get students who may be looking into receiving an internship at the CAS and

getting experience that can be put on college applications.

“In order to incentivize volunteers, you need to come up with something that the students want,” Kiekel said. “We have a comprehensive training program and we have letters of recommendation that we write.

A lot of our interns want to be professors themselves someday or they want experience in public speaking because they want to be lawyers.”

A new addition to the center is Allison MacLeod, an adjunct English professor.

“I have been working with CAS starting this spring and getting more involved everyday,” MacLeod said. “I think it came about from seeing how well students do helping each other and how productive that’s been.”

Also representing the CAS was Edouard Tchertchian, an instructor in the math department

“I’ve found it beneficial in my

own classes because I teach math and math is a very popular subject when it comes to tutoring and group study,” Tchertchian said.

Math seems to be the most requested subject for assistance at the CAS.

“Math is considered to be the number one roadblock to student success nationally,” Kiekel said.

“The vast majority of students are testing into developmental math, which means they are testing below transfer level mathematics.”

CAS is hoping to enlist the help of students to recognize the value that they have to each other.

“The faculty needs to be out there. They need to be pushing it with counselors and other students need to be talking about it too,” Kiekel said. “We want so many students in there that we can’t fit them.”

The CAS is open to students between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.

Photographer Diego Barajas / Roundup

SPARKS: David Caplan uses a cutting torch in oxy-acetylene welding class in the Applied Technology Building, March 5, 2014.

Richard Zamora Roundup Reporter

“We must make sure the budgeted funds are monitored from top to bottom and that there is an even line of communication to make sure there are no discrepancies or areas of over-spending,”

-Rolf Schleicher VP of Administrative Services

STREET

BEAT

Poll: Do students feel safe on campus?

Poll: How do students unwind?

Less preaching more teaching

Personal beliefs have no place in the college curriculum

When a professor’s personal beliefs outside the coursework influence the curriculum, it is damaging to the students. Teachers who use their lecture time to shrew political or religious ideas which are deviant from the subject matter in their courses are in the wrong.

Saving cash in college

So you’re in college now, and the odds are pretty high that your money situation is less than ideal. Welcome to the ranks of poor college students everywhere.

Being in school, even if you’re a full-time student, is all-consuming.

Between going to class, doing homework and projects, writing papers and studying for tests, there is little time for much else. On top of that, in order to pay for school and things like food, clothing and rent in many cases, you have to balance work.

While some still live at home with parents, many others have apartments and are often found lacking in the cash department.

Going to school doesn’t exactly leave your schedule open for a full-time job, and even if you have one, without the education you are currently pursuing, the jobs available to you are more than likely going to offer minimum wage or only slightly more.

So how do you survive when everything costs money? Start with a budget, and then get creative.

If you save 10 percent of everything you make it adds up pretty quickly and enables you to buy things you could not otherwise afford, such as a new iPhone or a cute new bag.

Food tends to take over more of your money than you probably realize. If you’re eating at fast food restaurants, on campus at the Freudian Sip or at food trucks, buying snacks from vending machines and going to Starbucks a few times a week, it can make an impact, leaving you without money for a majority of other things you need at home.

Try shopping for your food and snacks in bulk and bringing food with you instead of buying as you go. Impulse buys might seem good at the time but a typical vending machine snack costs a dollar or two. If you buy a box of granola bars or fruit snacks, you will pay only 20 to 35 cents per item.

Likewise, a banana at Starbucks costs a dollar, but if you buy them from Trader Joe’s, you can get five bananas for that dollar.

It’s easy to make your own food and save money that way, but saving when you want to add variety to your wardrobe can feel impossible. Secondhand stores are a good option, but many people don’t want to go on a hunt for something decent or they feel weird about wearing a stranger’s old clothes.

Instead, organize a clothing swap party. Get a bunch of friends together and have everyone bring five items of clothing or accessories that they no longer wear or want. Put all the items on display, and then take turns picking out new items, drawing numbers to see who gets to choose first. Everyone walks away with something new, and best of all: you have fun while saving money.

-Corrections-

Volume 120 Issue: 1

Page 1: “Pierce Ap” should read “PierceAPS”

Page 2: The Poll was conducted by Nadine Gostantin and Stacey Arevalo.

Classes where teachers are willfully lenient in grading and in turn use their time as an opportunity to advertise their own personal events outside of school do not provide a meaningful experience for those enrolled. An immediate conflict of interest exists if the faculty member is more concerned with filling seats at an event as opposed to actually teaching.

A teacher who begins to make statements about his or her personal beliefs anywhere outside of a class specifically discussing that subject has deviated from anything relevant. Students might

mistake this ranting for information which will show up on a test.

Why should anyone have to sit through a class where the material being lectured on amounts to nothing more than an advertisements for something which is in no way related to the coursework? At best it can be merely entertaining, and at worst it’s like being a captive audience to a bad performance.

Professors should not advocate beliefs by representing them as valid theories. Suggesting validity in the works of disreputable unqualified authors on subject matters scientific will lead students to make false assertions.

When a student reports this behavior it needs to be taken seriously. The current policy has room for improvement; advisers should be able to conduct investigations into cases without

prompting the student to sacrifice anonymity. This way the whistleblower can avoid the wrath of a professor scorned, as students who openly disagree with a professor’s personal belief run a risk of having their grades affected.

Rules to prevent this behavior exist for the protection of students. They need to be enforced. As an accredited institution, Pierce College has a good name to protect. To preserve it, immediate intervention in cases of a professor abusing his or her place in the classroom must become the standard operating procedure.

A quality professor should be able to pursue academic freedom without preaching to students or promoting their own events wherein there exists a vested interest. Those who cannot separate those worlds are not qualified to teach at Pierce College.

Restrooms fail to deliver relief to student body

Opinion

Jessica Boyer jboyer.roundupnews@gmail.com

Another typical day passes by at college, and while the professor is droning on about the endoplasmic reticulum someone in class inevitably can only think about the incessant, distracting urge to scurry to the restroom.

Class finally ends and students make their way to the door, but one leaps out of their seat, walking as fast as possible, without looking ridiculous, to the nearest restroom.

Arriving to hover over the porcelain throne because of a lack of seatcovers, waves of relief wash over, and as a hand reaches for the toilet paper, fingers grasp into the air at nothing. Because there isn’t any toilet paper. There isn’t even a paper towel. It’s a case of poorly maintained restroom facilities, and for the student captive in the paperless stall, all hope is lost. At Pierce College, this is a frequent occurrence. Not only is there a lack of toiletries, but overall maintenance can’t keep up with the needs of the student body.

People want to spent time in the restroom without the worry of being unprotected from a toilet seat that is writhing with millions of worm-like

bacteria. Students don’t want to be confronted with overflowing trash cans, clogged toilets and a lack of paper towels. It’s a major inconvenience to the students when the campus restrooms are lacking essentials.

There are several resolutions one may contrive to the matter of unkempt restrooms, but some can be put in place immediately to help alleviate the issues students face.

The campus must implement new maintenance schedules to replace the paper towels, toilet paper, seat covers and soap which properly accommodate student needs. Scheduling staff to maintain these facilities more often would surely improve the appearance and functionality of the restrooms.

The students have a responsibility to aid the school in the upkeep and cleanliness of the campus restrooms, because really, the students are the ones who use them the most. People should flush the toilet and throw away their trash in the respective trash cans. This includes paper towels, toilet paper and toilet seat covers.

Together we can make a difference, even one as small as contributing to the cleanliness of our beloved campus restrooms. It’s not ok to throw garbage onto the ground, and taking personal responsibility is a way to avoid this. Ultimately the facilities need to be well maintained by both the staff and those using them.

-COMIC STRIP-

Poll results from 80 students gathered by Anaiya Ford and Carrlyn Bathe.

News Briefs

- Compiled by Tracy Wright

Anthropology Lecture Series [3/13]

The Anthropology department will host Erica Vogel for their third lecture in a series, titled “K-pop in Mexico: Flashmobs, Gender Norms, and Global Desire,” The lecture is on Thursday, March 13 from 1-2 p.m. in Behavioral Science Room 1308.

HIV/AIDS Awareness Week [3/17-3/27]

HIV/AIDS Awareness Week begins March 17 through March 27 and speakers will be available to visit classes and discuss their experiences.

There will be free HIV testing in Parking Lot 1 on March 24 through March 27. For more information, contact the Student Health Center at 818710-4270.

Farm Center Fun

The Pierce Farm Center will open on Saturday, March 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. offering fresh local fare. Movies on the Farm will begin Friday, April 4th from 5-10 p.m.

Media Arts Department

recognized at banquet

Students journalists with the Roundup and the Bull Magazine won several awards from the California College Media Association.

The following students won awards:

1st place news photo, Kristen

Aslanian

2nd place A&E story, Kate

Noah

2nd place features photo, Bobak Radbin 3rd place magazine website, thebullmag.com

incident report

2/28 - Student incident - A Pierce football player was attacked at his home by a fellow teammate. The victim reported the incident to the Pierce Sheriff and the Los Angeles Police Department.

3/3 - Vandalism - An unknown suspect scratched a student’s car with an unknown object in Parking Lot 6.

3/3 - Petty theft - An unknown suspect stole a Pierce College Media Arts Department camera from Room 8300 in the Village.

3/3 - Vandalism - An unknown suspect scratched a student’s vehicle with an unknown object in Parking Lot 1.

March 2 - March 8

– Compiled by Genna Gold

3/4 - Student ill - A paramedic was called to Village 8407 for an ill student who was transported to the hospital.

Program paves accelerated path to Cal. State Northridge

General Education Paths plan assists students with a seamless transfer route

Meghan McGillicuddy Roundup Reporter

Pierce College is offering a program that will make it easier for students to transfer to Cal. State University, Northridge. The General Education Paths program is an attempt to make transferring to CSUN more efficient and timely. Students who enroll in the program will take courses that are tailored to certain educational routes.

“The idea of the Paths program is for students to complete at least some of their transfer requirements in a thematic way, so the GE experience is not disconnected,” Mia Wood, an assessment coordinator for the program, said.

It will take a student about two years to complete a path, according to Dr. Raymond Lim, the lead faculty coordinator. Students can take more than one path at a time, however Lim discourages this because it is more time consuming.

Right now, these paths include:

aesthetics and culture, global studies, health and wellness, social justice, and sustainability, according to the GE Paths webpage.

“By going through these paths, it will help students to appreciate what we offer because it will help make sense of the classes they take,” Lim said.

Anne Bruzzese, one of the assessment coordinators of the GE Paths program, agreed with Lim’s statement.

“This kind of program encourages a deeper understanding of the complexity of real life issues, as well as unintended consequences of solutions offered from just one discipline’s perspective,” Bruzzese said.

New art class offered abroad Opportunity for students to experience Italy

Stacey Arevalo Roundup Reporter

A new Art 102 class has been scheduled to take place this summer in a program called “Study in Italy” located in Genoa, Italy. This class will last from June 20 through July 19.

The course will be taught four days a week for approximately five hours each day. The curriculum will focus on Western art as well as art from the late Gothic period through modern times.

Rodrigo Gutierrez, a 21-yearold business administration major at Pierce said he has seen flyers posted all around campus regarding the trip.

“It’s great to have a class where anybody can study halfway around the world, meet new people, possibly fall in love, go sightseeing and have the most exciting adventurous time with other classmates,” Gutierrez said.

To attend, each student is responsible for paying $3,800 which includes a stay in a shared apartment, located near the school in a safe area. The organizer of the program is art professor Constance

Moffat.

In addition to the stay, the fee also includes a three-day trip to Florence, a day trip to Milan, local excursions and a 12-hour crash course in Italian.

The $3,800 fee does not include airfare, transportation, food or the student fees that Pierce charges per unit taken.

As of now, Moffatt doesn’t have any plans to offer any group discounts or organize a group flight. She does encourage students to apply for scholarships or grants in order to save up money to use toward their expenses.

There are no prerequisites to take Art 102 and it is available to anyone who wishes to sign up, even if they are not Pierce students, said Mary Anne Gavarra-Oh, dean of academic affairs at Pierce.

To be able to add the class, however, each student must receive an add slip from Moffatt herself in order to avoid any misunderstandings from students that are not aware the class is overseas. Similar opportunities might become available in upcoming semesters that might cost less, according to Gavarra-Oh.

“We’re trying to make it more affordable and maybe setup a foundation account in the future where parents can contribute and help students,” Gavarra-Oh said.

The deadline to pay the full amount has been scheduled for April 30, according to Moffatt. However, if payment plans are needed, she encourages students to contact her right away to be sure to have everything completed by then.

Allison Hodgson, a former Pierce student who attended the class the last time it was offered in Italy in 2007, said her trip influenced her decision to study art history after graduating.

“It was a priceless experience and anyone would be so lucky. I mean, who doesn’t want to spend a month in Italy?” Hodgson said. Hodgson also said that having the opportunity to have a visual of what she was studying impacted her learning.

“When you see Cimabue and Giotto paintings in person, and the statue of David is three feet away, you are able to experience a whole new level of the art you’ve studied,” Hodgson said. “You notice texture and depth. Seeing these beautiful works in person is life-altering.”

Participating Departments

- Agriculture

- Art/Architecture

- Anthropology/ Geography

- Child Development/ Education

- English

- History/Humanities

- Modern Languages

- Philosophy/Sociology

- Physical Education

- Political Sciences/Econ/ Criminal Justice

Students enrolled in the program will take four classes along the same path at Pierce. For example, if a student enrolls in the global studies path, they would take four classes related to global studies.

The exception is the sustainability path. Students will be required to take three courses at CSUN rather than two.

“This is because it is a different minor at CSUN, specifically in sustainability. The other four lead to a minor in civic engagement,” Bruzzese said.

Regardless of the path they take to get to CSUN, the GE Paths program guarantees students a seat in the class once they get there, according to Barbara Anderson, the

- Communication Studies

dean and administration lead of the project.

Right now, the program is exclusive to students at Pierce who intend to transfer to CSUN.

Students will not be able to take other courses at other junior colleges to fulfill the requirements, according to Lim.

Students who do not intend to go to CSUN can still enroll in a path, but will not receive the minor.

There is no reason why a student should not enroll in the GE Paths program, according to Wood.

- Psychology/Statistics

More paths and more classes will be added to the program, according to Lim. The faculty is working on adding more classes in the immediate future, though he did not specify which classes will be added.

“It is up to the departments to decide which classes they want to add to the program,” Anderson said. The next public meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 21 in the Great Hall. All students and faculty who are interested are invited to attend.

A new flat screen was installed in the Business Education Building Tuesday, March 4, and awaits programming to display new and dynamic information to students.

The screen is not yet operational but once it is up and running it will be another way for faculty and students to communicate with one another.

“What’s cool about it is that it’s dynamic and instantly changeable,” said Joe Perret, professor of computer applications and office

technologies.

“We kind of strategically located it at a crossroads,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is get students attention.”

The screen will run information such as open classes, advertisements, and certificates, as well as highlighting students by displaying their work and interviews. As part of a class project, the Computer Applications Department intends to run videos created by students themselves.

Audio will only be available between classes so as to not disrupt any classes in session. “We’re excited about it. It’s the

first one on the campus,” Perret said. “This is a pioneering effort and it’ll be fun to watch.”

Though this screen was funded internally by the campus, there is also the possibility of adding others already bought and sitting unused.

The program is run by tjgdigitalsigns.com to control displays, timing and screen proportions.

“We got the digital sign originally with the idea of an electronic bulletin board,” said Perret in an email. “A place where we could showcase what we have to offer to our student in our department and our student’s accomplishments.”

Marissa Nall Roundup Reporter

“By going through these paths, it will help students to appreciate what we offer because it will help make sense of the classes they take.”

-Dr. Raymond Lim Chairman of psychology

Facebook the teacher

New professor uses technology to connect with her students

Stacey Arevalo Roundup Reporter

Standing in front of the class, the teacher put on her black rectangular glasses and began to write with a red pen on the transparent slide that was projected behind her.

“I’m excited to see you guys,” said Mehrdokht “Melody” Rashidian, as she greeted the six rows of students sitting down in front of her with their math textbooks laid out on their desks.

become a teacher.

“I fell in love with the logic of mathematics, and it became my personality,” Rashidian said.

In the year 2005, Rashidian was hired at Pierce College as an adjunct professor of mathematics and just became a full-time teacher last semester.

Rashidian currently teaches a calculus for business and social science class (Math 238) and two statistics classes (Math 227).

In her classes she incorporates the use of social media through a private Facebook group page, using it to communicate with her students more frequently. On this page she includes class notes, test samples, updates and even a tutorial on how to use the scientific calculator she requires for her class.

She is also considering opening a Twitter account in the future as well as concentrating on more oneon-one sessions with her students in order to help them succeed.

Club 411: Fitness Club New group using the Great Hall as a student-run training ground

Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporter

Students gather in the Great Hall to lift, squat, and sweat their way to a healthier lifestyle with the Pierce College Fit Club on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

Participants train in different one-hour workouts modeled after the Team Beachbody program. The program covers a broad range of exercises from Brazilian buttlift cardio sessions to the intricate plyometric routines of “Insanity,” the popular workout created by fitness instructor Shaun Thompson.

the students to watch and follow along.

Vinny Mattiello, a Sherman Oaks resident, has been working out with Hatcher for the past three months and makes the weekly trek to Pierce.

“It is actually really fun and it’s showing that people are committed and willing to change their bodies, even if you have class in between,” Mattiello said.

The program has proved to be successful for club member Cindy Newman. She attributes her weight loss success to the program and loves encouraging others to try it out.

Rashidian is one of the new fulltime faculty members at Pierce College. She got her bachelor’s degree in mathematics in her country of origin, Iran, and decided to move to the United States for political reasons.

“I came here because I wanted to be free to express my feelings and my ideas,” Rashidian said.

She started teaching mathematics in the year 1998 at California State University, Northridge after she obtained her master’s degree in mathematics from there as well.

Even though she had declared her major in math at the age of 16, it was after tutoring fellow students at CSUN that she knew she wanted to

Sarai Muñoz, a healthcare administrations major in Rashidian’s statistics class, says that Rashidian’s teaching style has helped her view the subject in a different way.

“She explains everything thoroughly and actually makes math easier by going step by step. She’s very understandable,” Muñoz said. “This is my second time taking this class and I think I’m going to pass this time.”

Edouard Tchertchian, an associate professor of mathematics at Pierce College who is also the mathematics specialist at the Center for Academic Success, happens to be one of Rashidian’s former students.

Tchertchian said that Rashidian made a difference when he was in

her Differential Equations class back in the year 2006.

“She inspired me to go on with math education and become a math instructor,” Tchertchian said. “I loved how personable she was and how she cared for us as students and she spent the time and effort to teach us.”

He recommended for students to choose her as their instructor because of her passion for teaching, as well as her caring personality.

Following the beat of his heart Pierce student plays more than ve instruments

Meghan McGillicuddy Roundup Reporter

What do the guitar, harmonica, piano, Irish tin whistle, and panpipes all have in common?

They are all played by 18-yearold Jacob “Zuko” Billings, a Pierce College student and musician.

“I play the guitar the best and I am pretty good at the piano. I mostly play the Irish tin whistle and panpipes at home,” Billings said. “I have recorded with the tin whistle, but I have not recorded with the panpipes.”

Billings’ major is undecided, but he attends a number of music classes at Pierce. He is also president of the French club on campus.

Billings’ most recent show was at the Guitar Merchant in Woodland Hills on Friday, Feb. 28.

The Guitar Merchant opened in 2006, according to owner Phil St. Germain. They wanted to have a

place where new and local bands can perform, and there are no age restrictions at the venue.

“Anyone can come in and enjoy the show,” St. Germain said.

Billings had some friends and family come to watch his performance, including his father and his sister who were in the crowd.

“We saw his potential at a young age, and we kept encouraging him to play,” said his father, David Billings.

“My dad always played guitar when I was little. I always wanted a guitar, and I got one when I was eight,” Billings said. “I did not pick it up very fast, so I dropped it and then I picked it up again five years ago.”

Though he plays five instruments, the guitar and harmonica were the only ones used during his most recent performance.

“I think this is awesome,” said his sister, Gwendolyn Billings.

Jimi Hendrix was a big inspiration for Billings and his music, which along with encourangement from his family prompted him to begin practicing from an early age.

“I fell in love with music when I heard him and I just started playing,” Billings said.

The first song he played was “Foxy Lady” by Jimi Hendrix. The next was his own called “Losing,” which was more of a blue-grass interpretation according to Zuko. His final song of the night was an original called “Way to Go.”

Zuko is hoping to get more of a fan base from his performances in the future.

“I want to reach out to people. I want to get some more coverage,” Billings said.

There are no set dates for upcoming performances, but anybody looking for more information or updates can find him on Facebook and Twitter under Jacob Zuko.

“She’s always fun to talk to and is very easygoing; you can strike a conversation with her about anything,” Tchertchian said.

In her spare time Rashidian also enjoys swimming, working on arts and crafts, going to concerts, and listening to soft rock as well as Bruno Mars. She said she couldn’t see herself doing anything else for a living other than teaching math.

“They keep me alive,” Rashidian said. “It is a very rewarding job.”

Natalie Hatcher, a business major and founder of the club, started the club with the intention to keep others motivated with their fitness goals while having fun at the same time.

“We don’t care what fitness level you’re on,” Hatcher said. “It is not a competition between people, it is just for people to get healthy and fit. We basically just come in, we push play and we allow the trainers on the DVD to basically lead us in how our form is.”

Hatcher plays a one-hour routine from the Beachbody program each week on a DVD and the Great Hall has the big screen projector that displays it all for

“I was about 80 pounds heavier, and I managed to do it even though I was going to school, running a business, and teaching,” Newman said. “If I can do it, anybody can do it.”

If you’re looking for a way to squeeze in some workout time while you’re on campus this semester, put the Fit Club on your Wednesday night to-do list. You can make friends, burn calories, and sweat in the name of fun.

“I just want to share this with people. I have this new sense of self-esteem I didn’t have before. It’s just amazing,” said Newman with a smile. “When you change your body, you change so much more than your body; you change yourself.”

Nelger Carrera / Roundup

STARLIGHT: Maxwell Ward, 19, peering at the planets through one of the viewing telescopes.

Students starstruck by the universe

Astronomy Society runs open viewing of night sky

For those interested in astronomy, the chunk of rock called Earth and everything else related to physical science, then the Astronomy Society at Pierce College should feel like home.

“As a person, I just find nerdy stuff really cool,” said Dale Fields, Astronomy Society adviser and assistant professor of astronomy at Pierce College.

The Astronomy Society meets on Fridays at 3 p.m. in Room 92047 of the Center for the Sciences. They discuss topics like finding and confirming planets, solar systems, other ‘earths’ in the universe, geology, natural polygons and the Hubble Space Telescope among several other topics.

“There is no more humbling of a science than astronomy,” said Felipe Cabello, vice-president of the Astronomy Society. “It’s cool for me to see that there are people who also agree and they want to

use this club to explore not only astronomy but everything else.”

Daniel Best, a new member of the club, came across the group during Club Rush last semester. Looking through the telescope they had set up and talking with the group cemented his decision to join.

“I thought it was cool,” Best said. “I came to a club meeting and found out that the people in the club were really fun, cool and funny.”

Members interests and majors range from political science to environmental science to geology.

“We have official meetings off campus and talk about not only astronomy, but the politics with it,” Cabello said.

Along with the weekly meetings, the club hosts open viewing nights and planetarium shows several times a semester.

Viewing nights let the public looking through telescopes at the night sky with the assistance of adviser Fields. Planetarium shows give the public a different and unique view of the solar system.

More than 30 people attended

Friday’s viewing night. They were able to look through telescopes including a Dobsonian and two Schmidt-Cassegrains.

The next viewing night is planned for May 7 at around 6 p.m. The Planetarium shows are scheduled for April 16 from 7 - 9 p.m. and May 23 from 6 - 8 p.m.

The Astronomy Society will be hosting a fundraiser Friday, March 21 from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. to raise money for their upcoming weekend trip to Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara to study astronomy in the field.

“The easy part is getting me to start talking about astronomy,” Fields said. “The difficult part is getting me to shut up.”

To attend a club meeting, just walk, bike, or drive over to Room 92047 in the Center for the Sciences building or find them on Facebook as the “Pierce College Astronomy Society.”

Gina Woodring / Roundup

TEACHER: Melody Rashidian, a new mathematics professors at Pierce College, outside the math classrooms near the North Gym.

“ I fell in love with the logic of mathematics, and it became my personality.”

- Melody Rashidian Mathematics Professor

Jessica Boyer Roundup Reporter

Photo Illustration by Jeremy Nation

Hidden paradise dilapidates away

e Braille Trail sensory nature walk requires additional funding to achieve restoration vision

The sky hinted at a rain storm but that didn’t stop Dr. Leland Shapiro, Pierce College professor of animal and veterinary sciences, from showing off his hidden paradise.

“In the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, this place was thriving,” Shapiro said.

The “place” Shapiro speaks of is the Braille Trail, an all-access sensory nature trail located within the school’s arboretum. What once was a display of flourishing, exotic and native greenery now plays home to overgrown bushes and vacant planters.

Originally established on April 20, 1970, the trail’s purpose was to serve as a learning tool for the visually impaired. The weathered plaque at the entrance of the trail spells out each individual donor and provides a brief history of the trail’s origin, all in both English and braille.

“This Braille Trail helps one part of our community that can’t see, and I don’t understand why we’ve let it go to pot,” Shapiro said.

Accompanying the introduction is a raised map of the path, meant to provide a touchable route for the blind, now vandalized with carved graffiti and in much need of repair.

Hundreds of feet of rope act as a hand-held tour guide with a knot in place to let the walker know

when to stop and read the plaque describing what is in front of them. While most of the plaques have commendably stood the test of time, the plants they are describing have not.

Shapiro came to a slow halt, “Here it says ‘dawn redwood’ and I don’t see the dawn redwood.”

Instead, a dirt emptiness filled where the dawn redwood, also

known as a metasequoia, once stood.

Overgrown brush, weeds, discarded cans and bottles emphasize the dire need of maintenance the trail requires.

“See, a lot of people look at this as a bush, but it’s not a bush, it’s a learning tool. Each one of these plants is part of a community and they were planted here for specific

reasons, to teach horticulture,”

Shapiro said.

Dick South, professor emeritus of horticulture, has seen the trail go through its ups and downs over the years since its inception.

“It’s a shame that it was allowed to degrade the way it was but something like that takes a lot of “upkeep,” South said. “Maintenance is a big thing. It’s easy to plant something, it’s much more difficult to keep it maintained.”

Pierce College student Janette Vazquez, 19, stood just a few hundred feet from the elusive trail, not even aware of it’s existence.

“I’ve never seen it,” Vazquez said. “I think people would like the idea, just to hang out over there and see nature.”

With the spread of awareness, Shapiro believes that the trail could

easily be restored back to its prior condition.

“There’s a lot that can be done but we need some coordination on that. I would like something to be offered for future generations.”

Shapiro hopes for a grant to help fund the restoration of the Braille Trail. He encourages those in the community who are interested to band together and help restore the trail to its former beauty.

Posted on the entrance plaque is a quote from anthropologist Margaret Mead that seems to echo Shapiro’s hope for the trail.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

TCG Club: Drawing the heart of the cards Trading card game club uses Magic to bring students together

The Trading Card Game (TCG) Club has turned into an organization, and a place where students can come together and play card games in a structured environment on the Pierce College campus.

Students would huddle up around the old library playing Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering and various other games.

President of the TCG Club, Garret Williams, created the club to give a sense of structure to the small community on campus.

“We decided to do the organization because we wanted to create a place where everyone can group together and have a place to play,” Williams said.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is based on a fictional card game, Duel Monsters in the manga/anime Yu-gi-oh! created by Kazuki Takahashi.

points down to zero. You try to win the match, with the monsters magic cards and try to counter them,” the club's webmaster Austin Reveche said.

Magic, another trading card game, was created by Richard Garfield and has approximately twelve million players world wide as of 2011.

“Magic is different because you need a land to produce mana (energy) and that mana will be able to cast the creatures and

spells,” Jefferson Matthews said.

“Unlike Yu-Gi-Oh!, you need the correct amount of mana, to do what you need for the term.”

Currently, the TCG club is still building their foundation and now consists of 10-12 members who are committed to the organization.

According to the Associated Student Organization (ASO), the TCG Club is now an official Pierce College campus club.

Last semester, a few students started the TCG club because of the large interest in card gaming.

“It is similar to the show itself. You have at least a 40 to 60-card deck and you play one on one, or multi-dual, and try to deplete your opponent's life

Award winning Los Angelesbased photographer, Kirk McKoy, will be the next featured speaker in the Media Arts Speaker Series on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m.

Kirk McKoy is scheduled to be sharing his photographs as well as his experiences working for news organizations and as a portrait photographer.

Mckoy

Lynn Levitt / Roundup

BRAILLE TRAIL: Working on a special project for instructor of horticulture, Jody La Chance, students wander through the Braille Trail March 7.

Marc Dionne / Roundup

YU-GI-OH!: Garrett Williams (top right), the TCG Club president, plays Yu-Gi-Oh! with fellow TCG members in front of the old Library, Feb. 26

Mariah Sherriffe Roundup Reporter

“It is similar to the show itself.”

-Austin Reveche Webmaster

“Here is it says ‘dawn redwood’ and I don’t see the dawn redwood.”

-Leland Shapiro Departfment chair of Agriculture and Natural Resource

Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporter

With the workforce becoming ever more competitive, students will have to learn the skills necessary to stay one step ahead of the competition. Offering courses in network technology, computer science, automotive service technology and welding, students looking to thrive in an ever-changing and advancing world can seek the education and training here at Pierce College.

Students working with oscilloscopes during the electronics lab. Photo: Diego Barajas.

Electronics students Majid Golrizi, Sandip Hodkhasa and Jerick Bongalonta work together to build a full wave rectifier circuit.

Photo: Nico Heredia

Students from welding class watch one of their classmate use a torch to cut parts of his project.

Photo: Nelger Carrera.

Jorge Moreno works on an assignment in his electronics class.

Photo: Caleb Johnson.

Baseball: more than just a sport Pierce players nding second chance to succeed at game they love

baseball.”

titles and 30 West Valley League championships.

Playing baseball since the age of 12, Prahara picked up the game in his native, Indonesia.

been one of the players to get kicked off the team, Peters said “Me and a couple friends from the team took something.”

To those unfamiliar with the sport, baseball is just a game. For others it’s a safe haven, a place where your biggest worry is deciding whether the pitcher is going to throw a slider or a curveball.

The sounds of a baseball colliding with a bat, to the sound it makes as it soars through the air, the integrity of the game is not to be compromised. And when it is, it might be time to walk away, at least for a while.

Chatsworth High School, known for its storied baseball program, became the center of controversy after a group of its baseball players were accused of taking drugs. The opportunity to play the game they love, whisked away because of one decision.

In the middle of it all were Harsa Prahara and Austin Peters. Prahara, a pitcher, along with Peters, a shortstop, were apart of a program that had won nine CIF City Section

“I was still back in my country Indonesia. That’s when I started playing baseball,” Prahara said. “At the time I was reading this one comic book and it was about baseball. Ever since then I just started liking baseball.”

After moving to America, Prahara continued to the play baseball. Heading on to Chatsworth High School, he joined the junior varsity team as a freshman, posting a 2.40 ERA with two saves. He went on to make varsity as a sophomore.

In early 2013, former Chatsworth coach Tom Meusborn announced that three student athletes had been kicked of the baseball team, Prahara being one of them.

“I made some poor decisions,” Prahara said. “The coach made a decision to not have me as a part of the team, which is big.”

Joining his elementary school’s baseball team, Peters has been hooked on the game ever since. He too went on to play for the Chatsworth Chancellors. Having

“We were at practice and we weren’t really coherent. Coach Meusborn called one of our guys over and asked if he was alright,” Peters said. “The player said yeah but then coach said he wasn’t so he said go take a knee. He went to go take the knee and ended up falling on one of our coaches.”

“We took painkillers,” Peters said.

Taking about a week for the storm to settle, Prahara and Peters had to deal with the consequences of their actions.

“A lot of the guys on our team felt really let down,” Peters said. “They weren’t being mean to us or anything, they were just a little mad at us for making a stupid decision like that. It kind of felt like it was just a big burden on the team.”

It was no easy fix, both players had to work towards a new goal, moving on with no baseball and learning from their mistakes.

Prahara said the experience took away what was most important to him at the time, “which was

“I didn’t stop there. I didn’t give up,“ Prahara said. “I bounced back. I knew it was going to be hard but I’m happy to be where I’m at right now and hopefully I can be better.”

With learning from their mistakes being a recurring theme for both players, Austin Peters had his fair share. Peters said that the ordeal was “a huge learning process.”

“Going to Chatsworth as a senior at the high school, I honestly thought that I was untouchable because I played at Chatsworth and the Chatsworth baseball program was pretty good,” Peters said. “My mindset was that I could do anything and get away with it.”

“Everything after that just humbles you down,” Peters said.

Since the incident at Chatsworth, both players have resurfaced, almost making it feel like a comeback. Harsa Prahara and Austin Peters, members of the Pierce College baseball team, are now freshman.

Not familiar with their history in high school, Pierce College baseball coach John Bushart said that he was not hesitant to let both Harsa and Austin join the team. He said

the players on the team were not bothered or have any reservations, not at all.

“It’s a new year. They are god kids and I didn’t hold anything against them,” Bushart said. “I don’t think it was an issue with the team at all at all.”

Knowing their love for the game, regardless of the past, both wanted to continue to play ball and show that they still could.

“I love baseball in general. I just couldn’t live without it,” Prahara said. “From what happened, I can’t just give up on baseball.”

Brahmas add succesful trainer to staff

Athletic trainer for over 20 years nds new home at Pierce

Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporter

One college’s loss sometimes means anothers gain. When Los Angeles City College’s entire sports program became suspended due to budget cuts, their athletic trainer of over 20 years, Robert Horowitz, was on the market for a new place to plant his roots.

Leonard Ramierez, in his 23rd year as athletic trainer at Pierce, jumped at the opportunity to convince Horowitz to become his new co-worker.

“We at Pierce have been trying to get Robert over here since 2002,” Ramierez said.

Having served as an interim athletic trainer at Pierce College while his predecessor, Shari Sipka, was on maternity leave, Horowitz left a lasting impression on the athletes and staff.

I went back to LACC until the position became available here.”

Pierce athletic director, Bob Lofrano, appeared just as happy to have Horowitz on board.

“He is doing a great job,” Lofrano said with a smile. “He was here before and that’s why it made it real easy when the opportunity came to bring him back because he was so well liked, did a great job, and we’re really lucky to have him here.”

While the serious side of Horowitz’s job includes rehabilitating athletes and offering injury-preventative services, he strives to make the training room feel like a place where people can open up about more than what’s hurting them physically.

that the Pierce football team gave him the nickname ‘Uncle Rob.’

“ You go in there and he’ll talk about anything with you no matter who you are. We’re really glad that he joined the Pierce training staff”

On top of the nickname given to him by his athletes, Ramierez jokingly refers to his relationship with Horowitz by titling themselves ‘the odd couple.’ The duo show a lot of respect for each other and it leaves impressions on the athletes that they treat.

“[Ramierez] always does a fantastic job, like no matter if you’re a red shirt, grey shirt, starter second string guy, he always takes really good care of you,” said volleyball player, Frankie Manes.

“Rob has brought the same mentality [as Ramierez] and the same thing into the training room this year and he’s so fun,” Manes said. “You go in there and he’ll talk about anything with you no matter who you are. We’re really glad that he joined the Pierce training staff.”

Horowitz expressed his enjoyment with his new coworkers and work enviorment.

New coach hopes to improve football team Running

“He bugged me forever to come here,” Horowitz said of Ramierez. “I was here for pretty much all football season in 2012, and then

back game will get boost

the Brahmas football program.

“I am about coming to a program where everybody is on board into getting the kids out,”

“The athletes respect [Horowitz] when they first walk in, not because he demands it but because he is a respectable man,” said 21-year-old intern Kiani Reis. “They joke around with him and treat him like family.”

The athletes really do treat Horowitz like family; so much so,

“To them, I present myself as an uncle or a good person that they can come and talk to,” said Horowitz.

“We have a pretty good team of psorts medicine professional working hard to get our athletes back where they need to be,” Horowitz said.

Some people have been running all their lives, and for Cordell Landers that has been a good thing for him.

Landers, the former running back coach for Pasadena City College and a former player at Los Angeles Valley College was hired to the same position for the Brahmas during winter break.

He first began playing football when he was 7 years old as a running back for the Redondo Beach Pop Warner in Redondo Beach, Calif. He continued playing at Long Beach Poly High School, earning league honors, and he was named the team’s offensive player of the year.

After his playing career came to an end, Landers got into coaching by helping manage a football camp for six years called Beyond 2000, earning coaching MVP honors at five of the six camps.

Since his time at Beyond 2000, Landers has been the running back coach, serving at the community college level.

For the last six years he has coached at Citrus College, in addition to Pasadena City College.

Landers was happy about joining

Landers said. “It’s about offering more possibilities to young players.”

Brahmas running back DeShawn Jones shared his thoughts on what stood out to him the most about Landers.

“He’s a real honest guy, he’s not going to tell you what you want to hear, and he’s going to tell you the truth,” Jones said.

“He’ll tell you what you need to do to get better and what you need to do to be successful.”

Head Coach Efrain Martinez touched on Landers influence in bringing local recruiting to the football program that once struggled to bring in talent.

“He has the same drive and same passion as we have at Pierce and that is getting the kids to succeed and getting them to the next level, and that is our goal.” Martinez said.

Landers’ personal goal this upcoming season is to be the top conference running back coach and to continue helping his players succeed as they train.

Landers still manages to keep a fresh attitude about his job.

“When I get up in the morning I don’t feel like its work,” Landers said.

Kitty Rodriguez Roundup Reporter

Manuel Rios Roundup Reporter

James Channell / Roundup

REDEMPTION: Pitcher Harsa Prahera, left, and shortstop Austin Peters are playing for the Brahmas after sitting our their senior year

Stephen Castaneda / Roundup

WINNER:Robert Horowitz, new athletic trainer at Pierce.

-Frankie Manes Volleyball Player

Baseball (8-7-1, 1-2)

March 13 vs. Ventura 2:30 p.m.

March 15 @ Ventura 1 p.m.

PIERCE SPORTS SCHEDULE

Softball (0-6, 0-1)

March 18 @ Hancock (DH) 1/3 p.m.

March 20 @ Cuesta 1 p.m.

Swimming/Diving

March 14 WSC swim meet # 2

Tennis (8-3, 1-1)

March 13 @ Glendale 2 p.m.

March 18 vs. Bakersfield 2 p.m.

Men’s Volleyball (4-6, 1-2)

March 12 vs. Santa Monica 6 p.m.

March 14 vs. Long Beach 6 p.m.

A diving success for swim and dive

Pierce wins big against 3 others at Long Beach

Heni Sirchi Roundup Reporter

Heavy storms, fierce winds and nonstop rain could not stop Pierce College at the Western State Conference swim and dive meet on March 1, held at Ventura College.

Pierce’s swim and dive team traveled to compete in their first and second meetings respectively. Pierce was scheduled to compete against Santa Barbara, Citrus, Cuesta and Ventura. However, due to bad weather conditions Citrus and Cuesta forfeited.

The women’s swim team came in second place with 127 points while Santa Barbara took first place finishing with 188 points. The highlights of the day were two first place victories by Sara Booth. Booth won the 1000m in 11:55.88 and the 500 m freestyle in 5: 46.25.

Bridggite Kroetz took second place in both her events. Kroetz finished the 200 m freestyle in 2:09.46 and the 100 m backstroke in 1:06.56.

Booth and Kroetz both participated in

the 200 m medley relay and placed third.

Darby Schuett, who also participated in the relay, placed in the 50 m freestyle with a time of 27.50.

The second relay team which consisted of Regina Agopian, Sarah Karp, Daisy Hernandez and Alyssa Lara finished second in the 400 m freestyle relay.

“Our team is working hard to pay attention to the finer details of swimming such as stronger legs and a better job of finishing races,” said swim coach Judi Terhar. “We are looking forward to our next meet in Bakersfield in two weeks.” Pierce would continue to finish in the top three event after event.

“We received large points from our diver Jovany Gonzalez, who got first on both the 1m and 3m diving boards the week before,” said Pierce men’s assistant swim team coach Mircea Pitarin.

The 200 m medley relay team was comprised of Ian Monterrosa, Sina Basiratmand, Brian Fedorov and Elisha Vetter. they would finish second with a time of 1:52.12. The relay consisted of the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.

The top scoring event was the 200 m butterfly where Fedorov placed second

with a time of 2:27.63 and Nich Ahadzadeh finished third with a time of 2:32.43. Fedorov also finished second in the 50m freestyle with a time of 23.73. Pierce could not be stopped as they continued to place din the top three spots in what seemed like every event they participated in.

Vetter finished third in the 200 m freestyle with a time of 2:04.32 and Sina Basiratmand placed third in the 200 m breaststroke with a time of 2:30.30.

While the swimmers were competing in their second meet, the divers were kicking off their first meeting of the season.

Diver Kevin Kichik placed first in the 3 m dive with a total score of 214.25 and also placed first in the 1 m dive with a score of 241.55. Gonzalez placed second in both diving events.

Baseball team blownout by 12-5 by Oxnard

Mercy rule hands Condors lead a er trailing early in the game

Kayla Akil Roundup Reporter

The goal for the Pierce baseball team against Oxnard was to come out and play well. They soon found out it would be much easier said than done after losing 12-5 on Thursday, March 6 at home.

Pierce took the lead in the first inning scoring a run from a double play with one man on second base and one on third, that gave the Brahmas an early lead over the Condors.

In the second inning the tides would change when Oxnard roared back by scoring four runs after first basemen and outfielder Jake

Mavropoulos hit a line drive double.

The Brahmas trailed behind the Condors conflicted with Bushart’s hopes before the game.

“We need a good starting pitcher performance to set the tone of the game” Bushart said before the game.

Freshman outfielder, Dylan Tashjian said that the team needs to be more patient at the plate.

“They have a good pitcher, we need to work the pitcher and work his count,” Tashjian said.

Starting pitcher for Pierce, Daniel Barazza could not get into a groove during the game giving up four runs in the second inning including a double and two triples.

Pierce outfielder Joe Moran

stole third base in the third inning, giving the Brahmas a chance to get back into the game but the Brahmas failed to bring him home and ended the threat.

The Condors shutout the Brahmas in the 5th inning and then scored seven runs, highlighted by a three-run double given up by Barazza to give Oxnard a 8-4 lead. Barazza was taken out of the game after pitching 4 1/3 innings and giving up a total of nine runs on nine hit, eight of which were earned.

The Brahmas pitching got roughed up some more when Pierce brought in sophomore southpaw Dan Gowanlock who failed to record an out. He gave up two runs

Sports briefs

Baseball

on three hits before freshman sidearm right-hander Brandon Ortega came in to close the inning..

.Ortega had the Condors offbalance for the rest of his outing pitching 3 2/3 innings shutting out the Condors the rest of the way with five strikeouts well allowing only three hits.

The Brahmas tried to keep its hopes alive when the team was able to score one last time before the game ended in the bottom of the ninth inning by a score of 12-5.

Assistant coach for Oxnard, Jon Larson, believes the team played well but needed to get more hits.

“We closed the innings nicely, we had to hit more, Pierce is the best team we faced so far” he said.

The baseball team ended its three game losing streak by beating Cuesta College, 11-4 away from home on March 8.

In their previous games the Brahmas lost by a combined score of 23-5. The team’s losses were against East Los Angeles College and twice against Oxnard.

The baseball teams next game will be on March 13 against Ventura College at home at 2:30 p.m.

Men’s volleyball

The men’s volleyball team had a bye week.

The volleyball teams next game will be on March 12 against Santa Monica at 6 p.m.

Tennis Softball

The tennis team will hope to extend their three game winning streak when they travel to face Glendale College on March 13. During their current winning streak the Brahmas have played and won all three of their games on the road. After a close call with Ventura the Brahmas will be looking to have an easier time against Glendale. The tennis team is 8-3 overall.

The softball team has failed to put up an w’s in the win column. The softball team’s next game will be against Allan Hancock on March 18.

Injured basketball player vows to improve

A er missing the 2013/2014 season guard is ready to play

Ethan Hanson Assistant Editor

Basketball is not just another sport, for some it is life and much more than a hobby.

For J.R. Williams, basketball is life. It is his love, passion and why he has become already one of the greatest basketball players that Pierce has ever produced during its history.

Williams showcased his talents during his rookie year, where he won the MVP of 2012 Don Gehler Memorial Tournament held in Mira mar, San Diego

Yet this past season was one that Williams won’t forget. A season where he was more associated with being on the sideline and injured than on the court.

Williams, the team’s starting point guard who helped Pierce win its first conference championship in over 40 years, was expected to play this past season for the Brahmas.

But just before the season started he injured his left knee.

Playing in the “Midnight Madness” game last November, Williams was showing off his talent to the Pierce College fans at Ken Stanley Court. During the game, Williams started to feel pains in his knee but kept playing.

Williams would later discover that he tore his meniscus and had to miss the season.

“Injuries are apart of the game

and it happens,” Williams said. “But it was hard and stressful not playing. I was feeling down.” Williams had to watch from the sideline as his team crumbled. The Brahmas finished with a record of 10-18 including an abysmal 4-8 record in conference. Williams could only watch from the sidelines as his team struggled unable to help.

“It was stressful watching my team go out there knowing I could’ve been out there helping my team win,” Williams said.

Williams has been going through

During his rehab process Williams has been cleared to practice, but is limited to short shootarounds.

Head Coach Ed Babayan, who has been monitoring Williams to make sure he stays healthy, believes Williams’ maturity will ultimately be his biggest strength.

“In terms of his maturity, the biggest improvement will be his decision making,” Babayan said. “Decisions on when to shoot or when to pass.”

Williams with the injury has done a lot of watching, listening and analyzing and thinks he can come back as a better player.

“When I come back I’ll become a better shooter than before.” Williams said. “I’m also going to be a lot more relaxed and not so out of control.”

Pierce College small forward Victor Evans, who acted as one of the team’s assistant coaches throughout the season, thinks Williams will come back better then ever because of his hiatus from the game.

and feels that Williams, with an improved jump shot will be better and stronger than ever.

“He is a super competitive guy,” Babayan said. “We have recruited and brought pieces around so that later when he comes back, he can take control. His ability to create shots with his speed for his teammates along with his improved shooting will make him that much more deadly.”

Williams has been using last season’s bad record as fuel for next season as he continues to go through rehab.

“Once I get back to playing basketball and I am healthy,” Williams said. “I will lead this team to a championship.”

Williams 2012-2013 season stats

Games played: 11

Total starts: 11

Avg. minutes: 30.8

multiple therapy sessions and credits Pierce training staff Lenny Ramirez and Robert Horowitz for helping him get strength back into his knee.

“They have done a tremendous job helping me through the rehab process,” Williams said. “I trust them and they are going to be make sure that I come back 120 percent.”

“I know when he’s in the gym you can look at him and tell he’s dying to get back on the floor,” Evans said. “So I think with that fire he has built inside it will make him a better player.”

Williams is known for his competitive nature, has been seen dribbling a ball nervously on the bench, chomping at the bit to get back into the action.

Coach Babayan has taken notice

Total mins: 339

Assists: 68

Steals: 22

Turnovers: 51

Assist to turnover: 1.3

Total awards: 1

Giuliana Gorlandoni/ Roundup

JUMP OFF: Diver Jovany Gonzales practices his diving techniques as Luke Wesselhoff watches on.

“Once I get back to playing healthy, I will lead this team to a championship

-J.R. Williams Basketball player