Volume 120 Spring 2014 Roundup Issue 5

Construction DELAYS

Agriculture Department bond in moratorium and awaiting validation

Richard Zamora & Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporters

The LACCD Board of Trustees placed a districtwide moratorium on bonds designated for the building of new agriculture facilities until the need for the money is studied and validated, according to Donna-Mae Villanueva, dean of the Agriculture Department.

Initially $6.1 billion was allocated across the district with $4.8 billion going toward individual college projects. There were 264 projects throughout the nine community colleges with Pierce topping the list for the most projects at 41, according to a 2011 master building program budget plan that can be found at build-laccd.org.

Certain projects are listed as complete, such as the Center for the Sciences Building. The hold on the rest of the money was placed to reevaluate the remaining projects and their effect according to Villanueva.

“The district wanted to have a better sense of all of the building projects district-wide and to study, before we build anymore buildings, the impact if the district builds out on everything that’s listed here,” Villanueva said.

This delay has stalled the construction on a new horticulture facility to replace the 67-year-old building that is currently in use, according to the agriculture chair Dr. Leland Shapiro.

“The bond provided $19 million dollars to put in a new horticulture facility,” said Leland Shapiro, chair of agriculture and natural resource.

“Our facility is from 1947.”

Shapiro has his own ideas on what he would like to see included with the modernization of the facilities.

“I need one large lecture hall that’s PowerPoint ready and has Internet access,” Shapiro said. “I need two labs, one for soils that could be shared with floristry. The other lab we’d need for plant identification and for CAD. We need a greenhouse, which grows the plants and a lath house, which starts the seedlings and gets them growing and maybe a nursery out there.”

horticulture and maintaining a farm come with a set of challenges very different from those found in a typical classroom.

“Animals live 365 days a year,” Shapiro said. “They don’t know it’s Christmas, they don’t know it’s Fourth of July.”

Along with the new facilities, the Agriculture Department requires labor to properly utilize the farm to its fullest potential. Shapiro hopes that a portion of the bonds can be used to hire qualified employees that have the experience to provide the specialized care needed. Pierce used to have fruit and avocado trees and three fulltime employees that tended to the delicate trees.

“When the employees retired those positions were not filled and the trees died from lack of care,” Shapiro said. “If a worker is putting in eight hours a day five days a week, the plants will die. For a farmer, you need to work seven days a week all day long.”

Currently the bond is listed as “Programming RFP 74%” with RFP standing for “Request for Proposal.” This means that the process is still in a preliminary stage.

Pierce College campus projects

Shapiro had spoken directly to Pierce’s president, Kathleen Burke, for help, and a process of evaluating the department’s need has begun.

department’s need has begun.

“I went to the college president and she was very receptive,” Shapiro said. “She said before she commits to hiring a new horticulture teacher and spending money on the program she wanted a validation study done and so they have started that now.”

The study will take less than two months but Shapiro is concerned with some of the criteria to which the state may be holding the department.

according to Shapiro.

“The bond provided $19 million dollars to put in a new “The

As the only school in the district that has 200 acres devoted to the study of agriculture, Pierce offers a unique opportunity to its students and the community.

But learning the intricacies of

“I went to the college president and she was very the

“The college has to respond to the state and the state right now is looking at how many degrees, how many certificates per program that you have,” Shapiro said. “If you do not have any they’ll say ‘Why are we funding your program if you’re not doing any degrees or certificates,’ so you need both.”

Many students at Pierce are gathering the skills they will need to move forward in their careers and it is this moving forward that is causing a pitfall for the department,

CAMPUS CLOSED FOR

“For example I run the pre-vet program and we have a pre-vet degree here. Most of my students don’t get their A.S. degree and the reason why is that if they get accepted to vet school they want to go,” Shapiro said. “I had another person get accepted yesterday, she’s number 212. They don’t consider how many transfer so they say ‘You don’t have any certificates or degrees.’ I say, ‘Yeah but I have 212 people who’ve made it to vet school’ but they’re not looking at that.”

The horticulture staff has been scaled down due to employees retiring and no one being hired to replace them. This has led to a snowball effect in the department where fewer classes are available so fewer degrees and certificates are awarded.

Once the moratorium is lifted by the LACCD Board of Trustees, the Agriculture Department will still have to wait as the LACCD

building program, which can also be found through build-laccd.org, projects that Pierce’s horticulture facility will be completed by 2017.

Paul Nieman, director of plant facilities, expanded on some of the issues with funding the project while the moratorium is still in place.

“The horticulture building is slated for a renovation and it’s slated to get rid of the old greenhouse and provide a new greenhouse,” Nieman said. “When we realized that we didn’t have the money that we had to begin with, everybody had to contribute to a new districtwide contingency on construction and that meant we all had to send money, and we lost a lot, so things had to get resized.”

Nieman continued to say that they must get approval from the board to move forward. Every program, to his knowledge, goes through a viability study at one point or another.

BREAK

Lynn Levitt / Roundup

DOMAIN: Dr. Leland Shapiro shows the area of land where Pierce College first planted its roots as an agricultural center of education on Thursday, March 27.

“The bond provided $19 million dollars to put in a new horticulture facility.”

-Leland Shapiro Chair of Agriculture and Natural Resource

Lynn Levitt / Roundup

BUSY: Sitting in front of a computer at a cluttered desk, Dr. Leland Shapiro takes a phone call.

STREET BEAT

How students master mid-terms

Cash starved students struggle with added expenses

Classes at Pierce College are less expensive than most university courses, which is why a lot of students choose to attend a community college prior to a higher-level institution. At $46 a unit, a student can be a full-time for less than $600 a semester. If someone actually wants to pass these classes though, they will have to spend a significant amount of extra money to purchase classroom essentials. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to take and pass a class with the prices it costs to actually attend.

Most professors require a textbook. The textbook can range anywhere from $20 to $300 per class. Some professors allow an older edition of the textbook while others limit student’s choices to a more expensive, hard-to-find online version. In addition to that $300 textbook, the class can require a $50 in-class work booklet and a $90 online tutoring lab and homework aid. That $140 class is now toppling over $500. How are students who have dedicated their time to education expected to be able to afford the additional costs?

While the Pierce bookstore offers a “rent-a-book” program, students are required to bring in a copy of their classes, a credit card, and student identification in hopes of receiving 40 percent off a book that they will only keep for sixteen or less weeks. This rental book must come back undamaged from sixteen long weeks of collegiate studying for a student to not be additionally charged.

Affordable wedding answers

Rent tables and chairs, and decorate simply with tulle, white lights, paper lanterns, flowers, and streamers. Use Pierce as a resource. The Horticulture Department will have students who can make arrangements and bouquets. Offer them a little money to be your florist and buy your flowers from Costco or from Downtown L.A.

“Dear Kate, Budget wedding?”Broke Bloke

Dear Broke, First of all, congratulations!

Finding the person you want to spend your life with is exciting, and officially beginning your life together should be a memorable event. What it should not be is stressful, chaotic, and debt-inducing. And yet, it so often is all of those things.

People often focus on the wedding and forget about the marriage. They pour all their time, money and resources into that one day when it should be going toward their relationship and building a life together.

Start with the invitations. No need to spend a small fortune ordering from a company when you can easily design and print your own.

If you don’t belong to a church where you can have the wedding for free or for a small price, consider holding your event at a park, and then assign some friends to hold down the fort to reserve your spot that day.

Check out the Music Department for a few violinists or cellists who could provide the music for your ceremony. For the reception, find a band that can handle a wedding crowd, or make an iTunes mix yourself and assign a friend to oversee it.

Photography is one thing you don’t want to skimp on, but there are many skilled photographers on campus that you have access to. Many have wedding experience, and others are dying for some. Ask for samples of their work, and pick a few. Many of them will work for little pay in order to get wedding experience into their portfolio.

Lastly, don’t feed everyone a full meal. Have a 2 p.m. wedding so that guests don’t assume they will be fed, and stick to snacks, drinks and cake.

Do you have a question for Kate?

Don’t shy away, ask Kate anything by sending an email to AskKateAnything@gmail.com. Those who have a question of a sensitive nature will be kept anonymous.

If a student can afford to buy a brand new book, the book buyback program is a complete joke, returning next to nothing in cash for a book that costs a small fortune. How are students supposed to learn, let alone thrive, when the mere cost of preparing for an A is astronomical?

Pierce also offers a semester-long $25-$30 calculator rental through a program in the math department, that helps students who can’t afford a special $150 calculator for certain math classes. While the rental program is a great idea, the supplies are limited, leaving students out that don’t run from their first class to rent a calculator. Calculator supplies are depleted in mere minutes and many students are left carrying another financial burden on their grade.

Fortunately for students, online options provide cheaper school supplies. Used books and class materials can be found at discounted prices, but must be ordered quickly as they go fast. Also, remember to order well before the start of classes to compensate for shipping as these materials are often needed on the first day.

Many classes can be completed without textbooks or unnecessary supplies and professors could easily supply students with photocopied pages of related material for the discussions or the school could provide the library with more copies of textbooks. In a day where technology is king, we could use more books online and have less of a paper trail in classes.

Pros and Cons: Debating a new Pierce parking structure

Jordan Utley- omson

jthomson.roundupnews@gmail.com

Pierce College does not need a parking garage. It’s simple: spend money on necessities and forget about luxuries.

Essentially, that’s what students have done in choosing the community college route. They’ve forgone the bells and whistles offered by a four-year university in favor of the bare necessities provided by a school like Pierce.

It seems the people accountable for putting irresponsible propositions on the state ballot year after year, the same ones responsible for all of this irritating construction at Pierce, don’t understand. They figure they can just tax and spend away at first sight of the smallest inconveniences.

Lack of parking is one of these inconveniences, but surely not a $16 million inconvenience. That was the cost of Moorpark College’s recently finished parking structure, and its year and a half of construction caused trouble.

Moorpark provides an interesting precedent of what could happen at Pierce if the college acquires the funds for a new parking struc-

ture. There would be a temporary decrease in parking spaces due to construction. Naturally, students will seek other parking spots around the campus and proceed to antagonize every home and business owner by means of loud music, trash buildup and no sense of driving skills. It got so bad that the Moorpark City Council considered issuing parking permits to everyone so long as they didn’t look like your usual crazy college student. If Pierce was to follow in Moorpark’s footsteps, then don’t be fooled by the first statistics used to promote such a project. As a rule of thumb, adjust the original cost of any public construction project higher than what it already is, and be pessimistic about the benefits. Once again, is this garage really necessary? Pierce has 20,448 students enrolled, a number that increases every year. Building this structure in hopes of alleviating parking problems is like shooting a BB gun at an incoming train with the intent of stopping it.

And while Pierce did run a balanced budget this year, that doesn’t mean the college should go on a spending spree or beg the government for more bonds in order to finance frivolous infrastructure.

If Pierce absolutely must go on a spending spree, hire more professors. Offer more class times. Provide the resources that students actually need to graduate.

The addition of a multi-leveled parking structure would be extremely beneficial to Pierce College and should be considered for the convenience of everyone who drives to Pierce College.

One of the ways Pierce gets its funding is dependent on the number of students that attend Pierce. Installing a parking structure would be able to capitalize on that method of funding.

East Los Angeles College was able to open up a parking structure which doubled their parking space as stated by College President Ernest Moreno according to an LACCD news release.

Pierce would also be in the position to generate more funding by charging parking to outsiders who would wish to use the parking structure in order to access the businesses and events in the area.

It could also allow for more people to attend events that take place on campus like Farm Walk which would promote ties between Pierce and the community around it. More club events and campus functions would benefit from more

-COMIC STRIP-

parking space.

The addition of a multi-leveled parking structure would alleviate traffic instead of having the Pierce community drive around the entire campus to find a spot. With a clear structure dedicated to guest spaces, the campus would be more accommodating to visitors.

If the administration wishes to help the parking situation, a structure would encourage more people to come to Pierce which would still be a win –win because of the growth in revenue the structure could generate.

A new parking structure would also make a great impression for students in the first few weeks of a semester when parking is a struggle for those who drive and attend Pierce.

Perhaps students drop classes in those early weeks because finding parking was too much of an effort and they decide to go to another campus, like ELAC, where a parking structure easily welcomes them with a space for their car.

Maybe more students would be retained when parking is way more available than it currently is, which would help keep Pierce full throughout a semester.

Pierce administrators should consider all the benefits a parking structure would add to the college before tabling the idea indefinitely.

“ I drink lots of water and spend a lot of time studying on weekends and after work .”

Morles

“ I make flash cards and eat lots of candy. I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world.”

-Rutu Vyas psychology major

“Relaxing at home and sleeping whenever possible.”

-Eric Vargas psychology major

“Study groups help. I also set an hour before bed so that everything in your mind is fresh for the test the next day.”

-Gianinna Gomez wildlife biology major

“Usually the labs help me. I go through the study guide and re-write down all of the questions. I pay attention in class too.”

-Mariah Tresvant veterinary medicine major

Quotes gathered by

Mariah Sherriffe.

Photos by Giuliana

Orlandoni.

Jesus Castro

Comic by Maria Salvador.

incident report

pierce college sheriff’s station

– Compiled by: Genna Gold

March 23 - March 29

3-23 – TrespassingPaparazzi were on campus by the soccer field.

3-24 – 415 Disturbance –

There was a disturbance over a parking citation.

3-24 – Suspicious person - Three males were asking students for money for their charity by the front of Special Services. The men were warned and advised to leave campus.

3-24 - Suspicious person - An employee reported that someone was smoking marijuana in the new Library/Learning Crossroads restroom.

3-24 – Suspicious person - A male was approaching young girls on the soccer field. Officers were called but the suspect could not be found.

3-24 - Suspicious person –Two males were preaching and harassing people by the Math buildings. Officers warned and advised them to stop.

3-25 - Suspicious person/ Trespassing – A male was caught by a patrolling officer sleeping in a construction site. The man attempted to run from officers but was eventually caught and asked to leave campus.

3-25 – Citizen contact – A student’s vehicle parked in Lot 7 was towed off campus by the Los Angeles Police Department for improper use of a handicap placard.

General Information: (818) 719 - 6450

Emergency:

(818) 710 - 4311

Moisture control grid arrives Drought helps class with new technology techniques

Marissa Nall News Editor

Students in the Plant Sciences 827 class are preparing to test and implement new technologies that will help conserve water for their many projects around campus.

Wayne Holland, owner of Sources Unlimited, is working with students from the class to test a moisture control grid that could help keep more water in the soil, limiting excess watering on campus.

“This is kind of the future of horticulture,” said Len Markowitz, professor of the class. “We’re delving into the modern science of plant care and water management and trying to get the school to go in that direction.”

To test the product, they will monitor two plots of land, one with the grid and one without, to measure the water used in each. With more moisture trapped in the soil, it could also prevent erosion, something that has been an issue for other projects on campus.

“For me, it’s all education and knowing the newest technology

when it comes to water-saving,” said Dylan Garrett, a student in the class and owner of his own landscaping business. “We’re already in a drought. These things are going to become more and more important as people want to maintain landscapes in a water shortage.”

The grid will be paired with other technology that measures how much water is in the soil and could turn off watering systems when the ground is fully saturated.

“If these grids work out, I might incorporate them into my own landscapes,” Garrett said.

The installation and preparation should be done by the end of the month with results by the end of the semester. The project will continue through the summer months and could be implemented in the winter as well, to prevent over-watering of plants during rain.

“A lot of people over-water many plants and don’t know that they take a lot less,” said Markowitz. “Because of that we have activities and watering going on plants that could live comfortably on less moisture and because the students haven’t learned everything they

need yet, they assume that many drought-tolerant plants need much more water.”

Carlos Montecinos, a student in the class, found the technology useful for his project planting a rose garden.

“There was a whole issue with the last rose garden location,” Montecinos said. “It’s actually going to cost a whole lot less here.”

His project also incorporates mulch, rocks, and a three-tier design to conserve more water and prevent soil erosion.

“That’s why we’re running all the tests now. That way maybe within the next year we could actually have more spots on campus that have this grid,” he said.

Many companies have helped by donating supplies and tools to support the project.

“We really want to promote that what we’re teaching is the future of our industry,” Markowitz said.

The project will have a booth at the Farm Walk for those interested in learning more. For more information on the technology being used visit http://sourcesunltd. com/Sourcesunltd.com/AquaGrid. html

Incorruptible

The final curtains fall for the Los Angeles Pierce College Theater department production of “Incorruptible” on Sunday, April 6.

There are three shows left during the weekend of April 4-6.

Spring break [4/8-4/13]

The campus will be closed beginning Monday, April 8 through Sunday, April 13 for Spring Break. Classes will resume on Monday, April 14.

Poetry month contests

In honor of National Poetry

Month, the library is holding contests for poetry readings and original works. Prizes range from $50 to $150 and will be awarded for a variety of attributes. The deadline for the contest is April 30th.

Need a job? [4/3]

The Career and Transfer Center will host a job fair on the mall on Thursday, April 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students are encouraged to bring their resumes to network with multiple companies and experience on-site interviews. For a list of employers participating in the job fair, please visit: http:// tinyurl.com/PierceJobFair14

Relay for life [4/5-4/6]

The college will host a one-day, one-night event raising awareness and funds to fight cancer through the The American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life on April 5-6. The event includes a camp out and all night walk, where members take turns walking in shifts to complete a 24-hour walk. For more information, please visit www. relayforlife.org/woodlandhillsca.

Trio of professors vie for new chapter presidency Faculty members give their reasons for di erent approaches to their candidacy

Three faculty members at Pierce College have begun their campaigns toward becoming the newly elected Pierce College chapter president for the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 1521 this spring.

Mitra Hoshiar, associate professor of sociology, Fernando Oleas, chair of the modern languages

department, and Joseph Perret, professor of computer applications and office technologies, are the candidates competing for the twoyear term.

The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild, AFT Local 1521 is a union that represents full-time and adjunct faculty members of the nine colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District according to their website.

For this election, each candidate is required to pay for the materials

Pets come to campus Students get vaccine and chip training

Marissa Nall News Editor

Local community members brought their pets to the Pierce College Veterinary Technology building to have them vaccinated and implanted with microchips by students of veterinary science.

Once per semester, the program holds the clinic to give students experience working with animals and injections.

“We do this just to provide additional hands-on experience,” said Liz White, director of the Registered Veterinary Technology program. “We get a pretty good turnout. It provides a good service for the community, too.”

Microchips are used by pet owners to find animals who have gone missing. They hold an owner’s contact information as well as the

pet’s medical information and can be accessed by a scan if the animal is found.

“It’s a little implant and it has a number and then the number is then registered to an owner,” said White. “So if the cat gets lost, hospitals and owners have a scanner. They scan the cat and the number will come up and they can trace the number to the owner.”

Andrew Gibson, one of the students of the class, provided the injection to a cat owned by another Pierce student.

“It’s about the size of a grain of rice,” said Gibson. “You can see it on an ex-ray. You just stick it under their skin.”

Elyse Wells, a member of the Boots and Saddles Club, brought her cat Petunia.

“It was very good, very quick, very friendly,” said Wells.

The clinical procedures class also offers spay and neuter services every Friday. Students assist Professor Jennifer Adelini, who has worked in the department for three years and provides veterinary oversight for the senior students.

“They’re very enthusiastic and eager to learn,” said Adelini. “It’s really nice to see how interested and excited they are about everything because it’s what they want to be doing.”

The students take turns rotating tasks each week to get experience with every aspect of the process.

“It’s real world experience but with supervision, to kind of ease into that part of their career,” said Adelini. “There’s a lot of nerves involved. It’s nice to watch them become more confident in their work.”

In the summer the RVT program also has an on-site clinic where patients can come for additional dental procedures and general wellness programs. The proceeds from their work go to the Pierce Foundation and can be used to buy supplies and equipment that the department needs.

they wish to use during their campaigns.

The document also states that candidates cannot use college email addresses to contact unit members and sway votes. The candidates have therefore created different methods to recruit voters.

Oleas has been working with the union for about four years and said he hasn’t been campaigning heavily.

“I have spent a couple of hours stuffing mailboxes myself with

flyers,” Oleas said. “That is the only approach that I have used so far.”

Oleas said he is confident that through his involvement with several campus committees and by being an AFT representative, he has developed solid connections with the faculty members.

“I have faith that they will recognize that my experience, my knowledge, transparency and the commitment that I have shown in the last year will somehow prevail,” Oleas said.

Perret has created blue campaign buttons that contain his picture and his campaign slogan, “Peace, Participation, Progress.”

“The ‘Peace’ stands for peace between the faculty guild and the (Pierce College) Academic Senate,” Perret said. “I also want to bring participation back and involve the faculty in the decision making to continue our progress toward our benefits.”

For the full story visit theroundupnews.com

Stacey Arevalo Roundup Reporter

Building memories one chain at a time

Student’s key chain collecting hobby keeps growing with experiences

Manuel Rios Roundup Reporter

As if trudging through the Pierce campus with a backpack full of notes and carrying textbooks isn’t hard enough, it can be even more difficult while carrying around a six-foot key chain collection daily.

Jeremy Chew, now in his fifth semester at Pierce College and an architect major, has been collecting key chains for the past seven years.

They started off as a charm to put on his cell phone, but Jeremy said that “over time, the collection just started growing.”

“I don’t make key chains, I actually collect them. I have a huge collection that I carry around and it’s about six feet,” Chew said. “It is a six-foot-long key chain that I carry around daily.”

Chew decided to start collecting key chains after seeing his friend’s

personal collection. He took a liking to the idea, eventually deciding to start his own collection which Chew said “got out of hand.”

Chew’s girlfriend, Sarah Irwin, has known Jeremy for the past five years. She said that he puts thought into his collection, with all of the key chains meaning something to him.

Irwin said her feelings regarding Chew’s key chain collection have been the same from the beginning, calling it “a little odd and crazy.”

“I mean one of them weighs ten pounds and it is as tall as I am,” Irwin said. “He carries it around with him everywhere he goes. I have accepted it.”

Continuing to add to his growing collection, he said that some of his key chains go back as far as 10 years.

Getting key chains from places he has visited and as gifts from friends, Chew said that he gets some from conventions like Anime Los Angeles and Anime Expo.

“I get most of them at conventions. Comic-Con is actually the one I started it at,” Chew said. “Almost every single key chain relates to some kind of anime, sci-fi or video game.”

impressive key chain collection. He said that he has even met a person whose own collection was larger that his.

“The only difference is that I wear mine everywhere, and the only time they wear theirs is at conventions,” Chew said.

Robert Ruiz has been a friend of Chew’s for the past eight years. Ruiz said when they first met Chew’s collection was just starting, and called the it “a little funny.”

“In my opinion, he enjoys it. It is the connection to series of whatever he’s watched,” Ruiz said. “It is a way for him to connect to it and also for him to show off what he enjoys.”

Not yet satisfied with his current collection, Chew said that he would like to continue to grow his key chain collection.

Not the only person collecting key chains, Chew said that he has met people who also have an

Club 411: Boots and Saddles Group tends to horses in Equestrian Center

Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporter

Whinnies and neighs abound, marking the area where Pierce College’s horses are kept and cared for by one of the clubs on campus.

Among the horses that call the Equestrian Center their home are Leon, Scout, Chief and Billy, with the Boots and Saddles club (BASC) ensuring their well-being.

“Every single one has a name, every single one has a personality, and they’re all different from each other,” said Tiffany Colohan, a 27-year-old

equine science major.

When not giving horseback riding lessons in Ojai or attending class on campus, Colohan finds time to participate in the club.

They raise money to purchase vital supplies for the Equestrian Center through events like silent auctions, to selling snow cones.

“We’re famous for our snow cones,” Colohan said. “We use the money that we gain to do things like buy wormers for the horses so that we can deworm them on schedule or buy new bridles for horses.”

Blayne Jensen, president of the BASC for the past two semesters, has been busy

making preparations for the upcoming Farm Walk, one of the club’s biggest opportunities to fundraise.

“When the public comes to Farm Walk, we tell them how much we love having [the horses] here, and that they’re more than just animals to us,” Jensen said. The club also helps guide students in the right direction to obtain their degree in preveterinary medicine or equine science.

Interested students can talk to the club’s newest treasurer, Chelsea Holzer.

For full story, go online to theroundupnews.com

“I have 98 in one key chain and 60 something in the other. I have about 150,” Chew said. “I have two right now, one is six feet long and the other is three feet long. I am trying to get four of them in total. Four six-foot-long key chains.”

Wednesday, April 2 Alpha Gamma Sigma meets at 1 p.m. in BUS 3206. The Psychology Club meets at1 p.m. in the ASO Conference Room. The Political Science Club meets at 1 p.m. in the ASO Office. The Philosopy Society meets in the ASO Conference Room at 2:30 p.m.

Club Calender

Thursday, April 3

The Anthropology Society meets at noon in CNC 3808. Alpha Gamma Sigma meets at 1 p.m. in BUS 3206. The Artworld Perspectives series will continue with another film with discussion in the Great Hall from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Monday, April 7 Habitat for Humanity meets at 4 p.m. in BEH 1309.

Tuesday, April 8 The Architecture Club meets at 3 p.m. in AT 3800. The Business Economics Students Association meets at 3 p.m. in the ASO Conference Room.

Calender compiled by Caleb Johnson

The evolution of a teacher family

New full-time biology professor follows footsteps

For some, choosing a career is one of the biggest existential questions to face in life, but for one of the new professors at Pierce, the answer could not be more obvious.

Wyndee Guzman is now a fulltime biology professor at Pierce College. She comes from a family of science teachers, being the fourth biologist in her family and the sixth community college professor.

“I absolutely love what I do,” Guzman said. “Teaching is in my genes. Biology is in my genes.”

This is Guzman’s second semester as a full-time instructor at Pierce College. She taught parttime beginning in 2010 until her promotion last fall.

“I am very impressed with professor Guzman. She is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about biology,” biology professor Shannon DeVaney said. “[She] also cares deeply about Pierce College and its students, which shows in her teaching as well as in her involvement in campus committees. We are lucky to have her.”

Guzman has high ratings on popular professor evaluation website Rate My Professors.. While she enjoys being well-liked, her main concern is that her students

are learning.

“I don’t look at it as my success. I look at it as me helping [students] through their successes,” Guzman said.

-Wyndee Guzman Biology Professor

Guzman finds that the hardest part about her job involves reaching out to every single student, with the indifferent ones providing the greatest challenge. However, she stresses that this is no problem since teaching makes her excited.

“She explains and gives notes from the Moodle and is very clear in her lectures,” said Lala Voghossin, a student taking one of Guzman’s classes. “English is my second language. Any clarity helps.”

One thing that means a lot to Guzman is when past students visit and insist that they were inspired. A couple of them last semester came back after transferring to tell her that they became biology majors.

“I like when students who have

passed my class come back and say ‘hey, I’m a bio major now,’ and I always say ‘hey, I got another one,’” Guzman said.

Guzman is a graduate of North Hollywood High School. There, she reached the distinction of first team all-league as a skilled basketball player. She then earned her bachelor’s and a master’s in biology at California State University, Northridge. Soon after, she found herself teaching at Pierce College.

“I love Pierce. I love my department,” Guzman said. “If I need any help, everybody is there for me. I personally think I have the best department of the school.”

Guzman is teaching two sections of Biology 3 this semester, the class that she regularly instructs. She will also teach a bird class in the fall worth one unit and a credit/no credit grade. The class will meet for one lecture and embark on multiple field trips.

Since becoming a birdwatcher at the age of six, Guzman has always been fascinated by bird life. To attain her master’s degree, she had to deeply study hummingbird behavior and pollination.

“I’m a bird person,” Guzman said, chuckling as she described her passion for ornithology. “Whenever I say that, my husband laughs. He knows I don’t have feathers or anything.”

Marc Dionne / Roundup

JINGLE: Jeremy Chew showing off one of his longer key chains outside in North Hills on Friday, March 28.

“Teaching is in my genes. Biology is in my genes.”

Nelger Carrera / Roundup

NEIGH: Chelsea Holzer petting Scout, a horse kept at the Equestrian Center at Pierce College.

To add your club events to the calender, contact cjohnson.roundupnews@gmail.com

“I mean one of them weighs ten pounds and is as tall as I am. He carries it around with him everywhere he goes. I have accepted it.”

-Sarah Irwin Chew’s Girlfriend

Jordan Utley-Thomson Roundup Reporter

Theater Review

Play in memory of cast member William Walsh on stage with one week of rehearsal

mechanical engineering major at Pierce, was in the audience.

Thursday Concert Series

The Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) Theater’s spring production of “Incorruptible” opened quickly and kept up the pace throughout the show with its energetic action, snappy jokes and capable cast. The play, written by Michael Hollinger and directed by Pierce College instructor Valorie Grear, is dedicated to the memory of cast member Dana Craig who died “quietly in his home” according to the program, one week before opening night.

William Walsh filled Craig’s role of Charles, abbot of the church, with one week to prepare.

“Dana Craig, who was doing the part, died on Thursday a week ago. So we mourned him on that day and on the next day Valorie asked if I thought I could do it, and I said I’d try,” Walsh said. “I tried out for it but she [Grear] chose Dana, and she chose my wife to play the nun, Sister Agatha. I was driving my wife here so I had seen her scene done a lot and I had worked with her on her scene but I didn’t know the rest of the play.”

Walsh handled the role proficiently and combined well with the rest of the cast, which was vital to the material as many of the

jokes relied on crisp delivery. The chemistry went beyond the cast and the audience was very receptive with frequent and genuine laughs.

Brian Park, a 20-year-old

“I thought it was very well made. There was an instant connection from actor to audience,” Park said. “It just constantly kept me interested and laughing and it was very light on a very touchy subject.”

Taylor LeClere played oneeyed minstrel Jack in his first Pierce College production and was grateful for this opening night audience.

“The energy was really good. We had an unbelievable audience. That’s lucky,” LeClere said. “Sometimes you get people that don’t laugh, but everybody was cracking up and it gives you an energy on stage. It kind of ups the tempo I think for everybody.”

The set was well crafted and particularly impressive during a few significant moments in the story with some effective lighting, courtesy of assistant professor and department chair Michael Gend, which served to intensify those scenes.

The production will continue next weekend, April 4-6, with 8 p.m. shows on Friday and Saturday and a 2 p.m. show on Sunday.

Tickets are $12 for students and $15 for general admission and can be purchased by calling 818-719-6488 or by visiting brownpapertickets. com/event/601583..

Valley shelter dogs get snapped Photographer works to make dogs adoptable

Lynn Levitt A&E Editor

Armed with dog treats, a squeaky toy and leash, a volunteer enters the West Valley Animal Shelter kennel area on their day off.

Ellen Zuckerman works in the healthcare industry and is a business systems analyst. For fun and a hobby she runs a photography group called the Northridge Outdoor Photographers.

“What I’ve done is recruited about two dozen people from the group to rotate at the shelter to assist in taking pictures,” Zuckerman said.

different way,” Zuckerman said. “I have the skill in photography and because I’m an animal lover I felt this was something that I really wanted to do.”

It is a way of giving back to the community. Zuckerman chose West Valley for a number of reasons. It is very close to her home, so she can come to the shelter more frequently, and she also chose it because it is a kill shelter. She believes it is important to help as many animals find a home as she is able to.

“I think that my photographic studies at Pierce College helped me to decide to do this,” Zuckerman said. “I really put my love of animals and new photography skills to work.”

Walking through the dark extended hallways where the dogs are in their small cells, Zuckerman reads the kennel cards. Tyson, Tiger, Mickey, and Harley. She looks for dogs that have been in the pound for long periods of time and dogs that are seniors.

She extracts a dog named Tyson from its cage, pushing back the other dogs in the small enclosure.

Donʼt get bit by a tarantella

Cellist and pianist work together in concert

Acombination of modern and folk music came from the music hall of Pierce College that filled the auditorium up to its last seat at the Thursday concert on March 27.

James Bergman, music adjunct and host, introduced the audience to their guests with a quick welcome.

“Please give an applause to Ruslan Biryukov playing the cello and James Lent playing the piano,” Bergman said. “We’re glad to have them both here with us today at Pierce.”

The duo, Biryukov and Lent, played with great respect and emotion for their instruments and their audience. The trio gave a dynamic performance.

Biryukov told a brief story about a composition called Tarantella written by David Popper. It was about a beautiful little girl who was bitten by a horrible tarantula and refused to die as she danced her way miraculously back to health. Dance became the antidote that saved her life.

even more jealous, he went home and wrote the composition.

“A piece for a violin and guitar with separate variations on the theme,” Biryukov said.

Lastly, Biryukov shared the differences in his instrument and the violin. He said that a cellist is a little more advanced than a violinist because violinists usually use four fingers and cellists use all five.”

another volunteer with her so they can throw the ball, squeak a toy or find out what the dog responds to most, so she can capture the real spirit of the dog in camera, but sometimes she is on her own.

“A lot of people think dogs are in the shelter because they are damaged,” Zuckerman said.

Owner surrenders are the largest category of homeless dogs. People drop the dogs at the shelter because they are moving, don’t have time, and can’t afford the pet anymore. Some even turn in an old dog because they have gotten a new dog, or a younger model.

“I just absolutely love volunteering and finding homes for these dogs,” Liz Goldberg said. Goldberg was sitting in an open area hugging a beauty of a dog named Panda. She is hoping to be able to “foster parent” Panda.

In addition to re-doing the kennel cards the new photo goes online for the shelter.

West Valley Adoptables and Fosters is my Facebook page,” Zuckerman said. “What I do is create a profile for each dog and post a picture on that page.”

Playing compositions by Alexander Arutiunian, Arif Melikov, David Popper, Fikret Amirov and Niccolo Paganini, the duo showed their diversity as musicians when they played two pieces of Armenian and Azerbaijan folk music. They played with great intensity and effortlessly, feeding off the audience’s astonished reaction to their intricate techniques as musicians.

Just before the duo began their piece, Biryukov made a humorous remark to the audience.

“If you ever get bitten by a horrible tarantula don’t dance, call 911,” he said.

While ending on the final piece composed by Niccolo Paganini called “the Moses variations on one string,” Biryukov shared how musicians were so envious of the player that they once cut three strings from his violin. Eager to humiliate Paganini, they were taken back when he was able to finish his entire recital on one string. Winning over the audience and making those envious of him

“It was amazing,” Pierce student Manuel Quezada said. “His passion is different. Some people just perform a piece, but he (Biryukov) performs it with emotion and he adds another element than just performing. I can respect that a million percent. It was great.”

Closing the show, Bergman spoke to the audience with insight on how he met Biryukov at a recital and overheard him play.

“He entertained everyone under the sun like he’s been showing you. He played violin concertos, bass concertos, trumpet concertos, and he didn’t stop playing. I have a lot of respect for a fantastic player and great entertainer,” Bergman said.

The Pierce Student Concert is set to play next Thursday, April 3. Admission is free and doors open at 12:45 p.m. in the Music Hall, Room 3400.

When the dog first comes to the pound a picture is taken, but it is not a good representation of that animal. If the dog is black in color, the photo promotes black dog syndrome. The syndrome prevents dogs getting adopted because there is an association with aggression.

“I saw a couple of stories online about people that were redoing shelter photos and taking photos with backdrops and lighting. It really presented the dogs in a

Zuckerman works at making friends with the dog, the whole time calming him down.

A family of four finds their way into the same hallway.

“We got a new house and are looking for a bigger dog because we already have a small dog and now quite a big yard,” Rosario Acosta said. “Before we rescued one dog and feel this is the way to go.”

Zuckerman takes Tyson to an outdoor area. Usually she has

There is also a database that’s been set up by an outside organization called Shelter Me and it is another place where the profile is set up. Photos and videos are included.

This organization covers all of the Los Angeles County and city shelters and after the original photo is replaced, the online pictures of the animals make them more adoptable.

The photos just portray the dogs in a better light, not scared in a dark room like people imagine when coming to the shelter. The dogs could now be perceived as a family dog, there outside in the yard running and playing. It really shows the better traits of their personality.

According to Zuckerman, there is a whole emotional aspect to taking photos of animals especially in a kill shelter.

Just walking through the door of the kill shelter alone is enough to put emotions on high alert.

“I know I’m here for a purpose and I know I can save the life of an animal. I know there is no guarantee, but it is worth it to put the effort out to do something for them.”

For more information, look up West Valley Adoptables and Fosters on Facebook.

Richard Zamora Roundup Reporter

Lynn Levitt / Roundup

THEATER: Jack (Taylor LeClere) talks Marie (Michelle Rose Hallbauer) into becoming an incorruptible at the LAPC Theater.

Stephen Castaneda / Roundup CONCERT: Biryukov and Lent perform for a full room at the Music Hall on Art Hill.

“It was amazing.”

-Manuel Quezada Student

Kitty Rodriguez Roundup Reporter

Caleb Johnson/ Roundup

POUND: Ellen Zuckerman photographs Harley, one of the stray dogs at the West Valley Animal Shelter, to show his personality and make him more adoptable.

“I know I’m here for a purpose.”

-Ellen Zuckerman Photographer

Making waves

The Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center is the home of Pierce College aquatics and is open to anyone that wants to take a swim. Weekend swim rates at Pierce are $2 a session for those 18 and older and $1 a session for people 17 and under. A great place to be on a hot summer day, Pierce also plays host to numerous aquatic events that include men’s and women’s high school water polo and swim meets. In addition, it is home to the Pierce College Brahmas water polo and swim teams. In 2012, Pierce was crowned the Western State Conference champion in water polo and the swimming and diving team won the conference title in 2011. The Brahmas also made history in 2013 when diver Ryan Anderson became state champion, winning in the 3m dive. During the weeknights, children ranging from ages four to 12 learn how to swim. The Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center also hosts a number of aquatic club teams and acts as a gateway for athletes pursuing a future in aquatics sports.

Left: Sarah Karp from the swim team adjusts her goggles before swim practice on April 1, 2014.

Bottom Left: Maggie Kurzeka swims in the 400m freestyle relay on March 28, 2014.

Bottom Right: Pull buoys help swimmers improve on their swimming.

Ian Monterosa, 19, swims the 200m butterfly for Pierce at the swim meet on Friday, March 28, 2014 at Pierce College’s Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center.

Copy: Ethan Hanson Photos: Nelger Carrera

COMPETITOR: Former football and current menʼs volleyball player Ike Nwachie knows about success in two different sports.

One ball for another

Former football player nds success in new sport volleyball

Kayla Akil Roundup Reporter

One of the legends in basketball, Michael Jordan showed being a dual athlete and mastering two sports was not an easy task given his flop with the White Sox baseball team.

Pierce Collge athlete Ike Nwachie proved that it was very possible to become a dual athlete and triumph in two sports.

Nwachie formerly played for the Pierce football team and chose to cross over to volleyball where he is now one of the clutch players in the game. A native of Burbank, Nwachie gained the respect of teammates and the coach as he plays with equal intensity and power as he did on the football field.

“I come prepared equally for both games and play with the same level of intensity but volleyball is a little more carefree,” Nwachie said.

Volleyball head coach Lance

Walker seemed impressed with Nwachie’s performance in the season.

“He’s exactly what we want in the program: very respectable. We feed him the ball as much as we can,” Walker said.

Nwachie was quick to explain his enjoyment of his bond with the Brahmas.

“It’s been a rough year for us, but we feel pretty confident. The chemistry is really great on the team,” Nwachie said.

With his eyes on Pepperdine University and CSUN, Nwachie wishes to play volleyball or football at a four year college. Nwachie also plans to play volleyball overseas.

Volleyball coach Lance Walker stated his tenacity for the sport.

How will unionizing athletes affect the game?

I school in terms of revenue, makes over 163 million dollars a year. The NCAA as a whole has an income of 871.6 million dollars.

Ethan Hanson

Assistant Editor

The future is at stake for college athletics, and it is happening in Illinois where football players at Northwestern University are unionizing and trying to reap the benefits that are given to numerous Division I schools.

How is this in relation to Pierce one may ask? In its recent history of having athletics, Pierce College has proven that it can get players out of the community college level and make them ready to play against national competition.

Players like former wide receiver Jaelen Strong, now at Arizona State and linebacker Marcus Jenkins Moore, now at Kansas University and most recently tight end Isaac Ijalana are coming into this new world of athletics and academics.

“He was a red shirt last year but is a very humble player, has great work ethic, and will be returning next year hopefully,” Walker said.

Nwachie’s football physique is noticeable in games with his tall figure looming in the backcourt from an opponent’s view on the opposite side of the net.

“I always told him he’s a volleyball player confused in a football player’s body,” Walker said.

Joseph Roberson, Nwachie’s former Personal Development 40 professor said Nwachie is very committed.

“He is persistent. I watched him emotionally mature for over a year. Very proud of him. He gained 20 pounds solid muscle in the past year,” he said.

Brahmasʼ losing streak up to 14 games

improvement for the girls,” Moore said. “I think they showed a lot of heart as they always do. They came out and finally started putting things together.”

Brahma pitcher Jacqulyn Lopez thinks that even though they lost the game, they finished off strong.

“I think we definitely did a lot better than our other games,” Lopez said. “We have been improving each game. So this game was very, very good.”

Oxnard College continued where other teams have left off, defeating the Pierce College softball team 14-3 and extending the Brahmas season-long losing streak to 14 games.

The Brahmas currently sit in last in their division with a season record of 0-14.

According to Pierce assistant coach Danny Moore, the team’s skills and work ethic have gotten better. They have also improved on their technique and stability in the game.

“I think today was a vast

Although Oxnard won the game, Condors head coach Todd Prieto still felt that his team could have done better and could have had a stronger form and technique.

“I told the girls to just play a good game and adjust to the pitcher,” Prieto said. “Our girls didn’t adjust.”

Condors pitcher Victoria Rangel lead Oxnard by hitting a solo home run and scoring three runs.

The Pierce softball team is set to play another home game Thursday, April 10 at 2:30 p.m.

If what happens at Northwestern University comes to fruition and players get a chance to be compensated not just in getting a scholarship, but getting paid as employees of the institution that they play for, players at Pierce College need to be prepared for what lies ahead.

One thing needs to be made clear: The NCAA is a billion dollar industry that reaps the benefits of making money, not just in television but in merchandising including shirts, jerseys and video games. Texas University, the top Division

With all this money laying around and being gathered, the players that play should have a fair share in the money that is being made.

They are the ones that play the game and generate the revenue and provide entertainment to the countless fans that watch these games.

As Pierce College is one of the schools that is renowned for getting competitive athletes to play at these big schools, it should be the coaches and counselors’ jobs to prepare for what lies ahead.

That means getting players financially sound but also showing these players what they can have and what is afforded to them.

As the wheel continues to turn at Northwestern, the decision could ultimately change the scene of college sports.

Athletes now have a future and possibly a guarantee that not only will they be given a scholarship, but the right to be compensated for putting on the pads Saturday night to help generate revenue for the school. Pierce College, as a school that helps propel athletes to get them to these levels. needs to be aware of what is happening.

The way college sports does business is on the brink of changing. As an institution that acts as a gateway for a potential future, that gateway needs to be filled with answers. Answers that have our students athletes prepared. The scene could change and the Brahmas athletic community needs to be prepared.

Sports briefs

Tennis Men’s Volleyball

After a good start to the season the Pierce College tennis team has cooled down and is currently on a five game losing streak.

In its last game before the Western State Conference tournmanet, Pierce lost to Grossmont 3-0. In the tournmanet Pierce failed to pick a win in four games.

The tennis’ teams next game

The Pierce College men’s volleyball team finally snapped its two game losing streak when they beat rivals Moorpark 3-2 on Friday, March 28.

In the its last seven games, the Brahmas have only picked up two wins as they continue their push to the playoffs. The volleyball team’s next game will be on April 4.

Nelger Carrera / Roundup

Mariah

Sherriffe Roundup Reporter

Pierce so ball team continues to struggle as they lose to Oxnard 14-3

Stephen Castaneda / Roundup

SWING: Pierceʼs Marissa Sanchez had one hit and scored one run.

Photo: Diego Barajas

Compiled by: Carlos Islas

PIERCE SPORTS SCHEDULE

April 3 vs Cuesta 2:30 p.m.

April 5 vs Ventura 1 p.m.

April 8 @ Ventura 2:30 p.m.

April 10 vs Allan Hancock 2:30 p.m.

Softball (0-8, 0-3)

April 3 @ Santa Barbara 2:30 p.m.

April 10 vs. Allan Hancock 2:30 p.m.

April 15 vs. Cuesta 1p.m. / 3p.m.

Swimming/Diving

April 4 - 5 Pasadena Inv.

April 11 - 12 Regional Dive Championships (All Day)

A bitter no-hitter

Pierce College loses to Oxnard 6-0 in hitless game

In what some describe as the rarest gem in baseball, Oxnard College’s Austin Kamel threw a no-hitter on the road in a 6-0 win against Pierce College on Saturday, March 29.

Kamel, who has an earned run average of 0.76, single handedly kept Pierce scoreless throughout the entire game.

Pierce is now tied for third with a conference record of 6-6 and is 1311-1. Oxnard continues to sit atop of the conference with a record of 10-2 and an overall record of 20-4.

Throwing a no-hitter is a special accomplishment according to Oxnard’s coach Jon Larson.

“You don’t see them very often. When you get one it’s pretty special,” Larson said. “It’s the third one I’ve seen in 20 years.”

The Brahmas’ performance was influenced by frustration, most of which came from the stellar job that Oxnard’s Kamel did, according to head coach John Bushart.

“He kind of took the momentum off our side and kept it on their side. They did a good job,” Bushart said.

The Condors made their first run in the top of the first inning and the score stayed 1-0 for the first three innings.

During the top of the second inning, Pierce best demonstrated how tight their defense was. Starting pitcher Harsa Prahara earned two strike outs and relief right handed pitcher Austin Peters caught a pop fly to end the inning.

“I don’t think it factored into the loss much at all,” Bushart said about his team’s defense.

In the top of the fourth inning

Oxnard increased the score to 4-0 and during the bottom of that inning Pierce’s performance started to weaken, going up and down in a

quick 1-2-3 fashion.

Pierce’s offense was not in the game nor were they very good according to center fielder Dylan Tashjian, who finished the game 0-3.

“More of us swung at bad pitches, swung at high pitches, pitches that we don’t normally swing at,” Tashjian said.

With the Brahmas’ defense being their strongest asset during the game, Oxnard added to their lead during the top of the eighth when the Condors’ second baseman Jordan Farris hit a home run and was welcomed home with soft embrace from his teammates. The score was 5-0.

During the top of the ninth, Oxnard was able to secure the final run, leaving the score at 6-0 with 14 total hits for Oxnard and zero for Pierce.

“It was a very well-played game on our part,” Larson said.

The Brahmas had a rough week but they are looking optimistically toward their following games according to Bushart.

“This team’s resilient,” Bushart said. “We’ll bounce back and we’ll be better next week.”

Pierce will play again on April 3.

Tennis (8-4, 2-2)

April 4 - 5 WSC Tourn. TBA

April 8 Regionals TBA

April 11 WSC Tourn. TBA

Men’s volleyball (4-8, 1-4)

April 4 @ Moorpark 6 p.m.

April 9 @ Long Beach 6 p.m.

April 11 vs LA Trade Tech 6 p.m.

CSUN SUMMER SESSION

Summer 2014 Forecast:

Brainstorms EXPECTED –May through August

MAY 27–AUGUST 19 (12 weeks)

MAY 27–JULY 8 (6 weeks)

JULY 9–AUGUST 19 (6 weeks)

With a deluge of university credit courses to choose from, CSUN Summer Session can help you

 Accelerate your progress toward a degree,

 Advance your career, or

 Soak up new knowledge for the sheer delight of it.

Whatever your academic goals, chances are you’ll find a class within the wide selection of courses offered—many of which are now available online.

http://summer.csun.edu

Jesus Castro Roundup Reporter

James Channell/ Roundup

RARITY: Pierce outfielder Joe Moran, right, walks off the field as Oxnard College celebrates pitcher Austin Kamelʼs no hitter, Kamel pitched nine ininnings and struck out eight in the Condors 6-0 win.

“More of us swung at bad pitches, swung at high pitches, pitches that we don’t normally swing at.”

-Dylan Tashjian Pierce center fielder