The Budget Committee approved the library’s proposed operational budget on Dec. 2. However, the Pierce College Council (PCC) must approve it on Dec. 11 before President Kathleen Burke gives the final approval.
Farm
last “Rob
college’s handling of the Farm Center.
After a decade of service to the community, and two years of struggle to extend its lease at Pierce College, the Farm Center has been forced to find a new home.
The Farm Center has been operated by husband-and-wife team Robert and Cathy McBroom for 10 years. Its last day in business is Dec. 26., and it has until April to vacate campus property.
“This is not a battle between the Pierce Farm Center and Pierce College. This is not a battle between the McBroom family and the college district,” R. McBroom said. “This is
a wrong done by the president of the college that should be looked at, because it’s not right.”
R. McBroom visited different neighborhood community councils and asked for an independent state investigation of the
More than 5,000 people signed Barbara Oliver’s petition on change.org to save the Farm Center. The West Hills Council voted to send Gov. Jerry Brown a letter asking him to extend the Farm Center’s lease.
“This right here, for the past 10 years, I have been preserving as much as I can,” R. McBroom said. “These 32 acres needs to be preserved as open space.”
Pierce Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher said in a press release that the college will not comment on what it will do with the land the Farm Center will vacate.
Its odds to stay at Pierce might be slim, but not all hope has been lost, according to Cathy McBroom.
“I have faith, and think that the people and
If you are hungry for more oncampus food choices at Pierce College, don’t expect any until at least Fall 2015.
The Library / Learning
Crossroads opened in April 2013, but didn’t see a single vendor in its cafeteria for 11 months. Lovebirds Café opened for business in March 2014, and has been the cafeteria’s sole occupant since.
The majority of the cafeteria has been walled off, and unused, for more than a year-and-a-half. It will be at least another nine months before that changes, according to Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez.
“Our goal is to have this outlined this academic year, and begin the enhanced services next academic year [fall 2015],” Rodriguez said. “That’s for all colleges.”
Even though the cafeteria is filled with culinary equipment, LACCD has not made contact with
Cafeteria sits empty after being completed
any potential vendors to fill the space, Rodriguez said.
“We’re not even that far,” Rodriguez said. “I have not spoken to anyone.”
There were rumors that Aramark was in the running to be a singlevendor solution, district-wide.
But LACCD Board of Trustees
President Scott Svonkin said otherwise.
“That’s not true,” Svonkin said. “It is misinformation provided by somebody that doesn’t understand the process.”
[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]
the taxpayers have a big voice, and they are willing to be heard and want to be heard,” C. McBroom said. “Nobody wants this property and facilities to go away. They live for this and look forward to this.”
Desiree Cooper worked at the Farm Center for nine years.
“It is really sad, but I have faith that something good is going to come out of it,” Cooper said.
For now, the Farm Center will operate business-as-usual until its last day, Dec. 26. Until then, it will sell Christmas trees, food, host live music, and offer an opportunity to take pictures with Santa Claus.
“It’s not easy to turn off and start over,” C. McBroom said. “It wasn’t something that was even a thought in our minds when we signed up with this property.”
Associate Professor of Library Science Paula Paggi said she’s confident the process will be completed on time, and that she would be “appalled” if the PCC did not pass the library’s opening.
“I’m 95 percent sure that it will be open, because the budget committee was very supportive,” Paggi said. “The committee said that if the school is having classes, then it has to be open.”
Changes in administration delayed the budget process that Paggi started in September.
Paggi said that instead of informing her of the changes to the process immediately, the Budget Committee told her the week of Thanksgiving that she had to report to the Dec. 2 meeting to plead her case.
“I’ve never had to go before the Budget Committee before,” Paggi said. “That’s fine, but I wish I knew earlier.”
[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]
“It is really sad, but I have faith that something good is going to come out of it.”
-Desiree Cooper Farm Center employee
When you sign up to do an inperson orientation it is more in depth and is more like new student a workshop.
Jaël Allen jallen.roundupnews@gmail.comAs a new student in college orientation is without a doubt a necessity and many students may not realize just how important it is when starting at a school.
Pierce College like all the other colleges within its district has a set matriculation process that includes three things that are listed on the student information system, which are assessment, counseling and orientation.
An assessment is required for anyone who is planning on taking an English or a math class. The assessment helps with placing you in the appropriate level of either subject based on your knowledge.
Meeting with a counselor is necessary for students trying to pick and register for classes, complete transfer requirements or receive a degree or certificate.
Where it gets tricky for incoming students is that in order to meet with an academic advisor and register for classes you must complete some a new student group orientation.
To fulfill the counseling portion of the matriculation process students need to sign up for the new student group.
It would be better to give students the option to simply do the online orientation or the in person workshop and have that count for both counseling and orientation in the matriculation process.
Knowing that most students want to get things done and get them done quickly they would probably choose to do the online orientation rather than the in-person orientation thinking that the sooner you get to meet with the counselor the better and this is not always true.
Pierce College and construction. The two go hand-in-hand. It has come to a point where the situation is shrouded in more rumors than the illuminati and Sasquatch combined.
Seemingly every month Pierce is concocting brand new ways to make our campus look less like an academy of higher learning and more like downtown Miami.
The in-person orientation can answer questions that you may not have been able to have answered while going through the online orientation.
Students that complete the online orientation may come to counselors with questions about how and where to start when their questions could have been answered if you had signed up for the in-person orientation.
Some students choose the online orientation with the hopes that the sooner you complete it the sooner you will be able to meet with a counselor and register for classes and this is not necessarily true.
The online orientation is not interactive and only has a few questions that need to be answered once the program is complete. This is not an ideal way to get the full experience of how to navigate your way through Pierce.
Having an interactive in-person orientation is a better way to get a general introduction with even more information that you would not be able to get from a cyberintroduction to the school.
The in-person orientation is held directly through counseling. So while you’re getting all the information if you have a general question or concern it can be answered right away.
Regardless of whether you do an online or in-person orientation either way the orientation is mandatory but if you have to do something why not get the best experience from it?
An in-person orientation only seems more appropriate so that when you start registering for courses, meeting with counselors, attending classes and making your way through the nearly 430 acre stretch of campus you will know and have a better understanding of your surroundings.
Library open for extra hours
A thumbs up to the Library/Learning Crossroads as they will be extending their hours over the weekend for students before finals start. This will be helpful for students trying to get a last minute cram session in.
Cafeteria still on the back burner
The cafeteria is still a ways off, set to be opened in Fall 2015, according to LACCD Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez. This leaves students to continue to rely on food trucks and their increasing prices for another semester if they follow through with their promise.
Why is their no monthly statement regarding construction on campus? Why isn’t the Pierce campus construction blossoming as fast as the community that surrounds it? Why does the North of Mall area look like the set of “The Walking Dead?”
With so much in the air about the subject it’s time to lay down what is absolute fact. In 2001, Los Angeles voters approved of a $6 billion program in an effort to modernize the nine campuses in the District.
According to the Los Angeles Community College District Building Program overview, the program’s goal is to “improve the nine campuses and advance the training for students, preparing them for jobs in such fields as nursing, other health care fields, public safety, manufacturing, automotive, technology, construction, and entertainment.”
Additionally, better facilities will mean that students transferring to a four-year college will be better prepared to take that next academic step. The program overview, released in July 2014, states that “the program passed the half way mark with $3.6 billion of the $6.2 billion total construction program complete.”
Of that $6.2 billion for the district, $648 million was allocated solely to
Pierce College. Of that $648 million, 64 percent has been expended in the span of 13 years. This is where some of the misconceptions lie. If it took 13 years to complete 64 percent of this program, Pierce might be looking at another 5 to 10 years of construction.
College Project Director Ed Cadena has released a statement Nov. 17 in an Academic Senate meeting regarding upcoming construction, yet even his own council is still unsure about meeting the deadlines.
The programs design is counter-intuitive, leaving us to suffer for what might come in the future. It is likely that Pierce is not even halfway done with its construction with no concrete end in sight.
For the full overview and Pierce budget regarding the LACCD building program, visit http://www.laccdbuildsgreen.org/sustainabledashBoardReport.
another person while the student is given a good grade for a project he or she did not do.
Luis Ayalalayala.roundupnews@gmail.com
Final exams are stressful enough but a project as a class final adds more pressure, making the finals experience more stressful.
A test as a final is the traditional route professors usually take and it works. Studying for a final test is no easy task, taking a lot of the students time especially when a majority of students have jobs. Though time consuming, students will be able to challenge themselves, having earned their grades and professors will be able to see what they have learned throughout the course.
Doing a project as a final has its flaws as students are able to take advantage. Final projects focus on one topic instead of everything that has been shown throughout the semester. A final project shows that students are studying and prepared for one chapter and focused on one part of the semester.
When doing a final project it is something that the students are able to do from home and have other outside help from other individuals. Receiving help is not a bad thing but sometimes projects are done by
When doing a final test, students have to study everything that they have seen in class from the beginning of the semester. It sounds like a lot of work but if the student has been there and has paid attention in class the final should be a walkthrough of the semester. In a final test you have to give the right answer and some professors help you out with that by making it a multiple-choice test. Yes, some students do cheat on tests as they do with the projects but it is more difficult to do so as the professor is in the same classroom.
Professors make these projects difficult and can assign the project as a group project, where you would have to work with others. Working with others isn’t easy and sometimes can ruin your grade when not everyone pitches in and does their part. If one person is not up to par, the grades of all involved are affected.
Professors are finding new and creative ways to do finals in their class but why change anything if final exams have been around for a long time and have worked well within the classroom. Projects are an easy way out for the students as an exam may be difficult. At the end of it when the students pass the exam not only do they feel good about themselves but they also take with them what they learned in the class.
Andrew Escobar
aescobar.roundupnews@gmail.com
Instead of having students regurgitate their accumulated knowledge onto a single Scantron or essay book in a make-or-break situation, teachers should open up to the idea of giving more project-oriented finals.
Tests tend to cause students excessive stress due to the fact that many of them are somewhat unpredictable. A teacher may give a study guide, but it’s virtually impossible to know exactly what will be on a test.
This unpredictability leads to cramming and excessive amounts of stress for students. Some individuals get anxiety during tests that could cause them to blank on information they may have studied.
Projects differ from tests as they are generally assigned earlier in the semester, so students have ample time to develop their final piece.
Projects also allow students the freedom of trial and error. When working on a project, if an individual is underwhelmed by the way a certain element turned out, they are able to simply scratch it and try a
different approach.
When taking a final test, there are no re-dos or second chances, and if mistaken can spell disaster for your overall grade.
Eraser residue and unintentional pencil markings can cause errors when the Scantron is graded electronically, and there have been times when students have failed tests simply because they wrote the wrong test number down.
Projects that allow creativity are generally more engaging due to the fact that the creator can actually have some fun while doing it. If given the choice between tedious studying and an interesting project with creative freedom, most students would likely pick the latter.
Projects place students in control of their own grades. Rather than worrying about how hard their tests will be, students can rest assured knowing that their grade will be representative of the amount of work they put into the project.
The same professors capture the attention of students by breaking the molds of traditional teaching techniques, project finals engage students by allowing them to express knowledge in an alternative way.
Assigning project finals instead of exams allows teachers to reduce the stress levels of their students, giving them a more interesting opportunity to display the knowledge they’ve gained from the course.
Flydoskope by Tobennh Dacanay tlanimator@gmail.com
Meghan McGillicuddy Online Editor
The Los Angeles Community College District might have found new software to better track student learning outcomes (SLO), but the software is not without its detractors.
Academic Senate Presidents from each LACCD college debated the merits of eLumen at the District Academic Senate meeting in Downtown L.A. on Dec. 5. The eLumen software was the SLO system that was chosen by Pierce College and LA City College to replace their aging SLO systems.
“The data we were using wasn’t useful enough,” said Treasurer of the District Academic Senate, Alex Immerblum. “Student learning outcomes are two fold - what are students learning, and what faculty can do to figure out to improve their courses.”
Pierce College’s Academic Senate approved eLumen with a 26-2 margin with two abstentions at its last meeting on Dec. 1. L.A. City has used eLumen for the past two semesters.
Pierce chose eLumen because of its ability to be customized, and for its functionality, according to Pierce Academic Senate President Kathy Oborn. April Pavlik, L.A. City’s SLO Committee chairman, said City requires mutual consent from every faculty member.
“It’s unnecessary, unwarranted control,” said Leslie Millce, president of Mission College’s Academic Senate.
[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]
Rios
Pierce College students
Krista Fonseca and Christina Lawrence organized the protest to voice their opinions about police brutality and racial profiling.
“My main goal of this is to show the students that they really do have a power with their voice, and with their minds,” Fonseca said. “By all of us coming together, we can bring this issue into areas where many of them don’t need to directly face it.”
Demonstrators assembled on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard to rally before they walked east on Ventura Boulevard towards Van Nuys.
-JamesJames McKeever, assistant professor of philosophy and sociology, and San Fernando Valley NAACP Executive Director Leon Garrett spoke at the protest.
McKeever led the group with chants of “we must breathe,” in reference to Eric Garner, a 43-yearold man who died after a New York Police Department officer choked him in a headlock.
“I know I’m tired and I know you’re tired too,” McKeever said. “I
see the fatigue in my students faces, and I want to see hope again. I want to be part of hope again.”
Protestors marched east on Ventura Boulevard with Pierce business major Caleb Word at the helm. Word led chants of “Black lives matter where.” Supporters answered “Black lives matter here.”
Word also yelled “no justice,” and protesters responded by yelling “no peace.”
When the group arrived in Van
The Library / Learning Crossroads will be open Saturday, Dec. 13, and Sunday Dec. 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to Associate Professor of Library Science Paula Paggi.
– By Seth Perlstein
The Student Success Committee will host its ninth annual Student Success Conference on Friday, Feb. 6, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Its agenda is to be determined, but there will be FLEX credit, coffee and lunch. Register online via the QR code.
Nuys, the group stood outside a local cafe and voiced its support for those who lost their lives to police brutality, and those who were victims of racial profiling. The protesters crossed each intersection on the way, and continued to cross back-and-forth, multiple times, holding signs as cars honked in support.
Once across the street, the protesters dropped to the floor, and laid on the concrete for four-and-ahalf minutes to honor the four hours Michael Brown’s body laid on the street in Ferguson, Missouri, after he was fatally shot by police officer Darren Wilson.
Word rallied the protesters with a megaphone to express his fear of law enforcement.
“As a man of color, I fear for my life,” Word said. “As a man of God, I fear for yours.”
– By Seth Perlstein
West L.A. College beat out Pierce and the seven other LACCD colleges to earn the district’s lone spot in the state’s community college bachelor’s degree pilot program.
– By David Paz
Manuel
Opinions Editor
“I see the fatigue in my student’s faces, and I want to see hope again. I want to be part of hope again.”
McKeever Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Sociology– By Seth Perlstein
The Roundup has selected the best photos over the spring and fall semesters of 2014 that best describe the events that have occured this calendar year. The school has been a part of three evacuations/lockdowns, said its farewell to the Farm Center and witness the baseball team make it to the second round in playoffs.
Isla Vista shooter once attended Pierce. Students embrace at the memorial site for Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez inside the
Deli Mart in Isla Vista, Calif.,. Flowers were placed in the window where bullet holes remained at the opened deli. On May 23, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people, wounded 13 and took his own life in a premeditated rampage near UC Santa Barbara. Rodger previously attended Pierce College in 2009, according to a manifesto he au thored.
Nov. 6
Parking Lot 7
May 30
Nicolas Heredia/ RoundupDiego Barajas/ Roundup Community demands independent investigation of Pierce Farm Center closure. Robert McBroom Plays a recording of Vice President of Administrative Services
Rolf Schleicher to the trustees, as part of his defense during a Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees meeting in The Great Hall. McBroom raised concerns about the motives behind the decision to not renew their lease with the college after having owned and operated the center for 10 years.
Nicolas Heredia/ Roundup Pierce College campus evacuated after possible armed man is spotted. Los Angeles County Sheriffs prepare to search the Center for Sciences building of Pierce College. A suspect was taken into custody around 1:00pm after a report of a person with a gun on campus. Police became aware of the individual after a suicide letter was found by his mother. The contents of which led police to believe the suspect was at either Valley College or Pierce College. The lockdown was the first of 3 in the 2014 school year.
Oct. 23
Center
April 27
Joe Kelly Field
March 19
Nicolas Heredia/ Roundup
Nicolas Heredia/ Roundup Harvest and Horrors. Asif Baig, a scare actor for the last Farm Center Harvest Festival, poses in the Factory of Nightmares. Each year, the Harvest Festival has been host to attractions including haunted houses and a zombie-infested corn maze, which give Halloween junkies a chance to get their adrenaline fix, as well as a pumpkin patch for families. Pierce College has elected not to renew the McBroom family’s lease for the Farm Center and the center will cease all activities on December 26, 2014.
Nicolas Heredia/ Roundup
SLIDESHOW: Farm Walk 2014. Jimmy McGill rounds up cattle by number as part of a rodeo competition during the Farm Walk at Pierce College. The annual event allows visitors to get to know the farm by showcasing its animals such as goats, cows and chickens, and includes attractions like sheep shearing, hay rides, face painting and a petting zoo.
PHOTO
Late game heroics give Pierce baseball home victory. Michael Knopf, #10 of Pierce, gets wrapped up with Brooks Fages, #28 of Hancock, and looks to the umpire for a call. Fages was called out and Pierce won the home game 10-9. Brahmas made it to the second round of playoffs in the Spring 2014 season before losing to Oxnard 6-5 in game two of the Super Regionals.
found the Thoroughbred Education Foundation in a magazine, reached out to them and offered to volunteer.
the intention to provide “intellectual stimulus” and incentive for student academic achievement.
For most, watching a film rarely has leaves a long term impact on their lives. Yet for Tracy Wachbrit, one film did just that.
After watching the film Seabiscuit for the first time, she gained a new found interest in racehorses that became a part of her life.
Tracy Wachbrit, Pre-Veterinary Science Major at Pierce college and Volunteer Director at Thoroughbred Education Foundation, not only assists in Thoroughbred rehabilitation, but also in spreading awareness of its prevention program to help these horses.
“I wanted to work on the track to see if this was what I wanted to do.
So I went to the track as a teenager and they pushed me away. They said I needed to know somebody in the business if I wanted to work there, and I didn’t know anyone,” Wachbrit said.
“I ended up going on vacation to Kentucky to meet somebody to get a job out here, but after a week I was hooked.”
Eventually Wachbrit went to North American Racing Academy in Kentucky where she enrolled in a training program for jockeys and horsemen, wishing to become a racehorse trainer.
Yet after being told multiple times to pursue being a veterinarian, she decided to give it a chance and enrolled in the pre-veterinary program at Pierce, ultimately aiming to become a public health vet.
While at Pierce, Wachbrit was also working at a racetrack where she ended up injuring her knee and had to retire from the industry. Missing the horses after a few months, she
“Its a confusing program for people when they first hear about it, because when you think about it, it sounds like a rescue. And in all effects and purposes it is, we just mostly rescue by prevention,” Wachbrit said.
Ken Lian and Sheryl Fulop, founders of the Thoroughbred Education Foundation, created this non-profit organization as they noticed the negative changes in the horseracing industry over the years. Their goal is to educate and make people aware of the issues that are occurring with the horses, and how to prevent them in order to reduce the amount that need to be rescued.
“Tracy has played a big role in bringing students down and really teaching them our core solution based measures. From moving away from the rescue paradine as the solution, to a more realistic one,” Ken Lian veterinarian and Founder of Thoroughbred Education Foundation.
Many young horses lives are being cut short due to poor treatment and care as a result of horse races.
Racehorses tend to not receive the proper training and are taught at a very young age solely to race.
They are kept in their pens for a majority of their lives, treated poorly by owners and when they become injured or “useless” they end at auctions where they meet their fate.
Currently, there are no functioning horse slaughterhouses in the United States due to a ban that removed funds for federal inspections of facilities that are required for slaughterhouses to operate.
Yet horse slaughter still remains a problem. As a result of the ban, horses are being bought off
at auctions for little to nothing, then exported and slaughtered in neighboring countries.
“We are not trying to get rid of horse racing, but we are trying to change it for the better,” Wachbrit said.
“We teach them different industries and not just to run around
a track so when they retire they can be used for more than just racing. Also, at our barn they see a lot of activity so they are calm and not spooked like other horses when they finally arrive on a track.”
In an institution with a general reputation for lesser achievement, Pierce College students group together in their Alpha Gamma Sigma Honors Society chapter and support each other’s high academic endeavors while giving back to the community.
Alpha Gamma Sigma is the honors society of the California Community College District.
Founded in 1926 at Fullerton College, the society exists nearly every California Community College.
The society was founded with
“If you want to meet like minded individuals this is the place to be,” Moises Valero, who joined just this semester, said.
“I know many people on campus who don’t care about school, they are coasting through C’s. We support each other here. We talk about our goals and keep working towards them.”
Students who join will receive transcript recognition, which is useful when applying to colleges and universities.
Honor society Phi Theta Kappa restarts its efforts to provide scholarships for students by working with the community and the school to raise money for its club members.
Phi Theta Kappa was put on hold for a few years and hasn’t had any active members since 2010, until Professor Kathy Oborn and club president Martha Johnson decided to bring the club back this year.
“It was a different motivating experience and here we are,” Director of Communications Jerell Johnson said.
With the club back in motion,
Theta Kappa has been working towards maintaining its presence on campus by adding more job within the club such as director of communications, president and vice president as well as social media.
“Right now we are doing bigger things, we are going out to the community and making a bigger presence for Theta Kappa,” J. Jonhson said.
Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society that recognizes students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and provides scholarships among two-year college students.
Pierce College Theater’s fall production brought enough debauchery for the whole school on opening night. “Cabaret,” a musical set in Nazi Germany with music written by Broadway legends John Kander and Fred Ebb, is a classic that reminds us there’s no escaping a desire to escape.
The production’s pinpoint casting and Gene Putnam’s fearless direction light up the campus. It’s both a provoking and transporting experience, planting the fourth wall
well beyond Pierce’s Performing Arts Center.
Quinn Knox’s performance as Fritzie, the master of ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub, is shining.
Shirtless and glowing, he leads the club’s scantily clad troupe of dancers and waiters through openended escapades of dry humping, suggested cunnilingus and ménages à trois. His infectious smile is painted on and serves as a motif of unwavering self-indulgence and morphs moods as the context darkens.
Dualities unfold as the story sings along, and the lighting, coordinated by Ellie Rabinowitz, drives the serenade with velvety hues that smother the stage and a blinding light from a locomotive in the distance.
Michael Beck, who plays a globe-trotting American writer with wandering aspirations, hops on a train to Germany hoping to find enough inspiration to write his novel. Beneath the gargantuan Scott Aaronson, who plays an amiable businessman that’s outed as a fearsome Nazi go-fer, Beck fights, after he’s duped by the Nazi’s nonchalance, for the stage and his conscience.
Beck’s character, Cliff Bradshaw, is leached by a cokesnorting harlot, the seedy club’s spotlight star played by tornadoon-a-stage Michelle Hallbauer. Her glitz is emphatic. She mentions her uncounted abortions in passing. Her listless binges swing from home to home. Cliff tries to make a wife of her.
Matt DeHaven plays an upbeat, sing-song Jewish widower who pines after Beck’s landlord played by Katie Watts-Whitaker. Their onstage chemistry is heartwarming.
DeHaven slips seamlessly into the lively role, and Watts-Whitaker illuminates a struggle between her steadfast reluctance and yearning to have someone with whom to share her room.
The band is a key feature in the production and its conductor, Pierce music professor and Conductor of the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra James Domine, brings life to the music and the stage.
With finals looming over the stressed out shoulders of Pierce’s students and staff, the Theater’s “Cabaret” offers a solid and welcome opportunity to trade a few
General Admission
$20
12 - Dec. 14 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Performing Arts Complex 6201 Winnetka Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA
Find tickets at: brownpapertickets.com or by phone - (818) 719 - 6488
hours of grinding into textbooks for risqué hilarity and songs audience members’ will still be singing on the way home.
All but two remaining showtimes are sold out. To get tickets for Friday’s showing at 8
EXPECT
p.m. or Saturday’s at 2 p.m, call 818-719-6488. Tickets are $15 for students and seniors and $20 for general admission.
Winter
Wake up on the street, pack up all belongings, bathe in a public bathroom sink, attempt to find something to eat; for more than 50,000 homeless Los Angeles residents, these tasks make up a typical morning. For Ally and Eddie Posyananda, this morning routine is just one of the many reminders they are using as fuel to get them off the streets and back into a home. The couple has become part of what is considered “the homeless capital of the United States,” according to April Lindh, community relations coordinator at the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission.
This is an all too common occurrence, with the amount of the city’s homeless population increasing 15 percent, from about 50,000 in 2011 to more than 58,000 in 2013, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
Ally and Eddie have been together for 20 years, despite dealing with illness, becoming homeless and various other hardships. Through it all, they say their loyalty to each other and positive outlook is what keeps them going.
ith a soft smile on her face and a welcoming energy, it is easy to see why Phyllis Schneider is the director of the Child Development Center at Los Angeles Pierce College.
The child development program has been around for 35-years, but has only been in its current location for about four years.
The CDC does not look like an average kindergarten or preschool. The building looks like a childhood dream come to life. From the carefully placed art on the walls made by the children to the miniature furniture next to the beautifully set up library, every corner of’ this classroom is full of’ magic.
Schneider, 66, who has 23 years of experience working with children, has worked in private schools around the San Fernando Valley, but never for a state funded program. The CDC provides child care to low income families and focuses on helping parents attend school.
Schneider loves that she has experience working with both sides of the spectrum.
“This is a flip of what I’ve done for most of my life,” she says. “I’m working with a completely different population, a complete different set
The Los Angeles Pierce College swimming pool has been the home for Brahmas swimmers for more than three decades. The pool system runs day and night, seven days a week. However, keeping the pool running at its full potential requires a trained individual who can handle both pool and student issues.
Deborah Hefter, a tan, fit, and always cheerful individual is in her fifth year as swimming pool supervisor. She is respected by her staff members, which she hires and trains.
Behind the black curtain of Bar
One in the San Fernando Valley that keeps her hidden from the crowd, Lola Chan changes from conservative clothing she wore entering the club to her lacy and seductive costume that will be revealed to the waiting patrons. The sound of anticipation grows as the entertainment is about to begin. The lights dim and the master of ceremonies opens the show. A spotlight shines on her and the now raucous crowd begin their journey into the seductive art. Chan, who goes by the stage name of Bettie P’Asian, steps on to the small makeshift stage. She’s wearing a short cut, vivid red beer maiden dress in honor of Oktoberfest. Piece by piece, she removes parts of her costume as the song progresses. The first to go are her long, black satin gloves that stretch to her elbows, slowly rolling them off to the crowd’s joy, followed by nude colored lace stockings. Chan keeps the bar patrons allured by rhythmic gyrations, syncopated by a mixture of slow and fast movements. Not long after, her main piece of clothing comes off, revealing a tight fitting sequined corset, which she keeps on, keeping everyone on the hook until her next act.
of regulations.”
The children from the CDC may be more limited in experience due to living in low income families, and many of them are English language learners, but as far as the development it is all the same, according to Schneider.
The positive energy in the child development building is contagious and the teamwork is noticeable. Miyuki Yatsuya-Dix, one of the center’s lead teachers, enjoys working side-by-side with Schneider.
“She’s really energetic everyday, and comes to work excited to be here,” Yatsuya-Dix says.
Aside from her work at Pierce, Schneider spends time learning French and giving back to the community. She is a volunteer at Kaiser Permanente in the bereavement section of hospice, facilitating groups for those whose loved ones have died. She’s looking forward to traveling abroad and living in France with her daughter and son in law when she retires.
As for now, Schneider hopes to keep the CDC working properly for the benefit of the children and the students.
It’s 11:15 a.m. and Los Angeles Pierce College student athletes are trickling into the office where senior athletic trainer Leonard Ramirez, or Lenny as he is known, reminds those waiting that treatments won’t begin for another 15 minutes.
There is a casual nature in the exchange between Ramirez and the students. It’s comfortable, like Ramirez’s grey Nike shirt that reads in highlighter green letters “Pierce.
Just Do It.”
Originally, Ramirez majored in physical education, or what today is called kinesiology.
did that, I got a lot more interested,” Ramirez says. “In physical therapy you often work on people that are never going to recover, like spinal cord injuries. You want to see people get well and return to their sport. You want to see them play in their games and that’s kind of like validation of the work you do.”
In the morning, Ramirez fills and prepares the three whirlpools in the trainers’ room in the Pierce South Gym, but before any treatments begin, there is administrative work to be done.
Papers are organized in small stacks lined next to Ramirez’s desk like an assembly line. These papers are related to treatments being given and physicals of athletes.
“She is probably the best boss I will ever have,” says staff member Briggitte Krets. “She is a friend, a mentor, a boss, swim coach and has helped me a lot this year with both pool deck and personal problems.”
Hefter says she brought the once mossy green pool back to a deep ocean blue with constant maintenance and a change in chemicals. Currently, Hefter is working to get the 30-year-old pool
system and its machines up to date by using energy efficient systems to save money. Hefter, a former student and swimmer at Pierce, heard about the position one year after she graduated. Her passion is coaching and teaching young adults.
“This seems to be what I am best at, guiding young kids into adulthood, teaching them to be good adults and how to work well
“This is a very nice way to wrap up my career,” Schneider says. “I’ve seen the spectrum.”
Ramirez wanted to get physical therapy until he suffered an injury in college and began working with the athletic trainer during his recovery.
“After I went through the process, I stayed on as a student athletic trainer to help. The more I
“We do administration, which takes a decent amount of time. Then we do treatment of injuries after we’ve evaluated the injury. Then we attend the practices in the evening,” Ramirez says.
[For the full story visit thebullmag.com]
in business environments,” Heftor says. She belongs to the student culture, as she is also a current student working on her master’s degree to continue teaching and move up in management. Her other interests include exercise, surfing and kayaking.
W‘‘ This is a very nice way to wrap up my career.
-Phyllis Schneider Director of the Child Development Center
In its first post-season since 2011, the Pierce College baseball team advanced to the super regionals only to lose in the second game against Oxnard College in spring 2014.
As they prepare for the spring 2015 season, the Bulls are ranked 16th on a pre-season poll by the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association. The team will look to its sophomores and new head coach to develop a team of experienced players that will lead to the playoffs.
New head coach William Picketts will take over for John Bushart who coached the Bulls from 2010 to 2014, five seasons.
Picketts was assistant coach for the spring 2014 season and was Athletic Director Bob Lofrano’s first choice to succeed Bushart.
“If Billy [Picketts] would have been one of 20 to apply, he would have been right at the top,” Lofrano said.
Last season the Bulls had a .295 batting average with .389 on base percentage and a team earned run average of 5.10.
Picketts expects big performances from sophomore left handed pitcher Daniel Barazza, sophomore right handed pitcher/ infielder Casey Ryan, and sophomore outfielder Joe Moran.
Barazza, 19, attended John Burroughs High School and came to Pierce after he graduated in 2013.
In 19 appearances, Barazza pitched one complete game in eight starts, finishing the season with a 4-3 record, a 4.85 ERA and three saves. Barazza’s stand out stat is his 45 strikeouts in the 63.8 innings pitch,
averaging 5.90 strikeouts per game.
Barazza’s pitching control showed and going into his second season as a Bull he will have to continue his dominance, using his experience and his dedication to take his team to the playoffs.
“I think I’m just more confident.
Last year I was more timid, I have more experience now, I’m taking things more seriously now,” Barazza said.
Ryan, 20, attended Westlake High School and as a freshman at Pierce, doubled as an infielder and pitcher for the Bulls.
In 28 games Ryan posted a .303AVG and 5.06 ERA in 10.2 innings pitched. As a pitcher, Ryan needs to find a pitch that will put away hitters. He allowed seven walks in his four appearances, with no starts, showing signs that his pitching control was lacking. For an infielder Ryan had 23 hits with an impressive 10 runs batted in. As a veteran player, Ryan will have to show control in both his pitching and hitting. Finding a pitch that will trick hitters into swinging and missing will help Ryan and the Bulls as a whole. Ryan posted an impressive AVG, but would benefit from watching pitches thrown at him, lowering his strikeouts and improving his eye for a good pitch.
Moran, 20, attended Chaminade High School and went to Los Angeles Mission College, where he didn’t play due to an injury. Moran, who has taken a leadership role for the upcoming season, was one of the most valued players the Bulls had last season, and was named player of the semester for spring 2014.
Moran played in 40 of 41 games, had 58 hits, the most on the team, and had a .356 AVG. All Moran can do is just continue dominating and try to take his skills to the next level. Being the Bulls leader will benefit both Moran and the team.
“I’m looking forward to another quality season, this year I have more of a leadership role. Coming in as a freshman last year was different,” Moran said. “This year I got to be the leader and take other
guys under my wing and teach them ways, and help them improve and give them experience at this level.”
As a whole, the baseball team will have to be on the same page. The sophomores will have to show
the freshman what it’s like to play college ball. The sophomores who played in Bull uniform last season, already know what it’s like to play with Picketts, but not as head coach. Picketts will have to use his 16 plus
years of experience as a coach to get his team past the second round of the playoffs. Lofrano has no doubt that Picketts is more than qualified for the job. Here’s to another season of Pierce baseball. Good luck Bulls.
During her season, Paige Wolny was sixth in the state in goals with 26 and finished as the team’s leader in points. Her play allowed the Brahmas to finish second in the conference and put Pierce in the playoffs for the 14th consecutive year. She has multiple offers from Division I, Division II and Division III schools.
This year your team consistently had the best year out of all the Pierce sports in the fall semester, why was this team so competitive?
“The season went fairly well. It kind of came down to one game so it was a little disappointing that we couldn’t win conference but I think we did well collectively and we enjoyed ourselves this year.”
waits
Megan Moureaux Social Media EditorSophomore wide receiver Bryson Martinez, 20, had six touchdowns this season for the Pierce College football team. Martinez has received numerous offers and will be transferring to a D-I school after the fall 2014 semester.
How do you feel about being named Brahma of the Semester?
“It’s an honor. It’s an individual award, but it’s really not because it stems from coaching staff and the rest of the team. It’s kind of cool that we went 3-7 and still got some accolade.”
Why do you think your play was so successful this season?
“Again, that’s just a team thing. I’ve worked hard and I busted my butt in the off-season and stuff, but just kind of the play of those around me for the most part. The receiving core was so talented that it helped me get open because you couldn’t key in on one guy.”
How did you decide to come to Pierce and did you come solely for the football program?
“I did come solely for football. I heard about it just through contacting junior colleges out of high school because I didn’t have any D-I offers, I only had D-II’s. I felt like I was just, not to sound ignorant, but too good to play D-II football. Pierce just showed me the most interest back and when I looked up their numbers and how
many people they were sending D-I and stuff, it was a no-brainer.”
How do you prepare for games?
“I’m pretty laid back. I’m not one of those serious guys who doesn’t talk to anyone, I just kind of joke around and listen to music. I don’t really listen to heavy rock or rap or anything like that, I listen to Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran. Just chill music to get relaxed.”
What keeps you focused and in the game?
“I just have to make sure I’m having fun. There’s a lot of times, especially with so much riding on football as you get to a higher level, but at the end of the day it’s still a game. So I find I play best when I’m having fun, so I just have to remind myself. My roommate Wendell [O’Brien] is good about keeping me focused and we kind of help eachother out with having fun and not taking it too seriously. It’s not a job yet and as soon as it becomes a job, I think it’ll be time to hang it up.”
Do some games mean more to you than others?
“Well the politically correct answer would be no, but some do. Rivalries are always big, sometimes you get teams that will talk a little bit before the game. Those carry a little more weight. The bowl game last year was the biggest game I’ve ever played in just because it was my first chance at a championship and a ring.”
Do you feel like your teammates and coaches relied on you?
“No. I’m not even going to elaborate on that because it’s a team
sport. I felt like I was a go-to in clutch situations, no one’s that big where they were relied on.”
What is your favorite memory while playing for Pierce?
“That’s a toss up between winning the bowl game, but I’d probably have to give it to the Valley game this year. We spotted them 21, they scored and then we scored again. We were down 21 multiple times and we still came back and beat them at our place to keep the bell for the sixth year.”
What will you miss the most when you transfer from Pierce?
“Teammates, honestly. The teammates and the coaches, but especially my teammates. It’s tough because it’s a two-year, so there’s so much turnover. But this team is probably closer than any other team I’ve been on. I mean our record didn’t reflect it, but especially the receiving core imparticular. Well even the receiving core are really close with the linemen, it’s so weird because usually linemen kind of just stay to themselves and everybody else hangs out. I’m going to have new teammates next year, but it’s going to be tough to replace these guys.”
What are you looking forward to when you transfer?
“The up in the level of competition will be great. That was kind of what drew me out here, aside from the numbers and with those numbers it’s nice to go against the best of the best everyday. It’s just kind of another step, it’s going to be cool to be playing on TV.”
On the field you were the ultimate opportunist and the ball somehow always found its way to you in the right spot. How were you able to play the way you did throughout the season and get results?
“I think my goal this year as a player was to have good vision on the field which led to me scoring a good amount of goals. I always tried to move off the ball and put myself in a position where I was an effective player and help the offense on our attack.”
What was it like going from a Division III school in Kansas to coming to the environment at Pierce?
“It was great in pretty much every aspect of my life. I like being in California better with my family and I enjoyed the girls here. They were the best and it was good
weather to play in all year. It really helps motivate me as a player.”
What was the atmosphere like on your team this year?
“The atmosphere was great on and off the field. Our team was really cohesive on the field because we were like a family, so that really helped. The girls got along really well and we acted more like sisters
than teammates. I think that will translate next year into their play and we have girls coming back that are natural leaders and I’m sure that will show. They have continued to pave the way, to be a strong force on our team next year.”
For the full interview visit theroundupnews.com.
