Volume 121 Fall 2014 Roundup Issue 2

College follows Phase 2 restrictions

Mareo Lawson Roundup Reporter

Recently the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) announced that the city is currently in Phase 2 of the Emergency Water Conservation Plan Ordinance.

Unlike the LADWP, the campus’ policy is not publicly summarized.

Since the beginning of the droughts in the 1990s, community college campuses have been adhering to a set of specific guidelines. LADWP also calls the guidelines of this ordinance “Watering Days,” which limit the amount of time allotted for commercial and residential irrigation.

“The policy is to adhere to the regulations imposed by LADWP,” Director of Facilities Paul Nieman replied in an email.

The regulations outlined in the ordinance prohibit uses for LADWP customers. Among the restrictions is a breakdown of non-watering days as well as restrictions for sports fields and large landscaping areas.

“We reduced the water use years ago, far above 20 percent,”

Instructor of Horticulture Len Markowitz said, “The ordinance is not fair for those of us that have already been conserving.”

Markowitz is not only an instructor, but is also a State Licensed Contractor, a State

License Pest Control Advisor and Applicator, and a Public Works Inspector in Simi Valley. He has been educating students, companies and organizations about conservation for several years.

For the past nine months he has been testing a new patent by Ray Ambrosini, called the Underground Moisture Control Grid. The grid is designed to be installed before landscaping.

“This is a great product for a new installation. It will help reduce water use,” Markowitz said.

The grid is made of panels that are placed four to six inches under the surface of the soil, plants and grass. The panels have liners that hold the moisture, allowing the

water to percolate through four inch holes on its surface.

“Agriculturally, especially in California, the trend has been lowvolume drip irrigation,” Director of the Pierce Farm Center Robert McBroom said.

Operating on its own funding, the Farm Center’s focus on conservation started at an economic level. McBroom’s team has been effectively managing its water consumption for the last ten years, using a drip irrigation system.

Drip irrigation or localized irrigation is a process that allows water to drip in a precise location. McBroom’s team analyzes the soil to determine how much time is needed to water. The distribution

New V.P. of Academic Affairs Berger brings experience om Valley College

Andrew Escobar Roundup Reporter

Starting off this fall semester with students attempting to add classes and looking for parking have been one of the newest faculty members responsibilities in organizing by making sure things run smoothly at Pierce.

Sheri Berger, the new vice president of Academic Affairs originally came from Los Angeles Valley College where she was a math professor and was promoted to dean of Academic affairs totaling her time there to 15 years in 2012.

Berger described her motivation for taking on the position of vice president as being able to have the ability to help students.

“This position oversees all of instruction and all of the different programs that we offer to our students,” Berger said.

“I wanted to be able to help our students at that more global perspective.”

Coordinating the curriculum at Pierce by creating and organizing programs offered on campus is something she finds fulfilling in being able to help students reach

“She understands about offering the best possible courses, and she really cares about her students.”

-Rudy Besikof Valley College Dean of Academic Affairs

is then locally dispensed through a series of hoses and drip valves.

The valves have a drip zone that is centered in the direction of the roots, to minimize the Farm Center’s water consumption.

McBroom believes that education is the most important factor in water conservation. The Farm Center’s attractions are also designed to keep the community environmentally informed.

“I can probably water 2000 linear feet of tomatoes, for the same amount of water you use for your shower,” said McBroom, “You model by example. That’s the key.”

The Metropolitan Water District’s website “Be Water Wise,” provides financial incentives for

businesses, agriculture, and institutions, who achieve their goals. With the rapid decline of our water resources and due to weather conditions, much of the State’s

Gardner Than Ta is one of the landscapers on campus, who have been installing and working on a water control system for over two years. Currently the system is not ready for use.

“This is a big problem. Many of the aqueducts are less than half full. The drought is really serious.” Ta said.

It has been a challenge for campus gardeners to maintain watering cycles, due to low pressure issues. The crew has had to alternate the sprinkler systems, in order to

irrigate within the restriction. The gardening staff waters daily from 6 to 9 a.m. across the campus and only on weekdays.

“My boss Mr. Nieman gave us specific guidelines as to how to conserve water on campus,” Gardening Supervisor Thaun Vu said.

Paul Nieman also wrote in an email, that the college is working on a sustainable system. It would allow water to be collected at “The Pit” on campus, instead of allowing it to flow down to the LA River.

The Pit is the large open field, where the Pierce women’s soccer team hosts many of its home games and is located between Parking Lot 7 and the softball field.

their academic goals.

“I’m a rules-structured person and in curriculum, there are a lot of rules,” Berger said.“You can’t just go off into left field.”

Overseeing the enrollment at Pierce, Berger not only coordinates the class schedules but also manages the low enrollment courses offered on campus that are necessary for students to take.

“It’s a fine balancing act,” Berger said.

There are many rules when planning a curriculum, but Berger brings an extensive knowledge of these regulations and how to develop classes that comply.

One of Berger’s former associates at Los Angeles Valley College, Dean of Academic Affairs Rudy Besikof shared her understanding of the importance of managing a community college and its curriculum.

“Sheri takes knowledge of community college to a whole new level,” Besikof said.

“During her time here, I was floored by her knowledge of curriculum.”

Besikof also made it clear that Berger prioritizes her students and their education above everything else.

“She understands about offering the best possible courses, and she really cares about her students,” Besikof said.

Berger has not only proved herself amongst her past coworkers at Los Angeles Valley College she has already made an impression on the Academic Affairs faculty at Pierce. Mary Anne Gavarra-Oh, a dean of Academic Affairs at Pierce also noticed her hard work.

“We’re going in with an experienced vice president,” Gavarra-Oh said.

Richard Russell / Special to the Roundup

Sheri Berger, Vice President of Academic Affairs, poses for a portrait in the Academic Affairs Department.

Her main goal as vice president is creating more associate degrees for students so they can transfer on to a California State University. To do this, it requires Berger to work closely with the faculty involved at the Pierce’s Academic Senate.

“I look forward to working with the faculty to develop more of these

degrees, because I think in the long run they help our students make a smoother transition to the CSUs,” Berger said.

Outside of work, Berger is a wife and mother of a 9-year-old son as she manages her personal life with the same motivation in her professional life.

Although Berger has only been at Pierce for a short amount of time she is already seeing the similarities between Pierce and Valley College making a smooth transition.

“Everyday is a new thing. It’s like putting pieces of a puzzle together, and everyday I get a clearer picture,” Berger said.

STREET BEAT

What do you think of Pierce’s food options?

What

do you think of Pierce’s food options?

“In terms of the food trucks, the falafel [truck] is nice for variation. Personally, I bring my own lunch because I’m a college student and I’m particular about what I like to eat.”

-Umi Abdul Political science major

“The falafel truck is really good, I like the lemon pita. [The] student store has good snacks and they have this Thai tea that I love. I was really surprised to see they had it there.”

-Myles Morgan

Undecided major

“I think the food here at Pierce is pretty good. I mean, the cafe isn’t that bad, it has some healthy options also. And the food trucks have a variety of food [choices] and they have good prices too, so it’s nothing too expensive to eat here. It’s pretty tasty.”

-Sharon Gabin Criminal justice major

“I dislike that there isn’t too many choices. I feel that they should bring new vendors every semester if it’s possible. Especially with the high hopes that came in with the cafe, it kind of doesn’t seem like it was up to par as far as maybe it seem like they wanted it to be.”

-Manuel Quezada

Agriculture business major

Increased food fees cause budget bane

Pierce College’s lack of options for lunch and recently-raised prices has put students in a tough predicament that will dissuade them from purchasing meals on campus.

College students not only deal with the pressures of managing their personal and educational lives, but also with the restrictions of having a small variety of food choices offered on campus and raising the costs has limited many students on what they are able to purchase within a tight budget.

Going into effect this semester, the food trucks on campus have had an increase on their vendor insurance coverage requested by the Los Angeles Community College District, raising their coverage from $1.5 to $5 million.

This has raised monthly insurance rates for food truck owners from about $300 to $500 per month, according to Minerva Castellon, owner of the Hot Coffee Catering truck.

In addition, vendors are now contracted for a full year instead of renewing their coverage every six months.

This causes food truck vendors to need to purchase produce in larger quantities to keep the costs from passing on to the customers.

Even so, all but one food truck owner raised prices on their meals to subsidize increased cost of operation, causing students to think twice about

purchasing an item from these vendors.

Students already have enough expenses for their education that increased food prices aggravates. While it is important to prevent any legal liabilities, doing so at the expense of students is not the way to go.

As for what students can do to stay in their budget, those with their own means of transportation can go off campus looking for better variety while being able to purchase a meal at a lower cost.

Unfortunately, leaving campus to grab something to eat may have its own downfall, since it would require students to find a new parking spot in the crowded lots on and off campus and spend time remembering where they parked as well.

The other alternative would be to bring a packed lunch to Pierce. Although many students may avoid the idea of packing a lunch, it may be a helpful way to save on the costs of buying lunch and saving time driving off campus.

The only problem is students will likely not being able to refrigerate their food, restricting them on what they would be able to pack for lunch.

These are all temporary solutions to Pierce’s rising cost of food and many students are in jeopardy of losing the accessibility of the food trucks on campus.

Until Pierce is able to open a fully-established cafeteria, we may lose the small variety that is offered now.

Pros and cons: Proposed paper bag ban a benefit or burden?

Banning plastic bags is an awesome way to save the environment and is a wonderful opportunity to prevent pollution.

Liberal studies major

-Corrections-

Page 1: Rolf Schleicher’s title, Vice President of Administrative Services, is incorrect in both the story and the pull-quote. Page 4: Barbara Lombrano’s name is misspelled in the pull-quote. Page 5: The Performing Arts Center is delayed, not squashed as stated in the leading headline.

Tavian Quinn

tquinn.roundupnews@gmail.com

The bill passed in the state senate, setting up California to be the first state to implement a ban on single-use plastic bags once signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. It will reduce the amount of waste in landfills, reduce litter on the street, and protect the environment. The LA Bureau suggests that it won’t completely fix the problem but its a start.

There are many benefits to using plastic bags, such as convenience, durability and reusability.

As a result, you may be asking yourself “what do I carry my items out of the store in?”

Simple, the cost of a single paper bag is 10 cents, and stores such as Whole Foods, Ralph’s, and Trader Joe’s tell patrons to feel free to bring your own reusable bag sold at many supermarkets.

While the ban may be an inconvenience in this regard, it will reduce 14 billion plastic bags that are thrown away in the state every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This reduction could have a big impact as a single plastic bag can take 20 to 1000 years to degrade, and plastic bags remain toxic even after they are broken down, according to Environment California. In fact, some scientists question whether plastic will ever biodegrade.

Aside from humans, reducing plastic bag waste could reduce harm to birds and marine life. Scientists estimate every square mile of ocean has about 46000 pieces of plastic floating in and animals sometimes mistake plastic bags for food.

Thousands of animals die yearly after trying to eat the plastic bag waste, according to About Environment.

It will take some getting used to, but times are always changing and change is good when it’s helpful to our environment.

This bill holds society responsible for keeping our planet clean, even if it’s one bag at a time.

Lynn Rosado

lrosado.roundupnews@gmail.com

California residents are being pressured into believing that banning the use of free plastic bags is the best alternative to helping the environment and our economic needs.

This ban, also known as bill SB-270, was introduced on Feb. 14, 2013 by state senators Alex Padilla, Kevin de León, and Ricardo Lara.

During the gubernatorial debate on Sept. 4, 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown said that the ban takes into account our needs, the needs of the environment, and the economy.

What he didn’t mention is how the needs would be met.

This ban would have plastic bags replaced by paper bags in most stores.

Brown said the paper bags will benefit the environment, but omitted the true facts behind the statewide enforcement of the new bags.

According to a study by the U.K. Environment Agency, each paper bag would have to be used three times before its global warming impact is lower than that of plastic bags.

Brown’s argument is misleading because he omits the facts that show that stopping the distribution of plastic bags isn’t as economically friendly as we’ve been led to believe.

There is a lack of facts that would give residents of California a valid reason to accept the idea of no longer receiving something for free.

Emphasis on the word something, since we live in a world where everything has a price tag.

On top of the misleading reason behind the proposed ban, there will now be a statewide charge of 10 cents per paper bag

If plastic bags were free, why aren’t the paper ones?

California is known for its glitz and glamour, but behind all of that, is the harsh reality that it has the nation’s highest poverty rate, according to the Census Bureau. Spending a dime per paper bag can have a quick financial impact on the 23.8 percent of California residents who live below the poverty line.

If Brown had solid facts to support his ban, then maybe most of California’s residents would agree.

Photos by Amira Fickewirth Quotes gathered by Kieran MacIntyre

“The food truck by the offices is very good. They have better quality food than the truck by gym. The California Burger they have is pretty good.”

-Nicole Peralta

Flydoskope by Nick Part

Illustration by Nick Part

$15 million tech grant Pierce to receive $1 million to create technology pathways

Seth Perlstein News Editor

The Los Angeles HighImpact Information Technology, Entertainment & Entrepreneurship, and Communications Hubs (LA HI-TECH) consortium, of which Pierce College is a member, earned a $15 million grant from the state earlier this month.

The grant was designed to outline specific career pathways for high school students interested in technology.

High schools will further align parts of their technology-based curriculum with Pierce and other community colleges.

Students will be able to take technology classes at Pierce when they are in 11th or 12th grade, and be concurrently enrolled in their high school and Pierce, according to Director of CTE Grants Michael Flowers.

News brief

– Compiled by Nick McNamara

In response to the closing of the Pierce College Farm Center, a petition created by Barbara Oliver on the site Change.org has called for an investigation into the motives behind the closing.

The petition, addressed to Gov. Jerry Brown, Attorney General Kamala Harris and the Los Angeles Board of Trustees, specifically Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez, claims there are “conflicts of interest that appear to lie at the heart of this action.”

As of Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., 1517 people have electronically signed the petition. Signatures are not only from the Woodland Hills area or California, but from across the United States.

“It’s important because everyone has been talking about this type of partnership, communication and alignment,” he said. “But it has never really been put in a grant and had funding to back it.”

still in high school.

“Employment is the ultimate goal,” Flowers said.

incident report

Sept. 5 - 18 – Compiled by: Seth Perlstein – Information provided by Sheriff’s Department

He said they earned the grant because their application to the state was “clear and well defined.”

9-5—Theft – A muscle massage tool called “The Stick” was stolen from the Athletic Department’s physical therapy office.

Flowers said the main focus is to work with local high schools, local businesses and to partner with community colleges.

Pierce is planning to partner with WorkSource Centers in Canoga Park, Chatsworth and other parts of the San Fernando Valley, according to community volunteer Jim Threat, who is helping Flowers connect Pierce with local businesses.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to get some interest and create some opportunities,” Threat said.

-Michael Flowers Director of

The students will learn specific skills that local businesses want, Flowers said.

The classes also will earn high school students college credit, and give them an opportunity to intern at a local business while they are

The other eight colleges in the LA HI-TECH consortium looking to create local opportunities are LA Valley College, LA Mission College, LA City College, West LA College, LA Southwest College, LA Trade-Technical College, Santa Monica City College and Pasadena City College.

Each school collected data, met with partners, developed relationships with high schools and ultimately wrote the grant together, Flowers said.

Pierce will use its $1 million share of the grant to pay for staffing, field trips, books, equipment and support services, Flowers said.

Earning the grant required letters of support from high school principals and industry leaders, according to Dean of Academic Affairs Jose Luis Fernandez.

“We’re so limited in resources,” he said. “We’re really making an effort to extend ourselves above and beyond the call of duty.”

He said Pierce is going deeper into the planning phase by figuring out who will collect data and track the students.

The project should officially begin sometime in the next 30 to 40 days, according to Flowers.

“A lot of times we don’t accomplish certain things because of funding,” he said. “There’s no excuse now.”

9-15—Downed Tree – A tree fell on three vehicles in Parking Lot 7 at 10:30 a.m.

9-18—Controlled Substance – A transient was arrested for possession of a controlled substance identified as heroin in the North Gym men’s locker room.

Pierce College Sheriff’s Station

General Information: (818) 719 - 6450

Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311

Corn maze, haunts and rides entertain community

Halloween Harvest Festival opens for tenth and nal time at the Farm Center

maze called “Insane Reaction.”

volunteers.

honestly say that 10 years ago when we started we attracted a lot of families with young kids,” R. McBroom said.

festival’s three different haunts.

“After Dark” offers a haunted corn trail called “Creatures of the

The Halloween Harvest Festival opened its doors Friday, Sept. 26, for its 10th and final year at the Pierce College Farm Center.

Farm Center Director Robert McBroom and Farm Center Manager Cathy McBroom have been the husband-and-wife team behind the Halloween Harvest Festival since day one. Together they transformed a “weed-baron,” vacant lot into the Farm Center.

“I smile and can sit here and

The festival features a variety of activities, rides, live entertainment and food options. The main features are the three Halloween haunts and the corn maze. There is also a petting zoo, carousel, arts and crafts tent, tractor rides, a hauntfree corn maze and much more.

“When I created this, the idea was to have something for everybody,” R. McBroom said.

Haunt General Manager Michael Keane worked year-round on the

Corn,” a haunted house called “Factory of Nightmares” and a

“In the scary maze, you’re kind of hesitant to whether you still want to go in it or not,” 16-year-old high school student Lauren Wageman said. “But then once you’re actually inside of it, it’s really fun.”

The haunted trail is a quarter miles long, lasts between 10 and 15 minutes, and has between 20 and 30 “scarers” inside.

“We only employ monsters and psychopaths,” Keane said.

Keane and McBroom said most of their 200-person staff are Pierce College students. But some of the make-up artists and scarers are

“We hire within the community and we create a lot of jobs,” R. McBroom said. “We’re proud of what we do. We’re proud of the Harvest Festival.”

The festival is open through Nov. 2. on Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission costs $5, while the various activities use tickets, which can be purchased individually or in packs. The haunt and mazes are priced at $13 each, or can also be purchased for a packaged price.

Azusa Pacific University

School of Nursing

40

Average Completion Time: 15 months

Cost Per Unit: $560*

Accredited by CCNE and WASC

*Scholarships available. Contact your program representative for details.

“Employment is the ultimate goal.”

CTE Grants

Megan Moureaux Roundup Reporter

“We only employ monsters and psychopaths.”

-Michael Keane Haunt General Manager

Counseling Center hires Fine new counselor

Bu alo native keeps students on track academically

Jael Allen Roundup Reporter

Casually strolling through the lobby while organizing the pile of transfer papers, this bright blue eyed, and soft spoken east coast native waits patiently for students to dropin for their counseling session.

For many students meeting a counselor can be stressful, from not knowing which classes to take, to making sure their transfer applications are complete but for counselor Norine Fine it can all be easily clarified.

As a native from Buffalo, New York, Fine finds the laid back Southern Calfornia atmosphere a lot more relaxed than the fast-paced New York environment.

“It’s a lot more relaxed and casual than back east,” said Fine.

In her spare time Fine enjoys a good read as she catches up on a few paragraphs here and there.

“I like fiction but I also do some autobiographies,” Fine said.

She also enjoys listening to audiobooks as she remembers a time when she used to commute an travel form place to place she listened to new reads in her vehicle.

“I did a lot of audiobooks,” Fine said.

Finding time for herself can be difficult to do at times but for Fine whenever she gets a chance she enjoys to swing dancing with her husband whenever she’s off the clock.

“I do west coast swing,” said Fine.

Although she might break a sweat on the dance floor with

her twist and turns, Fine also has enough experience handling educational plans and organizing student transfers. In terms of blending in with the rest of the counseling staff, Fine quickly fit in with everyone right away, according to Department

Chair of Counseling, Rudy Dompé.

“It was a pretty easy assimilation to the counseling department,” Dompé said.

With a bachelor’s degree in business management from Pepperdine University and a master’s in guidance counseling

from Cal Lutheran University, Fine is equipped to help students with academic advisement.

“I could just tell it was a more involved process working at a community college,” Fine said.

Prior to coming to Pierce, Fine worked in admissions and

-Norine

recruitment for a private university.

She was influenced by a friend who worked for a community college to go backto school for her master’s.

“They’re no longer around but I worked at Warren National University and I was there for 13 years,” said Fine.

According to Fine, working for a private university like Warren National University they focused on a small scale of programs offered to their students.

While in a community college each student comes from a different background and with their own goals in mind.

“You’re working with all different students of all different ages and stages of their life,” said Fine.

Students attending a community college come for different reasons like to obtain their associates degree or to develop their work experience by taking a computer course.

“Transferring right now is so complicated and it’s so competitive that it’s important to have some guide posts on what really needs to be done,” Fine said.

Adding classes at Pierce may not always be easy for students to do but for Fine, she believes that the educational system needs to add more classes and offer more seats available to students who are trying to crash courses.

“The first semester the students usually are trying to get basic skills and get around the campus and transition,” Fine said.

Fine suggests that all students should start thinking about their transfer goals and meet with a counselor as soon as they can to

make sure they’re on track by taking the correct courses needed to transfer.

While doing their own research, students can start looking through possible schools that they might want to consider.

“I think that it’s really important to have that check-in,” Fine said.

Personally Fine recommends students to take their basic general education courses like english and math and get them out of the way as soon as they can.

“No matter what direction they’re going in, they will more than likely need those courses,” Fine said.

Even for a students that aren’t sure on what they will want to do with their educational career Fine still recommends a student to take math, english and a personal development classes so they can reach their academic goal and have a head start.

“I totally recommend a college success class,” Fine said.

She not only wants to see students reach their academic goals but also wants to make sure she finds time to help a student in anyway possible by answering all of their questions before they leave her office.

“Whenever we have a student here in the lobby and she’s off the clock or not on the schedule she is always willing to help,” said student worker Kimiya Bastani.

Everyone has their rough days, and community college students seem to have the roughest when their trying to make their dreams a reality.

“I really enjoy that whole process and helping people make those connections,” Fine said.

Geology professor guides students in and out of class

Andrew Escobar Roundup Reporter

Outside of the classroom, the Pierce College village is rather quiet as the sun begins to set on an unseasonably hot day.

However, the heat is kept at bay within the room’s walls thanks to the air conditioner and its monotonous buzz.

While the sounds of swift penmanship and clicking keys permeate through the ushered voice that fills the entire bungalow.

The previously mentioned voice belongs to 68-year-old professor of Geology Craig Meyer, who has been lecturing students in environmental studies at Pierce since 1973.

He currently teaches Environmental Science I and II, Environmental Geology, and Fundamentals of Water Treatment.

Meyer is the advisor for the entire environmental sciences program at Pierce, and over the years he has developed a unique teaching style that has guided his students both in and out of the classroom.

Although he was born in Chicago, Meyer doesn’t have much allegiance to the city, due to moving away during his infancy. In fact, he can’t really claim a single hometown.

“I lived in 11 different states growing up, something like that,” Meyer said.

“The places I spent the most time growing up were New Orleans and the Washington D.C. area.”

Despite the constant moving around, Meyer felt that he lived a happy childhood, though he never got too attached to living in one place.

The reason for the moves was attributed to his father’s employment with the department of Veteran Affairs, which required him and his family to move every

time he was promoted.

Meyer’s father was a radio biochemist during World War II who had been apart of the Manhattan Project, and recalls spending much of his time inside labs with his father as a child.

Being raised around science, Meyer figured it was only fitting he’d pursued a career in scientific study.

He attended college as an undergraduate at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Geology in 1968. Shortly after he attended graduate school at the University of Georgia, but then transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) after only one year in Georgia.

He served as a teaching assistant at both universities, and earned his master’s degree in Geology from USC in 1973.

Essentially, Meyer views Geology as an all-encompassing study, which is why he chose to pursue it over any other fields as it focuses closely on a particular study.

“Geology is like an ownership manual for the Earth. Once you do geology, you understand how things work,” Meyer said. Meyer went on to pursue his doctrine degree at USC, but he “walked away” from the degree in 1975 before he wrote his dissertation. For an opportunity as a part-time professor at Pierce College in 1973, in which lead

Meyer to be hired full-time.

He officially decided to pursue a full-time teaching career rather than completing his doctrine in 1975.

“It was clear that I liked teaching, so I came here to take this job rather than finish up that,” said Meyer.

Geology was what Meyer had originally thought that he would simply be teaching at Pierce, but he eventually found himself in charge of the entire environmental studies program.

He described when he first came to Pierce, almost all of the sciences were grouped into one department.

As the environmental science’s were a relatively new study, it was in danger of being dropped due to having a low increase in an enrollment rates.

Meyer volunteered to take over the program and became the program advisor in 1980, a position that he still holds and remembers how it came about.

“The chairman said: ‘Before we stop teaching environmental science, does anyone want to pick it up?’ And I said: ‘How in the world can you not make that interesting?” Meyer replied.

After becoming the advisor for the environmental science program Meyer was able to quickly raise the program’s enrollment rates to fullcapacity within three semesters.

Since then, Meyer has been adapting his teaching style to match the ever-changing field of environmental sciences.

One adaptation in particular was to eliminate the use of a textbook in all but one of the current classes that he teaches.

He is the author of that one textbook, required for his Fundamentals of Water Treatment class.

Over the span of one month, Meyer wrote his own textbook called, The Basics of Water Treatment, in 2010. The information in the book comes from personal knowledge and research.

“As I got further along, I began to realize that the texts were all inadequate,” Meyer said.

“None of them are structured in the fashion or the flow that I think the ideas fit together. I try to structure my class in a way that builds one idea on another as time goes through it.”

“The books have to please

everybody, and therefore don’t please anybody,” Meyer said.

“If you take good notes, you’ll have a book.”

The lack of a textbook is pleasing to some though, most notably the students who take Meyer’s classes, as it provides them with a relief from hefty spending.

However, the lack of a book, as well as any form of study guide, means that Meyer’s exams are based almost entirely off of what he says. During his lectures 26-yearold environmental science major Ashton Butler, who is a student in both Meyer’s Fundamentals of Water Treatment and Environmental Science II classes, said that she prefers Meyer’s lecture-based style of teaching.

“I like it that way. A textbook wouldn’t be necessary,” said Butler “He’s pretty straight forward. He

explains things very well.”

Meyer allows students to take notes on laptops if they type faster than they write, and he also condones audio recording devices, including cell phones.

This comes despite the fact that Meyer himself does not own a cell phone, and has a sign outside his classroom in which instructs students with cell phones to turn them off and put them away.

Another of Meyer’s environmental science students, 27-year-old Child Development major and kindergarten teacher Katie Kobrossi, favors the recording method.

“It’s my first class I’ve used a recording device on, and it has been very helpful,” said Kobrossi. [For

Making a di ence in the enviromental studies department one step at a time

David Paz/ Roundup Earth Science professor, Craig Meyer, poses in his office located in the village at Pierce College.

Stacy Soriano / Roundup

New Academic Counselor, Norine Fine poses for a portrait located in the Student Services building at Pierce College.

“Geology is like an ownership manual for the earth Once you do geology, you understand how things work.”

-Craig Meyer Geology Professor

“You’re working with different types of students of all ages and stages of life.”

Fine Academic Counselor

Stringing it together Duo of former students open ursday concert series

Megan Moureaux Roundup Reporter

The Pierce College concert series began Thursday, Sept. 25 with two former students performing their solely instrumental music to a full audience.

Associate professor James Bergman has been in charge of putting on the Pierce College concert series for students for about five years.

Bergman finds the performing artists through fellow colleagues, former students and people who contact him wanting to perform. Bergman said he likes to use the same artists because they bring

Vintage market a success

Cristina Pimentel Roundup Reporter

The Topanga Vintage Market held another enjoyable event at Pierce College with vendors selling antique collectables, jewelry, and memorabilia on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Every last Sunday of the month, rows and rows of booths are set up with countless vintage goods, hand painted artwork, clothing, and even different kinds of furniture.

Co-founder Patrice Curedale, who has helped run it since April 2012, enjoyed celebrating the flea market’s one year anniversary as she watched happy customers walk out with their purchases.

“People come in to shop and they become vendors eventually because they buy so much,” Curedale said. “We have a constant stream of people asking about how to be a part of the market.”

Originally stationed at the Westfield Promenade Mall, the Vintage Market grew larger in size over the last year as more local shoppers attended and more collectors became interested in selling their own antiques.

“We’ve been saying since the beginning that we’d love to have student groups come as well, so we can set up tables if they want to advertise their cause to the community.,” said Curedale.

Keegan Alan, a 22-year-old vendor, sold restored collections of luggages, painted wooden signs, and home goods that were spread across the bed of his truck adding an extra touch to the vintage atmosphere.

“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” Alan said. “My mom took me dumpster diving for the first time when I was three because I was small enough for her to lift me over, so I’ve just been collecting and collecting since.”

Marissa Lauren and a 7-yearold girl named Ava alongside him, helped organize the booth two months in a row and greeted the wide variety of customers with warm smiles.

“I’d say majority of my customers

are hipsters and young couples who see this kind of stuff online but don’t know where to find it.” Alan added. “The rest of them are store collectors or avid collectors.”

One of the vendors named Don Wippert was a Pierce student himself and he began his love for collecting historical glass bottles when he found some in an old truck.

“I thought they were cool, brought them home, and then started going to swap meets,” Wippert said.

The oldest piece in his collection was a musty green bottle from the 1700s. However, one of the items he has still kept over the years was a milk bottle from the Pierce dairy creamery, when there once was one on campus.

The men and women had great energy in their booths, which came from being in the atmosphere of the flea market itself.

“This is my first experience here and I love it,” said Artist Ann Storc. “I found that the people here have a heart.”

She was an art teacher for 43 years and was known as the “queen of the garage sales.” Storc found enjoyment in discovering the different passions each customer shared with her, as she did the same by selling art supplies and artifacts.

The sound of music filled the air of the Vintage Market, as well as the smell of food coming from four different food trucks provided for customers every year.

Dedicated customers and yearly goers always come as early as opening to get the best unique antiques.

“I love it here and I think that this has a really great price structure compared to the other ones, like in Santa Monica,” said Grace Culberton, customer. “There’s a really great variety of vendors with great things and it’s fun to find things.”

The Vintage Market is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. located in Parking Lot 7 right on Mason Ave and Victory Boulevard. There is a $2 admission fee and children under 12 are free.

The flea market will be back Oct. 26 and Nov. 23, on the last Sunday’s of the month.

good music, performances and they’re professional.

“We also have two Pierce concerts which are Pierce students performing and that’s a free for all. It’s Broadway tunes, rock songs and some people rap so it’s sort of like a hodgepodge but students seem to like those concerts best.”

Guitarist Adam Werner and Hammered Dulcimer player Adam

Howe, formally called ‘Adam and Adam’ opened the concert series with a unique instrumental performance. They describe their music as “Apocalyptic Acoustic World Metal” and hope they inspire students to try new things.

Werner has performed at Pierce multiple times as a student as well as a guest artist both solo and with Howe. They started performing together around three years ago when the Adam’s felt they were in a “musical funk.”

“Adam and Adam is absolutely original, you’re not going to hear anything like it anywhere else,” Werner said.

Adam and Adam use a variation of instruments including an iPad application called “Morph Whiz.” This application allows Werner to feature a more electronic side to their music as well.

“We thought about how cool it would be to incorporate that into our sound so it’s like we’re using acoustic but also the technological aspect to kind of merge that all together,” Howe said. Students were very appreciative to the Adam’s for performing at the concert series.

“Personally I loved the show because I play guitar myself. I can really tell that they were feeling it and how they created it,” said 19-year-old computer engineering major Alana Parks. “It just sounded like they’ve worked on it for a long time and got it to sound how they wanted it to.”

Werner and Howe expressed their gratitude to Pierce and Bergman for asking them to come back to perform again.

“I appreciate that Pierce College is giving us the opportunity to play here again and I hope music students enjoy what we are presenting,” Werner said. “It’s a little different but I hope they get inspired to try new things.”

The concert series will run through December and the next show will be on Oct. 2 where the Los Angeles Baroque Players will be performing at 12:45 p.m. in room MUS 3400.

Marc Dionne/ Roundup

Adam Howe showing the hammered dulcimer in room MUS 3400 on Thursday, Sept. 25.

Marc Dionne/ Roundup

Adam Werner remains laid back while displaying his ebow guitar for concert goers.

“Adam and Adam is absolutely original, you’re not going to hear anything like it anywhere else.”

-Jean Ross Adam and Adam guitarist

Art Beyond The Classes

Aspiring artists traced their creative linages at Meet Your Mentors: Faculty Exhibition 2014 Sept. 25. Attendees enjoyed art, music, food and wine during the opening reception.The Art and Architecture faculty showcased their drawings, paintings and sculptures. Art history professors included their dissertations. Accompanying their submissions were personal statements about who their mentors were when they were attending school. Installation was assisted by the Art 519 Exhibition Design students. The Exhibition will be open to all from Sept. 26 to Oct. 30 at the Pierce College Art Gallery in room 3300. Admission is free.

Top Center : Charissa Clark and others observe pieces of art at the grand opening of Meet Your Mentors: Faculty Exhibition 2014 .

Center Left: Bonese Collins Turner observes chlorophyll photography by Mark Flanders at the Meet Your Mentors: Faculty Exhibition 2014

Bottom Left: Mark Achuff plays guitar and many Beatles songs in the Art Garden at the grand opening of Meet Your Mentors: Faculty Exhibition 2014 .

Bottom Right: Mark Flanders showcases his chlorophyll photography with a photo from his Escape series Meet Your Mentors: Faculty Exhibition 2014.

Goals are written on her Paige Pierce forward and leading scorer lived a di erent life before coming West to start a new chapter

Cristina Pimentel Roundup Reporter

It is one thing to carry on a love for a sport over many years, but another if that passion continues even when suitcases were repeatedly packed for a 19-year-old student.

Paige Wolny, a pre-medicine major, has been playing soccer for about 15 years. She grew up in another country, where her devotion for soccer and first experiences began.

“I was born in New Jersey, but I actually grew up in Saudi Arabia pretty much my entire life,” Wolny said. She lived on an American compound with people who had different cultures from all around the world.

“Growing up there for me was pretty normal because I hadn’t known anything else,” Wolny said. “I was there since I was less than one so I definitely didn’t live a regular, average American life.”

Not a day went by where she felt the need to experience new things and even after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 life continued for the young American living in the Middle East.

“I never felt like I was unsafe or in danger of terrorist attacks or anything like that because I was really young when 9/11 happened,” Wolny said. “I wasn’t old enough to understand.”

Wolny also went to a very small school in Saudi Arabia, where everyone knew each other and built life-long relationships.

“It wasn’t like going to a huge high school,” Wolny said. “We all grew up with each other from a very young age for the most part.”

She reflected on her time in Saudi Arabia and the benefits of living in a world smaller and much different than the bustling world of the United States.

“Living in Saudi Arabia was honestly a really good experience,” Wolny said. “It’s a great place to raise children because I was afforded a lot of things that most kids in the States don’t have, such as traveling and just having an open world view on life.”

Born in a family full of athletes, Wolny found herself playing a completely different sport than her family members.

“My dad was a gymnast, my mom played college basketball, and my sister plays division one tennis,” Wolny said. “I played over there and we had a team on the compound I lived in.”

However, there weren’t very many girls playing soccer inside the compound.

“There wasn’t a lot of competition for us to help us practice playing against other teams,” Wolny said.

“That was the only downside.” When she moved to America, she immediately realized she had to adapt to a different lifestyle.

“It’s definitely a more fast paced lifestyle here. People are a lot friendlier, open, and lively,” Wolny said.

Wolny went to a boarding school in Pennsylvania from sophomore to senior year in high school. Wolny then lived in Kansas for her first

year of college where she played for the Bethany College Swedes and was captain of the team. It wasn’t until this school year where she finally found her place at Pierce College. Playing soccer has been an important part in Wolny’s life and it has shaped her into the player she is today.

“She’s an impactful player, very smart, she listens, and tries to apply anything from a teacher, which is a good positive thing for her,” coach William Diaz said.

With all the struggles and hard work that come into play, Wolny still does her best to help win the games and play as a unit with her teammates.

“She knows she’s getting double teamed and she knows she’s getting hit but she’s still continuing to score for us, which is great,” Diaz said.

Wolny has scored eight goals in eight games to start the season for the Brahmas. She is a very crafty player with tremendous foot work and ball crossing ability.

“She scored 99.9 percent of our goals so she’s very important,” coach Adolfo Perez said. “Everybody knows about her and she still continues to do it, so hopefully she continues to throughout the season.”

Wolny’s commitment to the game and to her team has helped make her successful this season and has also given her a chance to always feel at home.

“I’ve always been quite close with the soccer team that I became a part of,” Wolny said. “It always helps me make friends and feel a lot more comfortable in my environment.”

Albano scores early to take tie

we have been down all season,” Germond said. “It was different and wanted to see how we would respond.”

The Pierce Brahmas pushed aside the Moorpark Raiders in three sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-22) in the semifinal round of the 5th Annual Pierce College Invitational and then dropped its match against Santa Barbara in the championship game in four sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-23, 25-22) on Saturday Sept. 28 at Ken Stanley Court.

Pierce was in complete control of the Moorpark game, as the Raiders only led the game twice.

Freshman Autumn Russell had a kill shot early in the first set which made the score 10-6 Pierce. The Brahmas set a pace that the Raiders were unable to match and Russell led the Brahmas with 12 kills.

“We definitely played more as a team today,” Russell said. “The violations helped us out a lot, gave us more momentum.”

Teamwork was key for Pierce in this match, as players who weren’t even in the game could be heard chanting motivational acronyms or as head coach Nabil Mardini put it, “the bench being good teammates.”

Late in the second set, Moorpark engineered a five-point rally that was led by middle blocker Alyssa Wilson. Pierce freshman middle blocker Azeezat Anthonio who had six kills, put a stop to that rally as she executed a hard kill shot to the floor for a 21-14 lead.

Freshman outside hitter Alexandria Bowman ended any thoughts Moorpark had of rallying, as she ended the second set with a kill shot of her own to make the score 25-19.

The third set was much closer until Anthonio’s kill shot pushed the Brahmas lead to 17-14, which helped set off an 8-4 run in which Moorpark had trouble

manufacturing points. Mardini offered some reasons on why Pierce was able to win all three sets over Moorpark.

“We definitely passed the ball a lot better than we did yesterday,” Mardini said. “We served the ball real tough. Our blocking at the net was critical.”

As for the Santa Barbara game, it seemed every time the Brahmas were trying to rally or minimize their mistakes, the Vaqueros would respond.

In the first set, Pierce had a seemingly untouchable 11-5 lead that was led by the efforts of captain Jessica Martinez, outside hitter Kirsten Cabarong, and Anthonio. But the Vaqueros were able to go on a sixpoint rally that had Pierce reeling.

Then in the second set, Pierce mounted a 4-2 lead that evaporated as quickly. In that set, Pierce only had the lead in four out of 38 possessions.

If it wasn’t for the efforts of

players like freshman Darrin Rice, the third set could have gotten out of hand.

Rice was instrumental to Pierce’s cause, such as diving all over the court for digs, setting up rallies and assisting with kills.

All those elements of Rice’s game have impressed Mardini.

“Rice is a good ball player with a high IQ,” Mardini said. “She sees the game very well, she’s our ballcontrol player.”

It was the third set that was the heartbreaker for the Brahmas. They had multiple chances to put away the Vaqueros. But leaving the middle area open for soft tips and kills by the Vaqueros did the Brahmas in.

Pierce was never in control or able to relax in the fourth set. Pierce did mount a late rally but a serving error ended the set and gave the Vaqueros the championship.

Anthonio had some ideas on what Pierce needs to address before they play Santa Barbara again in conference.

“Next time we play them, we just need to make sure that we keep the same flow throughout the game,” Anthonio said, “and play like every point is a game-point match.”

Pierce hits the road to play the Antelope Valley Marauders today at 6 p.m. and then will try to seek redemption as they play Santa Barbara in the conference home opener Friday at 7 p.m.

The Pierce College Brahmas played a well planned out game to tie 1-1 with the Fresno City College Rams who were the third ranked team in the state going into the matchup Sept. 26.

The Rams started out strong with a lot of ball movement and spacing. Pierce then started to apply pressure on Fresno. Despite the flashy dribbling and footwork the Rams provided it would be Pierce that would strike first in the 13th minute.

The Brahmas would get a free kick from about 35 yards out from defender Stephanie Alcazar that was centered into the box. The ball was then put in the back of the net with a header from Marissa Albano that deflected off the defender before going in to give Pierce a 1-0 lead.

Rams coach Oliver Germond talked about his team facing a deficit against the Brahmas.

“This was the first game that

Going into halftime the Brahmas had a one goal lead and were looking sharp in trying to upset the third ranked team in the state.

In the start of the second half both teams came out strong. The Brahmas were doing a good job of their ball possession and the Rams were counterattacking effectively.

Fresno finally tied the game up in the 65th minute. Rams midfielder DJ Ortiz sent a cross down the middle and fellow midfielder Vanessa Penuna finished it off with a striking header in the bottom left corner to tie the game.

The Brahmas had some opportunities to take the lead again but both defenses would remain strong until the end of the game.

Pierce coach Adolfo Perez had a positive outlook after the game whose team came very close to pulling off the upset.

“I feel we did excellent. Tactically, we did good,” Perez said. “We could have won.”

Albano who scored her first goal

of the season felt good as the team heads into conference play Tuesday against Moorpark College.

“We have a good bond as a team that will help us go a long way this season,” Albano said.

Notes: Pierce (4-2-3) will take on Moorpark College in the conference opener at home Tuesday. Last season Pierce clinched the Western State Conference North Division Championship title against the Raiders on the road last year.

Injury Update: Sophomore forward Kiana Riles who broke her left cheekbone against Long Beach City College hasn’t played in two weeks and her return is uncertain.

Erick Ceron / Roundup

Paige Wolny has gone from relative unknown to a force behind the soccer teamʼs recent success.

“She scored 99.9 percent of our goals so she’s very important.

-Adolfo Perez Pierce College soccer coach.

Home not too sweet at the net Brahmas fall in tournament nal to Santa Barbara

Matthew Robinson Roundup Reporter

No. 3 Fresno puts in late goal

Luis Ayala Roundup Reporter

“Next time we play them we need to make sure we keep the same flow throughout.”

-Azeezat Anthonio Pierce middle blocker

Diego Barajas / Roundup Pierce middle blockers Chelsea Lawrence and Alex Bowman attempt to redirect a shot by Vaqueros outside hitter Lea Michaels.

“I feel we did excellent. Tactically, we did good.”

-Adolfo Perez Pierce College soccer coach.

Vaqueros trample Pierce

Two straight home losses a rst since return to John Shepard Stadium

Things only got worse for the Pierce College football team Saturday night.

Visiting Glendale College scored 62 unanswered points before the Brahmas could get on the scoreboard and squashed Pierce 62-7 .

Wide receiver Courtney Fowler scored on a sweep to the left for 23 yards to make the score 10-0.

As soon as the second quarter began, running back Tru Jarvis scored another touchdown with a one yard run.

The Pierce defense had one of its most embarrassing games in the program’s history giving up 418 rushing yards and 522 yards in total offense.

“We need to stick together and hold each other up because that’s what sports is about,” running back Robert Fowlkes said who scored Pierce’s only touchdown.

“It’s team commodity and holding each other up together and achieving one common goal.”

Former pupil of Perez making saves

Pierce CSUNgetscoach

Manuel Rios Roundup Reporter

From the sound of the ball leaving a cleat to the sound it makes as it touches the back of the net, the game is all too familiar for him.

In his first season with Pierce College, goalkeeping coach Juan Plascencia has felt right at home. A veteran coach of 16 years, Plascencia has previously coached at high schools Notre Dame and Harvard Westlake as well as California State University, Northridge. (CSUN)

Coach Plascencia first realized his love for coaching in the late 90s, coaching at Louisville High School while still playing soccer for CSUN.

“It was pretty much a job just to make some extra money and I found out that I really enjoyed it and here I am,” Plascencia said.

Making his way through the ranks, Plascencia coached multiple teams, eventually ending up at his alma mater. Perez said that after having been at CSUN for about seven years, Plascencia and the school parted ways, making him

Brahma Week of the

available for this season

“They went in a different direction and they let him go. We are so blessed to have him,” Perez said. “I talked to him and we needed a goalie coach.”

The adjustment for Plascencia has been relatively easy, having played under coach Adolfo Perez when he was about 16 or 17 years old. Coaching at Pierce for the past month, Plascencia has quickly come to understand his role on the team. He feels the players have become accustomed to his way of coaching and having a good relationship with coach Perez makes it easier to understand what is wanted of him.

“Every coach is a little bit different in how they work. I definitely have that specialty for the goalkeeper, having been a goalkeeper myself,” Plascencia said. “I think I can bring a little bit more to the goalkeeper and give them special attention.”

Coach Plascencia said he is here to help the players improve their game while preparing them for opportunities beyond Pierce.

“My personal goal is for the goalkeepers to keep developing to keep improving everyday,” Plascencia said. “The one ultimate goal is that they become successful and they have options after they are done with their career at Pierce.”

Throughout the game Pierce was riddled with penalties. The teams had a chance to get a first down after a run on a fake punt on fourth down but that was called back after a holding violation. The lack of discipline showed for the Brahmas who had 161 yards lost on 14 penalties.

“We need to basically watch film a little bit more, be ready for any surprises or anything like that,” Fowlkes said.

Vaqueros quarterback Andre Nunez played like an extra running back on the field and led Glendale with 16 rushes for 122 yards. To go along with his run game, Nunez in the air was 14-19 on 102 yards and threw two touchdowns.

“I think we executed fabulously and offense and defense played good,” Nunez said.

The offensive inconsistency

continued for Pierce. Touted sophomore Mike Adens who played in his first game of the season threw an interception on his first pass of the game and finished the game 2-9 with 11 yards and two interceptions.

It was only on the last drive that Pierce was able to move the ball capped by a one yard run from Fowlkes with 27 seconds remaining.

“I feel really good, I’m just really happy that our offense was really starting to click,” Fowlkes said.

Coach Efrain Martinez is looking for answers to improve his team whose record is now 1-2.

“We have to improve someway somehow,” Martinez said. “We have to make that happen, we have to help our players get better.”

The next game for Pierce will be on the road against West LA on Oct. 4 as they look to end their two game slide. The kickoff will start at 1 p.m.

Rachel

- Position: Center Waterpolo

How do you feel about being named player of the week?

Ecstatic I feel honored.

What was it like getting that first win of the season after the previous week’s loss to Citrus? How did the team play effectively?

I felt bad. It’s hard playing teams that aren’t strong

What keeps you focused in the pool and into the game?

When you’re in the game and you’re just in the moment. Also what keeps me in the game is quality over quantity

Do you think your teammates and coaches rely on you?

Yes, I think they rely on me for my knowledge of the sport. I started playing in high school, but after high school I quit and now I’m coming out of retirement to get back into shape.

What’s your favorite memory while playing for the Brahmas thus far?

Swimming because it’s the most painful and you remember the pain, you definitely remember the pain

What do you think the team will accomplish this season?

Strength. I think we’ll be contenders but right now is a building year. I don’t feel we’re up to par to win a championship.

“We have to improve someway somehow. We have to make that happen, we have to help our players get better.

-Efrain Martinez Pierce football coach

Santiago Svidler Roundup Reporter

Alderman

Freshman water polo center Whitney Alderman scored nine out of 20 goals last week against the Santa Monica Corsairs. She is a 19-year-old majoring in business and has now been playing water polo for six years.

– Interview by Megan Moureaux

Diego Barajas / Roundup Center Whitney Alderman was a standout in last weekʼs 20-9 win over Santa Monica.

Diego Barajas / Roundup

Brahmas wide receiver Earl Hargrove makes the catch but is quickly pursued by Glendale linebackers Chris Riley and Dominick Bell.