Volume 121 Fall 2014 Roundup Issue 3

ASO leader hopes to unite campus

President-elect works to bring students together

Kieran MacIntyre Roundup Reporter

Alex Oloo walks into the Associated Students Organization (ASO) office and greets everyone he can with a smile on his face that never seems to disappear. A student standing near the front desk is looking to find information for joining a club, Oloo approaches and asks how he can help.

Oloo, ASO president, is working toward making a difference in student involvement at Pierce and is excited for what the semester will bring by involving himself in anyway possible.

“Alex is amazing. So far he has put forth as much effort that can be ask of a student if not more,” Christene D’anca, ASO faculty adviser, said. “He attends all the meetings, even the ones he doesn’t need to attend.”

Oloo is constantly involved with student affairs and goes to the ASO office almost daily. He does what he is required to do and does more than what is asked of him, D’anca said.

“He’s extremely personable, which I really like about him. He is soft spoken but definitely makes his presence known,” D’anca said.

When Oloo talks about what he does for Pierce he lights up with an enthusiasm that can be seen only in someone who is truly driven to do good however they can.

“Alex is amazing. So far he has put forth as much effort that can be asked of a student if not more.”

-Christene D’anca ASO Faculty Adviser

Oloo has started to work on applications for schools he wants to transfer to, majoring in political science, with UCLA at top of his list. Oloo has interest in going into the field of international relations.

Oloo was involved in the student senate for two years before he was elected president in July 2014. He works towards making every students experience a memorable one even if it doesn’t require them to be in a club.

“The college has supported me a lot, and it is time to give back to the community,” Oloo said. “To do that was to go for the position and offer my services. I want to better the student life and anyone else who is involved with campus.”

Student interaction is his key goal as ASO president and he looks forward to making a difference to all students attending Pierce by finding new ways to involve them in campus life.

“I felt every class I take I see people from those classes the next semester and they don’t talk to me as if we had never met,” Oloo said. “I want to improve upon that and make it so we can all talk to each other and enjoy the school.”

Oloo has not only gotten help from the other ASO officers, but from Pierce administration as well.

“The support from the admin is quite amazing, even in the first four weeks,” Oloo said. “We want to help [administration] achieve their goals that can help us all.”

Oloo wants to increase the number of students attending government meetings and create activities that are beneficial for the students such as lectures and get the faculty involved to help students understand what they need to do as students to better the college, Oloo said.

While working to build a stronger relationship between students and Pierce, Oloo is receiving the support from faculty members on campus.

“He’s great, very organized and very attentive to student needs and concerns and I look forward to working with him the rest of the semester,” said Curtis Smith ASO faculty adviser.

Oloo has shown to be a student with drive and an output of positivity that doesn’t hide a president overwhelmed, but a president ready to take it all on if not help in anyway he can.

Pierce receives state money $1.9 million given for new hires and other needs

Pierce College will receive $1.9 million from the state for new hires and instructional equipment, Pierce College President Kathleen Burke said at the Academic Senate Meeting on Monday, Oct. 6, in the Great Hall. New custodians and an additional custodial supervisor will be paid for with $1 million while maintenance and instructional equipment will use the remaining $900,000.

“This money has been given to us and we want to spend it now because we don’t want it to go away,” Pierce College President Kathleen Burke said.

The custodial staff has seen a lot of turnover in recent years, according to Burke.

“When we go into that budget downturn, that is the population that does not get replaced,” Burke said. “And that’s how our custodian ranks get quite thin.”

Burke already approved new hires because of the incoming money. Five will be custodians, and one will be a custodial supervisor, Burke said.

“I’m glad it’s happening,” Custodial Supervisor Charles Carter said. “It’s well overdue.”

Other colleges in the LACCD have a larger custodial staff than Pierce, and they are better able to deal with campus upkeep, Carter said.

“It is a problem when you don’t have enough people,” Carter said.

With a lot of ground to cover, Pierce supervisors need to prioritize what areas on campus get taken care of.

“Restrooms are priority,” Carter said.

It’s been a long time since Pierce hired new custodial staff, Carter said. It will interview for the new custodial positions beginning Friday, Oct. 10.

In other news, Admissions and

Records will hire more staff to process the upcoming wave of newstudent applications.

“Now it is time to start bringing the number of people in Admissions and Records back up,” Burke said. “They’ve got more applications to process and more students to process.”

Members of the senate expressed hope that new hires in Admissions and Records would speed up its various services.

But Pierce’s Wi-Fi needs immediate attention, according to Instructor of Computer Applications and Office Technologies Joe Perret. “It just sucks,” Perret said. “It’s just so bad.”

Diego Barajas / Roundup

Ramin Yousef Zamani and John Del Valle jam together infront of the Mall on a concrete table. The two men decided to play music together after the last time they met, Del Valle said.

Diego Barajas / Roundup

Alex Oloo, is the new Associated Students Organization president.

Jaël Allen Roundup Reporter

Kate Vaughn / Roundup

Kathleen Burke, president of Pierce College, presents the College Administrative Report.

STREET BEAT

Responses to the petition to investigate the closing of the Farm Center

Responses to the petition to investigate the closing of the Farm Center

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, states there are “conflicts of interest that appear to lie at the heart of this action.”

“Our family and neighbors have grown up with Pierce Farm Center. It’s an education in itself for the kids to walk through the farm area and enjoy the various animals, to see sheep being sheared, the piglets, horses even to see corn growing. Most kids know you can get corn at the store but have no idea how it’s grown.”

-Margaret Harris Woodland Hills, Calif.

“I helped the McBroom family attain this dream after meeting them in an annual Halloween Fundraiser. After being away a few years, I saw the festival last year and was so happily amazed at the attendance and good cheer. Removing this with nothing to put in its place is a huge mistake and a slap in the face to the small businessman and the community.”

-Joseph Shannon Concord, NC

“I am and have been an employee of the Pierce College Farm Center over the last six years, as well as many friends and family members of mine. This place has been a huge part of so many peoples lives and has nothing but a positive impact on our community. Getting rid of this amazing facility would do more harm than good.”

-Desirae

Lupien

Canoga Park, Calif.

“I went to Pierce college, great school. And I take my kids to the Farm Walk every year. There are so few places to go as a family in the west valley. This is a great place. We also get our pumpkins there every year as well. Plus, it’s one of the only places in the valley that teaches animal education to kids and teens.”

-Mark DiNatale Los Angeles, Calif.

Antiquated add slips are an annoyance

People in the modern world communicate electronically. However, Pierce College students still add classes during the semester the old fashioned way - they turn in professor-signed, paper add slips inperson to the Admissions and Records office. Pierce College should have updated its late-period, class-adding system a long time ago.

The problem with bringing paper add slips to the Admissions and Records office is that it takes a long time. Wait times during the first two weeks of the semester were typically more than one hour. Lines wrapped around the building like it was the premier of the year’s most anticipated movie.

However, the line was anything but entertaining. It was like waiting in a security line at the airport, but without the exotic destination on the other end.

The solution to the long lines is an electronic class-adding system.

Other Los Angeles-area community colleges, such as Santa Monica College and Glendale Community College, already have electronic classadding systems. Cal. State Northridge (CSUN) does, as well.

Their systems let students get a code from the professor and use it to add the class online.

Pierce could also bring back its wait list system. Students used to put themselves on wait lists if the class they were trying to add was filled up before the semester started. If a spot in the class opened up in the first two weeks of the semester, the students on the wait list were automatically added to the class without a visit to the Admissions and Records office.

But a new system is the best solution.

Pierce has a brand-new Student Information System (SIS) in the works which will modernize its class-adding process, according to Dean of Student Services Marco De La Garza. However, current students will not be able to use it until spring, 2016.

But for most Pierce students, the modern world is now. We communicate on miniature computers that fit inside our pockets, and we want to use that technology to add classes after the semester has started.

The people in Admissions and Records did their best, but the system was set up for them to fail. There simply weren’t enough people behind the counter to expedite the process in a timely manner.

But if students had the option to use a professor-obtained code that they could use top add the class online themselves, the cumulative hours wasted by students waiting in line would have been reduced completely.

Other LA area community colleges, such as Santa Monica College and Glendale Community College, already have electronic class-adding systems. Cal. State Northridge (CSUN) also offers an electronic system.

Pierce does have a new Student Information System (SIS) coming in the future which will update the class-adding process, but current students won’t be able to use it until spring, 2016.

For most of us that’s too little, too late, as we’ll be in either a four-year university or the real world, where administrative paperwork is already a thing of the past.

Men must police themselves to cutback harassment

nmcnamara.roundupnews@gmail.com

Gov. Jerry Brown’s signing of the affirmative consent law is a step forward in improving the prosecution of sexual assaults on college campuses and counseling for the victims, but it is only part of the solution.

The other part is for men to understand and correct our actions.

The “yes-means-yes” law now changes the legal definition of consent to require participants to acquire “an affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity.”

The law is an attempt to reduce the number of sexual assaults on college campuses, which one in five undergraduate women had attempted or completed against them, according to a 2012 report by the Center for Disease Control.

The effects it has on the victims are devastating and long-lasting, if not perpetual.

Victims are three times more likely to suffer from depression, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol, 26

One in five women are victims of attempted or completed sexual

times more likely to abuse drugs and four times more likely to contemplate suicide, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. We as men need to understand our part in all of this.

Female rape survivors were attacked by men 98.1 percent of the time and male rape survivors were attacked by men 93 percent of the time, according to the 2011 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

And while cisgender men are equally likely to experience sexual harassment as cisgender women on college campuses, men commit sexual harassment at a 20 percent higher rate than women, according to a 2006 study by the American Association of University Women.

Flydoskope by Tobennh Dacanay

Men are 20 percent more likely to sexually harass fellow students

In addition, LGBT students are 12 percent more likely to be harassed than heterosexuals and cisgender students.

Pierce College students are not innocent of these offenses, either. Just last semester a woman was assaulted by a man assisting her with her car battery.

The Roundup has been approached with student complaints about harassment walking around campus or through the gym.

And just last week I witnessed two tall students accosting every woman wearing vaguely revealing clothes for their phone numbers and laughing at their intimidated reactions.

What one is wearing is not an invitation for harassment or assault, nor is a friendly smile.

This harassment creates a hostile

LGBT students are 12 percent more likely to be harassed on campus

environment for the women who just want to attend class and study, and those who do this regularly need to reevaluate their behaviors

But aside from the obvious necessity for men to stop harassing or assaulting, the rest of us need to stop this behavior when we see it. Those who stand by and do nothing or laugh along with the jokes enable abusers and are complicit in this harassment. They allow the perpetrators to think their actions are acceptable.

It’s time for men to put an end to these actions and police those around us as much as possible. Not just at Pierce, but in all locations. The only way to reduce these numbers is to change our behavior.

tlanimator@gmail.com

-Corrections-

Volume 121 Issue 2

Page 2: The headline for the pro and con should say plastic bag ban, not paper bag ban.

Page 4: The quote in the pull-quote is by Adam Werner, not Jean Ross.

Page 8: The players of the week is named Whitney Alderman, not Rachel Alderman.

Quotes gathered by Nick McNamara

Nick McNamara

Illustration by Nick Part

Lovebirds Cafe lease to end soon e Libray / Learning Crossroads cafeteria’s only occupant uncertain if it will return next year

Nicollette Ashtiani Roundup Reporter

The only business in Pierce College’s

Library / Learning

Crossroads cafeteria might not be open next semester.

Lovebirds Cafe’s lease expires in December, which would leave the cafeteria without any vendors.

Lovebirds Cafe owner wants to keep the Pierce location open.

“We are interested in renewal and we have expressed it,” Lovebirds Cafe owner John Jomehri said. “I believe Pierce feels the same.”

Jomehri said a three to five-year lease would be ideal. He said such a deal would allow the cafe to offer more kinds of food than it does now.

“With a long-term contract we will expand our menu, “ he said. “Introduce hot meals, have more ‘grab and go’

options, have a better seating arrangement and better design.”

He said that a long-term deal would also let the cafe stock more healthy food options than they do now.

“We also noticed that many students at Pierce are more health conscious,” Jomehri said. ”So we will be expanding our organic, healthy and ‘socially correct’ products.”

If Lovebirds Cafe does not renew its lease, then the Library / Learning Crossroads cafeteria will not have any vendors.

There are no potential tenants on the horizon, according to Associate Vice President of Enterprise Larry Kraus.

“It’s rough,” he said. “Hopefully they will stay. If not, we will have to begin looking for new vendors.”

Setting up the cafeteria and looking for new vendors is time consuming and

costly, according to Kraus.

He said tenants need a special contract and have to work around more bureaucracy than

when operating off-campus.

“Finding vendors who are familiar with the school environment and schedule is

difficult,” Kraus said. “Every semester changes in regards to holidays and breaks. It’s nice to have an operation that is familiar with the school schedule and system.”

The six other Lovebirds Cafe locations throughout Los Angeles are doing well, according to Kraus.

“We actually discovered them through West LA College,” he said. “They do well there.”

But Sonia Monterroso, manager at Pierce’s Lovebirds Cafe, said the location on campus is doing fine.

“The business seems to be

doing pretty well,” she said.

“Students here are nicer than the ones at West LA College, and seem to enjoy themselves here.”

However, some Pierce students did not know the cafe existed.

“I had no idea that there even was a cafe,” Pierce Student Caitlyn Phillipe said. “I wish I had known, it would have been nice to have gone to someplace different on campus.”

However, Jomehri said they have yet to market the cafe.

“The main reason we have not started any marketing is because of lack of cold storage in the back area,” Jomehri said. “We don’t want to bring the customers in and not be able to give them fast, friendly and efficient service.”

Students who frequent Loverbirds Cafe want it to stay.

“Lovebirds Cafe is my favorite,” Pierce Student David Sekiguchr said. “I really wouldn’t want to see them go.”

Pre-Veterinary Club philanthropy helps students in need

Donations to Walking Shield give shoes, clothes and supplies to Native Americans - with a catch

Vanessa Arredondo Roundup Reporter

The Pierce College PreVeterinary Club “adopted” 300 children from the Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota and Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux tribe of South Dakota as part of its annual involvement with the Walking Shield program.

Each year Walking Shield donates to two of the most impoverished Native American tribes, according to Pre-Veterinary Club officer Linnea Norton.

“Most of the time they’re living in little shacks,” she said. “We’re a first world country, but we have little pockets of third world countries on our Native American reservations.”

Since 1987, Pierce College has been adopting an average of around 250-300 children per year.

It’s donated a backpack full of supplies to each child, but with one caveat - the student must stay in school the entire year to get the donations.

“We try to provide incentive for them to get an education,” Department Chair of Agriculture and Natural Science Leland Shapiro said. “If they get an education they can come back and be the role

models for future generations.”

Students and faculty can participate by adopting a child and filling a backpack for them with basic essentials like toiletries, toys, blankets, shoes, and clothing. Individual item and monetary donations are also accepted.

“That time of year coming up where it gets below zero degrees, so we have to get them really warm clothing,” Pre-Veterinary Club Vice President and Walking Shield Program Coordinator Ashley

Gomes said. “Basically, anything essential they could need, we give to these children every year.”

Walking Shield was founded in 1986 by Phil Stevens, who is of Sioux heritage. The program takes its name from Stevens’ Lakota name. Stevens used money he earned as an engineer to help impoverished Native Americans.

Shapiro said he contacted Stevens after he visited Pine Ridge Reservation and wtinessed the hardships people there faced. “I’m a teacher,” Shapiro said. “I want to encourage education.”

The Pre-Veterinary Club was

created from the Dairy Club by Shapiro after he noticed that many of his students went on to veterinary school. Both clubs emphasized charity work and provided tools and guidance for agricultural majors.

“You cannot be a good veterinarian without three passions - you have to love animals, you have to love science, and the third one, most people don’t realize, you have to love people,” Shapiro said. “You have to be a compassionate human being for other human beings. A true animal lover is a true person lover.”

Donations of toiletries, toys, blankets, shoes, clothing, and

similar items can be dropped off through Nov. 4 at the RVT Clinic, which is adjacent to the Center for Sciences building, and in the first floor of the library.

By Saturday, Nov. 8, the backpacks will be moved to Walking Shield headquarters in Orange County before delivery to the reservations.

“I think the best charity you can give somebody is education,” Shapiro said. “Make them smart enough that they can earn enough money, that they can give to somebody else.”

For more information contact the Pre-Veterinary Club at prevet.

and Records lines wrap around building

Admissions

Pierce College students who added classes during fall semester’s first two weeks waited in hour-long lines that wrapped halfway around the Student Services building.

Some students waited for more than one hour. Others had to come back the next day.

“The line depends on the volume of how many add cards each instructor gives out,” Dean of Student Services Marco De La Garza said “And it depends on when students come.”

Staffing also played a factor in the long lines, according to De La Garza. He said students began lining up in the morning, but more and more came throughout the day, which made things difficult during break time.

“When [students] come right in the middle of lunch or in between breaks, the challenge is there’s only a few windows open versus having

8 to 9 windows open,” he said.

“And that’s what slows down the process.”

But students also played a part in the long lines, according to De La Garza. He said many students attempted to add classes they were not eligible for, and other needed to drop certain classes before they could add new ones.

“That kind of a traffic causes delays,” he said.

Math Professor Zhila Tabatabai thought having more staff in the Admissions and Records office would have shortened the lines.

“If they have more people to take care of that they can solve the problem,” he said. “But maybe the problem is the budget and they don’t have enough people to put in that task to help the students.”

22-year-old student Nina Sabado felt the same way.

“I think the process is kind of long and I think its unfair to some students,” she said. “I think they can probably hire more staff people to speed up the line.”

De La Garza acknowledged the limitations of his staff.

“We can not get the line down to 15-20 minutes because if we have limited staff, then that takes longer,” he said.

22-year-old Geology major Sonny Sacks said welcomed the idea of a changed system.

“I do think if something can be changed, it should be changed,” he said.

20-year-old Dance major Sarah Elias said felt similarly to Sacks.

“Honestly, I feel like it’s a little out-dated,” she said. “Just get the permission online to submit it through the registration program that we’ve all been using for the past three years.”

However, a new Student Information System (SIS) is being worked on to make the class-adding process faster, according to De La Garza.

“The one that we have right now is sort of old and antiquated,” he said. “When the new SIS comes on board there will be no more paper

incident report

Sept. 28 - Oct. 4

Compiled by: Seth Perlstein

–

9-29—Petty Theft – An iPhone 5 was stolen from a student’s backpack sometime between 8:00 a.m. and 9:20 a.m in BUS 3218.

9-30—Petty Theft – A tablet was stolen from a student in the Libray / Learning Crossroads when she walked away from it for a few minutes at 1:30 p.m.

10-3—Hit and Run – An unknown driver hit a vehicle and fled the scene in Parkilng Lot 4 around 1:00 p.m.

Pierce College Sheriff’s Station

General Information:

(818) 719 - 6450

Emergency:

“We are interested in renewal and we have expressed it”

-John Jomehri Lovebirds Cafe Owner

Laura Chen / Roundup

Sudents eat lunch at Lovebirds Cafe. If the cafe does not renew its lease by December, the cafeteria will be empty.

“I think the best charity you can give somebody is education.”

-Leland Shapiro

Cristina Pimentel

Roundup Reporter

The new elected ASO treasurer

Working towards uniting students on campus

He wants students to enjoy college life and the activites that are offered at Pierce.

“I want to make a difference and use my vote,” McGee said.

The new Associated Student Organization (ASO) treasurer at Pierce College beats the odds by making a difference.

Walking through the ASO office ready to start his day he mentally prepares himself for whatever comes his way.

Michael McGee is majoring in political science and is currently in his third year at Pierce .

He has served in the ASO senate for the past three college semesters and was elected to office this past spring.

McGee, was born in Fresno, Calif. and was raised in Hawaii where he was diagnosed with Dyslexia.

He had to learn how to look at his diagnosis as a gift rather than a burden in his life.

“It was hard growing up because I had to work twice as hard within the classroom and fight even harder for proper access to academic help,” McGee said.

“I found dyslexia to be a gift that builds toughness and adds a unique perspective on learning. Ultimately my condition is challenging, but not impossible.”

McGee decided to run for office because he wanted to get involved and influence school policy.

“The beginning of the fall semester can be slow but I’m looking forward to implementing our good ideas. I’m anxious to get started.”

As ASO treasurer McGee, runs the finance meetings and oversees

between classes for students to have a break.

McGee would also like to lower parking fees and add more student involvement on campus.

“Who would not love to work with Michael McGee? He is a teddy bear,” said Chair of Rules and Lobby committee, Ali Asghar.

Former ASO Vice President Jonathan Vazquez feels the same way about McGee.

“He is charismatic which is why I think he won the election in the first place. He is really a people person. He can talk to anyone and instantly make friends,” said Vazquez.

“He is a pretty good guy to work with. I hope he does good things as treasurer.”

When his term ends spring 2015, McGee aims to lay a foundation for the future.

the allocation of funds.

McGee possesses one of the four votes in the finance meetings deciding whether to approve finance requests for clubs or departments.

The finance committee run by McGee is a recommending body to the Pierce College senate.

“I want to get involved and help change policies.” McGee said.

He hopes to adjust certain policies, passing time between classes, parking fees and student involvement.

He wishes to add more time

McGee currently boasts a 3.5 GPA and hopes to transfer to UCLA, UC Davis, or UC Berkeley in Fall, 2015.

His goal is to find a job in public service or business.

All finance meetings are open to the public. Located at Library Learning Crossroads Building in Room 5100 on Tuesday’s at 2:30 p.m.

For more information, visit pierceaso.webs.com

ASO Club Council president shines through

Seeking new horizons, while she learns along the way to success

Walking down the Pierce College Mall, it’s hard not to notice the abundance of booths and smiling faces.

Club Rush is in full-effect, and much of its success is owed to one young student.

Lakshika Ruwanpathirana, 17, is the new president of the Associated Students Organization’s (ASO) Club Council.

Born in Sri Lanka, she has been attending Pierce since 2013 and had previously served as an ASO senator last spring.

She embraces the responsibilities of her new position, as well as those that manifest in her academics.

She simply wants to do as much as she can at Pierce.

“I do everything, Pierce College,” Ruwanpathirana said.

During her childhood, Ruwanpathirana attended a Britishrun school in Sri Lanka where she began learning English at 2 years old.

She is bilingual, speaking both English and Sri Lanka’s national language, Sinhala.

“I think I’m more fluent in English than my own language,” Ruwanpathirana said.

Ruwanpathirana has been in the United States since she obtained her residency permit in 2012.

Her early education in Sri Lanka allowed her to become a full-time college student at a younger age than most.

As Club Council president, Ruwanpathirana oversees all the clubs and organizes any events involving them.

“I take care of the clubs, advise them, and give them guidance,” Ruwanpathirana said.

“The council constantly has meetings with the club reps where we discuss upcoming events and ideas.”

She has to maintain a close relationship with the clubs and their representatives, as they must work together to reach their goals.

“I want to be a leader,” Ruwanpathirana said. “But I don’t really want to command them too much. I want to get to know what they want to do so that we can have a mutual relationship and benefit each other.”

Curtis Smith, who doubles as the Assessment Director at Pierce and the ASO Adviser, has been

ASO vice president steps down Still making a di erence

Kitty Rodriguez Features Editor

her dedication to school and to the Club Council.

“I’m so impressed with her. She attends classes here and at Valley College, and she decided to take this position. She’s shown how coordinated she is,” Oloo said.

“She’s very young, but she’s somebody who’s up for any challenge,” Oloo said.

On top of all of her other endeavors, Ruwanpathirana takes time to help students one-on-one as an English tutor at Pierce.

She also loves math and chemistry, both of which are heavily applied in chemical engineering.

“I’m a nerd,” Ruwanpathirana said with a laugh.

Outside of her busy scholastic schedule, Ruwanpathirana is an avid music fan.

She enjoys going to concerts, where she has first learned about advertising and promotion.

She played the piano for about six years, though now she claims to be out of practice with the instrument.

“[Piano] was a hobby. I didn’t want to major in it. I just wanted to enjoy it,” Ruwanpathirana said.

The elected ASO vice president Jonathan Vazquez recently stepped down from his position as officer and becomes the new clerk for the Associated Student Organization at Pierce College.

Vazquez prepared for the semester to the best of his best abilities, but it did not take long for him to realize that he was not meeting the required 2.0 GPA for the position. Although Vazquez was unable to fulfill the vice presidential role, he still sees this as a learning opportunity with friend Alex Oloo assuming his responsibilities.

“So far so good, it’s interesting,” Vasquez said. “It gives me a better responsibility and I feel like I still have a part of the student government.”

Now as clerk Vazquez helps maintain the student organization by writing the minutes in which he attends the academic senate meetings on campus and records times the information discussed. The information is then made into a list that is given to all the senators in ASO and is reviewed in their meetings and kept on file by staying on top of what is going on at Pierce.

impressed with Ruwanpathirana in her short time as Club Council president.

“She’s responsible, motivated, and Club Rush this year was probably better than it was last fall,” Smith said.

“In the fall, we renew charters for clubs, and it’s a challenge to get that done.”

Ruwanpathirana was also a member of several other clubs last semester, including the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society and the International Students Club. She said that being in those clubs

helped inspire her to pursue the Club Council presidency.

However, her main inspiration to become Club Council president came from her time in the ASO senate.

The previous Club Council president also motivated her, and showed her how she was able to manage school work and extra curricular activites.

“It was my decision. I knew I wanted to be president,” Ruwanpathirana said.

“It’s a lot of duties and responsibilities, but I don’t take it

as a burden.”

Straight-A student and a chemical engineering major, Ruwanpathirana wants to transfer to the University of California, Berkeley. She wants to inspire her peers to believe that it is possible to balance their classes with multiple extracurricular activities and a social life.

“I have big dreams,” Ruwanpathirana said through a smile.

ASO President Alex Oloo commended Ruwanpathirana for

Ruwanpathirana has a brother who she currently lives with. Their parents are also residents of the United States, but they are currently living in Sri Lanka for business reasons.

Accepting and overcoming challenges is the name of the game for Ruwanpathirana.

She wants to do everything she can to help her school and hopes that all students appreciate Pierce as highly as she does.

“I want students to remember Pierce College,” Ruwanpathirana said.

“When they graduate from USC or UCLA, I want them to say: ‘We are Pierce Brahmas.”

“It was a change but its also another way to suite ASO and to actually participate in it. I help keep track of the student government,” Vasquez said.

Vazquez would still consider rerunning for vice president for next semester depending of his class schedule but has been a part of ASO for the past three semesters. He currently is working towards transferring to the University of California, Davis where he ideally wants to attend and enjoys spending time with his friends in his free time. The new ASO vice president was announced Tuesday afternnon at the Great Hall.

“I want to see the future of ASO and how well grow from last semester,” Vasquez said.

Diego Barajas / Roundup

Michael McGee is the new treasurer of Association Student Organization at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif., Oct. 6, 2014.

“Who wouldn’t love to work with Michael, he’s a teddy bear.”

-Ali Asghar Chair of Rules and Lobby committee

Jordan Williams Roundup Reporter

Andrew Escobar Roundup Reporter

“I’m so impressed with her. She attends Valley College and Pierce and she still decided to take this position. She’s shown how coordinated she really is.”

-Alex Oloo ASO President

David Paz / Roundup

Lakshika Ruwanpathirana, ASO club counsel president, poses for a portrait by the library of Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif. Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014.

Going for Baroque Going for Baroque

Los Angeles Baroque Players reunite for Pierce audience

instruments focus mainly on tonality and fewer keys, while more contemporary versions of these instruments focus on accentuation and numerous keys to stand out in orchestra environments.

The Los Angeles

Baroque Players cut through a dry autumn afternoon like a smooth breeze on Oct. 2, performing a number of classical compositions in MUS 3400, using instruments of time-honored tradition.

The quartet, comprised of baroque flute player Anthony Brazier, baroque violin player Adriana Zoppo, baroque oboe player Paul Sherman, and harpsichord player Jeffrey Lavner, took the stage with momentous presence comparable to 16th century instrumentalists.

Host of the Thursday Concert Series and Adjunct Music Instructor James Bergman paid his respects to the group which perform each semester, and begin the show with a little explanation about the type of music displayed for the audience.

“As music has changed overtime, the instruments have changed over time,” Bergman said. “Today we’re going to hear some of the old instruments.”

The most basic definition of Baroque style music is classic Western Art that came just before the renaissance era. Baroque

By using fewer keys, the Baroque players can dictate the emotion of each instrument without the need of an entire orchestra. This style is better for smaller groups.

Baroque oboe player Paul Sherman went into more detail about how the emotion is influenced by the pauses and breaks in Baroque compositions.

“The instruments are quite different, and the music is quite different as well,” Sherman said. “There is a lot of pause for emotion.”

“The idea for the audience is to either throw tomatoes, or clap wildly,” Sherman jokingly added. Ironically it turned out most of the audience misinterpreted that line, because they immediately started clapping after the first pause in the composition, almost completely interrupting the performance.

After the group had finished their first musical piece, a timeless Baroque piece titled “Sonata IV op.34” by Joseph Boudin de Boismortier, it was apparent that most of the audience had never heard this style of music before. Even still, the novice crowd was more than gratuitous, giving ovations after every composition with some of the

audience humming and even tapping there feet along to the music.

The group followed the Sonata with four more compositions, with each member of the group explaining a little bit about their instrument before playing a new piece.

Baroque flute player Anthony Brazier explained the main differences between modern and baroque flute playing styles.

“The [baroque] flutes were actually softer,” Brazier said. “The modern flute was invented to cut through live orchestra.”

Baroque music was often played

in open environments with small groups of musicians who memorized there notes rather than reading sheet music due to the limited choice of keys.

This unique niche of classical music offered concert-goers a little taste of tradition as well as a subtle mix of variations, tone changes, and passionate emotion.

The upcoming Thursday Concert Series will feature the dynamic Eshagi brothers, performing Persian compositions with specialty percussion instruments on Oct. 9 in MUS 3400.

Identifying themselves as Latino, not Hispanic, Fernando Oleas Chair of Modern Language Department, and James McKeever Assistant Professor hold a viewing of the documentary “Which Way Home” in the Great Hall.

The documentary follows children on their 1,450 mile journey trying to escape Central America in hopes of making it to The United States. Children as young as 9-years-old travel to be reunited with their parents. assitant professor of sociology James McKeever explains the difficulty migrants face.

“The family here is struggling, they send $100, it’s a lot there but not alot in the U.S,” McKeever said.

Children hop the trains, which they call “The Beast” through rocky terrain, thick forests, and dry desert lands.

Here they will keep a watchful eye out for border patrol who will beat, and rob them of their few valuables.

Desperately trying to stay awake, as they can slide off and plummet to their death and ducking down not to get struck by upcoming tunnels, the migrants make there way to the U.S.

Two boys were struck, and killed instantly, spilling body parts all over the train tracks.

A red Beta pick-up truck patrols along side the train. Beta is an organization that is made up of federal, state and city officers who protect migrants from robbers, crooked cops, and to give a helping hand.

“Be careful, and never trust a smuggler,” Beta officer said.

Continuing their journey with sleeping mats strapped to their backs, begging for food, and smoking cigarettes.

Sometimes lucky enough to get into a privately run shelter which

is a safe haven, and renovates to migrants what dangers to expect.

“Many of you will die on the way to America, some of you will never see your families again, some of you will never return to your country and few will make it,” founder of House of migrants Memo Ramirez Garduza said.

The two boys meet new friends on the train and decide to travel together.

Jairo 14-years-old, and Yurico 16-years-old. He tells the route they will take on the beast to reach The United States.

“We will go from here to Ixtepec, Medias Aguas, Tierra Blanca, Orizaba, Mexico City, Lecheria Station, Irapuato, San Luis Potosi, Monterrey, and fi nally The United States,” Yurico said .

As the journey comes to an end Kevin is picked by American border agents in Texas and deported back to Honduras.

Some have died from dehydration in the deserts, fallen off the trains, or mysteriously disappeared.

Mexican train companies do not allow riders on freight trains, but many undocumented Central Americans will make several attempts to reach the United States border by way of the beast having the same goal of making it to America.

After the documentary ended there was a discussion with Professor Oleas, Assistant Professor McKeever, and nearly 20 Pierce students.

They dig into why this documentary is so important to show.

“This phenomenon has been going on for more than 100 years. Latin America is the richest land in natural resources, but migrants are still coming to the United States because of lack of opportunity,” said Oleas.

“It’s Hispanic Heritage month and we want to awaken the students what goes on world wide.”

Pierce College will be hosting its second free Science, Imaging and Astronomy Expo for all ages with new exhibits like Zooniverse, several Planetarium shows and ending the day’s events with a night sky star party.

The SIA Expo is free except for a few planetarium shows that are $3, and will have representatives from many of Pierce’s career and technical education programs as well as exhibits put on by the robotics club.

Although it is an event about astronomy the astronomy club will not have its own exhibit but its club members will be scattered in various areas assisting with other exhibitions.

“Some of us are going to

be volunteering at a bunch of different exhibits,” president of the astronomy club Felipe Cabello said.

Carolyn Mallory is an instructor of astronomy at Pierce College and is the woman who brought so many people and organizations together to make this expo one

Erick Ceron/ Roundup

Los Angeles Baroque Players, Anthony Brazier, Jeffrey Lavner, Adriana Zoppo, and Paul Sherman, warm up minutes before the show starts. The band has been playing together for at least 25 yers.

Erick Ceron/ Roundup Adriana Zoppo, plays the baroque violin moments before performing for a group of students.

Jeffrey Howard Roundup Reporter

Tavian Quinn Roundup Reporter

Brahmas Stuck On Half Time

Pierce College athletics kicked off its fall season last month but all of the teams have been struggling. For the week of Oct. 1-7, the Brahmas haven’t won any of the games. The football team’s current record is 1-3 and the soccer team’s record is 5-2-3. Women’s volleyball had a strong pre-season with winning eight out of 14 games but opened the regular season with a loss to Santa Barbara. As for the women’s waterpolo team the current record is 1-2. For upcoming games, the schedule can be found on page eight.

Photos by Diego Barajas Copy by Megan Moureaux

Autumn Russell, #21, of Pierce College hits the ball as Taylor Badois ,#9, and Katelynn Womack,#18, of Santa Barbara College jumps to redirect the ball. Santa Barbara went to win 3 -2 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif., Oct. 10, 2014.

Sophie Beres ,#2, of Santa Monica College atempts to stop a pass Pierce College women’s water polo team played its first home game against Santa Monica College’s team at the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center. Pierce went on to win 20-9 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., Sept. 24, 2014.

Pierce College women’s soccer Stephanie Alcaza, #13, bumps against Regan Laser ,#13, of Los Angeles Valley College for the ball .Pierce went on to win 2-0 in The Pit at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif., Sept. 16, 2014.

Wide receiver Bryson Martinez, #1, of Pierce College runs down the field as C.J. Buze, #18, of Glendale College attempts to stop Martinez from advancing down the field. Glendale went on to beat Pierce 62-7 in John Shepard Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif., Sept. 27, 2014.

Strong is the face of Arizona State

Former Pierce star took down USC and is projected as a high pick in the NFL dra

Ethan Hanson Sports Editor

Down by 17 points against Santa Barbara City College going into halftime, Pierce was down to its third string and quarterback Mike Adens.

With the last play in the half Adens heaved the ball down the field hoping the one man that would lead them to the Patriotic Bowl in the 2012 season would make the play. Strong made the miraculous play on three defenders for a 70-yard touchdown and soon rumors of a talented six foot three wide receiver from Philadelphia were born.

Fast forward to Oct.5 and Strong would rise again to make nearly the exact same play he had made two years ago in Santa Barbara with much higher stakes on one of college football’s most hallowed grounds. With backup quarterback Mike Bercovici, he connected with Strong who yet again would go up and grab it no matter who was throwing the ball.

The Pierce College football legacy went head to head on Saturday when two former Brahmas met to face each other in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Both players are from South Philadelphia and played for the Brahmas. Yet, while one star was already made, a legend was born.

That legend is former Pierce College wide receiver Jaelen Strong who plays for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Strong caught the game winning Hail Mary touchdown to bring the 16th ranked USC Trojans and roughly 90,000 fans in attendance to their knees. The player he caught the ball against was former Brahmas safety, Gerald Bowman, who’s also been having a good season but still couldn’t manage to stop the kid whose legacy continues to grow.

For Strong the secret is officially out. Two years ago he was running rampant on teams in the Western State Conference and tearing up defenses. Adens was at the Coliseum to see his former teammate take down the Trojans defense.

“Just watching his growth and maturity has been amazing,” Adens said.

“He’s definitely now the best wide receiver in college football,” Adens said. “The same level of speed, strength and power that Strong had at the

JUCO [junior college] level is now on display for the NCAA.”

For Strong, it is not about the numbers which make him a contender for the Biletnikoff Trophy given out to the best wide receiver in college football

In the USC game, a team that is considered to have one of the greatest defensive in football, the

Injury limits coach at the net Mardini tough a er tearing his Achilles tendon

Mareo Lawson Roundup Reporter

Through the halls of the North Gym among the sounds of sneakers squeaking on wood floors and amid the smell of locker room sweat the ‘Wounded Wizard’ maintains his commanding presence.

Coach of the women’s volleyball team Nabil Mardini, who has led the Brahmas to three state championships, ruptured his Achilles’ heel on June 3, 2014.

“The whole thing ruptured, just like Kobe. Basically the same injury, “ Mardini said.

Mardini was treated by the same surgeon as Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, Dr. Neal Elattrache of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopedic Clinic. The injury occurred while Mardini was playing defense at an exhibition match.

“It’s a very common injury amongst athletes, as you see on television,” Dr. Ellattrache said.

Ellattrache explained that the injury is more frequent in athletes who are in their 30s and 40s. Achilles’ heel ruptures can occur when a player has their heel down and the calf is trying to project the body forward.

In other words, when a player is propelling themselves forward, the muscle is stretched to its maximum. A reactionary movement, such as a sudden shift or change in the player’s direction, can cause the tendon to rupture.

“Kobe was about the fastest recovery I have ever seen, but

I wouldn’t promote that,” Dr. Ellantrache said. “If a patient hits all the milestones after surgery, they can usually expect full unrestricted recovery in a year.”

According to Dr. Ellattrache the

average patient will recover within nine to ten months.

Mardini has been receiving physical therapy from the clinic’s outpatient team. He may no longer wear the boot, but coach Mardini will definitely remember this injury. “I can tolerate pain, but this,” as Mardini sighed remembering the pain. “I literally took a step back with my right foot and I felt the rupture, the pop.”

Mardini lifted his leg to display how his right heel hangs out the back of his blue sneakers. Although injured he continues to exhibit his passion for the sport, while maintaining his coaching schedule. His love for volleyball started as a youth in Lebanon. Mardini grew up playing volleyball and competing internationally with the Lebanese National Team. He has also competed professionally with regional power Club Relevement Social Knat. His desire to play volleyball brought him to Los Angeles. Mardini has won several awards.

One of those awards was coach of the year. He has inspired the players to work hard and strive for greatness.

“He’s definitely hard, but it’s a good push from him,” said captain Jessica Martinez. “Because if I didn’t have a coach that pushed as hard as he [did], I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Although Mardini’s injury has not effected his drive and dedication to coaching, some of the players, including Martinez, have noticed a slight difference in his coaching.

“It’s a different feeling when he is showing you, because you can see how intense he gets,” said Martinez. “He still shows it. He just doesn’t show it physically to us, but emotionally it’s there.”

For the past 14 years Mardini has been the coach of the Brahmas. The team has maintained an 80 percent winning ratio during his tenure. Whether he is coaching from a chair or from the center line, Mardini is determined to overcome his injury and continue to lead the Brahmas to more victories.

Trojans were unable to stop him. He had 10 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns. And currently has five touchdowns in five games.

“He has shown throughout his whole career what he is capable of,” said Bart Hollander, 57-year-old USC fan from Huntington Beach of Strong after the game.

“He is big time and he’s clutch. He is capable of doing whatever he wants. That last play, everyone knew what he was about to do. He should have never been allowed to go down the field but he did it anyway and he made it happen.”

Pierce College defensive back coach, Torry Hughes remembers the day when he first met. He was with Strong’s mother who had to sign a waiver for her 17-year-old son to be eligible to play. The waiver allowed Strong to come to Woodland Hills where he would grayshirt in his first year with the Brahmas after being recruited by Hughes and former coach Ty Greenwood who is now the quality control coach on defense for the University of Kansas.

“We had a camp every Sunday for wide receivers,” Hughes said. “Even when he was a young kid I knew we had something because I would play against him as a defensive back to guard the corners and I had problems. We knew we had something and there is no doubt that not only will Jaelen be a first round pick but he will be a top 10 pick in this year’s draft.”

Pierce College cornerback Jay’Onn Myles who also was on hand to witness Strong’s game said he provides a lot of inspiration to junior college football players who want to make it to the big stage.

“Right now he is at the pinnacle of his career and provides the rest of us guys still at the junior college level hope,” Myles said.

“His performance was absolutely legendary. When they say he is a beast, people can’t really say that. Because Jaelen Strong is not a beast, he is the beast.”

Coming into the game against USC, he was only a target a player known in the Pac-12. In just one clutch play at the very end, Strong changed all that. He became an icon of Arizona State and a force that the rest of the country is now aware of.

After the game coming out of the players tunnel the only name fans were chanting was Strong.

For Strong this was more than just a game, it was the opportunity to finally let the world know who he truly is and that his name shouldn’t be forgotten. If there were any questions of who Strong was they are now answered.

The legacy he left at Pierce College is now being carried on at Arizona State and perhaps someday in the NFL .

Sports briefs

Football

– Compiled by Ethan Hanson

For Pierce College’s football team things could only get better after the previous two abysmal weeks of back to back routs.

It did get better, but it didn’t amount to anything as the Brahmas lost their third game in a row 52-36.

West Los Angeles College got after Pierce early and with the Brahmas defensive line being so ineffective, the Wildcats went into the half leading 49-3.

After making adjustments anda brand new defensive scheme the Brahmas second half looked very much like the team last year that won the American Division Bowl championship. Pierce would score 46 points and the Wildcats would only add a field goal in the second half. Even with the late surge it was still too little too late.

“We played well in the second half,” Brahmas quarterback Mike Adens said. “We changed some things up and we started to move the ball. Overall I think we’re back and I feel pretty confident about the rest of the season.”

The Brahmas next game will be on the road where they will take on the Orange Coast Pirates who have a record of 0-4. Pierce looks to turn their season around and end its three game losing streak. The game starts at 6 p.m.

File Photo: Jason Bautista / Roundup

Former Brahma star and current Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong has changed the landscape of the Pac-12 and had one of the best performances ever against the USC Trojans.

“He is at the pinnacle of his career. His perfomance was legendary. Jaelen is not a beast. He is the beast.”

-Jay’Onn Myles Pierce cornerback

Stacey Soriano / Roundup

This season Nabil Mardini has undergone treatment for his foot

Brahmas outside hitter Autumn Russell at the net attacking against Vaqueros outside hitter Katelynn Womack and middle blocker Taylor Womack. The Brahmas would come close but not close enough.

Close but no win Russell leads Brahmas to h set but falls short

Rice and Martinez, leading to a 2521 win for the Vaqueros.

Head coach Nabil Mardini expected this type of response and energy from Santa Barbara.

Brahmas defense against Santa Barbara.

The Pierce College Brahmas fell to the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros in the Western State Conference opener held at Pierce on Friday after a tough fifth set (2521, 25-22, 28-30, 24-26, 15-9) Pierce faced a tough and energetic Santa Barbara, in a game dominated by Pierce captain Jessica Martinez who had 16 kills. Freshman Autumn Russell had 11 kills and freshman Chelsea Lawrence had eight..

Santa Barbara started out strong by scoring three consecutive kills but Pierce fought back. Russell scored the first kill.for Pierce to keep up with Santa Barbara’s energy and soon tyed up the score 6-6. With the help of quick digs by freshman libero Darrin Rice and kill shots by captain Jessica Martinez, they soon led by a solid 13-9.

“They really got us on the tips and full shots,” Russell said. “I was really motivated to get a kill after that.”

Santa Barbara then fought back with an onslaught of kills that led to another stalemate of 17-16. Rice, in an attempt to dig a shot, injured herself and was on the ground for a few minutes before getting back up.

Santa Barbara then responded with kills that proved too quick for

“This is a very good, well trained team,” Mardini said. “We’re expecting a lot of blocks and kills.”

Pierce started off strong in the second game with Emiliya Phidayeva scoring four kills. The momentum led to a solid 10-5 lead .

After the timeout the Vaqueros came out on fire going on a 10-5 run to tie the set at 15-15 being led by Vaqueros sophomore setter Madelon Leiphardt who lead the game with 45 assists.

“We came really excited and prepared to play them, they always come out with a lot of energy,” Leiphardt said.

There were two sets of rallies that followed, both in favor of the Vaqueros, first leading the Brahmas 20-18, and the last rally going to them as well giving the team its second set win by 25-22.

The first half of the third game was an entirely offensive game on behalf of the Brahmas, with Russell, Martinez, and Phidayeva

After a long and intense rally Pierce led Santa Barbara 18-15.

After a break called by Santa Barbara the Brahmas turned out a defensive strategy that kept the final half of the third game tied almost all the way through.

Lawrence and fellow freshman Amber Kelly were vital in the

“We were playing tentative, going slow,” Martinez said. “We should start with high energy from the beginning but we’re getting better at that.” Pierce led 2-1 but the team shifted its energy completely, just as Santa Barbara did. The Vaqueros started strong with kills and rallies going in their favor, with a solid 8-4 lead against the Brahmas.

Two back to back rallies commenced in the middle of the game and the Brahmas were victorious in both sets, Lawrence and Martinez both performing quick digs and kill shots to a 20-20 tie.

After one final rally, Lawrence was successful in blocking a potentially winning kill shot by the Vaqueros and won the fourth game with 26-24, setting the score to 2-2 and forcing Santa Barbara into a fifth and final game.

“I have no doubt in my team,” Martinez said. “I knew that we would go to the fifth match.”

The final game was the quickest, and while Phidayeva started strong with three kills, she also had several costly errors that led to the Brahmas defeat.

Pierce sets out to Ventura College on Wednesday to take on the Pirates at 7 p.m. as the team looks for its first conference win.

For more information visit theroundupnews.com.

Did you come to Pierce College solely for this volleyball program?

“Yes, I did. Nabil came up to me after a tournament and asked if I wanted to play for him and I said sure, so that’s how it started.”

How was the game last Friday against Santa Barbara?

“It was good. Towards the beginning it was very rocky but towards the third and fourth game we started picking it up. Then with the fifth game, things fell short. We’re watching a lot of film so hopefully we beat them next time.”

How do you feel about your recent plays as well as the team’s recent play?

“Yes, I think we did a good job coming back with Santa Barbara but I’m still not that happy that we lost. But I know we’ll get them next time.”

What do you do to prepare for games and what keeps you focused?

“I mostly listen to music before games and during the games I just talk to our teammates and make sure that I block out what the crowd says.”

Who do you look up to as an athlete or try to model your game after?

“I say Danetta [Boykin] from two years ago. She’s a really good player and I know her on a personal level too and she’s a cool person.”

What are your expectations for the team as a whole?

“I think we’re a really good team. Once we all just buy in and really focus on our main goal things will be really, really great. If we lose we just have to keep our heads up, try to beat them the next time, watch a lot of film, be strategical about everything and have fun.”

What’s your favorite memory so far while playing for Pierce?

“It was me, Rachel [Lods], Dani [Mamath], Autumn [Russell] and Darrin [Rice] and we got a point then we all just ran into the huddle. It was like the biggest hug, we were all smiling and it was so genuine. That’s the best memory I’ve had so far.”

Do some games mean more to you than others?

“Santa Barbara is a pretty big rival. We really wanted to beat them but I look at every team as the same and I want to beat them all and I don’t want to take it easy on anyone. I just want to beat them all.”

Diego Barajas/ Roundup

Heredia / Roundup

was the top

against Santa Barbara.

Cesar Armenta Roundup Reporter