Volume 121 Fall 2014 Roundup Issue 7

Community protests closure

Farm Center director alleges fraud

Members of the community called for an investigation on the Pierce College Administration concerning their decision behind the closing of the Farm Center during the Board of Trustees meeting, on Wednesday Nov. 5.

Robert McBroom, director of the Pierce College Farm Center, had tears in his eyes as he spoke to the Trustees about the issue. His presentation included posters that showed what the land looked like before and after Asylum Productions, Inc. took over.

While at the podium, McBroom presented a recording of the Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher to the trustees, as part of his defense.

The recording said the following:

“If I do commercial I have people who have already entertained that I can make 5 to 10 million a year off the property you’re on right now without me spending one dollar on it. There are multiple ways to engage that property. I have people who have actually done studies and reviews and have provided me those proposals.”

According to McBroom the tape was about all the proposals and development offers that Schleicher received in regards to the 32 acre Farm Center.

“I’m not going to make any comments, because it was taken out of context and it was not legally approved when he recorded us. So at this time I am just going to have to be very formal about what I do,” Schleicher said in response to the

audio recording.

The Pierce administration and the Trustees assured everyone in attendance that the property will not be sold for development, but that the area would remain campus land. This would also include incorporating the use of the facility to create future educational programs.

“They have done a wonderful job out there,” Pierce College President Kathleen Burke said. “We just couldn’t come to a business arrangement or agreement that was

Virus infects computer lab

USB drives comprimised

Nicollette Ashtiani Roundup Reporter

A virus that destroyed and replaced files on USB storage devices with “inappropriate” pictures and videos was discovered on computers in Pierce College’s Library / Learning Center‘s computer lab on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Despite the discovery of the virus, the computer lab remained opened until Friday, Nov. 7. The Library / Learning Center sent emails to students and staff that advised the use of cloud storage until the Information Technology department fixed the issue.

“We just want to create an environment where students can be successful, so when things like this happen it just breaks us,” said library department chair Paula

Custodians demand wage increase Frustrations voiced about proposed contract

Jäel Allen Roundup Reporter

Several custodians and Local 99 union representatives expressed their anger with the recent pay raise approved by the LACCD at Board of Trustees meeting on Wed. in the Great Hall at Pierce College.

The Asylum Productions signed an agreement at the beginning of this year to end the farm center operations and leave Pierce grounds by April 2015, according to president of the board of trustees Scott Svonkin.

satisfying on both sides.”

“We do have a desire to use that land within our own instructional programs. That is college land and our first job is with our students,” Burke said.

For the past 10 years McBroom and his wife Cathy have operated the Farm Center and recently started a not for profit organization.

“When the President separated their foundation, my wife and I took all the values of that foundation, adopted them and created the Pierce Farm Center Foundation,”

McBroom said.

“This is a lease and a lease can be ended. It could be ended very appropriately. The lease that they had before us was 25 years, replaced by a four year one.”

The McBrooms and others who spoke in support of the Farm Center said that Burke has never visited the Farm Center in her tenure as president of the college.

“I may not have toured the facility, but I have been there multiple times,” Burke said.

Tony Oliver, of “Save the Pierce College Farm Center”, presented 9,868 petitions from community members to the trustees and said that $2.1 million has been provided to the college while Asylum Productions has invested $3 million into the infrastructure.

Cesar Diaz, a representative for Bob Blumenfield of the Los Angeles City Council 3rd district, read to the trustees a letter of support for the

Farm Center.

Susan Shelley, candidate for California Assembly in District 45, also has been conducting a petition drive to support the preservation of the Pierce Farm as an agricultural preserve.

“By the way I received a letter from your attorney saying that it violates state law to mention Pierce College in a political campaign and I think that’s at odds with the First Amendment,” Shelley said to the Board of Trustees. “That might be considered an effort to ‘chill’ free speech.”

The McBrooms and the “Save the Pierce College Farm Center” group are hoping an independent investigation on the decision behind the eviction of Asylum Productions, Inc. will take place.

“The college and the board remain committed to serving our students and the community with close attention to appropriate use of tax payer supported property,” Svonkin said.

Svonkin called for speakers to present their arguments on items from the agenda in front of the board and many were custodians from Colleges within LACCD who had been negotiating their contracts.

“We’re trying to ask for a livable wage and we presented a proper number back in July and two weeks ago and they came back with the same proposal they had in July,” Valley College custodian Mark Ledesma said.

Custodians at LACCD are the lowest-paid of any community college district in the region, according to SEIU Local 99.

Paggi. The virus was brought to the library’s attention when a student discovered that documents on a USB storage device had been erased and replaced. Within a few hours, notices were sent out and signs were placed in the computer lab that warned students not to use their USB storage devices with the computers.

[For video footage and student reactions visit theroundupnews.com] [To VIRUS

Soccer draws with Ventura Page 8

“The percentage doesn’t work for our members because they are the lowest paid,” internal organizer of SEIU Local 99 Diva Sanchez said.

Members of the SEIU Local 99 including custodian staff are paid 27 to 17 percent below the rest of the California Community Colleges in the area, according to Sanchez.

“All we’re asking for is a fair wage; just give us a fair wage.” Sanchez said.

LACCD custodians have double the work with half the staff to cover their assignments.

“We’re trying to see if we can shine a light on that through certain actions and activities,” Pierce College custodian Rudolfo Covarrudias.

Hoping that their oral presentations have made some impact on the board the custodians hope to see a reasonable pay increase in the near future.

“If we don’t get what we ask for we’re willing to go as far as we can,” Mission College custodian Irma Lopez said.

The next Board of Trustees meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the Educational Services Center.

Mareo Lawson Roundup Reporter

Diego Barajas/ Roundup

Director of the Pierce College Farm Center, Robert McBroom, plays an audio recording at the Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 5.

“We do have a desire to use that land within out own instructional programs.

That is college land and our first job is with our students.”

-Kathleen Burke Pierce College President

Erick Cerron / Roundup

Ventura College’s goalkeeper makes crucial save in 0-0 match against Pierce College.

“We just want to create an environment where students can be successful.”

-Paula Paggi Library department chair

Speech should not be limited on campus

Should free speech be confined to the free speech zone?

Should free speech be confined to the free speech zone?

Education major

Colleges, universities and other establishments of higher education are meant to be places where the exchange of ideas are to be freely exercised without any hindrance. The “free speech” zone on the mall flies in the face of one of the fundamental ideas our country and its laws are based on.

Earlier this year, the Citrus College district was sued by one of its students over their free speech zone as reported by the LA Times. The suit, sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, argues that such a zone is “overly broad and a multi-step process for approving student group events” as reported by the LA Times. Pierce College has a similar process a person must go through to use its free speech zone.

Pierce College is no stranger to criticism and scandal. Earlier this month, the LACCD’s Board of Trustees meeting took place on campus at the Great Hall with many of the people in attendance having one opinion regarding the removal of the Farm Center. Although some of the people were allowed to talk about the Farm Center’s closing, the most overt forms of protest, such as signs, were quelled during the meeting. This form of censorship should outrage anyone who regards the first amendment highly.

There are many who say that the free speech zone is a way to allow solicitors to spread their business with little bother to the students who attend Pierce. But that argument holds little weight as solicitors are still able to freely pass out their pamphlets. Just walk through the marquee entrance on Winnetka and Victory.

If the campus, a school club or organization decides to hold an event featuring a controversial figure, topic or issue, that would mean any form of protest should take place within the free speech zone but we already have events

Cellular biology major

-Amanda Martinez

Liberal arts major

“I think it should be confined to that area because most people would probably get angry if it was all over the place and not want to get harassed all the time. ”

-Nancy Hernandez

Marine biology major

Quotes gathered by Amira Fickewirth

Photos by Brandon Steadman

-Corrections-

Volume 121

Issue 6

Page 1: Dwayne Johnstone is a masseur, not a masseuse.

Page 2: Darrin Sturgis’ photo is incorrect.

Page 4: Dwayne Johnstone’s name is misspelled in the caption.

where, for the most part, free speech is readily practiced and encouraged. Namely, the Day of Politics.

The Day of Politics is held at the Great Hall every semester where any and every form of issue, political or otherwise, is featured and ideas are freely shared. Many of those ideas come in the form of protest. As events like the Day of Politics happen, is the campus insinuating that there is some speech that is more free than others?

The first amendment to the constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” How can we, as students, learn and grow as adults if we aren’t able to freely share ideas and opinions and openly debate them if we don’t agree with them? That is what a true place of higher education allows and as long as the campus has its free speech zone, Pierce College is not that.

Pro/Con: Protecting or reforming free speech zones

have come under fire as some deal with the ramifications of having speech zones while the handling of certain situations are questioned.

mrios.roundupnews@gmail.com

With public schools across the country abandoning their “free speech zones,” Pierce College must take a stand, continuing to allow people their basic First Amendment rights while on campus.

Free speech zones have been available on the Pierce campus since 1989, when the LACCD took a vote, requiring each college president in the district to designate an area on their school’s campus for free discussion and expression.

The idea of the speech zones are noble as it gives people on campus the opportunity to take a stand in a public venue, designed to speak without the fear of being arrested or questioned by authorities.

The area is required to be located where there is a normal flow of student traffic as well as unlimited accessibility. According to the Pierce website, there shall be no restrictions on subject matter or viewpoints expressed within the free speech zones.

As numerous colleges and universities across the state continue to carry free speech zones, schools

Earlier this year, a lawsuit was filed against the Citrus College District by a student challenging Citrus‘ College free speech zone, according to the LA Times. Student Vincenzo Sinapi- Riddle’s initiative is to eliminate speech codes and policies that restrict expression on the school‘s campus.

These exhibitions serve as a distraction to students who are just trying to go about their daily business, and can offend or cause discomfort to people with different views or beliefs.

Manuel Rios aescobar.roundupnews@gmail.com

The free speech zone at Pierce is an annoyance to students, offering little benefits to their educational progress and goals.

It is crucial that students and faculty give respect to whomever is speaking within the free speech zone as everybody is given the same rights on the public campus. While some argue over controversial topics, disagreeing individuals have the right to their own opinion and the power to walk away if they feel it is necessary.

Furthermore, individuals deciding to use the free speech zones shouldn’t feel worried about being harassed by sheriff deputies or school personnel while on campus, as the correct protocol should be followed before school officials determine if rules are being broken or misused.

Pierce College must continue to lead by example, giving individuals the opportunity to express their personal opinions in a peaceful manner regardless if the topic is agreed or disagreed upon students and faculty.

Flydoskope by Tobennh Dacanay

Located on the Pierce Mall across the library, the free speech zone is a sanctioned area that exists as a “limited public forum,” according to the LACCD Board of Trustees’ rules concerning free speech at community college campuses.

Anybody can set up inside the zone, saying or displaying virtually anything they’d like. While the area is not to be used to disturb the everyday operations of the campus, this is often the case.

While religion and politics are touchy subjects, it’s common to see religious or politically charged individuals set up in the free speech zone, preaching or handing out pamphlets while making signs and sometimes shouting bold statements.

Large signs riddled with strong religious script and posters of Barack Obama with Adolf Hitler’s signature mustache photo-shopped on to his upper lip are just a few controversial displays seen on past occasions.

-COMIC STRIP-

According to the rules set by the LACCD Board, free speech zone users are not to impede the progress of passersby or coerce them into signing or taking anything.

This rule is commonly broken, as individuals will often leave the confines of the free speech zone to pass out fliers or attract attention to their booth or setup, while more egregious offenders will sometimes position themselves in completely different areas of the campus, far from the designated area.

The free speech zone is hard enough to avoid as is, due to the fact that it’s located in a hub of campus activity. Sometimes the only defense against being accosted is to try and take a wide path around the area.

It’s unfair that there are rules in place to help users of the free speech zone reach as many students as possible when so many of the same users violate other rules without getting reprimanded.

The free speech zone has little educational value, becoming a place that many students try to avoid. It should not offer a free pass for unwanted advertising or preaching at the expense of community college students.

tlanimator@gmail.com

“Being in America, you should be able to have the rights to free speech all around, wherever you are. But if Pierce says it should be in one place so that there are no arguments, I feel comfortable with that.”

-Aaliya Shakdor

“No, we should have access to everything on campus. It’s a college – it’s an adult school, so you should know what’s good from the bad and make your own decisions.”

-Yasir Umer

“I’m all for free speech, but I think having a designated area prevents people from being distracted.”

Andrew Escobar

“It depends on what people have to say because usually it is people who want to preach religion. ”

-Joseph Hahn

Graphic design major

Illustration by Brandon Steadman

Sheriff arrests student for theft

Laptop bandit hides dagger in waist, stolen cards in wallet

for two weeks.

person who matched the description and a case with a red Swiss Army logo when he was patrolling the area at Mason Ave.

Barreras that she found the credit and identification cards on school grounds in a clear, plastic container.

Pierce College Security Officer Jim Brown searched 23-yearold Shaeyla Ward on suspicion of stealing a laptop, and also found a 3-inch “dagger” on her person and 12 credit and identification cards in her wallet.

Ward was arrested on Nov. 24 after a student reported to the Sheriffs that he saw a black female walking away from the Library / Learning Center with his Hewlett-Packard Co. notebook and notebook-case around 3:30 p.m. The notebook-case had a red Swiss

News briefs

Class Drop Date [Nov. 23]

The last day to drop a class at Pierce College without earning an “F” is Sunday, Nov. 23.

Classes dropped before Nov. 23 will get a “W,” which is also known as a withdrawal.

Sunday, Nov. 23

Transgender 101 Panel [Nov. 13]

The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) will host a Transgender 101 panel on Thursday, Nov. 13.

“I’m hoping it enlightens those who are unaware of the whole community,” GSA club president Jose Moran said.

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2 - 5 p.m. the Great Hall

Army logo on it, which helped him identify it.

“A student came up to reference and said his laptop and case were taken,” said department chair of library science Paula Paggi. “He turned his back to shelve some books. It was in a study cubby, and it was gone. He knew what the person looked like, so we told him to go to the sheriff to report the incident.”

Security Officer Brown noticed a

But when Brown patted down the suspect, who turned out to be Ward, he found much more than the notebook and notebook-case.

Ward had a 3-inch dagger with a red handle under the waistband of her pants, according to the incident report. Ward said she carried the dagger for her own protection, and was unaware that it was illegal.

Brown also had nine credit cards, one Pierce student identification card, one transit access pass and one medical insurance card that did not have Ward’s name on them.

Ward admitted that she stole the laptop, but told Sheriff’s Deputy

But when L.A. Sheriff’s Sgt. Alex Vaziri asked her a follow-up question later, Ward said she found the cards in a grey bag on a bus.

The discrepancies between Ward’s statements prompted Barreras to contact the Pierce Sheriff’s to find out if they had any similar incidents reported, and they did.

On Oct. 22, two days before Ward’s arrest, a woman reported that her purse was stolen from the Library / Learning Center when she left it unattended while she was in the bathroom. But Ward told Vaziri that she had the credit cards in her possession

“[They were] probably stolen, but I didn’t steal them,” Ward said. “[But] I thought they might be.”

Ward was charged with possession of stolen property, possession of a dirk/dagger, and petty theft. She was booked at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff station.

“I’ve left my backpack here in the library before,” journalism major Fatima Marroquin said. “I just ran quickly to the restroom, but you never know what might happen.”

The notebook and case were returned to the student, and the credit and ID cards were returned to the woman whose purse was stolen.

“I just have sticky fingers,” Ward said.

11/10—No Reports

There were no incidents reported by the Pierce College Sheriffs for the week of November 6 - 12.

The person who writes the reports was not in the Sheriff’s station, and did not have the report ready by print time.

The only reports the Sheriffs had available were from early October, which had already been printed..

Library computer virus infects storage devices

Nicollette Ashtiani Roundup Reporter

“When I came to the library in the morning there were a bunch of chairs lined up outside of the computer area saying that there was a virus, and not to use the computers,” said sociology major Shahtaj Khan. “They did a good job at keeping us informed, but I feel like schools should be safer with stuff like that. My trust in the library security has gone down.”

The computer lab closed early on Friday to prepare for the IT department, which worked through the weekend to remove the virus from the machines.

“We don’t know if it was intentional or not, but the virus was most likely caused by an infected USB device,” said Information

Technology manager Mark Henderson. “To my knowledge, this is a first for Pierce College computers.”

However, computers in the lab do not require a user to login to use the machine.

“The library is an open access lab,” Paggi said. “We can’t pull everyone aside and check their USB (devices). The best we can do is to recommend students to use any form of cloud storage.”

Students already have a free Microsoft OneDrive account because LACCD student email uses Microsoft Outlook.

USB storage devices are still an option, but it is much more of a risk, according to Henderson.

“If students are going to use these devices, they should get them checked and always make sure their computers are updated with antivirus software to prevent this in the future,” Henderson said.

At CSU Channel Islands working side-by-side with professors, industry experts and professionals is an opportunity for every student. They bring theory into practice. They learn how problems can be solved. These are more than field trips or internships to put on resumes. These are the lessons on which to build careers.

RESEARCH: An environmental studies class stops to discuss island environment as part of the California State University Channel Islands (CI) Santa Rosa Island Research Station (SRIRS).

LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENCE

Learn more at go.csuci.edu/lapc

– Compiled by Seth Perlstein and Stef Zamorano

Vanessa Arredondo Roundup Reporter

Seth Perlstein / News Editor

The computer lab in the Library / Learning Center was closed from Friday, Nov. 7 - 9, while the Information Technology department removed a virus from the machines at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California.

“I just have sticky fingers.”

- Shaeyla Ward Pierce College student

WE START AS STUDENTS WE LEARN BEYOND THE CLASSROOM WE TRAIN IN OUR COMMUNITY & THEN WE TAKE ON THE WORLD

[From

“You can tell someone’s smiling”

Devout Muslim refuses to allow society to define her appearance

Seth Perlstein News Editor

She paints abstract art, writes calligraphy, has two cats and her favorite movie is ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith.’ Although most of her interests are typical for an 18-yearold girl who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, her clothing is not.

Pierce College education major Aaliya Shakoor, 18, has worn a burqa in public that has covered her entire body except for her eyes and hands since she was 14 years old.

The burqa is an Islamic garment that is worn to protect women from men who look at them as sexual objects.

“I realized it was for my own good,” Shakoor said. “It avoids people looking at you for the wrong reasons, and actually not getting to know who you are.”

Shakoor is the fifth of six children. She has four older sisters, and one younger brother. Her oldest sister, Salma, also attends Pierce and wears a burqa.

Aaliya and Salma Shakoor are not the only Pierce students who wear a burqa, but they are the only ones to wear a burqa with a hijab, which is a head wrap, and a niqab, which is a face covering.

A. Shakoor said many people think Muslim women who wear burqas have been made to do so.

However, the two of them chose to wear burqas.

They wanted to follow the “dress-code of Islam,” and use it as an opportunity to connect deeper with their religion, and for people to get to know them based on their personality rather than their physical appearance.

“A lot of people think we might be oppressed, and someone’s forcing you to do it,” A. Shakoor said. “Some people think you have to do it after you are married, but it’s not like that.”

Young Muslim women have the option to wear a burqa after puberty. While the garment projects that the wearer is of-age, it is not indicative of a woman’s marital status.

No matter the age of the wearer, burqas offer a distinct advantage

when getting dressed.

“It’s so easy to put this on every day,” A. Shakoor said. “It doesn’t matter what I’m wearing underneath. I could be wearing exercise clothes, PJs, it doesn’t matter. I still look the same. I look normal.”

The niqab that covers Aaliya Shakoor’s face has made it a challenge for her to communicate non-verbally. Her solution has been to speak through her eyes.

“When you smile it kind of touches your eyes and you can tell someone’s smiling,” A. Shakoor said. “So I try to smile bigger, so you can maybe tell. In that way I try to project myself.”

Despite Aaliya Shakoor’s kindness, some people have on rare occasion said things to her like “you’re a terrorist,” and “go back to your country.”

Aaliya Shakoor responded to those types of comments with education.

“You have to realize the bottom line is people are uneducated,” A. Shakoor said. “That’s why I feel so strongly about educating people, because it’s not their fault.”

Most people assume that because she is Muslim and wears a burqa

that she is Middle Eastern.

“People automatically assume you don’t speak English, or you just moved here,” S. Shakoor said. “That’s not how it is.”

Aaliya Shakoor is Indian, but was born in Myanmar. She moved to the United States with her family when she was a 1-year-old, and grew up in the Valley. Her ancestors moved from Western India, now Pakistan, to the country formerly-known as Burma during World War II.

But the Myanmar government discriminated against Muslims, which was why the Shakoor’s moved to the U.S., Aaliya Shakoor and Salma Shakoor’s mother, Sara, said.

“There was not any freedom like there is here,” Sara Shakoor said. “They didn’t let us run our own business. My husband is an imam (Islamic religious leader), so it was difficult for us.”

Aaliya Shakoor was educated by L.A.’s public school system until the 8th grade. But she was homeschooled through high school via Gorman Learning Center, and graduated high school when she was 16 years old.

By the time she graduated, Aaliya Shakoor had already worn a burqa

for two years. But the transition from typical Western clothes such as t-shirts and jeans to a burqa was not as easy as her transition from public to homeschool.

“I did feel uncomfortable at times, because obviously it’s not exactly socially accepted,” A. Shakoor said. “People give you weird looks sometimes. A lot of people ask questions.”

Even though it’s been almost five years, Aaliya Shakoor still finds the burqa to be a challenge at times.

“I don’t really know if I’m fully

adjusted right now,” A. Shakoor said. “But in the beginning it was definitely worse, because I wasn’t comfortable with it.”

Aaliya Shakoor eschewed the traditional route of college after high school to join Salma Shakoor at Jamea al Kauthar, an all-girls school in Lancaster, England, to study theology, and “get more of an Islamic mindset.”

“I went half-because I wanted to, and half-because my parents wanted me to,” A. Shakoor said. Neither Aaliya Shakoor nor her

sister Salma Shakoor wore a burqa on the school’s grounds, because burqas have been traditionally worn only in public, or where men outside-the-family have been present. Around women, children, and men inside-the-family such as fathers, brothers and uncles, burqas have not been required.

Aaliya Shakoor did wear a burqa when she was off-campus in Lancaster, and when she travelled to Blackburne for her monthly weekend-visit to a friend’s house. She found wearing a burqa in the U.K. was a different experience than in the U.S.

“In England it is much easier in the sense that there are so many people who wear it there,” Aaliya Shakoor said. “It’s quite common.”

After two years abroad, Aaliya Shakoor returned to the US, and enrolled at Pierce. The education major wants to teach 8th grade English, but is also interested in interior design.

“I’m kind of debating which one I want to do,” Aaliya Shakoor said.

“I think I had the most fun with my 8th grade English class. I had a really cool teacher. She taught us a lot, but we had a lot of fun.”

Aaliya Shakoor came back to the US, but she doesn’t think she’ll ever go back to wearing Western clothes in public.

“There’s a few rare occasions where I thought about it, because it would just be easier.” A. Shakoor said.

“But at the end of the day when you realize it’s not right, you wouldn’t do it. It’s kind of become a part of me.”

But Aaliya Shakoor doesn’t want her burqa to define her.

“I am really passionate about who I am, so I want to be seen as me,” A. Shakoor said.

“But then again, that’s another reason I like it, because who I am is my personality as opposed to just my face.”

Club 411: ASL Club Students sign together

Estefani Zamora Roundup Reporter

Silently speaking with the movement of their hands as their figures glide in an effortless transition from one word or phrase to another, the American Sign Language (ASL) club at Pierce College communicates as a group without speaking.

Although most people are used to the idea of verbally communicating with another the ASL club share how the visual language uses hand gestures, facial expressions and different body movements.

The ASL club takes part in communicating with others by providing awareness of deaf culture and history.

“We just want to promote the students learning sign language and communicating with people and learning more about deaf culture,” said president of ASL club Zoe Harmala.

“I want to get more people involved. More people aware. A lot of people don’t know about sign language, they don’t even know we have a club.”

Ultimately ASL’s goal is to increase awareness and gain support in order to grow and build a stronger community.

“In every campus not only in Pierce, deaf students are coming in and the percentage is growing higher and higher,” said ASL club member Cynthia Carrasco.

“I’m a strong supporter in the deaf community and I believe as a hearing ally attending the clubs, fundraisers and volunteering not only will it help me but also help me with helping out the deaf community,” she said.

Club President, Zoe Harmala is a ASL interpreting student and became president of the club this year at Pierce College.

She learned sign language years ago where she attended a deaf preschool where her teachers used sign.

Her passion for ASL continued as she progressed through high school expanding her knowledge with sign language.

There is no argument that the ASL club at Pierce benefits the students. It’s an opportunity to augment and be more aware about ASL due to the increase of deaf students in the community.

More students are now being assisted in college with interpreting programs as the club also provides a chance for all the deaf and hearing students to get together. “It brings together hearing

and deaf people that can share a language and community,” said Vice President of ASL Sierra Bownan.

“You can kind of understand how amazing they see things. How different they see things, how their culture is different and not only that, they aren’t any different than we are so when they’re describing things or explaining things to us you can envision what’s going on,” Carrasco said.

The American Sign Language club has become significant in not only to those who are deaf or hard of hearing but the club helps students to become aware of their surroundings.

“Occasionally on the job you’ll meet someone that needs to use ASL instead of something else,” Bownan said.

“Even working with children, autistic children sometimes use ASL instead of English or any other spoken language. Sometimes children with special needs use it.”

The ASL club wishes to increase recognition of sign language and welcome everyone to join.

Meetings are held on Wednesday’s at the Village 8210 from 3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

The ASL club has a Facebook page and anyone who is interested in learning more can send an email to the club president Zoe Harmala at zharmala@gmail.com.

Nicolas Heredia / Roundup

Aaliya Shakoor stands beside the Library/Learning Crossroads building of Pierce College wearing a burka as part of her muslim faith. .

Are maps nothing more than contour lines and earthly colors, or can they hold personal meaning and reveal how people feel about the places they visit and inhabit?

The Pierce College Art Department’s newest art show, “Shadows of the Grid”, seeks to transcend the definition of a map and reveal the relationships both students and artists form with Los Angeles County and the rest of the world.

“What is a map? We have a concept of a map, but we’re questioning who gets to define what a map is,” said Art Gallery Director Monika Del Bosque. “Maybe a map

is not such a static thing.”

The show, which opened on Nov. 6 at the Pierce College Art Gallery, features several interactive exhibits as well as a collage of art and photos depicting different places in the world.

Arzu Arda Kosar, an artist who has created many pieces using maps as a motif, was invited by Del Bosque to collaborate with Pierce Exhibition Design students to put the gallery together. One of the exhibits, titled “Terra Incognita”, is an interactive piece that Kosar has shown in different iterations at several locations in the past, including East Los Angeles College.

“Terra Incognita” is part art piece, part sociological survey, according to Kosar. It consists of a large map of Los Angeles County

Robinson Roundup Reporter

Slanging Corea is quickly becoming a force in the food truck business not only in the San Fernando Valley, but throughout Los Angeles County.

However, Slanging Corea is more than just their delicious food. It’s their staff that also makes you keep coming back. The staff consists of four or more men who go out of their way to make sure their customers are taken care of. Their cooks are fast and on the task and they don’t make you wait too long obtain your meals.

mounted on a wall, and visitors are encouraged to place stickers on the map to denote places they have positive or negative feelings toward.

Green stickers are placed on areas the individual feels fondly about, red stickers indicate negative feelings about a location, and yellow stickers represent indifference.

“The work is supposed to evolve,” Kosar said. “The map has visitors find areas that they’re comfy with and places they would not want to go. At the end, you’ll have a sociological survey.”

“It’s almost like a study of how people from different geographical areas interact with the geography itself. I call it ‘psycho-geography,’” Kosar said.

In addition to “Terra Incognita,” “Shadows of the Grid” features two other interactive exhibits.

Meanwhile, their truck is emblazoned with the “Korean Fusion Food” description, but it would be wise that a customer actually takes a look at their menu and tries their food.

Slanging Corea knew what they were doing when they added “fusion” as one of their taglines, because they indeed fuse or blend American, Mexican, and of course Korean cuisines together.

If there is a dish on Slanging Corea’s menu that can set off a food addiction no matter what culture of food you’re used to, it has to be their Mondu vegetable dumplings. The tiny but delicious side dish is coated in a fried white outer layer that tastes just as good as the ingredients inside of it. These dumplings are light and crisp and it is extremely hard to eat just one of them. The dumplings cost $7 but you get ten of them.

Vanessa Arredondo Roundup Reporter

Dressed in a long black gown, Ji Young An mesmerized the audience with her passionate performance as the violin bow controlled and moved her body to every note she played at this week’s concert of the Thursday concert series.

An played five pieces assisted by pianist, and husband, Henry Shin. Together they played Winter from Le Quattro Stagioni, Sonata for piano and violin in e minor by Mozarat, Praeludium and Allegro by Kreisler, Meditation from Thaïs, and Czardas by Monti.

An has been performing as a part of the concert series for approximately four years. She performs once per semester every fall and spring.

Jim Bergman, professor of music appreciation, looks for a variety of people to perform these concerts, professional and student musicians. He was told about An by a violin

Another meal that can induce mouth salivation is their kimchi quesadillas. A customer gets five thick and juicy quesadillas for $9. The first element of this dish that greets you is the cheddar cheese, as that ingredient is spread side to side under a delicious tortilla.

The kimchi which is a mixture of fermented (a tedious food preservation method) vegetables is prominent in this dish. The kimchi gives the quesadillas a crunch and something other to taste than the dominant cheddar cheese

ingredient. If there is a caveat with these quesadillas, it’s that they are very thick in cheddar cheese and look fattening. If you’re worried about your diet, then just order one or two. Customers seem to really like the burger that is served here. Near the middle of the truck there is a picture of the burger and it looks mouth watering but at the same greasy and fattening. But if you judge this burger by that picture you’re missing out.

-Jim Bergman Professor of Music Appreciation

professor at UCLA and she has been performing twice a year here ever since.

“She’s really good,” Bergman said. “She’s very sensitive. She has amazing musicality, technique and tone.”

Throughout the performance, An moved her body in a such a way almost giving a visual to the notes she played.

“I can’t help it,” An said. “My body just moves to how I feel. There are people who don’t move when they play but it doesn’t mean they aren’t feeling the music.”

This ongoing concert series has

picked up some loyal followers who attend these concerts whenever possible.

“It’s an opportunity to experience different music,” Roberta Boyle, a regular attendant, said. “I like violin music. It’s always a treat to hear. I’ve seen her play twice now.”

The Thursday concert series continues next Thursday Nov. 13 at 12:45 p.m.

Stacy Soriano / Roundup

Assistant professor of art Monika Del Bosque shows of student-art in the Pierce College Art Gallery

Marc Dionne / Roundup

Korean / Mexican fusion delights foodies with a new twist on cultural classics.

McBroom takes a stand

Director of the Pierce College Farm Center Robert McBroom presented his argument to the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees during the meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in the Great Hall at Pierce College. Included in McBroom’s argument were allegations that Pierce College president Kathleen Burke has never been to the Farm Center.

McBroom also presented the Trustees with a voice recording of Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher. In the recording Schleicher said people have told him that he can make between 5 to 10 million a year from the 32-acre property without having to spend money on it. Along with the McBroom’s, supporters from the Save the Farm Center group called for an investigation regarding the closure.

Robert McBroom speaks about the Pierce Farm Center the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees meeting in The Great Hall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif. Nov. 5, 2014.

Photo: Diego Barajas

Scott Svonkin, president of the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, listens to what Robert McBroom protest on the claims made about the Pierce College Farm Center. Photo: Diego Barajas Robert McBroom talks to the media about the Pierce Farm Center during the intermission of the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees meeting that was held in The Great Hall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif. Nov. 5, 2014.

Photo: Diego Barajas

Dennis Washburn, former executive director of the Foundation for Pierce College, holds up two photos of himself with Board of Trustees member Nancy Pearlman who is an advocate of the Pierce Farm Center on Nov. 5 at Pierce College in Los Angeles, California.

Photo: Calvin Alagot

Copy by Lynn Rosado

New coach with multi-league experience develops quarterbacks

It was just another day at the park for a group of middle schoolers playing football in San Fernando. With one throw, the ball sailed and caught the attention of a man in the parking lot.

The man in the parking lot yelled at the group, “Who threw that football?” The group pointed to the kid who threw the ball, who was afraid and thought he was in trouble. That kid turned out to be future professional football player DeWayne Jett.

“He [the man in the parking lot] was the guy who told me I should be playing in organized sports,” said Jett, who is now Pierce College’s quarterbacks and assistant head coach.

Jett grew up in Los Angeles San Fernando Valley, and has played football from the middle of the Pacific ocean in college and three different professional leagues including in Canada.

But he might have been a baseball player had his father not died when he was 8 years old.

Jett’s father brought him to Dodger Stadium in 1962, which turned out to be Sandy Koufax’s first no-hitter. The 4-year-old Jett was in awe of the stadium.

“I looked at this grass, and I couldn’t believe how beautiful that was,” Jett said. “I said ‘One day I’m going to be a professional baseball player.’”

His father was “a big baseball guy.” He might have persuaded Jett to choose the diamond as his career path instead of the gridiron.

“Maybe this is the influence I would have had, had my father been alive,” Jett said.

Jett was a pitcher and catcher through the 11th grade, which is when he made the decision to drop baseball and play football full-time, even though his mother didn’t want him to play a contact sport.

People said he was a better baseball player than football player. But he chose football because he thought it was exciting, and baseball was boring.

Jett first played football when he was six years old for the Valley Youth Conference Chargers. In those days the neighborhood kids would choose him first in pickup games because he could run, but he didn’t realize why they chose him.

“I was scared to death,” Jett said.

“So I just ran and made sure no one

would hit me.”

Jett ran well, and had the natural ability to catch the ball. But his favorite position was quarterback.

“I came up in the 70s, and there was no such thing as black quarterbacks in those days,” Jett said. “I found out all the wrong ways. But I had the ability to catch the ball, and I had a lot of speed.

They just told me I was a better wide receiver. That was something you had to understand later in life.”

In high school he won back-toback L.A. City championships as a wide receiver for San Fernando.

Those teams had at least 10 players who went to Division I colleges, six who played in the NFL, and one, Charles White, who won the Heisman Trophy with the University of Southern California.

Jett considered USC even though people around him advised against it. The Trojans didn’t throw the ball much back then. The University of Hawaii did, and coach Rick Blangiardi took him and his mother to dinner.

“He worked more on her than he worked on me, which was pretty smart of him,” Jett said. “By the end of the dinner, she leaned over and said, ‘You’re going to the University of Hawaii, right?’”

When Jett went to Hawaii to visit the school in person, Blangiardi picked him up from Honolulu International Airport and took him directly to Aloha Stadium. Blangiardi sat Jett down on the 30-

yard line of the 50,000 seat stadium told him stories of grandeur.

“He said, ‘Look around, you’re going to do great things in this stadium,’” Jett said. “That was pretty impressive, to sit there, and look around and imagine yourself scoring touchdowns with a crowd of people cheering you on. I was sold.”

Jett had 63 receptions and scored 13 touchdowns in 41 games as a Rainbow Warrior from 1976 – 1979.

In 1980 the Detroit Lions selected him in the 9th round of the NFL Draft.

With great expectations, the majority of Jett’s time with Detroit was spent on injured reserve. He tore his quadriceps muscle his rookie season, and broke a hand the next year.

In 1982 he landed with the Baltimore Colts. That was the year of the player’s strike.

Jett played in two exhibition games during the strike that were put on by the NFL Players Association and Ted Turner who started cable networks such as TBS and CNN. The cable-television magnate stood on a bench after the game to hand out checks to the players, Jett said.

“He had a stack of checks, all for $4,300. He said, ‘Just fill your names in, guys,’” Jett said. “That’s the way he paid us. I’ll never forget that.”

When the exhibition games ended, the NFL was still on strike, and nobody else was handing out

checks. With no football work on the horizon, Jett applied to the L.A. Fire Department. He passed the test and got hired, but didn’t see any action as a firefighter because he resigned the day the strike ended.

Jett went back to football, this time with the St. Louis Cardinals. They released him, and in 1983 he ended up with the L.A. Raiders. But injury claimed another season from Jett.

“Again, injured reserve, the whole bit. I played a very minimal amount of time,” Jett said. “I broke a finger, and they put me on conditional IR.”

That year the Raiders won the Super Bowl, and Jett got a ring.

“It’s a championship, what more

is there to say,” Jett said. “You get a championship any way you can get it.”

In the spring of 1984 Jett was in training camp with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers and L.A. Express, but didn’t make either team’s final roster. Later that year he signed with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger Cats.

In 1985, Jett went back to the Raiders, but was released during training camp.

Former Green Bay Packers running back Elijah Pitts, Hamilton’s offensive coordinator in 1984, took a coaching job with the Buffalo Bills in 1985. Pitts asked Jett to join him in Buffalo that year, but Jett declined.

“I’m done,” Jett said. “I was starting a company, and I had kids and I didn’t want to go through that back-and-forth thing.”

The injuries had taken their toll on Jett, and left him “disappointed” in his career. That changed in 2002 when former Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos wide receiver Butch Johnson said something to Jett’s daughter at a seven-on-seven football tournament in Balboa Park.

“He had his Super Bowl ring on,” Jett said. “And my daughter said to him, ‘My father has a ring like that.’ He said ‘Your father’s very lucky. He’s one of only about 1,000 people in the world who has one of these.’”

Jett’s playing career was over, but his college coaching career didn’t begin until he met two Pierce football players at LA Fitness in Woodland Hills in August, 2014.

It was well Jett was giving an autograph out to a fan that Pierce defensive linemen Stephan Rawls and Harneet Gill approached the former player and started to talk football.

Gill and Rawls invited Jett to

some of the summer practices after their discussion with Pierce still in need of more coaches.

“He said ‘maybe,’” Gill said.

“But he actually showed up that afternoon, and ever since then it kind of clicked.”

Jett then signed on as quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach. His professional playing experience quickly translated to coaching at the junior college level.

“The players gravitate towards him,” head coach Efrain Martinez said. “If there’s a problem the players will ask him for advice, and he always has solutions. He has wisdom that I don’t see in very many people.”

Freshman quarterback Sean Smith appreciated Jett’s halfcentury of football experience.

“He knows his stuff,” Smith said. “He’s been in the game for 50-something years, so he knows what he’s doing. He knows how to coach people up.”

Jett’s demeanor as a coach is “calm, cool and collected,” grey shirt quarterback Eugene Sainterling said.

“He’s a very energetic guy, and then when something exciting happens it’s a burst of joy,” Sainterling said. “It’s very unpredictable, but it’s a good unpredictable.”

As a young man playing football in the park with his friends, Jett never thought the game his mother didn’t want him to play would take from San Fernando, to Hawaii, to three professional football leagues and eventually Pierce.

“I try to teach them the next level,” Jett said. “They’re at this level, wherever they’re at, and that’s up to me to figure out and determine, to bring them into the next fold of football.”

Brandon Steadman / Roundup Quarterbacks and assistant head coach DeWayne Jett talks to players during football practice.

Seth Perlstein News Editor

A face in lights

The memory of Dinson’s brother inspires his play

Lynn Rosado Sports Editor

The memory of his brother lives on his shirt, his sock, his wrist, and on the field every time he plays football.

There’s a sense of nostalgia as he recalls his brother’s life that was tragically cut short. But there’s also a feeling of positivity, as he remembers the happy memories he shared with his brother.

Freshman linebacker James Dinson, 22, lost his brother Dejour Benson on March 23, 2013 in Willingboro, NJ.

“My brother was at a party,” Dinson said. “An altercation had broken out and my brother was trying to see what was wrong with his friends, and another person from a different part of town who tried to start the altercation, jumped in his car, and when he jumped in his car, he ran over my brother. He thought the car was in reverse but it was in drive.”

Benson was 17 years old when he died. He lived a short life, but it was full of memorable moments that he shared with Dinson.

“Mine and my brothers relationship was more than a brother,” Dinson said. “It honestly felt like he was my child, thats how close we were. From playing video games and working out, giving advice, he was everything to me.”

Dinson and his brother also had football in common. They both played the same position and planned on playing together at Pierce College.

Although Benson is not physically with Dinson in John Shepard Stadium, he is there in spirit and Dinson feels him there with him every time he plays.

“We both played the same position,” Dinson said. “And when I used to make mistakes I would beat myself down, but now when I make mistakes I hear him talking to me like ‘Come on we still got another play.’ I write his name on my wrist every game. And I wear a shirt with his face under my jersey. I got a picture of him in my sock too, so I got him all over me. I still feel like I can hear him when I play.”

Mourning the death of someone so close to you can be difficult, but when you have people to support you, the process gets a little easier.

“The two people that were really there for me were De’Shawn Jones and Keontae Chavies, because they knew him when we were back home.”

Jones and Chavies came from New Jersey and knew Benson and Dinson before coming to California to play football at Pierce. As teammates and friends, Jones and Chavies encourage Dinson before every game.

“They come to me and say just one sentence ‘Just remember Dejour is watching over you’ and that just kicks me to another gear,” Dinson said.

“They’re right, he is here, it kind of brings me down that he’s not here, but when they say that, I always picture him being here, especially when the lights are on. When the lights are on I really feel like his face is right there in the lights. I drop a tear before every game.”

Sophomore running back De’Shawn Jones said he didn’t even know Benson and Dinson were brothers.

“We used to this little Christian camp when were younger. We were always talking and playing basketball and football together,” Jones said.

Jones last spoke with Benson a week before his death.

“It was weird because I was talking to him a week before it happened, he was just telling me to keep pushing, he was talking about football,” Jones said.

“We were just trying to encourage each other, and then later I get a call from James, that was tough.”

Jones makes sure to remind Dinson that he still has a reason to play the sport him and his brother liked to play together.

“James lost his father too,” Jones said. “And I’m really close with James, so I tell him your dad wants the best for you, Dejour wants the best for you, so just go out there and play hard for them because if they were here right now, they’d be watching you play and cheering you on. So I just try and give him the love that he doesn’t have anymore.”

Linebacker Chavies, 23, knows that if Benson was alive he’d be playing with Dinson at Pierce and that he’d be a form of motivation for his brother.

“They would probably both be playing,” Chavies said. “He’d tell James ‘let’s go out there and rock, let’s go out there and go to the next level, let’s get these scholarships, let’s be great.’”

Dinson continues to play football at Pierce and is already thinking

Missing opportunities Brahmas tie in crucial match

less intensity than the Pirates, which caused the team to spread out and leave more opportunities for goal shots.

about his next season as a Brahma. He knows that his brother would be very proud of him. And as he continues his career as a Brahma, Dinson remembers the

last conversation he had with his brother the day he died.

“I had just gotten an iPhone and I didn’t know how to put the apps in one category,” Dinson said. “So

I texted him asking him and he showed me how to do it and I told him that he’s the man and then he responded back saying ‘with the master plan.’”

The Pierce College soccer team was unable to avoid a gridlock in a must win game at home on Friday, Nov. 7 against Ventura College.

The Brahmas and the Pirates missed several goal opportunities which resulted in a 0-0 tie.

Ventura took control of both the field and the ball in the first half of the game and started the game with two scoring opportunities.

The Brahmas started off with

“That’s one of the top ten teams in the league,” said head coach Adolfo Perez. “We missed opportunities to score goals.”

This game was one of the most important games of the season, as it would place the teams’ either second or third on the leaderboard.

Pierce bounced back with its first goal opportunity led by freshman midfielder Marissa Albano giving the team the fuel it

needed to take control of the ball.

Pierce then shifted from being stuck in the back to moving forward on the field as goalkeeperturned-field-player Taylor Bailey rushed onto the field.

“She trained as a goalie but is now playing on the field,” Perez said. “She’s the story of the year.”

Bailey was able to surpass the Pirates energy within seconds, using her physicality and swift movements to put the Brahmas in control of the ball.

The Brahmas managed to shake off not only fouls in this game but injuries from recent games as well.

Freshman defender Desiree Raygoza had suffered a head injury from the Brahmas’ last game against Hancock.

This drive to push through such injuries led Pierce to end the first half of the game with a second goal shot. Although it was a missed shot the Brahmas gained momentum that was absent in the first few minutes of the game.

“I think we gave it everything it just sometimes doesn’t go your way,” Raygoza said. “We played our hearts out and I’m very proud of my team.” The game concluded with intense goal shots from both sides, as both Paige Wolny and Raygoza stepped up to provide more opportunities to score.

“Either way, we showed them that we wanted it,” Bailey said. For coverage on Tuesday’s game visit theroundupnews.com.

The next game is on the road against Oxnard College on Friday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m.

Diego Barajas/ Roundup

Freshman linebacker James Dinson plays with a picture of his brother to keep his memory alive.

Cesar Armenta Roundup Reporter

Stacy Soriano/ Roundup

Goalkeeper turned forward, Taylor Bailey dribbles the ball. [For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]