Volume 122 Spring 2015 Roundup Issue 10

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ROUNDUP

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 | Volume 122 - Issue 10 | Woodland Hills, California | One copy free, each additional copy $1

/theroundupnews @roundupnews /roundupnews /roundupnews www.theroundupnews.com

Teachers to take roll for entire semester

District-mandated attendance tracking to start in summer

Instructors will be required to record attendance and submit reports for the entire length of the term beginning in the upcoming summer session, according to an administrative regulation by the Los Angeles Community College District.

The policy was proposed in March and has its roots in financial aid fraud, wherein students could enroll in classes and be present until the census date, as that is when the majority of instructors stop taking attendance. Once the federallyloaned funds are received, the student can stop attending class, leaving the college liable for reimbursement.

“We have a serious problem with having to return federal loans the college was socked with over $100,000 because students reneged on their loans and because of this, the college is responsible for returning the money,” said Lyn Clark, vice president of the Academic Senate.

The regulation was enacted to protect the college from any liability. However, this will affect instructors, as they will have to monitor the hours students attend class and submit those numbers at the end of the semester along with final grades.

Having the responsibility of taking roll every class meeting will change the current classroom dynamic, according to psychology and statistics professor Angela Belden.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge that our students are adults, that they have other activities that they’re doing. They have a life outside of school and sometimes that life gets in the way,” Belden said. “Now we’re going to have to take attendance every single day… and it’s a burden on class time. It’s a burden on the students, and it’s really not sharing the load.”

Earlier in the meeting, Pamela Brown, an instructor of political science, announced the Online Education Initiative (OEI) has plans to create a statewide interactive exchange of online courses.

“If a course at Pierce is full, you can go online and take that course at any college in the state. So the good news is they get the classes they need if classes are full,” Brown said.

The OEI course exchange is said to have a relationship with Canvas, a Moodle-like service, according to a handout Brown presented to the Academic Senate.

Additionally, the commencement speaker for the 2015 spring graduation was announced to be Rick Najera, author of the awardwinning book “Almost White.” Najera is also an accomplished TV writer and a California native.

The next Academic Senate meeting will take place on June 1 at 2:45 p.m. in the Great Hall.

@roundupsports

Campus closed Monday for Memorial Day

The Pierce College campus will be closed Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day.

Classes will resume on Tuesday, May 26. #PierceDayOff

Student awards to pay out $750 each

This semester’s President’s Award and Outstanding Student Award will net its winners $750 each.

The President’s Award is open to students with a 3.0 GPA who are currently enrolled in at least nine units and are graduating or transferring at the end of this semester.

The Outstanding Student Awards requires a 3.5 GPA and a declared major and earns the winner a trophy as well as the cash prize.

Faculty and staff can nominate students for the President’s Award, while only faculty can nominate for the Outstanding Student Award.

The deadline for nominations for both awards is Friday, May 22.

moved to the U.S. from Mexico. Gonzalez is the closer for the Pierce College Bulls. Monday, May 18. Woodland Hills, Calif.

From start to finish

Closer fulfills fatherʼs childhood dream to play baseball

Agood closer in baseball takes over where the starter left off, hoping to complete a successful performance.

Pablo Gonzalez has been doing that since he was a child, trying to complete his dad’s dream of becoming a professional player.

Gonzalez, 21, a criminal justice major and a sophomore righty for the Pierce College

baseball team made various adjustments before realizing his potential as a hurler.

“I started playing baseball when I was three,” Gonzalez said. “When I started I was a first baseman and an outfielder. As I got older, they turned me into a pitcher, and my dad happened to be one. He’s the one that got me into it. At first I didn’t want to pitch, but he showed me and I started liking it.”

Gonzalez’s father, Ramiro Gonzalez, saw his son’s interest in baseball from the start and used his knowledge and experience to teach him the basics.

“My dad played baseball all of his life,”

Gonzalez said. “He came over here from Mexico so he never really got the opportunity to play in high school or any of that because he had to work.”

Gonzalez’s memory of when he developed his love for the game comes with childhood memories he shared with his father.

“There’s one pretty funny moment I remember from when I was a kid,” Gonzalez said. “Me and my dad were practicing and I told my dad not to hit me, so he tossed it and he ended up hitting me. I ended up chasing him all over the field with a baseball bat trying to hit him.”

[See GONZALEZ , pg. 8]

Grad requirement increase delayed

Board of Trustees postpones vote to raise GE units

The vote for whether or not to approve the addition of three general education units to the requirement for an associate degree was tabled by the Los Angeles Community College District.

The LACCD Board of Trustees was scheduled to vote on the matter during a meeting at L.A. Mission College on Wednesday, May 13.

“The foundation of an associate degree is general education,” said Elizabeth Atondo, articulation officer at Pierce College.

Most of the colleges represented at the meeting were in favor of the amendment. The LACCD is on the lower end when it comes to its 18 required general education units for an associate degree.

Calvin Alagot / Roundup

Kathleen Burke, Pierce College president, announced at the May 13 LACCD Board of Trustees meeting that 70 Pierce students were admitted to the University of California, Berkeley. Sylmar, Calif.

“We looked at Pasadena, College of the Canyons and Moorpark, and everyone is more than 21 [units],” Atondo said.

“So 21 is minimal. It’s a third of an associate degree. It’s so reasonable and students should

want it.” This change would only affect new students, and continuing students would only be required to take 18 general education units. The district is trying to keep up with this movement as well as

meet the needs of the colleges in the best way for them.

This issue brought many staff and faculty members from LA Trade-Tech College to speak on behalf of the school and its students.

[See BOARD, pg. 4]

Who will you nominate? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter with #PierceAwards

LGBTQ safety program offers CEU credits

Trainers will be taught to develop and maintain a safe environment for LGBTQ students, faculty and staff by the California Community College Student Health Program.

The eight-hour event is free without Continuing Education Units, but costs $25 with CEUs. Its “Train-the-Trainer” event is Friday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the ASO on the first floor of the Library / Learning Center. RSVP for the event with the QR code below. #PierceGSA

ASO to host study hall before finals week

A three-day event with tutors and food will begin the week before finals, courtesy of the Associated Students Organization.

There will be pizza, muffins and coffee, according to ASO Head Committee Chair of Student Outreach Noura Hervani.

The “Open Study Hall” will be open from Tuesday, May 26, through Thursday, May 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Life Center on the first floor of the Library / Learning Center. #PierceASO

Philosophy Dept. to host open mic, cabaret event

Philosophy of Art and Icebox Journal will hold “The Philosophers Cabaret” event in the Great Hall at Pierce College on May 28, at 5 p.m.

The event will have live bands, refreshments, student performances and an after-party DJ.

If you are interested in performing, contact Melanie McQuitty at mcquittym@gmail. com. #PierceCabaret

Criminal justice majors, brothers share baseball

#PIERCEWIRE
A&E Use #piercewire to connect with us on social media. Students compete for cash in speech tournament Page 3 NEWS
LA native uses basketball to launch career in academics Page 7
-Compiled
by
Seth
Perlstein and
Megan Moureaux
Duo plays classical pieces together on single piano Page 5
South
FEATURES
dream Page 8 SPORTS
Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup Sophomore Pablo Gonzalez began his baseball career as a first baseman and outfielder, but switched to pitcher because of his father, who

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Do you trust our government?

ʻNetiquetteʼ is important

During the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Houston Rockets social media manager was fired after posting an “insensitive” tweet geared toward the Dallas Mavericks.

Over the last few years, social media has taken over and will only continue to grow, but your presence on these sites, whether you are representing yourself, a business or a team, is what matters most.

Social media has potential to bring out the lowest in people without them even knowing or realizing it.

Should schools be responsible for properly training students in social media etiquette or “netiquette?”

A survey done by Pearson and the Babson Survey Research Group stated that 41 percent of college professors use social media as part of their classes. Teachers use sites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and more for student interaction and class projects.

Current or future employers have easy access to these sites and frequently search employees or potential employees without hesitation.

According to ComScore, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are the top four applications used by 18-34 year olds, or the millennial generation.

According to careerbuilder.com, 43 percent of employers

use social networking sites to research job candidates. But employers don’t stop at social media. Businesses also use search engines to look up future and current employees. Careerbuilder.com reports 45 percent of employers use search engines, including Google, to research potential job candidates, with 20 percent saying they do so frequently or always.

We need to use these applications responsibly. Be aware of what pictures you send on Snapchat, what posts you like on Facebook and what you retweet or favorite on Twitter. When creating a username or handle, use a variation of your full name and not something that is considered inappropriate.

Here are suggestions to get hired rather than fired:

1. Think before you share.

2. Be appropriate.

3. Know who follows you or sends you a friend request. But social networking has its benefits, too. Twitter and LinkedIn are great places to network and build a brand that represents yourself in a positive and professional light.

Students shouldn’t be afraid of social media, but should be cautious of how they portray themselves on these outlets.

Should psych visits be required?

for, but their jobs are not being productive with them. They need money so they can pay their tuition, bills and taxes. Students need to stay up late to for final exams. These can be exhausting scenarios for students to deal with.

–CORRECTIONS–

CHRISTOPHER ESCOBAR

cescobar.roundupnews@gmail.com @cescobar46

Some students may say that they have no problems and their lives are filled with nothing but positivity, but that statement is a pipe dream.

Students should be required to meet with the school psychologist because they can help them relieve stress and clear their minds.

Sometimes, students have one specific issue to worry about, but they ignore it and try to convince themselves to move on. But sometimes, that problem returns and students must seek help.

Psychology, the study of mind and behavior, is a process of understanding the principle mentality of the human mind and being able to reconstruct it.

This can help students because their stress may be caused by work, school, finances or family matters. Dealing with those issues alone can frustrate and affect a student’s behavior.

They have exams to study

There are students who can become overwhelmed by stress and there are students who have to deal with problematic issues. Students tend to not deal with their issues and not talk about them with anyone, which can be very unhealthy.

When students have an issue and don’t feel comfortable talking to other people, a psychologist is the person for them to trust and to be able to talk with.

This can be a way for students to feel at ease when they have someone they can share their feelings with and express what they want to improve.

Meeting with a psychologist is also a way to connect with students and show the appreciation they have toward them.

Even if a student is not feeling stressed out or overwhelmed, they will know that someone is looking out for them.

School psychologists are helpful people and are always available to any students who need mental or emotional assistance.

College students should not be required to meet with the school psychologist on a yearly basis.

The biggest issue is funding.

If the district were to administer a mandatory psychologist meeting annually or semesterly, the cost would certainly show.

As it is, many college students struggle to pay for their schooling, and by implementing these health checks more often, the cost of tuition would also increase.

Colleges would then have to hire thousands of additional psychologists to be able to get the tests done in a timely manner before the semester starts.

Salaries would have to be paid, which means an increase in tax dollars to fund these school doctors.

Mental illness is a serious subject among college students and symptoms related to depression, addiction, eating disorders and even suicide are something universities have to

deal with.

Research conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness on college campuses shows that 50 percent of college students had experienced enough anxiety to cause them to struggle in school. To deal with this problem, institutions would benefit by implementing more hands -on programs to help students

Psychological treatment is vital for students who suffer from mental problems. The answer to treating students who experience stress from classwork is not to mandate annual mental checks.

Instead, the school should instill programs and other activities that keep students feeling in control of their workload.

Administrators and officials of the school system should research and analyze mental illness problems on campus before making their decision. These mental issues often times do not even relate to school, as some students endure more stress outside of the campus. At the very most, if meetings were to be required for all students, a mental check before admission should be the only time psychological screenings should be conducted.

It is important to have a school psychologist on campus, but to schedule annual meetings with them is unnecessary and an unwise way to spend educational funding.

The deadline is 11:59 p.m. the Sunday prior to the issue date.

Editorial Policy:

The Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials.

Cartoons and photos, unless run under the editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup.

The college newspaper is published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff.

Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.

Editorial Board deems not to be a letter.

Letters to the Editor 6201 Winnetka Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91371 Room: Pierce College Village 8211 Phone: (818) 719-6427 Fax: (818) 719-6447 www.theroundupnews.com newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com ROUNDUP Editor in Chief ....................... Seth Perlstein Managing Editor .............. Megan Moureaux Social Media Editor ......... Megan Moureaux Online Editor............................. Cara Hunter Opinion Editor ............................. Jaël Allen News Editor ............................. Scott Prewitt Assistant News Editor ... Vanessa Arredondo Features Editor ............. Brittany Henderson Arts & Entertainment Editor .... Jeffrey Howard Assistant A&E Editor ................... Luis Ayala Sports Editor .......................... Lynn Rosado Assistant Sports Editor ................ Sal Fariaz Assistant Sports Editor ...... Jordan Williams Copy Editor ....................... Andrew Escobar Photo Editor .............. Mohammad Djauhari Multimedia Editor ..... Mohammad Djauhari Assistant Photo Editor ............ Skylar Lester Assistant Multimedia Editor .... Cara Hunter Cartoonist ....................... Tobennh Dacanay Advisers ................ Jill Connelly, Jeff Favre, ............................ Rob O’Neil, Paul McLeod Advertising Manager................ Jill Connelly [For advertising call Jill at (818) 719-6483] Reporters: Harry Bennett Katerina Chryssafis Marc Dionne Christopher Escobar Raymond Gonzalez Carlos Islas Ashley L’Heureux Julie Luders Victor Rodriguez Monica Salazar Sharla Smith James Stewart Policy: Letters and guest columns for or against any position are invited. Letters should be kept as brief as possible (300 words or less) and are subject to editing. Letters must be signed and include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms or initials will not be used, but names may be withheld upon request and approval of the Editorial Board. The Roundup publishes “Letters to the Editor” that are not obscene or libelous and do not contain racial denigration. Writers are given the opportunity to revise unacceptable letters. The Pierce College Roundup will not publish, as letters, literary endeavors, publicity releases, poetry or other such materials as the
2 Opinion ROUNDUP: May 20, 2015 Photographers: Scott Aaronson Calvin Alagot Edgar Amezcua Andrew Caceres Cody Calderon Carlos Carpio Alan Castro Tim Daoud Raymond Gonzalez Titus Littlejohn Joseph Rivas Heni Sirchi Malik Walker
“Not really, because obviously the government can by sly. They have all the power in their hands and it may look like they’re doing the right thing but they’re not always doing the right thing.”
-SARA RECKLAY Nursing Major/Kinesiology Minor
“I believe you have to have a certain amount of trust for the people that are working for you because it’s necessary to feel safe and secure, but on the other hand I don’t know if I can do a better job myself.”
-EDEN SEGALOVITCH Psychology Major
“No, because you don’t know what they are doing with the taxpayers’ money. Honestly they’re just wasting it.”
-SEAN MCDADE
Sociology Major
“To a degree yes, they are in that position for a reason they did not just get elected because they’re famous or at least most of them. They’ve done the work to get into that position so I trust that the work they did prior to that qualifies them.”
-
NATHAN SON
Undecided Major
Quotes gathered by Brittany Henderson | Photos by Calvin Alagot
“Government is a necessary evil.” -ALI ASGHAR Political Science Major
Volume 122, Issue
8
2: The L.A. Times
misspelled as ‘L.A Time’ in corrections.
122,
9
was
Volume
Issue
1: Instructor of Arts Monika Del Bosque’s first name was
in the first paragraph of the ‘Student Art Show’
misspelled Monkia
story.
122,
9
Issue
1: The lamb in the photo in the jump on the top of the page was
the lamb that was stolen.
not
BENNETT hbennett.roundupnews@gmail.com @hb3reports
HARRY
Con Pro –EDITORIAL–

Speech competition results

Annual contest pits Speech 101 students against one another for chance at cash prizes

may be incentive to compete and win, associate professor of communications and host of the event Michelle Silver thinks the evolution of the students is most important.

“The goal is to provide a platform for students to be able to practice what they have learned in the classroom and bring their oratory skills to a broader platform,” Silver said. “I think it provides a perfect challenge for students to come and test their own anxiety and stretch themselves to be able to be in front of an audience that they have never been in front of before.”

The competition began in the Village with five rooms allocated to each speech category.

Competitors were ranked and every student who placed first

prizes

in each classroom moved on to the finals. 10 students, five from each category, were chosen to compete in the finals held in the Great Hall.

The five students who competed in the informative category were Marlon Barrios, Nathan Hurd, Neda Kakvand, Febria Baldwin and Robert Darrio. The students in the persuasive category were Anastasiya Lisovska, Nicole Garcia, Jamie Mersola, Eloy Flores and Kirschen Sapalicio.

Each finalist had five to seven minutes to deliver his or her speech.

Darrio won first place for his informative speech about his life and role as a chef. Barrios, who spoke about domestic violence, placed second. Third place in the informative category went to Baldwin, who spoke about the

island of Bali.

In the persuasive category, Lisovska won first place with a speech about rape culture. Second place was Flores, who spoke about the importance of sleep. Third place went to Sapalicio, who talked about blood transfusions and the significance of donating blood.

Darrio, first place winner in the informative category, wasn’t discouraged by the audience of students.

“It’s really easy for me to get up in front of a lot of people and speak. It’s something I have done often,” Darrio said. Hurd, a stand-up comedian, competed in the informative category and brought the crowd to laughter with a few opening jokes.

“They told me there would be a lot of people and I figured I

5/16—Petty Theft A bike lock was cut and the bike was stolen from the Mall.

5/16—Student Cited

A student was cited for parking his or her vehicle illegally on the farm area and refusing to move it.

could get a free comedy set,” Hurd said. “I didn’t know about it, but the minute they said competition and cash prize I was interested. I eat ramen a lot because comedy doesn’t pay, so I was like, ‘I’m gonna do that.’”

Student progression is hard to notice, especially visually, which is why Silver and the communications department believe in the positive impact this event can have on students.

“As a professor, it makes us feel like we are genuinely helping students and they are going beyond any anxiety or any negative experiences that they have had and if we can be the conduit to get them over that hump and help them to feel empowered to be able to become proactive community members, it’s a win for everybody,” Silver said.

5/6—Suspicious Incident A student parked her vehicle in Parking Lot 7, locked it, and upon returning around 1:45 p.m., noticed the hood of her vehicle cracked open.

5/4—Burglary

An unknown suspect broke into a vehicle in Parking Lot 3 by smashing the passenger side window. Items were reported stolen from the vehicle.

ROUNDUP: May 20, 2015 News 3
Incident Report
Pierce College
General Information: (818) 719
Emergency: (818) 710
May 3 - May 16 -Reporting
Arredondo -Compiled
Prewitt
Sheriff’s Station
- 6450
- 4311
by Vanessa
by Scott
/ Roundup Group photo of Public Speaking Tournament participants, instructors and judges at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. May 15.
Edgar Amezcua
70 of the 100 students enrolled in Speech 101 competed at the third annual Pierce College Intramural Public Speaking Tournament on Friday, May 15, in the Village and the Great Hall. The tournament is exclusive to students currently enrolled in Speech 101 and consists of persuasive and informative speakers competing for cash prizes. First place in
category won $200, second place
$100 and third
$75.
the cash
About
either
won
place won
Although
JORDAN WILLIAMS Assistant Sports Editor
Bachelor's Degree for Professionals WHEN YOU’RE READY TO TAKE ON YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE, WE’RE HERE. Life can be great practice for earning a degree. So when you’re ready to take on your next challenge, we’re here. Just call (805) 493-3325 to set up an appointment with one of our admission counselors.
@twitterhandle

Student government budget

Current members of ASO detail organizationʼs financial status

“These videos can potentially help student athletes move on to the next level and get scholarships,” Bender said.

The Associated Students Organization, with a $1 million reserve, provides funding and support for students and faculty on campus.

The ASO currently has a budget of approximately $32,000. Unused funds are sent to the reserves at the end of the semester. The ASO receives its money from the $1 fee all students pay during registration, the $7 dues fee required from students who join the ASO, and fundraising efforts.

At the beginning of the spring semester, the ASO had a working budget of around $40,000, of which they have used about $8,000. The working budget is used to fund on-campus activities, the hiring of aides, and other events sponsored by the ASO.

According to ASO President Alex Oloo, a financial request form must be filed to receive funds from the organization.

“The finance committee sits every Thursday looking at all the papers presented to them and makes a recommendation to the ASO senate to make the decision,” Oloo said.

The organization’s reserves amount to about $1 million but cannot be used unless a budget request sheet is filled out, submitted and approved.

ASO recently received funding requests for electronic equipment for the men’s volleyball team and to fund the annual ASO banquet.

The men’s volleyball team’s recent request for $1,202.80 to buy two iPad Airs and two GoPros to capture game footage and player statistics was tabled at this week’s meeting. Michael Bender, criminal justice senator, said that these items would be owned by ASO and be accessible for any department to use.

ASO’s recent request for $1700 to fund the annual banquet, scheduled for June 5th, was approved. ASO members, however, questioned if this was a good use of money and if allocating it to the student body would be of better use.

The reserve is used when the ASO believes a necessary expense may exceed the discretionary budget, and might affect the working budget.

ASO Treasurer Michael McGee said the organization recently set aside funds from the reserve and intends to hire a new staff member to oversee the ASO office.

“Recently we took out from the reserves for hiring a staff member to oversee the ASO,” McGee said.

Campus recycling process explained

that was held in Ontario, Calif.

The requested money was used to attend the conference and cover food, transportation and hotel expenses. Not all of the money was spent, and the remainder was returned to the representative account.

McGee said that a new policy called “negative check-off” includes the $7 ASO fee in the cost to register for classes unless a student opts out. This will take effect in fall 2015.

ASO members voiced their dissatisfaction about the voting mechanisms of the recent ASO election and heard funding requests from Pierce organizations at this week’s ASO meeting.

During the public requests portion of the meeting, students voiced their displeasure about the confusing voting instructions and the resulting ASO election outcomes.

ASO sent out an email blast to Pierce students on March 30, announcing that the election would be by electronic vote. However, numerous students stated that they did not receive this email.

“It is unfair to assume that everyone has a smartphone, or has Internet access when they aren’t on campus,” Albert Thakur, Student Senator, said.

Pierce relies on third party collection of cans and bottles

Despite the presence of recycling bins throughout the Pierce College campus, the process remains unclear to certain people on campus.

People throw trash into the recycling bins on occasion, but according to associate professor Denise Robb, Pierce’s custodians don’t actually recycle the contents of the bins.

its recycling system to Pierce’s.

“At Moorpark, we have bins and there is a paper bin and it has a slot for the paper and it says clean paper only, then for the cans and bottles there’s a round bin that says cans and bottles only so they don’t get mixed up,” Ahlstrom said. “It’s all over campus, so everyone is now trained that the paper goes in the narrow paper slot and the cans go in the circle, whereas [at Pierce] they haven’t gotten that system down yet, so that might be something they want to update too.”

Though an account was made, no funds were placed in the account as it remains unknown how much it will cost to hire the new employee. McGee said the ASO is not in charge of the hiring process.

The ASO also has a large fund called the representative account, which is typically used for conferences the ASO and clubs attend.

The representative account contains about $250,000 which can not be spent without approval to designate where the money is going to be allocated to.

McGee said that the ASO requested $37,000 from the representative account so the ASO could attend the conference for the Student Senate for California Community Colleges

One concern regarding the election was that voting facilities to accommodate ESL students and disabled students were not available. Several students who did vote electronically had problems with the system crashing and were forced to repeat the voting process before their vote was submitted. Candidates also said that they had been instructed that there would be paper ballots and voting stations set up around the campus.

“ASO’s elections have always been about fairness,” Thakur said. “By taking away the opportunity for students to vote when and how they preferred was a real disadvantage. It was us failing the system.”

The next ASO meeting is scheduled for May 19, 2015.

General education unit requirements

LA Trade-Tech College is unique because 70 percent of the college’s students are enrolled in career technical education (CTE) programs and the other 30 percent are pursuing academic degrees.

Pierce College is made up of around 60 percent of students pursuing an academic degree and 40 percent moving toward a CTE certificate, according to Kathleen Burke, Pierce’s president.

Faculty members of TradeTech iterated that this increase in general education units may be right for some colleges, but not for

theirs.

“We are not asking that anybody eliminate what they are asking to do,” said Carole Anderson, department chair of the fashion center at LA Trade-Tech College. “If they think this is the right thing for them to do for their students, then God bless them. But we know what’s right for our students.”

Larry Pogoler, a professor at Trade-Tech, said that the increase in units will cause more harm than good for his students.

“There are actually units being pushed out of our major coursework,” Pogoler said. “At

Trade-Tech, we believe that this has created an exceptional and compelling circumstance.”

Section 6201.14 of the Board

Rule Subsection B on general education requirement states, “Developing and implementing a specific philosophy of General Education is a responsibility of each college, since each must be sensitive to the unique educational needs and learning environment of its students.”

Trade-Tech seeks to keep its campus’ general education unit requirement at 18 because they say it is unnecessary for most of the students in a CTE program and it

is just another obstacle for students who are in an academic degree program.

District Academic President Don Gauthier favors the unit increase and believes that the board must rely on the faculty experts when making a decision.

“They have a choice. They can decide that this is going to have a big impact and they can say no. They can also decide to agree with us and there is no issue,” Gauthier said.

The board of trustees will review the newly acquired information and testimonies before putting it to vote.

“Our custodians take our recycling bin and put it in the trash bin,” said Robb, who co-founded a sustainability committee with assistant professor of art Beth Abels. “When the custodians were asked about it, they responded that we used to have recycling, but they said it had something to do with the funding.”

Robb said the sustainability committee views recycling as one of its chief concerns.

“I know a lot of people are concerned about it, but I don’t know if it’s going to change,” Robb said. “I hope so.”

Martha Ahlstrom, oceanography instructor in the Physics and Planetary Sciences Department, said there was an issue with the bins in the classroom.

“I do think there is kind of an issue with making sure the recycling bins are located in proper classrooms,” Ahlstrom said. “I do notice they are distributed throughout the campus fairly and I think a lot of it is just training the students as well as the professors to make sure they’re aware of where the recycling bins are and to use them.”

Ahlstrom also teaches at Moorpark College and compared

Rodney Allen, operations manager for Plant Facilities at Pierce, said that the school does have a recycling system in place.

“We have a greater control over paper and cardboard,” Allen said. “Cans and bottles are hard because people from the public take them.”

Allen said the green bins designated for paper and cardboard are located in a secure area to make sure there is no chance of contamination.

According to Allen, Pierce currently uses the Republic Services company, formerly known as Consolidated Disposal Services LLC, for paper and cardboard recycling. Allen said that company has a strict standard for what is considered recyclable, and that there have been times when students have thrown trash into recycling bins and compromised the recyclable items.

“If it is five percent trash, then the whole bin is considered trash and Pierce gets billed for the disposal of trash,” Allen said.

According to Allen, Pierce is currently looking to change its recycling company and has already met with two companies.

Guaranteed Transfer Guaranteed Transfer

arts dePartment

trustee election disputed District will review results of close race after candidate raises issues with polling hours, vague election bylaw language

Student

The results of the L.A. Community College District Student Trustee election are being contested by Pierce College student Milo Anderson, who lost the election by three votes.

The final tally declared Ryan Navarrete from Los Angeles TradeTechnical College the winner by a margin of 0.07 percent, with a total of 4,143 ballots submitted by students districtwide. Anderson, a member of the Pierce College Media Arts Department, contends that a recount is called for based on the closeness of the race. He said ballot booth hours made voting impossible for students attending night classes.

In the interest of transparency, it should be noted that Anderson, while not involved in the Roundup newspaper, is a member of the Pierce College Media Arts Department, which oversees KPCRadio, the Roundup and The Bull Magazine.

In an official letter of complaint to Vice Chancellor Bobbi Kimble and to the Districtwide Elections Committee, Anderson said “irregularities” may have occurred during election procedures.

Anderson received a letter from L.A. City College Vice President of Finance Gilbert Aguilar, Jr., in which Aguilar stated that Navarrete advised him to encourage students who were enrolled and attending

multiple LACCD campuses to vote for Navarrete at each campus.

“I don’t know for sure if he did that,” Associated Student Organization President James Johnston said. “But I would assume that he would.”

Navarrete did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

campuses.”

“Election rules and election processes were set up quite some years ago,” Kimble said. “They have not been updated for probably 10 years. There was not the prevalence of students going to multiple campuses.”

According to Anderson, another irregularity that may have “significantly violated the democratic process of the election” was that the ballot booth was open for less than eight hours each day. Section 21005.11 Election Procedures states that the polls should be open eight hours for the two days of voting to allow day and evening students equal opportunity to vote.

Kimble said there is a separate investigation that has to be conducted by Pierce to find out whether voting booth hours were open long enough each day.

There is nothing listed in the LACCD Board Rules that specifically forbids students from voting at multiple campuses. According to Section 21005.10 of the board rules, students currently enrolled at each campus are eligible to vote. For a student’s vote to be valid, they must have had their current enrollment verified in the master enrollment list, signed the master enrollment list, and provided photo identification at the time of voting.

“If they voted more than once, that’s a system flaw that we need to figure out,” Kimble said. “The internal audit division is investigating whether students voted at multiple

Anderson formally requested an investigation to examine the master lists from each of the nine colleges in the district to determine whether any students voted more than once. He also requested, as a part of the investigation, that Navarrete, Aguilar and any other witness be questioned to verify if students were encouraged to vote multiple times.

“I have been in community college for a few years and with the senate, and I know they are not going to overturn the election results,” said Johnston. “I know that both candidates are qualified and are very passionate about what they want.”

ROUNDUP: May 20, 2015 4 News
Hengame Abassi-Sirchi / Roundup Jose Luis collects recyclables at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. May 11, 2015.
MARC DIONNE Roundup Reporter @marc_d_photog
transfer in two years to one of nine cal state universities with a JOURNALISM for more details contact: Pierce college counseling center (818) 719-6440 or visit the first floor of the student services bldg CHICO // Dominguez HILLS // EAST BAY // fULLERTON humboldt // lONG bEACH // POMONA // monterey bay // SACRAMENTO TRANSFER DEGREE
[From BOARD, pg. 1]
“Recently we took [money] from the reserves for hiring a staff member to oversee the ASO.”
-Michael McGee ASO Treasurer
JAMES STEWART Roundup Reporter @jmstewartrn
“[Election rules] have not been updated for probably 10 years.”
-Bobbi Kimble Vice Chancellor of Educational Programs and Institutional Effectiveness
-Additional reporting by Katerina Chryssafis

Pianist duo share 88 keys

Dances for Four Hands plays music from around the world

SCOTT PREWITT

News Editor

@s_prewitt

Seated at a single piano in the center of the stage, Frank Garvey and Yih-Mei Hu began a performance last week that made clear why the duo chose the name Dances for Four Hands.

In a show of collaboration and synchronization timed to a fraction of a second, the duo played as one, switching places on the bench between measures.

Hu and Garvey, each a highly accomplished and accredited pianist, chose five pieces for their Thursday Concert Series performance centered around the theme of international classical dance music.

“Our program today is a whole program of dances from around the world,” Garvey said. “We’re taking a world tour from chilly Norway all the way down to sunny Argentina.”

The first piece the group played was Anitra’s Dance, written in 1876 by Edvard Grieg. The piece was mischievous and playful, almost childlike. It started slow, but the pace picked up as Garvey

and Hu played in perfect harmony.

After Anitra’s Dance, the duo played Five Spanish Dances, Op. 12, written by 19th-century Polish composer Moritz Moszkowski.

In five measures, the piece ran the gamut in terms of the mood it set.

The first movement, Allegro brioso, was lighthearted and carefree, reminiscent of an aristocratic ballroom dance.

The second movement, Moderato, was slow and contemplative, but not in a somber way. Garvey played the low end, and Hu the high, but unless a person were watching, it would require a trained ear to distinguish that there were two pianists playing simultaneously.

Garvey said he has developed a list of short mnemonic devices to help him play in tandem with Hu, which he confirmed is as hard as it looks.

“These are literally some of the words I have written in my score,” Garvey said. “Run, hide, get high, low, hover. At one point in my score I have ‘obnoxious Frank, stay low and out, watch Y,’ meaning Yih-Mei, followed by sniff and bounce.”

Bolero con Spirito, the fifth and final movement, was exceptional in its beauty and execution.

Hu again played the higher notes, making them sing throughout the piece’s festive finale. She played with lightning speed, and with Garvey setting the tone and rhythm on the low notes, it was hard to believe the sound all came from a single piano.

In Cortege, the second movement of Petite Suite by French composer Claude Debussy, the duo again played in such unison that there was almost no way to tell which was which. The piece was incredibly intricate and

A treat for the creatives

38th annual Photo Salon offers prizes to contestants

the candle.

The back of the library was filled to capacity with creativity and beauty as Pierce College hosted the opening night of the 38th annual Photo Salon on Thursday, May 14.

The winners of the Photo Salon were confirmed Monday night on May 18.

Photographer Brynn Bromley won the award of best in show. Her photograph was a close-up of a girl with yellow paint streaking down her face.

There were 47 photographs entered into the competition. The salon started at 6 p.m. and two judges were present to submit their picks for awards.

“The first thing I always look for is what catches my eye,” said Gil Riego Jr., a Pierce alumnus and one of the judges for this year’s competition. “I do a quick glance to see what stands out, and from then on I try to judge on creativity and sharpness depending on the type of photo.”

Best photojournalism photo was awarded to Mohammad Djauhari, the photo editor for the Roundup news.

The photograph was captured in Downtown LA where a protest took place after the death of Mike Brown.

“I was at the right place at the right time,” Djuhari said. “I see the Photo Salon every year and we

have a lot of good photographers here. It’s nice to see my work hanging up next to them.”

Other winners included best landscape taken by Ernesto Delgado Vides. Second place for that category went to Giovanni De Lcon who captured a star-filled night.

Best creative photo was won by Carolyn Arrendondo. Her photo illustration was of a person walking through a mist appearing to walk on top of telephone lines.

Ellie Kuo is a photographer at Pierce College and she took

synchronized perfectly.

The two often played closer to the middle, touching elbows as a way of maintaining position, and the sight and sound of it gave the listener the impression they were actually one in both mind and body.

The final piece of the performance was Libertango, a contemporary tango written by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla in 1974.

The piece was fast and loud, with a somehow mysterious tone that would break into erratic

intensity, speeding up and slowing down throughout. Garvey and Hu took the chance to show off during the piece by standing and switching seats repeatedly, taking turns playing the high notes which took lead in the piece.

Hu said the program took them months of practice to be able to play so fluidly.

“We’ve been working on the program for about six months and we’ve played it several times at different places in L.A.,” she said. “With every performance we find new things to work on, so it’s sort

of an endless process.”

The last piece, Libertango, was particularly well received by audience member Donna Hemans.

“I liked all of it, but the first piece and the last -- the last was exceptional, really I just loved it,” said Hemans, a music major. “The swiftness in her [Hu’s] fingers, just wonderful. I think they made a good combination together.”

The next Thursday Concert will feature a performance entitled Music for Strings, and will be held on May 21, at 12:45 p.m. in the Performing Arts Building.

first place in best studio photo. She said she was pleased at how the nude portraits came out and thought the model’s expression gave a lot to the photo.

Second place in that category was awarded to Lynn Levitt.

Pamela Houghton is a Pierce student and had two photographs displayed in the salon. One of her photos depicted two women and a young girl gathered around a birthday candle. The adults were showing the child how to blow out

“One of the reasons I took this photo is because it felt like such a special moment between the three of them,” Houghton said.

Another photography student at Pierce, Ross Leone, explained how his silhouette picture came to be.

“It was spontaneous. It was my first time at the Griffith Observatory and I ended up shooting this photo,” Leone said. “I didn’t use flash. I’m into silhouettes, like having a person in the picture but not necessarily a face all the time. I think when a person is in a photo, it always make the photo better.”

Many of the photographers who had their work on display had been taking pictures for less than a year.

Photography instructor

Rita Nisan said you don’t need expensive equipment to be a good photographer.

“I believe what makes a photographer is not a camera. It’s the way you look at something,” Nisan said.

The Photo Salon is scheduled to go on until May 29, and until then more judges will be observing the art and submitting their votes.

There were many good photographs to choose from that night, according to Sean McDonald, an instructor in the media arts department. He said he had no idea which ones would win at the time.

“I couldn’t even guess at this point,” McDonald said.

ROUNDUP: May 20, 2015 Arts & Entertainment 5
Andrew Caceras / Roundup Dances for Four Hands: Music From Around the World, Frank Gravey and Yih-Mei Hu, play the piano together as a practice before the show begins, at the Pierce College Performing Arts Building in Woodland Hills, Calif. Thursday, May 14. Cody Calderon / Roundup Brynn Bromley won best in show at the 38th Annual Photo Salon on Thursday, May 14 at the Library / Learning Crossroads in Woodland Hills, Calif.
Register Now! Register in May Fall 2015 Aug. 31 - Dec. 20

Opening minds and doors

New program at Pierce cultivates cultural awareness

Staff and students gathered in the Business Education Building on Friday, May 15, to participate in a conversation concerning cultural responsiveness and social justice.

The talk was led by guest speaker Becky Martinez, who has a doctorate in organizational leadership and specializes in diversity and inclusion training. The event was designed to get people on campus to think about what cultural responsiveness means and to encourage staff and students to get involved.

Center for Academic Success director Crystal Kiekel said the idea is to “create structural changes to the campus so that everyone has an equal chance.”

This event was the first of many to come, including an LGBTQ Safe Zone training session which will take place May 22, and include students from Pierce, Valley College, College of the Canyons and Moorpark College.

Left: Pierce College staff and students fill their plates with salad and sandwiches before listening to the presentation about social justice.

Above: Guest speaker Becky Martinez laughs while fielding questions during the Cultural Responsiveness event.

6 Photo Essay ROUNDUP: May 20, 2015
Guest speaker Becky Martinez discusses the idea of social justice during the Cultural Responsiveness event on May 15. -Photo essay by Skylar Lester

From South LA to Woodland Hills

Vice president connects athletics with higher education

The most important role of a community college, or any college, is preparing students for success in their careers and post-college lives.

This requires a coordinated effort by every member of the faculty and staff, and Earic Peters is the man who oversees and organizes those efforts.

As the vice president of student services, Peters plays an integral role in ensuring the programs and events at Pierce College are effective in helping students achieve success in their time on campus and beyond.

The experiences he has from his youth, his own time in community college and as the associate dean of students at Occidental College have shaped his approach to student involvement and education.

“When I was in junior high school and in high school, I lived in South L.A., and I was bussed from South L.A. to junior high school,”

Peters said. “I was picked up early in the morning, and took the bus all the way to Brentwood.”

Peters said that despite that lengthy commute, the junior high in Brentwood, and later the high school in Pacific Palisades, gave him a better opportunity for success later on, and taught him to be self-sufficient.

“There is a benefit to going to schools out in those areas,” he said. “It was very beneficial for me to do that and see a different aspect of resources.”

His mother was often at work during the early morning hours, so it was important that he was able to handle his daily routine fairly independently.

“My mother worked graveyard shift, two jobs. She was a janitor. A union leader also, in that teamster’s union back then. She worked as a janitor and she cleaned houses on the side,” he said. “And so oftentimes I had to get myself up, get myself dressed, and at that time she was typically walking in the door from the graveyard shift as I’m getting ready to leave.”

After high school, Peters attended

community college and said he can identify with students who want to further themselves with a college education, but may be unsure what they want to focus their lives on.

“I went to Santa Monica Community College. I went there for two years, and I transferred over to Azusa Pacific University. And I always tell the story, I say I changed my major five times, like many other students who don’t know exactly what you want to major in, have no clue,” Peters said. “And luckily and fortunately, I didn’t mess up too bad.”

Peters is a strong believer in the idea that community college is a place where students can turn their lives around, no matter what they’ve been through.

“I think we all have challenges in our lives so there’s nothing different in my story than any other story of every student that walks in, like I told my staff in [admissions and records] when I met with them,” he said. “I said you never know what students’ stories are when they first walk up to the counter. You don’t know the story behind that student. You don’t know if they’re a survivor of domestic violence, you don’t know if they’re a survivor of sexual assault, you don’t know if they’re a refugee, you don’t know anything about their lives or their stories.”

Peters played basketball in high school and college, and said that throughout his life he has found that student athletics can provide a supportive community for those who may need a sense of belonging.

“[Basketball] helped me transition on and get my degree, and transfer and graduate. It was really a vital part of who I am, and the lessons it taught me to be successful,” Peters said. “I think the other part was it allowed me to create a support group of athletes who were very successful academically. And to watch and then model that example of being a scholar athlete.”

Peters said that if students balance academics and athletics, the combination can have a positive impact on their educations and futures, and can turn students into role models in the process.

“I think sometimes we forget that we have athletes here that are both exceptional on the court and in the

classroom,” he said. “And we need to be able to help them model that behavior for other athletes.”

His role as head of student services sees him working hand-in-hand with faculty members to organize events and improve student involvement.

Crystal Kiekel, director of the Center for Academic Success, said he’s played an integral role in several events her department championed, including a Tutor Expo held at Pierce.

“We had a conference for tutors, by tutors,” Kiekel said. “And we had tutors from really all over Southern California coming together to discuss tutoring techniques, learning about tutoring strategies and just sharing their strengths. And he was a particularly positive advocate for that project here on campus. He helped get through a lot of the administrative processes that can get fairly cumbersome. And without his intervention and his assistance that might not have happened.”

Kiekel said that his position at the

Veterans find camaraderie

Similarities, service brings military students together

is like. I have been building better, stronger bonds, and it’s getting me on the right track to where I want to go in life. I feel like these guys are helping me develop all the right tools,” club member and criminal justice major Eric Gonzalez said.

junction between the administration and faculty has made many of the campus’ events possible.

“There are a lot of things that might not have happened around here if he was not there to help us get

According to Kiekel, an event last week intended to raise a discussion about cultural responsiveness and involvement had been organized, but did not have a speaker. Peters reached out to a person he knows and made all

political science Denise Robb.

“I’ve been working with Earic on the Town Hall. He’s the reason it got greenlighted,” Robb said. “He really took it and ran with it.”

Robb and Peters met every two weeks in the months leading up to the event, and she said his enthusiasm and involvement were critical in its success.

“He gets excited about the campus and the students’ success. That just doesn’t happen very often, and I can relate to that,” Robb said. “He’s got that energy.”

Robb’s words were echoed by Kiekel, who said Peters’ personality is a huge part of his effectiveness as a leader in student success.

From bunkers to study groups, the Student Veterans of America Club is showing that although the transition from military life to civilian life is hard, they are here to help.

Your drill sergeant has become your professor, the person standing next to you is no longer the person you can intrust your life to and you traded in your boots for books. The switch back to civilian life from one in the military is hard to say the least, but the Student Veterans of America Club is doing its best to ensure that transition is as easy as possible.

Christopher

Mulrooney, an Army veteran, started the Student Veterans of America Club last semester after realizing that the one on campus had been inactive for a number of years.

“Four years ago I went to Santa Monica College and they started a Veterans Club and created a veterans center. I came here last semester in the fall and saw that there was no club and decided as a veteran, I should get a veterans club started on this campus,” Mulrooney said.

“The purpose of the club is to have vets have a place to belong, to be with your fellow vets because who else is going to understand what you have been through as a veteran than other vets,” Vice President Mulrooney said.

The Student Veterans of America Club started last semester but has already become a family and the importance of the club is not understated.

“Once I came to Pierce and joined the Veterans Club, I actually started to experience more what college life

The club is not only a support group, but also a place for veterans to reach out for jobs and guidance. One of the hardest parts of the transition is figuring out what to do with your life when you come back from war.

“It’s building a community for the veterans because when we get out of the service we are sort of a little lost because we don’t really fit into the normal civilian world. The fact that we are meeting each other with similar experiences and backgrounds also really helps. It’s also a great network for meeting people, finding jobs, and helping each other in the places we are weakest,” Gonzalez said.

Club President Alexis Miguel, who served four years active duty in the Marine Corps and is now in his third year of the reserves, knows all about the struggles facing veterans and believes in the club wholeheartedly.

“I take this club very personally. There are a lot of statistics coming out and it’s unfortunate, but the suicide rate amongst the veteran population is quite high and I think clubs like this and organizations are geared to collecting all these veterans and letting them know everything is cool. Letting them know there is a safe place for them just to be themselves and share whatever they have to, and I think this club does that here for the student body at Pierce’” Miguel said.

John Johnson, a 21-year veteran of the Marine Corps, believes the club is making an impact on some veterans by helping them find jobs.

“The club is great because it has more networking for jobs and we are taking care of each other. Kind of like what we did in the service,” Johnson said.

through some of the administrative processes and lend his support and explain what’s going on with these projects to the president. He’s our conduit to senior staff,” she said.

“He’s just been a wonderful advocate in that way.”

the arrangements for them to come to the event and speak on the issue.

“He was absolutely instrumental in putting that together,” Kiekel said.

Peters was also a key figure in the success of the May 1 Town Hall event, organized by associate professor of

media ARTS speakers series

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Wednesday May 27 4:00 p.m. Pierce College Great Hall

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Open to students, staff, faculty and community Info: (818) 710-4235

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“He’s just a really, really, really pleasant person to work with. Well informed in the areas of student success. Great vision, but also just a really gregarious, welcoming person, which is really nice,” Kiekel said. “It’s a great quality for anybody to have, and it’s a wonderful quality for an administrator to have.”

ROUNDUP: May 20, 2015 Features 7
Hengame A Sirchi / Roundup Earic Peters, Pierce College vice president of student services, played basketball for Santa Monica Community College and Azusa Pacific University. May 5. Woodland Hills, Calif.
“You never know what students’ stories are when they first walk up to the counter. You don’t know the story behind the student.”
JORDAN WILLIAMS Assistant Sports Editor @JWRoundUp Hengame A Sirchi / Roundup Barbara Lombrano works the grill at the Veterans Club barbecue on the Mall with Martha Johnson and John Johnson. Wednesday, May 13. Woodland Hills, Calif.
an
a disability to participate
this MA Speaker Series
Connelly
conneljp@piercecollege.edu
accommodation due to
in
event, please contact Jill
at
or (818) 710-4235, at least 5 business days in advance.
Animator Scott Claus

Rowes who play together, stay together

Brothers share a passion for baseball, make a double-play

There’s no place like home plate for these two baseball players, who share their dreams on and off the field.

Brothers Matt and Jason Rowe played together on the Pierce College baseball team this season for the first time since high school.

Matt Rowe, 20, is a pitcher for the Bulls and Jason Rowe, 18, plays centerfield and infield.

Matt Rowe is a sophomore criminal justice major and plans to transfer locally to continue his education and play ball. Jason is a freshman criminal justice major and played his first year of college ball this year.

They both started playing around 5 years old. Even though they played on the same team in high school, playing together at Pierce has been a different experience.

“We played together in high school, but it wasn’t like playing together here,” Matt Rowe said.

“Last year we made it pretty far into playoffs. It was pretty cool and I wish he [Jason] could’ve experienced it this year, but maybe next year. It’s a whole different type of atmosphere for Pierce baseball. Just winning big games and stuff. That’s always cool.”

“No matter what, in the end having him there with me,” Jason Rowe said. “We lose together, we win together. We’re not only a team, but we’re brothers on the team. So the bond is just different.”

Growing up, Matt Rowe and Jason Rowe were close and fought as brothers typically do.

“We’re close. Since we’re two and a half years apart, when we were younger we used to fight a lot,” Matt Rowe said. “As we kind of grew away from each other distance wise and grew older, obviously the

fighting went down and we became closer.”

But no matter what, they’re always there for each other through thick and thin.

“We’re always there for each other, telling each other what we do wrong,” Jason Rowe said. “What we could do to improve and what we can do to get better.”

The brothers have two other siblings, a sister and younger brother who also plays baseball. Matt Rowe said his younger brother is always around the house throwing and catching baseballs.

“I try to teach him as much [as I can], but he’s in love with the game more than anyone,” Matt Rowe said. “Outside of baseball I always tell him, ‘what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.’ He’s always following me and repeating what I say, so that’s one thing. He looks up to both of us.”

The team’s last game of the season was memorable for the Rowe brothers. Matt Rowe was the starting pitcher for his last game as a Bull and Jason Rowe hit the leadoff double and scored the winning run in the bottom of the tenth.

“I started the game at my last game at Pierce,” Matt Rowe said. “I wasn’t able to go deep into the game, but having him hit a leadoff double in the tenth and score the winning run.”

“Playing together and seeing him pitch and do his best,” Jason Rowe said. “Me trying to help him as much as I can.”

Pierce baseball assistant coach Eric Bloom coached the Rowe brothers this season and said it was easy. “As close as they are, they’re individuals,” Bloom said. “They play different positions, so it was easy to handle and they were easy to coach.”

Jason Rowe will return next season to the Bulls and hopes to have a better season.

[For

New approach at the mound equals success

His father isn’t the only person that has supported Gonzalez. His support system consists of his mother Eva Rubio and his girlfriend Yvette Maldonado.

“There’s a few people that were a big influence to me,” Gonzalez said. “My parents and my girlfriend, because they’ve been there for me since day one. My girlfriend supports me in everything I do. My support group is strong.”

Gonzalez and Maldonado, 19, both John F. Kennedy High School graduates who met outside of school and later realized they both went to Kennedy, have been together for three and a half years and have gone through this baseball journey together.

“It started off in high school,” Maldonado said. “It was a little hard attending his games because I was in cheer and he was in baseball. I think I only missed three of his games

in high school, and he would play Sundays, so that’s my life - baseball. When it’s not season, it’s baseball somewhere else.”

Once she enrolled at Pierce, Maldonado then began attending Gonzalez’s Bulls games and continued to support him.

“I attended most of his games here,” Maldonado said. “Even the ones that were an hour, two hours away.”

Athletes are often asked about pregame rituals, and answers range from eating a specific food to listening to certain music.

Gonzalez’s ritual involves a quote and his girlfriend.

“Before his games I would text him, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’”

Maldonado said. “That was our little thing. We would text each other that before his games, like a ritual, a way to boost him up.”

A ritual that involved building

JOB BOARD

Gonzalez’s confidence was beneficial to his adjustment from a starter to a reliever and closer.

“I was a starter all my life,” Gonzalez said. “Even all through high school, so it was a big adjustment I had to make when I got here and they told me I’d be in the bullpen as a reliever.

It was weird at first because you’re used to starting the game and as a reliever you have to adapt to what’s going on.”

A choice that was influenced by his desire to continue playing, Gonzalez chose to attend Pierce because he wanted to play baseball.

“Mission [College] is a lot closer to me,” Gonzalez said. “But I came here to play baseball.”

Taking new approaches at the mound, Gonzalez realized there were changes he needed to make.

“I get too far ahead or I’m thinking about something that just happened,” Gonzalez said. “I have to teach

myself to focus on one hitter at a time. Especially with two outs. I start feeling confident so I kind of feel like I put my guard down. I have to keep myself focused to get that last out.”

Sometimes other people end up doing for him what Gonzalez needs to focus - yelling.

“That get’s me more in the zone. It pumps me up,” Gonzalez said. “You hear certain things that get you mad as a pitcher, and it kind of pumps you up, so you use that to take it out on the hitter. Sometimes it could be things that I hear on the bench that I carry on, but it’s what drives me.”

From his time as a Bull, Gonzalez’s favorite memory is one that involved his newly-adapted role.

“My favorite memory was my first save as a pitcher,” Gonzalez said. “It was in a tournament last year in Bakersfield. I got to close that game, so that was my first close. It was a special one.”

In the last game of the spring 2015 season, Gonzalez pitched 2.1 hitless innings. After doing his job, Gonzalez cheered in the dugout as he saw his team win in a ninth-inning walk off and jumped over the dugout fence with a cup of Nerds candies to throw in the air in celebration.

Gonzalez ended the season with a 3.28 ERA, 16 strikeouts and 2 saves in 24.2 innings pitched, and was happy with the season overall.

But Gonzalez wasn’t the only one with positive feelings toward his season.

“I was really proud of how he did,” Maldonado said.

Knowing what he’s capable of, if Maldonado could go back before the season started and give Gonzalez one piece of advice, it would be to always have confidence.

“Never give up,” Maldonado said. “We always dream to have bigger and better things.”

Athletic trainer Lenny Ramirez was there to witness many of Gonzalez’s pitching performances and thinks that when his pitching was

on, it was locked in. The only thing Ramirez would have Gonzalez change is his intricacies and focus on the mound.

“It’s just those intricacies you can work on that can help you memory wise,” Ramirez said. “I would tell him that pitching has a lot to do with mental preparation, to just focus.”

His last day as a Pierce pitcher has come and gone. Now Gonzalez awaits that phone call where he’ll be given the opportunity to continue to

play in California.

And like most little kids, Gonzalez dreamt of becoming a major leaguer, but said he would join the Police Academy if that day never came. But if he does make it to the big leagues, he doesn’t care if he pitches as a starter or a closer as long as he’s a San Diego Padre.

“That would be my team to play for. I don’t think I would care as long as I played for them. Once you make it, you made it,” he said.

ROUNDUP: May 20, 2015 8 Sports
Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup Jason Rowe tosses a baseball while Matt Rowe tries to light his foot on fire in this portrait recreating a typical prank done by baseball players on Monday, May 18, at the home dugout of Joe Kelly Field. Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup Pablo Gonzalez stands in his pitching stance at Joe Kelly Field. Monday, May 18.
pg. 1]
[From GONZALEZ
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