Volume 122 Spring 2015 Roundup Issue 11

ROUNDUP

Berkeley transfer numbers on rise

Pierce-to-Cal acceptances almost double

SHARLA SMITH Roundup Reporter @SharlaMSmith

An increased number of Pierce transfer students will attend the University of California, Berkeley, beginning in fall 2015.

Sunday Salter, transfer center director, said 70 out of the 245 students who applied for admission were accepted for the upcoming fall and spring semesters, compared to 45 out of 218 last year.

“We’re looking at 45 admits versus 70,” Salter said. “That’s a huge jump. It’s almost double the number of admits.”

According to Salter, students usually apply to more than one school, and for many L.A. natives, the University of California, Los Angeles, is preferred.

“Growing up in Los Angeles, most of our students want to go to UCLA,” Salter said. “Typically, the students who are admitted to Berkeley are often admitted to UCLA as well, and then they have to make a choice.”

Rushan KanKanan Panbiphage, a mathematics major, was accepted to both schools and chose to attend Berkeley.

“I’m going to Berkeley, but I was debating between Berkeley and UCLA,” said Panbiphage. “Sunday Salter nominated me for the Fly to Berkeley program, and I was selected to go on the trip.”

The Fly to Berkeley program gave 40 prospective students the opportunity to visit the campus.

Meet the grad speaker

Writer, comedian to present at event

ASHLEY LʼHEUREUX Roundup Reporter

@LHeureuxAshley

Award-winning speaker, actor, screenwriter and producer Rick Najera has sought to inspire people to break negative stereotypes without losing an appreciation for their cultures.

Najera overcame adversity in both his childhood and career to cement his place in the entertainment industry, and on June 9, he will deliver the commencement speech at the Pierce College graduation ceremony. He said he was honored to be invited to speak at Pierce, and that he plans to interject humor into his speech.

“I think it’ll be hard not to add comedy to my speech,” Najera said.

David Follosco, a dean of student

New staff, new season

Football prepares to bounce back from disappointing year

team.

Sabolic has been with the team for seven seasons and also coached for Los Angeles Valley College, John F. Kennedy High School and El Camino Real Charter High School.

the team felt it needed so it could move on from last season’s downfall.

Graduates to walk at ceremony June 9

Graduating students will gather June 9 for Pierce College’s 67th annual Commencement Ceremony in Rocky Young Park on Tuesday, June 9. Writer, comedian and director Rick Najera will be the ceremony’s speaker.

The graduation will begin at 6 p.m., and will be followed by a reception at 7:30.

Are you Graduating? Do you know someone who is? Reach out and let us know on Facebook and Twitter with #PierceGraduates

Summer classes begin mid-June

Pierce College’s summer session begins in mid-June, the week after commencement.

Summer Session A is from June 15 through July 18. Summer Session B is from July 20 through August 22. The eight-week session is from July 20 through August 8.

The Pierce College football team made some major changes in the offseason with an almost entirely new coaching staff, but with the return of star players the team’s future looks bright.

Jason Sabolic, former assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, was named the new head coach after Efrain Martinez mutually parted ways with the

In an interview in December, Sabolic said any change for the team would be difficult. He wanted to make sure that they stayed close as a unit and reinforced “not letting your teammates down.”

“It’s a new chapter in Pierce’s history and hopefully it’ll be a fun and exciting one,” Sabolic said.

The team’s fall 2014 season struggle is apparent in its 3-7 record, which is a far cry from the fall 2013 season when the team went 9-2 and won the American Division Championship.

A change in staff is something

Final

The dynamic of a team doesn’t stop at the coaching staff, though. Key players and the chemistry between the entire team is necessary to have a winning season.

Sabolic mentioned four players who have stood out the most during spring ball so far.

Sophomore wide receiver Jamere Austin, sophomore linebacker Koby Welch, sophomore offensive lineman Tony Anaya and sophomore free safety Houston Haynes.

Welch, who averaged 7.2 tackles per game, thinks the team has promise for the 2015 season.

“This team has just way more talent as far as spring ball,” Welch

Schedule

Spring 2015

said. “I think Pierce will be back to its old form again. This is going to be the season that turns everything around.”

Welch said many of last seasons’s Brahmas are back, but there are also a lot of newcomers.

“As far as linebackers go, there are a lot of returners,” Welch said. “There are returners everywhere, but there are also a lot of new guys that we’re having high hopes for.”

To contribute to the team’s success, Welch made his own physical adjustments off the field.

“Last year I was really undersized,” Welch said. “I ended the season at like 195 pounds and I’ve gotten my weight up to about 215 this year. So I just spent a lot of time in the weight room and just trying to eat right.”

FINALS SCHEDULE

Hengame A. Sirchi / Roundup

Speaker, actor and screenwriter

Rick Najera will present at Pierce Collegeʼs spring 2015, graduation on Tuesday, June 9.

services at Pierce, described how the administration was able to get Najera to speak.

“Our vice president of student services Earic Peters was the one who was instrumental in getting Najera for our graduation,” Follosco said.

As a speaker, Najera shares his life experiences to show fellow Latinos that one’s heritage does not automatically determine his or her future. He has toured with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals to share the story of his upbringing.

Are you taking classes this summer? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter with #PierceSummer

Pierce gala to feature talent, hat contests

Awards will be given out to professors and staff members at the annual Pierce College Gala. The event will feature food, a talent competition and a hat competition.

The gala will take place Tuesday, June 9, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. It is free for staff who paid their faculty dues and costs $15 for other faculty.

Will you demonstrate your unique talent or wear an awesome hat to the gala? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter with #PierceGala

Planetarium offers views of final frontier

Pierce’s planetarium will offer people of all ages glimpses of planets, gas clouds and galaxies at its Viewing Night.

Students will be able to use telescopes to look at Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, as well as nebulae and stars in galaxies far, far away.

Viewing Night is on Thursday, May 28, from sunset through 10:30 p.m. The planetarium is located in room CFS 2047.

Are you an astronomy major, science devotee or just a lover of the night sky? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter with #PierceAstronomy

Encore program to sing 1940s classics

Pierce College’s Encore Singers will perform World War II-era songs at its spring concert on June 7.

“I’ll Be Seeing You: A Journey Through Nostalgia” will include songs such as “The White Cliffs of Dover,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree.”

The concert is scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at 2:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Building.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for children under 12 years old. #PierceMusic

Each sportʼs top performer earns spring semester MVP

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

Jason Sabolic, who is in his first season as Pierce Collegeʼs head coach, leads offensive drills at spring practice. The Brahmas worked out at Joe Kelly Field because John Shepard Stadium is under construction. Thursday, May 21. Woodland Hills, Calif.

MEGAN MOUREAUX Managing Editor @meganlmoureaux

[See BERKELEY, pg. 4]

[See NAJERA, pg. 4]

LYNN ROSADO Sports Editor @RosadoLynn

[See FOOTBALL, pg. 12]

-Photo by Skylar Lester

BEAT

What are your plans for summer vacation?

“I’m going to Hawaii for ten days with my family. We have been planning this trip for almost a year so I’m really looking forward to it. ”

- MEGAN MOLSTER

Graphic Arts Major

“I’m actually going to be going back to the Philippines, which is my home country. I work in my family’s business there which deals with exporting.”

-MIKKO VILLALUNA

Business Major

“I will be taking an intro to computer science class at Pierce College. I will also be studying abstract algebra to try to get a head start on my math courses.”

-RYAN MENDOZA

Kinesiology Major

“This summer I really want to focus on losing some weight and get in shape. I just got a gym membership and I have some goals I want to achieve by the start of next semester.”

- KEVIN VU

Biology Major

“For summer I am planning on taking an acting class for about eight weeks. I’m not sure if it is going to work out because I also plan on visiting Detroit, Michigan, which is my home town.”

-JUSTIN STRONG

Music Major

Quotes gathered by Harry Bennett | Photos by Titus Littlejohn

–CORRECTIONS–

Volume 122, Issue 10

Page 3: Assistant Sports Editor Jordan Williams’ Twitter handle was misprinted as @twitter handle. His actual Twitter handle is @JWRoundUp.

Volume 122, Issue 10

Page 4: The “Student Trustee” story was erroneously credited to James Stewart. The actual writer was Assistant Sports Editor Sal Fariaz.

Volume 122, Issue 10

Rethink recycling policies

In response to your recent article “Campus committee investigates recycling policies and promotes sustainable practices”

I wanted to point out that although CopyTech may be recycling paper, the rest of the campus is not. Nor, as you pointed out, are they recycling bottles and cans.

Luckily, some industrious employees bring the bottles and cans home, but there should be an official policy.

I can’t tell you how much paper we go through each day here in each of our faculty offices. Once we put the paper in the blue recycling bin, each custodian merges it with the garbage which includes food and drink waste. Once the paper comes in contact with the food and drink waste, it is

not able to be recycled any longer.

I hope the campus will re-think their recycling policies and decide to once again recycle our paper, bottles and cans.

One of the things students can do to get involved is by contacting administration and the Board of Trustees and asking the college to start up the recycling program again.

The ASO can also be instrumental in making this happen.

Denise Robb, Ph.D. Asst. Professor and Member of LACCD Sustainability Task Force

Gym should be part of tuition

It can be difficult to balance college classes and physical fitness, especially because the costs of gym memberships tend to burn through cash twice as fast as body fat.

According to CNBC, the average monthly cost for a gym membership ranges from $40 to $50, but once initiation fees are factored in, the annual cost jumps to about $800. In another study, CNBC reported that the average college student spends $1,200 on books and other supplies each year. So between school and exercise, a student can spend upwards of $2,000 annually.

However, Pierce College students have the ability to use the campus weight room located in the South Gym, which has a multitude of treadmills, elliptical machines, free weights and other gym equipment.

The downside to Pierce’s weight room is that unless one registers for a weight lifting or another exercise class, the gym is only open to students on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

On top of its limited availability, it costs $3 to work out in the weight room during these time periods. While $3 may seem like nothing compared to what one would spend at an off-campus gym, it actually adds up in the long term.

If a student were to use the weight room at each of the posted times, he or she would spend $9 a week, which would equate to about $36 every month. While that may be slightly cheaper than the average gym, one is limited to a maximum of six hours of exercise a week at Pierce. If a student registers for a one-unit weightlifting class, he or she will only have to pay $46 for the

semester, but would be limited to the three hours the class meets for each week.

Students shouldn’t have to pay every time they use the weight room if its hours are so limited. Therefore, an acceptable solution would be to add an additional registration fee for access to the weight room that all students must pay when they sign up for classes at Pierce.

Some may argue that they shouldn’t have to pay for something they won’t use, but there are Pierce students who pay the health fee and never visit the health office, so in perspective, it shouldn’t come across as too outrageous.

If the school were to institute an additional fee for gym use, it would save students money in the long term and help them stay healthy in a time when many young adults become obese.

Fresh food vending machines

The Kogi BBQ truck in LA put food trucks on the map in 2008, and since then young people have enjoyed them on street corners, at music festivals and on college campuses. But recently, companies have been pushing boundaries to rethink how they want to feed the public.

Hot food vending machine companies are sprouting up and Pierce College should look to bring these machines to our campus.

These machines are low maintenance and can give Pierce College the flexibility to incorporate food from different parts of the world with the different types of machines that are available.

Let’s Pizza is a vending machine that was created by Italian entrepreneur Claudio Torghel. He made a machine that creates a 10 inch pizza in 2 and a half minutes. Let’s Pizza produce their own toppings that range from vegetables to meats to kosher pizzas. Each pizza is $5.95.

The machine is stocked for 200 pizzas and requires 10 minutes of maintenance a day.

The Burritobox is another innovative food kiosk that students can enjoy. You can choose what you want in your burrito and it is prepared in a minute. This isn’t just a bean and cheese burrito, it can come with mushrooms, roasted corn, yellow squash and many other out of the box ingredients.

name

These machines could be lining the walls of our already constructed cafeteria if Pierce decides to bring them to our campus. A bold step like this could bring more students to our college once they see what we are doing. Pierce College can be the leaders of a new trend.

The Coca-Cola Freestyle has already made it’s way into

many movie theatres and fast food chains and could be another addition to the movement. This machine has 26 sections of drink brands with numerous flavors under each brand which would allow students to choose from 153 flavors.

Now that Sprinkles Cupcakes has created a cupcake ATM, other companies are creating their own dessert and hot food vending machines that Pierce College should take advantage of. Sprinkles and Coca-Cola are the larger companies creating these machines but smaller companies like Let’s Pizza are being started with creative people pushing their idea forward.

Pierce College students have been asking for more food options and this is the answer. This way is cost efficient since it takes no one to serve or prepare the food and requires little maintenance and restocking. It would utilize the empty cafeteria as an eating and social spot and would accommodate the fastpaced lifestyle students are used to.

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.

Page 5: Roundup Photographer Andrew Caceres last

was misspelled Caseras in the caption of the “Pianist duo” picture.

Should teachers assign group work?

be as heavy.

BRITTANY HENDERSON bhenderson.roundupnews@gmail.com @BrittanyJanai

College students being required to work in groups is a positive idea. The ability to collaborate and work as a team will benefit the student and the entire group.

Sharing thoughts and ideas gives opportunities for each student to voice his or her opinion along with hearing other perspectives from classmates. When a student works alone, it can limit his or her experience as a student. College should be based on opening the minds of students with a balanced curriculum that consists of group and individual work. Communication skills are important to possess and do not always come easy to students. When working in groups, it may take students out of their comfort zones but it will encourage growth as a better communicator.

For class projects that may be considered too much for one student to handle, it can be less stressful when classmates brainstorm and share ideas. Different perspectives can enlighten others students and the workload will not

Students would not have to rely on themselves and can learn to have a role within a team. The capability to know how to divide tasks and be held accountable as a member of a team can teach students responsibility when the team could suffer if a student does not do his or her assigned tasks.

Preparation for life after college should be a goal for students and many adults must know how to work with others in their careers. Unless an individual works in a profession that does not require interacting with other people, then it is important to have communication skills.

If a student acquires team building skills, it helps when applying for jobs and can impress companies. Employers look for traits that will fit well with their companies and may have tasks that involve working together to reach goals and complete projects.

The times a teacher assigns students in the class to work as a group should be considered a good thing. Whether the students realize it or not at the moment, it will be a professional and personal attribute they will need throughout life.

SHARLA SMITH ssmith.roundupnews@gmail.com @sharlamsmith

College is a solitary mission, and to allow the work ethic of another person to be a factor in any grades received is an academic disservice.

The reasons that people attend college vary. There are people who go to college because they want to grow academically, while others attend because their parents gave them an ultimatum.

According to the Pierce College mission statement, the college dedicates its resources to assist students in identifying and achieving their educational, career and personal goals.

It is the individual that the college seeks to assist, and personal goals don’t include the work of others. It’s unfair to force people to work in groups and receive a collective grade.

Group work merges the unlikely pairing of overachievers with slackers. This puts added pressure on hard-working students who often find themselves doing the group’s work alone.

It is not the responsibility of one student to pull the weight of another. Students that take on the work of others aren’t doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, they do it because they don’t want to risk failing at the hands of someone else.

Time is another negative aspect of having to do assignments with others. The work usually requires talking or meeting with members outside of class hours, and for some, making time is an impossible task.

College is a place for people of all ages, including teenagers who are concurrently enrolled in high school, people who work or have families, and also retirees.

Employment status, having a family to care for and other obligations are determinates when planning out a class schedule.

Cafeteria crisis:

Imagine being a mother who works a full-time job, attends school at night and chauffeurs her children around to their various activities on weekends, and who spent hours meticulously planning her schedule so that there will be enough time to do everything that needs to be done. Being told to make time for a group project is something she just can’t do.

It’s hard for anyone who has a life outside of college, which most students do. School is stressful enough, so instructors don’t need to add to that stress by making students rely on strangers to do well in their classes.

Degrees have one name printed on them, and that’s the person who put in the time, effort and hard work it takes to earn one. It may take a village to raise a child, but it only takes one person to make the grade and graduate.

Since the Cafeteria has been closed since the last vender left last fall semester, it has been hard because we don’t have a larger shelter place to eat on rainy days. The Sip café gets easily crowed with not a lot of space, plus the cafeteria is big enough shelter for a lot of people and this would reduce and avoid the crowded space of the Sip cafe.

So I highly suggest to the school administration to reconsider making the cafeteria completely available again.

Also, think about the guy who helped put the notification signs on the cafeteria to inform you all the cafeteria has been closed.

If I made a difference in that, then our school administration could do that too.

I urge Pierce College’s administration to take action for the sake of weather conditions.

tdacanay.roundupnews@gmail.com

–COMIC STRIP–

Flydoskope by Tobennh Dacanay

Harrison Sobel Pierce student

Incident Report

May 17 - May 25

Vanessa

5/21—Grand Theft

An unknown suspect cut a lock and stole a mountain bike from the North Mall bike rack between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

5/21—Lost Property

A student lost a ring in the female restroom near Math 1400 at about 10:30 a.m.

5/21—Petty Theft

An unknown suspect broke into a locker in the men’s North Gym between 5 and 6:30 p.m. A pair of Levi’s pants and a leather belt were stolen.

5/17—Misc. Incident

An argument between two parents broke out at a soccer game at about 5 p.m.

Pierce College Sheriff’s Station General Information: (818) 719 - 6450

Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311

ASO raises funds for Nepal

Student government organizes memorial, Red Cross fundraising effort for earthquake survivors

for the function.

The Associated Student Organization hosted a candlelight vigil this week to collect and encourage donations in support of the people affected by the recent earthquake in Nepal.

The Thursday, May 21 event lasted for three hours and culminated with the lighting of candles. Treasurer-elect Roxanne Keramati, chair of the community welfare committee, led in the organization of and preparations

“We’re reaching out to Nepal,” Keramati said. “We’re allowing people to light candles in awareness and we’re collecting donations that will be sent through the Red Cross.”

Pierce sophomore Tosh Sharma, a native of Nepal, stopped by the event and said he is grateful for the support of his country.

“I’m from Nepal and the earthquakes there were devastating,” Sharma said. “It makes me feel good to know that the school I go to is supporting where I come from.”

Charles Zabala, ASO senator

for the English department, said he wanted to make sure students are aware of what’s going on, and are included in the earthquake relief efforts.

“We want the students to be knowledgeable about what’s happening in their environment and in society,” Zabala said. “We represent students and we want to make sure that they are a part of this.”

According to Zabala, the organization reached out to the Pierce community through every means at its disposal to promote the vigil.

“We went through [Club Council President] Barbara Lombrano and

the Club Council, we also sent out flyers and used word of mouth to tell people about this,” Zabala said.

Visits to the display were sporadic, but those who attended were encouraged to donate or light a candle. Keramati said she was enthusiastic about the support the event received.

“We’ve already collected over $50 and we’ve only been out here for about an hour,” Keramati said.

“More than anything, it’s important to create awareness, even if you don’t donate. It’s important to be aware of what’s going on around the world.”

The weather caused trouble for the event, as high winds

repeatedly blew out the tealight candles that were laid out to spell “Nepal.” ASO members resolved the issue by putting the candles in clear plastic cups.

“It’s windy but at least its not raining,” Zabala said. Keramati understands that it is hard for some to conceive the magnitude of what’s going on in Nepal and used this as an opportunity to strengthen humanity.

“It’s difficult for us here to conceptualize something that’s happening so far away,” Keramati said. “We’re all human and it’s really important to help each other out.”

Berkeley accepts more Pierce alums

“It’s an all-expenses-paid trip. They fly them out, let them see the campus and let them decide for themselves,” Salter said. “We were lucky enough to send one student.”

The visit secured Berkeley as the future campus for Panbiphage.

“We stayed overnight, they took us around the campus, and answered all of our questions,” Panbiphage said. “They showed me everything and then I made the decision to go to Berkeley.”

Salter believes the trip can persuade students who haven’t decided which school they’ll attend.

“The program probably has a 100 percent effective experience for those who go,” Salter said.

Panbiphage said his decision to go to Berkeley was rooted in the school’s educational support of his major.

“It’s the number one public school in the world, and it’s also number one for my major,” he said. “I’m going for my Ph.D., and it’s a great school for that too.”

WORLDMAKER, 45, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society at Pierce, changed his name to reflect his passion in life.

“My name change came as a result of my lifelong calling for humanity,” WORLDMAKER said. “It came from my strong passion to design and build large scale societies.”

He will attend the College of

Environmental Design at Berkeley, but officials at the university told him that a new major would need to be created.

“There is no degree that fits what I’m trying to accomplish, so they’re going to create a new Individual Major Program, which allows me to name my major,” WORLDMAKER said. “I’m calling it Civil and Environmental Systems.”

WORLDMAKER said he is drawn to Berkeley’s prestige.

“If I went to a California State University and said I had the solution to solve the water crisis, nobody would take me serious,” he said.

“They would wonder why I wasn’t at Berkeley. It’s like being a player in the minor leagues and saying you’re better than a professional NFL player. They don’t equate.”

He said the only two schools that specialize in his field of study are Berkeley and MIT.

“There are only two institutions in the world that really specialize in designing and building societies, and those schools are Berkeley and MIT,” WORLDMAKER said. “You really need to have a big name behind you when you’re doing something on a scale as large as this for people to take you seriously.”

Alex Oloo, president of the Associated Students Organization, was accepted but is waiting to hear from other schools he applied to

before he decides.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to Berkeley,” Oloo said. “I’ve yet to make my decision because I’m waiting to hear from some private schools, but I’ll make a decision before June 1.”

Oloo said his family and friends were happy to hear about his acceptance to the university.

“I come from Kenya and growing up, you hear a lot about Berkeley,” Oloo said. “My mom was the first person I told about being accepted and the whole village knew within a few minutes. The news spread like a bonfire. They definitely want me to go there.”

Oloo was honored to be accepted into Berkeley but wants to make the best decision for his education.

“I wanted to have the feeling of being accepted at Berkeley, but with my major - political science - I don’t think it’s my top choice,” Oloo said. “Berkeley is actually number three behind UC Davis and UCLA.”

Salter said one of the highlights of the job is being visited by students who have been accepted to a university.

“Speaking to students after they received their acceptance letters is the best part of my job,” Salter said. “I’m really optimistic that our students are getting in this year, it makes feel good. I feel like I’m doing something right.”

Actor, comedian to speak at graduation

“I believe Latinos are the solution and never the problem,” Najera said. “I grew up in a very nice place, but there were probably only three other Mexican families there. One family down the street was Juan Vazquez, who is now a congressman, and the other family up the street was Ellen Ochoa, who is now the first Mexican-American astronaut.”

Najera’s passion for his culture drives him to encourage success from other Latinos.

“I think telling that story of the Latinos that we never see and telling other positive stories is important

because many times the media portrays Latinos so negatively,” he said.

As a child growing up in La Mesa, California, he was inspired by “The Great Gatsby” when the main character wrote down his goals in order to accomplish them. However, the goals Najera wanted

to achieve were not an easy effort.

Najera discovered that school was a challenge for him because he could not keep up with the other kids.

“I had dyslexia. I was unable to read or write very well. The teacher took me aside and realized I was a very smart person and said, ‘I’ll work with you,’” he said. His teacher started from scratch and helped Najera write his first book on cardboard paper at age 8. The story was called “Colored Boy,” and was about a little boy who could turn any color so that nobody could hold prejudice against him.

-Reporting by

Arredondo -Compiled by Scott Prewitt

Scott Aaronson / Roundup

Roxanne Keramati, ASO treasurer, lights memorial candles for Nepalese earthquake victims as dusk sets in at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. May 21.

SHARLA SMITH Roundup Reporter @SharlaMSmith

[From BERKELEY, pg. 1]

“I believe Latinos are the solution and never the problem.”

-Rick Najera

Commencement

speaker

[From NAJERA, pg. 1]

Closer to the stars

Physics, Planetary Science Departments give free show

CHRISTOPHER ESCOBAR Roundup Reporter @cescobar46

Pierce College Physics and Planetary Science

Department chair Dale Fields took students on a trip by using technology to visit the planets in our solar system, galaxies, stars and other universes that spark general curiosities about space.

Pierce invited all students to attend the planetarium show in the blue dome located at the Center for the Sciences on Thursday, May 21, at 7 p.m.

While taking a closer look at each planet, Fields lectured the students with some fun facts about space and used his computer to zoom in and out.

The reason Fields volunteered to share the viewing with students was his passion for space and how he wanted to express it to students and inspire them.

“This is one thing that always gets me excited, is that people love the same things that I love,” Fields said. “And I would be more than happy to talk about it to anyone that will listen.”

One of the attendees, Vincent Donato, found the show interesting and said he was amazed by the contents of outer space.

“It was amazing how we were able to observe and see what was out there because I was always curious if space was neverending,” Donato said. Fields mentioned that the planetarium show has been going on for about five years and said he has tried to show the planetarium

twice a semester. Fields also mentioned a telescope viewing in which he will set up a telescope and give people the opportunity to look at Venus, Jupiter, and hopefully, Saturn.

“Since when we had our first viewing, earlier in the semester we couldn’t see Saturn, but we are going to be able to see Saturn this time,” said Fields.

Thursday Concert Series presents music for strings

UCLA String Quartetʼ play with two sets of quartets

JORDAN WILLIAMS Assistant Sports Editor @JWroundup

A 2x4 is a wooden board typically used to support a structure, but in this weeks Thursday Concert Series it was used to perform musical pieces composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven and Maurice Ravel.

Eight UCLA music students dubbed ‘2x4 UCLA String Quartet’, performed as string quartets on Thursday, May 21 at the Pierce College Performing Arts Building.

Playing in two separate quartets featuring the violin, viola and cello, the ‘2x4 UCLA String Quartet’ did their best in providing Pierce students with some music to keep their minds off of the upcoming finals.

Host and Adjunct

Music Instructor James Bergman introduced the string quartets as something very different.

“I think today is going to be an interesting show. We have two string quartets and two cool pieces of music, both very different,” Bergman said.

The first of the two quartets was the String Quartet Op. 18, No. 3 by Ludwig Van Beethoven performed by violinist Anna Corcoran, cellist Jeffrey Ho, violist Daniel Mireles and violinist Sarah Worden.

The second of the two was the String Quartet in F

Major by Maurice Ravel performed by

Stephanie Spencer. Although both quartets included the same instruments the music they played was very different. Beethoven’s was written 100 years before Ravel’s at a completely different time, but that doesn’t take away the enjoyment of either piece according to Corcoran.

“We played such different, but equally pleasing music,” Corcoran said.

The performers who are all majoring in his or her instrument of choice were asked how different their school schedule is than a more common major.

“It’s sort of split but there is definitely an academic feel to it. You have to take a certain amount of theory courses and history classes in addition to that, I think the majority of our coursework is performance based so we spend a lot of time in rehearsal and lessons.

The academic workload isn’t so different from a liberal arts major. It’s just that we have to put a lot of time into our practicing, that’s our studying,” Ferguson said.

The last Thursday Concert Series of the semester will be held next Thursday, May 28, with the students of Pierce College will be performing.

In the first telescope viewing earlier this semester, attendees had a chance to see Mars.

Since the sky changes frequently, Mars is now behind the sun and it would be difficult to position the telescope to find Mars.

“The sky is always changing and what constellations are up depends upon on what time of

year it is,” said Fields.

Because of the frequent changes in the sky, people need to be able to attend the viewing every semester to see different planets, galaxies and stars.

Fields plans to invite the general public to attend the telescope viewing and share his passion for astronomy.

“I have been trying to do at

least a couple for a semester for the past five years and trying to get our telescopes out there as well,” said Fields. “This is in terms of getting students to look through a telescope for the very first time.”

The telescope viewing will take place at the Center for the Sciences on Thursday, May 28, from sunset to 10:30 p.m.

ʻThe Paradox of Perspectivismʼ

Cabaret is connected with the Icebox student contest that offers a $50 cash prize the day of the event. There is also a poetry and

really got me liking philosophy,” student Jesse Ruff said. “I’m doing a video of perception on how color and sounds affects your perception of knowing.”

Pierce College will host the Philosopher’s Cabaret to showcase various art by Pierce students in the Great Hall on May 25 at 5 p.m.

The event is held every spring semester and displays work based off the theme of incorporating thought and reasoning into art.

“We invite any of the students at Pierce to explore the theme of exploring philosophy through various philosophers,” said assistant professor of philosophy Melanie McQuitty.

The event is beginner-friendly and requires no past experience to submit art to the show.

“There are no judges. No one wins and no one loses,” McQuitty said.

However, the Philosopher’s

“No

-Melanie McQuitty Assistant Professor of Philosophy

visual art contest that any art featured in the cabaret can win.

McQuitty explained that cabarets date back to the 20th century and feature a loose theme.

“We have all kinds of performances, whether it be spoken word, skit, or videos that are not on a strict narrative like a play,” McQuitty said.

Most of the students involved in the event are enrolled in McQuitty’s philosophy of art class.

“This is one of the classes that

presents

There will also be performances from live bands and snacks for the attendees as they view the showcases.

“We usually have Christmas lights and blue lights, and it’s dark in there so you really feel like you are in a Cabaret hall,” McQuitty said.

“We have activities such as a Mad Libs exercise, expected to take place in order to involve our audience as much as possible,” said Icebox Journal Editor-InChief Meschelle Thatcher.

“We really try to make it fun as well as educational,” McQuitty said. “The feedback that I’m getting is that the students will go for extra credit and show up and say, ‘this is amazing,’ and come back next year.”

Animator Scott Claus

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

ASHLEY LʼHEUREUX Roundup Reporter @LHeureuxAshley

violist Julien Altmann, violinist Catherine Arai, cellist Niall Ferguson and violinist

Joseph Rivas / Roundup

Students watch the planetary show at the Pierce College Planetarium Thursday, May 21, at the Center For Sciences. Woodland Hills, Calif.

Skylar Lester / Roundup

UCLA violinist Catherine Arai practices before the “2x4 UCLA String Quartet” concert at the Pierce College Preforming Arts Building on Thursday, May 21.

Skylar Lester / Roundup

Violinist Sarah Worden practices alongside cellist Jeffrey Ho before the 2x4 UCLA String Quartet concert on

MOVING THE CHAINS

Tackles are being made, cleats are pulling up grass and the clock is ticking down before the Brahmas have a chance to improve their record from last season.

The Pierce College football team has started its spring practice and training on Joe Kelly Field this semester. The team has a new head coach and an offensive coordinator with NFL experience whose goal is to point this team in the right direction.

The players have been working to get their bodies in elite shape this offseason. They are running sprints, working on strength training and completing position-specific drills.

“Iʼm expecting nothing short of us having a winning season and getting a lot of guys out to the next level because we have a lot of talent and this is probably the hardest working team that Iʼve ever been on, so hopefully the hard work pays off,” said sophomore free safety Houston Haynes.

The team will see where their hard work has put them on Saturday, September 12 when the College of the Desert visits Pierce College for the season opener at 6 p.m.

Defensive end Emmanuel Bawa, 21, performs tackling drills using trash cans during a spring practice and training session on Thursday, May 14.

Above: Two footballs lay on the field as quarterback Sean Smith performs throwing drills in the background on Thursday, May 21.

Far right: Dylan Barlow pushes a weighted cylinder during spring practice and training on Thursday, May 21.

Right: Reciever Jamere Austin does sprider lunges.

Copy by Salvador Fariaz Photos by Mohammad Djauhari

Far Left: Reciever Jamil Robinson catches a football during recieving drills at a spring practice and training session on Thursday, May 21.

Above: Trophies from past seasons line the top of a bookcase inside the “war room” where the football defensive team meet.

Left: Timothy Clock works on his stamina and footwork by running latterally over bags during a spring practice and training session on Thursday, May 21.

Below: Defensive coordinator Torry Hughes leads the Pierce College football team on Thursday, May 14.

Players perform “toy soldiers” to stretch their leg muscles before going into practice on Thursday, May 14. The football season is set to begin September 12.

Outer space dreams lead to NASA

Pierce student lands opportunity to tour space agency and lead simulated missions

BRITTANY HENDERSON Features Editor @BrittanyJanai

Space inspires a universal curiosity that many may ponder, but few delve deeply into.

Through hard work, Katya Yanez was selected to visit NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center as part of the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars.

Yanez found the program online while searching for internships and programs related to space exploration and physics.

Yanez was born and raised in El Salvador and moved to the United States at 17 years old in 2000. To learn English, Yanez attended West Valley Occupational Center in Woodland Hills, California. A former student of Pierce College in 2001, Yanez came back to Pierce in 2014 to pursue a career an education in science.

Yanez received letters of recommendation from multiple instructors, including professor of physics and planetary sciences Eric McKenny, assistant professor in speech communication Yeprem Davoodian, mathematics instructor Theresa Johnson and English instructors Sarah MortimerBoyd and Curt Duffy.

Yanez was a student in Mortimer-Boyd’s English 101 class and stood out with her impressive writing skills.

“She displayed ability to question, inquire and think,” Mortimer-Boyd said. “Her thinking process was sophisticated.”

Duffy had Yanez as a student in his English 28 class and was happy to write her a letter of recommendation.

“She was exceptional in class, a very diligent student,” Duffy said. “She was very disciplined and extremely confident. It’s great to hear that a Pierce student has gone on to achieve such a high profile activity.”

In her home country, there was no space program or a strong science field, so she never considered it as an option until she began attending Pierce.

Yanez has an associate degree in business from Corinthian College in Henderson, Nevada, so she appreciates the jobs and opportunities to work and feels that it can tie into her passion for science as well.

“It’s a strong basis for anything you want to do in later on in life,” Yanez said. “There’s business even in science.”

Yanez met her husband, Joao, at Pierce College in 2001 and married him in 2005. She then moved back to California in 2007.

Once her son Paulo reached toddler age, Yanez wanted to set a good example for him and went back to Pierce in 2014.

One of the classes that would help her decide that science was her passion was an astronomy class she took during the 2014 winter session.

“I was so amazed at how I understood it.

It was very difficult,” Yanez said. “A lot of times there is this fear of success, but in order to get into science, you have to get a doctorate so I just take it one day at a time,” said Yanez.

To qualify for the program, Yanez had to take an online class and maintain a good GPA.

“The online portion didn’t guarantee the selection to go onsite for NASA, and let me tell you, that was hard,” Yanez said.

She said the first five weeks included information pertaining to previous missions and projects completed by NASA and a 90 percent was the minimum acceptable score for the quizzes.

A mission proposal had to be made for a Mars robotic mission as part of the online training.

During her time in the three-day NASA program, Yanez was one of 240 students to be selected. The students were divided into four teams and Yanez took initiative that led to her selection as team leader.

Simulated missions given by NASA instructors challenged the students with thought-provoking activities.

The students had the opportunity to get tours and meet people in NASA, who gave words of wisdom and encouragement.

By the end of the program, Yanez was selected as the MVP of her team and received a medal from the Engineering of Curiosity.

Mortimer-Boyd said she was not surprised that Yanez went into the science field.

“She’s a leader and her character is humble, kind, and personable,” MortimerBoyd said. “She will do well in the world.”

Code cracked to add class

Student invents method that helps everyone on campus

of people an advantage while others still had to crash,” Winthrop said.

However, it was still helping some students and friends other than himself.

Getting the classes you need as an incoming freshman is difficult. The add date you receive to sign up for classes is later than students who are priorities to transfer.

Joey Winthrop took the controls to change that almost anticipated freshman fate for himself.

“I made a script that automated the process of browsing each and every single class. It would then generate a list of all the open classes a student might need,” Winthrop said.

In his first year at Pierce in 2012, the computer science major got all the classes he needed.

“When I first made it for myself, it felt liberating. I have a higher advantage and I don’t have to worry about crashing classes anymore,” Winthrop said.

Once Winthrop saw how other students and friends had trouble adding and crashing classes, he felt a need to help them by making the script public online and sharing it via word of mouth.

“I saw people who wanted to come back to school trying to crash classes and I’m there in the classes in an almost unfair advantage. It made me want to publicize it and even tell people in person who were trying to crash,” Winthrop said.

It also didn’t appeal to him to charge for the script in any way.

He made the script accessible on the website gist. github.com, under pierceopenlist.js.

Winthrop maintained a list that he updated every day after getting the classes he needed, which helped his friends in the beginning weeks of crashing classes.

Anyone could see the changes that were made or updated every day.

“When I first made it public, I thought I was going to get in trouble. It was giving only a certain amount

Pierce college student Raffi Sofian has known Winthrop for awhile and said he is quiet and kindhearted with good intentions and can help you out as long as you’re not taking advantage of him.

“Adding the script eliminated that feeling of wasting time and frustration. It helped me find the classes that I needed right away,” Sofian said.

Ever since he was 11 years old, Winthrop was fascinated with computer science and technology. He would listen in on gaming chat rooms and feed off what they had to say.

Winthrop excelled and expanded his technological literacy through computer science classes at Pierce and made like-minded friends along the way.

In the computer science world, the language is code.

Omri Gabay, a fellow student, said that Winthrop’s quiet demeanor and strong work experience reminds him of a quote by Linus Torvalds, “talk is cheap, show me the code.”

Winthrop showed more than just a code and skill, he showed that he could help students crashing classes and possibly better their chances in transferring sooner.

Since his publication of the script, Winthrop has received many freelance offers in editing, gigs and projects that involve computer science and technology. He will be attending California State University, Northridge in fall 2015.

His colleagues believe he has yet another valuable advantage that will allow him to go far.

“Joey knew what he wanted to do at a very young age. Those people who do what they love are the ones who are best at it,” Gabay said.

Scott Aaronson / Roundup

Pierce College student Katya Yanez, who desires to get her doctorate in Geophysics one day, earned a trip to NASA. Wednesday May 20. Woodland Hills, Calif.

“A lot of times there is this fear of success, so I just take it one day at a time.”

-Katya Yanez Pierce student

MONICA SALAZAR Roundup Reporter @salazarmonica8

Titus Littlejohn / Roundup Joseph Winthrop, Film and Computer Science Major shows the script he created for students to find open classes. Thursday, May 14. Woodland Hills, Calif.

Leaving their footprints at Pierce

Kathie Yoder

math programs.

Greg Schafer

as a therapist in hospitals and has been a member in numerous 12-step programs, helping any person willing to come forward and seek help with their addiction.

Kathie Yoder, a math teacher at Pierce for 28 years, will retire after this semester.

Yoder said her love for her career stemmed from her pupils.

“The main joy of teaching is the students,” Yoder said.

Yoder’s friend and fellow math teacher at Pierce Sheri Lehavi stressed her dedication to her students.

“She is always concerned first about her students. She works tirelessly for them,” Lehavi said.

Bob Martinez, chair of the math department, said that Yoder’s teaching skills were exemplary and he trusted her with the success of one of Pierce’s new

“She’s simply the ultimate teacher,” Martinez said. “When we started our Algebra Success at Pierce (ASAP) program, I put her in it for the pilot knowing that if it didn’t work with her teaching it, then nobody could make it work. Well, she made it work and everyone copied her methods, and the rest is history”

“We will be having a big retirement party for her and will give her a special gift that has the inscription, ‘The voice of reason,’” Martinez said. Yoder was nominated for the Golden Apple award last semester and ended up winning the award. She said it was a fitting end for her time as a teacher.

“It is an awesome way to end this chapter in my life. I always wanted to teach and can’t imagine a better career,” Yoder said.

As he walked to his classroom, students surrounded him bearing gifts of food as a farewell. Greg Schafer’s last day as an instructor at Pierce College was May 18, 2015.

Schafer, who has taught addiction studies at Pierce for 30 years, said that his time as a teacher was a cornerstone in his life.

“It has all been a wonderful experience and a major part of my life,” Schafer said.

Schafer never considered his teaching position as work. Rather, he saw it more as the “passing [of experience and knowledge] on.”

“I would’ve done it for free,” Schafer said. In a sense, he does. Schafer spent the last 45 years

Schafer has been so involved in addiction studies and therapy because he had been through similar experiences in his life. At the age of 15, Schafer began drinking and smoking marijuana, which led to his own addiction.

His addiction continued until he became sober by the age of 35. He has since been educating others about addiction and how to overcome it.

Even after retirement, Schafer will continue to educate those around him and in the meetings he attends.

“I’m a recovering person, so I will always be involved in helping other people who want to recover from addiction. I will always do that until my last breath. It’s who I am,” he said.

David Phoenix

TIFFANY BERWAGER

Special to the Roundup

David Phoenix has been a professor of English, an instructional and academic specialist and a counselor at Pierce College.

The Brahma of many hats is set to retire within the next two weeks after more than 30 years at Pierce.

“I love my job,” Phoenix said.

His area of specialty was helping students with disabilities as a Learning Disabilities Specialist. He assessed students and the problems they faced to help them understand their disabilities and do better in their courses.

When Phoenix began working at Pierce, he thought there would be more resources and funding to “design a program that would assess the problems and solve the problems that students may have, in order to provide

clarity.”

Phoenix’s interest in education was influenced by his experience from graduate school, where he had to teach the “vets [that] came back from Vietnam with physical wounds and psychological wounds.”

Throughout college, Phoenix worked as a firefighter and put out fires by helicopter.

“I’ve been able to use what I have learned from fighting fires, such as finding the smoke in order to prevent a fire from happening,” Phoenix said.

Phoenix said the same goes for his students. He had to identify problems his students had and help them before the problems got too large to deal with.

He said that students should continue to ask their professors questions until they receive a solid answer.

“Ask questions and demand answers, because sometimes teachers and counselors don’t know the answer. But they can help you, and together you will try to find an answer,” Phoenix said.

Alfred Partington

which I have authorized, and present to the continuing professor education for other CPA’s. Sometime in the near future I will also travel, I’ve been wanting to,” Partington said.

Alfred Partington, a professor of business administration, has decided to retire after 37 years of teaching at Pierce College.

In addition to Pierce, Partington also taught at California State University, Northridge, and California Lutheran University. Throughout his years of teaching at Pierce, Partington stuck to his subject of accounting and rarely taught other classes

“I’m a full-time professor and I teach accounting too, since it is the semester of the class,” Partington said. “I’m going to retire but the work never stops.”

Although Partington is leaving Pierce, he still plans to continue doing work as a certified public accountant.

“As CPA’s, we have to renew our license every two years,” Partington said. “I will continue to update,

He mentioned he wants to go back to Florida since that’s where he grew up and all his old friends and neighbors are there. Along with his hometown, he also wants to go to Europe and many other places he has not seen yet.

Partington said he doesn’t know who will be hired to fill his position.

“I’m not aware at this point. We are interviewing but we don’t know at this time. I am not in of the committee of the hiring process,” Partington said.

Above all else, Partington said he will miss his dedicated students and his coworkers.

“[I’ll miss] the students. But not just any students, the determined ones always wanting to learn and some of the faculty,” he said. ”I enjoyed my career here and I appreciate the opportunity to have taught here.”

NOELLE FAUVER Special to the Roundup

SERGEI CUBA Special to the Roundup

Jeffrey Miller / Special to the Roundup

Addiction Studies Professor Albert Schafer on his last classroom the day before his retirement at Pierce College. Woodland Hills, Calif. May 18.

MARITZA SERRANO

Special to the Roundup

Richard Russell / Special to the Roundup

David Follosco, who has been the dean of student services at Pierce College since 2006, will retire at the end of the spring, 2015 semester. Woodland Hills, Calif.

Spring semester MVPs

Baseball

@Roundupsports

Schedule

Aug. 28 - Sept. 22

Womenʼs Soccer

Friday, Aug. 28 vs. Santa Monica 4 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 4 @ Valley 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 8 @ Pasadena 3 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 11 vs. Cerritos 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 15 vs. Valley 3 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 18 vs. Citrus 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 22 @ Fresno 4 p.m.

Womenʼs Volleyball

Friday/Saturday, Aug. 28-29

Kick-off Classic @ Pierce College - All day

Saturday, Sept. 5 Pierce Quad #1 vs. Citrus 1:30 p.m. vs. Glendale 6 p.m.

Friday/Saturday, Sept. 11-12

San Diego Mesa Tournament in San Diego

Saturday, Sept. 19 Pierce Quad #2 vs. Long Beach 1 p.m. vs. Grossmont 6 p.m.

Menʼs Football

Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. College of the Desert 6 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 19 @ South Western 6 p.m.

Womenʼs Water Polo

Saturday, Sept. 12 LAVC minitournament Time TBD

Wednesday, Sept. 16 vs. Cuesta 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 16 @ Ventura 2:15 p.m.

Christian Mercado

Mercado finished the season with 17 runs, 31 hits, 17 RBIs and one homerun, the only one for the baseball teams 2015 season.

What do you think about your performance this season?

“I started out the year really well hitting and I was just gaining a bunch of confidence early. Coach Picketts put me in some different positions on the field throughout the year and I actually ended up playing first base.”

What was your favorite memory of the season?

“My favorite memory was the last game of the season when we won on a walk-off. Joe Moran came up with the walk-off hit and I was extremely happy for him. Couldn’t ask for a better guy to come up with the winning base knock.”

Tennis

Manish Kumar

Kumar finished the season 11-1. He was the number one seat for most of the season and is planning to transfer.

What do you think about your performance this season?

I took it one match at a time and my aim was to win as many matches as I could for my team. I ended the season on a high.

What is your biggest strength as a tennis player?

My will to win and constant fear of losing sight of the track. I just need to stay focused to win.

What is your greatest weakness as a tennis player?

I have to work on getting to the net to finish the point. If I work and improve on that I can compete and play against the high division schools.

Swim

Hansen broke the school record in the 200 meter breaststroke (2:30.59) and in the 400 meter individual medley (5:02.47), a time that qualified her for state.

How would you rate your performance this season?

“I surprised myself on how I did this semester. A lot of people thought I wouldn’t be able to get back into swimming because I didn’t swim for two years. I just want to see how far I can get. I went to state for the 400 IM and placed 13th overall. I know next year I can do better.”

What will you do next season? How will you prepare?

“I want to do some weightlifting to build my body and swim six times a week. I want to drop time in my individual strengths. 400 IM, 200 breaststroke, 200 IM.”

Volleyball

JOB BOARD

Garrett Degrasse

Degrasse led his team in kills with 208 in the season. He averaged 3.6 points per set. He will be back on the team for next season.

What was your favorite memory of the season?

“My favorite memory is when we beat Santa Monica at home. It was an emotional win because we were the only team they lost to.”

What are you going to do next season?

“I will try to be more aggressive on the court and will be very diligent in practice making sure everyone is at practice and on time. I need to become a dominate player for next season.”

What is your pre-game ritual?

“I don’t believe in that stuff, but you always have to get hyped up with your teammates.”

Softball

Linderman had 104.1 innings pitched this season. On offense she recorded 13 runs and 23 hits.

What do you think about your performance this season?

“My leadership skills and softball skills were put to the test this season. My performance this season was good, but I’m looking to always improve myself, so next season, watch out.”

What was your favorite memory of the season?

“My favorite memory of this season was hitting my first ever homerun. That point in my life showed that all the days spent on the field and in the gym have paid off.”

What is your pre-game ritual?

“I focus on the objective. To win.

Football season preview

A common feeling between the players is that they expect to win. They don’t expect anything less than a winning season.

“As far as right now, we’re expecting to win every game,” Welch said. “That’s just what we’re shooting for. If we lose, we lose. But we’ll just take it one day at a time.”

Haynes, who redshirted last season due to an injury, is no exception when it comes to the general desire to win.

“I’m looking for this team to turn around from what happened last year, because last year we didn’t do so well,” Haynes said. “With all the talent we have back this season and the new coaching staff, it’s a good chance that we could go undefeated, so I’m just looking to win.”

Despite returning from an injury, Haynes expects a lot from himself in his last season as a Brahma.

“Honestly, I expect to be a lot more consistent on and off the field,” Haynes said. “And that just goes as

far as buying into what our coaches have, especially what coach [Torry] Hughes (defensive coordinator) has set up for us in regards to staying disciplined and working hard. I expect to have a really good year this year and become that leader that coach Hughes is trying to mold me in to.”

Haynes said that Valley is the team he looks forward to competing against the most this upcoming season.

The team will go on the road to play Los Angeles Valley College on Halloween. They will continue a rivalry that reached a boiling point last season when players exchanged heated tweets before the Brahmas beat Valley at home to keep the victory bell.

This technique of “buying into” what the coaches have is something players feel is a key component to the team’s success.

“We have a great new coaching staff behind coach Sabolic,” Haynes said. “Backed up by the offensive coordinator coach [Matthew] Hatchette, and coach Hughes. They

both work extremely hard for the program.”

Welch agrees that the changes made to the staff will greatly benefit the team.

“I think that the coaching changes are going to be for the better to be honest,” he said.

“They’re trying to break a lot of the old Pierce stereotypes, just trying to make us a wellorganized football team. Trying to get us ready for the Division I level, which I think is what we needed to improve on the most. Being ready for that next jump, so that way when people do get there it’s fine and it’s not a surprise.”

So far Sabolic feels spring ball has gone well and him and the team remain excited for a comeback.

“We’ve probably had the most productive spring practice that we’ve had in a while,” Sabolic said. “It’s exciting. The talent that we have on this team is just one of the more talented teams that we’ve had, so we’re excited about that.”

Quotes gathered by Harry Bennett | Photo by Megan Moureaux

Cecilia Hansen

Nicole Linderman

Quotes gathered by Salvador Fariaz |

Photo by Andrew Caceres Quotes gathered by Carlos Islas |

Photo by Mohammad Djauhari

Quotes gathered by Monica Salazar |

Photo by Titus Littlejohn Quotes gathered by Christopher Escobar |

Photo by Scott Aaronson

[From FOOTBALL, pg. 1]