Volume 122 Spring 2015 Roundup Issue 9

ʻRapping Grannyʼ leaves legacy

Former film and TV actor taught theater at Pierce, dies at 101

CARA HUNTER

Online Editor

@CaraRoundUp

Known for playing a sweet-looking old lady with sassy side, actress Ellen Albertini Dow died May 4, 2015. She was 101.

Best known for her role as Rosie the rapping grandmother in Adam

Sandler’s “The Wedding Singer,” she spent nearly 20 years teaching at Pierce College and has left a mark on the college to this day.

Theatre, most commonly known as the “Dow Theater,” which Pierce students attend daily.

Before she taught theater, Dow graduated from Cornell University at a time when women rarely pursued higher education. She mainly taught children’s and musical theater at Pierce from 1968 to 1989. She directed Pierce’s original production of “The Fantasticks” in the late 1960s, and Pierce commemorated her with a remounting of the musical in fall, 2014.

First film appearance

“American Drive-In” (1985)

First TV appearance

“The Twilight Zone” (1986)

Notable film roles

“Sister Act” (1992)

“The Wedding Singer” (1998)

Dow’s husband Eugene Dow founded the Pierce Theater Department in 1957. In 1968, Dow transferred to Pierce from L.A. City College, where she taught theater and choreography.

“Wedding Crashers” (2005)

Notable TV Roles

“Quantum Leap” (1993)

“Seinfeld” (1995)

“Six Feet Under” (2005)

The theater within the Performing Arts Center is named after Dow and her husband as The Eugene Francis & Ellen Albertini Dow Arena

“I think it’s so cool someone famous taught here,” said St. Clair Du-Berry, a theater student at Pierce. “It’s something we can all aspire to,”

Du-Berry said.

The daughter of Italian immigrants, Dow grew up in Pennsylvania. She began dancing at age 5, worked with Martha Graham and danced on Broadway three times. She then went on to teach miming for 19 years. Throughout her life, Dow played many memorable roles in film and TV. She made her film debut in

“American Drive-In” in 1985, and her television debut in “The Twilight Zone” one year later. According to IMDb, Dow holds the record as the longest living actor in “Star Trek” history.

In 2005, she played loud-mouthed Grandma in the box-office hit movie Wedding Crashers. That same year, she donated $150,000 to the Pierce Theater department for renovations to the small black box

theatre. Thanks to Dow’s donation, new seating, lighting and sound equipment were installed, and the courtyard was created as well.

Dow never let age stand in the way of her love for Broadway. She would make three visits a year to see Broadway shows and return eager to tell her friends about what was worth seeing.

Dow’s friend of more than a decade and theater manager at

Chancellor explains withdrawal of district offer from president

Francisco Rodriguez, chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, had requested that Pierce College president Kathleen Burke accept the position of vice chancellor of educational services with the district.

But Rodriguez withdrew the offer and sent a letter to Pierce faculty and staff on May 4 to explain the withdrawal.

In the letter, Rodriguez said he nixed the offer “in the interest of maintaining stable leadership at Pierce College.” Scan the QR code below to read the letter in its entirety.

Student Trustee candidate contests election results

East Los Angeles College’s Ryan Navarette defeated Pierce College’s Milo Anderson by three votes, 1,880 to 1,877, for the Student Trustee seat on the L.A. Community College District’s Board of Trustees. But the election is not final, according to Anderson. Read more on page 3.

East Coast coffee chain films autumnthemed commercial

Pierce Michael Sande reflected on his memories of Dow.

“She would go see whatever the new shows were in Broadway and bring back the programs with her, and say what I should go see or what would be a waste of my money,” Sande said. “She didn’t pull any punches. She said it how it was and that rubbed people the wrong way.”

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

Student Art Show contestant plagiarizes, loses top award

Artist claims political cartoon as her own

MYLAN STEWART

Roundup Reporter

@jmstewartrn

SETH PERLSTEIN

Editor in Chief @sethperlstein

Art student Lyudmila

Oritz won top honors at Pierce College’s sixth annual Student Art Show for a political cartoon about the conflict in Ukraine. But she was stripped of the award when Monkia Del Bosque, instructor of arts, was told by Oritz’ professor that the student plagiarized the cartoon.

The ASO and Foundationsponsored show opened with an awards ceremony and reception May 7 in ART 3301.

“I feel bad for the public who came and was deceived,” Del Bosque said.

The cartoon Oritz used to win Best in Show appears identical to a piece created by Dave Granlund. It depicted a Ukrainian bus being pulled in two directions by tow trucks, one labeled as from Russia and the other marked as from the European Union.

“It’s one thing if a student commits plagiarism in a class,” Del Bosque said. “But then to submit a piece to a show for a competition, that’s another layer of dishonesty. That’s the part that to me is really hard.”

FEATURES

Guest jurors Erin Stone and Addie Renteria Gonzalez bumped up the first, second and third place winners, and added a new honorable mention recipient. according to Del Bosque.

Susanna Bucht was named the new Best in Show, Vickie Weiss was bumped to first place, while Heather Jackson jumped to second place and Yarizbet Jaimes moved up to third place. Brandon Steadman joined Hilary Menor, Richard Villalobos and Perris Valentine on the honorable mention list.

[See PLAGIARISM, pg. 3]

East coast native, Pierce alum counsels, inspires athletes, students

Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

Lyudmila Oritz receives the award for Best in Show at the annual Student Art Show on May 7. Oritz was later found to have plagiarized the political cartoon she submitted, and was stripped of the award. Woodland Hills, Calif.

Shakespearean duo perform at latest Thursday Concert

Massachusetts-based coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts opened its first Los Angeles-area stores in September, 2014. The company with the pink and orange logo shot a fall-themed commercial at Pierce College in the grass field adjacent to the North Gym on Thursday, May 7. The commercial will air in the second half of the year.

Tournament offers Speech 101 students cash prizes, extra credit

The Speech Communications Department and the Associated Students Organization will host Pierce College’s third annual speech tournament Friday, May 15, from noon to 5 p.m. in the Great Gall.

The tournament is open to students enrolled in Speech 101.

First, second and third place finishers will earn prizes of $200, $100 and $75 respectively. All participants will receive extra credit. Speech 101 students can talk to their professors to participate.

#PierceSpeech

Veterans Club hosts barbecue, raffle

The Veterans Club will host a barbecue and raffle Wednesday, May 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Mall.

Tickets are $5 and include either a hot dog or a burger with chips and a soda.

Are you a military veteran? If so, let us know on Facebook and Twitter with #PierceVeterans

Swim, dive teams finish with in postseason appearances

File photo courtesy of the Pierce College Theater Department

Ellen Albertini Dow poses with her nephew Bob Albertini at a reception for the Pierce College Theater Departmentʼs renovation of the Performing Arts Building, which was previously known as the Black Box Theater. Ellen Dow donated $150,000 to its renovation in 2005.

Ellen Albertini Dow in television and film

“...it takes a lot of guts to claim someone else’s work as your own.”

-

Monika Del Bosque Instructor of Art

BEAT

How do you feel about our campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?

“It depends when I’m on campus. At night I don’t feel safe. Sometimes I’ve been in the parking lot when all the blue phones weren’t working and been thankful that I have my phone at least.”

- RACHEL SPIRE

“I feel about a 5/10 safe on campus because there’s no gates. Anyone could walk in and walk out. I’ve been in two or three evacuations that should have been lock downs, not evacuations.”

- KELSEY PEREZ

Better grade, better aid

“I would say I feel about a 6/10 on campus. I’ve seen a lot of Sheriffs so I feel safe, but at the same time, the way they process evacuations and lock downs, it’s very unorganized.”

-JACQUELINE SALFARON

“It varies between time and day. I don’t feel safe around campus police if I’m honest. With the recent things I’ve heard, it puts them in a negative light. I don’t think we need more blue phones on campus, we just need the current ones to work. ” - BRANVON PARA

Trying to qualify for financial aid is one of the most crucial things when continuing on to secondary education, which is why financial aid should be based on grade point average, not income.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, eligibility for most federal student aid depends on a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC), academic year, enrollment status and the cost of attendance at the institution they attend or plan to attend.

Students with a large household income receive little to no financial aid, which means those who are considered middle class are believed to have the financial backing to cover the cost of their tuition.

Some of the best minds are lost because they can’t afford to attend college. If a person knew that he or she would get money with a high GPA, fears of financial burdens would be non existent.

If federal student aid was based on grades instead of income, it would allow more students to receive money.

Award letters would be based on a tier-bonus system, so financial aid would increase with each additional grade point.

Currently, a person who qualifies for the Cal Grant and earns a 3.0 GPA or higher can get an additional $1,600 reward.

According to the California Student Aid Commission, the average GPA for Cal Grant A&B recipients was 3.41 in 2012-13.

If all federal aid was based on GPA it would allow more students to qualify for financial assistance and would eliminate the ongoing corruption and misuse of money when distributed.

Although maintaining satisfactory academic progress is one of the requirements to be eligible for financial aid, it doesn’t mean that if your academic progress is satisfactory you qualify for all the money needed to cover tuition.

That is not to say that we should disregard the present eligibility requirements. But we should reward students who strive for academic excellence with something more than just a name on a Dean’s List.

Ultimately, the best way to reward students and maintain federal student aid’s status as the largest source of financial assistance to pay for college, would be to make grade point average the main factor of eligibility.

Should teachers give credit for late work?

the opportunity for the student to succeed in the class and not fail due to missing a deadline.

–CORRECTIONS–

Volume 122, Issue 8

Page 3: Media Arts instructor Rob O’Neil was misidentified as a former L.A. Times reporter, when he was actually an L.A Time correspondent.

JULIE LUDERS jluders.roundupnews@gmail.com @jluders_roundup

Teachers should allow students a grace period for all late work with a corresponding deduction, whether that be half-credit or a quarter of the credit for any assignment that is turned in past the due date.

Students should be able to turn in assignments late. Although the students will not get full credit it still gives the student a chance to learn and benefit from completing the assignment.

If a teacher has a “no late work accepted” policy and the student does not turn in the assignment on time, they will never do the assignment and will not benefit from the outcomes of completing it.

There are many factors a student can face that may inhibit them from completing his or her assignment on time.

For example, many students work full-time and take multiple courses. Allowing a student to get partial credit for a late assignment still gives

If students are pressured by a “no late assignments accepted” policy, then they may rush to turn in an assignment on time with the bare minimum. If students are granted a grace period with corresponding late work deductions, then they will put more effort into completing the assignment to the best of their ability.

Some students take multiple classes in which all their assignments could be due the same day. With a student given the flexibility of receiving partial credit for late work, they can pick which assignment requires more priority.

For examples, if a student has an A in a class and a C in another, but an assignment is due at the same time, the student has the choice to pick completing the assignment on time in the class that they are receiving C in. The student can then turn in the late assignment for partial credit in the class they are receiving the high A and their grade may not suffer.

Teachers should give students half and quarter-credit on all late assignments because it allows the student to benefit from the learning outcomes of completing the assignment and gives him or her more flexibility.

KATERINA CHRYSSAFIS kchryssafis.roundupnews@gmail.com @katchryssafis

Teachers should not give half or quarter-credit on late assignments for various reasons.

First off, many students would not take deadlines as seriously if it were easy for them to receive credit regardless. In the real world, there is no such thing as half-credit or a late assignment. When you are asked to complete a task of any sort in the workforce, you are obligated to finish that task in the appropriate amount of time given.

The whole purpose of college is to prepare students for life outside of school. If teachers are willing to give partial credit for various assignments, it would give students the impression that they can turn in an assignment at any given time. Therefore, many students would start to complete late homework thinking that it would not have much affect on their overall grade. This would make it more difficult for the student and professor to keep track of the students progress.

In addition, every teacher has a different ways of grading.

Allowing a student to turn in a late assignment could lead to confusion with another class. If both teachers have a different policy, this can throw off the student and lead to an unwanted zero on a homework assignment. Overall, what may seem like a favor can ultimately confuse and even damage one’s grade in a different class. No matter what, teachers want the best for their students. Allowing them to turn in late homework for partial credit may seem like a good idea on the surface, but it won’t teach them the importance of punctuality and responsibility in a work environment. Ultimately, what may seem like a small gesture may do more damage than good in the long run.

On the other hand, there are instances where we do face emergency situations. We get sick, car accidents happen, and face numerous other impediments in day-to-day life. In the workplace, these may be excused depending on the situation. The important issue is that students do not take advantage of this idea. Overall, giving half or quarter-credit should only be permitted under real emergency circumstances.

So next time your teacher tells you that he or she won’t accept your late work without an excuse, smile and say thank you. She or he is ultimately doing you a favor and teaching you how to survive in the real world.

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.

Quotes gathered by Cara Hunter | Photos by Edgar Amezcua

“During the last lock down, they sent out a text to stay in class, then there was a text to leave class. It was confusing. But aside from that, I feel pretty safe.”

-

JOSH FARDMAN

CSU, UC recruiters attend Pierce event

Los Angeles-based college reps explain transfer process to students

CHRISTOPHER ESCOBAR Roundup Reporter @cescobar46

Four weeks before the semester’s end, representatives from California State University, Northridge and the University of California, Los Angeles were on campus for the annual UCLA and CSUN Transfer Day.

The event, organized by the Transfer Center, gives students the opportunity to seek advice and have questions answered by members from multiple academic departments at the two universities.

“The UCLA/ CSUN Day [event] is when the different departments are here from those two schools so that any students can come and learn more about the different majors,” said Sunday Salter, director of the Transfer Center.

After showing proof of their acceptance letters, students preparing to transfer in fall celebrated with complimentary pizza and cookies. Those students were asked to deliver a meaningful quote to future transfer students.

Salter said the UCLA and CSUN Day has been going on for about ten years, but the celebration for transferring students is only in its second year.

According to Salter, UCLA has 125 majors but 50 percent of applicants apply to the same 10 majors. That makes UCLA’s departments especially competitive and it can be hard for students to get accepted into the most popular programs.

“We want to expose students

to other options [and] other major choices so they can meet with advisers and faculty from the different disciplines,” Salter said.

Nianne Newns, a representative from the Admissions and Records office at CSUN, said the reason the school volunteered in the event was to advise students about the requirements and the chances of getting into CSUN.

“Our whole purpose for being here is to dispense the correct information to students according to Cal State Northridge,” Newns said.

The representatives provide information about deadlines, applications, transcripts and other important aspects of the often confusing transfer process.

According to Newns, CSUN’s most competitive and popular major departments are business, engineering, and computer science. UCLA’s single most popular department is chemistry and biochemistry.

Two advisers from UCLA’s department of chemistry and biochemistry, Tim Mahlanza and Denise Mantonya, attended to guide students who hope to transfer and to help motivate science majors.

“It’s a pretty rigorous major overall,” said Mahlanza. Mahlanza said the bulk of required courses for chemistry majors are mathematics, such as calculus and physics. The requirements for biochemistry are life science and biology.

“We want to let them know that we are approachable,” Mantonya said, “and that we’re open to their questions.”

Sheep on the lam Fate of farm animal still unknown

MEGAN MOUREAUX Managing Editor @meganlmoureaux

Security at the Pierce College farm has been heightened after a report of a stolen sheep was filed with the campus Sheriff’s Department late last month.

On the morning of Monday, April 20, student-worker Stacy Carpio discovered a newly-tagged baby sheep was missing. The oneweek-old male, Known as a ram lamb, disappeared from a locked pasture. A hole was found in the pasture’s fencing.

“Stacy told us there had been a lamb stolen from the sheep unit and that she was the one who discovered the cut fence,” said Joan Ostergren, an animal science agricultural enterprise student.

Agriculture and natural resources department chair Leland Shapiro, the director of the preveterinary science program, said he believes it had to be a person who

stole the ram lamb.

“It was behind an eight foot high fence,” Shapiro said. “So it’s not possible for a coyote, and if somehow it was possible for the coyote to get in, there would be drag marks and blood.”

Ostergren worked with the sheep this semester, and performed various medical procedures as part of the Animal Science 506 lab course.

“Is it an inside job? Is it a student or somebody that works here that decided to take the animal,” Ostergren asked. “I would hope not.”

According to Shapiro, it is “rare,” but confirmed animals have been stolen from the farm in the past.

“It’s mainly equipment people steal, like copper and wire,” Shapiro said. “But we have the Sheriff here and if they look and catch them, they’ll be arrested.”

Shapiro asked the deputies to monitor the farm more at night, and said he was told by vice president of administrative services Rolf Schleicher that the school has

Brief: Election results in dispute

Discrepancies in student trustee election may lead to recount

VANESSA ARREDONDO Assistant News Editor @v_anana

Ryan Navarrete from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College won the election for the position of Student Trustee, beating Pierce College’s Milo Anderson with three votes.

4,143 students voted districtwide in this election with a 0.07 percent final result difference between both candidates.

Former Student Trustee candidate Anderson issued an official letter of complaint to Vice Chancellor Bobbi Kimble and to the Districtwide Elections Committee stating that “irregularities” may have occurred during election procedures.

-Joan Ostergren Animal Science Student

ordered more cameras for the property.

If found, the suspect could potentially face charges of grand theft. Section 487 of the California Penal Code defines the unlawful and intentional taking of any farm products valued at more than $250 as grand theft. Section 487 explicitly includes horses, sheep, pigs and crops in the law’s language. Shapiro estimated that the ram lamb was “probably worth a couple hundred dollars.”

“I would hope that when they go to jail and get convicted,” Shapiro said. “It would be known among the prisoners that they cruelly took an animal.”

Anderson received a letter from LA City College Vice President of Finance Gilbert L. Aguilar, Jr., in which Aguilar states that Navarrete advised him to encourage students who were enrolled and attending multiple LACCD campuses to vote for Navarrete at each campus.

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 have provided photo identification at the time of voting. There is no rule in the Board Rules that specifically forbids students from voting at multiple campuses.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

“Is it an inside job?... I hope not.”

Opportunity to pay it forward

Pierce College alum counsels students on a daily basis

BRITTANY HENDERSON Features Editor @BrittanyJanai

With a sense of humor to go along with academic advice, counselor Joseph Roberson takes a less stressed approach when it comes to guiding students in their collegiate careers.

As a former student at Pierce College, Roberson came full circle to become a mentor Pierce students.

Roberson is originally from Buffalo, New York, and moved to California when he was 19. He went to a vocational high school to learn carpentry and didn’t have the initial mindset to attend college.

“It’s so odd because I went to a vocational high school and I remember the guidance counselor asking me about college and the PSAT and I clearly didn’t see a college education as being something I would pursue,” Roberson said.

In 1992, Roberson moved to California to experience something different due to a tragic event with a cousin that made him rethink his decisions.

“That just impacted me so severely and made me reflect on those questions about life, and I knew I had to go somewhere and experience something other than Buffalo,” Roberson said.

Once Roberson moved to California, he said a lack of parental supervision was an issue.

“I began to use my own judgment, which wasn’t wise to make decisions, so somewhere in that timeframe I went through periods of incarceration. I got married young and my daughter was born,” said Roberson. “I realized at a certain point even though I was still using poor discretion in many of my decisions, I realized that based on having responsibility for another life, I at least needed to take that into consideration.”

Roberson decided to attend Pierce College in 1996 and walked onto the football team and earned a spot. The team struggled during Roberson’s time at Pierce College and had a record of 0-20 during the course of two seasons.

A month before Roberson’s first

football season, he suffered a thirddegree tear in his MCL and wasn’t physically prepared to participate in collegiate sports, so he suffered numerous injuries.

Roberson focused on his academics while at Pierce and had a counselor who was part of the Extended Opportunity Program (EOP), Karen Lakin, who strongly influenced his life.

“She made me believe that the possibility was there to move forward with my life. She directed me to the appropriate resources and she gave me the emotional support I needed,” Roberson said.

Roberson didn’t receive a football scholarship to a university but since he was academically prepared, Lakin helped Roberson with his application and he later got accepted into California State University, Northridge (CSUN).

“She also taught me the skill of writing for scholarship money, which proved instrumental in my future,” Roberson said.

Lakin kept track of Roberson and recognized he was a mentor to his teammates, but wanted to help him gain direction.

“He was playing football and was one of the older players on the team. He was more of a mentor than he was a peer,” said Lakin. “He’s got a big heart.”

Once Roberson started school at CSUN in the fall of 1998, he approached the school’s football coach at the time, Ron Ponciano, and shared his desire to be a part of the team.

“The way coach Ponciano addressed me that day in his office validated my existence. He didn’t look at me with skepticism and acknowledged that I was different,” Roberson said.

Ponciano told Roberson the opportunity was there to earn a scholarship and that the program would love to have him. Roberson then redshirted his first year at CSUN and focused on academics and trained his body to prepare for collegiate football.

“I was able to earn scholarship money two of my years and it was validating to me because it told me that it could be done,” he said.

One of the benefits of going to CSUN was that there was a preschool located on campus, so his daughter, Kyla, could attend school

at the same time.

While at CSUN, athletic/ academic counselor Mandie McConkey assisted Roberson and took the place of Lakin as a his counselor.

“She took an interest in me as a human, heard my concerns gave me feedback and helped support me through my educational journey there,” Roberson said.

Roberson earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and McConkey gave him the idea of becoming a counselor because he was great at talking with players on the team. This led Roberson to the thought of attending graduate school.

Roberson applied to CSUN’s graduate program in the fall of 2000 but was not accepted the first time. Right after he was denied admission, the co-chair of the Graduate Program for College Counseling for CSUN at the time, Merril Simon, gave him suggestions and feedback on how to apply again the next year.

The next year after finishing his football season, Roberson was accepted into the graduate program in 2001.

While in the graduate program, Roberson came back to Pierce College and spoke with former President Rocky Johnson and expressed his desire to be a counselor at Pierce.

“He let me know the opportunity was there for me and since I was a former student-athlete that I could be a benefit to the school,” he said.

A few years later, Roberson met with former Athletic Director Bob Lyons and he encouraged Roberson to apply for the counseling position.

In 2007, he was hired part-time as counselor and later became full-time in 2009.

Recently, Roberson took the position of the athletic counselor at Pierce.

“It has come full circle in the sense of me coming here as a student-athlete nearly 20 years ago,” he said.

Department chair of counseling Rudy Dompe was a part of the hiring committee that hired Roberson.

“I’ve known him before he was hired to teach some Personal Development 40 classes here initially, and my impression then and the confirmation of that now is he’s very approachable, accessible and genuinely interested in helping

students,” Dompe said.

Dompe said he makes a major contribution by taking the responsibilities of counseling athletes and following all the procedures and regulations, which are a little more rigid and strict in structure than just counseling regular students.

“He is a valuable member of the staff, interacts well with everybody and he’s always there,’ Dompe said. “He’s always there. He attends every function and is interested in all the student events and extracurricular activities, so he’s committed to this institution in so many different ways,” said Dompe. “As a chairperson, one of my priorities

from the beginning is to create an environment that is conducive to helping students and at the same time a pleasant place to work. Joseph is a member of that team and he makes his contribution accordingly.”

Roberson reminisces of his days as a student at Pierce almost 20 years ago and remembers many teachers he had that still teach at Pierce into the present.

His teachers were David Braun of the Business Department, Betty Odello of the Philosophy Department, Jeffrey Cohen of the Psychology Department, Pat Siver of African-American Studies, and Noble Eisenlauer, Philip Stein and Diane Levine of the Anthropology

Department. Most of them are still teaching at Pierce today.

Roberson’s entire family has a connection with Pierce College. His wife Jasmine and daughter Kyla were students before and his 11-yearold son Jayden has participated in summer camps. He also uses his social media to promote positive images of AfricanAmerican men and women under the Instagram, Dahardwayent.

“I have a connection to this school and my identity is affected by this school,” said Roberson. “It means something to my life that this school be successful and that students from here find their goals and dreams in life because I’m a Brahma.”

School has no expiration date

Older students seek to enjoy the college experience

1999 and took a couple of classes, but I didn’t do so well.”

Munoz believes she wasn’t mature enough to handle going to college when she was younger.

Goals are set and the finish line is within sight for older students who attend college.

Some are returning students here to complete the education they started years ago, while others are here to actualize new dreams.

At age 45, kinesiology major Christopher Ferguson is a first-time college student and attends school full-time. Ferguson retired from the Navy, where he served 20 years and worked as a diesel mechanic.

He is focused on a second occupation and uses education to enhance his business.

“My fiancé and I own a companion care facility, so I’m going to incorporate physical therapy into that,” Ferguson said.

Older students attend school for a multitude of reasons, and while it’s a first-time experience for some, others are students who returned to school to finish what they started.

After high school, Patty Munoz, 37, experimented with college. She attended both California State University, Northridge and Pierce, but stopped going to school when life pulled her in other directions.

“I attended CSUN at age 18 for about a year, but I lived in L.A. and commuted by bus, and then I made friends and stopped going to school,” Munoz said. “I came to Pierce in

“My life then was such a mess because I was too young and I wasn’t ready for college,” Munoz said.

The biggest difference counselor Sunday Salter sees between traditional, “college-aged” students and older students is not knowing what you want when you’re younger and having clear goals when you’re older.

“Traditional aged students are at a unique time in their lives when they’re trying to figure life out, and haven’t necessarily decided what they want to major in or what their goals are,” Salter said. “They change their minds very quickly.”

This is not unusual behavior for students who are transitioning from high school to a higher level of academia, according to Salter.

“It’s developmentally appropriate and it is where they should be in life,” she said. “It’s always been hard for a lot of our students to be successful, because developmentally some of them aren’t ready, and they often struggle.”

Salter believes that older students know what they want to do and also possess the motivation that leads to their success.

“Returning students know exactly why they’re here and they have goals,” Salter said. “They’re highly motivated to finish school because they have stuff going on

in their lives and they don’t want to mess around.” Life situations often dictate the paths that people choose, and for 30-year-old Cecilia Gomez, it was work that halted her educational strides. She attended school parttime, off and on for a few years, until she decided to focus on work.

“I attended college right after high school, but work got in the way,” Gomez said. “I decided to work fulltime instead of going to school fulltime.”

As she climbed the corporate ladder, Gomez realized she could only get so far without a college education.

“I was escalating at work and getting higher positions, but then I was stuck because I never completed college,” she said. “I decided to come back and finish my bachelor’s degree.”

Adjunct instructor Jenny Serrano teaches political science to students enrolled in PACE. The program serves students who have to balance a job and school by offering evening and Saturday classes.

“I actually prefer teaching older students because they tend to have a direction and more motivation,” Serrano said. “They have more hanging in the balance with school, work and kids.”

With age comes focus, and an unstoppable determination. Failure is not an option for these students.

“I have a goal and my mind is set, so anything is possible,” Munoz said. “I’m not

Scott Aaronson / Roundup

Joseph Roberson, Academic & Athletic Counseling and Personal Development 40 Instructor on Pierce College campus. May 7, 2015. Woodland Hills, Calif.

SHARLA SMITH Roundup Reporter @sharlamsmith

Technology at its best

Computer science brought to life

SCOTT PREWITT

News Editor @s_prewitt

There are two types of computer specialists. There are those who have a lifelong love of the logic and mathematics of their digital workhorses, and then there are the pragmatic professionals - the ones who figured out early on that the future will be written and recorded with the personal computer.

David Schamus is of that second school of thought.

Schamus has been at Pierce College for eight years, where he is an associate professor and the chair of the Computer Science and Information Technology Department. Before he began at Pierce, he worked in both government facilities and the private sector, in addition to running his own business.

In 1987, he used his already extensive experience to make his first foray into a lifelong teaching career.

“In the early - and mid - ‘80s, I was teaching people how to run power plants for the Department of Water and Power, and prior to that I was a power plant operator. And what I found out is I love teaching,” Schamus said. “But my boss got promoted, and our new boss I’m convinced might have been the direct descendant of either Attila the Hun or Adolf Hitler.”

When conflicts with his new boss led his colleagues to transfer en masse, Schamus took stock of his experience and decided to follow suit.

“While I was at that facility,

I’d learned how to use computers, and I saw the market as being in its infancy and starting to come up fast,” he said. “I said, ‘Well, I know computers, I know how to teach. I’m going to quit my day job and go do that.’”

After leaving the DWP, Schamus began a lucrative career in the private sector, training corporate employees in networking and information technology.

“I kept doing that, and it got to the point where I was teaching in corporate environments where I was travelling a lot,” Schamus said. “So I found myself in interesting places like northeast Poland in December, Ottawa, Canada in January, Panama in the rainy season. And I was making good money. I didn’t have a college degree.”

In the early 1980s, Schamus was a journalism major at Los Angeles Valley College where he served on the editorial board of the Valley Star, first as news editor, then editor-in-chief. But despite having attended college for years and completing more than 40 units, Schamus did not get his bachelor’s degree until 2004, before he began teaching college courses.

“My wife and I talked about it, and I realized that if I wanted to have a stable lifestyle where I saw my wife more often than I saw the clerk at my hotel, that I needed to go back and go for a bachelor’s and a master’s and look for opportunities in the community college,” Schamus said. “I realized I was going to have to go back and take a cut in pay to have a good lifestyle.”

So Schamus stepped away from the jetsetting life and began working on his Bachelor of Business, which he attained through online classes

with the University of Phoenix. It’s no surprise that an IT professional and networking expert who’d spent years working in the field would choose online courses. In fact, Schamus completed two of his classes during the week he spent teaching the corporate training course in Poland.

After he received his bachelor’s degree, he went on to earn his master’s degree in educational technology from Pepperdine University, which he also did primarily through online courses.

With a lifetime spent studying, applying and teaching IT skills, it would be easy to assume Schamus considers computer science his passion. In truth, he is just a man with a strong understanding of a field that he knew early on would prove valuable.

“My love is the people, the students. Working with people,” Schamus said. “I got into computers

English becomes a lifestyle

Second language turns into blossomed profession

the best. She always tries to incorporate the whole class, I can’t even describe her. I have learnt so much.”

A life defined by the sensational power of adoption; her sister, Rose, is also adopted.

purely by accident, and they were the necessary evil by which I could make money teaching without a degree. So I have sort of a love-hate relationship with computers, but I love helping people learn them.”

As if his experience as IT professional, power plant operator, international networking trainer, former student journalist and community college professor were not an eclectic enough combination, Schamus is also an accomplished musician. In addition to guitar and bass, he also plays an experimental instrument known as a “canjo.”

“I’ve got a couple Gibsons, a couple Fenders, my bass is a Warwick, and I have something called a canjo,” Schamus said. “A canjo is a thing a buddy of mine actually built. It’s a stick with a tin can and a string and a pickup. And you use it for playing like a slide guitar.”

Schamus has dedicated one room

in his house entirely to music, and plays with friends whenever he can.

He has played guitar at a number of shows at local venues. One of his Pierce colleagues, music instructor Wayne Perkins, occasionally plays bass in the group.

“We played down at the mall right here, at Rock n’ Roll Pizza,” Perkins said. “And we played at a place in Topanga called Froggy’s.”

Perkins described the group as a “blues type of band,” and said they play “old school” rock and roll.

According to Perkins, the band mostly plays covers of the Rolling Stones, such as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Brown Sugar.” He said Schamus is a good bandmate.

“[He’s] very congenial, very nice, and a very good player,” Perkins said.

As the chair of the computer science and information technology

department, Schamus is a voting member of the Academic Senate.

Current Academic Senate President Kathy Oborn has known Schamus since he began working at Pierce, and spoke highly of him as both a senator and instructor.

“He’s a really, really nice guy,” Oborn said. “He loves teaching and he loves his students.”

When a new faculty member begins work at Pierce, they receive guidance from a faculty mentor. In Schamus’ case, that mentor was Oborn.

“I was his faculty mentor,” she said. “But he didn’t need much mentoring.”

Oborn said that as a colleague on the Academic Senate, he may not always agree with her, but he always has good reasons for his voting decisions and is friendly and professional.

“I always learn something from him,” she said.

Deck - Filipino born, American English Professor talks about the impact of adoption

English didn’t always come so easily to Maria Bates, she grew up speaking Tagalog in a Filipino orphanage until adopted age four by her parents who are two Americans, stationed in the Philippines.

“We eventually moved to California, and we moved all over Southern California due to our military status,” said Bates.

“My home was always temporary, but it was never boring, and I learned how to meet new people despite my childhood shyness.”

In her senior year, the soonto-be English teacher moved to Oxnard, where she became a Channel Islands Raider and met many life-long friends.

Bates describes her family members as ‘voracious readers’, who loved nothing more than books.

“We did not have a lot of money and were always on a tight budget, but we did not always notice,” said Bates.

“But there was one time that my sister desperately wanted Vans. We bought her a generic pair of shoes and I drew on the characteristic checkerboard on their soles. People really thought that she had Vans and I thought that I was Picasso!”

As children both Bates and Rose, her sister, put their imagination to work and enjoyed making innovative but somewhat useless creations to pass the time

“As children were always getting into trouble for taking things (such as their grandma’s false teeth)” Bates said.

Despite being an English professor, during her first year of school she spoke no English and couldn’t read in English until the end of first grade.

“I eventually became an English major and pursued a graduate degree in Education at UCSB,” said Bates.

“I taught at Milpitas High School for several years, then had the opportunity to earn my English PhD at UC Berkeley. After many years as a traveler, it feels wonderful to call Pierce my home!”

Maria Rubalcava, Undecided major and student of English 21 class speaks highly of Bates, “She is like a ray of sunshine, I can’t even describe her,” said Rubalcava “I’ve had a lot of English teachers, but she’s definitely

“She was one of the infants on the baby lifts, a program that rescued children from orphanages before the fall of Saigon,” said Bates.

“Since my life has been touched by the kindness of others, and I know that adoption transforms lives in tangible ways, I have always wanted to adopt.”

Three years ago, the life-long wish came true. In 2012 Bates became a mother to her daughter, Kimmy, who is now in first grade.

“The best thing about being an English Professor is the students,” said Bates.

“It is a profession where one gets to share the love of learning with others and to continuously learn as well; it has been an honor to spend my time with such kindred spirits.”

Ashley Waterman, a Math major, had Bates as an English Professor in 2011.

“She was a very organized Professor,” said Waterman.

“I was taking one of her classes as a GE requirement and learnt so much. You can tell she’s very passionate about her job.”

When she is not devoting time to her family, Bates spends her time as a co-creator of TechBlazers, an organization designed to teach middle school students how to use Adruino.

According to Adruino.cc, Adruino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Its use is intended for anyone making creative or interactive projects such as building robots.

Always learning, never stopping, Bates learnt how to work a form of software called Drupal so she could create her own website.

“It is partly messed up as a result of my limited knowledge, but I consider myself a continual learner; I also serve as a resource for adoptive parents who have questions.” Bates said.

An optimist with zest for life, Bates believes that the best way to appreciate life is to do something for someone else.

“Whenever I would get too self-consumed as a teen, my grandmother would shake her head and say, ‘TRANSCEND YOURSELF!’” said Bates.

“This is a good mantra, and it has served me well throughout my life.”

JosephRivas / Roundup

Professor David Schamus shares passion for guitars and being involved with computer technology May 06. Woodland Hills, Calif.

Titus Littlejohn / Roundup Pierce College English professor Maria Bates poses for a portrait. Thursday, March 12. Woodland Hills, Calif.

ON THE PATH TO SUCCESS

With the spring 2015 semester close to its end, students visit the Career and Transfer Center to make appointments with counselors to map out a path for their futures beyond Pierce College.

“Itʼs been really busy lately,” said Rovanni Castillo, who works at the CTCʼs help desk by taking appointment forms from students seeking to meet with counselors. “Thereʼs a lot of people coming in since the semester is ending.”

Located on the first floor of the Student Services building, the CTC provides students with information about the university transfer requirements, workshops and meetings with counselors.

The CTC is a resource for students to plan out life after Pierce.

Above: Dulce Rendon, 23, hands an appointment form to Rovanni Castillo to meet with a counselor on Tuesday, May 12 at the Career and Transfer Center. Dulce, a liberal studies major, has one more year left at Pierce and expects to transfer to California State University, Northridge.

Photo: Mohammad Djauhari

Left: Inspirational notes left by students who have successfully transferred cover a board in the Career and Transfer Center.

Photo: Skylar Lester

Above: Nutrition major Janette Inda reviews her paperwork after speaking with a counselor. Photo by: Skylar Lester

Right: Workshop professor Julie Marouish explains the transfer requirements to UC Irvine during a workshop at the Career and Transfer Center on Tuesday, May 12.

Photo: David Paz

Heavenly chords, high notes that soar

The Arioso Duo Performs with harp and flute combination in the Performing Arts Building

JORDAN WILLIAMS Assistant Sports Editor @JWRoundup

It wouldn’t have been a shock if Romeo and Juliet popped out from behind the stage at the Pierce College Performing Arts Building, as the Arioso Duo played music that could be described as Shakespearean sheet music on Thursday, May 7.

The elegant harp and the alarming flute turned out to be the perfect blend of music to keep the audience of students entertained.

Harpist Michelle Temple and flutist Cynthia Ellis, known as the Arioso Duo, joined this semester’s

line up of performers to headline the Pierce Thursday Concert Series. It was the first time the duo of 10 years had played at Pierce. They

both enjoyed playing in the new performing arts building.

“I thought it was great. I could hear Cynthia perfectly. I felt like I could play really quietly and be heard,” Temple said.

“It’s a really good hall. It didn’t change a lot when people came in, but it seemed to warm it up a little

bit. It was kind of stark at first,” Ellis said.

“I stood in the back and it was very clear. I could just articulate,” said adjunct music instructor and host James Bergman.

The two played traditional music for the concert, but Temple said they like to mix it up.

“We try to do a wide variety of music from the romantic period or classical. We also like to do some pop stuff and Latin music for the sake of variety,” Temple said.

Temple and Ellis met while playing for the Pacific Symphony in 1994 and formed the duo in 2005. As a part of the symphony, they

play for an audience of 2000, but as a duo they usually play for a more intimate audience similar to the one present at Thursday’s concert. The next concert will be held May 14, headlined by Dances for Four Hands, a duo that performs on one piano and plays music from around the world.

Open Mic event an afternoon delight

Each year, the Diversity Committee welcomes guest speakers to Pierce College to address shortcomings in their professional fields. This week, that event was combined for the first time with an open mic, which gave students an opportunity to take the stage and speak freely to their peers. The first half of the occasion was devoted to the diversity committee event, which was, for the most part, a casual interview. Two chairs were set up on the Great Hall stage, where assistant administrative analyst and organizer Christine Valada sat beside guest speaker Nilah Magruder. Magruder is the author and artist of “M.F.K.,” a web comic.

“So, diversity. What’s it like being a black woman working in this field, she asked from her position of white privilege,” Valada said, following the frank question with a sort of half-joking recognition of its serious implications. Magruder’s response set the tone for much of the discussion.

“It’s lonely,” Magruder said. “You don’t run into very many black women in animation or comics.”

She added that the gap in racial and gender equality in the workplace is more noticeable in the field of animation than in the fields of comics and publishing.

One of the most discussed points was the under-representation of female and minority characters in animation and comics. Magruder mentioned Disney in particular, and said that the company has been both a positive and negative force in the issue of diversity in animation.

“Weirdly, I think Disney is probably better at this than most studios. But Disney films can also be sort of offensive,” Magruder said. “They’re not always positive representations, but they do try.”

Magruder’s web comic, “M.F.K.,” won this year’s Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity and centers around a strong-willed and independent female character.

After the interview concluded, the Open Mic commenced. Topics and performances varied greatly and ranged from poetry readings to musical performances.

ASO President Alex Oloo was among the first to speak, and delivered a motivational speech to students. “Be happy we are in school,” Oloo said. “ Be happy we are here today. Be happy we are sharing ideas today. Be happy we are talking to each other.”

In his speech, Oloo said he believes it’s important that students remain calm under pressure.

“As we prepare for our exams coming up, it’s almost the end of the semester. I know most of us have been studying and have a lot left to do,” Oloo said. “This is the time you relax. Don’t think too much. Once you relax, and you go to your exam room, everything will be just fine.”

More than 20 students signed up and took the stage, many of whom recited excerpts from poems they identified with. The Great Hall sounded with the words of Edgar Allen Poe, William Butler, Langston Hughes, Charles Bernard Shaw and others.

Santiago Medrano, a mathematics major with a passion for graffiti art, spoke about his experiences resisting the gang and drug culture in his neighborhood. “I came here when I was 11 years old to the United States,” Medrano said. “I was always constantly bullied through elementary and middle school.”

Medrano said he would hang out with gang members and was frequently pressured to use narcotics as a way to fit in, but never caved. He decided to distance himself from the gang members he’d associated with.

“I started changing my mentality and started focusing more on art,”

Art department removes plagiarizing piece

[From PLAGIARISM, pg. 1]

“Plagiarism is never OK anywhere. Coming from the art world, and being an artist myself, it takes a lot of guts to claim someone else’s work as your own. There’s absolutely no excuse ever.”

Del Bosque disqualified Ortiz and removed the plagiarized piece from the gallery as soon as she found out about it, she said.

“As soon as we figured that out it was pretty clear,” Stone said. “It won under the pretense that it was original work.”

The other student’s art on display was original work, which ranged from paintings to stone sculptures.

Several of the pieces expressed the student’s’ perceptions on world events, and provided an opportunity to test their technical competency with a new artistic skill set.

Perris Valentine’s painting reflected his frustration with the displacement and hopelessness of people who live in Brazil’s ghettos called favelas. The people thvere have experienced gentrification because of the upcoming 2016 Brazil Olympics, according to Valentine.

Brazil’s Olympic Committee has approved the building of hotels and restaurants in place of favelas, which has left the people in those communities “homeless and helpless,” Valentine said.

“The kid featured in my piece is looking hopelessly at his favela neighborhood being torn down and replaced with hotels and restaurants, but there’s nothing he feels he can do about it, nor is there anywhere for him to go,” Valentine said.

Other students were challenged by their instructors to push beyond their comfort zones and apply

their talents to a new art medium.

Yarizbet Jaimes’ exhibit was his first foray into stone sculptures.

“I usually stick to clay,” Jaimes said. “I was challenged to push my skills and express my skills differently and I enjoyed and appreciate what I learned in the process.”

Villalobos said he spent “22 hours painting, designing and thumb nailing” his exhibit before submitting it.

Gallery assistant Francisco Valdez said this year’s show was a “nice mixture of everything.”

“There are 3D designs, 2D designs, oil paintings, sketches and mixed media art,” Valdez said. “The variety highlights the spectrum of Pierce students’ talent and the training Pierce has to offer.”

The annual Student Art Show will continue through May 26 in the Art Gallery.

Medrano said. “Now I’m a graffiti artist. I do murals. I work on Venice art walls where it’s permitted to go and paint.”

Medrano said he only paints where it’s legal to do so, and differentiated between his murals and tagging.

“I don’t vandalize. I do graffiti art,” he said. “I do graffiti art, not tagging. I’m sorry, but I don’t appreciate tagging because that is not alright.”

Jodh Garchal, who has not decided on a major, also took the opportunity to tell his story about prevailing over a very different kind of adversity.

Garchal has a disability which requires him to undergo corrective surgery on his lower leg every few years. He also has difficulty with his speech, and for both of these reasons he was the target of ridicule and bullying when he was in middle and high school.

“I went to high school, and I had a big old cast on my foot,” Garchal said. “And I joined the after school jazz band at my school, and I played trumpet.”

His talent caught his teacher’s attention, and he was offered a place in the All-City band, which marches in the annual Rose Parade. Garchal was overjoyed at the chance, but received harsh words from some

of his classmates who believed he would be unable to complete the five-mile march.

“A guy came up to me, and he said ‘On New Year’s Day, you’re going to prove to this band, and prove to the world that you are nothing more than a cripple that should have stayed home,’” Garchal said.

When the day came, Garchal said he marched the entire five miles with his foot still bleeding

stopped in just for the opportunity to showcase their work. Eddie “EJ” Johnson, an undecided major, heard the event from outside and came in to check it out.

“I was walking by and I was inspired by the courage, and seeing people walk up here and say whatever they felt,” Johnson said. “So I actually composed an original piece while I was sitting there eating two corn dogs.” Johnson’s piece, a spoken-word poem he wrote after he’d signed up to speak, was fittingly called “Inspired.”

“The world will know my name, my place, my stance, my chance, was by the world for change,” Johnson said rhythmically. “Obama said ‘Yes we can,’ but I said ‘When will we do.’”

from a recent surgery.

“Afterward, that kid came up to me, the kid who called me a cripple,” he said. “He came up to me and he said, ‘Jodh, that was one hell of a job you did today.’”

Though some students attended as part of class requirements, some

Throughout the Open Mic, students were overwhelmingly supportive of speakers, and took extra time to applaud those who seemed shy or nervous. At first count, the event had about 30 students in the audience, but that number gradually rose and peaked at about 60. Nearly every speaker left the stage to cheers and applause, and most were smiling as they returned to their seats.

It was easy to see how someone like Eddie Johnson would feel inspired.

Alan Castro / Roundup

Flutist Cynthia Ellis practices before her performance with Harpist Michelle Temple who together make up the Arioso duo, in the Performing Arts Building at Pierce College on Thursday, May 7, 2015 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

SCOTT PREWITT News Editor @s_prewitt

“We try to do a wide variety of music from the romantic period or classical. We also like to do some pop...”

- Michelle Tempe Harpist

“A guy came up to me, and he said[...] you are nothing more than a cripple that should have stayed home.”

- Jodh Garchal Performer

@Roundupsports #BRAHMABRIEFS

-Compiled by Lynn Rosado

Spring 2015 season

Swim, dive teams wrap it up

Cheer team to hold coed tryouts

The cheer sideline and competition team is holding coed team tryouts. Join to represent the Pierce College pride and rally at athletic games.

Clinic dates are in the North Gym today at 7-9 p.m. and Sunday, May 17 from 9-11 a.m.

Tryouts will be held on May 17. Sideline tryouts from noon to 3 p.m. and competition from 5-8 p.m.

For more information contact head coach Jenny Ghiglia at (818)710-2274 or ghiglijq@ piercecollege.edu.

Water polo coach in search of swimmers

The spring semester is almost over which means fall 2015 sports at Pierce College are near.

Women’s water polo head coach Moriah Van Norman said that anyone who can swim is welcome to join the team.

Practices will begin in July.

If you’re interested and want more information in regards to joining you can contact Van Norman at vannorm@ piercecollege.edu.

The Pierce College women’s swim team season ended at the state championships on Saturday, May 2. The team finished the season 9-3 after winning 8 straight meets. Head coach Judi Terhar said the season was great.

When asked about the team, Terhar said it was the “most fun team [she] coached” in almost 40 years of coaching. The team was very close and there was no drama. Everyone was a hard worker and she even had swimmers from other teams who wanted to join.

The men’s swim team ended 6th out of 7 teams. A lack of swimmers led to the team not being able to place for certain competitions.

They made it to the conference championships but did not place high enough to make the state championships.

At the conference swim championships, the women’s team finished 4th behind Santa Barbara City College and Ventura College.

Four Pierce school records were broken, including two by freshman Cecilia “CJ” Hansen. Hansen broke the school record in the 200 meter breaststroke (time of 2:30.59) and in the 400 meter individual medley (time of 5:02.47), a time which qualified her for state.

This was the first year women had to swim all 200 meter strokes and the 400 meter individual medley. Each swimmer is allowed to swim in three individual events and four relays.

Other notable swimmers were freshmen Shany Ninio, Kailey Bennett and Melissa Velasco. Ninio, who was the highest place finisher at conference, finished 2nd in the one-mile backstroke event, which consists of 66 laps in a 25m pool (time of 19:14.28), just barely missing out on qualifying for state. Bennett set the school record in the 200 meter butterfly (time of 2:30.75) and a fifth place finish. Velasco, who set the school record in the 200 meter backstroke (time of 2:24.32) and a fifth place finish.

Who they are and where are they going next year:

Sarah Karp, 20, accepted to the EATM (Exotic Animal Training and Management) at Moorpark College.

Regina Agopian, 19, transferring to UCLA or UCB, to major in sociology and join the Swim Club.

Sierra Marroquin, 20, joining the LAPD Academy.

Cecilia Hansen, 21, staying at Pierce College to swim again next year.

Elisha Vetter, 19, transferring to Cal State Northridge and plans to join the water polo club.

Brian Fedorov, 19, transferring to UCLA and plans to join the Swim Club or Water Polo Club.

What is your favorite stroke and your favorite event?

Karp: I really like the mile. (Group responds by saying no one likes swimming the mile.) Okay fine, the 200m backstroke.

Agopian: I like swimming butterfly and my favorite event is the 400m individual medley.

Marroquin: I enjoy freestyle and the 100m freestyle is my favorite.

Hansen: I guess I would go with backstroke and either the 400m individual medley or the 200m backstroke.

Vetter: The 50m freestyle is my favorite. I like swimming just there and back.

Fedorov: I like the butterfly stroke and swimming the 400m individual medley.

What was your favorite moment that happened for you individually?

Karp: It was the last day of conference. I was swimming in the 4x100m freestyle and the coach told me she wanted my time to be under one minute and six seconds. I swam and when I finished, they told me my time was one minute and four seconds and I just started crying with joy. The coaches were crying with me and it was a wonderful accomplishment to have been a part of this year.

Agopian: On the Friday at the conference meet, I found out I was accepted to UCLA, and in my main event there were 12 swimmers competing and I made it to the consolation finals and the team was packed at the end of the lane to support me. On the last lap, I was neck-and-neck for the lead and in

my head, I decided that I wanted it more than her and I used my reserved energy that I had and I won the finals.

Marroquin: I was able to hit my goal time on the 50m freestyle, I was able to get my time to under 26 seconds.

Hansen: I really enjoyed cheering on my teammates during meets.

Vetter: About two weeks before conference, I was really sick and afraid I would not be successful at the conference meet. I ended up dropping time and doing much better than I expected.

Fedorov: It was really great to be awarded MVP of the men’s swim team this year.

What was your favorite team building activity?

Karp: I really enjoyed the coed shaving parties.

Agopian: It was really fun to get everyone pumped up before a relay.

Marroquin: It was always fun how we would gather at the end of the lane to cheer on our teammates.

Hansen: Eating at a restaurant after a meet.

Vetter: It was a sort of inside joke on the team, but we would constantly say, “Feels good.”

Fedorov: It was fun to talk smack about our rivals, Valley College. Any pre-swim rituals that you had?

Karp: I really liked to be surrounded by my teammate. (As she points to Regina, Sierra and CJ).

Agopian: Listening to EDM

music and socializing with my teammates.

Marroquin: I liked to be alone and listen to “How did I get here?” by Odesza.

Hansen: Stretching and focusing on the swim is what I liked to do.

Vetter: I would socialize or listen to “Lose Yourself” by Eminem.

Fedorov: I would put on my first cap, then my goggles, then my second cap. One for comfort, the other to keep my goggles in place.

What are your favorite moments as a team?

Karp: We would bond before practice, usually to complain about having to practice.

Agopian: On April Fool’s Day we tried to pull a prank by hiding in the storage shed. The coach never showed and we were waiting for several minutes. One of the assistant coaches comes in and tells us that the coach is not coming in. The attempted prank ended up backfiring and we were punished for our attempt.

Marroquin: It was always fun staying at hotels, playing board games and packing everyone into one room.

Hansen: That was really fun, no one would really stay in their assigned room.

Vetter: Or we would watch the show “Catfish” together in the hotels.

Player blooms into a coach

Assistant baseball coach spreads diamond knowledge

JAMES STEWART Roundup Reporter @jmstewartrn

SALVADOR FARIAZ Assistant Sports Editor @s_fariaz

Since the day his grandmother bought him his first baseball bat, he hasn’t put it down.

The game of baseball has been an essential part of Pierce College baseball assistant coach Eric Bloom’s life since he was one year old. From tee-ball league until now, Bloom has not taken a break from the sport.

A San Fernando Valley native,

Bloom played baseball at Grover Cleveland High School, now called Cleveland Charter High School. In 2005, he went to Cal Poly Pomona University for a year, but the urge to play baseball was still within him, so he transferred to Pierce, where he played in 2007 and 2008.

Bloom was then offered a scholarship to play at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He played there for two years, and went on to play for three different independent minor leagues after he graduated. In his final season of minor league baseball, Bloom played in the United Baseball League for the Edinburg Roadrunners in Texas, where he won a championship. After winning a championship,

Bloom was offered an assistant coaching position at Pierce. He always wanted to be a coach, so he jumped at the opportunity.

Initially the transition from a player to coach was difficult for Bloom. He had to learn how to effectively inspire his players and strategically lead them.

“I thought I could really help them on a mental standpoint,” Bloom said. “How to approach every day by staying even keel. Baseball is a tough game. There are a lot of ups and downs. There is a lot of failure in baseball, and you have to deal with it.”

The mental aspect of hitting is a focal point Bloom stresses with his players every day. Hitting is one of the most difficult things to do in sports. If one fails at hitting 70 percent of the time, that’s actually considered a good percentage.

“I appreciate his dedication. For the past two years, coach

Bloom has been there every day with a positive mindset trying to get us better any way he can,” said Pierce outfielder Joe Moran.

This season, Bloom feels the biggest growth in his coaching has been the increase in trust between himself and the players.

“He interacts well with the players,” said Pierce athletic trainer Leonard Ramirez. “I think he interacts so well with them because he is a little younger so he can understand and relate to today’s kids. Not to say the older coaches don’t, but that’s an advantage he has, plus his knowledge.”

Ramirez has been the athletic trainer at Pierce College for 24 years and was able to see Bloom leave as a player and return as a coach.

“I know he is encouraging and he is positive,” Ramirez said. “Those are the two things I have noticed and that the player appreciate.”

Men make it to conference championship, women to state finals

David Paz/ Roundup

Sophomore swimmer Brian Fedorov continues his swim workouts after the season has ended. “It was fun to talk smack about our rivals, Valley College,” Fedorov said.

ZACHARY GROFF Special to the Roundup zacharygroff@gmail.com