Volume 124 Spring 2016 Roundup Issue 11

Free college LAUSD grads to recieve one year of free college

DONNA ROBLES Staff drobles.roundupnews@gmail.com

New Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) graduates will receive one year of free community college education effective in 2017, if Mayor Eric Garcetti has his way.

The Los Angeles mayor made the announcement April 14, 2016, in his State of the City Address that Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) graduates will be if the estimated funding will be reached and further decisions are finalized.

'Look how they shine for you' Dancer choreographs a heartfelt tribute to her late brother

dtorres.roundupnews@gmail.com

Dancing is not something to do on the weekends for Sandy Luque. It's a way of life and has defined who she is, and where she wants to go.

Luque, 26, fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a dancer through the help of the Performing Arts Department at Pierce. She has choreographed several dances that will be showcased at the Vignettes 2016 Spring Dance Concert

starting May 20 at the Performing Arts Mainstage.

Luque moved to California at the age of 10 from Morelos, Mexico where she first began to dance. She has been attending Pierce College since she was 16-years-old.

“My parents chose to move over here because they wanted a better education for my siblings and I,” Luque said. “The dance department here at Pierce is like a company. A lot of us dancers have been at Pierce for quite a while. I love performing here.”

Luque has completed her academic requirements to transfer, but her passion and determination

Chicano Studies classes pending board approval

Two course on the history of Mexican-Americans may arrive next spring

MAX SULLIVAN News Editor msullivan.roundupnews@gmail.com

The demands of students for more Chicano Studies courses to be taught on campus are making progress. Chicano Studies 7 and 8 are on track to be reinstated to Pierce College after being approved May 3 to be sent to the Board of Trustees, and then onto the state chancellor, according to Kathy Oborn, the department chair of Political Science, Economics, Criminal Justice and Chicano Studies.

The two core courses cover the history of Mexican Americans in the United States. Oborn said she hopes the classes will be available to students beginning in the spring of 2017.

Latinos constitute 44 percent

of the students on campus and because there is currently three sections of Chicano Studies at Pierce, many of them attend other colleges in the district to learn about their history, according to Chicano Studies Professor Angelita Rovero.

Oborn said Chicano Studies was approved for a viability study earlier in the semester and it is likely that will take place in the fall.

“The viability study is to determine whether or not an AA degree in Chicano Studies is needed, desired or in demand,” Oborn said.

If Chicano Studies passes the viability study, the coursework will be evaluated to see what classes need to be added to make the program more educationally robust. Once that happens it will be

towards dance has kept her at Pierce.

“Sometimes performing arts students at Pierce need to spend extra years studying with us, in order to gain the necessary skills to audition competitively for four year dance departments,” Adjunct Instructor of Theatre, Bonnie Lavin-Hughes, said.

Luque’s very first class at Pierce was Ballet with Adjunct Instructor of Physical Education, Hojo Hiroko.

“It was a joy to have a student like her [Sandy] who is diligently working towards her goal and achievement. She really showed a

lot of progress when she was in my class,” Hiroko said.

The dance department has been preparing for the Vignettes Performance since early February.

Pierce College Dance defines Vignettes as a collection of memories that will be shown in 16 different performances.

“Everything that we do will be based on our experience as human beings through dance,” Luque said.

Luque will be performing a tribute that she has choreographed in memory of her late brother for the Vignettes Concert.

“I've always wanted to choreograph a dance to the

song ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay, and now I had the chance to do so,” Luque said. “That was my brother’s favorite song. I didn't want to choreograph something depressing. I choreographed what he was about -- a very happy person.”

The tribute that Luque has put together is contemporary ballet, a type of of dance that incorporates classical ballet and modern dance.

Luque has choreographed a duet for the Vignettes as well.

“Sandy is one of those rare

There was a plan for “America’s College Promise” in 2015 by President Barack Obama to spend $60 billion community for colleges to cover two years worth of tuition. However, Congress did not pass the bill.

The funding for a year of free community college will be raised with the help of LAUSD.

“Ensuring that community college is affordable and available to our city's students is a critical priority for Mayor Garcetti's administration. As young Angelinos prepare to take part in the 21st century economy, it is crucial that they have access to continuing education after they graduate from high school,” Connie Llanos, Garcetti’s Press Secretary, wrote.

During his State of the City address Garcetti also announced that the initial cost will be $3 million and the LAUSD will help with the funding half of it, according to The Los Angeles Times.

“With the collaboration of LAUSD and LACCD, we can make this vision a reality. By beginning an active fundraising effort with philanthropic partners, and matched contributions from LACCD, we can ensure that all hardworking LAUSD graduates will receive one free year of community college,” Llanos added.

Steven Zimmer, Board President of LAUSD’s District 4, was pleased about Garcetti’s decision. According to Zimmer, this is a “burden” that could be taken away from a lot of LAUSD students.

“During my many years working as a counselor, I saw my students struggle mightily to balance the cost of college fees with the basic survival needs of their family, all too often, dreams of a college degree fell victim to the immediate economic necessities,” Zimmer wrote in an email.

However, the free community college for thousands of LAUSD graduates will not affect the tuition fee for non-LAUSD graduates and non-residents.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

sent to the district, followed by the state for approval to become a degree program, which is the eventual goal, according to Oborn.

DANIELA TORRES Staff

Taylor Arthur / Roundup

Sandy Luque dances in the Performing Arts Building's mainstage. Luque choreographed the second act of the upcoming concert, "Vignettes," as a tribute to her brother.

Mohammad Djauhari/ Roundup

Vallerie Flores prepares to bless Pierce College President Kathleen Burke, center left, and Angelita Rovero, professor of Chicano Studies, center right, in an Aztec ritual during the 1st Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration inside The Great Hall in Woodland Hills, Calif . on Thursday, May 5.

Chicano Studies sections have been taught at Pierce College since 2005. Pierce is a feeder school to California State University Northridge (CSUN), which

has one of the largest Chicano Studies programs in the country, according to Rovero.

STREET

Who would you vote for in the presidential election and why?

“I want Sanders to win because not every student is wealthy enough to get their education and giving free education is like giving students opportunity to achieve the career that they want.”

-Siumara Montes, 20, Criminology major, Sophomore

“I’d say Hillary because I feel like she’s the best candidate compared to Donald Trump, because I think he’s going to mess up the country. Based on what he had said to take out any immigrants, that’s going to cause trouble.”

-Miguel Tahay, 21, Nursing major, Sophomore

“I support my candidate, Gary Johnson. He’s a Libertarian. His policies feel similar to Sanders except that it’s in a different direction than Sanders wants to. I don’t have problems with the things that he’s [Sanders] trying to solve, I just have problems with his [Sanders] solutions.”

-Michael Pozen, 19, undecided, Freshman

“Hillary Clinton. I’m a supporter of what Bernie Sanders stands for, but I don’t feel like he’s going to have enough delegates in time.”

-Kevin Nodel, 22, Television Production major, Alumnus

“I want Bernie to win, but it’s looking pretty rough out there for him. I like his overall political stands when it comes to education and I really just don’t want Trump or Hillary to win. I would leave the country if Hillary or Trump wins. I feel like out of all three of them, he actually loves this country and wants to see it continue and wants to see it to flourish. I think the other two are more of selfish ambitions.”

-Victoria Mabry, 22, Aerospace Engineering major, Sophomore

Corrections

Volume 124, Issue 10: Page 2: The corrections box for last weeks issue, was Issue 9 not 10.

Page 3: The “Up in smoke” article was written by Donna Robles.

Page 5: The “Stars, galaxies, and planets, oh my!” was written by Samantha Bravo.

Castro

Gender neutral restrooms mean progress

Pierce and its people are a melting pot. We provides an education to students from countries around the world as well as students with different sexual identities.

The Williams Institute found that there were 700,000 transgender people in the United States in 2011, which makes up .3 percent of the population. Transgender students have been using bathrooms that they have been told are appropriate for them to use.

Transgender people have not been afforded the same rights in the United States as the rest of the general public. Only 18 states have clear laws that protect transgender people’s rights according to the American Civil Liberties Union. California is one of those states, but the state and nation still have a long way to go.

Pierce College should open a designated restroom in each building or area of the campus to be a gender neutral restroom. This is not to alienate a group of people, but an attempt to give them the same freedom to go to the bathroom in a space that feels safe.

Students would not be forced to use these new bathrooms, but they will be left as a choice to anyone who believes they would benefit from them.

There have been transgender people who have been embarrassed and harassed for trying to use a bathroom that is comfortable for them. It seems that every day there is a new video that pops up of a member of the LGBT community, not being allowed to use a restroom that matches their gender identity.

The fact that the transgender suicide attempt rate is at 41 percent, according to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey

in 2011, should show that we need to change something.

President Barack Obama instructed schools to allow transgender students the choice to use the restroom that matches the student’s gender identity.

Target stores recently created controversy and received negative feedback for its announcement that they will allow people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Since then, over a million customers have pledged to boycott target stores nationwide. Although Target stores were attempting to accommodate transgender customers, they ended

MAX SULLIVAN News Editor

As gender equality becomes a more central issue, there is a push at universities across the country to have gender neutral bathrooms. They are now available at over 150 Universities, according to a University of Massachusetts study. Gender neutral bathrooms already exist on the campus. They are locked and not available to students, just faculty. Making this a reality at Pierce is as simple as unlocking the doors and maintaining them in addition to the facilities that are already in use.

A benefit of gender neutral bathrooms is that they are open to everybody and do not segregate anybody.

In most developed countries, bathrooms are the last place of segregation, but it wasn’t always that way. The first evidence of urinary segregation is in 1739 Paris, according to Sheila Cavanagh, a sociology professor at York University. Prior to that, public restrooms were either gender neutral or for men only.

In the United States the need for women’s restrooms became necessary when women began to enter the workforce in the late 1800s. Massachusetts passed the first law mandating employers to have bathrooms for women if they had female employees in 1887, according to TheHeraldonline.com Identity is at the core of all of us and who we are. How some body identifies themselves helps to shape their worldviews, and what is valuable to them. Identities are often not something that you choose.

Barack Obama became president

Photographers:

up making a large portion of customers uncomfortable.

This plan for Pierce to bring a comfortable and safe atmosphere for everyone does not accommodate a minority while exiling a majority.

Santee Education Complex is a secondary school that was the first in the Los Angeles Unified School District to designate a genderneutral bathroom for students.

People who feel uncomfortable with sharing a restroom with someone who was born of the opposite sex could still use a women-only or men-only restroom. And transgender students can still continue to use the restroom they

have been using all their life. People have been sharing the bathroom with transgender people their whole life. Pierce will be having a Theoria Discussion in the Associated Student Organization building on the this topic on May 18 at 5 p.m. College is hard enough without having to worry about being harassed while using the restroom, or even if you will be allowed to enter the bathroom at all. Let’s make Pierce College an area of safety and acceptance.

largely because he wrote a book on his identity and spoke about it at the 2004 Democratic Convention, launching him into the spotlight. People have been oppressed for how they identify as far back in history as we know whether due to gender, religion, nationality, race, political views or an array of other identities.

Separate spheres for men and women have been a part of American ideology since the Industrial Revolution, and is commonplace throughout most of the world. Men inhabiting the public sphere while women handle the domestic duties is archaic thinking. Views on gender and sexuality have progressed over the past century and especially more recently. Tolerance toward transgenders has lagged behind.

Gender is not binary, it is a spectrum. It is estimated that 700,000 Americans identify as transgender, and 71 percent hide their identity, according to the New York Times. A startling 41 percent of transgender people have attempted suicide at some point in their lives, opposed to 4.6 percent of the general public, according to USA Today.

These statistics show there is still much progress to be made in the acceptance of the transgender community. Neutral gender bathrooms are only a minor step in the right direction. These bathrooms do not exclude anybody from using the men’s or women’s restrooms, including transgender people. It merely provides the option for anybody to choose the bathroom they are the most comfortable using.

With many supporting views as to why we should have gender neutral restrooms on campus, many people are not thinking about the specifics. In reality, having gender neutral restrooms is tricky, and the school would have to be very cautious and take much more into consideration than simply equality for one specific, and relatively small group of students.

Gender neutral policies would mean that if a man sees a pretty girl walk into a restroom, he can easily follow her inside without anyone stopping him. One of the many fears of having restrooms where anyone can walk into would be the role that rape culture plays. Approximately every one in three girls have been victims of sexual violence and one in six men have been victims as well. This means that 33 percent of women and 17 percent of men have been victims of being touched inappropriately. This means multiple women and men have experienced some sort of unwanted sexual contact.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. The statistics do not include the “Peeping Toms.” Being exposed doesn’t have to mean that the victims will be touched. Having gender neutral bathrooms mean anyone will be able to walk in, and peep into the stalls while the victim has half of their body exposed.

Even if a student were to report the incident, the peeper’s rights would be protected. By arguing that he was allowed to be in that restroom, and was simply peeking through the stall to see if it was occupied, would be enough for him to get away with it.

Having gender neutral restrooms defeats the purpose of helping students feel more comfortable. Although it would help make the transgender community feel safer, you have to look at the cost. The cost would be that the majority of the population would not feel secure using Pierce’s restrooms.

I believe that students should feel safe using their own school’s restrooms, and this change will prevent many from feeling comfortable using them. The safety issue could potentially cause two things. Either students will begin holding in their waste, which can cause many harmful health effects, or will begin to boycott Pierce, much like how shoppers began to boycott Target. This means registration could potentially decrease because of issues that have nothing to do with the educational quality that students would be receiving at Pierce.

In addition, I believe many students would simply abuse the rule. They would opt for the restroom with the shorter lines or cleaner stalls for their own personal gain, not because they actually identify themselves as person of the opposite sex. Not only that but it can even increase the chances of sexual activity on campus. Since anyone would be allowed to walk into any restroom, for some that could potentially mean bathroom quickies between classes on a busy day.

I think the transgender community has nice intentions, but it is important to remember to be realistic and realize that not everyone has good thoughts. In cases like these, it is always better to be safe, rather than sorry.

publicity releases, poetry or other such materials as the Editorial Board deems not to be a letter. 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.

Quotes gathered by Donna Robles| Photos by Alan

Illustration by Nelson Simmons

Students get political with Day of Politics

The Porter Ranch gas leak was the main discussion at the state senator candidates deabate at Day of Politics

KELLAN BRADLEY Staff kbradley.roundupnews@gmail.com

Gas spewed into the atmosphere less than 18 miles from Pierce College in what is now considered to be the worst gas leak in American history, and caused the evacuation of thousands of residents, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The impact on the community of the Oct. 23 Aliso Canyon gas leak was one of several topics discussed Thursday, May 12, in the Great Hall during Day of Politics.

Neighborhood council consultant, Rob Rubine expressed that the gas leak is really a cautionary tale on organizational leadership.

“We didn't find out about it from SoCal Gas, we found out about it from people like you,” Rubine said.

The facility where the leak took place is operated by the Southern California Gas Company (SoCal Gas), which is owned by parentcompany Sempra Energy.

SoCal Gas has maintained that the gas leak is not a risk to the public. However, residents have complained of headaches, nosebleeds and other issues.

At least 1,000 households

Financial aid changes banks

requested relocation from the Porter Ranch area amid complaints about the odor and physical ailments from the leak.

“We have been able to relocate about 2,300 families, and it’s still an ongoing thing,” Rubine said.

The event was organized by Political Science department chair Denise Robb and Sponsored by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Students were able to ask their questions

and raise concerns pertaining to the gas leak crisis in Porter Ranch to a panel of state board members.

Day of Politics featured a debate between State Senator Candidates, moderated by ABC news anchor Robert Kovacik. Five of the six state Senate candidates who are running for the office of District 27 got the chance to express their values and initiative to students. Throughout the hour

and a half long debate, students wrote questions and topic on a card for the moderator to read to candidates.

At the beginning of the debate, each of the Senate candidates gave an opening statement.

Recreational marijuana use was one topic raised. Senate Candidate Janice KamenirReznik expressed her concerned for marijuana not being used in the proper way, but agreed that it

Fourth annual speech tournamnent Students engage in the power of public speaking

DANIELA TORRES Staff dtorres.roundupnews@gmail.com

does have some positive medical purposes.

“Someone in my family has a history of not being able to use marijuana responsibly so I don’t necessary agree with use of it recreationally,” Kamenir said.

Each candidate was asked if they had ever taken oil money. During the debate KamenirReznik questioned if fellow candidate Henry Stern received money from Sempra.

“He said that he received this money and donated it, but I have a source that says it was just given to a third party,” Kamenir said.

Candidate George Thomas appreciated everybody who came to the event.

“I’m amazed that all these student came out today and even stayed after the pizza was gone,” Thomas said.

The last event of the day was a meet and greet and question and answer session with Assemblyman Matt Dababneh. Dababneh explained to students the importance of having professors that help students engage in politics.

“It’s important that campuses keep having events like this, especially during an election year, because students need to be as informed as possible,” Dababneh said.

Incident Report

May 9 - May 17

Reported by: Samantha Bravo

5/9- Vandalism

Graffiti in the first floor men’s restroom was reported in the Student Service Building.

5/9- Suspicious Person

Male transient non-student was warned for trespassing using the showers in the North Gym Men’s Locker room around 8:30 p.m.

5/10- Ill Student Paramedics called on campus for a student feeling ill in room 1413 around 2 p.m.

5/11- Disturbance call

Students will pay lower rates to withdrawal financial aid as bank vendor Bank Mobile Vibe will replace Higher One June 1 to provide disbursements to students.

Final rules relating to cash management regulations were published by the U.S. Department of Education on October 30, 2015, and will become effective July 1, 2016. This regulation established tougher standards and greater transparency surrounding agreements between postsecondary institutions and other entities, according to an email from Anafe Robinson, Director of Financial Aid for Foster Youth and Veterans. These changes are for greater protection of students and borrowers. As outlined in the final regulations by the U.S. Department of Education to provide students

with greater say as to how they receive their financial aid.

The change in the financial aid disbursement process was driven by students and colleges wanting to provide more access to funds for free. Under previous regulations, there were a number of excessive fees that were allowed, such as a Stop Payment Fee, Official Check Fee and a Teller Withdrawal Fee of three percent among others.

Pierce College student George Gladilin thinks the new changes will benefit students greatly.

“Overall, it's great,” Gladilin said. “You shouldn’t have to waste your money on fees to get your own money, it definitely makes things easier on students.”

These changes will not affect the account balance or change a student’s pin. The cards

can also be used as credit when purchasing items.

With changes taking place students will have greater access to over a thousand locations including 7-Eleven, Target, CVS and Walgreen for fee-free All Point ATMs off campus. The closest All Point ATM to Pierce is at a 7-Eleven located between Vanowen Street. and De Soto Avenue.

However, as of May 5, on campus ATMs located in the Bookstore and Business Office are down as part of the transition from Higher One to Bank Mobile Vibe. It will take approximately a month before the ATM in the BookStore will be operational, while the other one will be taken out.

DOERS DO

speaking classes and challenge themselves to go outside of the class and have an opportunity to really develop those skills in a friendly competitive environment.”

The tournament consists of two categories. One being a persuasive speech and the other an informative speech.

Communications Professor Yeprem Davoodian said it will be a great opportunity for students to gain critical skills.

“They will inform us about the world and demonstrate their organizational and critical thinking skills with their informative and persuasive speeches,” Davoodian said.

Students interested in informative and persuasive speaking will get the opportunity Friday, May 20, to gain critical thinking skills with the fourth annual Speech Tournament. The tournament will take place in several locations throughout the Village and the Great Hall. Michelle Silver, associate speech professor, said it will be a great opportunity for Speech 101 students to gain speaking skills.

“The students are really excited about the event. It's a great experience,” Silver said. They're really developing the requisite skill that they need for public speaking.”

The Speech Tournament started about four years ago. Before that there had not been one beforehand since the seventies according to Silver.

“I really felt that the department needed it [speech tournament],” Silver said. “We needed an opportunity for students to really take the oratory skills that they're learning in their public

Criminal Justice major, Francisco Arambula, hopes to persuade his audience that Hispanics are hardworking people.

“I'm really passionate about equality here in Southern California especially here in the valley,” Arambula said. “What I'm going to be focusing on is how we [Hispanics] are 40 percent of the population but 90 percent of the poverty.”

The tournament will have two rounds. The first round will be held in several rooms in the village and the second round will be held at the Great Hall.

“We have students presigned up for the informative or persuasive category, and they're assigned to go either into an informative speaking room or a persuasive speaking room where they are judged by our first round judges,” Silver said.

Two male students were involved in a fight around the Library/ Learning Crossroads around 1 p.m

5/11- Disturbance call Road rage incident ended up on campus from 101 freeway around 6 p.m. in Lot 1.

5/12- Student Incident

Male student was driving around in Lot 7 in a white infinity 4DR asking females if they want a ride. Student had a odor of marijuana coming from vehicle around 4 p.m.

5/12- Traffic Incident Student hit a parked vehicle on Mason/ El Rancho around 8 a.m.

5/12- Disturbance

Parent having an argument with a director in the Child Development Center around 4 p.m.

5/12- Check the Vicinity Officers were called at the Farm center for a male flying a drone disturbing the animals.

5/14- Trespassing

Male non-student was warned from an advisor for trespassing in the North Gym Men’s Locker Room.

Travis Wesley / Roundup David Pollock, center, speaks during the Day Of Politics in the Great Hall at Pierce College on Thursday, May 12, 2016, in Woodland Hills, Calif. Pollock is the mayor pro tem for the City of Moorpark, a small business owner and is running for California's 27th Senate District.

Party Under the Stars

At promptly 8 p.m. Astronomy professor Dale Fields, along with several of his students, rolls telescopes onto the viewing deck of the Center for Science Building on May 13, 2016 for Telescope Night.

The astronomy department hosts viewing parties, where the community has an opportunity to gaze and study the night sky though telescopes.

To avoid light pollution, the majority of the lights on the building are turned off, and a wall of black boards on rollers are positioned to block

the excess light from the opposite side of the building.

One telescope, provided by Astronomy Professor Carolyn Mallory, is pointed at the moon, while the rest are aimed at planets. Community members were able to see Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn in addition to several galaxies.

Adam Lehavi, son of Mathematics Professor, Sheri Lehavi wanted to come to Telescope Night to view Jupiter. However, later in the evening he changed his mind.

“My favorite part was actually looking at the moon, not Jupiter, because

it was clearer and I learned a lot about how telescopes work,” said Lahavi.

Professor Malloy was happy to assist Fields for the evening, as she believes her presence helped people see more things and gain exposure to astronomy.

“When Students actually get to see the objects that they are studying, it gives them a life of their own. It gives them personality and better descriptions and more of a personal connection. Plus, students like to be outside at night under the sky. Everybody does, its kinda fun,” said Malloy.

Left: The moon as seen through an Orion SkyQuest XT10 Classic Dobsonian Telescope, set up by the Astronomy Club for their Telescope Night on May 12, 2016 at Pierce College’s Center for the Sciences.

Photo by Calvin B. Alagot

Below: Kevin Sanli takes a photo of the moon through a telescope with his mobile phone during Telescope Night at the Center For Sciences building at Pierce College on Thursday, May 12, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo by: Travis Wesley

Bottom left: Joshua Becker, left, looks at Jupiter through a telescope as Dan Lehavi looks toward him on Telescope Night at Los Angeles Pierce College on May 13, 2016 Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo by Taylor Arthur

Middle Right: Dale Fields, Astronomy Professor, sets up a telescope on the observation deck of the Center for Sciences Building at Telescope Night on May 13, 2016. At Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. Photo by Taylor Arthur

Copy by Taylor Arthur Photos by: Calvin Alagot, Travis Wesely and Taylor Arthur

club presents

Celebration of life through dance

GABY SORIANO Staff

Gsoriano.roundupnews@gmail.com

The Pierce College annual spring dance concert will showcase 16 original choreographed dance pieces where the audience members can expect to be captivated by raw and personal stories. The concert will run on May 20 and 21 from 8 p.m. and May 22 at 2 p.m.

‘Vignettes’ are a compilation of little stories or memories that tell powerful scenes in a person’s life and the dance department intends to tell stories of their own with the choreographers providing the story to the dancers and together involving their own memories through the power of dance.

“A lot of the students have been through difficult situations in their lives, such as the loss of a family member or trying to find a home,” said Creative Dance Director Denise Gibson. “All the topics relate to experiences the student have gone through and we are trying to tell their stories through little books, which is why it’s titled ‘Vignettes,’” Gibson said. This performance will mark the

second time the dance department will be using the performing arts building, which has allowed the team to have a bigger cast from previous performances.

Although, attendance has been difficult for some dancers to attend practice, Gibson is excited about seeing her students succeed.

“Opening night is really exciting and it’s nice to see the end product from what the students have been working for the past three months,” Gibson said.

Student choreographer and dancer Sandy Luque, who has been dancing for about 15 years, choreographed two dance pieces and will be performing in four of the 16 dances. One of the choreographed dances being a contemporary ballet titled “Field of Melodies” and featuring 11 dancers and the music being an instrumental version of Coldplay’s song, “Yellow”.

This dance piece is special to Luque, since she’s dedicating it to her brother who passed away in November of 2015 and the song she is dancing to was her brother’s favorite from the band.

“This is kind of a celebration of life,” Luque said. “It’s just to be thankful for another day in life and to remember those beautiful moments in life that make your life special.”

Luque hopes that the audience

can be thankful for being alive, and thankful for every moment that makes them happy after watching each dance performance.

“I know that life is full of surprises and sometimes things hurt but I think that life is about remembering those little things or seconds that make you happy,” Luque said.

Another dance genre that the audience will be captivated and shocked by is a musical theater piece that 22-year-old student choreographer and dancer Briana Bauer decided to do as a last minute addition to the concert.

“I love the genre of musical theater and we are doing “Big Spender” from the show Cabaret and it’s so much fun to do. There’s so much personality and it’s sexy,” Bauer said.

Bauer is excited to perform it because out of all the pieces it’s the most different because it has that “shock value,” since it’s sexy and the only musical theater piece on the concert.

“There’s usually more modern and ballet genres but I think people will definitely remember this piece,” Bauer said.

Tickets for the concert are only $10 and are available to purchase by phone: (818) 610-6598 or online at brownpapertickets.com

How do you like them apples?

DONNA ROBLES Staff Drobles.roundupnews@gmail.com

The Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society awarded the recipients of the Golden Apple Award during the Faculty Appreciation Banquet on May 11, 2016 in the Great Hall.

One professor from each department received the award, and one outstanding professor received the Golden Apple Award to represent the whole faculty.

“Our professors do everything they can so they prepare us for the next level. This event, it’s usually a fundraiser for AGS. Regardless of how you feel about the internet here, regardless of how you feel about the bathrooms or the construction, when it comes to classroom setting, some of the best experiences that we have here on this campus have been the direct result of the people that in their classrooms and deliver their lesson plan,” Joe Hernandez, 28, an international development studies major, and

president of Alpha Gamma Sigma honor society, said in his opening speech.

According to Hernandez, the appreciation day started as a fundraising event to raise scholarships for the AGS honor society wherein students will pay a dollar if they want to nominate for their favorite professor. However, for this year, they decided to it somewhat different. No dollars needed to show appreciation for the professors.

“This year, since the first time I’ve been here, instead of fundraiser, we tabled out there for a week. We gave students candy in exchange to come and vote because you never know when somebody’s going to drop a 20 for professors,” Hernandez said.

Lunches were served to the professors as they came in groups on different times from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., and every seven minutes, a Golden Apple recipient from each department was announced.

“This banquet is for them. We want to show them that we

#PopPierce

appreciate them and that we recognize them for all the hard work and putting more effort than just being a teacher, really focusing and inspiring students as they show us the passion that they have,” Carolina Guzman, 19, a business administration major, and secretary of the AGS honor society, said.

More than 300 students participated by nominating their favorite professors and more than 150 professors were nominated for the award. The Golden Apple Award recipient for the entire faculty is Kaycea Campbell, an assistant professor for Economics and faculty adviser for AGS. This is the second time that she won the Golden Apple.

“It’s good to be appreciated by them,” Campbell said.

According to Campbell, the impact of this year’s award on her is bigger.

“It is because of my professors that I aspire to be a professor,” Hernandez said.

Sandra Gutierrez, 20, Undecided major, on cheering and the rush of performing:

“I’ve been in cheer since I was 3. I love ‘stunting. I am the one who gets thrown in the air. I’ve been doing that forever and I love it. I think it is so much fun being on stage, in front of people, showing off my talents.”

Quote gathered by Max Sullivan | Photo by Travis Wesley

Vignettes

Vignettes spring dance concert on the Performing Arts Mainstage 2p.m. tickets $10

LACCD's

workshop

The tale of an interstellar love affair

Aerospace Engineering major makes his childhood fascination a way of life

The Center for Academic Success buzzes with chatter from students, staff and tutors. Through the commotion, the voice of Stavros Diamantopoulos resonates with commanding presence. Without faltering, he answers a multitude of questions that vary from physics to astronomy.

Diamantopoulos, 29, is a junior at Pierce College, majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in astronautics. He will be transferring to Cal Polytechnics San Luis Obispo in Spring 2016.

As a child, Diamantopoulos fostered a deep curiosity for celestial bodies and space exploration. It did not take long before he knew he wanted to study these subjects after graduating from high school.

He spent his youth roaming the streets of Nikaia, Attiki, in Greece. This suburb on the fringes of Athens was the extent of Diamantopoulos’s world until he came to the United States in December 2012.

This decision to leave home was driven by his desire to pursue a higher-level education. He believed it was the best choice due to the country’s extensive background in space exploration.

like space exploration,” laughed Diamantopoulos.

Diamantopoulos credits his mother with pushing him to enroll in college.

visa status as an international student, Diamantopoulos must take 12 units every semester.

every semester, along with the astronomy courses, I have more than a thousand students that are under my advice.”

would be best in doing tutoring, and since he did fantastically well in the classes themselves I recommended him,” said Fields.

something that is not as common in someone.”

As the head STEM tutor, Diamantopoulos attends monthly seminars to train new tutors and show them how to manage different students.

“Together, with the other lead tutors of other subjects, [we] are responsible to have these training sessions to pass our knowledge to the new tutors,” Diamantopoulos said.

Diamantopoulos admits that he takes his job seriously because it’s not a subject where you can joke about and have fun.

“These opportunities were not available in Greece with the economy crisis after 2009 and 2010, the country faced financial cuts and I don’t think they would have been interested in something

In conjunction with his role as a full-time student, Diamantopoulos is the primary astronomy tutor, the official physics tutor, the head Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) tutor.

“My mother was the one that pushed me since I was a kid to focus more on my education, because that would be the way I could change my life,” Diamantopoulos said. “She was my biggest influence.”

To stay in accordance with his

“If you take the Pierce catalog and count down the physics courses, I tutor all of them,” Diamantopoulos said. “So

Dancer turns loss into something beautiful

and encouraging words that have influenced Luque, none were as resounding as a quote taken from dancer Martha Graham. “I did not choose to be a dancer, I was chosen to be a dancer,” has inspired Luque as a performing artist.

“When I started modern dance at Pierce I had no idea who Martha Graham was, or what modern dance was,” Luque said. “My plans were to transfer as soon as possible, but then dance happened. I’m blessed to be able to live my dream.”

Apart from Graham, Luque looks up to the Argentinian ballerina, Paloma Herrera, with great admiration. Herrera, who was a soloist and later the principal ballerina for the American Ballet Theatre, has been dancing professionally since 1991.

She is a woman that Luque aspires to be like.

“I first saw her on a magazinem, and I told myself that I want to be just like her,” Luque said.

Dale Fields, who is the chairman of the physics department, has known Diamantopoulos for three years. Fields believes that while the job of a tutor can be a heavy burden at times, Diamantopoulos has proven himself to be a capable mentor.

“We look to see what people

Fields feels that what makes Diamantopoulos unique is his sincerity toward higher education, especially his own.

“When he sets out to accomplish something he puts himself one hundred percent in it,” Fields said. “That level of seriousness and level of commitment is

Luque’s repertoire ranges from ballet and tap to ballroom and hip-hop.

In April of 2015, Luque had the chance to audition for the Martha Graham Dance Company.

“One of my teachers at Pierce [Hughes] got me an audition with the Martha

Graham Dance company and I went,” Luque said. “I didn’t make it to the company, but they did invite me to attend their school of dance.”

The Martha Graham school is located in New York City.

Luque finds herself being a bit hesitant to move due to the distance, but plans to attend Martha Graham by fall semester.

“I don’t want to be one of those people that wakes up everyday, and just regrets not doing what they love,” Luque said.

While there are many people

According to Hughes, many student dancers who have been a part of the department for quite a while become less coachable and too comfortable, but Luque is not like others.

“I have enjoyed our work together, I consider her my friend as well as my student. It has been a pleasure to mentor her has a performing artist,” Hughes said.

“The responsibility that weighs on my shoulders is great because I tutor material that is critical for students entering universities,” Diamantopoulos said. “I always want to approach the material in a students who engages in the love of learning,” Hughes said. “She has maintained her strong work ethic, and she is respected by her peers and the arts faculty.”

Luque believes that she would not have become the person she is today if it wasn’t for dance. She feels that she has found her true self through the movement of dance.

“Dancing is what I love, dancing is my passion,” Luque said. “Dance is what I want to do for the rest of my life. It’s something that is just me.”

Taylor Arthur/ Roundup

Stavros Diamantopoulos gazes at Jupiter on Telescope Night at Los Angeles Pierce College on May 13, 2016, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Taylor Arthur/ Roundup Sandy Luque poses in the dressing room of the Performing Arts Building on May 16, 2016, at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

“The responsibility that weighs on my shoulders is great because I tutor material that is critical for students entering universities.”

- Stavros

Diamantopoulos

Aerospace Engineering major

Football looks to improve after its 5-5 record from 2015

better.”

With the spring season over, training for fall sports commences. The Brahmas football team hits the gridiron in hopes of improving from its disappointing season.

Former Division I players have joined the team, raising expectations. Coach Jason Sabolic has his team training hard through the spring and summer to prepare his players for the grind of the coming season.

“We lift weights four days out of the week, and of those we’ll have some days we come out to the field and do speed and conditioning work,” Sabolic said. “We have 18 practices in the spring and we practice Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It’s non stop full on workouts.”

After starting strong last season, Pierce fell off track down the stretch to finish the season at 5-5. Sabolic hopes to build on some of the success and failures from last season.

“Anything is better than the last,” Sabolic said. “We could have done so much better. We didn’t do bad because we technically had a .500 record. We need to get

Sabolic hopes the new former Division I players: DJ Riggins, running back from the University of Hawaii, Elijah Dunston, wide receiver from the University of Colorado and Justin Escudero, linebacker from the University of Wyoming, will help get the team back on track.

New tight end Alex James, who is coming from Oklahoma City, has high hopes for the coming season.

“I have a lot of expectations, not just for me, but for the team. I believe we have the of potential to go 10-0. We have to put our minds to it,” James said.

Linebacker Isiah Station, who was an All-American last season, returns for another year to prove to universities his worth.

“I expected to be AllConference, honestly,” Staton said. “We had a couple of injuries that set us back, but I think we are going to be good this year.”

Despite an unremarkable season, the football team has proven it has NCAA level talent. Many players transferred to four year colleges.

“There’s never a shortage of talent,” Sabolic said. “We had 31 players move on to the next level on scholarship, which is insane.”

Seventeen of the transfers are at Division I schools such as Fresno State University, Colorado State University, University of

Nevada and the University of Alabama, Birmingham Pierce has had players drafted into the National Football League, which motivates some of the players and brings others to the school. Staton attended Samuel S. Fels High School in Philadelphia, and has his own reason for coming to Los Angeles to attend Pierce.

“Previously, one of the last people to go to the NFL from Pierce was from Philadelphia, and I know him and that’s what made me come out here,” Staton said. “It’s more motivation.”

“Over past six years we’ve had four kids in the NFL,” Sabolic said.

There are three big games in the upcoming season. Game one against Moorpark College, Game three against Southwestern College and the Victory Bell against Los Angeles Valley College are the games most anticipated, according to Sabolic.

“We have one of the toughest American conferences with Allen Hancock, Citrus, Pierce, Valley, Santa Barbara and Antelope Valley,” Sabolic said.

Allan Hancock College and Citrus College were two national division teams that have come down into the conference that Pierce plays in. The season begins September 3 at home.

Focusing on the goal

Picking up where they left off last season

row. They took the No. 3 seed into the state playoffs – defeating LA Valley, 3-0, in their first match, but lost to Moorpark at home 1-0.

Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony

A special night for an elite group

FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor fgamino.roundupnews@gmail.com

Top tier athletes and coaches will be the amongst the celebrated at the Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony on May 26 at the Woodland Hills Country Club.

The 12 sportsmen and women being inducted this year have proved their worth,on and off the field.

Athletic Director Robert Lofrano explains how the ceremony is coming together.

“This is our fourth one, so the preparations are coming along very smoothly cause we done it before,” Lofrano said. “We look into a little committee. We look at who coached and who played. It’s an impressive group.”

Lofrano coached baseball for 35 years in which 18 of them were at Pierce. He also played on the team from 1968 to 1969. He would end up winning the Western State Conference Coach of the

Year eight times. In 1988, he won Coach of the Year at California State High School.

Women’s volleyball coach

Nabil Mardini will be another of the inductees on the night. He is an eight-time Coach of the year, and in 2010 and 2012 he won the National Volleyball Coach of the Year. Mardini won three State titles, and 13 conference championships.

“I’m honored to be inducted,” Mardini said. “I’ve always felt that for someone to be inducted into the hall of fame you have to do a lot more than what I have accomplished or done personally if you ask me, but nonetheless I’m very grateful to Bob.”

Women’s soccer coach Adolfo Perez has been at Pierce for 15 seasons. He has won ten WSC Championships, and made playoffs for 15 straight years. He is also an eight-time Coach of the Year.

“I’m nervous and honored,” Perez said. It’s been a journey since 2001. Preparing for a speech

is hard because you want to be perfect, but it’s hard when you’re in front of so many people.”

Perez had many accomplishments during his career as a player and now as a coach. However, being a hall of fame inductee tops the list.

“I’ve been blessed to have a lot of accomplishments individually and collectively in soccer,” Perez said. “I think by far this is the most important one.”

Out of all the inductees, Jim Wolf won’t be in attendance. He will be working as an umpire on that night. Wolf played baseball at Pierce from 1990 to 1991. He has been an umpire for 15 years, in which he has been involved in the 2010 All-Star Game, the 2011 League Championship and last year’s World Series.

The festivities kick off with a dinner at 6 p.m. followed by the awards ceremony at 7 p.m.

On a warm Tuesday afternoon, six pairs of colorful soccer cleats form a circle near The Pit waiting to begin their co-ed soccer class. Among the players is forward and captain Makayla Nichols, laughing and enjoying her time with returning teammates.

The 2016-17 women’s soccer season is a few months away, and the ladies are preparing body and mind to be in the best shape they can be before their first game of the fall. They have high expectations to bring in an 11th conference title as well as conquering the state playoffs.

According to Nichols, to accomplish their goals, the ladies must have a consistent mentality and work as a team to get farther in playoffs than last year.

“[The mentality of] always coming to practice and working hard and making sure you’re here,” Nichols said. “When you are here you are focusing on what the coach has to say and making sure you’re giving 100 percent at practice.”

In the 2015-16 season, the ladies ended with a record of 13-2-6, and competed in the Western State Conference for the 15th time in a

“We had a phenomenal season,” coach Adolfo Perez said. “We won conference for the tenth time. The team was remarkable and we led the state in less goals against. We only allowed seven goals all year.”

The team’s success was due to their defense and their ability to score goals as a team. Instead of relying on one key player the team scored collectively, according to Perez.

Even with their success on the field, returning players are directing their energy on improving mistakes from last season, as well as establishing and maintaining strong bonds with new players.

“Our weakness was our consistency,” Perez said. “There were some games that we looked like rock stars and other games we were flat.”

The Brahmas had other issues like not being physically prepared as they should have during last season.

“I think for us, as a team, we are going to focus on being more in shape because we had a problem with that last season, where in the summer training we didn’t do as much fitness as we should

have,” Nichols said. “So it kind of reflected when we played.”

To change that, Nichols, along with her teammates, are working Monday through Friday for an hour with Nick Mosich, who is in charge of strength and conditioning for Pierce’s athletic teams.

Returning player, center-mid and criminology major, Tessa Koziol, says she needs to shoot more from far out, and have more confidence in herself and see where that confidence will take her.

Emotion is running high amongst the players. In the summer, the intense practices begin when the whole team is united.

“I’m excited because this is my second year,” Koziol said. “I have experience now in the college level.”

The women’s soccer team has proven multiple times that they are formidable. Out of 62 programs throughout the state of California, only 16 are able to participate in the state playoffs as well as the 10 conference titles under their belt.

“We’ve been blessed,” Perez said. “We’ve had so much success that we are everybody’s rival. Here at Pierce it is our expectation to win a state championship, at least to win conference. Other schools, it’s to beat Pierce.”

Abdolreza Rastegarrazi / Roundup

Adolfo Perez encourages the girls to sign up for a summer conditioning class in preparation for the 2016 season in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Tuesday, May 10, 2016.

JOSE HERRERA Staff jherrera.roundupnews@gmail.com

Max Sullivan / Roundup

Wide reciever Ashland Anderson blocks teammate Matt Matingly during a drill practice at Shepard Stadium on Tuesday, May 10, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

A valuable and determined winner Award winning swimmer butterflies to the acknowledgment of coach and teammates

NADINE GOSTANTIAN Staff ngostantian.roundupnews@gmail.com

Afast paced music plays coupled with the sounds of splashing water and smell of chlorine.

Several students wearing swimsuit and goggles are seen conversing with one another while others get ready for practice.

When practice begins, Gerryleo Sarmiento, 18, splashes her way through the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center, using her pure strength and undulating motion to form a powerful, yet swift, butterfly stroke.

Sarmiento, started swimming during the summer when she was 13, at El Cariso Park. Back then she did not have any intentions of becoming a swimmer.

“I was just going there for my family,” Sarmiento said. “My mom wanted me to try new things so I went, and I was mad for her trying to get me into the team. I said I can’t do this, I like working alone, and I can’t work on a team. I felt like I could fail the team if I did something wrong.”

The next thing Sarmiento knew was that she kept passing her classes. It was then that she realized she was pretty good at it.

“In high school I focused on swimming butterfly,” Sarmiento said. “I don’t know why, I was never able to do butterfly when I was at El Cariso. It was really hard for me during the first two years to do butterfly, and I never really wanted to do it. But I pushed myself to try and do it anyways, and made my family proud of course.”

In her last year of high school she was finally able to join the swim team, made it to Semifinals, and ended up getting the MVP

(Most Valuable Player) award and the Most Determined award. She competed in the 500 and 100 Butterfly, the 100 Freestyle and also in the Medley Relay.

“After high school, I wasn’t planning on going to college, I wanted to go to a four year university straight ahead,” Sarmiento said. “I wasn’t planning on joining the swim team either, although I wanted too. Like the first day I kept passing by to go to my class, I kept looking at them swimming and I was like they’re fast I can’t do this.”

When Sarmiento was on assignment for a photography class she met Kailey Bennett, who was on the water polo team. Bennett encouraged her to meet the swim coach, Judi Terhar, and practice with them.

“I had to get my old record from my high school and show [Terhar] my times and what I used to do,”

Sarmiento said. “I saw her face lit up when I told her I did butterfly in high school. She was like I need you on my team.”

Sarmiento was able to impress Terhar by telling her that she made it to the city finals in high school.

“She has improved a lot,” said Terhar.

According to Sarmiento, there are not a lot of people who like to do butterfly because it is a hard stroke and not everyone gets to be fast and have endurance for it.

“There was a competition where I ended up not completing my 100 fly, because I didn’t warm up and that really took a toll on me,” Sarmiento said. “I couldn’t pull my body, I was shaking and couldn’t finish the race. I’m also an anxious person and get anxiety attacks sometimes.”

Sarmiento has continued in her improvement to shake off her anxiety.

“During this whole season and

especially the last competition, I felt like everything just left my system. I felt so calm, and got my best times. I beat my own personal records. It was awesome.”

To cope with anxiety during a competition, Sarmiento instead focuses her mind on the music playing, her teammates and coach cheering, and finishing the race. She believes the support she getsfrom her teammates, and coach is what gets her going and improved her times.

Last semester, she was a member of the Roundup Newspaper as a photographer. She is currently majoring in psychology, but would love to at least try out for the olympics some day. She also helps out at her old high school and trains kids on the swim team. The most important thing that helps her succeed is having a positive attitude.

“It’s all about showing up with a good attitude,” Sarmiento said. “If anyone gets negative we tell them no, stop it, be positive, it’s nice you get to practice, don’t give up now, we just got started, we can finish it.”

Even Bennet, who is on the swim team, believes she has been positive.

“She was always cheerful when she came to practice or anything, and was always positive no matter what the situation was,” Bennett said. “Over the season alone she has improved so much on her times and we’re also proud of her for it. She always tried her hardest all the time. She’s a great swimmer.”

Laura Chen/ Roundup

Gerryleo Sarmiento poses at the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center of Pierce College on Monday, May 9, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

“It's all about showing up with a good attitude.”

- Gerryleo Sarmiento Student swimmer