Volume 126 Spring 2017 Roundup Issue 1

www.theroundupnews.com

At-a-glancenews

Construction update pg.3

Theater student scubas pg.4

STEM week at Pierce pg.7

New vans not in use pg.10

Plan revised for new Media Arts building

ultimately responsible for ensuring that all bond funded projects, make efficient and effective use of bond funds.”

#Piercewire

See anything interesting on campus? Tag us @Roundupnews on Twitter

Pierce College Council (PCC) members voted Thursday to revise original plans to build a new media arts building due to new construction prioritization guidelines by the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees.

After the PCC meeting, Pierce College President Kathleen Burke offered a statement regarding observations made concerning bond Measure CC funds. The following is an excerpt from the full statement, which is available online:

“The college has been asked to validate the priorities it had previously set for future construction projects based on the policy directions the Board of Trustees is considering for expenditure of Measure CC dollars. The criteria includes student demand for the program, a focus on new construction, and the Facilities Condition Index (FCI) for existing buildings.

Based on that information, the College Council took advantage of the opportunity to realign its priorities regarding the North of Mall Phase II project and the Digital Arts and Media Building. It has been recommended that they be combined into one project to be built on the site of the former college Library. We know that this recommendation has an impact on previous expectations for those programs, we respect the fact the Board of Trustees is

According to College Project Director Ed Cadena, the bids contractors have proposed for Phase II North of Mall construction are over budget. Therefore, he moved PCC members to consider rethinking their original position in completely rebuilding four new buildings located North of Mall in addition to the old library.

A major guideline set out by the BOT, highlighted in Burke’s statement, is the notion that colleges must prioritize replacing existing structures on campus with new facilities with equal square footage.

PCC members ultimately decided that in order to ensure top priority buildings are built, the most cost effective and logical course to take would be to instead consolidate the four buildings into one new three story building.

The new building would house the Math, Computer Science Information Technology, Psychology and Media Arts departments. By proceeding this way, the college can also focus on and ensure the new building would be compliant with American Disabilities Act guidelines.

Placing the Media Arts and Computer Science departments together might be more practical because they share the need for similar facilities, like computer labs. While they would not share exactly the same space, it would be lucrative and convenient for both departments.

“The fact that they are the same buildings with the same equipment, it might get the Media Arts building over the finish line,” Cadena said.

According to Instructional Assistant of Media Arts Sean McDonald, the existing square footage in which the Media Arts Department resides does not meet departmental needs.

“We’ve been in condensed temporary space. Our problem is special needs classrooms,” McDonald said.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Sherri Berger responded by recognizing the urgent demand for new Media Arts facilities.

“I understand the program needs that the current facilities are not currently meeting. Clearly, if it was a college decision, we ranked Media

Arts number one,” said Berger. “We would be designing [the building] in a way to maximize square footage space.”

The newly revised proposal passed with 13 PCC members voting in favor, zero opposing and five abstaining.

PCC also voted to prioritize additional buildings that the college had planned to be built in the following order:

Media Arts building under the new proposal

Child Development building

Auto and Industrial Technology building

Applied Technology and Industrial Technology building

Continuing Education building

Student Union facility

Field housing, parking and

Bathrooms remain open to all in CA

The Trump administration rescinded former President Barack Obama’s transgender bathroom directives that were set to go into effect on March 1, 2017. California has been on board with the directives since 2014 after Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 1266 into law. This leaves our state unaffected.

bathroom facilities for the Athletic Department

Members also voted to eliminate Horticulture expansion from the priority list due to existing bond measures that were allocated to cover the facilities expenditures.

The above list will be sent to the BOT by the Feb. 24 deadline so that the board members will be able to allocate funds from the $700 million bond measure CC to the nine campuses in the Los Angeles Community College District’s ongoing construction projects.

The new Media Arts building is set to be completed in the spring of 2021, according to BuildLACCD.org.

AD, others must reapply Bob Lofrano,

who has held position for 10 years, disappointed with new rule

JOSHUA MANES

Sports Editor

@tweeporting

For the past 10 years, Bob Lofrano has been the athletic director. Prior to that, he was the head baseball coach. Now, as a result of a recommendation from the accreditation office, the AD position is being reopened.

If Lofrano wants to keep his current position, he would need to reapply and go through the hiring process. Lofrano has been at Pierce in one position or another since 1989, but his future at the school is now uncertain.

The athletic director position is not the only one that has been put through this process. According to Vice President of Student Services Earic Dixon-Peters, the accreditation liaison, faculty development and new student programs positions have all gone through this process over the

past two years.

“We are operating based on a few things: accreditation findings for hiring practices and fairness of the hiring practices,” Dixon-Peters said. “The fairness is that you open up the position and allow competition and people to apply for the position. This is not an isolated incident.”

Joanna Zimring Towne is the Director of New Student Programs. According to Towne, the position was created in Oct. 2014, prior to the accreditation, though she is not sure if it was in response to any sort of recommendation.

According to Dixon-Peters, at the same time there were also HR guidelines in hiring and reassigning faculty positions. These reassigned positions are positions that are filled internally by current faculty members.

Even though the recommendation was made years ago, Lofrano said he

Financial Aid

Deadline

Deadline to submit a petition for Financial Aid for Spring 2017 is Sunday May 5, 2017. Office hours are Mon. and Tues. 8 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wed. and Thurs. 8 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Fri. 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Fake News Workshops

“was just told of that now.”

“It’s a little disappointing, to be honest,” Lofrano said. “Really? I have to apply for the job I’ve had for 10 years? I can get a little hardheaded on that one. Do I understand that process? Yes and no. But if other people are doing it and it’s the same situation, then so be it.”

Despite the disappointment, the irony of the situation is not lost on Lofrano, who didn’t even want the job when it was first offered to him.

“I distinctly remember when they came to me 10 years ago, I said no,” Lofrano said. “I’m not an in-theoffice type of guy. I coached my whole life. P.E. teacher, I’m always outside. Now, ironically, 10 years later now it’s like, ‘Oh, you have to apply to be the AD.’ I didn’t even really apply 10 years ago.”

see Lofrano pg.8

Workshops designed to teach students how to determine the reliability of news sources through evaluation are on: March 1 at 12:30 p.m. March 21 at 11:30 p.m. and May 3 at 2:30 p.m. in room 5212 in the Library / Learning Crossroads.

Pierce College Foundation

Foundation scholarship applications are now being accepted through April 7 for spring 2017. Students can to go to their department chairs to see if they qualify. The winners will be announced on the day of the ceremony, June 8, 2017.

What was originally planned for one department now will house four

Arthur / Roundup

The Old Library, and former site of the proposed Media Arts building sits in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Bob Lofrano, among others have had to reapply for their current positions on staff, in accordance with accredidation recommendations and HR guidlines.

by Victor Rodriguez

I’m very excited to begin this semester as the Editor-in-Chief, but I quickly realized that this position is more about managing talent than making decisions. This department attracts some of the most talented individuals I have ever met, and it is my job to set them up for success as much as possible, and that begins with you: our readers. Now, more than ever, good, hardnosed journalism is paramount if we are to keep the public informed.

For those reasons and many more, I’m issuing this professional challenge: do not let the ghosts of mistakes past interfere with the present. The staff changes every semester, but we all share one trait: we are taught to relentlessly and politely pursue the truth. So to those who “refuse to talk to the Roundup,” please reconsider.

vrodriguez.roundupnews@gmail.com

The Vigil-ant Vegan

by Monica Vigil

Let’s get something out of the way. No vegan is 100% vegan.

Even the best vegan in the world is imperfect. She could have been raised as a vegan, never worn fur, refuses to sit on leather couches and doesn’t even look at film photos (because film contains gelatin, an animal derivative). Even this vegan is imperfect.

This person cannot avoid stepping on ants when she walks outside, or killing dust mites when she sleeps on her mattress. The lettuce she eats may have been sprayed with pesticides, making that lettuce a product of cruelty.

Perfection doesn’t exist, but good intentions do. Veganism is about limiting the amount of harm we do to others, specifically other species. There’s an intimidation in the online vegan community that in order to “earn” the vegan label, one has to be perfect. This is not only elitist, but impossible.

Veganism shouldn’t be praised for its exclusivity. It is not a hip, new nightclub that only lets in those with the best (faux) leather shoes and coolest hair. The opposite is true. The goal of veganism is to minimize harm and this goal can only be realized if we encourage everyone to get involved and do our part.

If we vegans stop shaming each other for slipping up on our lifestyle (intentionally or otherwise), meat eaters might feel safer and more comfortable trying it our way. Instead of yelling at “fake vegans” who eat a bag of hot cheetos every few months or berating those who aren’t ready to give up their leather goods, we should praising people for the steps they do take in the right direction.

There are people in my life who don’t eat meat, but still consume dairy. I understand the cruelty and suffering that comes from the dairy industry. It’s heartbreaking and disgusting. But so is the meat industry. And isn’t it great that these people stopped eating meat?

For the full story visit: TheRoundupnews.com

mvigil.roundupnews@gmail.com

With relentless technological advancement year after year, there comes a time when a standard set of online protections and cyber security become obsolete.

Because Valley College payed a $28,000 Bitcoin ransom to hackers in early January, Pierce has since taken steps to reinforce our sensitive data.

Since the start of the semester, the Wi-Fi has been spotty at best. Administration has tried to remedy this by periodically shutting down and reactivating access points

in individual buildings, one at a time.

As of Tuesday, Feb. 28, the old Wi-Fi login system was reimplemented. Students and staff are now required to enter their student information system (SIS) login to gain access to the wireless network. But that does nothing to protect us from a student or a staff member that is the one trying to steal information.

A solution would be to change the wireless network from this WPA2 (Wi-Fi protected access 2) system to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that connects your

Pro: Guns are tools

MADELINE MARTINEZ Copy Editor @madisaysso

Defending yourself is an American right. It was built into our constitution for a reason. Our forefathers knew the right to bear arms would be significant for our society to prosper years after it was drafted.

People who want to commit crimes and cause violence will always exist. We should have every ability to protect ourselves.

The main reason people oppose guns is because they are misused. Lackluster owners are the main cause. Proper training and use can deter many of the accidents or crimes that happen as a result of gun ownership.

Guns don’t kill people unless they are used by a person to kill people. Those who are properly trained to use a handgun know when resorting to use, even brandishing of their weapon, is the last step in escalation.

Guns are easy to come by, legally or illegally. All it takes is the effort of one person who wants to cause damage to do so and it really doesn’t take much, especially in big metropolitan cities such as Los Angeles. I know I would feel safer if there were protocols in place which allowed for concealed carry on campuses, even if it was just for staff.

With extra guns carried on campuses besides the sheriff’s deputies’ or police officers’, school attackers would think twice before deciding to attack unsusceptible

victims who can defend themselves. Pierce is a large campus that has around 22,000 students enrolled plus staff. It sits on over 426 acres, which is bigger than UCLA’s campus. Shooting sprees happen in mere seconds. Do you really think the campus’ sheriff deputies can respond in an ample amount of time to certain parts of campus when things can happen in a matter of seconds? I do not.

In the Virginia Tech Massacre, Seung-Hui Cho was able to walk around freely and uncontested as he executed students. Adam Lanza was able to do the same at Sandy Hook. Could both have been prevented if concealed weapons were allowed on those campuses? We will never know, as most campuses do not allow concealed carry permits to be acknowledged and those that do have not experienced any mass shootings.

Being able to carry a concealed weapon matters. Being able to protect yourself matters. Nobody has to know that you carry and you never need to let anyone know. If it comes down to a situation where I might have to defend myself, I want to know I have every means, especially so I can make it home to my girlfriend every night.

mmartinez.roundupnews@gmail.com

computer to a safe network that will not show your browsing history, nor save cookies or caches. A VPN keeps your data away from any outside interference. This would give peace of mind to any authorized individual trying to access these networks. An article from ABC news states, “There are no estimates of how often this happens. No one has ever been arrested for Wi-Fi hacking.” This shows how institutions fail to take wireless security seriously, which leads to situations similar to Valley’s. The hacking of Valley’s

GARRETT HARTMAN Reporter @ghartmanroundup

Guns on school grounds should never be allowed. There have been countless times when students have brought loaded weapons to school and, even if their intentions aren’t to shoot anyone, caused panic among other students.

If you are carrying a gun, what do you intend to do with it? Most would argue that they want to feel safe, but if we allow guns on school grounds, we’re only causing more problems for ourselves. A gun could easily get into the wrong hands if we’re not careful. Someone who intends to use a gun could easily do so. Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook, there have been 186 school shootings. That number alone is why I’m against having guns on school grounds. The violence will only get worse if guns are allowed, so more should be done to prevent more school shootings. If a fight were to break out between students at a school that allows guns, and they both pull a gun out on each other, then what do you do?

Supporting guns on school grounds is the same as supporting violence. The violence we see at schools across America isn’t going to end unless something is done. I don’t see the benefits of having guns on school grounds.

Cartoonist:

network brought awareness to vulnerabilities in Pierce’s system. For a somewhat more practical approach, the IT department should be given funds for creating redundancies that back up faculty, staff and student emails. That way, if Pierce’s data is ever compromised, online records of students’ grades will be backed up. Keeping students’ data and records safe should be a priority on campus.

“I Had an instructor in business calc.thatsaidsheʼdcallthecops ifnoneofthepeopletryingto addleft,andshedidnʼtadd anyoneeventhoughtherewere openseats.”

-MitchWood,21,Sophomore

“Theteacherhadacoinandsplit thepeopletryingtoaddintotwo groups.Heflippedthecointo seewhichgroupstayed.Hekept splittingandandflippinguntil thefinalpersonwasselected.”

-DavidCabados,21,Sophomore

It only promotes more violence. It isn’t right for a student at any level to have the right to walk into school with a gun. When will a student ever have to fire a gun at school? If guns are allowed, then are students going to walk around until something bad happens to possibly use it?

If students don’t have any intentions to use their guns, then what is the point of carrying one on school grounds in the first place? If a shooter, not from the school, were to go on campus and fire a gun, it would be unnecessary for students to get involved and risk their lives.

It’s a police officer’s duty to protect and serve, but that doesn’t mean we have to do the same for ourselves. Preventing violence is the main reason why guns shouldn’t be allowed on school grounds.

Too many people are losing their lives at schools. School is supposed to be a place of learning, not a place of violence. Banning guns from school grounds might not end school violence completely, but it’s a big step forward toward preventing it from happening again.

ghartman.roundupnews@gmail.com

“Oneofmyinstructorsdida raffle,butdidtheprobability onhiscalculatorofhowmany studentsaretryingtoaddtothe numberofpositionsandchose thatway.”

-JenniferVargas,20,Sophomore “Ihadateacherwhoadded everyonewhotriedtoadd andallowedthemtositonthe ground.”

-SelenaValladares,21,Freshman

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.

Advisers:

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.

“Itwasarouletteandthenyou hadtoanswerwhyyouwanted tobeintheclass,whichstill didnʼtinsurethatyouwerein theclassifyouansweredbad.”

-EverHernandez,21,Sophomore

Illustration by Beck Shields / [insert social media here]

Con: Guns invite danger

Revamped buildings bring smart tech

New features in the classrooms provide opportunities for alternative teaching and learning methods

TAYLOR ARTHUR Reporter @Taya_Arthur

After more than six years of construction, nearly all renovated facilities North of Mall have been made available to students and instructors.

The Faculty and Staff Resource Center, set to open along with the Iris, Birch, Juniper, Elm and Ginger buildings, will be delayed due to Pierce’s decision to add electrical resources that will allow growth for the information technology department in that building.

The modernization of the buildings included working around the limitations of the original design.

“North of Mall has been more of a remodel instead of a rebuild,” said Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher. “They were old K-12 buildings, so they were not really ideal for college.”

While this posed limitations during construction, a software called Utelogy has been installed into the new classrooms to compete with the rapid change in technology and the need for a more interactive learning environment.

“We are trying to make it so if the

instructor is sharing something to the class, people can actually log into the system from their cellphones or a tablet and share some information back. The whole class could go and look at something on the internet and get information on a global level,” Schleicher said.

Although these systems are in place, instructors still must be trained to use the technology and various glitches must be worked out with the vendors who make the software function—which is a challenge most

people don’t realize, Schleicher said.

“There are a few things I am still wanting to learn, like the document camera, without experimenting with it. I don’t want to mess up anything, so I am careful about that,” Associate English Professor Maria Bates said.

Bates used technology frequently when she first began teaching at Pierce. However, sometimes the bulbs of the overhead projector would break or other systems within the classroom would stop working. Therefore, she decided to rely on her notes instead.

“It didn’t help me become a better teacher because students really do benefit from the visual interactions they can see on screens,” Bates said. “For me, the new classrooms make such a difference in the way I can teach.”

Associate Professor of Political Science Denise Robb has welcomed the move into the new buildings. She was doubtful they would be open this spring after the confusion surrounding the official opening date last fall.

“It’s a lot more convenient. I have been schlepping a crate with wheels back and forth. I was so excited this semester. We have smart boards and projectors that, in the big room, automatically come out of the ceiling,” Robb said.

Robb estimates she has an extra 10 to 15 minutes of additional instruction time because she no longer needs to set up her portable electronics to teach her class.

Though internet is available in the new classrooms, WI-FI is not. As of yet, Pierce College does not have a functioning WI-FI system.

Repeated attempts were made to contact College Project Manager Ed Cadena and his Public Relations Representative Enrique Gasca for further comment about Pierce’s WIFI system. A response has not been issued.

Furthermore, Sheriff’s Deputy

Alfred Guerrero has remained unavailable for comment concerning the blue emergency poles that are nonfunctional North of Mall.

Despite the completion of the new buildings, construction of other areas on campus are expected to go on for another four to five years at minimum, according to Schleicher.

Top priority facilities that either need to be rebuilt or remodeled include the Automotive Technology Building, the Agricultural Education Building, Job Development buildings and the Media Arts Building.

With a budget of more than $27 million, the Automotive Technology Building is expected to be completely remodeled and redesigned by spring 2020. Beginning stages of the process have already begun with the removal of trees near El Rancho Drive and Mason Avenue as reported by the Roundup News fall 2016.

Overall, Schleicher said, the newly renovated buildings have been well received.

“We have an aesthetically nice campus. We want people to feel like this is a second home. If it is more inviting, students might be more likely to participate in the campus environment,” Schleicher said.

tarthur.roundupnews@gmail.com

Cyber hack in LACCD leads to upgrades in security measures

DANI NOVAZSKI Reporter @dnovazski

Wi-Fi was shut down at Pierce College after a cyber security breach at Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) led to a ransom payment of $28,000 to hackers to prevent the release of private information.

The cybersecurity breach, which locked out about 1,800 students and faculty, was detected on Dec. 30. Valley College was given a week to pay the amount in BitCoin or risk

losing all of its data.

Erika A. Endrijonas, president of the college, said in a press release that after consulting with cybersecurity experts and LACCD leadership, the ransom was paid on Jan. 4 and a key was delivered to allow re-entry to the blocked files.

LAVC is covered by a districtwide cybersecurity insurance policy that will pay a portion of the ransom. College officials deduced that paying $28,000 would be less expensive than trying to eliminate the ransomware from the network on their own.

This incident has caused Pierce College to make changes to its systems, including backing up data and requiring Wi-Fi authentication to increase cyber security.

Pierce had an open network which made it vulnerable. Pierce College IT Committee member Wendy Bass said that Pierce’s WiFi will now have requirements to go online.

“That’s one of the reasons they shut down the Wi-Fi on our campus. Our Wi-Fi had no authentication, so anyone could log into our network,” Bass said.

Faster connectivity in the WiFi system can be achieved by addressing security first, Pierce College IT Committee member Clay Gediman said.

“I think right now they’re just trying to get the security part fixed, and then they’ll start looking at the other parts that they can work on to make it better connected,” Gediman said.

One component of the upgrade will be that the system will require authentication to prove that the user is a student or faculty member. Gediman said that with less

Rundown Brahma Blotter

These incidents were reported between Feb. 18 - March 1

people crowding the servers, the connections will likely be faster.

“One thing is that if people log in to use it, you’re not going to have all these people that are going on for free and leaching that aren’t students. That's going to help the connections a little bit, because you’re not going to have so many people trying to connect all at once,” Gediman said.

Gediman said that he has been told that the new Wi-Fi system should be up relatively soon.

see WIFI security pg. 7

Reported by: Vanessa Arredondo Randi

02/22

Love, Jose Herera

• Student Incident

Two students reported they were assaulted at 8:15 p.m. by Elm 1709 on Feb. 8, 2017. No further details were provided.

02/23

•Attempted Grand Theft Man attempted to break in a construction site location near parking Lot 8.

02/24

• Vandalism

Six staff lockers in the North Gym men’s room were damaged with bolt cutters or another metal object.

Pierce College

Sheriff’s Station

General Information:

Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311

Ahmed Azourian/ Roundup

Blue Fences have been taken down with nearly all the facilities north of mall finishing rennovations

Turcotte, a ‘Thief and Tyrant’

A counselor at Pierce College by day and a musician by night

DANI NOVAZSKI Reporter @dnovazski

Rock ’n’ roll counselor David Turcotte, who has a passion for helping students navigate through the complexity of college, is returning to the stage to pursue his first love, music, with his new band Thieves and Tyrants. Turcotte is excited about his new musical endeavors and is fully ready to get back in the scene. Thieves and Tyrants, with their energetic, gypsypunk-ska sound, had a packed show for their first performance.

A staple player in the Long Beach music scene as a young adult, Turcotte has played in different projects throughout high school and college, notably Fungus Mungus and the Shrooms. During a time where the local reggae-ska music scene was thriving, Turcotte was a musician performing in the heart of it all.

“I grew up playing music in the Long Beach music scene back in the early-mid ‘90s with a lot of bands like Sublime, No Doubt, Suburban Rhythm, One Eye Open. At that time in Long Beach, it was kind of a magical time for music,” Turcotte said. The drummer for Thieves and Tyrants, Jordan Dustin, has played with Turcotte for years, and recalls his importance in the Long Beach music scene of the ‘90s.

“He was very much revered in the local music scene since I started coming up through the ranks,” Dustin said.

Turcotte brings the sound of the guitar to life when he plays. Dustin recalls how Turcotte’s ability has always been respected.

“Dave was always known by local musicians as the ‘color guy’ on guitar. He can paint a picture using his guitar tones and effects with a very unique yet authentic style,” Dustin said.

After years of being in college without a strong sense of direction, Turcotte decided to pursue counseling. He also got married and started a family, moving to New York to work as a counselor at LaGuardia Community College in Queens.

After spending a number of years on the East Coast, Turcotte felt that he wanted to be with his mother who was having health issues, so his family decided to move back to Long Beach. After returning to California to care for his mother, Turcotte got a job at Pierce College as a counselor.

Having felt lost as a community college student, Turcotte thrives in helping students reach their full potential.

“It’s a good feeling to help someone. After years of doing this, it’s not about me, it’s about helping students become who they want to be,” Turcotte said. “It’s wonderful that I can provide tools, information, and counseling, but it’s

Join us in The Great Hall

most rewarding when I see students become self sufficient and successful at their endeavors.”

Finding himself back in California, Turcotte felt a spark of inspiration to return to music. He has written many songs, and was was eager to create something with them. Henceforth, Thieves and Tyrants were founded. Open to the boundless potential for success, Turcotte feels satisfied being able to express himself musically, while continuing to help students as a counselor.

“I’m not setting out to be a rockstar, I’m just setting out to be a counselor playing music, but we’ll see where it goes,” Turcotte said.

Keyboardist for Thieves and Tyrants, Jon Tomilson, feels that Turcotte’s return to music is something he has a calling to do.

“Dave has a deep sense of harmony that I think he wants to share with the world,” Tomilson

said.

The tight-knit Long Beach music scene is happy to have back one of the staple musicians of the era. Dustin said the new band is a way for the players to catch up where they had left off. “We had always had so much chemistry writing and developing his ideas for our various projects we’d worked on,” Dustin said. “Thieves and Tyrants” is the fulfillment of all the things we never got to do while he was gone, and everything we learned while we did our own things on opposite sides of the country.”

The strong following that exists for the 90s ska-reggae music out of

Long Beach is evident by the loyal supporters that bands like Sublime retain. Thieves and Tyrants is geared up to help bring that sound back with a fresh new twist.

“This band is bringing back all of those familiar sounds from our old local scene and throwing in some new exciting tunes that Dave and Marcus have composed,” Dustin said. “It’s very exciting getting back to our roots and playing fun music together again.”

With his new project, Thieves and Tyrants, Turcotte is helping to re-strengthen the Long Beach skareggae music scene making that same joy alive in a new era. He is

returning to his roots and following his inspiration to rekindle his musical fire.

Turcotte is a person that lives to inspire, whether through his role as a counselor or musician.

“For me, it’s all about passion, following a calling to do something. It’s validating, overcoming that insecurity. That’s what I’m always reaching out to students to do,” Turcotte said. “You gotta take a risk, in music or anything else, you have to be willing to put yourself out there and try and do your best.”

dnovazski.roundupnews@gmail.com

Traveling through the depths

Student finds adventure in music, theater and travel

With a lust for life and a thirst for adventure, Pierce theater student Nicholas “Nick” Caisse spends his time acting, breakdancing, playing music and scuba diving.

Caisse has devoted most of life to traveling, performing and doing whatever currently captures his interest. Avoiding a consistent schedule, Caisse doesn’t like to plan too far ahead.

“No week is ever the same,” Caisse said. “I improvise a lot.”

Caisse grew up in Eugene, Oregon, where he attended Corridor Elementary school where students were taught how to memorize lines, act, build sets and develop slapstick skills.

“Nerdy as it is, I was on the juggling team as a little kid,” Caisse said.

Caisse took classes at the University of Oregon, traveled to various cities for dance competitions and served four years in the Marine Corps, where he learned how to play guitar.

Caisse moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to pursue a career in dance. The 30-year-old began breakdancing in high school with dance company Dance Northwest. While dancing at the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in Studio City in 2015, Caisse dislocated his knee. This forced him to consider other career paths and led him to Pierce College.

By the end of this semester, Caisse will have received a certificate from the Pierce theater department. He said he hopes to transfer to Cal. State Northridge to finish his bachelor’s degree, and would also like to pursue a master’s degree.

He said he likes the idea of having a career in performing arts because it works with his busy schedule and with his desire to keep his options open.

“You only have to be tied down to something for a temporary amount of time, and then you can move onto something else,” Caisse said. “I go for whatever door opens.”

He enjoys traveling, scuba diving and playing shows with his band Loaded Vision.

“The most planning I’ll do is buying a plane ticket. I pretty much wing the rest of it when I get there,” he said.

Sharai Bravo, one of Caisse’s friends in the theater department, admires him for his adventurous spirit and his commitment to achieving his goals. Bravo said that even though the two only met last semester while working on “Tartuffe”, they have shared many memorable experiences together.

“A lot of us say that we want to do something or travel somewhere, but Nick actually goes out and does it,” Bravo said. “That’s what draws me to him the most, his life experiences. It inspires me to go out and try new things.”

Shaheen Vaaz, a theater professor at Pierce, met Caisse in her History of World Theater class. She saw his potential during an in-class comedic workshop.

“He came in front of the class with a mask, a mustache, a sword and an accent and I was like, ‘You can act! You have to act!’ He had the whole class rolling with laughter,” Vaaz said.

Since then, Caisse has taken more

of Vaaz’s classes. She worked with him on “Tartuffe”, and he is enrolled in her advanced acting class. Vaaz said that Caisse brings a unique energy and focus to the classroom and a flair for comedy.

“That, combined with his positive attitude, is just golden,” Vazz said. “He has so many qualities of what you try to teach your students that good actors should have.”

Bravo said that one of Caisse’s best qualities is his humility.

“He doesn’t do anything to seek attention,” Bravo said. “He genuinely wants to do it for his own enjoyment.”

Whenever Caisse sees something he wants to do, he tries to pick it up quickly. He is a self-proclaimed “adrenaline junkie.”

“I honestly don’t know how I do it,” Vaaz said. “I think when you’re busy, you don’t realize you’re busy.”

With so many life experiences, Caisse has many stories to tell. To him, the story is what makes it all worth it.

Top: David Turcotte

Jose Salazar/ Roundup

Nick Caisse, in a scuba suit at his home in his pool, North Hills, Calif. Feb. 25, 2017

KAYLA BERENSON Reporter @kayla_berenson

Sebastian Cornejo / Roundup

David Turcotte (guitar and vocals) and Marcus Chavez (lead singer) artists of the Band Thieves and Tyrants, rocking out to their original songs at The Prospector in Long Beach, Calif on Feb 21, 2017.

Weekly Calendar

Movies for Mental Health at the Great Hall from 4-6 p.m.

Healthcare job fair in the Great Hall at 9 a.m.

Open narratives open hearts

TAYLOR ARTHUR Reporter @taya_arthur

Students, faculty and community members escaped the rain by pouring into the lecture hall in Art 3300 Feb. 16 for an artist talk and reception of “Open Narratives.”

Painter Ana Medina has her work on display now through March 9 at the Pierce College Art Gallery. Medina’s pieces include contemporary screen prints, oil paintings and installations based on intimate photographic snapshots.

Assistant Professor of Art Justin Dahlberg advocated for Medina’s paintings to be presented in Pierce’s art gallery after discovering her work in an open house showing about two years ago.

“Her marriage of content and form can help students both formally and conceptually,” Dahlberg said.

Academics and centers of learning have had a special place in Medina’s heart. She earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Florida State

University and a master’s degree in fine art from the University of New Mexico.

She is hopeful that she will spread the knowledge she gained from being in creative environments for students.

“Artists should make things that are true to their interests," Medina said. "They need to be honest with themselves. You need to think about the questions you have about life and think about the perspective you alone have. It’s about exposure and different ways of thinking.”

In her talk, Medina discussed the growing pains she experienced as an artist, struggling to find a way to create artwork that would reveal a certain kind of honesty and reality. Eventually, she settled into a style that focused on fleeting moments of life.

“The scenes are ambiguous enough to let the viewer participate in the construction of the depicted event and in the creation of the participating figures’ identities,” Medina said.

Though Medina creates contemporary artwork, she is also influenced by classical artists like Rembrandt and Claude Monet.

“Ana is a very technical painter. If you are going to pursue art in a historical sense, it’s good to see a mastery of a technical craft,” said Morgan Whirledge, Medina’s boyfriend.

The oil painted wooden installations titled “Flashback,” “Low

Angle” and “Parched” stood out to art major Neave Asuro.

“I thought it was a real person,” Asuro said.

Additionally, an oil piece entitled “Shore” was a favorite of math major Mariah Cherry who attended “Open Narratives” because of her Art 105

class.

“I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did,” said Cherry. “I liked how she covers the intimacy of affection and moments.”

Interim Art Gallery Director

Brian Peshek believes Medina’s artwork is something that has a wide

range of reliability.

“I think the exhibition really highlights the content, the nostalgic real-life situations that everyone might have,” Peshek said.

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Jose Herrera/ Roundup Pierce student Isabella Navarro walks around examing artist Ana Medina's pieces that are on display for Open Narratives during the opening reception on Feb. 16, 2017 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. Photo by Jose Herrera

Pierce clubs provide a ‘rush’

Students flocked to the Mall for a meet and greet with members of various clubs during this semesterʼs Club Rush last Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Clubs present at the event typically use this time to inform Pierceʼs student body of other opportunities to engage socially on campus.

The ASO has been hosting the event for more than three years. Students were able to see what else the school had to offer them besides what they could take as curriculum.

Clubs that were present were Boots nʼ Saddles, Chemistry Club, Pre-Veterinary Club, Polo Club, Cheer Club and Dance Club.

The crowd flocked to see the animals provided by the PreVeterinary Club. The club was only present the second day due to a conflict of class schedules. Despite their initial absence, students enjoyed interacting with the goats.

Many students were drawn to the beat of dancers from Pierceʼs Dance Club. They were dancing along with the loud music playing from their booth.

“We like to make people smile,” Khan Nabaie said. “We like to get hyped.”

Club Rush brought a mix of together students with information to the masses of students who could

After a long day,, clubs were able to potentially inspire others to engage in new ways with the community at Pierce.

Photos by Marc Dionne and Samantha Bravo

Copy by Marc Dionne

Top: Manuel Vargas and Cesar Doratt playing with the giant Conect 4 game at club rush.

Middle right: Bryson Wesley, Khan Nabaie and Ean Mccabe are dancing and a part of the dance club at club rush.

Middle left: A chemistry set thart was on the table of the chemistry club during club rush.

Bottom: The crowd of people going through club rush.

Enrollment on the rise

A two percent bump may be attributed to recent changes on campus

KAYLA BERENSON Reporter @@kayla_berenson

Perhaps it’s the new classrooms, more instructors and opportunities available at Pierce. Faculty and staff aren’t sure why, but enrollment has increased by 2 percent this semester.

According to Dean of Academic Affairs Mary Anne Gavarra-Oh, Pierce is at 99 percent enrollment compared to the spring 2016 semester and 96 percent compared to the other colleges in the district. Additionally, the college saw a six percent increase in new students, as well as a four percent increase in students ages 19 and under.

“We’re good at keeping stable right now,” Gavarra-Oh said. “It’s great that the college is recruiting students.”

There are various outreach programs at Pierce that help recruit new students. Some of these outreach efforts include visits to feeder high schools, Discover Pierce (formerly Farm Walk), and extension programs on campus, according to Angela Belden, co-chair of the Enrollment Management Committee.

Belden said that while enrollment increases and decreases frequently, there could be several contributing factors to the increase.

“It could be the number of section offerings, or that more students

WIFI Security

[From WIFI, pg. 3]

“They’re telling us the new WiFi system will up in a few weeks, but they’re also having to do a lot of background stuff to make it work, and that's taking a lot more time than they thought it would,” Gediman said.

Another measure taken to increase security online is backing up data. Bass said that IT has been

are ready to go back to school this semester,” Belden said. “It could also be the new construction and the fact that students have less of a hard time getting from one place to another on campus.”

In addition to the recruitment programs, Pierce also has programs that help students return to the college, complete their education and transfer.

Belden said that the summer bridge program and the orientation programs help students feel ready to start their education at Pierce, and the programs offered by Student Services help students become engaged on campus.

Belden also said that the faculty and staff at Pierce have a significant impact on the retention rate.

“The things that the faculty and staff do are so wonderful,” Belden said. “Many of them started in community college themselves, and then went on to get [multiple doctorates] and came back to teach. I think it inspires students that their professors were once in the exact same position as them.”

Like Belden, Gavarra-Oh said that the staff is a large contributor to keeping students enrolled at Pierce.

“We have hired new instructors and counselors this year,” GavarraOh said. “I think they bring a new life to Pierce and they’re connecting with the students.”

Other retention programs that Gavarra-Oh and Belden spoke of were the learning communities at Pierce, the first-year experience

pushing to backup data for a while, and since the cyber attack, the backups are finally happening.

“They’ve been discussing backups forever, and we’re finally doing it, but that was something that had been brought to the attention of our board, and our board didn’t necessarily see it as being as important as some of our IT people did,” Bass said.

Bass explained that having the data backed up could have prevented the need to comply with hackers.

“If we had backup, we could have

Sudents meet industry professionals in inaugural event

program and the UMOJA program.

Vice President of Student Services Earic Dickson-Peters said that the opportunities that Pierce offers play a large role in connecting students to the campus.

“Because we are a community college, students want certain things from their experience here,” DicksonPeters said.

He also said that Pierce’s Enrollment Management Committee does their best to provide aspects of the college experience that students seek out during their time here, including the new food court and the various events on campus.

Dickson-Peters said he wants to ensure that the right programs are available to students and that the environment at Pierce is optimal for learning and growing.

He also said he hopes to help increase the number of student employment opportunities on campus so students don’t have to worry about planning their classes around their work schedule.

“If we reduce the travel time between classes and work, more students will probably be on campus,” Dickson-Peters said.

Dickson-Peters said that though Pierce has already done great things for its students, there is still more to be done.

“Now is the time to start the conversation about the college experience,” Dickson-Peters said.

kberenson.roundupnews@gmail.com

not had to pay the ransom, and just pulled from our backup,” Bass said.

Jill Binsley, member of Pierce’s IT Committee, feels secure that the Los Angeles Community College District is taking the proper precautions to ensure cyber security.

“I am confident that cybersecurity is a top priority at Pierce and at the district level. I know they are doing everything possible to prevent another attack,” Binsley said.

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Molecular demonstrations, infographic posters and slideshow presentations packed the Great Hall as guest speakers engaged with students during Pierce’s first STEM week.

STEM week gave students an opportunity to ask questions and connect with professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics from Feb. 22 to 23.

Counselor Lily Duong said she began working in October to bring the panel together for the opportunity to give students insight into the “real world of the STEM industries.”

One of the guests at the event was Officer Jinha Kim of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). She said LAPD is actively looking to recruit new members.

According to Kim, LAPD begins an academy course every four weeks. With many officers retiring soon,

Kim said the LAPD wants to keep their numbers full.

"We are definitely looking for more female officers, officers in the African American community and Asian Pacific Islanders. Those are the areas we are underrepresented within the department," Kim said.

Professor Nazaret Dermendjian, department chair of Civil Engineering and Construction Management at Cal. State Northridge, emphasized the idea that the world is so virtually connected that many believe there is no need for physical communication skills.

“Put the damn phones down and talk to each other, for goodness sake,” Dermendjian said.

According to Tracie Ponder, the founder and executive director of B-STEM, people still need to engage in the real world despite an increase in virtual communication. She also spoke about the importance of creating links with people who share the same interests.

Neftali Aguilera, the president of

the Society for Professional Hispanic Engineers, encouraged students to push past failure, just as he had done.

“You just need to look and understand that failure is nothing to be ashamed of,” Aguilera said. “No matter if you aren’t proficient in a certain STEM field, there is always something out there.”

Jean-Carlo Palacios works through the Center for Community College Partnerships at the University of California, Los Angeles, and said that there should be a demand from students entering STEM, regardless of its complexity. “I want to be able to have students be more enthused about getting into a field that is difficult because of the challenges that it provides and obviously, the academic rewards that it can give you,” Palacios said. Palacios said he hopes to inspire students considering a career in STEM.

wpesantes.roundupnews@gmail.com

Randi Love/ Roundup

Mark Helmlinger, a member of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, showing Sahba Bostan upclose how three colors create the entire spectrrum of light during on Feb. 22 in the Great Hall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

WILLIAM PESANTES Reporter @cubano1107

Volley Baseball Softball Tennis S & D Brahmas Scoreboard

Brahmas lose in five to LBCC

Men’s volleyball lacking consistency in ve-set loss to Vikings

TAYLOR ARTHUR Reporter @taya_arthur

In an anticipated rivalry game against the Long Beach City College Vikings, the Brahmas men’s volleyball team lost the match 15-9 in the fifth set Friday evening at Ken Stanley Court.

The first set was a swift win for the team, as they scored consistently over Long Beach. Energy was high for the Brahmas moving forward.

However, the Brahmas began to lose traction as Long Beach dominated the first half of the second match. Pierce crept back up in a point-to-point game, tying against Long Beach four times before the Brahmas eventually won over the Vikings 25-22.

For the rest of the game, Long Beach took control of the court and left the team struggling to keep up with a 10-point deficit in the middle of the third set. The Vikings won 25-16.

The team had trouble clearing the net in the last three set matches. In addition, serves were

Season Review:

often short, causing Long Beach to rack up points. This often resulted in more than a five-point lead over the Brahmas.

the number one team right now,” middle blocker Amir Hajhi said. “I think we came out really strong, but in those little moments Long Beach had the upper hand on us.”

Though Pierce entered the game with high energy, they were able to recognize some things they need to improve on for future games.

“We need to work on consistency and understand that when we have a grind, we have to push through,” head coach Lance Walker said.

“We hit a couple of sore spots in the first couple of sets that we were able to rebound from, but it wore us out,” assistant coach Bronson Oliveria said. “I think toward the end we just showed that we were getting tired and weren’t able to keep up with them.”

Despite the setbacks in the game, competing against Long Beach has repeatedly been a welcome challenge to the Brahmas.

“It was really great to play

The Brahmas arrived on the court anticipating that it might be a close game and they hoped the team was prepared enough. According to Oliveria, Pierce had several opportunities throughout the sets but they did not take advantage of them.

Oliveria said the team just needs to work on specific elements they now know caused issues in Friday’s game.

“It’s about cleaning up some blocking, some hitting, just finetuning some more things,” Oliveria said. “We are right there competing with the best of them, so we just got to keep working hard.”

Menʼs basketball

Youth and inconsistency hold back talented Brahmas squad

that Wednesday, then Santa Monica, we take their spot in the playoffs. We would have played Antelope Valley, who we played well earlier.”

The 2016-17 Brahmas men’s basketball season was an uponand-down ride like a mechanical bull.

There seemed to be a revolving door in the starting five. Head coach Charles White estimates he used at least 18 different starting lineups.

“I was trying to find the combination,” Charles White said. “Find the guys that would play defense for us. That didn’t work out too well. But still, I think I got some things out of guys toward the later part of the year. It was tough trying to find that combination with all new kids, one returner.”

With only one returning player from last season, the youth and inexperience playing together showed on the court.

“As a coach, I’ve got to find that consistency in these guys,” Charles White said. “We need to be more consistent on the defensive end. We need to be able to come out and compete. We competed all year, don’t get me wrong, but we just need to get those stops defensively.”

The Brahmas did compete all year, and had plenty of bright spots despite their 11-17 record. In fact, the team just narrowly missed the playoffs.

“We were one game away from really being considered for the playoffs, two games away from being in the playoffs,” Charles White said. “We beat West LA

The biggest victory of the season came in the second round of the West LA tournament when the Brahmas upset El Camino College Compton Center, who finished the season ranked fifth in the state and second in Southern California.

Unfortunately, the early upset didn’t translate to success for the rest of the season. Sophomore guard Kelton Conway believes the victory should have shown them their abilities against other teams.

Freshman guard Jordan Newt was named to the all-tournament team at West LA.

Newt began the season coming off the bench, but started in the tournament and played his way into staying in the starting lineup.

“Every day I just come to do my best,” Newt said. “I can’t control the lineup. I just come to be my best and hope it works out.”

Newt’s best was enough in the eyes of coaches throughout the conference. Newt was named AllConference along with sophomore forward Brandon White. Newt said he was humbled by the honor and appreciative of the coaches that voted for him.

Joining Newt and Brandon White on the All-Conference team as an honorable mention is Conway.

Conway knows exactly what he’s taking away from this season. “You need a team to win

games,” Conway said. “You can’t have the one-on-ones. Can’t have one guy out there trying to be the hero. We had games like that, but

toward the end everybody realized it takes a team.”

Conway is also set to head up to the Sophomore Showcase March 10 at Chabot College along with Brandon White and forward Anthony Suber.

“I’m excited. It’s something I never thought I was going to do,” Conway said. “But now that I’m thinking about it, I’m actually looking forward to it. I’m just going to go out there and have a good time.”

“ We were one game away from really being considered for the playoffs, two games away from being in the playoffs. ”

- Charles White Head Coach

Nastaran Ellahi / Roundup

Jadrien Wiser spikes the ball against Long Beach City College on Friday, Feb. 24 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

JOSHUA MANES

Sports Editor @tweeporting

“We need to work on consistency and understand that when we have a grind, we have to push through.”

-Lance Walker Head Coach

These vans were made for driving

Two recently purchased 15-passenger vans sit idle while school decides next step

JOSHUA MANES Sports Editor @tweeporting

In Plant Facilities two new 15-passenger vans purchased two months ago, sit unused.

The vans were purchased by Student Services for use by athletics and the other departments that fall under the Student Services umbrella, according to Earic Dixon-Peters, VP of Student Services.

The dilemma faced is the California vehicle code requiring a class-B license for operating vehicles that hold more than nine passengers.

“We’re going back and forth in terms of what does that mean, what does that look like, what do other schools do?” Dixon-Peters said. “You need a class-B license. What does that mean for us? Do we hire someone? These are strategic priorities.”

Pierce currently rents vans when needed for road games and field trips.

“We used to drive the 12-seat vans, that was normal,” Athletic Director Bob Lofrano said. “We were told and we adhered to it, so therefore rather than 2 12-seat vans baseball takes 3 8s.”

Lofrano estimates the cost of the van rental to be about $130 each. With the baseball team playing 23 away games this

season, travel costs are nearly $9,000 before gas.

“The idea of getting 15-seat vans is good,” Lofrano said. “The school has already paid for them, but who’s driving them?”

Nabil Mardini, head coach for women’s volleyball, is the one coach on staff that holds a class-B license.

“We were told to do it,” Mardini said. “Back in 2007 or 2008 we were told we had to get the B license in order to drive the van.”

While Mardini is not a fan of driving the 15-passenger vans, he’ll continue to do so if told to. With a class-B license comes stricter traffic laws. Traffic school is no longer an option for license holders, even if the ticket is received while operating a smaller vehicle, as well as other restrictions.

It’s these factors that cause head Brahmas baseball coach Bill Picketts to be hesitant to get the license.

“I don’t think any of us coaches being part time should have to do it,” Picketts said. “Believe me, it would make my life easier if me and a couple of my coaches had the commercial license.”

Lofrano agrees with Picketts when it comes to requiring the coaches to get the license.

“There are negatives, and that’s why people don’t get it unless they have to for their job,” Lofrano said. “And as a coach it’s not in

the job description.” According to Lofrano, assistant coaches aren’t around long enough to count on them to drive season after season.

“Assistant coaches come and

go real quickly,” Lofrano said. “The head coach will probably stick around a few years. Assistant coaches at this level are real tough to keep.”

It’s unclear when the vans will

begin to be used, or who will drive them. However, according to Dixon-Peters, Student Service is considering purchasing more vans.

“I think the only way you can

use them now is the school hire a driver,” Lofrano said.

For live updates follow us on Twitter @RoundupSports

One of the vans sitting at plant facilities unused on Monday, Feb. 27 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.