Volume 126 Spring 2017 Roundup Issue 5

www.theroundupnews.com

Pro/Con declaring a major pg. 2 English Scholarship pg. 3

Discover Pierce pg. 3 Media arts goes to JACC pg.7

Nobody puts free speech in a corner

.003 percent of a 426-acre campus.

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

Graduation petitions

Pierce student Kevin Shaw filed a lawsuit on March 28 against the college, stating that not only is the Free Speech Zone too small, but the policies enforced are “arbitrary.”

Shaw is being represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) as the first lawsuit in its Million Voices Campaign. Its goal is to “free the voices of 1 million students by striking down unconstitutional speech codes across the country.”

Pierce College President Kathleen Burke and other Pierce College administrators being sued had no comment and redirected all inquiries to Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) officials.

Vice Chancellor of the Finance and Resource Development Robert B. Miller said in an email that because the investigation is ongoing and litigation is still pending, he could only repeat what LACCD has been providing media inquiries.

“The Los Angeles Community College District firmly stands behind every student's right to free expression. We have no further comment on the lawsuit at this time,” Vice Chancellor of the Finance and Resource Development Robert B. Miller said in the email. Shaw was confronted by administration last fall as he handed out Spanish-language copies of the

Budget decrease

$65 million

The college’s budget has dropped from $8 million to $1 million causing administration to analyze prior money spending decisions.

According to Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher, the last few years there has been so much stimuli in the economy, and it’s been relatively good, but it’s getting more negative again.

“Our costs are going up, but enrollment, which is our revenue generation, isn’t changing much,” Schleicher said.

Student body growth is necessary to obtain new revenue. If the number of students enrolling at Pierce is not rising, neither is the capital, according to Schleicher.

“We do get paid additional money for growth, but when we can’t grow, it means that everything is static

US Constitution on the Pierce Mall, seeking to recruit students for Young Americans for Liberty, a political organization with chapters on college campuses across the US.

“It was during the election that we had Republicans and Democrats saying nasty things to each other, fighting and being disrespectful,” Shaw said.

in terms of new revenue. However, our costs continue to go up because people get raises, our utility bills go up and services go up,” Schleicher said.

According to Schleicher, contributing factors for why the $8 million reserve dwindled down to $1 million could be that some of the school’s equipment had to be replaced and staff needs to get paid.

“All the electric cars that run around the school were getting old and really decrepit, so they went through and replaced a lot of them. We are talking about a lot of money,” District Academic Senate Representative Joe Perret said. “With things like that, it began to eat up the budget.”

-Rolf

He also said that the budget is impacted by the amount of new hired staff.

“The main thing that, in my opinion, we haven’t paid close enough attention to is the recurring expenses.

“My main intention with starting the club was to show there was a middle ground.” Shaw was told that he could not distribute literature outside of the Free Speech Area, and to distribute within the area, he would have to fill out a permit.

“We are paying for access to the

You can buy many cars for one year, and that is your budget for that year, but when you hire people, you now have them forever because we are mostly a labor organization,” Perret said. “That will impact the budget for this year and the next and so on.”

According to the Pierce College Historical Perspective Chart, during the 2015-2016 school year, there was about $65 million spent just on staff and about $9 million on equipment, supplies and electricity.

“Of the amount of money that we pay, most of it is for teachers and people who process admissions and financial aid and all those things,” Associate Vice President Bruce Rosky said.

The new budget doesn’t go into effect until July 2017, but there are already plans being made to stay above that required 5 percent.

“We are trying to market better. We are trying to make the classes more relevant to draw more students in, and on the expense side, we are looking at what areas we can save money on,” Schleicher said.

Although this is a concern, it was clarified by Perret that the future of Peirce is not at risk.

“The future is not at risk at all,” Perret said. “It’s just a bump along the road. We’ll get through it.”

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school. I thought the free speech zone was for outside people, non-students,” Shaw said. “You see people there with bibles, people handing out movie tickets. I didn't think students were also required to apply for a permit.”

The Free Speech Area is a 616 square foot area located on the Mall. According to FIRE, the area makes up

“If Pierce College were the size of a tennis court, the area where students are allowed to exercise their constitutional rights would be smaller than a standard iPhone,” FIRE stated in a press release.

Arthur I. Willner, of Leader & Berkon, LLP, is part of a network of outside attorneys in the US who work with FIRE for cases in Southern California. He has worked with FIRE for the last ten years.

“Once they described what the issues were in the case, I was in disbelief that the same issue is coming up yet again,” Willner said. “You would think at this point schools would understand that these rules are unconstitutional, and they need to change them.”

According to Willner, as a public institution, Pierce College is legally obligated to uphold the First Amendment rights of its students, and it is not.

Brynne Madway is an associate attorney for FIRE and began working on freedom of speech cases with the Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project.

“The Supreme Court has made it very clear that the First Amendment applies on college campuses,” Madway said.

“By restricting students to these really tiny spots on campus, students aren’t able to really speak with their peers. All of the outside areas should be open to free speech just like a public park.”

Students wanting to graduate and walk across the stage in June will need to submit petitions on or before Friday, April 14, to the Graduation Office.

Tech talks

Professionals from Google, JPL, and the Aerospace Corporation will be here on Thursday April 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Great Hall. Students interested engineering, technology, or computer science are encouraged to attend.

English Scholarship deadline

Applicants for the English scholarship must submit their work to Professor M. Kraemer’s faculty mailbox (#630) by Friday, May 26, 2017. Students interested in applying must follow these requirements to be considered. Students should include a cover page with your name, identification number and email address along with an English essay from a class within the past academic year.

Free LA HI-TECH workshop

No alcohol on campus.

However, faculty will be able to enjoy beer and wine at this year’s awards dinner on May 12.

“The faculty awards dinner has been awarded a permit that will allow beer and wine to be served,” said Angela Belden treasurer for the Academic Senate.

Director of the Student Health Center Beth Benne said there was agreement among the committee that serving alcohol would commemorate the culmination of another term.

“Some people on the committee thought it would be a nice way to celebrate the end of the semester,” Benne said.

To receive an alcohol permit by the Board of Trustees from LACCD, the Faculty Senate Association had to adhere to specific guidelines, according to Events and Recognitions Committee Chair Jennifer Moses.

She specified that this was not a college or district-sponsored event.

“This event is of the Faculty Senate Association, which is a separate entity,

with its own charter and bylaws,” Moses said. “Additionally, the event is not open or advertised to the public.”

She compared this event to those run by the Art and Architecture Department which serve alcohol. Those events are sponsored by an outside entity.

Moses said the committee received written approval from the chancellor to serve beer and wine.

No district employees are permitted to be involved in the sale, transfer or dispensing of alcoholic beverages.

“Two non-Pierce employee volunteers will be purchasing, transporting and serving the beer and wine,” Moses said.

In addition, the Faculty Senate Association was required to purchase $5 million worth of insurance for the event.

Benne said that there was some apprehension about having alcohol at such an occasion.

“We had some mixed feelings in the meeting,” Benne said. “There was uneasiness that people might overimbibe, and we didn’t know how to approach that.”

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Students interested in careers in arts and entertainment, media arts, graphic design and multimedia can learn how to market and gain skills and also develop an online portfolio. The workshop starts on Wednesday, April 12, from 3 to 6 p.m. through May 17.

Discover Pierce

On Friday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the campus will be open to the community and high schools in the area to explore Pierce. Events and food will be provided while prospective students learn about the Los Angeles College Promise.

Taxes

The last day to file the 2016 taxes is on Thursday, April 14.

VANESSA ARREDONDO News Editor @V_anana

“[...] our costs continue to go up because people get raises, our utility bills go up because people get raises ”

Schleicher

Vice Preident of Administrative Services

About

was spent on sta during the 2015-16 school year

Illustration by Victor Rodriguez

Without looking, what's your LACCD student email address?

Hint: It's written in all caps, has a random portion of your last name followed by your first initial, and has a seemingly random string of numbers attached.

In 2013, LACCD decided to revamp the student email communication service. Every student within the district is assigned an email through Microsoft Outlook, the purpose being to provide a secure and singular network in which sensitive information such as financial aid, counseling and campus news could be easily shared.

But most students don't know their LACCD email. And why should they? Canvas, and moodle before it, have almost completely replaced the need for email communication between instructors and students.

Instead of forcing it as an outdated system of correspondence, teachers should inform students of the other benefits that this email domain provides.

The black market for .edu emails is significant. According to Gizmodo, Harvard student emails can fetch up to $400 on Taobao, China’s largest online marketplace.

Sure, your LACCD student email address won't fetch such a pretty penny, but there are a variety benefits that can be acquired by signing up with a .edu email address. By using the district-provided .edu email address, discounts, freebies and perks become available from certain businesses. An email that would otherwise remain unused, or used begrudgingly, would suddenly have value.

Furthermore, students have

-Corrections-

Volume 126, Issue 4:

Page 1: Andrew Fromer and Jeanette Deutsch’s names were misspelled. The next Fake News vs. Real News workshop is on May 3, not March 3.

Page 3: Karissa Preciado’s Twitter handle is @karissapreciado.

Page 5: "Bad Jews" was at the Performing Arts Mainstage at 2:00 p.m. on March 26, not LAPC Theatre at 8:00 p.m.

Page 6: Additional reporting on the Photo Essay was gathered by Taylor Arthur.

their personal email and their spam-designated email that they created and have been using for years. Spaceboi93@fakenews. com will probably be easier to remember than an LACCD email, because a personal email address was possibly created with sentimental value.

Remembering the LACCD email address isn't necessary because students can access their email by clicking a link in the Student Information System or by logging in to Microsoft Office 365 using their student ID. And who even checks their LACCD student email?

At the beginning of every semester instructors will ask, “Who received my email?” And a handful of overachieving students with the class textbook already on their desks will raise their hands, the few, the proud. The instructor will then stand on their soapbox and instruct the class to forward their student email to their personal email. (“It only takes five minutes!”)

And though most won’t, they probably should.

Perhaps the most useful perk is the discounted Amazon Prime services. By subscribing and verifying the account with a .edu email, a student will get the first six months free and will pay half the subscription price ($55/ year) thereafter through Amazon Student. Students have access to free two-day shipping and access to Amazon’s music and TV and movie streaming service as well as the cloud storage.

Spotify and Apple Music are $10 for a premium monthly subscription, but with an LACCD email address, the fee goes down to about $5 a month. Additionally, Apple offers a student discount on their hardware.

Students with an .edu email address can also download

DANIELA TORRES Opinions Editor @DT_1129

Students who start college off with an undecided major can explore a variety of opportunities without the pressure of making an informed decision.

Your first year of college should be used to build a strong GPA by getting all of your general education courses out of the way. During this first year of college, students can learn about multiple majors and research several career options.

Starting off with a strong curriculum of core classes allows students to explore a lot of academic areas, and they may eventually choose a major from their required general education courses. It is best to wait and give yourself time before jumping into things. Even if you are certain about what you want to major in, you should still wait because you will more than likely change your mind. In college, you are exposed to an endless amount of courses and you will want to look into them.

Also, it is not required to declare a major at the start of college. So, why rush? A lot of advisors suggest you wait until your sophomore year in college to decide on a specific subject.

The amount of options and offerings are overwhelming. There is no need to pressure yourself into choosing a concentration from the get go.

Students who hold off on

“Lastspringbreak,Iwenttoahigh schoolparty,andlongstoryshort, Iwokeupontopoftheroofand didnʼt even know until after that therewasapoliceraid.”

-JuanGordillo,19,Sociology

‘Microsoft Office 360 for Student’ for free and have access to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Adobe offers a 60 percent discount to students for their ‘all apps’ plan or their photography

plan if a student verifies their subscription with an .edu email. With the ubiquity of instant messaging, email is nearly becoming obsolete. However, an LACCD email has some other

“Mymomissuperstrictandone year,myfriendswantedtogoto SanFranciscoforspringbreak. She,ofcourse,wouldn'tletmego butItoldherthatIwassleeping over at a friendʼs house and went toSanFranforafewdays.”

slightly less known benefits. We are slightly less broke, broke college students with a .edu email.

newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

Con: Decide don't hide

declaring a major might eventually become inspired by their professors and other faculty members, and they may guide them into the right path. Faculty can provide an abundance of ideas and become mentors for their students.

College is supposed to encourage you to explore and look into what is offered. That is what the college environment is all about - to find yourself within all the resources provided. You shouldn’t have to rush through college. It should be an experience and a chance to have fun and discover your options. Take your time, this is not a competition.

A lot of times, students who start off with a decided major end up changing it or disliking it. Don’t choose a career path because you heard it “pays well,” choose something because it falls along your interests.

I started off as an undecided major. I was taking all the basic classes (math, english and science) and during that time, I also took a journalism class to fulfill a requirement. I ended up really enjoying it, and decided to concentrate in that area.

Keeping an open mind comes a long way. There are hundreds of areas and subjects to choose from, and you will find your calling when the time is right.

Throughout your time in college, you will come to know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and you will learn what is suitable for you and what isn’t.

dtorres.roundupnews@gmail.com

KAYLA BERENSON Reporter @kayla_berenson

Although college is a perfect time for students to explore their interests by taking various general education classes, going into college with an undeclared major can hold students back.

When students start college, they should have a vague idea of what career they want to pursue or an idea of what interests them. The great thing about the first few years of college is that students are not bound to their major, and they can change it upon developing new interests.

Coming into college with a declared major can help students realize what their strengths and weaknesses are and guide them to other classes that will help them discover their passions. If students enter undeclared, they may mindlessly take tons of classes before truly realizing what they are interested in, which would not be helpful.

For example, a student who enters college as a psychology major may realize that he or she does not want to pursue psychology, but that class can still help them in the future and would count toward elective or general education credits.

Additionally, there are plenty of resources for students to take advantage of before starting college to get an idea of what they might be good at. Career

Cartoonist:

counselors and websites can provide insight to students so they don’t feel completely unprepared when they enter college, and therefore can declare a major as soon as possible.

If students enter college with a declared major, they can also begin to network and make connections in advance with professors in their field. They can build their resumes sooner, because they will have the necessary classes to prepare them for jobs and internships for their career. Even if they choose to change it, they can have key skills under their belts that can help in other jobs or internships.

When I started college, I was certain that I wanted to major in nutrition. After realizing that it wasn’t what I had expected it to be, I had enough time to change it so that I wasn’t wasting my time. If a student starts college with an undeclared major, they may declare a major too late and realize that it isn’t what they actually want to pursue.

Each student learns at his or her pace, but most want to get out of college as soon as possible so that they can be finished with school and enter the workforce.

Declaring a major upon starting college will speed up the process and have them graduating as soon as possible.

Students will get the most out of their college experience if they enter college with a major already in mind. They won’t waste their time or their money.

kberenson.roundupnews@gmail.com

-MaddieMagno,19,Biomedical Engineering

“IwasonmyfirstcruiseinCabo andwasdancingwhenIgot seasickandthrewupoverboard. Besidesthat,itwasagreattrip.”

-TeresaRodriguez,18,Nursing

Bass

Ahmed Siembaby

Vilma Figueroa

Debbie Donovan

Reza Razi

Luis Cooke

Sebastion Cornejo

Advisers:

Jill Connelly

Jeff Favre Tracie Savage

Advertising Manager:

“Lastspringbreak,Iwentoff-roading inBajaandcampedoutinthemiddle ofthedesert.Therewasmusicand actually,theengineofmyuncleʼs truckexploded.Itwasprettygnarly butluckilyhewasnʼthurt.”

-FernandoFelix,24,Business

“Twowords:Vegasandbooze.”

-FarnamBehdad,24,Biology

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.

Illustration by Beck Shields / Roundup

Pro: Undeclared yet prepared

In November last year, Pierce students and faculty staged a rally on the Mall around the Bull statue to show opposition to the ideas and statements made by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Sheriff’s deputies and Pierce administration, including Burke, were on standby at the Mall. Shaw said that the Trump rally, which was outside the Free Speech Area, was in violation of BOT rules, yet it was not stopped.

“I don't think it's fair to have our political views confined to a small area,” Shaw said.

According to Shaw, the free speech policies are arbitrarily enforced by administration.

Shaw was put in touch with FIRE through Young Americans for Liberty. Shaw said that he hadn't intended to pursue legal action until much later.

“I had no idea what to do. I just knew that I wanted to make a change,” Shaw said.

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Money in exchange for words

Three scholarships are available to students through the English Department

KARISSA PRECIADO Reporter @karissapreciado

The English Department is accepting student applications for $350 worth of scholarships. Students applying for these scholarships must be a declared English major and provide proof of graduating or transferring in spring 2017. Three winners will be announced and first place will win $200, second place $100 and third $50.

English Professor Marra Kraemer said that what they look for in an award-winning paper is a solid academic essay that has an original and unique voice.

“What we are looking for is originality, content, structure and format—we are only looking at the essay and at what they can do on paper,” Kraemer said. “Last year’s submissions were really good. They displayed really solid academic essay structure, but still had an original unique voice, and that is what we are looking for.”

According to the 2017 English Department Scholarship, applicants must also submit a paper in MLA format, of any length, from an English class at

Pierce College during the past academic year.

They must also include a cover page with their name, identification number and email address.

Applicants must submit their work to Kraemer’s faculty mailbox (#630) by Friday, May 26, 2017. Those interested in applying must follow these requirements to be considered.

Kraemer said they hope to reward this scholarship to a student who is a continuing English major.

“We are looking to reward students who are passionate about English and who work hard,” Kraemer said. “We want to encourage English majors, because they are so few now and it is such a labor of love. People go into the English major because they love literature, love writing, and we really want to encourage them. That is what brought us joy in our careers and we want to encourage that in others.”

English Department Chair Donna Accardo said that the reason why many students do not know about this scholarship is because professors used to personally recommend outstanding students for this scholarship opportunity.

“We used to ask professors to let us know about outstanding students in their classrooms that would possibly be interested in applying for this scholarship,” Accardo said. “However, we then decided to change that and open it up for more students in hopes to get this scholarship more known.”

According to Kraemer, this scholarship has been available for a long time and is funded by the English professors at Pierce College.

“Our English department has been doing this scholarship since

1988, and the English professors themselves are the ones who all donate $20,” Kraemer said.

Accardo thinks that by each professor donating $20 out of their account, they are not only opening a door of opportunities for them, but also investing in the future of these English majors.

“It is a great way for English majors to recognize and confirm their abilities and keep on encouraging them in their career,” Accardo said.

Film major Nicholas Sani said this scholarship is a great opportunity for graduating and transferring English majors.

“I think this scholarship is a great opportunity for English majors, because it is almost as if it were a test to show how skilled of an English major they are,” Sani said. “I also really like how there are three winners, so if they do not win first place, they still have a chance to win something.”

According to Kraemer, the winner will be notified the week following the deadline, and they will receive their award during the graduation breakfast.

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Preview: 'Discover Pierce' an engaging student experience

ROCIO ARENAS Reporter

@rarenas_roundup

Pierce’s motto ‘Soak It All In’ comes to life at Discover Pierce, giving students a glimpse of what it’s like to be a Pierce College student.

The college administration is hosting Discover Pierce, an interactive and immersive experience where students learn about the college and what there is to offer, on April 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The outdoor event includes tours for groups of students, allowing

hands-on experience in different programs like equine studies, counseling, veterinary technology and horticulture.

Dean of Academic Affairs DonnaMae Villanueva said that Discover Pierce is about interaction and information.

“We got all the academic departments participating, and we’re going to have tours throughout the entire day. One tour, for example, will have students going through the science building,” Villanueva said. This event’s walking tours will have tornado simulations conducted

by the Geography and Meteorology Program, and social experiment activities conducted by the History, Philosophy and Sociology Department.

Discover Pierce is for high school students in the surrounding communities and is also open to the general public.

Villanueva said the concept of the hands-on demonstration tour is “to get the students to see if Pierce is a choice for you—discover the programs that Pierce has.”

Public Relations Manager Doreen Clay said Discover Pierce is also an

opportunity for students to engage and get detailed information about the campus.

“In our Great Hall, we’ll have an open Student Services fair where students can meet with administrators, counselors, and faculty to learn more about financial aid, transfer information and picking a major,” Clay said.

Discover Pierce aims to help future Pierce College students make a smooth transition from high school.

Clay said students will learn about “The Promise” to give recently graduated, full-time high

Rundown Brahma Blotter

These incidents were reported between March 19 - March 25

03/29

• Petty Theft Student and an employee had a disagreement in the Center for Sciences, room 92028.

03/29

• Misc. Incident

A woman caused a disturbance in the Brahma was escorted off campus.

03/31

• Traffic Report

school students one full year of free enrollment.

Clay said there will be fun activities at the event, exclusively for students attending. She said there will be a photo booth, carnival games, and the radio station 102.7 KIIS FM will be playing music throughout the day.

Clay said that funding for Discover Pierce was provided by the college’s Budget Committee, who is also providing the 600 students in attendance bus transportation from surrounding high schools.

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Driver lost control in Parking Lot 7 and hit a pole at 7:36 p.m.

Pierce College Sheriff’s Station

General Information:

Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311

Illustration by Victor Rodriguez

Reported by: Vanessa Arredondo Randi Love, Jose Herera

Looking through a rose colored lens

Pierce Alumni opens own studio

Dressed down in a pair of jersey shorts and a basic black t-shirt, Rick Rose, 25, relaxes into the plush leather couch situated in the lounge of his photography studio. The break is a welcomed recess from the chaos his hundred-hour work week normally produces.

Pierce college was not Rose’s first choice. He had planned to pursue an engineering degree in San Diego. However, after his mother became ill, his path changed.

“I was like, ‘Ah fuck, I’m not going.’ So, I went to Pierce,” Rose said.

Rose began taking general art classes because they were the only ones he could add so late into the semester.

It was in his commercial lighting class with Sean McDonald, the instructional assistant of media arts, that Rose began to build a working knowledge of the studio.

“I haven’t seen a student that driven in quite a few years,” McDonald said. “Even though we were teaching photojournalism classes, he wanted to do something totally different. He wanted to buy a studio, run the studio, shoot in the studio and rent it out.”

Despite his passion, Rose struggled with the reality of making photography a career path.

“Everyone tries to discourage you because it’s like, ‘You’re not going to ever make it. Nobody does that.’”

Rose said.

It was Rose’s mother that helped keep his dream alive.

While working as a manager for Neiman Marcus, she asked if a photographer had been hired to cover the store’s grand opening. When his mother heard no one had taken the

job, she suggested her son for the position.

“They [the managers] ended up liking it so much that they had me come back for more of the events that the store was doing,” Rose said.

Soon after, companies such as Estée Lauder, Bloomingdale’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue began contracting Rose as their event, beauty and fashion photographer.

At age 19, Rose bought a studio he found via Craigslist with four other photographers in Los Angeles. Armed with a basic lighting kit, the freedom of the studio space allowed for handson learning.

“I just played and rolled the lights around on rolling stands and tried everything until I understood what everything did,” Rose said. “The whole intention was to use the space that I got, use the equipment and keep getting better at making images.”

The ultimate goal was to be good enough so that clients would pay for the product of photography and sustain a career.

“By my 20th birthday, I had saved up and bought my first hasselblad. I had $5 left in my bank account,” Rose said. “I feel like once you’re using certain tools that professionals are using, you’re able to create what a professional is doing.”

As time passed, the original owner of the studio was preparing to retire and Rose was the most senior partner. Despite his youth, Rose accepted the new position as owner. He was 22 years old at the time.

“I was ballsy and decided to take on a commercial lease,” Rose said. “I cut out the other people at some point and made it my studio,” Rose said.

The fast pace and pressure of running a studio with big-name commercial clients can cause a fair amount of stress, according to Rose. Yet, the obstacles he encounters is worth the outcome.

“If you’re willing to put in the

work and you’re motivated and passionate about it, it doesn’t even feel like work. That happens more often than not,” Rose said.

Gil Riego Jr. met Rose in the later years of his education at Pierce. As they both entered the professional world of photography, they became good friends and colleagues.

Rose’s drive to reach his goals is something that sets him apart as a person and a photographer, according to Riego.

“I think he got a lot of his work ethic from his mother. She got what she wanted in life, and I think that rubbed off on him,” Riego said in a phone interview. “He could have been given all these things but he wasn’t. It made him understand what he has is worth something.”

As the photography industry continues to evolve, professionals within the field have to adapt to the ever-changing environment to make themselves viable.

From shooting for a major campaign and renting out his studio to taking glamour shots for fashion magazines, Rose has made a place for himself in a profession that always seems to be in a state of flux.

“I think the key to being able to succeed and survive in this industry, to quit that 9-to-5 job, is to be a Swiss army knife and not only want to do one thing,” Rose said.

Rose affirms that if someone can find a way to take what they are passionate about and turn it into a profitable career, it is worth the hardships experienced along the way. For him, it’s all about the journey and being bold enough to pursue the goals he sets for himself.

“You only have one shot at all of this and you might as well be doing what you love to be doing, as soon as you possibly can be,” Rose said.

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Pierce students AMP up the sound

Music majors strive for success with private lessons

MONICA VIGIL

Campus Lifestyle Editor

@monica_a_vigil

MARIA TRINIDAD

Campus Lifestyle Editor

@mariat_roundup

The Applied Music Program (AMP) provides students with private lessons on an instrument of their choice, granted they pass the audition process.

Students in the program have a designated instructor, who they meet once a week for private lessons.

The program will accommodate any instrument, as long as it falls into a structure of voice, piano, band or orchestra.

Once a student is admitted into the program, the Performing Arts Department will hire an instructor who is able to train in that specific instrument.

Auditions will be held at the beginning of each regular semester.

To be eligible to audition, a student must be a music major, maintain a 3.2 GPA and may have to concurrently enroll in specific music classes.

According to Performing Arts

Chair Michael Gend, Applied Music

has been a class listed in the schedule for several years, but until the start of the program this semester, there was never a “campus mechanism for funding individual instructors to teach the students.”

This semester, 11 students were accepted into the program. There is no maximum number of students that can be accepted.

According to Gend, if the program exceeds its funding, he will ask for a budget augmentation from the school.

“We don’t want to limit enrollment and make it some kind of exclusive club,” Gend said.

“Normally, these kinds of individual lessons would cost hundreds of dollars for an hour lesson each week, whereas here, they just pay half a unit. So that would be the world’s cheapest lesson and that’s for the whole semester.”

Russell Mannino is an AMP student. He has been playing the flute for 11 years. Mannino first got involved in music when he was in middle school. He continued in high school, where he joined the marching band.

According to Mannino, AMP has helped him improve his skills.

“We’ve needed this for so long. I have a lot more structured practice now,” Mannino said. “It's a little more pressure than other private

lessons since you’re getting graded. The extra pressure is good.”

According to Gend, the students perform at the end of the semester in front of the entire music faculty, who score each student on how well they did.

If a student receives a satisfactory score, they can continue in the program and proceed to the next level of the classes; there are four levels.

Gend said because the program is so new, he is taking criticism from students about what they think is or is not working about the way the department has approached the program.

“We’re revisiting the rules this week and taking the students' feedback into account as well,” Gend said. “The program will have slightly different rules next year and make it more inclusive is what I hope.”

Allegra Edelnant was accepted into the program as a vocalist. She thinks AMP is a good opportunity for music students who wish to practice their skills.

“I have improved since joining a lot,” Edelnant said. “I’ve noticed my voice get a lot stronger and my range expand.”

She also said there is a healthy pressure that comes with the high expectations that the program has

for its students.

“This pressure replicates the pressure you’re going to receive at a four-year university, so I think it starts mentally preparing you for the audition process,” Edelnant said. “It’s a lot cheaper than private lessons, which is awesome.”

According to cellist Benz Marsten, the program reinforces and builds on the skills that musicians come in with. He said he’s learning

things that could only be gained while being observed.

“I think it’s super important and really great that Pierce is doing this for students in the music field,” Marsten said.

Gend expects the program to thrive in the years to come. He said some of the music instructors are actively promoting the program by visiting local high schools and middle schools, encouraging those

students to attend Pierce’s concerts and musicals.

“I think the program is going to grow exponentially,” Gend said. “At some point in the future, maybe there's 40 students in every semester. I’m really excited about the program.”

Vilma Figueroa / Roundup

Ross Montor (drums) and Russell Mannino (flute) practice as part of the Applied Music Program in the practice rooms in the Music building. Pierce College, Woodland Hills. Calif. on March 16, 2017

The Roundup, Bull Magazine: Award winning publications

Journalism students attend statewide convention

SAMANTHA BRAVO Managing Editor @sammybravo93

Members of the Media Arts Department attended the 2017 Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) state convention to participate in various workshops and compete in on-the-spot contests in writing, photography and broadcasting.

The convention was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Sacramento from Thursday, March 30, through Sunday, April 2. The Roundup and Bull Magazines won 10 awards.

Robert O’ Neil, instructor of Media Arts Department, has been attending JACC since 1980 and recommends any aspiring journalist to attend this conference.

“The newspapers and magazine both got general excellence awards which was really really nice,” O’Neil said.

Editor-in-Chief of the Roundup newspaper Victor Rodriguez was able to attend 14 different workshops throughout the three days at JACC.

“When students attend this conference, they have the opportunity to enter on-the-spot journalism competitions where their work is judged by industry

professionals,” Rodriguez said. “They are also encouraged to attend workshops, also run by industry professionals, about whatever subjects or specialties they’d like to go into.”

'Abriendo caminos' while opening doors

Castaneda said. “Once you're there, it’s a completely different story because it’s one thing to be in your own newsroom at school, but it’s a whole other world to step out of your comfort zone, get out there and meet new people that have the same career goals as you. Once you start meeting these new people, the more motivated you get and the more excited you get to keep wanting to learn more and experience more.”

The JACC convention happens twice a year with different speakers and, depending on the organizing committee, a different focus for the keynote speakers to address.

Each speaker and participant attend the convention with a variety of skills to share with each other to further techniques and knowledge to apply in newsrooms.

CSUN partners with 2-year schools to support student

KAREN RUIZ Reporter @karenyRuiz11

A 3 million dollar grant was awarded to Juana Mora the director of the project “Abriendo Caminos” at CSUN by the U.S. Department of Education.

“Abriendo Caminos” or “Creating Pathways” is a project in where Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC), College of the Canyons and California State University, Northridge (CSUN) have come together to help Latino and low income students reach their goals.

design. We hope that we can get Latino students involved in those majors and complete their entire education in four years if possible. That is our goal,” said Mora.

“Who is eligible for this grant is not only Latinos although it is primarily Hispanics, low income students and first generation students,” said Jose Luis Fernandez program coordinator of Abriendo Caminos.

Students who qualify for this program and attend LAPC or College of the Canyons may have a guaranteed transfer to CSUN as well as other priorities.

students and to make textbooks available for them. By providing this kind of support to a small number of students the goal is to help them finish their career in a period of four years,” said Fernandez.

While this five year grant begun to take effect since October 2016 it is still a work in progress.

“I feel like a completely new journalist,” Rodriguez said. “All of these seminars and workshops is information that you’re not going to get from your professors—they have their own lesson plan, and people who are working in this specific field know what it takes to make it; they’re living the jobs we want.”

Editor-in-Chief of the Bull Magazine Tanya Castaneda said she learned about what it's like to be a woman in the sports industry and how she could take advantage of it as a journalist.

“[JACC] was a good experience,”

“Most of the seminar leaders that I talked to repeated that it’s not about your degree, it’s not about you finishing your education; it’s about you being qualified and having the skillset to actually do the job,” Rodriguez said.

“If you have the opportunity, I recommend any young journalist to attend this conference,” Rodriguez said. “Don’t focus so much on competing, invest more in yourself, in your knowledge; that’s really what’s going to take you there.”

sambravo.roundupnews@gmail.com

Column: There are no "alternatives" to journalism

to unbiased factual gathering and presentation of fact.

The First Amendment of the Constitution protects the utterance of hate speech just as it does the publishing of scholarly articles.

ARTHUR Reporter @taya_arthur

Congratulations. You have stumbled upon a column written by a journalist who is bound by an ethical code of conduct and integrity.

So, what does this mean?

Journalistic integrity dictates that a journalist's’ reporting be accurate, fair, balanced, accountable, independent and severed of conflicts of interest, according to the Society of Professional Journalists.

But, let's take a step back for a moment. I want to be clear about journalism in the modern era. There is a misconception that journalism is the foundation of democracy. I disagree with this view.

The cornerstone of a democracy is a free press.

In other words, this does not mean that everyone who engages in a free press is going to be ethical or maintain standards in relation

In reality, the media is not laid out like a menu from a fast food restaurant where there are only a few synthetic items on the menu to choose from.

Rather, the menu of the media is infinite and what arrives on one’s plate is of one’s own choosing.

Over half of Americans report they don’t trust the media, according to an article by Huffington Post.

However, in a study by the Media Insight Project, 85 percent of Americans say they value accuracy above all else when evaluating a news source. If this is the case then consumers must start putting their money and support towards the kind of media outlets they want.

A subscription to the Los Angeles Times is a little over $10 dollars a month. The average amount of money American’s will spend on coffee annually is $1,092, according to USA Today.

Assuming that integrity in the news is important to the public, it shouldn’t be hard to weed out the frivolous expenditures incurred throughout the year and place them toward organizations that have proven to be trustworthy.

We must decide whether we value organizations like Breitbart who regularly publish inaccurate and heavily biased articles - ororganizations that hold themselves to a standard of journalistic ethics like the New York Times.

I urge you to throw your weight into the ladder and don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The media is not perfect; however, we are the first line of defense when it comes to dissecting falsehoods and keeping the public informed of the world around them.

Despite the effort of thousands of journalists around the world who work tirelessly in pursuit of the truth, ‘fake news’ is on the rise while an investment in ‘real news’ is on a steep decline. Do not allow people like Milo Yiannopoulos to create your news feed.

Let the fear of ‘fake news’ drive the need for media defined by journalistic integrity.

By pulling support from such individuals and organizations they will not continue to gain merit.

While it is easy to be sucked into your own biases or the shock value of a headline in an age of endless social media feeds, remember accurate, fair, and balanced information matters.

tarthur.roundupnews@gmail.com

"The purpose of this cooperate agreement is to increase the participation of Latino and low income students from two Los Angeles-based community colleges (College of the Canyons and Pierce College) so that they can successfully transfer to CSUN, be prepared for upper division course work and graduate in high-demand carees," as stated in the abstract "Creating Pathways for Latino Transfer Students in High Demand Careers."

“The grant will target students in engineering, business administration, nursing, graphic arts animation and multimedia

“Those students with this grant will transfer from Pierce to CSUN directly. There will be an AABA degree program where students will be guaranteed admission into CSUN of course having met all the academic requirements,” said Fernandez.

Although a great number of students may be eligible only a certain number of students may obtain it.

“The mission of this particular grant is to engage in a case study to serve only a small number of students. The grant is designed to support by providing mentoring, close guidance, priority registration, tutoring for the

“It will not be until year two and three when we will begin to see results. It is a planning phase we are developing. In collaboration with CSUN and College of the Canyons we are developing the guidelines that we are going to use to select the students that are going to be part of the grant,” said Fernandez.

There is great effort coming from LAPC, CSUN and College of the Canyons in order for their students to feel comfortable and have all the access possible for them to build a brighter future.

“There will be a lot of cross campus collaboration to help these students make that transfer successfully and feel familiar by the time they get to CSUN,” said Mora.

“All of these seminars and workshops is information that you’re not going to get from your professors”

-Victor Rodriguez Roundup Editor-in-Chief

SPORTS SCHEDULE

Men’s Volleyball Baseball Softball Tennis Swim & Dive

April 12 vs. Moorpark 6 p.m.

April 14 @ Santa Barbara 6 p.m.

Brahmas control postseason fate

loss column.

April 14-15

Wednesday night at 6 p.m.

Pierce looks for revenge after suffering its only conference loss of the season back on March 24 in

espite starting the season 3-14 prior to conference play, the Brahmas (11-4, 14-18) sit atop the Western State Conference - South with just over two weeks left in the season.

Head coach Bill Picketts thought it would be a three-team race for the conference title along with Bakersfield College (9-6, 1418) and Mission College (11-5, 2210).

The Brahmas took control of the conference during the last two weeks, first taking two of three games from Mission, and then sweeping a two-game series with Bakersfield.

“It definitely brings you that sense of confidence,” freshman Brandon Lewis said. “Next time, we go up against them hopefully we can secure that first place spot and move on to playoffs.”

The Mission series started with a bang when Lewis hit a walkoff solo home run in game one.

Lewis leads the conference with a .403 batting average. His seven home runs are second in the conference, with six in the last eight games.

Lewis’ bat, along with the rest of the team, woke up at the right time. The Brahmas averaged less than three runs through the first eight games. That number has jumped to more than four runs per game.

The week of non-conference matchups will allow Picketts to rest the players that need it, and properly set up his pitching rotation going forward.

The Brahmas’ final five conference games are bookended as they face Bakersfield at Joe Kelly Field. Pierce will host Valley College before hitting the road for games at West Los Angeles College and Mission.

Pierce, Bakersfield and Mission still control their own fates. Winning out to finish the conference schedule will ensure a conference title for any of the three.

Picketts said he looks forward to the final stretch of games.

“All I’ve ever asked about being here is playing meaningful games,” Picketts said. “And we’re going to do that, all the way through.”

Starting pitcher Tommy Wilson took control of Bakersfield, throwing a three-hit, complete game shutout in a 3-0 victory on April 6.

Wilson’s 2.23 ERA and 86 strikeouts lead the conference, and his five wins have him tied for second along with fellow Brahma starter Chris Kovach. Heading into the last two weeks of the season, Pierce is two games ahead of Bakersfield, and one game up on Mission in the

Athletic director Bob Lofrano credits the season’s success to Picketts’ level head throughout the season.

“Starting out 0-6, no panic,” Lofrano said. “He has a good baseball mind, so it was just a matter of making those slight changes and keeping a positive attitude. Baseball will drive everybody crazy.”

jmanes.roundupnews@gmail.com

In possibly the most important regular season game, the No. 7 Brahmas (3-1, 11-5) host the Moorpark College Hornets (4-0, 8-10) in a battle for first place in the Western State Conference - North

Brahma of the Week

Baseball

Brandon Lewis

Infielder

(6 games) 9/21, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 8 Runs

Class: Freshman

Age: 18

Hometown: Porter Ranch, CA

Twitter handle: brandonleww25

Favorite players: Kris Bryant

Favorite teams: New York

Yankees

If you weren’t playing baseball what sport would you play?

Ping Pong.

Who inspired you? My father.

What are your goals/plans after Pierce?

"To continue my baseball career college or professional."

Do you have any pregame rituals/superstitions?

"I listen to music before."

Production at the plate has increased lately, anything feel different?

"I’ve been having more pop these last few weeks. It’s coming at the right time."

Does scoring early make things easier in the dugout?

"Any time you score runs there’s a sense of relief."

Interview by : Joshua Manes

Photo by : Felipe Gamino

JOSHUA MANES

Sports Editor

@tweeporting

“All I’ve ever asked about being here is playing meaningful games, and we’re going to do that, all the way through.”

-Bill Picketts Head Coach

Scoreboard

Baseball Softball Tennis

Keeping tradition alive Coach and former Brahmas player teaches life lessons for on and o the court

that I have here in the gym.” Walker has to maintain a tight schedule to make sure his use of time is productive at his day job and while coaching at Pierce.

At 6 feet 5 inches, men’s volleyball head coach Lance Walker towers over most people. Passionate and driven, he is determined to carry on the traditions that come with the legacy he has inherited.

Walker has been a Brahma for most of his adult life. For seven years, he played professional volleyball stopping in countries such as Turkey, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Japan and South Korea. Along the way, he cultivated the maturity that would become necessary later on in his career when he became a coach.

Walker started coaching at Pierce in 2011. He won Coach of the Year in 2013 and was inducted into the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Hall of Fame that same year.

As a stipend coach, Walker is part-time at Pierce and has to find employment in addition to focusing on his team. He works full-time at Westmark School in Encino as the school’s physical education teacher. Finding a balance between the different jobs is tough, but he enjoys it.

“It’s not easy, but I love coaching,” Walker said. “I love

being here, so it’s kind of nice to end the day here. It kind of rejuvenates me a little bit with some

of the memories of the past. It’s a passion for me, and it’s enjoyable to work with some of the individuals

“I am up at 5:30 in the morning, getting ready to wake up my daughter, getting ready to pack up her bags, and trying to make as much time as I can with her before I have to get her to daycare, by 6 to 6:30,” Walker said. “I then have to get over to my job at Westmark School, which is in Encino, at 7 a.m. Then I work from 7 until 3 and get in my car as fast as I can to finish practice off from 4 to 6 or a little bit after, usually, if we need to do scouting, and then get home at 8.”

Westmark School specializes in kids with “learning differences,” Walker said.

“I say learning differences versus disabilities, because I think it’s a great reflection of where I am

working,” Walker said. “And then coming here with the individuals that I have at the JC level, they are still trying to learn how to learn. Some of them are very gifted, but they all have things that they need to work on. It’s kind of nice to be able to take some of the things that I learn at Westmark and be able to bring it here to help our guys.”

Walker understands that not everything comes easy. He had difficult times while attending school. He had ADHD, dyslexia and an auditory processing disorder. He had to learn to overcome them and ignore the counselors telling him he wouldn’t be able to take 12 units.

“If I don’t get my units, I don’t play. You’ve got to pass to play,” Walker said. “I couldn’t accept someone telling me that I couldn’t do it.”

MADELINE MARTINEZ Reporter @madisaysso

Randi Love / Roundup

Head coach Lance Walker serves the ball at Ken Stanley Court on Monday, March 22 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

“If we based our end result of the season on a championship, I think we failed as a coaching staff and as mentors to these players,”

-Lance Walker Head coach