Volume 129 Fall 2018 Roundup Issue 7

The week of wins

Football, soccer, volleyball and water polo all celebrate victories

Changes to funding model

size

Success is a subjective term that is often hard to define, but with the new statewide Student Focus Funding Formula, success has three definitions: milestones, completion and post completion.

Milestones include students completing transfer-level English and math courses and Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses.

Completion pertains to the degrees and certificates students earn while at Pierce. Post completion refers to the transfer rate of students and living wages earned because of job planning at Pierce.

The funding model is changing from the traditional system of receiving funding solely from FullTime Equivalent Students (FTES) completion to include outside factors. These other elements will include

a student’s usage of the Pell and California Promise Grant. Also, students’ completion of transfer level math and English courses, degrees/ certificates earned and transfer rates will bring funding to Pierce.

Although parts of the old model will still be integrated into the new finance plan, the incoming model will be more goal-oriented.

“The rest is built around these success parameters,” Interim President Larry Buckley said.

“Now success doesn't just mean that you got a degree or certificate, or even transferred. It means that you participated in things during your time here that increased your likelihood of success.”

This means that the school will receive funding based on students’ achievement.

For example, a first generation college student who is eligible for both the Pell and California Promise Grants, who received a transfer degree and is transferring to a four-

year university will bring Pierce increased funding.

“Not all performance based funding modules have equity involved,” Ryan Cornner, the Vice Chancellor of Educational Programs and Institutional Effectiveness, said in a phone interview. “The funding module ensures a focus on students who need the greatest support and making sure you include all students.”

The new model is based on student engagement, completion and enrollment. This means that Pierce faculty and administration need to reevaluate the way they are currently helping students meet their goals.

Another key aspect of this system is the concept of completion.

In light of AB 705, students will have the opportunity to complete a transfer level math or English class within one year. Also, students’ timely fulfillment of academic programs and sequences will soon be assisted by Guided Pathways, will

Affordable resources increased

result in increased funding for the school.

“All of those things have been discussions for years,” Amari Williams, the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, said. “I think what is helpful is to think of things as a shift in paradigm. So, I think what is happening at the state level and trickling down to the colleges, is this idea ‘let’s make sure we have things organized in terms of what can we offer students.”

However, completion and success does not only apply to the degrees students earn. These concepts can also refer to the certificates aquired and the income received because of the certificates.

Career planning falls under the CTE department. Since success is also measured by the career goals one achieves because of Pierce, the school receives funding for enrollment in CTE classes.

The OER initiative is gaining momentum, as the amount of sections providing open educational resources has almost doubled since this past Spring.

This fall there are 41 sections that use free, online materials, otherwise known as open educational resources, whereas in the spring of this year there were only 27 sections available.

Over the years teachers have slowly gravitated to the OER concept and started to implement it in their teaching styles. It isn’t easy for teachers to switch to OER, because they then have to create a new curriculum for the semester based around the new resources.

Not all courses are covered by the OER initiative, mainly because it is hard for some professors to have their concepts translated into a online format, because of material that you can only get by purchasing a certain textbook.

“It’s not that easy for instructors

to make the switch over to a free textbook because they have to see how to implement it,” said Clay Gediman, librarian to Pierce College. “Usually Canvas works best but sometimes they need to get extra resources, because maybe the textbook didn’t cover what the old textbook covered.”

Nevertheless, professors are opening up to the long term benefits of the OER system. Professors can pull material from multiple sources, making it easier to cover all the main learning points that they feel apply to the course.

Students can find out which courses are OER compatible when they use the search engine during the enrollment process. Under the Academics Menu bar, there is subtab named Find My Courses, under which is the Search Classes link.

Professor Melissa Gulick expressed how she uses OER as a way to relieve her students from one of the many financial burdens that college students face.

Alex Moreno / Roundup

Jennifer Chang, goalie, practices for the next game at Pierce College's pool on Oct. 5, 2018, in Woodland Hills, Calif. Water polo earned its first victory against Santa Monica College, a game that was moved from Pierce to SMC.

DANIELLE PADILLA News Editor @dcxpadilla

Jazz drummer Bernie Dressel

Danielle Padilla / Roundup

Justin German celebrates after a 44-43 win against Pasadena City College on Oct. 20, 2018, in Shepard Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

ARIELLE ZOLEZZI News Editor @ArielleZolezzi

Alex Moreno / Roundup Pierce College women's soccer players celebrate after a goal from Diana Millan (3) on Oct. 19, 2018 against West LA College at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

[see FOOTBALL on pg. 8]

SOCCER on pg. 7]

WATER POLO on pg. 7]

Natalie Miranda / Roundup

Volleyball players cheer after scoring a point during the game against Glendale College in the Pierce College South Gym on Oct. 17, 2018, in Woodland Hills, Calif. Pierce has their first win of the season, winning three of five sets.

From the desk of the Roundup: Editorial

The parking lots of Pierce College pit student against student as the competition to find a spot is a daily struggle. This rivalry comes at a heavy expense, as students’ safety is put at risk.

Although students have gripes with the current parking situation at Pierce, this does not give them an excuse to act without consequence.

Throughout the school day students are zooming into the parking lot and hastily trying to find a spot. While swerving through the lots, some students carelessly drive at high speeds and are not completely aware of their surroundings.

This leads to accidents with other vehicles, which is a near weekly occurrence according to past Sheriff incident reports.

Although there have been no reported pedestrian injuries, these unsafe conditions open the door to these possibilities. However, Pierce should not wait until someone is hurt to take action.

One the simplest no-cost solutions Pierce can do is to staff cadets in various parking lots throughout the day. If they were patrolling the area, this could potentially bring down the amount of traffic-related accidents on campus.

Pierce can also invest in a parking structure on campus. An ideal spot for this hypothetical building would be in Parking Lot 1. This is a central location to the gyms, administration buildings and classrooms on campus. Another place on campus that would be suitable for a parking structure would be the empty area near De Soto Avenue and Victory Boulevard.

Having more parking options would reduce the amount of competition to find a spot in the parking lot. As a result, this would create a safer area for students and drivers.

newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

Volume 129, Issue 6:

Front: The football story was written by Blake Williams.

See any errors we missed? Email us at: newsroom.roundupnews@ gmail.com

Pro Con Online sexual assault module

Pro: Know what it means

SOFI MATZAGANIAN Campus Life Editor @sofimatz

Students should have to complete a sexual assault module when they enroll in classes at Pierce College.

Sexual assault rates on college campuses have skyrocketed over the last few years.

Part of this increase has been due to the fact that most people are uneducated about what exactly constitutes sexual assault.

According to www.nsvrc.org, 20%25% of college women and 15% of college men are victims of forced sex during their college careers. These numbers will continue to grow if there is not something done about it.

If students were mandated to take a sexual assault module before attending school, they could become more educated on a topic, which they were not already educated on. The module could provide these students with a better understanding of what crosses the line when talking about this topic. The conversation of sexual assault is a never-ending one. This is due to the fact

that sexual assault has so many levels to it. Bringing the argument back to a lack of education, students need to be clear on how broad the term stretches.

Everyone has a different opinion on what they would consider sexual assault. However, the term itself is very broad.

Many different acts can count as sexual assault and can offend certain people. It is for this reason that an educational sexual assault module would be beneficial to potential students as well as current students who lack this knowledge.

Sexual assault does not only mean physical sexual misconduct. It can range from verbal assault to physical. If students were more aware of everything that sexual assault encompassed, they might be less likely to commit these acts.

We live in a society where the line between what is and is not okay is blurred. Without some form of education for the students who are unaware, there is no other way to stop assault that they do not know they are commiting.

smatzaganian.roundupnews@gmail.com

Con: Online doesn't work

CHRIS TORRES Reporter @chris_t_torres

Sexual assault training should not be mandatory if the method of training is ineffective.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 20% - 25% of college women and 15% of college men are victims of forced sex during their time in college.

There is a web-based sexual assault prevention and alcohol awareness program called “Think About It by Campus Clarity.” College campuses nationwide have implemented the program, but it seems to be a Band-Aid solution to a much bigger problem.

According to The Temple News at Temple University, it is required for incoming freshmen to complete the hour-long, online course. With no surprise, the overall results did not come out to be very promising.

Temple University implemented the program prior to the fall semester of 2013, and within the first month, there were five sex-related crimes reported around campus. According to The Temple News, this was

a comparatively large number for a single month.

Sexual assault is serious, and the solution to this problem isn’t an online training module. Despite the emergence of online learning, studies have proven that students prefer the classroom learning environment. In a national research study done by a consulting firm, Millennial Branding, 78% of more than 1,000 students still prefer a classroom, learning environment.

How can we expect incoming students and faculty at college campuses to learn about sexual assault when the training itself is not hands-on? This issue is being treated as if it’s an online homework assignment.

Instead of a quick online course, there should be mandatory annual interactive meetings where students talk to real sexual assault survivors and advocates as well as self-defense seminars.

Simply completing an online course does not help prevent assault. In order to protect students, further action must be completed.

Photographers:

Artists:

Maxwell King

Wyce Mirzad

Daisy Rodriguez

Cory Massaro

Advisers:

Jill Connelly

Jeff Favre

Tracie Savage

*For advertising call (818) 710-2960

Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials.

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 Cory Massaro / Roundup

[OER UPDATE from page 1]

“Students are struggling to make ends meet, and I don’t want to give them the additional burden of paying hundreds of dollars for textbooks that they may not use again,” said Gulick. “I would rather save them that money and post the readings for free so that they can save their money for when they go to university.”

After students make it to the Search Classes page, they should look for the Class Search Type.

When highlighted they can narrow down the search by selecting the Zero Cost Textbook Classes (OER).

This making it easier for students to actually lock in the classes that they need instead of going on a wild goose chase in the Microsoft Word document of classes available.

Gediman mentioned that professors were a little concerned that students would only take classes based on the free textbooks, but there hasn’t been any declines in the regular classes enrollments.

“Most students are focused on the instructor and how well they teach the class rather than what is free,” said Gediman. “Then maybe if it comes down to one or two classes that you don’t really have the money for textbooks, you can pick a few OER courses.”

Regardless the OER initiative plans to continue to add more courses that students can pick from. At the end of the day it is going to come down to what students are more comfortable using.

“You can access your book pretty easily, so I think that students like it,” said Denise Robb, Political Science professor. “Even though it is free, I haven’t seen students jump to it so hopefully more find out about how easy it truly is.”

Professor ratings simmer down

Online rating system takes down controversial chili pepper rating of faculty

CHRIS TORRES Reporter @chris_t_torres

In the world of higher education, something as mundane as a chili pepper has become a brand for prejudice.

RateMyProfessors.com, a website where college students can grade their professors, has removed the “chili pepper” rating after many teachers complained on social media for it being a sexist symbol.

BethAnn Mclaughlin, a Vanderbilt University neuroscience professor, decided to speak out against the chili pepper on Twitter with a post calling it “obnoxious and utterly irrelevant to our teaching.” She was inspired to push back against the pepper because of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement.

According to a Twitter post by the RateMyProfessors website, the chili pepper rating was meant to reflect a dynamic and exciting teaching style. However, according to a study published in Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, the scores showed that professors rated as attractive had higher overall teaching scores.

15,000 likes and thousands of retweets later, RateMyProfessor responded and removed the rating option at the request of teachers and students.

Howie Schwesky, a math professor at Pierce, is fine with the pepper being removed and thinks the teachers who reached out on twitter were acting in a fair manner.

“We don’t want anything that implies sexism of any type at Pierce and a professor should be judged by his or her reviews and their teaching methodology, so I see no problem with removing it,” said Schwesky.

Rundown Brahma Blotter

These incidents were reported between Oct. 14 - 20

Reported by: Arielle

10/15

•Student Injury

Zolezzi

A male student sprained his ankle and was treated at the Health Center.

10/15

•Attempted Break-In

A door handle and the surrounding wood around it was damaged. A possible break-in is suspected.

10/16

•Traffic Collision

azolezzi.roundupnews@gmail.com

Yeranyhi Sermerdjian, also a math professor at Pierce, believes the pepper served no purpose to begin with. She thinks that it was unnecessary, especially for

teachers who do not get peppers.

“I think it’s nice to not be judged on your looks even though originally it was meant to be used for something else,” Sermerdjian said. “Why should that be there if you are being judged on your teaching?”

Liliana Mejia, nursing major at Pierce, believes the pepper should have been removed and that the teachers were standing up for something that they believe in.

“If students are going to be using it for what it’s not meant to be used for and make a teacher feel uncomfortable then that’s not okay,” Mejia said.

Although some students believe the website did the right thing to delete the chili pepper feature, others think the problem is a matter of perspective.

Anthony Flores, a history major at Pierce, is against the teachers who took down the chili pepper because he thinks they were being too sensitive about the whole situation.

“They shouldn’t look at the pepper in a sexist way because it is based on how good they are not based on how they look,” Flores said. “I think the teachers are just assuming and they are being a little too sensitive about it.”

Other students argue that the chili pepper feature was a helpful tool that assisted with choosing a professor for a class.

Sharmaine Sapon, a nursing major at Pierce, says that she heavily relied on the pepper when picking a professor and said that she is a little disappointed that it was removed.

[FUNDING MODEL

from page 1]

“There is a study that shows that there are a lot of students who enroll in classes they enjoy and they do better,” Ryan Cornner, the Vice Chancellor of Educational Programs and Institutional Effectiveness, said in a phone interview.

Finding a career in one’s desired field after Pierce is an important part of the term success when applied to Pierce.

Another way to track

“Whenever I looked up a professor and a saw the pepper logo under their name, I immediately tried to enroll in their class,” said Sapon.

Patrick Mino, a business administration major at Pierce, offered a possible solution to the problem by changing the logo from a pepper to something else that does not symbolize ‘hotness.’ If they are able to change the logo to something less controversial than it should not matter to them as much, said Mino.

With the chili pepper out as a ranking tool, prospective students will have to rely on the number score and opinionated reviews by previous students who had that particular professor.

ctorres.roundupnews@gmail.com

accomplishment at Pierce through the new funding model is to focus on dual enrollment and adult education.

One way to put on emphasis on adult enrollment if through Outreach programs. By targeting high school students and getting them to concurrently enrolled in high school and Pierce, the school will receive increased funding.

“Because they took four classes here, the college will get funding, they get to count them as a transfer,” Buckley said.

If a high school student were to take 12 units at Pierce, when they

A two vehicle traffic collision, no injuries were reported.

10/16

•Student Arrest

A student was arrested for public intoxication.

10/18

•Ill Student A student at the farm felt ill, then treated at the Health Center.

Pierce College

Sheriff’s Station General Information:

Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311

graduate high school and go to a California State University, this will be equivalent to a transfer from Pierce. As a result, the school will gain more funds.

The new funding model is structured around student success at Pierce. With this model and the launch of new programs and initiatives like AB 705 compliant courses, Guided Pathways, Outreach courses and the UHaftaFAFSA campaign, the school is aiming to help students succeed.

dpadilla.roundupnews@gmail.com

Unclassified/student worker shake up New employment qualifications impact jobs on campus

DANIELLE PADILLA & ALEXIS CANELO

News Editor & Reporter

@dcxpadilla

@alexiscanelo_

Both student and unclassified workers will be undergoing changes that will affect hiring and employment standards for jobs on campus.

Under Assembly Bill 2160 community college must replace all their unclassified workers and replace them with classified ones.

In an email from the personnel director from Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), “Effective immediately, the end date on all ‘new’ and ‘currently in process’ assignments impacted by AB 2160 will be Dec. 15, 2018. If an assignment is currently in our possession, we will change the end date to avoid having to return it to you. All new assignments should be submitted with an end date of Dec. 15, 2019.”

Personnel Commission will be eliminating jobs held by unclassified workers after Dec. 15 under AB 2160.

This bill states that schools and community college districts must get rid of positions that are not deemed as classified positions. The main difference between the two types of categories is that classified workers are permanent. Unclassified workers receive assignments that vary from semester to semester, cannot exceed 1,000 working hours an entire year and have no benefits. Whereas a classified worker is a person who gets paid hourly and receives benefits from

the school.

For the Child Development Center, this means that the jobs of three unclassified workers will be replaced with one classified worker.

The Child Development Center currently has three levels of assistant positions all varying in pay scale and description, but with AB 2160, these job positions will change. Since the qualifications for these jobs will be modified, unclassified workers and their positions will be replaced.

All Child Development and Recreation Centers across LACCD will be impacted by the new bill.

According to Director of Child Development Center Phyllis Schneider, since the bill will remove the jobs of unclassified workers to employ classified workers, this will mean the centers will have to pay extra to cover the cost and benefits for these workers.

Although not all the details have been decided concerning this matter, the Personnel Commission will hold a meeting today at Los Angeles Southwest College to discuss and vote on the matter.

However, student workers are at risk of losing their jobs due to a draft proposed by the district to only have four job titles for student workers.

In addition to decreasing the number of student worker titles, the district has proposed stricter job requirements further limiting them.

“There are conversations at the district level about limiting the student workers or the number and capacity of student workers on campus,” Center for Academic Success Director Crystal Kiekel said.

The proposed draft places limits on the courses one is able to tutor.

One of the proposed student tutor positions requires students to maintain a 3.0 GPA. This limits students who may have previously struggled with one subject yet excel at the subject they tutor in.

This jeopardizes plans for the implementation of Assembly Bill 705. The bill requires that community colleges increase the chances for students to enroll in and complete a transfer-level math and English courses within their first year of college.

Students who may not be fully prepared for transfer-level courses, yet are enrolled in them may require outside support. Pierce plans to increase the number of embedded tutors and peer mentors to supplement the bill.

“The peer connection between students and tutors is absolutely vital,” Kiekel said. “We’re hoping to strengthen that connection, but if the district is having these conversations about who we can hire, what they can do, and so on, without our input.

Basically, we are just going to be affected by a policy that we’ve never been consulted for.”

The student workers who will be affected by this decision are not involved in the conversation.

“Student government has not been consulted,” Kiekel said. “Faculty have not been consulted. They basically have a work group that’s making these decisions and pushing these decisions out.”

The draft from the district is currently being discussed.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION by Natalie Miranda / Roundup

A hand prepares to throw away a red chili pepper.

An UN-canny professor

Econ professor travelled the world with the United Nations

Mt. Kilimanjaro Ahmad packed rain gear. Not everyone planned ahead, and those who did not had to turn back.

For parents, it can take some time for the fog to lift after the birth of a child and get back to normal life. For econ professor Jamil Ahmad, only 30-something days after his first daughter was born, he and his was on his way to Tanzania with their newborn.

Ahmad spent five years in Tanzania working for the United Nations Development Programme, facilitating three major projects during his time. The projects included deep sea fishing, rice irrigation and development. He also visited Zanzibar Island, Victoria Falls and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.

On his trip to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Ahmad kept a travelogue.

“The first leg of the journey was in the rainforest where the vegetation was so thick that we had to look carefully for the location of the stream. Here we constantly heard the murmur of the stream flowing down, the chirping of different birds, the chattering of the blue monkeys who were jumping from one tree to the other. Of course, we never failed to notice the beautiful flowers of different colours along the path,” Ahmad wrote.

Ahmad’s time spent in Tanzania taught him to prepare for anything. While getting ready to scale

“It saved our trip. People who didn’t carry it had to give up the climbing because they didn’t carry a jacket and they got soaked and it’s cold. They had to abandon the trip,” Ahmad said.

While living in the UN housing, Ahmad had to plan ahead to avoid running out of supplies.

“Sometimes essential items go out of market. So when it’s available you buy and stock up. Also as a UN employee, you could order things from abroad, but it takes time. So, it’s better to plan yourself so that you don’t run out of things,” Ahmad said.

After working for the United Nations, Ahmad went to the University of Texas for his Master of Business Administration degree. Ahmad had no intentions of becoming an educator. It was not until he was working as a graduate assistant and his department chair needed an instructor immediately.

“Our head of the department needed someone to teach immediately and, starting next week and he said you will be the one. I said no way,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad was not nervous, despite suddenly finding himself teaching three classes. Perhaps he was destined to teach, or maybe his time living in a new country taught him to prepare for any task that came his way.

“Maybe I prepared myself in that three days. The book, and what I would be talking about and preparing the syllabus or maybe I was too busy to be nervous,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad said he learned many things from his students who came from different fields and backgrounds.

He taught prerequisite courses for MBA, and after taking a full load of classes Ahmad started to like it.

“That’s how I got hooked into [teaching]. I was in the corporate world at that time also, even if I was a full-time worker there, I was still teaching at Glendale community college and then one thing led to another,” Ahmad said.

For the past 18 years, Ahmad has worked fulltime at LA Trade Tech.

Kaycea Campbell, the department chair for economics, political science, chicano studies and criminal justice, has known Ahmad for close to 10 years.

“I like having discourses with him. He’s a pleasant person to be around. I’ve never had a student complaints concerning him,” Campbell said.

Ahmad is known for using relatable and understandable examples for his classes, which keeps students engaged in the subject.

“From student evaluations and so on, they tend to tell me that they like to take Econ 2 with him, which is macro econ. He does a lot of fun examples, a lot of real-world examples in class,” Campbell said.

Noemi Aceves, an accounting major currently taking Econ 1 with Ahmad, had no idea he previously worked for the United Nations.

“I do enjoy his class. I feel like he knows how to

teach. I’ve learned a lot. It’s not boring and I like how sometimes he throws in little stories about himself,” Aceves said.

Aceves notes his ability to keep the class engaged. The class is from 6:50 to 10 pm a time when most students are preparing to sleep.

“Since it’s a long class I don’t find myself like dozing off. I feel like he kind of keeps our attention just by like the examples he shows us and just when he goes off of like the lectures,” Aceves said.

acanelo.roundupnews@gmail.com

Escape to a better world

Christopher Lay found his inspiration for how to help in the words of others

WANAS Reporter @EzzatWanas

College isn’t for everyone, especially right out of high school. For philosophy instructor Christopher Lay, it was the time he spent working and traveling that helped him find his future.

But his journey back to school— and eventually to Pierce—came from the books he read in high school, most notably Age of Reason, by Thomas Paine.

“I found a whole bunch of different books written by a whole bunch of strangers trying to help me,” said Lay, “One of this book’s goals is how to make the world better.”

This phrase has played a major role in Lay’s life.

Lay grew in a small town in Montana, but didn’t feel that he fit in.

“Because of the negative experience I had in high school, I was confident that I didn’t want to go to college,” Lay said.

Instead, he traveled. Lay found that he learned a lot from traveling, but realized he couldn’t live the rest of his life like that.

Lay turned to his mother for advice, and she told him he had to go to college. He enrolled, asking himself how he could make the world a better place.

While in his first history class,

Lay thought that he could make the world better place by learning from mistakes that happened in past and avoid them in future.

After an English class, Lay he planned to change the world through words.

Later on, Lay took his first philosophy class.

“Philosophy was the common denominator job for all of the books I’d loved, and all the authors I read,” Lay said.”Politicians have the power to make the world better or worth, so I wanted to use politic philosophy to help politicians to make dictions that make the world better place.”

Even that didn’t work with Lay because he felt that working in the political field didn’t suit with him, so he looked towards the future.

“I landed in this idea of philosophic education to help all students, because our students are the next generations of managers, engineers, and lawyers. If they coming up with critical ways of thinking, they can help to make the world better place,” Lay said.

“He teaches a very interesting way, and gives examples that make it easy understanding,” Casey Bentley, philosophy student said.

Traveling is an important part of Lay’s life, but now, he travels with much more purpose.

“I don’t travel to escape, I travel to learn,” Lay said.

Lay travels once a year, but he also can travel through books. He didn’t go

to Egypt, but he read about the source of the Nile River and how it floods all the way down to the Mediterranean. He also read about the new technology

helps to check for voids in Pyramid.

“There is no one place on this planet I don’t want to go,” Lay said.

Photography is another aspect of

Lay’s personality.

“It is kind of meditated practice, when you try to see a connection between things and construct a

beautiful image. It helps me to see the world in a beautiful way and look for the beauty in the world,” Lay said. ewanas.roundupnews@gmail.com

Natalie Miranda / Roundup Photographs of Jamil Ahmad while overseas laid out on a desk at Pierce College on Oct. 16, 2018, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Natalie Miranda/ Roundup Jamil Ahmad, an adjunct professor of economics, sits in a classroom at Pierce College on Oct. 16, 2018, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

ALEXIS CANELO Reporter @alexiscanelo_

Review:

Top Girls

Top Girls is close to top notch

by No’mani at times was overly aggressive, making it seem as though Angie is actually mentally ill, when in the end she seemed to be a bratty teen with anger issues.

Bern baby bern

Bernie Dressel performs to the beat of his own drum

CHELSEA WESTMAN Reporter @chelsea_spero

You’ve heard him but you may have not seen him.

A distinguished jazz percussionist, who sold close to 4 million records and played for 15 years with the multi-grammy award-winning Brian Setzer Orchestra, is making himself known on campus.

About 50 students at Pierce College gathered in the Performing Arts Building to watch a solo improvisation by Bernie Dresel, the band leader of, “The BBB Featuring Bernie Dresel.”

Success is predominantly measured by a career and a family. But for many women hindered by social constructs, they usually have to choose between the two.

Pierce College opened its theater season with Top Girls, an amalgamation of the women's struggle to fulfill societal roles throughout history and today.

Directed by Shaheen Vaaz, the two hour drama runs through Oct. 28 at the Dow Arena Theatre.

The engaging, though at times confusing story, delivered by a mostly skilled cast, is partially undone by a couple of sound elements that disrupt the play’s flow.

That mixed bag begins in the opening scene, which features an eclectic bunch of prestigious women from history and paintings. They tell tales of adventure and heartbreak around a dinner table hosted by Marlene, the main character going forward.

The scene is abrupt and confusing. In true dinner party fashion, each character goes on tangents of their respective stories simultaneously. You could see what Vaaz is attempting to do, but it only leaves the audience confused as to which story to follow in a mess of rambling. The other problem is that for no obvious symbolic reason, loud clanking of chains began to take over a key monologue from Lady Nijo (Alexa Maris), a 13th century Japanese concubine. The sound lessens the emotional impact the actor was going at lengths to reach.

The opening scene thankfully doesn’t set the foundation for the rest of the play, which jumps to present day. Marlene (Justine Brandy), a successful business women, is reconnected with her sister Joyce (Jasmine Curry), a hardworking mother, and Joyce’s daughter Angie (Sabrena No’mani), a young teenager working through an identity crisis.

Angie is a menacing teenager with an inability to connect with women her own age. It’s unclear what Vaaz wanted Angie to represent, but she is portrayed as someone in their youth who is utterly corrupt. Acting

STREET BEAT

What is your favorite part about living in the San Fernando Valley?

It’s clear Pierce College’s Theatre wasn’t given a massive loan for sets and props, but scenic designer Sarah Webster made the most of it, displaying her creative chops with every scene in the play. In the bedroom scene when Angie and Shona (Asia Herbonson) discuss life while hiding from Angie’s mother, the set transforms by flipping tables and draping blankets across it, representing a bedroom. This allowed for the acting and story to remain the central element.

Angie, who flees her mother because of the toxic relationship between them, goes to visit her long lost aunt Marlene. Marlene is in a leadership position having climbed her way up the ladder over men competing with her. Angie is resoundingly impressed by the strength and power Marlene instills, something that’s not prevalent in the role models in her life.

Top Girls’ exceptional lighting by John Jones is notable during the office sequence in the middle portion of the play where they were able to create a whole office floor in the small stage given. Three scenes were taking place at the same time but Jones creates circles of attention around each scene so the audience doesn’t feel confused.

As Joyce and Marlene, Curry and Brandy are the driving force of the production. They play off of one another well. In their main scenes, nothing seems rushed or overly choreographed. The actors take the time to reach emotional heights necessary to the scene.

The intimate number of seating paired well with these impressive performances as it truly brought the audience into their world.

Top Girls’s technical flaws don’t undermine the the central plot of the story. Its stellar performances by its all female cast carry the play well and its thematic expressions should hold importance to young women for years to come.

Top Girls runs through Oct. 28, and tickets are available at www. brownpapertickets.com

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Music Professor Garineh Avakian introduced Dresel to the mainstage.

“Without further adieu, let’s invite Bernie Dresel!” Avakian announced.

Students applauded as Dresel walked down the steps and graciously rolled onto the mainstage, producing laughter from the crowd.

Before the performance started, Dresel instructed about 12 students to volunteer and run on stage to play side instruments for part of his act.

“What you’re going to do is you’re going to play groove,” Dresel said. “I’m going to get you interactive or I’m going to solo in one spot over your groove.”

Dresel said this is his first time performing a solo improvisation in front of an audience.

“You are just going to hear sounds today, drums and me trying to make music for 45 minutes,” Dresel said. “It’s going to be a continuous piece.”

Dresel calls this performance, Drum Improvisation Number One.

After another roar of applause, Dresel made his way to the front

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of the stage and squatted down. He picked up two large wooden spoons and led an intricate sound upon two pots. Dresel rotated the beat and intervaled some swings to a bucket and aluminum can. Using the stage floor as its own instrument, Dresel waved the spoons back and forth upon the floor and other unusual props. He did not fail to impress, as his rhythm gained dynamic energy. His drum sticks hit the floor like a machine gun. He continued his pace, forming a rhythm off his own drum sticks before propelling himself to the

snare. Another surge of applause erupted from the audience after Dresel made a dramatic pause.

He worked his way elegantly to the high-hats and crashes, producing a lighter tone to the ear. The groove picked up just as quickly as it formed into another silent pause.

The sound of suspense flooded the air as Dresel changed the tone, simultaneously hitting toms and snares with a consistent kick drum. Creativity ensured as Dresel frolicked a high-hat and grabbed it to a halt with his bare hands.

In a matter of minutes, Dresel took off in a flash and demonstrated variation left and right. One instrument after another echoed the mainstage, bringing a new form of sound with each reintroduction. All eyes were glued to Dresel’s transient movements.

Dresel rotated the instruments until his back was completely facing the audience. The rhythm stayed persistent yet remained ambiguous.

Dresel made his way back to face his audience, hitting each tom and snare in his path all while keeping the kick drum steady.

Halfway into the performance, Dresel shot up a peace sign to the audience and that was their cue.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the audience!” Dresel shouted while maintaining groove.

Eleven students came pouring

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from the audience up onto the stage within the blink of an eye. The students positioned themselves and quickly matched the beat to Dresel’s fast pace.

Congas, tambourines and claves were brought to life at the command of the student volunteers.

Vibrant sounds encapsulated the building when all instruments came together in different directions. The overwhelming array of noise livened the audience with its resonation. Dresel soon called off the group and formed yet another unique beat in the next set.

The improvisation never caved in as Dresel glided over his custom Craviotto drum set. The high-hats rang like church bells and struck the audience in a trance.

The performance came to a close as Dresel swept the audience off its feet. The electric energy of his final movements shocked the drumsticks right out of the grasp of his fingertips onto the floor.

The crowd cheered, laughed and applauded once more with Dresel’s unique finish. He promptly gave a Q&A after, letting the audience speak their mind and even get autographs at the end.

The next concert held will be in MUS 3400 on Oct. 25, hosted by the Kadima String Quartet.

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“I like how the weather

Natalie Miranda/ Roundup

Justine "J.C." Brandy plays the biological mother of a 16 year-old, who is played by Sabrena No'mani during dress rehearsal for Top Girls on Oct. 15, 2018, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

is prettydecent.Youhavethe WestfieldMall,Fallbrook Center,TheVillage.My favorite restaurant is in Northridge.Itʼsaramen place.ItʼscalledFutaba Ramen.” -Leslie Iba Undecided

“Itʼsnotaspopulatedas downtown.Itʼsreallyquiethere anditʼsnotasbusy”

Unique Manns/ Roundup

Bernie Dresel plays the drums for the Thursday Concert at Pierce College on Oct. 23, 2018, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

“Ilovehowitʼscalm,quiet andpeacefulforthemost part.Thestreetsarebigger as well so thereʼs not much traffic.”

Unique Manns/ Roundup

Bernie Dresel plays the drums for the Thursday Concert at Pierce College on Oct. 23, 2018, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Rising above the abuse

The annual Clothesline Project returned to Pierce College on Oct. 17, 2018, to spread awareness about domestic abuse.

According to the Clothesline Project, their mission statement “is to educate students and the community that violence is a problem everywhere, help is available, there is hope and a path to healing.”

Multi-colored shirts were hung on a clothesline at Rocky Young Park, which allowed students to participate in the event.

Survivors, anyone who has lost someone to domestic abuse or knows a victim decorated shirts to share their story. Some wrote positive messages and others recounted their full experience.

The event was sponsored by the Associated Student Organization (ASO) and the Pierce College Diversity Committee. Also in partnership with the LAPC Bystander Awareness Initiative and the Brahmas Responding and Action with Voices through Empowerment (B.R.A.V.E), the event helped raise awareness about domestic violence.

Photos and Copy by David Tejada

Top: (L-R) Daniela Miranda and Gurpreet Singh write positive mesages to survivors during the Clothesline Project at Pierce College’s Rocky Young Park in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2018.

Top Middle: A T-shirt created by a survivor hangs during the Clothesline Project at Pierce College’s Rocky Young Park.

Bottom Middle: Associated Student Organization Senator Yesenia Cabral hangs shirts created by survivors during the Clothesline Project at Pierce College’s Rocky Young Park.

Bottom: Students gather around to read survivors’ stories and experiences on multi-colored T-shirts during the Clothesline Project at Pierce College’s Rocky Young Park.

Volleyball goes 1-1

Defeat Glendale 3-2, lose in straight sets to Bakersfield

Brahma barrage

Soccer bounces back with 7-0 win over West LA, 3-1 in conference

18 goals this season for the Brahmas.

Cruz said the team came with good vibes which helped them get the win.

scoresheet scoring in the 70th minute and would go on to score her brace minutes later.

Volleyball went 1-1 last week, earning its first win of the season, coming back from two sets down to beat Glendale in five.

The team dropped the first two sets 25-21 and 25-22, but won the next three 25-17, 25-22 and 15-8.

Head Coach Edison Zhou said he was proud of the team for coming back against the Vaqueros.

“It was awesome. Before that game we had so many opportunities to win more games and sets this year, but we didn’t and after this game the girls were happy. It was amazing game to have won in five sets. In the end we had a happy ending,” Zhou said.

Catelynn Pulido had 31 kills, followed by Rachel Wiley with 28. Landry Bearden had 58 assists against the Vaqueros.

Pulido said after the win it gave the Brahmas a boost for the previous losses.

“I felt it would give us the confidence boost that we needed because for the games against Victor Valley and Santa Monica since we lost those sets by two or three points,” Pulido said.

Zhou said that despite winning against Glendale the team struggled at the beginning of the game.

“In the two sets, we didn’t play well and you cant win games like that. But after those two sets I told the girls that this was a great opportunity to win our first game,” Zhou said. They changed the way they played and they got easy points so we end up winning the game.”

Pulido said the team have to improve certain aspects in that game if they want to win more sets.

“Individual jobs could have been done better. Hitters could work on their swings. To come with different

options and not just hit going in line each time. Rachel [Wiley] and I have been hitting in different spots and not just in one place,” Pulido said.

Wiley said the team goes into games with a winning mentality.

“It is always to win. You never expect to go into a game losing because if you do, than you will lose and I feel we got stronger and our priorities changed in the next three sets which was to fight harder,” Wiley said.

In the game against the Bakersfield College, the Brahmas lost in straight sets to drop to 1-6 in the season.

Pulido led the team with 10 kills, followed by Wiley with nine.

Wiley also led the team with the same number of digs and Bearden led the Brahmas in assists with 13.

Zhou said that for the game against the Renegades they competed against a tough team.

“We actually played well. I don’t think the two teams are on the same level. They are very good and I believe they might get the state championship,” Zhou said.

Pulido said that it was a great opportunity to play against the Renegades.

“To play a very energetic team like Bakersfield to let us know as a recap what we have to improve on and to never settle for less,” Pulido said. “Overall they were more skilled because they are more experienced.”

Wiley said that against the Renegades they performed well but needed to work on their execution.

“Hopefully we can see them next year and take a set,” Wiley said.

The Brahmas have two home games against Santa Barbara City College on Oct. 24 and two days later versus the Santa Monica College Corsairs. Both games start at 6 p.m.

A20-minute delay on the kickoff did not prevent the Brahmas from bouncing back from their loss as they beat the West LA College Wildcats in dominant fashion.

The team came into the game with a 9-4-2 overall record, losing Tuesday’s game against the Santa Monica College Corsairs 2-1.

Head Coach Adolfo Perez said the Brahmas learned from their mistakes which led to their six-game winning streak come to an end.

“We looked at the film of the Santa Monica game. The second goal that came from them on that free kick shouldn’t have happened,” Perez said. “I mean it is over, but now it will be tough to beat them over there.”

Things started well for the team when in the third minute, Gisell Cruz gave the Brahmas the lead.

As the first half progressed, the team were showing signs from the Santa Monica game giving away the ball carelessly or not clearing the ball in a convincing way.

Midfielder Diana Millan scored the team’s second goal with an incredible strike that gave Wildcats’ goalkeeper Natalie Flores no chance at saving.

Millan said she was happy with how the team responded to the defeat at the hands of the Corsairs.

“We came from a tough loss so we needed to win to regain our confidence back,” Millan said.

Millan came into the game with 15 assists being ranked number one in the state. In this game she added three more.

“I have been assisting a lot, so I want to get some goals, so I’m happy I got a goal and three assists,” Millan said.

Towards the end of the first half, there was a penalty kick awarded to the Brahmas which Cruz scored scoring her second goal of the game. She also scored from the spot in the previous game.

With the goal, Cruz now has scored

“We came with a lot of positive energy. We were pumped during the warmups. All of us had a good chemistry when we were getting ready for the game,” Cruz said.

Cruz said she wasn’t nervous when she stepped up to take the penalty kick.

“I have scored a lot of PK’s so I know where I want to go and I know if I change position it will not go well for me and I just try to stay confident and focused,” Cruz said.

In the second half, the team’s offense showed no remorse over the Wildcats.

Cristina Peruch-Alegria scored her first of two goals which gave the team a 4-0 lead.

Keyonna Hill added her name on the

Towards the end of the game, PeruchAlegria would score her second goal of the game which ended up being the final goal as the team won 7-0.

Perez was pleased that his team did not allow for the Wildcats’ offense to score.

“It is awesome because you are going to win games if you keep a zero,” Perez said. You will come out on top, if you don’t allow a goal.”

Wildcats’ Shelsin Chavez came into this matchup being the team’s leading goal scorer with 16 goals. However the Brahmas’ defense stepped up and didn’t allow Chavez to score in this game.

Water polo wins at SMC, first victory of the season

Head Coach Judi Terhar said the game was evenly contested between the two teams.

the Corsairs the lead with 6:49 left in the opening quarter.

Water polo got its first win of the season, beating the Santa Monica College Corsairs 5-4.

The game was originally supposed to take place at Pierce, but due to the pool being unavailable the game moved to Santa Monica.

“We were stunned at first when they scored two quick goals in the first quarter, so for the entire game we were either tied or down by one,” Terhar said. “We have a great defensive player in Ava Recchia stole the ball pump faked twice and shot in the goal.”

The Brahmas trailed early when Brianne Quiane gave

Quaine would go on to score her second goal three minutes later to lead 2-0 at the end of the first.

The Brahmas came back in the second quarter when Judy Martinez and Recchia tied the game at two.

Natalie Mac Ewan gave the team the lead towards the end of the third quarter, but Quaine would tie the game for the Corsairs.

In the final quarter, Quaine gave Santa Monica a 4-3 lead, nut Martinez would tie the game at four. With 20 seconds left on the clock, Recchia scored the winning goal for the Brahmas. With the win, the team improved their overall record to 1-3. Their next game is on Oct. 24 at LA Valley College. Game starts at 3:30 p.m.

fgamino.roundupnews@gmailcom

Natalie Miranda / Roundup Middle blocker Keturah Scott tries to spike the ball in the Pierce College South Gym during a game against Glendale College on Oct. 17, 2018, in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Alex Moreno / Roundup Gisell Cruz (5) defends the ball for her team on Oct. 19, 2018, against West LA College at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor @fgamino13

FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor @fgamino13

FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor @fgamino13

Womens Volleyball Soccer Football

Football knocks off Lancers

Last minute touchdown leads to third straight win, 2-0 in conference

DEVIN MALONE Reporter @RoundupNews

It was a happy homecoming for Brahmas football, rallying back to get the win over the Pasadena City College Lancers Saturday.

The team came into the game getting the win over Santa Barbara City College 23-7 in their conference opener. The Lancers on the other had lost to conference leaders Allan Hancock 27-21 in overtime.

Prior to the game, head coach Carlos Woods practiced with Brahmas with many different situational techniques and drills in order to prep the team for the game.

“Well we’re always constantly making adjustments in practice, that’s one thing we stress,” Woods said. “Situational football. At the end of the day, that’s what football is all about. Each day of practice we start of with a different situation. We might start backed up, we might start our punt team backed up, this an aerial offence and you got to score. You have to put those guys in those stressful situations so when they are in the game and in those situations they’ll know how to perform.”

PCC scored the first touchdown as Mario Bobadilla connected with David Telles for 56 yards giving the Lancers the lead.

Doma Morris put the Brahmas on the board, but a bad snap on the extra point attempt prevented the team from tying the game.

Woods was aware of his opponent team’s strengths, especially during the first half of the game when Lancers were holding the winning score by a large margin.

“They have a very balanced attack and do a lot of things well,” Woods said. “Their number two is a heck of a running back, and

their quarterback, number 11, he’s a playmaker and he always keeps his eye on the field as you could see in the first half. But we called the perfect blitz, we got home, we got two guys to wrap him up and he still threw the ball over us and got a touchdown. But that’s what we saw on tape, so I said we need to stay on coverage and stay on sound because their record didn’t reflect how good they were.”

Later in the first quarter, Forest Fajardo extended the Lancers’ lead to 13-6.

Quarterback Jonathan Saavedra went down with an injury and Cameron Perry had to take his place for the rest of the game.

Kobe Quiroga would score on a fumble and return it for two

yards making the score 23-6.

Marcus Johnson would score two touchdowns and the Brahmas trailed 26-20 at halftime.

At the start of the second half, the Lancers would score a field goal to extend their lead to nine, but Marcus Johnson would score his third touchdown of the game making the score 29-27.

Hernandel Johnson would score on a 34-yard pass from Bobadilla to extend their lead by nine points.

Erik Castro would score a field goal to keep the deficit at six points.

Fernando Murillo raced after a bad punt snap over his head and before he could get to the Dimetri King appeared to kick the ball and then recovered it in the end zone.

Instead of being a recovered

Brahma of the Week

Cameron Perry

Sport: Football

Position: QB Class: Freshman

Hometown: Van Nuys, CA

19 completions for four TD's, also scoring one in the comeback win against Pasadena City College.

Having 19 completions for four touchdowns and also scoring one yourself in the comeback win against Pasadena, what’s the feeling?

“It was great to get the opportunity to go out there and put some points on the board for my team and most importantly to get out with the win.”

What was going through your mind, when coach asked you to come on for Jonathan Saavedra?

“I was excited because I knew I had it in me and I had the opportunity to show it, but at the same time I was hurt because one of my teammates went down. It was mixed emotions.”

What do you think you can improve on?

“Throwing better passes.”

Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

“I say a prayer on the 30-yard line.”

Brahmas Scoreboard

Water Polo Basketball

Pep in their step

ASO and athletics host first fall sports rally

RICHARD ESPINOZA Opinion Editor @EspinozaReport

A new tradition was born as athletes, coaches, cheerleaders and members of the student population took part in the first ever fall sports pep rally held at Rocky Young Park.

This event was hosted by the Pierce College Associated Student Organization along with the Athletics department as of way of giving thanks to the student athletes for their hard work and dedication.

ASO President Isha Pasricha said this event was planned by the student senate as a way to their peers and to show their appreciation.

“It is our responsibility as a student body to make sure everyone feels welcomed on our campus,” Pasricha said. “Our student athletes work hard in everything they do. We want other students to know them, and having a pep rally is a good way to make friends.”

Football head coach Carlos Woods said that it is a great opportunity to have students meet those who

work with our administrators on what we can do to help other students to know who our student athletes are.”

Football got the crowd involved,. There was a chance to draw up a play to possibly be used in Saturday's game, and members of ASO, soccer and cheer participated in the obstacle course.

Woods said he has his team cheer on the other sports that are currently active.

“I always have my players go out and support our women’s volleyball and women’s soccer teams because they support us and we support them,” Woods said.

Athletic Director Moriah Van Norman said that having this event creates unity among the different teams and their players.

“Having student athletics supporting one another builds community because it is so isolating to be a student athlete and letting other student athletes know they are their for each other shows strong support,” Van Norman said.

Women’s volleyball head coach Edison Zhou said that it’s not about being on one team or the other.

punt by King or a touchdown, the referees called a rare illegal touching of the ball which resulted on a 15-yard penalty on the Brahmas.

Jordan Palmer would extend the Lancers’ lead scoring on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Bobadilla.

Perry would score on a oneyard touchdown run and he would connect with Cherrod Joe who would tie the game at 43.

Castro would score the extra point to give the Brahmas the lead.

With 11 seconds left in the game, Mosiah Brame got the sack on Bobadilla which gave the team the win.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

rjespinoza.roundupnews@gmail.com

Joshua Manes / Roundup

Running back Doma Morris runs the ball on Oct. 20, 2018, against Pasadena City College in Woodland Hills, Calif. The Brahmas won the the game 44-43.

L @ Bakersfield 3-0 W v Glendale 3-2