Volume 130 Spring 2019 Roundup Issue 1

“Top Girls” go for top prize

KCATF honors cast and crew of Pierce production

CHRISTOPHER TORRES

Photo & Sports Editor @chris_t_torres

In 2001, the president of the United States was George W. Bush and the first film of the Harry Potter series was released. It was also the last time a Pierce College production was selected to compete at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF).

The Pierce Theater program has been chosen as one of the six productions to be showcased from region VIII of the KCACTF.

The production being highlighted at the festival is Caryl Churchill’s “Top Girls” directed by Shaheen Vaaz, a professor of theater arts.

Vaaz compared the event to one of the most famous music festivals of all time but with different personnel.

“Just think of Coachella but filled with theater nerds,” Vaaz said. “Everyone’s wreally excited to go there and do workshops and see plays and interact with other people. It’s quite exciting.”

In addition to “Top Girls” being selected to compete at the KCACTF, Pierce sent eight acting students to participate in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition.

According to the KCACTF webpage, the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships provide recognition, honor and financial assistance to outstanding student performers wishing to pursue a further education and career in acting.

As of Feb. 14, Actors Trevor Alkazian, Trevor Figueroa and Justine Gorry all advanced to the semi-final round of the of the acting competition.

Jon Michael Villagomez, assistant director for “Top Girls,” was selected to participate in the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) Student Directing Fellowship competition.

Villagomez won first place for his SDC directing scene at the KCACTF

this year and he became the first Pierce student to ever advance to the finals and win this national competition.

The theater department also sent Sarah Webster, set designer for “Top Girls,” to partake in the Allied Design and Technology competition where she was also a finalist for her scenic design presentation for “Top Girls.”

Region VIII of the KCACTF is comprised of both community colleges and four-year universities from Arizona, Central and Southern California, Hawai’i, Southern

Nevada, Utah and Guam.

Despite the play being set in the early 1980s, Vaaz believes the message of “Top Girls” can be applicable in today’s society due to the fact that the whole theme is about women empowerment.

“Currently it’s the time of ‘Me Too’ and I think we felt that in the air as we were all working together,” Vaaz said. “We all had a really deep personal connection to it.”

Department Chair of Performing Arts Michael Gend said the play was written as a response to the women’s liberation movement in the

workplace that was happening in 1970s Britain.

“It really is about women’s rise to power and the lead character is a female CEO,” Gend said. “With all the movements that have been happening lately, it feels like the story has become relevant again because of what is happening in society now.”

Gend said by being selected to this well-renowned festival, it is a great way to promote themselves as a department to colleges across the nation and show what they bring to the table.

Enrollment numbers on the rise

Pierce College enrollment numbers are up by 3 percent this spring

Academic Affairs Mary Ann Gavarra-Oh.

dance, journalism, health finance, music, Spanish, and theater.

“They can see the quality of our work and become aware of us,” Gend said. “It’s also a great opportunity for our students that are planning to transfer because they will be able to meet with representatives from fouryear colleges.”

Theater Manager Michael Sande said this competition gives the student actors the golden moment to showcase their skills to not only universities but to professionals as well.

“It gives [the students] a chance to attend workshops, go to seminars, and even meet with casting agents,”

Sande said. “It really is an incredible opportunity for students.”

Vaaz hopes that by having a play selected to compete at the KCACTF, it gives the theater department a boost of confidence going forward.

“I hope the theater department sees how strong it is and that it can take itself seriously,” Vaaz said. “Right now it feels like we are much bigger and more established as a department. I want us to notice that we have real talent and amazing people who work here.”

If you have seen a Pierce College ad on your social media feed this winter, it wasn’t an accident.

From Jan. 10 to Feb. 4 ,several departments at Pierce ran boosted social media posts about registering for open classes for spring semester.

This was a beta test aimed to increase enrollment numbers in multiple departments.

In that time, the classes advertised saw an increase of 106 percent in number of students enrolled, according to Dean of

Gavarra-Oh added that out of a set of 300 classes with low enrollment, below the point where the class would be canceled for lack of students, 50 were chosen from various departments.

“We can’t yet say there’s a true correlative effect between the posts and enrollment,” said Public Relations Manager Doreen Clay. “It was an impressive beta test, but we need to continue testing to find out if it’s really the way we want to go.”

Clay also said that the classes chosen were a mix of academic and arts related departments, including but not limited to: art, English,

“What these boosted posts do is, for a fee, they will make the post appear in the feeds of people who have interests in the areas you specify in the boost,” Michael Gend, the chairman of the performing arts department explained.

“I come up with keywords for theater ads that include words like ‘acting’ or ‘theater’. I even use names of other colleges that might have similar programs to ours,” Gend said.

Gend said he created motion graphics posts for some classes and observed a definite improvement in enrollment.

“Motion graphics attract the eyes more,” Gend said. “I took classes to learn how to make effective posts, and then had to learn how to make motion graphics from video and still images.”

Gend said it was a lot of work to put together, which might require a dedicated person or persons other than teachers to handle on a regular basis.

Clay said hiring a social media manager would be beneficial, but requires funding.

“It’s a matter of resources and having the money to hire new people,” Clay said

hdavis.roundupnews@gmail.com

Natalie Miranda / Roundup

Alexa Maris portrays a concubine to the Emperor of Japan in the 13th Century alongside Justine "J.C." Brandy's character during dress rehearsal for Top Girls on

2018,

Woodland Hills, Calif.

From the desk of the Roundup: Editorial

Students who attend multiple Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) campuses should not have to pay for one parking pass per campus.

Many LACCD students attend multiple campuses weather this is due to classes being unavailable or full, these students are currently being made to pay multiple fees for different parking passes at each school.

If there was a universal parking pass for all LACCD schools this issue would be eliminated for students who must take multiple classes on different campuses. However, pricing becomes an issue when looking at the different prices of parking passes on LACCD campuses.

The prices range from $20-$25.

The universal LACCD parking pass should cost a flat rate of $30. Even though the prices for parking vary by school, the $30 fee would still cost less than purchasing two or more passes.

Students end up paying anywhere from $45-$75 in parking passes alone per semester. With the implementation of a universal pass, students could park on any and all LACCD campuses for the fall and spring semesters.

Regular passes would still be available to students for specific schools, however the universal pass would allow students who attend multiple campuses to not have to worry about paying more, or switching out parking passes depending on the school they are at that day.

Often, students do not choose to attend multiple schools, but they are let with no choice because they need certain classes that may not be offered at Pierce or the class is already full.

A universal pass would put the students first taking into account that it is unnecessary to make students spend double if not triple the price for multiple parking

passes. On top of this cost, students are also being made to pay for their class fees before they

can purchase a parking pass in general. Having to pay these fees as well as the cost of multiple parking passes is a large cost for

college students to take on so early in the semester. If LACCD introduced a universal parking pass, it would

alleviate a financial burden that students should not have to deal with when attending more than one campus in their district. newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

Pro Con Physical syllabus or electronic?

Pro: Best with long rest

As the new spring semester starts up, more people at Pierce College are becoming environmentally conscious. Students are recycling plastic bottles, resorting to paper straws and professors are looking to new techniques that are earth friendly.

Teachers all over campus are starting to deliver electronic syllabi to their students in an effort to save paper.

Unfortunately, for many students on campus, this modern method of receiving a syllabus is an ineffective technique.

Since the digital age has arrived, it has brought many changes to the immense amounts of paper used in schools. Professors are beginning to turn to the internet to provide notes or important documents to their students.

However, some students are lacking internet at home or just outright never look at their emails

because of the immense amount of spam already received. Many students are not sure about the policies professors and the college have implemented on the use of laptops in the classrooms. While teachers can pick and choose whether to clearly encourage students to use their laptops to pull up important documents such as the syllabus, these unset guidelines can leave students feeling unsure on whether to rely on the use of their laptops for future important documents.

There are computers and Wi-Fi provided to students on campus, but most often than not the Wi-Fi is “down” due to usage overload or may just be processing too slow to navigate the internet.

Margarita Pandoe, an arts major student, expresses her frustration with trying to get important documents, such as her syllabus, using the college’s wifi.

“It is easier to keep track of,” Pandoe said. “Especially when you are doing homework in the library and you want to pull it up on canvas, and the wifi isn't

working. Having a tangible syllabus makes it easy because you can just pull it out.”

Although professors are resorting to electronic syllabus to save paper, a handful of students on campus still prefer a printed copy because it is easier to keep up with.

Boris Questman, a sophomore at Pierce, conveys that a hard copy of the syllabus is reliable, efficient and a great way to help gauge where they need to be in the curriculum.

“Having a hard copy makes it much easier for us to keep track of things, such as assignments, quizzes, and future papers. If you don’t know what your assignment is better to have a hard copy than online,” Questman said.

Multiple professors will still provide a tangible copy of the syllabus to students in need of it, as well as the electronic version to the students that are able to print one from home. This method will reassure that the professor’s students are set up for success in any situation.

sgreen.roundupnews@gmail.com

Con: No time for 8-hours

CHELSEA WESTMAN Opinion Editor @Chelsea_Spero

Incoming students anticipate the new semester and they have to wonder what their course entails. Luckily, professors provide a syllabus in person to their students so they can bring it to class and keep track of the course schedule.

With Open Educational Resources (OER) becoming more prominent at Pierce College, students are starting to rely on the internet for doing coursework and managing classes. Canvas is being used by more professors each year so students can have access to all of their courses on a dashboard and help with multitasking various classwork with ease at home.

With that being said, students are more dependent now than ever regarding keeping up with their schedules and knowing what resources they need. A physical syllabus has become an ineffective way for providing the class curriculum to anxious

students who must keep up with technological advancements. A hard copy of a syllabus can easily get lost or ruined, and making copies eventually adds up on the savings.

According to Southeast Missouri State University, Department of Economics, 80 percent of the students found that their learning experiences were indeed enhanced with the use of web-based instructional resources such as online syllabi and online tutorials. These students found that their attitudes, performance and interest in the subject increased with the use of OER.

More OER practices are being implemented around the Los Angeles Community College District to guide students into a new learning environment which can benefit their success.

A physical syllabus is a good asset to have when a student needs to take it out during class time, but a syllabus is deemed ineffective if it has been misplaced or damaged.

Professors are switching to digital as an effort to ditch paper and be more environmentally friendly.

For students who prefer to be oldschool, infinite copies or screenshots of the syllabus can be kept on a phone with the press of a button. The angst of falling behind in a course will be lessened with the aid of online resources on demand at the student’s fingertips.

As the semester picks up the pace, time can always alter the original plans of a professor’s course curriculum. More often than not, changes need to be put on a course syllabus to adapt if the class gets more ahead or behind than planned. Confusion can be alleviated with the help of OER to update required changes to a syllabus and to alert students at any given time with online announcements. Getting through a full-time semester is a daunting task, but students will have a better chance to meet their accomplishments under the form of electronic assistance.

Stealing from the sun: one man's story of sustainability

English professor charges his hybrid car in an unconventional and innovative way

ALEXIS CANELO NOAH GOLDBLOOM News & Campus Life Editor @alexiscanelo_ @Noahgoldbloom

Instructor of English Larry

Krikorian has no place to charge his electric vehicle on campus.

But he is not the only one.

Currently, there are no working electric charging stations at Pierce College.

Krikorian’s solution is to take matters into his own hands. He currently drives a Chevrolet Volt.

Krikorian charges his vehicle from his office using a heavy-duty extension cord which extends out of his window.

Krikorian said he is met with joking criticism from fellow faculty, one proposing he is stealing from Pierce. In response, he said energy is for everyone.

“Pierce has two sizeable solar power farms, one over here and one up on the hill,” Krikorian said. “The sun's energy for you and me is, for all practical purposes‒ infinite. Let's say I use 20,000-kilowatt hours while I'm working at Pierce for the rest of my career. What's infinity takeaway 20,000?”

Krikorian said the only person he is “stealing” from is the sun. He is motivated to drive an electric vehicle because he is conscious of pollution.

“I'm not pouring filth down the lungs of my colleagues' children,”

Krikorian said.

The college became aware of the issue after meetings with Union Chapter President Brian Walsh, Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher, the Workers Environment Committee and the Department of Water and Power.

Associate Professor of Political Science Denise Munro Robb conducted a survey to get an idea of how many people on campus drive electric vehicles. Robb’s survey concluded that many professors and

The write path to success Student resources at new writing lab

JACKSON HAYANO Reporter @HayanoJackson

For years, students have brought hard copies of their essays to the Center for Academic Success hoping to get a 30 minute session with a random tutor.

This is now a thing of the past with the new Writing Center opening up on campus. Pierce College students will soon have a dedicated area to work on assignments and improve their writing. The new writing center is hoping to provide a more thorough, beneficial experience where, instead of just a review, students can work on the actual assignment with help from faculty members and tutors.

In the past, students who needed help on a writing assignment would bring in a hard copy to the Center for Academic Success (CAS) and have a thirty-minute session with a tutor who would review the paper.

“The new writing center is an attempt for us to change up our modality and be more accessible to all students,” said CAS Director Crystal Kiekel.

“The idea of a writing center is that students can come in and work on the process of writing. It will be in a computer lab, so that students can come in with nothing at all and they can just sit down and pull up a computer and start researching and writing with assistance from the tutors,” Kiekel said.

Currently, there will be an English tutor, an ESL tutor and an English faculty member working in the writing center. Their job will be to go around and assist students

working at the computers, such as answering questions or offering suggestions on papers.

“In this writing center, students can go in and begin or continue working on a paper and get specific guidance from a tutor or teacher,” said English Professor Chris Corning. “They will be getting help as is needed.”

The new writing center was first conceived last fall as a response to Assembly Bill 705, which requires students in California community colleges to skip remedial English classes and go straight to English 101.

“We thought that this [Assembly Bill 705] would be a good opportunity to open up a new writing center,” said English and ESL Department Chair Brad Saenz. “We had to find a way to provide extra support to students who might have been in remedial courses [this year], but were instead placed in English 101.”

While the new writing center is a product of the English and ESL departments, its goal is to provide assistance to students writing papers in any subject or class.

“A person can come in and get help writing a paper on any subject, whether it be English, history or philosophy,” Corning said. “My vision for this is that the center can help students in any sort of writing.”

The writing center will be open on Tuesdays from 12-5 p.m., and on Wednesdays from 1-6 p.m.

Brad Saenz said the project is in a beta stage, and that hopefully, the center will be able to expand its hours in the future.

jhayano.roundup@gmail.com

a few of her students drive electric vehicles. Robb drives a Chevrolet Bolt.

Robb was personally motivated to drive an electric vehicle, because of what she calls the “end of the world.”

“Devastations already happened. We have massive wildfires and we have hurricanes, drought – It's here now. It's not something in the future,” Robb said

A meeting was held with Pierce College and the Department of Water and Power to discuss what is

necessary for the installation of the charging stations.

Apotential roadblock is making sure one of the charging stations is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Paul Nieman, Director of Facilities, explained what is necessary for the space to be compliant.

“A space that is considered ADA compliant can not have a cross slope of any more than 2 percent in any direction. So there's some asphalt work that would have to be done,

but we could achieve that and we could achieve the proper aisle space required for a van,” Neiman said.

Neiman said it may be difficult to ensure a safe path of travel between the charging station and the building.

“The problem is you also have to show that there's a path of travel that's compliant from the parking space to the building,” Neiman said

The cost of installation and maintenance should not be a hindrance, because of rebates and incentives. Neiman is looking to work with a company that will own and maintain the chargers.

“I want to find as a company that is willing to put the chargers in, they pay for all the costs, they maintain ownership of them and maintain them. They apply for the incentives that are available through DWP and keep all that money and then we just work out a little revenue sharing agreement,” Neiman said.

Neiman wants to ensure the project will not cost the college.

“My goal is to get it towards net neutral for the college. It's not costing the college anything. The increased electricity that is being used to charge these vehicles is not, we're not getting hit with that cost,” Neiman said.

If all goes according to plan the chargers should be installed this year, maybe even before summer, according to Neiman.

Rundown Brahma Blotter

These incidents were reported between Feb. 4-15

2/4

•Vandalism

An unknown person vandalized artwork and the wooden stakes.

2/6

•Ill Student

A student complained of chest pains in the Bookstore.

2/6

•Employee Incident

An employee stated she was threatened by a parent in the Student Recruiter Office.

2/6

•Grand Theft

An unknown suspect stole a student's backpack from the North Gym men's lcokeroom.

A "meating" of the minds sparks controversy

Vegan society fights to ban the sale of processed meat

JUSTIN MIRANDA Reporter

@Roundupnews

Pepperoni vanishing from pizzas and bacon disappearing from burgers may become the norm at not only Pierce but all of Los Angeles Community College District campuses.

The Vegan Society called for a sales ban of Group 1 carcinogen processed meats for the district at the Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 6. They believe these foods create a risk of getting various forms of cancer.

A carcinogen is a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue and group one would include processed meats such as pepperoni, bacon, ham, and sausages.

Society President Alicia Salazar said the club is speaking with the LACCD board members in meetings.

“We as a club are very determined to ban processed meat here,” Salazar

said.

According to General Manager of Pacific Dining Jaime Cancino, the Vegan Society has not spoken with any cafeteria representatives.

Many of the meals served by the cafeteria and Brahma Cafe would be affected by the ban. The cafe is currently not only serving pepperoni pizza, but also several sandwich combos from Subway containing processed meats.

Candy Van, manager of the Brahma Café said she remains indifferent about the ban considering the lack of support of plant-based food products on campus.

“People should have a choice in what they eat. We have Vegan options, but guess what nobody eats them. They expire fast, and it just goes to waste,” Van said.

Francisco C. Rodriguez, LACCD Chancellor, talked about how he wanted to find a way to help out the students as a whole.

“If the solution is to move away from processed foods, then what

2/6

•Petty Theft

A book and DVD were stolen from the Bookstore.

impact does that have on the cost? While we may be solving one health issue, we may also be paying two or three times as much for healthier alternatives.” Rodriguez said.

Some agree banning processed meats will be tough to initiate.

“I wouldn’t say I’m against it or approve it, but I like my junk food regardless. If it’s not here I can just get it somewhere else,” said a firstyear student Alexis Camino.

Salazar mentions that the cafeteria does serve Vegan options, but recently they’ve serving less.

Salazar said some good alternatives to processed meats would be more plant-based foods and lentils for protein.

“It’s not just for us. It’s for students, staffs and any guest who enters Pierce College,” Salazar said.

jmiranda.roundupnews@gmail.com

Vegan society bakes up the love on Valentines Day with tasty treats

can go to our big Earth Day event in April,” Salazar said.

2/12

•Disturbance

A woman was pacing and shouting causing a scene in the Veterans Center.

2/13

•Trespassing

Male caught sleeping in the Great Hall/ Storage Room. They were warned and advised.

Decorating tables with red and pink confectionary treats, Pierce College’s Vegan Society showed its love for animals Valentine’s Day by holding a bake sale on the Mall.

Vegan Society President Alicia Salazar said they are trying to raise funds for their “Go Vegan Earth Day” event on April 22, which will be held in the Great Hall at Pierce.

“We’d like to spread any vegan outreach and we’re hoping the funds

According to Salazar, the hardest part about going vegan is knowing what replacements are available to substitute animal products.

“I made this meringue and it’s usually made with egg. There is a secret vegan way to do it and its by using chickpea water,” Salazar said.

Samuel Hookham, a political science student, said that any person can go vegan. He said it is matter of “finding a food that you really love and finding a good replacement for it.”

Stephanie Winnard, the faculty advisor for the Vegan Society, said the transition to become vegan is easier than people may think.

“There is nothing hard about it at all. It’s breezy, it is not hard to bake without eggs, butter or milk,” Winnard said.

Winnard also thinks that going vegan is not only healthy for the environment, but it is also cheaper.

“There is a lot of advantages to vegan baking, one of them is that it is more affordable, you find that buying a bag of flaxing meal is cheaper than buying eggs,” Winnard said.

Salazar said that she found difficulty when adapting to a vegan lifestyle.

“You are not use to it, but after awhile you get the hang of it,” Salazar said.

“The Earth Day event is a big event for the Vegan Society, that is why we are doing this bakery sale,” Hookham said.

The “Go Green Go Vegan” event is on April 22 in the Great Hall.

Reported by: Sofi Matzaganian & Alexis Canelo

PHOTO BY Alexis Canelo

A cord leaves the Faculty Offices to charge an electric vehicle on Feb. 11, 2019 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

“My vision for this is that the center can help students in any sort of writing.”

-Chris Corning English Professor

BELEN HERNANDEZ Campus Life Editor @b3l3nh3rnand3z

Katya Beth Castillo /Roundup

Taidze Banzon talks to Stephanie Winnard. bhernandez.roundupnews@gmail.

Maja Losinka/ Roundup

Pierce College debates on a ban on processed meat on campus, Pierce College, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Math professor’s fortune is pure vinyl

Former business student finds his groove collecting record album

BELEN HERNANDEZ Campus Life Editor

@B3L3NH3RNAND3Z

Becoming a math professor at a college doesn’t always start with a degree. sometimes it’s a journey that’s kicked off with an ironic disinterest in math, a passion for teaching, and a massive vinyl collection to help get through it all.

Mitchell Pumar, who has been a math instructor here at Pierce College since 2014, knows this story all too well. Despite mathematics not being his first field of study choice, let alone instructing higher levels of it, it has now made him who he is today “Math was my indiffeent subject,” Pumar said. “It was a subject in school that I was always ok with, I was good at it, it never bothered me. My interests were in philosophy and politics, but my parents said we’re not paying for that, you need to get a technical degree.”

Aside from the push from his parents, what really set Pumar

down this path was Obama’s first State of the Union Speech.

“It’s really cheesy, he had his First State of the Union Address and he was calling for the need for math and science teachers, and that lit a little bit of fuel under my fire”

Before finalizing on math, Pumar first studied business and economics at Pierce College and would then go on to do an internship at a financial planning place, but soon learned that it wasn’t what he wanted to do. He would go on to transfer to UCLA, but he realized that right after he graduated, he would then be taken off his parents’ health insurance.

“I got kicked out of my parents’ health coverage for having a deviated septum, so I needed to go back to school to get back on their insurance. I actually came back to Pierce, enrolled in fun classes like guitar and electronic music,” Pumar said.

It was then during his time spent back at Pierce College, when Pumar started formulating the exact thing that he wanted to do.

“I started tutoring at the tutoring center, that experience of tutoring that spring solidified, this is what I want to do so I went, and I took the required state exams applied for CSUN’s credentialing program and then I actually became a high school teacher for 5 years before I came over here.”

But prior to getting into the academic life, Pumar had been stockpiling on vinyl records since the age of 16.

“I had a friend in high school, whose parents gave him all of their old records, and I was at his house. As soon as I saw a record on the table, in motion, producing music, I got utterly fascinated and it’s been a total obsession ever since,” Pumar said.

Pumar has accumulated a massive collection of 1,214 Vinyl’s and said that choosing one favorite is hard. He said his collection is worth anywhere between 16,000 or 40,000 dollars. His most prized pieces of his collection are the ones where he got to meet the artist and have them sign his vinyl.

“All the signed ones I have are priceless, because there is that interaction there where I got to meet the artist.” Pumar said.

Pumar uses a website called discogs.com, which he uses to help him catalog all of his vinyls’. He has a huge display of them in his home, where he has them in order by the artist’s last names.

Mathematics Chair Edouard Tchertchian believes that aside from Pumar having an amazing collection. He has impacted the department in a positive way.

“He is very excited about his job, I think that he loves education,” Tchertchian said. “I think to him this is not a job it’s a career, I think he enjoys working with students and I think students enjoy working with him, his offices hours are very popular.”

Sam Pearsall, a fellow math instructor at Pierce College, believes that Pumar has greatly impacted the the math department, and really shows how passionate he is about being an instructor.

Rhythm Sinclair-Volkens / Roundup

Mitchell Pumar’s signed vinyls’ from his prized collection in his office on Feb. 13, 2019, at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. signed by some of the artists he has met such as Kendrick Lamar.

“He has done alot to help us out and he is in the AB 705 committee, which is a committee to rewrite the math curriculum here” said Pearsall. “He is a

great instructor and I think that enthusiasm permeates throughout the department.” Pumar said that although his

s

collection is sentimental, he finds himself occasionally pondering the idea of selling it.

“There have been multiple

times where I have thought about things I need for my house, and I have thought about selling the whole thing to pay for that” Pumar said. “But every single one of them have a story behind when I bought and why I bought it.”

For a person who wasn’t interested in math as a student, only to become a math professor through a series of events he’d never expected to go down, Pumar now wishes to see his students succeed, and along the way spread the same fondness for music and vinyl’s with them.

bhernandez.roundupnews@gmail.com

Tackling the music industry with soulful tunes

Singer, youtuber and student releases her first single, “Love Jones”

has over 219k views. Also, this knowledge came in handy in terms of promoting her music.

In third grade, Leah Raquel Drew painted herself flying over an iconic symbol of stardom, a clear departure from her classmates.

Drew’s teacher had students paint something inspired by the book “Tar Beach,” by Faith Ringgold, which portrays an African American girl who flies above New York City rooftops.

“Most of the other kids were drawing like Toys “R” Us or the playground,” Drew said. “But mine was flying over the Hollywood sign.”

This offbeat aditude would help drive her become a musician, and record her own single.

Being a musician, student and youtuber, Drew’s aspirations were always inspired by her far reaching vision, often leading her to choose a divergent path.

“I want to become a strong vocalist and a strong performer,” Drew said. “Because if I was put in a circle with actual professionals in the industry, I wanted to make sure when I release something that this is top notch quality work.”

Drew, 22, got into the music program at Pierce College in 2017. She realized it was time for her to pursue her dream of becoming a performer as she had been suppressing it since she was very young.

The music industry can be a tough giant to conquer, or at least that’s what everyone thinks, but she is committed to breaking every obstacle to become an

influential artist. When her parents divorced, and she had to move with her mom and her little sister from Philadelphia to California at 15-years-old. These changes were tough for

Drew as she came from having a home, stability and a big family to moving to LA and adopting an entirely different lifestyle.

“It was an investment,” Drew said. “I was able to come out here and meet so many different people

and have better opportunities.”

However, Drew’s artistry knows no bounds when it comes to creativity, because before she decided she wanted to focus on music, she started as a beauty blogger on YouTube, which

“At that point, I was able to create content that I like,” Drew said. “And even if you do hire someone else to do your content, you wanna be able to tell them how you want it.”

Before she can even remember, Leah’s family had connections to true R&B and Motown musicians.

“That’s how I developed my love for music,” Drew said. “My uncle works in the music industry, so it comes from my dad and my mom’s side of the family.”

YouTube was a big stepping stone for Leah and gave her a clear vision of how she wants to see herself as an artist.

“I wanted to get used to the idea of putting myself out there on the internet,” Drew said. “So I started making beauty videos.”

Nathan Gonzales, a Music Education major at Pierce College, met Leah in a performance workshop class.

When Nathan first heard Drew sing, he was drawn to their shared passion for R&B and started collaborating in and outside of Pierce.

“She just stood out from the other people,” Gonzales said. “It’s really cool to hear that R&B feel. She has a very hardworking approach and she puts herself out there. She does whatever has to be done to make it work.”

By the end of January, Drew decided to release her new R&B song called “Love Jones.” A very soulful, mellow beat inspired by the 90s movie with the same title.

With a growing social media

following, Drew has been able to connect with her audience through her new single, which has inspired her to put more music out.

“This song is really touching people,” Drew said. “ I was very surprised on how people can connect to me. I enjoy making music for them.”

Drew has a solid vision of what she wants for her future, and she isn’t stopping anytime soon.

“I see myself supporting myself solely with my music,” Drew said. “I see myself performing for bigger crowds.”

Behind the shy appearance, Drew has big ambitions for her music career. Moreover, she knows how competitive the music industry can be for inspiring young artists like herself.

Pierce College is an essential part of Drew’s career, which is where she has been able to learn and develop her vocal technique and her skills as a performer.

“Pierce College was the start of my journey,” Drew said.

Music Assistant Professor in Voice and Choral Music Garineh Avakian said she always inspires her students to go beyond their dreams and have the drive and discipline to achieve their goals.

“We want her to succeed, and hopefully she will become the next singer-songwriter,” Avakian said. “Her Pierce family is here behind her. We wish her the best.”

Drew will be performing at the Hollywood Banquet Hall on March 8, alongside 23 artists.

Rhythm Sinclair-Volkens / Roundup

Mitchell Pumar seen holding a vinyl from his highly-valued collection in his office on Feb. 13, 2019, at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo by Rhythm Sinclair-Volkens.

SUSAN LOPEZ Features Editor @roundupnews

Lexy Rose / Roundup

Leah Raquel poses in the Music Department practice room B at Pierce College Woodland HIlls, Calif. on Feb. 14, 2019. Photo by Lexy Rose

“As soon as I saw a record on the table, in motion, producing music, I got utterly fascinated and it’s been a total obsession ever since,”

-Mitchell Pumar Math instructor

Christopher Torres/ Roundup

Andy Pletcher takes a video of an art piece at the Prison Nation Art Exhibit at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Feb. 14, 2019.

Breaking the Mold

Clay, wood or cardboard are just a few things that may seem mundane to the ordinary eye. However, it’s the hands in this class that are able to shape and form these materials into a work of art.

Art 502 is a beginning threedimensional design course that is hands-on in teaching students how to turn a drawing made from pencil and paper into something you can touch or hold.

Students are given problems to solve by developing a design and using the items required.

Art 502 is a combination of a lecture and lab course that is offered by three different instructors this semester on Thursdays, Wednesdays or Fridays in Art 3305.

Photos by Maja Losinka and copy by Anjelica Lopez

Top Left: Adjunct Instructor of Art Brian Peshek admires all the sculptures Pierce College students have worked for over a few weeks at the Visual and Fine Arts Department, Oct. 26, 2018, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Top Right: Graphic Design student David Bodden works on his piece in 3D design class at the Visual and Fine Arts Department, Oct. 26, 2018, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Bottom Left: Adjunct Instructor of Art Brian Peshek admires all the sculptures Pierce College students have worked for over a few weeks at the Visual and Fine Arts Department, Oct. 26, 2018, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Bottom Right: Adjunct Instructor of Art Brian Peshek shares his 3D design knowledge with Pierce College students at the Visual and Fine Arts Department, Oct. 26, 2018, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Above: Victoria Wowchuk makes sure her 3D sculpture is smooth before painting it at the Visual and Fine Arts Department, Oct. 26, 2018, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Men's Volleyball Baseball Tennis Softball Basketball

State champions begin title defense

three games, men's volleyball start the season 1-2

FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor @fgamino13

Coming back from a championship season can be difficult, especially if there are new faces on the team and changes on the sidelines.

Edison Zhou took over the men’s volleyball program as Head Coach after Lance Walker decided to step down from the position.

“Edison is awesome. He is the head coach now. I had to step down because I got my second daughter coming in six weeks so he is really at the helm,” Walker said. “The Brahmas are in great hands.”

Walker said he is proud to know that there are good coaches in the program that can assist players if they needed the help.

“It is great that we have them because each single one has a knitch that we can plug into and not overload these guys,” Walker said.

The Brahmas won their 8th state title in program history and their first in 15 years after beating the 2017 champions Orange Coast College in four sets.

The team are currently 1-2 to start the season heading to conference play which begins in two weeks.

Without the majority of the players that were on that team last year, including most valuable player Cole Chea and assists leader Bernardo Roese, the Brahmas began their season hosting the Pirates in a rematch of the championship game on Jan. 30.

OCC dominated the match getting the win over the state champions in straight sets (25-10,

“Edison is awesome. He is the head coach now. I had to step down because I got my second daughter coming in six weeks so he is really at the helm. The Brahmas are in great hands.”

Walker Former head coach

25-13 and 25-17).

New men’s volleyball head coach Edison Zhou gave his analysis on the team’s start.

“We have done pretty good. My first time being a head coach now and I believe we have done

pretty well, even though we can improve in certain areas,” Zhou said.

Zhou coached the women last season before being summoned to lead the men. He gave the difference between coaching both

Brahma of the Week

Johnathan Lavallee

Sport: Baseball

Position: Pitcher

Class: Sophomore

High School: Royal

Pitched seven shutout innings with eleven strikeouts against Oxnard College on Feb. 12.

Is there anyone you look up to?

“I look up to my two coaches, Picketts and Virgil. They are by far the two best coaches I've ever had.”

Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

“I always drink an energy drink before games. It gets me that little bit of extra energy that I need to get through a game with the same intensity for three hours.”

If you weren’t playing basketball, what sport would you do?

"Water polo."

Any plans after Pierce?

“Plan A is getting drafted after this year. But what I see realistically is transfering to a D1 college to play baseball."

Brahmas Scoreboard

Baseball

L @ Cypress 6-1

W v Oxnard 4-0

W v SBCC 4-2

Softball Tennis

MVolleyball MBasketball Swim

teams.

“Coaching the boys and the girls is a little bit different. There are different details. For the girls, if I need to say something, I always ask them to try this or that, and for the boys is hey I want to beat you,” Zhou said.

On Feb. 1, the Brahmas went on the road to face the Fullerton College Hornets. The champions bounced back, getting the win in four sets.

The Brahmas started by winning the first set 25-21. In the second, however, the Hornets responded, winning by the same scoreline.

The Brahmas would put things away in the next two sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-22. Brett Norkus led the team with 13 kills, while Gene Kim had 42 assists.

Men’s volleyball were given more days to prepare for their game against the Irvine Valley College Lasers, due to their game against the San Diego Mesa Olympians being postponed.

The champions were back on the court to take on the Lasers on Wednesday, Feb. 13, for their second home game.

The match started with both teams exchanging points despite serving and attacking errors. The Brahmas caught up to the Lasers tying the game at 23. However the Lasers would take the first set by a score of 25-23.

In the second and third set, it was more of the same like in the game against the Pirates. They lost the second set 25-19 and the third 25-11.

Arman Soltanzadeh, opposite and outside hitter, said that they started slow last year, but improved and he expects that happens again.

“We didn’t play well at the beginning, but we ended up in the championship game,” Soltanzadeh said. When conference starts hope we can improve to return to the final.”

The Brahmas are back on the court on Wednesday, Feb. 27 when they host Long Beach City College at 6 p.m.

fgamino.roundupnews@gmail.com

Nick Martinez/ Roundup

Team celebrates after scoring a point against Irvine Valley College at Pierce College's South

Catching up with Brahmas baseball

After eight games, the team has a strong start to the season

BLAKE WILLIAMS Sports Editor @BlakeMWilliams_

Baseball season is underway for the Brahmas with eight games already in the books resulting in a 4-4 record for the team, which is an improvement from last season's start of 2-6.

The schedule has been inconsistent for the team, with multiple games getting postponed due to rain and even one that was postponed in the ninth inning because due to visibility issues.

Their Brahmas first three games of the season came against Hancock College with the first two on the road. They dropped the first game on Jan. 25 by a score of 8-7, but came back the next day to win 4-3.

Their first home game came on Jan. 29 when they hosted Hancock College. The Brahmas lost by a score of 8-3.

With so many games in such a short stretch, head coach Bill Pickets said he used that game as an opportunity to get some experience for some of the new players.

The next day, the Brahmas faced last season’s top-ranked team, San Joaquin Delta, and picked up an 8-1 win.

Pitchers Elan Filous and Johnathan Kennedy combined to pitch all nine innings for the Brahmas. After the game, Picketts credited the pitching for the difference in outcomes of the first two home games.

“Filous is a guy that I think is going to be pretty good for us and it showed. He competed, he threw strikes, and that's a good team right there,” Picketts said. “He held them in check and then Kennedy coming in and doing what he does, that's all the difference in the world compared to yesterday.”

The Brahmas next game came the following day on Jan. 31 in Long Beach. They lost that game 12-0.

Following that game, the Brahmas had a week off because two games were postponed due to rain.

On Feb. 7 and 8, they hosted Santa Barbara City College. They picked up the win in the opener by a score of 4-2.

Filous started for the Brahmas once again and threw five scoreless innings for the team before being removed for precautionary reasons

Emulating his childhood hero Points leader has standout season

ABDUL ALI Reporter @abdulal20224210

When a basketball player models his game after elite NBA star, Kobe Bryant, a plethora of offensive skills are expected.

Anthony McIntyre showcases his fundamental scoring skill set with the same “Mamba Mentality” as his legendary role model.

“I try to model my game after the best player of all time, Kobe Bryant,” McIntyre said.

McIntyre out of Saugus High School has been putting on an offensive clinic every time he steps onto the court as a Brahma.

McIntyre lets the numbers speak for themselves leading the Brahmas with over 500 points scored this season.

The freshman guard is leading the way, averaging 19.3 points per game, 5.5 rebounds along with 3.3 assists. He leads the team in all those categories while also contributing the most steals per game at 1.3.

While McIntyre has accomplished a lot in his short time with the Brahmas, these accolades are all but too familiar for him.

“I've always just been a scorer, I like seeing the ball go through the hoop. I just be practicing hard and trying to compete to win in practice,” McIntyre said.

McIntyre’s ability to score at will has made the game easier for his fellow teammates. Jason Rodriguez, guard, praised McIntyre’s ability on the court.

“He takes a lot of pressure off us to just score cause he scores the most,” Rodriguez said. “He’s great to have because he's a threat so they all focus on him. So it gives us a little more room to operate and then when we drive then they've

started focusing on him it opens up lanes.”

McIntyre’s teammates are not the only ones who have taken notice of his great offensive season.

Head coach Casey Weitzel had nothing but praise about McIntyre’s game. “A lot of our offense that is derived for [McIntyre], is him taking advantage of his ability to

score,” Weitzel said. “He can get his own shot at any time. So we'd like to put them in spots where he's able to get downhill, get to the rim and score without too much defense in the help side and in double teams coming his way.”

with muscle tightness.

After the game, Filous said he was ready to keep pitching if the team needed him.

“My fastball, my changeup was really good today, it had a lot of movement, my curveball had some good movement, good drop,” Filous said. “I was feeling myself and I was honestly ready to go two more.”

Picketts credited Filous for bringing energy to the team when he starts.

“We keep playing well when Filous is pitching,” Picketts said. “I talked to the guys about it and it

seems as if his intensity is contagious and we all kind of pick it up a notch.”

The next day, the two teams went into the ninth inning tied at five but the game was postponed because the umpires decided it was too dark out.

After the game, Picketts said he was not happy with the Brahmas performance in the game.

“I was actually kind of disappointed in the way we're going about our business as a whole,” Picketts said. “The dugout wasn't involved. I thought when we came out, we weren't ready. Our pregame was terrible and it showed throughout

the whole game.”

Their game was scheduled to be completed on Feb. 9 in Santa Barbara before their next scheduled game but the field was too wet to play on so they were both postponed.

The Brahmas did respond on Feb. 12 with a 4-0 win over Oxnard College.

The story of that game was the pitching. Johnathan Lavallee started the game and threw seven shutout innings with eleven strikeouts. Kennedy was called upon to finish the game but after getting the first five outs, Picketts went to his bullpen and brought in Barrett Vonderau to get the final out.

“Obviously you can't say enough about Lavallee and the way he threw,” Picketts said. “I was hoping to actually let him finish it. His pitch count was pretty darn good after six innings and then he struggled in the seventh, which got him up to around 105 pitches.” Lavallee credited his success to his preparation before the game.

“I was dialed in. I could feel myself focus on, not just throwing to the glove, but through it,” Lavallee said. “Through it is the key because if you just throw to it, it's gonna run all over the place.”

The Brahmas offense broke out to score three runs in the second inning, which was enough to get them the win.

“It seems like every game is like that,” Picketts said. “I mean we get hot for one inning and we do our thing for one inning and it's been enough for the number of games that we've won. So opportunistic, I guess is what you can call it.”

The Brahmas next two games were also postponed.

On Feb. 18, the Brahmas faced Cypress College in a game that was rescheduled from one of their postponed games. They lost 6-1 with Nolan Bodeau providing all the offense with a solo homerun.

The Brahmas are scheduled to play at home again on Feb. 21 against Ventura College at 2 p.m.

Nick Martinez/ Roundup

Johnathan Lavallee Throws a pitch against Oxnard College at Kelly Field on Feb 12, 2019. It was one of his last pitches in the 8th inning before being relieved by another pitcher.

“My fastball, my changeup was really good today, it had a lot of movement, my curveball had some good movement, good drop. I was feeling myself and I was honestly ready to go two more."

-Elan Filous pitcher

Rhythm Sinclair/ Roundup

Anthony McIntyre prepares to execute a free throw on Feb. 9, 2019 againt West LA College at Ken Stanley Court in Woodland Hills, Calif.