Volume 130 Spring 2019 Roundup Issue 10

The search for a new athletic director begins as Moriah Van Norman will not reapply for the position at the end of the semester.

Van Norman became AD in July 2017, when Bob Lofrano decided to retire after being told to reapply for the job he had since 2007.

At first, Jawell Samilton was appointed by Vice President of Student Services Earic Dixon-Peters, but turned down the job after less than a week, which led to Van Norman getting the position.

She said that her time being athletic director was a great experience because of what was accomplished.

“We did a lot of things that were student centered. We have a student tutoring center that helps our athletes in their classes and prepares them to transfer which is the number one priority,” Van Norman said.

Van Norman is currently working on her doctorate degree in mental health from the University of Southern California and said this will be beneficial to her in the long run.

“The work that I’m doing there will help me better serve our students,” Van Norman said.

Van Norman informed

Dixon-Peters and met with the athletics staff to notify them she will be stepping down as AD.

Doxon-Peters said Van Norman was doing a good job and said it would be a huge loss for athletics.

“She brought forward so many good initiatives and has shifted the culture of the athletic program with bringing four

new coaches and is a wonderful human being a student-centered professional,” Dixon-Peters said.

Dixon-Peters said that Van Norman has identified some gaps which one of them include having full-time coaches. He said that not only she brought it up, but Lofrano as well.

Dixon-Peters said that Genice Sarcedo-Magruder,

dean of athletics, is finalizing the job description with human resources and he should see it this week. He would send it to Interim President Lawrence Buckley for his approval. When approved, it will be open internally for anyone on campus to apply. If there are no applicants after three weeks, Dixon-Peters will open

Terrorist arrested

the position district wide.

There are several traits that Dixon-Peters wants to see with the potential candidate.

“For me by far the most important quality is integrity in terms of a student-centered perspective. In a way of helping our students succeed in helping them pursue their educational goals and helping our coaches be successful,” Dixon-Peters said.

He said the athletic director that steps in must be able to form a relationship with the community and have compassion for the students.

“They are not only athletes, they are also pupils. They have jobs, are competing at the highest level, taking 12 units and some of them are parents,” Dixon-Peters said.

Dixon-Peters said that Sarcedo-Magruder will focus on the transition plan for when the name is chosen.

He will have an exit interview with Van Norman to get her experience and to get suggestions on what can be improved.

Sarcedo-Magruder, said she was devastated that Van Norman was stepping down.

“With her transitioning back into the classroom of course it is devastating for us, but I think it is a great opportunity for her as an instructor,” Sarcedo-Magruder said.

End of the road for athletic director Sophomore Day ends it their way

last game as Brahmas before transferring

sophomore pitcher, enjoyed the idea of sophomore day.

Mark Steven Domingo, 26, was arrested for plotting to detonate improvised explosive devices (IED). He faces federal charges for planning a terrorist attack.

Public Relations Manager Doreen Clay said that school records indicate that a student by the name of Mark S. Domingo took classes at Pierce College from summer 2013 through spring 2014, according to a Press-Telegram article.

Domingo was a former U.S. Army infantryman with combat experience in Afghanistan. He attempted to purchase and build an explosive device.

Domingo was charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday by federal prosecutors and unsealed on Sunday.

Since early March, Domingo “planned and took steps to manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction in order to commit mass murder,” according to a 30-page affidavit in support of the complaint,

Brahmas baseball played their last game of the season on Friday, April 26, and while the score didn’t go their way, it was still a positive experience for the players.

The game was called “sophomore day” and every sophomore made an appearance, even if it meant doing something different than normal, according to Head Coach Bill Picketts.

“When the game doesn’t mean a whole lot as far as us getting into the playoffs, I try to put them out in situations where you can kind of honor them a little bit and have some fun with them,” Picketts said. “I played some guys that normally don’t play because it’s their last game. The players took it in stride and everybody got a chance to play and had a good time.”

Pitcher Barrett Vonderau talked about how it felt to play out of position at second base for the first time since middle school and what it meant to be

able to play in sophomore day.

“I was out there and I looked lost but I battled through and batted second highest on the team,” said Vonderau. “Overall it was a fun environment, a lot of us worked hard for two years, grinded it out and It's been a long season, but we stuck through it,

tried our best and it kind of a rewarding type feel to it and it was fun. This is baseball.”

Vonderau alluded to the emotion behind playing his final game for the Brahmas.

“It was kind of emotional. I'm going to miss this coach and the bonds we made here as

a team and knowing this is the last time we'll play on the same field with this group of guys,” Vonderau said. “And it's kind of sad, but at the same time we know we're all moving onto a better place and we're going to continue our baseball career.”

Johnathan Kennedy a

“All the sophomores basically got to play today in no matter what their position was, if they were a pitcher they were going to hit today,” said Kennedy. “It was definitely a fun and everyone was a relaxed instead of, locked in like a regular season or playoff game.”

Kennedy was also pleased with how pierce has helped him grow and is now excited for the future.

“It's definitely great because I got a lot better here and I progressed here and it's just another step in the right direction,” said Kennedy.

For pitcher Johnathan Lavallee, sophomore day was about having fun and letting lose for the last time with his teammates more than it was about competing at the highest possible level.

“I didn't really care what happened that much, I just thought to myself that I'm just going to swing no matter what,”said Lavallee. “And I was able to hit a home run so that was funny.”

United States Attorney Nick Hanna said Domingo’s plan was fortunately unsuccessful, according to the press release from the United States Attorney’s Office.

“This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties,” Hanna said. “Protecting Americans from terror attacks is the number one priority of the Justice Department, and anyone who plots to use a weapon of mass destruction will be held to account.”

Domingo considered targeting Jewish communities, churches, and police officers, as well as doing a drive-by shooting with a modified AK-47-style rifle he owned, but ultimately decided to detonate an IED at a suspected white nationalist rally at Bluff Park in Long Beach.

The affidavit states Domingo purchased several hundred nails to be used as shrapnel inside the IED last week.

“Domingo said he specifically bought three-inch nails because they would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs,” according to the affidavit.

Photo courtesy of District Attorney's Office

File Photo by Randi Love / Roundup Moriah Van Norman poses near a field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Monday, Sept. 12, 2017. Van Norman is the new athletic director.

Blake Williams / Roundup Jackson Briscoe (22) and more teammates embrace Johnathan Lavallee (32) as he comes off the field in his final game for the Brahmas at Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 26, 2019.

From the desk of the Roundup: Editorial

Walk through Pierce with a 360 virtual tour Finding faculty with ease; a physical directory

With only a few weeks left in the semester, routine schedules are ending and the stress of searching for new classes begins.

Navigating campus should be the least of a student’s worries.

Pierce’s Library / Learning

Crossroads not only has a general layout of the floor, it also has a slideshow and video tour explaining many things, from where certain shelfs or desks are to what students can do or find in the library.

However, nothing of the sort can be found for the college.

While a map of the campus and Village area shows where each building is, there is not an accurate visual representation of what Pierce actually looks like.

Pierce College should create an online 360-degree virtual tour of the campus. Whether a student is at home a week before the semester begins or they’re walking to class, with the swipe of a finger, returning or new students would be able to visit the Center for Sciences building or walk down the Mall through their screens.

With a site such as YouVisit, which has more than 600 virtual tours of different colleges, students from any state could view campuses including California State University, Northridge, University of California, Los Angeles or even Harvard University.

Having this tour would help with increasing enrollment because students looking for colleges need to not only have the best degree programs and professors but also an attractive campus. According to YouVisit’s site, students who are planning to enroll at a college are looking for more than simply an application.“A recent study deep dived into how digital engagement

influences the way high school seniors choose a college. About 76 percent of high school seniors said they have watched a video on a college website and 55 percent said they want to see videos that portrayed the sounds, sights and environment

prices vary based on how extensive a tour the school desires.”

Although not as elaborate, having updated pictures of the buildings on campus in a slideshow like the library currently has would be a helpful alternative for new and

Adirectory gives you information to help guide you when your lost or have questions.

Pierce College should offer a physical directory in every faculty department that includes

Some professors do not have available information to help look for them. The emails provided can be incorrect at times.

This can make it difficult for students to find a professor when they need to the most. The

A student will be able to better navigate who the professor is and what they teach and in which buildings they are located. This can also be beneficial for students on their first day of class in case they forget the professors room number they can run to a directory, which will also have a photo of them making it easier for them to find their class and put a face to the name.

The directories should also be made available at Student Services with each counselor’s name and email along with convenient times to reach them.

This can also be beneficial to incoming students who need help with navigating through campus.

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-CorrectionsVolume 130, Issue 9:

Front:

Angelica Lopez's first name was spelled incorrectly.

of the campus.”

Pierce can work with sites CampusTours.com or YouVisit to create these interactive tours.

According to a Forbes article on the virtual tours, the price to have a virtual tour done isn’t that high.“Developing a YouVisit tour can run schools as little as $3,000, though

returning students.

The virtual tour could be found in the same place as the map and phone directory tab is and have a link to YouVisit where all the other campus virtual tours are as well.

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the professors photograph, class schedules, email address, phone number and office hours.

Students are able to look up a professor on the people search on the Pierce College website. Yet, relying on technology is not always a good thing, sometimes the pages are not up to date.

Pierce website almost always has maintenance issues, which brings this systems down.

The physical directory should be placed outside of faculty offices in a glass container.

This can help a student out that may not know how to navigate the Pierce website.

Should Pierce introduce a Culinary Arts program?

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

Pro: Pick up the spatula Con: Stay out of the kitchen

GINA WONG Reporter @ginabwong99

As humans, we need food to survive, and cooking our own meals is one way for college students to save money and control their diets.

Pierce College should offer cooking classes because it can attract students who have aspirations to become a chef and can act as a possible solution to the food security issue that the school is facing.

According to nationalschools. com, “Learning how to cook is fun, but it can lead to the beginning of a thriving career because the courses are a career prep for students looking to make their mark in the culinary arts.”

Pierce adding a culinary arts program to its offered majors can be easily implemented either as a new major or through the Pierce Extension Program.

Furthermore, Pierce is missing out because other local schools have cooking classes already in place. These schools are Glendale Community College, Pasadena City College, and Los Angeles City College.

Plus, the demand for professional chefs is expected to grow 10 percent by 2023, according to collegechoice.net.

The advantage of a community college offering cooking classes and degrees in that field of study is

that it allows students to be able to further their education and life skills.

They can take general education courses while still being able to take their major classes, whereas going straight to a culinary school does not give them these opportunities.

However, not only would the addition of a culinary arts program benefit students interested in the field, but it can also benefit the everyday student if it were added to the arts section in the IGETC program.

Cooking is a life skill and learning how to cook is beneficial to everybody because it will help people save money in the long run.For instance, eating out twice a day will put a hole in your wallet, especially now that food prices keep rising.

Also, it is important to keep in mind that even though fast food is often cheaper, too much consumption of this type of food is not healthy for an individual’s well-being.

According to a study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, “People who frequently cook dinner at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less.”

Moreover, cooking allows people to consciously keep track of their food intake and diets mainly because the person who is doing the cooking is able to see what ingredients are actually being used and how much of it.

One of the outcomes for students who enroll in a cooking class is that it will help them step outside of their comfort zone. According to WebMD.com, even though the majority of people eat dinner at home, less than 60 percent of the people actually prepared the meal in their own kitchen.

This percentage can be decreased if there was a class where students can learn how to cook and prepare a meal, allowing them to feel more comfortable in a kitchen.

One of the concerns that could arise in the implementation of a cooking class is that it will have low enrollment, but this may not be the case. Now the male to female ratio in culinary schools is almost equal.

Cooking classes can benefit Pierce because the foods served at events that take place at the Great Hall are funded by the ASO. However, if a culinary arts class was offered, the advanced foods class could instead contribute by baking cookies or cupcakes. If Pierce had a culinary arts program, it can relieve the food security issue for students who feel oncampus food is expensive. They can enroll in a cooking class, learn how to cook and won’t go hungry because they will have the right knowledge.

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Joshua Manes

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Klivans

JACKSON HAYANO Reporter @RoundupNews

Cooking can be a fun and educational activity, but that doesn’t mean Pierce College should be shelling out dollars on these type of classes.

Out of the nine colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), only three of them offer courses in culinary arts.

However, very few of these classes involve actual “cooking.” Most of the classes revolve around things such as restaurant management, menu planning and catering.

Only a few classes actually involve learning how to cook. This shows that cooking classes are in low demand across the district. Why bring cooking classes to Pierce when they clearly aren’t that popular for enrollment?

Also, there is no place on campus where a cooking class could be held. In order to teach these cooking classes, the school would have to form a whole new department and designate a new space to properly apply its curriculum. Expensive appliances such as ovens, grills and stoves would have to be installed.

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Not to mention, money would have to be spent on pots, pans and other kinds of cooking utensils. Food and ingredients would also have to be bought and transported to Pierce. There would also have to be some sort of refrigeration and storage to keep foods from spoiling or rotting.

The cost for all this would simply be too much.

Aside from the funding, the possible accidents and incidents that might happen in a cooking class should also be taken into account. Students might get cut, burnt or sliced while preparing a meal.

In order to have a cooking class, Pierce would need to hire new teachers who are experienced in the field. Time and energy would have to be exhausted to create a curriculum for students to follow.

In today’s society, students follow a wide variety of diets.

Vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians are just to name a few.

Given the many different types of lifestyles, finding a specific cooking class that caters to one's preferred diet might be more difficult than it sounds. Plus, the program would have to compensate for the numerous allergies that students might have.

Pierce is having problems with enrollment as it is. Some

classes are even resorting to online advertising to get enough students to fill the empty spaces. With the low demand for cooking classes in general, chances are these courses won’t be too popular and they won’t attract many new students. According to marketwatch. com, “Student enrollment in Family and Consumer Sciences classes, often called “home economics,” has declined almost 40 percent in the last decade.” Students just aren’t interested in cooking classes.

Those who are interested in practicing cooking beyond their home can just go on YouTube and watch tutorials for free. If students want a more handson learning, they can just sign up for cooking classes at a local recreational center.

And of course, students who are really interested in professionally pursuing a career in culinary arts can just apply to a special school.

While learning how to cook is a valuable tool, it simply isn’t a viable class to offer here at Pierce. There are just too many logistics and financial costs that make having cooking classes on campus unfeasible.

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is presented only in the editorials. Cartoons and photos, unless run under the editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup. The college newspaper is published as a learning experience

under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.

Illustration by Jesse Bertel / Roundup

From passenger car to full on racecar

Auto professor doesn’t steer from challenge by using an unconventional car

NICK MARTINEZ Features Editor @NickEsai

The 2007 Ford Focus was a car made to carry a family on public roads.

But after gutting his out and rebuilding the engine for performance, Michael Van Dyke’s Ford Focus can legally only be driven on a race track.

Automotive professor Michael Van dyke did not steer away from the challenge of building a race car from one that was never meant to race, in fact he steered toward it.

“it’s an economy car, and trying to make it work as a race car is just fun,” Van Dyke said. “One of my main competitors races a nissan 350z in the last race weekend, and another one of my competitors was racing a Lotus Exige. My car’s front wheel drive and most of my competitors are rear wheel drive cars. So it’s fun for me to try to get this car to work as a front wheel drive and be competitive with these other cars that actually have a little bit more of a sports car heritage. So that’s part of the challenge that I enjoy.”

Van Dyke would then compete in the NASA (national auto sport association) professional racing series to win first place on April 5, and 6 in the ST4 class.

“We had our second race weekend this season, and throughout the year we have five weekends, and 10 races,” Van Dyke said. “I qualified first and then I won my class on Saturday and then qualify first and won my class on Sunday. So it was an awesome weekend.”

This transition into a super touring race car did not happen right away, at first Van Dyke did use it for its intended purpose.

“I originally got this car just for transportation and daily driver, but being a car guy one of your problems is you start looking at things to modify, and at the time I didn’t think much of the car but then im driving it and I said ‘Hey, they make suspension stuff for this thing, coil over kits’ and at then in time I was doing track days at the racetrack,” Van Dyke said. “So I started modifying it more and it just sort of grew as I found more aftermarket parts companies making performance parts for this car. And

then it just became a dedicated race car.”

At first Van Dyke was competing in solo time trail races where you race against the clock. After some success he wanted to take it to the next level by competing wheel to wheel against other drivers.

“I started racing time trial which the safety requirements are more lenient,” Van Dyke said. “I ended up getting second place for the season for time trial in the entire championship, and that’s really what sparked the racing bug. So I decided to build it into a, a dedicated wheel to wheel car.”

To compete in wheel to wheel racing the Focus needed to have safety specifications such as a roll cage, and a six point harness. With adding these and performance parts, Van Dyke still maintained a pretty small budget.

“By the time it’s all said and done with me doing all the work it cost about $20,000. That’s actually not a lot of money in the race car world,” Van Dyke said. “I’m racing

against guys that have spent 30, 50, $100,000 on their car in some cases.”

Van Dyke said that the beginning of the race is the most important part.

“The start is probably the most intense part, especially coming into that first turn because all the cars were all packing in and,trying to find room,” Van Dyke said. “I remember it was on Sunday and coming into the first turn, there’s cars next to me and I’m two wheels in the dirt, and Trying to get through the first turn because you don’t want to lose position and then your competitor uses that as an advantage to start creeping up on you.”

Van Dyke recalls the most extreme maneuver he had to do during a race by raising two wheels off the ground.

“This is at Buttonwillow, which is one of the tracks that we race at south by Bakersfield, and it’s a very technical track with a lot of ups and downs,” Van Dyke said. “This is Phil Hill, which is a turn that’s at the crest of a hill. And one of the things about Phil Hill, you’re coming up over the

top of this hill and you’re turning at the same time and there’s some curving on the edge of the track. So if you clip that curving, then your wheels come up off the ground.”

Van Dyke has gutted out the car by taking out all the interior to save weight, and has modified the engine for performance.

“The car was 2,600 pounds without the driver when it was stock. With me in it and the minimum weight now is 2120, so I’ve taken about 300 pounds off the car,” Van Dyke said. “This engine has been built up. It has all forged internals, 12 and a half to one compression, it has a ported flow bench head and cams, and a dry-sump oil system that makes it 265 horsepower of the crank.”

Prior to becoming a professor, Van Dyke worked at ATR, the automatic transmission rebuilders association, for 7 years where his drive to teach automotive would develop.

“I worked for a company called ATR, and I wrote magazine articles for Gears magazine, which was one of our publications and we

put together training courses for technicians working in the industry,” Van Dyke said. “That’s where I got that experience, as I started teaching there, and then I started teaching part time here, which turned into a full time position.”

Van Dyke doesn’t just use the car for racing but also as a way to promote the auto program at Pierce.

“I use this car quite a bit to promote our auto program is I’ll take this car to the local high schools, and they’ll have career days. We’ll talk about our program to get the students interested, just to bring something to catch their interest and and get them interested in automotive”

Seeing students succeed through the automotive program is one of Van Dykes favorite things about teaching.

“I like working with the kids and that’s the main thing here. We have a lot of opportunities in our industry and there are dealerships and repair shops calling us all the time,” Van Dyke said. “I think it’s one of the most satisfying things is to take one

of our students who’s come out of our program with the training hat we offer and they go out and get a job and a career and that to me is very satisfying.”

Also through racing, Van Dyke wants to set an example to other students who might be interested in autosports.

“These kids want to buy a car and mess around on the street, and then they end up getting tickets and their driving license revoked and it costs a lot of money,” Van Dyke said. “What we tell kids is go out and get a job and get a trailer and a truck. Then you can do this at the track and it’s gonna cost you less in the long run.”

Fellow automotive professor Alex Villalta believes that Van Dyke is well suited for teaching their Dyno testing class, a course where students measure and adjust cars for performance.

“Mike is the only one that’s taught that class for quite some time and it’s because he has that connection with his race car,” Villalta said. “Because the students can throw everything at him as in, ‘Do I want to put a three inch exhaust pipe versus between short drive it’s stock pipes,’ and obviously he experiences it out on the racetrack. He didn’t get a first place for nothing.”

Automotive student Bryan Flores who takes computer class with Van Dyke believes that it is great that he is involved with automotive even outside of teaching.

“He likes to gloat a little bit in class i’m not going to lie, and I do see him tuning his car on a daily basis at Pierce,” Flores said. “But It is good to know that we have a teacher here that’s not just in the classroom but also still out there in the field.”

Van Dyke concludes with some advice for students who may be interested in learning automotive.

“These kids come out of high school and they don’t know what they want to do. And if you wait until you’re in your later on in life it’s gonna get harder,” Van dyke said. “it’s a race to take advantage of that career opportunity and take advantage of it, and as soon as you can and just set those goals, and recognize when life is giving you the green flag to just take that next step.”

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Language barriers creates new path Professor shows the differences between Japanese and American Culture

JACKSON HAYANO Reporter @hayanojackson

It ironic that language was the thing that brought Japanese Professor Yoshiko Takase to Pierce College, even though it was what could have possibly prevented her from coming here in the first place.

Takase was born in Ishikawa, but grew up in Osaka. After obtaining a B.A., she worked for several years at a travel agency for Japan Airlines.

Takase said that she had always wanted to come to America and at the time Japan Airlines had an opening for a position in their Los Angeles branch, and Takase applied for the position hoping that this would be her ticket to the United States.

However, the interview didn’t go as expected and Takase didn’t get the job.

“My English was terrible. I had to do a phone interview in English, on speakerphone, in front of a bunch of executives.,” Takase said. “I couldn’t say anything.That was a sad experience. But I realized that I needed to improve my English. That meeting motivated me to come to America and study English.”

Takase took ESL courses at California State University, Northridge, and obtained an M.A. in linguistics. In 2005, she was hired at Pierce College as a Japanese language teacher. From there, Takase soon discovered the differences between Japanese and American students.

“Our education system is so different in Japan,” said Takase. “We are taught ‘Listen to your teacher, do whatever the teacher says’. It’s passive learning. You listen, take notes and believe whatever the professor says. We were not given time to discuss.”

Takase said that in Japan there is a strict hierarchy between professors and students. Japanese students rarely confront professors and it is

considered disrespectful for students to speak casually to superiors.

Although Takase does not approve of this strict formality, she has found herself surprised at how casual American students can be.

“We were doing a workbook exercise, and a question was asked ‘How many Japanese friends do you have?’,” said Takase. “One student raised his hand and said, ‘Sensei, we are friends, right?’ And asking that would be unacceptable in Japan. First of all, professor and student, there is a boundary. My Japanese mind tells me ‘Oh my god, this is unbelievable.’”

However, Takase tried to look at the question from a more American perspective.

“Initially, I was kind of upset,” Takase said. “But then I thought ‘Maybe this a compliment’, and I asked students ‘Do you think of other professors as friends?’ And half of the class said ‘Yes’. So I thought ‘Huh, students can be friends with professors.’ That was very new to me.”

One of the challenges of teaching Japanese to American students is that in Japan, there are different ways of speaking between peers and superiors. Words, phrases, and even grammar can change based on the age level or profession of the person that you’re conversing with.”

Culture also plays a large part in affecting the Japanese language and general discourse.

“Japanese culture is based on who you’re talking to,” Takase said.

“If you are talking to a professor or anyone older than you, you have to use a different dialect.”

One example of this is with the word “arigato”, which means “thank you.” In Japan, “arigato” is said to friends, and “arigato gozaimasu” is said to superiors or elders, Takase explains.

“In Japan, if you say arigato to someone older than you, they will be offended,” Takase said. “I explained to students the concept, but they don’t always use it. Sometimes, students

still say ‘arigato’ to me, and I have to correct them.”

The hierarchy between professors and students is so strict that it is considered disrespectful for students to look at professors in the eyes. As a result of this hierarchy, Japanese students are much less confrontational than American students.

“When I first started teaching, students complained about tests,” Takase said. “In Japan, when you get a test back, that’s it. You don’t go up to the professor and ask questions about it. For the first couple of years, I wasn’t used to this. [But] now I

really appreciate it.”

Takase said that students have a right to ask questions and receive feedback on grading. Unlike the professors of her homeland, Takase tries to interact with her students as much as possible and encourages them to approach her with questions.

Student Rafi Sharafyan said that he appreciates Takase’s approachability.

“She’s always talking with us and answers every question,” Sharafyan said. “She cares for us. She’s a very supportive professor.”

Takase strives to make her class interactive and enjoyable, because she believes that a welcoming

atmosphere will improve a student’s learning.

“It’s fun teaching here,” said Takase “I truly enjoy teaching at Pierce. I like [the student’s] energy because that really contributes to how I teach. I need reactions. If my audience is quiet, then my class or lecture won’t be fun.”

One of her longtime students, Connor Ferguson, said that Takase’s teaching style is fun yet educational.

“I’ve been with her four semesters,” said Ferguson. “This is my favorite class. Every day we interact with each other. She’s funny, and everyone here is having fun.”

Takase will be teaching a course next semester on Japanese civilization, which she hopes will further educate students on Japanese culture and history.

Takase has taught at five different colleges, including UCLA and USC. However, she said that Pierce holds a special place in her heart.

“Pierce is always my favorite,” Takase said. “Pierce students are very lively and I like that kind of energy.

I’m so happy to be a part of Pierce.”

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Micheal Van Dyke stands in front his race car in the garage of the automotive department at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 23, 2019. Van Dyke enters races from the Southern California chapter of the National Auto Sport Association.

Sonia Gurrola / Roundup

Yoshiko Takase, a Japanese Professor, teaches a class on April 18, 2019 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

New club takes baby steps in right

CHELSEA WESTMAN

Opinion Editor @Chelsea_Spero

Ascene that you don’t see everyday; a firefighter finger painting with a little girl and her mother, brushing and plotting droplets of the rainbow. Christine Silva is just one of many children with creative talent waiting to be unleashed, and this event that even an officer would pull over his vehicle to enjoy, was established by a developing club at Pierce College.

The Child Development Club was formed this semester, and aims to advocate learning and empowering young children.

Annabella Gomez, president of the club, organized it in the span of beginning of March to April. She said she knew a few of the members from the beginning, which helped her start the club as support.

“Even if you’re not a child development major, I think it would be ideal to join because you have the aspect of learning about people and working with people and working with children because the child development club is not only to just babysit kids,” Gomez said. “We’re growing children to be the leaders of our next generation, so that development is really important at such a young

Gomez said they grew once the club started and as soon as they started having meetings they met Denise

“I think we all clicked pretty much when we got together but I knew

Sabrina,” Gomez said. “She was one of my best friends and I knew Sebastian we knew each other since high school. We met and we all have the same goals we want to deal with children, promote children and we all just became a big family.”

The Week of the Young Child (WOYC) was the first event they hosted on campus. According to their flyer, it is “a fiveday themed celebration to spotlight early learning, young children, families, teachers and communities.”

“We put that together by a process of ASO and discussed with other members about what we should do and we brought this idea,” Gomez said.

“At first, we thought about doing an activity that was going to be here but then we decided we should bring it to Pierce College and be more interactive with students on campus and let them know we are here.”

Gomez thinks the club has been good for them. They have worked with a few children so far but mostly have been interacting with Pierce students to spread awareness.

“Our next event would be Annabelle Godwin Play Day, which is off campus,” Gomez said. “Is an event dedicated to children to bring awareness to playing and early learning. We are going to have a booth and activity and at the same time promote our club.”

Gomez recalls what the hardest thing about managing club is to her.

“It’s a bit difficult because everyone has their own time and it’s really hard to put all of us together instead of where we meet generally at

the meetings,” Gomez said. Denise Acosta fellow club member and child development major said that she always had interest in joining a club about her major, but did not have the time until this semester.

“There were some announcements during my childhood development classes about the club and I wanted to join a club last semester, but I’m not sure what happened with that,” Acosta said. “I just didn’t have any time. This semester I was like, ‘I am

children.

“I’m here on Tuesdays, like all day from 9:35 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. I have a break as soon as I get out of class, so this is a perfect way to use my time while I’m on campus too,” Acosta said.

Acosta said students in other majors often assume child development majors are just babysitters.

“It’s not just that,” Acosta said. “You help a child grow, you help them develop. Being in a child care facility, some of these kids are one-years old and they’re with us literally all day from the morning until late afternoon to pick

up. So we are basically raising them like you’re a big influence on these kids’ lives.”

Sabrina Cervantes club representative feels like child development can flow into with whatever others are doing in their academic careers.

“It doesn’t really matter what major you’re in, it’s just child development is so important. It’s just important things to know and knowing the psychology of it as well,” Sabrina Cervantes said.

Sabrina said it’s really exciting for her be a club representative and likes being engaged with the committee.

Sebastian Cervantes

club representative is the only male member, but believes it is important because it provides another psychological perspective from another gender.

“Oh, it’s pretty big advantage for me. Learning all the stuff that I have and like knowing the science of it all. It was like crazy for me, but hopefully we get more guys in the club,”

Sebastian Cervantes said.

Gomez describes the clubs plans for future events, including fundraising.

“We’re also going to grow the funds for the clubs so we can go out and do more things in mind, like our screenings. It’s not just going to be us at the Mall handing out fliers. We’re

going to hopefully engage more people,” Gomez saidThe Child Development club meets at Building 6400 Tuesdays 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. and Fridays from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Overall, Sabrina Cervantes believes everyone should know the basics of child development.

It’s just a lot of knowing the material and these are just really everyday important things if you’re going to have a kid or if you’re going to work with kids. I just think everyone should know these things,” Sabrina Cervantes said

Chelsea Westman / Roundup

(Left to right) Los Angeles Firefighter Michael Marques paints with Christine Silva as she interacts with Jasmine Guzman during Artsy Thursday on The Mall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 11, 2019.

From the cafeteria to the food truck to the Brahma Cafe, there are a variety of options to choose from such as hamburgers, burritos or even bagels. Students can save their gas money and eat reasonably-priced options without ever having to leave campus.

Photos by Nathan Chung and Christopher Torres

Copy by Angelica Lopez

Bottom Right: A still shot of a sandwich from the cafeteria at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Apr. 22, 2019.

Dayana Munoz and David Munoz have a conversation over Peets coffee and a chicken tender plate in the cafeteria at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Apr. 22, 2019.

Top Right: (Left to Right) Gerard Urgelles, cashier, gives Natsumon Thipakajiranan her change after purchasing food at the Brahma Cafe in Pierce College at Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 30, 2019.

Photo by Chris Torres.

Bottom: Ted Sausa pays for a burrito from the Sonia Torres’ food truck at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Mar. 20,

Brahmas’ Blowout Win

Everything was clicking for the Brahmas as they picked up their final victory of the season, on April 25, in a blowout against West LA College. The 10-1 win brought their record to 11-26.

Johnathan Lavallee pitched seven innings and allowed one run on five hits. He also went 2-3 at the plate with a grand slam.

Brent Swearingen made a big contribution to the offense as he hit a three-RBI triple and scored two runs.

Following Lavallee, relievers Barrett Vonderau and Johnathan Kennedy combined to pitch two innings, while allowing only one hit, to close out the game.

Copy and Photos by Blake Williams

Bottom Left: (Left to Right) Brent Swearingen (2) and Hakeem Yatim (13) laugh at jokes from the dugout after almost dropping a pop-up hit by West LA at Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on April 25, 2019.

Johnathan Lavallee (32) throws a pitch against West LA College on Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 25, 2019.

Bottom Right: The Brahmas celebrate a win against West LA College on Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on April 25, 2019.

Left: A bat, glove, batting glove, and hat rest against the dugout fence at Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 25, 2019.

Codes gone missing

Textbooks access codes being stolen from bookstore

JACKSON HAYANO Reporter @TheRoundupNews

Shoplifting occurs just about everywhere, and Pierce is no exception to this crime.

Holly Hagan, a textbook buyer, has witnessed several thefts at the bookstore this semester indicating 10 books with missing codes so far.

“It’s been going on for years where people steal from us,” Hagan said. “The reason why it’s happening more often than in the past is we’re offered less help. There’s not as many employees in the bookstore. There’s not someone out there watching the store as it should be because we’re all trying to get our work done and we’re actually doubling up.”

Assistant Bookstore Manager Candy Van mentioned that missing codes cause great loss for the store.

“When students steal the access codes, the books are useless,” Van said. “We have a box filled with books tha we can’t sell anymore.”

There are generally two ways that theft has occurred in the store; one way involves students trying to sneak out of the store with the book and the other involves taking pictures of the access codes.

Hagan said that she’s had to chase several fleeing shoplifters in order to apprehend them.

“I have chased [shoplifters] and I catch them and I bring them back,” Hagan said. “And I usually tell them, ‘Don’t you feel stupid for being caught by a 57-year-old lady when you’re like 30 years old?’”

However, the stores alarms don’t always go off during a theft.

“If they take out the sensor and leave it on the shelf, then we really don’t know the book is missing until we do inventory,” Hagan said.

Deputy Sheriff Lazaro Sanchez said another type of theft involves taking pictures of access codes without buying the textbook.

“You know how the books are usually shrink-wrapped?

Sometimes the store will find some that have been opened and assume that someone opened the book and took pictures of the access codes,” Sanchez said.

Nevertheless, Hagan has proven to have an advantage for this method of theft avoiding people to get total access to those codes.

“When they [shoplifters] take pictures of the codes and leave them on the shelf, those are exciting days for me,” Hagan said. “I would wait like two or three days and I would let them get into their groove and then I would freeze the code. I’ll call the company and I’ll have the company freeze it [code].”

Sanchez said that sometimes employees will catch students supposedly taking pictures of these access codes. However, just because a person is caught taking pictures of a book is not a sufficient excuse to arrest them.

“Because of the fourth amendment, we can’t search through other people’s phones,” Sanchez said. “And since we

can’t search through their phones, there’s really no way for us to tell whether or not they were actually taking pictures of the access codes. Unless we have actual proof that a student was taking pictures of the access codes, we can’t arrest them.”

Sanchez said that theft involving access codes is a tough one for officers, because currently there are not any sufficient ways of collecting evidence to these crimes.

“Hopefully, with the new security cameras we can get footage of people doing this,” Sanchez said. “If the security cameras do capture a student taking pictures of an access code, then we’ll send the footage to the courts and they’ll decide whether or not a student is guilty.”

The convictions for these types of crime fall under petty theft.

Van said that the thefts are an unfortunate event at Pierce.

“I just want students to be honest,” Van said. “If they’re stealing codes, they might also be cheating in their classes.”

Jhayano.roundupnews@gmail.com

Students spend several hours at school carrying books and bags, so having lockers available for them could be a good option to alleviate the weight off their shoulders.

Currently, the bookstore has 64 empty lockers that have not been used for several years, which total to about $100,000.

Assistant Bookstore Manager Candy Van said that these lockers were installed 17 years ago where students had the chance to pay a daily rate to store their books.

After two years of installing the lockers, the lockers stopped working because of a power outage.

“When we called the company to fix them, we discovered the company went out of service,” Van said. “We called another company to fix them, but they were charging $100 per locker and we have 64 to fix.”

Van has mentioned that they don’t have the budget so they can’t afford that amount of money to repair the lockers.

The bookstore is owned by the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and Pierce College does not provide any financial support to them.

“We’re self sustained,” Van said. “ We are going to look our priorities first. I have many other projects.”

Despite the technical issues, Van kept renting the lockers to students with a reasonable price. “The lockers only work

Brahma Blotter

These incidents were reported between 4/21-4/27

with a master key now,” Van said. “Students would have to let us know they wanted a locker and open it for them.”

Van remembers that five years ago they had to close down the lockers because there was a homeless student renting eight lockers at the same time.

“We didn't want to discriminate anyone but for the campus’ safety, they told us to not rent them anymore,” Van said.

Van has had attempts to make good use of these lockers but, unfortunately, they have failed.

“We tried to work with Amazon to have a dropping box,” Van said. “But they told us we’re not big enough because we are not a four year institution.”

Holly Hagan, a textbook buyer, said that not many students used the lockers while they were in use. Hagan said the cost to fix them may not be worth it, if students do not rent the lockers.

“We probably have to have some kind of contract with them [company],” Hagan said. “ They're going to do the upkeep and then that would be a monthly expense.”

Van is planning to reopen the lockers and administer them with one master key for all lockers.

“Probably, we’re going to advertise it,” Van said. “If students need them, they can come to us and rent $30 per semester.”

Pierce College student Alondra Morales explained why she would not utilize the lockers if they became available again.

“I’m not here often enough to be using them. I could carry my stuff in my backpack,” Morales said.

slopez.roundupnews@gmail.com

With the hot California summer coming up, Pierce is looking to cool down the campus with an upgrade in air conditioning.

The Pierce College Council met this Thursday in Conference Room 2171 and discussed new air conditioning improvements, the installation of 96 cameras, and the announcement of the new chair of the Pierce College Council, Brian Gendron.

According to Paul Nieman, the Director of Plant Facilities, Pierce College has now added 700 tons of central capacity to the existing central plant.

“This is important because if for some reason one of our coolers goes down we still have the ability to cool the campus,” said Nieman. “So, it then becomes a money saving issue for us because if we need to bring in outside contractors to work to repair something and if you're working them normal hours, it costs less money.”

Along with updating the air

conditioning system, Pierce is now adding several cameras to campus to help with security measures.

Rolf Schleicher the Vice

President of Administrative Services said that the initial phase of the camera installation has begun.

“We have 96 cameras that are operational. We're trying to get to 155 cameras and in total,” Schleicher said. “It's only at phase one of probably five phases.”

Schleicher also touched on what the main purposes

4/22 6:45 p.m.

•Employee Injury

An employee was injured at the swimming pool.

4/25 2:00 p.m.

•Student injury

Two students were arguing in the Cafeteria. A report was taken.

Reported by: Sofi Matzaganian Pierce College

Sheriff’s Station

General Information: (818) 719-6450

Emergency: (818) 710 - 4311

of the cameras would be, which included campus safety.

“It allows us to get more accurate information, so we use it for a lot of intel to help us make better decisions but also debriefing or in some cases maybe in prosecution,” Schleicher said.

“It's really to make sure that our students, which is the majority of people in the campus, are well off, and to also protect the property.”

Assistant Professor of Psychology Brian Gendron was announced the new chair of the Pierce College Council on Thursday.

Gendron talked about what he wants to bring to the table as the new chair.

“I hope to facilitate really efficient meetings and to share decisions as well as making sure that we are effective and making sure every group has their voice heard and that decisions that we make for the college are accurately representing all the people that it’s actually going to effect,” Gendron said.

Photo by Nicholas Martinez/Roundup

Access codes are being stolen from new textbooks.

“We have 96 cameras that are operational. We're trying to get to 155 cameras and in total. It's only at phase one of probably five phases.” -Rolf Schleicher Vice President of Administrative Services

Photo by Nicholas Martinez/Roundup

Photo by Joshua Bleiweiss/Roundup Peeking up at one of the new security cameras being implemented at Pierce College. Library/Learning Crossroads, in Woodland Hills Calif. March 5 2019.

'In the Heights' does it right

Denim Day

Now considered a revolutionary writer, Lin Manuel Miranda, before his groundbreaking and critically acclaimed “Hamilton,” took the Broadway stage with “In the Heights.”

Though the 2005 musical won four Tonys, including for Best Musical, its story is a typical and mostly generic tale about relationships in a New York neighborhood over a three-day period. Its saving grace, the creative hip-hop poetry—and at Pierce College, a strong cast—overcome much of the Quiara Alegria Hudes’ cliched book to provide a satisfying performance.

Pierce College Theatre department presents “In the Heights” with a split cast, directed by Shaheen Vaaz. It through runs through May 5 at the Dow Arena Theatre.

The performances were memorable and the rapping portion, synonymous with Miranda’s productions, served as a highlight of the two-hour musical as a whole.

“In the Heights” takes place in a barrio of New York. Usnavi (Alex Balderas), named after his father’s miss reading of “US Navy,” is a bodega owner in his community made up of Dominican, Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage.

He fauns over Vanessa (April Lam), a hair stylist who works in the

hair salon next to his shop. Usnavi deals with life in the Barrio helping out his family figure Abuela Claudia (Christine Avila), and his little cousin Sonny. When Abuela Claudia (Avila) realizes that she is in possession of a $97,000 lotto ticket life changes for everyone living in the barrio.

At the same time Nina (Amy Solano), another resident of the barrio, comes back from Stanford to tell everyone that she had gone on a leave of absence from school from being unable to balance work and grades. Her parents Kevin and Camila (Jeremy Lee and ), who own a limo company, are shocked by the news, viewing her as the one who would

STREET

What is your favorite Marvel character? Why? Quotes

be able to escape the near poverty that the barrio is keeping everyone in.

With her return she sparks a budding romance with Benny (Trevor Alkazian), a long time worker for her father, but the two are forbidden to be together due to Kevin’s prejudice toward Benny for not coming from the same ethnic background.

As Usnavi, Balderas commands the stage when he steps out of the bodega for the first time. Able to convey the tried and true archetype of a clerk stuck in town, Balderas vocals were able to capture an essence on the stage. In greater spirit Balderas was able to create a mesmerizing flow for the raps within the musicals score.

Pierce College Theatre Department tackles a generic script with ease BEAT

“CaptainMarvelbecausesheisso empoweringandheisinfluential.”

-BrinaGalvez Sociology

“Blackpantherjustbecausetheyarenotso self-absorbed.IfeellikeeveryonelikesIron Manbutit’salwaysabouthim.”

-LilianaMejia Nursing

“Thanosismyfavoritebecausethethingheisstrivingfor isveryimportant,theeliminationofhalfthepopulation.”

-MarcoEdwards Math

"SpiderManbecausejustknowingheisateenlivinghislife, goingtoschoolandalsobeingasuperheroit'skindacrazy. It’sjusthowdoyouprocessbeingateenagerandalsobeinga superhero.”

-CynthiaHernandez RegisteredNurse

"IlikeIronManbecauseheisreallysmartandkindofa jerkbuthasagoodheart.IliketothinkIcanseemyself in Iron Man.”

-RozalynRandall Psychology

Vanessa (Lam) is another welcoming voice. From her first introduction, her singing abilities struck the auditorium. She invited the feeling of reciprocity from the plays generic telling of her character.

The cast as a whole is genuinely engrossing. Alkazian, as Benny, and Solano, as Nina, capture the glimmer of young love spectacularly. Both enjoying the flow of the stage as they shared scenes.

The most captivating parts of this play are the raps. In the opening track, named after the play, Miranda’s lyrical abilities were shown with Balderas being able to capture the intensity and subtleties that come with creating a flow that can hit beats and carry from rhyme to rhyme. The subplots of a student dropping out, a girl wanting more, a slacker looking for approval, store owners struggling to stay monetarily viable have been re-told many times. The shift of demographic did little to bring life to the actions on stage.

But this play can be viewed as a piece of Miranda’s steps toward his most recognizable musical, “Hamilton,” which perhaps Pierce will one day get to produce.

“In the Heights” will have shows Thursday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and May 5 matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets can be bought online at brownpapertickets. com or by phone: 818-719-6488.

HARLEY DAVIS & NYSHEKA HERRING Reporter @TheRoundupNews

For many, your blue jeans are just apart of your wardrobe. But on April 26, your pants can be illicit change.

Denim Day, which has become a nationally acknowledged as an anti-rape campaign, gives people a chance to stand with survivors of sexual assault and violence.

Associated Student Organization (ASO) hosted a Denim Day Clothesline Project Monday, April 22 on the Pierce Mall to support and share these stories.

Holly Hagan a mentor of the ASO brought this event to the campus back in 2004. She stated the purpose of the event was to bring awareness to victims of domestic violence or any assault on an individual.

“This event has grown since then, as it’s usually is geared towards women but its now more common for both men and women,” Hagan said. “I’m a survivor of both domestic violence and sexual assault.” Both men and women came out to the event to take pictures of shirts that represented them the most or someone close to them. Shirts were placed on the table by colors for anyone to come by and choose which color is meant for them and their stories.

“Sexual assault is still happening and so with different colors shirts are different types of sexual assault,” Allison Portillio a ASO Mentor said. “It's important for us to remember and advocate for this to make sure that this doesn’t happen."

Katya Castillo/ Roundup

The cast of the Pierce College production of "In the Heights" by Lin Manuel Miranda, rehearse at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on April 22, 2019.

Sonia Gurrola/ Roundup

Sarah Zhuk and Arleth Lopez look at the Clothesline Project on April 24, 2019 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Championship blues

Brahmas finish sixth in conference standings, 3-13 overall

SHAWN UPSHAW Reporter @RoundupNews

Men’s volleyball last season won their eighth state title in program history, their first in 15 years. However, when you have players leaving, new faces coming in and changes on the sidelines, things can get difficult.

For the Brahmas this year, their title defense didn’t go as expected as they finished the season 3-13 and 1-11 in conference play.

Daniel Grogan, libero, said that playing for Pierce has made him push himself.

“The volleyball team gives me a place to work hard. It lets me know that I’m working at something and improving,” Grogan said.

Edison Zhou took over the program during the offseason when Lance Walker decided to step down as he would become a father for a second time.

Walker led the Brahmas to the state championship beating Orange Coast College in four sets last year in Fullerton.

After three games, the team were 1-2 to start the season getting a win at Fullerton before losing to Irvine Valley College.

Grogan said the season didn’t go as planned, he said that it was a combination of a few things.

“We had high hopes for this season and we got frustrated. We definitely had leadership though; Grant [Degrasse] and I and of the others held the team together," Grogan said.

Grogan led the Brahmas in digs with 98, while Gene Kim, setter, had 40.

After the Golden West game, they would go on a nine-game losing streak only forcing a fourth set on three occassions.

Grogan has stated though that this year, there has been a much bigger effort to recruit new talent onto the team.

“A couple of big things would

be recruiting and going to offseason and non-conference games to practice. It makes a difference and gives you a better understanding of the game,” Grogan said.

Kim said that he came to Pierce and joined the team based off of the alumni who had a good experience

here.

“I think next season, we have a lot potential. We had a bare bones season this past season, so we have been recruiting heavily,” Kim said.

Kim led the team in assists with 178, while Grant DeGrasse had 84 kills.

Former Brahma goes Pro BRIEF:

FELIPE GAMINO & BLAKE

WILLIAMS

Sports Editors @fgamino13 @BlakeMWilliams_

Former Pierce College football player Xavier Ubosi has signed with the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent.

Ubosi, a wide receiver, played with the Brahmas during the 2015 season. That year, he played in seven games and caught 31 passes for 658 yards and nine touchdowns.

He graduated from Pierce in 2016 and transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he scored nine touchdowns with 1,065 total yards in his two years as a Blazer.

Athletic Director Moriah Van Norman said Pierce tries to build a program that allows players to reach their goals.

“That’s the plan, to get students where they want to go and build a foundation here,” Van Norman said. “It is great to hear that he was from Pierce and the valley.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Ubosi was a deep threat

Kim said that the team will prep for next year.

“I love to play passionately with heart. Now, we’re going to have more talent. We don’t need it, but having bodies will be enough for us.”

supshaw.roundupnews@gmail.com

Tennis swings out at Ojai Pierce reps eliminated on day one

FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor @fgamino13

The journey on the grand stage for both Christian Ponce and Daniel Vinterfeld came to an end on day one of The Ojai Tennis Tournament.

Christian Ponce and Daniel Vintereld advanced in the doubles competition, beating Reedley College’s James Garcia and Joel Reimer 6-4 and 6-1.

They were eliminated in the Round of 64 by Riverside’s Miles Clark and Gleb Mityurin in two sets by a score of 6-2.

Head Coach Long Dao evaluated the performance of his players in the first game of the doubles tournament.

“It was a good win in the first round even though it was a shaky start they got their footing right and it went pretty smooth from there,” Dao said.

Dao said that in the second game against Riverside, they were tough opponents because they were the number five seed.

“We had some really good chances against them, but we didn’t execute the game plan and it was a tough

loss,” Dao said.

This was Vinterfeld’s second year competing in the tournament. Last year he was eliminated in the first round of doubles when he teamed up with Siraj Dail.

Dao said it was great for him to be back, as his experience was going to help Ponce, who was debuting in this tournament.

Vinterfeld said they played pretty well in the first round and said it wasn’t considered an improvement in comparison to last year when he played with Dail.

“It was my last game as a community college player and it was fun,” Vinterfeld said. “I don’t see it as an improvement for me.”

Ponce debuted in The Ojai losing in the first round of singles against College of the Desert's Sebastian Gomez by scores of 6-2 and 6-1.

Ponce said that it was a learning experience for him.

"I didn't play well, but winning in the first round of doubles really helped my confidence. I will learn a lot from playing at Ojai this year and will be back stronger next," Ponce said.

fgamino.roundupnews@gmail.com

for the Blazers. On passes that went 20-plus yards in the air, Ubosi had 12 catches for 546 yards (45.5 yards per catch average) and seven touchdowns.

As an undrafted free agent, he has an uphill battle to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster. If he doesn't make the opening roster, Ubosi could land on the practice squad or sign with another team.

The Patriots begin their title defense against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 8 as part of Sunday Night Football on NBC. fgamino.roundupnews@gmail.com bwilliams.roundupnews@gmail.com

Blake Williams/ Roundup

Kristian Pagalidis (26) is thrown out trying to steal a base against Bakersfield City College at Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 26, 2019. Pagalidis was used as a pinch runner and then took over at catcher in the Brahmas 8-1 loss on their sophomore day.

Christopher Torres/ Roundup

The volleyball team celebrates after scoring a point in the third set of a game against the Moorpark College Raiders in Ken Stanley Court at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 12, 2019.

For sports updates, follow us on Twitter (@RoundupSports) and Instagram (@PierceSports).

Christopher Torres/ Roundup

Christian Ponce, singles one, walks to pick up a tennis ball in the Xanthos Tennis Courts at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 22, 2019.

On the mound and in the batter's box

One two-way player is seeing his dream become a reality

GINA WONG Reporter @ginabwong99

Stepping onto the mound at Dodger Stadium, Johnathan Lavallee looked up into rows of empty seats, and at that moment, he could see his dreams becoming a reality.

He pitched at the Stadium when Brahmas’ head coach Bill Picketts’ friend, who is a scout for the Dodgers, needed some players to test out a new machine that registers how fast the ball is being thrown and hit.

“When I was on that mound, it was a different feeling than I have ever felt before,” Lavallee said. “At that moment I was like this is where I belong, this is where I need to be.”

Lavallee is moving closer to returning to the historic ballpark as he is currently the ace of the Brahmas pitching staff and one of their best offensive players.

Picketts said Lavallee getting that opportunity was a neat experience for him even though there was nobody in the stands because it gave him a different outlook.

“It’s something that the players dream about and if they never have that experience, it is tough to realize it and make it happen,” Picketts said.

Lavallee said the experience of pitching and the looking up at the size of the stadium was intimidating.

“You are on the mound looking up, but looking at all the seats you could literally see it curve in when

[From Baseball pg.1]

Lavallee said he is going to miss many of the guys on the team and the coaching staff because it was one the best he has ever had.

“I’m just really thankful for them because they helped get me to where I am today,” Lavallee said.

“Virgil [Hill] over the summer had me on a workout plan and is the one who got me stronger and more in shape coming into this season.

Picketts helped me by just giving me the opportunity to show my skills and that opportunity is all I could ask for from a head coach.”

Diego Harris said he is grateful to have gone through two years of Pierce and is honestly happy to have improved as a player.

“I’m definitely going to miss

you know it doesn’t curve in,” Lavallee said.

Lavallee’s love for baseball was sparked by watching others play it.

“Watching my brothers play and seeing them succeed to then watching the highest level of play and wanting to get to that highest level,” Lavallee said.

Lavallee is a two-way player on the team, however, he cannot say that he likes either one more, as long as he

the team and being able to see everyone get better and progress as the season went on,” Harris said.

“Now that it’s over I think I have grown a lot. I’ve definitely gained an understanding and developed a deeper love of baseball which I didn’t have before.”

Sean Moller said he appreciated and enjoyed the difficulties of playing in junior college because of both his teammates and the coaches.

“I was new coming down into this area and didn’t know anyone, but the team welcomed me with wide open arms,” Moller said.

“Starting in the fall we would get to practice an hour or two early and get our work in. The coaches would come in on the weekends to practice hitting with me and really

is in the game.

“I see myself more as a pitcher going farther into the future,” Lavallee said. “It’s basically the same. I have the same amount of fun pitching as I do hitting.”

Picketts said that Lavallee has been awesome with his skills because it is a hard thing to do.

“He might be one of the better pitchers in the conference with his numbers,” Picketts said.

made themselves available outside the dedicated practice time to help me get better.”

For Kristian Pagalidis the freshman catcher, sophomore day was a great way to say farewell to what he described as the leaders of the team.

“I'm gonna miss the sophomores they're a big part of this team and are just great leaders out here,” Pagalidis said . “It's going to be different next year.”

As far as what sophmore day meant to him and his teammates, Lavallee described it as one last time of being on the field together.

“For the whole team, it was kind of like one last hurrah.”

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Brahmas Scoreboard

important for him to visualize the game and meditate.

“It helps me stay calm and focused on what I can control because I hate not knowing of something I can control,” Lavallee said. “So the meditation helps me stay in the moment, stay with what I can control.”

Lavallee said his mental game has been his weakest part of his game but he is taking steps to improve it with the help from his teammates.

“I knew that I would have some big role to play whether it be a starter, a leader or a producing guy,” Lavallee said. “So developing that mental game really helps me focus on what

would go to.

“My main focus is just a school that I would be great in and that I will get playing time,” Lavallee said. “I can go to Vanderbilt and have 10 innings or I can go to CSUN and get 60 to 80.”

He cares more about getting on the field so he can continue to improve.

“This is how you are going to progress rather than just sitting on the bench wearing the uniform,” Lavallee said. His off-field hobbies include anything that is done outdoors, such as swimming and hiking.

When he’s not doing something

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Blake Williams / Roundup

Johnathan Lavallee (32) throws a pitch against Los Angeles Mission College at Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on April 12, 2019. Lavallee pitched seven innings, struck out eight and allowed one earned run. At the plate, he went 3-4 with two runs scored and a sacrifice fly, but the Brahmas lost 8-7 in eleven innings.