Volume 130 Spring 2019 Roundup Issue 5

Forum for none

There's no disguising true love

'Twelfth Night' brings a Cuban twist to a classic

SHALEAH GREEN Reporter @ShaleahGreen21

The works of Shakespeare are considered timeless and universally adaptable. They even travel well, all the way down to the islands.

"Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare is a classic romantic comedy, directed by Esdras Toussaint. It is the traditional Shakespearean script with a 1950’s Cuban twist.

"Twelfth Night" will take the audience to a world of new places, through passionate love triangles, and an adventure that leaves you wanting more. Performances begin Friday, March 22 and run through Sunday, March 31 in the DOW Arena Theatre.

"Twelfth Night" follows the story of Viola, a woman who washes ashore with a lost memory. She is forced to disguise herself as a man in order to get work. Viola is hired as a servant for Duke Orsino, but is faced with a bigger problem than her own identity. She has fallen in love with the Duke. Viola must decide whether to reveal her true identity and her profound love or stay silent while the love of her life falls for someone else.

Director Esdras Toussaint said by taking a shakespearean play and changing the setting and timeframe to the 1940’s to 50’s Cuba, it has allowed the Performing Arts Department to bring a new perspective to this traditionally European production.

“Shakespeare is often so very structured, so when I got this play, I thought Island, tropical climate, Cuba. I wanted to bring a bit of craziness to this production,” Toussaint said. “Some of the culture and clubs scenes from the 1940’s- 50’s have been incorporated in the play as well.”

With this production being set in Cuba, the Performing Arts Department was able to select all of its cast and part of its crew from the

student body on campus.

"I knew that if I placed the setting in Cuba than it would open the casting call to every ethnicity. I knew with that in mind, I was able to cast any student at Pierce College, who were worthy of the role.”

Michael Sande, the Theater Manager at Pierce College, explains the new dynamic of having a large

student-only cast and what it has taken the cast and crew to do for rehearsal to run with seamlessly.

“Everyone has to be on top of their game. The students have to know that it's time to get serious, even though this play is a comedy,” Sande said.

Angel Villalobos, who plays Duke Orsino, anticipates the audience will find a new appreciation for the growth

that each character goes through from start to finish.

“The scenes that the Duke of Orsino and Ceasrio are talking about men and love, reveal the Duke’s most vulnerable side. That is something new and strange for his character,” Villalobos said. “Those scenes are really emotionally driven, and the ones that I’m excited for the audience

to see the most."

"Twelfth Night" opens Friday at 8 p.m. at the Dow Arena Theatre, with other showings on March 23, 29, and 30 at 8 p.m. and March 24 and 31 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at www. brownpapertickets.com

Transparency is our friend. It is only a foe to those who try to fight against it.

The hiring committee voted in closed session against a public forum for the Pierce president search.

A public institution, such as a community college, should inform its populace, instead of choosing to keep them in the dark.

The salary of the position is paid by the public, therefore they have a right to know who is running to represent a community college. The faculty, staff and students should be looked to for approval and should have the peace of mind of knowing whoever is chosen is someone they can confidently support.

A forum allows candidates to introduce themselves – providing a platform for public discourse, ensuring the community has a chance to ask questions.

What’s the harm in transparency?

A forum would highlight one’s strengths and could showcase their weaknesses – all of which would help to reach an informed choice.

This sentiment is underscored by the thoughts of a faculty member, who was a former union representative.

“The public forum gives a perspective on the candidates. This creates a true democratic process where we have a community judging who is the best fit,” said Fernando Oleas, a professor of modern languages and Spanish. “You hear their vision, their professionalism and their capacity to speak in public.”

If decisions are made behind closed doors, how can anyone trust that the head of the college will work with us, have an open ear and lead with our best interest in mind?

This is not a decision to be made lightly. Without transparency, the future may be in hands of someone whose values and goals are unknown. nmiranda.roundupnews@gmail.com

The anual migration of butterflies make an appearance on campus as they fly north

a big rain, then we really get these explosions of plants which then, in turn, is the food for the butterflies,” DeVaney said. “I’ve heard estimates and the estimates range from millions to close to a billion of these butterflies.”

unusual flight speed.

“They are a little smaller than the monarch butterfly and they're pretty fast flyers. They can fly about 20 miles an hour,” DeVaney said.

DeVaney explained that the butterfly migration may have already reached its peak.

Winter rain not only brought an abundance of flowers, but also a kaleidoscope of fluttering wings in a colorful flight show.

Painted ladies, otherwise known as the Cosmopolitan in North America, migrate annually from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest. While this migration happens every year, people are noticing it more than usual because of the abnormally large number of butterflies that there have been this year.

According to Biology Professor Shannon DeVaney, the butterfly migration is a natural response to the unusually large amount of rain the west coast received this season.

“We see these sorts of things after we’ve had some drought and then

These little insects are making a big commotion on campus, getting noticed by not only students but administration as well.

“The number of painted ladies has grown exponentially due to the heavy rain and the booming growth of herbaceous plants like cheese weed and hollyhock,” Buckley said. “I thought it was a beautiful respite from everyday life.”

These butterflies, while tiny, can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. During their migration they can cover about 100 miles per day, according to an article by ThoughtCo.

And DeVaney said this particular breed of butterfly seen all over Los Angeles can be recognized by their

“It seems to be sort of waning now,” DeVaney said. “I'm personally seeing a little bit fewer of them now. It's been at least a week that I've been seeing these large numbers, but it might be sort of slowing down.”

While Buckley lived in the Northern California Sierra Mountains, he recalls witnessing the migration.

“They start here and fly up there slowly and that’s a couple hundred miles away from here, but there are just so many of them,” Buckley said. “I will say that they are bigger by the time they get up there. So even as they’re flying, they’re growing.”

Katya Castillo/ Roundup

A painted lady butterfly rests on a tree in the botanical garden at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on March

2019. Each year, these butterflies migrate through Southern California in the spring.

Katya Castillo / Roundup

Alexa Maris Mcgannis (left) plays Countess Olivia of Illyria in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" dress rehearsal at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on March

Angel Villalobos (right) plays Duke Orsino, who falls into a love triangle with Olivia and Viola (played by Michelle Johnson) when a conundrum ensues.

From the desk of the Roundup: Editorial

-CorrectionsVolume 130, Issue 4:

Opnions 2:

Melissa Di Tommaso’s name was spelled incorrectly.

George Apikyan was listed as a Campus Life editor. Apikyan is a reporter.

Campus Life 5:

Reporter Jackson Hayano's twitter handle was spelled incorrectly. The correct account is @hayanojackson.

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

T

here is much in the way of academic activities at Pierce College, ranging from the theater performances to the numerous sporting events that happen weekly. If students want to blow off some steam quickly on campus between classes, Pierce is lacking a proper outlet.This problem can be amended with the introduction of a few arcade cabinets that will not only allow students to de-stress in a short amount of time, but also rake in a profit for the campus as well.

The idea of installing arcade machines and other gaming devices in buildings other than dedicated arcades to make an extra profit is not new, and has been used by movie theaters and bars for years.

However, college campuses across LACCD have also started to adopt these machines and place them on school grounds, such as Los Angeles Mission College, which offers classics including Marvel vs Capcom 2 and numerous Neo-Geo games like Metal Slug.

Aside from normal coinoperating machines, Mission also carries pin-ball machines and other recreational platforms on its campus.

California State University, Northridge has set up a dedicated game room. Instead of students paying with quarters to play singular arcade units, a “$3/hour per person” fee is charged to students using the campus’ consoles. The CSUN website states that the room

itself is for those who “Need affordable entertainment.”

Besides entertainment, these centers may also be beneficial to the students’ mental health. According to a study on violent video games done by Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson, an associate professor at Texas A&M International University, “games reduce depression and hostile feelings in players

Illustration by Melissa Di Tommaso / Roundup

through mood management,” Ferguson explained. The idea of introducing these retro gaming machines can initially create new jobs for student workers, providing a way for an increase in financial assistance. Pierce is absent of these sorts entertainment centers, even though there is a potential profit to be made from making

a dedicated recreational gaming room with a usage fee, or putting up a few arcade machines in highly populated areas such as the cafeteria or the Student Store.

Of the proposed plans, the former might take the most preparation to get set up but make up the expendatcher back faster. Consoles, especially ones that have been previously

Should Pierce have a men's soccer team?

used, only cost a few hundred dollars on online retailers such as Amazon or Ebay, with games generally costing anywhere between 15 to 60 dollars depending on numerous factors such as use, age and condition.

A possible solution might be installing small change machines so students can convert dollars to coins at their leisure,

Setting up a few PS4s and/or Xbox Ones in a singular room would generally be inexpensive as opposed to acquiring an arcade machine, but similar methods as CSUN would need to be put into place to get a profit from their usage.

This setup also requires for there to be a singular room that could be fitted into a recreational center for students to use frequently. If not, then this setup would be slightly more difficult to maintain than setting up a few arcade machines like Mission.

By implementing entertainment centers like these, the money acquired can go to funding a wide variety of college related materials, such as campus events, infrastructure and other projects.

While setting up arcade machines or a recreational room might seem arduous at first glance, there is definitely some profit to be made in that field, as well as offering students an outlet for their frustrations, making the venture a win-win for both students and faculty.

Pro: A goal kicked in the right direction Con: Equalizing the department

Pierce College should have a men’s soccer team because it can help students feel more engaged in school and it opens the door to receiving scholarships to big universities.

Most people can remember a time when they were a young child playing soccer with other children at the local park or playing with other classmates during a gym class.

Playing soccer with a school team or for recreational purposes can make people feel as if they are a part of a community.

According to a report from True Sport, they state that people who play sports have higher levels of social support.

Team sports help people build up their communication skills through locker room pep talks before games as words of encouragement are spoken directly towards all the players.

When a time out is called players would discuss the next gameplay strategies going into the next 45 minutes of the game. This even includes the act of non-verbal cues during game time as the players are constantly making eye-contact with each other out on the field during that split second of time trying to determine who to kick the ball to.

Another advantage that

students have in being a part of a team sport is the support they can receive from teammates who may be older or younger and can gain advice on how to balance their love of soccer and academics while forming new friendships.

Moreover, according to The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), their research shows that 15 percent of Division 1 student-athletes are first-generation college students.

This is important because twoyear colleges can be one way for student-athletes who are looking to transfer to a university on a scholarship continue to play the sport they love and still obtain a good education.

In addition, Pierce has been successful with their women’s soccer team as the lady Brahmas hold an impressive 11 Conference Championships since the team began back in 2011, according to the online women’s soccer homepage on the Pierce website.

It also states that due to the success of women’s soccer at Pierce that the school has become a place where students can develop their skills while still continuing and achieving their academic goals.

On the other hand, students engaging themselves in a team sport helps them stay focused on making sure they are passing their classes.

In other words, schools

usually require students to maintain a middle of the road grade point average to continue participating in sports.

Thus, many students begin to take their classes more seriously in fear of getting kicked off the team for poor academic standing.

On the bright side, if Pierce added men’s soccer to their athletic department it will attract the current students who have played soccer back at their high school to enroll at Pierce.

This is because some people who are dedicated soccer players will seek out schools that have a soccer team and decide to enroll in that school just so they can continue to play soccer and attend school concurrently.

Furthermore, Pierce is doing a huge disservice to its athletic department by not having a men’s soccer team because even though they offer kinesiology 289 which is a soccer skills class where students are able to practice their skills as both men and women are enrolled. However, in the end, the men who are passionate about soccer are unable to actually compete against other colleges on a team.

If Pierce introduced a men’s soccer team it will increase their athletic standings against other community colleges and would enhance their athletic department in terms of bringing in more students.

gwong.roundupnews@gmail.com

BELEN HERNANDEZ Campus Life Editor @b3l3nh3rnand3z

also mean that uniforms and equipment is needed and must be and renewed every few years.

This can cause students to fall behind in their school work and lower their grades. It can also result in them getting kicked off the team. This may cause higher expenses in travel and transportation.

This act takes everyone into consideration.

Photographers:

It is important to note that a sport can not just start because someone wants it to, one must consider the long term effects of the sport that is being introduced, the expense one puts into it and the basis for equality at an institution.

Soccer may be a popular sport outside of an institution, but there is no certainty that it is within Pierce. Sure, there could be students who may enter the first or second year, but one needs to see the bigger picture.

How many students actually want a men’s soccer team? There needs to be a guarantee that students will sign up for the team as new students start to attend.

Pierce would have to make sure there are neighboring colleges that have the same sport they can play against in order to create a schedule.

If there is no sports nearby that means that the team would have look for non-local teams to go against. This could cause students to miss classes due to traveling time. This would

*

In 1972, there was a law enforced called Title IX, which according to the NCAA, says that Title IX of the Education Amendment act says, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

This means that any private or public institution that offers athletics must give both men and women an equal opportunity to have a sport. Although this does not necessarily mean they must introduce the same sport, it does mean they must have the equal amount of sports.

The standards for Title IX's regulation is based off of three main components: "student interests and abilities; athletic benefits and opportunities; and financial assistance."

This act is beneficial because it “requires educational institutions to maintain policies, practices and programs that do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of gender.”

Yet, this can also hurt Pierce because that would mean they would have to look into adding a new women’s sport on top of the men’s soccer team. Los Angeles Mission College, East Los Angeles College and Los Angeles Harbor College are the only three out of nine colleges in LACCD that currently have a men's soccer team.

According to NCAA’s frequently asked questions on Title IX, “In 1994, the U.S. Congress passed the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, which requires all colleges and universities to report each year on athletics participation numbers, scholarships, program budgets and expenditures, and coaching salaries by gender.” This again would bring the issue of how many people would sign up for the women’s sport, will there be enough funding for it and will there be any colleges that play the same sport that they can play against. They also have to spend money on uniforms and equipment depending on what sport is chosen as well.

This could stunt Pierce’s athletics department in the long run because they have had to cancel sports in the past due to a low number of enrollment.

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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

Pierce College should not introduce a men’s soccer team because it can take a toll on the sports department when it comes to introducing a new sport.

CSULA Reversal Looking at Pierce from all angles

JUSTIN MIRANDA Reporter @TheRoundupNews

Woodland Hills, California and Woodland Hills, Utah are 659 miles away from each other but would both be considered out of the area if California State University Los Angeles (CSULA) changed its definition of local.

CSULA had announced Pierce College would no longer be given local status, but the decision was reversed March 13 by the president of CSULA.

Local preference is given to LACCD campuses, Pasadena City College, Rio Hondo College and Santa Monica College.

The minimum admission grade point average for local area applicants from schools inside California State University Los Angeles local admission area is a 2.0 GPA. If the local status was removed for applicants, then the minimum admission GPA would be a 3.5 GPA.

According to the Director of Transfer Center Sunday Salter, CSULA has reached some level of impaction causing stricter requirements.

“The reason Cal State LA is making that change is because they are overly enrolled with too many students. So they have to decrease their number of students so they decided to make Pierce, Valley, Mission and Harbor non local schools,” Sunday said.

Slater stated that the influx of students trying to attend Cal States are causing the universities to become more strict in the selection process.

“They have more applicants than they have spots available,” Salter said. “That’s when they have to start using stricter requirements for admissions.”

Sunday said CSULA had public forums so people may voice their concern. They also had an online posting where anyone can post their commentary.

“Everyone got upset and everyone complained,” Salter said. “People spoke up and said it was just not fair. ‘We are your local students. Don’t remove us from your local area.’”

Nazneen Yousuf who recently was admitted to CSUN was surprised by the local status decision.

“I think it’s not a good idea,” Nazneen Yousuf, a student, said. “Everybody should have a chance.”

Flora Umer, a student, did not support removing the local status.

“They should never define people by the numbers or the GPA,” Umer said.

According to Salter, the president and other members of CSULA were making the decisions on whether to keep the local status for Pierce and other local colleges.

“It was decided to get off the plan completely, so nothing’s changed,” Salter said. “They decided to take us out and put us back in.”

Salter said that she was upset that CSULA was doing this to Pierce.

“I wanted us to be local,” Salter said. “Cal State LA has some amazing programs and if they’re making it more of a challenge for our students to get in, I’m going to fight for our students.”

According to Salter, since the local status decision was reversed, CSULA will be having more impacted majors.

“If you’re applying to one of those majors, you’re still going to need a higher GPA and have more of your major prepped up,” Salter said.

Salter said students looking to transfer should come up with a plan early on in their academic career.

“Wherever you're transferring you need to get those major classes done as early as possible and work as hard as you can to get those grades up because that’s what’s going to make a difference for you,” Salter said.

Salter stated that it is crucial all students spend time with a counselor to better prepare them for there future educational endeavours.

“It’s so important to decide early on where you want to apply to, sit down with a counselor and come up with a plan.”

Added surveillance aims to keep campus safer but spawns fear

Pierce College will be installing new security cameras on campus to ensure their students are safe during and after campus hours.

Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher said that for the most part Pierce College is safe, but they want to take the proper precautions to maintain student safety and school property.

“Pierce is a preventively safe college, particularly compared to the rest of LA. But we still want to make sure we're safe guarding our property and our students in here very effectively,” Scheicher said.

Communications manager at BuildLACCD, Maricela Gomez said that the security cameras will be installed around campus.

“The Physical Security and Hardware project includes the installation of video cameras in the interior and exterior of buildings campus-wide,” Gomez said.

Schleicher said they it took them five years to decide to install the cameras because when they first started the project was meant to be an analytics system.

“It was a very expensive $7 million project. It kind of blew up to that level because the district felt that predictive measures, which is what those analytics systems allow use a lot of artificial intelligence to kind of position the cameras in most effectively address a threat,” Schleicher said.

Schleicher said that some people do not feel comfortable enough to have cameras around Pierce, but the majority like the idea having them around.

“We’re making sure that the folks on the campus are comfortable with the system we're putting in and we can't satisfy

everyone. But I think we have a pretty good blend here where 156 with angle points that aren't looking at classrooms,” Schleicher said. Schleicher said that the cameras are easily visible.

“Our cameras are prominent so if students ever see cameras that look suspicious they should let the sheriff know because in this environment, we haven't had this at Pierce, but I've heard like in local restaurants and stuff, you're finding more and more people that are putting cameras and doing things they shouldn't do,” Schleicher said.

Schleicher said this will be beneficial for students because everyone will be altered faster.

“It's going to make us respond faster. It's going to make us more accurate,” Schleicher said. “How we respond, not just like we know we're addressing, but it also won't incriminate people

that had nothing to do with it.”

Director of Facilities Paul Nieman said they have other ideas to further ensure Pierce faculty, staff and student’s safety.

“One of the things that is critical is to be able to lock the doors to our classrooms from the inside,” Nieman said. “This has already been implemented in the north Mall buildings, both phase one and phase two. Phase two they have these levers on the inside and very easily within a second the doors locked.”

Nieman said that they have also used radios for security purposes.

“We did a very simple thing. We gave the sheriff one of our radios. They don't carry it, but they have it in their office and if we see something I can go right to their channel and talk to them directly,” Nieman said.

There is currently 96 cameras installed and working. Schleicher

Rundown Brahma Blotter

These incidents were reported between March. 3/10-3/16

Reported by: Sofi Matzaganian

3/11 10:21 a.m.

• Student Ill

Student felt ill during class in the North Gym.

3/13 Noon

•Student Incident

Financial aid may no longer simply mean money for tuition if senate bill 291 is passed.

The bill, which is still being discussed in the state legislature, could be used for other expenses while earning a degree, such as books, supplies, transportation, room and board. California has led the state with innovative programs, including the California College Promise Grant, which waives tutions for an estimate of 50 percent of students.

Pierce College student Alexis Rodriguez had not heard of the bill.

“When I go to the financial office they don’t give any recommendations as to what is being offered to us in the near future,” said Alexis Rodriguez.

“It would be a great option because I for sure need help since I don’t have family support at all,” said Rodriguez.

The net cost of attending a California Community College

is higher than that of UCs and CSUs after factoring for financial aid, according to The Institute for College Access and Success Financial Aid Director

Anafe Robinson said students attending UCs and CSUs have their own funding.

“When student go to other institutions as far as UC and

said he is hopeful that the 156 cameras will be installed next month.

Gomez said the project should be finished by the end of spring.

“The project started in June of 2018 and is on track to be completed by the end of the spring 2019 semester,” Gomez said.

Interim President of Pierce College Larry Buckley said some staff are concerned cameras will be used to monitor them.

“There is some concern by faculty and staff, more staff than faculty, that these cameras might be used for purposes of evaluation, that we’re focusing them on somebody's desk and seeing if they're there doing their work all day.” Buckley said.

“The replacement of old cameras is a no brainer,” Buckley said.

bhernandez.roundupnews@gmail.com

students paid

top of financial aid,” Robinson said.

“The numbers are not accurate just yet so the SB 291 is still in progress as to what the final amount may be for the expansion to financial aid,” Robinson said.

Senator Connie Leyva and co-authors introduced the bill in February. If enacted, the bill will become a key component of a comprehensive California College Promise.

Pierce College student Jessica Maldrona said the bill would help many students.

“It would not only boost the graduation rate but also the enrollment, and maybe decrease homeless as well,” Maldrona said.

A student was arguing with an instructor about the use of the Botanical Garden.

3/14 12:30 p.m.

•Student Incident

A student reported that she was being followed by a male student.

3/14 Unknown time

•Student Incident

A school painter reported multiple graffiti in multiple areas of the campus.

3/15 11:00 a.m.

•Petty Theft

An ENCORE student reported her adult tricycle was stolen from the bike rack while she was in class.

3/15 Noon

•Harassment

A student harassed a teacher to audit his class after they were told no.

CSU they tend to have their own funding through schools to help with cost and housing for students,” Robinson said. Robinson said the bill is specifically for community college students.

“This bill is for community college students only that may receive an additional $5,000 more on

“If they do push the bill through that would be more of big help and I can lessen my hours at work to focus more academically,” Maldrona said.

“Changes in the amount of financial aid in community college can not wait, students must also have a say as well and that may push the issue of getting it approved not just by students by the community as well,” said Anafe Robinson.

Specialized counseling: All for one and one for all

Lack of CTE counselors raises concern for several departments on campus

ALEXIS CANELO

News Editor @Alexiscanelo_

UMOJA, Program for Accelerated College Education (PACE) and Honors have dedicated counselors to keep students on the right track. However, Career and Technical Education (CTE) students are left to general counseling.

Pierce College has no CTE counselor.

Dean of Academic Affairs and Career Technical Education

Tom Vessella said the importance of specialized counselors is their knowledge of the courses and their ability to help students navigate the programs.

“I worked in an environment with specialized focus counseling previously to Pierce and it was something that I liked and thought worked really well for us and the

CTE programs,” Vessella said.

Director of Transfer Center Sunday Salter said the previous CTE counselor went beyond what was expected of traditional counseling.

“I think what was unique about that counselor is that they were doing additional things like helping with internship and job placement, which is not typically the job of a counselor,” Salter said.

These opportunities are important, because CTE students study for a specified career. Associate Professor of Auto Service Technology Alex appreciated having a CTE counselor while the position was occupied.

“In prior years we always had a designated CTE counselor that dealt with everybody from not just auto, but everyone that would overlap in industrial tech, which is Computer Numerical Control, electronics, welding, engineering and obviously automotive,” Villalta said.

Villalta believes that not having a CTE counselor affects students’ success.

“Now that the position is not there anymore, I feel that it’s going to impact our students’ success because everything starts at the bottom,” Villalta said. “Everything starts from the guidance or the pathways that are generated inside of the counselor office.”

Some of Villalta’s students have had negative experiences with regular counseling.

“We’ve seen and we’ve gotten feedback from [students that] sometimes the counselors don’t even know that we offer automotive or they may question the student,” Villalta said. Some counselors may give students misinformation, according to Villalta. In one instance, a student was directed to go to a different campus for a class offered at Pierce.

“She was directed to Los Angeles

Trade Tech to take a welding class because the counselors told them that we did not have a welding class here,” Villalta said.

Industrial Technology professor Michael Van Dyke shared similar concerns.

“Our programs are fairly complex in some areas and there’s a sequence of classes it needs. A lot of times students get steered the wrong direction, if they get a counselor who doesn’t know or doesn’t seem to care about our program,” Van Dyke said.

Interim President Larry Buckley said a CTE counselor differs from other forms of specialized counseling because they do not work with singular cohorts.

“The CTE counselor idea is a little different,” Buckley said. “It’s not with a singular small cohort. It’s with career technical programs from business, nursing, to welding and auto. It is envisioned as a full-time position with all

of these responsibilities and working with different cohorts of students, students on track for degrees and certificates. It’s a much more sophisticated and larger responsibility than an instructional program counselor like in PACE, UMOJA or Honors.”

Vice President of Academic Affairs Sheri Berger and Vice President of Student Services Earic Dixon-Peters were tasked with coming up with a plan that helps make a decision, according to Buckley.

Buckley wants to ensure the money that could be spent on a CTE counselor is put to good use.

“There’s money to do this,” Buckley said. “I just don’t want to put the money into the wrong thing. I don’t want to hire a full-time person salary and benefits that given that structure isn’t providing services.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION by Nick Martinez / Roundup

camera footage. A person is

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION by Alexis Canelo / Roundup Senate Bill 291 may provide students with more aid financially.

GINA WONG Reporter @ginabwong99

Julia Melero was doing paperwork at her uncle’s auto shop where she saw broken cars coming in, and thought that she rather be in the garage working on cars instead.

Only to be told no.

“I would always see cars coming in and out,” Melero said. “In my free time, I would say to him, ‘Hey can I help you out?’ and he would say, ‘No, it’s complicated.’ So, that whole summer I wanted to work on cars and it didn’t happen.”

Less than four years later, Julia went from living in foster care for five years to signing up for her high school’s auto program and now to working full time at Keyes Auto of Lexus while attending Pierce.

“I started a paid internship with Keyes Lexus a year ago,” Melero said. “My favorite part is just being able to fix something and know that I did that, and that the customer can drive off and be safe.”

Melero is living independently, but even several years before that she was taking care of herself.

“Being in foster care you are on your own,” she said. “I would wash my clothes and cook for myself. I was so used to doing it, that I had a mother role when I lived with my dad because it was us and four kids.

As her love for cars grew, she saw an opportunity to join an auto program at Van Nuys High School. Through her school’s auto program, Melero was able to get a job at an authorized dealer.

And for the last three years she has been taking automotive classes at Pierce.

JACKSON HAYANO Reporter @hayanojackson

Angelita Rovero a Chicano studies professor understands how it felt to lack an identity, and amongst all her other accomplishments she made it her life’s work to help others find theirs, just as she did.

“To come to the San Fernando Valley being Mexican and Jewish, it was kind of hard for me to fit in,” Rovero said. “All through school I had such a rough time because I didn’t have a sense of place or identity.”

Rovero would later attended Pierce College, but did not see herself as an ideal student.

It wasn’t until she transferred to CSUN where she attended a Chicano Studies class taught by Professor Rodolfo Acuña that her life would shift directions.

“I was on academic probation, I was a troublemaker, I just wasn’t really interested in school,” Rovero said. “Rudy, he changed my life. He really mentored me. He put a little spark in me.”

Acuña’s class would motivated Rovero to be more active in her

Associate Professor of Auto Service Technology Alex Villalta described Melero as a team leader, team player, fast learner and someone who is determined for more. “I don’t know exactly what her drive is, but she definitely has that bug,” Villalta said. “She always tries to help out others. You can

depend on her.”

Automotive Faculty Advisor Tom Fortune also further supports the fact that Melero is a strongwilled woman.

“She will give people who challenge her a knuckle sandwich,” Fortune said. “You are not going to mess with her.”

Melero also competed in

SkillsUSA where students from high schools in Los Angeles School District (LAUSD) compete against community colleges.

Despite being at a disadvantage in the competition, Melero was still able to earn a gold medal.

“We had the wrong uniform because Alex said dress work attire, you know, white shirt, black

pants,” Melero said. “We showed up and the judge was like, minus five points. I was like, ‘I’m not going to make it’ because the other team was dressed properly and they looked really smart and that intimidated me. Online you can check what place you got and about two weeks later, it posted and I saw it and I started crying.”

Melero said she is currently in the middle stage of her job but hopes to someday move up the ladder.

“I plan on getting all eight of my ASE’s (Automotive Service Excellence) and becoming a master certified technician,” Melero said. “Then after that probably being an advisor and then becoming a director. I really like managing.”

Villalta believes that because Melero is starting off at such a young age she has a lot to give in this field.

“I think I told her once, you know, you are going to be someone’s boss one day, but she is very humble,” Villalta said. “One day she is going to have a lucrative position in this field for sure.”

Melero said, in the beginning, she began to accept that she may not fit in because she was a female in the industry. However, after taking more classes and believing in herself she began to take criticism as motivation.

“You just have to believe in yourself and you can go far,” Melero said. “Now, people who underestimate me, makes me motivated to prove them wrong. They say you can’t do that, but I will do it in half the time you could.”

People might think that working in an automotive industry requires getting dirty, but for Melero, it’s important to maintain her essence as a young woman.

“I am in automotive and I wear makeup to work,” Melero said. “Why? Because it’s me. I’m not going to take off my makeup when I get to work because people don’t wear makeup while working on

community, as one night, she watched a news story about a Latina LA County Sheriff who was searching for a bone-marrow donor.

Inspired by the story, Rovero began organizing bone-marrow drives in predominantly Latino communities.

“I saw a lady on tv who was dying of cancer, her name was Sergeant Sylvia Smith, and she was

asking for bone marrow donors,” Rovero said. “I would go on radio stations, contact city councilman, do press-conferences. I went out and promoted bone-marrow registration in the Latino communities.”

Rovero continued her work as an activist while also pursuing a masters degree in Chicano Studies. During her time at CSUN,

#PopPierce

Professor Acuña also encouraged her to pursue a career in teaching.

“Rudy would tell me ‘You need to go into teaching,’” Rovero said. “I finished my masters and then went back to my hometown and started teaching at East LA College in 2003.”

Rovero joined the Pierce faculty four years ago but was surprised to learn that there were only two Chicano Studies classes offered at the time.

“When this campus has 48 percent Latino population, and we only have two Chicano studies classes to offer, it’s almost a crime,” Rovero said. “Students were leaving Pierce to take classes that we couldn’t offer.”

Rovero pushed for more Chicano Studies courses on campus. She wrote five new courses, attended curriculum meetings, and worked on creating an AA degree for Chicano Studies at Pierce.

“It’s important for us to know where we come from,” Rovero said. “When I was a student here, I know for a fact that part of my disarrayment of not knowing who I am was because there was no one teaching me about my roots.”

Rovero mentioned that the importance of Chicano Studies is that it empowers students and that learning about their roots helps them grow as individuals.

“It gives you a sense of confidence,” Rover said when referring to the lasting impact of taking a Chicano Studies course. “It gives people a strong sense of self.”

Rovero’s own confidence and sense of self was recently tested back in the summer when she witnessed a possible kidnapping near Pierce. It all started one morning when Rovero was driving to work.

“There was a girl that was walking here to Pierce, and I noticed this older man following her,” Rovero said. “And I saw him grab her. And right at Winnetka and Oxnard, I made a U-turn because it just didn’t look right.”

Rovero pulled up to the girl and asked if she knew the man who was following her. The girl said no and that the man had been following her since she had gotten off the bus. When the man saw Rovero, he tried to run away, but Rovero pursued him in her vehicle.

“I followed him into Oxnard street,” Rovero said. I called 9-11 and the cops came and took him,” Rovero said. “I am very vigilant. Chicano Studies taught me that you’ve got be vigilant. I want my students to be very vigilant.”

One of her students, Osiris Flores-Herrera, said that Rovero is an extremely passionate and

loving person, which makes her such an important part of the Pierce community.

“She inspires students,” FloresHerrera said. “She makes you want to be the best version of yourself.”

Felipe Romero-Perez, who has taken several of Rovero’s classes, said that what he loved about taking Chicano Studies with Professor Rovero was how it inspired and empowered students.

“Her class, it ignited this fire within me to look for change,” Romero-Perez said. “There’s a lot of empowerment that goes on in her lectures. I think that Pierce is very lucky to have her.”

Outside of school, Rovero also runs a charity for terminally-ill children called “Wish Upon an Angel.”

“Some of my students from here help me out a lot,” Rovero said.

“We grant wishes to kids who are terminally ill.”

Rovero continues to be active in the Chicano community by organizing events on campus that celebrate traditional Mexican culture. These events include The Day of the Dead and Cinco de Mayo. She is also currently working on a poetry reading event called “Flor y Canto.”

on the mall

Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif Mar. 18, 2019.

Nathan Chung / Roundup

Angelita Rovero lectures a Chicano studies class at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif March 14, 2019.

Nick Martinez / Roundup

Elias Flores representative of the Elonist club discusses religion with student while

at

“We get all of our material from the Bible. we even use historical doctrines, and I have been studying theology for 10 years since high school.”

-Elias Flores Theology major

Planetarium reaches for the sky

Astronomy showcase gives students a guided tour of our universe

AMIR MALEKPOUR Reporter @RoundupNews

The Milky Way galaxy may seem vast. But, when compared to the Laniakea Supercluster, which houses not only the Milky Way but about another 100,000 other galaxies it is just a speck in the fabric of the universe.

Pierce students were given the opportunity to experience a guided photorealistic tour of the supercluster on March 13, at the Pierce College Planetarium.

It was organized by the Department of Physics and Planetary Sciences and presented by Professor Dale Fields.

Biology and Linguistics

Major Omari Miller said he

found it interesting how the event helped him view the universe.

“My reaction to the presentation has been consistent with me telling myself, ‘All right so I'm insignificant in the scheme of things,’ I knew the universe was super vast, but I hadn’t realized the extent to which we don’t know and to me that sounds crazy,” Miller said.

Miller said that he was taking an Astronomy class taught by Professor Fields and had previously experienced the presentation on his first day of Fields’ class.

“Well, it would seem to be the most important thing to take away from learning about space is that we can actually learn about our place in the universe itself when thinking about what's

going on here,” Fields said. Fields believes that having young students and scholars work toward solving the mysteries of our universe, it will spawn a deeper existential dialogue to gain a broader understanding of ourselves.

“When seeing all of the Grandeur about the overall workings of the cosmos, we can recognize this is how humanity fits in, this is how tiny we are in the vastness of the cosmos itself, and that's both a good thing and a bad thing, but I think it’s also a liberating thing,” Fields said.

Amongst the participating students of the cosmos, English Major Jose Caballero said he wanted to attend last year but was not able to and was excited they would be

What were your dreams growing up? Is it something you are pursuing now? Or are you going in a different direction?

“Mydreamgrowingupwastogetrich. EverybodyinLAdreamstoberich.My majorisgeneraleducationbutIam goingmoretowardsbusiness."

-MarioLalane

Business

showing it this semester.

"I saw the flyer for the show at the Planetarium on Instagram. My astronomy professor last fall didn’t know how to operate the equipment in the Planetarium so hearing about today got me really excited to come.”

Fields said that the department moves the shows to different days of the week to give everyone a chance to come to experience the Planetarium.

“We also try to have two telescope nights outside each semester,” Professor Fields said.

The next show is slated to be in the Planetarium in the Center of the Sciences on Friday, April 12, from 5 to 7 p.m.

amalekpour.roundupnews@gmail.com

“I wanted to be an architect as a kid and it later switched tosoftwareengineer.NowI am focusingonmarketingand business.”

-Shahaf Marciano Marketing

“Mydreamgrowingupwasbeing abletoprovideformyfamily.Iam majoringinbusinessrightnow.I amthinkingaboutmakingmyown businessortakingovermydad’s company.”

-LaylaCaderon Business

Quotes gathered by Susan Lopez

Photos by Manuel De La Paz Jr.and Namalee Nayodya Dharmasiriwardena

Westman/ Roundup

Fields extends his arms at the Planetarium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 13, 2019.

Westman/ Roundup Guests gaze at the ceiling to view the planets at the Planetarium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 13, 2019.

Everyone remembers riding their first bike – helmets on and hands clinging to the handles.Going as fast as their little legs can peddle and wind on their face, the grown ups struggle to catch up. Who knew school could be so fun?

Pierce College Child Development majors are able to interact with and observe children in the beginning stages of their lives as they starting to learn, communicate and grow.

Copy by Angelica Lopez

Photos by Nick Martinez

Nick Martinez / Roundup

(Left to Right) Irie Perez-Meza, Inioluna Fagbemigam, Genesis Pineda, Farenah Sheyda and Angeline Valenzuela, take a break from cycling to sit on a bench on the Mall on Mar. 8, 2019 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif.

Top Right: Nathaniel Ddundgu rides his tricycle down the Mall on Mar. 8, 2019, in Woodland Hills Calif.

Bottom Right: Judah Sherman leads the line of children riding down the Mall on Mar. 8, 2019, in Woodland Hills Calif.

Left: Tricycles parked infront of the BUS 3200 on Mar. 8, 2019, in Woodland Hills Calif.

Brahmas go for a swim

Swimmers splash big in second meet

SHAWN UPSHAW Reporter @roundupnews

Pierce swimmers were out setting records and taking pole positions at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center on Saturday.

Head Coach Judi Terhar said that this competition was to see where her team is currently.

“The main purpose of today’s meet is really for improvement and to see just where our swimmers are, but they sure are making headway today,” Terhar said.

Nanako Fujikura placed fifth in the second heat of the women’s 1,000-yard freestyle. In the same event for the men, Shawn Navi and Carlo Gerometta finished first and second.

In the 200-yard freestyle for the men, Jacob Jepson finished 2nd with a time of 2:03.19 in heat one.

Wyatt Feldman finished 5th in the second heat.

In the 50-yard freestyle Kyrah Hunter won the event with a time of 35.24.

For the second heat, Ava Recchia placed 2nd. Mario Marshall finished 1st and Alonzo Noguera finished third.

“He’s set to go all the way to nationals this year,” Terhar said.

Judy Martinez finished 3rd in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 6:20. Drew McDonald placed 4th , while Juo Sato placed 4th in the second heat.

Terhar said that this was to help prepare them for competitions and also revealed their ‘March Madness’.

“We have these guys swimming 6,005 yards a day with weights on. When they take them off, they naturally feel faster and give a little more grunt,” Terhar said.

Kyrah Hunter placed 3rd in the

women’s 200-yard butterfly after Ingi Villanueva and Caitlin Hecker tied in second with a time of 2:44.20. The men performed well as Jepson got 2nd place with a time of 2:30.

In the 100-yard freestyle, Anna Maritxell finished 7th while Recchia placed 5th. Noguera finished 8th with a time of 52.43.

Fujikura placed 5th in the 200yard backstroke with a time of 3:05 and McDonald didn't have a time recorded.

Marshall said that swimmers

must have a quick mentality.

“If you want to be fast, you have to think fast. I’m swimming because I want to prove to myself that I can get faster and to teach my daughters that there is always room for selfimprovement,” Marshall said.

Martinez placed 6th in the 500yard freestyle, while Sato finished 3rd.

In the 200-yard breaststroke, Bryant didn't have a time recorded while Cassidy Hoffman placed 8th. Navi had no time, while Feldman

Baseball lose third straight

Pierce loses to the Mission College Eagles in blowout

JESSE BECKLER Reporter @JesseBeckler

The Brahmas suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Mission College on Saturday, March 16 at Joe Kelly Field. This loss pushes the Brahmas losing streak to three.

Mission College with one run in the top of the first inning against starting pitcher Johnathan Kennedy. The run was unearned as the leadoff hitter reached base on an error.

According to Coach Virgil Hill, a large part of winning is about overcoming the pressure when they are down.

“It's a mental game more than a physical game, and right now the game is probably speeding up on the kids a little bit,” Hill said. “They just have to slow the game down, keep working hard and trust in the process.”

At the bottom of the first inning, the Brahmas put two runners on base but didn’t bring anyone home.

Kennedy was strong through the first five innings. Hill said he was impressed with Kennedy’s performance up to that point.

“He did really well the first five. He had a really good start and a good performance and, you know, he just has to keep going, keep working,” Hill said.

In the sixth inning, Mission’s offense woke up and they put the game out of reach.

Tobias replaced Kennedy in the sixth inning but that didn’t change the momentum of the game. By the end of the sixth inning, Mission was ahead 9-0.

Kennedy blamed himself for the leadoff walk started Mission’s rally.

“Honestly I think a leadoff walk, you know, that's never good,” Kennedy said. “I think it's like 90 percent of the time you put the leadoff guy on due to walk, the run scores. So that

Warriors come out victorious

Champions win first set, lose other three

teams had something that just stuck.

placed 7th.

Alonzo Noguera said that he likes being on the team. “I really like Pierce. It was a good way to save money while getting my General Education and I get to keep on swimming,” Noguera said.

The women placed last in the standings with three points, while the men finished 4th with 67.

Their next meet is on Friday, March 29 at Ventura College at 11 a.m.

supshaw.roundupnews@gmail.com

The champions were defeated by El Camino College in Friday’s conference game at Ken Stanley Court.

Pierce took the first set 28-26 but struggled afterwards, losing the next three sets 25-21, 25-11 and 25-15.

Coach Joe Arechiga felt that they got in their own heads.

“So we got stuck in certain rotations, and then that caused a lack of confidence. So we went from winning the first set, but once we got stuck in those rotations we started doubting ourselves and that's where it where it went downhill,” Arechiga said.

The game was back-and-forth, both teams giving their all for the ball. The scores did not reflect the effort of the Brahmas and their ability to keep up and perform.

Arechiga felt that they were prepared but not fully confident in executing in their formula. The other

“They pretty much did everything that we thought they were going to do, everything we battle planned for. The only difference is that they kept going with what worked for them, and we strayed away from what we had planned,” Arechiga said.

Brett Norkus felt that the one of the opponent’s players was very crucial in stopping them in their tracks.

“They definitely started setting their opposite a lot more often, he was their weapon, they really put everything towards him and that really started hurting us,” Norkus said.

Michael Prodan, middle hitter of the Brahmas, is optimistic about the next game.

“We face Moorpark and we had contributions from people who never speak up. I feel like we all have something we want to work on individually and as a team,” Prodan said.

[For

definitely was my fault.”

Kennedy discussed what he can work on going forward so rough innings like that don’t happen again.

“I think I just have to have trust in all three of my pitches and really go with the game plan, not shake our coach off, and really just focus on executing each pitch,” Kennedy said.

In the top of the eighth inning, Mission hit a three-run home run, giving them a 13-0 lead.

The Brahmas finally got a break in the bottom of the eighth inning when Zach Kaminkow singled to center field, driving in Diego Harris for their first run of the game.

Kaminkow said he saw an opportunity once the runner was on base.

It was two strikes and I saw a lot of pitches with a runner on second, I believe after Diego hit the double that led us off,”

Kaminkow said. “I was just trying to move them over, put them on play somehow and I

was able to drive one in the gap and get them home.”

Ryan Shin drove Kaminkow in with an RBI-groundout, for their second and final run.

Leon Jackson took over the mound for the Brahmas in the top of the ninth inning and pitched a scoreless inning.

Hill explained that the team just wasn’t in their zone to start the game but started to play better later in the game.

“Sometimes when the game gets out of hand, you play a little bit looser,” Hill said. “Maybe they add a little bit too much pressure on themselves early. So, we just gotta figure out a way to get that nice loose feeling to the box.”

With the loss, the Brahmas record dropped to 5-12 including 1-5 in conference. Their next game will come on the road against Mission on Tuesday, March 19 at 2:30 p.m.

Joshua Manes / Roundup

Jacob Jepson swims the butterfly during the men's 400-yard medley relay on Mar. 16, 2019, in Santa Clarita, Calif.

Blake Williams / Roundup

Johnathan Kennedy throws a pitch against Mission College at Joe Kelly Field on March 16, 2019. The Brahmas lost by a score of 13-2.

GEORGE APIKYAN Reporter @ApikyanGeorge

Joshua Manes / Roundup

Brett Norkus goes up for a spike against El Camino College on Friday, Mar. 15, 2019, in Woodland Hills, Calif. The Brahmas lost 3-1.

JACKSON HAYANO Reporter @HayanoJackson

For Juo Sato, 2019 is an important year; He will be competing on the swim team, and he’ll be getting his first pilot's license.

But Sato’s journey wasn’t an easy one. Born and raised in Japan, Sato came to United States alone a few years ago .

He signed up to join Pierce’s swim team two years ago. However, during his first year he was only enrolled in one ESL class, making him ineligible to compete at swim meets. The following year, he enrolled in more courses and met the academic requirements to compete. However, another setback occurred when a doctor told him that he might have a medical condition.

“[My] doctor told me that I might have a heart issue. Because of that, I couldn’t swim the second year,” Sato said. Despite not being eligible to compete, Sato continued to show up to practices and train with the team.

“He’s an incredible workhorse,” Assistant Coach Mircea Pitariu said. “He doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk too.”

Sato eventually consulted a different doctor for a second opinion, and was told that there

was nothing wrong with his heart. As a result, he was finally cleared to compete in swim meets.

“This year is my third year [at Pierce] and finally I can swim,” Sato said.

Both Sato and his teammates are excited for him to compete this semester. During a practice competition, they broke the Pierce record for fastest 4x200 freestyle relay.

“We broke it by .42 seconds,” Sato said. “I’m excited to break more records with my teammates.”

-

Teammate Jake Jepson is glad that Sato will be competing with them this year.

“He’s does the 400 individual medley for us, which is an

Brahma of the Week

Grant DeGrasse

Nominated by Head Coach Edison Zhou. He had 11 kills in the game against Santa Monica last Wednesday.

How do you rate the team’s performance last week?

“We started off the week on Wednesday with a mentally unstable game, which is never good in volleyball. Friday was a little better. We played the best team in our conference and we took the first set off of them and it was a good battle of morale and momentum going into the rest of the season."

Do you have any pregame rituals?

“I got a pretty good warmup playlist that we bump before the games and stuff like that. But nothing to crazy. I just try to mentally prepare myself to for stability.”

If you weren't playing volleyball, what sport would you be playing?

"Baseball."

How do you want to be remembered?

“Definitely for my work ethic, I would say by my leadership abilities.”

Who do you look up to?

“My dad has been a volleyball coach and player for as long as I can remember. I grew up around girls club volleyball. He was always a coach of that and I how I got introduced to it."

Brahmas Scoreboard

“I go to flight school on the weekends,” Sato said. “I want to be a pilot.”

Sato has been taking flight lessons for over a year now. He currently trains at Van Nuys Airport, and is able to fly solo.

“I’m flying [the plane] by myself now,” Sato said. “I have to take one more exam to get a license.”

There are five different types of pilot licenses, and Sato is currently working towards his first, which would allow him to fly single-engine planes. He hopes to someday obtain a license as an instructor, and then work his way

Joshua Manes/ Roundup

Juo Sato swims the butterfly at practice on Feb. 20, 2019, at the Steven Shofield Aquatic Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

“He's an incredible workhorse. He doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk too.”

Mircea Pitariu Assistant Coach