Students from Los Angeles Valley College (LA Valley) used the Student Health Center at Pierce during the summer session. LA Valley switched health care providers which resulted in their Student Health Center being temporarily closed for the summer.
of the Desert Roadrunners
Asecond half surge by the Roadrunners resulted in men’s basketball losing their home opener on Saturday to the College of the Desert (COD).
Head coach Charles White credited the loss to defensive issues and turnovers during the second half.
“We were out of control a little bit,” White said. “We lost our composure. We were overaggressive and guys were coming up out of position and when that happens, good teams will make you pay for it.”
Pierce held a tight lead over the Roadrunners in the middle of the second half but could not keep it by the end of the game. White said those minutes were critical to the loss.
“In the last five minutes we just started not being under control and showing that we might've been a bit inexperienced,” White said. “The guys know better. We've been playing well.”
The Brahmas were leading 44-
43 at the end of the first half.
COD scored first during the second half, quickly gaining a 5046 lead. The Brahmas retaliated and took the lead halfway into the second half.
The teams were neck-and-neck, tied at 70-70 with eight minutes left in the game.
COD took the lead in the last five minutes, taking the score to 77-74. Their lead steadily increased following 2-pointers and free throws.
Pierce tried to catch up, but in the final minutes of the game, the Roadrunners were already up by seven points.
Assistant coach for College of the Desert Kevin Lacy said the Roadrunners’ aggression contributed to their win.
“We just came in and came ready to play hard,” Lacy said.
White said the team will treat the loss as a lesson on how to improve for the rest of the season.
“Instead of running our sets and coming down and being more patient, we lost our patience because we wanted to catch up again,” White said. “Moving forward, [we will] make sure that we learn how to take care of the ball and that we play as a unit.”
Assistant Head Coach Mike Farmer said the loss showed that the team needs to improve their defense and clean up their turnovers.
“We got kind of wild at the end,” Farmer said. “We were overplaying assignments [and]
was a creative way to celebrate the artistic endeavours of the school.
leaving our position to go help somebody when we shouldn't have.”
Farmer said teamwork will be key to winning games in the future.
“We've just got to get back to being disciplined and trusting our teammates to do their job,” Farmer
said. The Brahmas’ record is now 3-2. The team will be in Pasadena from Thursday to Saturday for the Pasadena Tournament. Schedules have yet to be announced.
Students at LA Valley in need of health services began coming to the Health Center at Pierce, according to the Director of the Health Center Beth Benne.
Benne said that LA Valley still charged their students a student health fee over the summer even though the Valley Student Health Center was not available.
“Valley chooses to charge their students the $8 health fee, which is technically illegal if you don’t have an operating health center,” Benne said.
Benne said that the Health Center at Pierce should be compensated for their services to Valley students.
“We should get 50% of whatever health fees were collected over the summer sessions.”
Benne said. “We haven’t seen a penny.”
Los Angeles Valley College
Dean of Student Life Maria Negrete confirmed in an email that the Student Health Center at Valley had been temporarily shut down over the summer.
A note posted on LA Valley campus told students “if you need immediate assistance, please visit the Student Health Center at Los Angeles Mission College.”
Both the note and the email mention LA Mission College but not Pierce. Negrete also confirmed that LA Valley did collect the student health fee over the summer.
Benne said that Vice President of Student Services Earic DixonPeters had been “in discussion” with LA Valley college regarding the matter.
Dixon-Peters declined to comment on the subject.
The stairs to the art area of the school are an arduous climb, but there was a reward waiting for them at the top on Thursday evening.
That’s where guests found the inaugural ArtWalk. Sponsored by ASO and hosted by the Journeymen, Pierce’s theater club, the event featured live music, dance, art and games.
Michael Gend, a professor of theater arts and the department chair of performing arts, said it
“These students came together to say, ‘Hey, we have all this cool art going on at Pierce College. Let’s showcase it all together at the same time instead of at different events.’ I think that is really important,” Gend said.
Alexa Maris McGinnis, a theater major at Pierce and vice president of the Journeymen, said that the group had been working on ArtWalk since the summer.
McGinnis said the event featured the Art and Architecture and Performing Arts departments.
McGinnis said that she thought it was important for the different
departments to uplift one another.
“I think this type of collaboration is really important because it makes students feel connected to their school, it makes students feel pride in being a Pierce College student and it makes students feel really supported, like the departments are supporting them,” McGinnis said. “We wanted to support other departments and have other departments support us. We wanted to raise awareness of all these great programs that Pierce College has to offer students.”
Features Page 4: In "Yee haven't seen anyone like her" the show is called "Vampirina."
Campus Life Page 5: The street beat quotes were collected by Eduardo Garcia and photos by Angelica Lopez. See
School can get pretty stressful, so what better way to de-stress than to run around playing with cute animals like puppies and kittens?
Numerous universities around the United States and Canada have opened up “puppy/ kitten rooms,” where students can interact with dogs and cats for a set amount of time. During this time, students are free to pet and play with them.
Studies show that interacting with cats and dogs help alleviate stress and anxiety.
According to helpguide.org, “playing with a dog or cat can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax. Stroking, hugging, or otherwise touching a loving animal can rapidly calm and soothe you when you’re stressed or anxious.”
According to ABCnews.com, three out of four college students say that they are stressed, and that “U.S. colleges and universities are experiencing a surge in the number of students seeking mental health services.”
Animal therapy has been used in hospitals and senior centers for years, so why not bring it to a community college?
The animals could be provided by a local animal shelter. There are also numerous pet therapy organizations such as Pet Partners and Canine Therapy Corps that specialize in bringing animals to those in need.
And if having a personalized puppy/kitten room cost too much, professors might consider bringing in their own pets during office hours to let students interact with them.
A professor at the University of Ottawa, for example, brings in his pet dogs during office
hours and allows visiting students to play with them during this time.
Having a puppy/kitten room would be a win-win situation, because not only will students get to alleviate stress, but the animals will get to have fun too. There are plenty of lonely animals in shelters who would enjoy the company of others. And students who form a strong bond with an animal might even consider adopting it.
And while booking a session would free, there could be a donation box located in the room where students could donate any amount which could be sent to animal shelters.
Overall, students will be able to de-stress and interact with animals, the animals will be able to enjoy themselves and play with others, and the room can make money, which could benefit animal shelters.
Social media has consumed society.
It has allowed for people and businesses to grow and promote new platforms, connect with customers, clients and friends, and express different ideas and opinions.
According to BroadbandSearch, the average daily time that people spend on social media in 2019 is 153 minutes.
If people are spending that much time online, why not spend it using the best site, Twitter?
Twitter is the best platform because, like every other social media site, it helps promote a brand, connect people with each other and allows one to express themselves.
It also helps people stay more in tune with the news and what is happening in the world.
On Twitter, users have the option to explore different trending topics and breaking stories.
When users click the “search” icon, they have the option to click on different tabs such as “News,” “Sports,” “Fun,” “Entertainment” or “For you.”
than they would get to see using different social media sites.
According to an article, “Why Twitter is the Ideal Platform for Engagement” by Gina Mueller, Twitter allows for people to engage with a diverse audience.
“Twitter is the bar scene, where people let loose and talk to strangers, drop one-liners and engage with personalities from all walks of life,” Mueller said. “Twitter not only attracts a unique audience, but it makes your desired audience easy to pinpoint.”
Twitter is also the place where people could express their opinion and provide feedback about a public figure such as a celebrity or business.
People have tweeted at a restaurant’s account about poor service or another issue, and they’re able to get a response or a problem fixed with a tweet.
Twitter allows for the average person to be heard.
It’s also a great place to find love.
JOEY FARRIOLA Reporter @RoundupNews
The internet is something that people use daily. Whether it’s on streaming services such as YouTube or Netflix, dating apps like Tinder or on a social media site such as Twitter, almost anyone can be found online.
From the many options to pick from, an Instagram profile often is the one most people choose to have.
According to oberlo.com, 1 billion people use the app monthly with an average usage time of 53 minutes per day.
While Instagram is a platform that is intended to share photos and videos, users can do so much more.
While Instagram could be used for the same intentions, many users simply use the app to share selfies or photos of places they’ve been.
When someone follows another person on Instagram, it’s because they’ve seen what kinds of pictures they post and want to see more of them.
A user's creativity is endless because Instagram can be used by the tech savvy or the average person.
A lot of thought and effort can be put into a photo someone posts.
Someone can choose to take their photo with a professional camera or smartphone. The photo can then be edited using external software such as Lightroom or Photoshop or be done in the app with the editing tools.
Some people even go the extra step of using different color filters to create a coherent theme for their profile.
This allows a fast and convenient way for people to stay up to date on current issues that are happening now.
Another reason that Twitter is the best social media site is because users can see what people are posting around the world.
On Instagram, one needs to be following somebody to see what they are posting.
While on Twitter, one can go to a trending topic or under a tweet and see what thousands of different people are saying about it.
People get to see a variety of perspectives on issues
People using the app have shared stories about how they tweeted out about needing a date to an event and someone, who they had never met before, responded. That response eventually lead them to be in a relationship that blossomed into a marriage.
Simply by using Twitter, some users have found their soul mates.
Unlike some social media sites, such as Instagram, that only allows users to post photos and videos, Twitter allows users to post both, take polls and express their ideas in writing.
Twitter is a platform that isn’t limited to appearances, but allows for users to engage on the site in a multitude of ways. There is only one social media site where users can express themselves, find breaking news, explore a diverse audience, or possibly fall in love, and that site is Twitter.
With the stories features, someone can engage with their followers by using fun effects and filters, sharing music or links with the swipe up feature, creating Q&A’s and polls for people to respond or react to or simply capturing a night out in the town.
Much like Snapchat, a story allows users to share photos or videos without the permanence of posting it on their profile
In addition, with the close friends list, people can share their stories with a select few rather than all of their following.
Unlike Twitter, Instagram is meant to connect with friends and family.
Twitter tends to rely on the popularity factor. People are looking at how many followers they have, who is or isn’t verified and whether their tweets will go viral.
A tweet's purpose is either to gain followers, get favorited and or retweeted. While Twitter allows profiles to be private, tweeting can then be similar to talking to an empty room.
Not only can Instagram be used for the individual, it could also be used as a business network. Photographers can use their profile as a way to showcase their work as a portfolio. Rather than creating a separate site, that often cost money for a domain, they can simply send a link of their profile for their clients to have a quick look.
With Instagram’s business account features, owners have access to their analytics called “Insights.”
Now business owners can look at what kinds of people they are attracting to their account and what times they are the most active. This allows them to find the time range on when their photos attract the most engagement.
While each app has its different purposes and uses, Instagram is the go-to choice for people who want to share their life or business through pictures.
Giving credit where credit is due
Pierce College will be updating its website to be more user-friendly and consistent.
President Alexis Montevirgen said that Pierce has wanted to update its website for a while.
“Right now there are a lot of issues with our current website. It's not as functional as it can be,” Montevirgen said.
Technology Committee Cochair Edouard Tchertchian said the website will get a complete redesign. He also said members of the Pierce community will be able to provide feedback and suggest changes during the process.
“Students are a part of it. They're being involved and a faculty should be a part of the user group as well,” Tchertchian said.
A vendor known as Sensis Agency has been contracted by the district to revamp the websites.
Department Chair of Performing Arts Michael Gend said the announcement for the website update was unexpected.
“It wasn't on our agenda, but during announcements at our last Academic Policy meeting, Ryan Cornner, who's the Vice Chancellor for the district, mentioned that the district just secured a contract for Sensis to revamp the websites of the whole district,” Gend said.
The other eight colleges in the LACCD will also be updating their websites. Montevirgen said that the new websites should have a sense of uniformity.
“I think that it will be helpful if we're able to maintain some sort of consistency and brand, as they say, amongst the nine colleges so
Brahma Blotter
that we don't seem as if, ‘so are you entirely separate from LA Valley?’ so on and so forth,” Montevirgen said.
Montevirgen said he isn’t sure when the new website will be released.
11/7 11:30 a.m.
Lost Property (Apple Watch)
Student said her watch fell off her arm between the math/ library crossroads.
terms of the researching stage and getting the feedback from the different communities, and then a certain time frame in terms of how to develop a skeleton structure, sort of a mechanical structure for the websites,” Montevirgen said.
pcastillo.roundupnews@gmail.com
11/7 1:25 p.m.
Visitor ill
High school student became ill during school track meet. Transported to the hospital via paramedic.
PETER VILLAFANE Reporter @pcavillafane
Accreditation Coordinator Yvonne Grigg said more interaction in online classes can help Pierce with accreditation bodies.
“The federal government is really coming down on online education and trying to prevent correspondence courses,” Grigg said. “Encourage your departments to work together to make sure that your online classes are real.”
Accreditation ensures that colleges receive federal student aid. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges checks 128 standards when reviewing Pierce’s distance education, according to Grigg.
To maintain Pierce’s accreditation status, Grigg said professors who run online courses must have consistent student interaction.
Grigg advised faculty to give students feedback using SpeedGrader, a tool on Canvas where professors can grade and comment on student submissions.
Distance Education Coordinator Wendy Bass said issues arose when faculty did not have weekly communication with students on Canvas.
“An instructor was copy-andpasting the same feedback to every student submission,” Bass said. “[Distance education] is held to a different standard than face-to-face
11/7 5:26 p.m.Student ill
Student ill in classroom 1720. Transported to hospital via paramedic.
classes.”
Communication Studies
Professor Aric Eidadu said he uses a variety of techniques to try to make his online classes “real,” including providing individual feedback, tips on future assignments and links to outside resources.
“I try to keep a very comfortable environment where [students] feel comfortable expressing themselves,” Eidadu said. “I try to use positive encouragement to influence students.”
Eidadu said being open-minded and flexible is an important facet when teaching online students.
“Students do a great job because they want to have a vision, and once they have that vision, I use positive encouragement to influence students,” Eidadu said.
Kinesiology professor Sabrina Prieur said student communication is challenging when running an online course.
“I'm more of an animated person in the classrooms, and I feel like you lose that during an online environment,” Prieur said.
To mitigate the lack of in-person connection, Prieur records lectures and provides audio feedback to student submissions. Prieur said students appreciate these methods more than only receiving written comments.
“[Students] can actually put a face to the professor instead of just having their name,” Prieur said. “It's also more personalized, and they feel that they matter because you took the time to address them and to make sure that they could see you.”
ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS FREE 6201 Winnetka Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91371 • www.piercecollege.edu Call (818) 712-2686 • Custodial Scheduling and Supervising Certificate • Custodial Technician Certificate • Geriatric Caregiver Certificate • Workplace Success Certificate •NO PREREQUISITES REQUIRED •NO TUITION–FREE •STUDENTS MUST BE 18 YEARS OLD • EKG Technician Certificate • Community Health Worker Certificate *Friday, November 1, 2019 3:00pm-5:00pm @ Village 8320 *Saturday, November 9, 2019 9:00am-11:00am @ Village 8320 *Tuesday, November 19, 2019 10:00am-12:00pm @Village 8320 ENROLL TODAY!For more information or to RSVP for one of the three Information Sessions below email: adultedinfo@piercecollege.edu or call: 818-712-2686 • Medical Assistant Certificate
Usually parking on campus is a burden, but last Sunday the parked cars attracted students who are excited by high-end hot rods.
The SuperCar Sunday event in Parking Lot 7 was filled with Ferraris, Bentleys, Porsches, Corvettes and Jeeps.
Dustin Troyan, founder of SuperCar Sunday and former Pierce College student, was in charge of overseeing the event.
SuperCar Sunday was originally created around 20 years ago, according to Troyan. He founded the event while he was attending college and working at a coffee shop. He said the coffee shop had a large parking lot, so he decided to try and start a car show, and after many years, it has become the SuperCar Sunday event.
Troyan said that SuperCar Sunday is a good event because it allows people to come together as a community.
“I love seeing people happy,”
Troyan said. “I love the event. I love the location. This is how the world is meant to be, if you look around, you have every race, religion, color, age and multigenerational families out here, and you know what we are doing,
we are getting along. It is people coming together trying to enjoy friendship.”
Chris Marechal, a SuperCar Sunday attendee who was showing off his 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback, said he enjoys coming because it allows people who are interested in the same thing to come together.
“The car community, in general, is tight. We all have a common interest. We could be polar opposites on political matters, but when it comes to cars and we stay focused on that, we are all good friends and a large family,” Marechal said.
The event started at 7 a.m. and went until 11. There was a food truck serving coffee and breakfast, and a station where a man was selling his collection of toy cars.
Troyan said that SuperCar Sunday happens weekly, unless there is rain or other issues, such as fires. He also said that this second year that they have been using Pierce to hold the event.
Some people came to show off their cars for the first time in public, some came to try and sell their cars, some came to try to promote their automobile businesses and some people who do not even have cars came just
to check out things.
One car that was on display was the Raesr Tachyon Speed, own and built by Eric Rice, an attendee. Rice said that he spent more than four years building the car from the ground up. He said that the car currently has 1250 horsepower and reaches a top speed of more than 250 mph. Rice also said that his car is currently worth more than $1 million. Rice said he chose to bring out his car to help support SuperCar Sunday and the local car scene.
Troyan said that SuperCar Sunday allows for anyone to come and check out the cars, which helps people to connect with each other.
“Something about SuperCar Sunday that is really unique is that we get everyone here, from celebrities to billionaires, down to people that don’t have cars,” Troyan said. “This event brings more people together weekly in the San Fernando Valley than any other event that I am aware of.”
On Sunday, Dec. 1, Troyan and SuperCar Sunday are hosting the event Motor-4-Toys, a charity car show and toy drive, at Pierce.
Copy by Mark Blais
After more than two months in the hospital, Prince Mahboubian was faced with the toughest decision of his life: die, or get his leg amputated.
A car accident in 2017 had shattered his left leg and fractured several bones. Once he got his prosthetic leg, Mahboubian had no intention of stopping his athletic lifestyle. Now, he trains every day for triathlons.
“I’m doing things that normal athletes and normal people are challenged to do,” Mahboubian said. “I’m surpassing that and I’m an amputee now.”
Mahboubian had been a swimmer since high school. At Pierce, Mahboubian was a lifeguard and also competed on the swimming, diving, and football teams.
Mahboubian said doing triathlons has been addicting for him because they provide a higher level of challenges than the kind he faced as a student athlete.
“I had the determination and persistence to go on and make my dreams come true,” Mahboubian said.
Mahboubian said that what kept him going throughout his recovery and post-recovery athletic journey was overcoming the urge to give up.
“I’ve failed so many times in my life, but it’s not the failures that made me,” Mahboubian said. “It was the fact that I kept going until I made it.”
One of Mahboubian’s greatest successes is finishing his studies at Pierce. Mahboubian said his curious mind shapes the person he is today in that he takes every opportunity to learn as much as he can.
Mahboubian’s father gave him the option to choose any
area of study he wanted, so he “picked everything”. Mahboubian graduated from Pierce with seven associate degrees.
“Unfortunately, my last semester was the semester my dad died,” Mahboubian said. “I wanted him to be there to see that everything that we sacrificed for was worth it.”
Mahboubian applied to Cal State Northridge for aerospace engineering and is considering changing his major to biochemical engineering because of his experience with his prosthetic leg.
“I can work on myself,” Mahboubian said. “I’m the test subject.”
Mahboubian is currently on the board of directors for the NoBullying 2020 Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to protect children and reduce bullying rates.
“I would like to be inspirational for people in any way possible,” Mahboubian said. “I just want to tell [children] that life may be difficult, but that shouldn’t stop you. Greatness doesn’t come easy.”
inspiration. It stops any excuses that people can have.”
Mahboubian said he has this effect on people every time he goes to the gym.
“I motivate so many people,” Mahboubian said. “Because if I can do it, you can do it. Get off your butt, go do it.
Pitariu said Mahboubian’s tenacity sets him apart from others.
“He’s always had very lofty goals and he pushes to get there,” Pitariu said. “When he sets goals very high, even if he doesn’t reach it, he lands at a place that’s above what a lot of other people do.”
Swimming Pool Supervisor Deborah Hefter said she is proud of Mahboubian’s ability to maintain the same competitive attitude he had before his accident.
“He has always been one of the most motivated and driven people that I’ve known,” Hefter said. “I was not shocked when he came back and had the same drive and the same urges and the same desires and the same willpower that he had before.”
Fred Shaw, Master’s Swim Coach has known Mahboubian for over a decade. Shaw attributed Mahboubian’s success to his perseverance.
“He’s got this idea that he can achieve something and he keeps working at it no matter what it takes,” said Shaw. “That’s the kind of attitude that you have to have to succeed in life.”
PrinceMircea Pitariu, Assistant Coach for Water Polo and Swim and Mahboubian’s former coach, said he often points to Mahboubian as an example of what Pierce’s athletes should aspire to.
“He’s still working despite everything that happened,” Pitariu said. “So I definitely think it’s an
Mahboubian’s former coaches emphasized that losing his leg did not hold him back from achieving his athletic goals.
“He’s the same guy, just in a new package with one less limb,” Hefter said.
Mahboubian’s next triathlon is Sunday at the 2019 Cal Tri Events in Newport Dunes.
“I have a lot more to go and this is not the end,” Mahboubian said.
pvillafane.roundupnews@gmail.com
EDUARDO GARCIA Reporter
@EGarcia_023
Pierce College’s focus
is on student success, and the Peer to Peer Mentor Program helps by meeting with students oneon-one to aid with the transition to college and helping them academically. Mentees can meet with a respective mentor for guidance and information. They are free to talk about any subject, whether that be about college, academic performance, and campus involvement.
Sidra Bahadar, the coordinator for the Peer to Peer Mentor Program at Pierce said it can help students have some to talk to.
“To have a person to go to for
Pablo Orihuela/ Roundup
Sidra Bahadar, the coordinator for the Peer to Peer Mentor Program, talks in the Associated Students Organization (ASO) office at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Oct. 2, 2019. Bahadar explains that itʼs not just first-year students, but rather, any student who can take advantage of the Peer to Peer Mentor program at Los Angeles Pierce College.
sure that students feel safe and trust the mentors with any issues they are having.
Servin said she keeps all of her conversations between her mentees confidential, with the exception of life threatening conversations.
“If your mom comes in and says, ‘Hey, John said he met with you. I want to know what he said because he doesn’t tell me how his classes are going.’ I tell her, ‘Unfortunately, I can’t talk about this. Maybe you can ask him. What I talk to him about is confidential,’” Severin said.
Bahadar said that part of the main goal of the program is to make sure students have a place to go to.
“ I want to build relationships with students to make [them] feel they have a community here.” Bahadar said.
Bahadar works with the staff of the Student Engagement Center to develop programs and events on campus that bring everyone together.
Dr. Lara Conrady, Student Engagement coordinator and counselor enjoyed that some clubs came together this semester.
“So far was the [Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month] Celebration,” said Conrady. “It was a really fun [cultural] event for students where some clubs [like MEChA and Spanish] participated.”
Severin said the Peer to Peer Mentor Program application is quick to fill out and anyone can join.
questions is really beneficial, especially because we have such a large [student] population that’s first generation,” Bahadar said
The mentor program is embedded into the Los Angeles College Promise (LACP) program on campus. It assigns
a mentor to all LACP students, who must meet at least once each semester.
“Each mentor has almost the same [number] of students to work with,” Bahadar said. “Out of the thousand, let’s say 100 students are all divided amongst
14 mentors.”
Some of the mentors are second or third-year students who underwent training for a month on campus resources and other skills to prepare for their role. They work 12 hours a week and accommodate mentees who can’t
meet from Mondays-Thursdays.
Jenni Severin, a Peer to Peer mentor said seeing the relief from mentees from mentors’ support is a good feeling.
“You have students sitting there and they’re like, ‘My financial aid isn’t coming through.’ or ‘I
can’t afford my books, but I want to go to college.’’’ Severin said.
“But then we make suggestions and towards the end of the meeting, they’re like, ‘Oh wow, this was so helpful, I’m so glad I came in.’”
The program wants to make
“Just because you’re on your second or third year doesn’t mean you don’t want to talk to someone,” Severin said. “I feel like that’s a really important fact that people don’t know about the Peer to Peer Mentor Program. It’s open to anyone.”
“I feel like that’s a really important fact people don’t know about the Peer to Peer mentor program. It’s open to anyone.”
-Sidra Bahadar
Peer to Peer Mentor Program Coordinator
“I had the determination and persistence to go on and make my dreams come true.”- Mahboubian Former Pierce student and athlete Kevin Lendio/ Roundup
Asingle piano, a microphone and a sheet music stand lit in bright, warm lights set the scene for the performance to come.
The sound of shuffling feet and doors closing behind the large, red curtains built suspense as the musicians got ready for the Applied Music Program (AMP) student recital in the Performing Arts
Building on Nov. 7, 2019.
After Wendy Mazon, a music instructor, welcomed the Pierce College community to the weekly Thursday Concert, AMP student Abtin Farrokh started the show.
Farrokh carefully tuned his violin and began to play. He started with “Violin Partita o. 2 in D minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach. As his bow bent around the strings, he swayed slightly with the instrument. Farrokh’s fixed gaze changed slightly as he furrowed his brows in intense moments.
His second song, “Sarabande & Gigue” by Bach, maintained a quicker, bouncy pace. Farrokh’s intense stare finally changed when he finished the piece, bowed and walked off the stage with a smile on
his face.
Following Farrokh, Adrian Camp took the stage with his guitar and a foot stool. Camp’s performance contrasted the intense music from the previous performance as he played, “A Simple Song” by Giovanni Legrenzi and “Se Ela Perguntar” by Dilermando Reis. Both songs were slower and calmer.
After the two instrumentalists,
Pierce is a learning institution, but last week it became a welcoming site of the deceased ancestors for those who celebrate the Day of the Dead.
Family, friends and students gathered inside the Student Engagement Center to honor “ofrendas” (altars) of late relatives and Chicano/a artists for Día De Los Muertos, hosted by Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano (a) de Aztlán (MEChA) members and Associated Students Organization (ASO).
Ofrendas allows people to remember and honor the memory of their late relatives and ancestors.
A group of Aztec dancers were outside along with from Homeboy Industries and “Ajolote” who honored ancestors and brought the Pierce College community together.
awakening everyone, and people get excited. That's why we're here. That's our intent. To remind each other. We need to remind each other and acknowledge each other of who we are. We are the people with dignity, with the people of the heart.”
Angel Sanchez, an attendee who has gone to past Día De Los Muertos events outside of Pierce College, said the dancers helped “bring souls back and remember who they were.”
“[The dancers] are here to bless their souls and use a ritual to protect their souls in the afterlife and to keep all the bad spirits away from them and to have them remembered in our life that we live now,” Sanchez said. “So, it's very special.”
Sanchez said he takes Día De Los Muertos to heart.
[I have] the blessing to be able to remember my grandparents and do this every year to enrich their souls and their beings here,” Sanchez said.
Lexi Cantu sang on stage, accompanied by Lance Merrill on the piano. Cantu performed an Italian aria and a Spanish folksong; “Che Fiero Costume” by Giovanni Legrenzi and “Al Pano Moruno” by Manuel de Falla.
[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]
“Our dance [is] our form of sharing what comes from our heart, our prayers, our inner dance, honoring the four sacred elements of life, earth, wind, water and fire, honoring, give of life, mother earth, honoring the energy that comes from the sun and everything that our ancestors understood about the constellations spirit of the plants and the animals,” said Ajolote
[From Art pg. 1]
Pierce College President Alexis Montevirgen was in attendance at the ArtWalk. He said that he was very impressed by how well put together the event was, especially since it is the first time it has happened.
Montevirgen said that he thinks the ArtWalk is a good event to help build community at Pierce.
“I think it is important to create community and celebrate the arts. The fact that we have such student interest in the arts is important. It is important to invite the community out to be here, to enjoy and to participate in the events that we have,” Montevirgen said. “I just think overall that it is a great event to have and hope that they have many more.”
The event went from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Performing Arts Hill. People attending the event gathered in the Art Garden where there was food, including nachos, candy and hot chocolate. Attendees could participate in theater games that were played as well.
Chelsea Westman / Roundup
Dazante Lilia Tapia performs a ceremonial dance with Grupo Ajolote on Nov. 7, 2019, outside the Student Engagement Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.
dances call everyone.
“The drums are a representation of the heartbeat of mother earth,”
Chavez said. “That's why you have so much participation because it's
MEChA adviser Angelita Rovero said this is their fifth annual tradition at the campus. She said the 42 students who created the altars were from the “Mexican American Arts and American Culture” course.
MARC BLAIS Reporter @marcTBlais1
Instead of dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating, some students spent Oct. 31 learning about Dia de los Muertos at Pierce’s Fall Art Gallery.
Linda Vallejo, a legacy artist for Self Help Graphics, spoke at Pierce College about the tradition of Dia de los Muertos and Self Help Graphics & Art. The event kicked off at 6 p.m. at the art building in room 3300.
Vallejo spoke about the tradition of Dia de los Muertos, otherwise known as Day of the Dead. It is a
Mexican holiday that begins Oct. 31 and ends Nov. 2. Vallejo spoke about how the holiday is about remembering and honoring loved ones that have passed away, but also celebrating life as well.
“What I am hoping that everyone gets from it is that they take a moment to think about someone that they lost that they really loved, and take a moment to remember them and possibly make a small shrine in a home, and maybe think about them and speak about their memory,” Vallejo said.
Vallejo also spoke about the organization, Self Help Graphics & Art, and the work they have done to celebrate the tradition of Dia de
What is the most useless talent you have?
los Muertos in Los Angeles. The organization was formed in 1973. She said that the organization played a significant role in reviving the tradition in Los Angeles and have helped turn it into one of “Los Angeles’s major celebrations, celebrated by diverse audiences.”
After Vallejo’s presentation, the attendees went over to visit the art gallery exhibiting different altars and artwork connected to Dia de los Muertos. Altars, also known as ofrendas, honoring the dead are common for families to create when celebrating Dia de los Muertos.
[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]
“Icannameall50statesin alphabeticalorderinunder20 seconds.Ihadtosingasong calledʻFiftyNiftyʼeverydayin fourthgradeandfifthgrade.So itʼsengravedinmybrain.”
-ElenaSanchez Psychology
“Icanshootwateroutofmyeyes.One day,Iwasblowingmynoseandwater juststartedshooting.WhenImakeanew friend,sometimesIʼllshowthem.”
-Sienna Jones Nursing
Live music started playing at 5:30 p.m., where multiple Pierce students were able to perform in front of peers, staff and others in attendance. There was a guitar player, a trumpet player, a singer and a band who performed.
The art gallery opened at 6 p.m. The gallery displayed alters and artwork that were connected to the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. There was a community alter that people could leave a card with someones name on it that they wanted to remember. At the art gallery, people could enjoy food and drinks as well, and make papel picado, punched paper, with the Spanish Club.
There were also literary works
that had been sent in by Pierce students and from LAPC’s Winter 2018 edition of Directions that were hanging from trees and strings for people to read.
Raelon Bolton, a theater major at Pierce, attended the event and said that she enjoyed listening to the music at the event.
“My favorite part has been listening to the music. It was amazing, the energy was really fun and the musicians are extremely talented,”
“Notalotofpeopleknow about hitchhikerʼs thumb. Itʼs justafunthingthatIcanfreak peopleoutwith.Igetmixed reactions.”
-Jonathan Abramowitz
Undecided
Bolton said.
Roman Hill, a theater production major at Pierce, said that his favorite part of the ArtWalk was getting to connect with new people.
“It is nice to see all these different people from different majors coming together and supporting each other, and it is nice interacting with everybody,” Hill said.
“Icanputmylegovermyhead. WhenIwasseven,Iwasreally flexible.Ijuststartedplayingwith mybodyalittlebit,anditʼsreally fun.Iusedtobeabletobendmy bodyinreallyweirdways.”
-LeahValqui InformationSystems
“Icandoacartwheel.Infourth grade,Iwouldgotoschooland doacartwheeleveryday.Thatʼs howIlearned.”
Brahmas soccer kept their playoff hopes alive despite not scoring against Cuesta College in Friday's conference matchup.
Pierce and Cuesta were not able to break the deadlock as the game ended in a goalless draw.
Head coach Adolfo Perez said he is proud of his team is responding.
"You have to take into consideration that we are ending against the top three teams in conference and we are not losing against them," Perez said.
Perez said he liked the determination that his players had to not concede.
Before the game it was sophomore day. Defenders Sherry Ramos, Jessica Palmer and midfielder Diana Millan were recognized.
When the match started, both teams were aiming to keep possession and it was Pierce with the first chance.
Stephanie Reyna who scored in the previous game couldn't keep her shot on target.
Perez said it was a golden opportunity to take the lead.
"Last time Stephanie was on the scoresheet and she was so close again, but it is soccer. You score and sometimes you miss,"
Perez said.
Later in the half, Amelia Weckhurst tried to go for goal from distance, but her shot barely went over Cuesta's goal.
The team was shaky during
parts of the game and it showed in the second half.
Cuesta had an opportunity via a freekick, but Joanna Cerda made a big save to keep the game scoreless.
"I had to step up in a big way for my teammates. I needed to be patient because the moment was going to come. Unfortunately my goalkeepers coach couldn't see it," Cerda said.
Cerda said they must be focused heading into the Ventura game next week.
"While there is still a chance, we should not let our guard down. We must get the job done," Cerda
said. In the final 10 minutes of past games against Moorpark, Santa Barbara and Ventura, Pierce were unable to finish off against their opponents
Two of those games ended in a draw, while the Ventura game ended in a loss.
"We were tied 1-1, but they scored two goals in the final minutes and we can't let that happen again," Perez said.
Perez said postseason is still a possibility.
"It is powerpoints. We are actually going to go up a lot because they base it on the record.
At this stage of the season you don't want to lose," Perez said. Millan said the team started off slow, but they were getting the opportunities.
"We need to work on finishing our chances, but we played hard for 90 minutes plus this time instead of just 87 against Santa Barbara," Millan said.
The Brahmas with the draw are now 7-9-4 overall and will look to book their spot in the playoffs for a 19th straight season when they travel to Ventura on Friday, Nov. 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Following their 17-2 win over LA Harbor College in their homecoming game, Pierce took a trip to Santa Maria to face the conference leaders, Hancock College.
It was a close first half with the teams going into halftime 177, but things went downhill in the second half as the Brahmas lost 45-13.
The defense which only allowed a safety against the Seahawks went behind early as Maurice Jones scored his first touchdown of the game on a nine-yard run.
In the second quarter, Edgar Zacarias kicked a 20-yard field goal after Eddie Battle fumbled near the end zone.
Pierce responded with a touchdown from Kevin Ascencio
on a 34-yard run with the extra point being good.
With less than four minutes in the half, Hancock would restore a 10-point lead. Jerome Afe catching an eight-yard pass from Matt Garcia.
At the start of the second half, the Bulldogs went all offense. Desmond Newkirk scored on a one-yard run and Jones got his second TD of the game. In the fourth quarter, Battle scored on a 63-yard run. Qualik Davies wrapped things up for Hancock, making the score 45-7.
Jakobe Harvey scored for Pierce in the final minutes of the game. With the loss, Pierce dropped to 2-7 on the season, while Hancock improved to 7-2. The Brahmas wrap their season up on Saturday when they host Santa Monica College. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Pierce College athletic department is making a change, but it won’t be seen on the field, it will be online.
The department is working on changing their online platform to a new website.
Genice Sarcedo-Magruder, dean of student services and equity and the acting athletic director, said that the athletic department has been contracting with PrestoSports and Presto, to completely redo the sports website for Pierce. This new website will be separate from the PierceCollege.edu website.
It will allow the sports program to update rosters and statistics better, highlight athletes of the week, teams doing well, connect to social media and more, according to Sarcedo-Magruder.
Sarcedo-Magruder said that Presto is a commonly used platform for different college sports programs because of the different opportunities it has.
“It is fairly common for college athletics to have the Presto website, because it just gives us more options that are specific to athletics that a regular college website does not necessarily have,” Sarcedo-Magruder said.
Pierce currently works with Presto to update its statistics, but since it does not use a website connected with
Presto, someone has to enter the data, get updated statistics for players and teams, and update them on the Pierce sports section.
Sarcedo-Magruder said that on the new website with Presto, the statistics and rosters will be updated automatically.
The new Presto website will also benefit recruiting, according to SarcedoMagruder. She said that the website will have a recruitment tab where potential student athletes can go to find information on different Pierce sports teams and also input their own information, so that coaches know who is interested in playing and can contact them better.
Sarcedo-Magruder said that the new website with Presto will help promote Pierce College sports and build programs.
“It is really a tool that is going to help us organize and develop the athletic department and stream line some of the processes that we already have in terms of recruiting and getting information out to our current student athletes and potential athletes,” Sarcedo-Magruder said.
Gilbert Salas, athletic secretary at Pierce, said that the new platform will be a lot easier to use, which he believes will attract more athletes to Pierce.
“A lot of interested recruits or athletes, the first thing they look at now a days is the website,” Salas said. “If
you have this nice website that attracts the school and makes it easy to sign up, ask questions or get information you tend to be drawn toward it versus something that is a little hard to read or is incomplete. I think it will definitely draw more interest.”
The new website with presto will also help centralize all the resources that are available to student athletes, according to Sarcedo-Magruder. She said it will provide student athletes a place where they can find the resources they need on campus to deal with any issues they may be struggling with.
Tommy Siounit, nursing major, said he thinks that a new sports website should benefit fans, players and coaches.
“Honestly, the more access you have to logistics and statistics, it not only benefits fans that just want to see and keep up, but the actual athletes themselves and the faculty of the athletes, because they want to keep track and see how they can make improvements and what needs work and what doesn’t,” Siounit said.
The website is currently in the developmental phase, which means they are working with Presto, other Pierce departments and coaches to see what they can do to make the best possible website. They are hoping to launch the new website by the end of the Fall 2019 semester, according to Sarcedo-Magruder.