Volume 134 Spring 2021 Roundup Issue 5

Jointing of cannabis and classrooms

See page 2

News: Live and back in action

See page 3

UCLA Day lighting the pathway

See page 4

Photo Essay: Resuming the conditioning

See page 6

Pierce College theater student Norman Thatch, rehearses for a comedy-musical play at Pierce College Theater in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 6, 2021.

Photo by David Pashaee

www.theroundupnews.com newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

Letters to the Editor

Policy: Letters and guest columns for or against any position are invited. Letters should be kept as brief as possible (300 words or less) and are subject to editing. Letters must be signed and include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms or initials will not be used, but names may be withheld upon request and approval of the Editorial Board. The Roundup publishes “Letters to the Editor” that are not obscene or libelous and do not contain racial denigration. Writers are given the opportunity to revise unacceptable letters. The Pierce College Roundup will not publish, as letters, literary endeavors, publicity releases, poetry or other such materials as the Editorial Board deems not to be a letter. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. the Sunday prior to the issue date.

Editorial Policy: The Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials. Cartoons and photos, unless run under the editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup. The college newspaper is published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.

Keep the ball rolling From the desk of the Roundup

With the school five months into the third semester following COVID-19 protocol, it’s time for Pierce College to allow student athletes to resume competition.

In April, the County of Los Angeles Public Health updated the protocol for youth and adult recreational sports leagues, allowing indoor sports activities including training, conditioning, contact practice and competitions to return while following proper COVID guidelines.

LA’s Public Health Department requires that collegiate sports teams regularly test for COVID, implement

EDITORIAL

a Return to Play Safety Plan and maintain a 25% maximum occupancy for indoor sports. With these regulations in mind, it should not be difficult to allow outdoor and indoor sport athletes to return to the field and court.

Still, while regulations on athletic activities are lessening and high school teams in the area are returning to competition, LACCD has opted out of Spring I and II sports and canceled the 2020-2021 seasons for football, basketball, water Polo, soccer, baseball, softball, swimming and diving.

As outdoor athletic

competitions resumed in Los Angeles Unified School District schools in March, Pierce should give athletes the same opportunity.

In terms of outdoor sports, there is no excuse not to be able to follow COVID regulations, and accomplishing the same for indoor sports is also realistic.

This is noticeable when looking at neighboring schools, including Taft Charter High School, Chatsworth High School and El Camino Real Charter High School, which are competing in sports that include volleyball and golf.

And the resumption of

From the desk of the Roundup

competition is not exclusive to high school athletics.

Community college students at schools such as Santa Monica College, Moorpark College and Ventura College have been competing.

Other schools have been successful in implementing safety protocols. Pierce should follow their example to have students return to competition.

Jointing of cannabis and classrooms

Community colleges are missing out on the opportunity to offer cannabis specialized classes in their curriculum. With the legalization of production, distribution, sale and consumption of marijuana in the state of California, the cannabis business is a booming industry in Los Angeles.

As the topic of cannabis is no longer taboo and with the increased opportunity for those who understand the value this product has in our society, students should have readily access to programs for those seeking to make a career out of this trade or start a business.

Pierce has the resources, the space and the ability to adopt a specialized curriculum where students interested in entering the cannabis business can study through experts in a safe and positive learning environment.

This program would foster professional instruction on how to grow, care for and sell this

in demand product, for both recreational and medicinal purposes.

By initiating this program, Pierce could also motivate their students and faculty to dedicate more time in researching ways in which the product can help and strengthen our communities.

For example, UCLA has developed a program under the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior umbrella that furthers research that could eventually influence the creation of specialized cannabis programs in other colleges and universities in California.

“We will produce actionable, comprehensive research to inform policymakers, educators, employers and labor organizations to ensure cannabis contributes to the well-being and economic prospects of new generations of workers in a challenging economy and in ways that mitigate the effects of past criminalization of

cannabis,” said Lola SmallwoodCuevas, a researcher for the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.

While four-year colleges around the country such as the University of Washington, the University of Vermont and Northern Michigan University are already offering cannabis related courses, California has yet to see more community colleges enter the instruction of cannabis related courses.

Last fall, Long Beach City College began offering classes on the cannabis industry, according to the Long Beach Business Journal.

This program covers cannabis industry related topics, from the cultivation of the plant to the retail process to get them in the hands of consumers.

Attorney Joe Rogen, an expert with more than a decade of experience in the cannabis industry and the course’s lead instructor, said, “This [course]

is their portal to the cannabis industry.”

The Canadian government is eager to fund education for cannabis professionals so much that they have offered $70,000 to help students take the “Medical Cannabis Cultivation” course at The Community College of New Brunswick, according to L.A. Cannabis News.

As we continue to see the increased benefits of the cannabis industry in the medicinal and mental health sectors as well as in the economy, there are no logical excuses to exclude this business as a major at our California community colleges.

File photo by Rebecca Schulman Keyshawn Richards (3) motions to refs after gaining a first down on Sept. 9, 2017 in John Shepard Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Live and back in action Theatre students resume rehearsals on stage

BY TRISHA ANAS

After standing empty for more than a year, the Pierce College Performing Arts Building was filled with prop graffiti walls, hanging lights and the laughter of the Theatre department.

The department held its first indoor rehearsal on Thursday for “The Bomb-itty of Errors,” which will have a live audience when it opens on May 21.

Pierce professor and director of the play Shaheen Vaaz said that everyone was thrilled to be back.

“We’re exhilarated,” Vaaz said. “We’re happy and feeling really good about being with other people again in this beautiful space. We’re thankful to Pierce for letting us be back, and we finally get to do theater the way theater was meant to be done.”

The musical, described as an ad-rap-tation from William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” features a set of rap songs and loads of humor.

Vaaz said that acting over Zoom was a difficult challenge for the theater students, but they stayed strong.

“They’re resilient, they’re loving, they’re compassionate,” Vaaz said. “They’re having so much fun, you know. I love them.”

Student Itzhak Matos said that being back in person felt jarring at first.

“It’s a little surreal being back with so many people in the room, but almost pretty much everyone has been vaccinated at this point,” Matos said. “I feel very grateful being able to be in one of the first shows that’s back in person in the area. It’s a lot of pressure but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Vaaz said that the department is planning to have a live, but small audience consisting of friends and family while keeping COVID-19

precautions. She said that the show would also be broadcasted over Zoom for those who are unable to attend in-person.

Student Manon Guijarro said that everyone in the department has also been keeping safety in mind among their eagerness.

“We’ve been taking our precautions seriously,” Guijarro said. “We’ve been really tight knit and keeping each other safe. We care a lot about each other, especially the audience.

While the department was rehearsing over Zoom for the past year, some students, including Norman Thatch, said that they were challenged by the pandemic.

“We were hit terribly and awfully hard,” Thatch said. “The thing about what I’ve realized is we’re not even making income right now.”

Guijarro added that the department lost a lot of everything since COVID-19 started, but everyone has tried to stay hopeful.

“We’ve lost a lot of time together,” Guijarro said. “Since theater classes are so in-person, it’s really taken a lot from the theater department, but we’re striving.”

Other students, including Topher Ngo, said that he was looking forward to performing for a live audience after being stuck in the pandemic the past year.

“Coming out of the pandemic and quarantine has been a very heavy time for a lot of people, but the show is full of light, joy and comedy, and we’re excited to share it with people,”Ngo said.

The play runs May 21-22 at 6 p.m. and May 23 at 3 p.m. over Zoom. The live audience will be invited guests only.

“ We’re happy and feeling really good about being with other people again in this beautiful space. We’re thankful to Pierce for letting us be back, and we finally get to do theater the way theater was meant to be done”

Shaheen Vaaz Theatre professor & director

Manon Guijarro rehearses for the play “The Bomb-itty of Errors” in the Performing Arts Building at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., May 6, 2021. Photo by Raquel G. Frohlich.

Photo by David Pashaee

Students of theatre class during a rehearsal for a musical-comedy play at Pierce College Theater in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 6, 2021.

Vaccine doubts debunked

BY KAMRYN BOUYETT

The Los Angeles County of Public Health held a virtual town hall on the COVID-19 vaccines as more Los Angeles residents continue to get vaccinated. The town hall was live streamed on Twitter and Youtube on Tuesday, April 27.

The Town Hall was moderated by Barbara Ferrer, the director of the Los Angeles Department of Public Health.

Ferrer opened up the town hall with Dr. Muntu Davis, an officer for the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. Davis talked about the recent decision to begin readministering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Dr. Sharon Balter, director of the Acute Communicable Disease Control Program explained that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reconvened last week again after collecting more data on TTS and the vaccine.

“As a result of this review they determined that the pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson can be lifted and that use of the vaccine should resume,” Balter said. “The FDA and CDC concluded that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19 and that the potential benefits outweigh its known potential risks in people who are 18 years of age and older.”

Dr. Seira Kurian from the Division of Medical Affairs of Los Angeles Department of Public health gave viewers information on where to find vaccination sites, what to do before and after the vaccine and addressed general concerns with the vaccines.

“It is important to note that you can not get COVID from the vaccine itself since there is no COVID virus in the vaccine,” Kurian said. “It takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination, you’re considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and two weeks after the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.”

Kurian stressed people who are vaccinated should continue to wear their masks, wash their hands and maintain social distancing in public or in crowded spaces.

After the brief introductions made by the panelists Ferrer opened up to questions from the viewers.

Davis assured a viewer that all vaccines are effective but taking the necessary precautions is important to prevent infections.

“It has been seen in terms of the data and people getting COVID after vaccination is often between the first and the second dose or shortly after the second dose,” Davis said.

“Which means it didn’t have the full protection and they were exposed to the virus which took hold before the vaccine could protect them from infection.”

Currently Los Angeles County residents are able to get a vaccine without an appointment for free. The person getting the vaccine would need proof of residing in Los Angeles but no proof of residency. More information can be found here.

UCLA Day lighting the pathway Pierce event helps transfer students become Bruins

BY MICHAEL LOIZZO

UCLA receives more applications each year than any other school in America, but what many people don’t realize is there are methods to help better your chances to get into the school.

Pierce college held a Virtual UCLA Day to reveal ways for students to reach their dream of becoming a Bruin. The event connected the admission representatives from UCLA and Pierce College transfer students to help guide students in the right direction when it comes to applying and choosing UCLA.

Trisha Del Barro, an admissions representative at UCLA and a speaker at the UCLA Day webinar, broke down the number that discourages a lot of students from applying.

“In fall of 2020, we had over 25,000 applicants, but 18,000 of those applicants applied to the same 13 highly selective majors,” Del Barro said. “We offer over 125 majors and 90 minors at UCLA, so do not allow these numbers that you are seeing discourage you from applying. You can do it.”

UCLA is highly competitive. The university only accepts 27% of all California transfer students.

“At UCLA, we use the holistic review process when going through applications, which means everything on your application is taken into consideration,” Del Barro said.

“We want to see all the things you do and have accomplished, whether it is academic, personal, anything. We want you to showcase different aspects of your personality and your unique story. That is how you will stand out.”

Transfer Center Director Sunday Salter, who hosted Virtual UCLA Day webinar,

Sunday Salter Transfer Center Director

Clothesline returns

Event spreads awarness on abuses

BY MADISON CREEKBAUM

Pierce College’s Associated Student Organization (ASO) launched its annual Clothesline Project on Wednesday, April 28th, to spread awareness and help for those who have been victimized by domestic abuse.

ASO member Rosmelle Melgar shared the meaning and significance of the Clothesline Project.

“This project is a call to action, it provides evidence that incest, and domestic sexual violence exists in our communities,” Melgar said. “It serves as a visual reminder of statistics that we often ignore, and gives a voice to those who have been forcibly silenced. So hopefully it encourages other people to take action.”

The Clothesline Project was brought to Pierce College by Holly Hagan who was a part of Pierce’s Campus Violence Response Team.

“I thought that this project would be a great opportunity for people to use their voice anonymously and give them a safe place to express their feelings because people have a hard time talking about these issues,” Hagan said. “I am a survivor of both sexual assault and domestic violence. I can speak out publicly but I knew there were other people who just couldn’t do it.”

During the event, ASO members shared self-care tips to practice that could help when students are coping through challenging times.

Melgar said creating a routine, respecting one’s space, practicing meditation, journaling, and setting boundaries are examples of self-care. These practices curate a positive mindset and it allows people to become more in touch with themselves as well as their feelings.

ASO member Ruanne Catapang also highlighted the benefits of having strong relationships with friends and family.

“Cultivating healthy relationships in the circle of influence is important because it allows us to communicate

our needs and desires clearly, and it also helps us so others don’t take advantage of us,” Catapang said.

Catapang explained having meaningful connections with friends and family are important when students might be encountering traumatic events so they have a support system to get them through grave misfortunes.

Normally this event was held on campus, and students would be able to draw symbols and messages that represent the trauma they have survived.

Student Health Director Beth Benne described the impact the Clothesline Project had in person.

“There’s nothing more moving than seeing the non-virtual, real-life shirts, fluttering in the wind throughout Rocky Mountain Park and up and down the mall. This can be very painful and very very sensitive,” Benne said.

Hagan shared one of the tragic stories of a student that was discovered at Pierce because of the Clothesline Project.

“In the early stages of the Clothesline Project, there was a student who wrote about being molested at four years old. She had never told anybody in her life. It was the shirt that allowed her to have that freedom to speak out about what happened to her,” Hagan said. “When you don’t have an avenue to express that, it eats you, and it’s so sad that this happens, but it does. I like that story because it solidified the fact that this project was really helping people,” Hagan said

This year students were able to find t-shirts online and create designs of their own to share their experiences with abuse or causes they stand for and honor. These shirts were observed in silence through a slideshow.

Student Engagement Coordinator & Counselor Lara Conrady planned to have another Clothesline Project event, whether it is virtual or on-campus, next fall.

said that she is confident in the school’s process.

“I really believe that we have the formula down to get transfer students from Pierce accepted into UCLA,” Salter said. “The formula is that students need to start planning early and really prepare for the transfer application process, and that’s why we have the UCLA day webinar.”

Currently, Pierce students in the Honors program have an 87% acceptance rate into UCLA and non-honors transfer students have a 42% acceptance rate.

“The PTC (Pierce College Transfer Center) has a lot of the answers to the questions

students are asking in this webinar,” Salter said. “But it is more helpful for the university admissions representatives to answer those students’ questions. That way, if there are any follow up questions, they now have a contact at UCLA.”

Ernesto Esqueda, an admissions representative at UCLA and a speaker at the webinar, told potential UCLA transfer students that they don’t need to transfer in two years.

“This is your personal journey, and you need to focus on that,” Esqueda said. “Rushing through will only increase the chance of missing something or not doing your best in a class you could’ve.”

Sunday Salter agrees with Esqueda when it comes to going at the pace that is best for each student.

“There is a common theme of regret that some transfer students have,” Salter said. “They wish they would have been more involved, found out more about what’s going on around them and taken advantage of what was available to them at community college.”

mloizzo.roundupnews@gmail.com

Taking a stand againist racism

CCC hosts racial equity town hall

BY MAX OSBURN

The California Community Colleges (CCC) held their second annual virtual town hall called “Advocacy Advancing Racial Equity” on Wednesday, April 21. The meeting focused on bridging the racial equity gap found in the California Community College systems. The meeting opened with Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the CEO of the Board of Governors and overseer of the system’s executive office, who made a few remarks pertaining to the CCC’s attitudes and goals toward striving for a system that values their students and the fairness of their opportunities.

“Over the last year, our system has made extraordinary strides to advance anti-racist practices and promote equity for all of our students, particularly our students of color,” Oakley said.

One of the main ways that Oakley advertised to help further achieve and improve on these goals was through the diversifying of California Community College staff and faculty members.

“Through diversifying our faculty and staff and continuing to integrate the diversity, equity and inclusion priorities into our work, we can and will become the best possible version of our system for our current and future generations of students,” Chancellor Oakley said. “Research shows that students benefit from a diverse faculty and are better educated and better prepared for leadership and for professional competitiveness.”

Congressman Mark Takano was a guest speaker at the meeting and took the opportunity to recall the recent verdicts of the George Floyd case where Derek Chauvin was found guilty on three separate felonies. He says that resonated with the notion that justice moving forward must be enacted by the

people of the United States as there is still much work to be done.

“We have a real opportunity to answer this call toward justice,” Congressman Takano said. “We don’t have justice yet. There are too many divisions along income, class, and race for us to truly be a just society.”

Takano continued to emphasize how community colleges are a detrimental part in this goal of true justice and how he has fought to help them through financial support in Congress after the hardships and circumstances after COVID-19 hit.

“Community colleges, I believe, are a key institution,” Congressman Takano said. “Congress has passed historic relief legislation to support the American people and most recently we passed the ‘American Rescue Plan,’ which included $40 billion for higher education…$5 billion are going to higher education in California.”

Congressman Takano explained how the money was allocated as available grants for students to prevent hunger and homelessness during the pandemic.

California State Assembly member Reggie Jones-Sawyer was asked about what actions are most important for the legislators to take to ensure that the advancements of anti-racist policies are taken place in higher education. He explained that legislators must emphasize diversifying the faculty and staff so that they can meet the needs of the diverse population of students.

“We gotta do a more robust way of getting people to not only come in but understand what different ethnic groups need to be able to survive,” Jones-Sawyer said.

He also went on to detail his own experiences as an example as to why a diverse staff can help students feel represented and related to.

“It’s not just the money, it’s a call for change. I’m an African American kid from South L.A.

going to a collegiate school like USC (University of South California), where people were driving around in Porsches and they come back from summer break talking about what they did in Europe,” Assembly member Jones-Sawyer said. “The difference is huge. We need to do more to get us to embrace what it’s like to be a college student.”

The same question on what legislators need to do to further advance the goals of anti-racism in higher education was asked to Assembly Majority Leader, Eloise Gomez Reyes.

“I think that California has an absolute responsibility to take action,” Assembly Majority Leader Reyes said. “I think it’s our duty as legislators to ensure that everyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, that everyone feels secure and safe in our state.”

She also explained how she and her colleagues are working hard to pass bills that will help close the equity gap.

“My colleagues and I are working on a number of bills that will specifically increase access to higher education, to healthcare, to mental health services, child care, housing, basic needs, security,” Assembly Majority Leader Reyes said. “These are things we’re working on for community colleges and for all students.”

All in all, the CCC Racial Equity Townhall Meeting sparked conversations about how the system will be intended to improve on anti-racist policies and further enforce them for the betterment of opportunity and accommodations for the diverse student populations within the community colleges.

“I really believe that we have the formula down to get transfer students from Pierce accepted into UCLA.”

Photo By Bala Subramaniyan. UCLA campus in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 7, 2021.

STREET BEAT

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM?

Diversity under the spotlight

Staff discusses hiring more Black faculty

BY SHANDANI JACKSON

The California Community Colleges (CCC) held a series of webinars for Black Student Success Week, which focused on amplifying the voices of Black students and faculty.

"Myfavoritesportsteamis theLakersbecauseIgrewup watchingtheirgameswithmy dad."

- Zaki Katibah

Many speakers during the webinar on Friday discussed why there needed to be racially conscious hiring for Black faculty so that there are curriculums being created with Black students in mind.

Diablo Valley College Umoja Program Coordinator and Professor Eric Handy and San Diego City College Counseling Transfer Center Director Abdimalik Buul hosted the webinar directing questions to faculty.

LaToya Parker spoke on what it means to hire and understand diversity.

“First and foremost for diversity purposes, but also work for racial imbalances,” Parker said. “We want to begin to think about how we are going to move to design a fair outcome as it pertains to the elimination of what we call barriers or opportunities as we create programs specifically for African American and Black students.”

Sociology and Gender Studies

"Myfavoritesportsteamis theNewYorkGiantsbecause myfavoritestateisNewYork.”

Back to “normal”

BY ARIEL GIL

As Pierce College’s physical and hybrid classes begin to return, some of the school’s professors contemplate what it would mean to come back to campus teaching after a year of online learning.

For some professors, the transition of in-person classes to an online environment wasn’t a completely new concept. Psychology instructor Angela Belden said that she was already familiar with teaching hybrid classes.

“Prior to the pandemic starting, I was teaching hybrid classes,” Belden said. “Those had worked really well. Even prior to hybrid, many faculty including myself were web enhancing their courses.” Belden said that being accustomed to hybrid classes helped many professors adjust to the temporary closure of most in-person classes last year.

“I think what has happened through the pandemic is that more faculty are now comfortable using canvas, and will continue to web enhance their classes,” Belden said. “Even simple things like posting their syllabi online because that allows students to get the information when they need it.”

"Myfavoritesportsteamisthe LosAngelesDodgersbecauseI lovetheenergythatLAhasfor thatteam.”

- Maria Montero

Professor Jessica Ayo Alabi said that to have a diverse staff, more time and effort are needed. She said that students of color connect more with faculty of color and tend to gravitate toward them.

“I think all of us know what it is like to have our offices be the Black student place to hang out,” Alabi said. “That’s the reason we need to target and hire Black faculty. Many of us, for years, have joined Black organizations to have a safe haven. So, if you don’t target, do the footwork to go out of your way to find them.”

Alabi said that schools need “intrusive invitations.”

“I’ve been a part of the Association of Black Sociologists for 20 years and it’s the only place I go, because it feels like a family reunion,” Alabi said. “When I go to the American Sociological Association, I feel invisible. So I tell my human resources, why aren’t you going to the Black associations to hire? We needed safe havens, we needed colleagues who supported us. So you need to go to those places and do the footwork so you can find us.”

Umoja Coordinator and

"Myfavoritesportsteamisthe LosAngelesKingsbecauseI lovewhentheyfightinsteadof playinghockey.”

- Trace Newman

istheLakersbecauseI’min Californiaandtheyhavebeen myfavoritesinceI’velived here.”

- Swim Coach Judi Terhar

Quotes and photos gathered by: Sam Neff

“I want to ensure all students of all races, all colors and especially Black students can see this level of success and this level of positive life from a Black male educator.”

Khalid White Professor of African American Studies

Professor of Counseling at San Diego City College Erin Charles said that schools treat hiring diversely as an option, not a requirement.

Charles said she caught herself secretly trying to tell others about inviting more Black faculty.

“I caught myself whispering to colleagues on a hiring committee about you know we need to hire Black males,” Charles said. “No more whispering, we will not change the system with a whisper. We are not comfortable right now. People are not comfortable. When they get back into 2022 and they’re comfortable and George Floyd is no longer in their way, shout.”

Many students and faculty in the Zoom chat typed supportive comments as she told her story.

Throughout the webinar, members of CCC faculty expressed their struggle with the school system’s ability to make change within their hiring committees.

Director of the Race, Equity and Social Justice Center Nyree Berry said that she was frustrated with the lack of diverse hires.

“I’m coming from the largest community college district in the nation, LACCD, and we have about 250,000 Hispanic students,” Berry said. “But when I say that we are lacking in hiring permanent tenure and administration of African American people, it’s absurd. The LACCD serves in Southern California with some of ‘our most marginalized communities.’”

Professor of African American Studies at San Jose City College

Khalid White said that while Los Angeles County consists of a large number of African Americans, there are still students who have never had an African American teacher.

“I’m the first Black teacher that tons of students have had,” White said. “So I don’t take that responsibility lightly. I don’t take that privilege lightly. I want to ensure all students of all races, all colors and especially Black students can see this level of success and this level of positive life from a Black male educator.”

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Getting careers in motion Film students’ opportunities expanded with new partnership

BY DOMINQUE DUNGO

California Community Colleges’s new partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will provide increased access to highly competitive film industry experiences.

Media Arts Department cinema professor and Film Club adviser Ken Windrum said students could gain more opportunity and experience by doing more than just taking college classes.

“How can one say anything but good things?” Windrum said. “Getting this type of internship and any type of media industry experience I think is terrific and can get students so much more out of college.”

Film major Nash Mc Reynolds said networking and meeting people is one of most important aspects he’s learned throughout his experience.

“It’s so heavy on networking and meeting people hoping to get a job from them at some point,” Mc Reynolds said. “If you’re going to learn things, you don’t want to talk about it so much before you actually have to use some hands- on experience and learn everything. It’s awesome the academy is doing that, especially an organization that big.”

Mc Reynolds said he hopes the effects of the program paves

more pathways for students in the future.

“It’s a very competitive area and career,” Mc Reynolds said. “I would hope that what comes out of it is more chances to start working and do things. Hopefully, it will come through.”

Mc Reynolds said he was raised around the film industry, so he always knew he wanted to do something with movies.

“I think when I first realized I wanted to make movies was when I was around 10,” Mc Reynolds said. “I got my first camera and I started making videos of my friends remaking old YouTube videos.”

Mc Reynolds said he hopes by 30, he’d like to be operating cameras in the film departments filming movies.

“Maybe in the next 10 years after I could be a director of photography or a director in general,” Mc Reynolds said. “That’d be a cool end goal. I like to make short little goals for myself, that way my expectations are met quicker and I feel more proud of myself.”

Mc Reynolds said community college students should take advantage of the program and get into it as soon as possible to meet people.

“It’s all about connection so if that’s one route that could lead into a connection; could lead into meeting someone that could hand you a job,” Mc Reynolds said. “Being able to talk to someone that works in the field can give

you knowledge or tips because that’s what you want is to meet people.”

CSUN Television major Steve Lopez said in a Zoom interview that the partnership should allow more outreach to independent

students.

“It’s great in the idea that it should allow more outreach to students within the arts,” Lopez said. “More specifically, just allowing students of underrepresented groups to get more in-depth access to the industry which was really gatekept for a really long time.”

Lopez said the impact will be present, but not as big as it’s making itself out to be.

“Other Universities such as CSUN have had partnerships with several sections of the industry and the help is great,” Lopez said. “You get more funding to get access to industry professionals, but it’s really just a small boost, and the only people who really utilize it to the fullest potential are the really forward thinking students to be honest.”

Lopez said the way he would tell students to go about such a program is to take it seriously, get into the program and apply yourself.

“Anyone who’s in that program, who’s an industry professional, talk to them and get to know the network,” Lopez said. “Some people say you’ll get a job on what you know. Most of the time when you network with people, you’re not going to get a job out of them, but at least they’ll teach you how to get a job or how to talk to people to get the job and tell you what to avoid.”

Despite her enjoyment of teaching online, Belden said that she still misses seeing her students in person.

“Daily interaction with students is something that I miss,” Belden said. “Lots of students would come to class, and I would get to see them and have casual conversations while I’m doing online office hours.”

Belden, however, was not the only professor missing in-person interactions. Math Professor Sheri Lehavi said that she yearned for bonding with her students again.

“I miss actually knowing my students,” Lehavi said. “I see these names and I don’t even know who they are.”

Levahi said that if she was given the chance, she would return to campus to teach a classroom full of students as soon as possible.

“I would be on campus today, yesterday,” Lehavi said. “I would come back tomorrow and teach in a classroom with 30 kids in there with masks and open windows.”

Belden said she would love to return to campus, but appreciates the campus’s concern for the safety of students and faculty.

“I would love to go back 100% full time,” Belden said. “I, however, appreciate the flexibility in making sure that we’re all safe. Safety really does seem to be the number one concern.”

AFT Chapter President and History/Humanities professor Brian Walsh said that he finds himself longing for that same interaction with his students.

“I miss just seeing my students in person,” Walsh said. “Now I just see a bunch of black boxes.”

“I know that there is a reengagement grid that the district has been working on and distributing,” Belden said. “The return to campus depends on what color tier the LA county is in. It looks like in the fall they’re anticipating us to be in the yellow tier, which is about 50% of reengagement.”

Pierce President Alexis Montevirgen said that with the decrease in COVID-19 cases, the campus can expect to see more classes returning.

“I ultimately want to try and make sure that we do offer and bring back as many classes as we can,” Montevirgen said.

Montevirgen also said that while the online environment works for some people, he doesn’t want the college to completely be remote.

“The world of higher education has forever changed, and I don’t think we’ll ever come back to all inperson classes,” Montevirgen said.

“What I don’t want is to justify that even if [remote learning] is working for a few, we’ll just potentially leave out a significant population of our students who may be wanting that in-person type of education.”

Screenshot by Tatyana Ekmekjian

Virtual seminar of Black Student Success week was held over Zoom on April 30, 2021.

- Michella Martinez

"Myfavoritesportsteam

“How can one say anything but good things? Getting this type of internship and any type of media industry experience I think is terrific and can get students so much more out of college.”

Ken Windrum Media Arts Cinema professor

Resuming the Conditioning

Light at the end of the tunnel

BY BEN HANSON

The California Community College Athletic Association announced on May 5 a “full-scale return” to athletic competition for the 2021-2022 academic school year.

Pierce student athletes have returned to campus for in-person conditioning after more than a year of working out from home.

The football, baseball and soccer

teams have been conducting workouts at John Shepard Stadium while basketball players practice at the tennis courts.

The swimmers and football players are the only athletes conditioning in their own environment, as Joe Kelly Field and The Pit have not been kept to competition standards.

Coaches said that the students have stayed resilient despite the challenges imposed by COVID-19.

Sandoghdar said that she felt relief when the school announced

they were going to allow athletic conditioning.

“I genuinely thought that we were only going to be gone for a couple of weeks,” Sandoghdar said. “With teammates, we get to motivate each other, and seeing each other over Zoom isn’t the same thing as motivating each other in person.”

bhanson.roundupnews@gmail.com

Photo by David Pashaee

Hayley Villafane, running and warming up with her other colleagues in Shepard Stadium at Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 22, 2021.

Photo by Benjamin Hanson Gary Pregulman tosses a tennis ball at a wall during an in-person athletic condtioning session at John Shepard Stadium in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 3, 2021.

Photo by Benjamin Hanson

Dirk Ryan performs a baserunning exercise an in-person athletic condtioning session at John Shepard Stadium in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 3, 2021.

Photo by Benjamin Hanson

Trace Newman swims during an in-person athletic conditioning session at Steven Schofield Aquatic Center on May 3, 2021.