Volume 135 Fall 2021 Roundup Issue 2

Photo by Cecilia Parada Hugo Nogueira speaks to guests during the Performing Arts Department's Afternoon Concert sseries in the Performing Arts Bulding at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 28, 2021.

Live music returns

TRISHA ANAS AND CECILIA PARADA Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor

The Pierce College Associated Students Organization brought back on Tuesday afternoon its Afternoon Concerts series with a performance from professor Hugo Nogueira.

After attending three conservatories in Brazil, Nogueira received a bachelor’s degree in 2007 and his teaching credential in 2010.

Nogueira opened his performance with two pieces by Argentinian composers Maximo Pujol and Astor Piazzolla. The opening piece by Pujol called “Milonga” is classical guitar composition, a slow-tempoed song titled after a variation of tango by the same name. The second song by Piazzolla “Verano Porteño” is a transcription originally played by a bandoneon, an instrument similar to an accordion.

Nogueira read the sheet music from a tablet set in front of him and let the gentle, mesmerizing guitar notes fill the room.

Nogueira then transitioned to “Sonata L238, K208,” by Italian

composer Domenico Scarlatti and an original arrangement of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” by Harold Arlen.

The arrangement of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” while short, is jazzlike in its composition and delicately intricate in its execution.

Nogueira’s final solo piece was “Tango En Skӓi,” composed by Roland Dyens, a French classical guitarist and composer born in Tunisia.

Nogueira’s performance of “Tango En Skӓi” though quick-tempoed was played masterfully, growing in volume at crescendos and occasional taps on the guitar’s body to add to the depth of the song.

Nogueira walked off stage to mark the end of his solo performance and returned to the stage with Ekaterina Bessmeltseva, his wife and the other half of Duo Imaginalis.

Ekaterina Bessmeltseva is a concert pianist and soloist, but she often performs with her husband.

Their opening pieces were “Duo in C Major, Op. 11: I. Allegro” and “Duo in E Minor, Op. 86: I. Allegro, II. Largo, III. Rondo,” by Italian composer Ferdinando Carulli. These pieces were composed for duets

Brief: Flu shots available

between pianos and guitars.

The two songs rely on the balance between the two musicians giving each other moments to be the lead instrument.

The duet moved on to play “2nd Sonatina,” by Brazilian composer Radamés Gnattali, the song was composed for a piano and guitar duo. The instruments, while lightly playing off one another, complemented the other beautifully. At times, the composition felt conversational.

The final piece was “Choro Pro Duo,” after struggling to decide on a repertoire the duo enjoy playing, Nogueira decided to write a piece to fill their setlist needs.

The upcoming free afternoon concerts will continue throughout the rest of the year, with the next one on Oct. 26. featuring professor Garineh Avakian.

ASO will also be offering evening concerts, and it will be selling tickets for $10 online and at the box office on the night of the performance.

Old antiques find new homes

The longstanding vintage market returns to campus

WALTER ORELLANA Reporter

It’s an early morning, and Pierce College’s parking Lot 7 is filled with rows of tables lined with antiques and food trucks parked, ready to go. A sense of normalcy and familiarity is in the air. The Topanga Vintage Market has marked its return.

After a year and a half hiatus following the college’s temporary Los Angeles County vaccination site, the vintage market is back in full swing, open every fourth Sunday of the month.

Lori Rotblatt, co-founder of the Topanga Vintage Market, said that after being away for a whole year, everyone was excited to finally return.

“We had a record turnout,” Rotblatt said. “All our vendors were ecstatic, the shoppers were ecstatic, and Patrice and I were just so happy, so it’s a win, win, win.” Co-founders Rotblatt and Patrice Curedale were single moms and longtime friends in the art and vintage markets when it all started in 2012. Rotblatt has a degree from Cal State Long Beach in Art and a business background. Curedale is an artist who makes and sells art - a savvy marketer who, along with Rotblatt, decided to start their own vintage market after researching and not finding any vintage markets in the San Fernando Valley. Since then they have continued to grow year after year.

“The hardest job was to find a location to host us. Originally we started at the Promenade on Topanga but after a year, we got so big, so fast, that we outgrew the parking lot.” Rotblatt said.

“We reached out to Pierce and at the time they were looking for a venue that could offer the local community events with a lot of high energy and we had it with

TRISHA

ANAS

Editor-in-Chief

The Pierce College Student Health Center now is offering a limited number of flu shots for $20.

SHC assistant Bonnie Zahavi said she’s encouraging students to sign up as soon as they can.

“It’s really important that [students] get the flu shot because, you know, the flu is not something you want to get, especially during what we’re going through with COVID,” Zahavi said. “Whether it’s here, if they can get it elsewhere if they have insurance or if they can get it free, they should get it.”

Zahavi said students can call the center at (818) 710-4270 to schedule an appointment, fill out consent forms on the Student Health portal and complete a COVID screening questionnaire prior to the appointment.

Zahavi also said that because the center is independent and nonprofit, they’re only charging for the exact cost of the vaccines.

“We’re not in a position to offer [the shots] for free because we’re nonprofit,” Zahavi said. “We don’t charge to administer it or any of that, but that’s exactly what it costs us and that’s exactly what we collect.”

While some of the other Los Angeles Community College District campuses might offer the vaccines for free, SHC assistant Loralyn Frederick said that this is in part because those centers have third party contracts with outside community clinics.

“Valley College is contracted with Valley Community Clinic, Mission College is contracted with Northeast Valley Health Corporation,” Frederick said. “We’re the only independent entity within the LACCD. There is quality service [here.]”

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[see

feature on pg. 5]

our vintage market.”

Today, the Topanga Vintage Market is full of all kinds of vendors but not all are allowed in, all vendors are vetted and must sell items that are at least twenty years old or older. Although, they allow room for new artists to get exposure.

Glenn Hendricks, at seventyseven years old, has been a vendor since the beginning in 2012. In the community of vendors and shoppers, he is known as Uncle Rusty Glenn. His booth is filled with vintage rustic toys, tools, and signs.

“I was doing great when I was the only one selling vintage rustic toys but it seems now there’s more vendors selling vintage toys, but I’m still doing well.” Hendricks said. “I tend to do well selling,

depending on the customers, but right now the customers are holding on to their money with all that's going on.”

Once the Topanga Vintage Market was shut down for a year and a half, so was Hendricks. Retired and living on his own with little to do, selling vintage toys became a hobby that keeps him active, so he is thrilled to be back doing what he loves: selling rust.

“This is my first time at the Topanga Vintage Market. I always see the signs since I live a mile away but today I told my mom they’re back, let's go.” Customer Kat James said “…I’ve had three perfect purchases so far. Everything is speaking to me with lots of good energy today.”

Walking around the vintage market, there’s all kinds of

interests, ranging from Native American art, vintage jewelry, toys and mid-century furniture. There is something for everyone to see and buy. The pricing varies but vendors do welcome customers who are looking to make a deal on an item, especially towards the end of the day.

Vendor Emily Ryan enjoys the social engagement of repeat customers stopping by her booth to say hello and check out what she's brought to the market. She sells antiques, collectibles, linens, clothes and jewelry. Pretty much anything that the public will find interesting.

“I’ve been a vendor since the beginning when they were first at the Promenade. I’ve been a shopper and buyer for over thirtyfive years in this business. I think

most people want items that are no more than twenty dollars so I have tables that say ten and five dollars. Some people are just out to be outside and socialize.” Ryan said.

“It’s my first time at the Topanga Vintage Market, it’s nice that it's smaller and spread out with more room to move around. All the vendors seem to be really nice and willing to make a deal.”

customer Sam Parkins said.

Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

Vendors get creative with their booths at Topanga Vintage Market, which takes place every fourth Sunday at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2021.

Bring back the food trucks

Not having an option to purchase food on campus gives some students yet another obstacle. For people without personal transportation, they are unable to drive off campus to buy food.

Who doesn’t like the convenience of food trucks?

Busy students on a college campus may enjoy moderate prices, fast service and good, fresh food prepared on the spot by commercial food trucks.

The Pierce College administration can invite commercial food trucks to come at peak school hours for students, faculty and staff to have at least one food resource. Pierce can set a schedule that would allow for a variety

of food throughout the week without it being too unpredictable.

In a city as diverse as Los Angeles there shouldn’t be any issues finding food trucks to serve an equally diverse school population.

The food trucks servicing the school could offer vegetarian or vegan options, halal or kosher food and a variety of cuisines.

Street Food Finder is a website that allows you to look for operating food trucks in your area. It is not a complete list of trucks in Los Angeles, but it can be a good place to start your search.

At the University of Houston, administration invited commercial food trucks on to campus as a temporary fix to the school court being closed for

renovations, and the program ended up being incredibly popular.

An article on Spoon University calls food trucks on college campuses “the next big thing.”

Pasadena City College

even has a page where students can see which food trucks will be on campus that week and browse their menus.

To avoid insurance hassles, the food trucks could park on Winnetka Avenue.

This could be a temporary fix to a temporary problem until COVID protocols allow the cafeteria to reopen.

Lights, camera, curtains!

Pierce College’s Great Hall is the site for many events, from Club Rush to guest speakers to Film Club movie showings.

But adding blackout curtains to the doors of the Great Hall would make the viewing of presentations much easier to do and relieve stress for clubs hoping to host gatherings.

Pierce already provides classrooms with blinds for ease of showing videos or presentations. Treating the Great Hall the same as a classroom makes practical sense and would make the space a much more widely used building for events.

By buying either custom or generic window covers, the

Pro: Keep textbooks

SHAYNE TAMKIN Reporter

Textbooks are a vital tool to assist both the student in gaining—and the professor in delivering—the information.

Without textbooks, it would be difficult for students to help each other, because they wouldn’t get the same information from the same place. Also, tutors would not be able to help students because there would not be a standard place for them to reference to.

Another issue is the cost of textbooks. But there are a multitude of solutions to the dilemma of high textbook costs.

The first is that they allow students across schools in multiple states to gain the same knowledge in the same way. This gives people the ability to move schools, if necessary, and still have the same basis to progress in their courses.

With many people being able to gain the same information from the same source, there is a sense of ease knowing that others have learned things the same way.

The second way is that if students are looking to get the same textbook, then it is likely that other students will need those transcripts as well. There are a multitude of websites that will help you sell back your textbooks at a very reasonable value.

These sites not only give students the ability to sell their books back, but are also a great way to buy textbooks at a discounted rate.

Although the cost of textbooks can be high, there are sites that can assist. One that is especially helpful is BookScouter.com. This site gives you the option to sell or buy books to multiple sites all in one easy location.

These sites also offer access to online textbooks. And although online textbooks are harder, or are even sometimes impossible to sell, they are also cheaper to purchase initially.

You can also get your textbook free. It may sound odd to get a textbook for free, especially since they are normally so expensive. But there are indeed sites that allow you to access these scripts for no charge.

These sites such as OpenStax, give students access to thousands of textbooks without charging them, giving students an easier way to gain knowledge and eliminating the hassle of buying books.

As long as students can remember the resources at their disposal, as well as utilize them, then there is nothing standing in a student's way but a simple Google search and an open mind.

“Myfavoritecoffeewould probablybeacaramel macchiato.Iusuallydrinkcoffee justasanenergizer,butIdo like the flavor as well. I feel like Ican’tstartmymorninguntilI havemycoffee.”

-MikaylaFaircloth

Great Hall would be used much more for movie panels and for guest speakers who depend on presentations. Custom blinds or curtains could have the Pierce logo with the Brahma Bull in school colors as well.

Pierce could even host a contest for each club to create a design for custom window covers and the winner could get priority on hosting an event in the building.

The Great Hall can house (check maximum occupancy), but most events don’t reach capacity. Events hosted in the building are many times dependent on something being projected to the room, and with the windowed doors light can pose an issue for those in attendance.

It may not seem like a big deal, but for Pierce to be considered a legitimate institution, using butcher paper or clothing to block the sun should not be required.

“Myfavoritecoffeeisa caramel macchiato. The reasonwhyIlikecoffeeis becauseitwakesmeupwith the caffeine and also because of the flavors.”

-BenjaminRodriguez

Con: No textbooks needed

PAMELA KALIDASAN Reporter

With the cost of textbooks exponentially rising, especially in higher education, there needs to be other alternatives for students who can’t afford to purchase one.

According to the College Board, the average budget for books and supplies for a four-year undergraduate is approximately $1,240. It doesn’t seem that much at first glance, but in the long term, that number adds up especially when students have to account for other expenses.

The College Board also wrote that undergraduates planning on attending a four-year college would have to pay around $26,820 and higher depending on if students are settling in-state or out-of-state.

And because of these high costs already in higher education, students have done several things of their own to combat this issue.

An article published by the Department of Educational Foundations and Research has stated that college students have saved money from buying commercial textbooks by purchasing old editions, sharing textbooks with peers, using copies available at the campus library

Photographers:

Brandon Sinclair Bre Jenkins

Dominique Dungo

Ginina Pulcinella

Jasmine Casanova

Madeleine Schade

Pauline Gener

and downloading illegal electronic copies and some not bothering to buy a textbook.

This is an important and prevalent problem, especially within higher education, that needs to be addressed. Students worrying about the costs that come with buying the materials needed for a classroom, such as a textbook, shouldn’t be a financial burden to put on students and their parents.

What’s important is to open up new resources for students to have access to other options that may even be better to opt for in the long term.

And one such option is OpenSource Education Resources (OER) that expands and distributes textbooks, course readings, articles, journals, course packs, quizzes, videos and other educational resources such as databases readily available to students for free.

With OER, students at Pierce can access a wide variety of material for literature, art, sciences, business, child development and other subjects to look through separate databases and have more options readily available to them.

During this pandemic when most work was remote, Pierce heavily relied on technology to reach out

“Myfavoritecoffeedrinkis definitelythecaramelFrappuccino from Starbucks. I like the sweetness of the cream and caramelappliedtothecoffee itself. "

-JorgeLira

to their students through various channels such as the Canvas shell, campus updates via email and allowing students to communicate with advisors, staff, faculty, tutors, etc. through Cranium Café or other virtual assistance tools.

As technology grows and develops rapidly, there will come a time where all education sectors have to adapt to this new normal or hybridized education where the learning materials aren’t all in print and instead are readily accessible.

Furthermore, this involves education adapting and encouraging their faculty to use online resources with their students and work with other possible technology to provide students with the best resources with or without an open book.

-NadirNavarro

the opportunity to revise unacceptable letters. The Pierce College Roundup will not publish, as letters, literary endeavors,

-LawrenceJohnson

pkalidasan.roundupnews@gmail.com

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.

“Myfavoriteflavorofcoffeeisthe vanillalatte.Ilikethevanillalatte becauseIdonʼtreallylikechocolate thatmuch,butIreallylikethatthey makeareallystrongflavorhere[at Pierce]versusittastingartificial.”

File photo by Benjamin Hanson

Camila Rivera orders breakfast from the L.A. Mobile catering food truck in front of the South Gym in

“Ilikethecaramelmacchiato.Itʼs reallysweet,sugaryanditgetsme wired.”

File photo by Kamryn Bouyett

The Film Club kicking off their first movie screening "Get Out" of the first semester at the Great Hall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. Oct. 3, 2019.

HEERF it comes

WALTER ORELLANA Reporter

Infrastructure, technology and hybrid classes spearheaded the topics at Pierce College Council meeting on Sept. 23. The council met to discuss budget reports, Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) spending and the future of in-person and online teaching.

In 2020, COVID-19 was in full effect, shutting down businesses and schools. Many of the budgets throughout the Los Angeles College districts took a hit with losses of incoming revenues to help support campus maintenance, academic programs and new technologies to help teachers with online classes.

And while there’s a fund to help in the rebuilding and keeping up with maintenance and technology, some faculty felt the money wasn't being used enough or fast enough to get classes in tip-top shape to present a good product to the Fall semester students.

Pierce’s Chapter president Brian Walsh said that the funds should be utilized towards technology and safety on campus.

“We started this semester willfully unprepared when it comes to technology, cleanliness of classes and teaching online,” Walsh said. “It’s great to think long term, but we had students come this new semester and we did not put our best foot forward in terms of presenting them a product that they would enjoy coming to on a daily basis.

"I think we need to put as much HEERF funds into these classes and technologies. Let’s think about the spring, I don't want to repeat what we are doing in the fall. I want us to be more prepared.”

Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher said that the college plans to use the HEERF funds as effectively as possible.

“We don't have the best budgeting system in the district but we get around that by having good protocols and methodologies,” Schleicher said. “HEERF funds are on everybody’s mind but these are funds we need to use effectively because again in the end this money is just to get us back into a normal business mode, which is not normal anymore.”

Associate Vice President of the Business Office Ron Paquette said that the HEERF funds have been helping Pierce regain lost revenue.

“The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) fund has allowed colleges to recapture revenues that were lost due to COVID-19,” Paquette said. “ So losses in instructional fees due to loss of enrollment, bookstore losses, cafeteria losses, facility rentals and parking fees losses, can all be recaptured using the HEERF fund that the district helps supplement.”

With an ongoing drop in enrollment since the start of the pandemic, Media Arts Department Chair Jill Connelly said that students have been more present online than in-person, and feels that this might be where things are moving towards.

“I thought my students would be flocking back to the classroom this semester and they’re not,” Connelly said. “A lot of our students are signing up online and we put a lot of classes in person. They’re not getting the same kind of numbers as online. So I think this could be the new way of teaching whether we like it or not if the students don't come and the demand isn't there for in-person.”

Take a deep breadth

New ethnic studies required for CCCs and CSUs

ANASTASIYA OREL Reporter

The state of California is implementing new requirements in both the CSU and the California Community Colleges systems.

The introduction of bills AB1040 and AB1460 require all college students to take at least one threeunit ethnic studies course before graduation.

Ethnic studies courses generally explore the dynamic, oppression and endowment that impact the four racial and ethnic groups accounting for two thirds of California’s population: Native Americans and Indigenous, African Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Latina/Latino/Latinx Americans (including Chicano and Mexican Americans).

Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs Donna Mae Villanueva said AB1040 has not yet been approved for implementation and that the process takes a while for approval.

“The legislation says that it

Bill AB1040 is a California Community Colleges requirement stating that an ethnic studies course be taken before transfering to a CSU. This requirement would enable eligibility for students to meet the ethnic studies GE graduation requirements for a CSU before attending and graduating the university.

The bill would also direct each community college district in California to require students to complete at least one 3-unit ethnic studies course in order to obtain an associate degree.

would be in place by fall 2022-23 so our process requires us to start now,” Villanueva said. “Faculty have to write the curriculum and do their research, then it has to go through the curriculum committee and then through technician review. Once it gets approved, it goes to the Board of Trustees, then it goes to the state.”

Academic Senate President Barbara Anderson said that although the AB1040 bill has not been approved, the bill provides courses and opportunities for students to complete the CSU coursework before transfer.

“Many if not all of our students end up at a CSU,” Anderson said. “We, as community colleges, have the responsibility to provide the curriculum and all the key areas to support transfer. That is a big part of our mission.”

Anderson said that California community colleges are working towards development within curriculums.

Bill AB1460 is the mandate published for the CSU system requiring students of any of the 23 CSU campuses to take an ethnic studies course prior to graduating the university.

California state governor Gavin Newsom passed the bill on Aug. 17, 2021. The bill will take into effect starting in the 2021-22 academic year for students planning to graduate and obtain degrees by the 2024-25 academic year.

The bill would be integrated in the CSU GE Breadth Pattern as a separate area from Area D: Social and Behavioral Sciences; instead labeled as GE category F, it will produce a consecutive reduction of a 3-unit course in Area D of the GE pattern.

“We’re still working to expand our curriculum to address the need so that every student, even though they don’t have to have it to graduate Pierce, then need it to graduate from a CSU,” Anderson said. “So we absolutely need to provide that to students. Even though the letter of the law didn’t pass for community colleges, the faculty and leaders of community colleges still want students to have that knowledge and breadth of experience in that course that’s offered. It’s unique to those ethnic studies courses.”

Sophomore Ashley Yakoub said she believes the bill would be a great addition to coursework within community colleges, including Pierce.

“I’m glad they’re doing it actually,” Yakoub said. “There’s a lot of people that take courses and they kind of go through it as their checklist. Once you take an ethnic studies course, it opens up your perspective on it.”

Yakoub said the idea of taking an ethnic studies course had already been put into action within her family’s education.

“My sister took a Chicano Studies course before she transferred to CSUN,” Yakoub said. “It really just made her more aware of the whole culture and how it is so popular in Los Angeles.”

Yakoub said she encourages the idea of learning about ethnic and racial groups.

“I think we should all learn it and get to know each other,” Yakoub said. “I feel like we’re so involved with ourselves, that taking an ethnic studies course really just opens up your perspective. It’s kind of a no-brainer for me.”

Anderson said she believes it is important that faculty are the drivers of the curriculum and that

Absent employees

students influence that drive.

“I think I see the shift happening,” Anderson said. “When you’re in graduate school, I think you’ll see a lot more opportunity to explore and learn from, and not from such a limited lens. It’s really important that we open up that lens, and make sure that the fabric of the American experience is not just a single perspective or thread or color because it’s not. It’s so much more beautiful when you see everything woven together and are able to see the different stories and experiences, and value them.”

Articulation Officer and Counselor Cristina Rodriguez said she believes it is important for students and faculty on the Pierce campus, as well as the Los Angeles community, to be conscious of the diversity of the Pierce community.

“This can be a very positive way to move in a different direction and to learn more about other people,” Rodriguez said. “I think this is very important for students to be more aware of issues within different ethnic groups and to have a better understanding of ethnic groups, the histories and the current issues and challenges that they face.”

LACCD Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez, an advocate and sponsor of the AB1040 bill, sent out a letter expressing the approval process of AB1040. Within the letter, he wrote:

“The lack of a diverse curriculum and a racially diverse faculty are still major issues in our state’s educational system,” Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez said. “Without honest conversations about power, privilege, what we teach in our classrooms, who teaches our students, and our own leadership, we run the risk of further perpetuating the very inequalities and disparities that we see to disrupt and improve.”

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Plant facilities staff nowhere to be found on campus

SOPHIE WARD Reporter

More than several of Pierce College’s plant facility staff failed to show up to work on Monday, according to the school's administration.

During the Academic Senate meeting on Sept. 27, Pierce Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher announced that employees from plant facilities, except a few who showed up to care for the farm animals, did not come to campus to work on Monday.

The reasons for their absence are unknown. Schleicher was unsure if the situation resulted from work issues, compensation or COVID- 19.

“We’re trying to get to the root of that versus just, you know, trying to get people back," Schleicher said. "We want to understand what the needs are and what the issues are. We’re trying to get more information from the District too. We don’t know if this is something broader throughout the District.”

During their absence, Pierce has brought in additional assistance.

“Even in the interim, what we’re doing is we’re bringing in some extra help where required. We have more cadettes and more [security officers] and deputies here that can help out with locking classrooms or opening up classrooms,” Schleicher said. “I know the administrators that are here on the campus are helping wherever they can.”

Meeting attendees like Michael Van Dyke were interested in how Pierce plans to

Beware the bots

SHAYNE TAMKIN Reporter

Anew bot scam has been sweeping community colleges across the state, leaving professors weary.

The California Student Aid Commision found that 105 of 116 colleges in the California Community College system were the targets of a financial aid scam, according to an article from the Los Angeles Times.

Pierce College professor Angela Belden said this fraud scam takes money away from real students who could need help to make sure they can further their education.

Student financial aid is exactly what it says it's for— it's for students, it's to help them," Belden said. "It's to help people get an education. I personally used financial aid to get an education, and would not have been able to get an education without it.”

Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs DonnaMae Villanueva sent an email to faculty dictating how to assess if they have a bot in their class and what actions should be taken.

"They should drop students who are inactive from their rosters. So if a student is not engaged in any of the class, class activities etc, then that could be a bot," Villanueva said.

Villanueva added that although the faculty is trying their best, there are still instances that slip through the cracks.

“Our numbers were just a little over 300 [bots]” which implies that the system itself is not perfect and has room for improvement.

Distance Education Coordinator Wendy Bass said that although it may seem straightforward, there are many more processes to checking if a student is a bot rather than just “dropping them.”

proceed with the issue.

“Well, I’m assuming with no one showing up from plant facilities, this basically means we have no custodial staff and no trade staff. So I’m kind of under that assumption,” Van Dyke said.

Responding to Van Dyke, Schleicher explained that it is unclear whether or not staff will return to campus on Tuesday.

In the meantime, he is working with Academic Affairs, the deans and interim Vice President of Academic Affairs Donna-Mae Villanueva on how to inform and notify Pierce faculty of the current situation.

Schleicher advised all the meeting attendees to be sensitive to the topic when the plant facilities faculty return to campus.

Political science professor Denise Robb suggested Pierce hire more faculty and staff to combat understaffing issues and asked questions regarding new hires.

“Well I could tell you for sure that the quicker you hire more people, the better things are going to be for faculty and staff,” Robb said.

Schleicher responded by discussing the impact of COVID-19 on custodial faculty. He explained that many individuals were working overtime to ensure the campus was safe and sanitized for the fall semester. Pierce is currently working on hiring individuals who can do interim work.

“So we were working some overtime and we got the list from the district,” Schleicher said.

“It was a list of up to 34 people that they said were available. By the next day, we put every

submission in, every submission to the district and were waiting for those hires to transpire. It did not. But finding eligible people who want to do interim work, such as custodial work, that’s been a challenge for us.”

Despite the challenge of gaining custodial hires, Pierce made progress in the hiring process of the two vice president positions: the VP of Academic Affairs (VPAA) and VP of Student Services (VPSS).

“We have gone through the whole process to the sense that we’re now at the point of going to interviews,” Schleicher said. “We’ll be conducting [VPAA] interviews in the next week. We have a strong pool of candidates. We feel very good about that.”

Schleicher hopes to complete the VPAA interview process by the middle of October. His goal is to complete the VP of Student Services hiring process by the end of December.

Issues such faculty retiring and a large cost structure have made the hiring process more challenging. However, the school’s HERF funds have provided financial relief during this process, according to Schleicher.

Drops in student enrollment have also complicated the faculty hiring situation.

Interim President Ara Aguiar compared Fall 2021 enrollment statistics to those from past years. She emphasized the large enrollment gap from the Fall 2019 semester.

“Our enrollment compared to fall 19 is down, has shrunk by 24 percent and compared to fall 20, we are down 15 percent and that is equal to 100 less sections from

fall 19,” Aguiar said.

She explained that if there are 100 fewer sections, with 35 students per section, there is a gap of 3,500 fewer students since the fall 2019 semester.

"We need more students,” Aguiar said. “We need to add classes wherever we can. We need to maximize and leverage our resources as much as we can here.”

“I have had people contact me, trying to figure out if I think a student is a bot or a real person,” Bass said. “So we will do some investigating, see what classes they are registered in, how often they registered and if they've ever submitted any work," Bass said.

One thing Bass told teachers to do is to have some initial assessment to prove they are a real person.

“Students have to submit something like an introduction about themselves, or my students often do something like a syllabus quiz.”

But this still does not seem to be preventing the issue of bots.

Chair of History and Humanities Brian Walsh said that some of the bots are even able to fake responses to some professors, leaving the department searching for new answers.

“When faculty were writing them, they would always say like prof instead of professor,” Walsh said. “One of my faculty picked up on it and she's very tech savvy. At first, we were just like wow this is really trippy. But then, you know, it hits you like, no, this is like a well coordinated fraud scheme.”

Unwanted Art: Old Trapper’s Lodge

Pierce takes another step to remove statues

the academic senate and Pierce College Council meetings, yet there was nothing being done. We recently had someone who’s interested and wants to take the statues.”

Brian Walsh, a history professor at Pierce, has been another faculty member pushing for the removal of the Old Trapper’s Lodge statues from campus. He and McKeever have long awaited seeing the removal process.

“The summer of 2020, and the protests, you see statues coming down without waiting for the paperwork,” Walsh said. “It seems that now the winds are on our back, now’s the time these things need to go. I know the board recently approved donating them to the Valley Relics Museum, so we just want to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible.”

Pierce’s interim president, Aracely Aguiar, was able to shed better light on the issue in regards to the removal.

Brief: Managing Money

LATTC hosts Student Financial Literacy Fair

Walking around campus, new and returning students may not be aware of the controversial art statues located on the west side of campus, depicting Native Americans as blood-thirsty fighters, kidnapping white women.

In 1988, a collection of American-Western folk art was donated to Pierce College. At the time, a board of trustees at Pierce voted to accept the collection from the John Ehn family trust. Now, three decades later, both faculty and students have been weighing in to remove

these pieces of art that no longer represent their worldview.

Professor James McKeever was one of the first faculty members spearheading the issue, bringing attention to the offensiveness they represent to the Native American community and the social impact they have on campus life.

“Nine years ago, a student brought these statues to my attention, and I didn’t know they existed,” McKeever said. “At the time, I had students in a social justice group called Blatigenous, which stands for Black, Latino, and Indigenous. Together we walked over to see the statues and agreed that they needed to be removed.”

The collection was created by John Ehn (1897-1981), an animal

trapper from Michigan who settled in California in 1941. He brought tales and myths of the Old West with him.

The sculptures of cowboys and Indians stood in front of his Old Trapper’s Lodge motel located in Burbank. When Burbank Airport was expanded, the family was forced to donate the art, containing narratives that by today’s social standards are considered racist and offensive.

“Throughout the years, we’ve had a few roadblocks in removing them, the first being that they’re considered a state landmark,” McKeever said. “Second, there was no one who knew how we got the statues, nor could find an official agreement to the terms of keeping them. At times I would bring attention to these statues at

“We’re moving forward, everything seems to be in full alignment in terms of beginning the removal,” Aguiar said. “The process has been approved by the family and the whole transition team. I hate to say that it’s still in progress, but we’re in a different phase, and a much better phase, in terms of getting the exhibit transferred.”

McKeever said that he hopes he’ll be notified when the removal takes place.

“I would like to invite the students who fought so hard nine years ago, back to campus to witness the removal and be part of that,” he said.

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The Los Angeles Community College District held a Student Financial Literacy Fair at LA Trade Technical College, which

Come on in, the campus is fine!

Remote services return to helping students in person

After a long absence of a majority of students and faculty at Pierce College’s campus, some are wondering which buildings have reopened for in-person services.

Look no further.

The Transfer Center, Counseling Center, Career Center and Library have all opened their doors again.

Transfer Center director and counselor Sunday Salter said transfer counseling services will be available on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drop in services will be available to students that need help with anything transfer related, such as help with applications.

Salter also said that online Zoom services will be available

Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We are going to maintain our online services because they are very well attended,” Salter said.

“Since the pandemic, we have served way more students than before.”

Salter said that the workshops will continue to be exclusively online to limit large crowds on campus.

In the past, students could only meet with university representatives from University of California Los Angeles, California State University Northridge and California State University Los Angeles, but now with online services, they can also meet with the University of California Berkeley, University of California Davis, University of California Riverside and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The appointments with

university representatives are available on the Pierce College website by going to the transfer center page. According to Salter, the giant bell that students ring in celebration of being admitted into a university is currently not being used.

“The energy, excitement and fun has been missing, so we’re excited to get back in person and celebrate our students together,” Salter said.

The General Counseling Office is also now open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Counseling Center Chair Danielle Lendor said that express counseling services are currently being offered. That includes prerequisite clearances, help with changes of major or campus, referrals, math and English placement, unit overload petitions or quick questions.

“We are happy, willing and able to serve them the best that

we can within the services that we offer,” Lendor said. Lendor said the use of services by the students have been steady and consistent. Lendor also said there has been no change when it comes to how busy the office can be.

“We’re generally pretty busy and I don’t think that’s changed,” Lendor said. “During the pandemic or even pre-COVID, we were very busy which is still consistent [now.]”

Another service available to students is access to the college’s library, which is available Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library’s main goal is to help students with their research and information needs. Library Department Chair Lauren Saslow said that the group study rooms are currently closed due to poor air circulation. Saslow also said that students should be wearing a mask at all times and use the check in service each day when they arrive on campus.

There have been retirements and transfers, which is why the library has been closing early in the evening.

“Otherwise things are pretty much the same as usual,” Saslow said. “A lot of the same students who came here before are coming back again and it’s going well.”

The Career Center will be open on campus starting Sept. 20, 2021. Open hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays.

Wendi Meckler, the Career Center Director and Counselor said a one hour appointment can be made using Cranium Cafe, but can be hard to find due to not having many career counselors. Career transfer mentors and interns who are graduate students, are trained to do all that a career counselor can help with. A meeting can be

done over live chat or the Zoom lounge from the Career Center website.

“The sooner that students know how to do resumés, interviewing, [and] LinkedIn, the sooner they can possibly get an internship or some work experience,” Meckler said.

Meckler said there have been new requests to make videos for the virtual classes because certain counseling classes have a career aspect. Before switching to online, counselors were asked to

featured a $100 MasterCard giveaway and information about money management and self starting businesses. LACCD also provided refreshments for attendees.

tanas.roundupnews@gmail.com

present to classrooms which now doing it online has created a shift.

“We used to have in-person events like the job fair and major fair,” Meckler said. “ We’ve had to come up with creative ways to switch that to the virtual experience.”

Meckler said it has been a challenge that is still being worked on to be as helpful as an in-person experience, which is still a work in progress. She hopes that the fairs will return sooner than later, but it is unknown when that will be.

WALTER ORELLANA Reporter

David Pashaee / Roundup

Old Trapper’s Lodge statues at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept 27, 2021.

GISELLE LOMELI Reporter

David Pashaee / Roundup Pierce College counselor Armine Papazian provides educational plan to students Christian Teufel and Nancy Ramos at Pierce College Counseling Center in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept 27, 2021.

David Pashaee / Roundup Pierce College student Jessica Mena shops at the College Store in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept 27, 2021.

TRISHA ANAS Editor-in-Chief

Pauline Gener / Roundup

Relationship Manager Victor Pacheco of MoCaFi assists student Ramana Santos to sign up for the Angeleno Mastercard at the Student Financial Literacy Fair at Los Angeles Trade Technical College in Los Angeles, on Sept. 24, 2021.

Eat, Sleep, Soccer, Repeat

Soccer player sends message by doing what she loves

Pierce College’s women's soccer team is off to a hot start, and much of that has to do with forward Kiara Washington.

For Washington, getting ready for action is simple.

“I try clearing everything else out of my mind and think about soccer,” Washington said. “Sometimes I’ll watch some soccer videos. I don’t really have

a certain routine, just staying focused, listening to music, and getting hyped.”

Washington has been playing soccer since she was 12 years old and was introduced to the sport by her family’s extensive history with the sport.

“My aunt played midfield or forward,” Washington said. “My mom played everywhere. She was a trooper. My mom has always been a big supporter of mine,” Washington said. “I’m definitely grateful for that, especially with her having a soccer background,

knowing about the game, and my family knowing about the game too. I liked it, I liked competing and being competitive.”

Washington made her debut against East LA College and scored four goals in the game.

Her impact was instant because she leads the team in goals scored.

But to Washington, her role is much more than scoring goals. Her main focus is making sure the team is on the same page.

“I don’t have a specific role,” Washington said. “Us playing as

a team together and helping each other out, I feel like is important to us.”

For many athletes having a ritual before a game or practice is important.

Although this is their first year together, head coach Adolfo Perez and Washington have been able to help lead this team to a 5-1-2 record.

Perez said his team has been graced with the presence of a player like Washington.

“We were blessed to get her,” Perez said. “She was the most

sought out player, she was the city player of the year.”

Perez said that what he’s most fond of with Washington is her modestness and her athletic talents.

“She’s humble and her physical attributes are just amazing," Perez said. "She’s just darn fast, you don’t find that very often.”

Every team has its leader and it’s important for players to have someone who can lead by example.

Perez said that Washington’s work ethic is infectious for the rest of this team.

“They see when she works hard, it’s a great impact,” Perez said. “They look at her and think, ‘if she’s working hard, I should be working hard.’”

While the soccer stud’s success this season has been noticed by many on campus, it’s also been recognized by her mother, Rosie Washington.

Rosie Washington said it’s been great to see her daughter be so successful this season.

“It’s amazing, the smile on her face is everything,” Rosie Washington said. “She’s always working on her craft and can be a bit tough on herself. However, she understands that her success doesn’t depend on herself, but the support of her teammates, coaches and family.”

In a year where athletes everywhere were forced to stop competing, many had to dig deep in order to stay prepared and ready for when things were able to go back to normal.

Rosie Washington said that despite the lockdown, Kiara never gave up and continued to train hard.

“It’s been a rough year with COVID shutdowns,” Rosie Washington said. “But Kiara

didn’t stop working from training early mornings or late nights at home to running around our neighborhood. She is a go-getter, she doesn’t give up. Even when things get rough, she doesn’t stop.”

Kiara Washington kneels during the national anthem before each game and said that she stands behind her actions.

“I feel like some people look at you differently and they’re just like, why isn’t she standing up putting a hand over her heart,” Kiara Washington said. “If I’m happy with what I’m doing, then that’s all that matters. At the end of the day, I know who I am. Being African American, dealing with so much stuff, and also being Hispanic. I think that by taking a knee, it’s powerful.”

The season is still young but Kiara Washington said that her expectations for this team is to keep their camaraderie on point.

“Continue to work hard,” Kiara Washington said. “Stay focused, play as a team, work hard together and just take it day by day. Put the previous game behind us and look into the game we have that week and stay focused and stay ready for that game.”

Rosie Washington believes good things await Kiara in the near future.

“The future is bright for Kiara and all her teammates,” Rosie Washington said. “She looks forward to continuing her education, studying medicine, and continuing playing competitive soccer. We look forward to watching her flourish in every aspect of her life.”

awerner.roundupnews@gmail.com

Photo by Ginina Pulcinella

Kiara Washington , a forward on the women’s soccer team, at John Shepherd Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2021.

Photo by Ginina Pulcinella

Kiara Washington , a forward on the women’s soccer team, at John Shepherd Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2021.

Photo by Ginina Pulcinella

Kiara Washington , a forward on the women’s soccer team, at John Shepherd Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2021.

Photo by Cecilia Parada

(Center) Kiara Washington takes a knee during the national anthem before a game against Clovis Community College at John Shepard Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2021.

Vintage finds and buys

Community members flocked to the Topanga Vintage Market to browse through hundreds of shops to find rare items, bargains and to find an item worth taking.

Shopgoers could find handmade, antique and vintage items, ranging from video game systems, clothing, magazines and food trucks at the event.

The market opens to vendors and shoppers on the fourth Sunday of every month. In the summer months, June to Sept., the market is open from 7 a.m - 2 p.m. For the rest of the year, Oct. to May, it’s open from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

August Davis, left, a former student at Pierce College, browses at Topanga Vintage Market in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2021. Stephan Brovko, right, is the vendor in charge of the booth shown.

Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

Ron Monasterio sells small statues of celebrities at the Topanga Vintage Market at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2021. Photo by Jasmine Casanova.

People gather around Vchos Pupuseria Moderna food truck to get something to eat at Topanga Vintage Market on campus at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2021. Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

Magazines, comics, clothing, games, furniture, jewelry, and all other types of merchandise fill vendors’ booths at Topanga Vintage Market at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2021.

Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

Magazines, comics, clothing, games, furniture, jewelry, and all other types of merchandise fill vendors’ booths at Topanga Vintage Market at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2021. Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

Copy by Cecilia Parada

Concerts Debut

Pierce College’s Performing Arts Department hosted their first concert of the fall semester on Sept. 28.

Hugo Nogueira performed music from a variety of composers from around the world, including Maximo Pujol and Astor Piazzola from Argentina and Domenico Scarlatti from Italy. He performed duets with Ekaterina Bessmeltseva, including an original piece.

Garineh Avakian will be performing at the next Afternoon Concert on Oct. 26 in the Performing Arts Building.

Ekaterina Bessmeltseva turns sheet music during the Performing Arts Department's Afternoon concert series in the Performing Arts Bulding at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 28, 2021.

Ekaterina Bessmeltseva smiles for guests during the Performing Arts Department’s Afternoon concert series in the Performing Arts Bulding at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 28, 2021.

Ekaterina Bessmeltseva plays piano during the Performing Arts Department’s Afternoon concert series in the Performing Arts Bulding at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 28, 2021.

Top: Hugo Nogueira speaks to guests during the Performing Arts Department's Afternoon concert series in the Performing Arts Bulding at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 28, 2021.

Ekaterina Bessmeltseva looks at Hugo Nogueira during the Performing Arts Department's Afternoon concert series in the Performing Arts Bulding at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 28, 2021.

Right: Hugo Nogueira and Ekaterina Bessmeltseva perform during the Performing Arts Department's Afternoon concert series in the Performing Arts Bulding at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 28, 2021.

Photos and copy by Cecilia Parada

SPORTS SCHEDULE

Women's Volleyball Football Soccer Water Polo Men's Basketball

Athletics affected by illegal streams

Fake accounts set up fraudulent links to trick people

BY SOPHIE WARD Reporter

The California Community College Athletic Association logo was used to spread fraudulent links to athletic games and contests, announced Sept. 17 on its Twitter social media page.

A week earlier, the CCCAA was notified by schools that a fraudulent link was sent to fans of the association’s football programs to watch games in Northern California.

Fans were suspicious and started questioning the link because it did not work, according to CCCAA Interim Executive Director Jennifer Cardone.

The spreading of fraudulent links occurred a week later in Southern California.

“Several of our schools noticed similar links surrounding their games, and what happened up this way a week earlier seemed to be repeating itself again last weekend,” Cardone wrote in an email. “They were also being used for soccer games as well. It’s just been really frustrating.”

Pierce College athletics has been targeted by these fraudulent links. There was a link going around for the football game against Victor Valley College on Saturday.

Athletic Director Susan Armenta in a statement wrote that fans, family and friends need to be careful.

“Unfortunately, these links are collecting your information and taking any money paid to them. Please only click on links to our contests that are from either

CCCAA or official institutional websites and verified social media accounts,” Armenta wrote. “Any links purporting to sell tickets to any Pierce College athletic events that are not from our website or link from our website may be fraudulent.”

By using the CCCAA logo and marks, the links to the events and games made it seem like they were something the CCCAA authorized.

Specifically, the fraudulent links are trying to get fans to watch regular-season games.

According to CCCAA Director of Communications Mike Robles, the CCCAA does not broadcast regular-season games.

Rather, they only broadcast during state championships. Such information may help one tell if a link is fraudulent or not.

The CCCAA then notified the affected schools and informed them that these links were fraudulent and not associated with them.

“We tried to follow the links to a point of contact so that we could send a cease-and-desist letter but have not been successful yet,” Robles wrote in an email.

“The problem popped up again this weekend in Southern California and we sent out warnings through our social media warning people the links are not associated with us and are fraudulent.”

Only a few schools have notified the CCCAA regarding the situation.

After further investigating the issue, the CCCAA found that the links were primarily being spread through tweets on Twitter.

“We hope it’s not widespread and hopefully will go away,” Robles wrote.

The CCCAA is still attempting to find who may be spreading these fraudulent links and information or how they are being generated.

However, the CCCAA believes that several fake Twitter accounts are responsible for posting and

Soccer's unbeaten run ends

Brahmas lose to Clovis Community College 3-0

Garcia’s first goal.

BY ANASTASIYA OREL Reporter

spreading these fraudulent links, according to Cardone.

“The best we can tell is they are sending tweets that make it appear the CCCAA is broadcasting games and if fans want to watch them online, then all they need to do is click on the link, input their credit card information and they’ll be able to,” Cardone wrote.

After contacting colleagues across the country, the CCCAA and Robles learned others are facing the same problem.

“We would not be surprised to see this affecting other schools or conferences across the country, though. The internet is full of fraudulent information and tactics,” Robles wrote. “Trying to stop them is like playing whack-amole. We’re trying though.”

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Brahmas Scoreboard

The Pierce College women’s soccer team lost to Clovis Community College 3-0 Friday evening, ending their undefeated start to the season.

Head soccer coach Adolfo Perez said it was a devastating loss for the team.

“It’s our first loss [of the season],” Perez said.”It’s probably our worst loss we’ve had at home in about 15 years.”

A few players, including Arianna Vigil, had not been able to attend the game and Perez said that it was noticeably different not having her.

“Ari, who is not here today, has been the glue to our midfield,” Perez said. “It definitely woke us up.”

The Brahmas were inconsistent at the start of the game and that inconsistency proved a factor in

Goalkeeper Joanna Cerda let the ball slip through her gloves which led to midfielder Maria Garcia scoring.

In the second half, the Brahmas were showing signs of improvement, however, forward Jordyne Puentes took advantage giving Clovis a 2-0 lead.

Forward Alexz Wheaton wrapped things up and secured the win for the Crush.

Perez said he hopes the team finds strength to improve after the loss.

“Hopefully this loss will do good and the conference is really what you play for. It is when you win championships,” Perez said. “If we perform like the team that was playing before four o’clock, we should be good. If we perform like the team that performed from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., then it is not going to be very simple.”

Volleyball loses third straight Pierce fall to Glendale Community College in four

BY A NASTASIYA OREL Reporter

The Pierce College women’s volleyball lost their second home game to Glendale in four sets Friday evening.

The Brahmas came from losing to West LA College in five sets on Wednesday night.

The Brahmas picked it up in the second set with the score 25-21, however, they would end up losing the first set 25-15 and the other two sets 25-21 and 25-16.

Libero Saisha Kahae compares last week’s game to this week.

“I think we came together a lot more and have a lot more game experience now rather than the last game because that was our first game of the season,” Kahae said. “We’ve improved a lot. Like instead of being so timid on offense, we've been more aggressive and smart with our placement of the ball.”

Kahae said since the last game, she has seen improvement in the team’s defense.

“Our defense has really picked up,” Kahae said. “I think once we get good passes and then a good set and then a good hit, then that gets us going like you saw in the second set.”

Assistant Coach Cynthia Buggs said she has seen a lot of growth from the team since the last game.

“I think that with each match we’ve played better,” Buggs said. “We were still giving away too many free balls and not really paying attention to detail, but overall it was a lot better of a performance and effort from everybody.”

Buggs said that both the team’s offensive and defensive strategies had worked.

“We served them well and got them out of their system a lot,” Buggs said. “I thought with this match, we were a lot more aggressive: hitting more balls, picking up their tips, and scoring off of transition points.”

Outside hitter Julia Nederlk played middle in last week’s game, and was outside hitter this week. She said she enjoyed the change.

“Last week, I was playing a different position,” Nederlk said. “I’m really happy to be playing this different position.. It gives me way more hitting opportunities, which I think I’ve gotten a lot better at, as well as paddling serve-receive opportunities. I think I’ve done a lot better since last week’s game.”

Nederlk said that the team tried to take advantage of the other team’s mistakes.

“I think we took advantage of, at least in the first set or two, their timidness to swing,” Nederlk said. “When they would get panicky, the setter would try to just tip things over and I think we were good at

reading that at times. We were just trying to be scrappy.”

Head coach Edison Zhou said he is proud of the progress the team is making.

“We played defense really really well, that’s why we couldn’t just let the score tie,” Zhou said. “We had different people play positions that they’ve never played before and they were doing great.”

Zhou said a weakness during the game was letting the ball get in the middle of the court, throwing the players off and being unable to get the ball. He said the team needs to prepare for unexpected plays.

“If you miss less, then you have more chances to win,”Zhou said. We make mistakes by ourselves. If we make every single ball and serve over the net, then that’s how we win.”

Brahmas host Moorpark College on Friday, Oct.1. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Screenshot by Felipe Gamino

The fraudulent page for the Pierce College football game against Victor Valley.

Photo by Ginina Pulcinella

(Left to right) Valeria Quintero and Hallie Manalili battle for possession during a game against Clovis Community College at John Shepard Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 2 4, 2021.

Photo by Maddie Schade

Saisha Kahae hits the ball in the South Gym at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.

File photo by Ben Hanson

Kevin Ascencio (15) runs behind Taleem Thompson (74) during a game against Santa Barbara City College at La Playa Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif. on Oct. 19, 2019.