Volume 135 Fall 2021 Roundup Issue 9

Student town hall announces more OWLs coming soon

The school will use new technology to accomodate hyfl ex classes for spring 2022

BY SOPHIE WARD Copy Editor and Reporter

Pierce College faculty addressed students’ concerns about COVID19 Wednesday Nov. 17 during a Student Town Hall meeting via Zoom held by Interim President Ara Aguiar and the Associated Students Organization.

According to Aguiar, Pierce’s plans on offering hyflex classes, where students can either attend class in person or online for the spring semester. The school will utilize a technology called OWL (online web learning) to implement this new learning system.

“This is a way for us to be able to have small classrooms for those of you who want to be on campus and for those of you who want to

be remote can still have the choice of a faculty member you want, yet you remain remote,” Aguiar said.

Later in the meeting, COVID-19 safety officer Paul Nieman described the college’s current sanitation procedures.

Nieman said that there has been an increase in Pierce’s custodial staff, with some members being provisional. The custodial staff uses a Clorox 360 machine everyday which releases a mist that sanitizes surfaces the mist comes into contact with. They have also installed MERV 13 air filters, which have the highest filtration possible.

Aguiar and Nieman then addressed COVID -19 vaccination requirements, as many student attendees had concerns about

their vaccination status and being able to attend campus. For spring semester, in person classes and on campus activities require everyone to be fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated or have a medical exemption or religious exemption. Proof of vaccination is only required when entering an indoor setting, building or facility.

According to Nieman, if students have already been fully vaccinated, they are only required to take a baseline test. Students and faculty can take their baseline tests in the North Gym Room 5600. Those who participate in athletics or performing arts may be required to take additional tests.

The COVID -19 exposure protocol was also discussed during the meeting. Nieman said there are

two ways in which Pierce handles someone being exposed to the disease. By working with Biocept and having testing available on campus, Nieman said he will be notified of all positive test results and will then contact the individual who tested positive. If students or faculty do not take a test on campus, they should report positive results or possible exposure to either instructors or supervisors.

“We start the process where we will send you a tracing form that we need you to fill out with all the pertinent information,” Nieman said. “We need to know the last time you were on the campus so that we could find out what class you were in and get the rosters. It’s still a pretty manual

process with emails being sent to get information so we can do the proper reporting and provide the proper answers to you, as to what steps need to be taken because each case is different.”

Aguiar and faculty members are still trying to find the most effective way to communicate the procedures and protocols to students. ASO president Qais Azizi recommended texting as an option to inform students of Pierce COVID related updates.

“At least from my personal experience and ASO senators I have met with, texting is a little more beneficial just because not a lot of people check their emails all the time,” Azizi said. “I would say texting is a little more accessible because students are always on

their phone.”

Aguiar also reminded students that there are several resources for students who are struggling during these times.

“It’s not that there’s anything wrong with any of us,” Aguiar said. “It’s just the uncertainty. So, feel free to contact someone at the Student Health Center. We have a great team there. I know that Vice President Astorga has even done classroom visits. So, this is not just a student thing. This is our entire community. In my opinion, that’s what resources are for, that’s what healthcare people are for—to help you.”

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Screenshot by Sophie Ward

Interim President Ara Aguiar discussing COVID - 19 exposure protocols during the Student Town Hall via Zoom on Nov. 17, 2021.

STREET BEAT

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THANKSGIVING FOOD?

EDITORIAL From

the desk of the Roundup

Chess, chess, hooray!

C

ItʼsTurducken,becausethatʼs turkey,chickenandduckallin one.Itʼsprettygood.

hess is a universal game that brings people together. During this time where students and faculty haven't been at school, it is important to find ways to reconnect with each other. The possibilities of the different ways this can benefit the campus would be significant.and into the campus architecture itself — Chess Plaza on the south end of the mall features four human-scale outdoor chess boards.”

--IdaAkopian

Adedicated calendar of campus events on the Pierce website that is easily accessible to students and other members of the community would draw more people to Pierce, something the school desperately needs. The only calendars on the Pierce homepage are for the Academic Semester, the LAPC Theatre, a Sports Schedule and

Probablyturkeyandgravy.But ithastohavegravy!

--Nick Pacheco

Mac and cheese because itʼs the bestcomfortfood,andyoucan nevergowrongwithmacand cheese.

--ChristieNguyen

--J.T.Thompson Mashedpotatoes.Theyʼresoftand mushy.Theyʼremyfavoritefood onThanksgiving.

--DylanCourchaine

Quotes gathered by Pamela Kalidasan

Photo illustration by Dominique Duñgo

a Performing Arts calendar. They are all subpar options and don’t give a full view into the happenings on campus or on Zoom. Additionally, they all consist of unpleasant designs and are only reached by tiny links on the bottom of the homepage.

It would also be better if all the events were on one calendar color-coded by category rather

The University of Texas at Dallas has implemented similar tactics. In 2001, Tim Redman created a program for everyone to join. “Chess permeates life at UT Dallas, so much so that it has been built into academic programs

than on four different ones.

All of the other colleges within LACCD have campus events calendars, so the issue of not having one is isolated to Pierce.

City, Mission, Valley, East LA, LA Trade Tech and Southwest have a simple list of “upcoming events” on their homepages as well as a button to view the full calendar. City

Black Friday means shop 'till you drop

BY ALANA KING News Editor and Reporter

Every year, people get geared up to rush shopping centers and hunt for great deals on Black Friday. It’s an exciting tradition for many people.

There is a lot of controversy over whether Black Friday is beneficial. This is a way for people who can’t normally afford products to be able to shop and get things that aren’t priced as high.

Black Friday is an indoor sale where you get to see all kinds of products, unlike Cyber Monday, which is online. Black Friday shopping has been around since the 1950’s and hasn't disappointed since.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in online sales. John Lewis research reports more than 60% of shoppers plan to buy presents before December, and only 2% say they’d

wait until Christmas Eve.

A lot of people don’t want to shop when there's a rush because of the risk of COVID-19. Big corporations know this and advertise to people for this specific reason.

Even with a lot of safety restrictions and long lines, Black Friday still prevailed. Since the pandemic, there have been stores that promote Black Friday deals as soon as Nov. 1. It is important to note that this is a tactic made to pull people in. Consumers can shop for Christmas gifts and other necessities without having to rush the stores with a crowd on actual Black Friday.

According to Investopedia, some retailers have kept operations going on the Thanksgiving holiday, while others begin offering deals earlier during November. There is a fight to have the best deals and the best products because a lot of stores sell the same thing.

This is a chance for people who usually cannot afford high end or expensive products. Items can be bought for little to nothing. Money has been short and hours have been cut, so this is an amazing chance to buy, buy, buy!

There will be more promotions of happy families and gifts being given because of all these great deals. Places like Toms, Amazon, and Box Lunch, use profits to give back to people in need, which is an amazing initiative. Not only are customers buying things at a great price, but they’re giving to those who cannot afford to do the same. BoxLunch's program donates one lunch to a child in need for every $10 that’s spent, and it's very easy to spend more than $10 on all the cool things on their site.

aking.roundupnews@gmail.com

I

Chess is known to stimulate the brain's activity and is often used as physical therapy. The game could also teach students patience and quick thinking skills. Pierce can benefit from this. The school could offer tables and booths around campus where students could play and enjoy time. There could be sanitizing stations so people can clean the boards and pieces.

College goes one step further and separates their many events into Important Academic Dates, Campus Life or Public Events. Trade Tech also has separate Student and Public Event calendars.

Harbor College has a Google Calendar on its homepage that can be viewed by day, week or month.

It would be a great welcome back for students and faculty who have been at home due to COVID. There could also be people who know the game to offer classes on how to play. Pierce could start a chess club to engage more of the college’s community. This initiative could lead to more clubs and other games including checkers and dominoes getting exposure.

Chess on campus could encourage more in-person social interaction away from social media.

it can accomplish this, as the Transfer Center calendar is comprehensive and straightforward. Like many things on the school’s website, it’s difficult to find or access. While Pierce is waiting for the new website update, this change can be made now.

newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

seems there is at least one report of a shopper getting injured or killed in some dystopian, chaotic scene at a shopping mall.”

t’s that time of the year again when Americans binge on turkey, watch football and camp out next to their favorite retail store to beat their fellow Americans on Black Friday deals. Thanksgiving is a holiday about gratitude, spending time with family and enjoying a meal around the kitchen table with loved ones. But over the years, major retailers have hijacked the holiday with early discounts and flashy advertisements feeding into America’s consumption appetite. The retail giants are the catalyst for much of the nightmare stories that we all witness in person or in the news from the aftermath of Black Friday each year.It’s not uncommon to see viral videos on social media of fights inside a Walmart, Target or Best Buy over a discounted item or arguments outside a store over a parking space. These are just a few reasons to avoid the frenzy of Black Friday. People should also consider the fact that we’re still in a pandemic.

Yet, major retailers still push their agenda to get Americans out shopping in hopes to maximize their profits even starting weeks ahead to build up the excitement. Unfortunately, many of the advertised sales leading up to Black Friday are not so “hot deals,” but rather tricks of the trade.

According to an article on The Hustle, “Since 2006, 11 people have died and more than 100 have been injured in Black Friday-related incidents. Every Black Friday, it

According to Forbes, “One popular trick retailers employ is inflating original prices to make discounts seem deeper than they really are.

Letters to the Editor 6201 Winnetka Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91371 Room: Pierce College Village 8211 Phone: (818) 710-4115 Phone: (818) 710-4117 Website: www.theroundupnews.com E-mail: newsroom.roundupnews@ gmail.com Editor-in-Chief ......................Trisha Anas Managing Editor ..................Cecilia Parada Photo Editor ........................Raquel Frohlich Photo Editor ...........................David Pashaee Opinions Editor .....................Ryan Fleisher News Editor ..........................Alana King Features Editor ............Madison Creekbaum Campus Life Editor..................Dominique Dungo Campus Life Editor...............Pablo Orihuela Sports Editor ..........................Felipe Gamino Social Media Editor ............Raquel Frohlich Copy Editor..............................Sophie Ward Copy Editor .....................Estephanie Lopez Copy Editor ...............................Ben Hanson Reporters: AJ Werner Alana King Anastasiya Orel Giselle Lomeli Pamela Kalidasan Sophie Ward Shayne Tamkin Walter Orellana Photographers: Dominique Duñgo Maddie Schade Pauline Gener Ginina Pulcinella Jasmine Casanova Brandon Sinclair Bre Jenkins Advisers: Jill Connelly Jeff Favre Tracie Savage *For advertising call (818) 710-2960 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

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

Roundup will not publish, as

For example, Sears will be holding a Black Friday deal that lists the Samsung 55-inch for $599.99. The advertisement lists the original price at $1,199.99. But in early November, the Sears website listed the same TV at $807.49, so the actual discount to the shopper is $207.50, not $600.”

Online shopping allows a person to skip the lines, and crowded department stores on Black Friday, but can still be challenging to find a limited product on sale since many Americans flock online in the early hours to snatch up those deals. The best advice according to consumer reports is, “Start shopping early this year, it’s a good strategy, not only because deals are kicking off earlier but also because hot products may sell out quickly, or fail to arrive at your doorstep on time.”

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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.

Photos by Jasmine Casanova

Iloveturkey.Iusuallyeatitwith yamandsalads.Mymomcooks, and she makes other stuff on thesidelikemashedpotatoes.

Con: Black Friday or the Black Plague?

Trending toward a small college

Non-enrollment affects Pierce’s budget and student participation

BY ANASTASIYA OREL

The Los Angeles Pierce College Council met Thursday afternoon to discuss large percentages of non-enrollment and the trajectory of the college's budget.

Interim President Ara Aguiar said the administration has been working with AFT 1521 in establishing a local-level project to combine online and in-person classroom instruction.

“Just like the Cleared4 is a condition of employment for all faculty and staff, it is going to be in essence a condition of enrollment for onsite classes or activities,” Aguiar said. “With our enrollment problem, I’m very concerned. We really need to support our students.”

Aguiar said the administration is being supplied with training with providing assistance to students for on-campus class and cohort programs and will be implemented for the next few weeks.

AFT 1521 Chapter President Brian Walsh said the pilot program is looking to move toward a total class cap of forty with a maximum of twenty eight in-person and twelve remote classroom instruction options.

“We do want to have flexibility for students to have the option to enroll in whichever,” Walsh said. “We are going to turn the OWLS into tools. We've got hundreds of these in every classroom. It’s going to change your pedagogy and have additional burdens and classroom management.”

Walsh said that due to the difficulty of the transition,

the administration will be providing a stipend system for $500 per credit hours for every class that each faculty and staff individual converts to the dualdelivery pilot program.

Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher said the Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor held a meeting with over 600 participants to address

un-enrollment within Pierce College. “We are trending down to be a small college which should be a concern for everybody,” Schleicher said. “It drives everything. We got to make sure that Pierce is focusing on the main show and continuing to deliver in those areas. That’s why we’re going to the state budget committee.”

Schleicher said 96% of the college’s budget is in labor, making it difficult to address competing needs.

“It’s not just getting a budget and spending it, because we have competing needs,” Schleicher said. “We need to get more students in, increase our grants, increase our enterprise activities and then spend wisely.”

Schleicher said that Pierce has a hundred million dollar budget and the college’s run rates are roughly five million dollars over.

“We have money to shore that up at the moment and we’re trying to apply that because coming out of the pandemic is really horrific,” Schleicher said. “Pierce has done a fantastic job of managing through the pandemic but there are some incredible pressures on us as a district.”

Dean of Academic Affairs Mary Anne Gavarra-Oh said the winter semester is at 70% of last year’s enrollment and 98% of the section count.The spring registration posting is enforcing proof of vaccination from students in order to allow enrollment.

“The spring schedule as of Nov. 4 was 46.9% in person, 7.4% hybrid, and 46% are online,” Gavaraa-Oh said. “As we move forward, we are adding more classes based on demand to open more face-toface sections. We also revisited the enrollment barriers task force as it was brought about in response to the enormous drop.”

Gavarra-Oh said her department has created a task force to tackle the drop in enrollment. They are trying to look at the barriers students are encountering now due to COVID and establish solutions.

Math Instructor Sheri Lehavi said the Technology Standing Committee has been continuously reviewing the charter and paying attention to Pierce’s needs.

“We’re still kind of in a transition phase with that oversight of IT being at the district,” Lehavi said. “Some of those things are still new so we have some goals in there to make sure that Pierce’s needs get met and not lost in what the district is doing versus us.”

Pierce College librarian and Guided Pathways representative Lisa Valdez said her department

has been working on success teams and have been creating cohorts to be hosted within the upcoming winter and spring semesters.

“We also had something called a transformation train,” Valdez said. “What we do is once a month, we find a problem that we try to solve and this week was how to help students change their major and how to streamline that process. We brought several departments to the table to help us and we have some temporary solutions for now.”

Hey Siri, what’s the way to transfer? California passed two bills to aid the transferring process

BY ANASTASIYA OREL Reporter

Figuring out which educational pattern to follow for transfer and how to complete all of the required courses can be like putting together a puzzle with missing pieces.

It is time-consuming, complex and stressful—and don’t forget the part where students have strict deadlines to meet.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently passed Assembly Bills 928 and 111 to limit confusion for students planning to transfer and fulfill their educational patterns.

AB 928 is a legislative bill that will streamline the IGETC and the CSU GE into a single pattern with a purpose for students to complete the first half of their pursued bachelor’s degree by taking their general education and major preparation at a community college. This bill will also include

the student’s Associate for Transfer (ADT) pattern.

AB 111 will provide a universal course numbering system throughout all of California’s community colleges. For example, instead of one community college labeling an introduction to psychology class as PSYCH001 and another naming it PSYCH101, every community college will have the same name for the course.

Transfer Center Director Sunday Salter said the bills received pushback because of the complications of combining the UC and CSU educational patterns and eligibility for transfer.

“We want to make it easier, simpler and clearer for students,” Salter said. “Right now, it’s like a maze trying to determine which way to take depending upon the ultimate goal that the students have.”

Salter said many students change their major therefore requiring them to change ADT

and GE patterns. If AB 928 and 111 are implemented, they can limit the amount of alterations needed and apply the relevant courses they had previously taken to their new major.

Articulation officer and counselor Cristina Rodriguez the syncing of the course numbering system AB 111 bill has been brought up before. In the 90’s, a course articulation number was called a CAN number and was used with the same intent.

Rodriguez said the problem with the same course numbering system is that it does not address articulation.

“This is one of those things that are good in theory, but putting it into practice is going to be a challenge,” Rodriguez said. “So it could be that a chemistry class at Pierce transfers to UC Berkeley to meet the major requirement, but ELAC’s chemistry class does not.

I’m afraid this may create some confusion.”

AB 928 is planned to be reinforced in fall of 2025 and AB 111 to be implemented starting July of 2024. Rodriguez said she believes it is not enough time to carry out this change.

“There’s a lot of issues I think they’re going to come up with—for example, articulation,” Rodriguez said. “The legislators are not people that work at the community college. They don’t realize that these issues are going to need to be addressed and in some cases, it would take decades to just fix some of these things.”

Sophomore Anya Nosa said she sees the appeal of the legislative bills.

“I think it’s beneficial in terms of less stress, and I do see them as a plus,” Nosa said. “I currently have two CSU pattern courses that aren’t complete which means I will have to take them there at the university. It’s inconvenient and I think if the courses are all under one pattern, it would be a

lot easier.”

Nosa said the current transferring process is confusing and has not been as helpful as she hoped it would be.

“The transfer application and process is a very independent thing,” Nosa said. “I feel like they don’t really do what they publicize, and most of the stuff that I had found was on my own. They don’t have any resources for private universities and it’s pretty much a ‘go figure it out’ thing.”

Nosa said that as a student planning to transfer for the next fall semester, the new Zoom lounge provided by the Transfer Center has been slightly helpful but is still lacking assistance for transfer students.

“The counselors can definitely try to go out of their way and help certain students with what they’re asking and not just give generic answers,” Nosa said. “I think the bills would help students like me in making the process more

efficient and convenient. I think it can bring options for people to do more classes they want to and are interested in.”

Rodriguez said the California community colleges have already undergone many adaptations within their systems because of the pandemic. The legislative bills could either ease or increase difficulty with those changes.

“I personally think that what we have now is not perfect, but it works well,” Rodriguez said. “It helps students that have different goals and there’s more flexibility.

I’m afraid that we’re going to lose some of those ways that we can help students out if this is the route that we’re going.”

Screenshot by Anastasiya Orel

Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher speaks about non-enrollmentduring the Pierce College Council meeting via Zoom on Nov. 18, 2021.

Screenshot by Anastasiya Orel

Director of Facilities Paul Nieman speaks during the Pierce College Council meeting via Zoom on Nov. 18, 2021.

Not your average ride to school

Students find their way onto campus through many modes of transport—bicycles, motorcycles, cars, scooters and buses.

Even in a time when many classes are still online and the parking lot and bike racks are far from being at full capacity, there are still a variety of interesting forms of transport belonging to students dotted throughout the campus.

Copy by Raquel Frohlich

Balakrishnan Subramaniyan, shown here with his motorcycle, is one of many students with a unique means to commute to or around campus at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on November 4, 2021.

Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

A bike with customized wheels and covered in stickers sits on a bike stand on campus. Students at Pierce College have a variety of forms of transportation on campus in Woodland Hills, Calif., on November 4, 2021. Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

(Top) An electric bike with stickers sits on a bike stand on campus. Students at Pierce College have a variety of forms of transportation on campus in Woodland Hills, Calif., on November 4, 2021. Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

A few electric bikes sit on a bike stand on campus. There have only been a few bikes on campus since in-person classes have returned in Woodland Hills, Calif., on November 4, 2021.

Photo by Brandon Sinclair.

Sports 5 SPORTS SCHEDULE

Women's Volleyball Football Soccer Women's basketball Men's Basketball

Women's soccer gets win over the Pirates

Brahmas beat Ventura College 2-1 in last regular season game before playoffs

BY ANASTASIYA OREL Reporter

The Pierce College soccer team won their last conference, earning a long-awaited victory and moved toward playoffs.

With goals from midfielder Arianna Vigil and forward Kiara Washington, the Brahmas won 2-1 against the Ventura College Pirates.

Head soccer coach Adolfo Perez said the team had worked hard all year for this win.

“We stopped playing for a year and a half, so I am tremendously proud of what this team has done,” Perez said. “We trained at 7 a.m. on Veterans Day. When everybody was sleeping, we were training and we knew what was at stake.”

The teams went without any goals in the first half of the game. As the second half rolled in, both teams played more aggressively.

Ventura took the lead through midfielder Alix Tirado. Moments later, Vigil got the equalizer for the Brahmas via a free kick.

Midfielder Brenda Alas said the second half of the game showed the team’s progression and motivation for the win.

“The second half is always going to be a lot harder than the first because it’s about which team wants it more,” Alas said. “It’s just a matter of matching their energy, which we did pretty well at the end

when it got more intense.”

Alas said the best way to stay motivated after the opposing team becomes more aggressive is to continue pushing.

“We’re a pretty small team, so we just have to get faster so we don’t get pushed off as easily,” Alas said. “Even if we do, it kind of goes in our favor so it’s a win-win.”

Three yellow cards were given throughout the entire game and many players were roughed up. One of the cards was given when forward player Kiara Washington ran the offense and got knocked to the floor, resulting in a shoulder injury.

After the yellow card was given, the referee gave Washington a penalty kick and she scored the Brahmas’ second goal.

Washington said that she was proud of how far the team had come.

“It felt amazing scoring the winning goal, but also when my teammate Ari scored that free-kick. I think it was really phenomenal,” Washington said. “I’m definitely happy for her because we’ve been talking about free kicks a lot during practice.”

Washington said the second half proved how hard the team worked within the season.

“We just kept practicing hard and stayed focused and it was definitely worth it,” Washingtom said. “Once I got hurt, I just told myself to finish strong. We’ve been working for this, so I just told myself to

keep pushing.”

Perez said that Ventura College had been the conference champions in the previous years and are Pierce’s hardest opponent.

Pierce had lost the last game against Ventura at home with a score of 0-1, and Ventura had won a game against Cuesta

College 8-1 last Tuesday. Perez said this score had intimidated the team and showed that the Pirates had been destroying teams during the season.

“We had a game plan and then worked it to perfection to put a lot of pressure on them,” Perez said. “I thought we were going to get tired in the second

half and we didn’t, so this is unbelievable.”

Perez said he is happy about the team’s efforts and accomplishment of the victory.

“I’m so proud that we were able to also win in front of the crowd,” Perez said. “It was awesome and it’s such a united team. It’s just special.”

After missing out on playoffs two years ago, the Brahmas make their return. Pierce will play the Pirates again in the first round of playoffs. Game is on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.

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Victory Bell left unrung

BY ANASTASIYA OREL Reporter

Marking the first Victory Bell game since the pandemic, the Brahmas were beaten by rival team Valley College Monarchs and lost the chance to ring the bell.

The Brahmas were defeated by the Monarchs 58-9.

Wide receiver Robert Terry said this fall season was the worst he has ever played.

“This was just bullshit and this whole program is a fucking joke,” Terry said. “We should have not gone 0-10 and we should have done a lot of things but what are we supposed to do? We’re players, all we can do is perform.”

Terry said the Brahmas were a considerably small team compared to Valley and that the team size played into their loss.

“Everybody’s playing everywhere,” Terry said. “You’re putting in a guy who is tired and is risking him to get injured. We were under-recruited this whole season.”

Pierce College interim head coach Anthony Harris said that being outnumbered was one of the biggest reasons for loss of motivation and strength.

“28 players against 68, we just got run down and beat up,” Harris said. “I think we came out really strong and moved the ball straight down the field, but we just weren’t able to finish.”

Valley College head coach Lester Towns said he understood the challenge of having a small team and was able to work on building his team’s strength through it.

“I felt what the team and the coach were going through because I remember being there in 2019,”

Towns said. “The difference between this year and that year was my thought process. Last year I thought I didn’t have enough players and this year, I told our team to compete and do what we do.”

Towns said the pandemic has also halted the team’s practice but they were able to adapt and improvise.

“During COVID, I have to find innovative ways to keep them engaged,” Towns said. “We had Zoom meetings twice a week where we’d watch films. I was Zoomed out but that was the only thing we could do. We couldn’t lift or do anything.”

Although Pierce’s football was small, players had also lost their efforts after Valley continuously ran numerous yards or played aggressively.

Wide receiver Kamron Moreno said the game did not demonstrate his full ability and efforts.

“Everybody goes through adversity so I definitely want to see us get stronger and faster for next season,” Moreno said. “We’ve got to

be more of a team and collectively come together.”

Running back Dennis Jones said he also wants to see the team stay motivated and stay united.

“I was proud of how we moved the ball up and down the field as a team and completed some passes on big downs,” Jones said. “We just got to play throughout the whole four quarters and put it all together to finish the job.”

Terry said he hopes to see more involvement in those who come in next season.

“We had no help this year so I hope for the best for everybody,” Terry said. “I really hope they get somebody who recruits, who wants to get them in the weight room and that feeds them the knowledge that they need to become better.”

Brahmas drop to 0-8 on the season. Their next game is scheduled for Nov. 20 against Moorpark. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

Photo by Brandon SInclair

Players battle for possession of the ball as Pierce College faces Ventura College at Shepard Stadium in Woodland Hills, Calif., on November 12, 2021.

Photo by Raquel Frohlich

Jamal Rich (center) takes off his helmet during a game against Valley College in Monarch Stadium at Los Angeles Valley College in Valley Glen, Calif., on Nov. 13, 2021.