Volume 140 Spring 2024 Issue 11

Woodland Hills, California Volume 140 - Issue 11

Hundreds celebrate AAPI Heritage Month at Pierce College

By Delilah Brumer News Editor

Vietnamese lion dancers dressed in fiery red and yellow costumes carried a massive paper mache head as they traversed the Mall at Pierce College on Saturday, kicking off the 3rd Annual Valley Asian & Pacific Islander Cultural Festival.

Following the lion dance, dozens of other performers ranging in age from kindergarteners to adults

showcased their musical and rhythmic talents at the festival.

The performances included a fast-paced barrel drum song, as well as the Korean “Buchaechum” fan dance, put on by seven teenage girls adorned with intricate pink head accessories.

“I really like showing my culture to the audience,” 15-yearold fan dancer Klaire Kim said.

“I like sharing it with them so they can appreciate it, and when I’m up there, it’s a lot of fun.

I’m just reminding myself, ‘You

can do this. You can do this. Remember to smile.’”

The event brought in hundreds of attendees throughout the day allowing San Fernando Valley residents to learn about various Asian and Pacific Islander communities and eat foods such as sushi and tikka masala. More than 50 local businesses and organizations were involved in the festival, offering photo booths, lantern craft stations and henna art.

Cultures involved in the event included Chinese, Filipino,

Vietnamese, Japanese, Native Hawaiian, Indian, Pacific Islander and Taiwanese.

“It’s important for people to connect, especially in the past few years, when there’s been a lot of anti-Asian hate,” said Joe Arciaga, one of the festival’s cochairs. “Part of that is, people don’t understand each other or know how each other live. Hopefully, the more people know about one another’s cultures, the less they’ll be misunderstood.”

Arciaga said that being able to organize the festival this year “warms my heart” and he hopes it helps reduce hate. According to Stop AAPI Hate Center, more than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans were reported during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic alone.

The festival was sponsored by the West Valley Warner Center Chamber of Commerce, as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield also attended the event, which was held within the

council district he represents.

“This festival honors our Asian and Pacific Islander [communities] locally, here in the San Fernando Valley,” Blumenfield said. “I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

Pierce bioinformatics major Ruqaiyah Nagarwala had a booth set up at the event, allowing her to promote her four-year-old business doing South Asian henna art.

“I thought the event would be perfect for my business,” Nagarwala said. “There are so many cultures represented here and it’s been great to meet everyone and spread the word.”

Sally Goya, who is Hawaiian, ran a booth educating attendees about various Pacific Islander and Polynesian traditions.

“A lot of people don’t understand much about the different island cultures,” Goya said. “Especially in this world today, we want people to know about the different communities that are out there. We’re here to share some ‘Aloha’ with everyone.”

Delilah Brumer / Roundup News

Hiza Yoo Korean Dance Institute students perform a Gayaguem Ensemble at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 4, 2024.

Abraham Elizalde / Roundup News

Sophie Lotterstein / Roundup News

Delilah Brumer / Roundup News

Students from the Hiza Yoo Korean Dance Institute perform the “Buchaechum” fan dance at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 4, 2024.

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Editor-in-Chief...........Raquel G. Frohlich

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Online Editor......................Violet Garcia

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Photo Editor..................Myraneli Fabian

Opinion Editor........................Tyler Hale

News Editor....................Delilah Brumer

Campus Life Editor......Gerardo Escobar

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Sports Editor......................John Ormeno

Sports Editor......................Sadie Shields

Social Media Editor........Alfonso Vargas

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Marcus Nocerino

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Spencer Fuller

Taj Robles

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Editorial: From the desk of the Roundup Pierce after dark, let’s talk about it

The ground is barely visible, with darkness hugging the horizon, fog forming and faint lights illuminating the distance.

This is not a scene from a horror movie, but the Pierce College campus at night.

The campus is too dark at night, which becomes not only a safety issue for students who take night classes, but can also be an uncomfortable experience. Recently, there have been reports of vehicle break-ins in the area surrounding campus, along Victory Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue.

With darkness-related concerns on the minds of students, Pierce’s next permanent president should make finding solutions a priority.

In the recent Pierce President Public Forum, moderator Stan Carrizosa asked each candidate, “What would you do about safety concerns that were brought forward by students? Especially students who attend courses in-person, at night or on the weekends.”

Interim President Ara Aguiar said she has noticed that the

campus can be dark, and that she drives around at night to see which light bulbs are out.

“I’m actually learning what it’s like to have electrical transformers that are crashing because they are so old. I know that Measure LA is going to replace those,” Aguiar said. “It may not help sometimes, things are not immediate, but there is a game plan to get more lighting into the campus parking lots. Also the arboretum, the botanical gardens, also darker areas that need to be looked at.”

Interim Vice President at Cerritos College Wei Zhou, who is a candidate for Pierce president, said the safety and security of everybody is important, and that there are a lot of mechanisms to put into place, such as campus police to help students—if they need—in the evenings.

“The lighting is important if we’re talking about night classes,” Zhou said. “Especially the lighting within the instructional facilities, student support facilities and also all the way to the parking lot [or] bus stop, depending on how our students are getting out of campus.”

Carlos Cortez, who recently served as the chancellor of the San Diego Community College District, said the concerns— and ensuring resources are allocated accordingly—would be his primary responsibility.

“Certaintly, there can be escort systems where students are hired as ambassadors to escort students to and from classes, or to and from their car,” said Cortez, who is also a candidate. “Shuttle services across campus, I’m not sure what’s available now, emergency call boxes, and the presence of more police. I’m not a big fan of having lots of armed police officers on campus, so in San Diego, we created a cadet program for young people who wanted to go into law enforcement that ended up providing so much of that coverage.”

Candidate Nathaniel Jones, the interim Vice Chancellor of finance and administration with the Peralta Community College District, said he would speak with students to further understand their security concerns.

“Some of the concerns may be addressed by increasing lighting in areas, deploying more blue boxes, for the emergency call boxes,” Jones said. “It could be having increased security. The other thing is—do a very comprehensive security assessment, and understand what might be the best remediation to the specific concerns that the students have had.”

Solutions beyond adding more lights include better advertising by the school for the escort service by the Sheriff’s Office.

On the Sheriff’s Department page, the Pierce website states, “To ensure the safety of our staff, students and visitors, we offer security escorts to vehicles. When desiring an escort, either come by the station, or call (818) 719-6450. Requests will be completed as quickly as possible based on priority, available personnel and completion of emergency calls.”

In an April interview, Aguiar explained that new buildings need to be in place before the lighting situation can be fully addressed.

File photo by Brian Caldera / Roundup News

Students walk past the Library and Learning Crossroads to and from their night classes at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 7, 2018.

Bots need not apply

From taking seats to financial aid, bots continue to infiltrate California classrooms

By Fabiola Carrizosa Reporter

Media Arts and Cinema Professor Steve Anderson has taught at Pierce College for 39 years. His classes are popular, and there is usually a wait list for each one of them.

Anderson’s late-start Cinema 107 class went live for the first time on Monday, March 18. He was grateful, as typically there are one or two students that are searching for them.

He took a look at the roster for the first time, and he was shocked to find that there were 30 students already enrolled in a matter of hours—29 who had the same major, were freshmen and had the same first four digits of their student IDs.

“There were a lot of red flags,” he said.

Anderson contacted Media Arts Department Chair Jill Connelly and Vice President for Student Services Jason Cifra to report the suspicious patterns.

The next morning, all the freshmen with the same major and sequential ID numbers were dropped.

By the next day, the nine “real” students turned into 40 students, and the class was full again.

This time, Cifra brought Acting Admissions and Records Senior Supervisor Henry Chang into the picture to complete a verification process.

Flash forward to Monday, March 25. Anderson’s class

was full again. While he had 19 human students in his roster the day before, he requested a new verification process to remove bots again.

As the work to mitigate the bots infiltrating community college classes increases, faculty and staff across the Los Angeles Community College District are coping with the frustrating dilemma of trying to figure out who is real and who is a bot on their roster.

Bots have been a district-wide issue, and the bots are getting more and more sophisticated, going as far as submitting assignments, posting pictures and taking quizzes.

The fraudulent activity is selfperpetuating, and Anderson’s late-start cinema class is only one example from many others.

The classes being affected are asynchronous. To detect bots, professors look for signs such as inactivity and the failure to turn in assignments.

registrations,” Anderson said.

Distance Education Coordinator Wendy Bass said all campuses are doing something about the bots, but they are being careful about what they are sharing about it, as they don’t want the bots to find out what is going on behind the scenes.

Even at the state level, how bots are handled is kept secret to avoid a hacker workaround.

While the situation is frustrating to professors and administration, the casualties of the bot scams are the students.

Interim President Ara Aguiar said she feels confident that gradually they will be able to somewhat control it.

ask me why they were dropped,” Bass said. “A lot of students don’t feel comfortable talking to their instructors.”

Bass said instructors are encouraged to reach out to students to see what is going on before dropping them. But that puts a lot on faculty too, as sending emails all the time is not always easy.

She also said their goal is student success. As students, those struggling to sign up for a class are encouraged to reach out to professors whose classes are full.

“Reaching out and sending an email may be a good way to let the instructor know that this is a real student,” Bass said.

Anderson is frustrated, and does not know what to do.

“I feel terribly for the students that are trying to get into a class like mine, but they are being shut out and being forced to go on a wait list because the class is potentially full of fake

Educating about Mexico’s indigenous cultures

“We have to be extremely careful that we don’t harm our students from being able to take a class,” Aguiar said.

Professors are struggling with the dilemma of whether to drop potential bots or not.

“I am also scared that if it is a real student and I drop them, they will be intimidated and won’t

“What is so frustrating is that our real students aren’t getting into the classes because the bots are taking up the spots.”

Aguiar said one element of the process they feel confident in is making phone calls and confirming the students are real people.

Aguiar also said there may be twoway authentication processes implemented to vet applicants, but that may hurt the chances of enrollment for people who lack a state identification.

“It’s a double edged sword, right? If you’re trying to authenticate individuals, but then you don’t want to be punitive to others that may not have the kind of documents that are being requested,” Aguiar said.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle article, “Thousands of ‘ghost students’ are applying to California colleges to steal

RIGHT: Danza Azteca Xochipilli, an Aztec dance group, performs at the Inaugural Indigenous Mexico Conference at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 4, 2024.

Veronica Rosas / Roundup News

LEFT: An altar honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women at the presentation “Braiding Our Movements: The Intersection of the Feminicidios and MMIWG Movements,” by Patricia Ramirez during the Inaugural Indigenous Mexico Conference at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 4 2024.

Veronica Rosas / Roundup News

financial aid. Here’s how,” from 2023, Pell grant money— the federal college subsidies for needy students—has long tempted fraudsters and became easier to steal when the U.S. Department of Education stopped verifying family income during the pandemic, a waiver expected to remain in place until the next award cycle.

According to the CalMatters article, “‘Getting significantly worse’: California community colleges are losing millions to financial aid fraud,” the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office began requiring the state’s 116 community colleges to submit reports three years ago, after federal Pell grant fraud cases surged. The chancellor’s office suspected 25 percent of college applicants were fraudulent.

The CalMatters article also said the Academic Senate President at East Los Angeles College, Leticia Barajas, said in recent months that professors are forced to focus on hunting bots instead of teaching.

Barajas added that bots are evading detection, especially with the help of artificial intelligence.

Anderson is hopeful that the district will come up with new and powerful ways of defeating this breach, possibly with some sort of software.

Administration has been working to have a quick turnaround at removing bots.

Anderson said administration, like Connelly, Chang and Cifra, have been responsive, wonderful, compassionate and sympathetic.

“But I think the fraudsters are winning the battle at the moment, and it’s just not right,” Anderson said.

Illustration by Sadie Shields / Roundup News

Looking toward the future, one shovel at a time

Pierce College breaks ground on new Child Development Academic Facility

By Marcus Nocerino Reporter

Children, staff and invited speakers gripped shiny, new red-handled shovels as they dug the blades into a pile of dirt on April 30 by Lot 8, where the new Child Development Academic Facility will one day stand.

The 11,020-square-foot facility will offer indoor and outdoor learning and working spaces for Pierce College’s Child Development and Early Childhood Education program, according to build-laccd.org. It will also include sustainability features enabling 100 percent electrification and Zero Net Energy.

The project is set to cost approximately $14 million, according to LACCD Board of Trustees documents.

“This project presents an opportunity for our students to learn and work at a really hightech facility,” LACCD Trustee Nichelle Henderson said. “Right now they’re not working in a stable building and this is an opportunity to learn, grow and

teach in their craft at a sustainable structure.”

ASO President Gayane Zazyan said how people can contribute to the success of the project.

“I feel like the faculty have done the most part of how the building should look like and what they want so they can make it comfortable for not only professors, but for students to enjoy it,” Zazyan said. “So I feel like really working close to the department would be helpful to see if they can do anything on their part, like volunteering wise.”

Professor and Chair of Child Development Patricia Doelitzsch said what inspired her to be a part of this project.

“The Child Development department at Pierce never had a permanent building, so when the opportunity arose, I grabbed it and I advocated for us and any committee that was involved with the school,” Doelitzsch said.

She also mentioned how she started working with children.

“I started working with children in junior high, there was a program you can go over to work with children with special needs,”

Doelitzsch said.

“I worked in high schools, preschools, elementary schools, even worked as an assistant during college, then I worked up my way to being a professor at community college.”

Vice Chancellor and Chief Facilities

Executive Rueben Smith mentioned his involvement in the project.

“This project has been worked on for quite some time,” Smith said. “We never stopped working on the design. I hope to look back in two years and hope this center will be more stabilized and known.”

Students bring housing issues to the front at Board of Trustees

By Xavier Boyston Reporter

With a reported 20 percent of California community college students experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity is on the minds of many of them, as well as the LACCD Board of Trustees.

During the Board of Trustees meeting on May 1, President of Student Power Los Angeles City College, a student collective, Jordan Slack highlighted the student struggle of housing.

Slack talked about how half the students in the district identify as housing insecure and what appropriate steps needed to be taken for better change.

“We’re largely a campus of nontraditional students,” Slack said. “And there’s tons of empty apartments throughout Los Angeles, so what we really need is to pay the rent. That’s something we can do right now, whether it’s through this $500 million of tax money or whether it’s through the foundation, or revenue, grants. We need you to find the money wherever you decide, and house students right now.”

LACCD Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez addressed the topic of emergency housing.

“We have over 100 students that are housed right now through our six, seven partners that we have throughout the community, providing housing today,” Rodriguez said. “Our college presidents and the District have set aside $3-5 million—probably in total—over the last

two, three, four years so that we can make this available.”

Pierce Interim President Ara Aguiar provided updates related to the campus.

“I want to congratulate our Professor [Aron] Kamajaya, he just received a National Science Foundation grant this morning for $648,000 through the Illumina Genomic Discovery of LA,” Aguiar said. “It’s genomics and precision medicine. It only exists down in San Diego, and what they’re doing is gene sequencing in medicine, and Pierce will be a hub for the greater Los Angeles area in this type of technology.”

Trustee Kelsey Iino announced the Metro GoPass program will continue for students.

“Last week, Vice President Hernandez led a group of students to the LA Metro Board, and we got the GoPass permanently set for our students,” Iino said. “And the vote was 10 to zero.”

A lease agreement with Woodland Hills Tarzana Chamber of Commerce for the use of Pierce campus areas for the 2024 Valley Asian Cultural Festival was ratified by the Board. The total estimated income was $3,090. The Board also authorized a service agreement to conduct tennis camps, tennis and pickleball classes. The total not-to-exceed cost is $110, 243.

Children and invited speakers pose for a photo by Lot 8 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 30, 2024.

Abraham Elizalde / Roundup News

Raquel G. Frohlich contributed to this story.

Developing community through stories

Veterans connect at Welcome and May Day event in the Multicultural Center

By Taj Robles Reporter

The newly formed Veterans Club hosted its first on-campus event at the Multicultural Center where they welcomed veterans and veteran-affiliated students. Charles Johnson, the Veterans Resource Center Lead, was in attendance overseeing the event.

Katie Hirahoka, the Veterans Club president, and Alia Yollis, the vice president, spoke of their excitement at getting the opportunity to host their first event on campus.

The event—which provided free meals, snacks, drinks and goodie bags to the veterans in attendance—gave the colleges’ veterans a safe space where they can be expressive about their experiences.

The Veteran’s Welcome & May Day event also provided an environment where they were able to feel at ease being among other people who can understand what they had gone through while serving, especially ones that are closer to their age. Many of the attendees enjoyed the free popcorn and meals provided by the club while they sat to

One room in the Center for the Sciences became a makeshift movie theater as students—including those from the Film Club and Lego Club— gathered for a screening of “The Lego Movie” on May 1.

This semester, the chosen theme is “Oscar snubs,” explained current Film Club President Amali Morgan.

“We wanted to highlight movies that had the potential to be award-winning, but also still made an impact in the industry,” Morgan said. “Each movie that we are doing is focusing on a specific subject,

enjoy the screening of Top Gun together.

Yollis is optimistic with the

are alone.

“[Veterans need to] find support in things that are outside

“Our main goal is to let our veterans have resources besides school. It is often hard to ask for help so just having it there makes it better.”

Alia Yollis Veterans Club Vice President

opportunities they have in putting together more events.

“The biggest challenge is we have nothing to go off of,” said Yollis. “Our main goal is to let our veterans have resources besides school. It is often hard to ask for help, so just having it there makes it better.”

Yollis also mentioned how these safe spaces for veterans are often filled with older veterans, so it can sometimes be intimidating and difficult for younger veterans to relate. This is where she and Hirahoka saw the issue and decided to change the narrative for others who are in their same shoes.

“When I first got out, I was going to go out to veterans events places, but it was always older vets, especially men,” Yollis said.

Being a woman who served often leaves them feeling isolated, so it’s another reason why they pushed for the formation of the Veterans Club to give women who served another place where they won’t have to feel like they

Live, Laugh, Lego

so this one is focusing on animation—‘The Lego Movie’, being 3D animation and also being in the style of stopmotion.”

The Film Club has been on campus for about seven years, according to Morgan.

“I want to be able to have a space, to encourage more students who are film students— or just have an interest in film—to be able to explore more films and more movies and talk with people who will have the same interest as them,” Morgan said.

Copy by Raquel G. Frohlich.

Brahma Blotter

Crime Log

of school, we already have the Veterans Resource Center, so providing things outside of what they offer is our goal,” said Hirahoka. “We’re fairly new, but the purpose of this event is to let students know we are here.”

When planning for events, Johnson hopes for a collaborative experience between veteran students and students on campus.

“We wanted to plan an event that would bring veterans together, where they could sit around in fellowship and feel a part of the campus,” he said.

On May 22, the Veterans Club will be hosting another event in the Library and Learning Crossroads Courtyard area.

“We’re going to have a flag ceremony outside here, in the courtyard in this area—the LLC—where we celebrate for the memorial day service,” Johnson said.

Alfonso Vargas contributed to this story.

Students watch “The Lego Movie” during a film screening at the Center for the Sciences at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 1, 2024.

Reporting by Christian Castellanos and Raquel G. Frohlich. The crime log is made publicly available at the Pierce College Sheriff’s Office.

No crimes were reported between April 29-May 5, 2024.

Registro de delitos

No se reportaron crímenes para la semana del 29 de abril a 5 de mayo.

El registro de delitos está disponible públicamente en la Oficina del Sheriff de Pierce College.

ADVISORY: Vehicle break-ins have occurred in the surrounding area off-campus on Victory Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue, which is in LAPD jurisdiction.

The Sheriff’s Office encourages students and staff to conceal valuable items in their cars as a precautionary measure.

“Please take your items with you or put backpacks, laptop cases, wallets, airpods, cell phones in your trunk, out of plain sight. Always park in a well-lit area and be aware of your surroundings,” the Sheriff’s Office advised.

LAPC Sheriffs are conducting extra patrols in the area and have been in contact with LAPD in an attempt to deter more break-ins.

En español

AVISO: El allanamiento de autos ha ocurrido en el área rodando el colegio por Victory Blvd y Winnetka Ave, que está bajo la jurisdicción del Departamento de Policía de Los Ángeles.

La oficina del Sheriff sugiere que estudiantes y personal escondan artículos de valor en sus auto como medida precautoria.

“Por favor lleven todos sus artículos con ustedes o pongan mochilas, maletas de computadora, billeteras, audífonos, celulares en su baúl y fuera de vista. Siempre hagan cargo de estacionarse en área bien alumbrada y estén conscientes de su alrededores, [traducido de inglés a español]”, la oficina del Sheriff aviso.

El Sheriff de LAPC están aumentando el número de patrullas en el área y están en comunicación con el LAPD para reducir allanamientos de autos.

Translation by Gerardo Escobar.

Raquel G. Frohlich / Roundup News

Gerson Donis signs up for Veterans Club in the Multicultural Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 1, 2024.

Melanie Jurado / Roundup News

REVIEW: I shall compare thee to... greatness

Spring 2024 LAPC Theatre season closes with “Shakespeare in Love”

By Violet Garcia Online Editor

“Shall I compare thee to… something?” are not exactly the words that come to mind when thinking of the great playwright William Shakespeare, and seem unfinished at best. Yet, as one of the opening lines of LAPC Theatre’s newest play, they successfully got a good laugh and introduced the audience into the fictional Elizabethan world of “Shakespeare in Love.”

Lee Hall’s stage adaptation of Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s screenplay “Shakespeare in Love” premiered on the Performing Arts Mainstage on Friday, starring Deniz Boysan as William Shakespeare. The performance, directed by Shaheen Vaaz, was LAPC Theatre’s concluding show for the 2024 spring season.

This fast-paced play was layered with forbidden love and scenes of farce humor, all while exhibiting the woes of a creative’s mental block.

“Shakespeare in Love” also gives viewers a glance into the difficulties of being a woman who longs to act in Elizabethan times and the extremes people will go to in the name of love and theater.

Set in London during the late 1500s, the play follows William Shakespeare as he overcomes a creative plateau. The show opened with Shakespeare centerstage developing the now iconic poem “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” while an entourage playfully followed him from side to side with every

failed attempt.

From there, viewers are quickly introduced to other vital characters such as Kit Marlowe, Shakespeare’s right-hand man played by Ali Suliman, and Viola De Lesseps, the daughter of a wealthy merchant who yearns to be onstage, played by Fiona Morris.

With a relatively modest set, consisting of a two-story building lined with staircases that acted as a theater and a bedroom balcony along with two more side sets

in Love” in the Performing Arts Building Mainstage at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 30, 2024.

as pubs in the background, Shakespeare revealed he was pressed for time to create a new play and was stuck in his creative process.

“Lovely, temperate, and thoroughly trite,” as described by Kit Marlowe, the playwright seemed to not move past his mental hindrances.

Regardless of his half-finished screenplay, he announced auditions for “Romeo and Juliet.” These auditions also proved to be chaotic when individuals with debilitating stutters or no theatrical talent turned up.

When all hope was thought to be lost, Viola De Lesseps in disguise, strolled in to audition.

An enamored Shakespeare later left her a note informing her she got the part.

Throughout the play, seemingly small acting choices added up to seriously develop each character, both main and ensemble-wise. Every talent was put to use on stage with a combination of award-winning actors, like Joshua Gould and Dale Van Slyke, along with fresh blood who made their debut to flesh out this multi-edged story.

A look into the archives: 70 years of the Roundup

The Pierce College Rodeo was set to take place

Friday and Saturday, with an estimated 15,000 spectators, according to rodeo officials.

Advertised events included saddle bronc and bull wrestling, steer wrestling and barrel racing, barbeque, various exhibitors and appearances by celebrities, including American actor C. Thomas Howell.

Eight Pierce baseball players were selected for the 1991 All-Western State Conference team. The

number of players selected was tied to the number selected from College of the Canyons.

The International Students Services and Associated Student Organization advertised a Dance Party Cultural Event in the Campus Center. The event included door prizes, food and a professional DJ, and was set to run from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Printmaking was the subject of a Roundup photo essay. Printmaking is the process of transferring

images from a template to another surface, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Obituaries were written for three Pierce Emeriti faculty. Ortrud Smiljkovich was a professor of Foreign Languages, Richard M. Tullar was a former chairman of the Life and Earth Sciences Department and Richard Lees was a retired professor of psychology.

Copy by Christian Castellanos.

A May 8, 1991, archived issue of the Roundup in the newsroom at Pierce College on Dec. 19, 2023. Photo by Raquel G. Frohlich.

As Slyke, who played Fennyman, listened in on a conversation, his body language subtly began to change—his foot started to tap and his fist clenched bit by bit until he burst into an argument and yelled.

When seen, an ensemble member walked on just his heels, his toes completely up, adding a little extra touch to his character. From discreet fist clenching to comical roughhousing in the background, the cast brought the script to life and created a whole new world.

While there was not much music involved, lighting certainly helped to create further depth on stage. Individual heavy spotlights and lighting behind sets allowed for a deeper lens into the character’s emotions, and at times, clarification in terms of where the story was set.

Though the play did not have a cliche ending for its main characters, the loose ends were still tied up for William Shakespeare. This romantic drama is sure to take viewers through a whirlwind of emotions and produce a good chuckle along the way.

Actors rehearse for “Shakespeare in Love” in the Performing Arts Building Mainstage at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 30, 2024.

Veronica Rosas / Roundup News

Fiona Morris, as Viola De Lesseps, and Deniz Boysan, as Will Shakespeare, rehearse for “Shakespeare

Veronica Rosas / Roundup News

Promoting health, raising awareness

Shirts with messages of support, as well as the stories and experiences of sexual abuse survivors, are on display outside of Building 600 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 1, 2024. The shirts on display were part of Denim Day and Clothesline Project.

Students, staff, community members and medical professionals gathered both inside and outside of Building 600 on May 1 for Pierce’s Clothesline Project & Denim Day/Student Health Fair.

The Health Fair portion of the event featured CPR and bleeding control demonstrations, health education presentations, prize giveaways and checks of participants’ vision and vital signs.

Outside of Building 600, dozens of bright-colored shirts were hung on clotheslines. The shirts featured hand-written messages sharing the stories and experiences of sexual abuse survivors. The display was put up in honor of Denim Day, which aims to spread awareness and build support for people who have experienced sexual abuse and assault. Denim Day was founded in 1999 and is commemorated in several countries across the globe.

Copy by Delilah Brumer.

UPPER LEFT: Northridge Hospital registered nurse Sarah Bergman (L) demonstrates how to stop bleeding to automotive major Alex Perez-Garcia at the Student Health Fair in Building 600 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 1, 2024.

LOWER LEFT: CPR dummies and an automated external defibrillator (AED) machine are set up for demonstration during the Student Health Fair in Building 600 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 1, 2024.

ABOVE: Nursing practitioner Debbie Sargent (L) speaks to marketing major Citali Navarro (center) and business administration major Danna Catalan (R) at the Health Fair in Building 600 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 1, 2024.

Sophie Lotterstein / Roundup News

Owen Meza-Vandermeer / Roundup News

Sophie Lotterstein / Roundup News

Owen Meza-Vandermeer / Roundup News

All in a day’s patrol

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Owen Meza-Vandermeer / Roundup News

Senior Lead Sheriff’s Deputy Isaac Jorge changes the volume of his walkie-talkie on the Mall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 6, 2024. Before students arrive on campus, Sheriff’s deputies patrol the entire campus to ensure that nothing is out of the ordinary, then they drive around and watch high-traffic areas to maintain high visibility.

Owen Meza-Vandermeer / Roundup News

“Today, it’s a Monday, we get here, we open the gates, make sure we drive around, make sure nothing’s out of the norm,” said Senior Lead Sheriff’s Deputy Isaac Jorge, explaining shifts are typically eight or 16 hours. “We check restrooms, we check buildings, open buildings, close buildings and drive around for high visibility.”

If you see Sheriff’s deputies around campus, that’s because Pierce College has its own Sheriff’s Office, and it’s open 24 hours a day. Senior Lead Sheriff’s Deputy Isaac Jorge is one of the deputies, who said he communicates with Pierce administration on a daily basis.

“If there’s an issue that involves us, we are always there,” Jorge said. “They know they can

reach me, I go out of my way to communicate with them, make sure we have a good relationship. We do work for different entities, of course, but we’re in this together. And our sole goal is for students, faculty, employees to feel safe and want to come to Pierce.”

Copy by Raquel G. Frohlich, Delilah Brumer and Owen Meza-Vandermeer.