Remembering history professor John Haas
“I hope this isn’t exaggerating, but I hope people give him credit for being a community college professor – not to put it down, right. He contributed things… that are hard to match.
“There’s a lot of people around here doing really good stuff, but he was just different – he left a mark and was probably… one of the best professors, best teachers, best people I’ve ever met, anywhere.
“I can’t wait to see his family and share with them how my 29 years here, that he was a part of it for (26) years – I can’t imagine my 29 years here without him.
Professor Dennis Falcon
“I’ve known him ever since I’ve been here. You know he’s a warm, caring person, also jovial and has some joke or something – I always saw him with his students”
“He was really somebody who was always concerned with his students. He never wanted to be anything other than a teacher. And that I really admired about him.”
Professor Solomon Namala
Laura Bernal Editor in Chief Andrew Pilani News Editor
Cerritos College announced the death of John Haas, a history professor and the founder of the Global Consortium for Sustainable Peace, on Sept. 26 –he died on Sept. 24.
Haas was a key figure at the college during his 26 yearlong career teaching at Cerritos College – he was involved in many workings at the college and frequently made his presence felt throughout the campus.
In particular, he spent much of his career bringing many notable figures to speak at the college such
Leave your thoughts about Haas and view others’ on a Kudoboard set up to honor his life.
as Noam Chomsky. More recently, he’d welcomed Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe and Irish activist Goretti Horgan to speak at the college via Zoom.
Haas was recognized in 2016 for his efforts in global peacebuilding through his Global Consortium broadcasts when he received a Southern California Mediation Association’s Education Foundation Directors Award – he was also awarded the outstanding faculty award in 2000-2001.
Elizabeth Miller, the dean of student services, said, “I worked with Dr. Haas over the years related to programs he presented that were supported by ASCC. Dr. Haas was incredibly passionate about his work and his students.
He could explain complex sociopolitical issues in a way that made them approachable, and encouraged others to get involved in causes they care about.”
She continued, “It was also a pleasure to work with him, he was thoughtful and caring, and always put students first. He is sincerely missed by all in our office.”
Cerritos College Faculty Federation president Lynn Wang,
said, “It is a huge loss to the campus community. Dr. Haas brought many speakers to the campus in-person and/or online, which allowed our students to hear from renowned scholars around the world. His teachings and research have benefited our community for many years.”
Professor Sunday Obazuaye worked with Haas for the past 26 years and was office mates with him. He reflected on his memories during that time.
Obazuaye shared that he and Haas were once office mates in the basement of the Social Sciences building. Both were presented with the opportunity to have the office on the second floor. Obazuaye took it, but later learned that Haas forgoed it because he wanted to continue sharing an office with him.
Professor George Jarrett said, “I think it’s important to understand that aside from his curiosity and his love of people and a lot of other things he enjoyed, he really had a purpose. You know the fact that he called the organization that he founded, the Global Consortium for Sustainable Peace, the point of all of it was really to help bring about
“John saw the announcement and he told his wife, there’s an open office on the second floor, but I don’t want to leave my office We were office mates, he didn’t want to leave me. So that’s how close we were as colleagues and friends.”
Professor Sunday
“Dr. John Haas was an incredible professor and colleague. He was engaging, kind, and steadfast in his mission to prepare others to be globally competent citizens. During his tenure, Professor Haas pioneered creative ways to bring the world to Cerritos College through technology, and he helped us to appreciate the interconnectedness of all people and systems. He truly made the world a better place, and I join my colleagues in mourning his passing.”
Cerritos College President Dr. Jose Fierro
“The way he would explain material and the way he would talk about different experiences really impacted me. It kinda made me realize that being a student can be more than reading books.”
Paul Hernandez, former student of Haas
peace and reconciliation in the world.
“I think that’ll be his legacy as well. That he essentially helped people to understand each other, the conflicts in the world and the humanity of people involved in those conflicts as well. I just think it’s really important.“
Haas’s family held a memorial for him on Oct. 26 at Scripps College’s Balch Auditorium from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Attendees of the memorial were encouraged to wear their
favorite band t-shirt or sports jersey and donate to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights’ DACA Trust Fund.
For the Social Science building’s Dia de los Muertos Altar Creation & Halloween Decoration Competition on Oc. 30, an altar with Day of the Deadthemed decorations was set up with pictures of Haas outside of his old office.
Editor’s note: News Editor Andrew Pilani is a former student of John Haas.
the leader of the back row, Priscilla Castillo
ANDREW PILANI
An altar for John Haas on Oct. 28 set up by people in the Social Sciences building for their Day of the Dead & Halloween Decoration Competition on Oct. 30, 2024.
COURTESY OF SOPHIE CLARE HAAS AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA BERNAL
A cutout of John Haas surrounded by magnolias.
College attends Models of Pride
Laura Bernal Editor in Chief
Cerritos College’s LGBTQ program attended the Models of Pride event at the Los Angeles LGBT Center on Oct. 20 as part of the program’s OUTober events lineup.
The event featured Bretman Rock as the keynote speaker and honored him with the 2024 Model of Pride award.
He spoke about tapping into his creative potential, how he does self care and how he deals with creative blocks. He also shared with the audience how, in many indigenous cultures, trans and gender-nonconforming people were well-respected and even worshiped in the community.
Rock said, “My one wish, my actual one wish, is for all of you to find your light. For all of you to find your power because you will find a community that sees that and I’m not saying they’ll worship you like back in the day but they will respect you and they will welcome you and you’re valid.”
Jas Reyes, a student at Cerritos College, said Rock’s interview was a highlight for her from the event.
She said, “It was really cool to see someone like me on stage, like a queer Asian, answering all these questions that I also had questions about like how my family relationships play into my identity.”
She said, “Everyone was
so welcoming and it was like I knew people before I actually introduced myself. Everyone just kind of understood each other at a point so I thought that was really refreshing.”
The event held three sessions of workshops throughout the day where students could learn
about the LGBT+ community and participate in activities that allowed them to express themselves and meet others their age in the community.
The main stage was hosted by influencer, Ruba who brought his contagious personality into the crowd for audience Q&A’s.
A student was presented with the Youth Pride Award for all the community work they have done especially within their school.
This was followed by social media influencer, Vincint, who was given the Model of Pride Artist award and performed his song, “Take Me Home.”
Trans Lounge, a community group within the LGBT center, offers workshops and support groups for the “trans and gender expansive community.”
Avery Espinoza, a program specialist with the organization, said, “The importance of these event is to be out and to be proud and to be kind of a beacon of hope. Especially for the younger generations, it’s very important for us to be visible and for us to just be there for them.”
Models of Pride is an annual event and the LGBTQ program hopes to return again next year.
The program will continue their OUTober events through the end of the month. They will hold “OUTober cosmic coaching” on Oct. 29 and a Pride scavenger hunt on Oct. 31.
To learn more about the event and what services and resources that Cerritos College offers to the LGBTQ Community, visit the Equity Center located in the Santa Barbara Building.
Faculty Senate getting ready to tackle bot students
Andrew Pilani News Editor
Bots were a hot topic at the Cerritos College Faculty Senate meeting on Oct. 22 as top members from various management services on campus gave a presentation to the Senate about their work combating the bots.
“Fraudulent activity from ‘bot students’ has been a growing problem at Cerritos College for several years, affecting the quality of instruction, course viability, and completion rates,” according to Terrance Mullins, the Faculty Senate president.
According to the presentation by Yvette Tafoya, the dean of enrollment services: Laura Estrada, the assistant director of admissions and records; and Jamie Quiroz the assistant director of financial aid, bot detections have been increasing and have been taking large portions of financial
aid.
They talked about how, since 2022, they’ve put holds on over 35,000 accounts – in just the fall 2024 semester alone they’ve flagged more than 9,000 more accounts and only 18% of those accounts managed to clear their hold.
They also described how, of the students who received financial aid, only about 1% were flagged as bots. That 1%, however, managed to take about 2% of the total aid – a staggering one million dollars that could have gone to real students.
Tafoya and the others described some of the methods they’ve been using in their battle to catch bot students: an ID service called ID.me, working with the college’s IT department, following bot trends, asking to change aid dispersal and increasing automation as much work is done manually at the moment.
They noted that this has continued to be difficult despite their progress for a variety of reasons: the bot hosters adapt fast and are sophisticated, ID verification isn’t necessary to apply for college or financial aid, it’s a national issue that even the federal government is struggling with, and that the harder they make it for bots to enroll, the more likely they are to also stop real people.
Mullins said, “The current strategy of relying on our enrollment services office, which
A few of the Cerritos College Faculty Senate members listening to a presentation about bot students during a Faculty Senate meeting on Oct. 22. has limited staffing, to manually track and remove thousands of fake enrollments is unsustainable.”
“Addressing this issue requires a practical response, including increased resources for enrollment services. However, it remains uncertain whether the administration will take the necessary steps to enhance staffing.”
A faculty member in the audience also said that they wanted this to continue being brought up and expressed disappointment that there were no longer any administrators in the room.
Librarian Stephanie Rosenblatt, who’s also the former Cerritos College Faculty Federation president and the current department chair for the library, voiced her frustration with
the financial aid department’s decision to limit funds they give to students.
The department made it so that if a student takes a class not part of their degree plan, the financial aid department may not pay for it or count it toward units for pell grants, etc.
She argues that these limits effectively got rid of the undecided major option for the overwhelming majority of students who rely on financial aid – undecided majors don’t have degree plans.
“I would feel more comfortable with these kinds of decisions if they were discussed by faculty first because then if a decision was made that I don’t like, at least I know that my peers thought it was a good choice,” she added.
LAURA BERNAL
Bretman Rock was awarded the Model of Pride award and did a sit down Q&A interview.
Falcons Rising is hosting an online voting info session on zoom. Scan the QR for its flier.
ANDREW PILANI
LAURA BERNAL
The LGBT+ Program attending Models of Pride as part of their OUTober events.
October Village hosts killer fun OC market
scented hand-stitched voodoo dolls, shared a little bit about her business and how it came about.
October Village hosted a Horror Night Market on Oct. 22.
The event took place in Anaheim at the Villains Brewing Company, an all-ages event from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The event was free admission and housed many local artists and sellers, with halloween-themed items for sale.
Many vendors offered handmade goodies, from hairclips, clothing, bags, etc.
It was also open to cosplayers and for people to dress up, and thats they did.
There were quite some people dressed up in costumes, the two most prominent being Art the Clown from Terrifier as well as, Michael Myers from Halloween.
Roman Ikram, a Cerritos resident, who was dressed up as Michael Myers shared his experience at the night market in his costume.
“It’s super fun! I was nervous, but the second I got to the event, I was immediately stopped for pictures,” said Ikram, “It’s pretty cool to get recognition for something I worked pretty hard on getting.”
The cosplayers dressing up added lots of life to the event as well, creating photo-ops for many customers.
Within the event, the creativity among the vendors stood out tremendously.
Liz Gonzales, owner of Stitched Little Devils, sells
“I have always loved halloween and to create. 10 years ago I decided to take my passion and make a business out of it. It did take me five years to decide to base my business around my handmade and scented voodoo dolls.” said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez also shared that it was her third year selling with October Village and why she loves selling with them.
“October Village was created by my friends over at Gladracket with the mind of bringing Halloween year-round,” said Gonzalez, “I absolutely love their vision and it’s always such a pleasure to be part of their markets.”
October Village has brought something for horror fans, that they enjoy experiencing at their night markets.
“I really like how many different things I have to option to purchase as a horror fan. The vendors are great and the people here in general are really nice. As a horror fan.”
“ t’s always nice to see events no matter how small or big being held that are dedicated to something I take deep interest in.” Ikram said.
To stay up-to-date for the next night market or horror event, you can follow them on Instagram, @ octobervillage, or visit their link tree for more info!
A classic opening for soccer fans
Bierton said.
Around the store, jerseys hang from the ceiling. Current to classics, like 2024 LA Galaxy third jersey to 1996 Germany jersey.
“It’s quite a curated selection, we sell classics, current season and off -season. I think the main aim is always to have as much interesting variety of plastic as possible, something that really blows away the customer when they come in.”Bierton said.
With soccer on the rise and with the signing of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami in MLS. It should be considered as a top tier sport with the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL in the United States.
John McNamara, an employee at Classic Football Shirts said, “I have the great opportunity to work here. It’s an amazing store.”
Downey library ‘super chill’ pumpkin painting
recreation of the starry night painting.
With October being the month of Halloween the Downey City Library held a Pumpkin Painting workshop on Oct. 17 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
This was a free drop-in event intended for ages 16 and older, with only 13 seats available.
The workshop provided pumpkins, palettes, paint, wax paper and along with other painting supplies for free to those who participated.
After they were done they had the option to take their pumpkins home, wrapping them up in wax paper to keep the paint from getting on them.
Two of the participants who took their pumpkins home were Long Beach residents Niyah Kitchen and Jay Sims.
Kitchen has a bit of a past in painting “I’ve done self-portraits of my friends we do those things together,” Kitchen said.
Classic Football Shirts, a store providing a selection of classic soccer jerseys, opened it’s Los Angeles location on Oct.19.
Driving past 447 N Fairfax Ave in Los Angeles, CA, soccer fans wait outside for hours before the new Classic Football Shirts store would open.
Classic Football Shirts started in 2006 in a house on Brentbridge Rd, Manchester. The store was
founded by Doug Bierton, Gary Bierton and Matthew Dale.
From looking to find 1990 West Germany iconic jersey to creating an online business and stores in Manchester, London, New York City and Los Angeles the trio has created access for soccer fans to collect iconic jerseys.
“It’s amazing. I mean, from where we started in a student house 18 years ago, could never have imagined that we’d be one day opening a store in LA.”
Some of the biggest names of soccer come to shirt shops such as Ian Wright, Martin Tyler, Giorgio Chiellini and David Beckham.
Retired US star Alex Morgan invested in the company and Rob McElhenney, owner of Wrexham A.F.C. is doing promotions for them. This is sure to help their business grow.
James Jones, a customer said,“I’ve been following classic football shirts for nine years when a friend introduced me to them online, for them to have one in LA right after I’ve moved here is crazy.”
Seats slowly started to fill at the start time of 6 p.m. but all seats were taken nearly half an hour later.
This is one of two sessions they held as they had one earlier in the day from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Local Downey resident, Julie shared that the event set up a “super chill” atmosphere with its “good music, good assortment of things,” and finished by sharing that the event was “perfect.”
The participants were free to tap into their creative side.
Some examples was painted were a black cat, a hand print on the pumpkin and even a
She also said that she works for her local city and likes to utilize their library resources so when her boyfriend, Sims told her about this event she was more than willing to attend.
Sims stated that he had been following this library for a good amount of time and attending some of the different activities, they do for the community.
“I thought it was great. It was a nice team-building experience, within the community.” Sim said.
The Downey City Library will be holding more Halloweenthemed events.
More information about these events is on the Downey City Library calendar of events.
Isaac Cordon Staff Writer
Melanie Salguero Opinion Editor
Duran Ventura Staff Writer
MELANIE SALGUERO
MELANIE SALGUERO
Roman Ikram dressed as Michael Myers at October Village market on Oct.22.
Vendor selling shirts, tote bags, hair clips, etc. waiting for customers at October Village market.
Jaden Chung and his girlfriend buys West Ham United FC Jersey.
DURAN VENTURA
“THIS SHOW IS MY FLOWERS TO YOU”: MEET RUSSELL SCOTT
Laura Bernal Editor in Chief
In the middle of Downtown Los Angeles, down a small side street, is an art show venue. On Oct. 11, the venue came to life.
Amidst music traveling into the quiet streets and guests mingling in and outdoors, you’ll find Russell Scott.
Scott, also known as ModestArt88, is a 36-year-old artist, originally from Brooklyn, NY who has resided in Los Angeles for the past six years.
His show, “The Flower Show,” featured Scott’s latest artwork and the use of flowers in the name was simply a metaphor of growth in the midst of all circumstances.
“Flowers bloom in all types of climates and I feel like our life is very, all types of climates. This has been a very trying year with my relationship life, my finances, my housing, just day to day being an adult,”
Scott’s friends and colleagues recognized this and how his dedication is shown in his art.
Jay, known as J Stay Ready, has known Scott for almost six years as they both moved to LA around the same time.
He said, “[Russell] is one of the sweetest and most talented humans that I think I’ve ever met.
He’s also very passionate about his work. Everything that you get… from Russell, it was truly made with heart and with an intention because nine times out of 10, there were so many other things that he could be focused on, but he took time to really pour his love into whatever he did.”
The first room featured Scott’s latest street art featuring custom skate decks and his “Work Fucking Harder” pieces. The room also offered guests the opportunity to buy merchandise such as hoodies,
pins and prints.
As we move into the gallery, we see Scott’s abstract work, as well as a yellow Mustang 348 Spider, with flowers flowing out of it. This is the only actual use of flowers in the gallery.
Scott’s art focuses on abstract ideas. He said while he is painting he gets the most inspiration through music and will often play the same song throughout the completion of an art piece.
He also uses his art as a form of release.
“[It’s] like my own kind of oasis. I usually paint all night when everyone else is sleeping. No one is bothering me. So it’s just like my own kind of island I just sink into. It’s like taking a bath for me, like it’s just quiet by yourself.”
Scott began painting in middle school as a hobby and for gifts for friends and family. During covid, he decided to pick up the brush again. He explained that during the pandemic, he offered to paint
a piece for his partner at the time. This initiated his path into making art a career as he began creating more pieces and gaining attention online.
Scott expressed that he didn’t feel pressure from his career as he prefers to see where it leads him rather than put high expectations on it.
This is reflected in the theme of his show as its purpose is to encourage people to “let go of worrying about the yet-to-be and embrace living in the now.
Scott expressed, “I feel like we as individuals don’t really applaud ourselves for achieving things that we think we aren’t achieving, or things that we’re even going through. So that was really the whole purpose of the flowers, to give you flowers, to give myself flowers. It’s more of a celebratory thing, just for achieving life.”
You can find and purchase artwork from his website, and find him on instagram @modestart88.
Identity and Power: The vision behind ‘Hamlet’
Daniel Gonzalez Contributor
Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been performed countless times, and yet, with each new adaptation, the play takes on a fresh and often deeply personal interpretation.
The latest production at Cerritos College is no exception with its raw and emotional journey into Hamlet’s psyche, where ancient text meets modern interpretation and where creatives blend their own lives into their characters.
With an interview from the director and lead actors, we delve into the creative process behind Hamlet, and how the line between fiction and reality is a lot blurrier than you think.
Brandt Reiter, the director of the play, said he handpicked Hamlet not just for its fame, but also for its relevance to our current political climate.
Reiter remarked, “This is an election year, and the play has something to say about regime change.”
His interpretation focused on the shifts of power within the story, connecting them with our own uncertainty surrounding our own political transition.
This focus on regime change guided the production’s creative decision, including its streamlined approach to the script.
“I used the Royal Shakespeare Company text as a base and then edited it,” Reiter explained.
In Reiter’s adaptation, the opening and closing lines of the play bookend, not just for dramatic effect, but also as a
discussion into self reflection.
Angelo Santos, who plays the titular role, explains his process of inhabiting the infamous character was both exciting and nerve wracking.
“It’s not every day that I get the opportunity to do Hamlet,” Santos expressed, acknowledging the weight of playing one of the most famous characters in theater history.
However, he took his approach very personally. He explained, “I personalize first. What do I, Angelo, have in common with Hamlet?”
By focusing on these connections, Santos was able to humanize Hamlet, bringing a unique physicality to the role.
Daniela Lopez, who plays Ophelia, approached the character with a similar focus on emotional realism.
In her interpretation, Ophelia is “just a girl,” a 17-year-old who is navigating her obligations to her family and her entanglements with Hamlet.
Lopez’s goal was to humanize Ophelia, steering away from other portrayals of madness but rather favoring a grounded, more heartfelt interpretation.
Lopez emphasizes the importance of being “present” in each moment of the play.
This allowed her to make Ophelia’s descent into madness more natural.
“In Act 1, she’s a noble lady, but by Act 3, she’s been broken up with by Hamlet, the love of her life.” Lopez explained.
While both main leads were handling their own balance of
reality and fiction, Jaylan Price and Micah Rodriguez, who played Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, had their own balancing act, only this time between the genre of comedy and tragedy.
Together, they brought a lighter, more comedic tone to the production, with the interpretation leaning more into the playful nature of their characters.
Despite the humor, both Price and Rodriguez recognize the weight of the play’s tragic elements.
The beauty of this production lies in the collaboration between the cast and director.
Reiter gave his actors the freedom to make these characters
their own, while still ensuring that the play remained emotionally impactful.
“It’s been done so many times, how are you going to come up with something that no one’s ever done before?” Reiter noted.
The production of Hamlet is about more than just a regime change or personal tragedy.
This production is about how we discover ourselves within the chaos of our own world.
Whether through Hamlet’s internal struggle, Ophelia’s heartbreak, or the missteps of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, this production asks the audience to reflect on their own lives, their own choices, and the consequences that follow.
Russell Scott posing in front of his artwork at “The Flower Show” on Oct 11, 2024.
LAURA BERNAL
RYAN SUMIDA
Cerritos College’s Hamlet production premiered on Oct 10, 2024 .
Grief: a fan’s perspective.
On Oct. 10, Liam Payne from One Direction was announced dead at the age of 31.
One of the first things I did when I found out about the passing of Liam Payne, was call my high school best friend. It had been almost two years since we last spoke but that didn’t matter. Nobody would understand the way she did. The band was how we became so close in the first place, from attending their 2014 tour to crying in the middle of math class when Zayn left the group, we held so many memories that connected us not only to each other but to this band.
I don’t think I fully processed that news until three days later. One direction was a major part of so my life and the lives of so many growing up. From their x-factor video diaries, to “What Makes You Beautiful,” to their final show in 2016, and everything in between, we were tuned in.
We grew up as they grew up and we just assumed it would continue on that way.
That is where most of the shock comes from.
Grief is complicated and often difficult to process. It comes and goes in waves as you go through your day and then are randomly hit with the reality that this person
just is not here anymore. It’s an experience that is individual to everyone. It can get harder to understand when you’ve lost someone that you don’t actually know.
It’s events like this that remind me that we still carry our younger selves with us even as we grow up.
The versions of me that felt loss was not just my 25-year-old self but also my 15-year-old self and my 12-year-old self as well.
Many criticize fans for showing grievance toward celebrity’s passing, saying that it comes from the presence of toxic parasocial relationships that people create with celebrities.
While these relationships do exist and people often cross boundaries when it comes to celebrity interactions, I do not think it’s strange for people to grieve the death of someone they were a fan of.
This feeling is not isolated to just music fans.
It moves across fandoms as people who inspired us, grew up with us, brought joy to our lives or celebrated championships alongside have passed away.
The death of Kobe Bryant was felt around the world as fans visited memorials with their entire family mourning with them and purple and yellow on display as far as the eye can see.
The recent death of Fernando
Valenzuela,
for the Dodgers, brought fans together to create a memorial at Dodger stadium just before the world series began.
I know people think it’s odd to mourn people we do not know but I believe it’s rather normal from a fan’s perspective. However I don’t think people who live outside fandoms will ever really understand what that loss means.
To grieve someone is to acknowledge the love, care and experiences shared or created by this person and fans deserve their space and time to do so.
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Apollo has not disappointed with his previous albums and did not disappoint with this one either.
This album is full of hits and seeping with nostalgia from “Night Changes” to “Steal My Girl”, it’s perfect for your One Direction fix.
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Who needs therapy when you can just listen to “Landslide” on repeat? One of my favorite albums and it should be one of yours too.
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A movie of a women recollecting the time she spent with her dad the last time she saw him. Brings up topics of depression and loss. The film also gave Mescal an oscar nomination.
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A book about two brothers and their lives after losing their father to cancer. Sally Rooney never fails me.
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former pitcher
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA BERNAL
Laura Bernal Editor in Chief
A vote for Kamala is a vote for your rights
With another historic election looming around the corner for America, it is evident that our choice this November must reflect the democratic values like freedom, self governess, and privacy we hold dearly.
Our rights and values will be desecrated by the implementation of the infamous Project 2025 so this is why Kamala Harris should become the 47th president of the United States.
Project 2025 is a group of policy proposals that is the culmination of the work of many highranking members of the conservative party including former President Donald Trump’s cabinet members like John Ratcliffe, Peter Navarro and Ben Carson. It is run by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank.
But what does that even look like? It effectively means the end of abortion care in the country with pills and procedures being banned.
Reproductive rights will come under fire immediately. This includes the ban of mifepristone,
a widely used abortion pill, which has been approved for 24 years.
The guide for Project 2025 also recommends that the next secretary of Health and Human Services should disband Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force
In direct comparison to this Kamala Harris is a staunch defender of women’s right to abortion. At a rally
in Georgia on Oct. 19, Harris slammed Donald Trump for appointing the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.
A Trump victory means mass deportations and home raids ripping families apart, but that’s not all. It’s the end of birthright citizenship, meaning being born on American soil doesn’t make you a citizen.
The complete evaporation of trans rights would soon follow
•Editorial•
as doctors would be persecuted for offering gender affirming care and it requires the state to discriminate against all LGBTQ people.
Project 2025 also seeks to worsen the effects of climate change through blind ignorance and is a complete disregard of the hard work climate scientists do to put us on a path to a better, more sustainable future.
This includes the downsizing
isn’t the United States of Israel
We the future of the United States, are watching in horror as Israel is conducting an extermination of the Palestinian people, infrastructure and culture.
However, a year after Oct. 7 and ongoing intense protests, our calls have fallen on the deaf ears of our politicians, so hear us now – we do not stand with the government of Israel.
Young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have a 33% chance to sympathize with Palestinians more than Israelis, more than three times as likely as Americans over 65 at 9%.
It isn’t just words of support that our government is sending
to Israel, however. Since Israel’s conception in 1948, the United States has sent Israel over 300 billion dollars worth of aid when adjusted for inflation – most of which has been military supplies.
This becomes evident when you look at the numbers politicians such as Richie Torres, Robert Menendez and Hakeem Jeffries have each received over a million dollars from pro-Israeli groups.
How can we trust these people to act in our interests when their pockets are lined with Israeli blood money?
This clearly shows a disconnect between policymakers and the
rising youth movement in the country as an organization like AIPAC coerces politicians who accept funding from them to vote essentially on their behalf instead of on behalf of the constituents they are meant to be serving.
It’s our job as the future of this country to contact our elected officials, vote, and continually let it be known that we will not stand for Israel’s crimes.
Our voices are loud, the data is clear, the time is now – on the first anniversary of Oct. 7, the government of the United States must cease funding the genocide of Palestinians and commit to peace, lest they lose the future.
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The guide calls these services “a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm” and states that because of that they are “harmful to future U.S. prosperity.”
Calling major government administrations that monitor climate change harmful to prosperity is incredibly dangerous –especially after the world has broken global heat records two summers in a row and Hurricanes Milton and Helene have ravaged the Southeast.
Republicans must realize that Trump has gone far beyond their party and transformed into his own cult of personality. Blindly following a politician has gotten us to a point where basic rights are in heated contention.
The time to wake up is now. America needs a refreshing face in charge to rid us of the last eight years and lead us into a brighter new future.
because his policies are a lot better than Kamala’s and he is a strong leader.”
“Donald Trump because — I mean just look at the people, the statistics don’t lie.”
“I’m not really into politics or anything like that, but maybe Trump because the east coast is pretty red.”
enginering major
EDITORIAL CARTOON BY DERRICK TELIX
Compiled by: Diego Carillo
“I think Kamala will win. I think she will be the first female president, which is great.”
Chemistry major
Ethan Arguelles
Undecided
Jesus Rodriguez
Mechanical
Hnery Haro
EDITORIAL CARTOON BY DERRICK TELIX
Home woes continue for Falcons
Jonathan Diaz Co-Sports Editor
The Cerritos College Falcons played the Mt. San Antonio Mounties on Oct.19 dropping their third straight home game 61-14.
The Falcons struggled on both sides of the ball during this game with the defense allowing the first points on the board.
Cerritos defense allowed a total of 538 yards to the Mounties offense with 315 passing yards and 223 rushing yards.
“Our job is to stop them and so obviously when they score quickly and had some quick strikes it puts us at a disadvantage," said defensive coordinator/associate head coach Fred Fimbres.
According to Fimbres and Cerritos linebacker EJ Smith, the play-action pass and run game was hurting the defense the most. Fimbres told his defense on the sideline to tackle better, fill the gaps and watch out for the play-action to stay disciplined.
To improve on the issue of tackling Smith said the team needs to add more tackling circuits in their Tuesdays and Thursdays practices.
Smith added to this week's issues by stating "We just got to be slow on our reads."
"We can't step up too fast to be washed down, we just too
SPORTS RECAP
fast reading, coming down, just getting sucked up, letting the running back cut back," Smith finished.
Fimbres is looking to improve on all the issues the defense had this game taking accountability for these issues.
"I have to do a better job preparing our team and getting them ready to play, whatever that is," Fimbres said.
The Falcons struggled to get the passing game going on offense as well as they were without their quarterback Evan Tomich
Later in this game, they would also be without their back-up
quarterback Dylan Eldredge as he went down with an injury.
The running game wasn't working for the Falcons either as they weren't able to rely on it, they went down early most carries with an average of 2.2 yards a rush.
Cerritos would also lose the turnover battle with two lost fumbles one returned for a touchdown, and two interceptions thrown by Eldredge which were each pick sixes.
"We have to play better, there's no doubt about that but when you play the number one team in the conference...you have to play almost perfect football and
Cerritos dominates Compton in conference play
Yet they did have a couple hiccups getting the first of two yellow cards in the 45 minutes.
Cerritos College extended it's undefeated streak to 10 games on Oct 18. They accomplish this by beating Compton College 5-0.
Cerritos showed Compton early why they were undefeated in conference play by scoring in the first five minutes of the game.
A pass from sophmore Pedro Reyes found Jose Lopez who slotted away the first goal of the game.
Cerritos pilled up the offensive chances. They just couldn't put them away until they were awarded a penalty in the 34th minute.
Top goal scorer, Donovan Perez, stepped up to take the penalty and comfortabl made it 2-0 before the first half was over.
Perez said “You put the ball down, take a deep breath, I don’t even make eye contact with the goalie. I already know where the goal is. Goal isn't to move, pick my side and put it there and commit to it.”
Cerritos energy didn’t stop in the first half. In the second half they keep their foot on the gas.
Cerritos didn’t let that phase them, as Lopez gets his second goal in the 52nd minute of the game putting Cerritos up 3-0.
The beating Compton was taking did not stop at all.
Cerritos scored again quickly in only six minutes after their last goal. Thanks to Edgar Ausencio.
Head Coach Benny Artiaga The boys are starting to continue what we believe in – they are starting to be able to execute what we are putting into the plan.
Compton struggled to shoot as Cerritos was dominant all around leading to only five shots on goal compared to Cerritos 16 shots on goal.
This led to the final goal of the game in the 71st minute.
A corner kick was taken by
freshman Dainiel Vazquez who played a great delivery nto the box which was finished by sophmore Erick Velasco.
Head Coach Benny Artiage said, " The boys are starting to continue what we believe in – they are starting to be able to execute what we are putting into the plan."
The plan is evidently working as Cerriitos extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games.
Velasco said “Everyone one came with the same intensity like the coach wanted. It feels good to get back on the scoreboard. I feel like overall the team’s energy from the warmups, everyone was intense and hyped, even the player who didn’t play brought out so much energy and it helped us out all the players on the field.”
Cerritos comes out of this game with a 9-2-2 overall record and a 3-0-1 Conference record. Leaving Compton with a 6-4-2 2-2 record in conference play.
Cerritos sits on top of the South Division with a 3-0-1 record.
For now, Cerritos hopes to continue this run Nov. 1 againstLos Angeles Harbor.
that's the challenge that's what we need to be able to step up and do,” Fimbres said.
Fimbres shared his thoughts on how the team is looking to improve coming off this loss.
"The preparation that we're looking to do is just to play like we played earlier in the year.
I think that the big challenge for us is not to forget what just happened...we have to take this as a learning opportunity."
Fimbres finished by stating that the team has three more games to play and if the team plays the way that they are capable of playing, they should be able to
Diego Carrillo Staff Writer
Isaac Cordon Staff Writer
JONATHAN DIAZ
Falcons kneeling during Coach Dean Grosfeld's post game speech after their game against Mt. Sac on Oct. 19.
finish on a high note.
Cerritos next matchup is another conference game at Golden West Nov. 9.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
DIEGO CARILLO
#6 Adrian Ibarra controlling the ball against two Compton players Oct.18.
DIEGO CARILLO
Leader of the back row, Priscilla Castillo
Jonathan Diaz Co-Sports Editor
Libero is a player on the volleyball team who serves as a defensive specialist and is the main receiver of serves. Libero's are the 2nd line of defense against attackers that gives their team the opportunity to run a proper offense.
And the Cerritos College Falcons volleyball is lucky to call Priscilla Castillo as their Libero/ Defensive Specialist.
Priscilla Castillo was named 1st Team All-Almont League as a senior and earned the team’s Defensive Player of the Year her senior year at Shurr high school. Priscilla Castillo was born in Monterey Park on April 26, 2005 to Angel and Sandra Castillo and the younger sister Samantha. Just like Priscilla, her younger sister plays volleyball. "Feels good because she looks up to me," Priscilla stated.
Priscilla Castillo started her athletic journey in the city of Commerce where she grew up playing at parks.
She began playing sports
Priscilla Castillo focus on play against Long Beach City College such as soccer and softball but took a liking to volleyball at 10 years old and since then she never looked back. Priscilla had started her high school volleyball career at Downey High School where she played for the frosh team her freshman year before transferring to Shurr high school in the city of Montebello.
There she spent the remainder of her high school career playing for club teams such as Commerce Crush and Downey Volitude.
Although she didn't play her sophomore year due to covid, when she came back to the court she was reunited with players she used to play with growing up.
They led Shurr high school to a record of 31-5 her junior year and 32-4 her senior year, making back to back quarter final finishes in CIF volleyball in both division 4 and division 5. She was scouted to play for Falcons alongside a few of her Shurr high school teammates.
Priscilla was excited to be part of the Cerritos College Falcons but did admit the transition from high
Falcons upset undefeated conference rivals Long Beach City by score of 3-1
Jonathan Diaz Co-Sports Editor
Isaac Cordon Staff Writer
The Cerritos College Falcons won their matchup against their undefeated conference rivals, the Long Beach City Vikings on Oct. 16.
Cerritos won the match 3-1 which is their first time being taken to the fourth set in a bit over a month.
The bleachers were packed by the time the match started with both fans for Cerritos and Long Beach City.
“Huge having baseball here and a couple other fans, it just makes it really fun,” Head Coach of the Falcons Kari Hemmerling said.
This was a very high-energy game from the crowd making noise for both sides to the backand-forth scoring.
The first three sets of the match were very close with Cerritos taking the first set 26-24, Long Beach City taking the second set 23-25 and Cerritos winning the third 25-21.
“It’s a very, very good team for a reason,” Hemmerling said about Long Beach City College, “They haven’t lost a match all year for a reason it’s because they’re relentless.”
Setter/Right Side Sydney May was the first to get a point on the board and was leading the Falcons in kills with 17 and points with 19.5.
May was notably doing well off
the serve with every opportunity she had.
“We definitely worked on our serve pass game, because definitely that’s the most important part of us winning,” May said.
Outside hitter, Tainea Allen, for Long Beach City was a big challenge for Cerritos at the end of the first set as she scored three points in a row to have the set tied at 24-24 forcing Cerritos to have to win by two.
After a service error by Allen, Outside Hitter for the Falcons, Jasmine Soto-Castro, ended the set on a service ace.
“When I started, my adrenaline was going, so my serves were going outside the court,” Soto-Castro said about her serves.
She added that she started to put the ball inside the court and started to trust the defense so a play could be made.
The second set ended similarly to the first but this time Cerritos would have back-to-back errors with Allen finishing the set with a kill.
Outside hitter/middle blocker for the Falcons, Monserrat Rodriguez scored the first two points in the third set.
“I think it’s just really knowing that I put all my effort during practice,” Rodriquez said about her performance this match.
Rodriquez scored the secondhighest points on the Falcons with 13.
The third set ended in an attack error by the Vikings with the Falcons taking the momentum.
Cerritos would start the fourth set scoring five unanswered
points.
The Falcons were looking to cruise their way to a victory with the score being 24-16 but the Vikings would score four unanswered points making the score 24-20.
“No lead is comfortable,” said Hemmerling, “you cannot get too comfortable with anything.”
May would end it though by getting the final kill ending the set 25-20 and the match 3-1.
May expressed the difference between the teams in this game.
“We definitely embraced the underdog mentality because, they definitely were not expecting to lose that game, but we came in expecting to win.”
Rodriquez believes they still haven’t played their best volleyball with May adding they play their best when they play simple and clean.
The Falcons improve to 11-2 with a 3-0 conference record with another conference match this Friday.
May stated, that the team has to keep the same intensity they had this match and to not underestimate the team in their next match.
The Falcons continued their streak to nine consecutive wins, and they now improved to a 12-2 record along with a convincing 4-0 conference record after beating Los Angeles Harbor and Los Angeles City College.
The Falcons swept both teams making that 8 out of 9 games winning by a score of 3-0.
school to college was a challenge “At first it was hard because of the different environment” stated Priscilla. Priscilla also stated “Last year wasn't as mentally strong but now i push myself a lot more”
Priscilla made her impact known with her coach Kari Hemmerling stating “You know when she's on the court it's going to be steady, your serve receive is going to be covered and someone is going to be in control of the back row.”
Coach Hemmerling also stated “She just reads so well in such a normal and it's a natural thing for her you know they're good volleyball players when they make it look effortless.” Priscilla this season is in the top five in both digs per set with 4.10 and digs 201 this season helping the Falcons to take the lead in the south coast conference.
Priscilla is majoring in nursing radiology due to her always wanting to work into the medical field and wants to continue her volleyball career and education close to home.
JONATHAN DIAZ
JONATHAN DIAZ
Monserrat Rodriguez (left) Priscilla Castillo (middle) Jasmine Soto-Castro (right) getting ready for the next set
JONATHAN DIAZ
Priscilla Castillo (Right) Jasmine Soto-Castro (left) Sydney May (middle) after set
JONATHAN DIAZ
Number 3 Brisa Cortez going to spike the ball aganist Long Beach City College