Bernie Sanders rallies supporters in Los Angeles News | Page 2
School club helps the formerly incarcerated News | Page 4
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ion by
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Cassandra Reic helt Melanie Gerne
April 2, 2018 • Volume 92 • Issue 6• Published since 1927
Faculty lacks diversity
A LIMITED PALETTE News | Page 2
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NEWS
April 2, 2019
Student success linked to racial gap By Cassandra Reichelt and Melanie Gerner Viking Staff
Photo by Jorge Hernandez Bernie Sanders finished his rally at Grand Park in Los Angeles on March 23. He thanked the crowd and raised his fist to show support to all.
Los Angeles feels the Bern
Sanders preaches a better American life to thousands
By Andrea Ramos and Iman Palm Viking Staff Sen. Bernie Sanders held his spirited presidential campaign rally on March 23 at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles, to campaign for his run for presidential office in 2020. The area was packed with thousands of people who showed up to voice their support by wearing blue shirts and holding up their ‘Bernie 2020’ posters. Families, along with younger and older California residents, all gathered to support Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign. Single mother Kathy Vigil decided to bring her two daughters along with her so they could experience the rally as well. “I want them to feel the Bern. I want them to feel the excitement. I want them to hear him speak. I am just excited,” Vigil said. Long Beach resident and Bernie Sanders supporter Aaron Corey attended the rally to continue to show his appreciation for the senator. “I am a democrat now but until the previous election I was an independent. I signed up to be a democrat so I could support Bernie in the primaries,” Corey said. The event started at 2:30 p.m., with artist performances, followed by an introduction from his campaign manager Faiz Shakir. In his speech, Shakir addresses issues of medicare and confronts big pharma which are issues Sanders has combated as well. Shakir was followed by the president of the Our Revolution organization and for-
Photo by Fernando Pacheco Randomly selected group chosen by volunteers stand on stage behind Sen. Sanders and cheer him on.
mer Ohio senator, Nina Turner. Turner’s passionate speech left the crowd stirred and shouting for Bernie. “What the people want is simple. We want to be able to seize opportunities … this country would not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in!” Turner said. After Turner exited the stage, Bernie Sanders approached the podium to a screaming crowd. During his speech, Sanders attacked President Donald Trump by referring to him as “The most dangerous president in American History.” Future college student and Bernie supporter Thomasina Sanders agrees that Trump isn’t the best choice to have as president. “It doesn’t make sense and it’s very scary to see that someone with so little
knowledge and such a closed mind is actually able to execute so many things he aims to. The most horrifying thing so far has been seeing the treatment of immigrants at the Mexican border. That’s really horrifying. Everything that was happening with his presidency was scaring the shit out of me but that really shook me to my core,” Sanders said. Sanders continued his speech by reiterating that his campaign is focused on making lives in America better for everyone not just the elite. He stated often that his campaign is not just focused on him but “us” which is coined in his campaign slogan, “Not Me. Us.” Sanders joins a long list of Democratic candidates that all hope to get the opportunity to challenge the president in the 2020 presidential election.
Long Beach City College faculty does not reflect the racial demographics of its students; according to the LBCC website the faculty is more than 60% white and student body is 80% people of color. There are several contributing factors to the racial gap, including existing full time faculty are predominantly white and many of them are tenured, so their positions cannot be filled until they retire. According to the article “How Faculty Create Learning Environments for Diversity and Inclusion”, the faculty-student relationship is key to student success. The article goes on to state that belongingness is a contributing factor to student success and students are more likely to earn their degree when they feel connected to the school. Computer science major, David Harang thinks students can be more successful in classes where the teacher looks like them. “When you see someone of your same color doing it, it makes you think you can do better,” Harang said. Nursing student, Paola Sagastizado has a dissimilar opinion of judging professors on first sight. “I don’t think much of it. When they start talking, that’s when you can judge them as a professor,” Sagastizado said. Dean of Language Arts and Communications, Lee Douglas believes there are benefits to having a more diverse faculty. “We’re not talking about diminishing the faculty that is doing great work now. We’re talking about the potential benefits, added benefits, of having a diverse faculty,” Douglas said. The inequity is also felt on an individual level by faculty like professor of History and Political Science, Donald Douglas. “Sometimes I feel a little bit I guess unrepresented or a little bit isolated as a minority faculty member that unless you really work hard to work with or to belong to other groups of minority faculty you might feel isolated … as a faculty member myself sometimes I don’t feel like the college is doing as much as they can. It could be better,” Douglas said. This is an issue that cannot be fixed right away, it is a continuous process that requires ongoing attention.
April 2, 2019
NEWS
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Congressman supports homeless bill By Iman Palm Viking Staff
Photo By Jorge Hernandez Students are waiting for the bus at the bus stop near building P. If the student body ever gets free bus passes, it would most likely help solve some of the parking problems the school faces.
Reduced bus fare for students By Abel Reyes Viking Staff
LBCC recently made a proposal to Long Beach Transit to give students discounts of 75 cents per-ride, but not free monthly bus passes. The lack of free monthly bus passes at LBCC could possibly take away benefits, not only for the students, but for the college itself. AB-17 is a bill that introduces free or reduced fares for bus passes, the free pass can help buses be filled, improve student health because it will reduce air pollution, and it can reduce the overall cost associated with school for students. Fresno City College started to offer free semester long bus passes to its students in fall of 2017. According to the Associated Student Government president at Fresno City College, Marisol Valdivia, the college started to take initiative in 2016 after complaints
came in about the lack of a free bus pass. Other colleges such as ClaremontCollege have recently adopted granting students free monthly bus passes, and in turn have seen the most positive results in enrollment. In 2015, a proposal was made to have free monthly bus passes at LBCC, but the proposal was abolished because it would’ve raised tuition fees. At the most recent board of trustees meeting in Feb, the topic was brought up again by LBCC student Rene Woodson, who was advocating the importance of bus passes. A discussion on whether to raise tuition prices for free bus passes is currently being debated by the board of trustees. LBCC could possibly look at their other options such as introducing the U-Pass program, a reduced-fare transit pass that offers students unlimited rides on Metro’s Rail and bus lines. Cal State Long Beach is currently part
of this program, and for their students to be a part of the program, a one time fee has to be paid for the entire semester. According to a survey done by UCLA, it saw a percentage jump in enrollment and ridership when programs such as the U-Pass program was implemented. According to LBCC ASB President Jan Paolo Canteras, the college is currently looking at the Rio Hondo College model, another college part of the U-Pass program. According to AB-17, colleges that offer free bus passes or are part of the U-Pass program have reduced traffic and parking problems that most colleges have. LBCC is currently planning to build a new parking structure for PCC in the near future, but with the U-Pass program, LBCC can potentially put that money to better use. According to a Viking News survey of 20 students at LBCC, 13 would rather take the bus to school in order to avoid parking problems.
U.S Rep Alan Lowenthal, who represents Long Beach in California’s 47th District, spoke at the Bluff Park Neighborhood Association Town Hall meeting in Long Beach on March 18. The congressman discussed a variety of issues during the meeting including climate change, construction in Long Beach, and the State Assembly Bill AB-302, which would allow homeless community college students to sleep on campuses in their cars. If passed, this bill will be implemented at LBCC, possibly opening up the Veteran Memorial Stadium parking lot for overnight use. Lowenthal only has the opportunity to vote on federal legislation presented on Congress floor, he cannot vote on a State Assembly bill. “We need to have housing. We need to have people in housing. I think there is a huge homeless crisis. As a interim solution, if it’s safer then sleeping on the streets then I support it. I think it’s the right thing to do and I would only do it because of safety issues and because of security but I don’t believe that we should just say that’s the solution.. If we have the space on campus and we can monitor it just to be sure that these cars are safe. I say why not,” Lowenthal said. If given the opportunity to vote on the bill, Lowenthal would support it. Long Beach resident Chris Byrne attended the event to support the neighborhood association. “I never heard Alan Lowenthal talk although I met him a few times I never really been to a talk of his. I am in a different party so I wouldn’t say I support him,” Byrne said. Familiar with the homelessness issue in California, Byrne does his part to help out by volunteering at a homeless shelter in Orange County and donating old items at the Long Beach Rescue Mission. “When I initially hear about it (AB-302) I don’t have a problem with it. I would have to know more about it but I guess I really don’t have a problem with it,” Byrne said. Former LBCC student Jerry Hardison, was not keen on the idea of using school property to house homeless students overnight. Hardison’s alternative plan to the bill would be to use a larger space off campus to keep the homeless students sheltered overnight. No official vote has been passed in regards to the bill.
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LIFESTYLE
April 2, 2019
Campus student run bakery serves up treats by Johana Trujillo
Viking Staff
Photo By Arlene Guerrero LBCC student run band SouLocust performs their blues, rock and funk music at DiPiazza’s Resturant for the first time on March 3, 2019.
Students rock DiPiazza’s By Arlene Guerrero Viking Staff
SouLocust had the crowd dancing with their mixture of rock, funk, and blues music on March 3 as they performed at the DiPiazza’s Restaurant and Lounge. The band made their first performance at the local Long Beach restaurant, and gave the audience a chance to buy their newly released CD. The band contains four members that attend Long Beach City College, lead singer and guitarist Kyle Davis, rhythm guitarist Elijah Bluesky, drummer Alexander Blanco, and bassist Jaden Karamanos. SouLocust members have been togeth-
er since Renaissance High School where they met in the school’s jazz band, but officially as the band SouLocust for only four months. The band previously performed in the fall at LBCC for the Pajama Jam event in the student lounge. “To finally perform at the DiPiazza’s stage is something we’ve all always wanted and this is definitely the start of something,” Davis said. Karamanos was unable to attend Thursday night, so Ommar Ney stepped in as their bassist. “It was a good learning experience and was very happy with the outcome,” Ney said.
“I only had about a month to learn their songs and adapt to their rhythm, although it only been a month these are very talented guys and I’m excited to move forward from here.” Blanco was ecstatic to see the audience on their feet dancing and singing along to their music. “I honestly have not seen such a energetic crowd like tonight, I felt their energy and gave me confidence,” said Blanco “My sweat explains how much fun and work I put in.” SouLocust released their first album ‘Hickory and Swamp Ash’ on Feb. 9, having six songs including their most listened song ‘Blanco y Negro.’
Club helps the formerly convicted By Iman Palm Viking Staff
The LBCC Justice Scholars club is aimed at supporting formerly incarcerated students and giving them the opportunity to embrace their past instead of feeling like they have to hide it. Colleges and universities like Compton College and Cal State Long Beach have programs like this to help formerly incarcerated students on their campuses. With the help of Professor Annahita Mahdavi, the club’s advisor and sponsor, the club began to form in 2016 and was officially proposed to the administration in 2017. “My proposal was to bring to the administration attention that this movement is happening in all colleges around the country because there are students who are formerly incarcerated and they are a special population,” Mahdavi said.
“They do need special attention, their special needs is so many things. If someone has been inside the jails for a long time, they need to learn how to navigate the college system, how to navigate the financial aid, how to navigate the resources.” Formerly incarcerated students have benefited from the opportunities the club offers such as job fairs, scholarships, and trips to universities. Club Senate member, Denise Walker, feels welcome when amongst fellow club members. “I can come here and be amongst people that you know we all have something in common. It lets me know that we are here to advocate for people who are like me and stand up for people who are like me because I too didn’t speak too much about my past. I didn’t feel comfortable letting people know about my history,” Walker said. Before joining the club, club president and formerly incarcerated student Antho-
ny Yracheta, felt as if he had to hide his past. “In general, it makes me feel more welcome, it makes me feel more valid. Before it was kinda something I felt like I had to hide. That’s kinda like the thing you get like, oh you are a bad person because you went to jail so you kinda wanna always hide that, but this club brings it out and helps you own it,” Yracheta said The club is currently doing a sock and blanket drive, donations will go to The Midnight Mission in Downtown Los Angeles, the drive will run until March 31. The club currently meets at PCC in QQ105, the club is hoping to have a center, similar to the Veteran Student Services office, where they can store all their resources in one area, such as designated counselors for academic and financial aid services as well as workshops to advise students on legal aspects such as expungements.
The Culinary Arts department at Long Beach City College has a bakery and bistro that is now open to the public with a selection of pastries and three course meals to choose from. The bakery and bistro is being run by students who are in the Culinary Arts department, to help prepare them for a variety of culinary jobs upon graduation. It is divided into two sections, the bakery, which offers a selection of pastries that includes items like croissants, cookies, fresh fruit tarts, lattes and cappuccinos. The bistro is a restaurant that is open to the public, in which you can pay $15 for a three course meal that focuses on cuisines from different regions that includes a choice of an appetizer or salad, an entree and dessert. Carla Kohlei a current Culinary Arts student said, “The menu changes every week, we want people to experience different kinds of food, so we do French food one week, Italian, Asian and so on.” In order to eat at the bistro you must make a reservation online at the LBCC bistro page. According to Kohlei, the bistro is always booked and recommends a week in advance for reservations. Both the bakery and bistro give the culinary students an opportunity to get a feel of what they can expect to see in the real world because the students can receive hands-on kitchen, restaurant and bakery management experience. “All the chefs are really nice, they are always willing to teach you and give you advice to prepare ourselves for outside in the real world,” said culinary student Daniela Diaz. According to the Assistant Chef Ty Elijah, in order for students to work at the bakery and bistro, students must be in advanced classes. The bakery and bistro is located in the V-Building at LAC, operating hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will be open until the end of the semester.
April 2, 2019
LIFESTYLE
Project helps disabled students to transfer
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By Johana Trujillo Viking Staff
Photo By Ryan Cholico Brandon Escalona takes a look at his calculator to make sure his answers are correct. The exam includes questions varying from precalculus, college algebra, geometry, probability, and general math logic.
1+0=$150: Student flies solo By Ryan Cholico Viking Staff Student wins $150 after he was the only one to show up at a free math contest held by the Long Beach City College Math Success Center. The math organization, American Math Association of Two-Year Colleges, held a math contest located in the V-building on Friday, March 1, where the top five student placements received prizes. The moderator of the event Emmanuel Ndoumna, was the only other person in the room. According to Escalona, he was a bit confused on why no one showed up, but still didn’t feel any nervousness. The Math Success Center placed posters around campus and held practice ses-
sions for students who were participating in the contest. By default, Brandon Escalona won the first place prize of $150. “I did not hear of the event and did not know there was money prizes, but if I would have heard about, I would have definitely shown up,” said LBCC student Manuel Ceja. The competition was composed of two one-hour exams of 20 questions. Two competitions are held a year, one in in the fall semester and the second one in the spring semester. AMATYC national competitions prizes include a $3000 scholarship to the national champion, Long Beach City College gave out prizes totaling of $800. Last year, more than 190 colleges and over 8,000 students participated in the con-
test including universities and high school students. For a school to participate, they need someone from faculty to work as a moderator, make sure all the tests are properly given out and graded, and make sure that all equipment meets regulations. Ndoumna, wants the school to place well nationally for future events. “We need to convince higher level students to participate,” Ndoumna said. According to Ndoumna, around ten students did show up to the first one and did not have an answer to why not many students are showing up this semester. Ndoumna believes students in higher level math courses are not participating in these contests because they are not going to benefit them academically.
Students with disabilities now have a higher chance of transferring to a four-year university with the help of the GO Project. The GO Project is a program that helps students with disabilities to transfer out of community college. According to GO Project Supervisor, Erika Thomas-Eddens, it is specifically designed to increase retention, graduation and transfer rates. “There’s a lot that we do to support our students and the goal is pretty much to graduate,” Eddens said. The program contains 103 students and offers counseling, college field trips to fouryear universities, tutoring, and cultural field trips like visiting the Museum of Latin American Art. It also offers tutoring sessions where tutors are able to engage more with students, unlike other programs like DSPS, where tutors tend to be limited with time. “Our tutoring is usually one on one, the good thing about our tutoring is that the time can be expanded because we’re so small, it can be from an hour and thirty minutes, unlike our traditional free tutoring,” Eddens said. Counselors also sit with the students individually and speak about financial aid, financial literacy, and what classes to take. “I meet with students to discuss about their educational goal, I provide application workshops and help students with transferring applications,” Adjunct Counselor Sophy Hout said. “I try to help students understand the difference of the general educational pattern they’re following, if they’re meeting their goals, for example if they’re planning to get an associates degree then they probably need to follow Plan A.” LBCC student Judith Wise and member of the GO Project said, “What I like about this program is that they give students hope that they are capable, because everybody who suffers with a disability, doesn’t mean they’re dumb, because you have some students that are smart.” “What this program does is reach out to them, so they can finish their educational goal in a timely manner, and that gives them hope, saying hey I can move on further but they have to be willing to transfer to a four-year university.”
OPINION
6
Fixing the cultural equity at LBCC
April 2, 2019
VIKING NEWS Editor-in-chief: Steven Matthews Managing editor: Abel Reyes News editors: Andrea Ramos Cassandra Reichelt Opinion editors: Fernando Pacheco Iman Palm
EDITORIAL
Long Beach City College is currently making a considerable effort in trying to close the racial gap between the faculty and students so it can set up a more equal and inclusive setting. In comparison with other schools that have this cultural equity established, if LBCC accomplishes its goal, it can boost its promotion on being one of the most diverse colleges. The most recent Flex day in the spring semester when students don’t have classes, a day of professional development for faculty, was about cultural equity, and on March 28 President Reagan F. Romali announced the establishment of a task force on racial equity and inclusion. According to the article “How Faculty Create Learning Environments for Diversity and Inclusion”, when students feel their backgrounds are respected and valued, they report a stronger connection to their college environment. But for LBCC, focusing on closing the racial gap is inaccurate due to the different ways to handle this gap. According to the same article, research is clear about what college students want from their professors; accessibility, warmth, organizational detail, and compassion are just a few. They also expect faculty to be sensitive to their feelings and maintain a respectful environment that is not hindered by disrespect and antagonism. Part of this process requires faculty to be aware of and sensitive to how multicultural groups of students experience a common learning environment. For faculty members who have issues finding a place to connect, they often do it in the classroom with students. According to “Intra-Racial Dynamics of Black Faculty and Black Students: Barriers to Success In The Academy In Predominantly White Institutions”, black faculty can perceive themselves as potential role models, but black students do not always share the same perspective. Also, for those faculty members having to be that one sense of community for students, it can lead to more obligations and more chances to fail. Although it is not required for faculty to engage with their students on cultural equity, it should be the standard for faculty to commit themselves with their students.
Graphic by Abrielle Lopez
Educating people on the negative effects of birth control By Abrielle Lopez Viking Staff Hormonal birth control is harmful for women, especially being that college-aged women are among the great percentage to use contraceptives. Synthetic hormones are an unnatural disturbance to the body, in long or shortterm use, being that their purpose is to alter your body chemistry in order to stop a natural phenomena from taking place. Manipulating your body with an influx of hormones is indefinitely harmful to a woman’s mental, physical, and emotional health. There are various forms of birth control available to women: the pill, the three month Depo-Provera shot, the arm implant, the patch, and a multitude of intrauterine devices (IUD’s). Hormonal birth control is prescribed to women for contraceptive use, but it is also regularly distributed for regulating menstrual cycles and controlling acne. There is only one form of effective, longterm, hormone-free birth control available to women to date, called the Paragard IUD. According to the Paragard website, the contraceptive is an intrauterine device made of copper, no hormones included, because the presence of copper in the uterus works with your body chemistry to create a toxic barrier against sperm, and it is the only form of birth control of its kind. There are other hormone-free methods like a diaphragm, sponge, or condoms but those are meant for short-term use and are higher maintenance. According to the National Cancer Institute, women taking oral contraceptives, or pills, have an increased risk of acquiring breast or cervical cancer, whilst reducing the risk of other forms of cancer like endometrial, ovarian, and colorectal. Nonetheless, birth control pills put women at risk of cancer and there is evidence to prove this. According to Harvard Medical School,
a recent study conducted on Danish women, ages 15 to 35, has proven there is an increased risk of depression with the use of all hormonal birth control methods, emphasizing that adolescents using birth control are susceptible enough with puberty and their natural hormones changing. All of these methods overload the female body with an intense amount of synthetic hormones in order to reverse fertility, so one does not become pregnant, but with long-term use this high degree of hormones to the bloodstream and brain can end up taking a toll on a woman with no history of depression. Mental health services are also covered by the student health fee allocated for anyone affected by depression needing to seek help and talk to a Mental Health Clinician on campus. Birth control prescriptions are also available in the health office which are covered by the student health fee. They should come with a disclaimer explaining drastic body-changing side effects like depression, mood swings, and the intensity of the drug as a whole and to spread awareness beforehand instead of being handed out so freely. With each woman’s story, a little more light is shed on this issue and by reiterating its importance, more thorough research with each passing day can be dedicated to improving modern medicine. Natural hormone imbalances can occur in the body, as well as these listed unnatural imbalances that can result from birth control usage, but the reality is that all imbalances are unhealthy to a person’s health. A deliberate decision human beings make by continuing the use of hormonal birth control. LBCC showcases health and wellness workshops and it would be a great idea for our school to promote birth control awareness and educate young women about what they put in their bodies, being that this is a shared experience amongst young women.
Lifestyle editors: Dylan Keith Shani Crooks Sports editors: Malik Reeves Johana Trujillo
Staff Jennifer Vidal Hannah Buckley Melanie Gerner Sabriyya Ghanizada Ryan Cholico Nehemia Balaoro Aspyn Sewell Sebastian Angulo
Brandon Silva Alexis Turner Abrielle Lopez Marissa Lopez Arlene Guerrero Jorge Hernandez Takota Haas
Adviser: Walter Hammerwold Photo and online adviser: Chris Viola The deadline for news, advertisements and letters to the editor is the Thursday before publication. The Viking is published by Journalism 80, 81, 82, 83, 86, 87 and 88 students of the LBCC English Department, with funding from the Associated Student Body. The Viking newsroom is located at LBCC, LAC 4901 E. Carson St., Long Beach, Calif., 90808, Room P135, mail code Y-16, Telephone (562) 938-4285 or contact the staff by email to vikingnews@lbcc.edu or on social media. The views expressed in the Viking do not reflect the views of the advisers, administration or the ASB. First copy free, each additional $1.
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April 2, 2019
SPORTS
Legendary coach returns to LBCC by Johana trujillo
Viking Staff
An icon in the track and field community and a very athletic driven coach is how people would describe Ron Allice today. The Long Beach native attended Long Beach City College for two years and competed as a track and field athlete from 19581960. He is well known for being the Director of Track and Field at USC, where he led the men’s and women’s program to 25 NCAA top 20 finishes, and a 2001 NCAA women’s title and 32 individual NCAA titles. “I’ve had a lot of winning success, the real reward is like teaching, to know that you had a chance to share their goals and pursuit of excellence in the sport,” said Allice. The first major colleges he coached for were Cal Poly Pomona in which they won two California Collegiate Athletic Association titles, Long Beach State where the team earned the Pacific Coast Athletic Association title (PCAA) and placed in the nation’s top 15 dual meets, and then Long Beach City College, in which the team brought home 16 conferences, 14 southern California and 11 state championship titles.
Darnelle Harris who’s been on the men’s track team for three years now said, “He’s a hard worker cause he has to get you to do what you want to do, its like he’s training with you.” Head coach and Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Gabriel Rivera said, “Ron is very athlete driven, he really takes into account the factors that the athletes are working through, in regards of academics, athletics, and what’s going on in their home lives.” “He really puts on a personal touch in regards to what the athletes are doing in regards of training, he’s extremely athlete centered and focused.” Allice started as the track and field/ cross country coach in the women’s amateur athletic union program known as the Long Beach Comets. He then went on to coach at schools such as Compton High School, Wilson High School, and Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Not only has he experienced coaching with high schools and major colleges in California, but working with Olympians and record holders as well. “I found that maybe some of the greatest gratification I can have out of athletes is
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Photo by Dylan Kieth Track coach Ron Allice gives an LBCC student athlete advice during practice at the Veterans stadium track. Allice led the USC men’s and women’s track and field program to 25 NCAA top 20 finishes, a 2001 NCAA women’s title and 32 individual NCAA titles.
I can talk to you about people who were not even scholarship athletes and I can tell you about people who are multiple gold medalist and I’ve had a chance to be involved with both and that is a blessing,” said Allice.
After deciding to retire from his 55 year career, Allice is now at Long Beach City College where he volunteers as an assistant coach for the track and field team, his way of giving back.
Hall of Champions inducts 9 new members by Arlene Guerrero
Viking Staff
Nine candidates were recognized for their achievements at Long Beach City College at the 16th annual banquet for the Hall of Champions. For more than 90 years, athletes of LBCC have been a great pride of the schools tradition as it still continues today. The 2019 Hall of Champion inductees were Jake Kinne, Brian Turang, Terry Tautolo, Kim Young-Monteleone, Jeff Haynes, Jacqueline Rollema- Erlanson, Tom DeBerry, Tim Esposito, and Bill Tisdale. Inductees were presented with a lifetime pass for all home games, and a plaque, which will also be on the wall of the Hall of Champions Gymnasium. Tisdale who died in 2002 was honored and remembered as he was not only a student athlete in a variety of sports, but also an athletic director, and a sports journalist. The granddaughter of Tisdale, Shawna Tisdale received his plaque, “It was a bit overwhelming, but it was a very special moment for me because I was always his number one fan as a little girl, and now receiving his plaque is beautiful for him,” said Tisdale. Basketball coach Jon Birkett from Northern Arizona University came to support his player Tom DeBerry who was be-
Photo by Dylan Keith Jeff Haynes, Shawna Tisdale, Terry Tautolo, Tom Deberry, Brain Turang, Kim Young-Monteleone, Jaquelne Rollema- Erlanson, and Tim Esposito all being indicted into the Hall of Champions March 21.
ing inducted. DeBerry was a All-American honorable mention, set four records at NAU and two Big Sky Conference records for most steals and assist. DeBerry was also the eigth round pick in the draft of 1976 by the Phoenix Suns. Birkett said, “I coached him his two years at NAU, and it was nothing but an honor for me to see his growth more than
what he already had.” Tom DeBerry won 56 games, and was the Defensive Player of the year in 1976 for LBCC. “To be included with this group and in this category with these quality of athletes is truly an honor to be here,” said DeBerry. Jake Kinne was honored for water polo and swimming, being the first American to win a gold medal in the League of Europe-
an Nations with Cattaro Maximus. Brian Turang was honored for baseball, who was a LBCC MVP with a .452 batting average in 1987, and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1989 and played 78 games in the Major League. Terry Tautolo was honored for football and had a standing ovation as the audience remembered his NFL career playing for the Eagles, 49ers, Lions, and Dolphins. Jacqueline Rollema-Erlanson was an LBCC Most Valuable Swimmer in 1982, and set records for the school, and was a potential USA Olympic Swimmer for the 1990 boycotted Olympics. Jeff Haynes was honored for his Cross Country contributions to LBCC in 1973, as he was a MVP and number one distance runner. Haynes received a UCLA student athlete scholarship, and was UCLA’s high point distance runner in 1976. Kim Young-Monteleone was honored for softball, where she was a 2x All South Coast Conference catcher, and was part of the first softball team to ever qualify for State Championship, and qualify for the NCAA postseason Tournament. Tim Esposito was honored for his two years at LBCC, where he was the All-Metropolitan Conference quarterback. Townsend was also recognized as he came to see his former football teammates.
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SPORTS
April 2, 2019
Vikings prevail in comeback win BY MALIK REEVES Viking Staff Emotionally charged Vikings prevailed from being down as much as seven runs to defeat Cerritos College 10-9 in an intense game on Tuesday, March 26. The Vikings got off to a hot start with scoring the first two runs in the first inning with both scores from freshman center fielder Yazmin Zendeja. After scoring the first two runs of the game the Vikings went cold, as they were kept to zero runs scored over the next three innings. Momentum shifted the Falcons way as they got on the board with two runs in the third inning, also went on to hit two home runs in the fourth inning pushing their lead up to six points. The Vikings showed fight in the fifth inning after not being able to put points on the board, freshman infielder Ilena Rivera hit a triple to score in three of her teammates to cut into the Falcons lead. Rivera discussed her key play that helped the Vikings regain some momentum. “I feel like a weight as been lifted off my shoulders because I’ve been struggling at the bat, so when I got that hit it felt amazing,” Rivera said. During the fifth inning a scary injury occurred, when freshman Alora Murray collided with a Cerritos player, Coach Megan Martinez discussed how
PHOTO BY MALIK REEVES Vikings celebrate after a come back victory from being down 7 runs to Cerritos College on Tuesday March 26.
the injury motivated their team to finish the game with a win. “The injury we felt like no one was caring about my kid, and our team took it to offense and we just pounded from then on,” Martinez said. The Vikings, scored three more runs to close out the sixth inning. Freshman pitcher Joette Vega, who
pitched with an injury came out for the Vikings striking out the Falcons to give the Vikings the win. Vega discussed how she pushed through her injury to help give her team a win. “I ignored the pain and just pushed through, and it felt great to get the win.” Vega said. Coach Martinez discussed what she
saw from her team in the comeback win, “I saw a big fight, their a talented young squad and we were just in the fight we were down seven runs at one point and they just didn’t let that stop them,” Martinez said. The Vikings are scheduled to play their next game against Chaffey at home on April 1st at 2 p.m.
Men’s volleyball sweeps Pierce College By Nehemiah Balaoro Viking Staff Long Beach City College men’s volleyball team swept the visiting Los Angeles Pierce College 3-0 on March 25 with the scores 25-14, 25-11, and 25-16 with the Vikings improving to a 11-3 overall record. The game was the start of the second round of the South Coast Conference for the Vikings and was a huge game to win at home. Head Coach Jonathan Charette broke down the plan for the Vikings coming out of the gates. “We wanted to serve aggressively and do a good job at the net blocking. We knew if we served tough, they had the slower offense which allowed our blockers to set up better. That was our plan, serve tough and stop them at the net,” said Charette. The whole team contributed to 11 team total blocks which was a huge factor in defeating Pierce. Opposing hitter Uriel Batista led the team with five of those 11 blocks, which
then led the whole team to keep the pressure. “It came from practice, we keep the energy high all the time in practice. They had big hitters, so we needed to be in good position to block. The energy was not easy to keep at all times but with the huddles we needed to keep our communications up,” Batista said. Defensive Specialist Edgar Sanchez came off the bench with three service aces, three digs, and three assists. “We been together for a couple years and we been playing with each other for quite some time. In practice, we would go hard and carry it out here with every play,” Sanchez said. The score did not come close for Pierce, they struggled to find the weaknesses of LBCC and could not come back. Coach Charette had no worries about the performance the team. “There were no adjustments needed. The guys did well with reading and reacting with Pierce and they just did a really good job. We stopped them at the net and that was our main goal,” Charette said.
Photo by Nehemiah Balaoro Kyle Anema starts the second set against vistor Pierce College on March 25.