Debate: What should LBCC campuses be renamed after? Opinion | Page 8
VIKING NEWS Long Beach City College October 19, 2023 • Volume 96 • Issue 1 • Published since 1927
COLLEGE KICKBACK
Dame Cortez
LBCC and other colleges face rebukes over statements on Gaza-Israel conflict
News Page 2
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NEWS
October 19, 2023
Comments flood LBCC’s statement on Gaza
By Marty Triplett
Palestinian supporters responded negatively to a statement from LBCC denouncing the violence in Israel on Saturday, which resulted in the deaths of 1,000 people. When asked if they predicted such a big backlash on this statement, Stacey Toda, the head of Public Relations at LBCC, declined to comment. The statement was released on Oct. 9 after the news about the Palestians attack on Israel where Hamas, the military group in Palestine, attacked Israel by breaking down one of the borders that Israel had put up to keep Palestinians in their land. The statement was emailed to students at Long Beach City College and also posted on the college’s Instagram (@lbcitycollege). The statement states that they ‘condemn the recent acts of terrorism in Israel.” The comments in the Instagram post are mainly in support of Palestine. Whether it was a “Free Palestine” comment, people urging LBCC to do more research, or gifs to show their support for Palestine, the outcry against Israel is seen. LBCC and other universities that have posted statements on the issue have sparked contentious debates nationally. The backlash is apparent regardless of whether the college: condemns the brutal violence of the Hamas attack, the climbing death tolls of the Israeli airstrikes, fails to acknowledge the historical context of the conflict or if the college remains neutral. 33 student groups from Harvard University issued pro-Palestenian statement blaming only Israel for the acts that happened in Gaza. Harvard did not release a statement in response until three days later. The lack of an immediate response from the university in response to the student groups statement received major backlash from prominent alumni, former employees and donors. The University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill received criticism from one of its biggest donors for not speaking against Hamas enough. Marc Rowan, a donor to the college, has asked fellow donors to stop donating until the board and Magill resign. Students held a walk-out in protest to Magill’s statements claiming she ignored the plight of the Palestinian population at the school. New York University’s statement condemned the violence against civilians saying, “indiscriminate killing of civilian non-combatants and the taking of hostages, including children and the elderly, is reprehensible.” The statement went on to acknowledge the chance of rising tensions saying, “The violence that is raging now will likely intensify the feelings of those on our campus who hold strong views on the conflict.” Brandeis University called the Hamas attack “a deadly terrorist attack on Israel,”
Photos by Dame Cortez (Above) A Jewish protester yells at a protest in support of Palestine. The protest took place on Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood on Oct. 14. (Below) A protester makes a fist sporting a “Free Palestine” shirt at a protest organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement on Oct. 14.
on the same day it happened on Oct. 7. Later, a pro-Palestine student group from the university issued a statement that “reject(ed) the characterization of Palestinian resistance as ‘terrorism.’” Ronald Liebowitz, Brandeis president and American Jew, has come out and said he has received emails from alumni saying he was not condemning enough of the attacks of Hamas and did not support Israel enough in his statement. Kathryn E. Jeffery, the superintendent-president at Santa Monica College, released a letter offering services for both employees and students and urge them to take care of their well-beings, while also stating that the colleges International Education Center reached out to their Israeli and Palestinian visa students to offer support both mentally, academically, as well as help with their visas. Other colleges like Cypress College refuse to release a statement so as to not upset any students. Maddie Repcik, a student at Cypress College, commented on the post in support of Palestine saying “ israel is a country backed by BILLIONS of us dollars!! while palestinian freedom fighters just want their land back and don’t want to die at the hands of white settlers.” “I was taken aback by it,” Maddie said, “it seems really hypocritical when people support Ukrainians, but are not in support of Palestine.” Annahita Mahdavi West (@drannahitamahdaviwest), a human services addiction studies professor at LBCC , also commented on the post. “Long Beach City College doesn’t stand for justice for all rather ‘selective justice for
some’ Just last year they fired a Black woman who worked in lbcc for 10 years with remarkable evaluations over false accusations and didn’t care about 90% of faculty petitioning for her. But they get busy creating red carpet and hall of fame events!! The top down culture of LBCC’s administration is not a secret to anyone The administration and board of trustees (some not all) are more performative advocates who are working on their own upward mobility This statement is not far from the mindset and the culture of “selective justice” of LBCC. The terrorists Hamas killing and kid-
napping the Innocent people of Israel is a war crime. And Israel blanket bombing the innocent citizens of Gaza who have no place to go, shutting power and water on them, are war crimes too. If you stand only for a one sides justice you’re not standing for justice at all!!,” Mahdavi said. Another comment that can be found under the post is from Long Beach City College’s former interim Superintendent-President Lou Anne Bynum. “Yes, this is horrific terrorism against a country. But does this mean that LBCC will now weigh in against all terrorist acts? Ukraine? Armenians? Migrants?,” she said responding to the post. Shafi Shahriar (@shafishriarr) commented under the post with a quote from Malcolm X stating “If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people being oppressed, and loving those doing the oppressing.” When asked for a statement Mike Munoz, the Superintendent and President of Long Beach City College, stated that Toda would put the official statement from Long Beach City College. The official statement that Stacey Toda published on behalf of Long Beach City College read as follows: “We stand by our statement on the war in Israel. The impacts of this senseless violence are felt by members of our Israeli and Palestinian communities at home and abroad, and our hearts go out to all those affected by the inhumanity of war. We respect the First Amendment and the expression of opinions in the comments to the extent that they do not constitute hate speech of any kind.”
October 19, 2023
NEWS
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Performing arts center breaks ground By Matthew Gregory
The building of a brand new, state of the art performing arts center is underway at Long Beach City College’s Liberal Arts Campus and a ceremony took place Wednesday to commence its official ground-breaking. The new performing arts center will replace the old music Building G and the theater arts Building H and will feature a 238 seat theater, renovated classrooms, smaller scale performance areas and even host the schools new radio station that is set to open Fall 2025. “(The building) will be a center for the arts and training all across Southern California,” said Mike Munoz, superintendent president of LBCC. LBCC’s jazz band played as crowds formed in front of the construction site for the future performing arts center. Chip West, the vice president of business services, started off the ceremony with a land acknowledgment and the introduction of the board of trustees and city members. The board president, Herlinda Chico, took the stage for a speech and called the new center the new shining star of projects and said it will be a true gift for students and the community alike. Chico then welcomed Munoz to the stage to introduce the school’s choir, the Viking Singers, to show an example of the talent that will be nurtured in the new G Building . The choir sang “Bonse Aba,” a song
Camila Vargas Mike Munoz and Herlinda Chico posing for pictures on the construction vehicle on site at LAC, Long Beach City College. The groundbreak for the new performing arts took place Sept. 20 in front of the foundation for the new G building.
from Zambia that is meant to invoke joy. After the choir left the stage, Lisa Orr and Janet Hund, took the stage to acknowledge the important past of the arts buildings at LBCC and highlight some of the notable names who got their starts there. Orr and Hund mentioned that the new Building G is being built next to the Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium, a building
that will now become more available for use since the new Building G can house smaller performances. West re-entered the stage and made more acknowledgements, including those who helped create and pass the bonds that led to the renovations and the people who helped create swing spaces for classes to continue since the old buildings had been
demolished. These swing spaces include portable classrooms on LAC’s campus as well as the use of classrooms on LBCC’s Pacific Coast Campus. “(We are) making do,” said Syke Angulo, director of choral studies, who teaches in these spaces. “We keep thinking of the beauty that will be coming soon.”
ASB quiet on the 3 week delay of election results By Kassie Sainz
Results were posted after three weeks of silence and only 100 students out of 26,000 voted for the Fall 2023 ASB Special Election and Interclub Council Election. Regarding the position of ASB president, Emma Manetta received a total of 58 votes accounting for .252144 % of the total student body vote while runner-up Auburn Marriott garnered 42 votes accounting for .182609% of total student body vote. 99.6% of the student body did not vote. The ASB Special Election received a turnout of 100 voters while the Interclub Council Election consisted of 31 club representatives. G Gonzalez ran unopposed for the position of LAC vice president and collected a total of 95 votes. For PCC vice president, Otniel Serrano ran unopposed and secured 91 votes. Joanna Albarado acquired the position of ICC President with 31 votes in the Fall 2023 Interclub Council Election.
Kennedy Netto who ran unopposed and received a total of 31 votes for the position of ICC Secretary. When asked to comment on the results of the election, ASB treasurer Ash Cardona informed reporters that an interview must be organized through ASB advisor Kim Hamon in order to speak to the candidates. In a text thread, Cardona notified Hamon of the Viking’s interest in conducting an interview, by which Hamon responded, “Please ask them the questions they would like to ask those who ran and forward those to Coco Dobard.” After reaching out to Hamon per request for an interview, she replied, “Per the ASB Constitution, ‘any conversations with the media or outside agencies will be solely handled by the president or a representative appointment by the president in absence of availability. Please feel free to reach out to the ASB President, Coco Dobard.’” ASB officals declined to speak to reporters without counsel from Hamon and Dobard.
Graphic by Keith Lewis
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LIFESTYLE
October 19, 2023
Artist says bye to manhood through art By Lolita Mojica MUXXXE, hailing from Tijuana, Mexico, is the faceless, nonbinary visual artist and performer behind “Sementario ‘’ running at LBCC’s art gallery through Nov. 18. “This is a eulogy to the person I once was and it’s also like an exorcism…a release of all the things that no longer serve me. Think about semen, ejaculation. That’s like the biggest release there is.” MUXXXE said. Cementerio means cemetery in Spanish. The choice to spell the word with an S was deliberate, insinuating the word semen into the title, to further accentuate the allegory of death to the violent heteronormative behaviors plaguing queer people in Mexico. Gender violence, especially toward queer people and women, is rampant in Mexico given the country’s long standing history with machismo ideals which views these individuals as disposable. “Machismo and violence is too common in Mexico. It’s accepted and has become almost like a way of life, affecting the way we interact and communicate with each other.”, said MUXXXE before donning their Zentai suit MUXXXE was born in 2016 out of a desire to perform in front of audiences and explore sound while shedding the image of their former self. The word muxe is a word used by the indigenous Zapotec people of Mexico which means “third gender”. “MUXXXE is the skin I wear that separates me from myself,” the artist said. They went on to explain that under the veil of MUXXE, they are emboldened to push boundaries and explore themselves in ways they might not otherwise do through music and fashion.
Lolita Mojica Visual artist and performer MUXXXE from Tijuana, Mexico performs at Long Beach City College’s art gallery on Oct. 12, 2023.
The theme of laying rest to their former self was best expressed by a wall of tombstones with varying epitaphs in Spanish saying things like, “In memory of the time I lost on you” and “In memory of all that once was.” In addition to the mixed media displays within the gallery featuring MUXXXE straddling a coffin, there was also a performance planned for the later part of the evening. “I like the macabre,” said Fatima Aguilera, an art student at LBCC. “ This is also something I have been researching on my own; the themes around machismo culture in Mexico and the femicide of indigenous women.”
MUXXXE, in 6 inch platform boots, towered over attendees as they made their way to the center of the gallery. Standing still, with their lace zentai suit adorned with a white leather bustier, gloves and matching thong, MUXXXE surveyed the crowd. Slowly, MUXXXE raised the mic to their covered face and trap-like beats infused with reggaeton, blared from the speakers while they rapped in Spanish. As their performance went on, MUXXXE worked the crowd in a way that seemingly offered attendees permission to join in on the catharsis and release whatever they needed to while taking in the essence of Sementerio, as a whole.
The gallery took in mixed media pieces such as digital art and images rendered on pieces of metal for the exhibit. “These are the first-ever fully commissioned works for LBCC,” said art gallery director, Karla Aguiniga. “Meaning all of these pieces were made specifically for us and have never been shown anywhere else before.” Aguiniga went on to say that the Sementario exhibit is a peak into the next generation of what the art gallery can be in terms of its ability to host a variety of media. The gallery runs until November 18 at the LAC Art Gallery.
Different buisness owners thrive at Beach Flea Market By Ian Salazr A couple businesses who took the risk by selling as vendors for the Beach Flea Market gained massive success and flourished from different starting points in their lifespans. The most recent market featured a couple vendors, one of which has started selling since the market was established, while the other has started selling more recently, about a month and a half now. Justin Lebow and Juan Salinas had a bunch of clothes they wanted to sell for extra money and started being vendors when the flea market was still known as the 562Flea. Flea markets have been something that these two have done for a very long time
as the vintage clothing has been the main feature and have come at a good quality for solid prices. Lebow owns a few stores in Riverside at the Flamingo Antique, but mostly does pop up events whenever the opportunity arrives. “A lot of the clothes sold have come from previous thrift stores and bought items of people, anywhere and everywhere,” says Lebow about the items that were sold for his business. Lebow was removed from his job for six months up to this point, and he either had to take the risk and start his thrifting business, or look for a job elsewhere, and the workflow has been smooth after taking the leap to become a thrifting vendor. “Just get out there as much as you can
and take out as much as you can; it doesn’t matter what you have, just take it out” said Lebow on any tips for those wanting to start a thrifting business more on a small scale and sell at flea markets like him and his friends do. With how open the Beach Flea Market was, the opportunity and process to become a vendor was very easy, always publicizing and encouraging for vendors to come out, and that’s when Lebow and Salinas took the chance and have made their success. The most recent market also featured a newer vendor, whose business has only been established for about a few months up to this point. Martha and Luis Pena got started selling jewelry, accessories, and more everyday products for the household
Starting by selling to family members, both love to work and meet with others which inspired them to start their business and thrive. “We did have challenges in the beginning, trying to meet the demand of the public, and also keeping track of inventory, while trying to come up with new ideas,” says Luis Pena on any obstacles they had to face while starting their business. “Take a chance, you’ll never know if you’re going to have success if you don’t try,” said Luis Pena on any tips for those wanting to start vendoring at the Beach Flea. The growth of the business was a slow process, but they eventually got there and led to a thriving vendor, even with how rcently they started bursting onto the scene.
October 19, 2023
LIFESTYLE
Aquarium celebrates 25 years
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By Ryenne Jolliff
The Aquarium of the Pacific celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with new events and exhibits, highlighted by the California two-spot octopus and moray eel in the new Southern California Gallery, sea otter habitat, and eccentric jellyfish. “The Aquarium is excited to celebrate its 25th anniversary,” said Jennie Dean, vice president of education and conservation. “We were founded in 1998, and ever since then we’ve been engaging with the local area on animals and nature, and connecting those two things up.” To honor this milestone, the Aquarium is screening a new film in their Great Hall and holding a photo contest dedicated to capturing the wonders of nature. Additionally, the newly renovated Southern California Gallery, which aims to showcase local wildlife and efforts to restore coastal habitats, is now open. Since its creation, the Aquarium has focused on encouraging visitors to coexist with the natural world. “It is really a core objective of the Aquarium to build a sense of stewardship, and stewardship really means an individual engaging with an environment in a compatible way, not a destructive way.” Dean said. “Try to leave the environment a little bit better than you found it.” Conservation efforts don’t stop at the Aquarium; their team leads hands-on programs that directly benefit the communi-
A swell shark on display in the newly updated Southern California Gallery at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
ty. Volunteers contribute to helping local wildlife thrive. “We are helping to restore habitats. On the first Saturday of every month we take a volunteer corp to the Los Cerritos wetlands and remove invasive plants and plant native ones so the habitat can return to its natural state,” Dean explained. The Aquarium also hosts beach clean ups throughout the year, which are free to participate in. Dean says the Aquarium wants to present conservation efforts in an easily accessible way.
“Our goal is to share it with you in an easy-to-read way, where everyone sort of identifies with it, and presents the opportunity for (people) to act. Showcasing some opportunities for (people) to benefit these species and learn more about them here at the Aquarium and (through) our partners”. The combination of having fun and learning about the world around us is what communications manager Andreas Miguel refers to as “edutainment” - blending education and entertainment. “The people come here expecting to learn about the ocean and leave with more
Ryenne Jolliff
than what they expected,” Miguel said, using the public’s preconceived notions about sharks as an example. Speaking about the aquarium’s impact on the community, Miguel noted that it has become an iconic part of Long Beach. “Most people can’t think of Long Beach without the Aquarium,” he said. “When you tell someone that you’re visiting Long Beach, they’ll ask when you’re going to the Aquarium.” The Aquarium of the Pacific will continue to remain a staple of the Long Beach community for many more years to come.
Latinx poets encourage others to write more poetry By Mari Kebede Long Beach City College hosted a Latinx Poetry Night at its LAC campus for students to come together to enjoy guest performances and highlight poetry on Oct. 12. The event gave people the chance to listen to three poets and hear poems from recently published author Donato Martinez’s book, “Touch the sky.” Attendees were also allowed to ask questions if they had any at the end of the night. Students are encouraged to go to events like these on campus, whether they enjoy poetry or not, to hear the encouraging words from the powerful poets. “The big thing is feeling seen, heard and loved and their identity being validated,” director of student equity Eric Becerra said. “Relating to these events that are happening on campus, and bringing all of what they are from many different aspects because that’s what makes them special, those are their strengths.” The consensus from the poets there was that poetry can be done by anyone, it’s
known to be another sense of therapy, reflection and vulnerability. “I think when people read poetry, there’s this solid message in these poems that are saying something to you and it’s another way of expression, very therapeutic, but also shows a sense of vulnerability that we don’t see in other kinds of art,” says author Donato Martinez. It can be a way to express someone’s culture, trauma, and identity to either go through some things in their own comfortability or just telling your story. “I think that with poems it doesn’t have to have a structure, you should just write about your feelings and what you want to do because it’s about you to release about what you’re feeling, which you don’t have to necessarily perform it to anybody” said poet David Alvarado. Poetry can be helpful in things and can turn into something more creative and encouraging for the writer according to these poets. “I say write, especially when there’s a lot of pressure on you, whether it’s in school or
Matthew Gregory Donato Martinez performs a poem at LBCC’s Latin poetry night on Oct. 12.
outside of school, it’s just a way to get your feelings out and there’s no right or wrong,” said poet and Cal State LA alumni Cecilia Sanchez. Becerra believes students that involve themselves in campus activities can benefit them academically. “If students are connected to their cam-
pus, rather than coming to class and leaving, they tend to stay in school longer and end up doing better because of what they took out of the experience,” said Becerra. More events like poetry night will continue to happen throughout this semester and can be found on LBCC’s website.
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SPORTS
October 19, 2023
From campus to Olympic stage By Mari Kebede
LBCC women’s water polo coach became the assistant coach of the Team USA Olympic women’s water polo due to his success at the collegiate level and stint in the Olympic team himself. Chris Oeding took the Vikings to the finals from 2003 to 2010 winning three of those championships and also winning two Olympic finals in both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Playing most sports as a kid, his ultimate goal was soccer, but since he needed a fall sport he pursued water polo. His high school coach at the time made sure that Oeding kept pursuing the sport due to his capabilities, playing all four years in high school and four years at UC Berkeley, where Oeding committed. “I enjoyed it, I was at the right place at the right time with a good young upcoming coach who saw something in me that I didn’t see at the time,” said Oeding. In 1996 and 2000, Oeding played with the national team for the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia and Sydney, Australia. After graduating, Oedeing became the freshman coach for UC Berkeley, where he learned more about coaching. Oeding joined the coaching staff at his old high school in Newport Beach, CA but realized that was not the level he wanted to coach. Oeding then worked at Orange Coast College as a part time coach for men’s water polo, where he got a taste of community college coaching. “After a year, I quickly realized that high school wasn’t the level I wanted to coach
Michelle Cardenas Coach Chris Oeding guides water polo team during practice that takes place from 1-3 p.m. Oeding is the current coach at LBCC for the women’s water polo team. Oeding has a long Olympic history with competing in it as well as coaching water polo.
because of parental involvement,” said Oeding. LBCC reached out to Oeding, in need of a coach. To Oeding this level of coaching comes with student athletes with a purpose. Currently, with LBCC in the midst of their season and the Olympics coming up for Paris 2024, Oeding juggles preparation for both teams at the same time.
The girls learn a lot when being coached by Oeding, as an athlete and as a person. “I’ve learned to take pride in anything I do. Always being physically and mentally ready no matter what’s going on,” said sophomore goalie Danielle Sgnotz after being asked what she has learned from Oeding so far. “Hopefully we’ve given them the tools
and that no mountain is too high to climb. And if they feel moments of weakness, we are always here for them,” said Oeding. Currently, Odeing and Long Beach City College’s women’s water polo team are midway through their season. After the season, he will be working with his national team to prepare for the Olympics that will be taking place in 2024 in Paris, France.
Vikings fall 54-27 to ELAC at homecoming game By Zack Siedel
Long Beach City College took a 54-27 loss against East Los Angeles, ending their three-game winning streak on Saturday. Coming off a bye week after their massive victory over Cerritos, LBCC came in as confident going into Saturday’s matchup. An early first quarter interception by LBCC quarterback Will Madonna resulted in ELAC securing the first touchdown of the game. Unfortunately for LBCC, it was ELAC’s game the rest of the way “We need to practice a lot harder honestly. You can’t go out of practice, be lazy, and then come out and expect to play full speed against a good football team,” head coach Brett Peabody stated. As the second quarter came into action LBCC defensive lineman K’len Williams recovered a fumble in ELAC territory to give LBCC tremendous field position. ELAC ended all hopes for a comeback
as the quarter went on as they snagged another interception off of Madonna and scored two more touchdowns. Madonna was benched as the third quarter came to a close with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. “It starts with me as the quarterback. I gotta play better and play good enough to win, I gotta find the open guys and throw it better,” Madonna stated after the game. The last points of the game came with Jett Peddy in at quarterback for LBCC as he connected with wide receiver Semaj Dunn on a 16-yard touchdown pass. The game ended with a 54-27 loss for LBCC. LBCC will look to bounce back after a crushing defeat as they have an upcoming two-game road trip against Orange Coast College and Golden West College, with their next home game being against Mt. San Antonio College on Nov. 4, 2023.
Lolita Mojica LBCC fought hard against ELAC during the homecoming game on Saturday but fell short, losing 54-27.
SPORTS
October 19, 2023
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Professor moonlights as Ducks voice By Brianna Apodaca
Hockey season is upon us and Long Beach City College radio production professor Phil Hulett couldn’t be more excited for the upcoming season, as he is gearing up for his 27th year as the Anaheim Ducks PA announcer. Phil Hulett has been the public address announcer for the Ducks since 1996. At the beginning of his journey, Hulett attended Cal State Long Beach and got a bachelor’s in radio television and film, where he then found his love for radio and quickly took over the radio station there, as his dream was to be a disc jockey. In February 1995, KNAC, a famous Los Angeles heavy metal FM radio station in the 80’s and 90’s ended up being turned into a Spanish radio station three years later, Hulett and a few of his friends saw an opportunity as bright as day as they bought the radio station. As a result of the purchase, the radio station became a huge success and he was able to live his dream and become a disc jockey for a radio station. Hulett ended up looking towards sports after his success with KNAC, as he decided to call the Los Angeles Angels, asking who was in charge of the PA announcers. The phone call ended up with Hulett being able to announce three games with the late David Courtney, Hulett was soon announcing the middle three innings against the Angels and Mariners. Hulett turned his focus towards hockey and became the PA Announcer for the Los Angeles Blades. Hulett was never a hockey fan growing up. He followed baseball and basketball but the opportunity to be a hockey PA announcer turned him into a big hockey fan. “I was able to cut my teeth on hockey
by doing that,” Hulett stated in response to becoming the Blades’ PA announcer. By the end of the first season with the Blades, Hulett was contacted by the Long Beach Ice Dogs, which was a minor league ice hockey team for the Boston Bruins. The season with the Ice Dogs came to an end, he was contacted by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and accepted their job offer to be the PA announcer for them. Since Hulett is only a part-time professor, he doesn’t have a hard time juggling being a professor while also being the Ducks’ PA announcer. Since Hulett worked for the NHL, LBCC professor and head of the radio & TV program Robert Hersh realized Hullet was the perfect fit for the radio production class as their professor at the time he was retiring. “I was strictly looking for people that work in the industry currently,” Hersh clarifies when speaking about what he was looking for in the hiring process. “It’s nice to be able to bring in professors that bring in that level of expertise in the classroom.” Hulett mentioned that one of his favorite games he announced was in 2007 when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup, as he got to celebrate on the ice with the team and kiss the cup. But as for the most exciting, he said it was when he announced the World Baseball Classic at Angel Stadium against North Korea and Mexico, in which Hulett stated “The crowd was absolutely nuts” as his reasoning. “The crowd was absolutely nuts,” Hulett said. Hulett is eager and ready to announce once more for the Anaheim Ducks as the season just began on Oct. 14, 2023.
Brianna Apodaca LBCC professor and Anaheim Ducks announcer Phil Hulett showing some personality outside the Honda Center before the game.
Volleyball comes up short By Mari Kebede
Watch LBCC’s esports broadcast online
Ian Salazar and Zuri Minor will regularly cast multiple esports games throughout the semester. Visit lbccviking.com or scan this QR code.
Graphic by Dame Cortez
With hopes of coming back from losing their 12 game wining streak, LBCC’s women’s volleyball team lost against Rio Hondo Community College on Oct. 11 with the last set ending at 12-15. A rough start in the first period, LBCC ran the scoreboard up in the middle of the set, coming back with amazing blocks. Despite that, Rio Hondo took over the first and second periods 0-2, Roadrunners. “I think what the team lacked was our defense, and staying calm under pressure,” said middle blocker freshman, Rynnah Gagau. LBCC recollected during the third quarter. All were focused and played skillfully, especially with the middle blocker Gagau coming through with strong strikes and blocks.
“I knew my team needed me, at that time I couldn’t think about myself and my mistakes because it’s not an individual sport, it’s a team sport,” said Gagau. LBCC was able to come back from a rough start and win the third and fourth periods. Tying up the game, two each. With the fifth set starting off rough, they managed to pick their momentum back up again but it wasn’t enough. The Roadrunners scored and won the game, making it 12-15. “I think we waited too late to play, we were down two sets and then we finally woke up in the third set. If we started the first the way we played the third, we would’ve had a different outcome,” said head coach Tyler Jackson. Looking ahead to their next match, the Vikings will be taking on Mt. San Antonio on Oct. 18.
OPINION
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October 19, 2023
Editor-in-chief: Dame Cortez Managing editors: Michelle Cardenas News editors: Andrea Alonso cain carbajal
LBCC’s Pacific Coast Campus sign signals the entrance to its parking structure just off Orange Ave. LBCC has recently announced its plans to rebrand the campus with a new campus identity, including a name change that they hope will better represent PCC’s offerings.
Debate: What should LBCC’s campuses be renamed after? LBCC announced their plan to rename the Pacific Coast Campus. Five writers from the Viking News weigh in on what they think the campuses should be named. The names should reflect community staples
These names would give students an easier way to sort through the course catalog. This new name will represent the extensive courses that LBCC has to offer while paying homage to the school’s history.
The Liberal Arts Campus has been the name of LBCC’s main campus. Followed by the Pacific Coast Campus which opened its doors in 1949. LBCC should change the names of both campuses. The LAC campus should be renamed “Vida.” In both Latin and Spanish it translates in English as the word “Life.” The Vida Campus would signify a starting point in a student’s pathway to their future. PCC should change its name to the VIP Campus. The former VIP Records, which was a staple in the Black and Brown communities in East Long Beach in the late 1990’s. Changing its name to the VIP Campus would allow LBCC to recognize an important landmark to our community that is located near the heart of Long Beach.
The campus names should honor people who students can recognize and look up to in a different perspective other than academically. PCC should be renamed to the Warren G campus and LAC campus should be renamed to the Carl Weathers campus. Weathers is best known for his performance as Apollo Creed from the “Rocky” franchise. Warren G utilized LBCC’s commercial music program to propel himself into a successful career where he still tours today. These two famous students have put themselves in positions to garner some recognition from the places they started from and LBCC can do that by renaming both campuses after them.
By Keith Lewis
The names should reflect courses while honoring LBCC history
By Ryenne Jolliff
PCC should be renamed the Trade and Technical Campus, a call back to its original name, while the LAC (Liberal Arts campus) remains the same. It is more efficient to rename one campus so that the names characterize the many courses that LBCC has to offer.
The names of the campuses should be after famous successful students
By Dame Cortez
The campuses should be named after LGBT pioneers
By Taylor Robinson
The campuses should be renamed to names of LGBT pioneers to honor Long Beach’s history as an inclusive city. Bob Crow, Harvey Milk and Vanessa Romain are famous pioneers who spearheaded the movement for LGBT rights. Milk was a pioneer of gay rights who made a speech in 1978 in Long Beach that fought for the rights of LGBT workers inpublic schools. Vanessa Romain is a human rights activist,
Want to join the debate?
We accept letters to the Editor, email us at lbccvikingnews@gmail.com social worker and board member of the Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride non-profit organization. Bob Crow was one of the founders of the Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Inc, now known as Long Beach Pride. These are the important figures that helped found or pioneered the LGBTQIA community that the PCC and LAC could be renamed to.
The names of the campuses should be named after norse gods
By Andrea Alonso
Andrea Alonso: The names of the campuses should be named after norse gods. The campuses should be renamed to the names of the god of craftsmanship for PCC and the god of poetry for LAC. The school’s mascot is a Viking. Vikings used to worship norse gods and LBCC can stick to the theme of the mascot to rename the campuses. The PCC campus used to be called the business and tech campus. In Norse mythology, Brokkr is a dwarf who is a blacksmith for the Norse gods. The Brokkr campus name could help forge future engineers and architects. Bragi, who represents poetry and wisdom, would be a symbol for those studying the arts (LAC campus). The names are meant to represent what the campuses are trying to instill into the minds of the students.
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