March, 7, 2013 Torrance, California

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Black college fair today on Library LawnThe Black College Fair will be on the Library Lawn today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m today. Learn about transfer agreements and speak with representatives from numer-ous historically Black colleges. A workshop is also scheduled to run from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Distance Education Conference room.

Social Justice Fair TuesdayThe first annual Social Justice fair will be taking place on the Library Lawn Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, sponsored by EC Student Development Office and EC Feminist Alliance Club. Mul-tiple organizations, both local and national, will be in attendance.

Undecided Major workshopAn Undecided Major Workshop will take place Tuesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Social Scienc-es Building, Room 207. For more information, contact the Career Services Center 310660-3593 ext. 6137.

Daylight Savings begins SundayGet ready for longer days and shorter nights. Daylight Savings Time will begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. Be sure to re-member to set your clocks ahead one hour.

Cherry Blossom Festival Today near PlanetariumThe 13th Annual Dr. Nadine Ishi-tani Hata Memorial Cherry Blos-som Festival will be taking place today from 1 to 2 p.m. next to the Planetarium. Light refreshments, presentations and performances will take place near the Cherry Blossom trees on campus.

By Chance Keenan

UNIONEL CAMINO COLLEGEUNION Eating on Campus: What’s your take? ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:

SPORTS, Page 7: Warrior’s Baseball Victory at Santa Barbara

Kyle Borden/ UnionDayja Turner, 24, undecided major, attends the “Taste of Soul” event in the East Dining Room, after hearing about the event in her history 110 class; while Shalissa Barnett from the Cal Works Office serves food to Dayja.

The Dream Act aims to help students reach goals Karen GarciaStaff Writer

With the passing of assem-bly bills AB130 and AB131, the California Dream Act authored by assembly member Gil Cedillo became a law extending certain grants and college free waivers to students.

This law gives students, docu-mented and undocumented, that meet the AB540 criteria eligi-bility to apply for state funded financial aid.

AB540 was created to give students that meet the require-ments the ability to pay the same tuition and fees as students who are residents attending Califor-nia community colleges and uni-versities, according to the Cali-fornia Dream Act website.

The site goes on to inform that to be considered as an AB540 ap-plicant, a student is required to have attended a California high school for at least three years. The student must have also grad-uated from high school or ob-tained the equivalent, California High School Proficiency Exam or passing the GED.

A student must also be regis-tered as an entering or currently enrolled student in an accredited institution of higher education in California in the fall semester or quarter of 2001 to 2002 of the aca-demic year.

If a student does not have legal documentation they must file or will file an application that will le-galize their documentation status.

According to the Financial Aid Office, a student that meets the AB540 requirements and applies for the Dream Act may also be eli-gible to qualify for a free waiver that will pay for the student’s classes.

Within the same application forms for the Dream Act, a student can also apply for a Cal Grant as well.

Now that this opportunity is available to students there are various options in which a student can apply for aid to fund their edu-cational needs that may not have otherwise been avaiable before the Dream Act was instated.

There are many students that are taking advantage of the Dream Act aid, and are submitting their applications just as they would

for financial aid “as the deadline, similar for the filing of financial aid, is March 2,” Rene Lozano, EC counselor said.

“It’s just like any other grant. A check is sent to the student’s home and that student can use the funds according to his or her needs,” Lo-zano said.

He also comments that many students are unaware of the ben-efits that this program can provide them with according to their fi-nancial education needs.

“Depending on their financial need it can be used for books or gas for school; whatever they need. The only difference between this grant and other grants is that it is state funded, it’s not federally funded,” Lozano said.

Lozano is also the advisor for the El Camino Dreamers Club, a the group of members that reach out to those in need of assistance or support with the program as well as raising awareness about this option for students.

Lozano added that there will be workshops for the Dream Act soon to inform students and oth-ers about the aid that is available to them.

Learning about history through taste

Troy Tieuel/ UnionLead teacher, Angela Wilson from the Child Development Center, gets hugs from her gets hugs from the students in her class as they prepare for choice play. “We need all the support that we can get,”Wilson said, who has been with the CDC since since 2005.

Child Development Center closure gets a time-outJohnysha VercherStaff Writer

Closure of the Child Develop-ment Center would be seen as the end of a program that is vital for students and the community.

Since 1993, the Child Devel-opment Center (CDC) has been a safe haven for students with chil-dren at EC, as well as the com-munity, Sandra Parvis, Director of the EC Child Development Cen-ter, said.

Helping thousands of children and families over the course of its existence, the CDC provides not just a simple daycare service, but a fee-based preschool program for young children, according to the CDC guidelines.

Though the CDC has helped many through the years, enroll-

ment for the past year has been low.

Because of low enrollment and the cost of maintenance, the CDC may not have much of a future left, Jasmine Hormati, student trustee said.

Though enrollment for the CDC has been low, there are still students benefitting from the pro-gram

“My son started going there 3 semesters ago, so a little over a year,” Jennifer Galardo, 21, busi-ness administration major said.

“It’s not just a daycare its a pre-school and they teach your kids.”

Closure of the CDC would be very difficult for those who actu-ally depend on the program. With-out the program many parents would not have to ability to attend college.

“I would’ve had to drop out of school, it would be detrimental for parents and single mothers if it closed,”Galardo said.

“Before, I had a babysitter but she had gotten sick, she had can-cer so she couldnt watch my son, I found out about the Child Devel-opment Center and with caregrant they provided help and paid for the program.”

For students at EC, the CDC helps them to be able to further their education and coincidental-ly that of their child or children, Galardo said

Despite the costly issue the school faced with the CDC, the Board of Trustees inevitability de-cided to prolong the lifeline of the CDC, Parvis said.

The board of trustees decided to not close the center after a 5-1

vote, she added.“The board decided to keep it

open for another year,” Hormati said. “Their current director is go-ing to be retiring so they’re look-ing for a new director.”

Though changes to the CDC are bound to happen, it is for the betterment of the students, com-munity and most of importantly the children to extend the closure.

“They have different ideas of how they can not only make it a better program for children but also for our students that are in the Child Development program at EC,” Hormati said.

“Sometime next year the board will decided whether or not they will keep it open.”

Ultimately the CDC has many benefits to the program and just as much support for it to stay open.

Through the years, the CDC has served countless families of EC

students and will continue to do so with consistent support.

Mixed emotions for new MBA BuildingSteven TranStaff Writer

The doors of EC’s new Math, Business and Allied Health Build-ing have finally opened this se-mester with high hopes to im-prove the learning experience for students.

“The building is just so func-tional. There are places to gather, wireless Internet for interaction, and more than enough room; Ev-erything about the building is con-ducive to learning,” Mike Botello, professor of business said.

“It’s a lot like the Humanities Building, it’s set up by the same

architect and has a lot of the same features and benefits,” Thomas E. Brown, Director of Facilities Planning and Services, said.

The fourth floor of the MBA Building is dedicated toward an “Allied Health” program. Nursing, Respiratory Therapy, and Radiol-ogy programs are centralized into a single unit.

“It’s nice that we have new technology; Once upon a time, our newest technology was the door it-self,” Nenna Olumba, 26, nursing major, said.

“It has the environment of an actual hospital as far as oxygen, headboards and all the things of

that nature, it looks like a regular hospital,” Brown said.

Though there have been a few glitches, it’s important to consider that the building is new and there is a continuing effort to fix mal-functions, Brown added.

“Everything has its problems, and we are just ironing out the kinks, and trying to get used to a building that we are not really used to,” Olumba said. “We were already in a building that was more-or-less broken in, we are sort of breaking this one in,” she added.

The many responsibilities of President FalloMonique JudgeCo-Opinion Editor

There are a number of people on the EC cam-pus that do not under-stand what it is that Tom Fallo, EC president and district superintendent, does for the campus and community.

Ken Brown, vice pres-ident of the EC board of trustees does not find this surprising. His ex-planation of Fallo’s job likens the college presi-dent to that of a CEO of

a corporation.“He is the CEO of El

Camino. Different cam-puses call it different things,” Brown said.

“He works for the board. He is the tip of the spear of how things get done on the campus,” Brown added.

Fallo, who has been at EC since 1991, oversees operations at both the Torrance campus and the Compton center.

Fallo himself views his role as one in which he serves the EC com-

munity as a whole. “I’m part of a team.

I’m part of a communi-ty,” Fallo said.

Brown said that Fal-lo’s job is to “implement the policy set forth by the board.”

Fallo agreed with this assessment, and said that he “reports to five people,” referring to the board of trustees.

“He’s the person that has to run the campus. He not only does it for the Torrance campus, but he also does it for the

Compton center as well,” Brown added.

A common miscon-ception is that Fallo makes all decisions con-cerning the campus.

“He doesn’t make the policy, but he has to en-force the policy that the board sets,” Brown said.

As previously re-ported in the Union, the board of trustees recent-ly voted to give Fallo a raise in order to encour-age him to reconsider his

[See Fallo, Page 2]

POLICE BEatBy Karen Garcia

Two males suspected of a snatch and run

Feb. 26, 3:30 p.m.–Two female students were sitting at a table adjacent to the Manhattan Cafe. One of the females set down her cellphone on the table. Two male suspects walked up to the table, grabbed the cellphone and ran northbound to Manhattan Beach blvd. Both suspects were believed to be around 24 to 25 years old. They escaped in a green vehicle. They were last seen driving eastbound on Manhattan Beach blvd.

Possible bump and run

Feb. 26, 4 p.m.–A female student parked her car on the third level of the five-story parking lot. When she returned to her car at approximately 10 a.m., she found that persons unknown had damaged her vehicle. There were several light scratches on the rear bumper.

Handicap placard abuse

Feb. 28, 1 p.m.–A Cadet was performing a handicap placard check on vehicles located in Lot K. The cadet discovered a vehicle with a handicap placard that the driver was using, but the placard did not belong to him. According to the driver, the placard belonged to someone that was not on campus. The driver was cited and the handicap placard was seized.

Police popped in, he was sweating

Feb. 28, 2 p.m.–An Officer responded to a medical aid call at Cafe Camino. The officer located a male employee in the stock room of the facility. The male was heavily sweating and his arms were shaking. The male couldn’t provide a reason for his condition, so the paramedics were called. An ambulance transported the male employee to the hospital for further medical evaluation.

Bike was stolen after having security chain cut

Feb. 28, 3 p.m.–A student locked his 24-speed bike, on a bike rack in the south east side of the Chemistry Building. The student came back to the rack at approximately 8 p.m. to find that his bike was missing and the cable, that he locked his bike with, was cut and left on the ground. The student then went to the EC Police Department to file a report.

Car impounded for failure to renew registration

March 4, 10 p.m.–A Cadet discovered a vehicle parked in Lot F whose registration was not up to date. The vehicle’s registration was checked through the DMV system and found to be expired in excess of six months. The vehicle was impounded.

Didn’t read the swivel chair warning

March 5, noon–Officers received a call for medical aid in the Physics Building. They discovered that a female student was standing on a swivel chair trying to retrieve a balloon from the ceiling. The chair moved causing the female student to fall off the chair. She struck her head and injured her right leg. She tried to get up but her injured leg could not support her weight. She was loaned a pair of crutches and taken to the EC Police Department where her mother came to pick her up.

2 El Camino College Union March 7, 2013news

students getting electric buzz Joh’nysha Vercher and Rigo BonillaStaff Writer, Arts Editor

With ongoing health concerns and the social taboo of smoking, the use of vapor cigarettes is becoming an attrac-tive alternative for students.

Vapor cigarettes, often called “E-Cigs,” or “vape cigarettes,” are elec-tronic cigarettes that emit nicotine-infused water vapor instead of smoke. They are quickly becoming more vis-ible on campus.

There are different brands of vapor cigarettes and smoke-shops all around the area have been

According to latimes.com, vapor cigarettes can be used with cartridges containing various levels of nicotine that can come with different flavors including menthol, tobacco, blueberry and vanilla.

Although they have been around for some time, vapor cigarettes have recently been gaining popularity with students on campus.

“I have friends that use them and since I don’t smoke at all, I think it’s a

great idea, not just for smokers but for us that don’t,” Melissa Young, 19, undecided major said. “Second-hand smoke is real, so I think electronic cigarettes help a lot.”

A big attraction for students may be that the vaporizer devices are now becom-ing customizable and can show off a little bit of individuality.

“You can buy different mouthpieces in all kinds of colors,” Jeremy Mitchell, 22, business major, said. “It definitely makes it more interesting. If you run into some-one else that has one, you can distinguish yours from theirs. I’ve seen girls with pink ones.”

There has been some concern that these vapor cigarettes can contain marijuana.

“There’s no way to be sure (that it con-tains marijuana) but they do make elec-tronic cigarettes where you have to have something attached to it,” Officer Jan Caldwell said.

Though it is possible that students could be using marijuana, it’s more likely they are not.

“You wouldn’t be able to just buy it (electronic marijuana cigarette) at 7-11 or something. I doubt anybody really would be using it on campus,” Patricia Lee, 26, music major said.

Students share both positive and nega-

tive outlooks on vapor cigarettes.“There are more pros than cons,” Rus-

sell Moore, 25, economics major, said. “They are very convenient and you don’t have to constantly buy cigarettes. Plus, it’s not (real) smoke, so second-hand isn’t an issue.”

For some students, it’s not just about convenience, but the opportunity to slow down their habit.

“For me, it’s like you don’t feel ad-dicted and you don’t buy multiple packs a day,” Eric Powell, 21, communications major, said. “Cons: I guess the price of it, since you do need to replace the parts.”

Banning cigarettes in general has been discussed quite often, but whether or not vapor cigarettes should be banned is a completely different issue.

“No policy has been made. There wouldn’t be a law against it, so I don’t understand how it would be a problem,” Caldwell said.

Although any long-term health compli-cations from electronic cigarettes remains to be seen, it doesn’t seem to be a problem for authorities and many users swear by it.

“After smoking (conventionally) for five years, I noticed I can smell and taste better after switching,” Jeremy Mitchell said. “I can play basketball better.”

Activists unite for social justice fair Thomas SchmitStaff Writer

As part of a joint effort be-tween the Student Development Office and the EC Feminist Al-liance, the campus will be host-ing its first Social Justice Fair on March 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Featuring more than 65 differ-ent grassroots, local, and national organizations representing di-verse topics ranging from animal rights to gang intervention, the event’s organizers hope to awak-en students to the wide spectrum of social justice issues in our so-ciety, Breanna Von Stein, Student Services Specialist, said.

“We don’t want students to just

leave with some information,” Von Stein said. “We want to em-power them to get involved.”

As part of that empowerment, many of the organizations attend-ing the fair will provide students with opportunities to volunteer and become directly involved with the issues discussed, Von Stein added.

In addition to opportunities to volunteer, some of the groups are even looking to provide some stu-dents with full internships, Rob-ert DeWitz, Feminist Alliance member, said.

In addition to the tables manned by representatives of each participating group, the fair will also feature several guest

speakers on the Schauerman Li-brary lawn from 1 to 2 p.m., as well as poetry provided by the group Revolutionary Poets,” Von

Stein said.The fair will also provide stu-

dents with free access to HIV

testing, and free samples of vegan cuisine

However, even if students miss the main fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., they needn’t miss out en-tirely, Dewitz said.

“We also designed this fair to be inclusive of night students, since they largely get left out of activities, so we’ll be screening a documentary in the Student Ac-tivities Center from 5 to 7 p.m.,” Dewitz said.

The documentary, entitled “Sin by Silence,” focuses upon members of the group Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA), the first inmate initiated group in the U.S. prison system, consisting of women convicted of killing

their abusive partners, and their personal stories.

Brenda Clubine, the founder of CWAA, will also provide an introduction to the film, as well as speaking afterwards, DeWitz said.

“A lot of students feel that is-sues of social justice are way big-ger than them, and that they can’t do anything about it,” Brenda Diaz, Feminist Alliance member, said. “I hope the fair will open people’s eyes and show them that they can get involved.”

Photo by Philip Prins/UnionDaniel Dunseith, 22, computer science major, smokes an electronic cigarette outside of the MBA Building. He said he switched over from real cigarettes six months ago and since then, he has felt more energetic and his lungs seem healthier.

Getting together for a pintJames BellStaff Writer

Blood is the reason students are being asked to come together for the first ever Cesar E. Chavez Challenge today and to-morrow, in the Student Activities Center.

The Inter-Club Council (ICC), along with the American Red Cross, are hosting the blood drive where students can donate blood, or simply volunteer their time and help out.

According to the American Red Cross website, every pint of blood donated saves roughly three lives, and the process typi-cally takes no more than 15 minutes to complete.

“The purpose of the challenge is to pro-mote health education, careers in health and science, civic engagement and to save lives,” Helena Manumaleuna, student co-ordinator and ICC publicity commission-er, said.

Incentives are available to donators provided by the American Red Cross, such as tickets to sporting events and food vouchers to be used at various restaurants.

With over 250 colleges and universities participating in the challenge this semes-

ter, Manumaleuna said it would be a great time for students to get involved.

“Students receive instant gratifica-tion because they’re helping save lives,” Manumaleuna said.

While some students give blood be-cause of the incentives or peer influence, others donate blood out of genuine con-cern for others.

“I give blood because I’m helping other people,” Kaleialani Mancia, an 18-year-old sign language major said. “At the end of the day, it feels great to know that I may have saved someone’s life.”

Because of students and donators like Mancia, up to five million patients re-ceive blood in a year, according to the American Red Cross website.

This blood drive has been named after Chavez because of his upcoming birthday on March 31. The American Red Cross tries to incorporate some of Chavez’s val-ues such as service to the community and educational programs.

“There are many people in the world who need help, and I am happy to help others in any way I can,” Mancia said.

Fallo”He wanted to retire. He retired. We

accepted that, “ Brown said.Fallo was ready to try something new. “I wanted to change environments,”

Fallo said.Once the process to look for a new

president began, the board realized they were going to be faced with a tough task and a very short time period to do it in.

“As we started the process of looking for a replacement CEO, we kind of saw the writing on the wall that this was a really daunting task, especially with the timeframe that we were working under,” Brown said.

The reason for keeping Fallo on a few more years had to do with the accom-plishments he has made as EC president.

“Measure E is a huge deal,” Brown said. “When you look at the bookstore being repaired, when you look at all the different infrastructure being repaired, that doesn’t come out of thin air. That doesn’t come from campus funds. His being able to go to the community and ask for money to help improve our cam-pus is a big deal.”

In Brown’s opinion, the ultimate tes-tament to the value of Tom Fallo is in his longevity with the college. Fallo has been with EC since 1991, and has been the president since 1995.

“His job is not an easy job,” Brown said. “If it were, there would be a bunch of people willing and able to do it.”

“We don’t want stu-dents to just leave with some information, we want to empower them to get involved.”

—Breanna Von Stein, student services specialist

[Continued From Page 1]

3 El Camino College Union March 7, 2013ADVERTISEMENT

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Education is part of the American D.R.E.A.M.James Garfield, 20th president

of the U.S., said, “Next in impor-tance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.”

Education in America is an im-portant issue. As a nation, we need to ensure that everyoe has access to education.

As a nation built upon the dreams of a small group of im-migrants seeking a new way of life and new personal liberties, it would behoove us to make sure that those who come here seeking to build upon that foundation are guaranteed the ability to realize their goals through education.

The California DREAM (De-velopment, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act seeks to do just that.

Authored by assemblyman Gil Cedillo, the DREAM Act allows children who were brought into the U.S. undocumented to qualify for state financial aid at the col-lege level if they have attended school continuously.

The act also provides for these students to qualify for in state tu-ition rates.

Education in this country

should not be cost prohibitive. This nation was founded on the principle that all men are created equal.

This means equal access to education.

A person attempting to gain citizenship in this country and

who was brought here as a child by immigrant parents should not be prevented from gaining ac-cess to education simply because they were not born here; that is the complete antithesis of what the birth of our nation was all about.

Additionally, a person who has already been pursuing their edu-cation in our school systems and

shows a desire to continue that education at the post-secondary level is clearly indicating an inten-tion to being a productive member of our society.

Taking these efforts and deny-ing further growth is a slap in the face of what Abraham Lincoln directly addressed in his famous Gettysburg address -- equality.

As we move forward in the 21st century and look toward continu-ing to build our country as the su-per power it is, we need to remem-ber that a nation is only as strong as its workforce.

The strength of the U.S. lies in its working class.

If we fail to educate the work-ers, then we fail to properly pre-pare ourselves to be competitive in this century and those to come.

The DREAM Act will go a long way to further this goal.

It cannot be denied that those who choose to come here and contribute to the growth of this nation deserve to have equal foot-ing where educational benefits are concerned.

To do less than that is to deny the heritage of this country.

Illustration by Eugene Chang

EC will continue to benefit from the leadership of Tom FalloThe four-year contract extension means an extension of the president’s experience and know-how for the college.

When the board of trustees elected to offer EC president and superintendent Tom Fallo a four-year contract extension that in-cluded a significant pay increase, the question was asked, “Is he worth it?”

The short answer to that ques-tion is, “Yes, he is.”

Many in the campus commu-nity were vocal with their disap-proval of the board’s decision, and the majority of those dissent-ing voices cited the money as the main issue.

There is no denying that the money given is a large amount. There’s no denying that the cam-pus has experienced recent cut-backs, and that students, staff and faculty have felt the weight of the

cutbacks in different ways. Imagine, however, the weight

of operating under these condi-tions with someone new.

When Fallo announced his de-cision to retire, the board would have only had six months to find his replacement.

How would it be possible to re-place a president with 22 years of experience at this institution in six short months?

Had a replacement been found in that short time, would they have been able to step in and handle the pressures of the position, includ-ing the new issues that have arisen with the college’s accreditation?

Offering Fallo more money is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

Since he has been with the col-lege since 1991, he understands the struggles EC has faced in the past.

He has played a major role in planning for the future of EC.

It is important that the college continue on with someone who has a clear understanding of what lies ahead.

To be clear, the money given to Fallo does not come from funds that pay for classes.

The funds do not come out of anyone’s pocket.

No one is being short-changed in order to keep the existing presi-dent in place.

The board also placed a penalty clause in the new contract which states that Fallo will have to pay

back the extra money he received should he decide to leave before the contract is up.

Fallo himself has asserted that he is here to stay, and he is ready to work on the next 5 to 6 year plan for the college.

With reassurances such as those in place, now is the time to focus on what Fallo can do to help EC move forward as an institution.

With the newly received bond, the college will need his expertise in planning how the funds will be used to improve the college’s physical plant.

The board, faculty, staff and students will benefit from a CEO being in place that knows the in-stitution; he can be asked to do more instead of being trained to

figure out what happened before.A veteran with 40 years of ex-

perience in the collegiate world, and one who has learned how to run a district from the ground up is a lot more beneficial to EC than someone who may not have those same qualifications, the same de-sire to help the community and the same passion for the job.

It continues the stability that EC has had for a nice long time.

Fallo understands the laws of supply and demand. He has proven that he can handle that very well.

The college is fortunate to have someone of his caliber at the helm of the ship.

The college is in a trust with the community and the board.

Fallo has been charged with

taking care of that trust, and thus far, he’s proven time and again that he is up for the task.

Fallo is a strong fiscal leader. He has protected jobs.

The campus community should feel reassured that he is staying.

Other colleges have seen the value in Fallo; he’s been heavily recruited over the last ten years by several different community col-lege districts.

The ultimate benefit to Fallo staying is that the college now has more time to find a suitable re-placement, and that is what is best for the college and the community.

That, more than the money, should be the main focus.

The Issue• Education being provided

to non-citizens

Our Stand• These efforts can only

improve our country and are consistent with our historical philosophy

4 El Camino College Union March 7, 2013

El Camino College Union

EDITORIAL

campus InsIght

I am a 100 percent certified nerd.

Books could be considered my Kryptonite. The Culver City Julian Dixon Library is my sec-ond home.

I am a lover of all things sci-ence and math. Really, I just love to learn, and oer-haps I am overenthusiastic about it. I regret nothing.

An intellectual enthusiast should find nursing school to be a perfect fit. Right?

Among nursing students exists a unique blend of stress that keeps our sympathetic nervous systems in the “ON” position.

There is much preparation in this short span of two years, however, some balance between school and not-school must be achieved because we are not robots.

There is more to me than textbooks and highlight-ers. I am also an avid runner and practitioner of yoga. I enjoy video games when time permits. Some days I ride the bus to squeeze in knitting.

One of the major subjects in nursing is effective communication. All patients are biopsychosocial be-ings deserving of dignity and respect and should be spoken to accordingly. I often shy away from people, but I always remember that.

Clinical rotations are another thing. We are sent to our assigned hospital and put to

work. It is the polar opposite of theory, since we ap-ply our studies to the field.

I can read, color-code my notes, and supplement with more reading, but books will only bring me to a certain point.

Spring 2013 marks my second semester in the nursing program. I don’t know how I survived the first semester.

So far, I am enjoying nursing school. Despite the stress, the hard work, and the never going to bed at a reasonable hour, I know I made the right choice in choosing my next adventure. I’ve spent years observ-ing and studying people; perhaps it is time to start helping them.

I expect to work hard. I expect very little sleep. Any semblance of a social life does not exist for the next two years. And that’s okay.

commentary

Understanding that age isn’t anything more than the number of candles on a cake is something that many college students have not mastered.

Most teens anticipate mile-stone birthdays, thinking that

with each new year, a new set of privileges and pos-sibilities await.

The increasing expectations of universities and career paths have college students pushing the boundaries of ageism and representing an entirely new generation of “go-getters.”

In the recent Redondo Beach Municipal Election, a candidate stood out and made the community ques-tion what experience and age mean when compared to each other.

Julian Stern, an EC student who recently turned 18, ran for Redondo Beach City Council District 4 in the election this past week.

Though many have scrutinized his experience in making decisions for the community, Stern did not let remarks about his age shake his confidence in pur-suing his dreams.

His passion for politics overrode the comments made by those who did not support the progressive stand taken by Stern to begin the process of pursuing his goals.

No matter what the goal or dream is, age should not be a factor in whether one does or does not pur-sue it.

Following his example, students can take note of the boldness that Stern exemplified and not be de-terred when it comes to chasing a goal or idea.

Students at EC are being given multiple opportu-nities to step out of their comfort zones and create positive change for people near and far.

The EC Feminist Alliance and the Student Devel-opment office are organizing the first annual Social Justice Fair on campus, hoping to encourage students to take note of social justice issues that are happen-ing both locally and globally.

As American author William Faulkner said, “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.”

Passion should not be stifled by anything, but fired by challenge.

Focusing on changing the world, student leaders are breathing a new meaning into the late Aaliyah’s statement, “Age ain’t nothing but a number.”

For those of us who may have have doubted our abilities because of age, stories such as Stern’s can be seen as a reminder that age really doesn’t mean anything when it comes to pursuing goals.

Nenna Olumba27, Nursing

Karly DaquilaCo-News Editor

Nursing is a challenge with its own reward Goals have no minimum age requirement

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Editor-in-Chief .......................................................................Thomas SchmitCo-News Editor ........................................................................ Karly DaquilaCo-News Editor ...........................................................................Rigo BonillaCo-Opinion Editor ...................................................................Monique JudgeCo-Opinion Editor .................................................................. Brian CamachoFeatures Editor .......................................................................Thomas SchmitArts Editor ...................................................................................Rigo BonillaCo-Sports Editor ...................................................................Emerson KeenanCo-Sports Editor ....................................................................Jessica MartinezPhoto Editor ................................................................................. Kyle BordenAdvertising Manager ................................................................ JJ MaldonaldoAdviser .................................................................................. Lori MedigovichAdviser .................................................................................Kate McLaughlinTechnical Support ............................................................................ Don Treat

Vol. 66, No. 11March 7, 2013

E-mail: eccunion@gmail.comNewsroom: (310) 660-3328Advertising: (310) 660-3329

UNIONEL CAMINO COLLEGE

The views expressed in Campus Insight are those of the authors. They do not represent the views or opinions of the Union, its staff, editorial board or advisers.

This column is available to students and faculty. All articles may be submitted to eccunion@gmail.com.

Please note that articles may be edited for content and length

See related article on Page 1

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campus corner

By Karen Garcia

Bennie Barber is the president of the Hands of Friendship Club. Students are welcome to join the club this spring se-mester. Meetings, dispersed on different days of the week each month, are in the Communications Building room 305.

What is the Hands of Friendship Club about?

The Hands of Friendship Club is about sign language interpretation and ultimate-ly learning that it’s not just about moving your hands, it’s a form of communication and a culture.

Are there only specific students that can join the club?

No, anyone can join the club. We have stu-dents who are deaf, students who are not but would like to learn sign language and students that are seeking a profession in sign interpretation.

What makes this club stand out from the other clubs offered here at EC?

What makes this club unique and impor-tant to our campus is that we are the sup-port bridge for those pursuing to be sign language interpreters. Not a lot of people know of the Sign Language Interpreting Program that is offered on this campus, so our club helps spread the awareness.

Why would you encourage students to join Hands of Friendship?

I would encourage students to join Hands of Friendship to get a taste of deaf culture and improve your skills if you know sign language. If you don’t you totally will learn.

Are there any important workshops that your club puts together?

Yes, we have workshops for our members, either working or training interpreters that vary in subjects from learning basic ASL Classifiers to recovery, sex and drugs signs.

Are there any events being planned for the spring semester?

Yes, we have a big workshop planned for April. This one is for the intermediate to advanced sign language interpreters and professional interpreters. This workshop will cover recovery signs used in AA meetings.

Bennie BarberHands of Friendship Club President

Get out of your backyard and enjoy all the South Bay has to offerColumn

I’m taking a math class on the Compton campus this semester.

Instead of driving over there two days a week, I’ve been us-ing our wonderful public transit system and riding the Metro Blue Line to Compton every Tuesday and Thursday.

The first day I rode the Blue Line, I was amazed at everything I saw along the way.

The different people, places, and things made me realize one thing; my life is very westside, and I don’t tend to stray very far from my neighborhood when it’s time

to hang out and get some rest and relaxation.

I would say this is true for most people in the L.A. area. We live in our enclaves, and we tend to stick to them.

We are blessed to live in a city that offers so much in the way of recreation that often times it’s not very necessary to travel more than a few miles from our homes to en-joy ourselves.

I will readily admit that com-ing to the Torrance campus two days a week is my only venture into the south bay area, and when I’m done with class, I’m done with the south bay.

When I’m on campus and I hear people refer to going to the beach, I have to remind myself that they are referring to Redondo, and not Santa Monica or Venice, which is what people on my side of town mean when they reference the sand, water and sun.

The mall usually means South Bay Galleria or Del Amo Fashion

Center, and not Westfield Culver City, the Beverly Center or West-side Pavilion as referenced in my part of the city.

It occurred to me while riding to Compton last week, that segre-gating ourselves into our separate parts of town really is not the way to live.

A fun weekend “staycation” can be had just by making plans to explore other parts of the county we live in.

Those in the south bay can come up to Hollywood, do the Walk of Fame, take in a movie at the Arclight, and experience one of the many eateries that Holly-wood has to offer.

Everyone should take the Blue Line into Long Beach at least once in their L.A. life and walk around the Pike area; take in the sounds, eat some good food, and spend a couple of hours shopping and en-joying the sun in a part of town that is not your own.

I am admittedly a north of

the 105, west of the 110 kind of girl, but riding on the train down Long Beach Boulevard and Wil-lowbrook Avenue showed me just how much of the city I am missing out on.

The first argument most people will make against venturing too far away from where they live is traffic.

Admittedly, L.A. traffic is a beast, but as previously men-tioned, there are other ways of getting around.

The Metro rail system is an ex-cellent means of traveling across town without having to worry about the high cost of gas or the parking lot that is some of our lo-cal freeways.

A day pass runs just $5, and for that money you can see so much, how can you justify staying home?

Take the Green Line to Re-dondo Beach, or take the Expo Line downtown and visit the L.A. Central Library; one of our city’s greatest treasures.

Along the way, you can stop in Exposition Park and take in the beautiful Rose Garden, the Cali-fornia Science Center, the Califor-nia African-American Museum and the Natural History Museum; all located on the same block.

There is really no excuse for not leaving your cul-de-sac to en-joy what L.A. has to offer.

This is the one place where you can choose your own adventure over and over again.

Monique JudgeCo-Opinion Editor

OpiniOnMarch 7, 2013 El Camino College Union 5

The potential closure of the Child Devel-opment Center next year comes down to one thing; the money.

Everyone can agree that the Child Devel-opment Center is essential to the success of some of our students.

Where we can’t agree, however, is how much all of these great things should cost.

According to the board of trustees’ meet-ing agenda from Feb. 19, in the last three fiscal years combined, the total district con-tribution to keep the center fiscally sound was $875,000.

If that figure wasn’t enough, the program serves only 10 students.

They are students who are working long, tiring hours to make a better future for their children.

The problem is that the size of this group doesn’t dictate its importance.

The question becomes then, how can EC support this group without simultaniously racking up huge amounts of debt?

The rest of the student body is just as im-portant to the college, and it severely hurts their opportunities when one entity siphons funds away from them in its inefficiency.

If you weren’t too busy to look at the news in the past couple of years, you know many of the world’s governments, including our own, are broke and can’t agree on how to fix it.

Most will concede, however, that the most moderate and balanced solution in-volves raising taxes as well as cutting gov-ernment spending.

EC has done both by cutting class offer-ings and laying workers off, but voters have responded to these cuts by passing Proposi-tion 30; effectively taxing themselves more heavily because they value what education does for our society.

Everyone has sacrificed to keep places like EC running, and it would be a waste if we kept pouring our meager funds into an inefficient program that has run up increas-ingly higher and higher deficits.

How many professor’s salaries or dis-continued classes does that amount to?

The goal here is not to leave anyone high and dry.

We should close it, not because we have stopped caring, but because we have cared enough.

The number of single mothers seems like it has been rising at an alarming rate.

The same goes for the amount of single mothers in college who are simply trying to further their education and provide a better life for them and their children.

The Child Development Center not only

provides single parents with a safe environ-ment for them to leave their children, but also an opportunity for their children to learn through activities that foster intel-lectual growth as well as social, emotional, and physical development.

This is far better than any ordinary day care center which only supervises children until their parents arrive.

It simplifies and helps their lives in so many ways while giving them the peace of mind that their children are learning as well.

The only problem with this program is the fact that EC is currently spending too much money on the program, $250,000 a year to be exact, and not enough people are using its services.

While this is a very large amount of money that could be used for other ser-vices on campus, closing down the Child Development Center all together is not the answer.

The decision to close down the program will take place next year unless the Child Development Center finds a way to improve and become more capable.

The college should be trying to fix the program and make it more efficient rather than simply cutting it down.

I understand that budget cuts have been effecting our campus as of late, and extra money would sure help but this does not mean we should put the hard working moth-ers who rely on this program at a huge dis-advantage.

One step that could also be taken would be to raise the awareness of the program.

Advocacy should be raised to higher lev-els across campus to provide these women with the help they need.

EC shouldn’t be taking the easy way out by cutting and slashing to save money.

It should be spending its money more wisely and efficiently in order to help out those that are trying to juggle a hectic life full of classes, jobs, and parenthood.Illustration by Eugene Chang

One demographic should not negatively affect everyone else

Cutting programs is not the answer to solving our budget problems

Eric HsiehStaff Writer

Brian CamachoCo-Opinion Editor

up For DeBaTe

Should the Child Development Center be shut down?

please connect with me by email at eccunionmonique@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter @ECCUnionMonique

Join the conversation online at www.eccunion.com

The views expressed in this column are those of the author. They do not repre-sent the views or opinions of the Union, its staff, editorial board or advisers.

campus viewpoinTs

Should the Child Development Center be shut down?By Rigo Bonilla

Ada Dziwill, 24,Psychology

“I think we should keep it going. Psychology majors do research there. It’s changing the lives of the families and students using it.”

Amira Elswify, 21,Cosmetology

“I think they should keep funding it. People need support with their kids while they take classes. They need a place they know is safe for their kids.”

Danny patron, 29,Business

“They can’t cut it. People are dependent on the program. Single parents are dependent on programs like these in order to come to school.”

Anthony Rhone, 18,Undecided

“I think we should cut the money. The priority should be on the other students. Focus on the general students first. Any-one can find a day care.”

ian Chaffey, 19,Physics

“This is a college not a day care. I don’t think they should cut the program. It’s important, but some students can’t even get into regular classes.”

Tahlia Thompson, 19,Administration of Justice

“I think they could cut some of the funding from that pro-gram. That money could be go-ing to other regular classes that need it for actual students.”

6 El Camino College Union March 7, 2013arts

STAR RISING

On the sceneBy Kayla Maaytah

Art

“Washed up” exhibit on campus

Today is the last day to visit “Washed Up: Oceans in Peril,” in the EC Art Gallery. The gallery hours are from noon to 8 p.m. and is located on the first floor of the Arts and Behavioral Science Building. For more information call 310-660-3010.

event

Guest speaker on the art of finding love

Discover the secrets of finding love with a speech by Ava Bald-win Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Mar-see Auditorium for $15. Tickets can be purchased online at www.centerforthearts.org. For more information call the box office at 800-832-ARTS or 310-329-5345.

Performance

Metropolitan Educational Theatre Networks presentation of “Peter Pan”

The Torrance Cultural Arts Center is hosting the Metropolitan Educational Theatre Network’s presentation of, “Peter Pan,” in the James Armstrong Theatre this weekend at 3330 Civic Center Drive. Showtimes for Friday and Saturday are 7:30 p.m. Sunday showtime is at 2 p.m. For more information call the Theatre Box Office at 310-781-7171 or visit www.met2.org.

Guitarist is all originalLorenzo GuttierrezStaff Writer

Wearing a light brown shirt and black sunglasses, as a professional as well as passionate guitarist, Matthew Cruz, undeclared major, carries his guitar around campus.

Having his guitar with him as his best friend, Cruz, 19, didn’t discover his passion for music un-til he saw his dad play and sing at a party at the age of 12.

C r u z also learned about music from a Led Z e p p e l i n music video his father had showed him. There was a lot of energy in the video that he admired, Cruz said.

“My dad is definitely my num-ber one influence in music. He is a great guitarist and a great singer.”

The work and dedication of many famous bands like The Bea-tles, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, and Pearl Jam helped him search for a band to join and he found it

in an ad on Craigslist.Cruz plays several instruments

but his favorite is the electric gui-tar. He has been a member of a band, Real Fiction, for the last six months, where he plays the guitar and is a baritone singer. In their live performances that they did last year from August until the end of November, one of their perfor-mances was at the Whisky a Go-

Go in West Hollywood, Cruz said.

“We are an original rock band, w r i t i n g completely o r i g i n a l rock ‘n’ roll songs, very

blues-based, very classic rock base,” Cruz said. “Currently we are working with Danny B, the producer of 3 Doors Down.”

Occasionally, Cruz writes songs for his band. He doesn’t re-cord them because he is very busy with his band, but when he does, he writes more acoustic and blues songs then decides with his band what music they want for their songs, Cruz said.

Thomas SchmitEditor-in-Chief

While “Jack the Giant Slayer” is by no means a completely ter-rible movie, it’s not a great one either.

The movie has several strong points; its beautiful visuals, tal-ented acting from a stellar cast, and thrilling action sequences are all things to be proud of.

Unfortunately, a laundry list of faults turn what could have been a great film into a merely OK one.

While the actors themselves put on a good show, their perfor-mance can’t help the fact that their characters are static and com-pletely depthless. Bad guys (both human and giant) are evil simply for the sake of being evil, and the protagonists never really develop into more than they started as.

Meanwhile, the plot is unin-spired and predictable, despite attempts to reinvent the story of Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, which comes as a real disappoint-ment considering the works of

director Bryan Singer and screen-writer Christopher McQuarrie, who previously collaborated to-gether on “The Usual Suspects” and “X-Men”.

However, if anything manages to save the movie, it’s the 3D visu-als and special effects. The twist-ing vines of the beanstalk wind-ing their way through the clouds is a beautiful sight, and one scene featuring armies of humans and giants engaged in a life or death game of tug-of-war over a burn-ing moat while arrows and flam-

ing trees sail overhead can be described as nothing less than awesome.

While the film’s pacing dragged at certain points, the movie features some truly heart-pounding action sequences that help you to forget those less inter-esting scenes.

However, something to note about these scenes is that, despite being clearly aimed at younger audiences (something older view-ers will no doubt quickly notice from the cut aways before implied

gruesome deaths), the action se-quences may in fact be too scary for younger children.

Another note needs to be made of the giants themselves, who pro-vide almost all of the movie’s ten-sion, along with a good chunk of the film’s humor.

If you have the money and a group of bored 12-year-olds, “Jack the Giant Slayer” can make for a fun night out. However, those hop-ing for anything more than eye candy and action should probably just save their money.

3D giants barely manage to turn ho-hum into Fee-Fi-Fo-Fun

Tracy Kumono/ UnionMatthew Cruz, 19, undecided major, plays guitar in a band and is working with 3 Doors Down producer, Danny B.

Sudoku

Fill every row across, every row down and every 3x3 box with the digits 1 through 9.

Each digit must appear only oncein each rowacross, each column down and each 3x3

box.For the solution to the puzzle, visit the Union

website,www.eccunion.com

The “It’s Only Another Beer” Black and Tan

8 oz. pilsner lager8 oz. stout lager1 frosty mug1 icy road1 pick-up truck1 10-hour day1 tired workerA few rounds with the guys

Mix ingredients.Add 1 totalled vehicle.

Never underestimate ‘just a few.’Buzzed driving is drunk driving.

sportsOn deckBy Jessica Martinez

BADMINTON

Wednesday at 3 p.m. vs Pasadena City College

BASEBALL

Today at 2 p.m. at Long Beach City College

Saturday at 12 p.m vs. Long Beach City College

Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at Pasadena City College

MEN’S TENNIS

Today at 2 p.m. at Mt. San Antonio College

Tuesday at 2 p.m. vs. Cerritos College

SOFTBALL

Today at 3 p.m. vs. Long Beach City College

Tuesday at 3 p.m. vs. Harbor College

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Today at 2 p.m. vs. Mt. San Antonio College

Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Cerritos College

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Tomorrow at 6 p.m. vs. Santa Monica City College

Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Moorpark College

MEN’S GOLF

Monday at 10 a.m. at Antelope Valley

Men’s team swims past Long Beach and Cerritos to the finish lineBrian CamachoCo-Opinion Editor

There was no shortage of dra-ma Friday as the El Camino men’s and women’s swim teams squared off against arguably their toughest rivals this season, Long Beach and Cerritos.

The men’s team defeated Long Beach by 40 points but beat-ing Cerritos proved to be a much harder task.

The Warriors did not take the lead until the final event but man-aged to close it out against Cerri-tos with an eight point margin of victory.

“Cerritos was a huge challenge for us and a big win,” Coach Co-rey Stanbury said.

Jonathan Diaz won the 1,500 meter race and Hogan Inscore won the 200 individual medley as well as the 100 meter breaststroke.

“They’re swimming extraordi-

narily well despite my best efforts to make them as tired as I possibly can,” Stanbury said jokingly.

The two star swimmers also combined their efforts to win the 400 freestyle relay and put the fin-ishing touches on their successful day.

“That was the thing that put us over the top,” Stanbury said.

The men’s team made an em-phatic statement and is ready to for the state championships.

“They’re performing beyond expectations. This is probably the best men’s team we’ve ever had here. I expect some school records to fall,” Stanbury said.

As for the women’s team, they have been having a rough season so far after their performance in the last meet.

“They’re swimming pretty well, we just don’t have a lot of big, fast people. We have some good swimmers but the rest of the

conference has people that can swim a lot faster,” Stanbury said regarding the women’s team.

The diving team also had a strong outing as Amy Tran won the women’s diving and Shane Guerrero won the men’s diving.

“I’m hoping there is a couple of schools that show up that we haven’t seen before. This will be good practice for us before the state finals if we make it that far,” Stanbury said.

Emerson KeenanCo-Sports Editor

Despite the difficult season for the women’s basketball team, Coach Steve Shaw feels confident going into the next season.

The Warriors finished the sea-son with a win against EC Comp-ton Center, but with a record of 6-18.

Highlights from the past few months were hard to find, but Shaw managed to recall some bright spots for his Warriors.

“Everyone looks at wins and losses as highlights to a season. Unfortunately, we didn’t get many wins,” Shaw said. “And with that said, I felt we got better as the sea-son went on.”

Shaw said the way the players, as well as the team, can improve from this season is to recruit, get better and work hard in preparation for next year.

The team also had a challenging season due to the difficulty of their conference schedule, Shaw said. But he added that they were com-petitive in every game.

The Warriors have 10 players eligible for next season and look to

build on the team’s ambition they already have this year.

A personal highlight for a few players would be that they made the all-conference first and sec-ond teams. Samone Davis made it to first team all-conference, while averaging 10.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds. Kaitlyn Kung, sopho-more, was the top 3-point shooter in the South Coast Conference and made it to second team all-confer-ence.

“One of the highlights for me was in one game I made seven 3-pointers in a game with Los An-geles Trade Tech College,” Kung said.

The Warriors started with 15 women on the team and finished with the same group, regardless of the rough season. Shaw and Kung each said that the team kept up great encouragement throughout the season, which helped keep the team in tact.

Kaela Yonemoto, freshman, is planning on returning next season to help get more wins for the War-riors.

“We can always get better,” said Yonemoto. “Also, I would like to to be more of a leader on the team.”

Track and field team prepares for seasonLorenzo GuttierrezStaff Writer

Fresh into the new season, the men’s and women’s track and field players are prepared to race their opponents to the finish line.

The season began Feb. 9 and the team has already received high scores in a number of events at a meet at Pasadena City College, ac-cording to a Track and Field EC report.

“Our training started back in September, offseason,” coach Dean Lofgren said.

This season, the men’s and women’s track and field teams are training at Compton because the facility at EC is under construction, Lofgren said.

“We can use that facility for free because it is part of EC and is un-der EC authority; also, we have an

agreement with North High School that we are working on,” Lofgren added.

The track and field team com-petes in 17 different events during their meets which includes jump-ers, distance runners, sprints, and relays.

The coach is working on devel-oping the runners’ skills as well as preparing them to transfer to a uni-

versity.Half of the players from last

season have transferred, allowing several newcomers to join the team and contribute to its success, Lof-gren said.

The primary goal is to help the freshmen and sophomores. Lofgren wants them to become better track and field athletes as well as do ex-tremely well academically.

Tomas Snur is a new runner for the team this season with goals in mind.

“I want to run faster than I did in high school,” Snur said. “I want to break my scores from high school.”

With 30 years of coaching ex-perience, Lofgren is learning new things every season.

“We learned to adjust with the changing of the times without sac-rificing our academic and athletic standards,” Lofgren said.

Men’s and women’s tennis teams serve it up in close matchesSteven Tran Staff Writer

Chung Young Shin’s oppo-nent calls for a time-out to see a trainer; Shin zips up her warm-up jacket to seal a default victory for El Camino.

Anthony Ya’s opponent returns a ball which stalls in the air until Ya slams it to the ground; the ball speeds to the right while the op-ponent sprints left.

The women’s tennis team won 8-1 against Cerritos College on Feb. 28, but the men’s team lost 3-6 against Mt. San Antonio Col-lege two days prior.

“Everyone is good skill-and teammate-wise. They act mature and professional; we get along very well. I feel like we are a team and a family,” Karin Endo, 21, said.

For both teams, Mt. SAC may be more of a challenge than other schools.

“I think Mt. SAC was tougher than Cerritos. We have to put our energy into everyone, but more on Mt. SAC,” Endo said.

The women’s tennis team is undefeated with the exception of a 4-4 tie against Mt. SAC on Feb. 26, Kia Choi, 20, said.

“We tied 4-4 with Mt. SAC, so

we still have to go back and finish that,” Ashley Guerrero, 26, said.

Coach Steven Van Kanegan said the women’s performance against Cerritos on Feb. 28 was “sloppy.”

“Several players were nervous and never got into a groove. It wasn’t our finest performance,” Van Kanegan added.

Choi struggled in her first set, 7-5, but overcame her nervousness in the second set for a 6-1 win.

“Mentally, it was a stepping stone for me,” Choi said.

In addition, Shin, 26, film ma-jor, said she was nervous through-out her match; Shin won the sec-ond set by default after winning 6-2 in the first set.

“I want each player to contin-ue to perform and improve,” Van Kanegan said.

Injuries have caused the men’s team to struggle and adapt to shifts in their line-up, Sergio

Guerra, 26, said.“I think we still haven’t set-

tled,” Guerra said. “We were just getting used to the line-up we al-ready had.”

Eric Sanders, 21, said the team is very young, and will keep try-ing to improve as the season pro-gresses.

“I know it’s going to be tough, but I feel if everyone gives 100 percent, then we will be able to pull it off,” Chris Fisher, 18, said.

To contrast the men’s team, be-cause of their current success, the women have their goals set toward a state title.

“I want our team to go to state championships, but no pressure on our team,” Endo said.

Shin said her dream would be for the team to win at state.

“They are capable of a state title; we have the potential and it’s in our reach, but it’s much too early to say,” Van Kanegan said.

Van Kanegan added that the team must focus on a conference title first.

“We always have another match and another opponent,” Choi said.

The women’s tennis team will play Mt. SAC at 2 p.m. at home to-day and the men’s tennis team will play Cerritos at 2 p.m. at home on Tuesday.

Cary Majano/ UnionChung Young Shin, 26, hits the ball back to Cerritos at a home game on Feb. 28.

“We get along very well. I feel like we are a team and a family.”

—Karin Endo tennis player

EC Players on the All South Coast

Conference Team

Samone Davis, - Sophomore, first team

- Average of 10.3 points per game

- Average of 6.7 rebounds per game

- Shot 42.3 percent from the field

- Shot 44 percent from the 3-foot range

- Scored 29 points in her last game

Kaitlyn Kung - Sophomore, second team

- Average of 9.4 points a game - Scored 61 3-pointers this

season - Shot 73.3 percent from the

free throw line - Scored 21 points in a game

against L.A. Trade Tech - Made 70 3-pointers during

her time as a Warrior

“I want to run faster than I did in high school. I want to break my scores from high school.”

—Tomas Snur runner

sportsMarch 7, 2013 El Camino College Union 7

Women’s basketball season ends strong

Brian Camacho Co-Opinion Editor

Defense was the name of the game Thursday as the Warriors managed to pull out a 3-2 win over Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) that came down to the last inning.

Coming off another close game in Santa Barbara two nights before, which went into extra innings, the Warriors were able to come back home and stay focused as they improved their record to 6-7.

“It’s a good team and they played well so it feels good to beat them,” coach Nate Fernley said.

The Warriors jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first two in-nings on a couple of line-drive singles by first basemen Dylan Hatch and outfielder Johnny Palmer.

Although the Warriors were able to get seven hits off of SBCC pitching, they just could not find any consistency at the plate, only scoring one more run in the fifth inning, but in a game of inches and close calls, that one run would prove to be all they need.

Despite the shaky performance from their offense, it was actually the defense that came through for them in the end and solidified the victory.

“We still made a couple of errors, which we have to correct, but we react better to our errors. I like the way we played today,” Fernley said.

The Warriors defense got off to a slow start this year, but has slowly been im-proving each and every game, with the team committing fewer errors each time.

“We had two errors, I’d like to have zero. That’s our standard.” Fernley said.

The team has been trying hard to meet those standards by focusing a lot more on defensive drills during practices.

“It’s been intense; we’ve been doing a lot more diving drills during practice; I like it a lot though,” Rex Calkins, in-feilder, and a redshirt sophomore said.

The dividends payed off as the War-riors defense backed up star pitcher sophomore Rafael Ramirez throughout

the game. This was Ramirez’s third win of the

season as he has quickly established himself as the ace of the team.

“We work hard in practice to mini-mize the number of errors we have ev-ery game. I’m happy my defense is com-ing through and making plays for us,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez had another strong outing, holding SBCC to only three hits and kept them scoreless throughout the five innings.

Although once the sixth inning came around, SBCC finally broke through to him scoring 2 runs which cut the War-riors lead to one.

“The sixth inning is always the shaki-est for me. Once I get there they always end up having big innings but I battled through it, my defense backed me up, and we got the win so that’s all that mat-ters,” Ramirez said.

SBCC threatened to score in the top

of the ninth inning, but could not break through against the solid pitching of reliever Josh Mingura, as he closed out the game thanks to some key defensive plays.

“They’re a really good team. Great competition and it was a good win for us,” Sean Isaac said.

The real season now begins as con-ference play starts March 5 with a three game series against Long Beach City College. The Warriors lost the first game 10-3.

The Warriors will head into confer-ence play with an emerging sense of confidence as well as a two game win streak which puts them just one game below .500.

“What I like is that we’re actually playing better. We got a little swagger, a little pep in our step. We’re going to go in and try to keep this momentum,” Fernley said.

Golf team gives good effort but ends up second at Saboba Springs TournySteven TranStaff Writer

On a par-5 hole, Erwyn Lam’s shot strayed out of bounds; Lam recovered it onto the fairway, places it on the green, and putts for par in what could have been an eagle.

Meanwhile, James Harpur waits on a partner from an opposing college and this threw off Har-pur’s rhythm

On Feb. 25, the El Camino Men’s golf team placed second in the Saboba Springs tournament.

“It shows we are making progress. We are not all there, as a team,” James Harpur, 20, business administration major said. “It’s difficult to get all the guys to shoot what they are capable of shooting on the same day. We still haven’t shown that this season.”

The Warriors will familiarize themselves in a practice round at Crystalaire Country Club in prep-aration to compete on March 6, Lam, 24, business major said.

“Crystalaire is a funky course; the greens are

difficult,” Harpur said. “It seems physically impos-sible how the ball moves on the green, so we will play practice rounds to gain course knowledge.”

The Warriors will make a phone call to speak with the Crystalaire course designer, and receive tips from local golfers on their practice round, Harpur said.

After losing to College of the Desert by five strokes on Feb. 25, Stacy Komai, coach, said the long waits during the tournament made it difficult to maintain a “rhythm.”

“The people that you play with have a huge im-pact on your performance,” Lam said, “and as much as you don’t want to take it into consideration, they will eventually affect your game.”

Lam added that it’s tough to maintain mental fo-cus because of many factors, but he believes that it is possible.

“Golf is a weird sport where some days you have it and some days you don’t,” Harpur added. “It’s tough to get five different guys with their own swings, their own game, and try to get them all to perform well on the same day.”

sportsThursday March, 7, 2013 El Camino College Union 8

Brian Camacho Co-Opinion Editor

The men’s volleyball team won a grueling match in Santa Barbara Friday night by a total of three sets to one.

Players from the team were hinting this could be a turning point on their season.

“This was a big road win for us,” Frank Flanagan, sophomore, setter, said. “When we played them last year, at Santa Barbara, and lost, it was a rough ride back.”

Flanagan described that this game was a bit of re-demption for the game that they lost last year.

The Warriors were able to even up their record to 4-4 heading into conference play.

Despite winning the match 3-1, nothing came easy for the warriors as each set was closely contested to the very end, with SBCC refusing to give up.

“The way we played in the second set (of 5), was like we were in preseason,” Matt Pimblett, sopho-more outside hitter, said.

The first set was won by a score of 25-21, second set was lost 19-25, third set was won 25-22 and fi-nally the warriors closed out the game with a decid-ing 25-16 set.

Flagan felt that the team limited the unforced errors. This helped the team finish the match in 4 sets and not 5.

After seven non-conference games, the Warriors started the real season ready to make a statement and get started off on the right foot.

Sophomore, Danny Welch, middle blocker said that a lot of weight was on this game against Santa

Barbara. He was happy they got what they wanted accomplished done.

“Everybody we play is good,” coach Dick Blount said. “If we go out there and guys aren’t initially ready to play then you lose. It’s a chal-lenge for the kids coming out of high school.”

After a shaky start, the team has been building some positive momentum going forward, finding the proper balance needed to win.

“I’ve been changing lineups and changing up things. When the season starts, sometimes you go in another direction,” Coach Dick Blount said.

The Warriors will need to keep this consistency if they are to go far in conference play and make it to the state finals but the team knows they have a good chance accomplishing this.

“We’re better than we were last year,” Blount said “Every year the goal is to win state.”

The Warriors will have a chance to rest with a bye week before resuming play March 8 against Santa Monica.

Pimblett were pointing toward Long Beach as being the rival of the Warriors. He said consisten-cy is the key to moving forward with the season.

This is because Long Beach City College which has won the last three conference titles as well as last year’s state championship.

But before the Warriors play Long Beach City College on Wednesday, March 20 they will play Santa Monica on Friday at 6 p.m. in the South Gym.

“If we play like we did in those last two games of the 5 game set, we can compete with the best teams in the state,” said Pimblett.

Phil Prins/ Union

Warriors’ infielder Tony Poncia connects with the baseball during his first up at bat in the bottom of the first inning of the Warriors’ Feb. 28 game against the Santa Barbra City College Vaqueros. The game was a close scoring one but the Warriors held on to a one run lead to end the game with a win, 3-2.

“We got a little swagger, a little pep in our step.”

—Coach Fernley

Defense saves day for Warriors in win

Volleyball team gets redemption with away victory at Santa Barbara