LA Collegian 160-2

Volume 160, Number 2 March 11, 2009

Lady Cubs Redeemed

The Student Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929

LoS AngeLeS

Voters Ignore L.A. Times

Student Dies from Heart Complications

Students Join Rally for Women’s Rights

ASO Reorganizes to Achieve Success

By Jamie Hong, additional reporting by Steve La and Theresa Adams

Two members of the Los Angeles Com-munity College District Board of Trustees re-tained their posi-tions following last week’s city elections. Voters returned Nancy Pearlman, Seat 6 and Miguel Santiago, Seat 7 to the LACCD after both candi-dates received a thumbs-down from the Los Angeles Times.

A Times editorial dated Feb. 24, 2009 asked "Where are all the knowledgeable people with a passion for bringing higher edu-cation to the masses?" The voters seem to feel they are already here and they remained loyal to the two incumbents.

Santiago received a major-

Faculty and students called for emergency assistance after an 18-year-old geography student passed out in class.

By Matthew Lopes and LaTijera Griffith

Marshall High School alumna and Los Angeles City College student, Meggan Pandy, died at Children's Hospital on Monday of last week after losing con-sciousness during a morning ge-ography class in the Chemistry Building.

It was just 40 days before her 19th birthday.

Jennifer Setayesh, Princess Monique and several other class-mates noticed that Pandy leaned to the side of her desk several minutes before class began. They say she appeared uncon-scious and they noticed a “faint twitch”—which waas probably a pacemaker that was reportedly implanted in 2008.

When Professor Marla Conti entered the classroom, students told her that they thought Pan-dy was having a seizure. Conti instructed students to get help

ity of more than 111,000 votes to Lowry’s 91,000. Pearlman won 48% of the votes, defeating her five challengers by a landslide with more than 99,000 votes. The nearest challenger, Robert Naka-hiro only got 27,000 votes.

Nancy Pearlman serves as chair of the Infrastructure Com-mittee that reviews all construc-tion under Propositions A/AA and Miguel Santiago works as a Special Assistant of External Af-fairs for the Office of the Board of Equalization.

After three attempts by the Collegian to speak with the Los Angeles Times by tele-phone, the Editor of Editorials Pages, Jim New-ton sent an email, in which he

Women'S RigHtS on page 9

timeS anD tRuSteeS on page 9

aSo on page 5

CBar None: Ballet Dancers Move with Class

It's a 'narrow Road' to City's Theatre Academy on March 20

City College Cries out

FeATuReSARTS & enTeRTAInMenTopInIon

page 7page 8page 3

See related story on page 2

See full story on page 12

Meggan Pandy

Cubs guard, Jessica Torres drives around Cypress defender in South Coast Conference playoffs Feb. 28.

while she found department lab technician, Al Germaine, who alerted chemistry department chair, Dr. John Freitas.

L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Pfeiffer told the Colle-gian that Security Officer Arman-do Cano was the first to respond to the emergency.

Several of the students were first aid certified, but Setayesh says that they wanted to wait for authorities to arrive.

Students moved Pandy from her seat to a ramp on the side of the room. They placed a sweat-shirt under her head as a cushion.

Witnesses disagree on the re-

sponse time. Monique said that it took five minutes for sheriffs to arrive and 15 minutes for the EMTs. None of the witnesses however, dispute the mood in the room. Several people repeat-ed that everyone in the class felt helpless.

"We wished she had a brace-let so we could have known what was wrong," Conti said. "We wished there was more we could do."

Pandy's mother told Conti that her daughter was a recent transfer from Pasadena City College and she liked LACC be-cause of all the friendly people on campus. Pandy’s mother also told Conti that her daughter suf-fered two previous cardiac ar-rests.

"It's a very somber thing,” Germaine said. "Her classmates are very sensitive about the whole thing."

Conti is collecting money to be donated in Meggan Pandy's name to the Children's Heart Unit at Children's Hospital. Anyone interested in helping can reach Marla Conti at [email protected], at her office in Chemistry 202 or through the Earth Science Division staff.

Photo courtesy of Tracie Pandy

By Ronnie T. Clark and Hamza Utman

Behind the steady roar of traf-fic, Los Angeles City College student activists marched and performed in honor of women all over the world during the Inter-national Women’s Day rally in Westwood on Saturday.

International Women’s Day celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of wom-en around the world. The Interna-tional Women’s Day Coalition of Los Angeles organized the event. Members of the Feminist Club and poet, Daniel Morales Leon, represented LACC at the demon-stration. Los Angeles bookstore, Libros Revolucion, Students for Critical Thinking and other stu-dent organizations endorsed the march. Speakers of various eth-nic backgrounds addressed issues

LACC students gather with others in solidarity for International Women’s Day

that affect women in their com-munities with emphasis on Iran, Afghanistan and Palestine.

"This movement is not against Islam, but against the fundamen-talists who want women to wear veils, and where men can be ex-ecuted for not wearing a beard,” said Wendy De La Torre, press contact for The International Women's Day Coalition. “It's the U.S. who is supporting these forces,” De La Torre told the Col-legian.

De La Torre said the loca-tion of the march was strategic. Demonstrators met on Westwood and Pico Boulevards, half a mile from UCLA and close to the heart of Westwood’s Iranian commu-nity. Each speaker addressed a specific issue that pertains to the women of the community they

Photo by Jordan Angulo/LA Collegian

LACCD Trustees Nancy Pearlman and Miguel Santiago prevail at the polls despite L.A. Times

Greetings from BeninDaniel oh, africa correspondent reports celebrations with Barack obama's elections.Page 5

Theatre Academy Open 80th

City College theatre academy prepares for 'narrow Road to the Deep north,' opens march 20. Page 8

Campus Improvements Costnew Buildings and construction projects slow student and fac-ulty movement around campus. 0

Editorial Page 2

Opinion Pages 3, 4

News Pages 5, 9

Features Pages 6, 7

Arts & Page 8Entertainment

Campus Page 10 Highlights

Sports Pages 11, 12

INDEX

By Derek Villanueva

Students at Los Angeles City College (LACC) may have voted for student gov-ernment candidates Maria Rivera or Jacob Lohr but no matter who constituents vot-ed for in last spring’s elec-tion, the representatives are not in office today.

Last semester three peo-ple were sworn in as presi-dent of the Associated Stu-dents Organization (ASO). Two of the three stepped down from office during the fall. Rivera succeeded Arson Mkrthcyan and remained in office for a short time before Vice President-elect, Kim-berly Davis, stepped into the role. Davis submitted her resignation shortly before the spring semester started.

Before leaving office, Davis appointed James Ze-tino as her successor.

“She resigned,” Zetino

said. “There was a hearing not an actual action.”

A suggestion that academic responsibility kept Rivera and Davis from continuing in the senate resulted in the selection of Zetino as a replacement for Rivera.

Student representatives ques-tioned Zetino’s appointment, as he was not listed as a candidate on last year’s ballot and Zetino denies allegations that college administrators selected him, an action that would violate the ASO senate bylaws.

Linda Tong the current vice president and a member of the last administration was also se-lected vice president. Both say faculty members did not partici-pate in the selection of the offi-cers.

“This is not our administra-tion but the student’s administra-tion,” Tong said.

Agreeing with Tong, Zetino discusses the time and effort one must dedicate in order to have an effective administration.

“You have to remember that above everything, we are stu-dents,” Zetino said. “It’s a bal-ancing act. A good leader is

The number of students enrolled at LACC for

Spring 2009.

The total number of parking spaces in LACC's

parking lot.

The amount of money cut from the CSU and USC

school system.

The total estimated amount of the Pell Grand funds for the 2009-2010 school year.

Media Arts Department, Chemistry 208Los Angeles City College

855 n. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029

editor-in-Chief: Theresa Adams

Managing editor: Jamie Hongnews editors: Tim Carpenter, Steve La, Matthew Lopes,

Hamza Utmanopinion editor: Tercius Bufete Feature editor: Jamie Hong

Arts & entertainment editor: Monica OlofssonSports editor: Mars Melnicoff photo editor: Jorge Ponce

Distribution Manager: CollegianAdvertising: Theresa Adams, Tim Carpenter

graphics: Beatrice Alcala, Lilit Atshemyan, Tercius Bufete, Esther Castanho, Ashley Gonzalez, Derek Villanueva

Reporters Theresa Adams, Virginia Bulacio, Tim Carpenter, LaTijera

Griffith, Jamie Hong, Matthew Lopes, Mars Melnicoff, Frances O'Hara, Veronica Reynolds, Danielle Rivera, Jessica Rivera,

Victoria Safarian, Hamza Utmanphotographers

Jordan Angulo, Jesse Gantt, Jorge PonceCartoonists

Lilit Atshemyan, Tercius Bufete, Esther Hirzel, Derek Villanueva

Faculty Adviser: Rhonda Guess

email: [email protected] / Advertising offices: (323) 953-4000, ext. 2831

Monday and Wednesday

The college newspaper is published as a learning experience, offered under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff.

Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, Los Angeles City College, or any officer or employee thereof.

© 2003 Collegian. No material may be reprinted without the express written permission of the Collegian.

NExT ISSuE: March 25

Editorial deadline:March 18

For all submissions including letters to the editor and

publicity releases.

Advertising deadline:March 18

Send materials to Collegian office: Chemistry 208

Editorial los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 20092

Tell it to the editor, editorials and opinions!

Email the "Collegian" [email protected]

Dear Editor:

This letter will inform you about my feelings about the first issue for

the spring semester of the Col-legian. My feedback will in-clude some negative as well as some positive comments, but mostly it is intended to help you to improve the quality and thoughtfulness of the articles that mean to inform and enter-tain the attending students of Los Angeles City College.

The first issue that caught my eye is the murder article posted on the front page. While this is tragic news, I do not

Dear Collegian Staff:

I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but I did have a question for

you. Where is your coverage of the Associated Students Or-ganization?

As a former student publi-cation, staff writer, I find that those students who don’t cov-er student government should be able to cover these meet-ings. Let me take a guess, you find them boring, yes? Every-body does, and I should know. Having been part of the stu-dent publication Talon Marks at Cerritos Community Col-lege for two years I covered its student government and even

If Los Angeles City Col-lege (LACC) can afford to build a new library

with no new books, it could definitely afford to give some money to departments that need it.

Both the photography and cinema departments are in need of financial assistance. The cinema budget is so low they can only afford to buy light bulbs for the sound stage’s lights.

Some students came to LACC for the express pur-pose of studying in the cin-ema program.

believe it should be on the front page. The sole reason is that it is bad publicity for the school. While one can argue that this is untrue, having a teacher possibly being known as a murderer who has worked in this school could generate bad public relations.

Among other things, I’ve found the comics section to be quite lackluster. I have found the comics about Tully’s to be random and refreshing, but I’ve found no sense in the comic re-garding Curious Jorge, and the general artwork of the section could be improved, save for the

parking comic, which was pretty good.

These were the only things that caught my eye when I did a fairly quick skim through the paper. The other sections I’ve found to be quite average. I’ve not found anything to nitpick about them and the sports sec-tions with the color pages were a nice touch.

I do hope you take these criticisms under consideration.

Looking forward to your next issue.

Josh

though at times I found the meet-ing to be boring, or perhaps unin-formative I know the importance of these meeting and that they will be able to help the general population of LACC.

While the color in the news-paper is great, there are addition-al things that the newspaper can use. Better leads for your stories, using majors to identify students and fewer columns about issues that are unrelated to students, like your recent column about why students should attend events to support its campus teams. How, exactly, does that affect LACC students? Absolutely, in no way! There is someone willing and

able. Ask for help when you

need it. I am willing to be a contributor; and this is from someone who has been here since last summer. If you want to be one of the best student publications in the state of California, start covering your student government because if you don’t then, you will re-alize why Cerritos College’s Talon Marks gets General Excellence Awards during the Statewide Journalism Confer-ence.

Norma Palacios

Letters to the editor

Dear Editor:

Earthquake Drill or a Cry for Help

After reading “Students Shake Off Earthquake Drill,” by William

Dewitt, I’m inclined to be-lieve that had there been a real emergency that day the minor confusion felt across campus would have turned into manic chaos. Referring to the major lack of communication, lack of information and complete lack of uniformity that swept over faculty and students alike, if

the goal was to give better under-standing of the actions needed to take place during such situations, I’ll be the first to say, “Mission failed … miserably.”

The disorder on campus ranged from classes acting in-dependently, to aimless students and clueless faculty, to what I found perhaps most disturbing: remote bungalows were outright neglected. These bungalows re-ceived no warning from staff, nor alarms, nor, in the very least, prior notice of the drill.

The ways in which the drill

was handled exemplify the school’s bigger issue, a virtu-ally “wing-it,” approach for dealing with a campus disaster. We have not yet learned from the unfortunate series of school campus tragedies that swept America in just the last decade. Does it really take a building collapse or a shooting rampage on campus to drive home the message of urgency when it comes to safe, effective emer-gency procedures?

Javier Inzunza

By Tracie Pandy

Our beautiful Meggan was born April 14, 1990 in Apple Valley CA. She

was born small but mighty. She had a compassion for life, hu-man kindness and for the world around her. Her love for music is beyond words and I believe mu-sic helped her through her hard-est times.

Her goal was to experience life to the fullest and wanted a career in art. She could not wait to be 18 so she could vote in one of the utmost important elections and I am so grateful she had the

opportunity to do so. She was so happy to at-

tend LACC. She enjoyed the fact that everyone was eager to learn and took their lives and goals seriously. Although her experience at LACC was short, I am grateful she had the chance. She was patient, loving and the most gracious person we have ever had in our lives. She amazed us every day and we can't imagine our lives without her. When we said goodbye, we thanked her for the most beautiful 18 years of our lives.

Cinema needs Bigger Budget

Remembering Meggan

Dear Editor:

RE: "Assignment Draws Censorship Lawsuit"

I'm glad that Mr. Mat-teson stopped Mr. Lo-pez from finishing his

speech. Let's not forget about

the gay and lesbian students that may have been in that classroom being subjected to hateful and discrimina-tory words without a choice in the matter.

Its not just free speech. Its hate speech. And you seem to be ignoring the damage this lawsuit has had on the gay and lesbian students attending LACC.

It is my hope that all teachers would stand up for equality and stop hate speech in their classrooms. Not only for the LGBT stu-dents but also for any mi-nority group that is a victim of hate, including religion.

Sincerely,

Travis Wood

Illustration by Ashley Gonzalez/LA Collegian

Students, wake up! This is your campus. Help keep it clean.

The restrooms are checked hourly for cleanliness and supplies. The staff is com-mitted to making this the flagship campus of the dis-trict.We cannot do this alone. Your support is greatly ap-preciated.

Lawrence BuseyOperations Manager

Dear Editor:

Response to 'Restless in the Restroom,' in the Feb. 25 edition of the Collegian

Some might ask, why not just transfer to a four-year university? No one is asking for brand new facili-ties. If the department were able to receive a little more money for its budget, a lot of equipment could be repaired and replaced.

Some students say they have not seen new equip-ment in three years in cin-ema. If you want to keep attracting new students from abroad, out of state or just from the greater Los Ange-les area, you need to offer them a little more.

opinion 3los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 2009

GRAPHIC BY ASHLEY GONZALEZ

© 2009

By Derek Villanueva

LACC's Slogan - "Build your future, literally" By Lilit Atshemyan

Chinese's intentional Lunar crash landing

LACC's Phantom Cheerleaders

Question:Do your students have the same free speech rights inside the class-room as they do outside of it?

Compiled by: Jessica RiveraPhotos by: Lisette alvarez

Mark ContaLaw instructor

"they can't cross the line and threaten the president of the united States, but if they want to speak freely, yes they can."

Mattie MoonSocial Sciences Dept. Chair

"no. the classroom is not a democracy. Certain speech is not acceptable and if i feel that you are going too far, you will be stopped."

Horacio FonsecaHistory instructor

"i allow students to speak their mind. i defend their right to say what they want, but i think that stu-dents should speak with their head and not with their heart."

Galust Mardirussianenglish instructor

"i usually give students uni-versal issues to discuss and students can have any opin-ion they want to express."

Phyllis Muldavinarts instructor

"it depends what we do in class. if there is violence in art, i would be concerned. if i hear students talk vio-lently about a certain group, i would certainly stop it."

By Adrienn Overall

The ever-present construc-tion zone seems to have become a staple of life for

most of us. My biggest problem with construction zones, besides catcalls, is that they create a maze full of start, stop and turn-arounds that make me dizzy. In a car one usually has the benefit of a bright flashing street sign for guidance, but on foot, finding your war around closed sidewalks and half-demolished buildings becomes downright frustrat-ing. Why is it that construc-tion zones lead you through twists and turns from point A to D to E to get you to point B. The metal mazes are put in place for our safety, but you must wonder what the logic is behind the zigzags and dead ends. It would seem to be safer and more time efficient for ev-eryone to travel along the short-est, simplest route to bypass the construction hazard. I started my first class here at LACC in February. As I walked toward my class I stopped sud-denly past the Men’s and Wom-en’s Gyms. I discovered this end of campus to be under construc-tion and my clear-cut route to class, blocked. I stood facing a

jumble of fencing that had been thrown together to lead me safely between construction zones. I had a choice to make, “Which route will lead me through this mess and out to the path I need to be on?” This metal mess looked simple enough. Logically, I as-sumed that if I followed the route

that appeared to lead around the side of the building to a pathway I could see was open to pedestri-ans. I figured that this pathway would lead me to another path-way in the distance that I could see was also open to pedestrians. This was not the case! This fenc-ing did in fact lead me around the side of the building but it came to a dead end on the other side. I was trapped between a locked door and a chain-linked wall on the very edge of the pathway I needed to get to class. My options were to jump the fence (which I

would have done had I not been wearing a skirt and heels) or turn around and go back to the begin-ning. I trekked to class through this construction jungle starting, stopping and turning around the entire way. The makeshift mazes are set up to direct our movement through

a dangerous area. They are put up and moved around quickly as the construction zones change. However, little thought seems to be put in to where they are be-ing moved to and more time spent on just getting them out of the way. Multiple routes spring up all over when you have construction zones in close proximity to each other. It seems to be

lack of communication and rush-ing around that creates these con-struction jungles and headaches for pedestrians. It is so frustrating to come to a dead end and look over to find that it was the path-way to your left that would have lead you out correctly on the first try. I ask the construction workers who are responsible for the setup of these metal mazes, please keep the sanity of pedestrians in mind when deciding where to erect the next fence. And please provide coherent directions to guide us to our campus destinations.

opinion los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 20094

By Andrew Gates

Well it’s about time! I’ve been waiting for a place like this and

Tully’s Coffee House is it. I’ve

Tully’s the Great

Construction Creates Jungle

seen this campus grow over the past five years. No, I’m not a doctor, lawyer or professor. I took a semester of classes back in 2004. I’ve often wondered if there would ever be a place where students could congregate, study, or just chill. I would like to give kudos to LACC for bringing us this fine establish-ment. I was really impressed when I came back from my five year hiatus to see we had a new place on campus. I really like Tully’s. It has a great atmosphere, the staff seems friendly and the layout is open. You don’t feel like you’re in a herd of cattle trying to get your fix.

My biggest problem with construction zones, besides catcalls, is that they create a maze full of start, stop and

turnarounds that make me dizzy.

I do have a couple of beefs, however. One is the location. It’s on the opposite side of campus away from half of my classes. Trying to get that much needed cup o’ Joe is virtually impossible. Two, is the music. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of hip-hop, but it’s nice to go to a place and hear some-thing other than hip-hop for a change. Maybe we could try some variety (i.e: local art-ists, classic rock, etc.) Just anything but country, sorry cowboys and girls, I’m not a fan. All I’m saying is you got a great place; let’s try to appeal to a wider audience.

Keep Church and State Separate

City College Needs a Student Center

Free Speech or Censorship?

By Marc Loresto

Religion should be kept out of the classroom, especially at state insti-

tutions like Los Angeles City College, where a Christian stu-dent sued the Los Angeles Com-munity College District over an incident in one of his classes. Jonathan Lopez delivered a speech against same-sex mar-riage and the professor, John Matteson, would not let him fin-ish.

Students should be able to express themselves freely, es-pecially in the classroom where everyone benefits from sharing each other’s views and opinions. However, a student who decides to share religious views in a state

college should think twice: are they expressing their views or are they preaching?

People go to college to be-come educated and have their horizons expanded. Students do not want to get preached at—

even if a student like Lopez is sharing a speech. What if ev-ery religious person decided to write speeches about what their religion tells them? What if a Muslim student who strongly believes in jihad shared a speech supporting those beliefs?

The separation of church and

state needs to be upheld in all its forms because students who dis-agree with those beliefs should not have to feel persecuted in their own classroom, something they are paying for.

A Los Angeles Times articles reports, “Lopez … is described in the suit as a Christian who considers it a religious duty to share his beliefs, particularly with other students.” Lopez needs to Google, “separa-tion of church and state,” and then maybe he will learn that he should keep his views to himself

because students were, “deeply offended,” said Dean Allison Jones.

After he Googles that, he should look up, “holy war re-ligious duty,” and see what ex-treme people can do because they feel like it’s a “duty” to share their beliefs.

The separation of church and state needs to be upheld in all its forms because students who dis-agree with those beliefs should not have to feel persecuted in their own classroom, something they are paying for.

By Rosemary Giron

Recently I was in-formed about the in-cident that happened

on the LACC campus con-cerning a Christian student and a Speech 101 professor during 2008 Fall semester. My current position does not side with the student and his decision to speak on such a topic nor do I side with the way the professor decided to handle the situation. Without trying to justify the profes-sor’s conduct, I believe that such a topic that intermin-gles religion with modern dilemmas, such as same-sex marriage or just religion all on its own should be kept out of the classroom.

There is a time and a

place for such a topic; the class-room should not be one of them. It was clear that the professor was offended, many of the stu-dent’s peers may have felt the same way and chose not to speak about it, which was probably for the best. I find such topics diffi-cult to discuss with close friends or relatives, I would expect this discussion to be that more diffi-cult to be carried on with some-one I hardly know.

With that said, students should be aware that their rights are not taken away upon entering a public area (LACCD campuses are public areas). Many students feel that their rights are lessened on school grounds; they’re not. However as students, we must make sure our actions or words are appropriate. Know that there are other ways you can voice you

opinion. Our school newspa-per has an opinion section; perhaps you can organize a time for a demonstration or a peaceful debate. If the class-room is where you’d like to hold this or similar types of conversation, I think it’s best to ask the teacher and the students for their approval. These are strong topics that can quickly get out of hand.

We should all feel free to voice our opinion. It would be ideal if staff would en-courage students to do so, and for the student to take the proper measures on how to carry out such actions. As for religion in the classroom, I believe it should never be discussed. It’s such a touchy subject because it is so per-sonal, so let’s keep it that way.

Freedom of Speech on School Grounds

By Jamie Sukyoung Hong

Students need a place where they can choose to unwind for a couple minutes before

their next class, revamp with cof-fee, or have a quick study session in a more relaxed environment; a student center; a center, which reflects a study atmosphere in a conversational surrounding; a laid-back study area for students.

Campus life at Los Angeles City College consists of diverse types, such as extremely busy full-time students with full-time jobs, the easygoing scholars and the workaholics who take classes for personal interests. Not every student would use a student cen-ter, but no one would object to a student center.

The center can offer the ex-tremely busy a place on campus for a quick coffee boost. For those who commute from far, it would be an area to rest before the long drive home, and for those who have time to kill be-fore class, a student center would be a perfect, convenient area to eat, study and chat before the next class.

I am not asking for fireworks, a bowling alley, a couple of pool tables, a mini bar in the back, Wii, plush leather sofas and a wide screen television. All I ask is for a comfortable, casual study environment.

Joomi Lee is a full-time stu-dent who also works. She says, “I don’t have time to take my car outside of the campus to a Star-bucks during the day, and other small restaurants [walking dis-tance] are too noisy to study … I live an hour away from campus … I have to sleep in my car when I need a place to rest for 30 min-utes until my next activity.”

Daniel Lim is also a full-time student who does not work and says, “I have maybe two to three hours in between classes, I live near campus, but with the traffic, it doesn’t make sense to drive home and come back … I like the idea of the student center then, I don’t have to keep walk-ing around campus.”

Instead of studying in the li-brary, leaving to find food and another place for coffee, then coming back to the library to fin-ish my work, I need one place

where I can find decent food with coffee, can bring my lap-top and edit my papers, study, then call my friend to com-plain about studying without leaving the building, all in one sitting; a productive student center.

With the new library, Tul-lys and the parking lot, LACC continues making strides to create a more convenient en-vironment for students. I am also taking 19 units with un-favorable working hours; I have attended three colleges and was surprised to find no student center in LACC with study tables, a snack bar with ready made food, a casual study area where I could un-wind for 15 minutes before I continue with the rush of my demanding life.

Instead of the ‘’cafeteria’’ on campus, put the self-serv-ing truck inside a relatively spacious room, add some ta-bles, a few sofas, one or two microwaves, air conditioning and voila, A humble yet effi-cient student center.

Photo by Jorge Ponce /LA Collegian

Someone believed they were exercising their First Amendment right to free speech and burned a stack of Collegian newspapers in the kiosk located at the Vermont Ave. entrance of the college. This is not free speech, rather it is vandalism and an attempt at censorship. It is also against the law.

nEwslos angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 2009 5

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good, but the team exceeded his expectations.

“I knew we had something, but if you would have told me at the beginning of the year that we’d be 27-5, I would have said yeah, right,” Jackson said.

Hand posted fliers and word of mouth were the only last min-ute recruiting tools available to coach Jackson, and he made them work. It would take more than getting players in the same room, however, to take a team to the playoffs.

“I employed systems that I’ve used previously ... different of-fenses, different defenses,” he said. “The key thing was just having them [the team] buy into it. And they did.”

The season was still young

when it became apparent that LACC would command attention this year. Other stand out teams included Pasadena City College, Cypress College and Fresno City College.

“We beat some top teams early,” Jackson said. “We beat Pasadena who was ranked third in the state … it really sunk in at the halfway mark when we were 20-1. I realized that we were in for having a great season.”

At the beginning of the sea-son, the excitement started when the team showed its strength. As time went on, the Cubs kept the momentum as a team while cer-tain players also began to shine personally. Three in particular have bragging rights.

Guard Ebony White was

named MVP of the South Coast North Division Conference. Guard Jessica Torres and center Devan Satchel both made first team all conference. Coach Jackson walks away from the sidelines this year with confer-ence coach of the year honors.

Starting from nothing, the program now has pride and a new solid foundation to build on. White will be off to play in the Sophomore Showcase in Fresno on March

13, doing her best to show off her stuff to recruiters from four year

schools, but Torres and Satch-el will be back with a vengeance as Cubs.

ReDemPtion from page 12

aSo from page 1

someone who is capable of man-aging their personal responsibili-ties as well as the responsibilities that come with the office.”

Today, the ASO has 10 open

seats. Zetino works to meet the needs of the students with the limited staff. However, Zetino has the support of Vice President Tong and uses words like “trust-

worthy and knowledgeable” to describe her and said she is some-one who will be able to perform his duties in case of his absence.

City College Wins ACP Award

By Tim Carpenter

At the 25th Associ-ated Collegiate Press (ACP) National Col-

lege Journalism Convention held in San Diego last month, the Los Angeles Collegian newspaper placed fifth na-tionally in the two-year on-the–spot competition.

The Collegian competed against other newspapers from San Di-ego City College, North Idaho College, Laramie Community College and Southwestern Col-lege Besides the award ceremony, students Theresa Adams, Tercius Bufete, Frank Elaridi, Ashley Gonzalez and Mars Melincoff attended workshops and learned

from professors and media personnel from across the U.S. and Canada.Keynote speakers at the con-vention included Leslie Ber-nstein and Onell Soto from the San Diego Union-Tribune and Jonathan Gold from L.A. Weekly made presentations about the state of media in the U.S.

Collegian staff poses with Logan Aimone, ACP Executive Director after the awards ceremony held in San Diego at the end of February.

Photo by LA Collegian Staff

By Daniel Oh

Students at Bon Berger Secondary School in Cotonou, Benin have a new mantra and a new hero. The entire student body listened in disbelief to their principal, Germain Galnlonon,

on a day after the election of the 44th president of the United States.

“Obama has become America’s first black President,” Galnlonon said to students. “Who could have known? He who was poor, as you are, is now the current president of the United States! Do you see? If you also work diligently, you can also raise your dreams. They will become possible. I hope you remember that you are the leaders of the future.”

The principal then promised free tuition for students unable to pay. He said the school would assist parents who sacrifice to send their children to be educated.

In a nation where most primary and secondary education is based on a pay-to-study system, the students were somewhat taken aback by the promise. One teenager even muttered cynically in French: “Cho. Chef, vous étés en train de voyant la vie en rose,” or “Cho. Boss, you’re seeing life through rose-colored glasses.” Others however, went home to inform their parents that Obama said that Beninoise education was now completely free (a misconception which led to several local problems).

Under the Obama craze that hit Africa, events such as the Galnlonon’s speech at Bon Berger began sweeping the nation: grand assemblies preaching hope and change at universities, impromptu celebrations filled with hundreds cheering at the Dantokpa Bazaar and clusters of people in front of the U.S. Consulate, debating whether or not visas were now free of charge. The

sweeping feeling of pride that a man of African origin had attained the office of President of the United States was overwhelming. For close to a full week, every radio in the city was tuned into news stations, and anyone close to a radio would instantly stop to listen. It created spontaneous crowds of Beninoise at all manner of locales: at yam vendors by the red-dust roads, in low concrete barber-shops with cracked paint, in churches, at the public drinking well, anywhere the name Obama crackled out over the airwaves.

“O-o-o-o-bama! You are the prophecy-y, O-o-o-o-bama! Obama, Obama, Obama, you are the prophecy.”

A pop song dedicated to the president was played before every news session, excerpts from Martin Luther King’s Dream speech and Obama’s celebratory address as Democratic representative mixed in between chanting choruses.

“This is an unprecedented event in the history of the world, and may mark a great point of change in relations between the African continent and America,” an opinion speaker said over the radiowaves.

A Nigerian tire salesman named Cyril Achebe laughed out loud when he heard these words. “You know, perhaps because some people are not educated enough to know, but he’s not African,” Achebe said. “He’s Black-American. Why then should he help Africa?”

Contrary to Achebe’s view, most took a more optimistic outlook.

“The fact that a black person has become

president in a country founded by white people is a grand miracle of God. It’s a hope and a testament to us,” said Nadege Degbo, a secretary and mother of two.

In universities, President Obama’s inaugural speech has almost become a curricular text of study. Armel Houndeton, a sophomore at the College of Superior Education in Porto-novo, said he “memorized by heart Obama’s inaugural speech and speech as Democratic Representative.” Dr. Leonard A. Koussouhon, a

graduate of Columbia University in New York, mentioned in passing that “We enjoy immensely the fact that he’s such a great source of hope to rthe students.”

Obama has become a bit of a cult figure to the Beninoise youth. The enthusiasm for Obama’s views hold

such sway that preconceptions, religious views and personal preferences are broken and washed away. During an English club meeting, approximately 40 students debated for more than an hour about religious, political and social views, almost exclusively using text from Obama’s inaugural speech as a basis of truth.

Obama’s popularity in Africa is unquestionable, however, his promise of expanding former President Bush’s comprehensive AIDS program in Africa or his pledge to aid in ending corruption in Kenyan politics and negotiating problems concerning Darfur, Zimbabwe, and other hot-spots in Africa still seem to be doubted by skeptics.

“I believe that Obama’s rise to the presidency is a victory for intellectuals all over the earth, but I doubt that he can change very much because of the socio-political systems, and the amazingly difficult situations he’s been placed in,” said Vito Koussonou, a father of four and successful businessman with a background of education in France.

The sentiment of African pride becomes clear every time a citizen of the U.S. is spotted walking across the road: Men walk by and smile broadly in greeting, or motorcycle repairmen, bareback under their labour, suddenly look up from their work and shout “’Ey, yovo! Qui est votre président! Il est Africaine, n’est ce pas,” followed by raucous laughter and waves of greeting. Roughly translated from French and Goong (one of the numerous local languages) the phrase declares “’Ey, white man! Who’s your president? He’s African, not so?”

For the Beninoise people, despite the ideological boost and optimism that Obama’s election and inauguration brings, the problems in the nation’s economy, rising costs in food, and a new Beninoise president’s continuous efforts to weed out corruption are still problems that take a larger place of importance to the citizens. Although Obama’s ethnic background resonates strongly with the African continent, his policies concerning African relations, if not unknown completely, are often taken as promises that may or may not be fulfilled. “Africa’s problems are for Africa,” Koussonou said.

It might be stated best by an ancient village woman selling maize and rice on the highway between the city of Bohicon and Parakou, “Who’s Obama? I’ve never heard of him… I sell rice, maize, and gari here. If he’s not coming to help me in that, I don’t want to know about him.”

“Cho. Chef, vous étés en train de voyant la vie en rose,” or “Cho.

Boss, you’re seeing life through rose-colored glasses,”a teenage muttered from the crowd after hearing Obama's speech and the promise of free tuition for

students in her country.

1. University of Abomey Callavi. Here a surprising number of students carry copies of Barack Obama's inaugural speech.

2. Students of Bon Berger Secondary School will receive lower tuition pay-ments.

3. Collegian reporter, Daniel Oh.

4. Dantokpa Market, where many Africans celebrated Obama’s rise.

5. An adventurous ride in the bush. 6. Daniel Oh enjoys a ride from one of the locals.

7. An Obama poster at Dantokpa Bazaar in Cotonou.

8. This small-town vendor has never heard of Barack Obama.

FEaturEs6 los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 2009

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By Anthony Suncin

Hipster, Rockabilly, Euro Trash, Glam, Mod, and Punk are all words the

fashion industry has made up to describe particular fashion life-styles.

From a bold piece of jew-elry to a screen-printed T-shirt, clothes can say a lot about an individual’s personality. Modern trend followers everywhere con-tinue to push the envelope with the latest chic trend.

In an era where nothing can be too extreme, the androgynous look has taken over. Cross-dress-ing with an eccentric twist is the best way to describe the trend.

First seen on the runways at fashion week, it was not until re-cently that this androgynous look took flight and finally gained ac-cepted by fashion forward minds. It’s become such an epidemic that some men are now scaveng-ing through the women's depart-ment for clothes while women are going as far as rummaging through their dad's old clothes for the chic look.

One doesn't have to look very far to be exposed to trends, for they are constantly being flashed

throughout Los Angeles City College halls.

"I like my clothes to fit a cer-tain way,” said Jayson Macias, an English major. “Some men's cuts just don't work well on my frame. So I resulted to women's jeans because I find that they fit better. I don't see anything wrong with it. Besides, who said clothes have to have a gender,"

Clothing companies such as Kill City, American Apparel, and Nike have taken advantage of the androgynous trend by marketing their clothing lines as asexual. Many of their ads feature women combining their femininity with pieces of masculine apparel. Not only has their business continued to thrive, it has also opened up new markets and attracts a big-ger demographic.

Celebrities like Samantha Ronson, Ellen DeGeneres, and even Reality Show Project Run-way Winner, Christian Siriano are the epitome of what the an-drogynous look is all about. They each combine their personal flare with a gender breaking attire.

Other students are inspired by their own ideas or they look to celebrities like Ronson for in-spiration.

FEaturEs 7los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 2009

Dance Factory Shakes up Women's Gym By Victoria Safarian

Jingling of bells fill up the room as women of all ages practice rolling their bel-

lies and shaking their hips. Like a hidden gem, this belly danc-ing class finds itself out–of-sight on the second floor of the Wom-en’s Physical Education build-ing at Los Angeles City College (LACC).

Instructor Karin Jansen leads the session, carefully taking the girls from the slightest move-ment of the fingertips to the great shakes of their bodies. However, more than belly dancing is offered at LACC’s dance department.

Flamenco, Tango, Salsa, Bal-let, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop and Choreography are just some of the many courses available for study. Students can even manage their stress through dancing tech-niques with a Stress Management dance class.

Two extremely spacious stu-dios, with rows of huge, bright windows light up the rooms, making it welcome for even the least experienced of dancers. Stu-

dents can also practice in another smaller, more private room, nes-tled in-between both studios. The faculty is as welcoming as the dance rooms and each staff mem-ber has many years of experience making this the perfect environ-ment to learn how to dance.

“I've been teaching here for 13 years,” says dance instruc-tor and choreographer Lauri-enne Singer, “This semester I'm teaching Stress Management and Choreography. I find that a lot of my students in my stress man-agement class are still in high school. The class helps them deal with the pressures of starting col-lege.”

16-year-old Andrea Pena can agree with Singer that some of the students are not even from LACC, “I’m still in high school. I came here last year to take yoga for a physical education credit. That’s how I heard about the bel-ly dancing class.”

Even for those students who would rather take a more theo-retical class, during the sum-mer sessions, they can enroll in Dance History. The class is three-

Photographer Shoots His Way to Finals

"I've been reading 'Influence' by the Olsen twins. Their attitude toward fashion inspires me," said Jayson Macias, English major about his androgy-nous look. Lydia Woltjer, environmental science major dyed her

jeans and altered her sweater for a more tailored fit. She describes her look as "Crusty Queer."

Have and Have not

Hernan Alvarado, photographer

'80s Come Back, Androgyny's the new Black

Photos by Jordan Angulo/LA Collegian

Students shimmy their way across the floor in K.L. Jensen's belly dancing class.

Photo by Jesse Gantt/LA Collegian

units and qualifies as a Humani-ties elective. This class takes the students on a journey, through Renaissance dance, to the trials and tribulations of the famous ballet dancer Isadora Duncan and all the current television dance shows. Instructors also teach Yoga and Pilates.

Although the department of-fers all different styles of dance, it is not yet available for students to major in the field at LACC. However with valiant effort, the department hopes to soon make Dance available as an Associate of Arts Degree.

At the end of every semester the Dance Department puts to-gether a production which is a collaboration of all the best piec-es from every dance class. This semester, the production will be performed on May 27, 28 and 29.

If students are interested in learning more about the dance courses offered at LACC, they can refer to the course catalog or check out the Dance Department on-line at: www.lacitycollege.edu/academic/departments/pe/dance.html.

“I sewed my pants and hood-ie for a tighter fit,” said Lydia Woltjer, an environmental sci-ence major. “I love wearing oversized shirts with really tight jeans. I guess you can call my style Crusty Queer!”

Now that it is stylish for men to wear women’s jeans or for a woman to be caught in mens-wear, it’s only a matter of time before the next change in trends.

“Trends come and go, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t come back around full circle,” Macias says. “The eighties are back, neon colors, acid wash jeans and big hair.”

While most people use maga-zines and several other media out-lets to influence their own defini-tion of what's hot and what's not, students at LACC continue to set the bar with the clothing that best defines them. With spring just around the corner, students have lots of floral prints and warm col-ors to look forward to. Regard-less of how an article of clothing is being showcased or designed for a specific gender, anyone can wear whatever they want as long as they have the confidence and attitude to pull it off.

By Tim Carpenter

Hernan Alvarado, a pho-tography major at Los Angeles City College

(LACC) whose photograph ‘Those Who Have and Those Who Have Not,” is up for a na-tional award presented by Pho-tographer Forum Magazine. Alvarado says his inspiration came from walking around at night with his camera in down-town Los Angeles. "The [homeless] guy was the in-spiration for the photo,” Alvara-do said.

The photograph was taken be-tween Wilshire Boulevard and Figueroa and was selected for its originality and composition. “It is a night shot of a home-less man sitting up against a parking meter and there are three women wearing cocktail dresses passing by and did not acknowledge him,” Alvarado said. The name for his photograph came from a well-known musi-cal act. “They {Photographer Forum Magazine] chosed what I called ‘Those Who Have and Those Have Not' and the expression comes from The Dead Presi-dents, a famous rap group,” Al-varado said. The results of the competition and awards will be announced in May.

arts & EntErtainmEnt8 los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 2009

Local Artist Spotlight

Sounds of Praise Resonates in Music Halls

Theatre Academy Offers 'Narrow Road' to Enlightenment

Why are you taking classes at LACC?I want to get a certificate in ed-iting and I needed to take some editing classes that are afford-able. I researched and checked and the cinema department is highly recommended, so that’s why I’m here. This is my sec-ond semester.

Do you have any background in the entertainment busi-ness?I have a B.A. in Film Produc-tion from Hunter N.Y, and a Masters in Theatre from Yel-low Spring, Ohio. I don’t want to do the acting thing, although I will act in my own movies. I did a skit on Jimmy Kimmel Live and it allowed me to get into the union, but I want to do

Performers, composers and entertainers chime in harmony as they get ready for another busy semester.

By Jamie Hong

Music majors bustle from practice rooms to the music department of-

fice and their classrooms as they come together for another semes-ter of musical experiences at Los Angeles City College (LACC).

Kevin Polzer plays guitar and piano, and was so passionate about the program that he slept in his car during his first semester to beat traffic and get to class.

“I look forward to waking up and learning,” Polzer said, speak-ing with fervor and admiration. “I’m always in the first row, blurt-ing out answers whether they be right or wrong.”

The students boast about the program, which has a broad range of classes and prestigious profes-sors. Polzer is among around 150 music majors enrolled who ex-pressed their affinity for the de-partment.

“Everybody here is a bit of a cheerleader,” said Manuel Whit-man, a fourth semester pianist. “A lot of them [professors] stud-ied in big schools like Columbia and Juilliard. They’re really pas-sionate; everything they think about is music, music, music.”

Nearly a third of the profes-sors have doctorates in the field of music. The program offers stu-dents high-level theory classes such as Harmony III, the study of advanced chromatic harmony and analysis. This prepares the students to transfer to other uni-versities with required training without emptying their pockets with expensive tuition.

A jazz class of 16 students resembles a small concert rather than a lecture room as they prac-tice to “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be,” by Mercer Elling-ton. The students chuckle but also remain serious as the class progresses. There is a lot of communication in the class and the instructor offers suggestions throughout practice. Students say the friendly environment over-shadows the competitive atmo-sphere and everyone encourages each other’s works.

“[There is] a broad range of

my own thing. I started a produc-tion company with some friends called Hope 77 Production. I don’t want to wait. I’ll do it [all] myself. I studied everything.

What would you do if you didn’t work in film?I would probably be writing. I love writing, short stories, poetry. It’s not too far off.

Do you have a favorite film?"Road to Perdition." The cinema-tography is unbelievable!

Where will you be in five years?I’ll have two movies of my own. It doesn’t have to be a big Holly-wood thing. I don’t need to make millions, although it would be nice. I just want to make movies and I’ll be happy.

By Monica Olofsson

By Monica Olofsson

Illuminated by a single light, two actors rehearse on stage as the stage manager down

below speaks quietly into his phone with one hand, while jot-ting down notes with the other. Two other actors in the audience gesture wildly while they shout out their lines. Meanwhile, the script supervisor rests his head on a nearby desk, as the weari-ness of a six-day a week schedule takes its toll. As opening night approaches, the endless days of rehearsal seem to slow down.On March 20, the Theatre Acad-emy’s spring season will open with a parable play titled “Nar-row Road to the Deep North,” written by Edward Bond. When it first debuted in 1968, it was re-ferred to as “a hot new play by

a hot new playwright”, according to Los Angeles City College di-rector, Louie Piday.

“The world has changed, and it has made me look at plays that are a little older. The play sud-denly speaks to another genera-tion. It’s comedic and ironic as well as shocking and brutal,” said Piday. She also stated that, “It’s a broader story, and there are consequences to our moral attitudes.”

Next week Ernesto Cayabyab will take the stage as Matsuo Basho who scholars consider one of the finest haiku writers who ever lived. Haiku is a type of unrhymed poetry that uses few verses and simple grammar, with the first line usually containing five syllables; the second seven and the third line five.Basho,who lived in the 17th century, nar-

rates this story, which takes place in Japan “about the 17th, 18th or 19th century.” Although it is not Basho’s personal story being

told, he is still the narrator.“There’s a reason he [Bond]

put him in this play, maybe be-cause he served as balance, a per-

students, different ages, differ-ent lifestyles,” Whitman said. “It feels like we’re a family, the up-perclassmen always help the un-derclassmen.”

As the class ends and students pack up their instruments, one musician high-fives the professor and a couple linger outside de-ciding where to eat lunch.

“They’re friends, they hang out and play together,” said jazz instructor and professional trom-bone player, Dr. Lori Stuntz. “And we work really hard throughout the semester and get a really good concert.”

Music professors remain in the school all day to spend time and devote extra attention to each individual. A benefit many of the music majors say they received at City College is the skill to read music.

“I grew up in a poor family … ,” Whitman said. “Before school I played by ear, but now I can read it and that’s amazing.”

“It’s [the music department] well rounded, I learned so much. I didn’t know how to read music, now I’m composing and writ-ing songs,” Polzer said. “They [teachers] tune your mind to ap-preciate each second that’s hap-pening in music, when you know these things you appreciate it in ways you can’t even imagine.”

Music majors also collaborate

and write music for fellow Cinema ma-jors to creatively arouse the ambi-ance of films. They use their scores to communicate the energy and atmo-sphere of the films to the viewer’s imagination and make it memorable.

A former stu-dent turned leg-endary music composer is John Williams, a music director with five Oscars, 20 Gram-mys, seven British Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and four Emmys. He film scored for more than 100 films including “Stars Wars”, “Harry Pot-ter” and “Super-

man.” LACC music instructors also

nurtured worldwide electronic music artist DJ Irene, who was the first female DJ to sell more than 600,000 CDs and is one of the most in-demand DJs in the club and rave scenes.

“I love it here, “ said DJ Irene. “I think it’s great, very thorough, they encourage students, no one’s going to be disappointed, every-one has an opportunity.”

There is always a student worker who welcomes any-one who needs guidance at the music department office where there always seems to be activity. Trumpets, saxophones and music sheets are commonly seen as stu-dents come in to check out prac-tice rooms. A cellist smiles and drums on his cello as he waits in line.

“I’m really grateful for the teachers here, it’s not a job it’s a passion, and they put that passion in you, “ Polzer said. “I’ll never forget LACC … . It changes you as a person, as a musician, as a composer.”

Clausen Hall offers free con-certs twice a week every Tues-day and Thursday in Room 247 at 12:10 p.m. Students can also tune in to the professor’s concerts played at the end of the semester, which music majors say blows them away.

Tiye Peterson, LACC film student, took a moment from a casting call for his film, “Jeffrey,” to talk to the Collegian about cinema and how he got started making movies.

Pianist Manuel Whitman and guitarist Kevin Polzer tune up their musical skills in a practice room.

Ernesto Cayabyab, left, and Kevin Chambers prepare for the first of-fering of the spring season.


son that brings around change. There are moments he [Basho] forsees things that happen in the future,” said Cayabyab, second-year student at the academy.

The playwright realized that he needed humor in order for people to listen, and the play carries a mixed tone of feelings while at the same time making a bold statement. Bond’s plays touch on not only the search for knowledge, but also political and social criticism, which is always a current theme in any society.

Kevin Chambers plays “Kiro”, a man searching for per-sonal enlightment and in essence; searching for himself. On this journey, he encounters “Shogo the Shogun” played by Mark Skeens, and “Georgina the Mis-sionary” played by Reyna Flores.

“He is trying to do the right

thing,” said Chambers, a second-year theatre student. “My hope is that people will leave this play and it has changed them some-how, and that they question their own belief.”

But before that, Chambers and the rest of the production team have many days of rehearsal ahead of them. Everything needs to ‘fit like a glove’ on opening night. And for that one moment when everything is real and the audience is right in their hands; the hard work will pay off and it will all be worth it.

“Narrow Road to the Deep North” is performed in the Cami-no Theatre March 20 8 p.m, March 21 at 2 p.m and 8 p.m, March 25 and 26 at 7;15 p.m, March 27 at 8 p.m, March 28 at 2 p.m and 8 p.m. For tickets, please call 323 – 953 4000, ext. 2990.

How about a favorite quote that you live by?“This too shall pass.” It’s something I’ve learned. Whenever I have a [bad] mo-ment, I just think this will pass, it can’t get any worse. I just “let it be!” I grew up in a foster family and have faced a lot of obstacles, a lot of pretty interesting things have hap-pened to me but I still man-aged to get two degrees even though my life has not been perfect. Just do your foot-work. Whatever dreams you have, you have to hold on to them because they can hap-pen. Anything is possible!

Peterson makes his directorial debut with a scene from "Jef-frey" for his cinema class.

By Hamza Utman and Fran-ces O’Hara

Los Angeles City Col-lege's Theatre Acad-emy Costume Depart-

ment is buzzing with activity as students work hard to pre-pare the perfect period cos-tumes for the upcoming pro-duction of “Narrow Road to the Deep North,” written by

Edward Bond and directed by Louie Piday.

LACC students are creating 17th century Japanese costumes for the academy’s first spring se-mester performance at the Cami-no Theatre. Costuming major Kim Overton is working on the uniform of the British commo-dore.

"He makes a huge splash pres-ence on stage,” Overton said.

Theatre students are crafting costumes for 41 different char-acters including everything from monks and merchants to priests and peasants. Costuming major Jolianne Baum is assembling samurai armor from bamboo and ribbons.

“This hard hat will become a soldiers helmet,” said Baum. Working under a tight budget, students draw on a wide variety of materials for the design pro-cess.

“Fit it all together and mag-ic!” said Baum who has been nominated to participate in the 2009 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Wig and bald cap specialist

Celina Yun is designing hair-pieces and latex caps for Japa-nese monks. The bald caps are made with extra thick latex and attached to actors’ heads with clips. If a character re-quires an extra hairpiece it can be attached to the cap.

"Every Asian country has a special style,“ Yun explained, “Styles differ between Japa-nese, Chinese and Korean.” Yun has worked as a makeup and special effects artist on several opera productions in Korea such as Madame But-terfly and La Boheme.

All students have a share in every aspect of production. Designers and actors work together in the costume shop melding their creative visions to perfect their masterpiece.

Graduates of the Academy are well versed in all facets of the theatre.

"All of our students work on both ends,” said costume director Diane Sisko whose past experience includes work with Universal Studios and Fox Television.

heatre Academy Costumers Prepare for Spring Show

RAVE


Police Wire

nEws 9los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 2009

Compiled by La Tijera Griffith

02/7/09, 10:20 a.m. Electric cart was found off campus Location: Virgil and Monroe2/9/09, 8:15 p.m. Student reported lost purse. Location: Da Vinci Hall2/11/09, 1:40 p.m. Student reported the theft of a textbook. Loss estimate is $20. Location: not specified

2/11/09, 3:05 p.m. Student reported a lost cell phone. Location: Quad2/12/09, 4:30 p.m. Student de-tained for possession of alcohol. Student was released into the cus-tody of relatives. Location: Learn-ing Resource Center2/12/09, 8:12 p.m. Four students were detained for possession of al-cohol. Location: Student Lounge

represented."Although the march was

centered around Iranian and Af-ghan women, it didn't seem as though it was aimed at all women of color," said Nelly Arciniega, founder of the LACC Feminist Club.

The plight of undocument-ed migrant farmers is an issue close to home for political sci-ence major Daniel Morales Leon, Leon read two poems during the rally, “Ella Vino Desde Oaxaca” which translates to “She Came From Oaxaca” and an ode to his grandmother “Bracero Blues,” documenting her disillusionment following involvement as an or-ganizer against the exploitation of undocumented migrant farm-ers in the 1960s. In 2007 “Brace-ro Blues” won the LACC Latino Heritage Competition.

“That's basically what my grandma had, the blues, the Bra-cero Blues,” Leon said. “It was that nomadic structure of mov-ing from … field to field. It’s her struggle that brought me here."

stood by the newspaper's view on Pearlman and Santiago. Newton wrote, "Here's a copy of our en-dorsement. I believe it speaks for itself."

"Incumbent Nancy Pearlman openly states that ecological is-sues, especially green construc-tion, are her top priority. Envi-ronmental concerns are fine, but they are tangential to the main mission of community colleges: providing higher education to people who otherwise could not afford it," the Times Editorials Endorsements article stated.

The Times praised Pearlman's opponent, Jozef Essavi for rais-ing questions on how efficiently bond money for construction has been spent.

"The Times totally misunder-stands critical issues related to the environment," Pearlman said in a telephone interview. She says she does not see why the Times cannot understand her platform. "I am a successful incumbent supported by all who work on the staff."

Pearlman says when she first became a member of the Board of Trustees, she implemented a Green sustainability program that has won 30 awards and received national recognition.

"I don't agree with the L.A. Times," said James Lagman a cinema major at Los Angeles City College. "There should be a balance between infrastruc-ture and environmental issues. The environment is often over-looked." Lagman believes of-ficials who support ecological issues will give schools a more positive image.

However, a fellow cinema major disagrees and sides with the Times.

"Everyone knows we don't

have the best education system as it is," Vincent Roque said. "I think she [Pearlman] should focus on education. Education comes first." Roque respects the Times as a trustworthy newspa-per and believes their assessment of Pearlman's professional priori-ties are accurate.

The Times also opposed San-tiago, another supporter of "go green" projects, and said he " ... Speaks in generic terms about the district's priorities and has little in the way of bold ideas or far-reaching vision."

Records indicate that Santia-go was appointed last year to fill in for Warren T. Furutani, a for-mer Board of Trustees member. Santiago’s web site states that he is also an advocate for lower tuition fees for students and is in-terested in expanding the work-force education program. He was not available for comment.

"I don't understand why the L.A. Times would not endorse him," said Executive Vice Presi-dent of the Associated Students

Organization at Los Angeles City College Linda Tong. " ... Con-sidering his background with the Democratic National Commit-tee."

ASO President James Zetino had no comment on the issue.

The American Federation of Teachers supported all four Trustees in the March election including Angela Reddock, Kel-

ly Candaele, and Pearlman and Santiago.

“In the worst economic times in modern history,” said Guild political director John McDowell in a recent edition of “Read On.” “It’s critical to elect trustees who will put education first and will make sure whatever cuts we have to sustain stay as far as possible from the students and from the

timeS anD tRuSteeS from page 1 Women'S RigHtS from page 1

classroom.” According to the election

results, the majority of voters believed Pearlman and Santia-go were model representatives as both incumbents returned to their positions.

"Regardless of what the L.A. Times said, who had a stronger voice, the L.A. Times or the people?" Tong said.

Bee-utiful Achievement

To bee or not to bee: Los Angeles Brain Bee welcomed students from all over Los Angeles to the City College campus at the end of February for a spelling bee. Zohal Ghulam-Jelani (far right) buzzed her way to victory and a $300 scholarship.

Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Brain Bee

Campus HigHligHt los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 200910

American Institute for Real estate AppraisersContact: Olivia Correon, 875 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60611(310)335-4100 www.appraisalinstitute.orgeligibility: Sophomore students interested in pursuing a career in real estate and economics. Con-tact for additional requirements and for an application. Awards: $3,000-graduate;$2,000-undergraduate Deadline: March 15

Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student In-ternship programContact: 5220 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 (818) 754-2800 www.emmys.tv/foundation/in-ternships.php email: [email protected]: Undergraduate col-lege student. The program is designed to give students in depth exposure to professional facilities and practices during an eight week summer period in LA. Award: $4,000 stipend w/ $300 spending allowance Deadline: March 15

California Teachers Association and Martin Luther King, JR Memorial ScholarshipContact: CTA Human Rights Dept., P.O. Box 921, Burlingame, CA. 94011(650) 552-5370 email: [email protected]: for MLK ethnic minor-ity members of CTA, dependent children and ethnic minority of student CTA, pursue degrees of credentials for teaching-relat-ed careers in public education. Award: $2,000 Deadline: March 15

SHeLL Legislative Internship programContact: 500 Citadel Drive, Suite

120, Los Angeles, CA 90040(323) 720-1932 www.naleo.orgeligibility: Undergraduate col-lege student of a 2 or 4 year in-stitution and resident of AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, NM, NY, or TX of Lati-no Origin. Participants are offered a summer internship to work for a state or federal elected official. Must demonstrate leadership po-tential and possess a sense of commitment to the Latino/a com-munity. Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Award: $1,500 Deadline: March 23

nashville Association of Black Journalists Minority ScholarshipsContact: David Hefner. The Ten-nessean, 1100 Broadway, Nash-ville, TN. 37203 (615) 259-8000 www.tennessean.comeligibility: Open to minority stu-dents enrolled in college, major-ing in the areas of reporting, writ-ing, media sales, graphic arts, and public relations. Applicants must submit a cover letter, list of honors, extracurricular activities, awards and recommendations from a professor or employer. Award: $1,000 Deadline: March 31

Fund for American StudiesContact: The Fund for American Studies, 1706 New Hampshire Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009 (800) 741-6964 www.tfas.org/ email: [email protected]: Undergraduate, pref-erence is given to sophomores and juniors majoring in journal-ism. Annual 8-week summer in-stitute at Georgetown University offering courses, internships, for-eign policy lectures, media dia-logue series, site briefings, and career days. Write for details. Award: varies. Deadline: March 31

Health professionals Scholarship programContact: VA Regional Office PO Box 8888, Muskogee, OK 74402-8888; (800) 827-1000 www.va.gov/eligibility: Nursing, nurse an-esthesia, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assis-tant training & respiratory thera-py. Must be in third or fourth year of study.Award: Tuition fees, book allow-ance & stipend paid. Deadline: late March

Chevrolet prizm Scholarship in DesignContact: MANA, A National La-tina Organization, Attn: Scholar-ships, 1725 K Street, N.W. Suite 501, Washington, DC 20006 (202) 833-0060, ext.14 email: [email protected]: Applicant must be a Latina enrolled full time as an un-dergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or uni-versity in the United States and interested in studying design. Award: $1,000 Deadline: March

Falu Foundation ScholarshipContact: Falu Foundation, c/o Universal Business and Media School, 220 East 106th Street, New York, NY 10029 (212) 360-1210 email: cyber [email protected] http://www.fundsnetservices.com/2000/finaid06.aspeligibility: This scholarship is open to Hispanic students who are interested in pursuing a ca-reer in technology. High school seniors, high school graduates, and currently-enrolled college students may apply. Award: $1,000 Deadline: March

ScholarShipS

Obstructed Paths to Classrooms Pave Way to Future

By Veronica Reynolds

Construction obstructs the City College Campus as noise from machinery

floats into nearby classrooms and fences block off many walkways, which force students to take long detours to get to class. It is part of a long term plan to offer students buildings with "smart" classrooms that utilize state of the art technology and certified "Green" buildings that meet the Leadership Energy En-vironment and Design (LEED) standards set by the Green Build-ing Council. "I'm looking forward to a projec-tor for lecture hall," said Megan Nguyen, general education ma-jor at Los Angeles City College (LACC).Proposition A/AA government bonds gave the campus a total

of $241.4 million to use for con-struction, according to Christo-pher J. Dunne, Harris and Associ-ates Project Director for campus construction projects. The school has not used any Prop J govern-ment bond money, which gives the campus an additional $350 million for new construction plans. Even so, all the bond mon-ey will not give the campus ev-erything on its wish list. "I look for what's best for the col-lege as a whole," Dunne said. It does however, provide a to-tal of $31 million to demolish and rebuild the Student Services Building, currently known as the Learning Resource Center (LRC). Of this total, $1.6 mil-lion includes the cost of moving students from one building to an-other and eventually back again to newly renovated buildings.

Current facilities in Room 112 in the Chemistry Building are not adequate for students to make effective and efficient use of lab time. The hoods provided for ex-

periments are outdated and look more like wooden cabinet space than a place to host a chemistry experiment. Two out of four fau-cets that provide deionized water required for safely cleaning lab materials, are completely bro-ken with one of the two working faucets in such bad shape that it literally flows drip by drip. This makes cleaning equipment ex-tremely tedious."It's old and rusty," Nguyen said.The old buildings do not meet current safety codes and regu-lations. Modifications of these buildings are under way to meet the minimum codes and will temporarily house students from Holmes Hall and the LRC as they undergo massive reconstruction. City College plans to complete the current construction projects as early as this summer."We're developing a standard for smart classrooms," said Bruce Baron, Vice President of Admin-istration and temporary chair of the Bond Steering Committee. "We're trying to get the whole

Detours continue, but 'green buildings,' and 'smart class-rooms' will harvest the ben-efits of sustainability.

campus up to a wireless stan-dard."All City Colleges in the Los Angeles district are com-mitted to using state of the art technology to facilitate different learning styles that students respond to best. Projectors with screens clearly visible to the entire classroom, computers used for interactive lesson plans and wireless Internet access are first on the agenda. New classrooms are not all the college is working on. Major construction this spring includes site utility projects that will modernize the basic underground power and water utilities to create a strong foundation that make the campus run more effi-ciently. The central plant will serve as the hub to heat and cool the campus by making ice at night when power costs less.The project should be com-pleted by May of this year.

Illustration by Lilit Atshemyan/LA Collegian

By Joe Jackson

Students and scientists will take their first walk into the new $42 million Sci-

ence and Technology Building in a little more than six months. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility next September.

“Most of the buildings for the

science majors are old and beat up,” said John Freitas, Chair of Chemistry and Earth Sciences. We’ve been waiting for the new technology center since March 2002, seven years.”

Harris & Associates, Project Director, Christopher Dunne says he has received a lot of positive feedback about the project.

“It’s going to be great for stu-dents because everything is state of the art and brand new,” Dunne said.

Nursing, dental technology, engineering and earth and life

sciences will all call the new Technology Building home.

“I look forward to studying in the new science building, stu-dents have been waiting for the facility for years,” said Michael Schmidt, a physics major and a third semester student at City College. “Its about time!”

Students are not the only people who are excited about the changes that are happening on campus.

“All of the science classes that LACC offers need a strong, per-manent home,” said Dr. Kathleen

Burke-Kelly, Vice-President of Academic Affairs at City. “It will be a wonderful thing to be able to educate the students in a brand new state-of-the-art facility, in-stead of the old building, for ex-ample, the Chemistry Building.”

Students and faculty will have to wait until September 2009 to see what the finished facility looks like.

“I am very excited about the new technology construction,” said Mia Long-Johnson, a biolo-gy major and second year student at LACC. “It will be a pleasure

to study in a building that has air conditioning, the old build-ings don’t have climate control,” Long-Johnson said.

According to new laws in California, the technology build-ing must be accessible to the handicapped.

The new science facility has been under construction since June 2007. There are approxi-mately 150 construction workers assigned to the project. Funds for the project were allocated from props A/AA.

Photo by Tim Carpenter and Jorge Ponce/LA Collegian

Build it, Scientists Will Come

sports 11los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 2009

Chargers Dash Cubs' DreamsBy Jessica Rivera

Los Angeles City College (LACC) Lady Cubs lost their playoff game to the

Cypress College Lady Chargers (CC) in their run for the state Championship 69-65 on Sat. Feb 20 at the Women’s Gymnasium.

The Lady Cubs started with a 16 - 9 lead in the first half thanks to center Devon Satchell and for-ward Jessica Torres scored the first 10 points, however Cypress tied the game 25-25 with 1:23 left in the first half. The Lady Cubs went on a 5-2 run to end the half and lead 30-27.

At the start of the second half, the Lady Cubs struggled and trailed, however Cubs guard Eb-ony White got the ballclub back on track. “She took the whole team,” a fan said about White, because the Lady Chargers could not stop her throughout the con-test.

The Cubs tied the score at 43-43 with 11:59 left in the game, but Cypress started to take con-

trol of the game. City College closed the gap 55-52 with 7:35 left in regulation.

The Lady Cubs actually had a three-point lead 59-56, but Cy-press tied the game 59-59 with 5:19 left and later regained the lead and did not look back.

The Chargers crowd cheered, as Lady Cubs’ fans were nowhere to be found. The Chargers had a 64-59 lead with 2:53 remaining, however the Lady Cubs closed the gap to 66-63. Cubs star player Devon Satchell fouled out soon afterwards.

With 15 seconds left, the Lady Cubs trailed by only two points 67-65, but could not come all the way back.

As the Lady Chargers and cel-ebrated, the Lady Cubs come to the realization that their dream season was over. The Lady Cubs finish the 2008-2009 with a re-cord of 27 wins and 6 losses, a remarkable turn around from the year before when they had only five players left from the 2007-2008 campaign.

BADMInTon

March 11 Wed El Camino College Away 3 p.m.

March 13 Fri Pasadena College Home 2 p.m.

March 17 Wed East L.A. College Away 3 p.m.

March 20 Fri El Camino College Home 2 p.m.

March 25 Wed Pasadena College Away 3 p.m.

WoMen’S TRACK AnD FIeLD

March 13 Fri Oxy Invitational Meet Occidental College

Away

BASeBALL

March 12 Thu Pasadena City College Away 2:30 p.m.

March 14 Sat Cerritos College LACC 12 noon

March 17 Tue Long Beach City College Away 2:30 p.m.

March 19 Thu Long Beach City College LACC 2:30 p.m.

March 26 Thu Compton College Away 2:30 p.m.

Sports Calendar

City Track and Field Team Chases Lady Trojans By Mars Melnicoff

If a tree falls in the woods, but there is no one there to hear, does it make a noise? YES.

If the track and field team at Los Angeles

City College (LACC) is full of talent, yet arguably under ac-knowledged are they still making marks? YES.

Head coach Sylvia Mosque-da feels the frustration of hav-ing a group oftalented girls who somehow seem to slip through the cracks. Among these ath-letes is distance runner Veronica Alaniz, who at a recent meet

out-ran all of the girls who she competed against last year at the state championships. She ran 19 seconds flat for the 5,000 meter, close to her personal record.

"I came here to take this team to the state championships and to get these girls scholarships to four-year schools, which they de-serve," Mosqueda said.

"But they need recognition. Without recognition the girls will not get the opportunities they deserve. It is a fact in the sports world." Mosqueda adds that rec-ognition is important not just to get scholarships in the future. It is also important for team mo-

rale.In any sport, recognition for

outstanding performance is a provider of motivation. Running is especially mental, so this is es-pecially true.

For now, the team is also in-ternally challenged to find a true feeling of closeness, another im-portant motivator for such a per-sonal sport. Top distance runner Mallory Celaya shows concern for this.

"This is not really a united team yet," Celaya said. "We are always in separate cars, off do-ing our own things. Especially the sprinters and the distance

runners. It's hard to feel like a team." She added that having no home track and no van for team transportation does not help the matter.

The addition of the new sports arena coming this spring above the new parking structure is anxiously awaited by the team.

"Yeah, this is a big deal for us,” Celaya said. "That's why we were kind of upset when it got pushed from its original finish date in January."

The team hopes the new track will raise their visibility and unite them as well.

Veronica Alaniz crosses the finish line and Lady Cubs take 2nd place in relay held at the University of Southern California.Photo by Jorge Ponce/LA Collegian

mentioning golf, he refers to the private driving range which is on leased campus land. But this is a tangent topic).

So as the situation stands, we have a soon to be finished sporting arena which includes an Olympic-size track, a soccer field, a softball field and bleach-ers which seat 900 people, and will be used for graduations, women’s track and soccer class-es. There are no softball classes

currently scheduled.Is this a good use of the fruits

from such a huge undertaking? “With budget cuts and the econ-omy as we all know it is, adding any new intercollegiate sports is bottom priority,” said President Jamillah Moore.

Our new fiscal year starts on July 1, and this is when deci-sions will be made; but has the possibility of men doing laps in short-shorts with Cubs insignias

already been deep-sixed?An intercollegiate softball

team is probably not in the cards, as the school has tried to field a team in the past and come up short on interested students. But as for men’s track and field, the women’s team has been waiting. Although many of our Cubs girls qualify personally to compete in state championships, this team has not qualified as a whole. This is definitely due to the lack of a

men's program. Head track coach Sylvia Mosqueda emphasizes that, especially in track, men tend to be easier to recruit in the first place and women are easier to re-cruit once you have the men. (Go figure).

When it comes to intercollegiate soc-cer, there is a history of interest on cam-pus. Cubs used to play soccer at Snyder Field which was torn down for the new library, Science and Technology Building and Child Development Building. If any of the three sports might actually fill the new bleachers, let’s be real, it is soccer.

WiLL tHey Come? from page 12

sports los angElEs CollEgianWednesday, March 11, 200912

If You Build It, Will They Come?

Basketball Cubs Come Close

By Mars Melnicoff

The addition of an Olym-pic-size track provides obvious cause for excite-

ment for women’s track and field. This, along with a soccer and soft-ball field will be located on top of the new parking structure. By the time students fling their gradua-tion caps into the summer air, the women’s track team will have a place to call home. They will no longer need to practice and host home events at the University of Southern California track.

I have no desire to cast a shadow on this step for the wom-en’s track team, but still I must admit, the situation simply raises questions.

Are the soccer team and soft-ball team excited about their newfields? Oh wait, we don’t have a soccer team or a softball team. How about the men’s track and field team? Nope, no men’s track team either.

“Sports teams should reflect the facilities on campus,” said athletic director Mike Miller. “The addition of men’s track and men’s and women’s soccer seem like the obvious next steps to me. Also golf. I have suggested these things, but I am not the one who makes the final decision.” (When

WiLL tHey Come? on page 11

ReDemPtion on page 5

By Matthew Lopes

A bitter 13-point road loss to Mt. San Jacin-to College ended the

2008-2009 Los Angeles City College Men’s Basketball sea-son on Feb. 27 in the second round of Southern California Regional Playoffs.

The team played most games undermanned, yet still

managed to post a 23-9 overall and a 7-1 conference record to capture the South Coast Confer-ence-North Division title.

Clarence “CJ” Davis, a guard and psychology major, described the character of the team.

“Once with eight players we competed with Fresno [City Col-lege]—we lost by two in double overtime—but we knew we could compete with anybody,” Davis said.

He remembers the low pre-dictions that online blogs and articles set for the Cubs at the be-ginning of the season. The doubt-ers seem to have overlooked the quality of the LACC basketball

program as a whole.“Coach Miller didn’t win con-

ference last year, so how would we win it this year without him?” Davis asked with a sarcastic smile on his face. “On the inter-net they picked us to come last in our conference.”

The players and coaches have faith in one another and a broth-erhood that they say will contin-ue throughout their lives.

It was a tough end to an over-all positive season, in which LACC players held four of the top six scoring averages in the conference.

Charles Rothstein, a history major, attended several games in

the Women’s Gym this year.“I expected high-ener-

gy basketball every time I stepped in that arena and I know that this school will be adding another championship banner, sooner rather than later,” Rothstein said.

Davis is also confident for next year’s season. He, along with Jerrett Towns, and SCC-North leading scorer, Antonio Owens, are expected to be back leading the Cub charge.

“We’re going to try to combine talent with disci-pline and bring the State Championship to L.A. City,” Davis said.

Clarence 'CJ' Davis at the free- throw line in action against Pasa-dena City College on Feb. 20.

Guard Ebony White named MVP of the South Coast North Division Conference.

Photo by Jorge Ponce/LA Collegian

The Lady Cubs finished the 2007-2008 season with heads held low. The roster had dwindled to the point of leaving them short of a full team, and even shorter on team spirit. But 2008-2009 would find a hungry new group rallying around a new coach, who together stood tall and found ...

By Mars Melnicoff

Last year, the Los Ange-les City College (LACC) women’s basketball team

finished the season with only four players. Some players had abandoned their team, quitting throughout the season, and so had more than one coach. Last year’s spirit threatened to contin-ue when head coach to be Labell Hill resigned, with no reason, the week before school began. But the similarities ended there.

Everything started to change as Derrick Jackson stepped up from assistant to head coach. He

immediately took on the task of not only finding a new assistant-but of finding a team-a team that could do more than simply show up wearing a uniform. The Cubs haven’t won more than three games in a season in the last three years. This year with the final record of 25-7, the Cubs had advanced into playoffs and shat-tered images left from a losing program.

“I was considering not com-ing back out this year,” sopho-more guard Roxanna Rodriguez said. But she did, and the 2008 “open gym” tryout gave her new hope. “I was convinced to play

again because I could see how different it was. The coach, and all the different girls. And there were a lot more girls.”

Jeneen Simon plays forward. The freshman showed up at the tryout and did not look back.

“I didn’t really care about last year. We had a new coach and new players,” Simon said.

Jackson picked 12 of the 20 that showed up to try out for the team, only three of whom had been part of last year’s roster. He says he never doubted that this would be the start of something

REDEmPtION

Photo by Jordan Angulo/LA Collegian

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