Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

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U NION October 31, 2013 Torrance, California NEWS LINE Student Improvement Workshop Jan Schaeffer will be hosting a workshop today about self-aware- ness at 1:05 p.m. in the Decathlon Room, located above the Book- store. If you want to attend, sign up at the front desk in the SRC. For more information, call 310- 660-3295. Planetarium Show Professors Shimonee Kadakia and Susan Stolovy will have a full- dome feature film. The show will be on Saturday with back-to-back showings at 3 and 4 p.m. For more information, call 310-660-3373. Preventing Failure Workshop Sue Oda Omori will be hosting a workshop that will help prevent outside factors from deterring someone to accomplish their goals or aspirations. The workshop will be Monday at 1 p.m. in SSC 207. For more information, call 310- 660-6936. Financial Aid Online Application Workshop The financial aid office will give general financial aid information and help students fill out their FAFSA forms. The workshop will be on Tuesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in SSC 204-G. For more informa- tion, call 310-660-3493. Nursing Info Session Students who are ready to apply to the nursing program can at- tend this information session. The workshop will be on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Distance Educatio Center. For more infor- mation, call 310-660-3493. By Sam Tedla EL CAMINO COLLEGE T h e eccunion.com Getting a kick out of life Football player arrested on campus Jessica Martinez News Editor Matthew Simon Sports Editor After being arrested on campus for possession of firearms at a public institution Oct. 10, former EC football player Taj Mathis was removed from the team roster Friday. Mathis, who played defensive back for the War- riors, was arrested on campus after a loaded semi- automatic handgun and a revolver were found in the trunk of his car, EC Police Chief Michael Trevis said. The car is registered under the former 20-year- old’s name and at the time of arrest, three other EC students were in the car, Trevis said. The four students were in the vehicle with smoky windows in the lower level of Lot F. An officer ob- served marijuana on the car console and upon doing a search, the firearms were discovered, according to the EC police log. Trevis said the two firearms located in the trunk of the vehicle were not registered and Mathis doesn’t have a gun license. Trevis added a bag was also found in the car with bullets and shells that did not fit the two guns. The Office of Community Relations has declined to comment after several requests and has told others not to comment on the story. “One individual was charged with California Pe- nal Code 626.9(b) Possession of firearms at a public institution,” Trevis said in an email. Trevis later confirmed Mathis was the individual who was charged. The other three students are likely facing disci- plinary action from the college but face no criminal charges at this time, Trevis added. Mathis currently faces only the one charge but the district attorney’s office may file more, Trevis said. According to administrative procedure 5520, an immediate suspension will be enforced when a stu- dent has “possession or use of any weapon, firearms, or explosives.” Rebecca Cobb, director of student development, said that students who have been immediately sus- pended have no student standing with the college while they go through due process. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff De- partment database, Mathis’ bail was set at $35,000 and he bonded out the same day he was arrested, Oct. 10. Rory Natividad, dean of health sciences and ath- letics, said this type of conduct is “against our mis- sion, our values, and everything we stand for.” Board of Trustees votes to close Child Development Center Davion Walker Staff Writer After nearly a two hour meeting, the Board of Trustees voted Oct. 21 to ultimately close the Child Development Center effective June 30, 2014. The CDC eluded closure last January by the board in favor of a method to strengthen enrollment. “We were very surprised and very, very disap- pointed,” Janet Young, associate professor of child- hood education, said. “We were stunned and shocked and disappointed that all of the things that have been done and all of the improvements, the increased en- rollments, and it didn’t count.” According to a report sent from Francisco Arce, vice president of academic affairs at EC, to Tom Fallo, president of EC, “the recommendation for clo- sure of the Child Development Center is based on a history of low enrollment beginning with fiscal year 2008/09.” “As the enrollment numbers declined, the district general fund transferred money to cover the annual budget deficit in the CDC. The amount of revenue allocated from the district general fund to cover the CDC budget deficit has steadily increased since the 2008/09 fiscal year. For fiscal year 2013/14, the dis- trict general fund is subsidizing the CDC budget defi- cit by $257,750,” according to the report. The members of the CDC are not disputing that the center had been operating at a deficit for many years. However, they believe they should have been allowed to continue because of the progress made un- der the center’s new direction. “We understand that we’re in a fiscal crisis and that numbers were terrible; from a strictly number standpoint, we’re not disputing that at all,” Young said. “We were told by Dr. Arce that when they came away from that board meeting, it wasn’t to give us a year to try to turn the center around, it was a year to close the center down.” The center has been operating under new direc- tion by the interim director, Jennifer Montgomery, since July 1 and since has shown improvement in enrollment. “We heard that our director was to get in there to see what she can do and bring them back a report in November and we will reassess,” Young said. According to a recovery report made by Mont- gomery, the enrollment for the center has increased from 14 students to 58 students in three months. However, the Board of Trustees made their deci- sion based on the ongoing problems. “She’s [Montgomery] doing a great job, but she just started and this issue has been going on since January,” Ken Brown, vice president of the Board of Trustees, said. “There’s no doubt that policies have been made. Unfortunately, it has not translated in more clients and more money.” Those with kids who attend the center will soon have to search for a new location. “Parents don’t want to enroll their child in a place that will being closing in a couple of months so they’ll limp along until they can close,” Christina Gold, his- tory professor and academic senate president, said. According to the recovery report, 41 percent of children enrolled in the center are children of stu- dents or staff members. With the closing of the CDC, childhood education majors will have to find other programs that they can observe children and organize their studies. “Our childhood education students deserve to conduct their observation and their assignments and their student teaching with real children in a model program at a site at our school,” Young said. “They’re not going to have that opportunity any longer. We don’t know where we’re going to send our students.” Murdock Stadium victory...Page 8 Patricklee Hamilton/ Union Nadia Basich Staff Writer N othing and no one can stop Superman. The same goes for amputee coach John Britton. Britton does not have super powers but he does have strength, positivity, and a few jokes under his Scottish skin. Britton is the men’s and women’s soccer coach and is also the badminton coach. The professional Scottish badminton player and U.S. Hall of Famer is a 20-year diabetic and lost his right leg last December. “I wanted to buy a new car,” Britton said. “They told me it was going to cost an arm and a leg. I bartered the guy down so I gave him my leg.” Coupled with having diabetes and letting a blister on his foot get worse, Britton had to have his leg amputated. “I got a blister on my foot from cycling. I love cycling on The Strand. There was no circulation,” Britton said. “That didn’t heal so they cut off a toe and then they cut off all of the toes. And then after the toes is below the knee.” Certainly there was no challenge for this man of steel. Britton said his students have been great to him and they look after him far more than he needs. “Some people do it for attention, so I cut my leg off,” Brit- ton said. Being one leg short does not bother Britton at all. He still can run forward but is still trying to figure out how to run backwards. Britton is hoping to play in the Pan American Games for badminton once he gets his permanent “leg.” Britton’s men’s soccer players describe him as an overall positive and inspirational person. “He is the father figure of the team,” midfielder Andrew Cervantes said. “He always motivates us even through bad games.” Sophomore forward Shaun Nagano agreed with Cervantes’ response about Britton’s optimistic views. “John is a good guy,” Nagano said. “He never has a bad day, he’s always in a good mood. Even though he’s not in- volved like, as coaching us as much, he has a solid impact. For Cervantes, he thinks his coach’s injury has affected the team for the better. “It has motivated us to play for him. This might be one of his last few seasons,” Cervantes said. “It motivates me to try to play a better game.” Nagano thinks otherwise. “I still see him as having two legs, even though half of his leg is gone,” Nagano said. “I mean, he’s still the same guy. He hasn’t changed at all.” Britton’s jokes that his condition will never stop him from doing what he wants. “I could continue my career at EC as a soccer coach or I could get a job at Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland with my peg leg, but EC paid more,” Britton said. EC soccer and badminton coach John Britton continues his passion after losing leg

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Transcript of Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

Page 1: Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

UnionOctober 31, 2013 Torrance, California

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Student Improvement Workshop

Jan Schaeffer will be hosting a workshop today about self-aware-ness at 1:05 p.m. in the Decathlon Room, located above the Book-store. If you want to attend, sign up at the front desk in the SRC. For more information, call 310-660-3295.

Planetarium Show

Professors Shimonee Kadakia and Susan Stolovy will have a full-dome feature film. The show will be on Saturday with back-to-back showings at 3 and 4 p.m. For more information, call 310-660-3373.

Preventing Failure Workshop

Sue Oda Omori will be hosting a workshop that will help prevent outside factors from deterring someone to accomplish their goals or aspirations. The workshop will be Monday at 1 p.m. in SSC 207. For more information, call 310-660-6936.

Financial Aid Online Application Workshop

The financial aid office will give general financial aid information and help students fill out their FAFSA forms. The workshop will be on Tuesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in SSC 204-G. For more informa-tion, call 310-660-3493.

Nursing Info Session

Students who are ready to apply to the nursing program can at-tend this information session. The workshop will be on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Distance Educatio Center. For more infor-mation, call 310-660-3493.

By Sam Tedla

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eccunion.com

Getting a kick out of life

Football player arrested on campusJessica MartinezNews Editor Matthew SimonSports Editor

After being arrested on campus for possession of firearms at a public institution Oct. 10, former EC football player Taj Mathis was removed from the team roster Friday.

Mathis, who played defensive back for the War-riors, was arrested on campus after a loaded semi-automatic handgun and a revolver were found in the trunk of his car, EC Police Chief Michael Trevis said.

The car is registered under the former 20-year-

old’s name and at the time of arrest, three other EC students were in the car, Trevis said.

The four students were in the vehicle with smoky windows in the lower level of Lot F. An officer ob-served marijuana on the car console and upon doing a search, the firearms were discovered, according to the EC police log.

Trevis said the two firearms located in the trunk of the vehicle were not registered and Mathis doesn’t have a gun license.

Trevis added a bag was also found in the car with bullets and shells that did not fit the two guns.

The Office of Community Relations has declined to comment after several requests and has told others

not to comment on the story.“One individual was charged with California Pe-

nal Code 626.9(b) Possession of firearms at a public institution,” Trevis said in an email.

Trevis later confirmed Mathis was the individual who was charged.

The other three students are likely facing disci-plinary action from the college but face no criminal charges at this time, Trevis added.

Mathis currently faces only the one charge but the district attorney’s office may file more, Trevis said.

According to administrative procedure 5520, an immediate suspension will be enforced when a stu-dent has “possession or use of any weapon, firearms,

or explosives.”Rebecca Cobb, director of student development,

said that students who have been immediately sus-pended have no student standing with the college while they go through due process.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff De-partment database, Mathis’ bail was set at $35,000 and he bonded out the same day he was arrested, Oct. 10.

Rory Natividad, dean of health sciences and ath-letics, said this type of conduct is “against our mis-sion, our values, and everything we stand for.”

Board of Trustees votes to close Child Development CenterDavion WalkerStaff Writer

After nearly a two hour meeting, the Board of Trustees voted Oct. 21 to ultimately close the Child Development Center effective June 30, 2014.

The CDC eluded closure last January by the board in favor of a method to strengthen enrollment.

“We were very surprised and very, very disap-pointed,” Janet Young, associate professor of child-hood education, said. “We were stunned and shocked and disappointed that all of the things that have been done and all of the improvements, the increased en-rollments, and it didn’t count.”

According to a report sent from Francisco Arce, vice president of academic affairs at EC, to Tom Fallo, president of EC, “the recommendation for clo-sure of the Child Development Center is based on a history of low enrollment beginning with fiscal year

2008/09.”“As the enrollment numbers declined, the district

general fund transferred money to cover the annual budget deficit in the CDC. The amount of revenue allocated from the district general fund to cover the CDC budget deficit has steadily increased since the 2008/09 fiscal year. For fiscal year 2013/14, the dis-trict general fund is subsidizing the CDC budget defi-cit by $257,750,” according to the report.

The members of the CDC are not disputing that the center had been operating at a deficit for many years. However, they believe they should have been allowed to continue because of the progress made un-der the center’s new direction.

“We understand that we’re in a fiscal crisis and that numbers were terrible; from a strictly number standpoint, we’re not disputing that at all,” Young said. “We were told by Dr. Arce that when they came away from that board meeting, it wasn’t to give us a

year to try to turn the center around, it was a year to close the center down.”

The center has been operating under new direc-tion by the interim director, Jennifer Montgomery, since July 1 and since has shown improvement in enrollment.

“We heard that our director was to get in there to see what she can do and bring them back a report in November and we will reassess,” Young said.

According to a recovery report made by Mont-gomery, the enrollment for the center has increased from 14 students to 58 students in three months.

However, the Board of Trustees made their deci-sion based on the ongoing problems.

“She’s [Montgomery] doing a great job, but she just started and this issue has been going on since January,” Ken Brown, vice president of the Board of Trustees, said. “There’s no doubt that policies have been made. Unfortunately, it has not translated in

more clients and more money.”Those with kids who attend the center will soon

have to search for a new location.“Parents don’t want to enroll their child in a place

that will being closing in a couple of months so they’ll limp along until they can close,” Christina Gold, his-tory professor and academic senate president, said.

According to the recovery report, 41 percent of children enrolled in the center are children of stu-dents or staff members.

With the closing of the CDC, childhood education majors will have to find other programs that they can observe children and organize their studies.

“Our childhood education students deserve to conduct their observation and their assignments and their student teaching with real children in a model program at a site at our school,” Young said. “They’re not going to have that opportunity any longer. We don’t know where we’re going to send our students.”

Murdock Stadium victory...Page 8

Patricklee Hamilton/ Union

Nadia BasichStaff Writer

Nothing and no one can stop Superman. The same goes for amputee coach John Britton. Britton does not have super powers but he does have strength, positivity, and a few jokes under his Scottish skin.

Britton is the men’s and women’s soccer coach and is also the badminton coach. The professional Scottish badminton player and U.S. Hall of Famer is a 20-year diabetic and lost his right leg last December.

“I wanted to buy a new car,” Britton said. “They told me it was going to cost an arm and a leg. I bartered the guy down so I gave him my leg.”

Coupled with having diabetes and letting a blister on his foot get worse, Britton had to have his leg amputated.

“I got a blister on my foot from cycling. I love cycling on The Strand. There was no circulation,” Britton said. “That didn’t heal so they cut off a toe and then they cut off all of the toes. And then after the toes is below the knee.”

Certainly there was no challenge for this man of steel.Britton said his students have been great to him and they

look after him far more than he needs.“Some people do it for attention, so I cut my leg off,” Brit-

ton said. Being one leg short does not bother Britton at all. He still

can run forward but is still trying to figure out how to run backwards. Britton is hoping to play in the Pan American Games for badminton once he gets his permanent “leg.”

Britton’s men’s soccer players describe him as an overall positive and inspirational person.

“He is the father figure of the team,” midfielder Andrew Cervantes said. “He always motivates us even through bad games.”

Sophomore forward Shaun Nagano agreed with Cervantes’ response about Britton’s optimistic views.

“John is a good guy,” Nagano said. “He never has a bad day, he’s always in a good mood. Even though he’s not in-volved like, as coaching us as much, he has a solid impact.

For Cervantes, he thinks his coach’s injury has affected the team for the better.

“It has motivated us to play for him. This might be one of his last few seasons,” Cervantes said. “It motivates me to try to play a better game.”

Nagano thinks otherwise.“I still see him as having two legs, even though half of his

leg is gone,” Nagano said. “I mean, he’s still the same guy. He hasn’t changed at all.”

Britton’s jokes that his condition will never stop him from doing what he wants.

“I could continue my career at EC as a soccer coach or I could get a job at Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland with my peg leg, but EC paid more,” Britton said.

EC soccer and badminton coach John Britton continues his passion after losing leg

Page 2: Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

2 El Camino College Union October 31, 2013newsPOLICE BEATBy Chris Guzman

Subject cited for being drunk in public

Oct. 25, 12:55 a.m.—Offi-cers were conducting a patrol and found a male subject laying on the ground unconscious with his bike between his legs. When the subject woke up, he told officers he was on his way home but for-got where he lived. The suspect smelled of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated. He was issued a citation for being drunk in public and was booked at Torrance PD.

iPhone taken out of student’s hand

Oct. 21, 10:38 a.m.—Officers responded to the station regarding a theft report. A female student stated that she was standing on the sidewalk by the Chemistry Build-ing when a unknown male subject approached her from behind and took her iPhone. The suspect ran down Manhattan Beach Boule-vard and grabbed a bike that was on the grass.

Four male non-students, including minor, caught drunk

Oct. 19, 11:30 p.m.—Officers observed a vehicle with no head-lights on the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and 164th Street. After conducting a traffic stop, the po-lice found that the four male non-students had been drinking heav-ily. A sobriety test was given and the driver exceeded the drinking limit. He was arrested and booked for being drunk in public. There was a minor in the car who was also drunk. The driver was cited for giving alcohol to a minor and was booked at Torrance PD.

Historic Board of Trustee election

EC may not take hit if marijuana is legalizedRigo BonillaManaging Editor

Marijuana could be legalized by the 2014 fall semester. Although it would take 50,000 signatures and a majority vote, polls say public opinion supporting legalization is at a record high.

According to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Men-tal Health Administration, 18-25 year olds smoked mari-juana more than any other age group in 2012.

The question is, how would marijuana legalization affect EC, whose population is also predominantly in the 18-25 range?

North Seattle Community College has experienced the situation firsthand due to the legalization in Washington (along with Colorado). The changes they have seen have been “none.”

“Nothing’s changed,” Alex Maldonado, health security officer at NSCC, said. “It’s been uneventful. There was about one complaint of a student being high in the past year.”

Another question arising from the issue is the boundar-ies on the substance. Would it be acceptable to smoke any-

where anytime if it’s legalized?Maldonado said it does have its limits in Washington.

“Marijuana is treated the same as alcohol. People can use it in their houses, just not in the streets.”

The before and after at NSCC has been the same. Here at EC, marijuana infractions come up at about the same rate as any other crimes, EC Police Sergeant Dal Toruno said.

“Marijuana is not more of a problem on campus right now than any other issue,” Toruno said. “We’ll get a distur-bance call, a burglary, a theft; it’s just part of the things we come across.”

“What happens is, somebody smells it, they call us and we investigate,” Toruno added. “If somebody says, ‘Hey, we smelled it by the Art Building, by the stairwell,’ we investi-gate. If we find something, we deal with it when we find it.”

Toruno said the EC police department hasn’t yet consid-ered what changes would take place if marijuana is legal-ized, but that they will follow the laws as they come.

The current consequences for being caught with pot are determined by the police and the EC administration.

“The common consequence for being caught with mari-juana is receiving a citation for possession less than an ounce,” Toruno said. “If it happens on campus, students

will be sent to the director of student development.” “Students are not supposed to be smoking on campus,”

Toruno said. “It’s a violation of the student conduct, which includes drinking, fighting and other things.”

Some students already agree that marijuana doesn’t have a place on a college campus, even if it’s legalized.

“I think it should be legal, I just don’t think it should be allowed on campus because we can’t drink on campus,” Sergio Ibarra, 20, theatre major, said. “It will inhibit peo-ple. Especially if we’re working in groups, I don’t want to be working with a bunch of potheads. I think it should be treated as a legal drug like alcohol; you can’t be driving when you’re drunk. The same precautions should be taken about weed.”

Other students find it to be as trivial as a cigarette.“I see a bunch of people smoking cigarettes on campus,”

Vanessa Rodriguez, 19, undecided major, said. “It’s pretty much the same thing in my eyes.”

Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series that will go in depth about the legzaliation of marijuana.

Chris GuzmanStaff Writer

For the first time in El Camino College history, a Latino will be elected to serve on the five-member Board of Trustees in the Nov. 5 election.

“Vying for the Area 5 seat are Torrance City Councilman Cliff Numark, university technology administrator G. Rick Marshall and business owner Aria Shafiee. Com-peting to represent Area 2 are Hawthorne school board member John Vargas and Hawthorne City Councilman Nilo Mi-chelin,” according to a Daily Breeze article.

Area two consists of Lennox and Haw-thorne and area five consists of south Tor-rance and south Redondo Beach. Both candidates competing for the Lennox and Hawthorne area are Latino.

Marshall applies his idea of free market principles to his personal life because of his success in implementing this work ethic with students in the past.

“We donated money and time, putting together this little company, teaching them how to manufacture and market their prod-uct,” Marshall said. “I loved watching my young entrepreneurs succeed. Free market capitalism, these kids got a taste of it, this is what it’s about to get ahead in America.”

Passionate about his community and teaching, along with being a council mem-ber for the past ten years and being a high school teacher, has made Michelin aware of students’ needs, he said.

“I served as a Hawthorne prosecutor for ten years and I have my teaching creden-tials,” Michelin added. “I serve on the Over-sight Committee on the Foundation Board,

and I want to make sure local students get priority when they register for classes.”

Michelin has plans to expand what EC can offer to incoming students.

Numark has experience in being hands-on with business communities and balanc-ing the budget as a legislative aide. This gives him the edge in transforming the young generation into entrepreneurs, he said.

“I served as a business incubator. We set up a resource center for folks who want to start their own business,” Numark said. “It’s free advice for marketing professionals to grow in their business. It’s a private sector lead, it helps local business communities.”

Being an administrator for many years, Vargas has become aware of the needs of students and their families.

Voicing the concerns and best inter-

ests of the commnity is something Vargas strives to address in his first year as a trust-ee, he said.

“The last four years I have served as a board member for the Hawthorne School Board. Every decision we made affected students,” Vargas said. “I always asked my-self, ‘Is this decision in the best interests of our students?’ That has always been my priority.”

Vargas said he continually considers stu-dents to be the most important factor when making decisions, and will continue to do so as a trustee.

“In my daily work at the middle school, I make decisions daily that affect students,” Vargas said. “I manage the school’s bud-get and make sure my teachers have the resources they need to provide quality in-struction to all students.”

A Latino will be elected to serve on the five-member board for the first time in the college’s history

Page 3: Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

Tracy Kumono/ UnionJamee Palmer, 46, photography and studio art major, takes photos with her Nikon camera in Hermosa Beach.

Chris GuzmanStaff Writer

Attendees of “Phantasms” at Marsee Audito-rium on Oct. 18 got a glimpse of

“expressive line” artwork created by EC art students as well as a his-tory lesson from faculty member Jason Davidson on the 19th cen-tury birth of Medium-ism.

“The [students’] assignment is to use only lines, and ask: What does ‘paranormal’ mean?” Andrea Micallef, professor of graphic de-sign, said. “How can we commu-nicate by how we’re drawing as

opposed to what we’re drawing.”Micallef elaborated, empha-

sizing the role of the audience in creating a meaningful artistic ex-perience.

“That’s what’s so interest-ing about these line drawings, it speaks to us. It causes the viewer to be active and bring their own experiences to it,” she said. “It re-quires the perceiver to understand what their seeing, it invokes a re-sponse in us, and the viewer fills in the blanks, to figure out what the composition is about.”

A piece by Maria Covarrabias, 26, graphic design major, stood displayed on a case upon entering the auditorium. Her illustration

stood out among other, more col-orful pieces and featured a haunt-ed tree with a ghostly swing tied to the end of one the branches.

“The tree I got from ‘The Con-juring,’ I added the swing after, and made it still rather than hav-ing it moving,” Covarrabias said. “It’s made to look more ghostly.”

“I wanted it to look creepy. Expressive line is all about move-ment, by movement you can see all the lines in the tree,” she added.

Her piece was well-received by attendees and went on to receive the most audience votes.

“We looked around and we liked this one the best,” Tina Abel, 35, audience member, said. “The

tree, in my opinon, is the scariest one with the evil branches like it’s calling someone over to play on the swing.”

As “Phantasms” approached its second hour, Jason Davidson, pro-fessor of communication studies, guided his audience through ma-jor events of the Medium move-ment.

“We have to be a little careful when we talk about Spirtualism. It is a religion that you would follow like Islam, Judaism and Christian-ity,” he said. “There are still spir-tual churches today. I’m not bash-ing anyone’s religion. Spirit-ism is the belief that we can talk to the dead, and over the years people

have confused the two.”Davidson added that “Phan-

tasms” only concerned itself with figures of fraud in the Spiritualist movement.

“I’m not going to say we can’t communicate with the dead,” he said, “but I am going to talk about people who were fake and exploit-ed the situation of people grieving over lost loved ones.”

The end goal of “Phantasms,” Davidson claimed, was to see Spiritualism in the scope and con-text of history.

“The idea is to see where this movement came from, why did it happen and how it has impacted us today,” he said.

Chris GuzmanStaff Writer

Featuring terrific actors, a great screenplay, and excellent directing, “The Counselor” deliv-ers everything a star-studded cast could live up to.

Among the film’s many stars are Michael Fassbender, who por-trays a modest, straight lawyer tied up in a deal with the Mexican Cartel, and Cameron Diaz, who plays one of the film’s villainesses.

Predictably, the deal goes wrong and he’s in over his head when people closest to him start disappear-ing.

Director Rid-ley Scott, also know for box office hits like “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator,” does something entirely and uniquely differ-ent from his pri-or films.

In a departure from the tradi-tional hero story, “The Counselor” is brutal to its protagonists and leaves its bad guys unpunished.

The movie touches on many philosophical points while giving the viewer a deeper, darker look at the lifestyles that accompany the Mexican Cartel.

With superb writing by Cor-mac McCarthy and great direc-tion from Scott, they demonstrate the brutal realism that things don’t always work out for the best.

A beautiful cast including Pe-nelope Cruz and Brad Pitt add a sexy touch. Shots of lavish cars, homes in the hills and cheetahs in the driver seats of Range Rovers give the movie an exotic mood.

“The Counselor” feeds a crav-

ing for high-octane car chases and gunfights as well.

In one scene, armed men driv-ing a fleet of SUV’s hunt the Counselor’s friend through the desert. The suspenseful chase cul-minates in the outnumbered gun-man, wielding M16 rifles, shoot-ing his way out of a kidnapping.

The film is not shy on depicting brutal violence and deserves its “R” rating from the MPAA.

In yet another scene, Brad Pitt walks, seemingly seconds away from escaping a grisly fate, when someone chokes him with a gar-rote so tight his head is almost

severed. The movie is generous with blood and not even nearby pedestrians are spared from the splattering.

The movie never explores the motivations be-hind “the deal,” nor emphasizes what “the deal” actual was. It simply serves as

a device to unveil the covert life-styles of people involved in illegal businesses and the consequences of what can go wrong in that line of work.

Surprisingly, “The Counselor” doesn’t feel the need to lean upon nudity or sex like other films in its category. Instead, it garners ap-peal thorough the power of sug-gestion and the result is far more edgy.

Thanks to the talented fig-ures behind its production, “The Counselor” defies some of the ste-reotypes inherent to Hollywood thrillers today.

Movie Review

The do-it-all photographerTrent LedfordStaff Writer

When it comes to the bril-liant and creative Jamee Palmer, 46, photography and studio art major, with every flicker of her shutter, outstanding photographs are born.

“Jamee, is a highly intelligent photographer. She is a matured student who demonstrates a great responsibility for her own education,” Darilyn Rowan, pro-fessor of photography, said.

Other instructors who work with Palmer first-hand echo the sentiment about her talent and personability.

“She’s very good with people. An outgoing, caring and respon-sible student,” Joyce Dallal, pro-fessor of fine arts said. “She’s a lot of fun to have in class, very enthusiastic with her work.”

“She has a good eye for people and she’s good at making people feel comfortable,” Dallal added.

Palmer first started as a hair dresser at the age of 16 and re-corded her art though photos.

“I been a hairdresser for 28

years and throughout that time I’ve taken photos of my work,” Palmer said.

More recently, Palmer has expanded the subject of her pho-tos. She published a photography book “The Colors Of Flowers,” featuring many of her still shots.

“I like seeing my work in print,” Palmer said. “I like to garden and take pictures of the flowers that I grew.”

Palmer acknowledges that go-ing to school at an older age can be a struggle but she still maintains a 4.0 GPA while working and tak-ing care of her two children.

“I am going to college as a non-traditional student. I have two children, 12 and 13. It’s hard be-ing a parent and going to college,” Palmer said, “but I received two $1,000 scholarships.”

When Palmer isn’t working on

her photos or schoolwork, she’s working at the digital print center, teaching students about the pro-cess of producing prints, or help-ing book guest speakers for her classes.

“Jamee has helped bring guest speakers to campus and she helps run the print center on the second floor of the humanities art build-ing,” Rowan said.

Palmer also works to bring art and photography to victims of do-mestic violence with the non-profit organization, A Window Between Worlds.

“I hope to use my photography and art as a healing tool for peo-ple who experience domestic vio-lence,” Palmer said.

For all that know her, Palmer’s imaginable future is a brilliant one.

“It’s been an honor to be one of Jamee’s teachers. She learns quickly and works independently, which is also a very strong part of the student learning community,” Rowan said. “I consider myself fortunate to have been one of her teachers.”

arts

Eric Hsieh/ UnionEC’s two-Dimensional Design classes showcased expressive line artwork at “Phantasms” on Oct. 18 in Marsee auditorium. shown above, a piece by sean Webb.

El Camino College Union

On the sceneErin Logan

theatre

Still Shocking

“As startling as it was when it was first performed, Luigi Piran-dello’s unique story ‘Six Charac-ters in Search of an Author’ begins with realism but quickly becomes an assault on the nature of theatre itself.” With John DeMita direct-ing, this play will be performed on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1, 2, 8, 9 in Marsee Auditorium at 8 p.m. and again on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. No children under the age of 5 will be permitted. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.elcamino.edu/commadv/center-forarts/ecctheatre.html.

Film

Hell’s Canyon

The concluding movie of EC’s travel series will be shown on Nov. 4 at 3 and 7:30 p.m. in Marsee Au-ditorium. The film, “Not A Day Goes By: ‘Remembering Hell’s Canyon’” is narrated by Patricia Keith. It documents an enduring love for Hell’s Canyon and inter-views the fascinating men and women who lived on its isolated ranches between the 1920s and the 1980s. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased by calling 1-800-832-ARTS.

Dance

Fall dance concert

Daniel Berney, Pamela Santelman, and Lisa Hoefner Adamis are directing EC’s annual fall dance concert this semester. The concert will be on Nov. 21 at 1 p.m., Nov. 22 and 23 at 8 p.m., and Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15. Those interested can contact Marsee Auditorium’s box office.

Music

2013 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist

Vadym Kholodenko, a pianist who has won first prize at both the International Schubert Competi-tion in Dortmund in 2012, and the Sendai International Music Com-petition in 2010, will be perform-ing at EC on Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium. Tickets are $26 and can be purchased by call-ing 1-800-832-ARTS.

EC Concert Band

Directed by professor Dane Teter, EC’s concert band will perform assorted works by com-posers ranging from Holsinger and Lithgow to Mancini and Ed-mondson. The concert will take place Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium. Tickets are $10 and available online from http://www.elcamino.edu/commadv/center-forarts/eccpg.html

Modern masterworks

Krisiti Lobitz on piano and Susan Greenburg on flute will be performing in Marsee Auditorium on Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. The program will feature masterworks from J.S. Bach, Beethoven, and Poulenc. Tickets are $15.

October 31, 2013 El Camino College Union 3

‘The Counselor’ has advice for Hollywood’s thrillers

“[cormac Mccarthy and Ridley scott] demonstrate the brutal realism that things don’t always work out for the best. ”

A night spent with “Phantasms”Students and teacher explore the shadowy realm of the supernatural.

Page 4: Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

Feeling safe on campus is tough when the administration won’t talk about the very real, very con-cerning crimes that happen here.

Three weeks ago, a football player was arrested on campus for possession of firearms at a public institution. He had a loaded semi-automatic handgun and a revolver in the trunk of his car.

As soon as the Union heard about it, we went out to gather information. One editor tried to reach out to those involved and another tried to talk to anyone at the police station that knew some-thing about it.

Both editors were met with re-sponses of “I’m not commenting on this” and “I can’t tell you that.”

How can our campus be as safe as possible when those in charge won’t talk?

Days later, the same editors continued to talk to people. Many in the administration were called and we received few responses. Those we did receive were small pieces of a much bigger puzzle. Most of our questions weren’t get-ting answered.

Still, weeks after the fact, very few people will address the fact that someone brought a loaded firearm onto campus.

Now more than ever, there’s a heightened sensitivity to gun vio-lence. Mass school shootings in

the past year include ones at San-dy Hook Elementary School, Lone Star College, and Santa Monica College.

In the past two weeks alone, gun violence has made headlines more than usual.

On Oct. 21, a 12-year-old shot three others before turning his handgun on himself at a middle school in Sparks, Nevada. On Oct. 22, a 13-year-old was shot and killed in Santa Rosa because a cop falsely believed a fake rifle was a real one.

On Oct. 23, two students were transported to hospitals from a Chino elementary school after a

child pulled the trigger on a rifle that was mounted on a police of-ficer’s motorcycle. That same day, an 11-year-old in Vancouver was

arrested after he took ammuni-tion, knives, and a handgun to his school.

Gun violence happens. And the

way our college is handling this situation is pretending it doesn’t. At least not on our campus.

Many want to believe it could

never happen to them. But it hap-pened at our college three weeks ago and those in charge won’t even release a single comment about it.

Parents from all over send their kids to El Camino College. Stu-dents, faculty, staff, and those in the community need to be aware this stuff happens.

The Union covers the campus. The L.A. Times doesn’t and nei-ther does the Daily Breeze, at least not in the way we do. Students are looking to us to report the news, which is a hard thing to do when people won’t talk to us.

We aim to report fairly and accurately and have given many people the opportunity to make a comment on this story. When they don’t, it appears as if there’s some-thing to hide, something to sweep under the rug, and something to avoid talking about.

See related article on Page 1

Illustration by Eugene Chang

The Issue• EC’s refusal to discuss an

important issue that could affect the whole campus

Our Stand• Students have a right to

information about poten-tial safety hazards, and restricting that information breeds misstrust and sus-picion among the student body.

4 El Camino College Union October 31, 2013EDITORIAL

Avoiding the college rat race

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The Union is published Thursdays by Journalism 11 students at El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90506, and is free to the student body and staff.

Unsigned editorials and cartoons are the opinion of the editorial board and do not reflect the views of the student body, staff or administration. Letters to the edi-tor must be signed and must be received one week prior to publication in the Union office, Humanities Building Room 113.

Letters are subject to editing for space, libel, ob-scenity and disruption of the educational process. Sin-gle copies of the Union are free; multiple copies can be requested through the Union.

Editor-in-Chief .......................................................................Thomas SchmitManaging Editor ..........................................................................Rigo BonillaNews Editor ...........................................................................Jessica MartinezOpinion Editor .............................................................................Rigo BonillaFeatures Editor ....................................................................... Brian CamachoArts Editor ..................................................................................... Eric HsiehSports Editor ...........................................................................Matthew SimonSocial Media Editor ................................................................Thomas SchmitPhoto Editor ................................................................................Amira PetrusAdvertising Manager ..........................................................Kimberly BrandesAdviser .................................................................................Kate McLaughlinPhoto Adviser...................................................................................Gary KohatsuTechnical Support ............................................................................ Don Treat

Vol. 67, No. 6October 31, 2013

E-mail: [email protected]: (310) 660-3328Advertising: (310) 660-3329

UNIONEL CAMINO COLLEGE

Our comment on “No Comment”

Like taking daycare from a babyThere’s a pretty common plot

thread in sports movies for kids; a group of rag tag players face al-most impossible odds, but through hard work and teamwork, man-age to finally overcome. It’s been used in “The Mighty Ducks”, “The Sandlot”, and countless oth-ers. Now imagine that, in the last few minutes of the movie, the ref-eree approaches the team and says “Nice job, but you’ve been dis-

qualified, so it doesn’t count.”That’s about how the decision

to close down the Child Develop-ment Center feels. After less than work with a brand new Interim Director, the CDC managed to make serious progress, quadru-pling it’s enrollment numbers. This is despite multiple sources, including former Student Trustee Jasmine Hormani, all having said that it’s status would be reassessed

after a year last March. While re-assessed isn’t quite the same thing as saved, the implication was that it was possible to keep the CDC open if they showed improvement. It makes the “reassessment” reek of a cheap, political trick to keep the CDC’s supporters quiet with-out actually making any real con-cessions, since it wouldn’t have been possible to close it immedi-ately anyways.

Unfortunately, this isn’t just a movie, and the closing of the CDC will have serious consequences for very real people, not charac-ters. Not only do the students and faculty who actually depend on the CDC to watch their children while they’re busy on campus suffer, but the students majoring in childhood education will now miss out on the opportunity for a rich learning experience that

would have gone a long way to-ward preparing them for the real world.

Education in California is in a precarious financial state right now, and it’s inevitable that the school will have to make some hard decisions. However, cutting classes and programs that pro-vide real world experience to stu-dents isn’t the answer. After all, Gov. Brown has made it his goal

that community colleges provide more opportunities for vocational training, in order to quickly create more jobs. How can we meet that goal if we keep crippling those very programs?

The college system is screwed up. There’s been a huge debate about healthcare and if it should be provided affordably to all U.S. citizens. Obamacare? Where’s Obama-learn? or Obamacation?

How many times has the phrase “college wasn’t for me” been uttered? I bet it wasn’t the college part. Change the phrase to “$50,000 in debt just wasn’t for me.” That’s more accurate.

Thank God there’s places like EC. If I went to college straight out of high school, that period in my life would have been twice the disaster it already was.

Now, after switching my ma-jor, switching schools, taking a semester off and switching majors again, I finally know what I want to do. It took a while of trial and error to figure everything out.

That’s not possible at a four-year university. According to uni-versityofcalifornia.edu, the aver-age living cost per year for a UC student is about $30,000.

For that kind of money, there’s no way I would have switched majors and wasted a whole year of tuition. I would still be an English major learning about the Kardashian-esque drama of 18th century poets, and I would be hat-ing my life. On second thought, I would have probably just dropped out.

Not only would I have dropped out, but I would have missed out on the biggest lesson I’ve learned in life so far: maturity, although I admit I could learn some more.

Who thought this stuff up? Let’s take a kid, fresh out of high school, who has no idea who they are yet, and strap them up tens of thousands of dollars in debt to start their life. Fly, young eagle. Spread your wings.

My uncle, who was raised by a poor immigrant single mother, graduated from UCLA at a time when the UC system was dirt cheap and financial aid covered the rest. Today, he is a successful

aerospace engineer. It’s so hard to imagine where he would be if he had to face the UC system of today.

An older man was telling me the other day that the current gen-eration lacks respect. I agree with him, but this generation isn’t be-ing given the chance to educate themselves like the generations before.

College isn’t a place to learn and mature anymore. College is a competition. It’s a place where young people subject themselves to being profited upon in hopes of one day graduating and profit-ing from the next kid coming up. What an ugly scene.

Help us, Jesus. Help us, Obama. Kobe? Tom Cruise?

COMMENTARY

Rigo Bonilla Managing Editor

For as long as I can remem-ber, fall has been the bane of my education. My birthday was last Saturday, and today is Hallow-een. Following soon after will be Thanksgiving, and then finally Christmas.

In the face of all these breaks, celebrations, and the slumber-inducing weather, it becomes aw-fully hard to concentrate at school around now. I’ve worked my butt off, I’m tired, and there’s just so many awesome things to look for-ward to and plan for.

Of course, I’m not the only one who struggles with the compet-ing urges to party and hibernate, but after far, far too many years of A’s in spring and C’s in fall, I’ve decided that I have to make a change.

With that in mind, I’ve decided on a series of goals to try to and keep myself on track for the final five weeks of the semester. For those of you who also suffer from a fall slump, maybe these can help

you too.My first, and probably toughest

goal will be to maintain a regu-lar sleep pattern. Yes, that does mean going to sleep at 11 p.m. to-night, while the rest of the world parties it up. However, one of the best ways to maintain focus is to adhere to a consistent routine, and that’s just not possible if I keep stumbling home some time around 4 a.m.

The next goal is to eat three meals a day. While this second goal seems like common sense, it’s something that probably every college student (and definitely ev-ery journalist on a deadline) has ignored in favor of cramming in some extra study time. Unfortu-nately, starving yourself makes it much harder to concentrate, so even with the extra study time, you’re not really getting your money’s worth.

Finally, this will be the year that I actually organize myself. Lists, binders, the whole works; I

fully intend to be able to see my desk underneath my paperwork. In addition to saving space, know-ing exactly when each assignment is due will help me to plan out my schedule and avoid procrastina-tion.

Hopefully these goals will pro-vide a foundation for others to overcome their own fall slumps, and if you have any suggestions of your own, be sure to send them to us on the Union website!

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 submit-ted to [email protected].

Please note that articles may be edited for content and length

CAMPUS INSIGHT

Trying not to fail at fall Thomas Schmit Editor-in-Chief

Page 5: Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

Voltaire once said, “Common sense is not so common.” He was right. Whether it’s simply checking to see if you locked the door behind you, or hooking up with your best friend’s significant other. People tend to do things that they themselves would classify as idiotic, yet more so than ever these days, people exploit forgiveness rather than permission — Grace Hopper just rolled in her grave.

If people would take just five minutes out of their day to reflect on their actions, goals, and truest aspirations, the world could be a better place. A world full of motivated people, living for the greater good, and filled with common sense — a tad bit of wishful thinking I’m sure, but you get the picture here.

Surely this idealistic lifestyle may be farfetched for those that live in the “real world” and refuse consider themselves a student of life, but luckily for us, EC is filled with students from every ethnicity, demographic background, and socioeconomic status. We are our own kind of world and can start from within, EC Warriors can be the leading examples.

Next time you plan on doing something, consider the level of significance and take a second to think before taking action. Thinking before doing may not be in the hipster handbook, but it could be the start of a streak of luck for you. Do I really need that fifth drink? Is this appropriate to wear to my job interview? Is it absolutely necessary to bring firearm on campus property? Just take a second is all I’m saying. For all you know the outcomes of one’s actions can potentially be detrimental, not just to you, but also to those around you.

Voltaire also said, “Those who can

make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

One’s interpretation is to take responsibility for your own actions. Blaming others isn’t sufficient for justification, because you should know better. If your excuse is that someone made you, then you’re the idiot to begin with and should seriously consider

some soul searching.What exactly is

considered common sense, and are these notions national, regional, or local? Personally, common sense is as it’s commonly used. Regardless of its caliber, as a citizen of this great nation, you should have the most common of common sense. As a college student, as educated individuals, as well rounded citizens, the

extent of your common sense should be broader and at least up to par with those of your equal.

But don’t take my word for it, get out there and find out for yourselves. The more you know, the less you’ll have to apologize for. And before you know it, you’ll be the one asking why some things aren’t as commonly known.

Clipper’s head coach Doc Rivers made headlines last week after he asked the Staples Center if he could cover all Laker’s banners during Clipper home games this year.

But covering up Laker banners in Los Angles is almost scarilegious. The tradition of the purple and gold is that of excellence and greatness, which is represented by its 9 player jerseys being retired, and 16 NBA championships (6 in Minneapolis, 11 in Los Angeles).

The legacy of the Lakers should be upheld whenever someone comes to any sporting event or concert in Staples Center.

It’s almost understandable that Rivers wants to create a home-court atmosphere when fans and opposing teams come to watch the Clippers at Staples. It’s like going to your girlfriend’s house and checking out her sister’s pictures and saying, “damn who’s that.”

Seeing Laker banners would just expose the huge gap there once was between the in-city rivals. Clippers fans don’t want to be reminded of the nightmares of being in the lottery draft every year, while the Lakers were competing for championships.

The Clippers are hoping they have turned a new leaf with the aquisition of Chris Paul, who coincidentally was originally traded to the Lakers, but in a mysterious and controversial move by the commisioner of

the NBA, the trade was vetoed.Staples Center could never truly be the

home of the Clippers. Sure, they can change the wallpaper on the inside with “selfies” of their players, but Clipper fans will have to walk by the four Lakers statues on their way into the building every time. Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are permanent Laker fixtures while the Clippers have never had a player worthy of being immortalized with a statue. What’s next, putting red, white and blue snuggies on the statues?

The Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984 from San Diego. The Lakers moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960. If the Clippers really want to create the best home-court enviroment they should have moved to another arena/stadium, or even better, move to another city.

The Lakers and Clippers aren’t the only teams in the four major Northern-American sports leagues to play in the same city, but they are the only ones to play in the same stadium. New York has two NFL teams (Giants, Jets), two NHL teams (Islanders, Rangers) and two MLB teams (Mets, Yankees). All of these teams play in different arenas.

The bottom line: the Lakers where here first, and covering up the banners would be disrepectful to some the greatest players in NBA history.

And after the Lakers proved all of the “experts” wrong and embarassed the Clippers on opening night, we all know whose town this really is.

Angela YimUnion Columnist

October 31, 2013 El Camino College Union 5

Scratch doesn’t seem like an apt word to describe it. Roughly 8 inches long, the gash across the my driver side door faintly glitters with the bits of chrome paint embedded in it. Chrome paint that, until a few moments ago, covered the tips of a set of handle bars belonging to the vapid moron now blithely fleeing. I shout expletives that would make a sailor blush, but there’s not much I can do short of hopping in my car and chasing the idiot down.

That was just a few weeks ago on campus. Unfortunately for me, there was no license plate on the bike that would let me report the biker. Even if there was, there’s no law requiring the biker to have any sort of liability insurance to cover the damage. Fortunately for the biker, I had just parked and gotten out of my car, because if the car had been in motion, there would have been nothing protecting him from the two tons of steel and plastic that would turned him into a greasy smear on the asphalt.

It’s all well and good that more people are biking now. Saving the environment, great health benefits, low cost, we’ve all heard the arguments before. The problem is that bikers seem to act like they have all of the advantages of a car, but don’t want to face up to the realities and drawbacks of a bike, or even any vehicle on the street.

The fact is that no amount of improved cardio or reduced emissions will save you when you tangle with a moving object easily 10 times your weight while riding on a 20 pound aluminum frame. It’s a common stereotype that people in college think they’re invulnerable, but almost every single person will be in an accident of some sort. Some may injure themselves. Some may only damage other people’s property, like the biker mentioned earlier. In any case, the toll such accidents can inflict can be reduced by demanding that bikes be treated more like cars, by requiring simple things like liability insurance, turning indicators, mirrors, and other safety features that are

standard for a car owner. These are all standard for motorcycle riders as well, but despite riding many of the same streets as motorcyclists, bikes are exempted from.

After all, the streets are for everyone, so shouldn’t everyone be playing by the same set of rules?

Any and all cyclists’ right to the road has been enshrined in law since 1968’s international law, in fact, under the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

Under this agreement, 150 countries, including the United States, conferred the legal status of “vehicles” onto bicycles.

Cyclists are legally “vehicle operators.”If you looked at cities around America,

however, you’d never guess it.Critics will point out that not all cyclists

follow the rules of the road. Rightly, they should face punishment and be taken off the streets the same way motorists who don’t follow law are treated.

If it’s too difficult to change societal attitudes towards bikes, the second-best option is to create more space between cars and bikes. Dedicated bike paths, clearly-marked bike lanes. Sadly, many governments don’t deem it a priority to support efforts to choose a healthier, more environmentally-friendly mode of transportation.

Thankfully, some legislators are slowly coming around. They’ve studied European models, and the amount of public funds, healthcare costs, and deaths they could be saving by promoting cycling has moved them to action.

Chicago’s mayor has plans to add 500 miles of bike lanes, “establishing a bikeway within a half-mile of every Chicago resident,” according to his proposal.

New York City has made similar efforts and its residents have responded. Between 2007 and 2012, bicycle commuting doubled in the Big Apple.

It’s Southern California, so firmly in the grasp of the automobile industry and constrained by its car culture, that is slowly being left behind.

If it confuses drivers why a cyclist would still go out onto the road, despite the risks, despite the lack of proper infrastructure, consider the following: studies almost universally show that it’s more dangerous not to bike than to bike.

In a study published by the French newspaper, Le Monde, researchers found that deaths caused by regularly biking on car-dominated roads were heavily outnumbered by deaths prevented because these cyclists had lower incidences of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.Illustration by Eugene Chang

Bicyclists want respect, but don’t follow the rules

Biking is positive for everyone involved

UP FOR DEBATE

Should bikes be treated as automobiles?

• Please connect with me by email at [email protected]

• Follow me on Twitter @eccunionAng

• Join the conversation online at www.eccunion.com

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

Tierra Nance, 23,radiological technology

“It’s safer for them to be in a safe area. I think the bikers should keep the sidewalk.”

Denisha Ellis, 19,nursing

“Yes, they should get more respect because they have to get around too.”

Ivan Alcantar, 21,music

“Yes, because it’s often scary to see cars behind that are very close to you when you’re cycling.”

Ramon Ortiz, 20,engineering

“Yes, they need to be shown more respect because it’s the same as any transportation which would lead to getting to places you need to be, and plus, bikers follow the same rules as any other vehicle on the road. In the DMV manual it says, bikes are considered vehicles of transportation.”

The missing sixth sense

CAmPUs viEwPOinTs

No MaNNers for chaMpioNship

baNNersColumn

Eric HseihStaff writer

Thomas Schmit Staff writer

By Trent LedfordPhotos by Gilberto Castro

Erika Kissell, 18,nursing

“No, they should ride on the sidewalk. If you are driving and don’t see them, you might hit them.”

Sam TedlaStaff writer

• Clippers fans and Lakers fans, what do you think?

• Tweet me @ECCUnionSam

• Listen to our weekly NBA podcast at eccunion.com under the podcast section.

Page 6: Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

6 El Camino College Union October 31, 2013sports

Warriors’ win streak endedTrailing two sets to one and

down 21-24 in the fourth set to Pasadena City College, the El Camino women’s volleyball team found themselves in a spot they are not used to being in. Trying desperately to keep their eight-game winning streak alive, the Warriors went up for the kill but the shot was blocked for the match point.

The Warriors (13-4) came into the game ranked No. 9 in the state but were upset by the Lancers (8-8) Friday night at EC as they fell 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 21-25) and saw their eight-game winning streak snapped.

“We have been doing little things right and we just didn’t make plays that we’ve been mak-ing all year,” coach Le Valley Pattison said. “There’s a lot of freshman out there so it’s a great learning experience.”

The Warriors are now 6-1 in the South Coast Conference and are in a three-way tie with Pasa-dena and Mt. San Antonio for first place.

Errors and miscues ultimately led to the Warriors demise and they would frequently gain mo-mentum only to see it slip away due to an untimely mistake.

“We served a few too many balls out and let a few too many drop,” Pattison said.

After dropping the first set 25-23 the Warriors responded by tak-ing the second set 25-23 to tie the score at one game a piece.

In a crucial third set, the War-riors led 23-22 but could not put away the Lancers, giving up a late kill and having their last shot

blocked for the loss.“It was a big eye-opener to let

us know that we need to pick up our game fast,” sophomore set-ter SueKalena Tafao said. “This showed us that we need to come out of the gate strong and clean up

our mistakes.”Tafao had another huge game,

racking up 18 kills and 12 digs. Tafao has become comfortable in her role as team leader and con-tinues to set an example with her dominant play.

Freshman outside hitter Layne Thompson and middle blocker Kimberly Haney also had break-out games with 15 kills for Haney and 14 kills for Thompson.

“I’ve become more of an evi-dent hitter,” Thompson said.

“Someone who can really show up and get the balls down when needed.”

Thompson and Haney both entered the year as freshman but have become key contributors due to their size and strength around

the net.“I’m just getting more com-

fortable with the setters and we’re connecting more,” Haney said.

Next up, the Warriors head in into a critical conference match with Mt. San Antonio tomorrow.

Brian CamachoStaff Writer

John Fordiani / UnionFreshman outside hitter Laynie thompson, freshman middle blocker Kimberly Haney block a hit attempt against the Lancers. the women’s volleyball team would go on to lose the match 3-1.

Page 7: Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

October 31, 2013 El Camino College Union 7sports

Nwabueze doubles up in 4-2 victoryEmmanuel RamirezStaff Writer

With the score tied 2-2 and the wind going against freshman forward Kyrian Nwabueze, he was able to chip a shot over the goal-keeper giving the War-

riors the go-ahead goal in a 4-2 victory against Pasadena City College.

“I was anticipating a cross from the right side,” Nwabueze said. “In my mind, I knew I had to get to that ball. Luckily, it was a great ball that all I needed to do was tap it in.”

Nineteen minutes into the game the War-riors gave up a goal that gave the Lancers a 1-0 lead.

Nwabueze tied the game giving the team hope.

“I was able to perform well thanks to my teammates,” Nwabueze said.

The team’s intensity carried into the second half as freshman midfielder Branddon Cando gave the Warriors the lead.

“I was able to find an opening where the goalkeeper wouldn’t be able to reach the ball,” Cando said.

The game was back and forth as Pasadena City College was able to tie the game 2-2.

Nwabueze came to the rescue and gave El Camino the lead late in the game crushing Pasadena’s hope to win.

“I’m going to keep playing for my team and stay consistent to continue to play well,” Nwabueze said.

Sophomore midfielder Angel Lomeli was able to put his team in a great position by giv-ing his teammates great passes.

“We simply didn’t score the goals to win now our players are getting on the ball more and finally finishing opportunity,” Lomeli said.

The Warriors sealed the deal as sophomore midfielder Jose Monroy was able to score on a free kick with three minutes left in the game.

After some sparce scoring the last few games the team was able to score more.

“As usual we had an abundance of chances and scored four off the many chances we cre-ated,” coach John Britton. “I hope we can con-tinue to do this for the remainder of the season we thoroughly deserved the victory.”

The defense was solid throughout the whole just just a few unfortunate plays resulted in giving up two goals.

“Our defense played a great game,” but we also have to give it up to our goalie who made a great safe ehich kept us in the lead,” fresh-man defender Carlos Lopez said.

Robert B. Chernetsky / UnionFreshman running back raphael Lawson-Gayle looks to be a big part of the Warriors’ ground game the last two games of the season.

In his hometown it wasn’t safe to go out at night by himself be-cause of the inner-city chaos that went on.

The tables have turned. Now freshman running back

Raphael Lawson-Gayle causes chaos with his El Camino team-mates every time they step on the football field.

“I’ve always wanted to play football,” Lawson-Gayle said. “I was a bit sheltered as a kid. My mom never let me play growing up because she was afraid I would get hurt.”

Lawson-Gayle didn’t start playing football until his fresh-man year at Mira Costa High School, but he had something to prove once he got on the field.

After five games his sopho-more year Lawson-Gayle was moved up from the junior varsity team to the varsity team.

“I played basketball and soc-cer,” Lawson-Gayle said. “I played everything I could until high school where I had a football team. It was a nice area. I came out to one of their practices fresh-man year, ran a few routes and the coaches loved me so they contact-ed my mom and convinced her to let me play.”

His bestfriend and teammate at Mira Costa Khalil McClain is someone that shared the high school spotlight with him every friday night.

“He is pretty elusive,” Mc-Clain said. “He will add a little power if he needs to. His athletic ability is ridiculous.”

McClain noted how his com-petitive fire drives him to play through injuries at times.

“He is probably one of the most passionate ones out there,” McClain said. “The only thing he needs to improve on is tak-ing care of his body, sometimes

his passion blinds him. He’ll get a sprained ankle and try to play on it.”

Lawson-Gayle has everything in perspective and has a plan if football isn’t in his future.

“I definitely thought I was go-ing to get recruited to a division

one school but I’m having fun here I love my coaches here,” Lawson-Gayle said. “I know them real good and we have a great re-lationship, they help me with my life outside of football as well.”

Lawson-Gayle made an impact right away the Warriors victory

last Saturday gaining 100 yards.“He has really deceptive

speed,” coach John Featherstone said. “He’s a fearless football player. It’s hard to say no to a player that’s that good.”

Even though Lawon-Gayle isn’t the biggest guy on the field

his presense is felt everytime he laces up his cleats.

“One thing I want people to know about me is that, honest-ly I’m not the biggest person,” Lawson-Gayle said. “I don’t back down from no hit. I play full-speed, all the time.”

Warriors lose at SMC tourney

The women’s water polo team (7-14), was defeated last Friday against the Santa Monica College Corsairs (7-1), in a tournament the Corsairs took place at SMC.

Despite the score of the games the Warriors played a tough bat-tle against Santa Monica, but the Corsairs goalie stepped up defen-sively, blocking nearly every shot attempted by the girls.

“We took about 33 shots during the game, but unfortunately, we only scored once,” coach Corey Stanbury said.

The Corsairs led offensively, scoring four goals in the first half of play, then added an additional three in the second half.

“The scores of the game didn’t show how we usually play in most of our past matches,” freshman utility player Alexis Ivans said. “We made Santa Monica’s goalie look better than she actually is.”

The women are now on a two game losing streak, with their last win against Los Angeles Trade Tech Community College (21-14).

Ivans, Lauren Gottschalk, Ev-elyn Siquenza, Lynsey Alabab, and Carrissa Carnine all had mul-tiple attempts at scoring goals, but Gottschalk was the only girl to get the ball through the net.

“We need to communicate bet-ter during gameplay, and getting better shots down low,” Ivans said. “We basically got caught up in our own mistakes, which affected the entire team.”

In the women’s next match, they are working to fix their sim-ple errors both on the defensive and offensive end of play.

“Are shots weren’t some of the best choices we made, and we took some inaccurate attempts,” freshman utility player Monica Bender said.

The Warriors will look to right the ship when they compete in the conference championships Nov. 9.

Marquis ParkerStaff WriterSebastian Spencer

Staff Writer

Running with purpose

Charles Ryder / UnionFreshman forward Kyrian Nwabueze runs the ball down the field.

Page 8: Union Issue 6, Oct. 31, 2013

8 El Camino College Union October 31, 2013SportS

Warriors schedule

Football: Saturday Nov. 2 at Citrus College 6 p.m. MeN’S SoCCer: tomorrow vs Cerritos College 1 p.m.

WoMeN’SSoCCer: tomorrow vs Cerritos College3 p.m.

WoMeN’S Volleyball:tomorrow at Mt. San antonio6 p.m.

WoMeN’S Water polo:Nov. 9 atConference Championships at Chaffey CroSS CouNtry:tomorrow at South Coast Conference Championshipslong beacg City College

Football: Warriors 27 (5-3), College of the Desert 13 MeN’S SoCCer: Warriors 4 (5-4-6), pasadena City College 2 WoMeN’S SoCCer: Warriors 0 (0-11-3), pasadena City College 1

WoMeN’S Volleyball: Warriors 1 (13-4), Cerritos College 3

WoMeN’SWater polo: Warriors 1 (7-14),Santa Monica College 7

For More sPorTs acTioN Go To our WeBsiTe,eccuNioN.coM

Warriors scoreBoard

Saying goodbye with a win, 27-13Robert B. Chernetsky / Union

Warriors huddle around coach John Featherstone after they defeated College of the Desert 27-13 last Saturday. the game is the last that will be played in Murdock Stadium as a new stadium will be built in its place by 2019.

Charles Ryder / Union

Freshman running back Kendall Sparks leaps to get past a defender during the Warriors final game in Murdock Stadium. See related story, page 7.

It may not have been the prettiest win but the El Camino football team gladly accepted it as it defeated College of the Desert and ended its

64-year run at the historic Mur-dock Stadium.

The Warriors (5-3) closed out their final game at Murdock Stadi-um with a 27-13 victory over the Roadrunners (0-7) last Saturday, in a game that was hard fought to the end.

“It wasn’t pretty,” coach John Featherstone said. “I’m just happy we won. A win is a win. It was one of the sloppiest games we’ve had here in a long time. But this team has played a lot of games that have gone down to the fourth quarter and have run out of gas a bit.”

Back in September, the War-riors won their home opener 51-27 against Hancock and seemed poised to have a breakout year. But injuries have plagued the team since then and as a result they limping to the finish line.

“I hope we can get some guys healthy fast, our biggest game of the year is coming up,” Feather-stone said.

The Warriors once again struggled through the air as they were outgained 309 to 68 yards

but made up for it with their reli-able running game. Putting up 226 yards on the ground.

Freshman running back Ra-phael Lawson-Gayle ran for 100 yards on only eight carries and scored one touchdown. Freshman running back Kendell Sparks ran for 79 yards on 10 carries and punched in a touchdown in the second quarter to give the War-riors a 13-6 lead with 5:58 remain-ing in the half.

Freshman running back Martin Booker had two touchdowns, the second of which came in the third quarter with 35 seconds left giv-ing the Warriors a 27-6 lead.

“We’ve been able to run the ball all year,” Featherstone said. “We don’t want to put too much pres-sure on Shockey when we have a lot of guys who can run the ball.”

The offense has leaned heavily on the running game ever since sophomore quarterback Cole Webb suffered a season-ending knee injury in order to take the load off of freshman quarterback Aaron Shockey, who went 6 for 13 while passing for 68 yards and a touchdown.

This was the last football game that will ever be played at Murdock and although it wasn’t a pretty win the team pulled it out.

“It doesn’t feel that great,” Lawson-Gayle said. “We didn’t play that well, but it is a win.”

Brian CamachoStaff Writer

In final chapter, Warriors are triumphant in their final game in Murdock Stadium