volume 115 issue 9
DESCRIPTION
The student run newspaper operating out of Pierce College.TRANSCRIPT
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
ROUNDUPtheroundupnews.comROUNDWoodland Hills, California Volume 115 - Issue 9 November 23, 2011 One copy free, each additional copy 50¢
The completion of campus construction projects was pri-oritized during a Pierce College Council (PCC) meeting Nov. 17.
The decision to alter con-struction plans was made after new cost projections from the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) showed the reconstruction plans to be over budget. The cost of maintenance may also be higher than expected further jeopardizing construc-tion projects.
The PCC prioritized the buildings to be completed in the following order: Automobile Technology, Horticulture, Digital Arts and Media and Green Tech-nology.
This recommendation was
then sent to Pierce College Presi-dent Kathleen Burke-Kelly, who will make the final deci-sion.
“Time is money with these projects,” said Joy McCaslin, vice president of Student Services. “It extends the time of how long we will have the management com-pany here and there is a big risk in attempting a redesign.”
Phase 1 of the North of Mall project, completed last year, was only half of the reconstruction. Phase 2 of The North of Mall project still needs to be bid on.
Final budget figures for con-struction will be released by Chancellor Daniel LaVista as soon as they are completed
PCC members argued that making decisions based on mon-ey would be pointless since they have no idea how much smaller the budget may become.
“This is a delicate chess game because we’re dealing with an unknown from the district down-town,” said Ed Cadena, project deputy director of the Swinerton Management Team.
During the meeting, each fac-ulty member defended the need to complete their own depart-ment’s buildings.
The Digital Arts and Media building was meant to solve the campus’s lack of compliance with the Americans with Dis-abilities Act (ADA). The ADA requires that all public complex-es provide access to all areas for persons with disabilities.
The Digital Arts and Media building was designed to include many different departments but would also include ramps and elevators to provide access to the top of the Art hill for disabled persons.
However, it was also argued during the meeting, that these ramps and elevators could be completed independently of the building, thereby costing less money.
Tom Rosdahl, instructor of automotive service technology, said that to redesign or postpone the project would be a waist of the nearly $1 million dollars al-ready spent.
Meanwhile, advocates for the Green Technology Building argued that “green” tech would bring in the most money in en-rollment fees since most new jobs will be green jobs.
“We need to stop design-ing like we are an Ivy League school,” said Director of Facili-ties Paul Nieman. “We are a com-munity college.”
Contributing: Kevin Reynolds
Construction reprioritizedAuto Tech and Horticulture buildings recommended to be built � rst
Sport teams lose fundingAthletic cuts mean fewer away games, slashed travel expenses
Wed. Nov. 23: Partly cloudy with 20 percent chance of rain after 10 pm; High 70, Low 44
Thu. Nov. 24: Mostly cloudy with 60 percent chance of rain; High 61, Low 41
Fri., Nov. 25: Partly cloudy;
Sat., Nov. 26: Sunny; High 77, Low 45
Sun., Nov. 27: Sunny; High 77, Low 40
Mon., Nov. 28: Partly cloudy; High 74, Low 46
Tue., Nov. 29: Sunny; High 70, Low 46
Inside Sections
Opinion page 2: Freudian Sip overpricedNews page 3: Great American SmokeoutFeatures page 4: New ASO Vice PresidentA and E page 5: Noon concert and food reviewsPhoto Essay page 6: Dance TheaterSports page 7: Undefeated Volleyball trumps CypressSports page 8: Football season wrap up
Pierce College’s administration made the decision to cancel the winter session of 2013 due to low revenues and ongoing bud-get cuts, but they are still planning to have a summer session with reduced classes, the vice president of academic affairs said dur-ing an academic senate meeting Monday.
The school wants to keep Fall and Spring semesters as full as possible and make cuts from summer and winter to accomplish re-ductions to the budget, according to Davies.
The school’s administration announced the cancellation of the 2012 winter session during October due to a loss of almost $400 million in funding amongst California’s community colleges.
Tier 2 cuts will take effect for the year 2012-13, but our district will use colleges reserves to cope with the cut according to Anna Davies, vice president of academic af-fairs.
“I hope we will discuss how will we maintain our efficiency as a college” said Davies.
There is no option of providing students with a winter session next year either be-cause the state has declared that the school year of 2012-2013 will bring more budget cuts, according to Vice President of Aca-demic Affairs Anna Davies.
“I’m afraid for us,” Davies said during the Academic Senate meeting. “I have never seen so many challenges having to be faced at once.”
With no classes offered in the winter, Pierce students wishing to transfer will con-tinue to face challenges in obtaining transfer classes.
“It’s bad,” said Pierce College student Ed-die Torrescano, 20. “A lot of people are try-ing to finish their requirements and transfer. This is just going to delay us.”
Both Davies and Tom Rosdahl, president of the academic senate, expressed concerns for the future with a growing square footage of classrooms.
“We’re looking at a significant amount of size increase; the problem is right now we don’t have the money to increase students” said Rosdahl, after the meeting.
Contribuiting: Sean Dullaghan
Angela TafoyaENGINE: Los Angeles Pierce College automotive students (L to R) Matt Wicksman, Jerry Palermo, Adam Downie (rear) and Kenny Leavitt lower a rebuilt engine into Palermo’s 1970 Chevy Camaro in the Automotive Department Tuesday, Nov. 15. It took Palermo two semesters to rebuild his engine.
Angela Tafoya
VICTORY: The Pierce College football team celebrates its third consecu-tive win and claims ownership of the vic-tory bell. Football is one of sev-eral teams to lose 50 percent of
Angela TafoyaELECTRIC ENGINE: Automotive Technology Department Instructor Mike Van Dyke shows off the engine of an the 1977 Volkswagen Beetle converted by students from a gas engine to an electric engine .
Pierce College has been forced to remove 50 percent of funding from the athletic department due to the Cali-fornia’s state budget crisis, according to Pierce’s athletic director.
The 72 schools in the Cali-fornia Community College
system have had their funding slashed by $400 million.
The Los Angeles Community College Dis-
trict (LACCD) has struggled to provide funds for its col-leges after having its budget slashed by $28.9 million.
Supplies, traveling ex-penses and money for meals will no longer be provided by the athletic department be-
cause of the funding cuts. Each team has been ac-
tively fundraising to attempt to make up for the lost money.
“The athletic department always has a big X on its back when it comes to budget cuts,” said Athletic Director Bob Lo-frano. “Athletics is a big part of American culture and it is my belief that if a school is going to have a program, it is their responsibility to fund it.
Our goal as a department is to not lose a sport. ”
Donations made to the volleyball and soccer teams have been used to fund overnight stays and meals that have been cut out of their budget.
R U Online?For the full story visit
www.theroundupnews.com
Low state revenue means less funding for community colleges
Winter 2013 canceled
Lior Haykeen
Alex Smith
Sports Scores:Volley vs. Citrus: won 3 sets to 0
Soccer vs. Cypress: lost 2 to 0
Women’s Basketball: won 2 games, lost 1 in Barstow Tournament
Men’s Basketball: lost 3 games in San Diego Tournament
Shannon [email protected]
ROUNDUP: November 23, 2011Opinion 2
Letters to the Editor6201 Winnetka Ave.
Woodland Hills, CA 91371Room: Pierce College Village 8211
Phone: (818) 719-6427Fax: (818) 719-6447
Web site:www.theroundupnews.com
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Letters must be signed and include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms or initials will not be used, but names may be withheld upon request and approval of the Editorial Board.
The Roundup publishes “Letters to the Editor” that are not obscene or libelous and do not contain racial
denigration. Writers are given the opportunity to
revise unacceptable letters.The Pierce College Roundup
will not publish, as letters, literary endeavors, publicity releases, poetry or other such materials as the Editorial Board deems not to be a letter.
The deadline is noon Thursday prior to the issue date.Editorial Policy:
The Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials.
Cartoons and photos, unless run under the editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup.
The college newspaper is published
ROUNDUP
Editor in chief ..........Coburn Palmer News Editor ............................Kevin ReynoldsFeatures Editor...................Michaia HernandezA&E Editor ..............................James HermonSports Editor.........................Rodrigo CarbonelAssistant Sports Editor....................Navid KhoiOpinion Editor............................Eduardo Razo
Photo Editor...............................Jose RomeroOnline Editor............................. Jose Romero Multimedia Editor.............................Eli DiazCartoonist..............................Maria SalvadorCopy Editor..........................Tanita IndelicatoSenior Editor.............................Bryan MelaraSenior Editor.............Victor Stephen Kamont
Advisers................................. Amara Aguilar.................................... Jill Connelly................................... Stefanie Frith..........................................Jeff Favre
Advertising Manager...................Julie Bailey[For advertising call Julie at (818) 710-2960]
as a learning experience 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 the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.
Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.
Photographers:Emad AbbasiOzlem BilisJordan LaufeLynn LevittTessa MillerTavares RobinsongreenMani Shabbooi Angela TafoyaYenifer VelasquezWilliam WellesJavier Zazueta
Reporters:Calvin AlagotSean DullaghanTemi FajemisinYajayra GilLior HaykeenGina GutierrezCarlos IslasAlana KennedyShannon MaLindsay MartinezArash RodTaylor Rouch Alex SmithHenry Thomas Walker
Limit on unitsNew rule will prevent students � om taking more than 18 units a semester
—CON—
—PRO—
Carlos Islas
Too much of one thing can be bad. There are many examples that can prove this statement true. The cap on units, which is 18, prevents the student from placing themselves in tough situations.
The cap is there to help the student and not hurt them. If a student were to have the liberty of signing up for more classes, would it not lead to some of those students dropping a class or two, maybe even more, when they cannot handle the work load?
In this event, the student, aside from dropping a class, might also be hurting his or her other classes. If that did happen the student, who for this example we’ll say is a B average student, might hurt his chance of earning a better grade. If the student had not taken over 18 units then they might have had a chance to do better and maintain their grade point average.
Aside from possibly ruining a grade point average, taking too many units might also lead to many more students not dropping classes and recieving a failing grade. With this more students might get more W’s on their transcripts and they will have to keep in mind that the district has recently decided to limit the number of times a student can take a particular class.
The other student who did not get in because someone decided to take
more than 18 units will have to find another way to take the class they needed. The student who did not get in will have to take a gamble on whether he or she will get into the same course with another professor; they will also have to face the other students in their exact same spot.
This can all be avoided if everyone just goes along with the unit cap. As it stands taking 18 units is no easy task for some, but for others it may be difficult. If there isn’t a unit cap then there will be a lot of students with eyes bigger than their stomachs.
This is not to say it is impossible to handle more than 18 units, but there is also no way to believe everyone who takes more than 18 units can succeed. Is not true that everyone is not the same?
—EDITORIAL—
Victor Stephen Kamont
Time is precious and limiting the amount of units that a student can take during a semester is not acceptable.
Students have to work, take care of their responsibilities, find time to study, travel to school and back, and attend classes.
Allowing students to take more classes is more economical for the student because they can take more classes and still have the same amount of traveling time, if they schedule their classes properly.
With the cutting of classes and the wait list to get into classes, students find themselves not having enough units to transfer in a timely manner.
Public university’s are accepting less freshman and they are coming to community college’s first creating more competition for the spots available at the university level when it is time to transfer.
Any student that is willing to make the extra effort and study efficiently should be allowed to take as many classes that they can manage.
Limiting the amount of units that a student can have during a semester is discouraging.
The school and the community should praise and respect a students desire to learn more and achieve their goals faster.
The amount of units a student
takes during a semester should be monitored and guidelines set so the system is not abused.
Many students sign up for classes and then drop them later taking up valuable space that another student could have.
There could be a penalty for those that abuse the system and take too many classes and then drop them later.
If a student is willing to dedicate his or her precious time to study, pass, and excel in their studies,then they should be given that opportunity so they can achieve their goals.
We should be proud of those students that take school that seriously and take on the burden of accomplishing so much in so little time.
If they have the inspiration and will power to take more than eighteen units then we should support them.
Volume 115 Issue 8In the Nov. 16, 2011 issue 8 of the
The Round Up in the article “Answers from new ASO President” Febe Ruiz said summer session had
been canceled when in fact summer session has not been canceled according to Vice President of Academic Affairs Anna Davies.
—CORRECTIONS—
Why so much money� e Freudian Sip expects students to buy expensive food
Class has ended and for some students it means an hour between classes, so why not take that hour to grab some lunch?
Well if you like “overpriced” food then the Freudian Sip is the choice for you to get your food here on campus.
Of course the Sip where they charge you $4.50 for a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich and not one of those foot long kind of sandwiches, but your regular turkey and Swiss cheese on regular cold bread kind of sandwich.
Oh but the outrageous prices just don’t stop with the sandwiches; it spills onto the salads and for their so called “sushi” with imitation crab which they also charge $4.50.
Apparently the Sip hasn’t gotten the memo that we are in a recession and so they believe students can afford to pay such outrageous prices for a prison style kind of sandwich.
But they know that some students have an hour before class begins and s o m e t i m e s students give in to their unreasonable prices because they don’t have the time to leave campus to get something to eat. Nevertheless, students could head over to one of the food trucks stationed around the campus and get lunch for a reasonable price, but let’s be honest the food trucks are a short-term solution because Pierce College has no cafeteria right now.
On the other hand, the Sip is here to stay with their outrageous prices on their food, so not even the threat of competing against the
food trucks has scared them into lowering their prices on some of their products.
The Sip needs to help by giving students food at a reasonable price because most of the time students are on a budget and don’t want to spend nearly five dollars on a sandwich or salad.
Also, sometimes eating from food trucks students need to approach that with caution because
of the mystery of what goes in and comes out of those food trucks.
But sadly sometimes students a aren’t concern about health reasons because they are thinking with their wallet and their stomach.
So we ask can the Sip look at their menu and ask themselves would they pay for some of their food products at the prices they are charging?
—COMIC—
Maria Salvador
Maria Salvador
ROUNDUP: November 23, 2011 News 3
• Nov. 15: a student incident was reported in which
one student pepper sprayed another student in
Parking Lot 7.
• Nov. 17: a student was arrested on suspicion of
drunk driving in the Village.
[email protected] Islas
Sheriff ’s Blotter
Sean [email protected]
Automotive Expansion
The horticulture program is scat-tered throughout the campus and has no classrooms designed education.
Originally the project was sup-posed to start construction in the spring but the contractor who won the bidding was having conflicts car-rying through the designs under bud-get according to Carol Kozeracki, the Dean of Research, Planning,and En-rolment Management.
The project was then halted due to the budget issues and now there are 3 options for the horticulture depart-ment if they have the funding to go
ahead.The current bidder can bring in the
current designs under budget or one of the other original bidders can bring in the current design under budget or back to square one with a new design according to Kozeracki.
“As of right now you have a bro-ken down greenhouse and 2 of 3 building you simply can’t use,” says Kozeracki.
The current design for the Horti-culture department includes one ex-isting building, two new classroom buildings with lecture space and com-puter and design lab, 2 greenhouses, a nursery area, student planting gar-dens and an outdoor lecture area.
Sean Dullaghan
The Student Health Center spread awareness for the 36th annual Great American Smokeout in the Mall Thursday morning.
The Great American Smokeout is a national event that encourages current smokers to quit on the day of the event or after.
Pierce and other campuses set up special booths with candies, glow-in-the-dark bracelets and pamphlets for students who want to quit smoking.
The candy was for everyone, but the bracelets were for students who do not smoke. The bracelet read
“Too Bright To Smoke.”“We’re helping people to be
aware of the need to stop smoking,” said Faculty Nurse Practitioner Debbie Sargent.
Sargent was also setting up one-on-one sessions with students who want to quit smoking or need help quitting.
There were also “Quit Kits” for students who want to get started on quitting smoking.
The kit came equipped with a help card which has the number and website to the California Smokers’ Helpline; it also included stirrers, candy, gum, rubber bands and a toothpick.
The items inside the kit are
meant to distract the smoker by giving them alternative to tame their cravings for a cigarette.
“It’s all distraction because you’re trying to interrupt the oral fixation, so we’re doing other things to keep the mind and body busy,” said Sargent.
In case this is not enough, the Student Health Center is also offering one-on-one counseling for students who are trying to kick the habit.
The program is also being spread throughout many universities and college campuses in the nation.
Many students stopped by the tent to find out what was happening.
History major Abraham
Papazien, 45, has been smoking for 30 years and hopes to end his smoking ways.
“I’m trying to quit, and hopefully this information can help me,” said Papazien.
Furthermore, student interns from the Health Center also participated in the event to help spread awareness.
“We’re trying to encourage smokers to quit and give them tips to try and kick the habit.” said public health education major Ian Deasis. “We’re giving them tools to get healthier.”
Contributing: Carlos Isla
A day to encourage quittingHealth Center host the Great American Smokeout
File Photo by Crystal EndlessNATURE STRIKES BACK: An inside photograph of the unused Horticulture building as of spring 2011.
Students interested in applying to CSU’s for fall 2012 met in the student services building in the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOP&S) depart-ment.
The event, which took place Thursday Nov. 17, from 11 a.m. to noon at Pierce College in Wood-land Hills was hosted by the trans-fer center.
Angelica Hermosillo an intern for the counseling department con-ducted a visual presentation and answered questions form the stu-dents. There were approximately 10 students in attendance.
“I enjoy informing students about the application process be-cause I know it can be a challeng-ing process,” said Hermosillo “So any way I can help to ease that pro-
cess is why I am here.”Hermosillo got her Associates
of Arts degree (AA) from Ameri-can River Community College in Sacramento, her bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in sociology of science, and is working on her master’s degree in college counsel-ing and student services at Cali-fornia State University Northridge (CSUN).
Adrian Sondhi 22, representing California State University North-ridge (CSUN) was there to recruit students from Pierce.
“What you need is 60 trans-ferable units, in English, critical thinking, and math,” said Sondhi. “You also need at least a 2.0 grade point average (GPA).”
Sondhi will be back to help stu-dents with the application process on Tuesday Nov. 22, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
“The deadline for applications is Nov. 30, at 11.59 p.m.,” said Son-dhi. “ There are separate applica-tions for each campus in the CSU system but all can be accessed through www.csumentor.com.”
If you are applying to private or out of state schools the next work-shop will be Dec. 8, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
“Private universities are the most expensive,” according to Sun-day Salter, director of the Transfer Center. “The UC’s are the second most expensive, and CSU’s are the least expensive.”
The ‘Rock you Application’ is a service provided by the trans-fer center to help students with their applications you can drop in for help until Nov. 30 Tuesday – Thursday from between 12-2 p.m.
Victor Stephen [email protected]
The road to higher educationHelp o� ered to students applying for transfers
with
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Horticulture needs a face liftNew building planned
Automotive technology has been voted to be 1st priority during last Thursday’s Pierce College Committee meeting.
The decision will be presented to Pierce College president Kathleen Burke-Kelly. The Auto Department has been a part of Pierce College for over 40 years since the construction of the current building in 1968.
“We teach more than double the types of courses for auto, on top of what we taught in 1968” says Tom Fortune, Chairman of Industrial Technology at Pierce.
The automotive industry has developed by leaps and bounds since the 1970’s and the automotive department has done their best to keep up with it, and provide useful education for students according to
Fortune.Since 1968, the department
has gone from 10 to 25 courses covering the new and changing aspects in the field, but the building is not accommodated for all the new equipment.
“They’ve given us the equipment over the years, and we’re thankful for that,” said Fortune, “but we’ve turned from a working shop to an equipment storage center.”
The expansion will provide enough space for the equipment of the developing industry and will include advanced emission testing, an alternative fuel lab, and cars that they need to work on to do this.
The whole upgrade will cost approximately $32 million and will include all the new equipment, bathroom upgrades, a chiller plant, and a new parking lot.
Direction is a student-run magazine that has been providing the Pierce College campus with an arts and literary supplement for the past 52 years.
The magazine is compiled of poems, drawings, and photos, all of which are submitted by students.
However, with this being the last semester of the magazine, staff are also adding a DVD with the magazine for students who have dancing or music videos they want to submit.
“It’s going really well. There is a lot of excitement … and the staff this semester is really energetic,” said Instructor of English Maria Bates, who has been the magazine’s advisor for the last six years.
One of the students involved with the project is English major
Nick Granger, 36, who had his work previously published in the magazine. This is his second semester as editor in chief of the magazine.
“Once students submit their work, the editors will choose which one will win ‘Editors’ Choice’ and a $50 prize,” said Granger.
Granger’s staff consists of the Art, Marketing, and Event editors that help him judge the meaning of the pictures and details for all the writings turned in. So far this semester the magazine has seen roughly 40 writings and 20 pictures turned in by students.
“I didn’t even know that this was a magazine class,” said 19-year-old nursing major Crystal Garcia. “It’s a new experience [to be] looking at all the pictures and poems people have turned in.”
This semester the staff has held a bake sale to help fund their magazine. They also had an open mic event Tuesday to give Direction some
publicity.They also publicize by handing
out flyers in the Mall.Although students are working on
the magazine this semester, it won’t be available for circulation around campus until Fall 2012.
Copies of the magazine, which comes out intermittently, depending on the budget situation, are free.
In addition, the effect of the budget cuts has forced Bates to no longer offer the magazine writing as a class.
“This will be the last Direction for several years,” she said.
Because of the uncertainty that comes with the district’s budget situation, Bates wants to try to make the staff class of Direction into a campus club.
“It’s really sad since it’s been around since 1959. It’s really been positive forum for people to express themselves since we get so many submissions per year,” said Bates.
ROUNDUP: November 23, 2011Features4Eager to helpASO leader ready to take on new role
Lynn LevittVICE PRESIDENT: Associated Students Organization (ASO) Vice President Shane Mooney, 26, poses for a photograph in the ASO office.
The new Associated Students Organization (ASO) vice president is ready for his latest post.
Shane Mooney started off as a senator last spring and has since then been chair of ASO’s Environmental and Public Welfare Committee, president of the French club, and vice president of the Political Science club.
The 26-year-old political science major was elected by the student senate Wednesday after the former ASO vice president, Febe Ruiz, had to take on the presidential role due to former ASO President Gabriel Mellibosky’s resignation.
Mooney’s transition from senator to vice president has been a smooth one with his ever increasing involvement in Pierce College’s student government.
“This is my second semester with the ASO. The first semester was pretty much just getting my feet wet,
learning how the operation works,” he said.
As chair of the Environmental and Public Welfare Committee, Mooney organized events such as the Environmental Awareness Day last Thursday and a Heal the Bay beach clean-up this past Saturday.
After having become vice president he appointed his role as committee chair to ASO Senator Sharon Morgan, who ran the Environmental Awareness Day event.
Mooney was also one of the founding members of the Political Science club which was formed earlier this semester.
“This semester I feel like I was more involved,” said Mooney. “I followed Gabriel and Febe around, seeing how everything works. Now I know how everything flows and how to get things done.”
Now, as ASO’s vice president, Mooney is a voting member of ASO’s Finance Committee.
The committee votes on financial requests submitted by clubs and other committees to present to the senate,
which gets the final say on which events should be funded by the ASO.
Mooney is also responsible for facilitating the weekly senate meetings where the ASO senate votes on these financial requests.
With only three weeks left in the Fall 2011 semester, Mooney’s primary focus is on getting his senators their 36 volunteer hours, which are required for them to earn recognition as student senators on their transcripts.
Next spring, Mooney will be stepping up as the ASO’s President, with Ruiz transferring to Cal State University Northridge.
“I feel like I can come up with more events and really impact the students on campus, for the good,” said Mooney.
Fellow ASO executive board officers are supportive of Mooney’s new position.
“I wish him luck,” said ASO Treasurer Fernando Aquino. “He’s a really good person. He’s attentive, caring, and very knowledgeable - not to mention, he’s good-looking too.”
Calvin [email protected]
With magazine, spotlight is on students
Lynn LevittOPEN MIC: Edwin Martinez and Leo Tolentino(L-R), part of the Direction program, team up to entertain the audience in the Great Hall Tuesday during an open mic event. The event, which was sponsored by students in the program, was organized in order to publicize the magazine.
Eduardo Razo
Going under the hood
The new automotive expansion project will become the new home to the currently overcrowded alternative fuel classes offered on campus.
Pierce College currently offers two courses in the growing alternative fuel field for automotive students. There are the Automotive Service Technology 53: Introduction to Alternative Fuels and the Automotive Service Technology 55: Hybrid Service and Safety course.
Both courses are currently taught by Assistant Professor of Automotive Technology Micheal “Mike” Van Dyke.
“This [alternative fuels] is a technology that when people go looking for a job in auto repair you need to be familiar with it,” said Van Dyke.
The department currently has seven alternative fuel vehicles, including a 1977 Volkswagen (VW) beetle that was converted to battery power by students in the automotive fabrication course.
They also have 2 Hondas, a 2008 Civic hybrid, and a 2009 Civic Certified Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle. Also, two working Norwegian Kuewits and one prototype Kuewit in need of repairs were donated to the department.
A brand new VW Jetta light vehicle diesel was also recently purchased with money from the Stem
Grant, said Van Dyke.“The department needs a lot more
room to expand the technology,” said Tom Fortune, chairman of Industrial Technology.
There are many safety protocols that must be considered while working on hybrid vehicles that don’t have to be considered while working on standard motors.
“The electrical systems can be dangerous,” said Van Dyke. “You really need your own space while working on them.”
This need is supposed to be met with the completion of the automotive expansion project that is currently on hold.
The new building would include new labs specifically for use by the alternative fuels courses. These labs will provide ample space for working on vehicles.
“The alternative fuels courses are really popular,” said Fortune. “The hybrids more so since there are more of them on the road.”
Only one instructor teaches all the classes under the program, and there are about 20 students in each class.
“The program has a lot to offer,” said Kenny Leavitt, a 30-year-old auto tech major.
Leavitt has been a student in the Automotive Technology department for two and a half years and is working towards getting his Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications.
He helped tear down the Scion
XP that is the next vehicle to be converted to electric by students in the department.
“Mike knows what he’s talking about,” said Leavitt. “And if you are trying to get a job with a dealership Pierce is a great place to get the knowledge.”
Jobs in alternative fuels are a growing field. With an increasing number of hybrids appearing on the roads it’s an important trade to teach to students, said Van Dyke.
Program teaches alternative methods to fuelKevin [email protected]
Ongoing budget cuts cause uncertainty with the future of ‘Direction’
Angela TafoyaBEETLE: Students in the automotive fabrication class converted a red 1977 Volkswagen convertible beetle car’s engine from a gas-powered one to an electric, battery-powered one.
Thanksgiving, which is observed tomorrow, has students anxious for the time off to spend with their friends and family.
Because of the holiday, the Pierce College campus will be empty and the smell of Thanksgiving dinner will be wafting in the air from homes nearby.
The students enrolled in Thursday classes will be gratefully eating dinner and enjoying the company of their loved ones in honor of the American holiday.
For some, Thanksgiving is an excuse for gluttony, while for others, it’s an excuse to cook for their loved ones and see relatives they may have missed for months.
“This year, I’m thankful for having my cousin back from the marines for the holidays,” said Lily Garcia. “He is deploying again in February and I still haven’t gotten used to seeing him leave.”
Even though the economy is not at its best, many students look past that and give thanks to what truly matters: family and their health.
“I love my family and I’m so happy that we are all getting together,” said 19-year-old Maritza Flores.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has become almost as big a part of Thanksgiving weekend as the holiday itself.
While most will spend Thursday the traditional way, with the Cowboys, turkey, and stuffing, some will spend it getting ready for what is arguably the single biggest shopping day of the year.
On Black Friday, prices are slashed and people race to their nearby Best Buy, Sports Chalet, and Macy’s stores.
“I am pitching a tent at Best Buy right after I eat with the family,” said freshman Jamal Lee.
He will not be the only person with the idea as many other people will also be there all night long.
“I want to go shopping on Black Friday,” said David Novgorodsky. “[But] I’m not waiting overnight and those lines are stupid.”
Jonathan Tucker
Tracy Hernandez
Laura Calderon /
Special to the Roundup
Holiday defined by traditions
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ROUNDUP: November 23, 2011 Arts & Entertainment 5
After a morning class that starts to creep into the hours of the afternoon, it is likely that any student will be hungry. There are plenty of options for a quick meal that surround Pierce College.
Depending on the restaurant as well as the cuisine, some choices may punish or pamper the pallet as well as one’s wallet. This list will go over a few burgers around campus that will cater to your taste buds without preventing you from paying your electric bill.
Charburger (The Habit)3.6 miles (Woodland Hills)
The charburger is the heart and soul of the Habit menu. Consisting of a charbroiled patty, toasted buns, fresh let-tuce and tomato, grilled or raw onions, pickles and mayo; it is the classic American burger. Priced at $2.95, the charburger is worth every penny. Cheese is an additional $0.50, bacon is $0.75, and avocado is $1.00. Even on a $5 budget, one can dress their burger with an additional top-ping or two or upgrade to the double charburger priced at $3.95. The bacon cheeseburger at the Habit is just as good as any version that can be found at double the price. Loca-tions: 22651 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364 (818)225-2231. 14622 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (818)386-0955. 17132 Ventura Blvd. Encino, CA 91316(818) 783-6162.
Double-Double (In-N-Out)3.3 miles (Woodland Hills)
Two beef patties, two slices of cheese, two toasted buns, lettuce, tomato, grilled or raw onions, and spread (their specialty 1000 island-esque sauce); unlike many fast food chains, In-N-Out produces a burger that doesn’t raise questions of content, authenticity, or edibility from the consumer upon encountering their meal. The family-owned chain is nearly exclusive to California, so college students around the country aren’t all necessarily blessed to have this restaurant down the street like Pierce College. The double-double is priced at $2.75, which means that the price of this burger and fries will still come out under $5. 19920 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364 1-800-786-1000. 6841 N Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park, CA 91303 1-800-786-1000. 8830 Tampa Ave., Northridge, CA 913241-800-786-1000.
Chili Cheeseburger (Tommy’s)3.1 miles
This item is simply listed simply as the “cheeseburger”
on the Tommy’s menu, meaning you will actually have to ask to hold the chili if you don’t want it on their standard burger. However, this is not recommended because though it is not an artisan chili, it is very good for the price. At $2.25, Tommy’s chili cheeseburger is one of the cheaper and tastier chili cheeseburgers around. The price leaves room for a side of fries or even two chili cheeseburgers under $5. Being another chain that is basically exclusive to California, Pierce students get to enjoy another good, cheap burger that a student in Delaware or Nebraska may not ever get to experience. 7240 Topanga Cyn. Blvd., Ca-noga Park, CA 91303. (818)340-8775.
Fatburger (Fatburger)0.9 miles
The fatburger at Fatburger has all the classic mak-ings of a burger. Accompanied by lettuce, tomato, pickle, mustard, mayo and diced onions, the thing that stands out about the burger is the actual hamburger patty. The succulent, perfectly grilled burger patty on a fatburger is what sets it apart from its run-of-the-mill burger brethren. Priced at $4.99, the fatburger is the most expensive burger on the list. However, it does compete with most burgers above it in price. 21911 Ventura Blvd. Woodland Hills, CA 91364. (818)702-0257
Pastrami Burger (Boulevard Burgers)1.1 miles
When the phrase “local burger joint” is brought up, Boulevard Burgers comes to mind. The pastrami burger is a combination of the restaurant’s specialties, and it is deli-cious. The burger patty is juicy and the pastrami is good enough to put on a deli sandwich, which is rather surpris-ing at a burger place. The most exciting part about this burger is the fact that it still is less than $5, at $4.69. The pastrami burger and bacon cheeseburger are both recom-mended, and both within $5 as well. 21718 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364. (818) 703-6005.
RU Online? For more off campus food options visit www.theroundupnews.com or use your smart phone to download a free QR code reader applicantion and scan the box below.
Concert series
within 5 miles of Pierce
5 burgers under $5
Students took a step back in time to listen to classical music per-
formed by Adriana Zoppo and Shanon Zusman at the Thursday afternoon concerts at Pierce.
The event was sponsored by the ASO in hopes of intro-duce a wide a variety of cul-turally diverse music.
Adriana Zoppo captivat-ed students with her unique blend of period-specific in-struments, the baroque violin and the viola d amore.
She is the Director of Ergo Musica in Glendale as well as a 2010 Beverley Hills au-ditions of the consortium of Southern California Chamber Music Presenters Winner.
Before she performed, Zoppo elaborated on the dif-ferences between the two in-struments she played.
“It was nice to have an op-portunity to share things that are unusual and most people don’t know about,” said Zop-
po. She also expressed the rel-
evance of music fundamen-tals for students and gave an explanation of the difference between a viola d amore and baroque violin.
The Baroque violin has seven strings as opposed to four on the viola d’ amore.
“I think it’s important for any student to have a general knowledge of their subject and to find something they really love about it,” said Zappo.
Zappo reads the original music notes versus the con-stantly changing current day music renditions.
She was accompanied by Shanon Zusman in the perfor-mance that afternoon.
Zusman is a graduate of the early music performance doctorial program at USC Thorton School of Music.
His viola da gamba may look similar to a cello, but has frets, no stand and is held be-tween the knees.
Zusman made his decision
to follow music appreciation and fundamentals early on during a trip to Vienna, Italy while studying under a Ful-bright grant.
He expressed his apprecia-tion to the students for their undivided attention that af-ternoon and hopes to return for future performances.
“The audience was really attentive and quiet, it was a lot of fun. I’ve done a couple of the New Year’s perfor-mances and I’m hoping to do next year as well,” said Zus-man.
Music major Adien Kiely expressed why this particu-lar performance stood out to him.
“I liked this performance because there was a lot of con-trast and similarities. They took influences from other countries and incorporated them in their own styles. It’s almost like putting your own accent on a word,” said Kiely.
“It’s like a meshing of what love is made.”
Stringsalong
Lynn LevittPROFESSIONAL: Adriana Zappo performes on the viola d’amore and baroque violin at the Music Building room 3400.
9 down, 2 performances remaining
James McDonaldSpecial to the Roundup
Eli Diaz
ROUNDUP: November 23, 2011Photo Essay 6
The Pierce College Performing Arts Complex Main
Stage hosted the mixture of dancing arts, ‘Melange,’
Nov. 12 and 13, 2011.
Before the curtain rose dancers and musicians
readied themselves by stretching and tuning their instruments.
Showtime arrived and each performance transported the audience
to a different place in the world.
From Bulgaria, where the performers wore leather shoes, called
“opanki,” to Hawaii in the 1970’s and a mountainous region that
separates Europe from Asia, performers enchanted and entertained.
The Pierce College Dance Theatre is solely supported through
concert sales, off campus performances and other means of revenue.
Dancing
Lynn LevittAbove: Jenny Quezada Ghiglia is the soloist during this dance referred to as Chuy.Top Right: “IMAIJ” is an process of transformation of some finding roots of humanity.
Lynn LevittTop: Sarah Siskin and her partner Distin Daiidi during their performance of “Thackeray”, choregraphed by Denise Gibson.
Upper Right: Vortex is done to a mix of various artists music and choreo-graphed by Walter Moran.
Bottom Right: Presentation of flowers by the cast to Marian S. Weiser, Direc-tor of the Dance Theatre.
in the fall
Story and Photos By: Lynn Levitt
ROUNDUP: November 23, 2011 Sports 7
In an imprecise but even match on Saturday, the Pierce College women’s soccer team could not take advantage of playing at
home and were eliminated from the playoffs by Cypress College.
Being ranked #6 in Southern California, the Brahmas were the strong favorites to win before the match, but the Chargers had other plans as they crush Pierce’s state championship hopes with a 2-0 victory over them.
“Some defensive mistakes and not stepping up, if you look at our team we just really depended on touching and passing, which is great but you have to play hard, and we didn’t do it, we we’re very soft,” said Pierce’s head coach Adolfo Perez.
The game started with two imprecise teams trying to get possession of the ball before the other one could.
Neither team accomplished it throughout the game as both defenses were forced to kick the ball away from their penalty box when felt threatened.
The Brahmas’ had no connection in midfield between the defense and forwards making it harder to gain full control of the match.
“We didn’t come out playing with the ball from the back, whenever we had the ball we just kicked it up and when the forwards would get it we didn’t have much support,” said forward Edith Dominguez. “We just had to play as if every game is our last and doesn’t matter what place we’re in we just have to keep working harder.”
Cypress midfielder Justine Hauck put the Chargers on the scoreboard eight minutes into the second half with a strong header.
After the initial goal, the Pierce soccer team seemed to be woken up and went to look for the equalizer, but just when they were close to tying it up Cypress’ midfielder Samantha Rice sealed their victory with a 38th minute goal after the Brahmas’s defense failed to clear the ball away
from their penalty box. “The pressure got to us, because
it was the playoffs it was big for them [Pierce players], our youth showed up unfortunately, we had a chance to go far this year.” head coach Perez said.
The Brahmas’ title hopes ended at the hands of one of the hottest teams in the playoffs.
Cypress has won 11 out of their last 14 games, tying two of them and losing only one, they have only received five goals and have scored a total of 37 of them during that spam.
“It was a good season, they [Pierce] made the playoffs and when you coach, the initial goal is to make the state playoffs because that’s when everyone else has turned in their uniforms and you’re still playing,” said Pierce College Athletic Director Bob Lofrano.
There are some valuable lessons to be learned for the Brahmas looking into their next season according to head coach Perez.
“The experience that nothing is automatic, all these conference championships at times I guess it was easy but now is not as easy as it was,” Perez said.
Freshman center Kameron Jones averaged 26 points per game in the Brahmas women’s basketball team season opening tournament at Barstow, Calif during the weekend.
Pierce College came back from Barstow with a 2-1 record in the tournament defeating Victor Valley by 21 points, 67-46, in the first game, losing to Mt. San Jacinto by six in the second 82-88, and finally beat Barstow in overtime by three, 78-75.
“We looked good for where we’re at in practice, being 2-1 was a good showing for us counting that we have 10 freshmen and two sophomores,” said Pierce women’s basketball head coach Jim Couch.
The Brahmas completely dominated the game against Victor Valley but mental errors cost them in the second game as they almost had it wrapped up but let it get away, according to assistant coach Ralph Wesson.
“Overall I give us a ‘B’ rating for the tournament, we need to work on our defense and rebounding for the next games,” said Wesson. “We should contend in conference but it’s been three games, we still have 21 more to go.”
For the third and final game, the Brahmas showed some comeback power as they came back from a 16-point
deficit in the first half to score 40 in the second and take the game against Barstow in their home court.
Even though the Brahmas came away with a winning record, head coach Couch however, believes there is still room for improvement in certain areas.
“For our next games we have to work on our execution and distributing the basketball, our post players averaged about 20 points per game in the tournament, our guards were one for five and one for six, they have to be more tolerating and get the ball inside,” said coach Couch.
Center Kameron Jones is definitely going to be all-conference and maybe the league MVP this year according to head coach Couch.
Jones along with Skyy Lewis and Danielle Tyler are Pierce’s three players to watch out for during the season.
“We’re still getting used to each other as teammates but I think we did good for our first tournament, we fell through and did a good job,” said Jones. “I did ok but I know I can do better, I need to work hard on defense and other post players, especially if they’re better than me.”
The Pierce women’s basketball team will host their only tournament of the year on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 25-27, at home.
Pierce will begin the tournament playing at 7 p.m. on Friday against Rio Hondo. The teams participating in the tournament will be Barstow, Glendale, LA Southwest, Oxnard, Trade Tech, Contra Costa, Rio Hondo, and Pierce.
Pierce College women’s volleyball team ended their regular season on the right foot by beating Citrus College in straight sets (25-19, 25-15, and 25-14) at home on Thursday.
The Brahmas, who are ranked #1 in the state, stayed undefeated throughout the regular season (27-0, 12-0 in conference), as they gear up for home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
“27-0 feels great,” said Pierce head coach Nabil Mardini. “We just have to keep the celebration short and focus on the playoffs.”
Although Mardini wants to look forward to the playoffs, which begin on Tuesday evening at Pierce, Thursday night was also about honoring the sophomores.
Five sophomores were honored prior to the game, including Sofia Granato, Jasmine Levi, Shayna Guitare, Kathleen Wright and Veronika Ban.
“It’s kind of sad,” said Levi who had 11 kills and 3 blocks against Citrus. “We’ve been through so much as a team the past two years.”
The Pierce women’s volleyball team which obtained the 2010 state championship, has won 81 sets and dropped only three during this year’s
perfect regular season.“It feels awesome to know all the hard work we
contributed is paying off,” said Wright. “It’s nice to know that we can walk into the playoffs 27-0.”
Their hard work has not only payed off during the season but also in their game against Citrus.
“They gave us a little run for our money,” said Wright who led the Brahmas with 17 digs. “They executed their plan of attack really well.”
Citrus College ends their season with a conference record of 6-6.
“We tried to hang in there, Pierce will bring out all the errors and mistakes that opponents make, that’s why they’re so great,” said Citrus head coach Shin Jung. “When you play a team as good as Pierce, you have to have a perfect match, you have to play a perfect set.”
One reason Citrus had a hard time staying in
the game was freshman outside hitter Danetta Boykin who led the Brahmas with 13 kills.
“We started off kind of slow and shaky but once we got comfortable and got together we played our game,” said Boykin. “We’re coming together as a team and it’s starting to look really good and really promising.”
The Brahmas will have to continue to play as a team as their quest for back-to-back state championships begin when they face Antelope Valley at home on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“We are certainly not going to let up,” said Wright. “We’re going to push even harder in practice and make sure we’re ready for playoffs.”
The winner will go on to face the winner of either San Diego Mesa or Orange Coast.
Volleyball team perfect through regular season, hopes to keep streak alive into playo� s
Javier Zazueta GOING FOR THE KILL: Brahma freshman Sakurako Fujii elevates for a kill attempt against Citrus.
Lorrie Reyes
Back back title quest begins2
First tournament test passed by women’s basketball teamRodrigo Carbonel
Rodrigo Carbonel
Javier ZazuetaBLOCKING: Pierce College’s Jasmine Levi and Danetta Boykin go for a block against Citrus College on Thursday.
Emad AbbasiPOSSESSION: Pierce’s midfi elder Daisy Alvarenga dribbles the ball away from Cypress’ midfi elder Kelly Mitsumori. Back (L to R): midfi elders Sophie Forrester and Joandra Ramirez.
Title hopes crushed
We’re going to push even harder in practice and make sure we’re ready for playo� s
-Kathleen WrightWomen’s volleyball team captain
ROUNDUP: November 23, 2011Sports 8
Defensive Player of the Year: - Gerald Bowman (S, 6’1, 215, So.)First team offense: - Joe Morris (WR, 6’4, 200, Fr.) - Brian Gutierrez (PK, 5’10, 180, Fr.)Second Team offense: - Greg Wanamaker (RB, 6’1, 220, So.)First team defense: - Lucas Melo (DT, 6’2, 290, So.) - Devon McKinney (DE, 6’3, 260, So.) - Gabe Woullard (OLB, 6’2, 225, So.) - Kasseim Everett (CB, 5’11, 190, So.)Second team defence: - Marquell Combs (DT, 6’2, 280, Fr.) - Jake Minster (ILB, 6’3, 230, So.) - Marcus Jenkins (OLB, 6’3, 215, Fr.)
AMERICAN DIVISION PACIFIC CONFERENCE
2011 POST SEASON FOOTBALL AWARDS
The road was the new home for the Brahmas’ as they played nine out of their 10 games away from Sheppard Stadium.
The overall record of the Brahmas’ was 3-7.Pierces only home game of the year was the last game
of the year against their arch rival Valley College.Gerald Bowman, Sophomore, recently named defensive
player of the year headlined the Brahmas defense.Bowman was second on the team with 52 tackles.Pierces offense had its ups and downs this year with
scoring as they failed to score over 20 points in five out of their 10 games.
Joseph Morris, Freshman, who received first team offense recognition, was the one constant play maker on the outside.
Morris led the team in both receiving yards with 529 yards and receiving touchdowns with six.
The highlight of the year was the only home game against Valley College.
Brahmas’ defeated Valley 47-17 and holds on to the victory bell for the third straight year.
Playing on the road is one thing, but having to play top 25 teams in the country makes it that much more difficult for a young and experienced team.
With the new look stadium that is going to be ready in 2012, the Brahmas will look forward for the next season with home games.
Contributing: Eduardo Razo
Navid Khoi
BRAHMA OF THE WEEKVolleyball coach: Nabil Mardini
Mardini, the 2010 National Coach of the year, led the team to a state championship last year, has guided the Pierce volleyball team to its first undefeated season in conference and has won the Western Southern Conference championship 10 out of the last 11 years.
2011 football season in review
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