Volume 75, Issue 19
Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
www.elaccampusnews.com
Adelante FYE to host Pride Week next week BY CRISTAL GOMEZ Staff Writer
ELAC student stabbed on Montebello ddd bus Victim remains in critical condition BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer Austin Zavala, an East Los Angeles college student, was stabbed multiple times in the chest on April 9 while taking the Montebello 10 bus to ELAC. The last update on Zavala is that he is still in critical condition. The stabbing happened at 10:13 a.m. on Whittier Boulevard. The suspect has been arrested and identified as Manuel Ortiz by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives. Ortiz was arrested on Thursday at approximately 1 a.m. and was charged for attempted murder. He was arrested at the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station and is being held without bail. According to a press release
from the L.A. County Sheriff’s department, they have not discovered a motive for the stabbing and have concluded that the attack was not gang-related. The investigation is still ongoing. The press release says, “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is crediting the media and public for their quick response in helping Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide detectives make an arrest in the case involving a man who was brutally attacked while riding a bus.” Sheriff Jim McDonnell said in the press release, “It was a savage attack and one that caused us great concern. It was seemingly unprovoked, as the suspect walked toward the front of the bus, pulled a knife and stabbed the victim
AUSTIN ZAVALA
multiple times.” Zavala’s family has set up a gofundme account to help assist the family with any expense caused by the incident. The gofundme page is called Justice for Austin, for those interested in donating. Zavala is attending ELAC and is pursuing a career in accounting. According to the gofundme page, Zavala had a job interview. It reads “He had just recently applied for a city job and was scheduled to have his 1st interview on 4/11/18, but due to this incident, his dream has to be put on hold.” The L.A. County Sheriff’s department release a video of the stabbing on Tuesday. It shows the suspect on the bus right before he attacked Zavala. The video cuts out before the attack.
Adelante First Year Experience Program will host Pride Week on April 23 to April 26. This will be the first Pride Week not only in East Los Angeles College, but in the entire Los Angeles Community College District. The event will feature various campus-wide events to bring awareness of the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout the week there will be keynote speakers for each event. Some keynote speakers include Drian Juarez. Juarez works with Grinder for Equality. She is a transwoman who does activism for the LGBTQ+ community. She will be talking about her experience of coming out as a transwoman and what she had to overcome. Juarez will be the speaker for the Trans Awareness Luncheon on Wednesday. On Monday, the first day of the event, there will be a resource fair and a panel on coming out. “Different resources from the LGBTQ+ community will be there, such as LGBTQ+ Center, Mi Centro which is located in Boyle Heights. We will have an ice cream social with Carmen Carrea who was on RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Joe Gamma said. The following day will have a Joteria Playing with Pride workshop and keynote speaker Antonia Castellanos. Castellanos created Joteria as a combination of both Loteria and terms used within the LGBTQ+ community. After the workshop, there will be a film screening of “Milk” by director Gus Van Sant. “Pride Week is open to all no matter how you identify yourself. This is the first ever Pride Week. I hope it will be a big hit so the community can be represented further and continue to happen every year,” Gamma said. All events for Pride Week will be held in F5-201 the Multipurpose Room.
Workshops continue during Sexual Assault Awareness Month BY JOSHUA INGLADA Staff Writer The Sexual Assault Awareness and Violence Education Team has organized events this April in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The events for SAAM officially began last Tuesday on campus due to spring break and will continue through April 30. Kinesiology Professor and SAAVE Team Co-Chair Andrea S. Owens said that the goal of SAAM is to raise awareness, provide resources and educate everyone on the various forms of sexual assault and harassment. “Our workshops are for both men and women. We encourage students and faculty to come so that they will learn to recognize the
News Briefs
signs of abuse and harassment,” Owens said. The events range from selfdefense workshops, meditative exercises and informative documentaries. There will also be HIV screenings for students. One of the planned events is Take Back the Night, which will take place on April 24, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The march is open to students, faculty, staff, administration and community members. “We will also be having the Denim Day Resource Fair. It’ll be on next Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” Owens said. There will be a presentation today titled Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships in F5-211 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Associate professor of Sociology and SAAVE Team Co-
Chair Eileen Ie said she hopes that given the topic mindful attention people will attend these events and and attending an event puts the be more informed issue of sexual about the dangers assault in sharp of sexual assault. focus.” “Our workshops “I believe that The SAVVE are for both men when students, Team encourage staff, faculty, students and and women. We administrators community encourage students or community members to show and faculty to come m e m b e r s their support by participate in an attending the so that they will event, they will events, inviting learn to recognize certainly learn their friends and the signs of abuse something,” Ie family to attend and harassment.” said. and promoting “Sometimes awareness of the knowledge is SAAM through ANDREA S. OWENS new. Sometimes social media. SAAVE Team Co-Chair the knowledge “I also believe is a reminder of that even if a something the student or campus attendant already knows, but member doesn’t attend one of the perhaps have forgotten or haven’t events, they may see one of our
Financial Aid Awareness Day Financial Aid Staff will be on-site today to answer questions about 2018-2019 Financial Aid process and programs. Visit E3 building at from noon until 2 p.m.
many flyers or posters around campus and be gently reminded to think of the significance of sexual assault in American culture,” Ie said. The SAAVE Team aims to continue their goal to inform students by later hosting workshops for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. Owens said she recommends visiting these events on April or October if someone wishes to free themself from an abusive relationship with a significant other or a family member. “If anyone needs help, they can visit the Women and Men’s Support Center that we have on campus. They can speak to counselors there to get advice in order to get out of the relationship,” Owens said.
Earth Week Movie Nights ELAC and City of STEM present Movie Night Under the Stars at 7 p.m., playing “Wall-E” next Tuesday and “Earth” next Thursday at the E7 quad.
Free HIV testing outside library The Student Health Center and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation will provide free HIV testing Thursday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. outside the library.
2
Opinion
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018
Airstrikes are not helping Syrian Refugees BY ROGELIO ALVAREZ STAFF WRITER Recent airstrikes against the Syrian government will not lead to a ceasefire, but will increase civilian casualties in the war-torn region. Since current Syrian President Bashar al-Assad government forces shot at peaceful protesters in spring 2011, Syria has been ravaged by civil war. Millions of Syrians have fled the country or lost their homes. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have died in the crossfire between al-Assad’s government forces, rebel groups, ISIS and the ethnic Kurds fighting for sovereignty. Instead of intervening peacefully and establishing a ceasefire between all conflicting sides, major world powers such as Russia, Iran, United States, Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations are continuing to fund the conflicting sides. With all its money and endless amount of resources, the United States spent around a billion dollars to launch airstrikes against ISIS. Although some airstrikes struck its intended targets, thousands of civilians, many of them women and children, lost their lives . Last week the United Kingdom, France and the U.S. fired airstrikes against the Syrian government in retaliation of the governments chemical attack on its own people that left 80 people dead. This isn’t the first time Al-Assad’s administration is suspected of launching chemical attacks on its own people. The last chemical attack occurred in the summer of 2013 with 1300 dead, according to cnn.com.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Gustavo Buenrostro MANAGING EDITOR Rogelio Alvarez ONLINE EDITORS Melody Ortiz Kevin Camargo FRONT EDITOR Steven Adamo
OPINION EDITOR Jorge Vazquez FEATURE EDITOR Frank Portillo NEWS EDITOR Giselle Palomera
Backed by Russia and Iran, Al-Assad is committed to stay in power while rebel group factions backed by the U.S. and some Arab nations, like Jordan and Saudi Arabia, unite to dethrone his presidency. The Kurdish people, also supplied and trained by American troops, continue to fight off and reclaim territory held by ISIS. As these multiple conflicts continue to develop and evolve into a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia, millions of Syrians will
continue to die and seek refuge in other parts of the war. The Syrian Civil War has lead to a Syrian refugee crisis in nations across Europe, the Middle East and U.S. Many of these nations are eager to arm the sides in the conflicts but hesitate to allow refugees from settling in their country. President Trump is seeking to increase airstrikes against Syria, but also is eager to establish a travel ban that prevents Syrian people from settling in the U.S. and
abolishing Temporary Protected Status for a list of countries that include Syria. It’s impossible to predict when the Syrian conflict will end or how long it will take for the country to rebuild the buildings, classrooms and hospitals caught in the airstrikes. Many humanitarian organizations have trouble accessing areas caught in the warzone and providing aid to those in need. The recent airstrikes will only make things worse as opposing
sides seek to retaliate with innocent civilians stuck in the middle of this conflict. The U.S. shouldn’t continue to bomb Syria if it’s not going to open its borders to the people whose homes were destroyed by American bombs. To assist those affected by the civil war, people can donate to Doctors Without Borders, a non-profit organization providing medical aid to the survivors of the bloody conflict at doctorswithoutborders. org
Users should delete profiles to teach Facebook a lesson BY GISELLE PALOMERA STAFF WRITER Facebook users should delete profiles, in light of the investigation regarding the privacy crisis that 87 million users are unaware of. Did someone forget to read the fine print? What do you mean Facebook was not aware of the issue? These might be some areas of concern for some users. Those who have used the app, This Is Your Digital Life, are part of the 87 million users whose data has been shared and kept for political research reasons by Cambridge Analytica. Friends of those who used the app to log into Facebook before 2011 have also been compromised. Public profile, page likes, birthday and current city were among the information likely shared and kept by Cambridge Analytica. Most recently, Mark Zuckerberg took responsibility for allowing Cambridge Analytica to obtain
Facebook user data. According to the Los Angeles Times, Zuckerberg said that he was not aware of the data problem. “We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility and that was a mistake,” Zuckerberg said to
the LA Times. This scandal with Cambridge Analytica has opened the door for a new investigation with the Federal Trade Commission, on the use of social media platforms to sway presidential elections.
The investigation will focus on whether or not Facebook violated the 2011 consent decree. The consent decree was put in place to make it mandatory for Facebook to inform its users of privacy changes.
This is only the beginning of what users will know on the current privacy crisis. Zuckerberg appeared at Capitol Hill last Tuesday to apologize and come to a conclusion, which sets new privacy regulations. In an interview with USA Today, Zuckerberg admits that trusting Cambridge Analytica to delete or not use the data from Facebook users was a mistake. All of these apologies from Zuckerberg and his colleagues at Facebook do not account for all of the damages that can rise out of this scandal. What other third-party servers have and are using our data? Facebook allowed for our information to be used. This is why there have been targeted advertisements on Google, SIRI, social media platforms and other internet sites. If users do not delete their profiles, Facebook will never understand the severity of the problem. It will become another issue that made international news, then just blew over.
CAMPUS VOICE WOULD DELETING YOUR FACEBOOK GIVE YOU BACK YOUR PRIVACY?
ALEXANDER MAGDALENO
“I don’t think so, Facebook has paved the way for other social media sites to do the same thing. So many other things can happen now. How much information do they have?”
“Once you put something on the internet, it’s never really gone. You could delete the post or your account, but the data is still there. ” LISA MONDRAGON
“I don’t really use Facebook, but if I did, deleting it wouldn’t make a difference. The information was already exposed, so it doesn’t really matter. The damage is done.” RUDY MENESES
AURORA DUEÑAS
“No, I don’t think if I deleted Facebook my privacy would come back. It’s already out there, how am I going to get it back?”
SPORTS EDITOR Noe Ortega ARTS EDITORS Andrew Ayala Maria Monroy PHOTO EDITOR Julie Santiago COPY EDITORS Stephanie Guevara Joshua Inglada Rogelio Alvarez CARTOONISTS Allison Beatty Jorge Vazquez STAFF WRITERS Vicky Nguyen Jerry Flores Cristal Gomez Michael Dominguez Andrea Cerna STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Noe Ortega Vicky Nguyen ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha DISTRIBUTION Stephanie Guevara ADVISERS Jean Stapleton Sylvia Rico-Sanchez
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News 3 1968 walkouts honored through lecture EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer Photos of student-lead protests against poor school conditions was the topic of discussion Friday, at the Vincent Price Art Museum in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Chicana/o walkouts. The photographs shared are part of a larger exhibit currently on display at the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA, curated by the speaker of the event, Carlos Manuel Haro, Ph.D. and University of California Los Angeles Assistant Director Emeritus. The exhibit at UCLA has multiple themes including the 1968 walkouts at Theodore Roosevelt High School, the East Los Angeles 13, the struggle to reinstate Sal Castro and the walkouts of 1970. Haro shared slides that demonstrated how publications like La Raza reported the walkouts
differently from the major print and broadcast news outlets at the time. “They entered school grounds, clubbed students with their batons and they arrested them,” Haro said, “Something you didn’t see on television either.” The footage can now be seen in the PBS documentary “Chicano!: the history of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement,” which is available on YouTube.com. The demands of the students was to have bilingual instruction, Mexican-American history courses, an end to corporal punishment and the hiring of Mexican-American teachers and counselors. Another big criticism from the students, Haro said, was the schools themselves. “They were building new buildings in other high schools, but our East L.A. schools were not being built,” Haro said. Haro discussed the importance
CN/VICKY NGUYEN
HONORING—UCLA Professor Carlos Haro talks about the
injustice faced by Chicano students during the 1968 student walkout photo presentation at the Vincent Price Museum on Thursday.
of sharing these materials with the public by quoting Sal Castro, an educator and activist who had a large role in the 1968 walkouts: “If you don’t know your history then your history doesn’t exist. If you don’t educate yourself and write your history, then somebody else is going to write it and they’re going to get it wrong.” One instance where history got it wrong, Haro said, is during a scene in the 2006 film “Walkout,” where Sal Castro is finally released from jail. “When Sal Castro came out, it’s not like in the film where there’s thousands of people waiting and cheering for him,” Haro said. “Charlotte [Lerchenmuller], his widow, was there in her Volkswagen to pick him up. Being a leader can be very, very lonely.” Haro personally donated materials he collected, including both mainstream and underground newspapers.
A large portion of materials was donated by former Congressman Edward R. Roybal. Photographer Oscar Castillo was also in the audience. Castillo’s photography was different from other photographers like Devra Weber. Castillo’s showed women of the movement in a principle leadership role. “[The women] were asserting themselves in a very different way than they had in 1968,” Haro said, “Oscar’s photography captured that.” The photography exhibit will be on display at the Chicano Research Center at UCLA throughout the summer. UCLA is also offering a free summer course to ELAC students. UCLA will also be hosting free courses this summer for ELAC students interested in Chicano Studies.
Workshops prepare ELAC for emergency situations BY ALISON BEATTY Staff Writer All next week there will be workshops preparing the East Los Angeles College faculty and staff for various emergency situations. Emergencies range from active shooters on campus to campus-wide evacuations. This is the first time an entire week has been dedicated to promoting emergency preparedness. “I really hope the amain message is about commitment, that’s really important to me,” Myeshia Armstrong, Vice President of Administrative Services said. There will be a showing of a 40-minute training video on what to do in the event of a shooter on Monday in the G3 Foyer at 7 a.m. The video is also available for email and features a certificate of completion after watching. ELAC Staff who submit their certificate by Friday to Administrative Services in room G1-314 will get a complimentary first aid kit. A workshop going over the campus emergency procedures at 9:00 a.m. will have emphasis on active shooters, and include instructions in the event of earthquakes or an evacuation of the campus. An active shooter training at 10:00 a.m.will also be part of the
preparednes week, provided by the Monterey Police, followed by a Q & A hosted by ELAC Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department will also be holding emergency marshal sign-ups at 11:00 a.m. These emergency marshals will be staff members assigned to individual floors in a building on campus. They would be responsible for monitoring the floor and making sure that in the event of an emergency everyone is accounted for and that no one misses any announcements of possible danger. The final event on Monday will be the Higher Education Assessment Team workshop at 3:00 p.m.. It will focus on behavioral intervention strategies such as spoting the signs of possible danger and learning how to de-escalate possible shooters. Tuesday in the G3 Foyer there will be a second opportunity to attend the campus emergency procedures workshop at 3:00 p.m., the active shooter training and Q & A at 4:00 p.m. and sign-ups for emergency marshals at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday in the main quad there will be another opportunity to sign up as an emergency marshal, along with ongoing demonstrations of fire extinguishers and the newly implemented Evac-u-chair, which ELAC President Marvin Martinez
will be participating in along with the Monterey Park police department. The Evac-u-chair is something to assist in evacuating people in wheelchairs in the event of the elevators malfunctioning during an emergency. Wednesday in the G3 Foyer will be dedicated to campus emergency procedures at noon and holding the active shooter training at 1:00 p.m. Thursday in the G7-106 they will be holding the H.E.A.T. behavioral intervention strategies workshop at noon. Friday in the G3 Foyer there will be a CPR/AED Certification
workshop from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Participating in the workshop requires registration before Friday. To register, contact the ELAC sheriff’s department at elacsheriff@ elac.edu. This is the only workshop that requires pre-registration, all others are available for any student or staff member in attendance. This, like the other workshops going on throughout the week, will focus on preparing the faculty and staff of ELAC as well as students. There are 15-20 spots available for student workers to participate in the workshop.
The CPR certification given for participation will be valid for two years. “As we evolve, and maybe for the spring, working with ASU, we could have more events for students,” said Armstrong. It is anticipated that in the upcoming Fall semester there will be another week dedicated to preparing staff for possible emergencies on campus, along with the usual drill coinciding with the California Shakeout earthquake drill. It may have more events focused on making students aware of what to do in an emergency.
“We will be discussing some of our latest measures, like the key locking mechanism, which only locks from the inside,” Armstrong said. The key locking mechanism she refers to is that new emergency lockdown button seen in various classrooms around ELAC, containing a key which locks classrooms from the inside in the event of a shooter on campus. There are plans for a similar week of emergency workshops at the South Gate campus, but there is no set date at this time.
Open house focuses on workforce and transfer BY CRISTAL GOMEZ Staff Writer
COURTESY OF ALBANY.EDU
WALKOUTS— Robert F. Kennedy meets with student leaders during the 1968 walkouts in East Los Angeles.
Chicano/a’s take back the schools in film screening BY MELODY ORTIZ Staff Writer A film screening of “Chicano! Taking Back the Schools” was shown on Wednesday, followed by a Q&A (questions and answers) with the producer, Susan Racho. The film is part three of a four part series called “Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement.” “Taking Back the Schools” recounts the 1968 walkouts and protests in East Los Angeles to demand better education for Mexican-American students. Before the screening, Racho
thanked Professor Nadine Bermudez for putting the event together and gave a bit of the films background, as well as her own. Racho said she took on the role of producing and writing the film, based on her own involvement in the walkouts. She was one of the original members of United Mexican American Students. UMAS was made up of college students. During the walkouts, they acted as monitors for the high school students, so if police became violent, it would be toward the college students.
“If any cocos (heads) were to be hit, it would be better if they were college cocos,” Racho said. During the Q&A, Racho heard more comments than questions from the audience. Most attendees shared personal stories and gratitude for her work on the film. “The struggle continues,” said “Unfortunately, the anti-Mexican sentiment is still very, very strong...coming from the White House administration.” East Los Angeles College student, Alejandra Herrera said she is passionate about her community, and decided to attend
the screening after seeing a flyer on Instagram. “When I was younger, I feel like I would take education for granted,” Herrera said. “I think it’s sad that they still have to keep fighting for them (Chicanxa/o students) to continue their education,” said Herrera referring to the Dreamers of DACA. The screening was put together by ELAC’s Chicana/o Studies department as an effort to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the walkouts. The film is available on YouTube for those interested in viewing it.
The Business Administration Department Open House will focus on then California Strong Workforce and panels on transfer experiences from previous students and professionals within fields of business. The Second Annual Business Administration Department Open House will be on April 26 at F5 201 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During the open house there will be a discussion about The California Strong Workforce, a program which helps individuals obtain a job with good pay, through two panels. One panel will have professional attorneys, enrolled agents and entrepreneurs; the second panel will have recent alumni from East Los Angeles College as they explain their transfer experience and showing how the courses relate to their workforce. Each panel will range from 35 to 40 minutes. After the panel, the students will have a chance to network with faculty, alumni and panelist. Professor Filemon Samson III said there would be a new Associates in Science in Business for Transfer and Associates in Science in Law Public Policy in Society Degree for Transfer. These two degrees will guarantee the student admittance to one California State University. These degrees were put together by professor Laura E. Ramirez. A majority of the courses will be available during Fall 2018 and will be released throughout the next academic school
year. “Part of the units to get toward that degree will be doing an internship that is on campus, working with actual law firms giving legal services to the community and students,” Samson said One of the alumni from ELAC that will be on the panel is Christopher Chi, who is a former student of Professor Jeniffer Alvarado. Chi attended ELAC to prepare for the Certified Public Accountant Exam. He had begun last year and is now halfway done with the exams. Last year he attended the first Business Administration Department Open House. “This is a great way to show students how helpful the coursework is towards getting a career,” Alvarado said. The Doing What Matters website said the California Strong Workforce is to create opportunities and lift low-wage workers into a living wage job. This program added a yearly investment of $200 million toward Career Technical Education in 114 colleges in California. The California Strong Workforce programs will have students shadowing professionals in the field, obtaining internships or externships, giving the students hands-on experience that can be used for the future. “We are creating these programs to help students get into the workforce faster and have a living wage,” Alvarado said. The first 200 students who attend the Open House will receive free lunch. At the end of the event, there will be giveaways of Starbucks Coffee and McDonald's gift certificates.
Feature Former university student now heads ASU 4
BY KEVIN CAMARGO Staff Writer After serving as a senator, secretary and vice president for the Associated Students Union, Monique Allyson Hernandez is now the President. She found East Los Angeles College as her home, after having trouble finding one. Hernandez attended Mount Saint Mary’s University in the 2014 Spring semester after graduating from Whittier High School. After having financial issues, Hernandez decided to leave MSMU to attend ELAC. “I was going to come to ELAC in the spring, but I was really sad and down after leaving (MSMU). Then I had to pick myself up,” Hernandez said, “Honestly, I love ELAC. Maybe there’s a reason why I came to ELAC.” Hernandez said that the transition from high school to college, and from MSMU to ELAC, is what shaped her to be the person she is now. Hernandez said that her greatest support in the ASU office is secretary Summer French. “I believe that dropping out of a university to go to a (junior college) is not a bad thing at all. Everyone has their own capabilities and she was able to realize them sooner,” French said. One thing that Hernandez misses from MSMU is the commute, where she was within walking distance of her classes. Now, she commutes from Whittier
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
and understands the struggle other students have. “I feel that she has really grown and become perfectly fit for the presidential spot. She showed me how to do my position and has even helped me with it,” French said. French has known Hernandez since May of 2017, when French first came to ELAC. Hernandez was born and raised in Riverside, until her family lost their house. She then moved in with family and friends. Due to the change, Hernandez
“I feel that she has really grown and become perfectly fit for the presidential spot.” SUMMER FRENCH ASU Secretary
attended three high schools: Patriot High School in Riverside, Schurr High School in Montebello and Whittier High School in Whittier. Hernandez left Patriot High School twice. She went from Patriot to Schurr and went back to Patriot again. “I said bye to my friends. When I came back, it was just really hard because I knew I was going to leave soon, so no one talked to me,” Hernandez said. By the time Hernandez enrolled at Whittier High School, she was
beginning her second semester as a freshman. “I felt like a junior by the time I was in (my) second semester as a freshman,” Hernandez said. Hernandez lived with her aunt and parents in the summer when they lost their house. She and her sister were not finished with high school yet and her older brother had left for the army. Hernandez and her sister, however, wanted to stay in Riverside. While her parents moved to Montebello with her mother’s family, Hernandez and her sister stayed in Riverside to live with her mother’s friend, husband and two daughters. “We were in a little house, so we would sleep on the floor. I would have to wake up at four in the morning to beat everyone to the shower,” Hernandez said. Hernandez and her sister lived there for around a month, until her mother’s friend said she could not take care of them anymore. With so much going on, Hernandez said she did not care about her high school experience and just wanted to graduate to move on. After moving out of her mom’s friend’s house, the sisters moved in with her parents and her grandparents and slept on the floor again. This is when Hernandez enrolled at Schurr High School. “The struggles she went through during high school really helped her become more independent. It was part of the reason she was able to take on the presidential role. She became her own leader,” French said.
CN/JERRY FLORES
PRESERVERANCE PAYS—Associated Students Union President Monique Hernandez, middle, addresses the members in attendance at the ASU meeting on March 23.
Hernandez said it was a difficult transition from the Inland Empire to the Los Angeles County, especially because Montebello was more crowded and full of apartments. “It makes me a person who understands people. It makes me see life in a simpler way,” Hernandez said. “I like the person I became. Hopefully the more I am here at ELAC, the more I change and grow.”
Pathway to Law School program assists students with partnerships BY JULIO SANCHEZ Staff Writer The Pathway to Law School program intends to guide and assist students in achieving experience and perspective on what it’s like to have a legal career. It is an official transfer program, which means that when students transfer out of East Los Angeles College, they receive a certificate and a purple sash during the commencement ceremony. They are meant to symbolize that the completion of certain requirements in pursuit of their degrees. The Pathway to Law School program was founded by Professor Christine Rodriguez in 2014. She had the position of Program Coordinator until the 2017 Fall semester when she retired. Since then, the new program coordinator Dr. Kenneth Chaiprasert has taken over and plans on making the program run as smoothly as possible. “There’s a lot of things to do. I have a lot of fun because I get inspired when I see the students becoming more active and vocal about legal issues,” Chaiprasert said, “We have great ELAC students and if we can get some of these students to become lawyers, that can help our community. This would be something that is much needed.” Students in the program are
provided with the foundation to transfer and succeed in a law school by visiting law schools, where they can speak with professors and deans. They are also provided with volunteers and mentors who are attorneys. They are given internship opportunities for the selected students to gain more of a hands-on experience. One volunteer said that since joining the program, they realized that aside from a few obstacles, they are almost ready to become a lawyer. With the program, students can become lawyers in an earlier time frame than without the help of the program. With the benefit of having partnerships with judges, public defenders and lawyers of the community as well as partnerships with eight universities across the state, students get the help they need to transfer after meeting certain requirements. The universities that the program is partnered with are: University of California, Davis, University of California, Irvine, University of Southern California, Loyola, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Berkeley. With the program running as a club, students can go to monthly meetings, which are typically on
Tuesdays, but can vary depending on the semester. In the club, students get a glimpse of what the program provides and how it’s intended for social activities, outreach activities and fundraisers for the program. The Pathway to Law School program is partnering up with the American Civil Liberties Union to hold a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Debate in the S2 building on April 21 from 10 a.m. to noon. They will have a repeat of the event a month later on May 26 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is a public forum where the LA county sheriff's candidates will hold a debate on issues in the community and give a chance for the public to be informed on the sheriffs plan for resolving the issues. According to the program coordinator the event is set to have an estimated audience of over 300 people and is to be covered by the media as well. “This is what it is all about,” Chaiprasert said, “Creating and making our community not only think about legal issues, but also becoming involved in law and politics.” Since meeting dates do vary, it is recommended to contact the program for exact dates and time. The Pathway to Law School program is located in the Social Sciences Department at F7-307 and can be contacted by email through lawpathway@elac.edu. www.ELACCampusNews.com
Hernandez said that she hopes students get involved and know that ASU has many benefits and resources for students to explore what the school has to offer. She also said that she wants to interact with more students in events and meetings. Hernandez plans on transferring to University of California, Berkeley or University of Southern California, and get involved in the
student government at the school she will transfer to. “ELAC is a home to me and when I leave I want it to be a home for everyone else. I know ELAC can be a really great place to be your stepping stone,” Hernandez said. Hernandez said that she hopes students remember that everyone is at ELAC for a different reason, and to keep hold of that reason until they accomplish their goals.
Arts
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
5
‘Comedy of Errors’ modernizes a Shakespeare original BY CHRISTIAN HORTA Staff Writer “Comedy of Errors” opens up with the Merchant of Syracuse, Egeon, played by Ramon Ramos, begging for redemption to stay alive to find his family. The play takes place in the city of Ephesus, where Egeon is not supposed to be. Egeon is violating a travel ban between the cities of Ephesus and Syracuse, which are two rival cities. As a result, he is being sentenced to death. Egeon tells Solinus, Duke of Ephesus, played by James Gilbert Olguin, that he is searching for his wife and son, and gives Egeon one day to find his family because he cannot pay. Ramos demonstrates this well to the audience, walking up and down the bleachers with open hands asking for money. In the opening scene, Egeon tells the story about how he came to Syracuse to search for his missing wife and son who went missing in a shipwreck 25 years ago. Dromio of Ephesus, played by Matthew Nitta Shioi does a great job in demonstrating loyalty to his servant, and keeps the audience constantly laughing. He does an excellent job in exaggerating physical demands, especially since some parts appeared to be painful. The play is rich with
CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA
GUILTY—Egeon played by Ramon Ramos (center) gives a speech to defend his case to Duke of Ephesus, played by James Gilbert Olguin (right), and the Duke attendant/officer, played by Octavio Lopez, in The Comedy of Errors.
Shakespeare language, and every actor does an excellent job in recreating the original play. Director Kelly Hogan kept the audience alert by keeping Shakespeare’s original words and fashion but also allowing modernization into the play. Although the language is complex, it is a great play to
watch with family and friends. The humor and physical acts make up for any confusion from the dialogue. “Comedy of Errors” was originally produced in December of 1594. The play takes place at the P2 Black Box Theater and runs for nearly two hours, with a 15
minute intermission. The play will show until April 22. Matinee showtimes are Friday through Sunday at 2 p.m., and evening showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door, or could be purchased in advance through the ELAC website. No late entry is allowed.
CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA
RUN—Antipholus of Syracuse, played by Derek Witzl (left), and Dromio of Epheus, played by Matthew Nitta Shioi, run away from Angelique, a goldsmith, who he has a debt with.
‘The Dark Knight’ continues impacting films to this day BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” is one of the most influential films in the past decade and its impact can be felt in films today. “The Dark Knight” is a comicbook movie based on the Detective Comics character Batman. It tells the story of Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, dealing with the strain of being Batman and a new villian that has made his presence known in Gotham city, the Joker, played by Heath Ledger. The plot synopsis is simple, but the film has multiple layers and became a trend setter after it came out. The film’s tone is the most obvious influence in other films. Nolan
grounded Batman in a realistic way. “What if Batman existed in the real world?” is a question apparent in the Dark Knight trilogy. But it’s wasn’t just the realism. It was the movie’s gritty, dark tone that other films took inspiration from. Unlike “The Dark Knight,” other comic-book films don’t make death a possibility for the hero. F i l m s l i k e “ S p i d e r- M a n , ” “Fantastic Four” or “X-Men” all have villains and danger, but they never placed their heroes in mortal danger. Batman is a hero, but is also vulnerable. Not just because he didn’t have any powers, but because the films showed the character’s limits. Even in the comic book, Batman feels superhuman, but the one in “The Dark Knight” feels like he
could actually die. It wasn’t until this blockbuster that other comic book movies embraced the dark tone. “Captain America: The Winter
One thing that is certain, “The Dark Knight” has had a major impact in Hollywood that can still be felt today. Soldier” made Steve Rogers more vulnerable, even though he had super powers. But it wasn’t just comic book
Classic video game adaptation smashes box office BY JERRY FLORES Staff Writer Directed by Brad Peyton, “Rampage” is a science fiction, action, adventure and fantasy monster film that all movie lovers must watch. The movie is based on a 1986 video game of the same name that was developed by Midway Games. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as Davis Okoye and Naomie Harris as Dr. Kate Caldwell, the dynamic duo who work together to save Chicago from an attack of infected monsters. Johnson who is often cast as a hero in movies tries to save his gorilla friend George from been killed by the U.S. Army. The film begins with a rat experiment in space conducted by Energyne, which explodes and causes gases to fall to Earth. These gases infect a gorilla, a wolf and a crocodile turning them into giant, aggressive and emotionally unstable beasts. Special effects allow the audience to stay focused for the first 45 minutes. Action is set throughout the movie, keeping viewers entertained.
The spectacular clashes of the monsters provide most of the movie’s visual thrills. Harris, a discredited genetic engineer who teams up with Johnson to find the cure for the infection and stop Energyne from causing more damage to the world. The audience experiences a fun time as Johnson and George make jokes to each other. The high-image qualities perfectly match the scenes to make it more vivid and spectacular. The chemistry between the actors is amazing and adds emotion to the film. On the other side, the villains Malin Akerman, played by Claire Wyden, and Jake Lacy, played by Brett Wyden, are siblings and owners of Energyne. They play an important role as they show their ambition for money and like to see devastation in the city. Peyton’s choice of visual effects and storyline gives viewers an idea of how technology is innovating the world and the movie industry to offer the audience a better experience. The participation of the U.S. Army makes the movie more violent and interesting as they attack the
monsters and plan to drop a bomb to kill them. The locations that were chosen give the film a more appropriate setting for the action scenes. This is a movie that has to be experienced on the big screen to enjoy the high sound and image qualities that only a theater can offer.
This is a movie that has to be experienced on the big screen to enjoy the high sound and image qualities that only a theatre can offer. This is the third time that Johnson has worked with Peyton, the first two being “Journey 2: Mysterious Island” and “San Andreas.” The movie is a good choice for a family night out since it has a good combination of humor and action. The movie is rated PG-13 for its violence and crude gestures.
COURTESY OF IMDB.COM
ROAR—Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) and Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), at the Energyne electronic wave tower try to stop the gorilla George (Jason Liles) from destroying the city of Chicago.
films that “The Dark Knight” influenced; films like “Prisoners” and “Sicario” took the tone of a dark, gritty film and amplified it. The heroes in those films don’t necessarily win, they just survive. “Man of Steel” even attempted to make Superman more grounded. “John Wick,” “Dredd” and “The Equalizer” most likely would not have been made if it wasn’t for “The Dark Knight” setting the trend of dark films with vulnerable heroes. Nolan not only made the hero relatable, but also made the villain a complex character. The Joker in “The Dark Knight” is evil and does bad things because he likes chaos, but there is more to his motivation than that. Nolan is a master at his craft, subtly hinting at the Joker ’s backstory throughout the film. Whether it’s through the stories the Joker tells of his past or the people he targets, Heath Ledger’s nuisance of the Joker gives the character a lot of mystique. There was a point in time where audiences believed that having dark and gritty films wasn’t always the best thing. No one wants a realistic “Mission: Impossible” movie because its takes the fun out of it. No one likes when films take themselves too seriously, but many films have benefitted from it, especially when the subject matter is serious. It just takes a great story and a great director to make the outlandish seem grounded. One thing that is certain, “The Dark Knight” has had a major impact in Hollywood that can still be felt today.
COURTESY OF IMDB.COM
WHY SO SERIOUS?—Batman played by Christian Bale,
interrogates the Joker played by Heath Ledger, which gives the audience a prime example of Nolan’s ability to give a hero human-like qualities and vulnerability.
‘Truth or Dare’ fails across the board BY FRANK PORTILLO Staff Writer “Truth or Dare” is an unoriginal movie that is marketed as a horror, but fails to deliver anything scary or even a worthwhile story. The problem with the movie is that none of it makes any logical sense. With four credited screenwriters, the story never gets engaging enough to warrant attention. The movie follows the most hateable group of friends who have no redeeming qualities as they venture to Mexico for Spring Break. The protagonist of the film, Olivia (Lucy Hale), acts as the moral compass of the group of unlikable characters. She gets her group of friends involved with a complete stranger named Carter (Landon Liboiron), who gives them the idea to play a game of truth or dare. In the game, he reveals that he lured them in order to pass off the game to them like it’s a virus and warns them to adhere to the rules
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to avoid being killed. When the group of friends return home, they each experience possessed people who continue the game by asking them whether they want to choose truth or dare. The game begins to tear the group of friends apart as they are forced to reveal and do things that have huge ramifications on their friendship. One by one, the friends get killed off in horrible ways, likening the movie to the gruesome “Final Destination” series of films. Also starring in the film is Tyler Posey of MTV’s “Teen Wolf” and Violett Beane, who often appears on the CW’s “The Flash” as speedster Jesse Quick. As a matter of fact, “Truth or Dare” is a straight up rip-off of “Final Destination” and “It Follows.” It lacks in originality and never develops characters worth caring about. Even the protagonist, who spends the entirety of the film establishing herself as the only character with any morals, is revealed to be just
like her friends by the end of the film. Actor Hayden Szeto plays a closeted gay character with a homophobic father. In a movie titled “Truth or Dare,” viewers can figure out what’s going to happen well before it does which is one of the many reasons why this movie isn’t worth seeing. Even the violence isn’t anything special. Typically, in a movie with characters dying one by one, at least the deaths are clever and gruesome. None of this can be said for “Truth or Dare.” The writers must not have known what to do with the end of the film, because what transpires makes no logical sense and feels like a cop out. “Truth or Dare” is not worth the time or money that it takes to get down to a movie theater. In fact, it probably shouldn’t be viewed at all. “Truth or Dare” is rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing content, alcohol abuse, some sexuality, language and thematic material.
6
SPORTS
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
Husky softball continues to struggle Staff Writer
but our offense and pitching did good,” Mt. Sac Head coach Rubilena Rojas said.
Defensive errors from both teams resulted in a softball 4-2 loss against Mount San Antonio College on Thursday at home. As a result of a defensive lapse from both teams, it wasn’t clear who the winner would be until the end. After East Los Angeles College failed to turn the game to its favor and Mt. Sac regained momentum with a two-run home run in the seventh inning by sophomore first baseman Michelle Banales. Mt.Sac starting freshman pitcher Briana Wheeler started the game strong, striking out the first three batters. Wheeler pitched a complete game, having five hits and nine strikeouts. In the third inning, Mt. Sac sophomore catcher Carissa Felix got a base hit from a ground ball that went through ELAC sophomore second baseman Samantha Alvarado. Two at bats later, Mt. Sac sophomore third baseman Ciara Granado hit a run batted in single, allowing Felix to score. With players in scoring position, Mt. Sac freshman left fielder Candace Haliburton hit and run batted in single, to make the score 2-0. In the bottom of the third inning, ELAC noticed Mt. Sac’s defensive struggle and took advantage. ELAC sophomore designated hitter Sara Serrano led the inning with a hit after an error from Mt. Sac sophomore shortstop Nikki Soto. “We came out with insurance… Our defense was not all there,
Husky sophomore Mone’t Manning,center fielder, hit an RBI single, shortening Mt.Sac 2-1. After ELAC scored, Husky batters got comfortable at the plate and recognized the pitches. “Because the kid was a rise ball pitcher, you want to get
BY STEPHANIE GUEVARA
strong top hands so you can get the ball on the ground,” ELAC head coach Erika Blanco said. ELAC’s offense got better in each at bat, but they weren’t able to score. According to Blanco,freshman pitcher Majisty Shomo had a strong appearance in the game. Shomo pitched a complete game, with 10 hits, one strikeout and one homerun. “The last game against them, I had them a little tighter, but to have them score only four runs on me felt pretty decent,” Shomo said. “We need to come out stronger and end the game stronger.” Shomo said. In the bottom of the seventh inning with bases loaded, ELAC freshman Julie Granadeno had the winning run at the plate. Granadeno hit an RBI single, where sophomore left fielder Dominique De Alba scored. Although ELAC gained momentum at the end of the game, it wasn’t enough. ELAC ended its losing streak on the road on Friday against Glendale College, beating them 11-5. On Monday, the Huskies extended their winning streak by defeating Mount San Jacinto College 18-4 at home. ELAC is among the top 16 contenders for the playoffs with an overall record of 17-15.
CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA
SAC BUNT—Sophomore second baseman Samantha Alvarado hits a sacrifice bunt on Thursday’s home loss to first-place team of the South Coast Conference-North Mount San Antonio College.
Baseball in playoff position despite conference loss BY JORGE VAZQUEZ Staff Writer
CN/NOE ORTEGA
OUTTA HERE—East Los Angeles College freshman
outfielder Brandon Acosta swings at a pitch from Pasadena City College pitcher on Saturday’s home 6-3 loss.
East Los Angeles College baseball lost its third game of a three-game series at home to Pasadena City College 6-3 on Saturday. ELAC lost the series 2-1 after Saturday’s loss and last Tuesday’s 9-5 loss at home. The Huskies managed to win their only away game of the series 3-0 at Brookside Parks Jackie Robinson Memorial Field on Thursday. Despite last weeks losses, ELAC is still second place in the South Coast Conference-North, but is now tied with Chaffey College. In the top of the tenth inning, with bases loaded, PCC sophomore third baseman Nico Martinez smashed a single toward outfield allowing two runs batted in, resulting in a three run lead. Martinez finished the game with two hits and five RBIs in four at bats. “ We ’ r e p r e t t y g o o d a t snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It’s disappointing, no doubt, but we have to move on. We have five big games left against two tough opponents, so our players just have to be strong, bare down and stick to the plan,” said East Los Angeles College head coach James Hines.
In the top of the tenth inning, number nine. the score was tied, 3-3, when The end result was making bad PCC sophomore shortstop Jose pitches,” Hines said. Jimenez hit a single. ELAC was down by one run in Freshman catcher Tony Shue the bottom of the eighth inning, was then walked to first base. when sophomore outfielder Sophomore center fielder John Steven Nuno walked and took Bicos hit a single to load the first base. bases. Immediately Freshman after, freshman left fielder outfielder Edward Manzo Brandon Acosta “We’re pretty was walked, hit double RBI f o r c i n g where Nuno good at snatching Jimenez to scored from defeat from jaws advance to second base. home regain An error from of victory. It’s the lead. PCC Biscos dissapointing, no “It was a allowed Nuno good game. I to get to home. doubt, but we have thought both In the bottom to move on.” teams played of the sixth, well and had a freshman lot of heart in infielder Grant this game. It Victor walked could’ve gone after being hit either way but in the arm by a JAMES HINES fortunately we pitch. ELAC Baseball head coach came out on Freshman the right end infielder Bryan of that,” PCC Duenas hit a far head coach Pat ball that walked McGee said. Victor get to second base, but The Huskies called for a Duenas ball was caught. second pitcher change after After, designated hitter and freshman pitcher Luis Ramos pitcher Zech Jarrard hit a double allowed three runs, two walks to left field, Victor scored and and one hit in the one inning that the Huskies took the lead 2-1. he pitched. “We just didn’t win. We have “In regards to throwing to be better. We just have to score pitches, they have to be the more runs and tighten up our same guy from inning number pitching,” Jarrad said. one all the way up to inning The Huskies tied the game in
the bottom of the third inning 1-1. Despite having two outs, freshman infielder Matthew Sosa hit the ball toward centerfield, allowing the Huskies to run a batter in. ELAC lost its first game of the three-game series last Tuesday. Throughout the first four innings ELAC and PCC had a close game, but in the top of the fifth inning, the Huskies lost control of the game. PCC were up by one run but extended its lead by scoring four runs and led by five. The Huskies scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but it wasn’t enough to bring them back in the game. ELAC won yesterday after defeating El Camino College 5-3 away. With runs from Sosa, Victor and Jarrad, the Huskies won the first game of a two-game series against El Camino. Freshman pitcher Paul Kosanovich took the win with seven innings pitched. He allowed eight hits, three runs, two walks and six strikeouts. “We have five big games left at the end against two tough opponents. Whatever it is we have to bear down, be head strong and stick to the plan,” Hines said. The Huskies are now 11-5 in the conference and 21-15 overall. Their next game will be tomorrow at 6 p.m. against El
H U S K I E S
Men’s
Sport Update Track and Field
East Los Angeles CollegeTrack and Field competed in the Twilight Open tournament that was held at California State University, Los Angeles from Thursday to Friday. In the eighth event held, freshman Steven Garcia finished second in the Men’s 1500 meter run with a time of 4:38.33. Garcia also competed in the Men’s 800 meter dash and placed third with a time of 2:11.58. Freshman Joshua Cardenas also competed in the Men’s 1500 meter run and placed fourth with a time of 4:46.89. Freshman Jakob Tilford competed in the 100 Meter Dash and placed fifth out of 21 runners. Tilford finished with a time of 10.98. Sophomore Jamal Brinkley placed eighth in the same event with a time of 11.42. Freshmen Nicholas Hutson and Hector Gutierez also placed 13th and 14th in the same event, with times of 12.09 and 12.10.
Women’s
In the 13th event, freshman Daisy Ortiz placed eighth in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:45.60. Apart from Ortiz, freshman Jazmine Romero came in 14th place with a time of 3:08.37. Freshman Yesenia Carias placed 15th place after Romero with a time of 3:13.66. In event 15, the Women’s 400 meter hurdles freshman Cameron Chang placed fourth with a final time of 1:22.21. Freshman Sylvia Calvache competed in the 19th event, which was the Women’s 5000 meter run, and placed third with a time of 19:39.77. ELAC was one of the only community colleges that competed in last week’s event. Competing with universities like: California State University, Bakersfield; California State University, Dominguez Hills; and CSULA.
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