Skip to main content

Campus News Fall 2019 Issue 6

Page 1

VOLUME 77, ISSUE 6 | WWW.ELACCAMPUSNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019 | SINGLE COPY FREE - ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS

E7 water leak temporarily halts classes BY IVAN CAZARES Staff Writer T he E7 buildi ng experienced flooding on onday due to a leak that originated on the fourth floor and seeped to the third and second floors. Classes were canceled yesterday. owever, ast os Angeles College’s administration is working to relocate approximately 150 classes, out of the 59 affected, to other facilities. 7 will reopen on onday at the earliest, and an email was sent out yesterday evening to inform students and staff about the relocations, cancelations and update them on progress with repairs. Campus ews, which works from the third floor of 7, had to work out of a conference room in to publish. “There was nothing we could have done about the canceling of classes on Tuesday because it was last minute, but our priority is getting classes started again,” uben Arenas, vice president of liberal arts and sciences, said. “ y secretary, Joe urger, deserves a lot of credit for communicating with department chairs to see which classes could be relocated.” ichard lliott, director of construction services for of Downey and ontebello, said there was at least an inch of water in the affected floors. “These are galvani ed pipes. A plumbing leak of this nature is very common,” lliot said. “ sually, you get pin leaks in areas that are welded or soldered together. ight now, what we are focusing on is

containing the situation and drying the area so we could get you back in school.” The cleanup crew is focusing on drying the building and a hygienist was called in accordance to California law to insure no bacteria, mold or parasites formed due to the stagnant water. “ t’s important for us to make sure the environment is safe to return to for the students and staff,” Abel odrigue , director of lant acilities, said. “ ight now we’re in remediation part of the process, but think we were very lucky.” odrigue said one of the bolts on hinges that hold sections of pipe together became abnormally corroded, which allowed water to leak through. ad the situation not been discovered when it was there could have been upwards of 00 gallons of pressuri ed water purged into the building. The ma ority of the large buildings on campus are air conditioned using a central plant that pumps cold and hot water through large pipes rather than individual AC units. The pipe system has a long lifespan according to odrigue , but he did point out that plant facilities has replaced other components in earlier stages of corrosion. “Three evening employees called me at the same time saying h my god something burst in the ceiling, look at the water and there’s a hole in the pipe,’ so we immediately went into emergency mode,” odrigue said. o damage to 7’s electrical systems has been discovered or the e uipment of any of the departments has been discovered.

CN/IVAN CAZARES

GUSH—The corroded bolt on the left failed, which caused one of hinges that holds sections of pipe together to leak which resulted in the closure of E7 and the cancellation of classes in the building and relocation of others. “ was worried water might have gotten into gaps in between the floors, because that building has a raised floor design, but we contained the water in time and there doesn’t seem to be any significant damage,” odrigue said. uildings with raised floors have elevated floor sections above a solid structure to provide space for cooling systems, network cables

and flowing water systems. The design concept originated in the 19 0s, and odrigue said it likely wouldn’t have been the design of choice if the building was built in more recent years. 7 was completed in 00 and was the last building constructed prior to rop AA which has funded the ma ority of construction in ACCD since. “ was relieved that the campus

came together to handle the situation the way it did. ast night was the most stressful, because didn’t know what to really expect,” yeshia Armstrong, vice president of administrative services, said. “ was scared there would be hoards of students gathering in the uad not knowing what happened, but the situation was communicated right away.” tudents and staff can expect to

return to a saniti ed building with some lingering repairs happening in the background. n a worst-case scenario, classes that meet ondays and Wednesdays will miss two days of class, according to Arenas. AC’s administration has received the first report from which will be communicated with faculty and staff.

ELAC educates students on shooters Families hold sheriffs BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer ass shootings have rocked the country, and ast os Angeles College organi ed an event to educate and prepare students and staff for such emergencies. or the second day of mergency all reparedness Week, fficer ictor hio aki, Deputy li abeth lias and Deputy Alberto omero gave a presentation detailing law enforcement’s methods of handling an active shooting scenario. hio aki said that the three things people must do in an active shooter scenario are run, hide and fight if necessary. e said that using common sense like running in the opposite of the shooter, leaving behind personal items, identifying the safest route and evacuating in an orderly fashion could save lives. hio aki said that students should hide in their classrooms, away from windows and doors and out of view with their phones silenced. Doors should be locked with the emergency key located in the red box by classroom doors. ights should also be turned off. e also said students should expect to be in their classrooms for long periods of time until law enforcement confirms the situation is under control. hio aki said that when entering a building with an active shooter, law enforcement would not stop to provide aid to those in ured because their first priority is apprehending the shooter. After confirming that the shooter is apprehended, or in another area, emergency medical technicians would provide aid. f possible, students and staff should self-administer first aid. hio aki said that people should

BY VICKY NGYUEN Staff Writer

“I think we (ELAC) are doing a better job at preparing for a mass shooting.”

VICTOR SHIOZAKI ELAC Officer

CN/LUIS CASTILLA

hio aki said that fighting should only be used as a last resort. “At that point, it’s their life or yours,” hio aki said. e said students and staff should use improvised weapons and attack as a group. “ think we AC are doing a better ob at preparing for a mass shooting,” hio aki said. After the workshop, the os Angeles County Department of ental ealth clinical psychologist icolas eli held a presentation outlining the warning signs and risk factors of possible mass shooters. eli works with the mergency utreach and Triage DivisionTA T, a team that works with individuals to assess risk levels of becoming mass shooters and intervenes if necessary.

Undocu-Transfer

News Briefs

accountable

approach law enforcement with their hands empty and in the air as they are in a heightened state of awareness and can not tell the difference between the shooter and others. lias said students and staff should prepare safety kits with important supplies, such as supplies for people with medical conditions.

THE WAY OUT—Deputy Elizabeth Elias talks about the

evatuaction routes students and staff should take in case of emergencies.

e showed case-studies where his team was able to intervene, stopping possible mass shootings. eli said that while mental illness is a factor, it is not necessarily the cause when it comes to mass shooting perpetrators. e said that some of the warning signs of mass shooters are making hit-lists, deviation from the individual’s normal behaviour and leaking information on the mass shooting. eli said that while there are some recogni able symptoms, there is no clear profile for mass shooters. nstead, possible mass shooters

The Dream Resource Center will hold an event tomorrow to inform undocumented students on how to transfer. The event will have a panel of ELAC alumni from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in F5-209.

are analy ed on a case-by-case basis. ome of the risk factors that may lead individuals to become mass shooters are chronic and persistent or perceived bullying, financial strain, conflicts with friends or family, past physical or sexual trauma, a mental health diagnosis, sexual stress or frustration, recent loss of a loved one, substance abuse, grievances with institutions or individuals and three or more ma or life stressors. The next mass shooting workshop is ov. 5 at noon in the foyer.

Common Sense Self-Defense

The South Gate campus will host a self-defense workshop tomorrow in room 118 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

A campaign to place greater checks and balances on the os Angeles County heriff’s Department began with a community forum at ast os Angeles College on aturday. The American Civil iberties nion’s CheckThe heriff campaign includes demands for greater transparency and accountability from the A D and an end to all cooperation and engagement with mmigrations and Customs nforcement. “This moment really calls for us to establish greater checks and balances, because the ones in existence right now aren’t working,” Andr s won, attorney with AC oCal, said. “The next step is for the board of supervisors to step up and to help us create greater checks and balances on the heriff’s department.” The AC is pushing for the creation of a charter amendment that would grant the county board of supervisors the power to impeach the sheriff. The AC supports granting subpoena power for the county inspector general. rievances at the forum were directed at heriff Alex illanueva. Although illanueva is the first atino sheriff and the first Democratic-supported candidate in over a century, his democratic and progressive support has uickly waned since being elected in December. e became a controversial figure after rehiring Deputy Caren Carl andoyan and other deputies who have been fired for misconduct. andoyan was initially fired in 01 for sexual assault and stalking. illanueva’s rehiring of andoyan was overturned by os

Scholarship Extension Due to the SIS update, the ELAC Foundation scholarship deadline is extended to Friday. Students can apply at elacfoundation.com or email corralr3@elac.edu with any questions.

Angeles County uperior Court in August. n another point of contention, illanueva has been critici ed for allowing C private contractors into prisons. “ ome people call heriff illanueva heriff aitand- witch,” won said at the forum. “ e ran as a progressive, as a democrat, he got the endorsement of ust about everyone and he fooled everyone, in particular on the issue of immigration.” Community members, such as mothers of police brutality victims, testified at the forum against A D. Anthony argas’s mother, isa argas, continued to demand investigation into her son’s death by A D. “We’re showing them A D that this abuse that they’re creating for our community it’s not going to continue. We’re going to put an end to it,” argas said at the forum. “ t’s beyond the hate for the cops. This is something we need to stop.” The AC athway to aw program sponsored the forum by providing the venue and students helped to moderate discussions with the community. “The AC contacted the pathway to law program here at AC and they wanted to hold something. t’s where our AC students come in,” enneth Chaiprasert, assistant professor of political science, said. “This is where the AC will get its information. They athway to aw students are the reporters, they are the facilitators, they are the moderators, but they are also taking up the stories of the people from the community and add to the list of things that the AC will fight for.” The campaign will continue with a rally on ct. 0 at the all of Justice in downtown os Angeles.

Due to the closure of the E7 building, this week’s issue was created using limited time and resources. Thank you to Dean James Kenny and Mike Iwashita of IT.


OPINION Increased minimum wage distorts labor market 2

BY JOHANNA RODRIGUEZ Staff Writer

Raising the minimum wage for entry-level jobs creates more harm than benefits to student workers. California’s minimum wage is rising once again in January, but employment opportunities for students will decrease. inimum wage should not be as high as $15 for an entry-level ob. These obs re uire little to no experience, which is why students with average skills are able to attain them. tudents starting in the workforce need minimum-wage jobs to gain experience, but the minimum wage hikes are reducing the obs available for low-skilled workers. ntry-level obs should not be considered a livable wage ob. owever, the experience gained from these jobs can turn into a higher status ob. t is understandable that more money sounds enticing, but at what cost? A study by the niversity of California, iverside suggests, “A higher minimum wage could create distortions in the labor market, potentially causing employers to cut employee hours, and for fewer ob opportunities to arise for low-skilled

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019

and teenage workers.” A higher minimum wage makes students the most vulnerable in the workforce. They lack skills and experience, and companies start compensating for losses by eliminating low-skilled workers. The food-service and retail industries are the industries that employ the most students and they will be the companies most affected by the increase of minimum wage. According to an article by the Employment Policy Institute, “ ased on the state’s historical minimum wage experience, they estimate California will lose approximately 00,000 obs by 0 when $15 is phased in.” “ etail and food service employees are hit especially hard by wage increases; nearly half of all job loss comes from these industries.” tudents should not have to worry that a fast-food restaurant may not offer them an entry-level position because they lack skills. They also should not have to worry that the industry is only hiring experienced workers to correspond with the higher minimum wage. If labor costs are high, large companies will begin to invest in technological machinery to make up for the losses in labor or they start layoffs and cut workers’ hours. cDonald’s restaurants have already started implementing self-service kiosks. These machines

EDITOR IN CHIEF Melody Ortiz MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Ayala ART DIRECTOR Steven Adamo ONLINE EDITOR Adam Robles FRONT EDITORS CN/IVANA AMARAL

have the ability to completely eliminate the cashiers in the front, but that should not happen. uman interaction should always be a part of industries that rely on customer service to keep customers coming back. Customer service skills are an essential skill for any ob that involves the public. The opportunities and skills the service industry provides should not be taken away from students. When it comes to minimum wage increases, helping the disadvantaged

should be the priority, but the current increases are decreasing the chances for students to find obs. inimum wage should rise locally and the cost of living should be taken into account. an rancisco and os Angeles counties, for example, should have a higher wage than the rest of California because they are the most expensive places to live in. The C study suggests that “minimum wages should be set relative to local incomes.” These changes should help in

urban areas that have a higher cost of living, but would not affect rural areas that have less job opportunities. Job opportunities should not decrease for students if this form of wage increases are implemented. t will not disturb the labor market because it will correlate with the cost of living. This outcome should benefit students because employment opportunities will stay consistent with the local minimum wage and living costs.

People attain peace by expressing emotions BY MARIANA MONTOYA Staff Writer

More sleep improves school performance BY CHER ANTIDO Staff Writer

tudents should find importance in their sleep and make use of schools’ later start time. California becomes the first state in the country to push schools’ start time later no earlier than a.m. for middle schoolers and no earlier than 0 a.m. for high schoolers. Although this was done to add more sleeping time for students, many are not too enthusiastic about school ending later as a result. tudents, however, should get the proper sleep their bodies need. The dread of going to school is the early start times, and many students struggle to get out of bed due to insufficient sleep. This causes a decline in their academic performance, mood and health. A 017 study in the ournal cience Advances monitored students before and after the start-time change. t showed a .5 improvement of grades for their first-period biology class. tudents were also more alert in class, and it showed a reduction in tardiness. Early start times will also cause students to rely more on caffeine. They feel that their bodies aren’t awake by the time they get to school, so they consume caffeinated beverages to help them wake up.

A 01 study by the Centers for Disease Control and revention showed that students with more sleep are significantly less likely to drink caffeinated beverages. any students, however, would rather go to school early than stay later, which gives them more time to do homework and other after-school activities. ast os Angeles College student ontserra ukumoto said, ” f you have practice after school, you don’t want to be getting home later than you would be. would have to stay up later anyways, if I’m getting home late doing homework after practice.” It’s especially tough for those who have responsibilities after school such as work, club activities and or sports. They feel that pushing the start time is futile. This is mainly because they’ll have to stay up late doing homework. etting sufficient sleep, however, allows students to do their homework more efficiently. Teenagers nowadays have gotten used to sleeping late. orcing their bodies to sleep doesn’t work, which is why a later start time helps. Phi Delta Kappan, an online ournal for educators, wrote, “Teenagers are unable to fall asleep before about 10 5 p.m. and that their brains remain in sleep mode until about a.m. This delay in the circadian rhythms

www.ELACCampusNews.com

for teenagers is directly related to hormonal changes during puberty.” any students would prefer being home early, but an hour of free time after school doesn’t affect them as much as an extra 30 minutes before school. os Angeles nified chool District High School teacher Jill Aller said that many of her students eat during their first period because they didn’t have enough time to do so at home. “As a mom as well, ’d prefer it if school didn’t start so early. ids don’t really have time to eat breakfast before they leave for school, which is why our school obert . ennedy igh chool serves breakfast before first period,” Aller said. any teenagers don’t understand the importance of getting those extra minutes of sleep and eating time. ating breakfast causes less concerns about stomach pains related to hunger, which allows them to concentrate more in class. ome students mainly like to be home earlier to relax and do their hobbies. f they push those aside for a moment, however, they will still have ample time to do their homework even if they get home an hour later. If they’re going to sleep at the same time either way, it’s best to extend those sleeping hours to be more active in class.

eople should be able to show their scars and speak about their mental health. t is courageous and worthy, considering the times they are living in and the amount of people that could be inspired. ental health disorders are like silent monsters that comes at any time of day, or in the most complicated moments of life. They steal people’s peace, scare them and drags anyone that is in their lives along the way. howing raw emotion is important because it unleashes emotions that don’t belong and in turn will allow a life of peace. nfortunately, from a very young age people are taught to be uiet, to hold their emotions to themselves and to not let anyone know how they are feeling. A lack of comfort from society or from family can hold a person back from being completely honest and vocal about a true state of mind. There are many stigmas surrounding mental health disorders. t is divided by the social stigma, which includes the fast-paced culture people live in today, and self perceived stigma, which is mainly what people think of themselves. Wi t h i n t h e s o c i a l s t i g m a , people feel the pressure they have accumulated by having to work hard, study hard, be the best all the time and to appear they have it all together. eople do not always have everything together, and that is okay. t is okay to not be okay. t is okay to feel down from time to time. They should not have to constantly seek perfection. As humans, they were not designed to be perfect. eople live in a grinding culture where making money is everything, but it is also important to take breaks in between and acknowledge the human within them. “As millenials, we constantly feel the need to have everything under control, but am proud to say that I am far from having everything I want,” East Los Angeles College student onica on ale said.

The truth is that the brain is a very powerful muscle and can be trained easily, both in a positive and negative way. olding emotions and listening to these negative programs is not the solution to the problem. n fact, it creates a much deeper hole. “ have seen my own loved ones spiraling. They won’t speak about it, but they will very much go through it by themselves, and it is sad,” AC student rnesto esa said. ocial media has become part of the problem, mainly because social media puts unnecessary pressure on our day-to-day lives. n instagram, celebrities, and sometimes friends, post about what is seemingly perfect lives through their wonderful travel, family pictures or even better captions. They accumulate a ton of likes and this keeps people thinking about what they can do to live that fairytale.

People do not always have everything together, and that is okay. It’s okay not to be okay.

t is hard to express what is really inside the mind. any suffer in silence while others are slowly becoming vocal about these issues that continue to plague society. The causes of mental illness are sometimes completely unknown, but other times they include trauma from childhood. It is unfortunate that people live in a society where it is complicated to express the way their minds are shaping, because society constantly reminds the dangers of living rather than the beauty of being alive. or that reason people should consider finding help and constantly remind themselves that stepping out of their brains is important to achieve the wellness of their mental health.

Luis Castilla Sonny Tapia

OPINION EDITOR Cher Antido NEWS EDITOR Juan Calvillo FEATURE EDITOR Maria Marroquin Monroy ARTS EDITOR Gustavo Buenrostro SPORTS EDITOR Michael Dominguez CARTOONIST Ivana Amaral COPY EDITORS Ivan Cazares Stephanie Guevara STAFF WRITERS Noe Ortega, Vicky Nguyen, Mariana Montoya, Melisa Valenzuela, Miguel Dominguez, Russell Navarette, Jonathan Bermudez, Johanna Rodriguez, Christopher De Leon, Julie Santiago, Simon Cabral, Alejandro Ambiz, Kelly Vasquez ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha DISTRIBUTION Gustavo Buenrostro Julie Santiago ADVISERS Jean Stapleton Sylvia Rico-Sanchez Campus News encourages letters to the editor relating to campus issues. Letters must be typed and double spaced. Submitted material becomes the property of Campus News and cannot be returned. Letters should be limited to 250 words or less. Campus News reserves the right to edit letters for grammatical errors or libelous content. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers must sign submissions and print their names and a phone number where they can be reached. Letters should be addressed to the editor of Campus News. Submissions can be made at the mailroom in building E1 or the Journalism department office in the Technology Center in E7-303. East Los Angeles College Campus News 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez E7-303 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (323) 265-8819, Ads (323) 265-8821 Fax (323) 415-4910 The East Los Angeles College Campus News is published as a learning experience, offered under the East Los Angeles College Journalism program. The editorial and advertising materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College, or any officer or employee thereof. PRINTING BY NEWS PUBLISHERS PRESS


NEWS

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019

3

Campus updated on emergency preparedness BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer East Los Angeles College kicked off Emergency Fall P r e p a r e d n e s s We e k w i t h workshops on emergency first aid and marshall training for staff members. Emergency Preparedness Week is organized by ELAC Professional Development and aims to prepare students and staff for different emergency scenarios. Emergency medical technician Dr. Kimberly Bond showed a presentation on what to do during emergency situations. Things to do included calling for help, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), bleeding control and splinting. Bond said that the first thing to do in case of an emergency on campus is to call the campus sheriff at (323)265-8800. EMT program director Cheryl Pittman and cadet Ryan Lopez demonstrated the correct way of performing the Heimlich maneuver in case of choking, wrapping her arms around him from behind and thrusting. Bond said that if someone is having a seizure, not to put things in the person’s mouth. If something is placed in a person’s mouth while they are having a seizure, like a stick,

they may bite down on it and break it or break their teeth, which will obstruct the person’s breathing. She said movies and television have led people to believe that this is the right thing to do. She said CPR has improved since the 1980s and that performing mouth-to-mouth was no longer considered safe. The updated way of performing CPR is to push down on the center of the chest with both hands hard and fast between 100 and 120 compressions per minute. The chest must be compressed at least two inches. This must be kept up until EMTs arrive. Bond said that in the past, EMTs would perform CPR as a courtesy to families so that they would feel like something was being done for their loved one. “We’re actually bringing people back now,” said Bond. Extended Opportunity Programs and Services care coordinator Renee Randolph attended the event and said she had to perform CPR on her mom last week. “I didn’t know CPR, but I learned Saturday through the phone,” said Randolph. “We’ve got to know CPR. You never know.” Bond said that depending on the type of cut, stopping the

CN/LUIS CASTILLA

SAVING CADET RYAN—EMT program director Cheryl Pittman applies a splint to cadet Ryan Lopez’s arm for the audience at Emergency Preparedness Week’s opening day. bleeding may be impossible and the best thing to do is to control the bleeding instead. She said that to control

bleeding, disinfect the cut, apply demonstrate the how to control pressure to the wound and apply bleeding. a bandage. Pittman applied a Bond said that if there are no tourniquet to Lopez’s arm to bandages available, a shirt can

be used, but not to use a belt because it may make the wound worse. Bond said that if someone has a broken bone, the extremity must be kept in a comfortable position, a splint must be applied and wrapped. Pittman demonstrated how to apply a splint on Lopez, wrapping a splint on his arm and tying it close to his chest. After Bond’s presentation, college event and venue coordinator Ernest Burnett held a meeting with the campus volunteer marshals who facilitate evacuations in case of an emergency. There are three different types of marshals, each with their own responsibilities. Floor marshals are responsible for checking each classroom on a single floor. They relay information to building marshals who then pass that information on to zone marshals. If any of the marshals in the chain are not present, any of the other marshals will take on their responsibilities. Burnett said that even though the staff is provided with red backpacks, which contain emergency supplies, they are not sufficient to support an entire campus and that everyone should prepare their own supplies. “Be prepared to take care of yourself in an emergency,” said Burnett.

Educational injustice lecture highlights history, future of equality BY MARIANA MONTOYA Staff Writer Dr. Nadine Bermudez, East Los Angeles College professor and director of the Honors p r o g r a m , a l o n g w i t h D r. Carlos Manuel Haro from the University of California, Los Angeles gave a lecture on the history of educational injustice suffered throughout the years in comparison to the current fight for educational justice. The professors focused on the Mendez v. Westminster case of 1947 because the case was having its 72nd anniversary. Bermudez and Haro focused on different aspects of the case.

Bermudez focused on the reasons why students were being segregated, which included a list created by the superintendent at the time that had listed all the possible diseases and mental disorders the children supposedly had. She also spoke about a woman who played a key role in being able to accomplish a small victory within the case, which included women like Virginia Guzman, Mrs. Palomino, Mrs. Ramirez. “Even though the history books, and the literature never mentioned them, they were a huge part of this movement. This movement to desegregate the schools for educational justice. They filed lawsuits (and) they

wrote letters to raise money,” said Bermudez. Haro focused on the aftermath and the continuing fight for educational justice for people of color. “Now, the Mendez case, the ruling in the 1946-1947 stated that the separating of children of Mexican schools violated the right of equal protection that is guaranteed by the 14th amendment,” said Haro. “But what was important here was that this was the first time that the court decided that it was unconstitutional to segregate children.” Both Haro and Bermudez said why it is important to be involved with the community as a form of solidarity and to study

the history of their people’s past. “It is important to know your people’s past and what they overcame in order to understand your future,” said Bermudez. Haro began the lecture with a brief history about his own struggles to accomplish a career in education, along with the East Los Angeles school district walkouts of 1968, since it was also its 51st anniversary. He said the walkouts were also a very important time frame in the ongoing fight for student equality. He spoke about Salvador Castro, a teacher in the Los Angeles school district during the walkouts. Castro constantly made sure he educated his students

and empowered them to seek information about their own history and asked them about the Mendez v. Westminster to make sure they were well informed. During the lecture Haro reminded the audience, through his brief analysis of the case, of the importance of community and how it had a huge role in accomplishing what was fair for their kids and for future generations. Bermudez talked about the different women she was able to meet and interview while writing her dissertation on the gender roles of the timeframe of the Mendez case. She said they all fought for their kids, including boycotting the schools to be able to have a

better education. Since schools and society were going through separation of races, this meant that schools and public places would have different facilities that were separate and unequal. “It was the people. It was the work of the mothers. The work of the fathers. The work of the community that allowed them to accomplish their objective,” said Haro. They said that this was the same template used for the Brown v. Board of Education case. They constantly reminded students of the power that exists within them to continue the fight for a better education by voting.

Financial Aid Awareness Day provides students with vital information BY ALEJANDRO AMBRIZ Staff Writer Students lined up Thursday to receive information on Cal Grants, free application for Federal Student Aid and scholarships during Financial Aid Awareness Day in the E3 quad. East Los Angeles College’s Financial Aid Awareness Day is an effort to provide significant information to students and parents about access to the different forms of student aid. As students lined up at the first booth, they were given a questionnaire about financial aid and when to apply for FAFSA. Each question had an ELAC staff member to help answer it and provide further information. At the first table, students learned about the updates for the 2020-21 FAFSA. Since the IRS eliminated forms 1040 and 1040EZ with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the new FAFSA is updated to reflect this change. T h e 2 0 2 0 - 2 1 FA F S A application requires 2018 taxes and the application for the 202021 school year opened on Oct. 1. Students were also given a tote bag that contained a folder with www.ELACCampusNews.com

CN/ALEJANDRO AMBRIZ

ALL SMILES— tudents get important information on all financial aid and are given ags with information a out future events resources regarding scholarship opportunities, what Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals means for financial aid and how to apply for it and student award guides. “Because some students don’t really know about financial aid, we want to have more events and more financial aid workshops,” Financial aid and Scholarship

Office worker Zoey Zhen said. It is critical that students apply for FAFSA, as they are automatically considered for grants, scholarships and federal work study once they apply. The other two tables at the event gave information on the Pell Grant and Cal Grant. One of the key factors in receiving and keeping financial

aid is maintaining satisfactory academic progress (SAP). SAP is defined as a student maintaining a 2.00 cumulative GPA, successful completion of a minimum of 67% of cumulative units attempted and students can’t have an earned associate or higher degree outside of the LACCD. The brochure provided said

that any student who applies for federal and state financial aid is required to maintain satisfactory academic progress. ELAC’s SAP policy affects students who apply for the Federal Pell Grant, Cal Grant A, B and C, Federal Direct student and parent loans, and others. The California College Promise Grant, formerly known

as Board of Governors Fee Waiver, is exempt from SAP requirements. Financial aid is not intended to cover basic living costs, but if students find themselves in muddy water, the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office has various alternative means to cover those costs. Information on the federal work-study, subsidized and unsubsidized loans, the California College Promise Grant and more is available at the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office. L.A. Cash for College and Univision gave out flyers announcing a two-day event that will feature career panels, financial aid presentations and application assistance on Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at ELAC. The event, called “Tu Futuro L.A.: Beyon the Diploma” will take place on the ELAC campus Oct. 19. For more information, students can visit the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office located in the E1-135. The main hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.


4

ARTS

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019

‘El Camino’ lives up to popular show’s expectations BY ADAM ROBLES Staff Writer T he wait for “ El Camino: A B reak ing B ad M ovie” has finally end ed . T he end ing of the “ B reak ing B ad ” series was satisfying enough to end on the note that it d id and not need a seq uel. F ans might have worried for the show to push out a seq uel in any form because of how perfect it alread y end ed . T he show end ed with Walt tak ing out all of the N az is that were k eeping Jesse hostage for months. Jesse then escapes from the N az i compound speed ing out in an El Camino car while he’s screaming with relief. T he “ B reak ing B ad ” series end ed just over six years ago. T his film seems lik e something that should ’ve been released back then, just to give it a proper end ing. T he film focuses purely on Jesse and his experiences. It feels much more slower than an episod e of “ B reak ing B ad ” because Jesse is in all the scenes. It d oesn’t cut away to other characters or storylines going on because it’s about how Jesse mak es his escape. Since this film serves as an extra-long conclusion episod e rather than a stand -alone film, there unfortunately isn’t much enjoyment to be found by an aud ience who hasn’t alread y seen “ B reak ing B ad . ” T he movie d oes mak e sense, but d oesn’t have the same tension to someone who k nows nothing about what happened previously.

COURTESY OF IMDB

PUT’EM UP—Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, points his gun to robbers as he makes an attempt to get his money back. T his movie is excellent and is a must-watch for anyone who has watched “ B reak ing B ad . ” “ El Camino” d oes an outstand ing job of d isplaying Jesse’s mental and physical struggles from both the past and the present that eventually lead s to the birth of a new Jesse. During the show, Jesse wasn’t

the smartest or luck iest character. His character was almost the complete opposite of Walt’s character. Jesse was the one who suffered the most and that suffering also d rags over to the movie. When Jesse escapes the N az i compound , he head s straight over to his friend s’ house for help. T o

them he is unrecogniz able at first because he has a full beard and is d irty. Lik e at the end of the show Jesse seems to have trouble speak ing. He was treated lik e an animal d uring the months he was enslaved to cook meth for the N az is, so he had little to no social interactions d uring that time.

As Jesse wak es up after what was probably the best sleep he had gotten for at least a year, he forgets that he’s safe. He look s up and sees the entrance to his cage and as that fad es away and reality k ick s in, he jumps up in confusion look ing around to figure out where he is and he tries to rip open the wind ow

to escape. His friend s B ad ger and Sk inny Pete come in to talk to him and reassure him that he’s safe now. After some d iscussion Jesse figures out that what he need s to d o and the plot for the movie is set up. T he movie focuses on the present while also filling in the aud ience on what happened while Jesse was enslaved to fill in certain gaps that lead to new plot points d uring the film. T he film has a show-not-tell way of showing how Jesse’s past comes back to haunt him. When he’s first showering after his escape, he is shown with a gun placed next to him by the wind ow as a remind er that he is still scared . While the water is pouring onto him, it cuts to a scene where the N az is are showering him with a water hose. He’s still traumatiz ed so he shuts off the water. While he’s stand ing there the camera shows a back view of his bod y and he hold s up a mirror to show his face. T his is an example of the excellent shots mak ing a return from “ B reak ing B ad ” and carrying over into this film. All without saying a word , it is shown in that shower scene that Jesse has stopped suffering p h y s i c a l l y, b u t s t i l l s u ff e r s mentally. T his is just within the first 10 minutes of the film. T here are many more wellcrafted shots and throwback s to “ B reak ing B ad ” that any fan would love placed all throughout this two-hour ad venture.

Horror Retrospective:

‘Jaws’ left a mark in film and culture terroriz ed the summer beachgoers of Amity Island . B ruce’s power is felt within the “ Don’t go in the water. ” T he first five minutes of the film when tagline for Steven Spielberg’s he silently rips through a young 1975 horror-suspense film “Jaws” woman, claiming his first victim has echoed throughout American of the summer. culture, forever changing people’s Spielberg forces viewers to swim perception of shark s. with B ruce using point-of-view “ Jaws” was the first summer camera angles. Spielberg also uses blockbuster film and the first to Alfred Hitchcock ’s vertigo effect, earn $100 million at the box office, in which the camera z ooms out creating the found ation for all while moving forward to create a mod ern block busters. d isorienting effect M any people d o not consid er T he second half of the film “ Jaws” a horror becomes more film because the of an ad venture, main antagonist straying from is an animal. the horror Billions of years What most elements of evolution have people d on’t present in the conditioned humans to first half. und erstand is that animals are Legend ary fear animals because terrifying. c o mposer of their unpredictable B illions John Williams nature. of years of created the evolution have sound track of cond itioned the film. T he humans to iconic and eerie fear animals because of their two-note tuba theme plays when unpred ictable nature. Humans were B ruce is near, starting slow and given intellect while animals were getting faster as he approaches, given raw power. ad d ing suspense, especially since Spielberg mad e a film where he is never visible until the climax the villain is an animal that think s of the film. lik e a human and that is vengeful, Humans are land -d wellers murd erous and relentless. and have an innate primal fear With most horror films, the fear of the ocean. Spielberg k new is temporary. “ Jaws,” mad e shark s this and pioneered the there’sout to be blood thirsty k illers. T his something-in-the-water genre. misconception created a stigma F ilms lik e “ Piranha,” “ G reat toward shark s and contributed to White” and countless others have the d ecline of their populations for tried to replicate what “ Jaws” generations to come. accomplished , but none could At the time of the film’s release, match its success and influence. people d id n’t k now much about T he author of “ Jaws” Peter shark s and “ Jaws” was a smear B enchley d evoted his life to the campaign. shark conservation movement after T he problem was Spielberg d id his novel vilified sharks. too good a job creating one of the Without “ Jaws” people would best villains in cinema. People have never feared shark s to such believed shark s to be monsters and an extent, and that fear would treated them accord ingly. have never turned into curiosity. T he 2 5-foot great white shark “ Shark Week ” premiered in 19 8 8 featured in the film, nick named and ed ucates viewers on shark s and B ruce by the cast and crew, clearing up misconceptions.

BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer

CN/STEVEN ADAMO

ON THE MOVE—Players witness the final killcam at the end of a game, which shows the loadout, name and point-of-view that the user has in the “Call of Duty: Mobile” app.

‘Call of Duty’ franchise goes mobile BY ANDREW AYALA Staff Writer The “Call of Duty” first-personshooter franchise switches gears and successfully head s to a new platform with the release of “ Call of Duty: M obile” as a free d ownload able application. It was released on O ct. 1 and received over 35 million downloads within the first three d ays of release. T he game was d eveloped by a Chinese company named T iM i stud ios and published by Activision for iO S and And roid . B ig game companies d o not typically recreate the same experience and game in a mobile version, but Activision and T iM i stud ios managed to get the job

done almost flawlessly. Aside from small bugs here and there, the game runs almost as smooth as its console counterpart. T he weapons come from old er console versions and manage to k eep the game balanced . U sers have the ability to unlock weapon, character and eq uipment sk ins to personaliz e their sold ier on the battlefield. T he gunfights and sk irmishes that players get into are just as intense as they are on the big screen, but only last a fraction of the time. U sers can ad d their friend s to form sq uad s for casual fun or even set up a clan and play in the competitive matches with the rank ed system.

M ost “ Call of Duty” players are used to using controllers to play the game, but all these buttons are now on one screen, which can be convenient and a nuisance. T he fact that they are all on one screen mak e reactions and movement a bit faster, but the small space allowed causes players to sometimes press buttons that weren’t intend ed . T he game can be d ownload ed and played on larger d evices, such as iPad s, but there is no controller support yet. T hose who aren’t familiar with the series can still get a good und erstand ing of the multiplayer aspect of the game and have fun with it. T he first thing that users can

notice are the stunning graphics and cutscenes. “ Call of Duty: M obile” manages to jam pack all of the great aspects of their original game to a mobile version for fans to play on-the-go. Although there is no story mod e, there is the original multiplayer with several team based gametypes, a battle royale and z ombies are soon to come. T here are two versions of in-game currency which are earned through playing or bought with real money. “ Call of Duty: M obile” is free to play and has an age rating of 17 + d ue to intense realistic violence, infreq uent mild horror, infreq uent fear themes and mild profanity or crud e humor.

Upcoming Arts Events “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and it will run from Oct. 18 through 27 at the P2 Black Box Theater. Tickets are available online for $10 and $12 at the door.

www.ELACCampusNews.com

The opening reception for George Rodriguez: Double Vision exhibit on Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will run through Feb. 20.

The Theater Arts Department will host a free audition workshop on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon in the P2-205. Students will be able to meet directors of the shows happening in the spring.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook