Campus News Fall 2019 Issue 10

VOLUME 77, ISSUE 10 | WWW.ELACCAMPUSNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 | SINGLE COPY FREE - ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS

Students fear for future of annual altar project BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer For Chicano Studies students, their long-running Day of the Dead altar project is a cause they must fight for every year. The Vincent Price Art Museum has celebrated The Day of the Dead and Latino culture for the last 16 years with the Annual Día De Los Muertos Student Altar Exhibition. For the past three years, however, it has been an uphill battle to keep the exhibit at VPAM said Angelita Rovero, professor of Chicano studies. “Every year, we pretty much have to make a case for it,” Rovero said. Rovero said that VPAM director, Pilar Tompkins Rivas micromanages their projects by allowing them little time to work on the altars. “For the past three years, we

“It would be a shame for not only the students, but also our community to be deprived of this experience.” NATALIE HERNANDEZ

Chicano Studies 054 Student

CN/LUIS CASTILLA

REMEMBERING THE DEAD—Students enrolled in Chicano Studies 054 created atlars honoring Selena Quintanilla, Gilbert “Magu” Lujan and Anthony Quinn. have been suggested by some administrators and VPAM to do the altars to do the altars in an alternate space on campus,” Rovero said. Last year, the exhibit was held in Los Angeles Pierce College, 30 miles from ELAC. The exhibit, which features Chicano studies’ student-made altars honoring noteworthy Latinos, received criticism from Kerrin McMahan, dean of instructional

ELAC classified as safest campus in California BY MELISA VALENZUELA Staff Writer Out of more than 250 colleges and universities in California, East Los Angeles College was ranked as having the lowest violent crime rates in the state. Compared to other schools in California, ELAC made the list for having the lowest incidents of violent crime per 1,000 students, according to Safehome.org. These incidents include murder, rape, negligent homicide, robbery, aggravated assault and arson. University of California Berkeley had the highest violent crime rates in the state. In 2017, ELAC had a total of zero rapes, zero robberies and seven motor vehicle thefts on campus. UC Berkeley had 21 rapes, 26 robberies and 21 motor vehicle thefts on campus for that same year, according to a report done by the Office of Postsecondary Education of the United States Department of Education. Safehome.org used data from this report for theirs. Safehome.org is an organization that researches, reviews and compares the latest security trends. Its research covers school and city safety for college students, but is limited in scope to nonprofit colleges, universities and community colleges in the United States with an enrollment of at least 10,000. “We are on campus 24/7 and we’re always visible and constantly patrolling,” said deputy Romero, one of ELAC’s campus deputies. “We also have a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department substation and armed personnel, which are things that not all college campuses have.” This semester, there have been no major crime incidents that have been reported. The ELAC Sheriff’s Station is located in room B5-104, which is connected to Weingart Stadium. The campus deputies have the authority to apprehend and arrest individuals involved in illegal activity both on and around campus. They work with state,

local and federal law enforcement agencies and have access to national crime databases. Some of the services that they offer to students are The Emergency Notification System and escort services. The Emergency Notification System is used to notify students, faculty and staff via text and email in the event of an emergency. Students are asked if they wish to receive these notifications when filling out the ELAC admissions application. Students can also contact the sheriff ’s station if they need someone to escort them to class or to their vehicle.Emergency call boxes are located throughout the campus and are lit up by blue lights. These emergency phones are a direct line to the ELAC Sheriff’s station and are located near C1 men’s gym, E9 women’s gym, the E5 building, P1 AutoTech building and K5 Music building. For more information, for safety tips or to report an incident, students and staff can visit the station or call them at (323) 2658800. In addition to the deputies, ELAC also employs cadets. The Los Angeles Community College District Cadet Program offers students an hourly, part-time position as a campus cadet. Under the direction of the LA Sheriff’s Department and LACCD personnel, cadets perform safety services such as traffic control and escort services, law enforcement police desk operations, public relations, clerical/administrative support, investigation assistance, property collection, crime prevention, parking enforcement, hand-held radio use and other related campus duties. Students interested in becoming cadets can stop by the station to fill out a Cadet Interest Card. “Yes, I do feel pretty safe here,” said ELAC student Veronica Hernandez. “I went to another college before I came here and I would receive alerts about robberies and assaults at least once a month. But not here.”

services in social sciences. McMahan said in an email to interim president Raul Rodriguez that the altars are all identical in format, calling them “amateurishly executed.” “In my opinion, this display is an embarrassment. I see no educational or artistic value in continuing it after this year,” McMahan said. McMahan has since apologized for her comments.

“I made some ill-considered remarks which caused hurt feelings. I regret doing so and I hope the opportunity I have been given for self-reflection will help me be more mindful in the future,” McMahan said. VPAM director, Pilar Tompkins Rivas, could not be reached for comment. Rovero said that there are guidelines students must follow

when making the altars, but everything else is up to the students. The altars were also criticized for featuring the same celebrities and colors every year. Rovero and her Chicano Studies 054 class work with the families of the celebrities to create the altars. Actress Lupe Ontiveros and artist Gilbert “Magu” Lujan have both been honored in the exhibit for the past six years.

Their children, Elias Ontiveros and Naiche Lujan, respectively said that they support the continuation of the exhibit. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Community College District chancellor, said he was proud to have the altars in ELAC. Several students who worked on the altars have written letters to president Rodriguez in support of continuing the exhibit. “It would be a shame for not only the students, but also our community to be deprived of this experience,” Chicano Studies 054 student Natalie Hernandez said. “Being a part of this class and having professor Rovero as an instructor has made me feel more connected to my culture,” another Chicano Studies 054 student, Anglei Ibañez said. Richard Montoya, son of poet and artist Jose Montoya, also wrote a letter showing his support for the exhibit. “ELAC has been a historic epicenter for nuestra raza (our race). The very unspoken definition of safe space,” Montoya said. “We should not undermine that because of our subjectivity.” Rovero said that former ELAC president Marvin Martinez strongly supported the altars staying at VPAM. There has been no official statement on whether or not the Día De Los Muertos Student Altar Exhibition will be discontinued from being displayed in VPAM or if it will be moved to another campus again.

WiFi issues cleared up IT Depratment provides insight into poor WiFi on campus BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer WiFi is imperative at school, and getting a lasting connection at East Los Angeles College can be challenging, but not if students understand the system. Students and faculty have voiced concerns over the WiFi connection on campus as was covered in an opinion piece in the Campus News Oct. 30 issue. Nghi Nghiem, associate vice president of administrative services, said the campus WiFi has been updated since he first arrived on campus five years ago. There are currently over 450 access points that cover the South Gate, Monterey Park and the corporate centers of ELAC. Each of these access points have 20 to 22 reservation spots. Nghiem said that the issues students and teachers have with their devices logging out can be explained quite easily. He said that when a device takes a reservation spot, connects to an access point for WiFi, it will stay logged on as long as the device remains active. If the device goes into sleep mode, or remains idle too long and goes into power-saving mode, the access point will take this as the device not needing to be connected. The access point will then kick the user from the network and allow for an open reservation to be used by a device that is searching for WiFi. Nghiem said that this often explains why disconnections happen to students. With so many devices taking reservation spots all at once, all it takes is for one to go into a power saving mode and log out. Because so many other devices are looking for WiFi, that spot is quickly taken up. Nghiem said that the higher populated areas on campus have more access points than those with less traffic. As students move around the campus, coverage changes just with cell phones and the towers where they get signal.

“So if you’re walking from one point of the campus to another point and you enter a point where the access point is covered (full), well, there is no other reservation you can utilize. So at that point you may get dropped. You know what I’m saying. It’s a capacity issue,” Nghiem said.

If a device goes into sleep mode, or remains idle too long and goes into power-saving mode, the access point will take this as the device not needing to be connected.

This is the same as when you are on a call and you go from one cell tower to another. Nghiem said that the quality can change because the new cell tower may have reached its limit of devices it can cover. He said that because of the technology that the campus currently has, this is how things work. Teachers on campus are split on the state of the campus WiFi system. Leo Medina, associate professor in Computer Applied and Office Technologies Department, said he has never heard students complaining about the WiFi. Many of the classes for the CAOT Department are held in building E7. Instructor assistants and other faculty in the E7 building said that the building has great signal for students. Frank Aguirre, professor in the Business Administration Department, said he never has issues with the wired computer in the classrooms he uses. He said that he has only had two issues, one was a laptop that had

inconsistent connection. The second was an issue with Canvas, the online system for students and teachers that holds assignments and grades. Aguirre said he has had issues with grades, not recording and being kicked off the system at random intervals. Nghiem said that classrooms have access points inside them. However, understanding that being idle can cause a laptop, tablet or phone to disconnect, can explain why sometimes students’ and teachers’ devices can disconnect even within a classroom setting. Nghiem said that when it comes to Canvas, the ELAC Information Technology Department, IT, doesn’t have any real way to help aside from giving new passwords to teachers who forget theirs. “If instructors are experiencing a lot of those struggles, unfortunately, I wish I could help. But, yeah, the district will be the one that can answer those questions,” Nghiem said. Ramon J. Posada, professor of philosophy, said that he allows his students to use the campus WiFi to look up terms for his classes. He said that often times, new students don’t even know the campus offers WiFi. Posada tried logging onto the campus WiFi to search for something random, his office is in building F7. His phone ended up using his carrier’s connection to accomplish his search. Nghiem said that the IT Department, the district at large and bond managers are trying to create projects to improve the WiFi across not only at ELAC, but throughout all of the district. “ We ’ r e a l w a y s l o o k i n g a t improving. We won’t sit on our laurels thinking everything is great and nothing needs to be improved or done better,” Nghiem said. “We recognize that the world of mobility is here. So we are, again, trying to create projects that can improve our capacities and services that all of our constituents are able to utilize.”

News Briefs Correction

In the last issue of Campus News in “Event updates immigrant community,” Johanna Perez and Mayra Pereyra’s names were misspelled.

Turkey Trot The 5th Annual Turkey Trot and Food Drive will take place Thursday. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the race will begin at 12:15 p.m. in the Weingar t Stadium. Donations of canned goods are welcome.

The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told

The ELAC Theater Ar t’s Department will begin its production of “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” Friday at 8 p.m.

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OPINION

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Instagram update has little effect BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer Instagram has started removing the ability to see likes from other peoples posts, but it’s not as big of a deal as some people make it out to be. The social media platform has already began to hide likes in places like Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand, just to name a few. Now, people won’t be able to see the number of likes photos get. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said at an event called Wired25, that they want to take away this feature in hopes that the well-being of a person is improved. The ones who really seem to be complaining about the likes being removed are Instagram influencers and those who make money on that platform. Influencers do make their money by promoting products, and the companies paying these influencers do like to see the traffic that their posts have. Some influencers are saying that

they won’t get paid as much or that the companies won’t be able to see how well a post is doing. This is not true, because likes will still be able to be seen by the person who posted the photo. The only thing that influencers will have to do is send a photo of the number of likes their posts get in order to get paid. Although, many influencers get paid by the post themselves rather

than the amount of activity it gets. Most companies look at the follower count of an influencer and pay them according to that. This change really won’t affect too much of anything. Mosseri said that he is willing to hurt the company short term so it can thrive in the long term, and he believes that not showing the likes to other people will make the younger generation feel less pressure.

However, it’s not actually the likes that give people pressure or anxiety; most people would say it’s the comments. There is no monitoring of inappropriate comments except for the person who posted it. More than likely, those comments are directed toward that person and the damage is already done. The internet culture is a wasteland of trolls and negative people. People

need to have tough skin if they want to interact with others, but some people aren’t made for that and it is really damaging to their mental health. American rapper Cardi B, who has 54 million followers on Instagram, shares her opinion on this whole thing and said that the way people are interacting with comments is more damaging then not being able to see other people’s likes. She said that people say nasty things because they just want to get a reaction from people, not realizing the damage they are doing. She isn’t wrong. One of the biggest reason people on the internet say the most hurtful, vile and disgraceful things is because they want attention. And the comments system on Instagram allows trolls to get that, with the opportunity for the comment to be liked, furthering their desire to be dispicable to people. If Mosseri really wants to help the well being of Instagram users, his focus shouldn’t be on likes but on the comments section.

Staff Writer It is a bad decision when video game producers decide that they need a franchise to release a new game every year. This is often a slow and painful decline in quality for these games as well. Beloved franchises such as the “Call of Duty” series, the “Assassin’s Creed” series and 2K’s sports games are perfect examples of franchises that suffer from annual releases. The idea behind annual releases is to put a game out there every year for as many platforms as possible. The deadline for these games is ideally during the fall season so that the game can have its initial launch and then be a highly sought-after item for Black Friday. The developers are usually able to meet annual deadlines because they reuse a lot of assets from the game that was released the prior year.

This, however, leads to the game feeling too similar to the previous releases. In some cases there have been games that are controversial because they are seen as inferior versions by fans. This happens a lot and wouldn’t be an issue if publishers wouldn’t force developers to have annual releases just to make more money. Sports games are big offenders of this issue because they get consumers to pay $60 for a game that often only has a roster update from the previous year’s game. The developers may add a few new features, but it’s never a complete overhaul that gives the player a brand new experience. These types of games also usually have a heavy emphasis on in-game purchases and paid downloadable content. This is unacceptable because the publishers, year after year, will give players an incomplete game, but make sure that these horrible

pay-to-win features make it into the game so that they can make even more money. Paid downloadable content isn’t always terrible because it definitely has the potential the add tons of content for a low price. But the many in which is handled by the “Call of Duty” series compared to something like “The Witcher 3” is night and day. On one hand there’s Activision adding all their new weapons to loot boxes where players spend money for the chance to earn weapons, while “The Witcher” adds tons of side missions, extra stories, new weapons, etc. Taking a year or two off to finish a game before throwing an incomplete version is out there to either sink or swim is the best way to go for these companies. It may result in less profits at first, but it could rebuild the integrity and credibility that has been going downhill.

I am very much offended by your full-page spread last week regarding Smorgasburg LA. Several years ago, that entire block was purchased by a corporate entity and was renamed “The Row” after American Apparel went bankrupt. It’s ironic that Campus News chose to ignore the fact that Skid Row is just around the corner. That’s right. The homeless capital of the world is right on the doorstep of Smorgasburg LA. Why do I care? Because I’m tired of seeing these Starbucks-drinking hipsters invading my neighborhood, acting like they’re better than me. “The Row,” which houses this fancy flea market, sure has a lot of private security plus a nifty Union Station shuttle, because hipsters are apparently deathly afraid of visible signs of poverty. Some nights, when I come back from ELAC, I wonder why my building has no private security. I wonder why my front door is busted down so much. I wonder why the police take so long to come when I call them to get rid of violent trespassers. I wonder why my neighborhood has the highest number of registered sex offenders and recently-released parolees in the entire country. I wonder about many things. One thing I don’t wonder about is that abomination (Smorgasburg LA) going on across the street selling $40 chocolate bars every Sunday. If any of this disturbs you, there’s a word called gentrification. Look it up.

ARMENIA WARD East Los Angeles College Student

www.ELACCampusNews.com

MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Ayala ART DIRECTOR Steven Adamo ONLINE EDITOR Adam Robles FRONT EDITORS Luis Castilla Sonny Tapia

OPINION EDITOR Cher Antido NEWS EDITOR Juan Calvillo FEATURE EDITOR Maria Marroquin Monroy ARTS EDITOR Gustavo Buenrostro

Annual game releases results in quality decline BY ADAM ROBLES

EDITOR IN CHIEF Melody Ortiz

SPORTS EDITORS 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 Ambriz

Streaming affordability beats cable services BY ANDREW AYALA Staff Writer The stream wars have come with the continual release of multiple streaming services and packages, which try to give consumers more bang for their buck. Society has always been on-the-go, but today’s day and age allows people to take technology anywhere, which is what makes streaming services much more convenient than cable. Currently there are 40 to choose from, all of which have certain shows that are exclusive to that service. The fact that consumers have options as to what they want to pay for creates a more personal entertainment library. Smart customers will pick and choose out of the 40 services to cater to their own viewing habits. This allows those who don’t care for sports to not pay the additional package or fee that usually comes with cable. It also doesn’t require customers to purchase a movie channels package, when they can buy a subscription from the service directly. A study from 2018 on advocacy. consumerreports.org says, “the average cable bill in our study costs consumers $217.42 a month.” The base price is usually around $150, but cable companies have hidden fees, which is what causes a higher bill. These hidden fees can include installation, modem or router rental, and even something as ridiculous as an HD technology fee. Streaming services have gotten rid of the middle-man that was cable as well as any hidden fees. If a viewer chooses to purchase all 40 services, the

price is $353.43 per month. There are a few that offer ad-free premium services for a higher price. The average consumer will not require all of them and that price doesn’t count bundles, which include multiple services in a packaged price. The success of streaming services can be seen in the numbers. A chart on statista.com shows that as of the third quarter in 2019, there are 158.33 million paying Netflix subscribers. 24-hours after its launch, Disney+ was downloaded 3.2 million times according to apptopia.com, a website dedicated to give statistics and provide analytics. The fact that these services allow for multiple profiles on one account is also very convenient. This allows people to go half-and-half on a bill or even trade account information like they are Pokemon cards. The only downside is that there are services which only allow a certain number of devices to watch at once. Netflix, for example, allows up to six devices to be registered to an account and only two movies or shows to be streamed at once. There is an option to upgrade so that four movies or shows can be streamed on different devices at once. I pay $34.95 per month for Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Spotify, Showtime and Hulu. Each service costs around seven dollars except Showtime, Spotify and Hulu, which come in a student bundle for $4.99 a month. This has been the most affordable option as a student. Students should take advantage of the bundles because these deals allow them to enjoy their favorite shows, movies and songs while paying a fraction of the price.

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 300 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.

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NEWS

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

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Sanders seizes opportunity to capture young Latino votes Presidential candidate urges community to support his campaign BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer The beating sun wasn’t the only thing making hundreds of Bernie Sanders supporters “Feel the Bern” Saturday at a political rally in Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. Sanders visited the El Sereno high school as part of his 2020 presidential campaign. There was a strong representation of Latinos and youth in the crowd. Sanders began his address expressing disappointment in president Donald Trump. “We have a president who is a pathological liar,” Sanders said. The Vermont senator spoke about a wide range of issues, promising to fix the legal status of all students who receive Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and their parents among other things. Sanders said he would raise the national minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, give equal pay to women and make it easier for workers to join unions. He said he would create millions of jobs rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, including schools. Sanders’ campaign recently acquired the endorsement of United Teachers Los Angeles. Continuing

CN/JULIE SANTIAGO

BERN IT UP—Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at his rally early afternoon on Saturday. The rally took place at Woodrow Wilson Senior High School in Los Angeles.

on the topic of education, Sanders said he was going to make sure all teachers earn at least $60,000 a year. He said he promised to make all public colleges and trade schools tuition free and cancel all student debt by taxing Wall Street speculation, the act of purchasing stock.

Free health care has been one of Sanders’ top issues since his last presidential campaign in 2016. On Saturday he talked about it again, calling it a human right. “When you get sick, you go to the doctor you want to and you don’t have to take out your wallet or your credit card,” Sanders said.

President Trump believes climate change is a hoax. “Trump is a danger to the world,” Sanders said. The senator said he would take on the fossil fuel industry and implement a Green New Deal that would create a system that uses clean energy that would create up to 20 million jobs.

“The future of this planet is more important than short-term profits,” Sanders said. Sanders said he would “end the broken and racist criminal justice system.” He said he would end the war on drugs by legalizing marijuana and expunging past marijuana convictions.

Sanders also said he would not allow the marijuana industry to be monopolized. Instead, he would create a system that benefits the black and Latino communities that have been the most affected by the war on drugs. Sanders addressed the Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita, in which two students were killed. He said he would make sure gun policy will not be determined by the National Rifle Association, but the American people. He said he would end the selling and distribution of assault weapons in the country. On the topic of abortion, Sanders said he would not let a few politicians decide what a woman should do with her body. The senator said he would do away with the Electoral College. “Democracy is one person, one vote,” Sanders said. Former East Los Angeles College student who attended the rally, John Contreras, 21, said he found comfort in Sanders’ words. “He actually made me feel some comfort I haven’t had in a while due to our current president’s position and beliefs,” Contreras said. “I’m looking forward to the change in environment the people are going to go through, in a positive way that is.”

Workshop informs students on deadlines, increased aid BY JULIE SANTIAGO Staff Writer The Financial Aid office hosted its Financial Aid Transfer Workshop Thursday at the E-1 Building, Room 189. The workshop had representatives from Cal State LA and UCLA. Representatives spoke about how to financially prepare for transferring to a four-year university. Representatives informed students about the March 2 deadline for FAFSA and Dream Act, as well as the grant increase to $5,542

which was announced earlier this year. Among topics discussed at the workshop were loans, Dreamer eligibility for loans, federal verification needed for forms, work study, grants and scholarships. Current East Los Angeles College student Kimberly Salas attended the workshop. She said she is undecided on what her major is or where she wants to go, but she still has a long way to go before she transfers. Salas said she felt it would be a good idea to attend and get informed. “I didn’t know there were so many different options,” Salas said.

Salas said she wasn’t aware of the grants and free money before the workshop. UCLA representative and alumnus, Sunterrah Palmer, is a first-generation college student who is currently working on her masters in education. During the presentation, Palmer shared her personal story and gave advice. Palmer didn’t apply to any scholarships when she went to UCLA. “I regret that now because I have thousands of dollars in loan debt that’s still accruing interest. “I didn’t take advantage so I just

have outstanding debt and I could have had four years of free aid,” Palmer said. Palmer said that money is out there for students. Students should be proactive for their education and make time to apply for scholarships. Palmer wants students to be prepared in a way that she says she wasn’t. Associate Director of Financial Aid for Cal State LA, Jonathan Choy, also spoke about scholarships. “Everybody wants those big scholarships. As you’re driving up the 5 freeway you see that lottery sign that says $150 million [or]

“So you don’t always have to play for the big scholarships. Play for the smaller ones. They do add up.” JONATHAN CHOY

Cal State LA Associate Director of Financial Aid

$300 million. “Everybody wants to win that one, but who do we know that has won that scholarship or won that lottery? “Most of us know someone who has won a scratcher [for] $1,000 dollars, $500, those things add up. “So you don’t always have to play for the big scholarships, play for the smaller ones. They do add up,” Choy said. The workshop, which takes place every Spring and Fall semester, was coordinated by Financial Aid Supervisor Maria Cheikosman and financial aid technician Gladys Rodriguez.

ELAC LAW provides aid BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer Legal issues can be burdensome and anxiety inducing for students, and help can be hard and expensive to find. To help students, the East Los Angeles College Law discipline created the free Legal Aid Clinic Workshop to be held Thursday. The Law discipline within the Business Administration Department created ELAC Legal Aid Works, ELAC LAW, through the Strong Workforce Program to facilitate this free pilot legal aid event. The event is being coordinated with the help of SAAVE, the Sexual Assault Awareness Violence Education team. Filemon Samson, professor of Law discipline, said that the event has two specific goals. The event is about helping Law discipline and Administration of Justice students get some real hands-on learning. It also aims to answer questions from students when it comes to legal situations they may be involved with. Samson said two distinct legal categories are included for information and advice, family law and immigration law. Things that would be covered within family law include: divorce, spousal support and guardianship. U n d e r i m m i g r a t i o n l a w, information on subjects like public charge, visas and deportation or asylum would be provided. Students interested in getting hands-on work experience must first be enrolled in either law-related classes or administration of justice classes. From there, student participants must apply at http://bit.ly/ ELACLegalAidVolunteer. Student participants who complete the application will be taught to help as legal assistants to translators during the event. The workshop is meant to provide students with legal training by legal professionals.

In addition, a $150 stipend will be given to students who work the entire five-hour event. Students with legal issues or questions on family law or immigration can reserve 30-minute spots for the event at http://bit.ly/ ELACLegalAid. Samson said there are some things the students should expect from the get go. “Students who sign up will be required to give their student ID, so that we can verify that they are students, and their name and email and telephone contact number so that we can follow up with them,” Samson said. He said that students should be prepared to bring everything they can think of that relate to their legal issues. “Bring any information, even if they determined that they don’t think it’s relevant. Bring it anyway,” Samson said. This would include things from official letters to plane tickets. Students are encouraged to bring copies,not original documents . There are a total of 24 family and immigration law appointments each for the event. Samson said that they would be taking some walk-ins the day of, but it will be on a caseby-case basis and depending on attorney availability. Andrea Owens, co-chair of SAAVE, said that events like the free legal aid clinic are vital to students on campus. She said the hope is to see more events like this to continue helping Elans and that the workshop is very much in line with what SAAVE is all about. “Obviously, this goes very well with the work of the SAAVE Team, because many students need legal help for many different issues. The (ELAC) LAW program and the SAAVE Team are here to spread awareness and help students,” Owens said. The ELAC LAW free legal aid clinic workshop will be Nov. 21 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the auditorium foyer.

CN/STEVEN ADAMO

CHIME TO RETURN—Linda Ong walks around the auditorium foyer rattling wooden chimes around the participants. This is a technique that breaks the deep meditation and “brings back” the participant.

Overall wellness focus of sound bath meditation BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer Students and faculty were invited to take a moment for themselves and connect with relaxing sounds and vibrations at the Sound Bath Meditation inside the Ingalls Auditorium foyer. The event was organized by Cecilia Cruz of the ELAC Student Health Center who said the event is a good experience for students or faculty who have never experienced a sound bath before. Sound Bath meditations consist of instruments like the alchemy crystal bowls, which were performed at the event by Linda Ong, a yoga teacher and hospice nurse. Using a mallet coated in suede, the bowl begins to ring as Ong

brushes the mallet along the edge of the bowl, sometimes tapping the different bowls to create a variety of complementary pitches. Monica Avila, an instructor of Kundalini Yoga, explained to the attendees the importance of breathing properly, or to “connect with your breath.” She explained that humans are mostly made up of water, so a lot of the tones emitted from these instruments, many which sound like the waves of the ocean, communicate with our bodies on a cellular level. Avila teaches at the Yoga studio Yogala in Echo Park. Though they charge a fee, Avila said she also offers a pay-by-donation option because she believes that everybody should have access to the many benefits.

For the event, Avila used a symphonic gong which began as a very low tremble, as if forming somewhere off in the distance. Slowly, with everyone’s eyes instructed to be closed, the lowtones of the gong swelled louder and louder, filling the auditorium’s foyer with big sound using no microphones or amplification, just the natural acoustics of the room. Avila explained that the gong produces many tones depending on where the mallets hit around the edges. Some notes would drone-out for several seconds, layered with light, rhythmic taps that sounded like multiple gongs were being played simultaneously. To “bring back” people from the sound meditation, Avila and Ong walked around all the people lying

on the ground and rattled wooden chimes over their bodies. As people sat up, some shared their experiences, many of which felt more relaxed than when they came in. The Ingalls Auditorium was an excellent choice for the event. Not only did the sound travel and fill the room nicely, the mural from the Mexican muralist Raúl Anguiano made an excellent focus-point to the array of natural tones emitted by these acoustic instruments. Though there are no upcoming sound baths scheduled, the ELAC Student Health Center will offer another Yoga event from at 12:15 p.m. next Wednesday at the G3 Auditorium Foyer. The event will be led by yoga instructor Ana Maria Delgado. www.ELACCampusNews.com

OPINION 2 New phrase ends good generation relations 4

BY MELISA VALENZUELA Staff Writer The phrase “OK, boomer” is the new, witty and non-threatening way for young people to snap back at out-of-touch older generations. “It really took off with TikTok,” Taylor Lorenz, Internet Culture Reporter for the New York Times, said in an interview with CNN. “It became a popular response to cringey old people getting on TikTok,” Lorenz said. TikTok is an app that allows users to upload short videos. According to her research, it’s used against older people who are dismissive of young people’s struggles and concerns, such as climate change and student loan debt. It has also become a way for young people to vent their frustrations with the establishment of some bad policies and legislation that Baby Boomers created that Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z now have to deal with. “Boomer” comes from Baby Boomer, which is the name for the generation of people who were born between 1946 and 1964. After the Baby Boomers comes Generation X, people born between 1965 and 1980. After them, the Millennials, born from 1981 through 1996 and then

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Generation Z, those born between 1996 and 2012. The generations are defined by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank. Earlier this year, user @linzrinzz on TikTok uploaded a video showing a white-haired man ranting about how Millennials and Generation Z don’t want to grow up. @linzrinzz inserted a video of herself side-by-side with the man’s video so viewers can see her reaction while he is speaking. It’s obvious by her facial expressions that she does not agree with what he is saying and at the end of his rant, she holds up a sign that reads “OK BOOMER.” More recently, 25-year-old New Zealand Green Party Member of Parliament Chlӧe Swarbrick made headlines after using the phrase in response to one of her colleagues who jeered at her age. During a New Zealand Parliament meeting, Swarbrick was just seconds into her speech about the Zero Carbon bill when a colleague yelled out something indiscernible from the seats. She finished her sentence, said “OK, boomer,” then continued with her message. While some, like Lorenz, are calling it “a rallying cry for fed up kids,” others are calling it pure ageism, which is discrimination on the grounds of a person’s age. Swarbrick is now being accused of ageism, even though she responded

to a colleague who was clearly being ageist first. She took to Facebook to release a statement. “Today I have learnt that responding succinctly and in perfect jest to somebody heckling you about

*your age* as you speak about the impact of climate change on *your generation,* with the literal title of their generation makes some people very mad,” she wrote. “So I guess millennials ruined

humour. That, or we just need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and abstain from avocados. That’s the joke.” Some have even gone so far as to liken the word “boomer” to the

n-word. Conservative radio host Bob Lonsberry tweeted, “‘Boomer’ is the n-word of ageism. Being hip and flip does not make bigotry ok, nor is a derisive epithet acceptable because it is new.” He has since deleted the tweet. After years of heckling younger generations, it’s amusing to see how upset some Baby Boomers are getting the one time that heckling is directed at them. “Boomer” is not vulgar, not combative and just as Swarbrick said, it’s the literal name of their generation. Shannon O’Connor, a 19-year-old interviewed by Lorenz, designed a T-shirt and a hoodie with “OK Boomer” printed in the “thank you” style of a plastic shopping bag. After promoting it on TikTok, she received over $10,000 in orders. She’s not the only one cashing in, though. Other teens have begun to follow suit. “The older generations grew up with a certain mindset, and we have a different perspective,” O’Connor said in her interview with Lorenz. “A lot of them don’t believe in climate change or don’t believe people can get jobs with dyed hair, and a lot of them are stubborn in that view. “Teenagers just respond, ‘Ok, Boomer.’ It’s like, we’ll prove you wrong, we’re still going to be successful because the world is changing,” O’Connor said.

Political talk shares knowledge, views BY ALEJANDRO AMBRIZ Staff Writer

CN/IVANA AMARAL

Ties with ICE brings campaign against Amazon festival BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer

The lack of sponsor transparency is forcing indie musicians to fight an impossible war against Amazon. com Inc. over its connections with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s human rights abuse. The announcement of the Intersect music festival, set to take place Dec. 6 and 7 in Las Vegas, Nev., was met with backlash from indie musicians due to its organizer, Amazon Web Services. AWS is a subsidiary of Amazon. com Inc. that provides the technical infrastructure for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the United States Department of Homeland Security. No Music for ICE is a campaign calling for indie musicians to pledge to not participate in events sponsored by Amzon.com Inc. until the company cuts its ties with ICE. “We will not allow Amazon to exploit our creativity to promote its brand while it enables attacks on immigrants, communities of color, workers, and local economies. We call on all artists who believe in basic rights and human dignity to join us,” said No Music for ICE in its open letter to Amazon.com Inc. The campaign demands that Amazon.com Inc. terminate its existing contracts with government agencies that commit human rights abuse, stop providing Cloud services to organizations that make deportation possible, end projects that assist racial profiling and reject any future operations of the sort. More than a thousand artists have pledged with No Music for ICE, including Sheer Mag, of Montreal and Girlpool. Despite its good intentions, the campaign is doomed to fail. Most of the artists who have signed the pledge would probably www.ELACCampusNews.com

never be asked to play in an Amazon.com Inc. festival anyway. There are millions of indie musicians in the world, and there is always going to be an artist willing to play a festival to promote their brand without taking sponsors’ actions into consideration. Even though The Black Madonna, a DJ set to perform at Intersect, dropped out, there is still a stacked lineup. People will still show up to Intersect. Sadie Dupuis, of the band Speedy Ortiz, said in an interview with New Musical Express that the lack of sponsor transparency is bigger than the Intersect festival alone. There is no transparency when it comes to sponsors or organizers of concerts and festivals. People need to know who they are giving their money to. Southern California’s Tropicalia Fest had a similar problem when it began in 2017. One of the festival’s sponsors was Constellation Brands, an American winery company that exploited water in the Mexicali valley to make beer that would be exported back into the U.S. It was until this year that Tropicalia Fest dropped Constellation Brands as a sponsor. No Music for ICE, however, has a bigger goal. They want a complete turnover of a federal agency that would cost billions of dollars. For now, its goal is too unrealistic. No Music for ICE also aims to start a larger conversation that would bring more attention to the issues of sponsor transparency. This is the first step to stopping companies like Amazon.com Inc. from taking advantage of artists and fans. If events like Intersect were more transparent about sponsorship, people would be able to reconsider whether or not they are willing to give their money to a company that does not fall in line with their morals.

Politics are in everything we do. It is on different media and affects the masses on a daily basis. It encompasses everything people do, yet for all the impact it has, it does not reach everyday conversation as much as it should. However, there is always a time to talk about politics. It just depends on how you speak. We’ve all heard others steer away from political topics because they say it’s a touchy subject. People are reluctant to voice their opinion because they fear being ostracized for sharing their political views, while some will lie and say they voted for Hillary Clinton when they really voted for Donald Trump. Those who are unaware of the social change that is currently happening in the United States are usually the ones to steer away from these topics. Mutually respectful discourse allows people to diversify and strengthen their own argument,

while possessing the ability to change a persons mind. We become more aware of today’s problems and can potentially find solutions. It does not have to be yelling and fighting every time people sit down to converse. East Los Angeles College professor of political science Carmen Holland said it is good to talk about politics, but to be careful who you’re speaking to and in what arena. “So many people don’t realize how just the decision to vote or not will impact them. Not just for the next four years, maybe eight years, but also for decades to come when we look at appointments to our supreme court and to our federal circuit court. Those judges are there for life or until they retire or pass away,” Holland said. Their decisions affect everyone across the United States in different levels, from DACA students to LGBTQ+. Regardless of whether you are a democrat or republican, some political differences have steered from minor inconveniences and

have evolved into serious issues. These issues go beyond politics because they directly affect the lives of people. Issues such as gun legislation and abortion are heavily debated in our society today because of the impact they have. Having a politician represent the views of small businesses or minority communities goes a long way and the people have the power to do that. Lack of access to information and resources prevent less affluent people from learning about bills and the laws that are being passed in their state. This creates a less representative government body, which is what has been seen since Trump’s presidency began. “His policies have helped a lot of people who are more affluent,” Holland said. “They are happy with that... people that sometimes are in different careers...that don’t deal with students on a daily basis and see the struggles we have in our community. They’re not as empathetic.” She said she feels that if she

hadn’t been a college professor for 17 years, she might not have fully understood the plight of her students and how hard it is just to get food on the table or pay for gas. It can be agreed that some of these topics are not pleasant to talk about, especially at family events or the public arena. They are morbid and almost always result in disagreement, but maybe that is why it needs to be talked about more. As a society we have become more desensitized to things like mass shootings when we should be actively working toward a solution. Making it part of everyday conversation will enable people to not only express themselves in a civil way, but may get people to participate more in politics, especially on a county level. After all, politics are how laws are made and determine how people will live their lives. Such an impactful subject should be talked about everyday and as beings with the capacity to think and reason, people should disagree and converse.

DACA carries futures, must remain BY ALEJANDRO AMBRIZ Staff Writer President Trump’s controversial and morally repugnant decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2017 sparked lawsuits, most notably from the University of California, that have reached the United States Supreme Court. The court, currently conservative majority, appeared to be in favor of rescinding DACA in the first round of hearings on Nov 12. The fate of almost 700,000 undocumented students rests in the hands of people who have never and will never be able to comprehend what DACA gives to its recipients. DACA is vital to their lives and needs to be kept. There is a lot of support from Trump, who calls it executive overreach, and his followers to end DACA not only because it is allegedly unlawful, but because recipients are simply freeloading off of hardworking citizens. It can be argued that DACA provides an advantage to people who do not have citizenship over people that do, but it would be a highly uninformed argument. A 2017 CNN article by Nicole Chavez said DACA only “opened the doorway for undocumented immigrants to enroll in college, pay in-state tuition and, in some cases, gain access to financial aid packages.” Lizbeth Gomez, who attends the University of California, Merced and is a DACA recipient, is able to work under it. “Because of DACA, I was able to get a job and pay my loans on the side...We barely get enough benefits

from DACA, I can’t even vote to make a decision on my country but I have to pay taxes,” Gomez said. Indeed, the myth that DACA recipients do not pay taxes is one that has persisted among uninformed or uneducated people. However, they do pay taxes. Recipients pay $11.74 billion in state and local taxes to be exact, according to a March 2017 report from the Institute On Taxation and Economic Policy. This unnecessary backlash against a marginalized group that wants the opportunity to work and attend higher education shows how Trump’s rhetoric has enabled people to have a prejudice. If DACA were to be eliminated, the lives of countless people will be destroyed. People in favor of ending DACA are choosing to abruptly end and essentially deport almost 700,000 recipients without batting an eye. The president is falsely calling recipients tough, hardened criminals and claiming that a significant portion of them have arrest records. People with conservative views, rather

than research and be properly informed, listen to Trump’s false rhetoric and engage in the same behavior. They want them out of the country and to stop taking the jobs and houses. However, a lot of the recipients only know the United States as home because they were bought at a young age. They speak the language, do not and cannot commit crimes otherwise their DACA is revoked, and work just like everyone else. “I feel mad because the decision they make is going to affect my future. They’re not really acknowledging our future,” Gomez said.

If DACA is rescinded, there is a possibility that she will not be able to use the degree in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies that she is hopes to earn in the Spring of 2020. Recipients who are attending higher education will have loans and worked countless hours in vain, just as DACA graduates will not be able to use their degree. A decision is not expected until June 2020, and while it gives recipients time to prepare for the worst, waiting for nine justices who know nothing about their lives and struggles to decide their fate, is not exactly comforting. Some recipients will have to choose whether or not to pay the $495 fee to renew their DACA this year in the event it is rescinded. If DACA prevails though, it must be a stepping stone to securing full rights and opportunities for its recipients.

FEATURES

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Engineering club builds more than robots, rockets Sub-clubs continue to grow despite low funding BY MIGUEL DOMINGUEZ Staff Writer

The Engineering Club mentors students who like to build and program robots and rockets, which can lead to opportunities in competing with universities. The club also helps students construct a resume and prepare for an interview when meeting with companies or universities. The Engineering Club oversees s e v e n s u b - c l u b s : Wo m e n Engineering, Society of Manufacture of Engineers, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Robotics Club, Computer Science Club, and the Society of Hispanics Professional Engineers(SHPE) Junior Program. For the SHPE Junior Program, the Engineering Club helps professors by mentoring elementary, middle and high school students. On Saturdays, the club teaches elementary and middle school students the disciplines of engineering, said advisor Juan Rodriguez. There is a summer rocket program and robotics team for middle and high school students at East Los Angeles College, which the club mentors in building and programming. For middle and high school students who are interested, Rodriguez said to show up since there is no application needed. The Engineering Club provides technical workshops that include how to use the tools and machines, from soldering to 3-D printing. They also provide workshops that build professional development and leadership skills.

CN/STEVEN ADAMO

For conferences “building on resumes, making the soft skills, how to give a proper handshake, speeches and how to ask questions to major companies if members do get nervous,” said former president Ashley Orta. Former president Maria Gonzalez has been told by professionals from major companies that their club is different from four-year students. “It was so pleasing to hear that,” said Gonzalez. “Instead of being those students

who just want the job, we want to build the soft skills, and that’s what sets us apart,” said Gonzalez. Ernesto Lopez, the club’s vice president, said the workshops the club does on a daily basis and interacting with other members helped him out during his first event. The day after the event, Lopez felt nervous when there was a career fair that the club attended. “I was talking to all these major companies. I’m like, I might end up working for one of them. I don’t

know if I’m good enough,” Lopez said. When former president Steven Lemos first joined the engineering club, he didn’t want to take any leadership role. When the most interesting club to him, Robotics, got shut down, he and his friend decided to take the vice president and president role to bring that sub-club back. This led to him forming the first robotic submarine team. Lemos wants to major in

biomedical engineering. He wants other students, who are interested in biomedical engineering, to get involved and create another sub-club. “I’ve restarted clubs that were dead before. For me to do that again, it would rob someone else’s opportunity. Sometimes people need that void and willing to step into it” said Lemos. “Each year our leadership is getting better and better.” Adviser Edward Alvarado,

adjunct professor has been an adviser for seven and has been part of the club for 11 years. He interacts with over a hundred students in these clubs. Some of these competitions can take up to nine months for the engineering club to prepare while some other universities might take a full year said Alvarado. To prepare for competitions, Rodriguez said they make sure everyone is on the same page and learn from their mistakes. “We are low budget We’re are not deeply funded. The club fundraises are for most of their stuff,” Alvarado said. There are instances where the club has to drive across the country for these competitions. The club uses part of the fundraiser money to pay for their equipment and rent vehicles to drive to these competitions, said Alvarado. This year the club has won three awards. Their most recent award was for outstanding leadership development, which requires to have a strong executive board and to have the information and tools their members require to succeed in the future. The award was given at the Society of Hispanic of Professional Engineering (SHPE), which the engineering club is part of the association. “If anybody has any questions about the club, come and talk to us. We’re usually about cooperation. That’s what engineers do when they work out in the field” said Lopez. Students interested can go to E7 311 or email the club at engineeringclub.elac@gmail.com to find out more about the clubs.

Professor aims to expand ELAC’s Theater Department BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer

Armed with an extensive theater background, Cristina Frias, new full-time Theater Arts Department hire, is ready to expand Latino representation beyond East Los Angeles College. Born in Montebello and raised in San Gabriel, Frias has remained a local ambassador for Chicanos in the arts. While an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, Frias enrolled in a Chicana theater class she said changed her life. “It transformed my life,” Frias said. It wasn’t until Frias joined Teatro Califas, a theater group, that she really began taking acting seriously. Frias received a Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from the California Institute of the Arts, CalArts, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Berkeley. She has also studied at the American Conservatory Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company to name a few. Frias has taught at the University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles Mission College, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Center Theater Group and CalArts. Frias had been working as a freelancer in arts organizations across Los Angeles including InnerCity Arts, the Shakespeare Center Los Angeles and Casa 0101. The position for a new hire was posted in June and the hiring process took two months. “It was an opportunity not to be missed,” Frias said. However, Frias said she has found her new home at ELAC. “As a Latina, I’m able to bring a body of work professional relationships and experience working in the field with predominantly Latino artists,” Frias said. “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” was the first ELAC play Frias watched. She said she was in awe of its production value. As Frias looked to the quad outside the theater building, she was inspired by all the students practicing their lines. “Just looking at these students

practicing their lines, you get a sense of the community. Theater’s all about collaboration,” Frias said. Frias said she is excited about promoting the Theater Department, to elevate it to be representative of the rest of the community. “I feel a strong sense of pride and responsibility as a Latina and excited about the possibilities,” Frias said. “I feel a responsibility to the larger Latino community.” Frias said she hopes to use ELAC’s Outreach program to include high schools and further

expand the Theater Department’s influence. Frias takes pride in her MexicanAmerican heritage and said she is committed to Latino plays to ELAC. “I want to shine a light on our Latino writers,” Frias said. Despite being a full-time professor, Frias still works as a professional actress. Most recently, she has appeared in “Funny Brown People,” “Animal Kingdom,” “One Day at a Time,” “The Couch” and “The Young and the Restless.” CN/STEVEN ADAMO

CHATTING—Via Care Behavioral Health Clinician Elizabeth Ramos, right, shares available resources for mental wellness in East Los Angeles along with Arlene Torres of the East LA Women’s Center.

Movie screening event sheds light on mental wellness BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer

CN/LUIS CASTILLA

READY, PLAY, GO!—Cristina Frias stands in front of the Theatre Department building, which she now calls home.

Students at the Movies for Mental Health event on Nov. 6 were given the chance to openly discuss a variety of mental illness issues in between screenings of three films. The event was organized by the ELAC Student Health Center and hosted by Leslie Poston from the organization Art With Impact. Each month, AWI holds a fiveminute short film competition and awards the winner $1,000 along with screenings on campuses around the country. Each film submission must make mental health the main subject matter. The animated short film “Fine” by Saida Saetgareeva used highcontrast animation as a tool to illustrate the effects of depression. In the film, the main character becomes increasingly isolated and pushes her friends and lovedones aside— responding to their questions with “I’m fine.” Some students in the audience related to a variety of feelings expressed in the film, including wanting to talk about mental health, but unsure how to express themselves.

One student said that responding A quote from the film summed it with “I’m fine” to questions from up by saying, “two wolves visit me, loved ones about mental health is a one shows love, the other teeth.” way to shut-down the conversation “Me Too” by Maya Bastian, is and remain in isolation. another new AWI film winner, this Poston said, film is an excellent one focusing on the issue of how way to share these feelings with sexual assault and rape affects others. people who have experienced it. Part of what The film AWI does with does a good these workshops job of making Each month, AWI holds is to provide the viewer feel a five-minute short film students with the isolation, local resources, frustration and competition and awards which allows anger she feels the winner $1,000 along them to access while being with screeenings on proper care while alone in her campuses around the also learning room. ways in which P o s t o n country. they can help. concluded the The most event by asking recent film the audience shown was “Tekona” by Tomás ways in which people take care Karmelo Amaya and Shalene of their own mental health. The Joseph, who was the August AWI audience shared many suggestions winner. including creating new friendships, The film discussed the cultural taking up a hobby, exercising and differences when dealing with meditation. mental health issues. Deadline for the next AWI short The film was from the Native film contest is Nov. 30 with the American perspective. winner being announced on New In this film, the narrator describes Year’s Day, 2020. the feeling of living with cultural For more information, visit www. stigma and masculine mental health. artwithimpact.org. www.ELACCampusNews.com

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SPORTS

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Men’s Basketball sets their eyes on state title

Basketball Brotherhood brings team closer BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer

Huskies basketball head coach John Mosley and his team are currently ranked fourth in the state and are working toward a state title this season. Finishing third, last season in the state of California, has the team excited to keep the momentum going and use it this time around. The 2018-19 season was good for the Huskies in rebounds. The team put up a large number that brought the team into first for offensive rebounds, with 15.2 per game during the 2018-19 season. As well as coming in second in total rebounds for the conference with 42.9. Mosley said rebounding is all part of the team's strategy and something they plan on keeping and working on. “We want to play a little bit faster, make sure that our defense is there. Our identity is defense and rebounding, if we can see that early then they [players] can kind of give me [a] heads up on what kind of team we’re going to have. If we defend well. If we rebound well,” Mosley said. He said that this season is already off to a good open, starting with a record of 4-1. The team also came off of a win in the College of the Canyons tournament, and a win on the road over Arizona Mesa Community College. The 2019-20 season is knocking on the door of the

“We’ve

done the winning. We’ve won conference championships. We’ve got one goal left. It is to win a state championship...” JOHN MOSLEY

Men’s Basketball Head Coach

Huskies, and Mosley wants the team to be ready for it. While most students were taking Veterans Day as a day to relax, Mosley had the Huskies running drills and doing weight training. All the work that the team puts in, is to prepare for the next step Mosley wants these young men take. “We’ve done all the statistical. We’ve done the winning. We’ve won conference championships. We’ve got one goal left. It is to win a state championship.We were in the state championship in 2015, the first time in school history,” Mosley said. He said the point of actually winning the state championship is for the team to secure financial scholarships for their next steps in school and sports. “I think we have the talent to win it, but you [got to be] almost perfect. And luck and everything needs to happen when you get to the playoffs,” Mosley said. Winning state is not just on Mosley’s mind. His players are also committed to winning. Deshaun Highler, a second-year guard on the team, said, “Yeah, I want to win a state championship.

Nothing else.” Malik Muhammed, the team's second-year center, said it’s about helping the team, from his perspective. “Just do whatever I can to help the team win. That’s my goal. Me personally, I don’t care about points. I’m just trying to do my job,” Muhammed said. Good habits are key to keeping the edge for the team said Mosley. He said that when adversity creeps up they’re able to handle it because of the good habits they have cultivated during the season. With so much work being done it seems that the game is the only important thing, but Mosley is no taskmaster to his players. While taking a breather during last week’s practice, Mosley and the team chatted about random things from popular sayings to religion. Mosley said that there is always a personal relationship with players on his team. This is due to the amount of time that has been put into players since the recruiting stages. Having seen them grow up in front of his eyes and working so closely with them has given birth

to his attitude of “Rules without relationship equals rebellion.” Mosley also said that the group is constantly together. “Spending time together. And not just on the court. But spending time mentoring off the court. Spending time in study hall, I mean we spend more time together than anybody can imagine,” Mosley said. He said that the time and energy players put in and is put into them is intense. His players have to be in and out in four semesters. Players work hard at not only the game but at school as well. Mosley was proud that his team grade point average is above a 3.0. He said the purpose is for the young men to move on to a D1 school. Mosley said that the team supports each other on and off the court. He said that each player holds the other accountable for not only their game performance but also their scholastic performance. Mosley said that it was all about creating a winning mindset for his players. He said that the one characteristic that is paramount for his team is toughness. “Just having a toughness about your approach to coming everyday. It’s hard to come everyday. To come to school everyday and then come to practice,” Mosley said. “Practice is emotional and its physical and it’s tiring. And having the toughness to execute that everyday and that’s our philosophy toughness and respect.”

CN/NOE ORTEGA

HEADS UP — East Los Angeles College freshmen midfielder Martin Perez (23) goes up for a header against a El Camino defender on Friday’s game vs El Camino College at Murdock Stadium.

CN/NOE ORTEGA

DEFLATED—East Los Angeles College freshmen forward walking off the field after a loss in fridays game against El Camino at Murdock Stadium

Men’s soccer season ends in South Coast Conference Tournament BY NOE ORTEGA Staff Writer

Men’s soccer finished its season with a 1-0 loss to El Camino College on Friday. East Los Angeles College finished in fourth place in the South Coast Conference Championship Tournament and finished its season with six wins, 14 losses ,and three draws. The Huskies made it past the first round after a 1-1 tie against Long Beach City College, and ELAC advanced on penalties 4-1. ELAC then faced Mount San

Antonio College to try to secure a spot in the championship game, but lost 4-1. In the second half, El Camino had a corner kick that was crossed in by freshman midfielder Melvyn PerezCortez towards ELAC freshman goalkeeper Oscar Ponce’s right post. The ball looked like it was going to go out, but freshman forward Cristo Deras head it back into the penalty box and found sophomore midfielder Armando Alonzo so he can score the only goal of the game. Although ELAC lost by one goal, it was an even game due to Ponce’s

Opinion

seven saves. finished the game with 19 shots and “I thought it was an even game. ELAC finished with 11 shots. We didn’t convert, but I told the “As a coach, players that they the biggest joy should be proud for me, is to of what they’ve “As a coach, the biggest be able to help done,” said ELAC young men like head coach Eddie joy for me, is to be able to Oscar elevate Flores,said help young men like Oscar his game, and El Camino put help elevate his game, take his game constant pressure to the next on the Huskies in and take his game to the level. the first half with next level All we can more possession of do is facilitate the ball and shots that process, RICHARD SANTOS on goal. ELAC goalkeeper trainer the rest is up El Camino to that player,”

said ELAC goalkeeper trainer, Richard Santos. “I think he exceeded expectations. I was always impressed by his skills when we first saw him, but I was always impressed by his work ethic and his drive,” Santos said. While ELAC had a rough start to the game and seemed to wake up and put more pressure after conceding a goal in the second half. “We still have a lot to build up on and have a lot to work on, but I couldn’t be more proud with the group that we have and the effort that we put in this game,” Ponce. said.

The Huskies had a chance in the final minutes of the game after the ball was crossed into the penalty box. It was stopped by freshman center back Hugo Robert who controlled the ball and passed it to sophomore forward Jowad Abraham who had a one-on-one against El Camino freshman goalkeeper Luis Garibay. Abraham took the shot, but Garibay blocked the shot with the edge of his fingers to prevent the game from going to penalties. Garibay finished the game with four saves.

Kaepernick dazzles in open-public workout for NFL scouts BY SONNY TAPIA Staff Writer

Colin Kaepernick may be returning to the National Football League after speculation over the past three weeks and has gotten teams to notice.Kaepernick’s return would not only benefit the NFL, but it would put a good quarterback in the game again. www.ELACCampusNews.com

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback left the league over three years ago after being removed from the league for using it as a platform to protest police brutality and wrongful actions toward people of color. The benefit the NFL would receive is laying to rest the story of Colin Kaepernick’s protest and the following actions made by league officials. Many fans disagreed with

the NFL’s decision to remove Kaepernick from the league because he did not want to stand for the national anthem. The backlash the NFL received was in the form of letters, e-mails and in person at airports. Putting Kaepernick back in the league would mean more revenue for the league. Before the fallout in 2016, the quarterback made headlines with ridiculous statistics and wins for the

49ers organization. In 2012 Kaepernick led his team to Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens. That year he completed 62.4% of his passes while throwing for 1,814 yards and 10 passing touchdowns. In the next season he threw for 3,197 yards and 21 passing touchdowns along with 524 rushing yards. On Saturday, Kaepernick held a workout to show his skills that he never lost.

NFL teams considered showing up to the workout, but eight ended up showing. “I’ve been in shape and ready for this for three years, can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday,” Kaepernick said. The prodigy showed off his arm to the scouts along with his quick feet that made him so popular years before. Recently Kaepernick stated that he was considering holding a second

workout similar to the first. “Stop running,” are the words Kaepernick has for the NFL executives. If Colin Kaepernick enters the league once again, he will make a huge impact on the league socially and emotionally. Kaepernick deserves to be a starting quarterback in the NFL for years to come and should be in the Canton Hall of Fame.

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PLAYING THE TUNE—During the exhibit, the piano played by Mark Gutierrez. The piano was passed down to Yolanda Gonzalez from her grandmother. The duo Double Sharp played later that night.

Legacy converges at ‘Sueño de Familia’ exhibit BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer Generations came together in the art exhibit “Yolanda Gonzalez: Sueno De Familia/ Dream of Family” on Friday with portrait’s spanning 150 years at the Vincent Price Art Museum. The majority of the paintings in the exhibit are portraits from Yolanda Gonzalez with other pieces of art from other members of her family. T h e y i n c l u d e G o n z a l e z ’s mother, Yolanda Lopez Gonzalez, Gonzalez’ås grandmother, Margarita Lopez Ibarra, Gonzalez’s great grandfather, Juan Nepomuceno Lopez and Gonzalez’s niece, Lauren Stacia Gonzalez. Gonzalez was taught to paint by her grandmother Lopez Ibarra then

“I am honored to be a part of this exhibit and excited to have all these generations of family members be in one room.” LAUREN STACIA GONZALEZ Artist

went to school at the Art Center College of Design. She then went to Self Help Graphics & Art where she developed her artistic style even more. Self Help Graphics and arts is an arts center located in East Los Angeles that help people of Latino origin in the arts.

Many of her exhibits have been shown around the world in Africa, England, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Scotland and Mexico. “Gonzalez is known for her bold paintings using oils and acrylics, and for her vibrant watercolors, printmaking and ceramics. “Her practice primarily focuses on the figure, with an emphasis on images of women,” according to VPAM website. Lopez Gonzalez has some of her ceramics displayed at the exhibit. According to the VPAM website, Lopez Gonzalez took up ceramics at the age of 83. Stacia Gonzalez has paintings displayed in the exhibits. “It's amazing that I can share this with my family. I am honored to be a part of this exhibit and excited to have all these generations of family

members be in one room,” Stacia Gonzalez said. At the opening reception, there was a piano in the exhibit that was played by pianist Mark Gutierrez. Gonzalez says the piano was actually passed down to her by her grandmother. She said that her grandmother worked hard to get the piano. A piano duo called Double Sharp also performed for Gonzalez and her family at the exhibit. The names of the pianists are Natasha Marin and Maria Demina. Gonzalez said she was honored to be at the VPAM and thanked everyone for being there in support of her and her family. The exhibit will run through VPAM until March 14.

CN/GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO

FAMILY LEGACY—Director Pilar Rivas Thompkins (right) talks about the works of Yolanda Gonzalez, Lauren Stacia Gonzalez and Yolanda Lopez Gonzalez.

CN/GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO

MAGIC AND SKULLS—The ceramics of a unicorn

surrounded by skulls created by Lauren Stacia Gonzalez.

Pokemon goes in a new direction BY ADAM ROBLES Staff Writer

COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

START YOUR ENGINES—Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale, runs tests on the engine that Ford Motor Co. is going to put in their race car as Carroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon, and other Ford employees stand around and watch.

‘Ford v. Ferrari’ shines light on unsung hero BY ANDREW AYALA Staff Writer “Ford v Ferrari” is an emotional rollercoaster, which tells the tale of two men who overcome their demons and defy physics to build Ford Motor Co.’s racing team. American car designer Caroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon, and British driver Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale, are both struggling to find a sense of direction and purpose in life. Shelby has health issues which don’t let him race like he once did and Miles has financial struggles after continually following his dream and passion for cars without proper financial backing. The film takes place in 1966, and really begins to take off when a deal between Ford and Ferrari goes sour because of false pretenses. As a result, Fiat acquires Ferrari which infuriates Henry Ford II, played by Tracy Letts, and causes him to want to enter Ford Motor Co. into a race called the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is a race that is held in Le Mans, France and lasts 24 hours. Shelby and Miles find themselves

battling personal problems and an executive assistant to Ford named Leo Beebe, played by Josh Lucas, who feels his opinion is always the best. Ken Miles shows the most character progression and shines through out the whole movie. The chemistry between Damon and Bale is brother-like and natural. There is no awkwardness in the interactions between the two and other characters, which makes the film run smooth. Both are masters of their craft and seem to understand what it takes to depict a non-fictional character and bring that person to life on the big screen. The cinematics and camera angles play a huge role in this film to show the intensity and danger of driving these vehicles at such high speed. When there is a scene that has a more serious tone, close-up angles are used to add pathos. The point-of-view shots are intriguing because the audience is literally put into the driver’s seat and have the opportunity to get a better understanding of the adrenaline and sudden changes that come with racing. If watching the film in a theater

that supports Dolby Cinema, viewers will feel the revving and rumbling of the cars under their seats. Most biopics tell the story they are reenacting and have a central message, but this film does a wonderful job at sending multiple messages throughout its runntime. Themes of selfishness, forgiveness, love and determination are expressed through both main and supporting characters. There really isn’t a dull moment, even during the parts that show the relationship between Miles, his wife Mollie Miles, played by Caitriona Balfe, and his son Peter Miles, played by Noah Jupe, because these scenes show progression and growth as a family. “Ford v Ferrari” is a film that all can enjoy because of the quality of the story and the richness of the plot. Viewers don’t have to be car enthusiasts or even know anything about cars to understand this fascinating story of loyalty and determination. The movie was released on Friday and is rated PG-13 for some language and intense scenes.

After a very controversial marketing campaign that split its fanbase in two, Pokemon is back with new games in the franchise. Fans of the series were worried about the direction this franchise took when it was announced that some Pokemon from previous generations would be non transferable to Sword and Shield. Along with that cut, only about half of all Pokemon would be catchable in these games. This was a controversial direction for the series to take because one of Pokemon’s best features is the ability to migrate the creatures from older titles. This migration feature has been available in most of the games, and would always allow the player to bring all Pokemon from past adventures to come back. After playing through the game, it is apparent that the temporary removal of half of the Pokemon is not the worst idea. This creates an emphasis on exploring the new region and discovering the new Pokemon that are in the game. “Pokemon Sword and Shield” were developed by Gamefreak and have seemingly taken the safe route and seem to have a very generic story. That aspect can be forgiven because exploration is better than ever. Normally for these games, wild Pokemon were encountered by stepping in grass patches that were placed along routes that led the player to the next city or town. In these new games, the wild area has been completely redesigned for the better. The first wild area is very nice scenery and gives the player the feeling that they are exploring a living and breathing world. This is an excellent way to inform players what to expect in next wild areas. The player gets to explore this place before taking on the first

gym leader. This means that the player will have weak Pokemon at this time. The part that’s so unique is that the player can see Pokemon walking around and may even startle them by walking too fast. This may lead to Pokemon getting angry at the player and chase them down to battle. It’s very cute to see these creatures chase the player down because this experience has never been done before.

This was a controversial direction for the series to take because one of Pokemon’s best features is the ability to migrate the creatures from older titles. Along with that, creatures in the wild area can be much higher leveled than what the player has on his or her team. It’s a very intense feeling to battle a high-level creature, because this is also a first. Usually in past games, the wild Pokemon would start off at a very low level according to the route the player is on. Having various levels of Pokemon in every wild area makes the game feel more alive. It gives the sense that the player is exploring a world that functions with or without the player being there. It also gives a reason to go back to the beginning wild areas, even though the player’s journey has moved passed that section. The new techniques that replaced the mega evolutions and z-moves from previous generations are the ability to dynamax and gigantamax. These features are limited

to certain battles, usually ones that are held in stadiums or raid battles. It is a fun gimmick because it allows players to enhance the size of a Pokemon of their choosing making a small Pokemon look like a monster from a Godzilla movie. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but since it doesn’t need to be used, it’s more of an optional spectacle. “Pokemon Sword and Shield” doesn’t have an insanely new shift that will change the series forever, Gamefreak played these ones safe, but Sword and Shield are the first of many games that will come to the switch. There will always be room for improvements, and these games are still fun even with some removed features. Just from exploring half of the game it is obvious that Gamefreak made an honest effort to try to get in as many Pokemon as possible. There are over 800 Pokemon in total at this point and wouldn’t make sense to be able to catch all of them in a single region. “I’d like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games. “The world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. “We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey,” Junichi Masuda, Gamefreak game designer, said. With this type of reassurance, fans should stop reviewing these games extremely on metacritic and try to enjoy what the game has to offer. It makes sense to be upset over removed features, but the game doesn’t deserve to be reviewbombed for trying to give the newer creatures the spotlight.

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Library displays veteran memorabilia Student veterans express transition from war zone to campus BY ANDREW AYALA Staff Writer Military grade gear, self-help books and art that represents the transition from war can be seen in a display titled “A Community of Veterans” in the East Los Angeles College library until Nov. 29. The display was created by the Veteran’s Resource Center to celebrate Veteran’s week on campus. The display case can be seen to the right of the metal detectors as students enter the library. “It’s a great opportunity to provide whatever memorabilia they

want to share, or whatever message they want to communicate about student-veterans and their impact on campus,” said Natasha Alvarez, Outreach and Instruction Librarian. “We wanted to provide visibility to our student-veterans, because there are a lot of them, and not all of them go to the Veterans Resource Center, so we wanted to be a place where people can see themselves reflected.” In the center of the display there is a manikin head with a boonie hat, goggles and a scarf wrapped around its head, like a soldier in a desert region. Backpacks sit on the sides and

show different types of camouflage which Martin Carrillo, a secondyear student veteran, said is changed each season or adjusted by location of exercises. The older one with jungle camouflage has items such as flame retardant gloves and hats sticking out. He said this is called an assault pack and usually carries the core essential equipment for a work-out. Carrillo said the picture frame with three different black and white photos was provided by a studentveteran to show three generations of service in his family. The same veteran also provided

patches from his old Airforce units to be displayed. Veteran-created white boxes with silk-screened images of soldiers and their lives in war can be seen sitting on the bottom shelf alongside jungle camouflage graduation sashes. An art piece that looks like sheet metal cut into an American flag is artistically crafted to represent something that is battle-worn. The green, white and black all compliment one another to create a camouflage effect. The top shelf holds a modern helmet with forest camouflage and a bit of wear-and-tear. A clay statue of a star painted like

an American flag with real clayfilled bullets sitting at the bottom is symbolic of the hardships that come with war. “ We w e r e t r y i n g t o d o a from-service-to-student type of situation… That’s one of the biggest obstacles that veterans run into getting out of the military. Transitioning into civilian life,” Carrillo said. “Some of us were in control of our own squads, our own platoons, you know, or our own truck section. Now we’re a student and we have no real control of anything but our student work.” Carrillo said the transition to

society isn’t always easy, and the fact that there are flyers from the VRC, guides on adjsting to life after coming from the war zone and even articles, show that there is support from the local community. “The student-veterans should know that there is a place for them. There is a big support system that they have here on campus and they should come and explore more,” said Carrillo. “Faculty should know there are veterans on campus that are transitioning and that they need to find some leniency and help us out a little bit as well. It’s not an easy thing to go through.”

‘The Mandalorian’ presents ‘Star Wars’ in a western style BY IVAN CAZARES Staff Writer Above anything else, “The Mandalorian” is entertaining. It’s an expensive series, but it doesn’t have the budget of the blockbuster films, which limits what can be done with special effects. However, with the combination of technology developed by the video game industry and classic techniques, like the use of scale models and props, the team behind this series has created something immersive that really feels like “Star Wars.” Westerns are a staple of cinema, and the genre was a huge influence on the inception of the galaxy far far away. “The Mandalorian” embraces that influence full-heartedly, Mexican standoffs and all, with the story of the titular Mandalorian. He’s a lone gunslinger akin to a Clint Eastwood character. Since he’s a man of few words, the character’s reactions, moods and emotions have to be communicated through cinematography and body language. This is done expertly, bringing to life lead actor, Pedro Pascual’s, intergalactic bounty hunter in the first two episodes released so far. Whether or not it will continue to be as captivating for the slated eight episodes remains to be seen. Video game fans will be quick to notice that the special effects aren’t the only similarity between “The Mandalorian” and games. The narrative progresses like a video game, with the protagonist having to embark on what can only

be described as a side quest in the second episode before the narrative can progress. Some might see this as unsophisticated story structure, but it works for something broken up into chapters like this series. The episode allows the protagonist to spend time with his quarry, which is not what he expected. Series creators are making use of a western troupe, which places a lone gunslinger in a situation that requires them to defend a young character they empathise with. It may be a spaghetti western troupe, but it’s presented in a clever and fun way. The Mandalorian’s name isn’t revealed as of yet and he’s yet to remove his helmet, but viewers have been given some backstory, personality and clear character motivations. He’s motivated by a warrior culture that’s mostly been expanded on outside of the main “Star Wars” films. The planet they hail from was divided by civil war during the events of the original trilogy, and it’s clear he wants to help his people adjust to life in a period similar to the wild west. The premise is simple, but there is an incredible amount of attention to detail being placed on the world building, and the characters will be what drives the story. Not only is Mandalorian culture being expanded on, but series creators are taking a huge risk with the introduction of the infant the bounty hunter is protecting. Its of an alien species that’s particularly powerful when it comes to the franchise’s take on

supernatural power known as the force. He’s the McGuffin of this story, and anyone who hasn’t been spoiled on the details of episode one should watch the episode before learning anymore. It’s clear the team behind this series is passionate. The score by Ludwig Göransson has hints of the iconic “Star Wars” music by John Williams, but has its own unique sound that adds to the ambiance and keeps with the western theme. It’s completely different to his heavily hip-hop-oriented music he scored for Marvel’s “Black Panther,” but stays consistent with the heavy use of percussion instruments. Each episode is being helmed by different directors, including Dave Felloni, who’s also an executive producer. Felloni has pulled from “Star Wars” legends and introduced aspects to the Disney canon through his work on the animated series’ “Star Wars The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels.” It’s clear his take on Mandalorian culture in those series will play a big role moving forward in this one. The only major negative of “The Mandalorian” is having to pay for yet another streaming subscription to enjoy it. There is nothing wrong with the service, but the market is saturated with them. This is arguably the only show currently worth watching on Disney+, and it’s likely each chapter is being released weekly opposed to all at once to keep people engaged while more content starts streaming.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB

A CLOSE CALL— Pedro Pascual takes on the role of an unnamed intergalactic bounty hunter known only as the Mandalorian. “The Mandalorian” streams on Fridays on Disney+. www.ELACCampusNews.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB

ONE ON ONE—James Greer, played by Wendell Pierce, argues with Jack Ryan, played by John Krasinski, about secrets they are keeping from one another at a CIA station in Venezuela.

Amazon continues with explosive series BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer Amazon Prime Video made a wise decision greenlighting season two of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” before season one aired, because season two is explosive. It follows up an amazingly entertaining first season with more intrigue, explosions, gun fights and amazing character studies. After helping neutralize season one antagonist Sulieman, the story picks up with Jack Ryan acting as an aid to an old friend from Ryan’s time in the service, who had saved hum from a mission gone wrong. This leads to a web of incidents that reunites Ryan with his mentor, James Greer. Ryan and Greer launch into a battle of wits and will that takes the characters from the United States, to Russia and Venezuela. John Krasinski returns as the CIA cerebral hero Ryan. Krasinski was and continues to prove an inspired choice to play the every man hero. Most know him as Jim from NBC’s “The Office” and while he retains some of the kinder aspects of that character, it’s his turn as the thoughtful hero that makes this take on Ryan amazing. A couple of actors have played the on screen hero, but Krasinski takes the character to emotional places that were rarely seen in other iterations. While season one Ryan was a bit new to what was going on around him, season two Ryan begins to connect dots quickly. It shows that the character has definitely learned a lot from his previous adventure. There are some interesting intense emotional events this season, though, that show that despite Ryan being hardened he is yet to truly understand everything that comes with working in the CIA. Wendell Pierce returns to playing

Greer. Greer has become just as an important role as Ryan has in the show, and the characters complex nature is something Pierce gets to play with. Pierce is just fun to watch on screen. Every scene that Greer is alongside Ryan gives the audience a feeling like something unexpected will be said or happen. This is no doubt due to the enormous amount of chemistry between Krasinski and Pierce. The two actors play off each other perfectly. This season Pierce is given even more character to play with as Greer goes through some twists and turns that will leave the audience wanting more. The show even gives a glimpse into more of Greers past. More than individual growth is the growth between Greer and Ryan. There is a scene early on that shows that there is some unsaid strife between the pair. This is one of the few instances that shows despite Ryan’s growth in season one, Greer is still the real veteran between them. There are two stand outs this season, the inclusion of Michael Kelly as Mike November and the return of Michael Hoogenakker as Matice. Hoogenakker is the perfect fit for wet work and specialist Matice. He is the grizzled, tough and capable CIA assault guy everyone believes is really out there in the real world. Hoogenakker is quick with the witty lines and his devil may care attitude is perfect for Matice. Kelly’s November is an interesting character. While at first the audience doesn’t really know what to think, he becomes a character that is more than likely what the real CIA agent counterpart must be like. There’s a scene where after some intense CIA work, Greer, Ryan and November have a brief conversation about marriage.

It’s light and despite the show being a tense drama, it gives a chance to see the characters as three dimensional and not just action figures in giant explosive set pieces. There is one fly in the ointment for this season. The use or misuse of Noomi Rapace. While Rapace’s character of Harriet Baumann is interesting and a genuine kick butt female character, there isn’t much to her inclusion in the plot. It’s a waste of a talented actress, and is one of the weaker points in a season that did almost everything right. The locales for this season were just as amazing to see as the ones from last season. Where season one played in the sand of the middle eastern countries, season becomes all about the South American jungles and cities. The jungle scenes are open and fun to watch. With an interesting halo jump sequence into the ocean that shows that Amazon is really backing this show big time. The music is on point giving all the right amounts of tension and suspense throughout. The title theme is not a theme that can be ranked with classics like “The Simpsons”, “The Office” or “Friends” but it gets the job done, but in reality that doesn’t matter when Ramon Djawadi is composing the series score. Djawadi has worked on the likes of “Game of Thrones” and “Iron Man.” And his talent is shown in force during “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.” Over it’s too short eight episode season two run, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” takes the audience all over the world with awesome action set pieces, brilliant acting and pitch perfect music. “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” is rated TV-MA for violence, profanity, and moderate sexual themes. The show is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.