NEWS Religious group condemns Elans at free speech area.
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Volume 73, Issue 14
ARTS
SPORTS
LA Zine Fest showcases diverse atmosphere.
Women’s basketball advances to the State Championship final four.
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Wednesday, march 9, 2016
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Update
Students say professor’s conduct was inappropriate BY JADE INDGLADA Staff Writer Former female students from Communication Studies adjunct professor R. Steven Johnson’s classes have come forward with complaints of his inappropriate sexual behavior. One of the students first dealt with Johnson’s behavior early into his career at East Los Angeles College. His comments and actions toward female students occurred in and outside of the classroom. “I took Johnson’s class around his first year of teaching here. You are greeted with an energetic, outgoing professor, which for us students is a breath of fresh air. As the semester continued and topics of sexual matters were discussed, I realized Johnson would say I had a beautiful face,” said a former female student. “I was 246 pounds back then, and to a woman with low selfesteem, it would be music to her ears. For me though, it was very out of line. He would often sit on my desk looking down at me which often felt like he was looking down at my chest, smiling. I would sit there, thinking how odd this looks to the class and how horrible it made me feel. The beautiful comments kept coming. “I often thought, ‘Maybe it’s me? Maybe I shouldn’t smile or act like my lively self in class. Maybe that will help.’ It wasn’t me though. My best friend at the time even noticed it. Even though my fellow peers would tease me, ‘Johnson likes you!’ I would often tell my adviser that it felt very uncomfortable and creepy to me. “One night, my ride didn’t come to class with me, and Johnson walked out the building with me and offered to walk me to my car. I didn’t drive at the time, nor (did I) have a car. I explained that. I started to proceed toward the E7 building and he just lingered. It was awkward. Uncomfortable is more like it. I have literally avoided him on campus for the past years because his stares made me uncomfortable. I wish I had spoken up sooner. However, like many women in a situation like this, it’s scary and overwhelming,” she said. “I came in late (the first day of class) and there were no longer any seats, so I stood next to the door,” the second former student said. “I remember that he had stopped what he was saying and started gazing at me and said, ‘Nice braces. You got braces, they match your glasses,’ and in front of about 45-50 students. I felt humiliated, but since I was only around 18 years old and very insecure, I felt special. So his compliments typically followed that format, he would compliment me and the class and everyone heard it. My naive self wrote a speech about why we should date
someone older than us, and after my speech, he asked me in front of everyone, ‘So, what are you doing later?’ The class burst into laughter,” the second former student said. Johnson has also hired some of his female students to work for him as interns to promote his book, create content for his social media accounts and his newsletter. “After interning for him and feeling very attracted to him, I confronted him about his behavior, and he said, ‘That's just how am I with everyone.’ He proceeded to prove this to me by flirting with a female custodian. So I was able to get him to be less suggestive with me, but he clearly proved that he did not heed my warning about not being so flirty. He definitely made me feel special, and this was just in the class. “I also interned for him but was replaced by a whole team of attractive students of his. I didn't allow myself to get upset over this because I thought I was just jealous. It wasn't until they posted a Snapchat story of them drunk and the girls kissing him on the cheek and talking very explicitly about sex that I knew something was off. “He hires mainly female interns from his classes and acts in the same flirtatious and downright sexual manner that he does in class,” the second former student said. Although both former students revealed their identities to Campus News to share their experiences, they wished to remain anonymous due to the sexual nature of the complaints. Johnson gave his students the chance to improve their grades by promoting his social media accounts and purchasing and reviewing his books for the past year. His book, “Convertible Chocolate,” is based on his relationships with women and contains graphic sexual content. It was published through StoverHouse Publishing, which Johnson also owns. Both comments from critics on the back of the book came from the same examiner.com review. “LACCD has a district-wide policy that faculty, or any other school employee, are not allowed to engage in any exchange of money with students,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs Laura M. Ramirez. “The school manages any monetary exchanges through official outlets, such as the bookstore or the Fiscal office.” The Board of Trustees’ rules states, “Faculty members are prohibited from engaging directly with students in their classes in the sale or rental of required or recommended materials or activities charges. When a faculty member wishes to distribute classroom materials for which students are required to pay, the faculty member shall use a voucher system through the College’s bookstore or business office and must substantiate that the materials are being provided at cost. Faculty members are prohibited from engaging in other financial transactions with students, except to facilitate participation in
voluntary, extracurricular activities, such as theater trips or sporting events. In that case, the faculty member is required to provide appropriate accounting and receipts upon request to the supervising administrator.” Johnson’s behavior also goes against the Faculty Ethics Policy. It states that faculty members “avoid any exploitation, harassment or discriminatory treatment of students.” According to Section E of the policy, “Exploitation of students by faculty members can take many guises. Be it for personal financial gain, sexual gratification, or any other reason, such exploitation is to be avoided at all costs. It is a fundamental ethical principle that individuals in power and authority should not use their advantaged position for their own gain or to advance their own self-interest. “Faculty members are in a position of power and as such there is no greater violation of authority and power in higher education than when a faculty member exploits the power of this relationship with students… To take advantage of individuals under these conditions is ethically inexcusable. “For example, in cases where some students are being evaluated on the basis of academic standards while others are being evaluated on the basis of responsiveness to inappropriate advances or where personal services or favors are traded for grades, privilege or recognition, one can easily see that such behavior is a violation of ethics. Students must be evaluated solely on the basis of academic standards…” ELAC’s Academic Senate adopted the Faculty Ethics Policy in October 2013. Ramirez said Johnson’s situation is a personnel matter, but his interns on Facebook revealed it has been taken to the district administration. “Hello speech 101 alumnus, well today I was notified that there was an article posted on the ELAC newspaper about Mr. Johnson,” Anahi Mora said in a past Facebook group for Johnson’s class. “I would have thought it was something positive since he is one of the most caring and greatest professors at ELAC. Unfortunately, it’s a defaming article. It’s sad that someone would write lies just to get attention. We all need to get together and support Mr. J. All this man ever did was prepare us and motivate us. If you guys are interested in helping, please let me know.” “What the hell?” Alfredo Jose Diaz said about last week’s story on Johnson. “I say we start a petition to remove this article from the record and get this person removed from the editorial staff.” “The writer’s name is on the front of the paper, let’s light the torches and get the pitchforks,” Kevin Fu said. For more information and supporting evidence on this story, go to elaccampusnews.com.
Demonstrators march to support women’s rights BY DORANY PINEDA Staff Writer
Hundreds of people gathered at the Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters on Sunday at noon in Downtown Los Angeles to celebrate and recognize International Women’s Day. Representative of organizations and collectives spoke to the crowds about the history of violence and oppression committed against women and minority groups. The masses, led by women of the AF3IRM Los Angeles Organization group in a truck, marched in unison through the streets of Downtown LA. They were chanting, “We are women, we will resist, we will defeat the imperialists,” and “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! The patriarchy has got to go!” with raised fists and signs that filled the streets with electrifying energy.
News Briefs
CN/JULIE SANTIAGO
MARCHING ON—Protestors , who are headed toward Avenida Cesar Chavez bridge, march on Temple St. and Alameda for International women’s day on Sunday. Women’s advocacy and social justice groups, such as the Transnational Feminist Organization, the Black Lives Matter movement and the
East Los Angeles College’s Feminist Club, walked with allies to several government institutions and ended at the Avenida Cesar Chavez bridge.
In memoriam Lydia Celestine, who was East Los Angeles College’s switchboard operator for 25 years, died last week. The memorial service is this Saturday at Imperial Heights Community Church of the Brethren. The service starts at 1 p.m.
The importance of women’s visibility, issues and power were reemphasized with speeches and performances. Representative of the Gay-
Straight Alliance Network, Chris Covington, brought middle and high school students to the rally to give them an “immersive experience into the feminist movement” and to represent the “the trans and queer community of color.” For Pamela Vazquez, a speaker and member of the women-of-color collective the Ovarian Psycos Bicycle Brigade, this event was about reclaiming space. “Women of color lack safe spaces where they can talk about the issues that concern and affect them. This march gives me an opportunity to voice myself andother women in the community. By taking over the streets, either by marching or biking in them, we are selfempowering,” Vazquez said. Eric Contreras, an educator, community organizer and founder of southeast LA’s Alivio open mic night in Bell, says he was rallying in solidarity with women and against patriarchy.
“A lot of men don’t step up in defense of women and rape culture because they are shamed for it by other men,” Conteras said. “(This is one of the many ways that) patriarchy affects men, who are taught never to show weakness or sensitivity, who are told as boys never to cry, whose actions are excused with ‘boys with will be boys.’” Some of the more prevalent issues that were brought to attention by the marchers included poverty, abortion rights, police violence, transphobia, forced sterilization, immigration, rape prevention and to ultimately bring awareness to women’s continuous struggle for equality. Last year’s Downtown LA International Women’s March garnered the largest national women’s rally of over 500 women and allies. Since 1909, International Women’s Day is recognized on March 8.
Theater Arts Department
Correction
The Theater Arts Deparment performs a wild comedy, “Run For Your Wife,” by Ray Cooney, on March 18 at the P2-205 upstairs. The play starts at 8 p.m. and tickets will cost $12 at the door.
In the last issue, Rossmery Zayas’ name was misspelled “Elan speaks at UN conference.” The correct spelling is Rossmery instead of Rossmary.
Opinion ELAC: home of the most beautiful women 2
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016
ROBERT FLOWERS Staff Writer
ELAC has the most beautiful women on Earth and I have obvious evidence to prove my claim. While taking a leisurely stroll through campus, I came across a conversation between two guys. One said, “Damn, I’m glad I came here. Look at all these beautiful ladies.” The other guy said, “The hell you mean? There are way better girls at way better schools. Idiot.” Then they started arguing and eventually started pulling weapons out, but I didn’t care. I came across quite the amazing idea for an article. People must have noticed because they were looking at me, surprised and taking pictures of me. Or they just noticed I was in my birthday suit. Either way, I was too hot to care. I started the investigation by first taking pictures of every woman on campus. Some may call this perversion, but when working on an article, nothing can stop me. Not even common sense. Not even over 200 restraining orders. Nothing. After gathering the needed photos, I decided to send them to a close friend of mine, but for personal protection’s sake, I’ll just call him Heff Hughner. I sent every single picture to him by email with the comment, “Doesn’t ELAC have the most beautiful women alive?” He soon answered back with, “I don’t know who you or the others are or how you got this email address, but you need to stop emailing me. This has gone too far. One more and you will die.” Friends to the end, me and him. He always rags on me. And he didn’t disagree, so I have my first source for my article. Next, I emailed the photos to an ex-girlfriend of mine. She is very
reserved and is doing big things now, so for personal protection’s sake, I’ll just call her Clint Hillaryton. After sending the photos to her with the same comment and an
eight, 20 equal signs and an >, she emailed me back with, “You need to stop emailing me here. You know they check my email. If the world knew I cheated on my husband,
I’ll never be president. One more time and the Secret Service comes to your house and kills you.” Idiot, I live in an apartment. And I had forgotten to send four photos so I
had to email her again. That night, nine Secret Service agents broke into my apartment. I died. R.I.P. me. 1990-2016. I had only one more source I wanted to check before I wrote this article and that was Dr. Real Doctor, a veteran of psychology for more than 55 years in Mexico. He couldn’t be reached by email or phone, so I decided to take the pictures to his office directly. I sat across from him with the pictures laid out and asked him, “So, you believe me when I say that ELAC has the most beautiful women, right?” He took off his geek glasses and said, “I’m sorry, but this is absolutely insane. You’re sitting here in nothing but pants made out of banana peels with random photos of over a thousand women. You are a highly deranged man.” I was never taken aback so much. I stated, “ I should have known that you were nothing but a quack. Stating the obvious without reasonable solutions. So are you in agreement or not? Flies are starting to hover around my pants.” Dr. Doctor sighed a deep sigh and said, “I cannot indulge you, sir. Instead, I shall call a couple of friends to get you the help you need.” I knew he wanted to send me to the nuthouse, and I probably needed it, but I had an article to write. That night Dr. Real Doctor disappeared. R. I. P. Dr. Real Doctor. 1940- The day he tried to stop my progress in this article. In the end, it is absolutely true that ELAC has the most beautiful women around. Do not let anyone say differently. Please don’t. All this crap is for you, ladies. Not me. I wasted weeks of my life on this article. You better have more confidence than Floyd Mayweather. I DIED for this article. Died! Do not let my effort be for nothing!
Professor manipulates students for personal gain STEPHANIE GUEVARA Staff Writer Professors have no right to abuse their positions and make students perform non-educational tasks for their own personal gain. As a college student, I experienced this in one of my classes. Communication studies professor R. Steven Johnson disguised his intentions of selfdealing by manipulating students into buying his self-published book, reading it and writing reviews of the book on Amazon. He justifies this action by telling his students that this assignment would better their communication skills. However, this assignment was not on the syllabus. In the Amazon reviews, students could not mention anything that had to do with the class or the professor. Johnson also told students to increase the amount of likes and follows on his social media sites. He told students to use their persuasive and communication skills to obtain the likes and follows. As the Amazon reviews, students couldn’t mention in their tactics of persuasion that this was to help their college professor. Many students thought of Johnson as being kind to them because he was giving them extra points, but they didn’t realize that he was using them to gain fame and profit. He had been using the same strategy with students in the previous semester, but none of those students saw this as something bad. Johnson has gotten away with this these actions for quite a while. The reason why students haven’t filed a complaint about this issue is because he has manipulated students in such a certain way that students haven’t even noticed that they are being manipulated. Johnson told students that the book would help them in their communication skills. It might be normal for a professor
EDITOR IN CHIEF Ivan Cazares MANAGING EDITOR Marcus Camacho ONLINE EDITOR IN CHIEF Julianne Obregon ONLINE EDITORS Stephanie Garibay Bryce Ronquillo ART DIRECTOR Jade Inglada FRONT EDITOR Stephanie Guevara
OPINION EDITOR Christopher Jimenez NEWS EDITOR Rogelio Alvarez FEATURE EDITOR Diego Linares ARTS EDITOR Megan G. Razzetti SPORTS EDITOR Dan Gudino PHOTO EDITOR Eddie Garcia COPY EDITORS Kristen Garcia Elizabeth Toy CARTOONISTS Kristen Garcia, Alitzel Rodriguez STAFF WRITERS Gustavo Buenrostro, Johanna Calderon, Fernando Cervantes, Cesar Gutierrez, Bryan Hernandez, Daniela Jalteco, Christopher Jimenez, Javier Lopez, Patricia Medina, Gil Milanes, Jose Rojas, Julie Santiago STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Diego Linares, Julie Santiago Mayra S. Ventura ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha DISTRIBUTION Ivan Cazares 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 proper ty of Campus News and cannot be returned. Letters should be limited to 250 words or less. Campus News reserves the right to edit letters for grammatical errors or libelous content. A n o ny m o u s l e t te r s w i l l n o t be printed. Writer s 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
to assign his or her students a textbook he or she wrote for educational enrichment. However, if that professor assigns students to buy an autobiographical novel which has nothing to do with the class and submit reviews of the book online, this is considered noneducational. A professor can assign supplementary reading, but it should be on the syllabus. If a student is in need of extra
points to better his or her grade, he or she is vulnerable and will possibly do anything to receive a higher grade. However, a professor shouldn’t take advantage of the situation and assign ridiculous tasks. Professors who do this shouldn’t get away with it. The school should regulate professors’ conduct and educational plans so they don’t take advantage of their students in these ways.
It is fine for a professor to give extra credit to students, but they shouldn’t put students’ grades at stake to give extra credit. If this book isn’t on the syllabus, then students should definitely not waste their money it. Some students might not have the financial means to buy the book. Since they can’t buy the book, they can’t earn the extra points. If a professor wants to give extra points so students can better their
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grades, he or she should assign assignments that are related to the course. Conduct like this shouldn’t be accepted at East Los Angeles College or in any other college. Students should be aware of these types of actions and report them. If students are currently being abused, they should speak up or seek counsel or support from the various resources offered at East Los Angeles College.
The East Los Angeles College Campus News is published as a learning experience, of fered under the East Los Angeles College Journalism program. The editorial and advertising materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College, or any officer or employee thereof. PRINTING BY NEWS PUBLISHERS PRESS
News
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2015
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Religious group provokes Elans church service. In their attempt to retort, Staff Writer some students resorted to insults and attacked Borchert’s sexual Students engaged in a public orientation instead of presenting a shouting match against a group counterargument. of Evangelical Christians in the The group uses footage of its free speech area last Thursday encounters with students, campus and Friday. employees and police to promote Religious groups are common itself via social media sites. at East Los Angeles College. It also has video-tutorials on However many students expressed YouTube and its website that dissatisfaction with the group's anti- teach other open-air preachers how gay message. to work a crowd. “I actually support gay marriage. “What they are If a lesbian wants to saying is wrong. If marry a gay guy, I you believe in the don't have a problem Bible, you shouldn't “What they are with that,” Joshua preach hate. You Borchert, a member saying is wrong. don't have to be of Campus Ministry perfect in the eyes If you believe USA said. of God,” the College The group in the Bible Church member consisting of eight Alex Cortez said. you shouldn’t people, led by Jeb The College preach hate. You Church Stock travels the is a Christian country spreading don’t have to be group that preaches its message. at ELAC. perfect in the “ We a r e j u s t Cortez and fellow preaching the Word eyes of God,” Christian Ezequiel of God. Some people Garcia explained are offended because that Christianity isn't ALEX CORTEZ we use explicit about judging others. College Church Member language,” Stock “Some of the said. things they are The group claims saying are offensive, to be provoking them but we can't do anything. They to read the Bible. haven't broken any laws,” deputies Some women were offended monitoring the situation said. with the explicit language used by The group followed the guidelines the group to condemn premarital in the free speech form they sex. filed with Student Services. The group, which includes Deputies and some students women, expressed misogynistic tried to discourage others from tendencies. Members of the group engaging them to no avail. told women who engaged them The group continued to draw that women should be quiet during attention until Elan Robert Chapa
BY IVAN CAZARES
Dream on: loan program to help undocumented students BY JOSE ROJAS Staff Writer
An estimated 10,000 undocumented undergraduate students enrolled at University of California or California State University campuses will be able to qualify for a special loan aimed to reduce their tuition. California Govenor Jerry Brown signed The Dream Loan Program into law in 2014, but funding didn’t become available until last month. The Dream Loan Program received a total of $7 million last month, $5 million for the nine UC campuses and $2 million for the 23 Cal State campuses. H o w e v e r, t h i s p r o g r a m i s only designed for undergraduate UC and Cal State students. "I'm very proud of the fact that California has always led when it comes to providing much-needed resources for our undocumented student population, understanding that they are here, that this is their home and that many of them were brought here not out of their own volition," State Senator Ricardo Lara said in an interview with Los Angeles Times. “By reducing barriers and expanding access to higher education for undocumented students, the University of California is investing not only in the future of these students, but also in the future of our state and nation,” UC President Janet Napolitano said on universityofcalifornia.edu. U n d e r c u r r e n t l a w, undocumented students who graduate from a California high school and meet the California Dream Act requirements are eligible for state and university aid.
Some campuses have eased the financial burden for undocumented students with loans determined on case-by-case by the institution, but the program provides assistance across the UC system. California is one of at least 18 states that permit students who are in the country illegally to pay in-state tuition rates, according to an October report by the National Conference of State Legislatures. UC Riverside is making its own strides in aiding undocumented students on campus by planning to hire a new program coordinator specially for students without legal residency by the end of October. There are approximately 300 undocumented students at UC Riverside, many of whom qualify for this loan program. “This is a brilliant program that is going to help many of us on our higher education goals. I know that it is going to help a lot once I transfer to a four-year university by this fall.” East Los Angeles College student Ana Chavez said. “I agree that undocumented students should be able to get financial aid to go to college, regardless of their citizenship because there many talented students in the math, science and technology field out there but cannot attend to college because of their financial status,” ELAC student Yesenia Ramirez said. California is one of the few states that help undocumented students achieve their education goals by passing laws that allow them to continue with higher education at low cost or no cost at all, like the AB 540 laws, that allow undocumented students to qualify for the California state fee waiver. To learn more about The Dream Loan Program and to how apply for this program visit the UC web page at www.universityofcalifornia.edu.
CN/ROGELIO ALVAREZ
PREACHING—Members of Campus Ministry USA, lead by Jeb Stock, questioned and criticized students’ religious morals. Agitated students, deputies and staff responded to the negative remarks by engaging in arguments with Campus Ministry USA members. interrupted with his heavy metal guitar riffs. Students welcomed the performance with donations and Chapa collected $20. Administration became involved when several students complained. However, the group was not
kicked off campus. “Administration had to get involved when they started being disruptive. Some people are offended by what they are saying,” Vice President of Student Services Julie Benavides said.
They were discouraged from preaching outside the free speech area. However, there were some sympathizers among students. The group has received similar reactions from students on different campuses.
It recently visited the University of California Riverside and Arizona State University. The group has been recorded giving anti-Muslim speeches and speaks out against the theory of evolution.
Accreditation team to report findings Thursday BY IVAN CAZARES Staff Writer Representatives of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) were given a tour of the campus by Associated Student Union board members yesterday, to help with their evaluation of the school. An open forum to talk to the accrediting team was held last night and it will present a summary of its findings tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the G3 Foyer. “Accreditation is an opportunity for our colleges and district to demonstrate how we are meeting the standards of our accrediting body,” Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Francisco C. Rodriguez said in an email addressed to faculty and staff. All nine colleges in the district are being accredited. There are 10 accreditation teams, nine are signed to individual colleges and one is assigned to the district office. The accreditation team does
not make the final decision. quality, according to the United The team will present a written States Department of Education. The diplomas and certificates of evaluation report and present it to a non-accredited ACCJC. Community school aren't colleges are currently recognized by accredited by most employers or private educational “Accreditation universities associations like is an opportunity “It’s a peer ACCJC. Associations must be reviewed for our colleges review. They are here to help,” and approved by and district to East Los Angeles the Department of demonstrate College President Education. Marvin Martinez The team led by how we meet President of San Diego said. Martinez has the standards of led accreditation Mesa College Pam Luster was greeted at teams in the past. our accrediting the Vincent Price Art Luster said her body,” Museum. favorite part of the “We are here to visit is talking to FRANCISCO C. RODRIGUEZ confirm what was put students at other LACCD Chancellor in writing in the self campuses,“I’ve evaluation (ELAC’s),” p r o b a b l y Luster said. interrogated The purpose of every student I’ve accreditation is to ensure that bumped into about their majors.” institutions of higher education She explained that members an provide students with an education accrediting team are assigned to that meets acceptable levels of review sections in a college's self-
evaluation they are experts in. She added that her insight into the way a large college works lets her provide productive feedback and that she'll use what she learns at ELAC when her college is accredited. Luster said it's important that the accreditation process is handled by peers. The team visiting ELAC includes President of Santiago Canyon College John Weispfenning, Dean of the School of Business and Technology at San Diego Mesa College Danene Brown and Jeffrey Stephenson, Dean of Counseling and Student Services at American River College. The National Advisory Commission for Institutional Quality and integrity concluded that ACCJC does not meet federal standards in a review in conducted in December 2015. On Jan. 4 the Department of Education declared ACCJC noncompliant. It will allow ACCJC to operate as a recognized accreditation association for 12 months. ACCJC will be reevaluated after 12 months.
Pasadena Unified School District facing federal lawsuit BY MAYRA S. VENTURA Staff Writer
A federal lawsuit against Pasadena Unified School District and its superintendent Brian McDonald has been filed on Feb. 11 for violating the American with Disabilities Act, along with state disability rights laws by discriminating against students with mental disabilities. Six current and former Focus Point Academy students along with Candis Bowles, the manager attorney at Disability Rights California and Bazelon Center, Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS) of Los Angeles and the global law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP brought on the lawsuit against the Pasadena Unified School District. “These students can be educated s u c c e s s f u l l y i n P a s a d e n a ’s neighborhood schools with
reasonable modifications of school programs and effective schoolbased behavior services,” James Preis, the executive director of MHAS said. Focus Point was a school considered and designed as a “therapeutic setting,” but students complained of unfair treatment against them. Focus Point serves first through 12th grade students who exhibit behavioral-related disabilities. “PUSD has reported that, during the 2014-15 school years, over 80 students with a behavior-related disability were enrolled at Focus Point Academy,” according to the class action complaint. The goal of Focus Point is to provide students with behavioral skills necessary to successfully transition to their neighborhood school within 18 months to two years. Students were isolated and denied opportunities to develop their
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appropriate social skills, delaying any improvement possible to transition. Most students who transfer to Focus Point never transfer back to their neighborhood school. The academic structure is based on one-size-fits-all lesson plans. Students are mixed together in a middle school class from sixth to eighth grade and ninth to 12th grade high school class. Aside from the academic structure of classes, Focus Point requires students to attend a treatment program at Pacific Clinic from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Students are not only being segregated,but they receive an inferior education and are excluded from participating in extracurricular activities. “Students do not have opportunities to participate in PUSD-sponsored colleges, military and job informational and recruitment activities available to
students in the neighborhood high schools” as specified in the classaction complaint. All plaintiffs are minors and use pseudonyms in the complaint. PUSD has done little to ensure the well-being of its students. No plan has been implemented in Focus Point Academy or neighborhood schools to respond to students’ behavior. Students who are placed in neighborhood schools are not given the treatment they need and as a result, are sent back to Focus Point. Plaintiff Sam Doe, 14, has attended Focus Point since fifth grade in 2011. He is now in the ninth grade and diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and has made no academic progress over the last four years. Doe, as many of the plaintiffs, was sent to “the boring room,” a place where students are placed in isolation as a punishment.
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Feature
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016
Student takes missionary work to Iraq BY STEPHANIE GUEVARA Staff Writer Raul Manzo’s most recent missionary trip to Iraq was driven by his passion in sharing the good news to broken and hopeless hearts. East Los Angeles College student Manzo had the desire to go to Iraq since his trip to Thailand, where he met another missionary who spoke about an opportunity to go to Iraq.    Manzo gave moral and spiritual help to the Iraqi refugee camps, located in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. Manzo said he had never seen so much sorrow in a people’s faces. “When I looked into (the refugees’) eyes, I saw fear and hopelessness, just blank looks,� Manzo said. The refugee camps in Iraq are composed of two different peoples, internally displaced people  and foreign refugees. Both of these groups have been forced to live within these camps because the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have taken control of southern Iraq and neighboring countries. Manzo was surprised with how quickly the Iraqi people opened up to him and to the message of hope he brought. Most of the refugees were people of wealth, but when ISIS took over, they had to leave everything behind and flee. Manzo brought people clothing, since it was winter when he was there. When Manzo provided spiritual guidance to the refugees, they felt a peace that they hadn’t felt in a long time. This was reflected in the refugee children, he said. “I taught the refugee kids how to ride a skateboard, which brought joy to the kids,� Manzo said. Although the refugees from Dohuk were open to Manzo, another group of refugees gave Manzo what he thought was a life-threatening
COURTESY OF JACQUELINE GONZA-
BIBLE STUDY—Raul Manzo gives a lecture to the members of Calvary Chapel Montebello on the book of Malachi where he speaks about the significance of a verse during the Awakening Service given on Sundays.
experience. Manzo visited another refugee camp of the Yazidi people, but when he was with the children, several men entered the room. “I thought these men were from ISIS. I feared for my life in that
moment because those men were speaking in their language, which I didn’t understand, and one of those men confronted me face-to-face,� Manzo said. In that moment of fear, Manzo thought he was going to die and
began to say a prayer. To Manzo’s surprise, those men were guards of the camps, and since they didn’t know who Manzo was, they went to supervise what he was doing. Manzo says the Yazidi people are the most threatened groups
of Muslims. Since their religious practice is slightly different, they are some of the first victims of ISIS. Although the Yazidi people slightly welcomed Manzo, they didn’t completely open up to him. “It was hard for them to open up
because they completely don’t trust anyone,� Manzo said. Manzo says that sharing many scriptures from the Bible gave the refugees peace and serenity. “I shared with them John 3:16 (For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life) and they received it very well. The majority of them had never heard of this before,� Manzo said. Manzo’s experience in Iraq impacted him and changed his perspective of suffering. “I learned that there are broken hearts everywhere, but here in America, we know how to hide our sadness so well that others don’t even know we are suffering inside. In Iraq, those people cannot hide their sadness because there is danger everywhere and everyone is in the same condition,� Manzo said. Manzo’s experience in Iraq inspired other members from Calvary Chapel Montebello, where he is an assistant pastor. Johnny Carlier, a member of CCM, said Manzo had courage in going to these places and sharing the good news with the refugees. “He expressed this experience with the Yazidi people and I think he is brave for doing what he does,� Carlier said. Amanda Simmons, a member of CCM, says that Manzo spoke of his experience with great joy and that was admirable to her. Manzo has many members at CCM who admire him and wish to go with him on missionary trips. Manzo will not stop his mission in sharing the good news to others with broken hearts. For his next trip he will go to Israel and visit different sites of where his faith began. In the interest of full disclosure, adviser Sylvia Rico-Sanchez, along with staff member Bryce Ronquillo, are members of CCM.
Where earning a bachelor’s degree meets
“I want to transfer today!�
CN/GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO
ROUND TABLE—The History Circle shares personal experiences after taking attendance in room 219 of the F7 building Thursday.
New club has history BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer
The History Circle is not a brand new club. The History Circle emerged from the ashes of its former club and is beginning to get its bearings back. The original club began in 2009 with professor Robert Arias as the adviser. However, Arias suffered from a stroke and the club ceased activity for three years. The students wanted to bring it back, so East Los Angeles College students Rafa Tapia, Mario Gonzalez and Professor Carlos A. Ramirez started it up again last spring semester. They had to go through the process of restarting the club and getting recognized by Associated Student Union. The school believed the club was still active after 2012, but had ceased activity since there could not be a replacement found for Professor Arias at the time. Gonzalez said that they had to follow protocol and they needed to be represented in ASU. With all of that finished, they have more time to focus on what the club
will do. This semester, Mario Gonzalez is the president or consul, Rebecca Galvan is the vice-president or proconsul and both Professor Ramirez and Professor Arias are co-advisors. The club also has a treasurer, Giovanni “Gio� Malta, a senator, Zuri Lopez-Sanchez, a tribunal, Katherine Le and an alternate, Johanna Calderon. Gonzalez hopes to have a reenactment of how slave ships were transported to the Americas. The plan is to put students in the positions of slaves while they were on the ship. They want to show the cruel way slaves were transported and the way they were treated. Something like this takes planning, and before they can do anything, the club must speak with the dean about going through the proper channels to do this. Then they must go to the athletic department because the club wishes to use the football field for its reenactment. The History Circle is optimistic and hopes to have this event toward the end of the semester, but needs more people to join, so they can have enough people for the reenactment. The club would also like to plan field trips to other colleges.
The club is looking for new members, and students don’t have to be history majors to join. They are an inclusive club and will take in anyone who wishes to join and is interested in history. Some of the club’s goals are to show people that history is not boring and can be as interesting as anything else. Gonzalez says a reason for the club’s existance is so that students can develop friendships and build networks. Another reason is so that the professor can connect with his students better. Professor Arias mentioned how having an instructor connect with the students is part of the professors job, not the administrators. As of now, they are still organizing and experimenting with what to do at meetings. At their meetings, they have open discussions about anything that is going on with the students’ lives. It doesn’t have to be about history in particular, but can be anything a student would like to share. After this, the club discusses plans they have for the future. The History Circle meets on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. at the F-7 building in Room 219.
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Arts
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2015
5
L.A Zine Fest highlights local creatives BY JOHANNA CALDERON, MEGAN G. RAZZETTI AND DIEGO LINARES Staff Writers The 5th annual L.A Zine Fest showcased a Writer diverse selection of local publishers Staff at the packed Majestic Downtown on March 7. The fest brings together a community of artists, educators, musicians, writers and students who collectively transform their ideas into realities through zine-making. Zines are short, inexpensive, handmade publications that often feature unconventional subjects. East Los Angeles College student Kristen Huizar was among 200 artists chosen out of the 500 entries to display and vend at the festival. Huizar is a studio art major who uses her zine “La Virgen” to portray women in a different light. “It’s like a way of empowering women,” said Huizar. “When I draw them, I draw the shine around them because we’re all different and special in various ways. No matter what you say to us, demean us, we’re always going to shine.” The Elan went on to mention that she thought it was awesome that there was diversity among the vendors, with the table across from her being anarchists who were giving away free zines and people who came from out of state doing the same. Self-published zine creators and distributors created a diverse inviting space to share their work with the public.
The fest gave a safe platform for people who want to be identified as how they feel internally and tend to face discrimination for how they represent themselves. Some artists even touched on how society views beauty based on ideas generated through advertisement in mass media. Former ELAC student and punk rock musician Alice Bag had a table set up with her own previously published books, based on her growing up in East Los Angeles. Bag also had copies of a short zine she made along with Sofia Velasquez entitled “Beauty,” which featured a short reclamation of beauty to one’s own concept of it. Rudy Bleu of the Chicano-queer Maricon Collective, incorporates the message of body positivity with men in his work. “Especially like with men, gay men, we have issues with our bodies because we are shown what is supposed to be desirable, with muscle and lean bodies. So I’m just trying to show different types of bodies and putting it out there,” Bleu said. Panels, readings and workshops were also held at three neighboring locations including The Last Bookstore. Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition also helped provide approximately 30 bikes racks to make transportation to the fest easier and more efficient.
Lamar goes untitled BY MARCUS CAMACHO Staff Writer
CN/MEGAN G. RAZZETTI
MONOCHROMATIC DREAM— Rebecca Peloquin curated “WITCH,” an eerie black-and-white colored zine composed of submissions by artists and poets presented with other works at the 5th annual L.A Zine Fest on March 7.
Zine captivates through collaboration BY DORANY PINEDA Staff Writer The eerie black-and-white cover of Rebecca Peloquin’s curated zine, published by Repel Industries, summons a rather unsettling feeling in the gut: a stack of wood lays surrounded by trees, and the word “WITCH” hovers in bold, black letters above it. What is most capturing about “Witch” is the monochromatic, black-and-white visuals within it. It contains mostly drawings and photographs of women representing the various understandings of “witch” as defined in the opening page, with poems accompanying several of them. There is, for instance, the image
of a woman covered in paint that appears to be ascending from the ground, alongside a poem by Tiana Marie personifying each of the four classic elements as super powerful, seductive women who are unapologetic in “all of (their) strength and honesty” and destruction. One could perhaps interpret this image, shot by Bryce Darlington, and its adjacent poem by Marie as expressing the nature of the witch as a woman with “malignant supernatural powers.” Then there is the image of the naked, pregnant mother sitting in a candlelit room with a skull between her legs and her children at her side, with the caption, “We are the granddaughters of all the witches
you were never able to burn” lining the top. It is a stunning and haunting photograph by Aurelie Davis that captures not only the phantom of a period’s history of witch hunts, but the concurring vulnerability and strength that women faced and continue to sustain. As alluring as many of the individual images are and as poignant as some of the poetry is, the zine as a whole lacks cohesion. Its layout feels randomly assembled and some of the images feel inconsistent with its “WITCH” theme. The photograph of several out-of-focus telephone poles and the in-focus water droplets feel completely unrelated to the vast majority of the work. Though visually appealing,
the zine could have improved by showcasing a more consistent series of images and poetry that referred back to the prologue of the zine. That is to say, works that further express, elaborate and redefine the first three definitions of this enduring figure. The inspirations are of a Witch is a woman with malignant supernatural powers, who is ugly and dying, who is alluring and charming but who is multifaceted and complex in all her darknesses. Yet, for creating and assembling the “Witch” in just a few short weeks, Rebecca Peloquin leaves a strong impression not only for her curatorial work, but for donating all the zine’s proceeds to Planned Parenthood.
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Kendrick Lamar released his first album, “Untitled Unmastered” since winning a Grammy for Best Rap Album for “To Pimp A Butterfly.” The album is a compilation of unreleased demos Lamar recorded when he was making the album, “To Pimp A Butterfly.” “Untitled Unmastered” continues the exploration of politicallycharged and psychological themes that were displayed in “To Pimp A Butterfly.” An example of his psychological theme was on “Untitled 05 | 09.21.2014." when Lamar says “Studied the son of God but still don’t recognize my flaws/I guess I’m lost, the cost of being successful is equal to being neglectful/I pray my experience helps you.” Lamar, who usually has a WestCoast inspired rap style and beats, experimented with free jazz, avantgarde and funk styles. Lamar worked with artists who are known for different genres, like Thundercat, who is a multi-genre bass player that records jazz fusion and funk styles, to experiment and help create different styles. Lamar’s talent shines as his raps flowed to the different types
of genres. Lamar kept the “Untitled” theme going by naming his eight-track setlist “Untitled” followed by the dates they were recorded. The album gives a refreshing take on his music and shows a different view of his talents. Lamar takes rap and incorporates it with other genres and makes great music. “Untitled 3 | 5.28.2013.” makes the listener think because he expresses how he felt when he first came into the music business and the politics in the industry. Lamar mentions how society has been separated into groups and how those groups are drawn to materialistic things. In the song, he mentions his first time in the industry and how a man just wanted to take advantage of him for the money. "Untitled 02 | 06.23.2014." has a great beat and a great rap flow. The song shows his struggle with living in the world with hate as well as his struggle with choosing to be bad and indulging in materialistic things. The album features vocals from Terrace Martin, Thundercat, Bilal, SZA, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Punch and Cee-Lo Green. The album is available for purchase on iTunes and available to stream on Spotify.
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SPORTS
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9 2016
Women’s basketball into final four
Men’s basketball season ends BY DAN GUDINO
BY DAN GUDINO
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
The men’s basketball season ended in a loss at No. 1 Saddleback College, 68-58, on March 5. The loss marked the end of a historical season for the Huskies. East Los Angeles College attained the best overall record in school history at 26-4, surpassing the 1972-1973 season. Through the season, ELAC was able to go on a school record 12-game win streak. “I’m really proud of these guys. I know we need to lock into the details. We’ll continue to learn in order to reach our goals as a program. They made history in many ways and I’m excited for their future,” ELAC head coach John Mosley said. ELAC struggled to rebound against Saddleback’s bigger line-up. Saddleback played a majority of the game with two big men in at the same time. The Huskies were out rebounded 48-33. Mosley has been in the playoffs in each of his four seasons at ELAC.
The women’s basketball team made it back to the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship final four after it’s victory March 5 over Mount San Jacinto College, 76-65. The back-to-back appearance into the final four was sparked by a complete team effort against MSJC. The Huskies battled through the worst second quarter of the season, only scoring four points as MSJC scored for 21 points. “They thought we were going to lie down and take the loss, but that was not going to happen,” East Los Angeles College sophomore guard Jasmine Gates said. “We had to realize we drove two hours to get to San Jacinto and we did not want to take that long drive back knowing we did not have another game.” The Huskies scheduled 19 games away from ELAC to help them get accustomed to playing on the road. “The crowd was a factor, we probably had 15 people in the crowd (at MSJC) and their whole gym was packed. It was crazy. What was amazing was when we made the whole crowd quiet with the score shifting in our direction. At that point, it felt we had more fans than they did,” Gates said. ELAC will take one more road trip to Livermore to play at Los Positas College to face the No. 1 team in the north, San Francisco
Sports Briefs
CN/DIEGO LINARES
IT TAKES TWO—Sophomore forward Jessica Sanchez (42) looks for a pass from freshaman guard Tiffani Martinez (2) in the South Gym against Santa Ana College. College. Last year ELAC made it to the final four, but was stopped by the eventual 2015 champion Chabot College. “We’re excited of the opportunity. Last year we came out a little nervous. It’s part of the reason why we scheduled so many games out of ELAC. If you look at our record, we actually have a better record on the road than we do at home,” ELAC head coach Bruce Turner said. Fighting nerves, according to
many ELAC players, will be a factor in the beginning of the game, but once in the game, it always goes away. “I’m not nervous yet, but when it comes to game time, I’m sure I’ll be nervous. I don’t have anything to calm my nerves once I’m in the game. The nerves always get out. You get them out by just playing the game,” freshman guard Allissa Gomez said. ELAC players are constantly reminded of the loss last year to
Baseball: Production continued on the diamond last night in a 6-4 victory v. El Camino College. The Huskies are on a three-game win streak and will face ECC for two more games, tomorrow at 2 p.m. and on Saturday at noon.
Chabot by coach Turner. “We are tired of it. Coach is always bringing up last year’s team. We’re tired of being compared to last year’s team. We are not they. We are a totally different team, a totally different roster; everyone on our team is mostly a freshman, but we’re proving coach wrong, little by little,” sophomore guard Yasmine Tweedy said. Experiencing the final four will be new for many on the ELAC roster. “I feel like the first game of the
playoffs knocked out all the nerves. I’m just going to have fun. I feel like just having fun. We got here to this point by keeping a positive attitude,” Tweedy said. Living up to the potential of last year’s team will not be a goal. It will instead be focused on creating its own story. “This a new season. We have our own potential, and that is exactly what we’ve done. We got this. I’m confident in our team,” freshman Kamara Smith said.
Softball: Winners of three weekend contests will host two games this week. Today v. Long Beach City College & Thursday vs. Pasadena City College at 3 p.m.
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“We’ll continue to learn in order to reach our goals as a program.They made history in many ways and I’m excited for their future,” JOHN MOSLEY Head Coach
Track and field: Cesar Santiesteban won the men’s shot put at the Cerritos Track & Field Opener. He took second in the javelin. Track & field continues Friday at Occidental Distance Carnival, an all-day event.