OPINION Mr.Flowers endorse presidental candidate
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Volume 73, Issue 23
NEWS
FEATURES
ELAC celebrates animation, honors legendary animator
New club looks to motivate photographers
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Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
www.elaccampusnews.com
Sanders campaigns at East Los Angeles Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders emphasized the importance of the California primary, while addressing supporters at Lincoln Park Monday. “Progressives and Democrats win when people are energized, and are prepared to stand up and fight,” Sanders said. He also said his campaign has energy and enthusiasm, which will result in a large voter turnout on June 7. According to recent polls, the Senator from Vermont is behind Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton in delegate support, which makes California's 475 democratic delegates vital to his campaign. During Sanders’ speech, which lasted close to 40 minutes, he addressed what his campaign represents and how government fails to represent citizens. “What this campaign is about is fundamentally changing national priorities, and changing the way our government works and the way our economy works,” Sanders said. “It is not acceptable to me, nor I think to you, that we have a government in Washington today more concerned about representing wealthy campaign contributors than the needs of ordinary Americans,” Sanders said. Sanders also talked about immigration reform, increasing the minimum wage and creating universal healthcare. When attendees were let in at 9 a.m., some stayed close to the entrance, holding signs and cheering people on as they made their way to the baseball diamond where the stage was set. “He’s really tackling issues that affect our families and people that live in these communities, (the East Los Angeles area)” Adriana Flores, a former ELAC student said. Flores, along with bandmate Bryan Ponce, performed with their band, The Altons, at the rally before speakers took the stage. Ponce explained that Sanders appeals to him because he is talking about issues
he learns about in school. Ponce and Flores spoke on how people should stop conforming and start being more involved in the political process. Both are psychology majors. Flores transferred to California State University from East Los Angeles College. Among Sanders’ supporters was Jesus Chuy Garcia, who recently ran for Mayor of Chicago. Garcia lost the election to Rahm Emanuel, however, he gained a lot of support including the support of Sanders. ELAC student Claudia BlauserSanchez, a volunteer for Unidos de Bernie, and her son Elias Powell, spoke first at the rally about why she supports Sanders. After the rally, Sanchez explained that this was the first time she has been active in volunteering for a presidential candidate. She also said that she has been listening to Sanders and following his career for the last three years. “I was always into politics, but when he announced he was running for the presidency, I was all in,” Sanchez said. Sanders has publicly criticized the electoral system and said he would change the way campaigns are funded if elected president. Sanders said his campaign has been funded through small donations, with the average contribution of $27. “We believe in an old-fashioned concept called democracy. One person, one vote,” Sanders said. He called ‘Citizens United’ a “disastrous” decision. ‘Citizens United’ is a supreme court ruling passed in 2010 that allows corporations to invest unlimited amounts of money on campaigns. He said it was unacceptable that “billionaires are buying elections”. Sanders has also said he would work toward providing students with free college and improving the education system. Sanders’ critics have called his policies on education and healthcare expensive and unsustainable. In an interview on the Today show, Clinton questioned Sanders’ knowledge on issues central to his campaign. For photos of the event visit elaccampusnews.com.
had a quick election for co-chair, which was won by Hernandez and Alvarado. ESGC approved the proposal for committees to conduct selfevaluations. According to a recommendation from a report from Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, ELAC should have a three-year replacement cycle for its computers. During the meeting, ESGC approved Technology Planning Subcommittee’s (TPSC) proposal on a computer replacement plan. The TPSC proposed recommendations on designating K5 and K7 buildings for the School of Continuing Education, E1126 as the Welcome and Support
Resource Center and D7A as the Transfer Center. Although it’s still a work in progress, ESGC decided that the proposal will be resolved in the next meeting. “This is a governing committee that has various representatives and students who can participate through their elected ASU officers or they also can participate by observing. There are members here who are not on the board or the committee but they came here to listen and discuss,” Benavides said. Students, faculty and staff can view ESGC previous agendas at http://www.elac.edu/facultyStaff/ committees/sharedgovernance/ index.htm.
BY IVAN CAZARES AND MEGAN G. RAZZETTI Staff Writer
CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA
CN/STEPHANIE GUEVARA
BALL IN PLAY—Shortstop Alizah Mayagoitia (left) and first baseman Ashley Day, practice on their hitting skills and defensive skills at the softball field on Monday for the last practices of the semester.
Softball senior class to sign scholarships BY BRYCE RONQUILLO AND STEPHANIE GUEVARA Staff Writer Sophomore softball players Ashley Day, Byanka Diosdado, Jocelyn Macias, Alizah Mayagoitia, Melanie Ruelas and Sujey Zamuido will be transferring to four-year universities in the fall on athletic and academic scholarships. “When I recruit athletes, my goal is to transfer them to universities,” head coach Erika Blanco said. “It was nice to keep my promise and transfer these girls out.” First baseman Day will be receiving a full academic scholarship to Azusa Pacific University. She will try to make the softball team as a walk on. She attended California State University, Los Angeles out of high school, but missed playing softball, so she transferred to East Los Angeles College. “Freshman year, I lacked confidence in myself. This past year I gained so much confidence in my game because of the support from the coaches and players. That’s why I don’t regret leaving CSULA to come to ELAC,” Day said. Throughout her sophomore year, she had a .315 batting average, 28 RBI and hit 2 homeruns. “If Day hits the ball like I know
she can she will have no problem making the APU roster,” Blanco said. “It is amazing that she is getting this opportunity. APU is a great school for her.” Another player that will be going to school for academics is shortstop, Mayagoitia. Mayagoitia also went to CSULA after high school but missed playing softball. “I had all my units at Cal State L.A. and I was playing softball over here,” Mayagoitia said. Mayagoitia said that if she wasn’t playing softball, she would have earned her bachelor's degree. “It was absolutely worth it. I love my team. It was the best two years of college I’ve had,” Mayagoitia said. “Alizah is a great kid, she was always focused on her academics. I really wish she could’ve played at the next level, but I understand she needs to focus on school. She has a very bright future,” Blanco said. Outfielders Ruelas and Zamudio will be attending the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey on athletic scholarships. “There was a school in New York that was recruiting me, but it was expensive and I did not want to go by myself. Then I heard of CSE and Sujey was going too, so I figured ‘Why not go together?’” Said Ruelas. Ruelas started her career at
Los Angeles Valley College but the distance was an issue so she transferred to ELAC. During her freshman year, Ruelas had to overcome a broken nose that had her sidelined. “I thought it would put me behind, but it forced me to work harder to come back. I thank all the coaches for helping me through it,” Ruelas said. “Melanie is a tough, feisty, utility player. You could put her at different positions and she will be successful,” Blanco said. Zamudio came to ELAC instead of Long Beach City College to stay closer to her home in Bell. She faced adversity when she wasn’t getting playing time her freshman year. She said her hitting is what struggled and over the offseason she improved and earned a starting position. “Su (Zamudio) was at the bottom of the line-up and ended the season with one of the highest batting averages on the team,” Blanco said. “She is a consistent player and will be very successful at the next level.” Catcher Macias will be transferring to Sterling College in Kansas on an athletic scholarship. Macias said the decision to leave home was very difficult for her to make because she would be leaving her mother and siblings. She said her mother told her
to chase her dreams of playing softball and not let anything hold her back. “I am like a mother figure to my siblings,” Macias said. “I’m going away to school to prove to my siblings that they can achieve anything because I did.” Macias has Attention Deficit Disorder and often has severe trouble paying attention and remembering information from class. “I had amazing support from my family, teachers and teammates. Without them I wouldn’t have been eligible to play softball,” Macias said. Pitcher Diosdado will also transfer to Sterling College in Kansas. Diosdado will live with Macias, but said it will be her first time living without her parents. Diosdado said she pushed herself in achieving because her sister, who is a single mother, was her motivation. “My sister was my motivation during my time at ELAC. I wanted my sister to see me succeed so she can get some motivation to succeed, despite being a single mother,” Diosdado said. The six players will be signing with their universities at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the softball field. Family, friends, and ex-high school coaches of the players will be in attendance.
ELAC undergoes changes to benefit students, campus, staff BY ROGELIO ALVAREZ Staff Writer
East Los Angeles College Shared Governance Council held a meeting last Monday to discuss different proposals and reports on various topics concerning the campus. “This is a committee that is representative of various committees so that we may have more collaboration and inclusion in a coherent plan of action for the campus,” vice president of student services and special programs Julie Benavides said. ELAC president Marvin Martinez presented Paulina
News Briefs
Palomino as the new ELAC Dean of Student Success. The meeting began with the Speech Team presenting its first place prize from the 2016 Phi Rho Pi National Competitive Speaking Tournament for Community Colleges. Associated Student Union president Romel Lopez invited ELAC student and secretary of Students for Equal Rights Club Martha Pool to propose ideas on a resource center for undocumented students. “I think it’s really important to have the student representative be there to listen to the various proposals and problems that the school faces because it affects us. I need to be there to speak up and
to talk about why certain services should be implemented in school,” Pool said. Pool was one of the students protesting for an undocumented student resource center. “We brought awareness but we also brought more faculty and staff members to talk about undocumented students. In a previous (ESGC) meeting they mentioned they’ve been trying to advocate for undocumented students, but I’m undocumented myself and I have never heard about any services they’ve been planning until I started attending the meetings,” Pool said. Lopez also discussed updates on Metro’s Student Transit Pass. Currently, the Metro student pass is
$43 and students must be enrolled in at least eight units. Lopez proposed using ASU funds to lower the cost for students. Instead of buying the pass at a Metro center, Lopez said ASU is working on having students purchase the pass at the fiscal office and received a bus pass sticker on student IDs. ESGC received a weekly project update that had information on the construction being conducted on campus. The Science Career and Mathematics building is scheduled to be completed on August 16. Edward Alvarado and Jeff Hernandez are the co-chairs for ESGC and led the discussions during the meeting. The first half of the meeting
State champions
Theater Department
Last issue
The East Los Angeles College Badminton team won the State Championship on May 13 at Pasadena City College.
The East Los Angeles Theater Arts Department showcases “Six characters in Search of an Author” by Luigi Pirandello. The last showings will be Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. General entrance is $10, at the door $12 and ASU discount is $8.
This is the last issue of the spring 2016 semester. Campus News will return in the fall semester. To keep up-to-date, visit elaccampusnews.com.
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Opinion
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
Mr. Flowers endorses impactful candidate BY ROBERT FLOWERS Staff Writer All hail Giant Meteor! He is the only option. While surfing online for por… I mean, algorithms, I received an email from an old childhood friend who was running for president. We talked about por… I mean algorithms and found out we both enjoy Asian algorithms. After a few hours of catching up, my friend asked me to endorse him for president. Obviously I couldn’t turn my friend down, definitely since he was offering the vicepresidency to me. So, as of that moment, I have decided to endorse my friend, Giant Meteor as president of the United States of America. Giant Meteor’s the most reliable person I know. His politics are s i m p l e : H e a l t h c a r e - T O TA L WORLD DESTRUCTION. Minimum wage- TOTAL WORLD DESTRUCTION. The war on drugsTOTAL WORLD DESTRUCTION. Diplomacy- TOTAL WORLD DESTRUCTION. Police brutalityTOTAL WORLD DESTRUCTION. Immigration- TOTAL WORLD DESTRUCTION… and free tacos. As the vice-president candidate of Giant Meteor, I promise to uphold every promise he offers, along with some others of my own creation. I promise to love every beautiful woman in the States before November. I’m dedicated enough to do anything for Giant Meteor to become president. That is the type of men we are. I promise to take every child to Disneyland come December (ha!). I promise to adopt every shelter animal come January (ha ha!). And I promise to fly to the moon and prove the moon is made of cheese come February (ha ha ha!).
They are very simple politics compared to the other major candidates. Donald Trump, an (allegedly) psychopathic idiot and closet diaper-wearer, Hillary Clinton, an (allegedly) perpetual liar and underworld queen, and Bernie Sanders, an (allegedly) all together
good man with a great personality. Trump’s views are extremely simple (allegedly) deport everyone in the country so he can walk around the States and finger paint in his diaper all over the place. Those are the underlying politics he believes in, if you have never truly
followed his political logic until this point. Trump will (allegedly) deport everyone and everything if he becomes president in November. Just imagine. You're off in who-the-hell-knows, Egypt come January, while Trump is lying in your old bed, finger painting on your
old walls in pink and yellow, while you're fighting against the curse of the pharaoh and having to watch your family be eaten by mummies. Is that fair? No. That’s why Giant Meteor is the better candidate. Clinton’s views are a little more complex than Trump’s; (allegedly) sell everyone in the States for her own profit. Personally, I’m not too keen on slavery in this era. Although fighting for my freedom as a gladiator is on my bucket list, I’d prefer to do it at my leisure. And there is the possibility that I might be forced into a brothel. I might be a little too shy to be doing algorithms in public. So, obviously Giant Meteor’s views are better than Clinton’s are. Sanders’ views are the best among the candidates; (allegedly) build a Utopia by creating Robocops that can sense whenever someone plans to do anything bad and kill them. (Allegedly) this project will be called “Rise of the Fist.” (Allegedly), during testing, for some reason the Robocops only killed Caucasian people even when they were non-threatening. As a major supporter of the Black Panthers party back in the day, I feel that this may be part of some nefarious plan, but I really don’t care. Giant Meteor doesn’t care about race or peace or anything else, so obviously he is the better candidate. So when you go down to vote come November, remember: “Just End It Already!” We have no other choice in the matter. We’ll either be (allegedly) deported by some idiot, (allegedly) sold into slavery by underworld mafia, gang, yakuza queen or (allegedly) be forced into a civil war by some extremely nice evil villain. I’d rather gamble with certain death than the ensuing chaos. But that’s my own opinion (allegedly).
LGBT community stands against anti-gay laws BY CHRISTOPHER JIMENEZ Staff Writer The anti-gay laws such as HB2 in Mississippi and North Carolina have sent a great movement against both states . The Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act in North Carolina has impacted the transgender community, as they can only use restrooms based on their biological sex. Also, Mississippi passed a law in which a person of the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community can be denied access to a business’ restrooms, can be fired from any job and can be denied permission to rent or buy any property. Both Governors Phil Bryant and Pat McCrory signed these acts and went into effect. Target, the first retail store to have transgender restrooms, has driven extremely religious people to chaos. There have been videos of Christian and Catholic groups shouting and disturbing customers, employees and people who support
transgender equality. The people who are with this movement do not understand how difficult it is for the LGBT community to have the rights and equality they have fought for. There have been recent cases of children being raped because of the transgender restrooms. Parents must stop and think and ask themselves. “Should I leave my five-year-old child alone in the restroom?” Instead of boycotting Target for wanting equality for all, parents and religious groups must understand, it is a change we must go along with. That is how we will stand together and know peace. The transgender community and Target cannot be the ones to blame for the rape cases of children, women and men. The problem they have with trangender bathrooms is having those who want to cause harm, take advantage of this and cause tragic problems, such as rape. There have been over 3,400 cases of child rape in churches since 2004, and those are just what we know. There may be more. More than 700,000 people
pledged to boycott Target for their transgender restroom policy in North Carolina. This was led by the Christian activist group, American Family Association. It is a shame that we cannot grow as a community and fight those who try to hurt us. We are offended by the smallest issues in life, and that is honestly making us feel weak. The real issues going on are the abuse, horrific comments and threats toward transgender people. There are studies of transgenders committing suicide because they are shunned for their lifestyle. I believe we should have transgender restrooms everywhere, in colleges, workplaces and stores like Target. This will not happen because of hardcore Christian activist groups and their views against equality for all. Our sexual preferences do not and will never define our personality in this world. We should not declare many priests as holy humans, because they do not understand how to raise a family and being a hardworking citizen, because with their religious
practices has many of they pay no taxes and raise no families. Transgenders know how it feels to be hardworking citizens in this society, to raise a family and have sexual intcourse and know the feeling of being in love. Target should be proud to be the first big retailer to accept transgenders as they are, for who they are. This will not stop them. It also should not stop other retailers from understanding and just giving equality to all… looking at you, Walmart. This will be progress and a reason for many transgenders to come out of their shells and embrace that change is coming. Many celebrities oppose this awful law. Artist Bruce Springsteen cancelled a show in North Carolina because of the act. He sent out a statement on this Facebook page, “Some things are more important than a rock show.” One of the biggest TV hosts, Ellen Degeneres, also spoke out about about the law. There is a video of her on her website ellentube.com. She is a lesbian and this is something she
took very seriously and personally. We must all take it personally, because we are discriminating against human rights, not gay rights. The transgender community has hit a tough road from the start. If they can marry, why not have netrual abthrooms, with the sex they defined themselves? We have become a nation where we are offended by someone’s way of life. Many see the LGBT community as enemies of the country, but that is untrue. There are rapists, thieves, murderers and untrustworthy people who have hurt this nation’s people. These people try to cause harm to those who want to get by in life, and become a part of society. Transgender people are everyday people like you and I, just trying to get by in this life. We cannot make them suffer because of their sexual orientation. They must not be treated as less than human. They are our friends, neighbors and workers. It is inhumane to see people who chose to become transgender, because of our belifes. The trangender people deserve to have netrual bathrooms.
Coping with the death of a loved one BY DIEGO OLIVARES Staff Writer To lose someone who’s close to you can be one of the most painful feelings a person can experience. This is something that can occur to anybody at any point of his or her life. Be honest, it’s an event that we all have to deal with, as painful as it sounds. Many of us go through life without thinking about the time a loved one could pass. There’s an innocent thought that our loved ones will be around for a long time. In reality, this thought is not true. Death is something that could strike at any moment. Imagine waking up one day and everything is going well. Work is fun for a change, you’re hanging with friends, in short, it's a happy day. Then a family member or friend
comes over to your place with bad news. He or she informs you that a loved one has passed on. Suddenly a strange feeling begins to take over your body. You feel like you’re unable to move and unable to think. You want to say something, but you can’t. Some begin to deny this truth as reality. In their heads, they feel that this information has to be false, but it only takes a few moments for the truth to set in. From here, the sadness begins to enter emotions, but for others, it’s different. Depending on how close you were to the dearly departed, there might be a different reaction to the news. However, it hurts when you’re very close to the person. This is a thought that haunts me sometimes. One of my biggest fears is to lose someone close to me. I honestly would break down into complete
sorrow if this were to take place. To be a college student while something like this were to occur would be difficult. I remember when I was in middle school, I saw a documentary series about college students. One of the students in the series had lost a loved one. I remember, even at a young age, being haunted by her breaking down over the death of her loved one. The series later stated that this student took some time off to deal with her grief. She later dropped out of school. Losing a loved one during college is a tragic event. College is designed for people as a way to help begin their lives. Receiving news about the death of a friend or family member creates emotional turmoil. We come to college to start our lives and to lose someone close
brings a dark reminder that our lives will one day end. It makes me realize how precious our lives, futures and dreams truly are. I thought about this recently, as I had just come out of a dark period, myself. This included losing my uncle in April, something that tragically caught me by surprise. I was saddened by the loss and I was feeling an emotion that I’ve felt twice in my life, both during the times I’d lost both my grandmas. I felt strange for a few days, aware of my own mortality. I remember going to both East Los Angeles College and work during that period and just felt weird, and to be honest, scared. The event made me think about what I’ve done with my life and what I haven’t done yet. This was during an intense period of my life and it just made things feel more emotional. www.ELACCampusNews.com
I feel that there are ways to cope with grief. We should not go through grief alone. People should reach out to other love ones. This includes those close to the love one who has passed on. They will need all the emotional support they can get during this dark time. During this time, I’d reached out to my best friend who offered me emotional support. She told me that no matter what, we should always remain close to those we love, both friends and family. It is this advice that I offer to you all, no matter what troubles you have, always remain close to your loved ones. As mentioned before, one could never know when his or her last day could be. We have to treat each moment we have with them as close as possible like it’s the last The death of a loved one is painful and hard, and when it occurs, we must not forget about them.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Ivan Cazares MANAGING EDITOR Marcus Camacho ONLINE EDITOR IN CHIEF Julianne Obregon ONLINE EDITORS Stephanie Garibay, Diego Olivares Bryce Ronquillo ART DIRECTOR Jade Inglada FRONT EDITOR Stephanie Guevara
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News
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
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ELAC celebrates animation, honors legendary animator Guests were treated to Oscar-award winning Canadian animated short films. BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer
East Los Angeles College, Cinema Without Borders and the National Film Board presented the National Film Board of Canada Animation Day at ELAC Saturday with a tribute to Phil Roman. Banjin Tehari, the editor-in-chief of Cinema Without Borders was the organizer of the event, along with Mike Libonati, who is the head of animation at ELAC. “Every year we focus on a different section of the world. Last year we focused on Poland animated films, this year is Canadian animated films. We want to show unexposed people films they normally wouldn’t see in the U.S.” Libonati said. Roman received the Windsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award. Sarah Baisley, who served as the editor-in-chief of Animation World Network, said a few things about Roman. Roman is an animator, director and the founder of the animation studio, Film Roman. Film Roman is best-known for producing the animated shows, “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill.” Roman also received a certificate of appreciation from Cinema Without Borders. “My advice to those who want
COURTESY OF NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA
THE DANISH POET—Kaspar Jørgensen reads stories by his favorite novelist Sigrid Undset, before making a trip to Norway from the animated short film, “The Danish Poet.” The film was screened in the S2 Lecture Hall last Saturday as part of Animation Day. to make it in animation is follow your dreams. You have to believe in yourself, above all else. Think positive, smile. Dreams do come true, even for a little kid in Fresno,” Roman said. The event showed Oscar-winning short films from the National Board of Canada. “Neighbors,” created by Norman McLaren, was one of the only animated films that wasn’t animated in the traditional sense. It was a humorous live-action stop motion story of two neighbors fighting.
Language lab to celebrate end of semester BY JOSE ROJAS Staff Writer East Los Angeles College Modern Language and English as a Second Language Lab will host an event, the “End of Semester Language Mingle,” June 2 at noon in E3-170. The language lab is celebrating the completion of a successful spring semester after its grand opening in winter. All students who are currently taking a language class are invited, as well as those who are planning to take a language class in the future. Refreshments will be served with a potluck-style buffet. Students are welcome to bring a dish that they would like to share with others. There will be music, students reciting poems and a tour of the language lab. Students will have the opportunity to interact with other students who are currently taking a language class or have already taken a language class and share stories about how learning a new language has benefited their lives and tips on how to become a better speaker. “This lab is dedicated to provide instructional support to language learners. Learning a new language does not happen just by class, although it is very important, you have to immerse yourself in the culture by practicing all day, interacting with others in your target language. This kind of event promotes that.” Yangok Chu, the language lab coordinator said. Chu invites all the students who are learning a language to come to the language lab, where they can practice what they have learned, develop their skills and grow their language. “Come share in the joy of language,” Chu said. The Modern Language and ESL Lab also offers Spanish, Chinese, French and ESL tutors who will help students with their homework, study for exams or answer any doubts they have about a language. “This lab has helped me a lot in learning English. They have very efficient tools that help me improve my English skills. They have fun practice exercises and pronunciation practice days that will help you speak fluent English,” student Jian Lam said. “I work in (a) hospital where I have to interact with a lot of Spanish speakers, and taking a Spanish class has helped improve my Spanish and this language lab also helped a lot because the instructor made us do exercises on the computers that help me understand better. Also the one-on-one tutoring is great. They help you a lot,” student Alexa Lopez said. The lab is open Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 8a.m. to 5 p.m. Students are welcome to walk in at any time and start practicing their target language. For more information about this event, visit the Modern Language and ESL Language Lab in E3-170 or call (323) 4155414.
The slapstick-style comedy and the simple art effects in the background made it a great film. “The Sand Castle,” created by Co Hoedeman, was a stop motion claymation film. It was a story of a creature who emerged out of sand and began to create other creatures to build a sand castle. Like most of the films, it had no dialogue and just showed the creatures working together. The film had a sober feel to it because of the music. “ Ry a n , " c r e a t e d b y C h r i s Landreth, is a story of an animator,
Ryan Larkin, who is interviewed by Chris Landreth. The film was a three-dimensional animation that had beautiful colors that emerged from the characters’ bodies. The colors represented the emotional state of the characters. The film was impressive in that it looked real, but no motion capture was used for the film “The Danish Poet,” created by Torill Kove, was a story of two people who meet and fall in love and all the crazy things that happen, leading up to their meeting. It is all narrated and the story is
very well told. After the screenings of the short films, a panel of animators discussed the importance of animation. Bill Recinos, who is an art director, producer and art instructor, spoke about the importance of story in animation. “Don’t rely on technique, it's about telling compelling stories. Don’t limit yourselves in just your drawing skills,” Recinos said. “You can create something beautiful and abstract, but without a story, it is not memorable, just something that's pretty to look at,”
Cinzia Angelini said. Angelini has worked on animation for eleven years and is currently working on a film called “Mila.” Angelini showed some behindthe-scenes footage of the making of “Mila” at the event on Saturday and answered a few questions about the film. At the event, an announcement was made of two future dates for the next Animation Days. In 2017, Cinema Without Borders will show short films from Southeast Europe and in 2018, it will show short films from Latin America.
Katz connects with ELAC students through literature BY ELIZABETH TOY Staff Writer Author Jesse Katz shared his experiences about his career, family and cultural relations in his book, “The Opposite Field,” yesterday at the Modern Language Lab. The question and answer session hoped to bring East Los Angeles College students and faculty of diverse backgrounds together to culturally connect to each other. The book seems to be about baseball, but between the lines, it’s about fitting in, and how Katz found his place in Monterey Park, predominantly Hispanic and Asian community. Although Katz is Jewish, he admitted he hasn’t explored his own culture as much as other cultures. “If you don’t speak Spanish, I don’t know how you’re going to function,” Katz said. “Spanish is a language that makes L.A. work. Not to say other languages aren’t important, but Spanish is an essential part of where we live.” Once Katz began to speak Spanish, he saw the power and the magic of it, in communicating with community members. Students expressed that they felt connected, listening to Katz’s anecdotes. “I enjoyed the culture thing, talking about Asians,” English as a Second Language student Amelia Han said. Likewise, faculty members could relate to Katz’s struggles with language barriers. “ A s f a c u l t y, I e n c o u n t e r students with language struggles,” Respiratory Therapy professor Bunnarith Chhun said.
Chhun appreciated Katz’s writing advice, to “first, let your emotions write, write how you feel.” As an ESL student himself, he agreed that it’s important to connect with a reader first and “you can always correct writing style later.” A native of Portland, Oregon, Katz first moved to Los Angeles in 1985 for an internship for the San Gabriel Valley section of the LA Times, which was based in Temple City. “All the stereotypes people have on the outside, (that L.A.’s) superficial, everyone is having plastic surgery, you guys know very well t h a t ’s n o t Jesse really the life here,” Katz said. Though he didn’t expect to live in Monterey Park, he, his wife and their son Max made the move in 1998. Back then, “Conservative white folks who had been there for many years couldn’t and wouldn’t share their space. It was very upsetting. They felt like, ‘It’s too foreign, I’m confused, I don’t recognize this place anymore,’” Katz said. It was around this time that the influx of Asian immigrants settling into the city of Monterey Park hugely changed the local demographic.
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As a result, “thousands and thousands of white folks moved out,” Katz said. Simultaneously, 5-year-old Max was playing baseball and Katz couldn’t help but notice that the local volunteer-run baseball league was falling apart, as many of the volunteer parents were “gangster parents” who helped themselves to the league’s funds at their convenience. When Max was 9 years old, his father volunteered to become the Commissioner o f t h e Monterey Park Baseball League in La Loma Park. K a t z encountered m a n y challenges Katz in trying to establish himself and gain the trust of the community members who’d lived their whole lives in the neighborhood. Students listened as Katz described some of the challenges he’s experienced as a single parent. While Max was growing up, his father didn’t want to build too many walls around his son for fear that he might make him feel trapped. “Mostly, I just wanted him to make his own mistakes,” he said. “But I remembered when I was a kid. There are things you can’t control and there are times when you need to let go.”
Katz’s story connected with many of the students who face parenting challenges. “I enjoyed the book very much, I can connect with his feelings (as a parent),” ESL student Celia Manjaraz said. “Our children bring us together. Everyone understands the bond between mother and child and parents, even as we watch our parents grow older,” Katz said. Katz went on to address students’ questions about writing. “Sometimes we think that for others to relate to our writing, it has to be universal, but sometimes when it’s so universal, it becomes generic, so I actually think when you write about something that’s very unique and specific to a certain kind of place, that’s when the universal message gets unlocked,” Jesse said. “Jesse Katz did an excellent job of responding to questions out of left field and he truly found a way of deepening our appreciation of writing, of ESL and learning languages and of life in itself,” professor Cherie Langdell said. “The best advice I know for writers is...to write! Don't sit around and wait for the clouds to part and hand you the perfect idea. Just dive in and start telling a story. Inspiration is a byproduct of the process, not the precondition for it,” Jesse said. ESL Lab Assistant Michael Perrone was pleased by the turnout of the event. “This is our first-ever speaker event here at the language lab and we’re very proud. Mr. Katz wrote a book that can really connect with our students and the different demographics of the students,” he said.
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Feature
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
New club looks to motivate photographers BY DIEGO LINARES Staff Writer The newly-formed Foto Club gives East Los Angeles College students a place to grow and network with other people looking to get into photography. The group’s inception came this semester on the deadline of April 25, when they found out they were chartered by the Associated Student Union. Club members spent weeks forming the club, filing proper paperwork, finding students to be a part of the club and finding activities to make the club interesting. Club adviser Mike Tsai said that the club currently has the tools to boost morale, but the key is keeping the club going for incoming students. “Having a place where students enjoy coming, and enjoy being a part of, was my goal since day one. When I first came to this department, it was a ghost town. “I remember when I was in school. You couldn’t pry me away from the photo lab. The friendships that I made are lifelong friendships, and that’s what I want to see here,” said Tsai. Melissa Marinero, club president, has taken the reins
IMAGE COURTESY OF JOAQUIN GUZMAN
AT THE GRILL—Christian Arias (left) cooks meat for tacos the Foto Club is selling in the walkway heading to the East Los Angeles College P4 Parking Structure.
from the start and has become a model student others can look up to. “It seems like they found a great leader. I think she single-handedly had the most impact and effect
on the group. “I’m sure it’s because of her leadership that people are willing to follow,” Tsai said. Marinero and club treasurer
Christian Arias both said that it was a long process to become chartered by ASU, but due to interest in the group, they went ahead and took the steps to become an official club.
Arias is a proponent of extra curricular activities and is working along club members to produce experiences beneficial to students. “The department can only do so
much, so we want to bring in that extra education, workshops (and) guest speakers. “We’re trying to have a student exhibition show, not like the one from (the Vincent Price Art Museum), but strictly photography. So, hopefully students can get motivated,” Arias said. Marinero said the gallery would be a way of instilling confidence in people who are taking photos for classes and not feeling like it’s just another homework assignment. “You don’t take yourself seriously, because you don’t think it’s any good, or you don’t see what you can do with it outside of your class. “You’re just treating it like an assignment, you’re not seeing the true potential it could have (when) showing it to other people, or getting critiqued. That’s an important part of getting better,” Marinero said. This is the first time Marinero and Arias have been part of a club and both are working to push the learning curve along. “We’re learning as we’re going, which is cool, because we don’t exactly know what we’re doing, but we’re learning. Other people give us feedback and we’re more prone to listen,” said Marinero.
New degree to open doors Museum appoints first Latina director BY JOSE ROJAS Staff Writer
East Los Angeles College is now offering a Transfer Associate of Arts (AA-T) degree in Spanish that will help students open doors to California State Universities. This new AA-T degree in Spanish will benefit students by making them better candidates for highpaying jobs that require bilinguals. Students with this degree will also receive admission priority and guaranteed admission with junior status to the CSU system. Modern Language Department chairperson Dr. Norma Vega says the demand for a bilingual workforce is huge, but language skills need to be fully developed. “Their English is much more dominant. So when it comes to high-paying jobs in translation and interpretation, for example, many of our bilingual Latinos may not be ready for these positions, since their Spanish skills need to be more fully developed. Our program would be a great start for anyone, specifically our Spanish-speaking population, to seriously consider becoming more fully bilingual,” Vega said. Spanish is the third-most spoken language worldwide and the second
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in the United States. More than 400 million people around the world speak Spanish. It is the official language of 21 countries. “I think we, the bilingual students, needed a degree like this that (would) help us get a better job. In many cases, being bilingual is not enough. “Many companies require a degree that proves we are developed bilinguals,” student Brenda Arechigui said. There are two Spanish programs with different classes and both lead students to an AA-T degree. The first program is designed for students who have no background whatsoever in Spanish, but are interested in learning it. These non-Spanish speaker students need to take courses such as Spanish 1, 2 and 3. Vega said the vocabulary for Spanish 1 is elementary like lápiz (pencil), parque (park), and patinar (to skate). The other program is designed for the heritage speaker, which is the student who has learned Spanish at home during childhood. This student needs to start with Spanish 35, a class which is designed especially for Spanish speakers that targets areas of communication that are most challenging for U.S. Spanish-speakers. Vega said Spanish 35 explores
pretty much the same grammar as Spanish 1, but in class, students explore issues of identity and their relationship to the Spanish language. These students speak the language, but need help developing their reading and writing skills, acquiring sophisticated vocabulary and using advanced grammar. Vega said students are not challenged and can become terribly bored if they sign up for the wrong class. “Students should first come to our department to see where they should start. The current problem we have is that many of our heritage students end up taking Spanish 1, which is the wrong class. “Our Spanish 1 courses should be reserved for our Asian students, our English-speaking students, or any other student who speaks another language and not Spanish,” Vega said. Students need to take language classes, a composition class and a few Civilization and/or film classes, like Spanish 9 - Civilization of Spain, Spanish 10 - Civilization of Latin America, Spanish 16 Civilization of Mexico, or literature courses like Spanish 5, 6 and 12, which cover Mexican Literature. For more information about this AA-T degree in Spanish, people can visit the Modern Language Department in E3-100E, or go to their website at mld.elac.edu.
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BY STEPHANIE GARIBAY Staff Writer The Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College has appointed Pilar Tompkins Rivas as its new director, making her the first Latina to oversee the museum since it opened in 1957. “It’s a very exciting moment for me and my family. “I live in this community and I’ve been a fan of the Vincent Price Art Museum for a number of years,” Rivas said. Rivas applied for the position in late October, and the change became official in late March. “The hiring process is slow. They want to make sure they find the right person for the position, so I didn’t want to keep my hopes up in case it didn’t happen. I didn’t want to be disappointed,” Rivas said. Before being appointed director of the VPAM, Rivas was the coordinator of curatorial initiatives for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “When you think about the students that attend ELAC and what kind of programing can take place here, it is meaningful to have a person of color in this position. I’m really honored to fill this role,” Rivas said. Rivas was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and moved to Los Angeles 15 years ago. “I see us as having so much potential to grow. It’s a really great foundation with great history. I’d like to grow our capacity to develop ambitious exhibitions.
“I’d like to grow our collection, our museum’s connection to the campus and with the different departments here at ELAC,” Rivas said. Rivas has helped organize dozens of exhibitions throughout the U.S., Colombia, Egypt, France and Mexico.
Pilar Tompkins Rivas Rivas started working with ELAC students in 2009, when she was asked to be a guest juror for a student show at the VPAM. The winner she chose was Star Montana, who now has a solo exhibition called “Teardrops and three dots” up at the VPAM. “It’s been wonderful to see how she’s grown as an artist. I was also a Getty (Foundation) Multicultural Undergraduate Internship pup leader in the past. Star was part of that group, as were other ELAC students,” Rivas said.
Rivas has also worked with ELAC students in the art history department during her time at LACMA. Before appointing Rivas as the director, the museum had been without leadership since last summer when former director Karen Rapp left to work on independent projects. “I have a lot of ideas for exhibitions, but there other things we can also do, such as building an education program that connects with the students and the staff on campus. “We have to build our collections. And, of course, there is fundraising,” Rivas said. Rivas hopes to bring diversity to the VPAM and inspire students to achieve their goals. Rivas said that last year there was a report in United States that showed that only three percent of top positions in museums are occupied by Latinos. “It’s not just about me, but it’s about breaking through a glass ceiling, both as a woman and a Chicana. “That’s a very discouraging number. So, I do feel that I have a responsibility to do the best that I can for this museum, but also to open doors for other people to come in behind me,” Rivas said. The VPAM was established in the 1950s when actor Vincent Price donated pieces from his art collection to ELAC. The gallery was housed in different areas throughout the campus until 2011 when it was moved to its current location, a 40,000 square foot building.
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LONG WAY HOME—Nasa ET-94 space shuttle fuel tank makes its way through the streets of Los Angeles to its new home at the California Science Center on Saturday.
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Arts
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
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Comic book comes to life BY DORANY PINEDA Staff Writer
PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROTHERS
NOT SO TOUGH GUYS— Holland March, left, played by Ryan Gosling and Jackson Healy, played by Russell Crowe, talk with a bartender played by Gary Wolf as they take on a job they were both hired for in the comedy “The Nice Guys.”
Dark comedy shines through in ‘The Nice Guys’ BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer The dark comedy “The Nice Guys,” pays homage to old ‘70s buddy cop movies and brings a fresh twist to that style of filmmaking. The film stars Russell Crowe as Jackson Healy, who is a hired enforcer who beats up people for money and is trying to figure out if he is a good man. His story intertwines with Ryan Gosling’s character, Holland March, a private eye with a drinking problem. C r o w e ’s a n d G o s l i n g ’s performances are fantastic and their chemistry works very well. Crowe’s seriousness and sternness bounces off Gosling’s silliness and over-thetop reactions extraordinarily well and make a funny film. The first interaction between these two characters sets up how well these two actors work together.
Healy goes and talks with March, instead he is hired by a young girl named Amelia,played by Margaret Qualley. One of the funniest scenes in the film is when both men finally come to accept that they must work together to help a client. They both go to a protest where people are playing dead in protest to the city’s pollution. The banter between Gosling and the protesters was hilarious. One of the standout actors of the film was Angourie Rice, who plays Holly March who plays Holland’s young daughter. Her comedic timing was great and the relationship she has with Gosling and Crowe gave the film a lot of heart. Rice’s character sees things as they are and she is the only character who is a good person by nature, unlike Crowe’s character, who wants to believe he is a good person.
The writing in the film was fantastic. Shane Black and Anthony Bagorozzi set up jokes early on and those who paid attention get a nice payoff later in the film. The chemistry among Gosling, Crowe and Rice would not have worked as well as it did without the dialogue. The small things Rice’s character says and does give you all the the answers about why she acts like she does. It is the same with Gosling’s character. The movie never address Holland’s drinking problem, but you know it is there because of the other characters’ reactions to Holland wanting a drink. They also never fully address why he drinks, but enough backstory through dialogue tells you all you need to know. What's refreshing about the film is that “The Nice Guys” doesn't treat the audience like idiots and feed them everything they need to know.
The film lets the audience figure things out, which makes the film much more enjoyable, as well as making the film flow better. From the opening of the film, a viewer could tell that the 70s had influence on the film. The music and the wardrobe also fell in line with the tone of the film. What separates this film from the ‘70s is the seriousness of the film. The ongoing theme of what defines a good man plays a big part in this film. It is especially apparent in Crowe’s character. The film is a certain type of comedy and like all comedies, it is an acquired taste. The dark humor might be a turnoff to some audience members. “The Nice Guys” is one to check out. It offers good acting and a solid plot, a nice break from all the action-filled superhero films that are out right now.
AMC’s adaptation of “Preacher,” the 1990s comic book series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, kicked off its gory, gleeful and darkly comedic pilot episode on Sunday night. The series premiere opened with a scene in an African village where a preacher is giving a sermon and is suddenly, violently interrupted by some mysterious force that knocks him to the ground. As he stands in front of a crowd of believers who just witnessed what they deem a miracle, the preacher says, “I am the prophet. I am the chosen one,” and then explodes into tiny bloody bits that spew onto the faces and bodies of a terrified swarm of church-goers. At this point,the tone for “Preacher” is set. Immediately after the viewer meets Jesse Custer the Preacher ,the protagonist whom the
storyline centers on and is played by Dominic Cooper. The audience learns that Custer returns to the small town of Annville, Texas, to fulfill a promise he made to his now-deceased father, of following in his saintly footsteps. As the episode progresses, the viewer begins to learn more about the character and his religious convictions. The more exciting scenes in the pilot, however, don’t involve Custer, but a drunken Irish vampire named Cassidy, played by Joseph Gilgun, and Custer’s gun-toting ex-girlfriend, Tulip O’ Hare, who’s played fantastically by Ruth Negga. Enough happens throughout to keep viewers engaged, and the supernatural ending involving Custer and a newfound power will surely have the audience tuning in for more. “Preacher” airs Sundays on AMC at 7 p.m.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AMC
SALVATION—Jesse Custer the Preacher, played by Dominic
Cooper, brings the adaptation of the dark comedy and gore of 90s comic book series “Preacher” to a new AMC series.
Casa Garcia serves up flavor in favorite dishes BY BRYCE RONQUILLO Staff Writer Casa Garcia’s menu features a wide variety of Mexican favorites, but what has kept customers coming back for over 30 years are the “Best Nachos In Town.” The title does not disappoint. It all starts with the chips. They are homemade and super crispy: the perfect chips for nachos. The nachos are separated in three categories; Original, Super and Ultimate Nachos. The Original combines a choice of meat, cheese and guacamole. The Super adds beans and sour cream
to the mix. The Ultimate combines chile verde, carne asada, beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, onion and cilantro. The Super Nachos have the best combination of toppings. The refried beans are very flavorful and the homemade guacamole is very smooth. Jack cheese and the sour cream add the dairy component that every good Mexican dish needs to have. Casa Garcia has an excellent variety of meats to choose from. None of them are bad choices. The two meats that stand out are the chile verde and the shredded beef. The pork in the chile verde is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. This is the only meat served in the juice it
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is cooked in. The juice is very tasty with just enough spice to add flavor to the nachos. The shredded beef has a pepper flavor that separates it from the other meats. The beef is very juicy and complements the nachos well. Other meat choices are carnitas, chicken and carne asada. The most disappointing meat was the carne asada, which is average. The meat is rough and not very flavorful. This is a problem because carne asada is arguably the most popular choice of meat at any Mexican joint in Southern California. Customers are better off ordering the delicious chile verde or not getting a meat. The nachos are very affordable for students, considering the portion
size. Styrofoam containers are filled to the brim with nachos, which can feed up to two people. Originals cost between $7.25-$7.95 depending on meat choice, Supers, between $9.25-$9.95 and Ultimate Nachos cost $11.95. Half orders are also available, h o w e v e r, t h e c o n t a i n e r i s considerably smaller than the regular order, making it more like a third of the order. Prices range from $4.25-$6.95. Customers also have the option to french fries substitute for chips for an extra $1.95. Although this is a clever idea for those craving something different, the nacho chips are the better choice. The fries are thick-cut, not great
quality and get soggy quickly when paired with toppings, such as chile verde, beans or sour cream. Although the nachos are the headliner to this restaurant, Casa Garcia offers other Mexican favorites such as burritos, tacos, tortas and quesadillas. Tacos could be ordered on soft or hard-shell tortillas. The hard-shell tacos with shredded beef is the best choice. The venue can seat around 40 people, but there is no air conditioning, so it gets very hot inside. Take out is recommended, however, when the nachos sit too long in the container, the chips get soggy. They are best when eaten
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• 3rd Annual “Noche de Cultura” E L AC D a n c e D e p a r t m e n t Specialties dance recital Presented by Ballet Folklorico de East Los Angeles College and ELAC Dance Department S-2 Recital Hall Today at 7 p.m. Admission: $5 at the door • E L AC S y m p h o ny Orchestra Spring Concert May 26 8 p.m. Recital Hall S2-132 Free Admission • ELAC Symphonic Band May 27 8 p.m. Recital Hall S2-132 Free Admission
AAEDE Internship Opportunity!!! Deadline: Friday, May 27, 2016, 5:00 p.m. Minimum Qualifications: -College students pursuing an Associates/Bachelor’s Degree in any subject. -3.0 GPA or above -Academic students seeking professional training within an office, business environment. -Analytical, relationship building, and interpersonal skills are essential. -Strong organizational, written and verbal communication skills. -Attention to detail and strong follow-through. -Punctual, reliable and patient. -Passionate about the mission and values of our organization. -Flexible self-starter who can work both independently and in a team environment with a positive can-do attitude and ability to multi-task. -Comfortable developing resources and cultivating sustainable relationships internally and externally. -Working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and WordPress
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right away. Casa Garcia is often packed with people and lines are long. For customers who are looking to avoid long waits, there is a Casa Garcia app available in the Apple Store and Google Play for free. The app is very organized and easy to operate. Ordering is easiest through the app. Casa Garcia has been serving the people of Pico Rivera and surrounding areas since 1978. Now run by a third generation family, the original recipes remain the same. Casa Garcia is located at 8528 Whittier Boulevard, Pico Rivera, in a stripmall next to Cinepolis Theaters.
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SPORTS
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
Men’s basketball players move on DAN GUDINO AND BRYCE RONQUILLO Staff Writers Men’s basketball had great success in the past two seasons and it continued in the off-season with sophomores Richard Bivens and Arinze Anakwenze committing to NCAA Division I programs on May 22. Bivens is committing to Florida International University in Miami. He was part of the 2014-15 season that reached the state championship and finished as a runner-up. His decision to go east, away from home and family, stems from being comfortable away from home. Bivens is from Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield and has spent time away from his family since attending East Los Angeles College as a freshman. He found ELAC through his uncle, who knows basketball head coach J o h n M o s l e y, Richard which made the transition away from home easier. “I’m so excited for Rich (Bivens). Florida International is getting a great young man. He was part of our state run and our conference championship, so it’s well deserved because he’s been grinding really hard in the classroom,” Mosley said, “We’re truly going to miss him on and off the court.” Coach Mosley played a big role in Bivens’ attendance at ELAC. For Bivens, deciding on a school came down to where his skills, schooling and comfort level would best fit. “My mother was really happy about my decision, that’s for sure. The campus was super nice,
the people there were cool and obviously, coaching played into the situation. I’m not going to go somewhere where I don’t like a coach or I’m not comfortable,” Bivens said. Bivens will look to start at FIU right away as a junior. Distractions of Miami, according to Bivens, will not be a factor in his overall goal of taking his game to the next level and hopefully to the NBA. “I’m strictly focused on just pursuing my dream and nothing else at all. Distractions are everywhere, not just in Miami, and I’ve done it right,” Bivens said. The 6-foot-10 forward brought a lot of excitement to ELAC as this program improves every year under Mosley. ELAC finished the 2015-16 season with its best record in school history at 26-4. Bivens will be joining the likes of Aaron Cheatum from Cal State San Bernardino, Marcus Romain from Mississippi Va l l e y S t a t e , Primitivo Bivens Gomez from UC Riverside and Marquise Salomon from Utah Valley University as one of many who transfer out of ELAC. Assistant coach Darren French mentioned that players who move out of ELAC to the next level are becoming the norm. “We’re really excited about these guys moving on and that’s what it’s all about. It’s pure joy seeing (it). It’s awesome for the program, it’s awesome for the school and it says that East L.A. is a great place, not just as an athletic department, but as a school,” French said. Anakwenze is committing to Mississippi Valley State University. MVSU is located in Itta Bena,
Mississippi and is a part of the out,” Mosley said. Southwestern Athletic Conference. During his lone season at ELAC, Anakwenze said he was really he averaged six points and four attracted to the tight community of rebounds per game. Although his MVSU. statistics weren’t great, he earned a “It’s a college town. Everyone in starting position and was one of the the community hardest workers looks out for on the team. you. I always “ A r i n z e like to play in used to be an an environment o v e r - w o r k e r. where the On rest days, town is there he would seek to support. I’m extra training or really looking weight lifting. forward to it,” We (the coaching Anakwenze said. staff) had to tell Anakwenze him to slow down was being and take days off. recruited by There was a big multiple Division improvement in II schools as well his game once he as the National started to rest,” Association of assistant coach Intercollegiate Ken Hunter said. Arinze Anakwenze Athletics Anakwenze schools. He said he picked MVSU kept up his work ethic throughout because he felt comfortable that he the season, but he wasn’t always could go in right away and make an such a hard worker. impact on the court. “When I was younger, I was very Anakwenze comes from a good lazy. I took school for granted, I background. Both his parents wasn’t the best student. It wasn’t are doctors and he grew up in until my junior year of high school Palos Verdes. He graduated from that I started asking myself what John Muir High School in 2014, I wanted to do,” Anakwenze said, averaging 11 points per game and “I didn’t want to be in a situation earning second team All League where my back was to the wall and honors. He played a season at I didn’t have options.” Allan Hancock College before Anakwenze said to be successful transferring to ELAC. at MVSU, he needs to become a “There is a winning culture at better jump shooter. ELAC,” Anakwenze said, “Coach “At the (Division I) college level, Mosley made sure we played as (a) everyone needs to be able to shoot team. If you are selfish, you won’t the ball,” Anakwenze said. be able to play for him.” After college, Anakwenze has Mosley said Anakwenze was his eyes set on playing professional able to add to the Huskies’ system basketball. of play and fill-in the missing holes “Once I’m done with these two of the squad. years of college ball, my plan is to “Initially, I recruited him play overseas at a high level. The (Anakwenze) a year prior, but then ultimate goal would be to play in he transferred back in. He came the NBA, but I know I have to work here to ELAC with an intention really hard for that,” Anakwenze to grab a full-paid scholarship said. and he got it. He came in for an For the complete story go to opportunity and excelled. In and ELACCampusnews.com out of the classroom, Arinze stands
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Men’s soccer to face new opponets next season they won’t need to recruit as much. “Since we are getting the majority Staff Writer of our players, we don’t need to do With new changes and new rivals as much recruiting. We do have a in their conference, the East Los kid from Chile who is very good in Angeles College men’s soccer team the midfield. He will really help us prepares to for the upcoming season. in the season,” Flores said. ELAC is currently in the South Raygoza said the team needs to Coast Conference, which has seek goalkeepers because that is recently undergone changes this the only position they don’t have a season. returning player. Instead of having eight teams, the Returning player and conference will now international student have 10 teams as from Colombia, Rio Hondo College Alvaro Torres, said “This time we and Chaffey College the team needs to were added to the work on scoring have a lot of conference. last season returning players, because Head coach Eddie they had difficulty F l o r e s s a i d t h e which sets a good making goals. conference got more “Last season we foundation in the competitive, but had a problem of team.” ELAC should play not finishing. We better because they played good, but we have a good amount wouldn’t score as of returning players. much. We also need “Last year, we only to work on staying EDDIE FLORES had three returning focused and make Men’s soccer head coach players. This time, soccer our priority in we have a lot of order to win,” Torres returning players, said. which sets a good foundation in the Raygoza also said the team needs team. That should be a strong point a key forward who can be effective for us,” Flores said. when scoring. Flores said his main focus was to “For this season, we are looking take the team to the playoffs. for a forward who can score. It is “My goal is to take the team to the a key thing to have a guy who has playoffs and also help the players in the vision to score, which is what their academics.” we need this year,” Raygoza said. In the previous season, ELAC fell Torres also said he now knows short from a spot in the playoffs, that the team should give a good staying in fourth place of the South performance in the preseason in Coast Conference. ELAC ended order to get a spot in playoffs. their season 9-6-6. “I know that preseason is Assistant coach Ricardo Raygoza important and we have to make it also said the team should be in good count. We need to make sure we shape this time around. get the points we need, but our “We haven’t had a good amount conference also needs to do good,” of returners in a couple of years. Torres said. Two players who got injured last According to Torres, ELAC had season will also return this season, the best defense in the conference which is a good thing for us,” during preseason. Raygoza said. ELAC will start their preseason Coaches are working on recruiting against Southwestern College on new players for the season, but said August 28.
BY STEPHANIE GUEVARA
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