COURTESY OF ALEJANDRO DE LA TORRE
Volume 74, Issue 9
Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Football wins championship in conference’s inaugural season BY DAN GUDINO Staff Writer Football head coach Bobby Godinez was showered with the ceremonial Gatorade bucket after his team won the American Metro Conference championship, defeating Pasadena City College 63-17 , Saturday night at Weingart Stadium. “It feels awesome. It’s a tribute to the players, (coaching) staff, to (athletic director) Al Cone, to everybody who was a part of this. It's an awesome feeling,” East Los Angeles College Head Coach Godinez said. Husky players hugged, high-fived, shook hands and jumped with joy on the field after the game. Shouts and chants of the phrase, “East Side” were repeated in the stands and by players. The game was practically sealed into the half as ELAC went into the locker room, up 42-0 at halftime. In the first game of the season, ELAC sophomore starting quarterback Jonathan Santos showed a lot of emotion when the Huskies lost to Orange Coast College. A sense of another poor season ahead was felt by fans who said “not again.” From a 2-8 season last year to a possible 8-2 turnaround, Santos took it upon himself to turn the negative emotion into a
bowl game season. “It’s the losses in the season that push us over the edge and make us come together to play as a unit. We buy into what we preach. From the beginning we came in a saw that this was a championship team,” Godinez said. Santos threw five touchdowns in the first half and was given the rest of the night off in the second half. “I feel so good now. I never thought I could get to this situation and come here to ELAC with all these great coaches. We all believe in these coaches and the process it takes. I put the blame on me for the first loss and here we are now in the first year of this conference,” Santos said. Santos is now in the ELAC history books as he has the third most passing touchdowns in a season with 26. He is sevenpassing touchdowns shy of surpassing the leader Aaron Cantu of the 2012 season who passed for 32 TD in that season. Santos has two games to surpass Cantu. For the third straight game, ELAC had over 500 yards of total offense as it showed a no nonsense approach and continued to pile it on PCC through the game. The 63 points mark the second most points scored in a game in school history and now ELAC has 370 total points making
it the highest scoring offense in school history. The previous total was 357, scored by the 2011 team, which was the last time ELAC won a conference title. Last week, ELAC scored the most points in school history with a 70-26 win over West Los Angeles College. Special teams did its part on kick return, kick off, punt return and when it punted. The tackling was precise as it pinned PCC deep in its own territory throughout the game. Husky sophomore kicker Vicente Luis Juan, in the season has surpassed the 48-year-record for kicking the most points after the touchdown. He’s kicked 39 point-of-defenses this season, the previous record was 35, in 1968, by Gene Valencia. The special teams’ effort aided the defense and the PCC offense never got past the 50-yard line in the first half. All year long ELAC sophomore defensive end Christopher Blanton went up against 300 lbs. offensive lineman even though he is undersized for defensive lineman. His high motor approach to the game did not allow him to stop.
CHAMPIONS Continued on page 6
ELAC community welcomes new STEM facilities BY IVAN CAZARES Staff Writer Student speaker Robert Wideman thanked the East Los Angeles College community for providing students with new facilities during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Math and Science Building Thursday. He also said an improvement in student’s motivation is visible since classes started in the new building. Wideman said the proximity of labs to classrooms helps him and other students focus on their studies. The building replaced several bungalows and opened its doors to students at the beginning of the semester. It houses most science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) departments with the exceptions of archeology, astronomy, physics and nursing. The building also houses new labs, including a larger math tutoring lab. ELAC President Marvin Martinez said the building
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replacing the G8 and H8 bungalows will complete what will be called the Math and Science Complex. It will house the STEM departments that are still in bungalows. “It's a sign of respect to the students. It says ‘We, the community, are investing in you,’” Congresswoman Judy Chu said. Chu, who taught at ELAC for 13 years, said she was in awe at how much the college’s facilities have improved since she left in 2001. Prior to the completion of the Math and Science Building, most of ELAC’s STEM programs where in bungalows, some of which were built in the 1950s. Chu said the bungalows were run down and weren't equipped with air conditioning. “I know the value community colleges have for students in this area. It is a low cost way to further their education,” Chu said. She also said the state-of-the-art buildings will better prepare students for the workforce. Martinez credited Proposition 30 passed in 2012 and Measure J passed in 2008 with making it
possible to build the Math and Science Building, the E3 building and the Student Center. During an American Federation of Teachers meeting on October 6. Prop.30 increased the sales tax in California as well as the income tax on Californians whose income exceeds $250,000 a year. Measure J is a bond measure approved in 2012 that allowed the Los Angeles Community College District to borrow $3.5 billion to improve its 9 schools’ facilities. He also encouraged faculty at the AFT meeting to vote yes on Prop.55 and Affordable Education, Job Training and Classroom Safety Measure (Measure CC). Prop.55 would maintain the tax rates established by Prop.30 and Measure CC is a new bond measure put in the ballot by LACCD to fund its colleges’ projects. Martinez said Prop.30 is essential to continue the progress California’s education system has made after facing devastating budget cuts. He also said the measure is crucial to fund the Los Angeles Community College District’s construction projects.
Post- election mixer The Political Science discipline and ELAC Students for Political Awareness will host a postelection mixer tomorrow at noon to 1:30 p.m. in F7-217. Students can meet with Political Science professors to discuss election results.
CN/IVAN CAZARES
NEW ADDITION — Congresswoman Judy Chu (left), ELAC President Marvin Martinez, LACCD Board of Trustees,Vice President Sydney K. Kamlager and second Vice President Mike Fong cut the ribbon at the Math and Science Building Thursday.
“Board the Internship” Career and Job Services will hold a “Board the Internship” workshop on Nov. 30 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in E7- 313. To sign up, visit Career and Job Services in E7-176 or call (323) 4154126.
Internship opportunity The Supervisor Hilda Solis Washington D.C internship application deadline is Dec 7. The internship will have students participate in the legislative proces. For more information call Janet Huang at (323) 415-4126.
Opinion Male birth control options are scarce 2
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
BY DORANY PINEDA Staff Writer Pregnancy prevention is a twoway street, and men should also have to bear the burden of birth control. A promising hormonal injection for men was undergoing trials and generating a lot of buzz, but was cut short due to side effects that many women on birth control already deal with. Many men were left disappointed, and many more women are fed up. Many of these women on the internet are rolling their eyes--and rightly so--about the cancellation of the study due to its negative effects on male participants. What’s most frustrating isn’t the terminus of the trial due to its potentially dangerous side-effects, something many women know very much about. The part women are fed up with is that our lives are still defined by double standards: from having our expressions of pain dismissed or minimized, to having to deal with adverse effects while being called irrational or moody. A 2014 survey conducted by the National Pain Report of more than 2,000 women in pain found that three quarters of them had had a doctor tell them that there wasn’t anything they could do for them. They were told that they would have to live with chronic pain and hope that it miraculously went away on its own. Now let’s take a look at some of the possible side effects associated with several of the female birth control options approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration: Intrauterine Devices (IUDs): associated with ovarian cysts, heavy
and prolonged bleeding, headaches, pelvic or abdominal pain, and though rare, have perforated uteruses. Implanon (hormonal implant): dizziness, hair loss, weight gain, back pains, flu symptoms, high blood pressure, breast pain, changes in menstrual bleeding patterns, depression. Birth control pills: intermenstrual spotting, nausea, increased appetite, mood changes, decreased libido, vaginal discharge, bloating, blood clots, melasma (a skin condition where your face breaks out in brown spots), yeast infections, acne, breast tenderness. The list goes on.
All of these female contraceptive options are currently on the market and have been inside the bodies of 98 percent of women in the United States, and the adverse symptoms are just as bad--and sometimes worse-than the ones reported with the male injections. Ye t n o b o d y e v e r s t o p p e d them. Nobody said that the risks outweighed the benefits. From intrauterine devices (IUDs), injections and implants, to pills, patches and rings, women have always had to bear the burden and responsibility of birth control, leaving them to wonder: where’s the stuff for men?
Up until now, men have been limited to condoms, withdrawal, abstinence and vasectomies to prevent pregnancies. The scientific community has been working to create more effective and non-permanent birth control options for men. And then it came. A new, long-overdue hormonal birth control shot for men was being tested on men ranging from 18 to 45 years old from different countries around the world. Subjects were tested for normal sperm counts before starting the trial. They were then injected every eight weeks with synthetic
Any excuse to celebrate BY GIL MILANES Staff Writer
Police brutality out of hand BY JAVIER LOPEZ Staff Writer
Police brutality seems to be an everyday occurrence, whether at a protest or in the streets, too many people end up hurt or dead which is why it is an important issue to address. The East Los Angeles College Students for Political Awareness club (ESPA) does just that. For Dia De Los Muertos, the club put up an altar representing lives that have been lost to the use of excessive force by officers of the law. Next to each picture was a short biography of who they were and how they were killed. There were pictures of men with their family, women with their kids and photographs of smiling children scattered across the boards of the altar. The altar humanizes the victims even though they were targeted as criminals by police, which was not always the case. This humanization of the victims is one of the most beautiful parts of the altar. It also expresses that this type of violence is experienced by all ages. Although, some were armed when they were killed, there were far too many who were not. Having the altar at ELAC is
very important because it opens up students to another side of our criminal justice system. One that does not always act upon justice but more often than not on fictitious fears. ELAC is a community college that serves an abundance of low income students as well as students of color. People of color are more likely to be imprisoned or killed by police, especially African Americans. Julia Craven of the Huffington Post said police in the U.S have killed approximately 194 black people this year. Police brutality has become so bad that it has ignited the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Having the altar also opens up students to understanding the injustices of our criminal justice system and what the BLM movement is fighting for: to have America value black lives. This is not an attack on those who chose to become police officers, or those who are in the midst of becoming police officers. This is just a reminder that our current justice system, which was meant to protect people, has turned into a streak of officers making terrible judgement calls and putting everyone in danger. Do not take my word for it. Take it from the breath of the mother of Mike Brown who was shot down with his hands up in Ferguson,
Missouri for allegedly stealing. Take it from the family of Freddy Gray who was arrested for allegedly carrying an illegal switchblade. Grays spinal cord was damaged while in custody of Baltimore Police, killing him. None of the police officers involved in the death of these two black men were sent to prison. On Oct. 31, Michelle Lee Shirley was killed by police officers. The police claim that they shot at her after she ran into their patrol car. It is contested whether such force was necessary in order to stop her. She was not armed. S h i r l e y h a d a 1 4 - y e a r- o l d daughter and graduated from Loyola Marymount Law School. She suffered from bipolar disorder. The overuse of power by law enforcement is seen everywhere. It is also currently happening to indigenous people in North Dakota. Peaceful protesters are being shot at with rubber bullets and sprayed with pepper spray. The altar was located in the Student Services building but was removed after the weekend. However, it opens up many questions that students are not usually confronted with. This can help ELAC students grow intellectually as well as give them a deeper understanding of social issues that are currently taking place.
testosterone and norethisterone enanthate (the male derivatives of progesterone and estrogen) to lower sperm count. The birth control was found to be incredibly effective in the initial stages of the clinical study. The men’s sperm counts were drastically reduced, and a 96 percent success rate in preventing pregnancy in the participants’ partners was found. And then it was gone: the trial was stopped during the second phase. Participants reported experiencing side effects including increased libido, acne, mood swings, depression, muscle pain and pain on the injection location, among others. But many women, since the dawn of available birth control methods, have experienced many of these side effects in addition to many others. What’s interesting is that 80 percent of the male participants in the trial wanted to continue with the injections despite the side effects, according to a report by Conrad. What’s missing are the decisionmaking details of the panel members that led to the termination of the study. As Julie Beck from The Atlantic wisely said, “Though men have an equal responsibility to prevent unwanted pregnancies, they don’t share equally in the consequences, and never have,” and likely never will. As male birth control becomes closer to finding a place in the market, the hypocrisy surrounding the different standards set for men and women surrounding the consequences of birth control are becoming more obvious. It’s telling us that men can’t be expected to deal with the problems women have had to endure from birth control for a very long time.
The United States of America is unique because of its vast cultural diversity, but the irony of some of our holiday celebrations is that we don’t celebrate the true meaning of the events. By the end of 2016 the U.S. alone will have celebrated more than 220 holidays. They total 71 observances, 59 are state holidays, 47 are religion related, 28 are local observances and only 11 are federal holidays. I m m i g r a n t s f r o m d i ff e r e n t places from around the world have helped create the great diversity of this country. With a population of more than 320 million in the U.S., throughout the years we have managed to adopt holidays from all over the world. With Thanksgiving approaching it is important to realize that many of these holidays are unnecessary and simply a business model that we have become part of. We should be ashamed to celebrate that the settlers killed hundreds of Native Americans and forced them to give up their land. While that is the truth behind Thanksgiving, over the years we have twisted the meaning of the “celebration” to the benefit of corporate America. A study by the University of Illinois found that more than 46 million turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving. Although turkeys are delicious, and a healthy meat to consume, it is unfair to sacrifice so many turkeys on a day that we should take to reflect on our blessings. Attached to Thanksgiving is Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving where millions of Americans have or opt to take the day off to go shopping in one of the busiest shopping days nationwide. Black Friday is great for business owners where sales revenue go through the roof with their so acclaimed “one-day sale.” Many of the retailers have the same or very similar sales throughout the year. The best discounts are usually on selected items with limited stock that
makes it difficult for all shoppers to take advantage of. Nevertheless, the strategy to get people to shop is brilliant. Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that the U.S. has adopted but ironically Mexico doesn’t give it as much emphasis as we do. Many Americans believe that Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day where in reality, Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16. Cinco de Mayo was a battle between the Mexican army led by general Ignacio Zaragoza in Puebla against the French forces. Even Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump attempted to appeal to the Hispanic community by tweeting a picture of him next to a taco bowl. While there is no such thing as a taco bowl in the Mexican cuisine, Trump’s attempt to appeal was seen as a joke and total failure among the Spanish-speaking media. Valentine’s Day is another holiday that the majority of people with a significant other love to celebrate. Showing love to that special person by purchasing flowers, chocolate, jewelry and going out for dinner is part of the every-year Valentine cliché. Valentine’s day is linked to Saint Valentine from Rome who was taken to jail for performing weddings for soldiers who were not allowed to marry and Christians who were persecuted by the Roman Empire. Prior to his execution, Saint Valentine wrote a farewell letter to his love and signed “Your Valentine.” The Valentine’s holiday that we celebrate doesn’t necessarily celebrate the courage and memory of Saint Valentine. Instead it has become an opportunity to create money for many businesses and the truth and significance of the holiday has been lost over time. Holidays are a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family but it is also important to be aware of the true meaning that the holiday represents. Holidays without any significance shouldn’t be celebrated simply to create money.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Stephanie Guevara MANAGING EDITOR Ivan Cazares ONLINE EDITOR IN CHIEF Rogelio Alvarez ONLINE EDITOR Dan Gudino ART DIRECTORS Julie Santiago Marcus Camacho FRONT EDITOR Megan G. Razzetti
OPINION EDITOR Roslin Ojeda NEWS EDITOR Dorany Pineda FEATURES EDITOR Brooke Gemina ARTS EDITOR Francisco Portillo SPORTS EDITOR Diego Linares PHOTO EDITOR Anna Hachisuka COPY EDITOR Russell Zazueta CARTOONISTS Kristal Mora Jose Guillen STAFF WRITERS Anastasia Landeros, Daniela Jalteco, Gustavo Buenrostro, Gil Milanes, Javier Lopez, Johanna Calderon STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Jordan Elias Jorge Aldaco ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha DISTRIBUTION Ivan Cazares ADVISERS Jean Stapleton Sylvia Rico-Sanchez
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News
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
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Football classic unites generations, community BY DAN GUDINO Staff Writer The 82 annual East Los Angeles Classic football game continued its tradition at East Los Angeles College’s Weingart Stadium last Friday, between Garfield and Roosevelt High School. People from all walks of life and connections to both high schools walked through the stadium’s tunnels by the thousands and witnessed Garfield win the Classic for the seventh straight year, 49-3. The pungent smell of grilled onions and bacon-wrapped hot dogs filled the air and Spanish lyrical music excited the crowd during the pregame festivities. Vendors took care of the throngs of crowds with empanadas, pupusas and tortas. The carne asada tacos and burritos were swallowed down with a choice of six different types of lemonades and an assortment of aguas (flavored water). Boyle Heights City Councilman Jose Huizar and United States House Representative Loretta Sanchez took part in the pregame festivities. “It never gets old. Team records don’t matter and it’s all about the families getting together. It’s always great to see your old friends. My connection to the Classic is, of course, growing up in East LA and my two older sisters and brothers went to Roosevelt. I remember being 8 or 9 years old and coming to this game and feeling the East-side pride,” Huizar said. “This is what so many wait for every year. It’s a classic. There’s nothing like it. I’m here to remind people to go out and vote,” Sanchez said. Sanchez said another reason for attending the Classic was to support the Polanco family, who have had three generations of family play in the Classic. The stories within the historical game are endless. Currently, Garfield’s starting junior quarterback Henry Adambomb Polanco I represents the family name at the Classic. Polanco I had a passing touchdown and a 64-yard touchdown run in the 49-3 victory for the Bulldogs. His father gave him the middle name Adambomb, named after a Social Distortion punk-rock song
CN/JULIE SANTIAGO
FOR THE WIN—Players run through East Los Angeles College’s Weingart Stadium at the 82 annual East Los Angeles Classic
football game between Garfield and Roosevelt High School. called “1945.” His uncle Richard Polanco is a Garfield alum and is a former California State Assembly Majority Leader, as well as a friend of and politically connected to Sanchez. “Most people don’t realize Senator (Richard) Polanco was the one who directed and cut up (redistricted) California so more Latinos could be voted in. That happened 20 years ago. I was one of the people who got into politics because of Polanco. Since then, we’ve been working hard to bring the power to the people,” Sanchez said. Polanco’s grandfather Henry Polanco Sr., the brother of Senator Polanco, serves as the official statistician of the Bulldogs. Papa Polanco, as he is referred to, is seen at all the Garfield games holding his clipboard with sheets of stats. He said he never gets tired of coming to the classic. “This is exciting. It never gets old because the whole week leading up to the Classic you get to experience things you wouldn’t normally go
through,” Polanco Sr. said. The student athletes are treated to a week of festivities leading up to the big game. On Sunday, both teams met at Stevenson’s Steak and Seafood House in Commerce for their annual banquet. On Wednesday, a televised press conference was held at ELAC and aired on NBC’s Spanish affiliate Telemundo 52. Then on Thursday, Garfield football players were treated to gifts at the Team Nike Store on Whittier Blvd. for the team “Gear Up” event. The pep rallies on Friday were the last of the festivities. “Last year, it was nerve-wracking because it was my grandson’s first one, and he was just a 10th grader. I was more nervous for his game then I was for my son’s senior year game,” Polanco Sr. said. Henry led last year’s Bulldog team in the classic with six touchdowns in the 81st edition. “I felt energized and on a high coming into this one. (I was) so excited. It’s special because I continue the tradition,” Henry said.
Polanco Sr. played in the 1971 classic and won. His son Henry Polanco Jr. played in the ’99 Classic and won. The family shares an undefeated streak in the Classic. “There’s too much tradition in this game. It’s like Thanksgiving: you never get tired of eating turkey. You don’t get tired seeing these two great schools go at it,” Polanco Jr. said. Head coach of Garfield Lorenzo Hernandez has led the team in 16 versions of the game. “ F o r m e , i t ’s a l o v e - h a t e relationship with the game. It gets tiresome. On Thursday, I was up at 3 a.m. for Telemundo, then for the Nike Store event and was up till midnight. Then I look at all the people who would love to be in my position and it grounds me to realize this is special,” Hernandez said. Art Lozano, 65, a retired Commerce Casino employee who is a Garfield grad from the 1969 class, came back to the Classic to reminisce on the old times. Lozano came back to this year’s game for the first time since graduating in ’69. “I have not been back since I
graduated. Life takes over and you go about your business and just look back at the great memories,” Lozano said. Lozano has a granddaughter that attends Downtown L.A.’s Cathedral High School and has yet to see her cheer. Instead, he chose to come to the Classic despite Cathedral’s undefeated football record (9-0) and played for a league title the same night as the classic. “I haven’t seen her cheer yet. But I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to see a classic game in the future. For years, I took care of my ailing mother, so I got to see what life can do to you. I’ll see my granddaughter in the playoffs next week,” Lozano said. Ricardo Zepeda, in his first season as head coach of Roosevelt football, told a story about taking over the program during the offseason that showed the type of program he will build. During the offseason, Zepeda said he pushed his players to lift weights and run. Roosevelt football players were not accustomed to the hard
regimen. Nine players gathered together and protested Zepeda’s workouts. Zepeda agreed with them and told them they’ll never have to lift a weight or run a lap again. They were kicked off the team. Seven of them were seniors and lost their opportunity to play in a final Classic. “All I need are players who have the pride and willpower to make themselves better,” Zepeda said. When Zepeda took over in February, Roosevelt was missing helmets, pads and other equipment. Instead of making excuses, Zepeda fundraised through various events and raised just enough to play football. “To make it to the Classic in the final game of the season, even though our record isn’t good, is an accomplishment itself,” Zepeda said. Garfield freshman running back PJ Garcia is a rarity at the high school level. A freshman playing at the varsity level doesn’t occur often. Garcia will be one of few players to ever play in four classic games. “It’s very exciting. At first I was so nervous, but after the first two runs I had, I was back and good to go. It’s pretty cool to do something that not many people will ever get to do,” Garcia said. According to Garfield’s head coach Hernandez, Garcia will be the greatest running back ever to play for Garfield. Garcia scored a rushing TD in the game. Garfield senior running back Stephanie Mondragon is believed to be the first girl ever to play in the Classic. Mondragon was pancaked on her back by a 200-lb Roosevelt defensive lineman who landed on her chest in the final play of the game. “This is my first year playing football. My first time playing in the Classic and my last. It feels so amazing. I’m so happy I got the chance to play in the Classic. When I got in there, I was so overwhelmed by the number of people who are here, but after my first carry, the adrenaline and excitement got me going. I love it,” Mondragon said. Roosevelt’s football season ended with a 1-9 record, and Garfield (7-3) will continue its season into the Los Angeles City Section playoffs at San Fernando High School tomorrow at 7 p.m.
Food, clothing drive to help homeless students BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer
CN/JORGE ALDACO
INFORMATIVE CHATS— Ryan Contreras (left) receives information from Astrid Marroquin, Marisol Nieves and Wendy Garibay at the Grow Your Future Fair on Thursday.
Career Fair incorporates more departments BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer
The Grow Your Future Fair on Thursday included career and technical departments as well as academic departments and student services unlike prior years. The fair was held between the E1 and G1 buildings. The event was presented by the Career and Job Services and Office Workforce Education in collaboration with the Declare by 15 committee. The Declare by 15 committee wants students to declare a major when they get 15 units. The event lasted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event was intended to give students information about services
they may not be aware of, such as the Workforce Education Integrated Career. Another focus was to let students explore majors they might have interest in. “They (students) will know about different education options to further their career goal and learn about the services the school provides,” said Director of Current Job Worker Janet Huang. “It’s all about giving information about the majors and programs. Students can learn about certificates, degrees and internships from this event. It is all integrated in the fair,” said Huang. Huang said it was like a spinoff of the previous events because Grow Your Future fair was a mix of different departments. Huang said there were over 60 departments that had signed up to
participate in the fair Student attendees got a fair schedule and a scavenger hunt to fill out throughout the event. Students would then go to tables to see what majors or programs a department had to offer. Some of the tables had games for students to play. The admissions department, for example, had an anagram game where students had to unscramble words. The words unscrambled were associated with admissions. Students who unscrambled five words received a plush husky. A raffle to win a tablet was another activity students could participate in the fair. The Habit restaurant provided food to students who attended the event. The food was limited to 200, so it was first come, first serve.
A DJ from Mega 96.3 FM played music throughout the event and raffled Six Flags Magic Mountain tickets. “I am browsing around the tables looking for something that is interesting to me. I think it’s cool to see new things and explore,” said student Uriel Juaruz. Juaruz said his major is undeclared, but thinks the event is great for people like him who are still searching for a major. “Events like these are great because students get informed and they get advice,” said ELAC student Karen Esquivel. She said she had declared a major but was at the event looking to get information. Student participants were given a survey link to give feedback on how the event could improve the next time it comes around.
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The Adelante With Your Dreams club is hosting their inaugural food and clothing drive from October 19 to November 17. Adelante is working closely with the Dream Resource Center to give back to the East Los Angeles College community. The food and clothes drive is for students who are homeless, undocumented or who may just need these resources. “We want to inform our school community that these populations are here and in need. We, as a community, need to step up and provide resources for them,” said Reyna Hernandez, coordinator of Student Services. Much of the clothing that has been donated is from female students. Vice President of Adelante Francia Cruz said she would like more male students to donate clothes. Most of the donations the Adelante club has received are clothes. Students can also donate food and non-perishables. Students can also donate utility items like kitchen ware. Hernandez said some students donated toys as well. Hernandez said there is a large number of students who don’t identify as homeless. Events like the food and clothes drive help them if they don’t wish to identify as such, added Hernandez. Cruz plans to have a yard giveaway where students who need food or clothing can come and just take it.
A date has not been set for this giveaway, but they want to do it in November after the food drive. “We want to hold the giveaway in a centralized area where students can see it, either in the quad area or the ELAC letters. Basically, anywhere there is a lot of student traffic,” said Cruz. Since the giveaway is public and all students can go, the Adelante club cannot stop students who may not need clothes or food from taking them. Cruz said that she hopes those who do need it can get what they need from the drive Any remaining food or clothing will go to the Dream Resource Center for students who may need them. Cruz wants more students to know about the food and clothes drive. “We want to establish a stronger sense of community and support because this is something many of the students need. We want to send the message ‘you are not alone and there are people who want to help,’” said Cruz. This is not the only food drive that Adelante is planning. They want to host another food drive in December, and even more throughout the following year. “Clothes are needed everyday of the year, so this is something we want to be implementing into our club,” said Cruz. Hernandez said available to work with any club that wants to help students in need. Students who would like to donate food,clothes or everyday essentials can drop them off in building E7, room 210.
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Feature
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
Workshop educates students on gender identity BY ANASTASIA LANDEROS Staff Writer “At what point did you choose to be a boy or a girl?” asked Drian Juarez to a packed room in E3 Friday at a workshop on gender identity. The ELAC Safe Zone Coalition, a group of faculty and staff dedicated to creating a safe campus for undocumented and LGBTQ identified students, hosted the workshop attended by students, faculty and staff. Attendees were given a sheet with a list of information to provide a safe and enriching environment for LGBTQ students, and a word-match worksheet. Some of the tips Juarez offered on the sheet, and during her presentation, included using transgender as an adjective, as in “Susan is a transgender woman.” She added not to reveal a person is transgender when speaking to them or about them in a group setting. Juarez stressed that language is important when communicating with the Trans community. In 2013, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1266, School Success and Opportunity Act, that allows students to use restrooms that align with their own gender identity at school. It also allows students to participate in sex-segregated activities and programs based on their gender identity. In April 2015 the U.S. Department of Education revised Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to read “No person in the United
States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Juarez said that educating yourself and others is one of the most important aspects of creating a safe and thriving environment for transgender students and, more specifically, those who are currently transitioning. Juarez knows a thing or two about the negative world view surrounding the trans community. Raised in East Los Angeles, Juarez couldn’t wait to grow up and wear high heels and makeup, just like her mom. The outside world’s perception of sexuality, however, made her think that was impossible to do because she was born anatomically male. Growing up in a community where she was considered a “sissy” for being herself, her decision to transition was, literally, a matter of life or death. “For me, it was either kill myself or be my authentic self. Those were the only choices I saw at that time” she said. She then turned to the street economy via sex work in order to pay for transitional surgery and medication as, at the time, insurance companies were not required to include any transitional services. In 2005, Juarez was forced to look for other options. “I experienced a hate crime and I was shot in the face… That’s really when, you know, I had this sort of
epiphany of ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ This isn’t something that’s sustainable. I can’t do this forever.” ELAC Safe Zone Coalition member and Student Services Specialist Brian Henderson Barrick said that the goal of providing these workshops to the campus community is to have graduates wear badges emblazoned with the coalition logo, a monarch butterfly in the colors of the LGBTQ flag, to let students know that they are safe zone allies. Lynn Wood, Student Services assistant and Safe Zone member, said she feels it’s important that students know that there are options, resources and, most importantly, support for those on campus if they identify as part the LGBTQ community. “I feel like if I can speak up and say it’s ok, then maybe more people will come out and look for resources or go to events, or just come out, period,” said Wood. She also said the Safe Zone Coalition is not considered a club, students are encouraged to join the movement of embracing all students on campus that Safe Zone is starting, said Wood. Before ending the workshop, Juarez offered a challenge to the group - Have a day without gender. She asked that each person go one day without using gender pronouns or, if they did use pronouns, to use they/them or just a person’s name. For more information on upcoming ELAC Safe Zone Coalition workshops, email elacsafezone@gmail.com.
New coach overcomes challenges mind constantly revolves around the idea of winning, and for Maynard it Staff Writer means being out on the field with his Since his start this year as head team, bright and early, at 5:30 a.m. coach for the men’s and women’s to condition. cross country team, James Maynard When a few of his runners dropped has proven that determination and out in the beginning of the season a positive attitude can beat any because of his rigorous conditioning challenge that’s thrown his way. regimen, it posed He’s led a challenge, but Norwalk High it didn’t damper School’s cross his outlook on the country team season. ( w h e r e h e ’s “With a week still coaching) to go before to several conference, I had championships only four girls in the last seven (women’s cross years, and is not country) and two the kind of person of them decided who sits in front that they didn’t of a television want to be part set all day and of team,” said do nothing. Maynard. He enjoys the “No one (in James Maynard competition more m e n ’s c r o s s than the physical running. country) returned . . . a couple Like many head coaches, his transferred at the last minute.”
BY RUSSELL ZAZUETA
CN/JAVIER LOPEZ
AN ARTISTIC TOUCH— Mariela Salvatierra, played by Rachel Gonzalez, left, watches as her daughter Blanca Salvatierra, played by Vannessa Vasquez, shows her artistic talent as she draws in Casa 0101’s play “Mariela in the Desert.”
Play receives standing ovation BY JAVIER LOPEZ Staff Writer The play,“Mariela in the Desert”, got a standing ovation on opening night thanks to the actors’ beautiful performances and perfect stage direction. It is a charming play filled with anger, tragedy, despair, love and sacrifice. These themes come together in one house in the middle of the desert, where dreams are dried up. “The desert is God’s canvas” repeats Vance Valencia during his performance in Mariela in the Desert as Jose Salvatierra. Salvatierra is an artist who is eager to create an artistic movement that will forever engrave his name in art history and is willing to do whatever it takes to make his dream come true. Valencia perfectly depicted the exhausted emotions of an artist who has the passion and talent to paint, but no vision to make his art meaningful and truthful. Valencia stares at an empty canvas, then screams out of frustration, the sound of his pain and sadness echoes across the theatre. “When I’m really going, I use you, I use my daughter, the audience” said Valencia regarding his strong performance. The screams of despair throughout the play after moments of grief enlighten the audience and connect them to their own emotions . Actor Rachel Gonzalez who plays the role of Mariela Salvatierra, stole the show with her strength and resilience.
The longing in Gonzalez’s eyes as she steps into the spotlight and tells her story about a mother struggling to keep her family intact creates an intimacy between the audience and herself. “To me, it is more about the people that are moved by it.” said Gonzalez. Her intimacy coincides perfectly with the coziness of the theatre in which actors are only a few feet away from the audience, making the connection between the actors and the audience stronger. Although, the actors have little to work with on stage, this was no problem for Kenneth Lopez who plays the role of Carlos Salvatierra. Lopez brings the innocence of a child who knows nothing but love. The performance Lopez gave was astonishing, giving the audience insight on what it is like to live with a disability. His performance perfectly coalesces with Vannessa Vasquez who plays the role of Blanca Salvatierra, the daughter of Mariela and Jose. Blanca Salvatierra’s hopes and dreams of a life away from the desert are perfectly depicted in the way Vasquez carries herself throughout the play. Her soft - spoken and passionate voice in moments of uncertainty and the passion in her voice when she speaks of love and art strengthen the sincerity of the play. “It inspired me to follow my passion for the arts and strive to be like my mother.” says Guzman. Denise Blasor, who plays the role of Olivia Salvatierra, brings a very
kind and welcoming aura to the play. Randy Vasquez who plays the role of Professor Adam Lovitz, Blanca’s lover, also brings a fundamental piece to the play. Vasquez gives an incredible performance as he tries to show the Salvatierra family that his love for Blanca Salvatierra is pure while admiring the artwork of Jose Salvatierra. The careful movements Vasquez makes as he holds or comes close to Blanca Salvatierra proves how in love he is. Lovitz also sits in distress after a long night of arguments and realizations, completely worn out. Yet the look in his face tells that he is ready for whatever comes next. Director Robert Beltran gives perfect stage direction. Every movement that the actors make is filled with emotion and meaning. The playwright Karen Zacarías creates the perfect story in which every single question is answered by the end of the play. The play will have a five - week run at CASA 0101. It will be playing every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m and Sundays at 5 p.m from Nov. 4 to Dec. 11. There will be no shows on the 25, 26, and 27 of November because of Thanksgiving. General Admission tickets are priced at $25 but student and seniors tickets are $20. A discounted price of $15 will be given to Boyle Heights residents with identification card or any other documents that show proof of Boyle Heights residency. CASA 0101 is located at 2012 East First Street, Boyle Heights, CA 90033.
All of the men’s and women’s cross country team is currently composed of freshmen runners. Furthermore, the new regimen appears to have been successful. Every runner this season in the men’s cross country has ran personal records and is advancing to the Southern California Cross Country Championships. In addition, Athletic Director Al Cone talked about challenges Maynard has had to face and overcome since the beginning of the season. “Like most first-year head coaches, it’s about understanding the system. He’s a high school coach, which I think is a plus, but the community college system is a little bit different,” said Cone. “He’s overcome not having the preseason conditioning class, which is imperative for any team’s success.”
CROSS COUNTRY Cont. on p. 6
Exceptional student makes it to U.S. national team BY DANIELA JALTECO Staff Writer Gabriel Martin Del Campo recently made East Los Angeles College’s Dean’s Honor List and was given a certificate for having a 3.5 G.P.A or higher. On Oct. 14 Del Campo made the cut and is now a part of the United States Revolution National Team of Australian Football. “I was breathless, very happy. My whole life I dreamt about playing professional and it’s amazing playing professional because I’m representing my country.” said Del Campo. Though he made the U.S national team, he is still currently playing for the Los Angeles Dragons Australian Football Team. The U.S Revolution team will be competing in the International Cup in Australia next August. England, Africa, Ireland and many other national teams will be in Australia competing for the International Cup. The U.S Revolution team is currently taking a break. Del Campo said that they really
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want to win the International Cup so as soon as Thanksgiving is over the players are going to work on getting back into shape and prepare for the competition. “Since the first time I saw him play, he was definitely one of the better players. “ He is very cool under pressure and that’s one of the things I liked about him,” said Tom Ellis, The U.S Revolution team coach. He was present at the Western Regional Tournaments before it was decided who would be on his team. Ellis observed Del Campo’s performance and many other players as well to determine whether or not they’d make the team. Out of 300 players 60 players were chosen for his team. Out of the 60 players, 30 will be chosen to compete in the International Cup in Australia and the others who do not make it will compete in Europe in 2018. During the camp in April, a team of professional fitness trainers are going to train and prepare the players for the competition. The training will be held in Dallas.
Ellis said the camp will also determine which top 30 players will be going to the International Cup in Australia. Del Campo had been pursuing his interest to join the U.S national team while playing for the L.A Dragons. The season for the nationals began on April 24 and ended on October 14. Throughout the season the L.A Dragons played nationally against 40 different teams. They played at San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, and played twice in San Pedro. During the season they had the Western Regional Tournament that started on July 16. They played against San Francisco, Seattle, and Sacramento at the tournament. Del Campo said the L.A Dragons and he played well throughout the season, they won 12 games and only lost 2. He said he wants to thank his friend Christopher Meza for training him throughout the season and he also wants to thank his family and his girlfriend for always supporting him.
Arts
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
Doctor Strange’ conjures visually stunning story BY FRANCISCO PORTILLO Staff Writer
CN/RUSSEL ZAZUETA
ALL THAT JAZZ—Billy Kerr (left), Chris Conner, Michael Stever and Jacques Voyemant, of the Charlie Ferguson Sextet played jazz standards at the Recital Hall, Friday.
Jazz band captivates audience BY RUSSEL ZAZUETA Staff Writer Jazz music performed by the Charlie Ferguson Sextet did a great job in charming audiences of all ages during the First Friday Jazz Series concert at East Los Angeles College. Inside the dimly-lit recital hall, shades of blue light shot up the walls for ambience, when pianist Charlie Ferguson counted off the next jazz standard by snapping his fingers. The sextet launched into a standard called “Breakfast Wine,” and the musicians on stage played it with an inebriated style of passion for music. This is a song where every member of the group got his chance to shine in the limelight with an instrumental solo, and then passed it along to the next musician.
In fact, almost every song had moments like these, with solos from Billy Kerr on saxophone, Michael Stever on trumpet, Jacques Voyemant on trombone, as well as Ferguson. Watching their juices flowing out into each instrument was delightful because they made it look so easy. “Breakfast Wine” ends on a cacophony of brass solos. Most of the songs performed at the concert were jazz standards, meaning the songs are originals to another composer, and they were embellished with improvisations like tempo changes and solos made up on the spot. Since the renditions are unique to the music group, it cast a sort of hook-and-line to keep the audience engaged and alive. Somewhere in the jazz standard block of songs, Ferguson squeezed
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in some original compositions of his own and told the audience that he was’s happy to showcase them. As before, Ferguson started snapping his fingers to the count of his piano. His original “Boogie Machine” begins with a soft wail from Kerr’s sax, and it’s superimposed gently over a sort of lazy groove played by drummer Nate Luguzza and upright- bassist Chris Conner. Before the trumpet came skipping in to liven up the mood, the trombone took over like a sad elephant call and it really captured the mood he was going for. The star of this song was obvious though, especially when the audience applauded louder for Kerr’s second solo. Time flew by with “Blue and Sentimental,” which was romantic
and dreamy over a background bass line that sounded more like slow and steady raindrops pecking on a window. Then Kerr set the mood as the song continued. The audience showed their acclaim with cheers after he finished and stood hugging his sax on stage. In “All of Me,” the structure of the song gave Laguzza moments to demonstrate his improvisation skills on his sparkling silver pearl drumset. Music Department Chair Bob Dawson took the stage before the closing song and thanked the Charlie Ferguson Sextet, as well as the audience, for coming out and supporting jazz music. After the show, when asked what he is feeling during his solos, Kerr said, “I don’t really feel or think anything. Fun show. It was great.”
The Sorcerer Supreme makes his big screen debut in the visually stunning origin story “Doctor Strange.” The addition of Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) introduces the audience to the mystical elements of the fictional world. The visual effects in the movie take the audience on a psychedelic experience that seems to mirror that of an LSD trip. Some of the special effects in the movie mirrors the artwork that was originally created by the character’s co-creator, Steve Ditko. The movie follows Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who is an arrogant, successful neurosurgeon who often uses his precision to show off to his fellow colleagues and love interest, Christine Palmer, played by Rachel McAdams. Cumberbatch plays a great Stephen Strange and despite some of the forced comedy in the film, he elevates the role and the film as a whole.McAdams is delegated to very little screen time but does a great job with what she is given. After an accident, Strange severely injures his hands and loses his ability to continue his career. With his ego at an all time low, he sets out on a path to cure his ailing hands. During his search, he comes across sorcerers named Karl Mordo and his master The Ancient One, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tilda Swinton. Of all the actors in the movie, Swinton delivers the strongest performance. Her gravitas as an actor lends to the believability of her character being so old and powerful. She also adds much needed emotion to a story that is full of spectacle. With the introduction of Doctor Strange, it is exciting to see the
many cool things that inhabit Strange’s world and how it will be integrated into the larger Marvel film universe. Iconic aspects, such as his magical home and headquarters- the Sanctum Sanctorum, which houses many magical artifacts including the iconic all-seeing Eye of Agamotto, the Cloak of Levitation, and a portal to virtually anywhere in the world. Director Scott Derrickson did a great job of making the magic believable. Instead of enchanting spells, the sorcerers use hand gestures to use their magic. The final act of the movie is formulaic and familiar to the other Marvel movies in that the world is at the risk of being taken over and includes the Marvel one-off villain trope. Mads Mikkelson plays the villainous sorcerer Kaecilius, a former student of the Ancient One, who questions the ways of his former master. Like other Marvel movies, other than “Thor,” they fail to solve the woes of the weak villains, and delegates the character as simply a pawn to a larger scheme. The character may not have provided a lasting effect on the audience, but provides a certain amount of humanity for the character. Audience members will fully understand the motives of the villain. The humor in the film mostly felt forced in order to match the tone of the other Marvel films. Some moments that are meant to play as jokes, just fall flat. Despite its flaws, “Doctor Strange” still manages to provide an entertaining experience while including many aspects of the character that will make comic book fans excited. “Doctor Strange” is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence.
Students’ musical talents displayed Wednesday BY ROGELIO ALVAREZ Staff Writer East Los Angeles College Applied Music Program students paid homage to classical artists with their musical talents on Wednesday in the S2 Recital Hall. More than a dozen students sang challenging songs in a foreign language or performed with instruments such as a piano, cello, double bass violin, violin and classical guitar. “The best part of performing is not just people coming out and listening to us, but this unique high that you get for being on stage. It’s a sense of accomplishment and pride,” performer Eddie Gutierrez said. Gutierrez performed three songs, opening the recital singing “Come Away, Death.” “I worked on it for about two and half weeks. I sang it for Dr. Lupica’s class, for his Elementary Voice 2 class and he thought, ‘hey
why don’t you perform for the next recital’ and I said ‘sure that’ll be great’ and sure enough, I just took initiative and decided to play those two (other) songs in addition to singing,” Gutierrez said. Students in the Applied Musci Program have access to one-on-one tutoring with faculty from the Music Department. The students who performed in the recital worked with a music tutor to hone and fine-tune their songs. “We meet twice a week during class time and the students practice a few hours everyday,” music professor Mimi Chun said. A majority of the songs were sung in a foreign language. It was difficult to understand what the students were singing about, but their singing was still pleasant to hear. Some songs were sung in German, Italian and Spanish. Andres Gamino Cruz is completing his second semester of the applied music program. He sung “Deh Veine alla Finestra,” while accompanied by Gutierrez playing
CN/GIL MILANES
PERFORMING DUO—Simiao Xiao (left) and Daniel Morales performed “Duo for Viola and Bass,” in the S2 Recital Hall on Wednesday.
the classical guitar. “In Italian it means, ‘Oh come to the window.’ It challenged me in a sense. It took me about three and half weeks to prepare (for) that,” Cruz said.
She also commented on how she enjoyed the application of all of her hard work and practice that led up to the performance. Cruz’s singing and Gutierrez’s guitar playing was in sync
throughout the song. Together, they showcased the hard work they and the other student performers put into harmonizing the song. “Honestly he was the basis for the whole song because he
provided the harmony, the rhythm and everything for me. As an ensemble like that, we just have to work off of each other, that’s what being musicians is all about as well,” Cruz said. “We put a lot of time and effort in our work. My passion is music. I love singing. I love playing guitar,” Guiterrez said. The purpose of the student recitals is for students to apply what they’ve learned in the Applied Music Program in front of an audience. For many of the performers, studying music and performing are both part of the learning process. Every performer gave it their all on-stage but many of them are aware that there’s always room for improvement. “Our choir director gives us critiques about each of our performance(s), like what we can do better and what more we can work on,” Cruz said. The next student recital is on November 23, in the S2 performing hall. Admission is free.
Leonardo Dicaprio-produced documentary focuses on ecological future BY DORANY PINEDA Staff Writer Fisher Steven’s documentary “Before the Flood,” produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, takes an in-depth look at planet earth’s terrifying trajectory into an apocalyptic ecological future. A bleak, but poignant, insight into a nightmarish time, the film is a vivid portrait of the beauty and fragility of life on our planet, and all that is at risk if we don’t care for it. “Before the Flood” is incredibly persuasive in its message of needing to take action to change the dire effects human production and their systems of energy are having on our planet.
Its impressive list of interviewees includes Pope Francis, President Barack Obama, Elon Musk, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary of State John Kerry,w Al Gore and activists, top NASA researchers, nature conservationists ands scientists. Though it reiterates a lot of information that much of the public already knows about global warming, it offers some tangible solutions that people can apply to their lifestyles to reverse the grim fate our planet is headed towards. One of the first locations DiCaprio and his crew visit is the Arctic Circle, where we see first-hand what is happening to the world we live in.
The rapidly melting ice caused by global warming is causing significant increases in ocean water levels. We see the rising water levels in South Florida, where the urgent attempts by Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine to prevent what they call “sunny-day flooding” (in which sea water backflows through drains and floods the streets) are exceedingly more dire. We see coral reefs dying due to the massive amounts of carbon emissions that the oceans absorb. Ecosystems that took half a billion years of evolution to create. We see climate patterns becoming harsher, more dangerous and more destructive.
The documentary takes viewers, for example, to an onion plantation in India that got half of a year’s rainfall in five hours. In five hours, a crop that many people depended on for their livelihood was completely destroyed. The cinematography is both breathtaking and disturbing. Birds-eye shots of lush rainforest landscapes in Indonesia emphasize the vast, fertile beauty on our planet. The camera then cuts to reveal massive deforestation and a large fire set by farmers in order to create palm oil plantations. Though it might seem somewhat ridiculous that the Academy Awardwinning DiCaprio is leading the
climate-change movement, the amount of screentime he gets and his involvement in the movement feels like a conscious act to attract viewers. And it does so successfully. Within a week of its release o n Yo u Tu b e , m o r e t h a n 11
million people have watched the documentary. The entirety of “Before the Flood” is available to watch on YouTube. For more information on climate change and what you can do to help, visit: carbotax.org or beforetheflood.com
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SPORTS
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
Champions: Football runs table in new conference Continued from page 1
CN/RUSSELL ZAZUETA
BALL IN PLAY— Kremlin Perez (left) Maneuvers ball past Sandra Ambrosio of Pasadena City College at Weingart Stadium
yesterday.
Women’s soccer score equalizer in tie BY DAN GUDINO Staff Writer Women’s soccer scored a tying goal in the second half to come out with a 1-1 draw at home against Pasadena City College yesterday. East Los Angeles College has struggled all year to finish games, tying or losing by a single score in 10 of their 20 games this season. Coming into the game against Pasadena, ELAC head coach Tessa Troglia said the Huskies were overconfident because of its 3-0 win against PCC in Oct. 7.
“We came out sluggish because we knew we beat this team the last time. I knew the girls knew this and it was fairly easy the last time. We came out like we knew we were going to win,” Troglia said. The equalizing goal from the Huskies was the highlight of the game. ELAC sophomore Kremlin Perez fired a long 40-yard shot over the head of the Pasadena goalie for the tie in the 32nd minute of the second half. ELAC is 2-15-6 in the season, and the coaches say they blame its poor season on inexperience.
“With such a young group, I don’t think we had enough experience to really compete. We were in every game this season. It seemed like we went into the half of every single game tied at zero, zero. This season is definitely a learning experience,” Troglia said. Troglia said the realignment from the South Coast Conference to the South Coast-North Conference was another reason for the poor season. This is the first year we realigned in this new tough conference. It’s a very tough conference and we had a very tough preseason. This young team took it hard,” Troglia said.
CN/GIL MILANES
GUARD—ELAC sophomore midfielder Alvaro Torres (right) recovers the ball in a defensive play agaisnt Pasadena foward Diego Rodriguez in yesterday’s game.
Men’s soccer ends in tie despite changes BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer A change to the men’s soccer team dynamic came too late in the season as East Los Angeles College ended in a tie against Pasadena City College yesterday. While ELAC played well and was able to set up plays for shots on goal, the team could not execute to score. This is the problem that has been affecting the team all season. “We dominated the second half, but we couldn’t get the ball into the net. It is something that we struggled with a lot during the season,” ELAC head coach Eddie Flores said. The team suffers when communication between the players and the coaches become an issue. There is a disconnect on how wins and losses affect the team. Some of the players said that win and losses have some effect on the mindset of
the players, giving the team low morale. While on the other hand, the head coach says that wins and losses don’t affect the team very much, saying that the team is aware each game is doable. The Huskies played more as a team than in previous games. The team had much cooler heads during the game. Frustration would only appear toward the end of each half of the game. Yet, their frustration never affected how the team played. The Huskies were sending smooth passes to each other throughout the game, all while facing Pasadena’s rougher style of play. Twenty minutes into the first half, Pasadena sophomore forward Sarmeen Ibrahim got frustrated when the ball kept going out of bounds and started yelling at his teammates to get it together.
Out of the 25 players listed on the roster, 11 are sophomores. Pasadena’s lone goal came toward the end of the first half when the ELAC defense was caught standing, and a through pass on the ground went past the Husky defense for a wide open shot on goal scored by forward Isabel Diaz. The game went without any action for the majority of the game. ELAC had four shots on goal in the first half and three on goal in the second half. ELAC will be on the road for its season finale at Mount San Antonio College (7-7-3) on Friday at p.m.
Blanton, listed at six-feet and 200 lbs, showed the heart of a lion as he finished with four sacks against PCC. He leads the team in sacks with 9.5 and ranks No. 8 in the state under that particular category. “Adversity, that’s all I face. That’s all we face as a team all year. We keep a high tempo and keep it moving fast, keep it pushing into a bowl game. That’s all that mattered. Have to give coach G (Godinez) credit for doing his job of preparing us,” Blanton said. The Husky defense dominated as it held Pasadena to 19 yards of offense in the first half and finished with seven sacks. The ELAC running backs once again came through. Together, with six different Husky running backs, they totaled 247 yards on the ground. The converted defensive-safety-to-running-back of the Huskies, freshman Aubrey Mosley-Laughlin got the start and carried four times for 70 yards. Mosley-Laughlin had an electric 57-yard TD in the fourth quarter. Others with touchdowns included: sophomore backup QB Levi Wells, sophomores Cemaj Douglas, CeeJhay French-Love, Khamren Davenport, Dominique Lee and freshman Kenny Allen. Freshman wide receiver Branden Peterson had the longest TD in the game, grabbing a quick-pass from sophomore backup QB Levi Wells and taking it into the endzone for 67-yards, finishing the game with two TDs. Godinez said he feels the Huskies might face a second place team from one of the other conferences in the bowl game Nov. 19. Santa Barbara College or Victor Valley College were mentioned as a possibility, but has not confirmed. ELAC, now 7-2 in the season, will face Glendale Community College (3-6) at home on Saturday in a 6 p.m. kickoff. Local radio station KPWR, otherwise known as Power 106, will be at the game.
Cross Country: New coach battles through hardships Continued from page 4 On the day before the men’s and women’s first scheduled cross country competition, Maynard discovered that his team had no uniforms to wear. “I spent four hours trying to find any place that had green shirts in the right sizes,” said Maynard. The coach found shirts, but was scolded at the SoCal Preview because, according to the rules of the competition, the shirts needed to show the initials of the school. Fortunately, ELAC wasn’t disqualified for it and finished the competition. There was no comment by Maynard or Cone on what happened to the previous uniforms. Maynard has stood by his determination to be the best head coach he can be for his team and staff despite these early challenges. He has proven thus far that he’s a strong leader capable of leading his team during rough times and still find victory. For the complete story, go to elaccampusnews.com.
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ELAC had much better overall plays in the match. They often caught Pasadena off guard, having the Lancers play catch-up. Early in the second half, ELAC’s passing was fluid as they moved the ball up the field against Pasadena’s back line. “Coach Eddie (Flores) had a good team to counter us. We got good opportunities from the counterattacks, but we couldn’t get the ball in the net. They went out and played hard. It was a tough game,” said Pasadena head coach Henry Cabral. In the second half of the game, ELAC played a much more aggressive game. The team was more in sync than they had been in previous games, and pushed hard on Pasadena’s side of the field.
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