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SERGIO BERRUETA Staff Writer An online petition to commemorate horror movie legend and art enthusiast Vincent Price is underway. The petition currently has 98,360 signatures out of 100,000 signatures needed by the March 6 deadline. It can then be sent for review by President Barack Obama’s administration. Vincent Price was famous for his acting career which started in the mid-1950s. He appeared in several horror films such as “House on Haunted Hill,” “The Raven,” “House of Wax” and “The Last Man on Earth.” Price also did voiceover work in the music video for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and as Professor Ratigan in "The Great Mouse Detective." Director of the Vincent Price Art Museum Karen Rapp thinks that a stamp would be a good way to commemorate the life and career of Price. “A Vincent Price stamp would be prestigious and just plain fun. He is an American icon remembered mostly for his horror films,” Rapp said. A lesser known fact about Price was his enthusiasm for the arts. He contributed to the arts at ELAC by donating more than $5 million of artwork to ELAC. “We at ELAC know that there was more to him than mummies and monsters. He donated more than 2,000 artworks to this campus. He was both scary and a perfect gentleman,” Rapp said. The petition was created by Jake Godbold of Evansville, Indiana. It was started after Godbold began moving into his new apartment and found his old collection of Universal Horror Monsters stamps from 1997. "I saw the stamp collection and then my friend on Facebook posted a picture of Vincent Price. I asked myself ‘Does he have a stamp?’" Godbold said, "I did my research and I went, ‘I'll be damned. He does not have one.’" From there, Godbold saw many other petitions online and decided to make a petition of his own for the postage stamp. "I saw people signing to deport Justin Beiber and how 10,000 people are willing to sign off on a Death Star and decided why not make a petition for the stamp," Godbold said. Godbold describes himself as a typical horror fan wanting to honor the legacy of Vincent Price. "I was a fan of him, more so the Roger Corman (Edgar Allen) Poe films like "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Masque of the Red Death. Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, Jr. got a stamp and I just didn't see how this didn't happen," Godbold said. Victoria Price found the petition online and was enthusiastic about it. “I found out about it on Twitter and was amazed about it. It would be nice to see him get recognized alongside the other horror legends,” Victoria Price said. Victoria Price hopes that the postage stamp can send out a message and show her father's legacy was more than just his horror career. “It would also be great to get the word out there about his devotion to the art rather than just his acting career,” Victoria Price said. For more information or to sign the petition visit at petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/honor-great-american-horrormovie-star-vincent-price-stamp f9sxZ4ZX.

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

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Petition to commemorate American icon ends soon

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Construction on main campus

ELAC staff and students are to be advised of the following construction alerts taking place from Feb. 27 and 28. A crane will be delivered and assembled on Feb. 27. On Feb. 28 the crane will be disassembled starting at 6:30 a.m.

ELAC’s Spring College Fair

ELAC seeks sexual orientation data Jesus figueroa Staff Writer East Los Angeles College joins a short list of colleges in the nation to survey student's sexual orientation on admission forms. California legislators have struggled to come to a consensus on allowing colleges to place the question of sexual orientation on undergraduate admissions form. Private college Elmhurst College in Illinois, became the first college to ask about sexual orientation on an undergraduate admission application in 2011. Last summer Washington State Community and Technical College System were the first entire system of two-year colleges to ask students about their sexual orientation on their admission forms. They tracked data on students who opted to answer the optional question and identify as LGBTQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.

For California, the optional question is posed because of state law aimed at collecting the data for the size of LGBTQ populations on the campuses. The law encourages UC, Cal State and community colleges to examine if they offer enough services for students who identify as LGBTQ, such as counseling since nationwide statistics show LGBTQ students to suffer from depression more often. Associate Student Union President Eduardo J. Vargas feels it can be a step in the right direction for ELAC to ask about sexual orientation on the admissions form. "I think that the whole purpose is to get more statistics on our student population," Vargas said, "However, it is optional. It is also confidential. It is not something that would violate a person's privacy."

LGBTQ Continued on page 3

Students encouraged to study abroad in Spain Liliana marquez Staff Writer East Los Angeles College is offering a chance for students to travel to Spain and spend a month in Salamanca during the summer as part of the Study Abroad Program. The city of Salamanca is located to the west of Spain’s capital, Madrid and from June 28 to July 28, students who enroll in this program will have the opportunity to attend classes at the Pontifical University of Salamanca. This opportunity was made possible because of a partnership between ELAC and West Los Angeles College. During the month abroad, students will take Spanish instruction classes for four hours Monday through Friday mornings. Any student at ELAC or any other community college in the Los Angeles Community College District can enroll in this program. If students have never taken a Spanish class, they will be able to take an introductory course in Spain, therefore they don’t need to be fluent in Spanish nor be currently enrolled in Spanish courses. The program has introductory, intermediate and advanced courses available. These courses tend to focus on language, civilization and culture. This program will also offer students the opportunity to explore

ELAC’s Transfer Center is organizing a Spring College Fair. The Spring College Fair will be held in the walkway between parking structure 3 and the D5 Swim Stadium on March 20 starting at 10 a.m.

Contest

and travel around Spain during their free time as well as with the rest of the students in excursions to Segovia, La Granja, the El Alcazar Castle, etc. “This is such a valuable experience. Many of our students have not traveled even just outside our city. They’ve had very limited experiences and this is going to open so many doors. “Not only because they are Spanish speakers, but they are going to look at themselves as Spanish speakers in a different context in Spain,” ELAC Spanish instructor Norma Vega said. Vega can relate to that, since she also studied abroad. She said that when she went abroad, she had the opportunity to appreciate more her Spanish because she had something to contrast it with. She also said that students who decide to travel to Spain will also have the opportunity to separate themselves from their families and friends and meet people from different cultures, not only in a different country, but also in a different continent. “There are many Latinos here in the United States, Spanish speaking Latinos, who don’t see themselves as an extension of the Spanish speaking community. They don’t see themselves as an extension of Latin America and studying abroad will bring that out,” Vega said.

SPAIN Continued on page 3

ELAC Campus News has a prize to give away from the WB’s upcoming film “300: Rise of an Empire.” Find out how to enter on Elaccampusnews. com. Follow ELAC Campus News on Instagram and Twitter @ELACCAMPUS NEWS.

Opinion Colleges seek students’ sexuality 2

MEGAN RAZZETTI Staff Writer Applying for college can be a long and daunting task especially when there are invasive questions to be answered. When students apply for admission to college, the majority of the information that is asked is pretty basic. Some questions seem repetitive and annoying, but it’s all to better fit the needs of the student applying. On top of that, schools are now considering asking for sexual orientation. Yes, sexual orientation. At first, this might seem like a crazy idea for a college to ask this of a young person still figuring their life out. Some are still in the process of creating their identity, others haven’t begun. Many would argue that sexual orientation shouldn’t be a factor in school or even work life, that it’s an entirely private matter. This being included on a college application is monumental in helping create a safe living and academic environment for new college students. If implemented here at East Los Angeles College, the research collected will help in developing an even stronger community on campus. It will be especially helpful in instilling a safe academic space for those unsure if they will be accepted here. Truth is this completely voluntary portion of the application would help in determining what kind of services are needed on campus. Services such as counseling are a main focus especially for those struggling with depression and other issues many college students experience. According to the Los Angeles Times, this would be a move to take preventative measures against

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

equal access in higher education (AB 620). Governor Jerry Brown signedoff on in the fall of 2011 in hopes of creating a better environment for LGBT students. The first year of college can be pretty tough on a student’s spirit and well being. If a student goes to school in a state across the country, it can be difficult to find a place of comfort and support away from home. By having students identify themselves, this creates a clearer understanding of the individuals that will be on campus. If students don’t feel completely comfortable with this idea of sharing their sexual orientation with not only the strangers of the admissions office but also their parents who are allowed to view college applications, a visit to prospective colleges is a great idea. The visit can help the student determine where they would fit in better and learn what kind of communities there are on campus. Also, sites such as the Campus Pride Index are designed to help find supportive and accepting colleges in response to increasing demands of resources for the LGBT youth. Attending a school that acknowledges and accepts a student for what they identify as is helpful for a student to succeed in their academic endeavours. The California Safe Schools Coalition, confirms that students who feel safe at school perform better academically. They also have shown that students are more interested in attending college with the knowledge of acceptance within the learning environment. Although this idea isn’t set in stone, it would give students some comfort in knowing that campuses are trying to make things better.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Danny Vasquez MANAGING EDITOR Liliana Marquez ONLINE EDITOR Megan Razzetti ART DIRECTOR Lindsey Maeda FRONT EDITOR Jesus Figueroa OPINION EDITOR Jazmin Tellez NEWS EDITOR Sergio Berrueta FEATURE EDITOR Desiree Lopez

ARTS EDITOR Jade Inglada SPORTS EDITORS Carlos Alvarez Marcus Camacho PHOTO EDITOR Cynthia Laguna COPY EDITORS Augustine Ugalde Tadzio Garcia CARTOONISTS Anthony Tran Bryan Pedroza Kien Ha

Library should extend service hours CESAR CARBAJAL Staff Writer Life would be so much easier if the Helen Miller Briley library opened up an hour earlier. Currently, the library is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Time varies during weekends, so it’s a good idea to take a look at the library schedule. This may seem reasonable to most, but what about the students that don’t have printers at home? The thing about college is that all core classes are mainly in the morning and essays are due at the beginning of class. It’s clear that college students procrastinate yet there are some that don’t. Every student has obligations at home that may prevent him or her from finishing a paper in the evenings. In my first year at ELAC, I was taking a course that started in the early morning. I had to write an essay, which I couldn’t write at home

because we didn’t have a printer nor did we have a computer. My essay was due when my class started at 7:15 a.m. The local library time limit is two hours on the computer. The sensible thing to do was to wake up early in the morning and go to the library.It wasn’t until I arrived at

ELAC that I saw the library opened at 8 a.m. My class ended at 8:30 so it would be impossible to complete the paper by then. I finished the essay at 10:40 a.m. when I emailed it to the professor. He informed me that I needed to drop the class and had failed the assignment. I lied and said

that there was a family emergency, but my essay was not accepted. The Statford Library at Pasadena City College Library is opens at 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., which is a whole hour longer than ELAC’s library hours of operation. The Rio Hondo College Library is open from

7 a.m. to 9 p.m., which is an hour longer than ELAC’s library. Some colleges even have their libraries open 24/7. It is vital that students at ELAC get the opportunity to print at 7 a.m. Quite frankly, if ELAC’s goal is to help students graduate, they should insist on finding the funds to help open the library earlier. Instead of opening an hour earlier and taking funds out of the school’s budget, maybe it would be best to move the opening time from 8 a.m. and changing it to 7:30 a.m. The school could then leave the library open from 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. which will allow the library staff to go home sooner and be open the same amount of hours. There’s one thing though, if other community colleges can be open an hour longer than ours then why can’t our library do the same? ELAC should take initiative in helping students graduate and allowing them to succeed by providing reasonable time frames in which they can use the school computers and printers.

DREAMers move one-step closer to obtain citizenship MAEGAN ORTIZ Staff Writer If Republicans and Democrats are serious about improving educational outcomes for all students, they must both come together to develop real solutions for undocumented students and their families. The Congressional Republican immigration standards, released late last month, is good news for DREAMers, including those at East Los Angeles College. The one page document outlines six principles the GOP wants to see in a reform bill. Among those principles is that young people, who entered the United States as undocumented children with their parents, should not be punished. Instead, the document states they should have “an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship” if they meet eligibility requirements like serving in the military or attaining a college degree. According to the 2012-2013 ELAC College Profile and Data Book, 4 percent of enrolled students

are AB540 students. Republican wish-list, students could T h e y d o n o t h a v e l e g a l find them-selves with legal status, immigration status they qualify to while their loved ones continue pay in-state tuition rates because to live in fear of Immigration and they attended high school in Customs Enforcement. California for at least S i n c e three years, graduated President Barack from a California high Obama took school or filled out an office in 2009, This status saves he has stated that affidavit stating they t h e s e s t u d e n t s comprehensive will apply for legal money, but offers i m m i g r a t i o n residency as soon as possible. no legal protection r e f o r m i s a This status saves from being detained p r i o r i t y. H i s these students money, or deported under administration but offers no legal is responsible for current laws. protection from being record breaking detained or deported numbers of under current laws. deportations The Republican standards express while pointing the finger at the GOP the desire of the party to expand for the absence of an immigration protections for these students to reform bill. become legal permanent residents or While the GOP standards fall citizens, with the ability to study and short of being a bill, like the work in the United States without one passed last summer in the fear of being arrested or kicked out Senate, the standards represent a of the country they call home. step forward. However, the GOP principles stop In the absence of an immigration short of extending the same benefits r e f o r m b i l l , t h e O b a m a to the rest of a student’s family. administration did offer a temporary If a reform bill were to follow the solution for many DREAMers,

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young undocumented individuals who came with their families, so named after the failed 2010 DREAM Act. That solution is Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA. DACA gives undocumented young people a two-year reprieve from detention and deportation and allows them to legally work. DACA does not protect parents or the extended families of these young people. This, and the Republican standards, creates a two-tiered hierarchy within families. An ELAC college student with DACA status could see his or her undocumented parents detained and deported. W h i l e t h e p r e s i d e n t ’s administration continues to say they cannot stop deportations, legal experts disagree, saying Obama could temporarily stay detentions and deportations like he did with DACA. Since the release of the Republican principles, the party has backtracked, saying they won’t push a comprehensive immigration reform bill this year.

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The Democrats have tied their own hands by demanding, in line with the demands of some advocates like the National Council of La Raza, that any reform bill contain a path to citizenship. Between the stalled bill that passed in the Senate, which contains border security triggers be met before any undocumented individual can get on a 10 to 13 path to citizenship, and the GOP principles, which offer legalization and citizenship to a select few, some who probably attend ELAC, are stuck. Temporary protections for undocumented young people are just that, temporary. Keeping undocumented students in limbo prevents them from being able to plan beyond two years. It is hard to plan to transfer to a four-year university or commit to a career when they are not even sure if they can stay in the country. Adding to that uncertainty by excluding families of undocumented youth sets the stage for continuing fear. Legalization for all will make sure no one gets left behind.

STAFF WRITERS Amanda Rodarte, Brian Villalba, Bonnie Regalado, Cesar Carbajal, Damien Guzman, Diego Linares, Diego Olivares, Douglas Gonzalez, Edgar Cuevas, Erik Luna, Laura Parral, Luis Marquez, Maegan Ortiz, Manny Miguel, Russell Zazueta, Scarlet Candelario, Terry Bui, William Hernandez PODCAST TEAM Jesus Figueroa, Diego Linares, Desiree Lopez, Manny Miguel, Megan Razzetti ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT Stefanie Arocha DISTRIBUTION Augustine Ugalde Manny Miguel ADVISERS Jean Stapleton Sylvia Rico-Sanchez Campus News encourages letters to the editor relating to campus issues. Letters must be typed and double spaced. Submitted material becomes the property of Campus News and cannot be returned. Letters should be limited to 250 words or less. Campus News reserves the right to edit letters for grammatical errors or libelous content. Anonymous letter s will not be printed. Writers must sign submissions and print their names and a phone number where they can be reached. Letters should be addressed to the editor of Campus News. Submissions can be made at the mailroom in building E1 or the Journalism department office in the Technology Center in E7-303. East Los Angeles College Campus News 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez E7-303 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (323) 265-8819, Ads (323) 265-8821 Fax (323) 415-4910 The East Los Angeles College Campus News is published as a learning experience, offered under the East Los Angeles College Journalism program. The editorial and advertising materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College, or any officer or employee thereof. PRINTING BY NEWS PUBLISHERS PRESS

News

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

Rideshare provides eco-friendly transport JADE INGLADA Staff Writer

LGBTQ: ELAC looks for stats Continued from page 1

State law AB 62, signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, calls for schools to adopt policies that discourage bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students. With more colleges adopting this optional question students who are part of the LGBTQ community feel it brings a disadvantage when applying for college. The disadvantage comes from the way the LGBTQ community is

still stigmatized. Those who do not have the psychological strength to come to terms with their sexual orientation would be harmed by such a question causing students to hesitate in answering this question. "It's the same kind of question as what gender a person is. I noticed that at some UC and some universities you get the option to mark whatever gender you identify yourself with," Vargas said. "This would make everyone more open about it. We would be able to discuss this and may be

able to offer other opportunities, such as club information, guidance or counseling." The University of California college system is the largest in the nation and through policy changes has looked to serve the needs of all students in the system. The data collected goes to help allocate funds to better serve the LGBTQ community. Along with the data, ELAC will have the opportunity to apply for grants which require a certain percentage of students to identify as part of the LGBTQ community.

The Rideshare Program at East Los Angeles College encourages faculty to choose alternate means of transportation in order to reduce air pollution. Rideshare is part of ELAC’s Commuter Program, which promotes different modes of transportation instead of driving alone. The Commuter Program began in relation to the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s efforts to improve the environmental quality in the Los Angeles area. Over 50 percent of air pollution stems from people driving vehicles alone, notably during the morning hours of their commute. “ We h a v e b e e n d o i n g t h e Rideshare Program at ELAC since the rule was implemented in 1998,” Susan Okawa, Employee Transportation Coordinator said. “We submit a plan two times per year.” Commute options for ELAC faculty include walking, cycling, public transit and carpool. Employees that use any one of these alternatives during the semester receive 100 points, which is worth $1 to $1.50, depending on what type of method they choose. The minimum days for employees to qualify is ten. Their incentive is issued as a check and distributed at the end of the semester. At the beginning of each semester, a semi-annual Transportation Fair is held with information available on the program. Information can be found on the Transit Information Center bulletin board in the E1 building. “It’s a good plan, but it works

ELAC Rideshare Program Fast Facts - The Rideshare Program was first implemented in 1998 in an effort to improve the enviroment in conjunction with the South Coast Air Quality Management District. - Ser vices include assisting carpools, providing schedules for transit routes, locations of bike paths and alternatives routes for pedestrains.

better when the location is closer to the Metro,” Okawa said. Personal assistance is offered to those involved in order to help maintain the program participation. Their services include assisting with carpool plans and finding transit routes along with schedule information, as well as bike and pedestrian paths. Although the college offers a Ride Matching Service with employee names and ZIP codes to help organize carpools, there is still a problem with conflicting times.

- Rides in case of emergency are provided by the Sheriff’s Office. - Information about routes and alternatives forms of transport is availble in the E1 Building on the Transit Information Bulletin Board. - More than 50 percent of air pollution is produced by commmuters driving alone. “Ridesharing to work is difficult with different schedules,” Okawa said. Registered carpool vehicles will receive a preferred parking permit for one-of-twelve spaces set aside near the entrance of the parking area. Participants in the program are also guaranteed a ride in case of an emergency, which provided by the Sheriff’s Office. To join the program or find more information on Rideshare, contact Susan Okawa at (323) 265-8669.

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SPAIN: LACCD Students get opportunity to study abroad Continued from page 1 Vega, who is the liaison between both colleges, said that WLAC has been offering abroad programs for a long time now, therefore they have experience on the matter. “We have been working on the Study Abroad Program for at least three years. So when (WLAC) approached us we were already talking about having a study abroad program somewhere,” Vega said. The talks about bringing this program to ELAC happened during the budget cuts. “We were knocking units off and at the same time we needed units to apply to the program. This is why we were reluctant, but last year we had a couple of students go with WLAC and this year we are expecting about ten to 15 (ELAC) students,” Vega said. Although, ELAC is only promoting the summer program, WLAC also offers a fall semester program to Salamanca, Spain from August 31 to November 23 and if students are interested to participate they can. ELAC has been promoting the summer program more because the instructors want to create a culture change of studying abroad on campus, before promoting the semester program. Vega and her colleagues of the Foreign Languages Department

hope that this program will awaken a deeper curiosity in students when it comes to language and culture in both Latin America and Spain. According to Spanish instructor Othon Olivas, students who decide to attend an abroad program get the unique opportunity to broaden their scope of other cultures around the world. “They get to meet people from all over Europe and other parts of the world who are there for the same purpose: to study the culture and the language. This will enrich the students’ college experience, making them open mined by broadening their sensibility toward other cultures and races,” Olivas said. The department is also planning to promote this program at the local high schools that feed into ELAC, so that students know beforehand that this opportunity is available. “I believe that it is important for students to take an opportunity like this because it will have a great impact in their lives. They will be able to experience many of the things they have learned in their classes or textbooks,” Olivas said. The department would like to also offer study abroad programs to Latin America in countries like Costa Rica and Peru sometime in the future. “Of course there is always Mexico. I keep telling my students

and they laugh every time I say this, ‘I don’t want you to go to Guadalajara or to Mexico City and go end up living with your tia (aunt) out there.’ “I want them to experience something outside the reach of their family. Right now the instability in Mexico is a concern, but we are certainly open to it,” Vega said. The Pontifical University of Salamanca, which is a private catholic institution, was established in 1940 and offers personal attention and guidance to students as well as the best technological equipment for students and instructors. Salamanca is a city with great architecture, culture, and history. It was declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site in 1988. The city is also home to the University of Salamanca, which is the oldest university in Spain. The closest cities to Salamanca include Madrid, Avila, Segovia, and Lisbon, Portugal. For questions or information regarding prices, students can visit interedstudy.org. Students can also get in contact with the following instructors: Elva Hernández hernanel@elac.edu, Norma Vega vegan@elac.edu or Lynn Vogel-Zuiderweg vogelzl@ elac.edu.

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Feature

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

Runner leaves past in the dust Tadzio Garcia Staff Writer East Los Angeles College track and field co-captain Gonzalo Ceja has grown out of a life of trouble to pursue an education while going as far as he can as an athlete. “When I was a teenager I had a dream of being an athlete, but I never got that chance because I chose the quick life on the streets. “While doing time, I learned life altering changes such as the importance of an education instead of the life I was leading. This was my second chance,” Ceja said. His second chance began with travel and work then pursuing a degree beginning at ELAC. In his first-ever year of competitive sports he ran to the No. 2 spot on the ELAC men’s cross country team. The top 2012 runner at ELAC was Andres De La Cruz, who is competing in his second season for the Cal State University, Los Angeles track and field team. “When I first met him (Ceja) I was inspired by his story. He had just started his running career and was already turning heads.” “I was very impressed with the amount of determination and passion he has for this sport and his life. It’s an honor to have been able to compete with him. I see great things coming for Gonzalo Ceja,” De La Cruz said. Ceja grew into a leader of the ELAC team. “Even though he can be playful, he is serious when it comes to practice. He has all the qualities of a strong leader,” Yadira Abarca, Ceja’s 2012 teammate, said. He reminds his teammates to train on non-training days and asks them to join him on bike rides or runs, e.g., in the mountains. “I would like to move on to a four-year university near mountains. I love the mountains, but I will transfer to the place that offers me the best opportunity,” Ceja said.

CN/Tadzio garcia

ON TO STATE—Gonzalo Ceja paces to finish No. 15 out of 199 runners in the SoCal finals on Nov. 15, 2013 in Valencia to lead ELAC to advancing to the state finals. Ceja advanced to the CCCAA 2013 track and field state finals in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase after taking fourth place at the SoCal Championships in that event preceded by second place at the South Coast Conference finals. Brandon Taylor of Cerritos College beat Ceja in the SCC finals. Ceja then ran a personal best 9:37.99 minutes while beating Taylor at SoCal. “(Ceja) is one of the most optimistic persons I know. Even if he doesn’t do that great in a race he always keeps his head up high and believes in himself to do great on the next race,” ELAN Diederich Orellana said. Ceja is working this season to become All-American at state and beating the ELAC steeplechase record of 9:05.20. This result

would bring him 28.20 seconds off an Olympic qualifying standard “B” time. That record belongs to Oscar Ogwaro who was the 2007 state steeplechase champion. No one in the state finals has beaten that time since. “I train every day and think about what I need to do to make my goals reachable. I never thought I would be the person I am now. Statistics say that someone with a similar past as myself should be part of a gang, a drug dealer, incarcerated or dead,” Ceja said. Ceja attended El Camino, Los Angeles Wilson, Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln high schools prior to earning his GED in juvenile hall. “Before doing time I felt that I wasn’t myself unless I was doing something bad,” Ceja said.

Even in defeat Ceja looks forward to the future. “The past is the past. I plan everything for the future. There is no looking back, but I stay true to the sport, to ELAC, East L.A. and more importantly, to myself,” Ceja said. Ceja said his second chance in life began with different jobs that led to traveling. “I explored to see life in another perspective. Gaining wisdom is my life goal and what better way to gain wisdom than to travel and experience different environments,” Ceja said. Ceja worked in Sonora, Mexico taking care of two fruit/ice cream shops. He was in charge of supplying them with their merchandise and security. He also worked at two taco stands as their security. He traveled to Texas then Tennessee to work as a roofer. He received roofing experience from working with his father in his early teens. He returned to Los Angeles at the age of 21 to begin college. He said people should never forget where you came from. “I will not stop until I am at my best, you got my word. I won’t stop. East Los Angeles born and raised…. To all the homies, keep your head up and think positive. The sky’s the limit,” Ceja said. He pursued his dream of competing as an athlete at ELAC as part of his education. His results can land him a s c h o l a r s h i p a t a “ f o u r- y e a r university,” ELAC track and field Head Coach Louis Ramirez said. In this process, Ceja continues to build his athletic skills using techniques he learns. “I remind myself of all the hard work and use the techniques taught to me by the coaches when I run. I even run after midnight because I just love the empty streets, the city lights and the sound of my running.” Ceja said.

Elans speak during black history month who aren’t fully aware of the significance of Black Staff Writer History Month. “Being Hispanic, I kind of The significance of Black look at African-Americans as History Month at East Los inspiration because it paved the Angeles College is answered by way for us through the civil rights the knowledge of its students. movement. And that inspired other February recognizes the minority groups to find equality contributions of Africantoo,” said Elan Janet Macias said. American civil rights activists, On the other hand, artists, athletes, Elans mentioned scientists, some of their favorite politicians and African-American other AfricanAmerican For being Hispanic sports heroes and contributions I kind of look at artists they believed should be honored to society that African-Americans during this month. have influenced a s i n s p i r a t i o n Joseph Silva is social culture, because it paved a Dutch-American politics, music and literature in the way for us and arts major at the United States through the civil ELAC, said Gordon and around rights movement. Parks, a famous photographer, the world. It is important Janet Macias writer, filmmaker to note that not ELAC student and musician is an inspiration.“He’s only has Africanthe director of American civil the original ‘Shaft.’ But before rights leaders pushed for the rights he was a filmmaker, he was a of African Americans, but for all photographer and was the first races alongside them. black photographer of “Life” In August of 1963, Rev. Martin magazine,” Silva said. Luther King Jr. gave a speech in Parks wasn’t just a famous front of thousands of Americans influence in the entertainment of different ethnic roots, about business. He was an active ending racism in the United States. participant during the Black civil Many ELAC students today rights movement and his work remember this speech as the, “I in photojournalism reverberated have a dream speech,” taught to it loudly. them by an American history class Other students måentioned at some point in their education. basketball legend Michael Jordan, Although for some students this and boxing legend Muhammad Ali is the water-mark of Black History as important African-American month, for others February is just heroes that should be honored another month. during this month. ELAC football player Tyrel While not every student was Chance said that February was just able to answer in detail, the another month for him. significance of Black History However, he said that Martin Month, many ELAC students Luther King Jr. was important do share a common knowledge to Black history, but he had no about Martin Luther King Jr. further comment on the subject. and his significance to Black This proves that there are History Month. still some students on campus

RUSSELL ZAZUETA

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Arts

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

ELAC, UCLA bring Chicano filmmaker to VPAM JESUS FIGUEROA Staff Writer The Vincent Price Art Museum collaborated with East Los Angeles College and the University of California Los Angeles to bring Chicano experimental filmmaker Willie Varela to the S2 lecture hall last Saturday. UCLA professor of film, television, and digital media Chon Noriega, has been friends with Varela for more than 24 years. During the time Noriega was looking for filmmakers, Chicano experimental films were rare to find, but he found Varela to be different. “In the case of Willie, what he did was just completely expand on the number of films. There are well over 100 Super 8 films,” Noriega said. Studying Chicano filmmakers, Willie stood out to Noriega because he was among the first and only Chicanos experimenting with film. Varela showcased several short films he made over the years on a Super 8 home movie camera. Varela said that between the years 1971 to 1991, he made somewhere between 80 to 100 Super 8 films. He went back and forth between silent films and sound films. “I started making films in 1971 in El Paso, Texas. I was making Super 8 films in a city where there was no film culture at all,” Varela said. Varela said he was inspired to start shooting and producing film in part by John Lennon. Lennon shot films on his home movie camera, after leaving The Beatles. Those films by Lennon were shot in his basement apartment and when Varela saw them, they brought the idea that he could make films too. The other inspiration was

CN/Jesus Figueroa

STAND UP—Chicano experimental filmmaker Willie Varela presents several short films from his early career to a small crowd at the lecture hall of the Vincent Price Art Museum, Saturday evening. Stan Brakhage. At the time, Varela said that Brakhage was making a series of films called “Songs” on 8mm film. “I thought these guys were making film. These guys can do it,

I can do it,” Varela said, “I was no pop star, I was no up-and-coming art star. I had nothing and nothing to do in El Paso.” The films were diverse and unique dealing with various topics.

The videos not only conveyed an artistic vision, but managed to touch the audience and inspire conversations with Varela as he commented on each short film after viewing it and before introduced the next. From artistic expression based on experimental techniques to politically driven short film, Varela was able to express himself time and time again. The politics of some of his films showed his frustration with Ronald Reagan. The short film used Reagan clips combined with chimpanzee sounds to try and convey the message of how Varela felt that Reagan was a puppet. Varela said that his first conscious film was made on a very low budget. “It was made with a roll of film, a 3-1/2 minute roll of outdated K-Mart stock, that I bought for 50 cents. You want to talk about no budget? You don’t get more low budget than that,” said Varela. Varela said Brakhage saw his first film and said it was not bad. He continued to shoot with confidence. From that point on, although having a full-time job as a teacher, teaching English and sometimes film, he would take any opportunity he could to go out and shoot film. “In 2006, I stopped and I haven’t made anything since,” Varela said, “and for that I apologize because I know all of you are waiting for the next release.” UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center’s Communication and Events manager Rebecca Epstein, Ph. D., said that she hopes this will be the first of many collaborations between the VPAM and UCLA. She hopes to bring more prominent figures to the East Los Angeles community that have expressed interest in the artist that UCLA has showcased.

CN/brian villalba

artist interactions—Matt Merkel Hess demonstrates his knee bowl technique to attendess of his Vincent Price Art Museum walkthrough Saturday morning.

VPAM walkthrough introduces artists DESIREE LOPEZ Staff Writer Guests have the opportunity to meet and greet the artists of the upcoming exhibits at the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College. The first two artists to walk through were Matt Merkel Hess whose pieces include, “Right Hand Sculpted,” “Knee Bowl,” and “Palm Bowl” and Julia HaftCandell, creator of the sculpture “Toupee.” Both Hess and Candell’s work are located in the first floor of VPAM in the small gallery titled, “Corporeal Impulse.” During these events guests will get the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about some of the inspiration to the pieces, by the artists themselves. Hess bases a lot of his art by his own body, the bookshelf holding his work measures his height, 6ft, and the width is the same length of his open arms. “I wanted dinnerware where I didn’t have to use my hands,” said Hess. This lead him to use his head

and create his piece “Head Plate.” “Some of the work takes a lot of time, some things happen very quickly where you just try to kind of take an idea and make it difficult,” said Hess after talking about his “Palm Bowl” piece. He created it by pressing on to his hand giving it the shape of a small bowl. Haft-Candell’s work is made out of fabric such as old clothing, silk and wood. Some of her inspirations include landscape, people and subconscious thoughts, basing a lot of her work on body awareness. Her sculpture, “Toupee” made from terracotta, wood and linen is one of the creations in which body awareness was projected. The infinity symbol is “a cue to bodily function” and the toupee placed on top of the sculpture was a way to “add humor to the work,” Haft-Candell said. The VPAM will schedule walkthroughs with artist Kathleen Ryan and Bari Ziperstein, March 19 at 7:30 p.m., and Macha Suzuki and curator Grace Kook-Anderson March 1 at 2 p.m. Admission is free for all attendees.

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soaring to new heights—Plane designer Giovanni Caproni, left, voiced by Stanley Tucci, listens to Jiro Hirokoshi, voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, talk about his dreams of building an airplane in Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Wind Rises.”

Miyazaki ‘s ‘The Wind Rises’ puts character’s dreams in flight BONNIE REGALADO Staff Writer “The Wind Rises” is an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, adding to his many Studio Ghibli films. It is a bittersweet film filled with ambition, fantasy, and love. Miyazaki adapted the motion picture from his very own manga which is based on Tatsuo Hori’s, a writer from Japan, short story “The Wind has Risen.” This film is dedicated to both the engineer and Hori’s writing. It is a fictional biography of Jiro Horikoshi, the engineer who created the Zero fighter planes used during the attack of Pearl Harbor in World War II. The animated feature starts off with Jiro Horikoshi, a Japanese boy, who at a young age realizes he wishes to design airplanes. He is captivated by the work of Giovanni Battista Caproni, an Italian plane designer, who motivates Jiro

in his dreams throughout the film. Years later Horikoshi, whose English voice actor is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, pursues his dreams to become an engineer. During his journey he establishes a series of failures and finds love. The first half of the film has little dialogue; however, the animated picture captures the mood of the audience with Miyazaki’s brilliance. It dramatically emphasizes Horikoshi’s passion. The film takes a different outlook when Horikoshi finds romance with Nahoko Satomi, voiced by Emily Blunt, who he later discovers is suffering from a deadly disease. He must continue his work creating a legitimate war airplane for Japan, who at the time was suffering economically. The second half of the film is when the conflicts arise . Horikoshi must undergo his responsibilities and at the same time cherish the few moments he has with his ill wife. Blunt’s and Gordon-Levitt’s

blissful and calm voices bring this movie’s life and tranquility to the big screen. This film not only brings a sense of fantasy, but also reality through accomplishment and heart break. “The Wind Rises” is a wellwritten film, however, it is for an older audience due to the subjects that are brought up throughout the movie. It focuses on a few historical events, that children below the age of 13 might need an adult to interpret before watching. Miyazaki, now 72 years old, announced that “The Wind Rises” will be his eleventh and last film to add into his Studio Ghibli films. He announced his retirement at the movie’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1. This animated film is a work of art to add to the Studio Ghibli bundle, and a farewell from Miyazaki to his fans. The film is rated PG-13and was released Feb. 21, in select theaters.

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SPORTS

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

Men’s basketball wins first title in 42 years CARLOS ALVAREZ Staff Writer

Baseball

ELAC, 7-4 overall, split a two game series with Santa Barbara City College (10-1). SBCC won the first game, 11-6, on Thursday. ELAC responded with a 2-1 victory, on Saturday. ELAC delivered SBCC their first loss by out-batting them six hits to one. ELAC will host Los Angeles Pierce College (6-4-1) tomorrow at 6 p.m. The Huskies will host Pasadena City College to begin South Coast Conference play next Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m.

Women’s softball gets ball rolling at home DAMIEN GUZMAN Staff Writer The softball team pulled out a 1-0 victory over Cerritos College on Thursday to move into a first place tie with the Falcons in the South Coast Conference. East Los Angeles College, 6-3 overall and 3-1 overall and Cerritos (5-5, 3-1) both received honorable mention votes in the current Southern California poll. ELAC won its second consecutive home game against Los Angeles Va l l e y C o l l e g e ( 1 - 5 , 0 - 0 ) , 13-4, Friday. ELAC handed Cerritos its first SCC loss. ELAC’s pitcher Alashanee Medina and Cerritos pitcher Jamie Ramirez were toe-to-toe on the mound. Medina was dominant striking out eight Cerritos batters in the game. Medina started the game by retiring the first three batters, including Cerritos first baseman Haley Whitney, who came into

the game with a team leading .440 batting average. ELAC’s first baseman Larae Gonzales said, “I feel that our pitching staff is working hard for us,during games and practice Aside from a few Husky errors, they never seemed to lose confidence in their play. “We held our composure on defense. We understood that we had to back up our pitcher, especially in a close game,” Gonzales said. The lone run came in the bottom of the third inning when ELAC’s Heather Saucedo was walked and advanced to third on two groundouts. ELAC’s Larissa Munoz came up to bat and hit a double off the right field wall, scoring Saucedo which proved to be the winning run. “ We f e e l m o r e c o n f i d e n t . Hopefully our bats wake up for tomorrow’s game. We need to build on this win,” ELAC’s Catcher Valerie Aguilar said. Early in the game there was a collision between Saucedo and Whitney, but both players remained in the game.

In a game with historic significance, the men’s basketball team captured their first conference title since the 1971-1972 season. East Los Angeles College defeated Mt. San Antonio College, 79-63, at home in the Men’s Gym last Friday. ELAC received a first-round bye and heads into the playoffs as No.6-seed. The Huskies will host a second round matchup against No.11-seed Citrus College on Friday. “It’s a big deal. What these guys did was something special,” ELAC Athletic Director Al Cone said. It was a game in which ELAC never trailed and lead by as much as 27 points at one point. “We are moving the ball well. We still have another half to play, but these guys are playing together,” ELAC Assistant Coach Brendan Hallinan said, as both teams headed to the men’s locker room at halftime. ELAC lead at halftime 41-25, but their struggles rebounding the ball were a concern for Hallinan. “We are giving up too many second chance points. We have to clean that up in the second half,” Hallinan said. The Huskies were led once again by sophomore’s Aaron Cheatum and Zach Hinton in a night when all sophomores were recognized in their last home game of the regular season as Huskies. Cheatum was the offensive force he has been all year long scoring 18 points and collecting nine rebounds. Hinton added 16 points and nine rebounds while being a defensive and offensive force in the paint. Mt. SAC moved to a full court press defense coming out to start the second half, but ELAC was able to beat the press and find open shot opportunities. “They (Mt. SAC) are a great defensive team. We knew that

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responded good,” ELAC guard Marcus Romain said. With ELAC holding a comfortable lead midway through the second half, Cheatum put on a dunk-show contest for the crowd. Cheatum drove the length of the court for a rim-rattling dunk that brought the ELAC crowd to their feet. “That’s the way I carry my team. We need that leadership. This is

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they were going to come out in the second half with some intensity and fight in them,” ELAC Head Coach John Mosley said. With the Huskies moving closer to capturing the conference title and with time running out on the Mounties, the game turned physical and more emotional. “(The) play got chippy. It was a championship game. Emotions took over. It got physical, but we

Road test for women’s basketball

Where preparing to return to the workforce balances with

• • • •

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AIRBORNE—ELAC guard Marcus Romain attempts a shot in the paint over Mt. SAC center Steven Watkins (No. 25) and point guard Daniel Thomson.

what we play for,” Cheatum said. The lone star for the Mounties was shooting guard John Haywood, who was the offensive force for Mt. SAC. Haywood scored 26 points with ten coming from the freethrow line. “We struggled defensively today. ELAC came out and played. I was just trying to keep us in the game, but it just wasn’t our day,” Haywood said. With the Huskies leading by 16 with less than five minutes remaining in the game, Haywood was involved in what was the play of the game. Haywood drove the length of the court after an ELAC turnover. He was about to slam it down when ELAC’s Te’shon Burton, who was hustling back swatted the ball out of bounds bringing the ELAC faithful to their feet. Burton was called for a foul on the play to the displeasure of the ELAC fans and he was charged with a technical foul for staring down and taunting Haywood. “I just hustled back man. It was a clean block. The referee thought otherwise. My emotions got the best of me, but man did that feel good,” Burton said, with a grin on his face. As the final seconds ticked of the clock all who were in attendance witnessed as players and coaches embraced one another. “It’s a blessing man. We worked hard all year. It was a tough game we knew Mt. SAC wasn’t going to go down without fight. We just wanted it more, “ Hinton said. ELAC finished the regular season with an overall record of 20-8 overall, 9-4 in the South Coast Conference, but most important a title. “These guys were committed since day one. They wanted to do something special. We wanted a conference title,” Mosley said. “We want a state championship now. We are coming together as a team at the right time. We ain’t done yet,” Burton said.

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The women’s basketball team lost a tough South Coast Conference battle to the state’s No. 3-ranked Mt. San Antonio College, 75-69, Friday at the Men’s Gym. Despite the loss, the Huskies qualified for the playoffs, as the No.14-seed and this Friday they’ll face No.3-seed Los Angeles Valley College on the road. Only twenty-three seconds remained in regulation when guard Dioseline Lopez fouled out of the game. She finished with 23 points. Following the game Lopez rushed out of the arena and didn’t Wcomment much. “She didn’t realize that she already had four fouls (when she fouled out). She played her heart out and everybody on this team did, but you can’t win it all by yourself,” ELAC Head Coach Bruce Turner said. Mt.SAC entered the game undefeated in the South Coast Conference. However the Huskies steamrolled into the game having outscored their last two opponents by a combined 99 points. “We knew coming in that ELAC was going to keep fighting from the jump whistle (tipoff) until the end whistle. “They gave us everything they had, but we were able to sustain them when they went on runs, and made shots that prevented them from catching us,” Mt. SAC Head Coach Brian Crichlow said. The Huskies were already down one player down with 10 minutes left in the first half, after Jasmine Gates left the game. “It’s a pre-injury she had on her foot…We’ll take care of it,” ELAC Head Athletic Trainer Diane Stankevitz said. Gates re-aggravated her left foot injury on a rebound attempt, an injury she sustained earlier in the season against Los Angeles Trade Tech College. “When we went down to shoot free throws, I tried to walk around and see if maybe I could stay in the

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CN/TADZIO GARCIA

PUSHING THROUGH—ELAC forward Jocelyne Diaz drives through Mt. San Antonio guard Amber Herrly during a Husky run in the first half in a 75-69 loss on Friday. game, but the pain was too much,” Gates said. ELAC tied the score just before halftime after guard Kristina Tatikian drained a three-pointer that tied the score at 37-all. Center Karina Ortiz sat out most of the first half due to early foul trouble. Role players forwards Jocelyn Diaz and Kimberly Perez, and guard Monique Saucedo stepped up and contributed with stingy defense that helped forced Mt. SAC into 22 turnovers. “Monique didn’t have her best game but she always hustles and plays good defense. We didn’t shoot the ball very well today. We had a lot of good open shots that didn’t fall,” Turner said. Fresh off an energized first half, the Huskies came out flat in the first seven minutes of the second half failing to complete a field goal. ELAC’s prime opportunity came in the second half with 41 seconds left in the game and trailing 69-64.

The Huskies came out of a timeout. Tatikian received the inbound pass, threw up a wellcontested and distant three-pointer. The attempt missed. Mt. SAC got the rebound and the Huskies immediately fouled. “It was designed to get a threepointer out. She (Tatikian) thought she had a little more time and then when the defender jumped, she couldn’t really get it off and it caught her in between,” Turner said. The highly contested battle between the two conference foes was also highlighted by the ELAC’s sophomore players Lopez, Ortiz, guard Angelica Trinidad, and forward Alexis Valles, who played in their final regular-season game as a Huskies. “It is a great experience playing at ELAC, I’m very grateful and appreciative of the opportunity that life presented to me,” Ortiz said. Ortiz finished with 13 points, three rebounds and three blocks.