LACC WEATHER FORECAST WEDNESDAY
70/49
THURSDAY
70/51
FRIDAY
74/53
SATURDAY
78/58
SUNDAY
75/55
Collegian Los Angeles
Wednesday, November 4, 2015 Volume 175 Number 4
neWs Briefs COMPIled By COllegIaN STaff
theatre alumnus returns with a Play of Pain
The Los Angeles Police Department will administer the LAPD Hiring Workshop and Written Test on Nov 10. Students can ask questions about the process of becoming a police officer and how to prepare for the hiring process. The test will take be at the Science and Technology Building, in Room 310.Hide Your Brains, Cubs!
homeless Person attacked college Plumber One of the LACCD plumbers filed a police report after he was attacked by a homeless man, on Oct. 5, 2015 at 6:15 a.m. on the east side of the old Men’s Gym. The plumber complained about the late response of the Campus Sheriff’s Department. The incident was reported on the college police incident log. This is not the first time police response to an emergency call comes in 12-15 minutes. Read more about it in the next issue of the Collegian.
get help With anger management The Student Health & Wellness Center is conducting an “Anger Management Workshop Series.” Meetings are hosted in the lunchroom of the Student Health & Wellness Center from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.
INDEX
Opinion ollegian Connect Collegian ews News Sports
2-3 4 5 6
CaMPUs ClUBs draW CroWds By eMMaNuella durOgeNe
A sexual battery and unlawful touching occurred at the campus on Oct. 13 at approximately 8 p.m. Police say the incident began at a bus stop on Vermont Avenue and ended near the trash dumpsters at the Child Development Center. Neither the suspect nor the victim is connected to LACC. For questions or comments regarding the incident, contact Deputy James McKain at the LACC Sheriff ’s Department at (323) 662-5276.
campus hosts laPD Written test
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The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929
sexual Battery near campus
Alumnus Paul Cotes returns to LACC with a cast of 20 guest artists, guest alumni and current Theatre Academy students to perform his new play entitled “Pain.” Cotes’ play will present a series of interconnected monologues on the subject of pain. The performances are on Nov. 7. at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Camino Theatre. For more details and ticket information, visit the LACC Theatre Academy online.
LAUSD Film Shocks Parents and Students
JOrge PONCe/Collegian
A car crash on Melrose and Vermont Avenues catches the attention of passing pedestrians on Oct. 29. According to the LAPD, this intersection is considered to be one of the most dangerous street corners in Los Angeles.
Dangerous Intersections Border Campus By TOMaS rOdrIguez Everyday on Vermont Avenue, students and staff pass Melrose and Santa Monica Avenues, two of Los Angeles’ deadliest intersections. Los Angeles City College is located in between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue, on Vermont Avenue. This half-mile stretch is flooded by many pedestrians who visit the college and local businesses. Officer Jack Richter, an LAPD public information officer for Media Relations, says that drivers and pedestrians cause the dangerous intersection problem. “There must be something wrong with the street that makes it difficult
[for drivers and pedestrians] to see,” Richter said. “Does the [intersection] encourage speeding? Is there something [drivers and pedestrians] do not see?” The Braille Institute, a non-profit dedicated to the blind and visually-impaired, has a large building on the corner of Vermont and Melrose Avenues. Each day, countless blind and visually-impaired people use the crosswalk at this deadly intersection. A visit to the Braille Institute ended wth a quick escort to the front door and no comment. Officer Richter says that pedestrians should pay more attention to the moving activity in the streets and not rely on drivers, who may not
be paying attention to the road. On Vermont and Melrose Avenues, once the crosswalk is safe for pedestrians, a mechanical chirp sound starts. Some of the people at the intersection wait for that sound, as they cannot see the pedestrian safety light. “A lot of pedestrians don’t understand the process of walk and don’t walk,” Richter said. “A lot of people think they can cross the street and make it on time and that is not necessary true. Once [the light] turns red that means you are not supposed to cross, and you are not supposed to step off of the curb.” Many people commute to LACC and have to pass these dangerous intersections. Robert Molina, an un-
decided major, rides his bicycle to school. He says he did not pay much attention to the increased possibility of death at these intersections. “I use my bike to get to school, which I am very aware needs precaution in these busy L.A. streets,” Molina said. “Now, when I pass these intersections, I will be conscious of not only my safety but of others as well.” Jamie Flores, an LACC business major says that fatal accidents are common throughout the city. Flores says he uses his car daily and that he is used to major, Los Angeles traffic problems, both on the freeways and streets. SEE INTERSECTIONS PAGE 5
District Takes Cues from Shootings OUR SOLE AND ONLY JOB IS TO GET THE BAD GUY AND STOP HIM, OK?” —DEPUTY JAMES MCKAIN DURING “ACTIVE SHOOTER” PRESENTATION
Professor with High Marks Reaches Low Point with Student
By eMMaNuella durOgeNe Presenters told attendees how to react in the event of an emergency during an active shooters program that prepared faculty, staff and a few students for two hours at the LACC Student Union Building on Oct. 14, 2015.The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department partnered with the Los Angeles Community College District to sponsor the program. It depicted raw, bloody footage and statistical data of past campus shootings. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Deputy, James McKain spoke candidly to the small group and showed a lengthy video. He commented throughout. “What do we, in a group, do to prepare for this?” McKain said as the attendees sat quietly. The Oct. 1, 2015 shootings in Oregon at the Umpqua Community College hit home with many Los Angeles Community college students because this was the first shooting at a two-year college. The first school shooting ever happened in 1966 at the University of Texas, when student Charles Whitman killed 16 students and injured 32 others. It took police approximately 45 minutes to get the situation under control. “Preparation for such abhorrence is paramount to safety,” said a student who did not want to be identified as she walked in to find a seat. The group of about 30 attendees soon learned there are no easy answers to an active shooter on a campus.
Students attended the annual Club Rush earlier this month, where they had the option to learn about and join progressive clubs, workshops and safe-zones. In the Quad, different organizations set up booths and offered treats and snacks. Students, some who say they were optimistic about joining clubs, went booth-to-booth and talked to club members. Some clubs organize to consume themselves in scientific studies, watch tons of videos and stay involved in a lot of discussions, according to Secular Alliance Club representative Drew Young. “The Secular Alliance club promotes non-believers across the board,” Young said. “The purpose of our club is to reduce stigma, the biggest stigma that’s often attached to people who aren’t religious […] to show that you can do good in your community without religion.” Club Rush also included student development and leadership workshops. Stacy Umana, Transferring and Empowering Youth Club (TEYC) representative says the workshops can come in handy in many other areas of life. “We’re also doing personal statement workshops and UC Application workshops,” Umana said. “We’re doing internships. We’re doing scholarships, its not going to hurt anyone to join us, it only helps you”. TEYC helps transfer students. It offers all-expenses-paid field trips to various colleges. Umana says TEYC wants to aid transfer students with university decisions. Los Angeles City College’s diverse crowd attracts organizations that create a safe place to meet and bounce ideas off each other says Jonathan Cruz, the president of the Spectrum Alliance Club. “We are here to provide a very comfortable base for our students who are LGBT,” Cruz said. “We plan to educate adults that don’t know anything [and] that need help.” The school website offers more information about campus clubs. Users can navigate to student services, and click on the student clubs.
By ClINTON CaMerON
wrapped around the wounds. Don’t come out the room until an officer advises you to do so. “Wait for us to get there,” Mckain said, “and if the shooter comes in, do what you gotta do to survive by using things in the room as a weapon and to stop him.” Law enforcement has priorities in emergency situations, and their first priorities are not the civilians. Sheriffs say the gunman’s goal is to kill as many people and do as much damage as he can.
Adjunct English Professor Larry Smith received an “A “average with an overall score of 4.7 on Ratemyprofessors.com. This year, three of the latest posts from students enrolled in his English 28 class at Los Angeles City College reflected high ratings and praise. A post in October stated Smith is the best professor ever. The commenter also said he or she would take the class “100 times over!” Psychology major Corinne Brown had a different experience than other students who praise Professor Smith on the website. Brown says a classroom exchange between her and the professor discouraged her from continuing the course when the professor referred to her as “Ms. Stinky.” Brown says she fired back with a comment about smelling better than him. The professor told Brown she should not have chosen to sit up front.
SEE DISTRICT PAGE 5
SEE PROFESSOR PAGE 5
aCtiVe shooter resPonse PHOTO By CurTIS SaBIr/COllegIaN
Decades after the University of Texas shootings, a multitude of campus shootings have occurred. “You’re not going to get the super hard answers,” McKain said to students and faculty. “You’re not going to get this is what we have to do, what must happen. You’re going to walk out of here thinking about what can I do.” McKain says if you can, leave the campus, get out and go home. He says there are three things you need to have with you: money, identification and keys. The keys he’s referring to are house keys, because it will not be possible to drive away during
a shooter event. There are newer buildings at LACC on a “lock key access system” where the sheriffs can automatically lock the doors in an emergency. However, students and faculty, in older buildings should lock the doors. McKain says classroom doors that don’t lock within should be barricaded with heavy furniture to deter the shooter. He says stay quiet and calm while in the classroom. If there is an adjacent room, he says go into it and don’t come out. In case someone has been shot been shot, stop the bleeding by applying pressure with a belt or a shirt or whatever can be
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opinion & editorial
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, November 4, 2015
COMPILED BY Ambar Quintanilla and Carlos Martinez PHOTOS BY Dave Martin
Do you think mass shootings and mental illnesses are connected? Is mental illness an excuse for mass shootings?
Kasper Svendsen Theater Major
Austin Blodgett Computer Science Major
Yesenia Willis Korean Language Major
Antonio Reyes Physiology Major
“Yes. Definitely ... I think people who are in a category for certain mental illnesses are being allowed to get a gun or weapons way too easily. I don’t think it should be legal [for them] to own a gun. I think it’s madness.”
“I do not think that there are a lot of mental illnesses that cause people to be violent … If there is strong evidence that they have a mental illness, then maybe there should be some leniency in the way they’re convicted.”
“It has to be connected in some way in order to shoot innocent people in that manner ... America’s problem today is that when a minority does it, it is something way more violent than when a non-minority does it.”
“Killing is one thing. Mental illness is kind of different. But, it fits into the same situation. The killer gets … crazy that they lose all self-control. They lose themselves into the rage and anger that they feel.”
Mental Illness Does Not Excuse Mass Shootings
Editorial
By Gloria Lee When mass shootings are covered in the media, they tend to focus on who the mass shooter was, often highlighting how he “kept to himself ” or “was a brilliant student.” Along with highlighting the character before the shooting, we often hear of how they struggled with mental illness growing up or how they were bullied. Somehow it seemingly gives justifiable cause for their actions. This is too narrow a scope to view these criminals. Many people suffer from mental illnesses. They have been bullied growing up, but many of them have not felt the urge to commit mass murder. When we use mental illness as a way to excuse criminal behavior, we open the floodgates for more people with murderous intent to commit similar crimes. I believe that mass shootings are a product of entitlement and poor gun control. On May 23, 2014 around UC Santa Barbara, Elliot Rodger killed 7 people (himself included) and injured 14. During the coverage of his crimes we learned a lot about how he was bullied and had been seeing a therapist since the age of eight. In his blog, he described how he hated women for not noticing him and how he hated men who were sexually active for having a more
Illustration by Jose Tobar/Collegian
Aim for Change, Don’t Target People
T
here is a desperate and immediate need in America to improve gun control laws. The number of crimes that are committed with guns is increasing. Meaningful change would ensure safety for all Americans. A controversial subject between gun rights activists and gun control activists has gained traction again due to recent mass shootings that have occurred recently. A dichotomy exists between the groups, and both sides present compelling arguments. It would not be right to eliminate a constitutional guarantee, but at the same time it is not safe to let just anyone get access to guns easily. A common trend between in the recent mass shootings is that the
people that own guns practice poor gun safety at home. A recent example of this would be a family in Chicago, where a dad kept his gun rolled between a pair of pajama pants on top of the refrigerator. The dad purchased the gun illegally from gang members for protection. The kids were playing cops and robbers when the 6 year old shot his 3-year-old brother with the dad’s gun. This particular incident demonstrates how people often do not have their guns in a safe location and any one can get access. Another recent example happened earlier this month in Oregon. A shooting occurred at Umpqua Community College when a student decided to open fire on students, and made them beg for their lives before he killed them.
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After the incident, police were able to find several guns that were legally purchased by the shooter, his mother and relatives. This accident shows that poor gun habits, easy accessibility to guns and poor decisions are what helped create this mass shooting. Something that both of these accidents prove and many other shooting accidents is that it does not matter if a gun is purchased legally or illegally, accidents will always occur when users practice poor gun habits and make poor decisions. This will always endanger the public. Even if there was a strict gun control law approved, that does not guarantee that there would not be another mass shooting. It is un-American for people to lose a right that is granted by the Constitution, but it is also tragic
when lives are lost in mass shootings. Instead of worrying about which side of the argument is right, there must be a deeper emphasis on educating people about gun safety. Gun safety lessons should be mandatory for potential owners, so they can learn how to store and use their weapons properly. Gun safety education would not completely stop shootings, but it is something that would definitely help. People use guns, so it is appropriate for them to become educated about gun safety. It would give the rest of the population peace of mind to know that there are more requirements to legally obtain a gun. The controversy on gun issues will always exist, but the people must set their sights and aim for change.
Write a Letter to the Editor email: losangeles.collegian@gmail.com CALL: 323.953.4000 ext. 2831 Letters may be edited for brevity.
enjoyable life than him. Yet despite his own words, the media did not seem to focus heavily on the true reason he decided to go on his rampage. Rodger felt that the world owed him, that women owed him sex and that people owed him respect. Despite the mental illness that he was never officially diagnosed with, his own words were that he hated the world for what was not handed to him. On June 17, 2015 in Charleston, South Carolina, Dylan Roof walked into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church with the intent to shoot and kill African-American churchgoers, in hopes of igniting a race war. When he was arrested he was not put in handcuffs. Roof was given a bulletproof vest and escorted out of his place of hiding by several police officers. I was outraged to see how he was treated after murdering nine people and openly admitting that his actions were motivated by racism and white supremacy. If we handle someone with such care after they have committed mass murder, regardless of their mental state, how do we expect people who want to follow in his footsteps to react? Top that with easily accessible guns and we have got the recipe for disaster. We need to make it harder to purchase guns and stop blaming mental illness for mass murder.
Media Carry Some Blame in Mass Shootings By Mae Bradley Attention begets attention. Mass shootings are always diagnosed as a cry for help, complete with a note explaining grievances, a message the shooter wants to bring to light, or a misguided sense of revenge. The mass media is the monster fueling it, giving these horrific incidents and shooters the attention they crave. Others who are desperate for the same treatment and the same attention see it working. A rash of shootings and violence seem to occur within the same cluster of weeks. People do desperate things for attention. Sometimes, it’s as harmless as Britney Spears shaving her head bald. Other times, it results in tragedy. The people of the world are shouting for competition with each other and bullets resound too well to remain unused. It is a shame, it should not be encourage and the only way to detract from that power is to really look at the situation from a logical point of view. A shooting, like so many that have happened in the past few years, is a local incident that turns into a national tragedy. I believe that local news should remain local. Humans tend to find tragedy and latch onto it. I understand this sentiment. When you hear about something terrible, you get scared, you want to know more about it and sometimes
you want to aid whatever is terrible. Unfortunately, there are things beyond our control and frankly are not our business. Something happening six states away has little to no context in my own life, but is a problem that drastically affects that community of people. Why should I spend time, energy and attention on it? If anything doing so will propagate that in my own community and encourage others seeking attention to follow their example. More than that, there is a sense of privacy that these communities deserve. Reports of the negative impact on the community consistently follow every media blowout. These are people who are righteously outraged that their community is being judged, that people who are not involved are forming opinions based mostly on speculation. The amount of people who use school shootings to champion political agendas - or to say “I told you so” to the public - is disrespectful and morally objectionable. So let’s do our part. Focus on your community. Focus on building the people around you. Pay attention to the people you love, and the people you do not. Make sure you try to be a positive force to everyone you interact with. Little changes and kindnesses prevent tragedy. Continuing to give terrible people media play only encourages more terrible people to rise.
opinion & editorial alUMna oPinion Identity Wanderings:
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Collegian
Street Vendors Deserve an Opportunity
Media Arts Department, Chemistry 207 los angeles City College 855 N. vermont ave. los angeles, Ca 90029
They Think I am Latina, Therefore I am By rOCIO flOreS HuarINga “Are you Hispanic or Latino?” reads the ethnicity box on the Social Security card application. “Your response is voluntary,” but is it? Those are the only two ethnicities listed on that box, and they basically mean the same. Am I Hispanic or Latino? What does it mean to be Hispanic or Latino? Latino is a term that my friends used to make fun of me when they found out I was moving to America. “I have heard Americans loooove Latinas,” they would say. Back then, I didn’t really get the full scope of what that meant. What did that even mean? Not all of the so-called Latinos look the same. They described Latinas as voluptuous girls, and I used to laugh, because I thought that was only a stereotype. I did not think that term could define everyone from the Spanish-speaking world. I thought it was only a joke in the United States, but never had I been so wrong. Discrimination exists everywhere, but its scope does not come into focus until you become its target. You do not often think of yourself as the outsider until you start to notice the little things. For example, when you go to a government agency and are forced to choose a label. You wonder if that’s really important and even start to question where you belong or if you belong to any one of them. You check off one of the options, because you do not want to be the “other.” Then, you read the newspaper and find out that the representation of your “racial” or “ethnic” group in congress and government is minimal. You go to your school and notice that different racial groups are severely underrepresented. You watch the news and not many people look like you. Suddenly you realize that you are a minority and even though you selected one of those boxes to feel that you belong, you notice that you really don’t belong here. I chose to identify as Latina on the form. After all, that’s what they have been calling me. But what does being Latino/a mean exactly? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a Latino is “a Latin-American inhabitant of the United States,” and a Hispanic is “Spanish-speaking, [especially] applied to someone of Latin-American descent living in the United States.” A Latin American is “of or pertaining to those countries of Central, North, and South America in which Spanish or Portuguese is the dominant language.” Then, yes, I am Latina. I was born in Peru and Spanish is my native language. But there are other things that account for the definition of the terms Hispanic and Latino. The
language gurus at the Oxford English Dictionary say that these terms exclusively define residents of the United States. Those terms only exist here because they were created here. These terms were originally created to be more specific and inclusive regarding certain immigrant populations who arrived to the United States. The media helped disseminate the usage. However, once the terms became more familiar, they evolved and came to be wrongly associated with undocumented immigration, lack of education, crime, and the stereotypical racial perception that all Hispanics or Latinos look the same. The government recognizes that Latinos and Hispanics are from different races. But in their efforts of being inclusive and specific, the terms came to define many of us inaccurately. Even the race boxes in government forms don’t include South American indigenous or mixed-race people. My racial background is composed of black, white and indigenous Peruvian. The government does allow me to mark more than one box. But marking three boxes makes me feel out-of-place, or like I am doing something wrong. The terms Hispanic or Latino also dismiss all the cultural differences between the many countries that have Spanish as their mother tongue. They put all the countries in just one bubble, and make them seem like all of them have the same traditions or way of living. In reality, all the Spanish-speaking countries have vastly different customs, dances, cuisine, literature, history, and even different dialects. When I meet another Latin American who is not Peruvian, I am surprised to find and learn so many new things from them. What brings us close is obviously the language and the immigrant experience, but this doesn’t mean that we all agree to be defined by just one term. So going back to my social security form, I will respond to the “Are you Hispanic or Latino?” question by marking both the yes and no boxes. I am not ashamed or afraid to say that I define myself as Latina because I speak Spanish, and I am from Peru. I identify with the immigrant experience, but I will be precise too. I will say I am a Peruvian Latina. I will also say no, I am not Latina because I do not identify with what the concept of Latino and Hispanic has come to mean nowadays. I don’t identify with just being a number. I won’t allow people to define me based on stereotypes. I won’t allow anyone to tell me that I can only be one thing, and I won’t allow people to label so many different cultures under one name. After all, we are all allowed to mark more than one box.
PeoPle need to adJUst to soCiety’s norMs By IgMar HerNaNdez In today’s world we have seen changes in cultural society throughout history. Here in the United States however, these changes have affected us greatly. One such change is the legalization of gay marriage in the U.S. It is a monumental result that sparked controversy and backlash for many anti-supporters. Having legalized same sex marriage will help gays and lesbians marry without too much trouble. It can allow people to accept them for what they are and allow others to express themself without denial, even based on religious beliefs. When people believe that the passing of rights to gays is a bad thing, it will only add gasoline to a burning fire. Instead I believe that any step forward, not just for gay marriage, will allow us to accept the norm of society by the overwhelming majority. I am glad that I can experience America’s first black president, the legalization of gay marriage and future changes that will let us accept these things as the norm rather than see it as taboo. Society today is different than it was over 40 years ago. With the bat-
tles fought over race, religion and female rights ending in monumental victories, it is a small step in the long run. I can experience the gratitude of knowing we can develop into a better country. Politicians and advocate groups deny societal betterment; they can dispute that nothing good can come from what has passed by law. But in the end, if we allow laws that can improve society, we will improve as whole rather than as an individual. If we look back on the past and see what was considered normal, it is very different from what we see today. For example, one of the biggest issues in the past was racial tension. Racial separation of person’s skin color was seen as acceptable and any form of racial integration was deemed harmful for society’s development. For many of those who still want to live in the past rather than accepting change, it could really hurt to see the world in front of you and acknowledge that times have changed. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but accepting people for who they are is best thing to do. For humanity as a whole to change and to embrace this change in our daily life, would change the world dramatically.
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Editor-in-Chief Tomas Rodriguez Jason Piskopus Front Page/News Jake Camarena Opinion/Editorial Hector Lopez Arts & Entertainment Byron Umana Bermudez By TOMaS rOdrIguez Eating in Los Angeles can offer a lot of variety, but if there’s one thing that shines out it is the high amount of street vendors present throughout the city. Street vendors deserve the right to sell their food legally, and not be in danger of getting arrested or having their fare thrown out by the police department. There is a current policy in the works that would legalize the sale of food on sidewalks in the City of Los Angeles. The Street Food Work Group of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council are developing a policy to remedy this. The L.A. Street Vendor Ordinance would create a permit system to regulate how vendors can sell food on L.A. sidewalks. With millions of residents, L.A. is not only famous for entertainment but also for its food. The countless amount of restaurants are what make
the city great. But streets vendors, who often offer food for cheap, can serve some of the best meals in town. To local communities and the police, however, they are sometimes considered a nuisance. I see it everywhere. Street vendors are present on practically every corner offering cheap food done at a quick rate. Yet most of these vendors are on the lookout for the police. The constant fear of having to move as soon as they see a black and white can drive vendors crazy. However, the police are not the only people the vendors have to look out for. Restaurant business owners also have issues with street vendors. An owner from a local restaurant that I visit believes that if vendors get permits, they should pay the same amount of fees that restaurant owners also pay. Some fees included the water, rent and electric bill. Vendors do not have to worry about any of these things,
but if a proper ordinance is formed there has to be no favoritism for either restaurants or freelance vendors. However, food is not the only thing that is sold. Street vendors can sell anything from flowers, phone chargers, watches and even movies. Nevertheless, some vendors also sell pirated movies and fake items that can cause even more controversy. There are a lot of things to take consideration of when forming a well working policy such as deciding a time of day to sell, a specific zone they can sell in and exactly what a vendor can sell or not sell. Despite a high number of vendors already selling their products illegally, it is near impossible for police to hand out tickets to every street vendor in L.A. For a functioning street vending policy to work, all parties involved have to sit and work out a policy that will suit everyone’s needs.
Society Influenced by Social Media By laKOya MaNCe American society is constantly evolving. There has been several changes just in the past ten years. People are getting more and more freedoms and choices, and we can now share our opinions to sometimes millions of people. This generation is the first to have access to constant connection, not only with people we know but also as well as celebrities or anyone of our choosing. We can now share our opinions and lifestyles, not only in person but also through social media. According to wearethesource.com on average Instagram receives 70 million photos and videos daily. 53 percent of Internet users aged 18-29 are active on Instagram. There are nearly 1.4 billion Facebook users, 47 percent of all Internet users are on Facebook and 4.5 billion “likes” are generated daily. Twitter has 284 million active users at last count, 88 percent of Twit-
ter users are on mobile and Twitter’s average tweets per day is 500 million. On social media we can reach people alike, while sometimes attracting people profoundly different, which has led to a ton of rash and often judgmental and highly insulting opinions. I think one of the main problems American society has, is worrying or becoming bothered with what other people are doing. Some people are ignoring and illuminating their own personal problems by attacking or simply forming a negative opinion about other people’s lifestyles and choices. If one is truly happy they’re not going to ridicule or stick their noses into something that has nothing to do with their personal growth or journey in life. Instead of focusing on our own obstacles and goals, some people have become captivated with what everyone else is doing. If people spent the time they give to social media to improving them-
selves instead, they would more than likely spend less time being critical and more time promoting something they’re positively passionate about. Why do we care about someone we don’t know? We’re giving our precious energy, time and attention to others who do not benefit us. Unless they’re on our timelines for a positive, or perhaps inspirational, reason I do not believe they should be there. I acknowledge that there are many adults and teenagers who have put social media to good use in branding themselves. Whether it is for work, keeping in touch with friends or just for leisure, I feel as if it’s becoming abused when people post negative, judgmental comments and opinions. Focus on the aspects in life that make you happy on social media. Share your positive lifestyle to a world full of people instead of promoting hate.
Cost of Higher Education Rises for Students By KeNNeTH Jara Oregon was the first state to make community college free. In my opinion, this is a great idea because the cost of attending college in the United States has risen over the last couple of years. For some students who attend community colleges, they cannot afford to pay for classes and the cost to attend community colleges in California alone, is now at $36 to $40 per unit Most students who are living alone have to save enough money to pay for bills and other personal necessities, making it difficult to pay for classes. Some students who attend community colleges pay for their tui-
tion by using Federal Financial Aid, money that they may have to pay after they graduate. Some community college students not only have to worry about financial aid money, but they have to worry about saving it for transferring to a university. As a university student myself, university tuition is not cheap. I have to worry about my tuition at the university I am attending, which is at $40,000 a year, as well as worrying about my tuition here at Los Angeles City College. I just hope that when school is all said and done, I would not fall into debt. But for so many college students, this is exactly the case. Presidential candidate Bernie
Sanders proposed a bill, the College for All Act, similar to John Adam’s Morrill Act, in which John Adam’s act proposed that college should be free to all. In Bernie Sander’s bill, it will only be free if the student is an undergraduate student. However, free mean free. Any opportunity to go to school without paying should give students that extra motivation to recieve a higher eduaction at a community college. College should definitely be free to everyone looking to get their undergraduate degree. It contributes to the future by helping students not have to worry about paying their student loans after all their hard work pursuing their degree.
SCan Qr COde
to keeP uP With our latest multimeDia stories or visit collegianwired.tumblr.com
Campus Life Mae Bradley Sports Taylor Corbin Reporters Sheila Thorne Carlos Martinez Sorina Szakacs Emmanuella Durogene Copy Editor Naomi Johnson Photo Editor Curtis Sabir Photographers Jorge Ponce Illustrators Jose Tobar Graphic Designers Richard Martinez Jimmy Martinez Beatrice Alcala Multimedia Producers Dave Martin Frank Vidrio Adviser Rhonda Guess
deadline Schedule NeXT ISSue: November 11, 2015 editorial deadline: November 8, 2015 for all submissions including letters to the editor and publicity releases send materials to the Collegian offices located in room 207 of the Chemistry Building, or email: losangeles.collegian@gmail.com. To advertise in the Collegian, email all insertion orders and questions to: pr.collegian@gmail.com.
The college newspaper is published as a learning experience, offered under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the first amendment to the united States Constitution. accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the los angeles Community College district, los angeles City College, or any officer or employee thereof. Collegian © 2015. No material may be reprinted without the express written permission of the Collegian.
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ColleGian ConneCt
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, November 4, 2015
X-rated MoVie CaUses ControVersy at loCal high sChool After an adult movie was filmed at Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, in 2012, school officials have temporarily banned all film production in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). According to a report from NBC- 4, the LAUSD received a cash payment from the film crew. Students weigh in on “Revenge of the Petites.”
LAUSD No Longer Getting the Bang for Their Buck By ISSaC PadIlla Los Angeles, the entertainment capitol of the world is also home to many other titles. As well as being home to a vast number of adult entertainment studios, Los Angeles has earned the title of having the second worst urban school district in all of California. Repairing a damaged school system is no easy task when funding is often an issue. Luckily, the pornography industry is here to help. The Los Angeles Unified School District earns about $2 million every year from granting shooting permits to production companies. The most profitable school in Los Angeles, Birmingham Charter High School, has earned $1 million over the past five years. But considering the large number of adult entertainment studios in Los Angeles, who knows how much money they have contributed to our schools?
While allowing production companies to shoot on our campuses might seem like a win-win situation, the community is often left in the dark. Only six out of 50 LAUSD schools have a policy that requires the principal to contact parents when a production crew will be in town. Until recently, parents and students have dealt with the traffic and other interruptions created by production crews. But after finding out about “Revenge of the Petites,” a pornographic film shot in Alexander Hamilton High School, LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines has indefinitely suspended all commercial filming at LAUSD schools. While this may seem like a mandatory action to parents, others may oppose this decision. What’s going to happen to schools like Birmingham Charter High School with this cut to their income? My first thought was to simply hire someone to oversee all pro-
ductions, ensuring that no school policies or regulations are broken. But apparently, FilmL.A., a company that handles contracts with the LAUSD, was already in charge of that job. Reports have shown that FilmL.A. has frequently been caught lying to the school district. They once described a “R” rated movie about a stripper, as a “PG family movie.” A school administrator at University High School has also admitted to accepting checks from production companies “to compensate the school for any imposition they may have caused.” A solution to this dilemma is simple; ban the shooting of adult films on school campuses, apply stricter supervising on film sets and notify the community when filming is going to be in progress. With these changes schools can still earn some spare cash and parents will not have to worry about their children being exposed to the ex-funders of their schools.
One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch? By auSTIN COle Recently, the Los Angeles Unified School District has elected to ban commercial filming on its campuses after the discovery of a pornographic film “Revenge of the Petites,” was filmed on a local campus. As crazy as it may sound, I think the district may be slightly overreacting. The initial reaction to hearing this is to be shocked and disgusted that your school was being used to promote such derogatory material. While these feelings are justified, I do not think they should have banned commercial filming on their campuses.
I understand that this is a major red flag, but there can be measures taken to ensure this type of situation does not happen again in a LAUSD school. A basic solution would be to have an inquiry with the directors and actors before any contracts are signed and agreements made. Also, to make it mandatory for the school and district offices to view the film for approval before it is released. According to the Superintendent's Final Budget for the 20142015 school year, the LAUSD received $5.29 million as a result of filming and photography with those resources yet to be allocated. I’m not so sure if I would be will-
ing to cut off that source of income because of one bad incident. To be fair, the school should be held accountable for not reviewing in depth the type of directors involved and what material they had planned to produce. Yeah I know, it’s a pornographic film, but let’s be real, who is that naive? Naked women washing a car in a school parking lot wasn’t enough to get a bystander to raise their eyebrows? All LAUSD schools can not be held accountable for the irresponsibility of one school. Just tighten up the screws everywhere else and punish Alexander Hamilton High School for its lack of awareness.
Indefinite Suspension, Not Likely By rICardO COrNeJO Depending on your social or work status, you are always kept in the dark. This is exactly the case for Alexander Hamilton High School. After three years of happily spending money obtained from the pornography industry, parents of students now realize what was going on. To a business person, money talks. But to those who have morals, money means nothing. Everyone loves to get paid for services, but when you find out what you are getting paid or where it came from, it changes everything. NBC-4 News conducted a sixmonth-long investigation on a production company that used Alexander Hamilton High School’s campus to shoot a pornographic film. Due to this discovery, LAUSD is
revisiting their policies that allow production companies to film on school grounds. It’s a little sad that the district needed to be exposed in order for action to take place, but who’s to blame here, the school district or the production company? LAUSD is to blame here, not the production company. Would you allow me to film inside your house for two days and not tell you what I was filming, but that I would need to use your master bedroom? You would definitely question it, if you did not, then you would have to be very naive to think every individual in this world is a saint. I remember when I was in high school. I never got the chance to attend field trips. My school did not have enough funds, unless you were a gifted student. They did however give the option
to fundraise, but that was never motivating enough for the students to go out and sell cheap candy. Channel 4 News reports that the LAUSD has made about $10 million in filming permits over the last five years, but at a cost. The LAUSD now has the chance to redeem itself by making a statement and enforcing change. That change is for the state to provide additional funds to the public school systems so that our new generation will not have to rely on third-party funds to get a better education. Although this change may not occur anytime soon, they should heavily screen production agencies before allowing any sort of filming. Los Angeles is the entertainment capitol of the world, but it does not mean our schools are playing grounds for scumbags looking to make a quick buck.
IlluSTraTION By JOSe TOBar/COllegIaN
filM ControVersy CaUses UProar By SaNdy CHavez I went to John Marshall High School. It was known for being the sprightly school of Leonardo DiCaprio and for hosting the ending carnival setting to the movie “Grease.” Over and over again, I’ve watched several shows filmed at my high school and I take pride in that. This is not the case for students at Alexander Hamilton High School, because their school is now the laughing stock of the LAUSD. In an embarrassing situation, Alexander Hamilton High School became the setting for a pornographic shoot. Who would think, right? What kind of person in their right mind would host a pornographic film on an actual school campus?
The Los Angeles Unified School District has suspended all movies and television filming at its schools after the discovery of the 2012 porn shoot. I find so many things wrong with this situation. Students actually eat, play and study in the same environment where the vulgar movie was shot. What message are we sending the students who attend this school? It’s simple. They are subjected to a life where nothing matters but money. LAUSD makes $2 million a year by charging production companies to use school property for film shoots. I’m asking myself, is the $2 million more important than the integrity of the school? I think so. The fact that LAUSD didn’t deeply investigate what kind of film was being shot at their schools shows a sign
of weakness. The District isn't paying much attention to what is going on in their schools. It seems to me as if they look left in certain situations when it involves money. This movie was filmed in 2012 and has only recently become controversial. Parents continuously complained and now it has become a big topic of conversation. If this movie would have stayed under the radar, I can assume they would have never made a big deal about it. We should all be more cautious of what goes on, especially in our high schools where young teens are present, or in any school for that matter. Students don’t need to be put through such an embarrassing situation over the little to no attention given by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Dirty Money Funds School District By alI aHMad Apparently there was a pornographic film shot on a high school campus not too long ago. Let’s just sit and think about the title of the movie for a second. The title is “Revenge of the Petites.” “Revenge of the Petites?” You would think the title alone would raise some kind of suspicion in the minds of the reader, but I guess not. Maybe they thought it was the next big film to be renowned and admired by millions. They were right. The producers filmed their scenes in student classrooms. It is also said that they filmed a nude car wash scene in the parking lot right in front of the school. Now the students have to go to school and sit at desks where only God knows what happened in that room. What I can’t seem to wrap my
mind around is how the production company was even able to get the school to agree to film there in the first place. Is there no pre-inspection of the film's subject matter, or its genre? Does the school district not ask to read scripts, or check the content before it’s allowed to be filmed? Do they just accept money blindly from whoever comes and slides it across the table? In this case it is “dirty money,” if you get my drift. Others might be outraged by the event happening, some may even be disgusted, but to be honest I find the event to be quite comical. The kind of comical that makes you want to vomit, but comical nonetheless. No, I am not happy that the event took place, but I do think we can all share some kind of laugh at this. I even believe, in some strange and twisted way, that perhaps it was something that needed to happen.
I think this was necessary so that next time a movie is filmed at a school, they will think twice before just letting anyone come and film on their campus. The LAUSD makes over $2 million a year from allowing production companies to come and film at their schools. The district made over $10 million over the last five years. No questions were asked apparently. Both the school district and the porn industry should be ashamed. It's hard to believe that the porn industry couldn’t find a studio that looked like a school. LAUSD needs better ways of monitoring scripts before production companies are allowed to film. They need to be extra careful when it comes to whom they allow to film on their campuses. I just hope that no students were involved.
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Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, November 4, 2015
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DANGEREOUS INTERSECTIONS FROM PAGE 1
laPD takes aim at unsafe intersections “I see problems every day when I am driving, it’s not a surprise,” Flores said. “Whether it is people on the streets or drivers on the road, I am not surprised because many people ignore the rules of the road.” In an effort to raise awareness and reduce future traffic accidents, the LAPD established a Directed Enforcement Task Force for safer streets. Police officers were present at these deadly intersections to educate the public about traffic collisions. On Oct. 9, LAPD offers spoke to pedestrians at some of the hazardous intersections and offered education and enforcement solutions. In the upcoming months, the LAPD will target more specific intersections to provide additional support. “After [the analysis] is all determined,” Richter said. “Then we are going to start working on [the deadly intersection problem] from an enforcement point of view and that would mean writing tickets, impounding cars, and even doing something as simple as parking a police vehicle at a location with sometimes no officer in it.” According to the mayors website, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed plans to eliminate fatal car crashes. Through Vision Zero, Garcetti plans to reduce the number of traffic fatalities to zero by 2025. “I am launching the citywide Vision Zero initiative,” Garcetti wrote in an Executive Directive Statement in
August. “Saving human lives must be our priority, so I am declaring safety to be the number one priority in designing and building our streets and sidewalks.” According to Vision Zero, by 2020 Garcetti plans to reduce pedestrian fatalities involving children and elders by 20 percent. Vision Zero is a worldwide initiative aimed to eliminate all traffic deaths through engineering and planning, education, evaluation and monitoring and involvement with local and state government agencies. Jose Fernandez, an LACC math major says that every person needs to be responsible. He says, in order to provide a safer city, every person has to change something. “Garcetti’s plan to reduce traffic fatalities is vital for safety issues,” Fernandez said. “But the real challenge comes for drivers and pedestrians, who need to follow the rules of the road.” Earlier this year, The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, released the 2013 statistics for vehicle crashes. Los Angeles finished second in traffic fatalities, behind New York City. “It is tragic that 200 people are killed each year while moving about our city,” said Garcetti, in a Vision Zero press release. “With more people walking and biking than ever before, we must use every available tool to save lives. I am determined to bring that number down to zero.”
PHOTO By CurTIS SaBIr/COllegIaN
Central Los Angeles’ MOST DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS •Avenue 26 and Figueroa Street •Wilshire Boulevard and Alvarado Street •Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard •Alvarado Street and Temple Street •Melrose Avenue and Vermont Avenue
student Questions Professor’s language ally lose my voice and for 15 to 20 minutes I can’t talk, my temperature goes up and I would have to be hospitalized. It’s like anaphylactic shock or whatever it’s called for bee stings you know.” But being called “Ms. Stinky” was not the only complaint Brown had. In the short time that she attended the class, she says she was offended by his off-color humor when it came to race. From stereotypes about how Black waitresses in Soul Food restaurants speak to their customers, to the poor food choices Mexicans make by eating Chinese food, she found his sense of humor offensive. According to Brown, at least three City College staff members and another student felt the same way. “So, what I’ve heard from staff members is that the guy is notorious for making racist jokes, but the guy’s been here forever and there’s nothing done about it.” Brown said. The Collegian did not speak to or locate the staff members or student Brown mentioned. According to Tchen, there have been a few complaints concerning other professors in the English Department. However, there have been no other complaints against Smith during the two years Tchen has been chair of the department. Computer Science major Robert Smith was available to comment. He says he had an experience similar to Brown’s. During a class lecture he was called “Mr.-Know it-All.” His reaction to the nickname however, was totally different. “He was referring to me and I thought it was kind of funny.” Smith said. “Professor Smith does have a sense of humor. English 28 is very intense. We meet once a week and the class is intense and he diffuses that with a sense of humor and if you have a thick skin, then yeah, you’re gonna get offended.” At 1 p.m. on a Saturday, Professor Smith’s class met for three
college learns about active shooters “We’re not here to help you, we’re not here to rescue you, we’re not here to save you, first,” McKain said. “Law enforcement’s job is to stop the shooter.” President Renee Martinez also spoke to the attendees and advised students to look for more information on the college website. The information can be found by the home page Lacitycollege.edu, click on “Safety, Security and Clery Reports,”
Scholarships By TOMaS rOdrIguez
PROFESSOR FROM PAGE 1
Brown says after remembering the professor was sensitive to perfume, she went out of her way to wipe hers off. She says the perfume she wore was the basis for his insult. She asked the chair of the English Department to transfer her to another class following the incident, four weeks into the semester. “I didn’t do it intentionally,” Brown said. “He [Professor Smith] had mentioned that perfume disgusted him. He doesn’t like the smell … He mentioned it the first day.” Brown recorded Smith’s lecture on a recording device. With the audio picking up the comments, Brown mentioned that Smith should have been appreciative for her efforts to tone down the smell. “I’m disgusted,” Smith said in the recording during his lecture. With other personal issues going on in her life, Brown says the backand-forth with the professor made matters worse. In an attempt to resolve the matter, she visited the Office of Special Services, the Vice President of Academic Affairs Office, the Associate Student Government Office and Dr. Bernadette Tchen, the chair of the ESL and English Department, “She came to the Administration [Office] one Friday, and I happened to be here,” Tchen said. “I met with her and she was extremely upset at what happened. I saw that it would not be resolved by letting her sit there and [talk] to the teacher so, I tried to find her another class to go to.” Smith says he did call Brown “Ms. Stinky.” He says he intended for the comment to be a humorous way to get a point across, not to make Brown feel bad. He says the point is strong perfume interrupted his ability to teach. “I can’t teach if somebody has a very strong scent, and 99.9 percent of my students understand that,” Smith said. “My classroom always is just free of any scents and l love it, but I can get so sick I can liter-
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hours in Room 212, of Franklin Hall. Aside from Brown, he says no other student has dropped his class this semester. He attributes it to his personable attitude that can be politically incorrect at times. “I like to make people feel like a family right away, and joke around with them kid the Iranians about long names, kid the Asian kids for you know, studying too hard,” Professor Smith said. “ It works in general because my classes have really high retention. I have not had one single student drop since the beginning of a semester and that’s rare because normally [in] the below 101 classes, you end up with you know, just a hand of kids at the end.” There were no signs of empty chairs an hour into the professor’s lecture. More than 30 students sat at the edge of their seats listening intently for his instructions. The majority of the students in his class appear to be Hispanic, with at least one Asian, one African American and a few Armenians. Smith identifies himself as a “White Bread Northern European micro-aggressive old creep.” Samantha Carrillo says she is a Hispanic from Guatemala. She sat in the middle of the classroom and like a majority of the students, never noticed the incident between Brown and Professor Smith a month ago. She commented about how she sees her professor’s use of race in his lectures. “I just think that the professor, he doesn’t joke on purpose based on race or anything. I honestly think he does it for everyone of us to be aware of how other races are,” Carrillo said. “Like, he doesn’t do it based on bringing a Mexican down or brining an Armenian down. I think he does it [so] we can all be aware everybody here is different.” Brown’s complaint has made it all the way to the desk of Dr. Daniel Walden, the vice president of academic affairs. The Collegian could not reach Dr. Walden for comment.
stephen J. Brady stop hunger scholarship Deadline: Dec. 5 Eligibility: Available to students age 5-25 and enrolled in an accredited educational institution in the United States and are citizens or permanent residents in the U.S. Award: $5,000 for education and a matching grant in their name for the hunger-related charity of their choice Applicants are to submit any and demonstrate any ongoing commitment in their community to impact hunger in the United States within the past 12 months. Unpaid volunteer service and community service recommendation is needed. Added consideration is given to students who have been working to end childhood hunger. For more information visit: www. sodexofoundation.org/hunger_us/ scholarships/scholarships.asp.
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and click on the “L.A. Sheriffs Department Active Shooter Video,” at the top right section of the page. “We are working on it in terms of making our campus less visible for community people in and out, which we know is a challenge here at L.A. City College,” Martinez said. The Deputy says in the aftermath of a shooter situation, students and faculty should know when the danger has truly passed. When the po-
lice say come out, students and faculty should walk out with their hands high above their heads. This lets police know that you are not part of the problem and that you are safe. “In the time of crisis you need to do one of the three things,” McKain said. “The very best thing you can do is the right thing. The second best thing you can do is the wrong thing and the very wrong thing you can do is nothing.”
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safe from the start scholarship Deadline: Dec. 31 Eligibility: U.S. Citizenship who are enrolled in an accredited U.S. college or university in the following semester. Award: $500 Scholarship Applicants are to submit a 500600 word essay. Students are to response to the following question: Many homes are adding automation feature, like thermostat control and light management. ADT Pulse ties in both home automation and remote security access. How do these improve home protection? And what future advancement do you envision in the field? Submit your essay, name and email to Scholarship@ safefromthestart.org For more information visit: www. safefromthestart.org/scholarship.
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Sports
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Lifetime Dream Becames Deathly Nightmare By Kevin King For the typical California boy growing up in the hood during the 90’s Junior Seau was our role model. He played the game with a passion. Many a boy dreamed of being him. He played the linebacker position better than anyone. Over 100 colleges heavily recruited Seau, who was a San Diego native. Loving the SoCal area, he chose the University of Southern California. He was a relentless linebacker and played with an undeniable passion. After two All-American seasons at USC, he was chosen by the San Diego Chargers as the fifth overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft. The San Diego Charger linebacker Seau was known for playing with reckless abandon. Seau was the face of the National Football League (NFL). He was a 10time All-Pro, 12-time Pro Bowl selection, and named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. If I had to describe the miraculous linebacker Seau via a song, it would be Tupac Shakur’s “All Eyez on Me.” The resilient Seau started 13 seasons for the Chargers before being traded to the Miami Dolphins where he spent three years, then spent his last four seasons with the New England Patriots. Subsequently, after 20 dazzling seasons Seau retired from the NFL in 2009. Then surprisingly, three years later (2012), Seau committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the chest. He died at the age of 43. Consequently, later studies by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of chronic brain damage that has also been found in other deceased former NFL players. CTE is a disease that is widely believed to stem from repetitive trauma to the head, and can lead to conditions such as memory loss, depression and dementia, according to the NIH. Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University (VA/BU) have now identified the degenerative disease in 96 percent of NFL players they have examined. “He [Seau] was a nice guy, not only was he a great player, he also did so much for the San Diego community,” Mark Morales a radiology major said. “I hope they [scientists] find out what was wrong.” Among the NFL legends found to have had CTE are Duerson, Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster and former San Diego Chargers legend Seau, according to the VA/ BU. Earlier this year, ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” reported that a New York neuropathologist had discovered signs of CTE in the brain of Jovan Belcher. In 2012, the former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker shot and killed his girlfriend before driving to a Chiefs practice facility, where he committed suicide in front of team officials. The new data from the VA/BU repository — once the “preferred” brain bank of the NFL — comes as thousands of NFL retirees and their beneficiaries approach an Oct. 14 deadline to decide whether to opt out of a proposed settlement in the class-action concussion case brought against the league by more than 5,000 former players.
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The goal for a World Series championship continues to haunt the Dodgers. Fans will have to wait 28 years for a a chance to see their team become world champions.
Postseason Blues Haunt L.A. Dodgers Photo Courtesy of Paul Goldberg, Senior Associate Sports Information Director
USC linebacker Junior Seau revels in the moment as Washington quarterback Cary Conklin hobbles away with his hands in his pants on Oct. 7, 1989 at the Los Angeles Coliseum, in Los Angeles, Calif. The Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Year lead the USC Trojans to a 24-16 victory. “People think that we’re blowing this out of proportion that this is a very rare disease and that we’re sensationalizing it,” Dr. Ann McKee , the director of the brain bank told CNN. “My response is that where I sit, this is a very real disease [it’s scary]. We have had no problem identifying it in hundreds of players.” (No pun intended). The NFL, “dropped the ball” on this one. “I definitely don’t want my son to play football. It’s too dangerous [those] broken bones and concussions,” Joanne Michel a nursing major said. “He can play soccer, it is much safer.” Researchers of the brain bank are hard at work and they have now examined the brain tissue of 128 football players who, before their deaths, played the game professionally, semi-professionally, in college or in high school, according to the VA/BU repository. And of that sample, 101 players, or nearly 80 percent, tested positive for CTE. “Obviously this high percentage of living individuals is not suffering from CTE,” said McKee, a neuropathologist who directs the brain bank, collaborating information between the VA and Boston University’s CTE Center told CNN. But “playing football, the higher the level you play football, and the longer you play football, the higher your risk.” Consequently, players represented in the data represent a skewed population, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University. CTE can only be definitively identified posthumously, and many of the players who have donated their brains for research suspected that they may have had the disease while still alive. “It’s important for people to understand that it does not help our research or our mission [for people] to take their own lives because they fear they have this disease,” Dr. Robert Stern, co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy told CNN. “The future will lead to successful treatment of this disease.” Indeed, Dave Duerson’s suicide had a macabre twist. The former Chicago
Bears safety David Duerson shot himself in the chest, but not before leaving behind a note requesting his brain is studied for evidence of a disease striking football players. The plaintive note read, “Please, see that my brain is given to the NFL’s brain bank.” This year, scientists announced that Duerson’s brain tissue showed “moderately advanced” evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a dementia-like brain disease afflicting athletes exposed to repeated brain trauma. “Dave Duerson had classic pathology of CTE and no evidence of any other disease,” Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist with the Bedford VA Medical Center, and co-director of the Boston University School of Medicine Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy told CNN. “He had severe distortion of areas that control judgment, inhibition, impulse control, mood and memory.” CTE has been found in the brains of 14 of 15 former NFL players thus far studied at the center, according to the VA/BU. Their cases share a common thread -- repeated concussions, sub-concussive blows to the head, or both. The nightmarish picture beginning to emerge from these cases is that trauma could be causing brain damage. A brain with CTE is riddled with dense clumps of a protein called tau. Under a microscope, tau appears as brown tangles that look similar to dementia, according to the VA/BU repository. Except the cases of CTE have shown this progressive, dementia-like array in players well in advance of a typical dementia diagnosis, which typically occurs in the 70s or 80s. Mike Webster, an offensive lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers whose CTE was also diagnosed posthumously, was 50 when he died. John Grimsley, a nine-year NFL veteran who played most of his career with the Houston Oilers, was 45, and Duerson was 50, according to the VA/ BU repository. And Seau with this disease took his life at 43. CTE doesn’t discriminate.
Scientists at Boston University have found evidence of CTE in the brain of an athlete as young as 18. “To see the kind of changes we’re seeing in 45-year-olds is basically unheard of,” said McKee in an in-depth interview with CNN. And finally, I watched this year’s NFL Hall of Fame induction. Seau was inducted postmortem. He became one of the few who were inducted into the “Hall” on his first year of eligibility. His daughter Sydney this past August courageously spoke at his induction. “First and foremost, he would thank the seven buddies out on stage with him tonight,” Sydney said. “This isn’t my speech to give. This is his. He spent 20 years in the league and he deserves this moment. All I can do is humbly attempt to thank the people within his life and career that made this induction possible.” Sydney then smiled, thinking of her dad trying to thank everyone. “He would thank every team, teammate, fan, the community of San Diego and the Chargers for the career of a lifetime. You guys are everything to him. Without you, he wouldn’t have become the player that he was,” Seau’s daughter said. “He is the first Polynesian and Samoan to make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and that is an accomplishment in itself.” “Dad, you gave us your time, your presence and your love. But most of all, you gave us your heart,” Sydney said. “I know at times, it seemed as if everything you accomplished in life wasn’t enough, but today and every day since you held me in your arms for the first time, you were more than just enough, you were everything. I hope this induction can exemplify the fact that you were more than just Junior Seau, No. 55. You are a light and I want nothing more than to see you come on stage, give the speech you were meant to give, give me a hug and tell me you love me one last time. That isn’t a reality, but I know his athleticism and talent made him extraordinary enough to make it into the Hall, but it is his passion and heart that make him truly legendary.”
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Hoop Dreams: Not What They Seem By Ande Richards Basketball and reality TV star, Lamar Odom said hi to his estranged wife, Khloe Kardashian, on Friday, Oct. 16 for the first time since nearly dying of a drug overdose, an alleged cocktail of cocaine and herbal Viagra. He was found two days earlier at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, NV vomiting profusely and bleeding from his nose. This was not a shocking development. Not so long ago Odom was a shining star in the sports world, winning a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics, gold at the 2010 FIBA world games and two championship rings with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, making him the first player in history to medal at the world games and win a championship ring in the same year. He was also distinguished as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.
Odom also had a career in television with guest starring roles on the HBO series “Arliss” and “Entourage” and ABC’s “Modern Family” to name a few, along with his recurring roles on his in-laws’ various reality TV shows. Yet, despite all his professional success, he continually succumbed to his demons treading the path of self-destruction. I remember seeing Odom when he played for the Clippers the first time around. It was a period when no one expected much from the Clippers – well, except that they would lose. Odom stood out. There was something about him that made me take notice. Even then, Odom’s problems with substance abuse came to light when he violated the league’s drug policy not once, but twice during his four-season run with the Clippers. Fame and fortune added fuel to the firestorm burning inside Odom, but
those factors were not at the root cause of his distress. During his college years, Odom had a checkered history with drugs, solicitation, accepting illicit funds and possibly cheating on the ACT’s, which was so glaringly apparent a Sports Illustrated journalist wrote about it in a 1997 column. Unfortunately, his problems did not begin at the college ball level either; they began when he was a child. His father was a heroin addict and his mother died of colon cancer when he was 12 leaving him to be raised by his grandmother. We know this story. A talent emerging from a troubled start makes good, or in Odom’s case better than good. But at some point in the beginning of his career, or even at the NBA level, someone must have noticed his predisposition to mask his deep emotional wounds with sex and drugs. And, if hospital visits and Twitter
feeds hold any merit, then the embattled star is beloved, but apparently not enough for strong and consistent intervention. Both the NBA and the Kardashian family Odom married into claim him as a leader, team-player and family, but neither entity seems to have made aggressive moves to get Odom help. They have first-hand knowledge of his personal tragedies and certainly have the financial resources that would enable them to get Odom topnotch care, but instead we see a man left to his own devices on the precipice of death. Sure, it’s up to each individual to take care of themselves, but sometimes we need a little, or a lot of help from our friends. If Odom survives this latest ordeal in his short 35-year life, then perhaps those with good intentions and the means to provide help will step in and assist Odom in a play for his life.
By Tomas Rodriguez Despite winning three straight divisional championships, the Los Angeles Dodgers hope of winning the World Series ended abruptly at home in game 5 against the New York Mets. This decisive run in the 3-2 game elongated the championship draught to 27 years. It was the 27th anniversary of Kirk Gibson’s iconic 1988 World Series home run. Orel Hershiser, who also played with Gibson and won it all in 88, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to try and give the Dodgers good luck heading in to the series. David Murphy, the Mets’ second basemen, scored on a sacrifice fly from the Mets’ catcher Travis d’Arnaud in the sixth inning during the decisive game five in the series. Murphy stole third base on a Dodger infield miscue, and tied the game in the fourth inning. Even though the thought of elimination haunted the Dodgers for their recent postseason history, the team started off the game with a spark. After starting pitcher Zack Greinke allowed an early double to Murphy in the top of the first, Justin Turner and Ander Ethier each drove in runs in the bottom of the inning. Mets’ starting pitcher Jacob deGrom started the game wild; he walked Dodger rookie Corey Seager and allowed three consecutive hits. deGrom allowed runners to get into scoring position for the first five innings, but the Dodgers offense went 2-for-13 and wasted many opportunities. The Mets’ ace turned it around and allowed nothing else for six innings. Syndergaard gave an inning of support from the bullpen in the seventh, forcing Mets’ Coach Terry Collins to secure a spot in the next round by bringing in Jeurys Familia to throw his first career six out save. Overall Mets’ hitters hit 6 homerun in the series, but Murphy’s key contribution against Dodgers’ aces was more than enough. In total, Murphy hit three homeruns, drove in five and stole one. He batted .333 but hit clutch homeruns against the Dodgers’ aces. From the start of the season, the Dodgers lost starting pitcher Hyun Jin-Ryu to shoulder surgery and he was out for the year. After only starting six games, newly signed pitcher Brandon McCarthy was finished for the season with Tommy John surgery. Despite a handful of injuries and a shaky bullpen, the Dodgers were in first place of the National League Western Division for the majority of the year. They clinched the N.L. West Crown against their rivals, the San Francisco Giants, and were on the path to yet another postseason shot to win the World Series. The Dodgers were on the brink of elimination in game four at New York, but on three days rest, Clayton Kershaw let go of his postseason demons and brought back the series for a final conclusion in Los Angeles. The saying is true, pitching wins championships and unfortunately for the Dodgers, they only had two strong starting pitchers.
Everyone was confident in the Dodgers two aces but deGrom outpitched Kershaw in game one. If the Dodgers would have won the game, then they would have the best pitcher in the season, Greinke, on the mound to give the team a possible 2-0 lead in the series. That didn’t happen and Greinke was forced to tie the series rather than give his team the edge. Brett Anderson, who is making a comeback following Tommy John surgery, could not match up against Matt Harvey. Steven Matz, another young pitcher for the Mets, was outdueled by Kershaw in game four, giving the opportunity to Mets’ ace DeGrom in a duel against the best pitcher during the regular season, to advance his team to the National League Conference Series. In an era where pitching decides games, the Dodgers simply did not have enough support going into the postseason. Chris Hatcher, who had a great second half for the Dodgers, bridged the gap for closer Kenley Jansen. In a season that seemed gone after two key pitchers succumbed to injuries, fans still maintained a lot of optimism in the best two starting pitchers to perform in the postseason. Kershaw and Greinke were the Dodgers own modern duo of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. If the Dodgers are able to resign Greinke it would be good for the starting rotation, but a lot of questions still remain. Alex Wood, who came to Los Angeles in a trade, is the team’s ideal fifth starter, but the Dodgers are still lacking two starters because Ryu and McCarthy’s injuries will take time to recuperate. With key free agents in 2016, the front office has to find a reliable starter either by trade or signing a free agent. However, both of these options come at a price. The Dodgers will not trade any of their top prospects and money has not been an issue after new the new ownership took over. But they have to guarantee post season success. Pitching is vital in the MLB and if the Dodgers reach the postseason for the fourth straight time, pitching will again decide games. The bullpen is no surprise either; everyone thought that the Dodgers would sign a key pitcher in the bullpen, but the front office decided to confide in the young arms within the organization. It did not work and the need for a power arm is more important than ever. Seager will most likely start at shortstop next year and the Dodgers have high hopes that Joc Pederson can replicate what he did for the team in the first half this season. If Greinke returns, the Dodgers should remain in good shape. With Don Mattingly no longer the manager, the front office is left to choose whatever manager they desire. Friedman spoke highly about having a manager capable of having a strong chemistry within the club house. The front office will put together a group of managers and coaches of their choice, giving them the ability to put together the team they want. However, if they fall short of the goal once again, there will be no excuses for the team. The goal is to win now and not build on the future.