LACC WEATHER FORECAST tHursdaY
80/56
FridaY
76/55
saturdaY
77/57
sundaY
76/56
MondaY
73/54
Collegian Women maRCh FoR eQualitY
Los Angeles
Wednesday, march 16, 2016 Volume 176 Number 2
neWS BRieFS
The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929
coMPiled By BeaTRice anoh
DA VINCI TO UNVEIL SECOND PART OF ‘HERE AND NOW’ Select faculty-artists whose names range from M through Z will have their work showcased at the Da Vinci Gallery, March 21 through April 13. The “Here and Now” Exhibit will be open Mondays through Thursdays, from noon to 3 p.m. More information is available at gallery.lacitycollege.edu.
“One Badge, Endless Possibilities” is the theme of an upcoming job expo sponsored by the Los Angeles Sheriff ’s Department for Saturday, April 16, at 9 a.m., in the Star Center, 11515 Colima Road, Whittier, CA- 90604. For more information, visit www. lasdcareers.org.
PROGRAM COMBINES EMPOWERMENT, SUPPORT
ANGER MANAGEMENT SESSIONS BEGIN THIS MONTH Strategies to manage emotions are the subject of a workshop series offered by the Health & Wellness Center. The series starts at 5 p.m. today and meets every Wednesday. Students can sign up in the Health & Wellness Center, located in the Life Science Building, Room 101. For more information, contact Joselyn Geaga-Rosenthal, at 323953-4000, ext. 2485.
IMPROVE COVER LETTER SKILLS, WIN MONEY ZipRecruiter is helping students hone their cover letter writing skills. The company launched a monthly college scholarship contest where students can win $1,000. Students can gain valuable experience for the workplace, and showcase their creativity by writing essays, creating videos and other media to show their individual personality, experience and goals. For more information, go to www.ziprecruiter.com.
TV Network Recruits Veterans CBS TV is looking for several interns who are veterans for positions in community services, public relations, creative services investigative research, sales, marketing and sports. Interested students can access the application form on the CBS Website: http://cbscorporation. jobs/summer-2016-veteraninternship-program-los-angelesca/jobs-in/usa/jobs/
CUB CARD HOLDERS RECEIVE FREE HEALTH SERVICES Several free or low cost services are available to Cub Card Holders at the Health & Wellness Center located in the Life Science Building, Room 101. For any basic primary medical attention, students may call (323) 953-4000, ext. 2485. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 7p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays.
mentoRS giVe CuStomiZed guidanCe By Jason PiskoPus
‘BADGE’ MAY BRING ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES
Healing is the focus of a session that the LACC Life Skills Center offers on domestic violence. The support group meets in the Office of Special Services, Conference Room 108, to gain power to heal. The next session starts Thursday, March 17, and runs through May 9. For more information, contact Sonjia Williams at (562) 548-1022.
Photos on Collegian Wired. See Page 4
PhoTos By eRika alManza/ collegian
Lidia Bernal, a student coordinator for LACC Guardian Scholars, cleans the windows of the Da Vinci Gallery in preparation for the accreditation visit. “I want the campus to look clean, beautiful and approachable,” Bernal said.
loS angeleS CitY College ReCeiVeS 7 CommendationS, 6 ReCommendationS
P
By soRina szakacs
reliminary results are in following a four day review by a visiting site team from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), and L.A. City College appears to be on the right track. The Accreditation Commission conducted a site visit at LACC from March 7 to March 9 and gave an exit report on Thursday, March 10. The team found that LACC had made progress in addressing all recommendations from previous accrediting site visits, but still has some room for improvement. The Northern California based commission in Novato is one of the seven private nonprofit regional panels authorized to uphold or strip accreditation. The group is recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.
The 11-member accrediting commision team studied LACC for three months, and consulted the 316-page Institutional Self Evaluation Report in Support of Reaffirmation of Accreditation. The report was submitted on Jan. 7, 2016 by the college’s self evaluation team. “We are absolutely thrilled to be here, we have had so much fun and it was so welcoming of you all to let us come in and join you for a few days, to learn about your college” said Anthony E. Beebe, Chair of the Accrediting team at a forum in Clausen Hall last week. “[It is] very, very impressive and it’s really been a great experience for us … you have done a fantastic job. Kudos to President Martinez and Dr. Walden for their efforts ... they are so student centered and mission driven. They understand the importance of education.” The accrediting team gave LACC seven commendations and six recommendations after the four day visit. The team commended LACC Guardian Scholars Program, the Foster Youth Programs, Veterans Services and the strong relationship
between L.A. City College and the LACC Foundation. The visiting team also commended the college newspaper, the Collegian. “The Collegian was one of the commendations and it is a great thing for the college and for the newspaper as well,” said Dr. Dan Walden, vice president of academic affairs. The accrediting team issued a “recommendation to meet the standards” to LACC’s distance education program. The team is concerned with the quality of contact between instructors and students. They visited about half of the online classes, and according to Dr. Beebe, some of them do not show sufficient evidence of regular and systematic contact. L.A. City College has two years under federal law to correct and make sure all the recommendations meet the necessary requirements.
SEE accreditation Page 4
Alumnus, Filmmaker, 20 Year Adjunct Professor Dies At 58 By ande RichaRds Los Angeles City College cinema department’s, adjunct professor, Ric Rafanovic, who taught for more than 20 years, died March 7, 2016 after a brief illness. The San Francisco native was born Richard Otokar Rafanovic II, on June 21, 1957. Ric moved at a young age with his family to Orange County and attended Saint Columban School in Garden Grove, and Servite High School in Anaheim. He attended UCLA for undergraduate school and then enrolled at Fullerton College in the late ‘80s to follow his passion for television production. He later moved to Los Angeles to study Cinema at Los Angeles City College. An outstanding student, Ric left an indelible impression on his instructors including professor Desmarais who recalled a scene Ric directed from “Glengarry, Glen Ross.” He recreated a restaurant and ordered Chinese food for the scene he was directing.He took great care to incorporate every detail of the script in his class presentation. Ric produced “La Brea Woman”, for his final film project at LACC. Unique
packaging of the film did not escape the notice of an L.A. Times reporter. “The product, wrapped like a piece of meat, was a video-taped copy of “The La Brea Woman,” Rick Rafanovic’s student film.” Active in the entertainment and media business for over 30 years, Ric performed publicity and development work for Alan Landsburg Productions “Adam” and 20th Century Fox “Predator,” and has done extensive freelance production work for independent features such as “The Score,” “Society,” “Nightwish,” and “In the Line of Fire.” His short films, commercials, and other projects have been in over 100 festivals and garnered several awards and honors such as finalist for the Dore Schary Humanitarian Award, contender for Best Narrative Short for Oscar consideration, and the WAVE award for television production. He produced and directed cable series as well as numerous segments for CNN Headline News. Desmarais worked with Ric on several projects over the years, noting that throughout his career, he maintained an impeccable reputation as someone who could deliver a job that would be completed on time, and exceptionally produced.
Supplementary Instruction (SI) provides students with an in-class mentor. Los Angeles City College now offers SI to assist students in English, ESL and math courses. SI mentors sit in on lectures with the students that they are mentoring. Mentors then lead small workshops that give students a group setting to work through difficult problems, as well as one-on-one attention. SI Program Coordinator professor Thi Thi Ma says that mentors help students in a variety of ways. “Those who need the extra help can benefit by getting extra feedback, oneon-one attention and just reviewing,”Ma said. “Because SI workshops are designed to review, not to teach, but to learn how to learn something.” The SI Program offers specialized, individual tutoring. These tutors attend class with the students. Ma says that each mentor knows specifically what professors expect of their students. “Sometimes there’s not enough time to ask the instructor what I need to ask,” said Erdi Haciogullari, an ESL student. “So we can ask [the mentor] questions, or to help us. It’s nice to have an extra person to go to for help.” SEE si Mentors Page 4
Top-Ranked Music College Visits Campus By clinTon caMeRon Students traverse from classroom to practice room between the floors of Los Angeles City College’s music building making notes in preparation for a career in one of the most competitive fields. Among them, applied music major Stephen Ryder prepares for this endeavor. From jazz and orchestra to percussion and wind, his class schedule includes five ensemble classes, which students must audition to enter. Ryder also plays multiple instruments, but he says that his main focus is the bassoon, one the most difficult wind instruments to master. Right out of high school, the 20-year-old student followed his friends from the Midwest to California. He said, he hoped the move would increase his chances of getting into USC, where he wants to continue his musical education. “I auditioned for USC [and] didn’t get in so, [I was] pretty bummed,” Ryder said. “But, I still wanted to go there, so I moved out here because [USC’s] in-state transfer rate is much higher than [their] out-of-state transfer rate.” Ryder tried out for USC again during the most recent audition season. He also tried out for UCLA, Cal State Northridge, California Institute of the Arts and Eastman School of Music. His Eastman audition left such an impression on him that he moved the school to the top of his list. Ironically, this decision may send him to the opposite coast. “I wasn’t too thrilled at the idea initially of going to New York just because about a year and a half ago, I SEE Music Page 4
PhoTo couRTesy of legacy.coM
Ric Rafanovic, June 21, 1957- March 7, 2016. Award-winning producer, Rafanovic was active in the entertainment and media business for over 30 years, his short films, commercials, and projects have been in over 100 festivals and garnered several awards and honors. A devoted son, Ric took care of his mother during her illness until she passed away. Ric is survived by his father and several siblings. A Niche-side service will take
place this Friday, March 18 at 10 a.m. a Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive Los Angeles, CA 90068. All are welcome to attend.
indeX campus life opinion news sports
2 3 4 5
2
campus life
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Campus Clean Up Brings College Community Together
S
by kyle blaylock
tudents, faculty and staff volunteers worked on cleaning up the campus on March 5 and 6. In preparation for the accreditation review, Los Angeles City College officials initiated “Campus Clean Up Days” to help clean up the campus. Volunteers used a variety of tools that included shovels and trash bags. Rubbish was collected, leaves were thrown away and windows were cleaned. Helene Beaird, from the Facilities Management, checked students in and provided water for the volunteers. She says that she hopes the college will have more of these cleaning events.
tomas rodriguez/ Collegian
Rachel Allen speaks to students who pass by the busy intersection between the former smoking area and the quad. Allen is part of the staff of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at LACC.
Religion Freedom Storms through Campus By Tomas Rodriguez
“
If everyone spared an hour, or even 30 minutes for their community, the college would improve.” -LACC student
“Up to 30 students put in over three hours of work and some volunteered for class credit,” Beaird said. “Other students pitched in to clean out the campus out of the goodness of their hearts.” Many students collected trash right in front of the Chemistry Building. They signed in, grabbed a trash bag and got to work. Some put some headphones on and listened to music. Beaird also gave praise to the student body. “All power and glory to the students,” Bearid said. “They did a fantastic job.” By the Communications Building, a student washed the windows. “If everyone spared an hour, or even thirty minutes, for their community, the college would improve,” the student cleaning in by the Communication Buildingsaid. “This is a great day and a great opportunity for everyone to be touched with the spirit doing something healthy for themselves and the community.” Rachael Kopp raked leaves for hours when she finally decided to sit down for a break. “It’s important that instead of just wishing the world was a better place on social media that we actually get into the real world and be the change we want to see,” said Kopp.
Photos by Erika Almanza/ Collegian
Basel Sultan, a business major at City College, wanted to volunteer for Campus Clean Up Day when he received an email from the school announcing the event. Before attending the cleanup, Sultan dropped off his son at childcare in the Child Development Center. He spent one hour cleaning before his 9 a.m. class.
During the first couple of weeks of the spring semester, Rachel Allen and her club set up a post and a table in the Quad. Next to the table, they raised a tall banner with bright colors of a rising sun. In the center of the banner the graphic of a cross, like a sun, gave life to the trees and plants. On it, big text letters read “we are a community that extends the love and power of Jesus to every corner of Los Angeles City College.” Allen worked to get the attention of the people who passed by. The busy pathway provided a chance to recruit student members. She approached students with a bright smile. Allen says that her blissful attitude kept her going. “Our goal is to establish a Christian community at LACC that is able to love and support each other and have mature leaders who can welcome people into the community,” Allen said. “We want to solidify the sense of community on campus.” InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is one of the clubs at LACC. Christianity once had a part in public education, but no longer intertwines in the U.S. Allen is an example of some Christians who have set out to the streets to influence people to join their cause.
On March 2, a professor at Cerritos College confronted a preacher and engaged in a heated debate. Talon Marks Facebook page shows a video of two evangelicals preaching to students while holding signs that read “the holy Bible” and reference Bible texts. “We tell them that Jesus can save them from going to hell,” Isidro Mendoza, one of the evangelicals said to the Talon Mark editors. “That is the message we are presenting out here. Believe in Jesus and be safe or [face] damnation. A sociology professor verbally clashed with the evangelicals. The professor held a paper of her own that read “this is what hate looks like,” with an arrow pointed to the Christian speakers on the sidewalk. “Yes, let’s spread our humble message of Christianity by victimizing and condescending people,” one student on the Facebook post said. “That’s how Jesus would want it.” Other than the same religion, Allen says that she does not share any characteristics with these evangelicals.. She says that InterVarsity does not judge students for who they are. They just want to grow a community of people who want to learn more about God, according to Allen. “We focus a lot on reconciliation,” Allen said. “We want to let students explore, to learn about God in a place
where we are not going to be judgmental. We also want to challenge people in what their beliefs are and hear what they have to say. It’s important to wrestle with each others thoughts and learn, especially in college.” Allen says that building a community of friendship is an important aspect to the club. “I feel that community is very necessary at community college,” Allen said. “When I was at Pasadena City College, it was really hard to find a sense of community on campus and find friends. Like anything in life, it’s more fun to do things with friends.” The LACC InterVarsity club took form two years ago. The club is part of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA, an evangelical Christian campus ministry founded in 1941. InterVaristy clubs are present in over 500 colleges and universities throughout the nation. “How does God care about LACC?” Allen said. “We want to be able to interact with issues on this college and challenge people to speak onto areas of racial tension, poverty or other things. I would really love to see that students on our community be the voices of justice and voices of reconciliation and for people whose voice cannot be heard.”
Collegian Wired Follow the thread
Photo by Erika Almanza/Collegian
Sparkling windows are part of the campus clean up detail. Many students participated on March 4 and 5 in advance of the accreditation visit.
Get all our stories the minute we print. Wherever you are.
Issues of our award-winning newspaper and magazine are instantly available to our readers on issuu. com/collegianwired. We are committed to producing content that takes our readers into the middle of the story. Whether it is a protest on campus or an art exhibit at the Da Vinci Gallery, we’ll take you there. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates on campus news and student life. Follow the #CollegianWired tag on Instagram to keep up with our latest posts.
LACC students bring this ad in for 20% off all transfer services
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive reports and updates on developing stories. Follow us on Tumblr to access exclusive multimedia presentations and extended photo essays. facebook.com/CollegianWired @CollegianWired @CollegianWired CollegianWired.tumblr.com youtube.com/CollegianWired soundcloud.com/CollegianWired
BROADCAST
MULTIMEDIA
RADIO
SOCIAL
OpiNiON & eDiTORial
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, March 16, 2016
3
Collegian Media arts department chemistry 207 los angeles city college 855 n. vermont ave. los angeles, ca 90029
Editors-in-Chief Sorina Szakacs Tomas Rodriguez
coMPiled By ande Richards PhoTos By ande Richards
MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH. WHAT ISSUES STILL STAND IN THE WAY OF WOMEN GAINING EQUAL STATUS TO MEN IN THE UNITED STATES?
daRRyl haRRis nursing Major
ashley PeRez Journalism Major
vicToR sanchez Philosophy Major
Women are still looked down upon as lower class citizens. I believe a lot of males think women can’t do things men can. The glass ceiling still exists.
The biggest issue for me, is the sexual objectification of women by men. Even worse are the women who sign off on this behavior, or participate by engaging in self-objectification.
The majority of CEO’s are men. This creates an obstacle for women to overcome when they want to achieve a higher salary or promotion. They have to work twice as hard as men.
dRop StitCh
America’s Historical Amnesia Hurts Muslims
O
n March 15 a series of Republican Primaries took place. Many issues were discussed, with one of them being relatively disturbing: the number of Republicans who want to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida showed over 60 percent support of the ban. Although the people in this nation enjoy freedom of speech, the overwhelming support of an anti-Muslim ban shows just how far we still have to go as a nation. With a shameful history of racism, it is time for America to wake up and realize repeating the same mistakes is not moving the nation forward. Banning Muslims from the U.S. is blatant bigotry. The majority of Republicans in these four states, according to the polls taken at the primaries, are feeding into this bigoted mentality. Fear and ignorance about Muslim culture lead to negative stereotyping. The safety of this nation is of course an important concern. There have been terrorist attacks carried out by people who identify as Muslim, but within the Muslim community the majority do not condone acts of violence, in fact being destructive and hurting people is against
their religion. The people who carry out terrorist acts against the U.S. are considered zealots and extremists by the Muslim community. There has been a similar problem in this country for a long time. Extremist Christian groups bomb abortion clinics and have even gone as far as murdering abortion doctors. If the U.S. were to decide to ban Muslims, then there should be a ban on the extremists who live in this country already. Americans attacking other Americans is truly disturbing. Muslims have made plenty of positive contributions to society. Most recently, Hanan al-Hroub a Palestinian teacher, won the second annual Global Teacher Prize awarded by the Duke of Cambridge. Muslims also developed the first structured form of mathematics, the first hospitals years before Europe did and made major contributions to surgery and medicine. As a nation, the fear of terrorist attacks is very real and very scary. Jumping to the conclusion that a certain group should be completely ousted because of their culture or religion is equally scary. America has made this mistake in the past, notably with the imprisonment of Japanese immigrants into internment camps during World War II. Fear lead to the imprisonment of thousands of innocent people of Japanese ancestry, some of whom died due to poor medical care provided during interment. It is time for America to wake up and learn from past mistakes. Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it, hopefully this great nation does not go down that path again.
14 Deaths Trump Privacy By Tae kiM Life to me is more important than having to delete files on my iPhone, and it won’t take a personal experience with an act of terrorism to change my mind. What comes first, iPhone privacy or the safety of people? S o m e of us have been blessed to have not experienced t e r ror i s m first hand. H o w e v e r, the reality is the safety of the nation has been compromised by terrorism and it is now a real possibility.
As a result, we now have the first court case, which puts our right to privacy against national security interests. When it comes down to Apple, the maker of our beloved iPhones, versus the Feds who wouldn’t choose Apple? The Fed’s might not have a good reputation, but they are responsible for the defense our nation. The real question is not “Apple vs. The Feds” but “Lives vs. Apple”. If I am a victim of terrorism, the last thing I need to worry about is if my iPhone will be under the microscope in the near future. If Apple really wanted to prevent terrorism from affecting our daily lives, I believe they could create loopholes, as well as new versions and programs, faster than we can text the latest LOL. As I imagine, for those of us who have experienced terrorism choosing
life over a gadget is an easy task. Technology evolves at a rapid pace and if they pass a law to unlock gadgets directly involved in terrorism, GOOD. Some would fight to the death to defend the birthright of every American citizen, our privacy. But how long do we allow the injuries, the distant sirens and our material possessions to be valued more than our safety? It hasn’t happened yet but already the thought of any tampering with our personal communication devices has everyone feeling bothered and violated. But think about it, what’s the worstcase scenario—reorganizing, deleting or tidying files on your iPhone? Life as we know it, was ricocheted by disaster. If we expect to combat terror, we all must be willing to contribute to the anti-terrorism fight on a personal level.
In caSe you mISSed It SCAN THE CODE BELOW TO VISIT OUR MULTIMEDIA BLOG FEATURING COVERAGE OF OUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND or visit collegianwired.tumblr.com
Sports Hector Lopez Cheyenne Finch Mike Frenes Layout Editor Richard Martinez
Editorial
By Jason PiskoPus
Opinion/Editorial Ande Richards
ComplaCenCY holdS Women BaCK: it’S time to Fight
W
By ande RichaRds
omen in the United States have achieved many of the goals they’ve set for themselves. So many, that some may be fooled into thinking they’ve reached a point of equality with men. This is far from the truth. To be fair, accomplishments are evident. Consider basic rights like earning the right to vote, the ability to own property, and control of their reproductive rights. Still, other gains reflect an increased female presence in the armed forces, politics, academia, and inclusion into life-changing clinical research studies. Language in textbooks has evolved into a gender-neutral tone and access is now granted to places once forbidden to women. However, women are considered a minority, and in this sense minority means subordinate to a more dominant group – men. This category does not correlate to the majority representation in the general population. As part of this minority group, women struggle to overcome certain issues, and fight to maintain a firm hold on other liberties. The wage gap, violence against women, and reproductive rights are three core issues that persist in American culture and effectively keep women in a subservient station to men. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was intended to alleviate the wage gap that exists between men and women. According to the Center for American Progress, when it comes to income, women generally earn 77 percent of what men earn. This wage gap affects a woman’s earnings and trickles down to what women can spend on care for their children and
maintain their households. This phenomenon directly correlates to the 70 million women and children who are living on the brink of poverty. Among industrial nations, the U.S. has the highest number of homeless women and children. Furthermore, even though women are outpacing men in obtaining college degrees, according to the American Association of University Women, it doesn’t begin to make up for gender pay gap. Violence against women continues to be at the forefront of issues that all women face, regardless of economic status or race. A Ms. Blog compiled a list of the “10 Challenges American Women Still Face,” it included sexual violence in the number seven slot, stating that nine out of ten rape victims are women. According to the Shriver Report, women and girls faced 270,000 rapes or sexual assaults yearly in the U.S. Our higher learning institutions boast a one in five ratio of college women who have been sexually assaulted. Domestic violence remains a constant sore point in our culture. The Shriver Report findings also point out that for every three homicide victims one is murdered by a partner. Every election reignites the debate about reproductive rights. Conservatives have turned this topic into a touchstone issue for their party, which is pro-fetus, and anti a woman’s right to choose. States like Texas have managed to shut down women’s health centers that offer abortion services, cutting off much needed medical services and access to birth control. Consequently depriving poor women of affordable options for health screenings and family planning. We are the world’s superpower and finally have the first viable candidate for president, but 49 countries on all other continents have crossed the hurdle before us including Haiti, Israel, India, Germany and Brazil. Like racism, sexism lingers in the collective psyche of the nation and despite all of the strident gains for equality women are left to settle for less. Or, they can fight the good fight.
Drop stitch is a knitting term. It happens when a stitch falls from the needle and creates a run in the fabric – it’s a mistake. However, sometimes stitches are dropped on purpose to create a new design. Ande Richards is an L.A.-based artist who does not know how to knit, but knows a lot about mistakes and reinvention.
HAVE AN OPINION? A STORY IDEA? WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR CONTACT THE COLLEGIAN OPINIONS EDITOR Email: arichards.collegian@gmail.com Phone: 323.953.4000 ext. 2831 letters may be edited for brevity.
Graphic Designers Jimmy Martinez Photographers Curtis Sabir Erika Almanza Reporters Byron Umana Bermudez Clinton Cameron Beatrice Anoh Naomi L. Johnson Emmanuella Durogene Rebecca Klinesmith Multimedia Producers Richard Martinez Dave Martin Frank Vidrio Advertising Staff Clinton Cameron Mike Frenes Adviser Rhonda Guess
deadline schedule neXT issue: March 30, 2016 editorial deadline: March 25, 2016 for all submissions including letters to the editor and publicity releases, send materials to collegian offices located in chemistry Building, Room 207, or email: losangeles.collegian@ gmail.com. To advertise in the collegian, direct 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 ©2016. no material may be reprinted without the express written permission of the collegian.
4
NEWS
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, March 16, 2016 Mentors From Page 1
Supplementary Instruction Mentors Provide Custom Help Professor Daryl Kinney mentors students in the SI Program. Kinney is an ESL professor with more than 20 years of teaching experience. She says that SI delivers major benefits for international students. “Sometimes international students don’t ask questions in class because in their own culture, to ask a question is to imply that the instructor hasn’t done a good job at explaining,” Kinney said. “However, student mentors are not the actual teachers, and students will ask a lot of questions to the mentor … the mentor turns around and tells the instructor, ‘The students have questions about this,’ … and pretty soon the students will start asking questions directly in class.”
“
It helps them to learn that it’s OK in a U.S. classroom to ask questions. In fact, teachers love it because it means they’re interested and want to learn more.” -Daryl Kinney, ESL Professor
Kinney says that SI mentors act as an academic ambassador to international students. They help them to better understand the culture of an American academic institution. “It helps them to learn that it’s OK in a U.S. classroom to ask questions,” Kinney said. “In fact teachers love it because it means they’re interested
Photo by Curtis Sabir/Collegian
ESL tutor Jason Piskopus and student review an English assignment in a study lab located in the Jefferson Hall building on the campus of Los Angeles City College. According to SI program coordinator Thi Thi Ma, “Those who need the extra help can benefit by getting extra feedback, one-on-one attention and just reviewing,” Ma said. “Because SI workshops are designed to review, not to teach, but to learn how to learn something.” and want to learn more.” Mentors can act as ambassadors for American students as well. Reluctance to approach the professor is not just a problem for international students, according SI mentor Audrey Soto. Soto says that American students sometimes have anxiety about asking questions in class or to the professors. “Many students find going to a professor is intimidating, regardless of how nice the professor is,” Soto said. “Being able to go to a mentor to voice their questions and concerns about the class is something they appreciate.” Experience as an SI mentor can be put on a transcript or a resume, and Ma says that she offers letters of recommendation for student mentors. She says that anyone interested in pursuing a career in education will gain great experience from being an SI mentor, and
“
Having a tutor is going to help me a lot. In case I have any questions, I can go to the tutor and try to solve the problems that I have.” -Josue Lopez, ESL Student
that mentors who lead SI sessions benefit personally from the experience. “Being an SI mentor is extremely gratifying,” Soto said. “I’ve always wanted to help people and hopefully change lives for the better. I think being a mentor has given me the opportunity to do just that.” Ma says that the SI model can be applied to a variety of subjects, and that the dean and the administration support the model. The program has a wide array of students and the impact is far reaching. Ma says that other departments are interested in incorporating SI into courses like chemistry, physics and calculus. “Having a tutor is going to help me a lot,” said Josue Lopez, an ESL student at LACC. “In case I have any questions, I can go to the tutor and try to solve the problems that I have.”
Music From Page 1
Clausen Hall Hosts Eastman Auditions
“
moved out here from Chicago,” Ryder said. “So, it’s like one big move 2,000 miles one way and another big move 4,000 miles back.” Ryder chose Eastman largely because of music professor Luther Henderson. In 2014, Henderson invited representatives from his alma mater Eastman to host their regional auditions at LACC’s Clausen Recital Hall. President Renée Martinez and Music Department Chair Christine Park approved Henderson’s idea.
“
This is the first time that any major music school has held its regional auditions at a Los Angeles community College.” -Luther Henderson, Music Professor
“This is the first time that any major music school has held its regional auditions at a Los Angeles community college,” Henderson said. “It is quite rare for a school to have an opportunity to speak first hand with an Eastman School of Music counselor directly.” Auditions took place for two days
They had wonderful practice facilities. They have the largest library in the country next to the Library of Congress”
Photo courtesy of Luther Henderson
From left to right Los Angeles City College students TaRhea Ray, Malek Vossough, Stephen Ryder and Moses Aubrey pose for the Collegian with, Eastman School of Music counselor Christine Burritt and Los Angeles City College Professor Luther Henderson in the newly constructed Clausen Recital Hall. Henderson facilitated Eastman School of Music’s visit to City College for their west coast regional auditions from Jan. 14 to Jan. 15. Ryder visited their east coast campus for his audition last summer. Eastman School of Music ranks number one according to the 2016 U.S. College Rankings. during LACC’s winter break. At the audition, Eastman’s Admission Counselor Christine Burritt presented students with information and performed for them in the Recital Hall. More than 15 students auditioning were from various parts of the Western United states. Burritt advises students who wish to transfer to Eastman to be prepared. She says that those who consider applying should stay active in ensembles, take private lesson and choose audition material carefully. She also says that students should often visit schools as part of the audition process. “I personally also encourage students to take perspective student lessons at
the university that they’re considering auditioning for,” Burritt said. “[It’s] always a really great idea when students like to come to our campus because personally I feel it’s a bit of a commitment to make without having come to actually see the school.” Ryder, LACC’s only student to audition for Eastman this year, flew back to New York for his audition. His firsthand look at the campus helped seal the deal for him. He saw student and staff interactions and says Eastman’s approach to teaching played a big part in his decision. “They had wonderful practice facilities,” Ryder said. “They have the largest
Photo courtesy of Steve Chavarria
D
espite the chance of showers on March 6, 2016, feminists organizing the International Women’s Day march took their chances for rain on their parade. Hundreds of people gathered steps from the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters in downtown Los Angeles to call attention to the injustice women face internationally. Photojournalism student Steve Chavarria documented the march. Read his commentary, and see his and other students’ photographs from the march on our blog at collegianwired.tumblr.com.
Accreditation From Page 1
City Keeps Accreditation “We are not waiting two years, we will start with five of them that were of the Self Evaluation we submitted in January,” Walden said. “To meet the standards, we need to work improving communication quality. We will look at what Valley College did. They had the same recommendation and made all the corrections in one year.” The accrediting visiting team also recommended the college improve how the results of surveys are communicated, a revision of the repayment policy for outstanding debts with the district. LACC must also develop a written enrollment management plan with specifics on recruiting high school students, retention, branding and marketing of the college. Another mandatory recommendation was that Student Learning
Outcomes (SLO) be included on syllabi. This is mandatory for all faculty members, but not all of them comply. “Dr. Warren came up with a good idea of creating a template for the syllabus, that already has the SLO and every instructor will only add the rest of the syllabus, ” Dr. Walden said. The commendations and recommendations are preliminary, and the official report will be made public in July. The final evaluation also included the district recommendations. “I am very pleased with the commendations, and in discussion with the leadership we are already willing on the recommendations,” Rene Martinez, L.A. City College President said. “We only received one recommendation to a standard which is good.”
-Stephen Ryder, Applied Music Major music library in the country next to the Library of Congress.” Henderson says that finding the best music school can be a challenge for many students and that “best” is subjective. Ultimately, any school and its programs need to be the right fit for the student. He says that positive feelings about Eastman School of Music far outweigh any negative ones. “One school can not have a monopoly on excellence,” Henderson said. “[Eastman School of Music was] excited to know that I play jazz as well as classical. They take a holistic to the music education process. They encourage cross studies.” A fellow student whistles a melody while walking down the hall as Ryner returns to his Wednesday afternoon piano class. He still awaits acceptance letters, but says Eastman is his top choice.
Join Los Angeles City College’s award-winning newspaper and produce content you can be proud of.
Collegian Journalism: 217, 218, 219
Consignment | Buy | Sell | Trade 4605 Santa Monica Blvd. L.a. CA 90027 FOLLOW: @CLASSICERA_LA #CELA
spORTs
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, March16, 2016
5
Sports Bin
l.a. dReamS oF BeComing a FootBall empiRe By hecToR loPez
PhoTo couRTesy of JoJo aguilaR
Nishioka began teaching at LACC after retiring from competition. Some of his judo accolades include a gold medal for judo at the Pan-American Games in ‘67 and being inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame for Judo Competitor of the Year in ’68 and for Judo Instructor of the Year in ’77.
Retired Judo Champ Shares Life Lessons Growing Up
NFL fans in Los Angeles will finaly be able to rejoice. A two decade-long wait will end in 2016 with the return of the Rams and the possibility of another football team coming within the next two years. This move will give starving football fans in L.A. a chance to be able to see a team live rather than on a television. The closest team available to local fans is the San Diego Chargers. For fans to be able to get to San Diego, fans have to make a minimum two hour drive. This a major inconvenience for football starving fans. It would be foolish to assume that all football fans in L.A. are Ram fans. When the Rams host their home games, it will give plenty of fans from different teams a chance of seeing their favorite team live, and maybe even for
Have an opInIon? a Story Idea?
O
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
By Mike fRenes
n a bright and warm Monday morning of the spring semester a coy group of students stand in a gym unfamiliar with anything about judo. Among them, veteran students chat about advanced judo moves. Just before the start of class, national champion Sensei Hayward Nishioka entered the room. This 74-year-old, 200-pound Japanese man grew up in Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles. As a child, he says that he had to defend for himself against racial slurs, bullies and street gangs. “I was tired of getting beat up a lot,” Nishioka said. “When I was 13, this group of kids even beat the crap out of me and threw me in a lake.” Nishioka says that the lake incident started his lifelong relationship with martial arts. His step-father suggested that he take a martial arts course because he was not able to defend his step-son in every confrontation.
“
when someone throws you over theIr shoulders and your body slams on the mat, you’ll remember ‘Ippon soIe nage.’” -hayward nIshIoKa, Judo senseI
CONTACT: arichards.collegian@gmail.com 323.953.4000 ext. 2831 letters may be edited for brevity.
PhoTo couRTesy of JoJo aguilaR
Former judo champion and current LACC kinesiology professor Hayward Nishioka throws Collegian reporter Mike Frenes to the ground while maintaining both feet formly on the ground. The hand throwing technique is called ippon seoi nage and belongs to the classification of te-waza which consists of hand techniques. Since Nishioka is standing the move fall under the classification of tachi-waza. As Nishioko got older and progressed as a fighter, he says that neighborhood rumors surfaced about his abilites. “Watch out for this kid who throws people around,” Nishioka said, describing his neighborhood reputation. Nishioka says that his new reputation gave him some street credibility and he rarely fought on the streets again. He says that most of his fights started and finished in the ring. After high school, he attended LACC and then transferred to Cal State Los Angeles where he graduated in ’72. In ’73 he began a 20-year career as a full time instructor at LACC. Now in his retirement years, he still teaches one judo class at City College. The class begins with a brief intro on
the history of judo as well as basic and common Japanese terms that are frequently used. “Sensei” means Instructor and “Judoka” means Judo player. Nishioka says that learning the verbiage might seem like a daunting task, as each throw, hold and fall has its own challenge. “No problem, when someone throws you over their shoulder and your body slams on the mat, you’ll remember ‘Ippon Seoi Nage,’’’ Nishioka said. Nishioka starts class with safety guidelines, like how to fall properly to avoid an injury. Then he shows students how effective and easy some of the most basic techniques can be. Nishioka says that the “Kesa gatame,”
A practical choke hold, most anyone can do. “No risk, no reward,” Nishioko said. “How else will you learn?” After the first week of class, Nishioko says that he knows who is dedicated and who is not. He says that it takes a firm commitment and determination to overcome the difficult beginning stages in judo. The assistants that help out are smart, patient and professional. “Judo is not for everyone,” Nishioka said. “It’s a philosophy and a way of life. But you don’t need to embrace it fully to learn something in my class. It will help you though, to build character, discipline and self-confidence that you can use later in life.”
ASG President Fights for Return of Sports By cheyenne finch There is a big fight for sports going on behind the closed doors of Los Angeles City College. A committee is currently working on the return of the athletics program, but it has to be approached at different levels, according to school officials. To bring back intercollegiate sports LACC has to start with intramural, moving into club sports and then intercollegiate. Soccer, basketball and volleyball are some of the sports that are currently being considered given there are
the first time. Much of the younger crowd in L.A. do not know what it is like to have an NFL team in town. For the fans that lived in Los Angeles and saw the Rams relocate to St. Louis in 1994, this move back home will have them reminisce of the times they used to enjoy . In a historical aspect, the city has been pampered with successful sports franchises throughout various sports. In basketball there are the Lakers and Clippers, baseball has the Dodgers and hockey has the Kings. USC and UCLA share a historic rivalry in football and every time they get to play, it unites the city to root for a side. USC and UCLA playing football in our backyard is not enough. It is not the same as having an NFL team to root for. L.A. boasts about its rich historic background in successful sport franchises just like the cities of Boston and Chicago. Now without the wvoid of not having a pro football team, Los Angeles will have the opportunity to dominate another league. But can a football team make LA better? Yes, it can.
enough willing participants. This return is a big deal for the campus, considering the drop in enrollment since the loss of the athletic population. Associated Student Government President Bryant Woodert is one of the more passionate students backing the return of the LACC Athletic Program. He has seen first hand the outcome on the student body this situation has caused. “I actually walked the campus and talked to students and asked ‘why are you here’, and I talked to one student and he said ‘I made a mistake, I won’t be here next semester, I thought you guys
had sports. I wanted to play basketball and now I have to go somewhere else,’” Woodert said. “So, we have this large body of students who just won’t come here, because they can’t continue their athletic goals at an institution that shows them academically and athletically in their areas of athletics.” Other members voiced their support of Woodert’s fight for the return of sports, but have admitted there have been obstacles budget wise. “He is working to find a director for the program, and budget-wise there are a lot of kinks that need to be worked out before we can move for-
ward,” LACC’s Trio Program Specialist/Adviser Jesús Gómez said. Athletic’s return will require sponsorship and student participation to make sure that the school has the ability to support a sports program . Intramural sports are the first step and there is a plan of action laid out through a viability study. “It involves student government and involves a commitment from the college, and it involves monetary commitment from the foundation,” Woodert said. “So there is no one person that will bring it back. It’s a cooperative effort to everyone.”
March 4, 2016
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Don’t press your luck! IInstall only the BEST American made flooring in your home
MADE IN THE. U.S.A
Prices so low they’ll tickle your toes!
“L.A.’s Largest Selection of Floor Covering”
4849 Santa Monica Blvd. • (323)469-0063 • www.linocity.com
6
Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, March 16, 2016
ADVERTISEMENT