Issuu

Women’s rights display

C TY

V EWS

Would you be willing to pay $200 per unit for a math or English class, if it would get you into a class that is full?

Wednesday April 18, 2012 Volume 166 Number 4

EWS BRIEFS

Students, Faculty Commemorate Professor

Just who are these solicitors?

Runner finds new start after finish line Basketball: for the love of the game.

Collegian 8

Los Angeles

The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929

Students Push Back

Former Theatre Arts professor and Chair Emeritus, Norman Mennes passed away in February 2012. Students and faculty attended a celebration commemorating the life of the late professor hosted by the Los Angeles City College Foundation, the LACC Theatre Academy and the LACCTA on March 24 at the El Camino Theatre. Mennes taught at City College from 1954-1996.

By Anna Kamalyan

City College and the Coalition for Abuse Resistance Education (C.A.R.E.); a program created by the Office of Student Life, will present “The Vagina Monologues” by Eve Ensler on April 18, at 7 p.m. in the El Cameo, Room 218, located inside the El Camino Theatre. Tickets cost $5 at the Business Office and $7 at the door. All proceeds will go to V-Day’s Spotlight toward Haiti. V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls. It is inspired by Ensler’s play.

C.A.R.E. Holds Formal Wear Collection

‘Connect to Communicate’ Members of the campus community will have the opportunity to learn more about the diverse cultures and foreign languages at the heart of L.A. City College. Foreign Language Day will be held on April 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Faculty and Staff Center.

Earth Day Comes to Quad There will be contests, games, food, presentations, displays and more when Earth Day 2012 comes to LACC. The Celebration begins at 10 a.m. tomorrow and continues until 3 p.m. The hosts are the Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, and Geography Clubs among others. Compiled by Kenneth Jara and Anna Kamalyan

LACC

WEATHER FORECAST WEDNESDAY

74/56

THURSDAY

75/60

FRIDAY

83/60

SATURDAY

80/59

SUNDAY

73/53

INDEX Opinion and Editorial / ..................... 2-3 News .............................. 4 Campus Life .................... 5 Arts & Entertainment ...... 6 Mllionaires Tax ................ 7 Sports ............................. 8

Santa Monica College Delays Two -Tier Tuition System Santa Monica College will not follow a two-tier program after a pepper-spray altercation at a Santa Monica Board of Trustees meeting.

‘Vagina Monologues’ to Arrive at City

Organizers at the the Coalition for Abuse Resistance Education (C.A.R.E.). are collecting formal dresses and menswear through April 27. All donations will go the Young Women’s Christian Association Los Angeles Job Corps program. The program provides educational training services to homeless, emancipated and at risk youth between the ages of 16-24. Students interested in donating clothes may take them to the Office of Student Life located in the Cub Center. For more information, call extension 2450.

Photo by Matthew Mullins and Abel Zarate Jr./ Collegian

About 25 members of Occupy LACC marched across campus, through Franklin Hall and out onto neighboring streets chanting: “No justice, no peace, education should be free!” last Thursday. Occupy LACC is an on-campus club that works in solidarity with Occupy Los Angeles and the global Occupy Wall Street movement. They say they are focused on education reform and its relationship to broader economic problems.

New Financial Aid Policy Explained By Eun Ju Lee Changes on the horizon for financial aid attracted a crowd of about 150 students to the Cub Center last week. They came to learn about new rules that will affect financial aid eligibility starting in July. A supervisor from the LACC Financial Aid Office made a two-hour presentation followed by a question and answer session to help students plan for the policy changes. According to a memo distributed at the meeting, first-time students who enroll in a program of study

after July must have a high school diploma or its equivalent. They should also meet the homeschooled requirements or have passed the GED to be eligible for financial aid. “I am an independent student since the age of 17 in supporting myself,” said Emmanuel Sacerio, a science major who signed up for a meeting. “Here I am today to find out about the financial aid for the first time. I need help because of the costs … books are expensive.” The new rules have changed the Federal Pell Grant Program and are based on the Consolidated

Appropriations Act, which President Barrack Obama signed in December of last year. Students are now limited to the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters or 600 percent of Federal Pell Grant eligibility during their lifetime. This means that those who have already used 600 percent, or 12 semesters of their Pell Grants, will no longer be eligible to receive aid starting this summer. Tracey Charniera, a paralegal major complains about the new limits. See Financial Aid on page 4

Applicants to Cal State Face Roadblocks to Admission By Eun Ju Lee

CSU

plans to cut enrollment for 2013-2014 for most of its campuses, starting next spring by 20,000 to 25,000 students. For the 2013-2014 school year, eligible applicants will be put on waiting lists for fall 2013 until after the Nov. 6, election. That is when voters will decide on Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax measure. If the governor’s tax initiative is not passed, the CSU’s expect to reduce more classes and eliminate academic programs. One of the most likely scenarios is a $200 million budget cut on top of the $750 million reduction in funding that occurred last year. “[The] chancellor’s office has already decided not to accept students for next spring semester,” Carmen Ramos, director of news and information at CSUN said in a telephone interview. “The state’s budget crisis has affected students from community colleges.” According to a statement released by the CSUN Office of Public Affairs, limits will be set on the number of courses students can take in order to assure that all enrolled students have fair access to the limited supply. The cuts are forcing students to make adjustments. “It is aggravating to know it. CSUN is close to my home, but if I have to look for another school, it will cost me more,” said a student worker who identified herself as Christina. “Personally, it will impact me because I was supposed to transfer last year, and this will add me

CSU Enrollments 500,000

433,054

f f 358,662

450,000 400,000 350,000 300,000

Headcount Enrollment

250,000 200,000

FTES

150,000 100,000 50,000 0 00 001 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

* Source: CSU Statistics

Fall Term Enrollment and Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES) from Fall 2000 to Fall 2009. FTES represent the number of students that would be served if they all attempted a full-time course load. another year to transfer. I was going to graduate at LACC with an A.A. degree, and I want to go to CSUN for a B.A. degree. If you allow students for fall semester, why not in spring semester?” The California State Universities prepare 427, 000 students for the workforce. However, budget constraints

affect many students, and make higher education less affordable. “Actually it is a big deal because I was waiting a long time to transfer out. I have only one class to finish, and it will delay everything, my plan,” said Eddie Hernandez, a mechanical engineering major. “I’ve never even heard that CSU

would close accepting students. I do not know what to do … People might protest, but it is really hard for me. I will have to delay transferring or find something else. I was almost done this semester.” Patricia Akudinobi, an outreach officer from CSU Dominguez Hills also confirmed closing of admissions for spring semester 2013. “We have already accepted students for fall 2012, and [we are] supposed to receive applications for spring by August,” Akudinobi said. “But this year as it stands now, we do not take any admissions for spring. However, admissions requirements of CSU Dominguez Hills will not change.” Nevertheless, Cal Poly Pomona intends to implement more stringent policies for admission. “We are accepting applicants as it was before for this fall 2012, but things will drastically change after that,” said Uyen Mai, a spokeswoman at the Office of Public Affairs of Cal Poly Pomona. “For spring semester 2013, we are closed, and for fall 2013, we are going to put all the students on a waiting list. If the tax increase is not approved, it will be very difficult to educate students.” Of the total $200 million that could be cut, Cal Poly Pomona’s share would be $9.6 million in automatic cuts if tax increases are not approved. Mai said that anticipated budget cutbacks would reduce student enrollment, increase class sizes, reduce the number of courses, eliminate academic programs, and non-academic services.

fficials at Santa Monica College (SMC) have suspended a two-tier tuition plan that called for students to pay $200 per unit once regular classes filled up. The policy was called “Self Supporting Supplemental Summer Program,” and offered 50 high-priced courses, in addition to the 700 regular courses available to students. This program was approved by the Board of Trustees to launch for the summer semester. State Chancellor Jack Scott asked SMC administrators to put the two-tier plan on hold. “The biggest issue right here is whether or not we are favoring those who have greater income over those who don’t,” Scott said, according to a written statement from his office. Santa Monica College President Dr. Chui Tsang took Scott’s advice and will delay the new program. “We’ve been forced to come up with this alternative because of the budget cuts since 2008,” Bruce Smith, SMC’s public information officer told the Collegian. “We are simply trying to solve the problem.” Currently students pay $36 per unit, which will be raised to $46 this summer due to a new law that has been implemented by the Legislature for California community college students. “I am very skeptical about it, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Patrick Callan, founding president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. “I don’t think it’s fair, that’s my concern about it. I don’t think the education you get in California should depend on what you can afford to pay. I think it should depend on your motivation, your willingness to work hard and your ability to achieve academically.” If the new courses were a success for two semesters, then SMC officials say they were planning to incorporate the program in subsequent semesters. But on April 3, about 30 students and a four-year-old child were peppersprayed by officers as they were protesting the proposed courses at SMC. Three of those students were transported to a hospital, according to officials. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they set up Emergency Decontamination for the students that had been pepper-sprayed. “We have something that is called Emergency Decon. We basically set up a fire hose with clear water in it so as the kids walk through, it would be equivalent to them walking through the shower to get the irritant off of them,” said Captain Judah Mitchell of the Santa Monica Fire Department. “There was about 25 through 30 kids that walked through it. At the end of that, five of them wanted to be seen by us. So, we actually only saw five, and out of that five, two were transported immediately. Probably an hour later a student came up to us and said that he didn’t feel good, we ended up transporting him. A total of five people were physically touched and seen by us and we transported three.” Critics of the two-tier plan say there should have been debate before it was implemented. Callan says hearing about incidents where students have been pepper-sprayed leads him to believe more discussion was necessary before making the plan official. “The one thing that it tells you is how serious this issue is for a lot of students,” Callan said. “We [ought to] resolve this with serious debates not with violence perpetrated by either students or law enforcement.” See Santa Monica on page 4

Opinion & Editorial

Wednesday April 18, 2012

EDITORIAL

Price Gouging a Public Good: Santa Monica College’s Two -Tier Scandal Over

Santa Monica College’s contentious plan to charge $200 per unit for in-demand courses this summer has been cancelled, according to spokesperson Bruce Smith. This followed much controversy in the media and a public relations debacle in which protesting students were pepper sprayed. All California community colleges are expected to raise fees this summer from $36 to $46 a unit. The Trustees of Santa Monica College voted to offer unsubsidized course offerings in which all fees would be paid out of the students’ pockets. These unsubsidized $200 a unit courses would be available for registration only after all the slots for $46 a unit courses have been filled to capacity. Thanks to the budget crisis and an increase of students and a decrease of

course offerings, LACC students have had to commute to other colleges such as SMC in order to get the courses they need. Santa Monica College is known as a leader in preparing transfer-ready undergraduates to UCLA. You can bet that the trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District were watching SMC closely. The heart of the SMC controversy is whether education is a commodity or a public good. The essential interaction of supply and demand would dominate if education were a commodity. More demand leads to higher prices. Because of the high demand and lack of “supply,” there is some selective processing to select students deemed “fit” that will most likely stay and complete the finals with satisfactory grades.

Some might even believe that the raised fees at SMC are rather natural as laissez-faire. The trustees at Santa Monica College who voted for the two-tier tuition plan were shocked— SHOCKED— at the national attention. SMC students like student government President Harrison Willis characterized it as an egregious exclusion of needy students. After the SMC Trustees passed the two-tier plan, Jack Scott, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, asked for Santa Monica College to wait until he received word from the state attorney general to advise on whether such a two-rate tuition would be legal. The attorney general informed Scott that the SMC plan to offer the same courses at different tuition rates appeared to

violate the state education code. The most interesting argument that the proponents bring up constantly is that a special scholarship $250,000 is to be established for the poor students who cannot afford those quadrupled inflated tuition rates. Just as the price of gas goes up and up and up, education, when viewed as a high demand commodity, has a soaring price driven by high demand and strained supply. “People know a good deal when they see it,” Santa Monica College faculty member Martin Goldstein wrote for the Los Angeles Times Blowback, which skillfully appropriated a modified “opportunity deferred, dream denied” argument. Goldstein concluded that the option of offering “good public education” courses albeit at a higher unsubsidized

rate is preferable to not offering the courses at all, which he called “lost opportunity costs.” Is education, the essential catalyst to social mobility and the American Dream to get out of the nickel and dimed existence a public good or a high-priced commodity traded on Wall Street? The two-tier plan was not new. A nearly identical proposal sponsored by Santa Monica College to offer transferable courses at unsubsidized rates had been introduced last year as Assembly Bill 515. It failed. Unlike Universities of California or the California State Universities, California community colleges have held a tradition of open access. That idealism is about to be challenged in the current economic climate one college at a time.

Human Rights vs. Prop 8

By Matthew Mullins

hen I found out that Proposition 8 had been overturned by the 9th circuit judges I shed a tear of joy in knowing that as a gay man I am one step closer to equal rights. Proposition 8 was created to strip away the right for a man to marry another man in the state of California and couldn’t be more unconstitutional. This vengeful proposition was a seed of prejudice planted in the soil of California. A state known for its freedom and courage; unfortunately this seed was allowed to sprout and grew into a monstrous fight between those that believe traditional marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman and those that believe that same sex couples deserve the exact same rights. In November 2008 Proposition 8, a hate based proposition created under the guise of “traditional marriage values” passed to the dismay of homosexuals everywhere. It created a state law that “eliminates rights for same sex couples to marry.” Because it passed, many homosexuals felt like second-class citizens. It created a storm of marches and protests all over California. Many of those protests were held in front of restaurants that helped fund the proposition. I still don’t eat at those restaurants. I doubt I ever will. If they don’t support us, why should we support them? There are so many times in history where we have fought for our rights to be equal. It never ends, but it should, and it can start with an open mind. Now Amendment 1, a new draconian initiative set to run in the North Carolina ballot this fall proposes heterosexual marriage be “the only domestic legal union that shall be valid … in this State.” Is this really where the country is heading? Our equality shouldn’t be up for discussion on any ballot. We are all protected under the 14th Amendment, and as such, we all deserve the same rights. We as human beings need to respect each other as equal beings of different natures. Being gay isn’t a choice, it’s my nature. It saddens me to think that even one person would think they are more important or more worthy of the rights we all deserve. If a person should decide to want to marry someone, a man or a woman, the only person that should have a hand in that decision are the people who have decided they love each other enough to get married. That is what marriage is, a bond of love. A commitment between two people that is blind to sexual preference, color and any other arbitrary distinction we may create. How does someone else’s marriage affect anyone negatively? It doesn’t. We are all headed in the same direction and if you disagree with what the future holds, you have the power to make a difference. Just make sure that you remember who you are and where you stand and how that relates to the world. Together we can make it different for the better.

Los Angeles | COLLEGIAN

Los Angeles

Collegian Acting Editor-In-Chief: Richard Martinez Managing Editor: Matthew Mullins Copy Editor: Brent Pearson Luis Rivas Denise Barrett Gerard Cole Layla Fernandez Social Media Editor: Matthew Mullins News: Abimael Rivera Opinions and Editorials: Denise Barrett hyun Chung Arts & Entertainment: Lauren Arevalo Distribution Manager: Patrick Chong Advertising: Richard Martinez David Stamp Marketing: Lauren Arevalo Graphic Designer: Josue Hernandez Jorge Arellano Reporters: Anna Kamalyan Geoffrey Smith Svetlana Yurash Regine Simmonds Josefina Nunez Eun Lee Emmanuel Bergmann Pablo De Jesus Claudia Alvarado Giselli Rodriguez Kenneth Jara David Martin David Stamp Photographers: Layla Fernandez Patrick Chong Seung Hyun Regine Simmonds MultiMedia: Dave Martin David Tapia Svetlana Yurash Josefina Nunez Illustrators: Jose Ramon Tobar Steffen Williams Faculty Adviser: Rhonda Guess

Journalism Association of

Community Colleges

ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS Illustration by Jose Tobar / Collegian

Making a Mockery of Marriage By Christopher Jorge

hy can’t we all agree on the fact that if homosexuals want to get married that marriage would be considered an “abnormal marriage”? It seems to me, that the legislation is incapable of writing an ordinary, comprehensible English sentence defining a “marriage” and an “abnormal marriage. I wonder if it would make more sense in Latin? Proposition 8 is convoluted and redundant. It restrains the liberties of the heterosexual; the majority who do not believe in the homosexual’s definition and meaning of “marriage.” Proposition 8 forfeits the life, integrity and the validity of the Constitution and traditional marriage. It is time for the homosexual community to accept an “abnormal marriage” as the correct equality. We have tolerated an adult and his or her abnormal sexuality as an adult, because the homosexual community came out of the closet not leaving room for anyone else’s views. Moreover, we see that the homosexual community wants to teach this crap to innocent children and young adults, corrupting society as if were priority one! So, if anybody or anything is going to threaten the children or undermine the sanctity of heterosexual marriage, it will be Proposition 8– a mockery to the history of all mankind.

Deadline Schedule NEXT ISSUE: April 18, 2012 Editorial deadline: April 16, 2012 For all submissions including letters to the editor and publicity releases. Advertising deadline: April 16, 2012 Send materials to Collegian office: Chemistry 207 losangeles.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. © 2012 Collegian. No material may be reprinted without the express written permission of the Collegian.

Illustration by Stefen Williams /Collegian

Opinion & Editorial

Los Angeles | COLLEGIAN

Wednesday April 18, 2012

C TY

V EWS Compiled by Regine Simmonds

Would you be willing to pay $200 per unit for a math or English class, if it would get you into a class that is full?

Jeanette Hernandez Child Development

Cameron Black Cinema

Jessica Estrada Theatre Tech

Daniella Oropeza Theatre Tech

“If it is my last class I would pay for it. I don’t think it makes sense to pay $200 per unit especially when you know someone is getting the same class for free.”

“That’s ridiculous. It’s hard enough for students to pay for tuition, for them to raise the cost of classes would make it even harder; a struggle.”

“No, even if I had the money I wouldn’t pay for the classes, I feel that they are supposed to be helping us not taking [from us].”

“I have enough bills; I have things that are priority like rent, bills and phone. The school should pay for books and classes so my response is no.”

A Modest Proposal for ASO

By Jessica Driscoll As a member of the Associated Students Organization (ASO) for the past three years, I can honestly say that they have saved me from spending a lot of money out of my own pocket on ridiculously overpriced items I need for my education here at LACC. If you don’t already know, ASO offers free printing and copying, scantrons and bluebooks or (green books for the tree huggers), preferred parking, scholarships and educational grants and more. My ASO membership is probably the best $8 I have ever spent in my college career thus far. What turned me on to ASO was the free copying per week. As a full-time student working 35 plus hours a week, it’s hard to be able to set aside money for books. With less than a semester away from transferring to CSU Long Beach, I need to save every penny I can. So, unless I desperately need the entire book to pass, I thought I would be able to just make copies of what I needed for the week with ASO. Well I was wrong! Not completely wrong, but wrong as far as I was concerned. The library is given only a certain number of currently used editions per class, usually one each semester. Not only are these books offered for two hours, but they are not allowed to leave the library. The first time when one of the librarians told me about this, I was shocked! I was thinking, “Well if I can’t take the book out of the building,

then how will I make copies?” After exclaiming to the librarian in a sort of disgruntled manner that the rule seemed ridiculous, I realized she was just doing her job. Then, I asked for change, and proceeded to the copier to make copies using my own money. I figure that I pay $8.00 for a semester and definitely get my money’s worth with everything else ASO offers. But, I think the organization could use a few adjustments. I’m sure I’m not the only one who makes copies of books, nor the last. So here are a few suggestions I have for the President of ASO: 1. Have the librarian keep the student’s school ID, state ID and class registration until the book is returned. 2. Give the student a copy of the pass, which allows a restricted amount of time to take the book outside of the building, and also permits the student to enter ASO with the book. 3. Have the librarian call ASO before the student leaves the library with the book, which notifies the person at ASO in charge that a student is on his or her way. 4. Load student ID or other type of cards per week with the pre- purchased amount of copies so that the student does not have to waste any time going to ASO. 5. Or, LACC could spend a few extra bucks on an extra set of books just for ASO. These are just some suggestions. One, or a combination of them can be utilized in order to better suit the student, organization and school, but something needs to be done. I have gotten to the point that I don’t even go to ASO anymore and would rather just spend my own money in the library. As students, we don’t have much time for anything and it seems as though ASO is wasting the little time I have by making it difficult to make copies of the books I need and can’t afford. Other than this little problem, I appreciate the organization and hope they take this idea of mine into consideration. We, students look to it to make things easier on our already difficult journey.

Gisselli Rodriguez Like many college students, I have to schedule my classes to accommodate

By James Palmer Many colleges such as LACC define the template of what students are going to learn. The Internet, social media, and stem cell research did not even exist 25 years ago. Most companies are completely different than they were

“Probably not unless it was my last class so I could transfer, It’s a time vs. money thing for me, or go to another school last case scenario.”

work and personal responsibilities. As a result, my only option was to enroll in evening classes that end after 9:30 p.m. Due to gas costs, I alternate between driving to school and using the Metro as a means of transportation, which I am sure plenty of women do as well. However, I cannot say that I feel entirely safe walking inside campus grounds or on the way to the Metro station or the student parking lot—even if they are close to campus. I do not expect too much protection for students, considering that this is a public institution, but a sense of some safety would be comforting. As if current horror stories about an alleged lurker in the women’s restroom

weren’t scary enough, I myself have not felt comfortable walking around the campus after dark There have been instances where I am walking around the campus to get to my car or to another building, and older men have harassed me (they do not appear to attend classes here). I have been followed from the Communications Building to the Metro after dark and verbally harassed from a distance while trying to get to my car. Granted, in some of these incidents, I was wearing shorts. I suppose showing any type of skin on a hot day or when it is dark out is completely off limits on this campus.

I believe it is important to publicize issues of this nature because if one person complained; and I can relate, then there is probably a line of people who have dealt with similar issues. By exposing this ongoing dilemma, I’d hope it would motivate LACC security officials to consider changes. Having previously attended CSUN it was nice to be escorted by the campus security to the parking lots or dorms after 6 p.m. It would help if LACC would also sympathize and consider their students’ safety by hiring more security that are available to drive or walk women to the parking lots and bus stops if they are walking alone at night.

when they first started. The world is constantly changing. However, the education that you receive at college has changed very little in comparison. For decades, students have been evaluated based on exams and research papers; the same evaluation system our grandparents received. Most students only major in one or two disciplines of a specific department. I did some research and found a few ways that would make the education system better. Before the printing press, it was very important to memorize what you needed to have access to, but with technology at our fingertips today, the emphasis should be on how we access, process, and implement the information and less about memorizing facts.

In addition, many students go to class and do all the work on their own. Not only does this make the education process harder it also takes away from learning team work, which is one of the most important skills to acquire. When you get out of college, companies will be looking for how you cooperate with others. The main importance will not be your college transcripts. Another idea I want to mention is technology. I believe it is tremendously underused in many college curriculums today, or at least outdated. An example would be switching to electronic books, which allow text to be constantly updated as opposed to standard books and they are far less expensive. You would also get

the benefits of audio and multimedia elements that could become implemented in the text. One study showed that students who used electronic books that included accelerated video lectures were able to learn material faster than learning by lectures in person alone. There are many more ways that technology can be used to advance the learning experience for students. Reform can be very good if it is thought out carefully and implemented in the right way. These are just a few ways schools could improve the way they teach students. I love to learn, and there are many different ways to do so. Students deserve the best and most efficient tools to work with, and I believe that most people would feel the same way.

Controlling the Power of Social Media

By Carey Gabbert In recent weeks a big topic of discussion around campus has been about a viral video called “Kony 2012.” The video highlights the decades of atrocities that have been committed under the command of a rebel leader in central Africa named Joseph Kony. The non-profit group Invisible

Children Inc. posted the short film in early March as a plea for support in the capture and prosecution of a man named Joseph Kony, the brutal leader of the LRA in Central Africa. The LRA, which stands for “Lord’s Resistance Army,” is a religious rebel group that originated in Uganda in the late 1980s, and has been accused of extreme human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, and forcing children to engage in acts of war. Simply put, the aim of the video and the “Kony 2012” campaign is to make the warlord famous by spreading his name around on social media sites until they gain endorsements and voices of support from a list of prominent celebrities and political leaders in our country. High school and college students have become especially involved in the grassroots movement by donning “Kony 2012” bracelets and staging a

“Stop Kony” day in April that includes posting stacks of posters around towns and campuses. They hope that by the end of 2012, our country’s awareness of this man will be at such a high level that the powers-that-be will have no choice but to respond with some sort of reaction to the situation. Along with the overwhelming amount of popularity Invisible Children has gained since releasing the video, the company has also been subject to heavy scrutiny. Personal agendas, oversimplified facts, and the high production cost of the film have been cited as major issues for concern. What really bugs me about the whole situation is the fact that the “haters” out there are getting so much attention. In effect, the message of the video is getting grossly overlooked. The goal of the video is to spread the word about a bad man doing bad

things. What is wrong with this? So what if the owner of “Invisible Children” got caught running around drunk and naked? Does that change the fact that the world’s most wanted criminal is still on the loose, raping, killing, and kidnapping? We live in an age where society is starting to realize the true potential of social media as a tool to give voice to the masses. Yet the nay-sayers are the ones with the biggest voice. As witnesses to the beginning of this social revolution, it is our responsibility to make sure that the ground rules of social media start off in the right direction. Are we going to let the power of Twitter and Facebook be simply a tool for corporations to advertise their products? Or are we as a people going to rein in their potential as tools for freedom and justice? It’s up to you as an individual to decide. Choose wisely.

Clean Up Your Act!

CONTACT INFO: Losangeles.collegian@gmail.com Letters may be edited for brevity. (323) 953-4000, ext. 2831

“No I would look toward taking online courses and maybe a different school or even research scholarships. It seems unfair to have to spend all that extra money.”

What Students Need To Know

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Have an Opinion? Write a Letter to the Editor.

Melissa Medida Accounting

College Must Increase Security After Sunset

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Collegian

Georgina Navarro Theatre

By Hoon Kim Cleanliness is next to godliness. So why then are the restrooms at Los Angeles City College so filthy? If you’re looking for an answer,

look no further than yourself. The students are at fault for the unsanitary conditions. Throughout my tenure at Los Angeles City College, I have seen the custodians constantly cleaning the restrooms and the hallways. These staff members should be commended for cleaning up after students who do not have the decency to clean up after themselves. I’m positive that the students would not treat their own restroom in the same way as they treat the Los Angeles City College restrooms. I’m sure people don’t graffiti their own restrooms or leave trash wherever. The problems that occur in the men’s restrooms are graffiti,

excessive use of toilet paper as well as paper towels, and unnecessary trash. I respect certain graffiti artists and respect street art, but if you are tagging the walls of a bathroom wall, I feel sorry for you. Telling your friends that you tagged on a toilet seat is not a good look for anyone. The precious 10 seconds you take to tag something on the wall can waste 20 minutes or more of someone else’s time cleaning it up. When you walk into a men’s bathroom stall, you will encounter trash more often than not. I have personally witnessed the disposable toilet seat covers all over the floor. I have seen toilets flooded

with over usage of toilet paper and paper towels. The restrooms are dirty because of the students’ lack of respect. Every single student uses the restrooms, so why not keep them clean. The students should want to maintain the restrooms, not defile them. I’m positive students do not enjoy cleaning the restroom in their home or their parents’ homes. So why do some make it an overwhelming task for the custodians? Before you decide to trash the restrooms, think! Think about how many people are affected by your behavior, and a little bit of respect will go a long way.

News

Wednesday April 18, 2012

Los Angeles | COLLEGIAN

One Year after Fukushima, Many Concerns hit California Coast By Emanuel Bergmann

A little over a year ago on March 11, 2011, a tidal wave hit the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, leading to the greatest nuclear catastrophe since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Three out of six reactors at Fukushima went into immediate meltdown. The incident was ultimately classified as a Level 7 event, the worstcase scenario on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES). It is worth asking what we have learned from this disaster. Disconcert-

less-than-moral routes to save money,” Kang said. Uranium stocks around the world are rising. The Global X Uranium exchange traded fund (ETF) has risen close to 24 percent this year, signaling an increasing appetite for nuclear energy and potentially raising concerns for our safety. Germany is the only country that has made significant progress in switching from nuclear power to other forms of energy, but at a cost. Energy prices in Germany are expected to increase by 7 percent this year alone, and despite a growing renewable energy sector, the country

Still, residents in nearby San Clemente appear unconcerned. On an average sunny day in Southern California, people are tanning, surfing and playing with their dogs – right in front of the giant, breast-shaped domes of the power plant. Should the unthinkable happen, should anything go wrong, we might be facing an unprecedented disaster, since San Onfore sits not only at the outer edge of a tsunami region – as well as near an active earthquake fault – but also right in the middle of a densely populated area. According to a statement by Senator Barbara Boxer

proper seismic testing. An internal memo from May 18, 1967, recounting a meeting about the Diablo Canyon project between representatives of Pacific Gas & Electric, Westinghouse Electric Company and the Atomic Energy Commission, talks about refraining from meaningful geological surveys since “information of this type” could lead to “speculation and [could] possibly delay the project.” Should we be worried? In case of an accident, Orange County authorities have no emergency plan. Instead, disaster response would

Santa Monica College Suspends Tiered Tuition Santa Monica from page 1

It is doubtful that LACC will take the same route as SMC. In fact, LACC is taking a detour. Days before the altercation at the SMC trustees meeting, LACCD Chancellor Daniel LaVista shared his thoughts on the two-tier tuition system. “On the face of it, the SMC initiative mirrors a similar student service strategy that the legislature rejected last year,” said Dr. Daniel J. LaVista, chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District. “I understand that the State Community College Chancellor’s Office has sought a legal opinion whether or not SMC’s proposed variable fee structure is appropriate. As to all community colleges following suit, it’s likely that colleges will be guarded in making plans to do so until that opinion is known. As for LACCD, no plans are being made for creating a variable fee structure.”

Some SMC students who spoke with the Collegian did not agree with the new plan. They called the program unfair. They explained that students with less financial stability would feel inferior to their wealthier schoolmates. “The rich have a better chance of graduating, that’s not fair,” said Rose Moshfegh, a business major at SMC. “If I didn’t get a fee waiver, I would drop out of school.” Even though some students do not agree with the program, many in higher education do. They view this plan from a broader perspective, and they believe it will help some students graduate. “I actually think it’s a smart and innovative approach, access to key college courses,” said Daniel J. Hurley, director or state relations and policy analysis at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Unfortunately not every student may be able to pay, but when you look at the overall benefit, students are gaining knowledge skills to graduate.”

Financial Aid Rules to Change Financial Aid from page 1

Illustration by David Stamp /Collegian

ingly, the answer appears to be: Not much. In case of a disaster Los Angeles City College might well be affected, depending on wind conditions. Still, many students here seem surprised to hear of California’s own San Onofre Nuclear Generator, let alone any potential safety concerns. “Either you move it or you do something to deter a tsunami,” said theater major David Vail. He is in favor of additional flood barriers in case of a Tsunami, as well as developing alternative sources of energy. Other students concur. “Probably many students don’t know about it,” said biochemistry major Sean Kang. “I didn’t either. You got to empower the students more and let information be readily available.” Kang, too, favors exploring and expanding other sources of energy such as solar and wind energy. “But nuclear sources of energy are corporate-run. So they take

is becoming increasingly dependent on natural gas imports from the Russian Federation. Clearly, there is no perfect solution to the global need for energy. As more nations are lifting themselves out of poverty, the world needs power. The demand for energy is expected to rise by 5.4 percent in India and 4 percent in China. According to the World Nuclear Association, 60 nuclear reactors are currently under construction, with 163 more planned. California has only two nuclear power plants, thanks to a 1976 moratorium supported by Governor Jerry Brown. But those two plants, the aptly-named Diablo Canyon in Central California and the San Onfore Nuclear Generator near San Diego, are a cause for concern. San Onofre went online in 1968. Along the way, mistakes were made. The contractor, Bechtel, had installed a 420-ton nuclear reactor the wrong way. Last month, a leak of radioactive steam was discovered.

(D-CA), 4.7 Million people might be affected in case of a nuclear emergency. The San Onofre Nuclear Generator is designed to withstand a 7.2 earthquake. But that may not be enough. The “big one” that hit San Francisco in 1906 was estimated to have been 8.9 or 9 on the Richter scale – the same strength as the quake that caused last year’s tsunami. According to USC’s Southern California Earthquake Center, “California has a 99.7% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake during the next 30 years.” Could the two nuclear power plants in California withstand such a largescale earthquake? Much depends how close the structures are to the affected fault lines. According to David Weisman of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, the Atomic Energy Commission – the precursor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) – gave the required building permits without

fall under the jurisdiction of nearby Los Angeles County, which may well be critically understaffed. Even the earlywarning system is lacking. During the 2003 San Simeon earthquake in Central California it was discovered that out of 131 emergency sirens, 56 lost power because they were connected to the Diablo Canyon nuclear grid. In other words, if a nuclear plant loses power due to an emergency, so does the early warning system. To their credit, some lawmakers, such as Barbara Boxer and State Senator Sam Blakeslee are fighting for more oversight and greater accountability. San Onofre’s license to operate the nuclear plant is set to expire in ten years, by 2022. Southern California Edison, which operates the plant, intends to apply for renewal. San Onofre generates about 20 percent of Southern California’s electricity, and many concerned citizens say that it ought to be possible to fill that gap by safer means – safer and cleaner.

‘Sole Survivor’ Raises Sexual Assault Awareness

“Learning is a life long [journey], there should be no limits on taking classes,” Charniera said. “This is America, and we used to take classes for multiple degrees. “ However, it is now necessary to be more conscious of the lifetime limit of the Federal Pell Grant when changing majors or scheduling classes. Calvin Rankin is a financial aid supervisor at LACC who provided in details about additional changes. “Maintaining satisfactory academic progress is the criteria for financial aid eligibility,” Rankin said during his presentation. “The minimum GPA of 2.0 is a requirement. Students who already have A.A or B.A. degree are going to be excluded as well. “ There are other rules that affect financial aid eligibility; Rankin said that students must complete 67 percent of all attempted units to remain qualified for financial aid. Also, if a student enrolls in more than 90 units in their lifetime toward a degree program, financial aid will be discontinued. ESL classes are an exception to the 90-unit rule. Students whose financial aid

applications are denied will have to file an appeal if they want to continue to receive financial aid. Rankin told the Collegian that the main goal is to make students complete programs as quickly as possible and to ensure that financial aid is used for education-related purposes and is not abused. “Some people use financial aid money to travel to the Bahamas,” Rankin said. Students who may lose financial aid can seek scholarships from the Los Angeles City College Foundation, and from other abundant sources like fastweb.com, according to Rankin. He advises students to apply early. Joulie Bahbajin, an English major, seemed satisfied with “Financial Aid Awareness Day.” She consulted for a half hour with Rankin about financial aid eligibility. “It helped me to manage correctly for my plan of A.A and transfer,” Bahbajin said. Students who want to view the percentage of Federal Pell Grant they have used, may log onto NSLDS. ed.gov, to check the status of “lifetime eligibility used” in the grants section.

Titanic Marks its 100th Anniversary By David Martin Approximately 100 years ago, on April 10, 1912, the world’s largest ocean liner, the RMS Titanic, set out on her maiden voyage from South Hampton, England, to New York City. Then, on April 15 1912, the luxury liner struck an iceberg, at 12 a.m. Two and a half hours later, the Titanic lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. According to the book “Titanic’s Last Secrets” by Brad Matsen, the sinking ship resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 people. Human eyes would not see Titanic again for more than 70 years. Then, on September 1985, a group of oceanographers led by Robert Ballard set out to uncover the sunken ship’s final resting place. They were not disappointed. However, what they found was a rusting hulk, a home to many species of marine life. Over the course of the last hundred

years, numerous films have been made about the sinking of the Titanic. The first film, “Saved from the Titanic” directed by Étienne Arnaud, was released just 29 days after Titanic sank, and featured a survivor of the tragedy portraying a fictional version of herself. However, the most successful film ever made on the Titanic was James Cameron’s “Titanic.” Released in 1997 and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, the film went on to become the second highest grossing film of all time. Events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking were held all over the world.

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By Matthew Mullins Representatives of the Coalition for Abuse Resistance Education (C.A.R.E.) suspended high heels, sneakers and a variety of shoes across wires in front of the Administration Building to raise awareness about sexual abuse. Co-coordinators Marine Khachatryan and Tsovinar Karapetyan used shoes donated by students last semester for the event they titled “Sole Survivor.” This issue affects many college students who remain silent each year. The shoes in the “Sole Survivor” display represent the average number of sexual assaults that occur each month according to the group. There are 17,312 survivors of sexual assault on average per month and 1 in 5 college women

are raped during their college years, according to the website oneinfourusa.org, a non-profit organization, “dedicated to the prevention of rape.” According to the World Health Organization, sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, with 54 percent of assaults left unreported. Victims of sexual assault are more likely to suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and commonly turn to drugs and alcohol to deal with the problem. Brenda L. Jones, a psychology major, believes that the campus sheriff’s department is a good resource for women to use. “We have some of the best sheriffs in the county. They helped me with three stalking incidents, one male and two

females. It sounds crazy, but they handle any problem you encounter with other students on campus right away,” Jones said. “Never be afraid to contact campus police, as a matter of fact every female should have the number programmed in their cell.” In observance of Sexual Assault Awareness month, the shoes will remain hanging in the Quad through April. At the end of the month, all shoes will be donated to a local homeless and domestic violence shelter. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department provides campus security. In case of an emergency, dial 3 from any campus phone, including payphones. The Sheriff’s Department also provides escort services and can be reached at (323) 662-5276.

Photo by Julia Salazar/ Collegian Shoes are hung in the Quad by the Coalition for Abuse Resistance Education (C.A.R.E.). The shoes represent sexual assault victims in the United States.

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Campus Life

Los Angeles | COLLEGIAN

Wednesday April 18, 2012

Pi Shoppe Tutor Develops a New Branch of Math

David Caliri, a mathematics major is pioneering a new type of Calculus. Caliri has worked for the last two years on a new branch of mathematics, which he has coined ‘Mechanical Calculus.’ By David Stamp

aliri gave a lecture to the Math Club – recently ranked third in national competition – with an overview of his findings on Friday, April 13. In mathematics leading up to Caliri, Polygons with equivalent sides were only constructible via compass and straight edge if the trigonometric values of their central angles were strictly real numbers containing only square roots. If the expressions had imaginary numbers or higher roots such as cube roots then you needed additional tools, which in some cases was as simple as adding a mark on the straight edge or using an angle trisector. Even though the above means many constructions such as the regular hendecagon, an 11-sided polygon with equal sides, were not possible, Caliri has constructed mechanical devices able to produce such shapes. Caliri’s “parabomatrum,” or mother of parabolas, is a mechanical construct that uses gears, the type found in a build your own clock set for children, to accurately produce parabolas, which were hitherto only expressible through mathematical approximates and abstractions. In a course on Mechanical Cal-

culus, Caliri proposes that students would have semester long projects in which they would build modules that would be added to the parabomatrums. These modules would make accurately expressing higher order polynomials through mechanical means possible; a feat, yet unrealized in the world of mathematics. “The devices as well as my posters the ‘Caliri Circles’ have teaching application to enhance most math courses from the high school level up to that at a university,” says Caliri. He plans to have LACC be a flagship in offering the ‘Caliri Circles’ fundamental devices like the ‘parabomatrum’ and other teaching devices. Narine Babuchyan, fellow math tutor at pi shoppe, described Caliri’s efforts as “fascinating, I didn’t expect that he was doing so much work.” Khan Kerobyan another pi shop tutor said he “Hopes that we can organize more seminars for creative young people who hope to go further, no matter what their field of study. David Caliri has been accepted to present to the Los Angeles Community College District next month. He aims to publish his findings in full, later in the year and is working on a book, the tentative title being, “Calculus Mechanicus.”

David Calliri presented his work on ‘Mechanical Calculus’ to the Math Club last Friday.

Just Sign Here

They carry clipboards. They ask questions of approaching students. They want your signature. Who are they and why are they here? They are the solicitors. Sign here. By Geoffrey Smith

tudents are lured in with, “Do you want to save a tiger?” or “Are you old enough to vote?” Ever wonder who those people scrambling for signatures in and around campus are? Students see them all over school, pushing to amend current laws by collecting signatures for their petitions and initiatives. But what are their rights and who restricts them? Earlier this month, Green Peace representatives were spotted out in the Quad getting memberships from students and were quickly approached and asked to move to the free speech zone by campus Sheriffs. “I asked her nicely to move and they agreed,” said Deputy F. Fajardo, shortly after confronting the Green Peace representatives. Deputy Michael Doo commented to the Collegian that the solicitors are usually easy to talk to, and they respect their requests. “Everyone is pretty cooperative and there’s rarely any problems,” Doo said. Los Angeles County Sheriffs said that the representatives usually blend in with students and hide the clipboards. Oftentimes members of Green Peace do just that and confuse campus security that regulates solicitors on school grounds.

The solicitors usually wear distinctive vests, but they are not required to wear them at all times. There are mixed reviews coming from students about soliciting on campus. Some students dislike the fact these solicitors are bugging them and want them to change the way they do business. “I feel hustled and pushed. I support political change, but I don’t necessarily agree with their tactics,” said Brenda Esquer who is music major. There are also student voices that speak of empathy, support and appreciation of the solicitors’ work. These students say they don’t mind being hassled for a maximum of three minutes about issues that could land on the ballot. “I don’t see anything wrong with it. It could be worse. There [are] people asking you for money and stuff. But this, most of the time, is for a good cause,” said journalism major Ulises Vargas. Dean of Student Life Earic Peters confirmed that solicitors are to remain in the designated free speech zone located at the entrance of the school on Vermont Avenue. “All I ask is that they let me know that they’re here so we won’t have any trouble,” Peters said. “I don’t control the content, that’s not what we do. Our job is to make sure people have the opportunity to express themselves. We

just want to make it easier to handle any conflicts that may happen.” Administrative Aide, Gohar Amirkahnian explained to the Collegian that because this is a public institution, these kinds of solicitations can only occur in the free speech zone, and must not impede or interfere with any classes. Amirkahnian is to be contacted when seeking a civic center permit. These are permits sold to large and local companies who want to rent out sections of the campus to solicit. Companies are charged a $50 fee and $25 per hour. Non-profit organizations are not charged a fee. “To honor this, we have to have a copy of their non-profit documentation approved by the state of California in our file,” Amirkahnian said. All solicitors who want to use the free speech area are asked to report to the Associated Students Organization (ASO) and check in with Dean Peters in order to receive a solicitor pass. This check-in is not mandatory. Green Peace Representative Steve Harbor said he knows it’s not necessary to check-in to get a pass by law, but he also understands that it can prevent the authorities from being called. Harbor recalls incidents in the past when police were called to remove solicitors from public property. “The cops hate coming, because they know we have a right to be here,” he said.

For the Record

In the March 28 2012 issue of the Collegian, the Cameo Theatre was referred to as a black box theatre. It is in fact a proscenium stage. There is a black box theater on the campus, in the Theatre Arts Building, and it is called the Caminito. The Theatre Review mentioned the Theatre Academy had recently been honored by the

Photo by Seung Hyun/ Collegian

Kennedy Center American Play Festival in Michigan. The actual name of the organization is the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and the festival itself took place in Utah. In the March 14, 2012 issue of the Collegian Frank Benavidez name appeared incorrectly spelled. We regret the error.

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Arts & Entertainment

Wednesday April 18, 2012

ARTIST

ByGisselli Rodriguez

Tell me about yourself. Why did you begin painting and why LACC? I’ve been a student here for about two and a half years here. I went directly from high school into the television and film business, so this is sort of representative of a second chance for me for what people always told me what I should do. I love LACC because it’s so accessible. I happen to live close by but that’s just a good coincidence. I love the instructors here and the Art Department here. It’s very good and supportive and I think that the quality of the work of the other students is very good. [There is] a lot of raw talent here so it’s always inspiring to be around other people who continue to make you want to try to do better. What do you want your audience to understand from your work? You work hard to create an

“Gang Girl”

Paint has a very luscious, tangible quality and there is so much versatility with it and it’s one of those personal things that I think everyone has; their thing that resonates with them. It’s just the thing that felt right. I enjoy other mediums but there is something else about paint that can really bring something alive. Are you currently exhibiting or showing your work anywhere? Right now, I’m just focusing on building up a base collection of work. [I’m] building my portfolio. For now I have only [been] exhibited at The Edge gallery (LACC’s on-campus gallery located in Da Vinci Hall). Before I put any work out there I actually want to have a solid body of work that I feel is more or less good enough to be put [in galleries].

Jennifer Dawson

ennifer Dawson is hard to miss against the faux brick wall with her striped knee high socks. Clothed from head-to-toe in drab colors, her spunky personality is an antithesis to the shades of black engulfing her body. It is easy to feel at ease around Dawson. She does not carry the painterly “art snob” gene. She makes it clear that she does not take herself too seriously, naming her pieces after inside jokes. With helpful resources and the guidance of Art and Architecture instructor, Alexandra Wiesenfeld, she has found a natural aptitude for visual art at LACC that communicates powerfully via canvas.

Los Angeles | COLLEGIAN

Who and what are your influences? What in the environment makes an impression on you? [Influencers], they are so varied it’s not always just painters. The natural world. Kind of cheesy, but it’s a common theme that runs through. Being a very visuallyoriented person, light, the effects of light on the environment on objects [influence me]. It’s been a study of light for the most part. You get the same thing with cinema and TV. [You] focus on how things are lit. In the absence of light there is total darkness. Where do you see yourself in a few years? In ten years? Hopefully a couple years from now I will be showing my work and people will be wanting to enjoy some of the paintings that I show. Whether it turns out to be a hobby or a career, I hope to still be doing Photo By Seung Hyun/Collegian

pictures, something that people can enjoy so it’s pretty simple for me. They do just represent something that I can make that I can produce with my own hands. Why did you choose painting out of all mediums? Have you dabbled in other mediums?

Complete your dream.

Photo By Seung Hyun/Collegian This sunset silohette by Jennifer Dawson was on display on Friday March 30, 2012.

EDGE

The Bachelor of Science in Management

Photo By Seung Hyun/Collegian A colorful vase and floral painting on canvas by Jennifer Dawson.

it [in ten years]. How do you approach a new project? Do you have ideas generating before you put them down or do you work them out on canvas? It’s usually something that I see, something that I like. It’s not always because it’s pretty. I see something that I like that I want to reproduce [or] that I appreciate something so much I want to reproduce it. It’s what keeps me going. I can modify slightly and make a good picture out of it. I’m such a visual person that I take a lot of photographs. Actually that’s generally how [I do it]. Sometimes I’ll take the contents of a number of different photographs and put them together into one painting but that’s really how I document my ideas. [It] is more through photography than writing so all of my planning is done visually. What else are you passionate about? It’s varied. Other things I do aside from basic stuff is judo here at LACC. It involves not just the body – it involves the brain too.

Jennifer Dawson exhibited her paintings in March 2012 front of Da Vince Hall.

image that is up to your own standards and it’s something that pleases you, so if other people like it -that’s good too -- that’s all you can hope for. Anybody can just enjoy the view. Whatever they get from it is hopefully positive and not to sound trivial but you know really, I just kind of want to make pretty

Audience Grows

Gallery ByDavid Stamp

Coming on the tail end of a monthlong exhibit titled, EDGE, eight local artists contributed a variety of pieces in the Da Vinci gallery for a closing reception. Mediums of work included a combination of polystyrene and acrylic on wooden panels as well as oils, foils, and woven papers painted with acrylic. Professor Laurel Paley of the art and architecture department at LACC curated the event. She said that the thematic inspiration and title for the show came from the great variety of feelings and thoughts, that can be

Any words of advice? When you can, in some little way, pursue what you’re passionate about. Immerse yourself entirely at least a bit every day.

Valerie Goodloe By Svetlana Yurash

It’s been more than one month since the successful premier at LACC of “Gang Girl,” a documentary film produced and directed by L.A. City College alumnus Valerie Goodloe. Students and other members of the campus community screened the film on campus in late February. Since this screening, Goodloe continues to bring “Gang Girl” to the public while she searches for a distributor. “We had another screening at SMC [Santa Monica College] last month and will be doing a couple more,” Goodloe said. “We are still looking for distribution as well as screenings that can generate buzz.” “Gang Girl” is the true story of Goodloe’s journey to save her daughter Nafeesa from a life in gangs. The documentary won the Audience Award at the Pan-African Film Festival, Official Selection for the Oakland International Film Festival and was an Official Selection New Filmmakers Los Angeles and Reelworld Film Festival in 2011.

communicated through the juxtapoweaving techniques. Taking traditionsition and quality of edges within a al weaving techniques and working piece of artwork. them through the lens of modern art The closing reception on Thurscolors field practices, Segovia has day, April 12 from 6-9 p.m. featured created something new. works of interest by Leigh SalgaWarde Mohammed, a performing do, Marion Lane, Lorenzo Hurtaarts student at City College said, “This do Segovia, Sharron Weiner, Eric is an escape. You can tell that care was Zammitt, Brad Eberhard, Sharon Bell put into selecting the pieces. In this and Jamie Scholnick. gallery you can feel the art working Many of the artists were present together.” and gladly engaged in dialogue about their medium and motivations for expression. Sharon Weiner spoke of “layers of pouring” and the need for “expression filtered through layers of paint.” L o r e n z o Segovia, a professor of illustration at Otis, talked about taking his Photo By Ineae Bloom/Collegian inspiration that f r o m S c o t t i s h One of the larger scale art pieces in the Edge Gallery, titled tartans and Indian Separation by Jaime Scholnick.

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Elections 2012 INCOME TAX pay 2% more each year

ILL E W C AX PLA T E IN N THTAY SEVE S R S FOEAR Y

$8 b thr illion oug w h a ill be inc om p rog atta e ind ivid tax in ress ined ive ual c Ca rease lifo rni for ans

Los Angeles | COLLEGIAN

Tax the Rich Measure May come to November Ballot

SAVE

Lower Class Collect / and Middle pay $200 class Pay a Fare Share

CHANCE

Go!

E CHANC

Wednesday April 18, 2012

Cali!!!

Proposed sale tax will decrease from 1/2 to 1/4 cent.

By Layla Fernandez

CHANC

Students endured a

No one making less than

$250,000

$300

will see an income

increase in the LAST 10 YEARS

G IN K

O OR T GO IL JA

of Californians voted to endorse the M.T. of 2012

Help pass the millionaire tax of 2012, it’ll help out a lot.

PA R

94%

Y PA XES TA

CHANCE

TAX INCREASE

California’s “Millionaires Tax” may land on the ballot in November. More than 500,000 signatures are required. Thousands of Californians are demanding that the wealthiest residents in the state start paying their fair share. The “Millionaires Tax” is the only proposed measure that directly funds higher education. Robert Reich is a veteran of three presidential administrations and current Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He says that this is “the best public policy solution for funding our declining universities.” The California Federation of Teachers and California Nurses Association support the measure. Chevron, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and PG&E all oppose it. Students took sides on the issue and the majority came down against it. Scan the QR code to read the students full opinion on the “Millionaires Tax” measure.

Illustration By Seung Hyun/Collegian

Anna Minassyan

The issue will not be fixed with more taxes; the issue will only be fixed with rational spending. Since the people of power have not properly spent over the years, we are now in national debt. However, simply because the country is in debt does not mean you have to tax people who have worked very hard to get where they are at now; being millionaires, or even less than that, having a quarter of a million dollars.

Gisselli Rodriguez

I am glad that with this tax proposal, California’s education will be recuperating. But, if the state wants to see better futures for themselves and their children, they too, should be willing to sacrifice a bit for that causes instead of throwing all the responsibility to the rich.

Carey Gabbert

The armed forces that we ALL pay for and contribute to are what’s keeping someone from coming and blowing up their factories, mansions, and shiny cars. Our public education system has taught many of these entrepreneurs, and prepared the middle class to be able to work for the companies of the wealthy, to be able to make their companies more valuable with our ideas and collective knowledge.

Bryan Adams

California has a history of misusing tax payer dollars for lavish trips to Hawaii, boxes of cigars, pricey bottles of liquor, expensive meals and other getaways. Why should anyone pay another tax dollar after this news!? The state of California cannot even offer the most basic of request that tax payers ask for such as schools, fire, police and roads. Our roads are terrible and so are the freeways! The schools are filled with sex predators and half the kids aren’t even graduating!

Dilan Diwakara

The new proposal of the “Millionaires Tax” that people earning more than $1 million a year pay at least the same tax rate as middle-class earners to help reduce the budget deficit in the United States. This is called “Buffett rule” after billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett, a supporter of his who recently called the tax system unfair, noting that it lets him pay a lower rate than his secretary does.

Julian Spencer

Industrious University students used to be able to work their way through college by getting part-time jobs at places like McDonald’s and Target. Today it seems like students would need two full-time jobs and maybe some extra cash made by volunteering as test subjects to accomplish the same thing. Oh! And go to school too!

Pablo De Jesus

For the rich in America, this would seem unfair because they have been accustomed to the way things have been for such a long time. Capitalism at the expense to those that really do the dirty work. Since the economic crisis, things have not really changed for those who have been lining their pockets.

James Palmer

The tax punishes people who have achieved the American Dream. The extra money sounds good, but the means of aquiring it do not. Many Republican politicians are accusing Obama of trying to incite class warfare. There have also been reports that the plan wouldn’t actually bring in as much revenue as predicted, because the income of those who will be taxed is extremely volatile.

Jessica Ann Driscoll

Poverty is at an all time high and the only way we can eliminate such is by taxing the rich, getting people back to work and increasing the minimum wage, but one thing at a time. Tax the greedy rich and save the world!

Joshua Lainez

“If you make money with money, as some of my super-rich friends do, your percentage may be a bit lower than mine,” wrote Buffett, chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway. “But if you earn money from a job, your percentage will surely exceed mine — most likely by a lot.” This seems unfair to me, how can the rich pay less tax then the middle class?

Sports

Wednesday April 18, 2012

Los Angeles | COLLEGIAN

SPORTS BIN

League Standings

Basketball

W/L

Elite

4/0

Team Flight

3/1

Star Case

3/1

Eagles

2/2

Spartans

2/2

L.A.C.T-C

2/2

Old School

2/2

Red Nation

1/3

Linsanity

1/3

10. Team Five

Kenneth Jara

Basketball: The Community’s Best Friend

0/4

Volleyball

W/L

1. Lunatic 2. Thunderbolts 3. Team 5

3/0

4. Purple People

1/2

2/1 2/1

Eaters

5. The little cubs

0/3

Soccer

1. Unreal Madrid 2.

Champions

Las Aguilas De Japon

4. Free For All

Ernie Todd Jr. of Los Angeles City Thunder- Cubz jumps to the side of his defender, Chad Gammon of Eagles, as he tries to draw the charge at the intramural basketball game in the Women’s Gym on Friday, April 13, 2012.

Photos By Patrick Chong/Collegian

Nason Lamb of Eagles blocks the shot attempt from Juan Gibas of Los Angeles City Thunder- Cubz, at the intramural basketball game in the Women’s Gym on Friday, April 13, 2012.

Basketball has been a part of my life since I was three years old; when I was introduced to the sport on my third birthday. From then on, my uncles and cousins would teach me the rules of the game and how to play. I remember watching Michael Jordan on TV and being so inspired by his talent. I wanted to be just like him, so I briefly considered becoming a professional basketball player. Then reality hit and I realized the crazy amount of hard work and dedication that the players put into their sport. It took them years of practice to achieve their level of success. Once at the top, these athletes could do anything. But there is one thing I always admired, and it was their ability to give back to the community. Sports benefit the community at large by bringing people together in a positive environment. Coaches give their students guidance on the court and off. City is missing out on fostering such an environment. Sportsmanship is all about cooperation and teamwork. Skills employers find very valuable. Athletes also tend to become more competitive, confident, and learn early on that you need to work hard for something to become good at it.

Sideline Press

What Makes a Good Athlete?

Compiled by Layla Fernandez/Collegian

Photos By Seung Hyun/Collegian Thousands of Angelinos ran through the streets of Hollywood last month to finish the Los Angeles Marathon, Nora Quintero was amongst them.

Honda provided water for the thirsty runners of the Los Angeles Marathon on March 18.

Finding Happiness at the Finish Line By Regine Simmonds

Obstacles are nothing to a person with goals. Every year, thousands of people stock up on sunscreen, water, sneakers, hats and iPods with a very specific goal in mind. The Los Angeles Marathon, one of the largest in the nation, brings flocks of people to Dodger Stadium to run for themselves, for someone else, or for a cause dear to their heart. City College student and photography major Nora Quintero knew that she needed more than basic training to prepare for the marathon. Quintero says that it had been a year since a traumatic incident where she claims an LACC faculty member attacked her. She had enrolled in a class to help her cope with her

2012 Schedule

mother’s death. Three months after the attack, she says she fell into a deep depression. The instructor was brought up on charges and court proceedings continue. The attack did not occur on campus grounds according to Quintero. She decided to become a parttime student and devote the extra time to focus on her personal needs. She sought counseling and began training for the marathon; a goal she had set for herself prior to the attack. “I knew that running was going to be the best therapy to help me get rid of my depression,” she said. Quintero prepared day and night for six months at Griffith Park, focusing her efforts on increasing

All College Sports

her endurance and controlling her breathing. She modified her diet to include more proteins, complex carbohydrates and fruits rich in vitamins, calcium and antioxidants. She increased her water intake and drank 100 percent fruit juice and Vitamin Water. “I wanted to challenge myself to prove that I get through this. No matter what, I could not quit,” Quintero said. “I think I can. I know I can. God help me get through this… one more mile. I did it. I can do it. I am strong … I am not weak,” were the words she told herself to keep going through her training. March 18 found Quintero at Dodger Stadium, surrounded by thousands of runners and even thou-

CANCELED

Basketball Football Soccer

Andoni Zorbas Theater

Ramona Aristo Human Services

“He or she needs to train very hard, keep on going really hard and not [give] up. Always focus his or her mind on what it’s doing.”

“A strong mind and a motivation that comes from inside that makes you go through all of your difficulties. It does not matter how strong you are or what muscles you have or what you eat. It’s your mind that makes you pull through. ”

Michael Shorter Fine Arts

Carlos Gomez Undecided

“A good athlete has determination, consistency, and athletic ability, but that should be the least of your worries. If you are in a team, being a good team player is very crucial.”

“ A good athlete is made up of dedication, practice motivation, and inspiration.”

sands more supporters; all with different reasons for being there, but sharing the same goal. No one was able to come support Quintero. “I felt such closeness with the runners it was like we all shared a bond,” she said. The gunshot sounded and they took off in a flurry of colors and faces, tearing down the street. Halfway through the marathon, Quintero said her excitement to finish the other half of the race was what took her to the finish line. It took Quintero seven hours and 57 minutes to achieve her goal. “When I saw the finish line I felt sheer happiness, and nothing is impossible in life if you believe in God and yourself,” she said.

Golf Badminton Swimming

Photo By Layla Fernandez/Collegian