SCAN ME
The Union
EL CAMINO COLLEGE
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946 Oct. 8, 2026
Event ticket app
Third spaces
Warrior’s football
Filming Q & A
See Page 7
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ARTS
See Page 3
OPINION
NEWS
See Page 8
ECCUNION.COM
SPORTS
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More food options could come to campus By Tulsi Read
T
he student government is exploring whether hot and cold food vending machines could help expand food options on campus The Associated Students Organization (ASO) is hoping to gain feedback from at least 100 to 200 students through a two day tabling event from Oct. 12 to Oct. 13. The event will include snacks purchased with the $466.87 budget recently approved by ASO to encourage student participation. The survey asks students which meals and dietary options they want, how much they would be willing to pay and whether they would use the vending machines. This will determine whether the machines would be useful and feasible on campus. ASO President and economics major Keilani Camargo, 20, said the vending machine proposal was passed down from the previous ASO
Business administration major Kyrollos Deryas 18, makes a selection from vending machines outside Cafe Camino. on Sept. 30. Photo by Zoey Grinstead
administration. Camargo said the machines could provide students with another food option when Cafè Camino and El Cappuccino are closed. Café Camino is open Monday
through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and El Cappucino is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., which is operated by Pacific Dining a Bay Area based food management
company. “There aren’t as many hours for things like El Cappuccino,” Camargo said. “They’re also closed on Fridays, which I’m here on Fridays, so it’s kind of inconvenient.”
Psychology major Emily Curley, 21, said the machines could make getting food more convenient. She said she would be willing to pay about $7. To read the full story, visit ECCUnion.com
Pride Center to provide chest binders for students Delays prevent resources, products from being accessed By Madison Moody Chest Binders will be provided for the first time on campus for queer students to show more representation for the transgender and non-binary community at the El Camino College Pride Center. Binders are a process of making your chest flatter to appear more male-presenting. This practice targets women slowly transitioning from female to male. They also come in various types, sizes and methods of use. “Trans men need chest binders to compress their breasts if they have not had top
surgery yet or choose not to have top surgery at all. It helps them feel more comfortable in their identity as trans men,” Student Success coordinator Kenny Simkins said. Computer-aided design and d r a f t i n g m a j o r Wy b i e Parkinson, 25, identifies as Agender but previously identified as a trans man. Parkinson is also a student worker at the pride center, uses it/its pronouns and has used chest binders in the past. “I think having a safe space [on campus] that has already gone through the ‘which ones are the right ones to buy’ is more convenient for students and I think it can be very affirming to have,” Parkinson said. Arrival dates for this product are not yet set because vendor shipments and understaffing at
Psychology major and Pride Center student worker Widget Santos (it/she) hangs outs with her friends after classes Sept. 30. Santos stated she likes to come in everyday day. Photo by Zoey Grinstead
ECC’s distribution warehouse have caused delays. “Some vendors are slower than others and we don’t have control over that, things move slow sometimes,” Mail and Material
Handler Carl Turano said. Turano is one of four employees who handle warehouse shipments and deliveries at ECC. Delays have been an ongoing
problem since the pandemic, he said. Most days only two warehouse workers are on staff. To Read the full story, visit ECCUnion.com
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EDITORIAL
Oct. 8, 2026
The Union
The Union SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946
Vol. 81 , No. 2 Oct. 8, 2026
EDITORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NEWS EDITOR
Illustration by Zuri Goodwin
Club system should make it easier for students to get involved, not harder By Union Editorial Board
S
tarting a club at a community college should be an opportunity to bring students together around a shared interest, not a process that makes students wonder whether it is worth trying. Students should not have to wait weeks to find out whether they can get funding for a simple event or spend unnecessary time navigating administrative requirements just to get their organization off the ground. While El Camino College’s new club system is intended to make things easier, students should be able to see real improvements in how quickly and easily they can start and operate their organizations. Clubs give students a way to find community, explore interests and become involved in campus life. If the process for creating and operating clubs becomes a barrier, students may give up before their ideas ever get off the ground. At ECC, the process for starting, funding and operating student clubs is changing. The former Inter-Club Council, or ICC, system is being replaced by a new system involving the Student Activities Board and the Student Development and Activities office. The former ICC was designed to support student clubs through funding, event planning, promotion and other services. Its general meetings also gave clubs a place to discuss their activities and provide feedback to the council. However, changes came after clubs repeatedly raised concerns about delays in the former system, particularly when students requested funding for upcoming events. Tyler Strohl, Student Activities Advisor, said the timeline was one of the major problems with the former process. Under the former system, ICC met weekly, meaning a club could have to wait for its request to be reviewed the following Monday meeting. Even after approval, students could still have to wait for orders or purchases to be processed. The new system is intended to reduce some of those delays by moving more administrative work to the Student Development and Activities office. If that happens, it could make a meaningful difference for students trying to organize events, request funding or build organizations on campus. But there is an important question that ECC should not overlook: Will the new system actually make it easier for students to participate? That answer is not known yet. The system is still new, and a handbook explaining the new process is still pending. If
the handbook is not available until winter break, students will spend the fall semester learning a new system without having a complete guide to follow. That makes student feedback even more important. Students attempting to start clubs should be able to explain what parts of the process were easy and what parts were difficult. Their experiences will provide some of the clearest evidence of whether the new system is accomplishing its goal. ECC should also look at how its requirements compare with other community colleges. For example, Cerritos College requires five currently registered students, a full-time employee adviser and a constitution for an officially registered club. Its Student Life and Leadership office also provides a centralized system for club forms and financial requests. ECC currently requires 10 interested students, a faculty adviser and a constitution, along with other college requirements. The difference does not necessarily mean ECC’s requirements are unreasonable, however, the college has responsibilities to make sure student organizations follow financial, safety and legal rules. But requirements should be proportional to what students are actually trying to accomplish. That becomes especially important when students are in the process of becoming an approved club. Students should not be punished for making a procedural mistake they reasonably believed they were allowed to make. The issue is not whether colleges should have rules. The issue is whether those rules are being communicated clearly and enforced reasonably. The college should distinguish between intentional violations and students who are simply trying to understand a complicated process. For students who are struggling to find enough members, Club Rush can provide an opportunity to recruit students before officially establishing a club. This can give students a chance to see whether there is enough interest in their idea before going through the full process of creating an organization. College students already balance classes, jobs, families. Students are only at ECC for a limited amount of time before transferring or graduating. A process that requires students to repeatedly wait for approvals can discourage them from becoming involved in the first place.
Union staff thoughts: Thumbs up, thumbs down Thumbs down to the spotty Wi-Fi
Thumbs up to functioning air
on campus, making it harder to get
conditioning on 90 degree days,
work done or place calls.
making classrooms more comfort-
Oriana de Quay Alexandra Quintana
FEATURES EDITOR
Madison Moody
OPINION EDITOR
Tulsi Read
STAFF Staff Writers Jennifer Figueroa-Hernandez Lynelle Sarpong Interns Fredrick Klien
Iyanni Coleman
Lily Hazard
Molly Conners
Josue Valdivias
Ryan Lemke
Armando Gomez
Alyssa Rivas
Nicole Martinez
Brianna Sanchez
Seamus Pink
Oliva Alaljian
Zoey Grinstead
Tiffany Morris
DeAntre Juilan
Steven Breumen
Natalie Figueroa
Dana Burpo
Mya Rangel
Davian Vazquez
Illustrators Ada Axenti
Zuri Godwin
Samsara Read Photographers Riley Abrams Special to the Union Nikki Yunker
ADVISERS STUDENT MEDIA ADVISER Stefanie Frith sfrith@elcamino.edu
PHOTO ADVISER
Nguyet Thomas nthomas@elcamino.edu
ADVERTISING MANAGER Jack Mulkey elcounionads000@yahoo.com
JOURNALISM PROFESSOR Kate McLaughlin kmclaughlin@elcamino.edu
INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS Gerard Burkhart gburkhart@elcamino.edu
CORRECTION POLICY:
The Union takes corrections and clarifications very seriously. If a correction is needed, email The Union at eccunion@gmail.com for all corrections and inquiries pertaining to a story.
EDITORIALS: Editorials represent the views of the The Union’s editorial board. Columns
represent the views of the writer. Neither are representations of what the newspaper staff, other students, our advisers, faculty or the administration think.
LETTERS AND GUEST COLUMN POLICY:
No more than two guest columns from the same person will be considered for publication or online use in the same semester, and 60 days must elapse before a second column is published. Guest columns should generally run 300-450 words. Letters to the editor should generally run no longer than 200 words. All columns and letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and style. They must be free of libel and in good taste. Publication or rejection of any column is at the sole discretion of the editorial board.
able for students. Thumbs down to the outdated staff directory on El Camino College’s website, which lists past titles and information.
Thumbs up to Lot H reopening following the film production on campus.
Editor’s Note: The Sept. 17 issue of The Union incorrectly spelled the name of reporters Lynelle Sarpong and illustrator Samsara Read’s name, as well as failed to mention special to The Union contributor Keandra Lee; and Coach Steve Hoffmann’s title should have identified him as the soccer coach of the Ventura College Pirates.
The Union is an award-winning, nationally recognized publication that prints on designated Thursdays by Journalism 11 and 14 students at El Camino College, Humanities 113, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90506, and is free to the student body and staff. The Union publishes daily online at eccunion.com.
The Union
Opinion
Oct. 8, 2026
3
A lack of third spaces ruined my teen years By Jennifer Figueroa-Hernandez
W
hen I was a child I always loved watching movies and shows about high schoolers. In my eyes high school was always depicted as having a big friend group and a very specific hangout spot that everyone always met up at. To my surprise, when I got to high school I had a large friend group, but we had nowhere to go. There weren’t cafes, there weren’t malls, or theaters near us. Our libraries closed early and the nearest park was a hefty walk away from our school. The lack of third spaces ruined my teen years because I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t enjoy a movie, or spend time at a community center or park. One of the only hangout spots we had was a small family-owned burger spot called Fred’s. I loved Fred’s and so did my friends, but there’s only so many bacon avocado burgers you can eat before you crave something else. Public transportation is limited and the neighborhoods aren’t considered walkable compared to cities like Santa Monica. When my friends and I wanted to hang out somewhere nice we’d have to take the Metro line 204 to the USC campus area. We would deal with an overcrowded bus filled with students trying to get home and intoxicated individuals just to reach the Exposition Park Rose Garden. Compared to what we had in South Central, USC had cafes, seating areas, museums and much more. When we would visit USC, we had to rush home before the street lights came on. But, USC wasn’t accessible to us from our homes, so it was easier for us to talk through Instagram. According to Blue Zones, teens have utilized common third spaces such as malls and arcades. Many of these spaces, however, have been disappearing or severely declining in use over the past 20 years. The decline of these spaces led to me spending a large part of my teen
Illustration by Ada Axenti years isolated at home with nothing to do but scroll on social media wishing I had somewhere to be. This was nothing like I saw on shows like “Moesha” and “Brace face”. The isolation I felt affected my mental health. With nowhere to
Campus viewpoints
Jessica Anguiano, 18, psychology “I think my only concern would be the freshness, depending on how long they stay in there. I would wonder what’s inside, or the ingredients, stuff like that.”
destress from school and home, I stayed glued to my phone with all the free time I had. According to a test conducted by Science Direct, “The group without a third place had significantly higher scores for emotional symptoms and
peer relationship problems than those with such places.” So to me, when adults complain that the new generation of teenagers are overly obsessed with their phones and social media, I believe they should look around and figure out where teens
should go. Teens don’t have the capability to change their surroundings, but adults can influence the building of new spaces for teens.
Hot and cold food vending By Tulsi Read
While exploring the possibility of hot- and cold-food vending machines on campus, student government is seeking student input on whether the machines would be useful and what food options students would want. The Union asked students how they felt about more food options.
Carlos Padilla, 19, engineering
Destiny Rae, 21, English
“I would love to see maybe, ice cream or cold water. I think it’s a good idea to have the option.”
“It does sound nasty, but we have a cafeteria and all of that, so it doesn’t really make sense. The vending machines just seems like more of a way to siphon off money from students.”
Kai Jones, 18, sociology “I think it would be really convenient, especially because the cafés close really early, and are packed. If we had waited, like, 30 minutes later, it would have been closed.”
Amari Dinnon, 18, pychology “What about the people that have night classes, or people who want to grab something in between class because they don’t feel good?”
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Oct. 8, 2026
ARTS
Art gallery’s inspiration to curation
The Union
Creations led to Sophia Cervante’s full potential By Madison Moody
I
t took ten years for artist and curator Sophia Cervantes to find her artistic identity, but El Camino College helped her find her path. Right out of high school, where she acquired her GED and graduated a year early, she started taking graphic design classes at Santa Monica College in 2016. “Graphic Design was too r e s t r i c t ive a n d I a l s o exp er ienc e d a lot of discrimination and racism at SMC, so I dropped out,” Cervantes said. After some time away from academics, Cervantes returned to school at ECC in the fall of 2024 to enroll in studio art courses, including ceramics, jewelry making and a 2D design drawing class. Though she was naturally artistic, she was ultimately a beginner. Cervantes discovered new sets of challenges within her courses as they required a vast a mount of work, but it triggered a creative awakening. “It forced me into this creative flow where I hadn’t been in a long time. I was able to reconnect with creative aspects of myself that had just been missing due to life trauma and other things,” Cervantes said. After her first semester at ECC, her positive experience helped her regain a creative helmet after finding interest in jewel r y ma k i ng a nd metalsmithing which involves silver, gold, copper and iron. She took advantage of the Jewel r y Fabr ication a nd Design Certificate to hone her skills. Fine arts major and a close friend of Cervantes, Mary Hannah, 20, took many of the same courses with her. “She’s very detail-oriented, precise and very meaningful and impactful with everything that she does,” Hannah said, “She just always moves with such conviction, everything is very well thought out and comes from a place of passion.”
Studio and fine arts major Sophia Cervantes, poses in front of her work desk at home on Sept. 24. Her work desk has various tools such as pliers, different size grinding bits and punching tools. Photo by Riley Abrams
Among other certificates, she also acquired a Gallery Management certificate, she took advantage of the Art Gallery on campus to add more to her experience belt. In her second semester, she was a volunteer for the gallery and by her third semester she became a student worker. Cervantes quickly learned about the intricacies of curation while working under gallery and museum programming director Michael Miller. “I met him my first semester here, actually,” Cervantes said. “I was trying to get a job for the first two semesters, but I wasn’t eligible for work-study until my third semester and that’s when I finally got it.” In her first exhibit, “Kieva Campbell: ‘A Tribute to April Savino, the Sister I Never Met,’” she got the works of Chicano muralist Fabian Debora and quiltist Gary Tyler, who served over four decades for a crime he didn’t commit. Both turned a life of hardship into art. “Both of their work resonates very heavily with me because I have family members who are system impacted. I grew up in a ver y impover ished, lowincome environment and so there weren’t a lot of direct pat hways to succ ess, o p p o r t u n i t y, o r a r t s,” Cervantes said. She originally met Debora during an excursion trip with Homeboy Art Academy, the largest rehabilitation and re-entry program that provides training and support for those p r e v i o u s l y incarcerated or gangaffiliated. She was already inspired by Homeboy’s impact, so she approached Debora during the excursion hoping to work and collaborate with the
El Camino College student Sophia Cervantes uses one of her many tools to create the jewelry she makes. Cervantes has protective gear that adorns her fingers while she uses a buffing tool on Sept. 24, 2026. Photos by Riley Abrams
“She always moves with such conviction, everything is very well thought out and comes from a place of passion.” - Fine arts major Mary Hannah academy on future projects. This encounter led to the curation and collaboration on Debora’s Love Letters exhibit, which was a series of portraits a nd stor ies of for merly i nc a r c e r a t e d a nd ga ngaffiliated individuals. “A lot of the time we don’t uplift those stories. we brush them off as too complex to talk, … so it’s important that we don’t neglect these voices and these experiences and that we don’t lead with prejudice or judgment but rather curiosity and empathy,” Cervantes said. During this time, she was stressed academically and personally. Beyond manageable
stress, federal cuts weighed on her eligibility to afford or attend college. “I had two finals that day for art history and I was so stressed about my exhibitions and things that I had going on. I was like, screw this, screw art history, screw my classes, I’ll make it up, I’ll take the F, I don’t care. I need to go talk to someone because I need help,” Cervantes said. Debora served as a mentor to Cervantes in various settings outside of their creative work. He helped Cervantes with resources, including residency, job offers and grants for college.
“Regardless of the quality of the work and its value, I believe that me and Sophia are in much alignment,” Debora said. “It is my duty as an artist to pay a t t e n t i o n t o t h e n ex t generation.” Following the conversation they had, Debora allowed Cervantes to curate a student art show at the North Figueroa Bookstore in Highland Park titled “Visualizing the Future”. Although Art curation and installation can be stressful, Cervantes ensures that the message is always understood and displayed in the way student artists have visualized themselves. “We need more people like Sophia,” Miller said. “I think Sophia has the wherewithal and the passion to do this kind of work. I think that she would be really good at it and because she comes from a different point of view, her voice as a curator is extremely important,” Miller said.
The Union
Oct. 8, 2026
ARTS
Q&A:
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Locations Manager returns to campus for new film project By Oriana de Quay
O
ne of the challenges when making movies is finding the locations able to house a major production. The Universal Studio’s productions locations manager, Leann Emmert, started on the project in April. She was already familiar with the campus, as she worked on the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” in 2011. This time, El Camino College rented its gyms, lawns, and buildings to Universal Studios for about a month of filming. The feature film, currently named working title,“Thasnagar”, is a sci-fi action comedy by the directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Starring in the movie are Matt Damon, Sandra Oh, Charles Melton and John Leguizamo, according to IMDB. The Union got the chance to speak with Emmert briefly while she was on campus. Q: What do you look for when scouting locations for this particular project? A: I knew there were going to be schools, the directors [Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert] had heard about this school and the closed wing in the gym. A couple years ago, they had sort of tried to get this movie going and then it sort of didn’t happen. Sometimes movies take a little while to get going, you know. They were sort of thinking that we were just going to need a closed campus to film the whole thing. So, we’ve kind of pieced it together with another location. Things that we’re shooting here will be pieced together with another school. Even if you look at their previous works, like [“Everything Everywhere All at Once”], they lean towards things with more character rather than just like a shiny brand new building. Something that would feel real instead of just like corporate and kind of plastic. Q: Have you run into issues while working on this campus? A: I mean, I tell people and I tell some of my contacts here like Bridget [Delahunt], who’s my contact [at ECC], that over the years—because I’ve been doing this for 28 years—there are locations I will never forget because of how hard they are. El Camino is one of those because I filmed at NASA and it’s like, freaking El Camino was up there with as hard as it was just because they just were just flat out ‘no’ for so long. Also, the flood channel, because we had this whole flood suit under there and we built a whole set under there, it took me about six months to get the permits through the Army Corps of Engineers to
Leann Emmert films on campus Monday, Sept. 14, for an upcoming feature film being produced by Universal Studios. This is her first time working with directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Photo by Oriana de Quay
do a huge build under Lot F. Now, this is like hands down one of the easier locations. Everybody that we’re dealing with here is just super, super friendly. They’re true to their word. I mean, the school has been super film-friendly. It’s completely changed, and I remember when they said that they were thinking about filming here. I was like, “Wait, wait, wait, wait,” I just want to caution everybody. I don’t know. You know, like I have to call the school and find out what’s going on there. But I know that they’re not filmfriendly, or they haven’t been in the past. Turns out they are. Even if in the past I’ve gotten a no, I’ll never say it’s a no right away because you just never know. I mean, there could be new ownership or new management or just new opinions, and that’s actually what’s happened here. We bring another infusion of money to the campus that they need, and you know it’s not so overcrowded here that I don’t think we’re impacting the campus. Q: How do you normally get started on a project? A: Because I was the first person on and working with the directors, I came here with the production designer and we did an initial scout and kind of came up with a pitch. I came first with a production designer, and then one week later we brought the directors, and then we came back another week later and brought the director of photography. When I get hired, I’m usually one of the first people on a movie, so usually trying to figure out where to film. We help them just conceptually because they can have a whole bunch of ideas, but you know you don’t really know how you’re going to start designing a movie until you know where you’re shooting the movie and what the look is going to be and what’s doable because, you know, everybody has questions, “Can we do that? Can we shoot at a school for this long?”
(L-R) Jackson Kelly and John Leguizamo talk about their characters on the set of the Universal Studios feature film “Thasnagar” outside the Art Complex Building on Thursday, Sept. 24. “Thank you for letting us use your school,” Leguizamo said. Photo by Steven Berumen
Q: Is that the hardest part of the job? A: It’s really hard because I’m bringing and showing them things and just like the time I came here before, and I showed this to Chris Nolan, and [ECC] said no, so then you just have to scramble to try to figure out how to make it work because when we scout things, we think this should be doable. I am dealing very much with the location, with contracts, with the government permits, and these are all people who are just living their normal lives or having running their businesses, and they’re not film studios. You just never know if they are going to be able to work with you. We just don’t have control of what other people are going to do or say. So I’d say that’s one of the more stressful things about being a location manager.
Previous Projects that won california Location Awards - “Bird Box” 2018 Winner for Location team of the Year (Independent Feature film) - “True Detective” 2015 Winner for Location Team of the Year (Independent Film) -“Transformers” 2007 Winner Production Company and Location Team of the Year (Feature film) - “Terminator Three: Rise of the machines” 2003 Winner for Assistant Location Manager of the Year (Feature film)
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PHOTO
Oct. 8, 2026
The Union
Student-directed plays coming to Campus Theatre By Zoey Grinstead
P
lays written, directed, produced and cast by students will be heading to the El Camino College Campus Theatre titled as “New Play Festival” on Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10. The entire crew went through a designer run Saturday, Sept. 19, where the actors ran through different scenes from the plays so the producers and tech team could understand the visual environment including lighting, sound and costume design. Cast members have put in many hours of work to memorize their lines and perfect their roles as they performed for the first full run through of the plays.
(L-R) Film major Champ Chavira, 25, helps ASL & theatre major Lauren Conway, 40, practice her role as a Showgirl for one of the featured plays, “A Lover’s Reward”, by doing breathing exercises right before their first run through of the play. Chavira said, “You got this”, to motivate Conway. Photo by Zoey Grinstead
T h e plays to be performed will be: - “Hardly Innocent Victims” (written and directed by Paul McKissock) - A drama about when late-night drinks for a young couple turns into a reexamination of love and commitment in the modern era.
- “Agent & Agent D o e ” (written and directed by Brent Jasso) - A fast paced comedy focused on when two female spies find themselves on the same case. - “ A L o v e r ’s R e w a r d ” (written by Victory Stevens, directed by Brent Jasso) - A fantasy rom-com focused on two working professionals that meet for coffee, only to be caught in a magical game show all about love. Tickets are on sale now for $17 (or $11 for students w/ valid ID) for General Admission. They can be purchased at El Camino College’s Center for the Arts ticketing website.
( L-R) Theatre major Brent Jasso, 24, and English major Paul McKissock, 27, watch as cast members preform a run through of their plays on Saturday, Sept. 19. Jasso and McKissock are both directors and partial writers of the three plays featured in the New Play Festival that will be presented at the ECC Campus Theatre starting Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10. Photo by Zoey Grinstead
Theatre majors Dakota Pflieger, 18, and Alia Stillwell, 18, practice the low swoop in their dance scene for “A Lover’s Reward” before a full run through of the play. Photo by Zoey Grinstead
A cast member in one of the featured plays, “Agent & Agent Doe,” reads their lines just offstage at ECC’s Campus Theatre before their next scene during a designer run on Saturday, Sept. 19. Photo by Zoey Grinstead
Oct. 8, 2026
The Union
SPORTS
7
Warriors acquire a narrow win vs. the Eagles
Top left: Warriors quarterback Maika Eugenio fumbles the ball while wide receiver Toriano Spain attempts to recover the ball, Sept. 26. Photo by Riley Abrams Center left: Warriors running back Ryan Young rushes for 7 yards against The Mt. San Jacinto Eagles while Warriors wide receiver JT Dacoud blocks Eagles defensive back Drew-Sene Amisone on Sept. 26. Photo by Riley Abrams
Bottom left: Warriors kicker John Paul Carr punts the ball after the Warriors 4th down on Sept. 26. Photo by Riley Abrams
By Oriana de Quay Right: Warriors quarterback Maika Eugenio throws a 9-yard pass to wide receiver JT Dacoud on Sept. 26. Dacoud caught a pass from Eugenio before being tackled by the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles defensive backs, Christopher Washington and Camden Webb. Photo by Riley Abrams
F
War r iors u p coming h o m e g a m es : Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
Oct. 9 at 6 p.m.
Football vs San Diego Mesa College
Women’s volleyball vs Cerritos College
Oct. 9 at 9 a.m.
Oct. 13 at 1:30 p.m.
Women’s soccer vs Long Beach City College
Women’s soccer vs Pasadena City College
Oct. 9 at 11:30 a.m.
Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.
Men’s soccer vs Long Beach City College
Men’s soccer vs Pasadena City College
ive yards in one second was all the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles football needed to secure a win against the El Camino College Warriors on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Murdock Stadium. In the remaining seconds of the game, the Warriors received a penalty due to delay of game, granting the Eagles a five-yard advantage. The Warriors, with a three-point lead, 36 – 33, called for a timeout with a second of play remaining. If the Eagles make a touchdown, it will be their victory. The Eagles could have placed a safe bet on a three-point field goal to tie, but opted for the chance at a win. When the timeout was lifted, Eagles wide receiver Ryker Galvan looked for the pass, but a single touch from Warriors defensive back Maurice Stepter Jr. threw the play off and ended the game.
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NEWS
Oct. 8, 2026
The Union
Ticket sales app to replace online system Seeds cultivate
own food and become involved with gardening,” said Torres. Students can pick up seeds at the Library during operating hours from Monday to By Lynelle Sarpong Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Fifty to 70 varieties of seeds seeds are displayed next to the including flowers, plants, herbs, library’s west entrance. vegetables and other plants are The nonprofit organization free and accessible to students E a r t h l o d g e C e n t e r f o r at the Schauerman Library. Transformation provided The idea of a Seed Library guidance, seeds, and inspiration originated from full-time for setting up the Seed Library Library Learning Resources at ECC, Torres said. instructor Justin Torres. He was The organization, located in inspired to get students and the Long Beach, helps people El Camino College community transform their trauma into more directly aware of the healing. natural flora and plants that “It is beneficial, and we’re surround them. providing the materials to “This provides an accessible connect with our community,” way for students to grow their Torres said.
interest in gardening
By Seamus Pink
A
new ticketing platform for all on-campus events, including athletics, theater productions and club events, will start Oct. 17. The Hometown Fan app is designed to mitigate the need to wait in lines or use cash. However, tickets will still be available for purchase in person at the ticket office on Mondays and Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m., located on the south end of Marsee Auditorium. To use the Hometown app, download the app, search for El Camino College, choose the event, select the number of tickets and proceed to checkout. Purchased tickets are automatically saved in the app and are transferable to smartphone wallet apps including Apple and Google . The upgrade to this system offers a conducive experience to both students and local fans, Amy Grant, acting dean of arts, media, and entertainment, said. “Students generally prefer to do things online, but some of our community members maybe aren’t so good with technology,” Grant said. Grant also said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, most
Police Beat By Seamus Pink The Union publishes police beats online with each newspaper release. Visit eccunion.com to read more.
Wednesday, Sept. 23, reported at 3:37 a.m. Stalking was reported at the Natural Sciences Building. The case is closed. Thursday, Sept. 24, reported at 2:23 p.m. Trespassing was reported at the Student Services Building. A warning was issued and the suspect was released. Monday, Sept. 28, 7:24 p.m. A hit-and-run was reported at Lot C. The case is open. Monday, Sept. 28, 7:29 p.m. Liquor law violation and a trespass warning was reported at the ECC Commons. An arrest (citation) was made. Monday, Sept. 28, 8:03 p.m. A theft involving laptops and a headset was reported at the Industry and Technology Building. The case is open. Monday, Sept. 28, 9:19 p.m. Public intoxication was reported at the Administration Building. The case is closed.
The Ticketing Office at El Camino College will offer a new way to purchase tickets online. Photo by Oriana de Quay
tickets have been purchased online. Matt Dickey, the Ticket Office Coordinator, looked into several options and determined that the Hometown app provided the most accessibility for students and the community to buy tickets. Grant said the previous online
ticketing service being used was AudienceView, which operated through ECC’s Center For The Arts website and will no longer handle online ticket purchases once the new system is in place. In the meantime, tickets are available online at the college’s website.
Photography major Frances Que, 33, explores seed varieties from the Seed Library on Monday, Oct. 5, at the Schauerman Library. Que was curious about the Seed Library. “I don’t plant, but the California Poppy seeds are so pretty,” Que said. Photo by Lynelle Sarpong.
Club under investigation for violating campus rules By Oriana de Quay College officials barred Turning Point USA from the last two days of Club Rush, Sept. 15 and 16, due to club misconduct. El Camino College TPUSA chapter met for the Charlie Kirk memorial in Room 219 of the Math, Business and Allied Health Building with advisor Gregory Fry on Sept. 10. The Union asked Director of Student Development Ricardo Gonzalez for further details, but was denied due to the pending status of the investigation. “A club, before they are enacted as a club, cannot hold a meeting,” Gonzalez said. Prior to the memorial, TPUSA had filled out paperwork to establish themselves as a club on campus, though it was not yet turned in. “If you look at the handbook, there are a lot of rules that seem a little extreme”, TPUSA club advisor Gregory Fry said. “It was like a one-off event; it couldn’t be a different day.” Students Activity Advisor Tyler Strohl said technically students can have an unofficial meeting before the club’s paperwork is turned in. The college can’t, for instance, physically stop a club from getting together for a “hangout”
Students and staff attend the campus Club Rush Monday, Sept. 14. The event spanned over three days, Sept. 14 through the 16. Clubs used this time to advertise their clubs to students. Photo by Steven Berumen
in front of the El Cappuccino, he said. “If you’re not an official club, you shouldn’t be able to reserve a classroom on campus,” Strohl said. Listed in the ECC Student Organization Handbook, clubs that don’t submit the proper forms required by the deadline, which is open for the academic year until the third-to-last semester of spring semester, with proper approval, are considered unregistered or inactive and will not have
access to club privileges, including college affiliation in logos, recruitment, request funding, advertising and more. In order to register as a club on campus, students must meet these requirements: • At least 10 El Camino College student members who have paid the “required” $15 Benefit Pass, which are pooled funds for all clubs • An assigned club advisor, who is part-time or full-time faculty
• A club constitution These requirements have not changed from previous semesters; however, other policies like mandatory Monday Inter-Club Council meetings will no longer be required. The ICC will no longer handle clubs moving forward, as a decision during a Associated Students Organization meeting To read the full story, visit ECCUnion.com